Chapter 31
Tiejin ran to the stairs and picked up the little girl.
"Why are you crying? Are you hungry?" The man held the child in his arms, his voice choked with helplessness. Where was the slightest bit of the sinister intimidation he had just now?
What a huge contrast!
Tang Yu'an poked his head out from behind Zhou Qi and looked at them curiously.
Lin Zhen was also shocked. She looked at the little girl, then at Tie Jin's unprecedented gentle expression, and couldn't help but wonder, "Uncle Jin, when did you give birth to a daughter?"
Tiejin walked down the stairs holding the little girl.
The girl must be very young, perhaps even shorter than Tiejin's calf. She was wearing a small skirt made of dirty rags. He held her in his arms, and she rested her head on Tiejin's shoulder, like a fragile porcelain doll.
Lin Zhen surrounded him, looking back and forth between his face and the child's.
Although Tiejin has a beard and his eye color is turning golden due to his supernatural powers, he still has a typical oriental face.
But the little girl he was holding was different.
Not only does he have deep eyes and a high nose, he also has reddish-brown curly hair and yellow-brown eyes. Although his ethnicity is unknown, this gene is definitely not inherited from Tiejin.
The little girl was very thin, skin and bones, and looked even smaller than Kang Kang.
At this moment, she was curled up in Tiejin's arms, her eyes were a little hazy, and she looked as sick as an eggplant hit by frost.
Lin Zhen looked at her for a long time, and finally said in a strange tone: "You don't think she looks alike? Or does she look more like her mother?"
"Go as you go."
Tie Jin said to Lin Zhen impatiently, but when he looked at the girl, his eyes softened again, "I picked her up, and she will be my daughter from now on."
"I named her Jin Lili."
When Lin Zhen heard his words, he opened his eyes wide in surprise.
Children are a recognized burden in the wasteland. They spend their childhoods long, needing food but not producing anything, needing adult protection when in danger, and are simply food for the hungry if they encounter mutant creatures.
In the doomsday world of scarcity and peril, the moral standards of the peacetime era have long been lost. Most human beings live a miserable life, one day less than another, and have long abandoned the responsibility of reproducing offspring.
Therefore, children are considered to be a hindrance.
However, the desire does not disappear, and may even become stronger due to the lack of entertainment activities. The lack of protective measures often leads to women having unexpected pregnancies, miscarriages, and possible death, and are ultimately forced to give birth.
Those with better conditions and who cannot bear the pain will choose to keep the child, but most babies will be abandoned by their parents after they are born.
In this wasteland, it is very difficult for children to grow up.
It can be said that Jin Lili is very lucky to have been raised to this age and to have met Tiejin who was willing to adopt her after being abandoned.
But when Lin Zhen saw that Tie Jin actually picked up a child who had no blood relationship with him and planned to raise her as a daughter, he couldn't help but feel surprised.
She looked at the little girl, not knowing what she was thinking, and there was a hint of unspeakable emotion in her eyes.
Tang Yu'an felt that her expression was somewhat similar to when he gave her the flowers before.
Lin Zhen stared at the little girl for a while, then asked, "Is there anything I can help you with? She doesn't look well."
"Maybe he's starving."
Hearing Lin Zhen's words, Tie Jin showed a distressed look. He whispered, "I picked her up the day before yesterday. Since she came back, she has only drunk some meat soup and can't eat anything else."
This little girl's development is a bit slow. She looks to be over one year old, but she has only two baby teeth. She definitely can't eat meat, and she can't chew wild vegetables or mushrooms.
Tang Yu'an listened to their conversation, stared at the girl for a few seconds, and couldn't help but say, "Her face is a little red, is she sick?"
He just had a cold and a fever, so he is more sensitive to this.
"Maybe it's because the weather is too hot?" Tiejin said uncertainly.
"Why don't we take her temperature? Her face is so red, could she have a fever?" Tang Yu'an suggested.
Hearing this, Tiejin quickly reached out and touched the little girl's forehead.
"I don't feel anything!" he said.
