Nightfall

The indigo lion looked around and found a vacant divine seat down the Taoist hall.

Only in the most important Taoist halls was there the main hall, where the divine seats were always reserved. Because the seats belonged only to Haotian.

It came to Sangsang, pulled her dress and dragged her onto the seat. Then it tore several pieces of gauze and covered her to keep her warm.

Even the most pious follower would have abandoned this Haotian upon seeing the blood-stained Sangsang in labor. But the indigo lion always worshiped her as the only Haotian and the true god.

The indigo lion was very satisfied by its own loyalty and perseverance. Recalling the big black horse leaving its master previously, it felt angry and sympathetic, and would like to treat it with a good bite in the future.

Sangsang lay exhaustively in the divine seat. Distinctive pains in the belly came in rounds after rounds. Colors drained further from her face. She sweated profusely and could no longer even raise her hand.

The indigo lion stared at her and kept circling anxiously. Its tail wagged on the wall and smashed the solemn divine statues.

Some noises were heard outside the hall. The indigo lion gazed viciously at the gate in case some divine priests or deacons were coming to make trouble. If anyone dared to interrupt the delivery, it would tear them into pieces without any orders from its master.

Clip-clops approached distinctively!

The big black horse ran into the hall with a chubby middle-aged woman sitting on it. The woman seemed paler than Sangsang. She held tightly on the saddle and could almost fall into a coma at any minute.

The middle-aged woman was a midwife. She never thought about being kidnapped by a horse or seeing an indigo lion about half the height of the hall. Nor did she ever imagine helping someone give birth in a Taoist hall, especially when the woman was stabbed by a sword and stained in blood like a devil.

Afterwards when she recalled this, she thanked her previous experience with countless bloody and torturing childbirth. Otherwise she would have easily fainted. But she actually wished she could have fainted earlier.

…

…

Sangsang lay on the seat and felt slightly recovered after taking some powder. She opened her eyes, watched the middle-aged woman rushing in and out of the layers of gauze, and asked weakly, “When will it be delivered?”

It was already dusk, a long while since the labor pains started. The midwife had been standing by Sangsang and kept shouting loudly to cheer her up until her voice became hoarse. But the child was still yet to come.

Sangsang was soaking, so were the layers of cloth beneath her. Her hair fell disheveled on her pale cheeks and made her seem miserable. Luckily her eyes were not yet losing focus.

The middle-aged woman came to the divine seat, looked at the bloody sword on her belly and said with trembling voice, “First time is always hard. Let’s try a bit harder. Perhaps we can still make it?”

Sangsang got her uncertainty. She frowned with dissatisfaction. But when she tried to say something she found her strength draining rapidly. She had to close her eyes again and prepare for another round of labor.

The middle-aged woman wanted to sneak out, especially when she realized that it was a dystocia. She tried to flee an hour ago but was scared back upon seeing the giant indigo lion beheaded three cavalrymen from the divine halls.

…

…

The baby was still not delivered.

The middle-aged woman stared at Sangsang’s pale face and suddenly felt for her. She came to her and said, “We have to try this. Otherwise you might both die.”

Sangsang felt exhausted and asked, “What?”

The middle-aged woman put on some pride and assured, “You can trust me. I have saved many children with this method. It will definitely work.”

She reached for her toolbox on the saddle of the big black horse and took out a round forceps. She lifted the gauze and was about to take a look between Sangsang’s thighs.

Sangsang ordered ruthlessly, “Don’t look.”

The middle-aged woman was startled and said bitterly, “Come on sister, you never let me take a look ever since the beginning… How can I help you like this? We are both women. Why so shy? You’re going to be a mother.”

Sangsang stared at her and repeated calmly and indisputably, “Don’t look.”

The middle-aged woman looked at the forceps in her hand and sighed, “I learned this in Chang’an. But no matter how skilled I am, I have to look when I use it.”

