Chapter 21
After finishing the porridge, Yu Ying went back to the kitchen to check the fire for boiling water.
Seeing that the water was boiling, Yu Ying poured it into a new basin and boiled another pot of water.
Then he went to get half a bucket of cold water to mix with the hot water. After washing his hair, the water in the other pottery jar was also boiled.
I filled a basin with water before starting to bathe. The warm water poured over my body and I felt comfortable all over.
The long-lost feeling made Yu Ying realize that bathing could be such a happy thing.
The water after bathing will seep into the sand and stones, and then flow into the pit outside.
Yu Ying wanted to grow vegetables in the yard, but it was too troublesome to go to the river to fetch water, so she thought about it and dug a hole behind the bathroom at noon with the shovel and hoe brought by Aunt He and others.
Knowing she was going to dig a hole to store water for the vegetables, He Jia Dalang took over and soon dug a large hole. He surrounded the hole with bamboo to prevent anyone from accidentally falling in.
After Yu Ying came out of the shower, she felt relaxed all over.
When it was Mrs. Luo's turn to bathe, she took off her straw sandals and stepped on the sand. A comfortable feeling spread from the soles of her feet, and the thought that she no longer had to be restrained and wash casually made her heart feel a little sad.
Afraid that his wife would dislike his uncleanness, Luo scrubbed for a long time and took a very comfortable bath.
When I came out of the bathroom, the cool breeze hit me and I felt refreshed all over.
She didn't know if it was the effect of the medicine prescribed by Mrs. Yu, but these days, she felt that her health had improved a lot.
Originally, Luo had no hope of regaining his sight, but now that he felt his weak body gradually getting better, he seemed to feel hope again, so he cooperated by blindfolding himself and drinking medicine every day.
Even when the old women and children in the village teased her about how blind she was and why blindfolding was unnecessary, she turned a deaf ear and pretended not to hear.
When he thought about the possibility of his eyes being cured, he also thought of his granddaughter who was mute.
When Mrs. Luo was lost in thought, she suddenly heard Mrs. Yu calling Ningning to take a bath.
Even if you can't see it, you can imagine the two of them living in harmony.
In this family, Ningning and Yu get along the best.
Yu loves Ningning very much, but she doesn't know how to mention Ningning's muteness to Yu. She doesn't know whether Yu is willing to treat Ningning, and she doesn't know whether Ningning's muteness can be cured.
Besides, when Yu Ying was giving Fu Ning a bath, Fu An went to the river to fetch water and took the opportunity to wash himself in the river.
In this family, Fu'an's small body was considered healthy. He was just too overworked in the past, and coupled with malnutrition, he was thin. With some nourishment in the future, he should be fine.
Besides, the weather is still hot and it is okay to wash in the river water, so Yu Ying did not persuade her.
After dressing Fu Ning and coming out of the kitchen, he saw Luo standing under a tree, looking worried and lost in thought.
Luo Shi has been like this for a long time. She has a lot of things to worry about. Yu Ying is not in a position to comfort her, so she just pretends not to know.
After thinking for a while, he called out to Luo: "Mom, it's time to take the medicine."
Without a proper name, Yu Ying could only call her Luo based on her current status.
Luo, who was standing under the tree, heard Yu Ying's voice, then turned around and walked over with a bamboo pole to feel the way.
When Luo came closer, Yu Ying reminded her, "The medicine is ready. I just poured it into the bowl. It should be ready to drink now."
When she heard the sound, Mrs. Luo stopped. After a moment of silence, she said to her granddaughter, "Ningning, go check on your brother and see why he hasn't come back in so long."
Fu Ning nodded, then obediently let go of Yu Ying's hand, walked out of the yard, and went to the river to find his brother.
Yu Ying remembered that when Fu An went out, he told Luo Shi that he should wash at the river before coming back. Fu Ning had just finished washing, so he definitely wouldn't come back so soon.
After thinking for a moment, Yu Ying realized that Luo was trying to get rid of Fu Ning, so she asked, "What do you want to tell me?"
Luo hesitated for a few breaths before asking, "Will Ningning be able to speak again in the future?"
Yu Ying knew that Luo would ask sooner or later, so she was not in a hurry to ask. She had been observing Fu Ning's situation these days.
