RPS – Chapter 94 Labor Pains?

Pregnancy was already a tiring ordeal, especially by the seventh or eighth month. Li Feng’s belly had grown like a balloon being blown up, expanding visibly day by day. Looking at that ever-rounder belly brought both happiness and a tangled sense of discomfort.

By the fifth or sixth month, even walking or doing simple tasks had felt exhausting. Now, at seven or eight months, it was even worse. With the due date approaching, Li Feng’s massive belly made him restless no matter how he sat or lay. Sitting squeezed his belly uncomfortably, lying down too long hurt his back, and standing was out of the question—his calves were already swollen and heavy, and standing for even a short while left them aching. The only relief was walking, which felt a little better… but how could he keep walking all the time?

Carrying such a huge belly made even walking a chore. After just a few steps, he was panting for breath, and the little one inside wasn’t idle either—moving constantly every day. Recently, the movements had gotten even more vigorous. The fetus was already fully formed, only needing more flesh to plump up. Its organs, bones, and hair were all mature, so its strength had increased. A few times the movements were so strong Li Feng thought labor had started, crying out and alarming everyone. People rushed around in a panic, only to find it was just normal fetal movement.

At first, they had thought it might be labor, but after the second or third false alarm, they all got used to it. Now, whenever Li Feng called out, they remained calm—calling Li over to rub and soothe him, and while at it, give him a hug or sneak in some affectionate touches. Those “tofu touches” were irresistible, and Li made the most of them.

Now the season was shifting from autumn to winter, and the weather was turning colder. Earlier, Li and the others had gone to look for iron ore. They had found many stones, but only one or two in ten contained iron. Moreover, they had only searched the surface layer and didn’t know how to mine deeper into the mountains, so their yield was small. Still, no one was discouraged—since there was some nearby, they would just keep looking. Li Feng also urged Li to quickly forge iron shovels and pickaxes, which would make digging and mining easier.

Even without many iron tools yet, the clan leader, under Li’s guidance, had already begun digging into the mountains using various tools to search for iron ore. Since they didn’t really recognize it, they simply carried back whatever heavy-looking rocks they found. Mixed in with regular stones, the ores varied in size, and they had no real way to judge weight or quality.

Since finding iron ore, Li Feng’s household had acquired a few more items besides the first kitchen knife. First came the iron pot, which was essential. Li Feng even had them make a large one to boil water, cook rice, and stir-fry food. Next came weapons for hunting. Though Li Feng didn’t know much about weapon crafting, anyone from modern times would be familiar with swords, spears, and the like from martial arts novels, fantasy stories, and games—so this was no problem for him.

For hunting, knives were essential. The most lethal was the machete, which was also relatively simple to make. Then there were spears—long, six-sided spearheads adorned with red tassels, the shafts about two meters long. Compared to wooden spears, these were a hundred times stronger.

Li Feng also knew that for hunting, bows and arrows were the most suitable weapons, while swords and spears were better for close combat. But crafting bows was difficult—not just the shape, but also the fine details of the arrow fletching. With the limited iron they had, bows and arrows would have to wait.

One day, Li Feng, bored at home and finally not feeling so fatigued, decided to tidy up their bedroom. Life had filled their once-empty room with all sorts of things, and the clutter was starting to pile up. Since he was free, and Baby Mo was playing in the yard, he thought he might as well clean. Recently, the baby could walk two or three steps without holding onto anything, so Li Feng encouraged him to practice more. He stayed nearby, coaxing the baby to toddle over to him.

The room had plenty of miscellaneous items, including animal hides in the wardrobe. Whenever they slaughtered chickens or sheep, they kept the hides. When Li Feng opened the wardrobe, he found it stuffed full—various hides that would need to be aired out for winter clothing and bedding.

“Huh? What’s this? Why’s there such a big bundle?” At the very top shelf, Li Feng spotted something wrapped in animal skin and grew curious. He didn’t remember having anything like this stored in the wardrobe. Could Li have put it here? What was it?

He casually untied it, and just then, either some fluff flew into his nose or the animal hides stirred up so much dust and lint that he suddenly squinted and let out a huge sneeze. The sneeze made his belly contract slightly, so he quickly placed a hand over it to soothe the startled baby inside. Before he could lower his hand, another sneeze came, and when he opened his eyes, he was startled—feathers were everywhere, floating in the air and scattered on the floor.

Now he remembered—these were feathers collected whenever they slaughtered chickens, ducks, and other birds, especially the fine down from ducks. Since feathers were so light, one big sneeze had sent many flying, covering his hair and clothes in fluff.

