The farmer's virtuous wife

Chapter 2

Xiao Gua and her father were both called at the same time of her birth. They were outside the room for five hours .And Li Zhei couldn't take it anymore he said ",Xiao Gua sat down ,you are going to dig your way to the centre of the earth with your pacing". He sighed. Xiao Gua looked at his father in law and said softly", I am sorry . I can't help it. What if she doesn't wake up ?".he said softly. His eyes showed fear ,panic and helplessness.

As Li Zhei was about to open his mouth ,the door opened. He turned and saw his grandmother holding a child. The child was in a white cloth and cleaned ,but awfully tiny. Her eyes red. He didn't look at the child as he could see the unnatural stillness.

"Grandmother, is she?", he asked gently, to avoid making her even more sadder. Her father stood up. As she was about to answer Li Zhei's wife and two sons who were in town arrived in hurry seeming as though they ran all the way.

",Where is my baby?, where is Li Xining?", she asked seriously. Old Madam Ning said ",Xiao Xining is alright. She just fell asleep now. She should wake up tomorrow". She explained. Everyone nodded relieved. Then Xiao Gua asked in a choking voice "What was it?". He was moving his grandmother and asked to hold the baby.

",A little boy." She smiled sadly. She knew how exited this grandchild of her's was to be expecting a child.

She handed him the baby. He held the baby softly and gently. He looked at the wrinkled little face. He seemed more like his mother. His tears fell as he kept on looking at the boy's face. He brought the baby's face closer to his and kissed the slightly cold child then he put his ear on the baby small chest. His heart breaking at the stillness

"Please God", he begged under his breath his eyes closed tightly. he pledged to protect the child and love him no matter what. He promised to feed him, and raise him to be a righteous person who helps others he begged over and over in his heart. They looked at him, break apart at the stillness of the child. They all felt sad for him. It could be said that he wont afford a wife as pretty as her in this lifetime.

Then he heard it.

Lub-Dub......lub....dub....lub....dub

Slow and unsteady ,slightly flickering ,gong to King Yama's gate then coming back over and over again.

He could not believe it. His heart stopped ,his world stopped altogether. Time froze. His child liveth.His child has breath. He came back to him, to them.

"Thank God ,I will keep my promises". He whispered whilst kissing the temple of the child. Then he awoke from his stupor and excitedly or rather worriedly demanded for the doctor who was standing beside them.

"Doctor, DOCTOR!". He turned to his grandmother with that scream. A smile broke from his face, threatening to split it apart. His eyes searched for the doctor, but the doctor was just there disappeared. He said quickly to them/

"He is alive ,quick get him help", he said. Old Madam's Ning's eyes widened. She took the baby in disbelief. The earlier coldness and ,and stillness disappeared. The body was warming up. The baby's mouth opened and he released a tired ,weak cry. It was weak ,but it was definitely alive.

In that instant, they quickly sent Xiao Gua's brother in law to fetch Doctor Xu .Leaving the baby with his grandmother and in laws, he went to the well to fetch water for his wife to bath. She dislikes dirt the most.

He was happy,his wife and child survived the delivery, even though it was two months early. He even had a bounce to his step and couldn't contain his smile and happiness. It was contagious as everyone was happy and the other villagers ,though they disliked her ,they congratulated him. and he agreed with a smile. 

She felt a damp cloth on her forehead as she felt much better and well rested unlike before. A gentle hand has been wiping her body diligently with a sponge and her forehead with a cloth. She moved her head and fluttered her eyebrows. What she was met with was a dark small room with a lamp causing a little glow over her and darkness in the rest of the room. She saw a silhouette hovering about her. Caring for her yet not daring to check her further. She was mightily amused by this man. Nevertheless she only murmured

"Child...where...is..it?". with great difficulty she managed to call out. He froze for a bit before he answered ",My grandmother and your parents and the Doctor Xu are looking after him, no need to worry yourself"

"Sleep now". He urged her. Truthfully she was too tired to keep her eyes open .Hearing the man mention his grandmother and her parents with such familiarity she guessed she must be close to him. She  desperately wanted to see the child, but alas her body was too tired to put up a fight though her spirit was fighting to keep her child with her. She was mightily confused.

On the other side Doctor Xu frowned", In my professional opinion the little boy's survival was jut too great. Presently his lungs are too small and he hasn't fed yet. His heart stopped for a maximum of ten minutes. Even with the best medication, waking up from the dead is simply God's will." He looked at Xiao Gua who had entered the room . a distinct smell of blood on him. He looked at the doctor and asked "Will little Yi be able to survive well, especially with the winter coming in a month or so?".

Doctor Xu looked at him kindly after all this kind gentleman once saved his daughter from sexual and helped her avoid being forced to marry the perpetrator .so has never forgotten this debt . So he answered a bit too optimistic for his career ."Naturally if passes tonight safely ,there should be no trouble for him to survive. But your wife lost a bit of blood this time she will need a lot of blood nourishing food as well as meticulous care. A lot of eggs as well as red date soup and pigeon soup to supplement her blood and breast milk." He explained. He dared not mention the medication nor the price thereof. Towards this handsome and good natured Ning Xiao Gua ,everyone knew what he was like and that he was poor was also no secret. Without that accident could he have married the village belle.

Ning Xiao Gua nodded very seriously.The doctor sighed seeing him like this made him sad. Then he said ".Has she woken up yet?",The doctor had to ask as it was not seeming for the doctor to find a young girl, touch her hand much less check if she was stitched right.It was still a reserved society so he did not ask to see her outwardly. Ning Xiao Gua's face softened considerably and said to Doctor Xu ",She woke up and asked for the child ,then fell right back asleep after hearing Little Yi was fine". He said .

Everyone was clear on how important that simple sentence was to the Ning hosehold. Accepting the child ,How could she bare to separate the child from his father. And the usually simple Ning Xiao Gua also had a happy smile on his face. He was usually reserved with his smiles.