Witnessing this scene, everyone quickly recovered from their initial shock and sprang into action.
They hurriedly helped prepare necessities, while those tasked with finding people immediately ran off to do so.
"Do we have any food prepared at home? Do we have any ginseng?" Lady Qian asked urgently.
It was already evening, and Luo Ge hadn't eaten anything yet. Giving birth on an empty stomach would leave her without strength.
Hearing Lady Qian's words, Qiu Niang nodded hastily.
"Yes, yes, we just finished brewing chicken soup in the kitchen."
The chicken soup was originally prepared for the evening meal.
Gu Jinchen had already prepared various items that might be needed, including a good amount of ginseng and other supplements.
"Quickly, go fetch it. Let your mistress eat some first, so she'll have strength later," Lady Qian instructed. "And start brewing some ginseng tea too." Better safe than sorry.
"Very well, I'll go with you," Lady Qian said, disregarding formalities as she grabbed Qiu Niang's hand and rushed towards the kitchen.
Luo Juan went with Doctor Ming to gather potentially needed medicinal herbs, setting up a stove outside the delivery room to brew them.
Luo Shiyan and the others who couldn't help could only stand anxiously at the door, staring at the delivery room with worried eyes.
"Jinchen, it hurts so much," Luo Ge whimpered from inside the room. In just this short time, she was already drenched in sweat.
"I'm here, I'm here," Gu Jinchen reassured her, his hands trembling as he wiped her brow. Seeing her pale face made his heart ache as if being carved by a knife. He hurriedly tried to comfort her.
The usually composed man now had reddened eyes.
The midwife prepared towels, scissors, and other necessities nearby. She covered Luo Ge with a cotton cloth and placed some padding beneath her.
"Master Gu, men aren't allowed during childbirth. Please wait outside," the midwife said, turning to Gu Jinchen after checking Luo Ge's condition under the cloth.
Hearing this, Luo Ge instinctively grasped Gu Jinchen's hand, her eyes pleading.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, at this moment she felt panicked. It seemed only by holding onto him could she find any sense of security.
The waves of pain left her speechless; she could only grip his hand tightly.
Sensing her unease, Gu Jinchen bent down, bringing his face close to hers. With a trembling voice, he whispered, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."
"Please let me stay. I won't disturb you. My wife needs me," he implored.
Looking at Luo Ge's condition, he was no better off than her. His heart pounded wildly, and his voice quavered with worry.
If he couldn't share her pain, the least he could do was stay by her side. What kind of man would he be if he couldn't even do that?
"But..." Upon hearing Gu Jinchen's words, the lead midwife frowned, about to object.
However, seeing Luo Ge's state and Gu Jinchen's concerned expression, she could only sigh.
"Then go wash your hands and change into clean clothes first. All women go through this during childbirth. Your wife has carried the child for ten months, which is no easy feat, all for the sake of your future together."
As a woman who had experienced childbirth herself, she understood how much comfort a husband's presence could bring at this moment.
The reason for her initial objection was that the birthing process could be quite gruesome. She feared that if a man witnessed it, it might leave a psychological scar, causing him to feel aversion towards his wife in the future.
In her line of work, she had seen far too many women scorned by their husbands because of childbirth.
Hearing the midwife's words, Gu Jinchen nodded and went to prepare himself as instructed.
"Young mistress, please eat something first. You'll need the strength later," Lady Qian said, having returned with the soup and some food.
Looking at Luo Ge's condition, she felt as if her heart was being scraped raw. The pet name she almost called out was hastily changed mid-sentence.
Hearing her words, Luo Ge turned her head. The contractions had eased slightly, giving her a moment to catch her breath.
Understanding the need to eat to conserve energy, especially given her empty stomach, she attempted to raise herself slightly.
Gu Jinchen, who had quickly returned, saw this and immediately grabbed a pillow to support her back.
"Let me do it," he said, reaching out to take the food from Lady Qian, who was about to feed Luo Ge.
Lady Qian paused for a moment, a flash of sadness crossing her face, which Luo Ge caught as she looked up.
"Very well," Lady Qian said, handing the food to Gu Jinchen before quietly withdrawing from the room.
Watching her leave, Luo Ge furrowed her brow for a moment.
She had barely eaten a few bites fed by Gu Jinchen when another wave of pain suddenly washed over her.
"Ah!" she cried out, her entire body curling in agony.
Gu Jinchen hurriedly set aside the food and grasped her hand. In an instant, his hand was marked with several bloody scratches.
And this was merely the beginning; the pain would only intensify from here.
"Mistress, try to endure without screaming. Save your strength," the midwife urged, checking Luo Ge's condition.
It wasn't time yet, and she needed to conserve her energy for later. If she exhausted herself now, it would be even more dangerous later on.
Hearing this, Luo Ge clenched her teeth to keep from crying out.
But the muffled whimpers of pain, like those of a wounded animal, were even more heart-wrenching to hear.
During a brief respite when he was giving her water, Gu Jinchen quickly fed Luo Ge some of the prepared spring water from their special space.
Though the spring water wasn't an anesthetic and couldn't dull her pain, it did at least restore some of her strength.
The waves of increasingly intense pain continued for an unknown duration. Outside, night had long since fallen.
The Luo family members stood anxiously outside the room, straining to hear any news from within.
Wang Sister-in-law and the others, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, were also pacing anxiously outside.
Inside the room, Gu Jinchen's hand had been bitten beyond recognition, yet he hadn't uttered a sound of complaint.
However, seeing Luo Ge's condition, tears began to roll down his cheeks.
The midwife checked Luo Ge's progress and her expression softened slightly.
"Mistress, listen to me carefully. When I tell you to push, use all your strength," she instructed.
Luo Ge, pale-faced and breathless, nodded weakly.
Following the midwife's guidance, she pushed methodically, again and again.
After what seemed an eternity of agony, there was suddenly a release, and a baby's cry pierced the air of the delivery room.
"Waaah~ Waaah~~~"
Hearing this sound, tears finally slid down from the corners of Luo Ge's eyes.
"Congratulations, Master and Mistress. Your first child is a young master," announced one of the assisting midwives.
She swiftly cut the umbilical cord, cleaned the baby with prepared warm water, wrapped him snugly, and brought him over.
With two more babies still in her womb, Luo Ge had barely caught her breath before another wave of pain made her clench her teeth.
Gu Jinchen only had time for a fleeting glance at the newborn before anxiously turning his attention back to Luo Ge.
After the first child was born, the process became much smoother for the subsequent births.
A quarter of an hour later, another infant's cry rang out.
"It's a little lady. Congratulations to the madam and master, you now have both a son and a daughter."
No sooner had these words been spoken than, within moments, yet another cry pierced the air as another child entered the world.
"Waa~ Waa~"
"It's a young master, a little young master!"