Tiejin even felt that his daughter's forehead was a little cold.
"Oh, your temperature is already high. Let me take a look." Lin Zhen quickly realized the problem, quickly pulled his hand away, and touched the little girl's face and forehead with his palm.
"Hiss, it's a bit hot indeed." She frowned.
Tiejin suddenly became anxious, "Is he really having a fever? What should I do?"
Even through his beard, one could see the helplessness on his face.
As a rough man who had lived alone for many years, he naturally didn't know how to take care of a child. He could only pull Lin Zhen aside and ask, "Do you have any medicine? Give her some?"
"No!" Tang Yu'an said quickly, "Children can't take medicine randomly!"
Zhou Qi also said seriously, "You should let her lie down first and wipe her face and hands with a wet towel. It would be even better if there is alcohol."
If such a young child has a fever and is not treated promptly, it is easy to suffer serious sequelae.
"Okay, let's go upstairs."
With the reminder from the two teenagers, Tiejin finally regained his composure. He hurriedly carried the little girl upstairs and soon arrived at the room he had arranged for his adopted daughter.
It can be seen that Tiejin cares quite a lot about the child he just adopted.
The first and second floors were so messy, but this small room was very clean. Not only was there a soft little bed for her, but there was even a teddy bear doll at the head of the bed.
Although the doll was a little dirty and there was a hole on its shoulder, you could see the broken wool and the cotton inside.
But in a wasteland like this, it is already a rare thing to have enough food and warm clothes. He actually found such a toy for Jin Lili, which shows that he really values this child.
Tiejin gently placed the little girl on the crib.
The mattress on the bed was something he had found not long ago. He had originally dragged it back to extract the metal springs inside, but now he gave it to Jin Lili.
Because the mattress was a little dirty, he also put a layer of cloth on it as a sheet.
He had put a lot of thought into this little bed, and he thought it should be very comfortable to sleep on.
“Woo…”
However, as soon as she was put on the bed, the little girl pouted and started crying. Her cry was weak and thin, as if she had no strength and did not dare to cry loudly, which made Tiejin feel his heart tightened.
"It's okay, it's okay. Dad is here. You will feel better soon." Tie Jin comforted him, asked Lin Zhen to help take care of the child, and then hurried to fetch water.
Zhou Qi looked at the mattress under the girl and frowned.
"Take the mattress away and just put a piece of cloth on it. It's too hot to sleep on the mattress in this weather."
Moreover, there were not many plants in Tiejin's house, and it was full of metal. They felt it was much hotter there than in Lin Zhen and Grandma Guo's house.
The child has been staying in a room like this and sleeping on such a stuffy mattress. It would be strange if he didn't get heatstroke.
Lin Zhen thought it made sense, so he shouted to Tie Jin who was fetching water. Regardless of whether he heard him or not, he reached out and picked up the little girl, asked Zhou Qi to help remove the mattress, and then deftly pulled the sheet over and spread it on the bed.
"alright."
Only then did Lin Zhen let the little girl lie down again.
At this time, Tiejin also brought back some water.
Seeing the mattress thrown next to him, he opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing. He silently dipped a square cloth in water, wrung it dry, and began to wipe the child's forehead, face and neck.
After wiping both little hands, Jin Lili's expression was obviously much more relaxed, and her face was not so red anymore.
She stopped crying and just opened her round eyes, looking at them quietly, so well-behaved that it made people feel distressed.
Tie Jin's eyes softened. He turned to look at Zhou Qi and Tang Yu'an and said happily, "It seems that it is indeed too hot. Thank you for reminding me."
"Uncle Jin, where did you pick her up?" Lin Zhen asked.
"On the way back from the market town," Tiejin said, "she was left alone in the wilderness. She must have been abandoned by her parents."
At that time, he was sitting by the roadside eating and resting. The little girl came out of the woods crying. After seeing him, she slowly stopped crying and just stood beside him, looking at him quietly.
Tiejin considers himself a heartless person.
