Chapter 204 Nut Brittle
The book introduces several symptoms and causes of numbness in the toes.
I've summarized the possibilities, and the three most likely causes are frostbite, vitamin deficiency, and localized pressure.
Of course, it's also possible that a full inventory meets all three of these reasons simultaneously: a lack of vitamins in the diet, being exposed to cold environments all day, and shoes that are too tight and small...
I glanced at Mancang, who was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a comic book and flipping through it with a swaying head, looking completely carefree.
I shook my head; we needed to find a way to solve his toe problem.
There's no need to worry about localized pressure; we already changed his shoes. His diet should include more vitamins from now on.
The most important thing is to repair the frostbite. According to the prescription in the book, prepare some Chinese medicine to soak your feet. It would be best if it could help you recover, but even if it can't, it can still promote blood circulation.
Making dumplings today was really tiring. My shoulders ached after holding a book for a while, but since I got the answer I wanted, I put the book down and crawled into bed to sleep.
When I woke up on the second day, the aroma of the beef dumplings from the previous day still seemed to linger in my mouth, so I ate dumplings for breakfast again.
After feeding the livestock, Mancang lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) reading comic books, while I sat on the sofa doing nothing.
Looking at the listless cats and dogs around me, this whole family has really fallen into a state of decadence.
Before Mancang was away, I could make myself some snacks, but now I don't even have any snacks to pass the time.
Fragrant and crispy roasted hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts, delicious sesame crispy biscuits, and soft honey bread rolls—just thinking about them makes my mouth water.
My cravings will always drive me, especially now that I have free labor.
He found a large bag of sunflower seeds and threw it on the kang (a heated brick bed), instructing, "Peel the sunflower seeds, and don't steal any. Put them all in this basin."
Mancang patted his chest like an adult and said, "Okay, don't worry about it, leave it to me."
While I shelled sunflower seeds, I prepared peanuts, sesame seeds, milk powder, sugar, and other ingredients.
With the ingredients almost ready, Mancang had already shelled a small plate of sunflower seeds.
He stopped watching cartoons and came to the kitchen with his sunflower seeds to watch me cook something delicious.
Spray some oil into a frying pan, add a lot of white sugar, and stir constantly until the sugar melts into a thick liquid. Then add peanuts, sesame seeds, melon seeds, and milk powder to the pan and stir-fry quickly.
The sweet, caramelized aroma of white sugar, along with the flavors of various nuts, brought out a burst of exclamations from everyone in the warehouse.
Then take the frying pan off the stove and place it on a cool place, then flatten it with a spatula.
Once the nut syrup has completely cooled and solidified, gently lift the bottom edge with a spatula and scoop out the whole round, cake-like nut syrup.
Place a whole round cake on a cutting board and cut it into small pieces that are half a centimeter thick and three centimeters wide.
After cutting the nut brittle, neatly pack it into a sealed plastic snack jar. This makes it convenient to eat and also prevents moisture.
A lot of nut pieces and sugar crumbs fell off the cutting board. I used a knife to scrape them together and poured them all into Mancang's little hands.
Mancang happily licked the noodles little by little with his tongue, just like I did when I was a child, holding the noodles in my right hand and eating them.
I was actually thinking of baking some honey bread rolls, but I don't know if an outdoor oven will work in this weather, so I decided not to try it.
There were exactly six small jars of nut brittle, which I divided fairly into two portions, three jars each for me and Mancang.
"Let's make this clear first, everyone eats their own food."
Mancang nodded solemnly and placed his three bottles of nut brittle on the desk like precious treasures.
I put mine on the coffee table, since I spend more time sitting on the sofa.
Take a bite of a square piece of nut brittle, and you'll find it crisp and crunchy. As you chew, you'll be filled with the aroma of sunflower seeds, peanuts, and sesame seeds. It's so fragrant that you can't tell which flavor is better for a moment.
As I read the novel, I showed off half a jar of nut brittle. When I looked up, the jar was full, and I was still taking small bites of the first piece.
Even though I was joking when I said we should eat separately, I regret it now. I'm destined to finish eating much faster than Mancang.
But it's okay, the supplies are mine, and I'm the chef too. I'll make a new batch before I finish eating them myself.
Before going to bed that night, I soaked some licorice root in hot water and gave Mancang a foot bath.
Currently, the medicinal herbs are being used sparingly, as most of them are used to save lives, and I can't let them all go to waste on foot baths.
I had stockpiled a lot of licorice before, and I don't mind using it for foot baths. It's good for promoting blood circulation, and I hope it will help him.
With Mancang by my side, the extremely cold life at home seemed a bit more interesting.
Five months have passed in the blink of an eye. I have fattened up Mancang completely. His face is a little rounder, and he no longer looks as thin as a stick. He has even grown taller.
Luckily, the clothes I made before had some room for adjustment, otherwise they would be a bit tight to wear now.
My only worry is that the weather hasn't warmed up. Looking at the dates, winter should be over by now, but it's still freezing cold.
It seems destined to last for a long time, just like the first extreme cold spell.
Fortunately, we have enough food stored up at home, including plenty of dried vegetables. With vegetables and meat, we can last for a year or two without any problem.
Early in the morning, Mancang can not only heat the kang (heated brick bed) and stove, but also boil water to cook food and feed the livestock.
I can make breakfast as soon as I wake up.
Sometimes I reflect on myself. Although I took in Mancang, it seems I turned him into a little slave. I always had to do everything myself, and Mancang did a lot of the dirty and tiring work.
At first I would try to stop him, but I noticed that he wasn't happy when he did less work; in fact, he seemed a little uneasy.
Perhaps by doing more work in this household and demonstrating his value, he would feel it was necessary for him to stay, and that he could bring Mancang a sense of security.
Then I can only accept it with a clear conscience. The only thing I need to do to make up for it is to cook more delicious food for Mancang.
After breakfast, I nestled on the sofa, eating freshly made potato chips and reading a novel.
After washing the dishes, Mancang put on his thick clothes and prepared to go up the mountain to chop firewood.
He stood at the door and asked for my opinion: "Aunt Cheng, do you want to come along?"
I shook my head blankly, wondering where a nine-year-old child got the energy to be so diligent, going up the mountain to chop firewood every day.
Although I was worried about the safety of the warehouse, I was too lazy to move, so I could only send four dogs to follow.
Several dogs also put on their down jackets and followed Mancang up the mountain.
"Don't go too far, just stay on this piece of land on the roof."
"I know! I'll be back with two bundles of firewood."
Mancang agreed and set off on his journey with several dogs.
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