After swallowing a pill, Zhong Huimin felt her whole body was invigorated.

"Elder sister, listen to me. When I tell you to inhale, you inhale. When I tell you to push, you push. We sisters will work together to welcome the child."

"Okay, I will follow your instructions."

Outside the birthing room, Mrs. Fang was extremely anxious.

"Relative, if this were to..."

"Relative, the eldest girl is my own daughter. I wouldn’t harm her."

Madam Zhong was utterly confident that the Fifth Girl would manage. If she couldn’t, she would have already called for a doctor.

"But the Fifth Miss merely attended a few days at Chunshan Women’s Medical College. She’s still an inexperienced maiden, how can she..."

How could she help deliver the child?

Isn’t this madness?

She even angered the midwife, who stormed off. If anything went wrong, it would be entirely the Zhong Mansion’s own doing.

"I trust her," Madam Zhong said, "because the Fifth Girl has always been a blessing to the eldest girl. Whenever anything happens to the eldest girl, the Fifth Girl manages to turn misfortune into fortune for her."

Madam Zhong still felt some resentment towards Mrs. Fang.

Why hasn’t her daughter conceived since entering the Fang Mansion? Because someone in the household, a concubine, was pregnant, and Mrs. Fang manipulated the situation, deliberately blaming Zhong Huimin, causing resentment against her.

Moreover, because the concubine was a servant’s child, she tampered with Zhong Huimin’s meals, causing her to struggle to conceive.

And Mrs. Fang even wanted to place her own niece as a distinguished concubine in her son’s chambers.

Just think, your own niece as your son’s distinguished concubine, whoever becomes her daughter-in-law is doomed.

It’s why Zhong Huimin had no choice but to act decisively. Rather than allowing her niece to enter the courtyard, she chose a half-sister to help alleviate her worries.

At least, she’s within control.

When choosing someone in the mansion, she picked the honest Zhong Xiuxiu.

Unexpectedly, Zhong Xiuxiu showed her another path by personally seeking Chun Nuan for a consultation. It was then that she discovered the reason for her infertility. After taking various precautions, she finally conceived this child, guarding it carefully until labor.

If Mrs. Fang were capable and could manage her servants, such things wouldn’t happen in the mansion, would they?

Furthermore, look at the midwife invited by the Fang Mansion, abandoning her duties at the crucial moment. How irresponsible is that?

If it weren’t for the Fifth Girl... Ah yes, the midwife simply couldn’t manage, otherwise, wouldn’t the Minister’s Mansion reward for delivering a baby be generous enough?

So why did she leave?

Madam Zhong was about to discuss this when suddenly she heard a loud shout from inside the room.

"Ah..."

"Huimin..." Madam Zhong was somewhat lost, and immediately after, heard the baby’s cry.

"It’s born, it’s born. Congratulations, Madam, the Young Madam has given birth to a boy."

The nanny serving Zhong Huimin hurriedly came out to offer congratulations, "Mother and child are both safe!"

"That’s wonderful, truly wonderful."

Madam Zhong’s eyes were brimming with tears; she always said the Fifth Girl was the eldest girl’s lucky star.

"Elder sister, here, take another pill." Zhong Xiuxiu handed her another pill. "Elder sister, you’ve worked hard. Have a good rest; the child is healthy."

"Mm, Fifth Sister, thank you."

With tears in her eyes, Zhong Huimin said, "Elder sister remembers your kindness."

The moment the midwife abandoned her duties, Zhong Huimin was furious, her mind a blank.

Now she understood, there was something suspicious about this.

It seems someone wanted to take her life, and her child’s life, during childbirth.

So, merely defending against enemies wasn’t enough; she had to fight fire with fire.

Just after she became pregnant for five months, that concubine was also pregnant.

Zhong Huimin sneered: her kindness was the greatest cruelty to herself.

If not for the Fifth Sister’s presence today, she’d have lost her life.

Thus, the Fifth Sister provided her and her child a path to survival.

This grace is deeply remembered.

"Elder sister, this is what I ought to do. Not only because you are my elder sister, but even if you’re a stranger, I would do it."

The doctor said a physician’s duty is to save lives and heal wounds. In emergency situations, regardless of the circumstances, the first thought should be to save that life, and not to watch helplessly as it disappears before you.

Having taken care of the child, Zhong Xiuxiu, drenched in sweat, emerged from the birthing room.

"Fifth Girl..."

Madam Zhong held her hand, grateful beyond words.

"Mother, everything is fine," Zhong Xiuxiu said, "Elder sister is a bit fatigued. Just let her rest for a while. Don’t worry, Mother, elder sister’s health is good. With good care, she’ll recover well."

No serious harm was suffered.

Still, she needed to remind her elder sister that while it’s good to wish for more children, it should not be frequent pregnancies.

The doctor said the most tragic plight for women today is having one child after another yearly, causing damage to the mother’s health. The child hasn’t yet grown when the mother is already gravely ill.

Eventually, the mother passes away, leaving behind a group of young, needy children to be cared for by a stepmother, who may abuse them.

Thus, truly loving children starts with loving oneself well.

If one is well, their children can be protected.

Spacing childbirth is an expression of self-love.

"Who could have expected the Fifth Miss to be more skilled than the midwife?"

Mrs. Fang felt a bit sour at this moment. Could this girl really be so capable?

"Mrs. Fang, Chunshan Women’s Medical College was established by the Empress Dowager’s decree, and our doctor is the granddaughter of Imperial Physician Xiao, inheriting his skills." Zhong Xiuxiu knew Mrs. Fang belittled her.

Of course, she might look down on her, but she absolutely could not look down on the Women’s Medical College. Each one of them represents the college and the doctor’s reputation; they cannot be easily trampled upon.

"Midwifery is one of the essential skills we learn at the medical college, to alleviate the pain women experience during childbirth."

And unnecessary death, although Zhong Xiuxiu didn’t say that, because it was unlucky.

The doctor said, with life there is chicken soup, without life you see King Yan, but as long as our skills are good, our medical expertise high, even the gates of King Yan can be reached to snatch the life back.

"Does that mean the Fifth Miss can set up a practice right away in the Capital?"

Mrs. Fang said this sarcastically.

As a proper lady, doesn’t engaging in such activities to be publicly seen tarnish your reputation?

"If the Fifth Girl is interested, I would be willing to support her with some silver." Madam Zhong saw through Mrs. Fang’s issues but would not indulge her: "The Fifth Girl’s skills were taught by Mr. Xiao, respected by the Empress Dowager and Empress herself. If our Fifth Girl learned even half of her skills, opening a pharmacy and seeing patients would be entirely feasible."

"What does it mean to do good and be virtuous, to treat lives and save people? Being a safe and peaceful midwife is accumulating great virtue and practicing great good, far better than those who say one thing but think another?"

Madam Zhong didn’t utter a single profane word, yet her words were quite harsh.

The outside world claimed that Mrs. Fang from the Minister’s Mansion was kind-hearted, a person who practiced virtue.

But look at her sharp and mean words towards the Fifth Girl, she truly doesn’t deserve such a title at all.