But at that moment, facing the child's clear and bright eyes and seeing her weak and helpless appearance, he felt soft-hearted for the first time.
He asked her if she wanted to come with him to the deserted city and become his daughter in the future.
The skinny and weak little girl ran over and hugged his legs with her two little hands. From that moment on, Tiejin knew that he was going to be a father.
"Thank you."
Tie Jin turned to look at Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi and thanked them again, "I've never taken care of a child before, so I treated her with my own standards. I didn't expect that I almost made Lily sick."
People with special abilities are more resistant to heat and cold than ordinary people. In addition, Tiejin is an adult male, so the difference in his physique with that of a child is even greater.
Hearing him say this, not only Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi, but even Lin Zhen felt ashamed.
Although Tiejin means well, I'm really afraid that he will kill the child!
Lin Zhen came to the bed and sat down. He reached out and touched the child's forehead, and asked softly, "Are you feeling better?"
Jin Lili nodded slightly.
It seems that although she is still young, she can already understand a lot of what is said.
"Are you hungry?" Lin Zhen asked.
A hint of hesitation appeared on Jin Lili's face. She looked at Lin Zhen timidly, then at Tie Jin, and finally nodded, looking extremely weak.
If she only drank broth after being picked up by Tiejin, it would be normal for her to be hungry.
Tiejin sighed in distress again.
"I wanted to go to Old Li yesterday to exchange some fresh meat. She might be able to eat it if it's tenderer. But Old Li injured his leg and is lying at home. Besides, there are no more fruits. I'm so worried..."
He talked about the difficulties he encountered.
When he picked up this child, he thought that given his situation, he would definitely provide her with food. However, he never expected that the child couldn't eat anything he ate.
If you force-feed the food, the child will vomit it out after a while. It has no effect other than making the child suffer and wasting food.
Tiejin looked melancholy. The little girl lying on the bed suddenly reached out and held his fingers, as if to comfort him and tell him that it was okay.
The man's expression became increasingly tense.
"I heard from Xiaolin that you guys came out of the fortress?"
Suddenly thinking of something, Tie Jin looked up at Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi and asked hopefully, "Do you have any food for the children? I can exchange it with you for metal."
Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi looked at each other.
There are many foods that can be fed to children. Even refined rice can be cooked into a paste and fed to children, but...
This was the first time they met Tiejin. Although he seemed like a good father and they felt very sympathetic towards him, this did not mean that they could trust him.
Lin Zhen, who was sitting beside the girl's bed, opened his mouth slightly, but finally fell silent.
Whether or not to make a deal is not something she can decide, and she cannot speak on their behalf on her own initiative.
Anyway, if the two teenagers refused, she would go back and get the millet from home to exchange with Uncle Jin.
Finally, Zhou Qi said, "I saw some eggs on the third floor just now?"
Hearing him change the subject, Tiejin was a little disappointed, but still replied: "Yes, they are some bird eggs. I exchanged them with Xiaolin before, and I haven't finished eating them yet."
Then he said, "She can't eat egg whites either. She doesn't need to chew the yolk, but after choking on it and coughing for a long time, she doesn't dare to eat it anymore."
Zhou Qi: “…”
Tang Yu'an looked at Jin Lili with sympathy. It was really not easy for her to be able to survive until now despite being taken care of by Uncle Jin!
After a moment's silence, Zhou Qi finally spoke: "You gave her... boiled eggs?"
"What is a boiled egg?" Tiejin looked confused.
"...How do you cook these eggs?" Zhou Qi was also confused.
"Just put it in the fire and take it out when it's cooked..." Tiejin's voice gradually faded.
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but shake his head. If it was cooked directly over fire, the moisture would be lost. Wouldn't that make it worse? He also seriously suspected that the outer layer of egg white was also burnt.
How can this be fed to such a young child?
Tiejin frowned, then said confidently, "But she can't eat the eggs!"
Not to mention that raw eggs are particularly fishy, even adults can easily get diarrhea if they eat them, let alone children.
