Chapter Forty-Four: Goji Berries

Ever since that lame little white lamb named Yangyang moved into the Zhang family's courtyard, Xiao Nan'er has been brimming with boundless energy.

His enthusiasm for feeding small animals was something he could never extinguish.

Every day at the crack of dawn, shortly after the rooster crows, he gets up without waiting for the adults to urge him.

The first thing she did was put on her little shoes, run to the makeshift sheep pen next to the barn, cling to the fence, and call out in her childish voice.

"Sheep, wake up, time to eat grass."

Then, standing on tiptoe, she laboriously pulled a few handfuls of fresh hay from the haystack piled up next to her and carefully stuffed them into the pen.

Watching Yangyang lower his head and chew little by little, Xiao Nan'er's eyes curved into crescents, and she felt extremely satisfied.

After feeding the sheep, he was still thinking about Dazhuang and the chickens in the yard.

Especially at breakfast, he would treat the leftover boiled egg, peeling off the shell like a precious treasure.

He no longer casually tossed the eggs onto the ground as before, but carefully peeled off the shells and held them in his little hands as if they were some rare treasure.

She walked cautiously to the edge of the cowshed, looked up at him, and called out in a childish voice, "Dazhuang, Dazhuang! Eat eggshells and grow tall."

Dazhuang was a gentle creature, especially tolerant of its little master. It lowered its head, gently sniffed the eggshell in Xiaonan's hand with its wet nose, and then stuck out its rough tongue, rolled it up, and licked the bits of shell into its mouth.

A satisfied gurgling sound came from its throat.

Little Nan'er giggled at this and patted Da Zhuang's thick fur with her little hands.

As for the chickens, scatter a handful of chaff, and watch them cluck and gather around to peck at the food. Xiao Nan'er can squat by and watch for quite a while.

The chickens in the Zhang family's yard are now considered docile and don't peck at people.

Those who were fierce and belligerent had been dealt with by Zhang Dahe several years ago.

Li Xiulan still remembers that when she had just finished her postpartum confinement and her baby, Xiao Nan'er, was still in swaddling clothes, she was holding the baby and sitting in the yard breastfeeding when a large speckled rooster suddenly went berserk, flapping its wings and rushing towards Xiao Nan'er in her arms with red eyes.

She was weak after giving birth and screamed in fright, almost dropping the baby.

later?

Later, that valiant rooster became a pot of rich and fragrant chicken soup for Li Xiulan to nourish her body.

That evening, as autumn deepened, a cool breeze slipped in through the cracks in the window.

After cleaning up the stove, Zhang Liuyi wiped his hands and went into Li Xiulan's room.

Little Nan'er was already asleep on his side on the kang (a heated brick bed), hugging his cloth tiger, his little face rosy from sleep.

Li Xiulan was mending a garment by the light of an oil lamp, a piece of clothing worn out by Zhang Liuji at the cuffs.

"Sister-in-law, you're still not resting?" Zhang Xiaoyi quietly sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Almost there, we just need to patch up this tear."

Li Xiulan bit off the end of the thread and stuck the needle into the sewing kit: "What's wrong, sis?"

Zhang nodded, lowering his voice.

"I want to discuss the stall with you. It's getting cold, and the meat jelly isn't selling well. We can't keep doing this. We need to come up with some new ideas."

“I was thinking, your tripe and lung soup is doing well, it’s warm and comforting, but selling it alone feels like something’s missing.”

Li Xiulan folded the mended clothes neatly and perked up.

“I’ve been thinking about this too. What do you think about setting up another pot next to the soup pot and selling some hot porridge? Quite a few people drink porridge.”

"Porridge?"

Zhang Liuyi's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! What kind of porridge should we sell? Plain porridge? That's too ordinary, and there's not much profit in it."

The two fell into deep thought.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered, illuminating two thoughtful faces.

"Pig liver!"

