"Auntie, is this some kind of herbal medicine you're brewing? Do you know how to treat illnesses?"
The sudden sound startled Qin San Niang. When she looked up, she saw that it was the same chubby girl from before.
This girl is quite dark-skinned and chubby; she's a unique sight in this famine.
She was looking at him with a look of surprise, her two little tiger teeth showing, and her eyes were full of innocence. She was clearly a kind girl.
Qin San Niang was powerless against that smile. "Yes, these are herbs." But could this girl please stop calling her "auntie"? It's making her feel so old!
"Auntie, could you please take a look at my mother? She's frail, and the village doctor said she won't live more than two months." As she spoke, her eyes dimmed, as if she were about to cry.
Before Qin San Niang could speak, the woman from not far away had already jogged over, but she was panting heavily with every step, and she did look rather frail.
"Fatty, what are you doing? This escape journey is tough enough as it is, don't cause them any more trouble!"
The woman, fearing her daughter had been scammed, rushed over to pull her away. This wasn't unprecedented; her daughter, Fatty, had earned money through hard work, only to be swindled out of a large sum of money for her medical treatment, earning her a beating from her mother-in-law. She was heartbroken for the money, but even more heartbroken for her daughter.
At this moment, Liu and her children surrounded Qin San Niang. The eldest child cautiously held his own hoe, which was the only iron tool in the house; the others had been taken away by his stepmother.
Fatty didn't care about any of that. She was certain that this auntie could brew herbal medicine and cure her mother's illness. Her father and grandmother didn't want them anymore; she only had her mother left. If her mother died, she wouldn't be able to survive. Since she was little, everyone called her "Silly Girl," but she was strong and could do a lot of work. As long as this auntie was willing to treat her mother, she would help them with the chores.
Thinking of this, Fatty knelt down with a thud, causing dust to fly up in front of her eyes. This was truly heavyweight.
"Auntie, please help my mother take a look. I'm very strong, I can help you with the chores. I have a stroller at home, if my younger brother and sister can't walk, I'll push them around, I'm not afraid of getting tired!"
The older child pouted, thinking to himself, "I don't need you to push me. I'm very strong too, but I'm not as old or as fat as you!"
Mother wouldn't be happy if I said that, so I could only keep it to myself.
Hearing this, Qin San Niang was genuinely tempted. Her family didn't even have a stroller, and Liu Shi's legs were absolutely unable to walk. If someone could help push her...
Qin San Niang glanced at the woman opposite her and saw that she was pale and had a yellowish complexion. She was panting heavily when she walked, but she did not have any obvious cough or wheezing. She should be suffering from severe malnutrition and anemia, which was also called qi and blood deficiency in ancient times. It was not incurable.
"I only have a rudimentary understanding of medicine, but I can take a look at this... elder sister. However, I'm not sure if I can cure her."
It's always good to leave some things unsaid, especially since although she studied medicine, she doesn't treat living people...
Hearing this, the girl called Fatty grinned from ear to ear. Because of her chubby face, her small eyes were squeezed into slits, but she still looked quite cute.
"Thank you, Auntie! Thank you, Auntie!" She then suddenly performed a few rough and forceful kowtows, and hearing the thuds, I felt genuinely sorry for her.
Startled, Qin San Niang quickly helped her up, worried that she might have injured her head. Would she need to use herbal medicine to bandage it? She was also still not used to the custom of kowtowing so readily these days.
Fatty's mother was so moved she didn't know what to do, thanking them repeatedly. But when she got closer, she realized she had worried too much. This family wasn't much better off than hers, and there wasn't a man in the house either.
These days, doctors are hard to find, and herbs are expensive. The two of them were penniless, with only a cart, a few tattered clothes, and a few vegetable pancakes that their mother-in-law had just thrown away. As for their husbands? Ha, she had long since given up on them; they were less important than strangers she had just met.
Knowing how difficult their situation was, Madam Liu didn't say anything. She only said that her daughter had learned some basics from the doctor and could treat colds and flu. If they didn't mind, she would let her give it a try.
Qin San Niang felt somewhat embarrassed. In fact, she had only learned the basics, but her foundation was quite good, after all, she came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.
Calming himself, he took the woman's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief. It really was caused by long-term malnutrition, anemia leading to hypoxemia and other secondary problems. Even in modern times, this would require slow and careful recuperation.
Hearing that her problem wasn't serious, the woman's expression relaxed considerably. However, upon hearing that it required slow and careful recuperation, and that it required proper nutrition, she felt that was definitely impossible. The mother and son were already struggling to even find food, which made them frown again.
Qin San Niang had plenty of grain; they didn't have any, but she had her own!
"Sister Chunhua, right? And Fatty? How about this? My mother's leg is injured and she can't walk, and we don't have a stroller at home. If Fatty agrees to push my mother around, I can provide you with food and Sister Chunhua's herbal medicine." This sister-in-law's surname was Wu and her given name was Lianhua.
Is this a case of fleeing famine? The temptation of being provided with food is very strong. Qin San Niang was not worried that they would disagree. Unexpectedly, the mother and son were very worried that they would be a burden to them. After all, no family has much food, and they only have a cart and their strength.
Sensing the other person's simplicity, Qin San Niang felt a little embarrassed. She quickly explained that it was nothing, that she had some coarse grains, and that she could buy more in the towns along the way. Besides, her family only had steamed cakes and wild vegetables, nothing fancy.
In short, Fatty and her son happily agreed in the end.
With more people accompanying her on the road, even Liu felt more confident. She was somewhat reluctant to get up and sit in the stroller, worried that she would tire her daughter. Unexpectedly, the chubby girl was really strong, and she felt like she was walking on air while pushing her and Wu Chunhua.
After chatting along the way, I learned that this chubby girl had been incredibly strong since she was a child. Two ordinary adult men couldn't even lift her. However, because of her size and large appetite, she hadn't found a husband yet. Her mother-in-law disliked Wu Chunhua because she was sickly. While the chubby girl was strong and capable of working, she was also a big eater, and in the end, she left them both behind.
It is not uncommon for women to be abandoned by their families while fleeing famine; they are not isolated cases!
When the topic turned to her daughter's appetite, Wu Chunhua glanced cautiously at Liu Shi and Qin San Niang, offering to dig up some wild vegetables for Pang Ya as an extra treat. Unexpectedly, Qin San Niang waved her hand, telling her not to worry, and even Liu Shi didn't say anything, which reassured Wu Chunhua somewhat.
Seeing Qin San Niang's small basket made Wu Chunhua sad again; there probably wasn't much food in it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com