From the Carp that Brings Children to the Celestial Officials

Chapter 93 "The Birth Manual" (Seventh Update)

In the southeast corner of Changning County, there is an old street called Shidan Lane.

The alley was narrow and winding, with mottled blue bricks and gray tiles on both sides of the street. Occasionally, a vendor carrying a load on a shoulder pole would call out his wares amidst the rising steam. His calls were not loud, but they attracted some hungry children to peek out from their doors.

At the end of the street, where the road winds its way through, there is an old shop with two old yellow cypress trees standing at the entrance. Their roots have spread out of the brick cracks, and their branches and leaves have weighed down the eaves, causing them to tilt by half a foot.

A wooden plaque hangs above the door, bearing the three characters "Heqitang" (和气堂). The characters are faded and look like claw marks, but the edges of the plaque are very clean, as it is wiped clean year-round.

To mortals, this place does not exist.

But there has always been a legend in the city that if any family falls ill, as long as they sincerely pray at this open space, they will receive the blessing of Lord Tang.

You Ming looked at the building. It looked like a pharmacy, but it was actually the temple of Tang Gong, an eighth-rank guardian deity.

Several strings of dried mugwort hung in front of the door, which was ajar.

An old man was squatting by the stove, prying fire bricks, holding a charcoal hook in one hand and a medicine pot in the other, moving very carefully, completely unaware that someone was standing outside.

"I visited Yuanling Mountain and met with Master Tang."

You Ming pushed open the door and bowed respectfully after seeing the owner inside turn around.

"Huh? It's you?"

Tang Gong naturally knew You Ming. Although the two had almost no interaction, You Ming was now very famous, and the two had met several times before.

"Haha, you must be a very busy person. What brings you to my humble temple today?"

Just as the legend says, Tang Gong had a good character. He was not only able to cure all kinds of stubborn diseases in the mortal world, but he was also charitable and often played in the world to help the poor.

"Look at my brain, You Ming, please sit down. My herbal tea is ready now, you should try it."

Tang Gongzi took the medicine pot from the stove next to him and poured a large bowl full for You Ming.

Even gods rarely visit him, so he was exceptionally hospitable when one of them came.

"Master Tang, the reason I've come here is to compile a 'Birth Handbook' to provide standardized training for midwives in Changning County."

You Ming took a sip of tea. It was bitter at first, then sweet, and finally a refreshing sensation rushed to the top of his head, invigorating him.

"Oh? The birthing manual?"

Tang Gong's movements suddenly slowed down, as if he was thinking.

"As you know, I am responsible for childbirth, but according to my investigation, the success rate of midwives in normal human births is very low. In many cases, when a difficult birth occurs, we can only leave it to fate."

"Therefore, I am going to compile a book specifically for learning how to deliver babies."

"A collection of information on basic childbirth principles, labor management, postpartum care, typical cases of emergencies, and delivery experience."

"This can be further subdivided. For example, before delivery, how do we find out the pregnant woman's due date, the baby's position, etc. During labor, are there any medications that can temporarily relieve pain? How do we determine if the umbilical cord is entangled? Can we use any tools to assist with delivery?"

"If the baby is delivered safely, how should the mother be cared for during her postpartum period, how should the baby be fed, and how should common childhood illnesses be treated..."

You Ming had already prepared his thoughts in his mind, and seeing that Tang Gong seemed quite interested in the matter, he blurted out all his ideas.

Tang Gong had been listening to You Ming's story with a slightly relaxed expression. He was easygoing and initially thought that the little carp had come up with some whimsical idea. However, as he listened, his expression gradually became serious.

Although You Ming's set of rules was only in its initial stage, it was well-structured, clearly organized, and surprisingly feasible.

"My Lord Twins, why don't we go inside and discuss this in detail? Although I don't have much knowledge about things like childbirth, I might be able to offer some insights."

Tang Gong even changed how he addressed You Ming, now truly treating him as an equal. Moreover, he genuinely felt that You Ming's proposal was highly feasible, and if it could be implemented, it would be a truly meritorious deed.

……

"call."

"I'm so tired."

You Ming wiped the barely visible sweat from his forehead. His knowledge of medicine was limited to a few basic skills, and most of his knowledge about childbirth came from television and novels.

This is definitely not enough to impress professionals.

However, for Master Tang, the little carp's near-fantastic ideas, though strange at first glance, made perfect sense upon closer examination.

Especially with local anesthetics, childbirth is often accompanied by severe pain for women. If local anesthesia can be administered, the delivery will naturally be smoother.

Tang Gong does have anesthetic drugs, but they are not for local anesthesia.

However, once a plan was in place, these things were not particularly difficult for the gods.

Master Tang believed that he could definitely develop a relevant formula within a month.

Having received his assurance, You Ming left [Heqitang] with light steps.

With Tang Gong backing him up, You Ming felt much less pressure.

His mind began to consider the recruitment of midwives.

Although obstetrics and gynecology is a legitimate medical department in modern times, in this era, because the vast majority of doctors were men, the development of gynecology was extremely low.

Obstetrics, in particular, has long been in a stage of almost no development, and people even find it difficult to talk about it.

Because most practitioners are women with low literacy rates, the techniques of midwifery are mostly passed down orally from master to apprentice, lacking systematic organization.

Most of these texts are not recorded on bamboo or silk, so the more they are passed down, the more erroneous they become.

Some even publicly criticized: "Midwives are all village women who know nothing about medicine; they are like witchcraft practitioners."

This discipline has always relied on the accumulation of personal experience. Occasionally, someone would come up with a good method of midwifery, but because it could not be spread on a large scale, it would soon be lost.

Perhaps decades or centuries later, someone will discover a similar technology, only for it to be lost again, and the technology will never be able to be integrated and accumulated.

“Someone has to do this kind of thing. Others may worry about their reputation being damaged, but why should I worry? This is within my scope of authority and responsibility.”

You Ming had no mental burden at all. If he hadn't been worried about taking such big steps, he would have even considered setting up a pilot obstetrics and gynecology department in the city.

After all, the home birthing environment can't compare to a professional delivery room.

You Ming kept pondering this as he walked towards Yuanling Mountain.

He didn't return to the temple until evening.

Wu Mo reported to him that the [Slave Control Bureau] had sent eight mirage slaves, which were now being kept in an underground cold pool.

You Ming nodded, simply instructing them to treat him well, and then returned to the yamen in the underworld.

He looked through the list of midwives that Wu Mo had presented and decided to send them all a dream tonight.

(End of this chapter)