Yu Ying asked, "Has Ningning never been able to speak? Or did she mention she was sick before?"
Mrs. Luo shook her head and said, "She could still speak until she was two years old, but then she suddenly stopped. She had never been seriously ill, and no matter how much we asked, we couldn't find out the reason. Even when we saw a doctor, he said there was nothing wrong."
Yu Ying pondered for a moment. He could still speak before he was two years old and had never suffered from any serious illness. So why did he suddenly stop speaking?
Is it because of the departure of Dalang and his wife from the Fujia family?
But when Fu Dalang and his wife left the Fu family, Fu Ning was only about one year old, and she couldn't speak until she was two years old, so the time doesn't match.
After pondering for a while, Yu Ying analyzed, "If a young child suddenly stops talking, it could be because of a serious illness, environmental influences, or a shock."
Yu Ying thought for a moment and elaborated, "A serious illness is a high fever or a disease that can cause someone to lose consciousness. Environmental impact means no one around her talks to her, let alone cares about her."
"The last part about her being frightened could be that she was threatened not to speak. Or maybe she was told not to make a sound when she was in danger, fearing there would be dire consequences if she did. Or maybe she saw something terrifying and was so frightened she couldn't speak."
At the end of the conversation, Yu Ying asked her, "Think carefully about what happened before Ningning couldn't speak?"
After hearing her words, Luo couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Just as she was thinking about it, Fu An's voice suddenly came.
"I know, it's my uncle!"
Hearing this, Luo turned towards the source of the sound, and Yu Ying also looked towards the courtyard gate.
Fu An, who was carrying water, looked indignant, while Xiao Funing beside him looked confused.
Fu An continued: "It must be my former uncle who did it!"
When Fu Ning heard the name "ex-uncle", his body trembled and fear appeared on his face.
When Fu An wanted to say something, Yu Ying interrupted him: "Pour the water into the water tank first, and we'll talk later."
Fu An opened his mouth and wanted to continue speaking, but Yu Ying had already stepped forward, took the bucket from his hand, and whispered to him, "Don't scare your sister."
Fu An was stunned for a moment, turned his head to look at his sister beside him, and saw that his sister's face turned pale. He immediately reacted and shut up.
Yu Ying sighed, then carried the water to the water tank and poured it in.
After putting down the bucket, she picked up Fu Ning and asked softly, "Do you want to continue sleeping with your aunt tonight?"
Fu Ning, who was a little dazed, heard this. She looked at her aunt, her face regained some color, she nodded gently, and then lay on Yu Ying's shoulder.
Yu Ying glanced at Luo's dazed expression and said to Fu An, "Go inside and burn some mugwort to repel mosquitoes. I'll come over in the evening."
Fu An nodded and went back to the house to burn mugwort.
Yu Ying said to Luo Shi, "Let me take Ningning to bed today."
Luo nodded as if he had just woken up.
Yu Ying took Fu Ning with her and only brought her into the house after she had made the jelly.
He lay down on the bed with her and patted her back to comfort her.
Fu Ning didn't fall asleep until it was completely dark.
Yu Ying waited until Fu Ning fell asleep before she got up carefully. However, when she got up, she found that her little hands were tightly grasping her clothes.
Yu Ying gently pried her fingers apart, took a thin quilt and let her hold it in her hands before leaving the room.
Yu Ying walked to the next room, stood outside the straw curtain, and asked in a low voice, "Fu An, are you asleep?"
After a while, Fu An opened the curtain in the dark. Yu Ying felt her way into the house. She stood at the door and asked in a low voice, "Fu An, what did you want to say in the yard just now?"
Luo's mind was in a state of confusion. She vaguely knew what her grandson was talking about, so she had no desire to sleep. Only after Yu arrived did she feel more at ease.
Fu Wei looked towards the door. Although he couldn't see anything, he knew there was someone standing there.
Fu An was afraid that his sister would hear him, so he spoke in a low voice, but it did not affect his excitement.
He said: "I remember when my sister was about two years old, my uncle came to our house and the money my grandmother had saved disappeared. Then my sister had nightmares and talked in her sleep. She talked about a lot of blood and kept calling for her father and mother. Not long after, my sister couldn't speak anymore."
Fu An was only six years old at that time and couldn't remember so many things, so he could only talk about it as he recalled it.