“Haha! Li Feng, what are you doing, trying to turn into a bird?” Nuo had just finished weaving and came over to chat and keep an eye on Li Feng, in case his labor started unexpectedly. They had no idea exactly when the baby would come, so they stayed alert. The moment she stepped inside, she burst out laughing—Li Feng, covered in multicolored feathers, looked like a wild duck. No wonder she couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Li Feng looked at Nuo, leaning against the door and laughing exaggeratedly, utterly speechless. Was it really that funny?

“Stop laughing and come help me, will you?” he called out.

“Alright, alright… haha…” Nuo tried to hold back her laughter, but seeing Li Feng standing there with his big belly in a sea of feathers made it hard. Still, seeing him glare, she quickly changed the subject. “So, what are you keeping these feathers for? Why not just throw them away?” She had never understood why Li Feng washed them so clean, wrapped them in animal skin, and stored them away—animal skins were far more valuable.

“Hah, you just don’t know. These are good stuff! You’ll see when I make them into something.”

“This is ‘good stuff’ too? What exactly are they for? Tell me first?”

“You’ll find out in a bit. I’ll be needing your help when the time comes!”

“What? Again? I still have weaving to do!” Nuo frowned. The squint in Li Feng’s eyes gave him a bad feeling. Last time Li Feng had said he needed help, Nuo ended up spinning and weaving day and night with no end in sight. It was exhausting—though he admittedly enjoyed it. But now, every piece of fabric the family needed had to be woven by him alone. Exhausting wasn’t even enough to describe it. Li Feng’s belly was now so big he couldn’t even sit properly, let alone spin or weave. As for Li and Bu—forget it. They had tried once, but they either snapped the hemp thread with their excessive strength or tangled it into knots that couldn’t be undone. Nuo had kicked them both out in frustration. It wasn’t just about cleaning up their messes—the hard-earned hemp thread they ruined was painful to see. Even if they were only asked to untangle the thread, it almost always ended up broken. It was enough to drive Nuo mad.

“Why are you acting so scared? I’m not going to eat you. It’s easy, I’ll tell you in a moment.” After saying this, Li Feng took a roll of animal hide outside to sun, leaving the feathers in the room for Nuo to sort out. Since he couldn’t bend down, it would have to be Nuo’s hard work—she used to be the idlest one, but now she was the busiest. Heh heh!

Once the hides were laid out in the sun, Nuo came out with a large bundle of feathers, face dark as the bottom of a pot. The feathers were so light that picking them up was exhausting—one moment they floated in the air, the next they landed on the ground, forcing him to bend over and straighten up again and again until his back nearly broke.

Li Feng spread out a mat in the courtyard. It was already late autumn, on the cusp of winter. The mornings were chilly, but it warmed up once the sun rose.

“What are you doing now?” Nuo asked curiously, watching Li Feng bustle about.

“Getting ready to make down jackets!” Once the mat was spread, he placed the woven cloth and animal hides to the side, then fetched scissors to start cutting. The scissors had been forged by Li and the others—ugly and uneven in shape, but sharp and easy to use.

“Clothes?” Nuo saw that the shapes Li Feng was cutting looked like clothing pieces. When Li Feng first started making clothes, he had been clumsy—often cutting one side longer than the other. But nobody minded, as long as the clothes could keep them warm. Over the past year, he had made dozens of garments, big and small. All the clothes in the family were made by him and Nuo. Nuo had learned from him and was now quite skilled—maybe not perfect, but at least 70–80% as good as standard tailoring.

“I’m making a down jacket for Mo first. If there’s enough feathers left, I’ll make some for Li and Bu. But the sewing part will be up to you—you know I can’t sit for too long now. I’m counting on you!” Li Feng patted Nuo’s shoulder and handed over the already-cut pieces. Seeing Nuo’s dark expression, he leisurely added, “Don’t worry, I’ll sew along with you so we can finish faster.”

Li Feng glanced at the courtyard where the others were playing happily. The baby was laughing as Mo teased him, especially when Lu played hide-and-seek. Mo held the baby while Lu ducked and bent to hide from view, making the baby tilt his head to search. Every time he found them, he clapped and laughed.

To prevent the feathers from poking through the linen fabric, Li Feng decided to use snakeskin for the outer layer—since Mo and the others were small, it wouldn’t require much. That way it would block wind and keep the feathers inside. For the lining, he planned to use two layers of linen. Worn over a linen shirt, the down jacket would be light yet warm—much more comfortable than animal hide. As for the baby, he was still too young, so Li Feng decided not to use down for him. He had even planned to make a down quilt but gave up—better to stick with animal hide bedding. If only they had cotton…

Down jackets, especially winter ones, were complex to make. The down had to be sewn into small quilted squares; otherwise, the feathers would shift around, leaving some spots thick and others bare—practically a death sentence in the cold. For days, they worked on the jackets, even late into the night. Mo and Lu’s small jackets were done quickly. Now they were making Li and Bu’s. Li Feng had been saving feathers for over a year. Between that and the feathers from their poultry and the wild ducks in the reed marsh, they had quite a stash.

