flstandardbreds Chapter 221 The continuation of bloodline
Chapter 221 The continuation of bloodline
Winter 1449
The people on the continent struggled for several more months in the war and plague, during which time countless people fell on the land they could never leave in their lifetime. Even a fool could understand that the current situation could not be solved by a single noble or a country.
However, misfortunes never come singly. Just as the survivors were trying to survive, the coldest season of the year arrived as expected. No matter how people prayed, the cold wind still took away the lives of those dying from the plague.
Due to the shortage of manpower caused by war and plague, the output of food and various resources in various countries has been greatly reduced. Merchants took the opportunity to raise prices, and countless citizens had to risk their lives to leave towns and go to live in rural areas that have not been affected by the plague. The peaceful era is gone, and people now clearly realize that chaos is the main theme of this era.
No matter how crazy it is outside, the people in John's territory still live their lives as usual.
Due to the strict blockade policy and various health regulations implemented during the John Plague, even people who did not live in big cities like Earl's Castle were able to get medicine. Coupled with stable prices, people's quality of life did not deteriorate due to the plague, and the birth rate of the territory's population even increased a little.
And in the Earl's Castle, a life was about to be born, so not only the servants in the castle were summoned, but also Simon and other ministers rushed to the castle.
Outside the door of a room, John was pacing back and forth. Whenever he heard the faint sound of a woman sobbing in the room, he couldn't help but put his hand on the door to listen to what was going on inside.
"How could she give birth at this time?" John was hesitant. Although Matilda's belly had been getting bigger in the past few months, John estimated that she might not give birth until next spring. It was winter and it was cold now. It would be bad if something happened to Matilda.
Seeing John's anxious state, Vargas next to him stepped forward and advised:
"Sir, don't worry too much. Given the current conditions and Madam's physical condition, there won't be any major problems..."
"Shh-"
John gestured to Vargas to shut up and continued to lean over to listen to the noise in the room. He slowly sat down on the chair next to him after the sound disappeared.
"Now I finally understand why my brother is so tired. He is so anxious even before the baby is born." John thought so as he sat in the chair, but his heart was still beating fast, thinking about how to deal with it if something went wrong.
After who knows how many hours, a loud baby cry was heard from inside the door, which immediately made John, who was slumped in the chair, perk up. He stood up and walked to the door, wanting to see what his child looked like in excitement and anxiety.
However, after waiting for a longer time, he still didn't see anyone in the room open the door, which made him feel a little uneasy, so he asked Vargas:
"What's going on?"
Vargas thought for a moment and said:
"Sir, there is no violent movement inside right now, which means that the madam and the child are in good health. So there is only one possibility, the madam may have given birth to twins or multiple babies."
After hearing the explanation from the professionals, John calmed down. After waiting for a while, accompanied by another baby cry, the door of the room was pushed open from the inside, and a woman wearing gloves and sweating profusely walked out. When she saw the door, John immediately said in a joyful tone:
"Sir, the lady has given birth to two children, a boy and a girl. Both the children and the lady are currently healthy and safe."
John was particularly happy when he heard this, and immediately said:
"In a moment, all medical staff in charge will receive 10 gold coins each, and all servants in the castle will have their wages doubled this month."
"Thank you, Lord Count."
After hearing about John's reward, the servants immediately thanked him, and the ministers next to him breathed a sigh of relief after hearing about the baby's situation. After all, if there were two boys, there would likely be disagreements on the issue of inheritance, and if a civil war broke out, they would have to take sides. Now it seems that the inheritance of the territory should be inherited by the boy.
John walked into the room quietly, and what caught his eye were several female medical staff dressed similarly. Two of them were each holding a baby wrapped in cloth. The blonde hair on their heads was particularly dazzling under the light. John walked forward to observe, and saw two pairs of watery eyes looking at John with curiosity, one pair of blue pupils and the other pair of purple pupils. From their eyes, John couldn't help but recall the memories of looking at his father when he first came into this world.
But John did not go to see his child first, but rushed to Matilda's bedside. At this time, Matilda was covered by a white quilt, and the pillow on her head was wet with sweat. Although she closed her eyes, her slow and regular breathing really made John feel relieved.
"Madam, you've been in labor for nearly ten hours. You've exhausted a lot of energy. You need to rest for a while before you can recover," said a medical staff member.
But at this moment, John suddenly noticed a short wooden stick placed beside Matilda's bed. Although there was no problem, John still held the stick and asked in confusion:
"What is this stick for?"
The medical staff came forward and explained:
"In order to relieve the severe pain during childbirth, pregnant women usually put a wooden stick horizontally in their mouths, which also reduces noise and prevents interference with medical staff."
"So that's how it is." John was a little scared when he saw the two rows of deep marks on the wooden stick, as if a knife had been inserted into the wood. But when he saw the baby in the arms of the nurse next to him, joy appeared on his face.
"Here, hand them to me."
John took the two babies from the nurse's hands. As if their blood was touched, the two children simultaneously put their chubby little hands on John's face. Feeling the strength on his face, John's heart was filled with joy. After he started a family in this world, his bloodline was also continued in this world.
At such a warm moment, two heads, one white and one black, popped out of the door. One of the heads belonged to Coal Ball. A month ago, John had a sudden idea to find a little duck for Coal Ball. Unexpectedly, Coal Ball liked it very much and often went out for walks with it. It seemed that they were attracted by the noise here during their walk and wanted to come here to see what was going on.
"It's so late."
John suddenly looked at the hands of the clock on the wall. It turned out that he had been waiting for an entire afternoon. He was anxious and realized that it was already dark outside. In order not to disturb Matilda's rest, John handed the two babies to the servants beside him. After repeatedly asking them to take good care of his wife and children, John quietly left the room and closed the door.
The hands of the clock on the wall kept turning as time passed, and when the hour hand pointed to 12 o'clock, it symbolized that 1449 had ended and the new and unknown year 1450 had quietly arrived.