After hearing Fu An's words, Yu Ying frowned secretly.
From what Fu An said, the prefect's son did not seem to live in the Fu family, but that was not the point. The point was that Fu Ning was most likely threatened and intimidated by him.
The child was only two years old at the time. Although he may not remember the past clearly now, he still remembers the most terrifying thing. So he may have a psychological trauma and dare not speak until now.
Luo may not have believed her grandson's words before, but after Erlang's leg was broken, she believed it now. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "An An, think carefully about what happened at that time."
Fu An frowned as he thought back to what happened before. After a long while, he suddenly seemed to recall something and exclaimed, "I remember now. Not long ago, when you were cleaning the yard, I think you found a chicken head. We couldn't afford chicken, and someone in the village happened to have lost a chicken. You were afraid of being wrongly accused, so you buried the chicken head and told me not to tell anyone."
When Luo heard this, he suddenly remembered what happened two years ago.
When Yu Ying heard Fu An's words, she had already guessed what he was thinking.
Their former uncle stole chickens and money, and was caught by Fu Ning. Then, the former uncle chopped off the chicken's head in front of him as a threat.
Suddenly someone chopped off a chicken's head in front of you, and you felt threatened when the blood spurted out. Even a normal adult would feel scared, let alone a two-year-old child.
Yu Ying glanced towards the bamboo bed, but couldn't see her hand in front of her face. She didn't know what Fu Wei's expression was like.
Mrs. Luo held onto the table, a little unsteady. After a while, she asked, "Can Ningning be cured?"
After thinking for a while, Yu Ying said, "There are two possible reasons why she can't speak now. The first is that she may still remember the threats she received, so she's too scared to speak. The second is that she was too young when she stopped talking, and it's been so long that she's forgotten she could speak."
Yu Ying paused, pondered for a moment, and then continued, "As the saying goes, a heart disease needs a heart medicine. Ningning's muteness can't be cured with medicine. We can only give her a sense of security in the future, let her know that no one can hurt her, and then slowly guide her to speak."
"Does that mean Ningning still has a chance to speak?!" Mrs. Luo suddenly became a little excited.
Yu Ying was silent for a moment, but still told the truth: "Only a 50% chance."
Upon hearing this, Luo fell silent as if a cold water was poured on him.
Fu Wei, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke up, his tone calm, "I've heard of a similar situation before. It was also a young child who, when he was only a few years old, witnessed his parents being brutally murdered by thieves. He always remembered his mother, who hid him, telling him not to make a sound. So, he remained silent until he was about ten years old."
Speaking of this, Fu Wei became a little curious about Yu Ying.
From what she said, one could tell she had a wide range of knowledge. But most ladies of noble families stayed at home, so their knowledge was not that broad.
But she spoke calmly and with moderation, and her knowledge was far more profound than that of the young doctor. If she was not a lady from a noble family, how could she have been trained to be so outstanding?
After hearing Fu Wei's words, Luo Shi also regained consciousness and saw a glimmer of hope. She hurriedly said to Yu Ying, "Sixth Mother, my eye disease can be cured, but can you cure Ningning's muteness first?"
Yu Ying felt a little choked up because of Xiao Funing's matter. After she heaved a sigh of relief, she explained to Luo: "There's no rush for this. You'd better get your eyes healed first and take good care of her. I'll also find a way to teach her to speak."
The room was silent for a moment, and Yu Ying spoke first: "It's late, let's all get some rest first, and then we can slowly figure out what to do next."
After saying this, she lifted the curtain and left the room.
The room was silent.
After Yu Ying returned to the room and lay down, she pulled up the thin quilt and covered Fu Ning with it, patting her back gently with some heartache.
*
In the morning, when the first ray of sunlight came in through the window and fell on Yu Ying's face, she woke up.
When I got up to comb my hair, Fu Ning also woke up. He sat on the bed, yawned, and then rubbed his eyes sleepily.
Yu Ying fixed her hair into a simple bun, then turned to look at her with a gentle smile, and walked forward to gently rub her head.
Fu Ning may have felt the love of her aunt, so she grinned and smiled brightly at Yu Ying.
Yu Ying said to her, "Auntie is going to the market today and will be back in the afternoon. Ningning will stay at home with grandma today, okay?"
