The old beggar looked sick, with a circle of straw tied around his waist. The cotton hat on his head and the cotton robe on his body were all woven with patterns, and many places were empty, making them look like padded clothes.
It was a very cold day, and he was still wearing a pair of torn cloth shoes with holes all over his socks. His two big toes and heels were exposed, and they were shiny black and red from the cold.
Qiaofeng's eyes welled up when she saw him. She hurried forward and helped him to the leeward side of the corridor. Dabao brought a small stool. The old beggar waved his hand and pointed at himself, "Dirty." Then he made a gesture of eating rice and said, "Hungry."
"Grandpa, please sit down. I'll get you something to eat." Qiao Feng turned and ran into the kitchen. "Master, I don't want to eat breakfast. Can you give it to Grandpa? He seems starving."
"What are you talking about? Master can still afford to provide a meal. Why do you need to save money?" Jian Ning had heard the movement in the yard and knew that a beggar had arrived. She picked up two boiled sweet potatoes with a bowl and fished an egg from the boiling water pot. "Take it over. We still need rice porridge. Let him eat first and I'll bring him the porridge later."
"Grandpa, this is for you. Eat quickly." Qiaofeng handed the bowl to the old beggar. He took the bowl and bowed towards the kitchen, thanking Qiaofeng again. "Good people, you are all kind-hearted people. Thank you very much."
"You're welcome, Grandpa. Eat quickly." Qiaofeng was about to take the sweet potato from the bowl and pass it to him, but he had already grabbed the egg. "Thank you, little girl."
Jane Ning came out of the kitchen. The old beggar nodded at her. Jane Ning smiled and glanced at the eggs in his hand. "Eat them while they're hot. If they're not enough, there's porridge cooking in the pot."
"Hey, kind-hearted person, thank you very much." The old beggar grabbed the egg and knocked it on the edge of the bowl. While peeling the shell, he said, "This old beggar has accumulated blessings for several lifetimes. I didn't expect that I could still eat eggs in my lifetime. I can't even remember what eggs taste like. Woo woo..."
He wrapped the egg in one bite and ate it with tears in his eyes.
"Eat slowly, Grandpa. Be careful not to choke if you eat too fast." Qiaofeng saw that he was eating with his neck stretched out, so she raised her hand and patted him on the back.
The old beggar nodded, grabbed the sweet potato and took a big bite. Perhaps he was very hungry and gobbled it up ravenously. Qiaofeng reminded him to slow down, "I'll go get you a glass of water."
"I'll go pour it." Jian Ning had just stepped into the dining hall when he heard a "bang" sound behind him. The bowl fell to the ground and broke. The old beggar fell headfirst amid Qiao Feng's exclamation.
“Master!”
"Don't panic, let me take a look."
Jian Ning came over and took the old beggar's pulse, his expression gradually becoming serious. "Don't touch him. I'll go get the medicine box."
"Master, what happened to Grandpa? Is he serious?" Qiao Feng chased after Jian Ning and asked. Jian Ning knew that the old beggar reminded her of her deceased grandfather. Looking at the unconscious old beggar, she sighed, "His pulse is very irregular. I can't tell for sure at the moment. I will do my best."
When Qiaofeng heard her say this, her eyes turned red again.
Jane Ning brought the medicine box and gave the old beggar an injection. When he woke up, Jane Ning asked him what was wrong with him. He shook his head and said, "He is old and useless. These are all old problems. I won't bother you anymore."
He trembled and stood up, bowed to Jian Ning, and started to leave. After a few steps, his body swayed. Yue'e came from the west room and saw him. She and Qiaofeng rushed over and supported him in time. They turned to look at Jian Ning.
Qiao Feng: "Master! Grandpa..."
Seeing the old beggar's legs trembling, as if he would fall at any moment, Jian Ning lowered her eyes and said thoughtfully, "Let's take him to the clinic to rest his feet for the time being."
The old beggar was taken to the clinic, and Yue'e went to the kitchen to light some charcoal and brought it over. Qiaofeng saw how sick the old beggar looked and felt very sorry for him. "Master, can you give him that medicine? He's so pitiful."
Jian Ning sighed, looked at the old beggar and said, "Medicine must be used according to the symptoms. It can't be used carelessly. You should know that medicine is three-quarters toxic. I guess he is old and his organs may be gradually failing. It can't be cured by medicine."
"Come with me to the kitchen and bring him a bowl of porridge."
"Old man," Jian Ning said to the old beggar with a pleasant face, "Drink the porridge and you'll feel warm. Rest your feet for a while and then go on."
"Oh, I'm sorry to bother you." The old beggar said a little apologetically, "I'm old and living in the open air. My body is not strong enough. I don't know how many days I have left to live."
"Everyone will grow old, don't think too much." After saying this, Jian Ning called Qiao Feng and went to the kitchen.
The porridge is almost done, it is clear and thick. In such a cold winter, drinking a bowl of hot rice porridge in the morning not only brings a sense of fullness, but also warmth to the soul.
"Master, is Grandpa suffering from Qi deficiency? Red ginseng and astragalus can replenish Qi. I will go up the mountain to dig some for Grandpa later."
"Silly girl." Jian Ning patted Qiao Feng's shoulder. "If there was still a cure, Master wouldn't have stood by and watched him die. It's an old age disease, and it can't be cured by medicine. Hurry up and let him drink it while it's hot. Rice porridge can nourish the spleen and stomach, which is good for his health. It's more effective than medicine."
"Yeah." When Qiaofeng's grandfather was alive, what he missed most every winter was a bowl of hot rice porridge. She carefully placed the bowl into the food box, afraid of spilling it, and walked with caution.
"Grandpa, I brought you some porridge. Master said it can nourish the spleen and stomach, and it's good for your health. My master said it's more effective than medicine." Qiao Feng opened the lunch box and placed the porridge on the table where Jian Ning was consulting. "Come over here and eat. It's still hot, so don't eat too quickly."
"Hey, hey." The old beggar was so moved that Yue'e helped him over from his chair. He leaned over and sniffed the bowl of porridge. "It smells good! It smells really good! Your master is such a good person. You are all kind-hearted people. You will definitely be rewarded!"
He looked at Yue'e and Qiaofeng and nodded.
"Uncle, eat it while it's hot to warm yourself up." Yue'e saw Qiaofeng dragging a chair over and helped him sit down. He was so moved that he burst into tears. He supported his body with one hand on the examination table, leaned forward and nodded to Yue'e. However, when his buttocks fell back on the chair, he accidentally knocked over the bowl of porridge when he withdrew his hand.
Most of the bowl of hot porridge spilled onto the old beggar's ankles.
Amid the exclamations of Qiaofeng and Yue'e, he fell to the ground with his chair.
"Grandpa, are you okay? Does it hurt?" Qiaofeng cried anxiously, squatting down and frantically shaking the hot porridge off his trouser legs.
Yue'e also took out a handkerchief and wiped it.
"I am poor and have a miserable life. Everything falls on my lips. God won't let me have a hot meal!" said the old beggar, wiping his tears.
His trousers were very thin, with jagged edges showing through the legs. His left ankle was red and burned. Qiao Feng cried, "I'll go get Master to apply medicine on you, otherwise you'll get blisters."
"You can't apply medicine right away. Soak it in cold water first, and then apply medicine after a while so that it will be effective." Jian Ning came over and treated the old beggar's burns. The injury was quite serious, and he probably wouldn't be able to leave for a while. Fortunately, the clinic and the winery would not open until tomorrow, so he left him in the clinic.
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