“Aren’t you going to sleep? Finish it tomorrow. Don’t wear yourself out.” Li said gently, climbing into bed after washing his feet, watching Li Feng still sewing in the blankets.

“Mm, I’ll sleep soon. You go ahead. I just need to finish this, then I can stuff in the feathers.” The jacket was only in rough form; the quilted squares weren’t stitched yet. Once stuffed and evenly spread, they could finish the sewing.

“Alright, then I’ll wait for you.” Li tucked the baby in securely and draped an animal hide coat over Li Feng’s shoulders.

“Mm.” Li Feng smiled and nodded.

…

In the middle of the night, Li was woken by a sudden kick from Li Feng. He was briefly groggy but woke instantly. Though it was dark and he couldn’t see Li Feng’s face, he could hear the heavy breathing. Quickly, he moved the baby to the other side, tucking him in carefully, and pulled Li Feng into his arms. The round belly pressed against his waist, and he could feel the rhythmic tightening inside.

“Another cramp?” His voice was certain and filled with concern. Recently, Li Feng had been waking up in the night with leg cramps, sweating, and sometimes even struggling to breathe. With the belly so big, it pressed on his stomach and heart, making everything uncomfortable. His appetite had also dropped.

“Mm…” The cramp was bad this time—numbness and pain in his legs and feet, a deep ache that left him speechless. He bit his lip, then switched to biting Li’s shoulder instead. The cramps had been happening more often lately, and they were unbearable. Biting Li was his only outlet.

Li knew he was in pain and let him bite without protest. His shoulder was dotted with teeth marks—never deep enough to draw blood, but still painful. He didn’t mind. Every time Li Feng woke in pain, Li would wake with him and massage the cramped calf. His fingers found the rock-hard muscle, and he pressed and rubbed until the spasm eased. By the time Li Feng’s leg relaxed, he was already half-asleep again. Li continued to massage gently, then got up to fetch warm water—kept over embers in a basin—to wipe away the sweat from Li Feng’s forehead, neck, and body. His touch was so gentle it barely woke Li Feng, who only gave a soft hum before turning over to sleep again. The cramps had been tormenting lately, so Li felt relieved when he could sleep peacefully.

After cleaning him up, Li Feng had rolled into the middle of the bed, the baby beside him. Even asleep, he was careful not to press on the baby, turning over with instinctive caution. Li lay on the outside. When he climbed back in, the cold air made Li Feng shiver. Li waited until he warmed up, then pulled him into his arms, checking the blankets again to keep father and son warm.

During the day, Li and Bu worked the forge or hunted, while Nuo spun and wove. Li Feng helped when he could, or looked after the baby, or cooked for them. The down jackets were soon finished. Mo and Lu were overjoyed when they wore theirs—light, pretty, and warm. They showed them off so much that others in the tribe started collecting chicken, duck, and bird feathers to make their own. As for Li—he treasured his so much he wouldn’t wear it while working, sticking to animal hide instead, only putting on the down jacket at home. He remained as caring and attentive to Li Feng as ever, occasionally sneaking a little physical affection—though he hadn’t had a full taste in a long while.

The days flowed by like water. Winter settled in, and they huddled by the fire, eating mild bone broth or mutton hotpot—calcium was important during pregnancy. Bone soup was a must at night; during the day, they soaked up sunlight for vitamin D. Their meals were already calcium-rich: tofu and its byproducts, milk they shared with the baby, various eggs, dried shrimp, crucian carp, freshwater fish soup, and fungi like black wood ear. All this made Li Feng’s belly grow noticeably in the last few months.

On idle days, Li and Li Feng played with the children, teaching the baby to talk and walk, telling stories, singing songs, and even giving the baby in the womb “prenatal education.” They would greet him and massage the belly to encourage proper positioning for birth.

One day, as the wind howled and snow had been falling for a full day and night, the world was wrapped in silver. Li Feng’s family, along with Ka’s family—who had come over for a meal and were now chatting by the fire—were laughing and talking. Li Feng, lazily leaning against Li’s chest and still savoring the taste of the mutton bone hotpot, suddenly felt his belly tighten and contract. The pain came without warning, making his drowsy eyes snap wide open as he cried out—