Fu Ning wanted to go with them, but when he remembered that his grandmother said she also had to spend money to ride in an ox cart, he nodded obediently without getting angry at all.
Yu Ying combed her hair and then took her out of the house.
The Fu family was too poor and had never had the habit of having breakfast, but Yu Ying saw that it was still early and the lychee fruits they picked yesterday were enough for two days, and they didn't have to go out today, so she used her free time to cook some cabbage porridge.
After drinking a few mouthfuls of porridge, she covered half a bucket of jelly with the washed herbs, picked up the bucket and carried half a box of herbs out of the door.
Uncle Chen brought her cabbage, radishes, green onions, and leek seeds, and only charged her two cents.
Along the way, Uncle Chen enthusiastically told her the tricks of growing vegetables. Yu Ying listened attentively, and even the people traveling with her were listening with great interest.
When they arrived at Wu’s Restaurant, Yu Ying handed the jelly to the shopkeeper Chen.
When Shopkeeper Chen met Yu Ying, he readily gave her the money from the remaining ice jelly from the day before yesterday and the money from the jelly he sold yesterday, a total of nineteen cents.
After counting the copper coins for her, Manager Chen was not busy and chatted with Yu Ying for a while.
"Maybe seeing how good our business has been these days, other restaurants have started to follow our lead and sell drinks alongside food at a discount. Luckily, the novelty of our ice cream hasn't worn off yet, so those who haven't tried it are willing to come and give it a try."
Yu Ying thought about it after hearing this, and then said, "Actually, besides adding sugar water to the ice cream, you can also make other flavors."
When Shopkeeper Chen heard this, he became interested: "What other flavors can you make?"
Yu Ying said, "It can be made into various flavors, such as lychee and pear."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Chen waved his hands hurriedly: "No, no, that won't work. This will increase the cost, and the price will be too high. People may not buy it, and if it can't be sold, it will just sit in your hands. That's not cost-effective."
Yu Ying firmly believed that the timid will die of starvation, while the bold will die of gluttony, so she did not hesitate: "In fact, I can bear all the losses, but I will set the price, and the price will be 30% and 70%."
When Shopkeeper Chen heard that she could bear all the losses, he was moved, but he did not show it on his face. He could only smile and said, "If you sell it for three cents a bowl, I will only make one cent. The boss will not agree to such a small profit."
Yu Ying didn't back down, but said calmly, "Although we don't make much money from this ice cream, if it remains the same, customers will gradually decrease. Only novelty can attract customers. Besides, for Shopkeeper Chen, this is a business with no capital investment. How can making a penny not be profit?"
She continued, "It's profitable and can also attract customers, so it's still killing two birds with one stone. Shopkeeper Chen and the boss are naturally aware of this."
Hearing her say this, Shopkeeper Chen knew she was really not easy to fool. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I can propose it to you, Shopkeeper, but can you only sell this ice cream to us?"
Other restaurants offer cheap drinks with their meals, like sour plum soup and tea brewed with night-breath fragrance—these are the usual suspects. If other restaurants also sold this ice cream, I guess customers wouldn't mind going to any particular restaurant.
Although Shopkeeper Chen didn't say it explicitly, Yu Ying understood. She said, "It was Shopkeeper Chen who helped me in the beginning, so I can't be ungrateful."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Chen smiled.
"So, shopkeeper, please consider this and have a good talk with the boss. Also, when winter comes, I will make some winter drinks. If the boss is willing, I will also send them to this restaurant to sell. How about that?"
An ice cream was not enough to impress Manager Chen with Madam Yu. What impressed him was her conversation and the logic of her negotiation.
He looks like a man of real ability.
"Okay, I'll go find the boss soon and give you an answer this afternoon."
Yu Ying smiled and thanked him as well.
After saying goodbye to the shopkeeper, Yu Ying was about to leave with her basket on her back. Shopkeeper Chen glanced at the half-dried grass in her basket and remembered that he had seen her carrying a basket of grass several times before. He asked curiously, "Are these herbs?"
Yu Ying nodded: "It's herbal medicine. I plan to send it to the clinic."
"You can even identify herbs?"
Yu Ying said modestly, "I've recognized some of them from my family, but not many."