“No need.” Sangsang turned away from the forceps and looked at the sword on her belly. She stared at the sword and frowned for a long while. Then she took some deep breath, gathered every bit of her strength and got hold of the hilt. The sword was pulled out form the Drunkard’s flagon and was washed by the strongest liquor and her own blood. It was clean and dustless. She held the hilt and pushed it downward.

Upon a tearing sound her belly was cut open. Blood flooded.

The middle-aged woman almost fainted.

Sangsang was extremely pale. Her voice was weak but still indisputable, “Stay conscious!”

…

…

Baby cries resounded in the Taoist hall. It was rather annoying than pleasant.

It was unpleasant for Sangsang, as well as for the big black horse and the indigo lion. Because she was focusing on the wound on her belly, while the big black horse and the indigo lion was focusing on her.

As for the middle-aged midwife, she picked up the new-born from the bloody wound, managed to stay conscious while briefly cleaning the baby, and eventually fell into a coma after witnessing the insanity.

Sangsang tried to fix the wound on her belly but realized that she was too weak to accomplish the task. So she stitched the wound and wiped it with the remaining dim light on her palm. She passed out a few times during the process and was awakened again and again by the distinctive pain. But she still seemed indifferent.

The dim light on her palm was decisive for finishing the stitching. When the blood was cleaned, no wound but only the stitches could be seen.

Sangsang was exhausted yet satisfied with her achievement. But of course, it was the achievement of a humanized her.

All of a sudden she recalled a trivial matter many years ago. It was before they left Wei for Chang’an. She was once ashamed of her needlework, at least nothing to be compared with the other women in Chang’an. Ning Que seemed to agree too.

From now on he could never say so, she thought.

With such distractions she felt less painful and exhausted. Then she realized that she almost forgot something. Upon a glance on the side she frowned again.

She seemed annoyed, but actually disappointed. Right by her side there lay two babies.

The two babies were clean, fair, and delicate.

But the thing is, how come there are two of them?

She was Haotian who should have known. But how come she was never aware that they were twins?

Ning Que asked her in the cottage on the snow fields whether it was a boy or a girl. She said she had no idea. That was true. She was very annoyed by pregnancy hence never tried to figure it out.

To give birth was disappointing enough. To give birth to two was even more so. What should she do next?

She seemed pale and anxious. She looked down by the divine seat and found the middle-aged midwife already passed out, or dead asleep. She was even snoring at such a critical moment.

She picked up the tiny legs and confirmed that they were a boy and a girl. She did it clumsily, or even savagely.

The indigo lion lowered its head as it felt embarrassed. The big black horse kicked its fore-hoofs and tore a piece of gauze to cover the two babies.

When the fat aunty gave birth to the child years ago, she wrapped him up very tight. Perhaps was it because the newborn was sensitive to coldness?

Sangsang sat up with efforts and wrapped the two babies with the gauze. But she made it messy as if she was wrapping up some random belongings.

She held each baby in an arm and seemed awkward. Right then the baby boy started crying, and the baby girl followed. They cried rounds after rounds like they did previously.

Sangsang frowned, and felt annoyed.

“Stop crying,” she said emotionlessly to the two babies in her arms. Although she was no longer almighty, she still sounded awe-inspiring. But how could some newborn sense the awe? Even a newly born calf would never be afraid of the tigers. Haotian’s children could be no less fearless.

Baby cries resounded in the Taoist hall. Sangsang was annoyed and anxious. She closed her eyes, frowned profoundly and tried really hard to recall some similar experience from long long ago.

Finally she located them. It was raining in the Hebei Province. She was still an infant lying in Ning Que’s arms. His arms were very slim at that time, but it felt cozy.

Recalling how Ning Que held her when she was a baby, she found her arms less stiff and curved slightly. The two babies obviously found it more comfortable as their cries slowly ceased.

There was something else she had to do. She remembered Ning Que feeding her with rice paste back then.

The babies needed rice paste, or milk if there was no rice paste. Or perhaps the other way round. She opened her eyes, unbuttoned the blood stained clothes and started feeding the babies.

The big black horse and the indigo lion already retreated to guard at the gate.

…

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