“…”
Finally, Zhou Qi said helplessly, "Is there a stove here? Can I borrow it for a moment? I can teach you how to make eggs delicious and nutritious, and she'll be able to eat them."
"OK!"
Tiejin first went to the third floor to get the bird eggs, and then took them to the fifth floor. Lin Zhen touched the little girl's head soothingly and followed behind to watch the fun.
This house has a kitchen, but the gas stove is unusable because it was dismantled by Tiejin a long time ago.
He asked Old Li to build him an earthen stove on the fifth floor, with exhaust coming out through the chimney. He usually used it to boil water and make barbecue.
This kitchen is as simple as Old Li's. Fortunately, Tiejin can produce metal, so there is no shortage of pots and pans.
Zhou Qi asked him for a bowl, washed it with water, and then took three bird eggs from Tie Jin's basket.
The bird eggs were about the same size as chicken eggs, and had a similar color and shape when beaten into a bowl. Zhou Qi then added a certain proportion of water and some salt to them.
This salt was originally intended to be traded with Iron and Gold, so it didn't matter if he saw it.
"She's still young, so you can add more water. The steamed egg will be more tender, but if you exceed this ratio, it will become mushy."
Zhou Qi stirred the egg liquid and said, "You can try it yourself when the time comes."
He prepared the egg liquid, while on the other side, the water in the pot boiled.
"This pot isn't very easy to use. You have metal abilities, so you can make your own pot. I'll draw a diagram for you later, and you can make another one."
Tiejin was skeptical, but he still listened and watched attentively, trying to write down the key points.
“Gurgle gurgle—”
The fire in the stove was burning fiercely, the water in the pot was boiling, steam was coming out, and the temperature in the kitchen was also rising.
Zhou Qi silently calculated the time.
As the egg liquid solidified and was steamed, a faint fragrance could gradually be smelled spreading in the kitchen, making Tie Jin and Lin Zhen, who smelled it for the first time, unable to help but swallow their saliva.
It turns out eggs can be done this way!
Of course Lin Zhen knew how to boil eggs. When boiling water, he would wash the bird eggs and put them in the water to boil.
Poached eggs are more tender, juicier, and won't burn as easily as baked ones.
But she hadn't expected that she could actually add water and salt to the egg liquid, stir it, and then place it over hot water...
Steam?
Lin Jue, who had never experienced this kind of cooking, looked curiously at the pot lid that was banging with the steam and couldn't help but ask, "Can it be cooked like this?"
"Sure." Tang Yu'an nodded. "The temperature of steam is the same as boiling water."
"Then why not just boil it in water?"
"Sure, just cook it and it will be egg drop soup." Tang Yu'an said, "Steam it this way and it will be egg custard. It tastes like tofu, tender and smooth, melting in your mouth. It's delicious!"
Lin Zhen listened to his description and couldn't help swallowing.
She didn't know what tofu was and had never eaten it, but just listening to Tang Yu'an's description, she couldn't help but drool.
Is there really such a wonderful food in the world, and is it so easy to make?
Tiejin also expressed doubts, but when he smelled the faint fragrance, he couldn't help but look forward to it.
Soon, Zhou Qi said, "It should be OK."
He did not do anything else, but instead instructed Tie Jin to lift the lid of the pot and wait for the steam to dissipate before taking out the metal bowl from the pot.
Tie Jin nodded, took out the bowl and placed it on the stove beside him, leaving Tang Yu'an stunned.
This Uncle Jin is really ruthless and ruthless!
Doesn't he feel hot?
Tang Yu'an tried to see the pain on the man's face, but he remained calm. He really didn't feel the heat at all! If his physique was so heat-resistant, it was no wonder he took such good care of Jin Lili.
Zhou Qi also felt a little surprised, but he could see clearly that Tie Jin's palm seemed to change color when it touched the bowl.
It is possible that at that moment, his palm was covered with a layer of metal, so he did not feel the heat.
"Okay, what now?" Tiejin asked.
"Open the lid." Zhou Qi said.
Tiejin then removed the plate that was upside down on top of the bowl, revealing the egg liquid inside the bowl that had solidified.