Hearing her say that she could identify herbs, Shopkeeper Chen couldn't help but look at her with admiration: "No wonder you said just now that you could make winter drinks. You must be able to identify herbs."
At this point, he said again: "But if you send it to the clinic, this basket of herbs may only be worth a few coins."
Hearing this, Yu Ying seemed to have heard something else, and was in no hurry to leave. She asked, "Does Manager Chen have any tricks?"
"I wouldn't say I'm that well-informed, but Yu County is close to the border, so merchants often pass through. They chat about things while eating at restaurants, so I just overheard a few things."
Shopkeeper Chen looked at her and lowered his voice, "Don't tell anyone else, and don't tell anyone else that I said it. Otherwise, I'll be hindering the clinic's financial resources and offending others."
Yu Ying nodded quickly and replied, "I won't be too ostentatious about anything that can earn me more money."
Shopkeeper Chen felt relieved upon hearing this and told her, "Among the traveling merchants, there are also some herbalists. Because Lingnan has many mountains and abundant medicinal herbs, and most importantly, both labor and herbs are cheap, they all come to Lingnan to collect herbs and then resell them at high prices to medical clinics and pharmacies in prosperous cities. They usually buy the medicine from medical clinics, so that they can pass it on to others and avoid people using weeds to fill in the gaps."
After hearing what Shopkeeper Chen said, Yu Ying finally understood why the clinic always accepted the herbs she sent them to. It turned out they weren't short of them, but were selling them to others.
"Then where can I find merchants who collect medicinal herbs?" Every time I dig herbs, I have to work hard for most of the day and can only earn a few cents. Now that I heard that I can earn more money, Yu Ying is naturally tempted.
Shopkeeper Chen felt awkward when she asked this. The waiter who was cleaning the table over there heard this and quickly replied, "A drug dealer came to our restaurant yesterday. I heard they said they would be staying in Yu County for three or four days."
Because the waiter was his nephew, the shopkeeper didn't shy away from him and scolded him, "Don't make trouble. How do you know he's a drug dealer?"
The waiter replied, "How could I not know? When he was eating here yesterday, he said our ice cream could clear away heat and relieve summer heat, and it could also moisten the intestines. I casually asked if he was a doctor, and he explained that he was in the herbal medicine business."
At this point, the waiter added, "I heard he'll be staying in Yu County for a few days, and he'll bring his companions to try our ice cream. Maybe he'll come over to eat it at noon today."
Yu Ying thought about it and decided to wait and see. If she could come across one, maybe she could gain some more shadows. If not, she could give the herbs she brought today to the clinic first, which wouldn't have any impact.
Thinking of this, Yu Ying made up her mind and discussed with Shopkeeper Chen: "Mr. Chen won't be back until the afternoon, and I won't have anywhere to go by then. Besides, I want to wait a while to see if I can meet the drug dealer. So, Shopkeeper Chen, do you think I need any help?"
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Chen looked embarrassed: "I'm not the boss, so I really don't have the final say on hiring people."
Yu Ying smiled and said, "I'm not asking Manager Chen to pay me. I'm just staying here to help. If you don't need any help, I can wait outside."
Leaving aside the question of money, Shopkeeper Chen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I've been a bit busy these past few days, and I really need help. I won't be paid, but I can provide a meal. If you're okay with that, I can talk to the boss about it." Finally, he asked again, "Can you really accept no pay?"
There are so many people in Yu County and Yu Ying dares not relax for a moment. Now she can have a meal and have a place to go. Where can she find such a good thing?
Yu Ying nodded: "I can definitely accept it."
The waiter couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he heard that someone might be able to help at noon.
There have been more and more customers in recent days. He has to go to the kitchen to help wash vegetables and dishes, and go to the front to clean up and greet customers. He is almost exhausted. If there is someone to lend a hand, he can naturally take a break.
Yu Ying put down the herbs and started to help clean up without waiting for Manager Chen to ask.
Seeing how sincere Madam Yu was, Shopkeeper Chen couldn't help but feel a little more favorable towards her.
Since it was not yet mealtime and there were no customers, Shopkeeper Chen asked his nephew to look after the shop, and then went to the yard behind the shop to discuss the matter of the ice cream and Madam Yu staying to help with the owner.
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