Qian Dama and Song Dafeng hurried over to see and exclaimed, "Oh my heavens, isn't it so? This impatient second child is also eager to be born, just like his elder brother.
After another torturous half hour, the impatient second child was finally born. Qian Dama exclaimed loudly again, "Born! Born! Oh my goodness, another big healthy boy! Xiao Lan, you are truly amazing! You are such a fortunate person!"
Chen Lan was too exhausted to speak at this point, so she didn't reply to Qian Dama. Qian Dama didn't mind and continued to busy herself efficiently with her daughter-in-law, Song Dafeng, keeping her head down.
Indeed, the second child was also a big, healthy boy, not much smaller than his elder brother. After the second child was cleaned and swaddled, Qian Dama handed him to her third sister, who had been waiting at the door of the delivery room. She was asked to hold the second child and hurry out to have Doctor Guo check his pulse. [Sundan Novel Network]
Having given birth to two children in succession, even with Chen Lan's good constitution, her strength was almost completely depleted, and she felt drowsy and dazed with exhaustion.
Qian Dama and her daughter-in-law thought the ordeal was over and were efficiently cleaning Chen Lan. They were then busy tidying up the things they had brought, with their heads down.
Suddenly, Chen Lan was awakened by a sharp pain and cried out, "Qian Dama, Qian Dama, I think there's still one in my belly."
This sent everyone into a tizzy. The elder mother was carefully wiping the sweat from Chen Lan's forehead when she was startled by Chen Lan's shout, causing her hands to tremble. Qian Dama, being experienced, quickly regained her composure. She placed her hand on Chen Lan's belly and said to Song Dafeng, "There is another one. Dafeng, quickly prepare the things." She then said to the flustered elder mother, "Xiao Lan's mother, don't panic. Hurry to the kitchen and have them prepare hot water!"
The elder mother stammered a hurried assent, "Yes! Yes! Good! Good! I'll go now, I'll go now." With that, she quickly ran out of the delivery room.
The third child was a lazy one, and after much fuss, refused to be born. Chen Lan's belly would ache for a while, then stop, then ache again. This tormented Chen Lan for over two hours, longer than it took to deliver her first two children, and she still refused to be born.
Finally, the elder mother and the mother-in-law feared that if this continued, the baby in the womb might be in danger, and the mother couldn't endure it any longer. Hadn't their Lan'er broken out in a sweat from the pain? Although Chen Lan had a good constitution and had drunk ginseng soup, she had already given birth to two children.
So, Doctor Guo prescribed a labor-inducing medicine. Once the medicine was brewed, Chen Lan was told to drink it quickly while it was still hot. About half an hour after drinking the medicine, Chen Lan's belly began to show signs of labor, and the contractions became very frequent and intense.
After another torturous half hour, the third child, who had been stubbornly refusing to be born, finally arrived. Qian Dama happily congratulated her with a tone of resigned admiration, "Congratulations, congratulations! This birth is a baby girl. Xiao Lan, you are truly remarkable! With this birth, you have both sons and daughters. You are truly a blessed person."
The elder mother anxiously stepped forward and asked, "Qian Dama, how is the baby? Why aren't I hearing her cry?"
After asking, she watched Qian Dama and her daughter-in-law efficiently attending to the baby. Qian Dama replied as she worked, "Don't worry, the baby is fine! I've examined her carefully, and she has all her limbs. She's just a little thin, and she'll be fine after being nursed in her confinement month!"
The elder mother looked closely from the side and indeed saw a thin, small granddaughter. It was clear she hadn't been able to compete with her two older brothers in their mother's womb, appearing somewhat malnourished. However, her features inherited the best of both Chen Lan and her husband. Her nose bridge was high, like her father's, and her skin was fair, like Chen Lan's. Her eyes weren't open yet, but her eyelashes were long, suggesting she would have large eyes.
As soon as the little one was born, perhaps too weak to cry, or too lazy to bother, she let out a couple of whimpers and fell back asleep. The elder mother doted on her, repeatedly murmuring, "My little darling! She must have suffered so much in her mother's womb. Look at these tiny arms and legs, so thin! It's truly heartbreaking."
As soon as Qian Dama and her daughter-in-law had finished cleaning her and swaddling her into a little bundle, she eagerly took her and held her in her arms, rushing out to have Doctor Guo check her pulse.
Chen Lan completely fell asleep as soon as the third child was born. When she opened her eyes and woke up, she found herself in her room upstairs. Her mother was dozing off, leaning against the headboard of the bed. Chen Lan didn't want to wake her. Her mother had been meticulously taking care of her for months, worrying herself sick every day, afraid of any accident. She hadn't had a good night's sleep for so long; she had truly worked hard. Now, it seemed a great stone had finally been lifted from her heart, allowing her to catch a nap.
Chen Lan looked towards the small crib opposite the bed. All three little ones were sound asleep.
As the saying goes, "A seedling doesn't need to worry about growing." After Chen Lan's two-month confinement, when she emerged, the three little ones had changed dramatically. Their little faces were plump, and their tiny arms and legs had grown like tender lotus roots.
Especially the third child, Shi Mei, because she was the tenth, their elder mother decided to give her the nickname Shi Mei, meaning perfect ten.
Shi Mei could be said to grow before their eyes, changing almost daily. She was also very easy to care for, sleeping soundly after eating. She rarely cried, only whimpering when she needed to be changed. Her elder mother doted on her even more, always saying, "Our Shi Mei is a clean and good child."
Due to the severe drought, the triplets' full moon and hundred-day celebrations were not grand affairs in the valley. They simply had a meal of white noodles with the whole family. The elder mother and mother-in-law both felt this was quite good and that they shouldn't be too extravagant, lest heaven disapprove.
The drought continued, and there was hardly any rain. As autumn harvest approached, the crops suffered greatly from lack of water. The drought was still severe, and the water in the artificial lake was nearing its end. Uncle De said to everyone, "We can't keep pumping anymore. The remaining water should be reserved for the animals in the mountains to drink. Let's switch to pumping underground water from irrigation wells for irrigation."
Although the crops in the fields were irrigated with water from the irrigation wells, to ensure a bumper harvest, the valley mobilized all its people to participate in drought resistance efforts.