However, in his and Lin Zhen's eyes, the egg liquid seemed to be no different from its state before steaming, except for a slight change in color.
"Is this really cooked?" Lin Zhen asked the same question again.
Zhou Qi asked Tie Jin to pick up the bowl and try.
Tiejin picked up the bowl as he was told, and then he saw a clue. He tilted the metal bowl and found that the egg liquid did not pour out, but had solidified.
He took the metal spoon handed to him by the boy and touched it lightly. The steamed egg bounced up and down, looking very tempting.
He scooped out some steamed egg.
The freshly baked steamed eggs are still steaming, with a milky yellow color and a chewy and bouncy luster, which makes people very appetizing when they look at them.
Tiejin couldn't help it and opened his mouth to take it in.
It was very hot, but just as the young boy said, it was tender and smooth and melted in your mouth!
And after adding salt, in addition to the aroma of eggs, there is also a light salty taste, coupled with a tender and smooth taste, it is much more delicious than the baked eggs he made!
If you can add some wild vegetable juice or berries on it, it will definitely be more flavorful and delicious.
He felt like he could eat a few bowls!
Tie Jin's face was filled with longing, but because he was worried about his adopted daughter, he resisted the urge to put down his spoon and said gratefully to Zhou Qi: "Thank you, I think Xiao Li will definitely be able to finish this bowl of egg custard!"
Lin Zhen was envious, but he didn't want to snatch food from such a young child, so he urged him: "Hurry up and give it to her. She's starving."
"Okay, okay, I'll be there right away."
Tiejin carefully held the bowl of egg custard and hurried out of the kitchen.
Tang Yu'an and the others followed him to Jin Lili's room downstairs. She had just drunk some water and was now lying on the bed and asleep again.
"Xiaoli, wake up and get up to eat." Tiejin softened his voice and gently shook her shoulders.
-
Jin Lili felt dizzy, the strength in her body was gradually draining away, and her limbs began to become weak.
Hungry... so hungry...
Go to sleep, you won’t be hungry when you sleep.
The woman's soft coaxing echoed in her ears. That voice, which she trusted so much and was so close to her, told her that as long as she slept, she wouldn't be hungry...
She obediently closed her eyes, her consciousness becoming increasingly blurred.
However, another buzzing sound came into her ears.
"Wake up, Xiaoli, wake up..."
Who is Xiaoli? She pondered slowly, and slowly realized that this seemed to be her new name, given to her by an adult who said he would be her father.
dad……
Jin Lili struggled to open her eyes, wanting to take another look at the kind adult.
The darkness faded, and a light that was a little dazzling to her came into her eyes, illuminating the bearded man's face full of joy.
Her mother always looked sad when she looked at her. Other adults were either indifferent or disgusted with her. Only this bearded, fierce-looking adult looked at her with joy.
"Dad... Dad..." She used up her last bit of strength to barely speak.
Tiejin was stunned, and then his eyes turned red.
"Okay, Daddy is here, eat quickly, then you'll have energy to play."
He scooped a spoonful of egg custard, blew on it again and again, then brought it to the little girl's lips and forced it into her mouth.
Jin Lili knew that the food her father fed her was difficult to eat, but she was really too hungry. The instinct for survival made her open her mouth, but the food she put into her mouth this time was different from before.
She felt something slip into her mouth, and she swallowed subconsciously, and the tender and slippery thing went down her esophagus into her empty stomach.
“Gurgle—”
The stomach, which had not functioned for a long time, growled with pleasure.
Too little, not enough...
Jin Lili's eyes regained their spirit, and she stretched out her hand to grab something. However, she didn't need to cry out or beg, because the next moment, the fresh and delicious food was delivered to her mouth.
She just had to open her mouth, swallow, and feel her empty stomach fill up little by little.
So happy...
Is this the paradise my mother talked about?
The author has something to say:
Tiejin and Linzhen were born and raised in the wasteland, so they don't know the cooking skills like Granny Guo~
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