Zhang Liuyi suddenly slapped his thigh, making a loud noise, then quickly covered his mouth, looked at the sleeping Xiao Nan'er, and then lowered his voice to say excitedly.

"Sister-in-law, have you forgotten? Last time Nan'er's eyes were bothering him, I sliced ​​some pig liver and mixed it with his porridge. Isn't pig liver good for eyesight? Let's sell pig liver porridge. We have our own pig liver, it's fresh and cheap. Cook it until it's thick, add some tender slices of pig liver, sprinkle some chopped green onions, and drizzle some sesame oil. A hot bowl of it is fragrant, filling, and it even has the auspicious meaning of good eyesight! What do you say?"

Li Xiulan's eyes lit up when she heard this.

"Yes, yes, pork liver congee! That's a great idea. Our pork liver is much cheaper than those eye-brightening medicines sold in the town's pharmacies, and it's fresh too. It'll cook into congee quickly and easily. Let's do it tomorrow!"

Let's get right to it.

The next day, next to Li Xiulan's pot of pork belly and lung soup, there was a large pot of bubbling porridge.

As soon as the lid was lifted, steaming hot air filled the air, and the aroma of rice mixed with the unique savory fragrance of pork liver.

Zhang Yili deftly sliced ​​thin pieces of pork liver, her movements quick and steady.

The congee was cooked to a perfect consistency, and the slices of pork liver were blanched in the boiling congee, becoming tender and juicy. Sprinkled with bright green scallions and drizzled with golden sesame oil, it looked incredibly tempting.

"Hot tripe and lung soup, hot pork liver congee, delicious tripe and lung soup, and good-looking pork liver congee!"

Zhang Yili's clear shouts rang out on the dock.

At first, business was similar to usual, with tripe and lung soup remaining the mainstay.

But soon, the bright and clear calls attracted unexpected customers.

"Young lady, is your pork liver porridge really good for eyesight?"

A woman with a five or six-year-old boy squeezed her way to the front of the stall, looked at the porridge bubbling in the pot, then at her child's somewhat dim eyes, and tentatively asked.

"This sister-in-law, the saying that pig liver is good for eyesight is passed down from the older generation, and it is also recorded in medical books."

Zhang Liuyi smiled and answered honestly yet tactfully: "I can't guarantee anything, but this pig liver is a fresh and good thing. Giving the child some hot porridge to warm him up can't hurt, can it?"

Upon hearing that this was an honest girl, and seeing that the porridge looked very appetizing, the woman nodded.

"Okay! Give me a bowl! Let the child try some!"

"Alright! Please wait a moment!" Zhang Yili quickly served the porridge.

Just as the food was served, an elderly woman with gray hair and a cane walked over shakily, squinting as she asked.

"Honey, I heard this porridge is good for your eyes? My old eyesight is failing..."

"Grandma, please sit here!"

Zhang Liuyi quickly gestured and asked Li Xiulan to bring over a stool: "Please try it, it's still warm!"

After finishing a bowl of pork liver congee, the old woman smacked her lips and said, "Mmm, fragrant, hot, and comforting!"

Although it was hard to say whether her eyes could see clearly again, the warmth of the hot porridge and the feeling of being taken care of brought a smile to her face.

The situation took an unexpected turn in the following days.

Women with children, men with elderly family members, and even a few young men working as clerks at the docks all came for the brightening pig liver congee.

The flow of people in front of the stalls has quietly changed.

Previously, the group consisted entirely of strong, able-bodied men who could drink soup whether standing or squatting. Now, there are many more elderly people and children who need to sit down.

The problem then arose: the few benches they brought were simply not enough to sit on.

Seeing the old man standing there shakily waiting, and the child staring expectantly, Zhang Yili and Li Xiulan were extremely anxious.

When Zhang finished his business and returned home in the evening, he brought up his worries at the dinner table.

