Chapter 313: Teaching a Man to Fish Is Better Than Giving Him One
Inside the room, Bai Yu didn’t have to wait long — before long, there was movement.
Two women who had been helping Ning Xiyue with the delivery came out with cheerful faces, their steps light and brisk.
One carried out a basin of bloody water to change it, while the other held a baby in her arms — the tiny face flushed red as the newborn slept soundly, wrapped in an old quilt.
“Auntie, how’s it going inside? Is Huihui all right?”
Bai Yu hurried over to the woman holding the baby, anxiously asking about Li Hui’s condition. At this point, she only cared about her friend’s health.
The others standing in the courtyard all looked over too.
The woman holding the baby smiled broadly at them.
“Don’t worry. The mother’s fine. Doctor Little Ning is still inside taking care of her. Little Gray gave birth to a boy — a cute little fellow. Come, take a look.”
“Auntie, can I go in?” Bai Yu glanced quickly at the baby and immediately looked toward the room, impatient to see her friend.
But another voice interjected firmly, “No, you can’t. Little Bai, just wait here a bit. Doctor Ning said she still needs to monitor the mother to prevent hemorrhage or postpartum bleeding. It’s not the right time to go in.”
The woman who had just spoken used her hip to block Bai Yu’s way as she carried a basin of clean hot water back inside.
Bai Yu stepped back, not forcing her way in, standing instead at the door, gazing anxiously toward the room.
“Don’t worry too much,” Zhou Cheng said, stepping forward and wrapping his arm around her shoulders in comfort.
Ning Qingyuan rolled his eyes — so she didn’t even trust his sister, yet dragged her into this mess? Unbelievable.
Right now, because of this incident, Ning Qingyuan didn’t have a good impression of Bai Yu and her husband.
He didn’t care what the circumstances were, or that she was some big shot in the coal-mining team — anyone who put his sister in danger, he disliked.
If it weren’t for the sensitive situation and the number of people around, he would’ve already cursed them out.
He pressed a hand to his racing heart and told himself, Calm down. Wait until your sister comes out.
Half an hour later, Ning Xiyue emerged from the room, her medical kit hanging from her right shoulder.
She blinked in mild surprise as her second brother rushed toward her ahead of everyone else.
“Brother? What are you doing here?”
“What do you think? I was worried sick about you! It’s pouring rain in the middle of the night, and you just go off with strangers? You’re trying to scare me to death!”
As he scolded, Ning Qingyuan subtly positioned himself to block Bai Yu behind him, clearly unwilling to let her come near his sister.
Hearing his words, Bai Yu’s face flashed with guilt. Her lips trembled, but she didn’t speak — her thoughts still on Li Hui inside.
Ning Xiyue caught her brother’s displeasure and deliberate blocking gesture. Smiling faintly, she pulled him to her right side and handed him her medicine box.
“The sooner I finish here, the sooner we can go back.”
“…Fine.”
Her words placated him; he stopped fussing and quietly stood beside her holding the kit.
Ning Xiyue then waved to Bai Yu. “Sister Bai, come here. I need to tell you about the situation and some precautions.”
Startled out of her daze by Zhou Cheng’s gentle push, Bai Yu hurried forward and gave Ning Xiyue a deep bow — a full ninety degrees.
“Xiyue, thank you. Really, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what we would’ve done.”
Zhou Cheng bowed alongside her. Ning Xiyue accepted the gesture calmly — they were all peers, and such gratitude was only proper.
Glancing at the time — it was already past midnight — she quickly said, “Alright, enough of that. Let’s talk business.”
The couple straightened up, and Bai Yu asked anxiously, “How’s Huihui? Can I go see her now?”
“You can. Wait a bit though.” Ning Xiyue caught her by the arm as she was about to rush in. “Don’t be so hasty. She’s fine, just weak after delivery — that’s normal. I need to tell you what to watch out for first. Once you’ve heard me out, I’ll head home.”
At the side, Chen Yechu, hearing that both mother and child were safe, finally relaxed. Mother and baby both fine — all this trouble tonight was worth it.
“I’m listening,” Bai Yu said, standing still and focusing fully on Ning Xiyue.
“Right now, both the mother and baby are a little weaker than average after a natural birth, but it’s nothing serious…”
Ning Xiyue began explaining — from postpartum recovery, to diet and nutrition for the mother, to milk production, and finally to newborn care precautions.
She explained everything clearly and thoroughly. What Bai Yu did with that information afterward wasn’t her concern.
Still, the living conditions here were terrible for a mother and infant. Because of their special status, food was scarce — sometimes they were full, sometimes hungry, and nutrition was severely lacking.
But since Bai Yu was here, that wouldn’t be a problem. Ning Xiyue had noticed earlier that Bai Yu still had the sesame energy balls she’d given her that morning — clearly, she cared deeply about her friend.
That was enough for Ning Xiyue to feel assured. She laid everything out in one go.
The coal-mining team had its own canteen, and Bai Yu was one of the managers. Zhou Cheng was the head chef there — the perfect combination.
So if she told them what to feed the mother and baby, it would actually be carried out.
While Ning Xiyue spoke, Bai Yu took out her small work notebook, jotting everything down diligently.
When she finished, Ning Xiyue looked at the couple seriously and said,
“Food is the key. If the mother doesn’t eat properly, her nutrition won’t recover, and she won’t produce milk. Without milk, the baby starves. As long as they have enough to eat, both will recover just fine.”
“I understand,” Bai Yu nodded thoughtfully.
“That’s it for now. If anything else comes up, come to the clinic. It’s late — I’ll head back.”
Bai Yu hurried inside to see her friend.
Ning Xiyue turned to look once more at the small house and the people in the yard — all of them pale and thin, some coughing weakly. She sighed.
Then she reached into the medical box her brother carried and took out a bottle of cold medicine, a jar of black sesame pills, and a thick notebook. Handing them to the aunt who had brought hot water earlier, she said,
“Aunt Wu, I know you all usually just endure when you’re sick. You don’t dare come down to see me, or contact people outside. This bottle is cold medicine — take three pills for mild colds. This jar is sesame pills — they’re good for the body, take one occasionally. Keep them safe for everyone.”
Finally, she handed the notebook over solemnly.
“This was originally a collection of common medical cases I wrote for another health worker at the clinic. It has prescriptions, herbal descriptions, and illustrations. I’m leaving it with you — study it. Next time someone falls ill, you can go into the mountains to find herbs and make medicine yourselves.”
It’s better to teach someone to fish than to give them a fish.
With this manual, they wouldn’t have to suffer in silence anymore. Given their fragile health and harsh living conditions, few could survive repeated illnesses.
As for the copy meant for Li Xiuxiu, she could always reproduce it later with her duplicator — she had kept a draft.
After spending half an hour inside earlier, Ning Xiyue now understood who lived here — former professors, teachers, wealthy merchants, people with overseas ties, and families who once held status or power.
If their identities were ever restored, these would all be invaluable connections.
When fortune brings such a chance to your door, why waste it? she thought. Helping them now was like giving charcoal in a snowstorm — it was both an act of kindness and an investment in her future.
The first light of dawn was beginning to glow on the horizon.