"...Who would have thought that this pork liver congee would attract so many elderly people and children? Our few benches are simply not enough. Seeing people standing and waiting for a seat, I felt bad and also thought I was delaying business!" Zhang Liuyi sighed.

Zhang Liuji, who was eating, looked up and said, "Not enough stools? No problem! Tomorrow I'll make you a few lightweight and portable stools. They're stable to sit on, don't take up much space when folded up, and you can just stack them up and take them with you!"

"Really? Bro! That's great!" Zhang Yi's eyes lit up.

"Of course it's true! It's nothing, just a little work, it won't take much effort!"

Zhang Liuji patted his chest confidently. He was currently busy repairing the ancestral hall in the village and had a lot of work to do, but he always put his wife and sister's affairs first.

The next day, Zhang Liuji kept his word.

He used leftover materials from repairing the ancestral hall, sawing, planing, and chiseling with swift and precise movements.

In less than half a day, a dozen sturdy, lightweight, and easily retractable small stools were neatly stacked in the Zhang family's courtyard.

The stool legs are made of hardwood, and the seat is made of thick strips of cloth, making it both convenient and sturdy.

With the stools, the seating problem was mostly solved.

But a new problem arose: some elderly people and children found the rough earthenware bowls used for serving porridge too hot to hold comfortably.

“That’s easy!” Zhang Yili’s mind worked quickly.

I asked my neighbor, Aunt Feng, to sew me a few thicker cloth mats.

Aunt Feng was a kind-hearted woman with incredibly skillful hands. Upon hearing the reason, she immediately took out the thick cotton cloth and old cotton from the bottom of her trunk and, with some cutting and sewing, sewed together more than a dozen small round cushions the size of a palm.

There was a layer of cotton stuffing in the middle, so it felt soft to the touch.

Zhang tried to give her money, but Aunt Feng refused, saying, "We're neighbors, your yard is already full of dried sweet potatoes from me. What's a few mats I'm sewing? Take them! I'm glad they're helpful!"

I placed it under the bowl, and sure enough, it wasn't too hot to handle.

With the stall issue resolved, Zhang paid more attention to the ingredients for the porridge.

She remembered the old doctor who had examined Xiao Nan'er's eyes last time.

So he made a special trip to the pharmacy and spent money to ask the old doctor in detail.

The old doctor stroked his beard and spoke slowly.

"Goji berries are sweet and neutral in nature, nourishing the liver and kidneys, and benefiting the eyes. When used with pork liver, they complement each other and are indeed beneficial. However, their effects are gradual, and it takes time to see results; persistence is key."

Having received accurate information, Zhang felt more confident.

She bought a small bag of high-quality goji berries, which were bright red and plump.

From then on, every day when cooking pork liver porridge, in addition to rice grains, slices of pork liver, and shredded ginger, a small handful of bright red goji berries would always be sprinkled on top.

The goji berries tumbled in the boiling porridge, gradually becoming plump and releasing a faint sweet fragrance and a unique medicinal aroma.

The sweetness blends perfectly with the freshness of the pork liver and the richness of the rice porridge.

Before serving, sprinkle with chopped green onions and drizzle with sesame oil. A bowl of porridge, with white rice, pink liver, red goji berries, and green green onions, is visually appealing, fragrant, and steaming hot.

"Hot pork liver and goji berry porridge! A great porridge for your eyes!" Zhang Yi's voice rang out with even more confidence.

In front of the stall, stools were lined up, filled with elderly people and children drinking porridge from rough earthenware bowls.

The elderly people blew on the steam, sipped the warm drinks slowly, and the warmth spread from their palms to their stomachs and then to their limbs.

The children were drawn to the sweet goji berries in the porridge, and used their little spoons to pick out the red berries to eat.

With the soft cushion sewn by Aunt Feng underneath, the bowl was no longer too hot to handle.

Li Xiulan was busy serving soup, while Zhang Yili moved among the seated guests, adding porridge and clearing away bowls, keeping herself very busy.