Chapter 73 Anorexia and Yam Porridge (Part 1)
The diners downstairs in the hotel were enjoying their meal, but the noble lady upstairs in the hotel was tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep due to the wafting aroma.
Finally, Heidi van Lothar climbed out of bed and rang the bell: "Butler! Butler!"
Her housekeeper hurried into the room: "Miss, what do you want?"
"What's that smell?" Heidi asked. "It smells wonderful!"
"Miss, the guests of this hotel are having dinner." The housekeeper said respectfully, with a hint of anticipation in her eyes. "You only ate a little dinner tonight. Are you hungry now? If you are, I can ask the chef to make you some midnight snack."
Heidi nodded, a rare gesture. "I'm a little hungry indeed... but I don't want to eat the black bread and oatmeal porridge made by the cook. The smell makes me sick! No, I want to go to the first floor and take a look!"
The housekeeper hurried forward to support her. When she touched Heidi's almost bony arm, her heart skipped a beat. She tried hard to blink away the tears in her eyes and helped her young lady to get up.
Heidi van Lothar, the only daughter of Baron Lothar, suffers from severe anorexia.
Anorexia isn't a particularly rare condition in this country; it's common among the nobility and wealthy, and the causes vary. Sometimes it's caused by someone experiencing a major tragedy, losing their appetite; sometimes it's the aftereffects of noble children about to marry into a marriage, dieting to prepare for their military service; and sometimes... it's simply a loss of interest in food due to the unpalatable nature of the food.
Heidi's anorexia began with a failed marriage. The nobleman to whom she was originally engaged broke off the engagement because he no longer shared her father's political ideologies. Unwilling to reveal his own political leanings, he used her then-chubby figure and appearance as an excuse when announcing his decision. After the breakup, Heidi was ridiculed from all sides.
Her father sighed and said to Heidi, "I was wrong this time and made you a victim."
Although her father explained the whole story to her in detail and apologized solemnly, the love and compensation from her family could not eliminate the external hurt. For a long time, Heidi was ridiculed by the noble children who did not get along with her in various social occasions. Finally, she learned her lesson and decided to lose weight.
Like most aristocrats of that era, she chose a diet that was fast but not entirely healthy. Due to the combined effects of long-term hunger, self-loathing, and really unpalatable meals, Heidi did lose weight quickly, but she also suffered from severe anorexia. She could only force herself to eat very small meals at regular times and in fixed quantities every day. Eating a little more would make her feel nauseous and she would vomit out all the food she had eaten.
The housekeeper who took care of her had always been loyal to Heidi and almost treated her as her own daughter. Now, seeing Heidi so thin, she couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
Heidi had traveled to the capital to inquire for her father about the King's attitude toward the old royal nobles. Their family's territory was located in a remote borderland, and they had been jolting and swaying in the carriage for several days. Heidi was so carsick that she nearly vomited. They finally made it to the inn, where they hurriedly requested a bathtub and hot water.
The housekeeper helped Heidi take a bath and then let her sleep. She didn't wake her until dusk, and then struggled to feed her half a bowl of oatmeal. Seeing that the young lady was still drowsy, the housekeeper gave the servants who had worked hard driving the car a half-day off, letting them rest. Unexpectedly, Heidi was awakened by the smell downstairs in the middle of her sleep, and for the first time in her life, she wanted to eat.
"It's a good thing you want to eat!" The housekeeper helped Heidi change into warm clothes and helped her down the stairs. The servants were on vacation and could not be called back for the time being, so the housekeeper did everything herself.
When they reached the hall, they saw their servants gathered around a fragrant soup pot, happily eating dinner. Judging from the empty plates and leftovers on the table, they were almost finished.
"Miss, butler!" The servants, who were enjoying their meal, stood up quickly when they saw the two of them coming down the stairs. "Any instructions?"
Heidi pointed to the soup pot in front of them and said, "What...are you eating?"
She was so weak that even her words were trembling and intermittent. The servants couldn't tell her attitude or what she was thinking, but they guessed that the master was so carsick upstairs that she hadn't eaten or drunk anything, while the servants were eating and drinking happily downstairs... Well, it seemed that this was a bit of a grudge...
The servants instantly felt guilty and stammered, "Yes, it's hot pot and barbecue, miss."
They chattered about the magician's afternoon treat and the lich's cooking for the soulfire processing fee. They then helped their young lady sit down at a clean, empty table and said politely, "Miss, what would you like to eat? We'll prepare it right away."
"I want to eat that... hot pot and barbecue, too." Heidi took a deep breath. Although most people had already finished eating, the first floor was still filled with the aroma of hot pot and barbecue. The servants glanced at the leftovers on their tables and shook their heads guiltily: No, how could they let their masters eat their leftovers? It was really a rebellion!
"Master You, could you please prepare another meal for our young lady?" The servant who had been playing cards that afternoon approached Jiang You. "We'll pay for the soul fire you requested! We'll also cover the cost of the ingredients! Our young lady suffers from severe anorexia, and she was carsick this afternoon, so she finally managed to regain her appetite."
"Oh, you can't eat hot pot or barbecue in this situation~" Jiang You's words immediately poured cold water on them, but she immediately explained the reason: "Even mushroom soup base is too greasy for people with anorexia. Does your daughter usually eat very little?"
Jiang You leaned over to look at the skinny noble woman. She was so thin that she was almost as thin as her frame!
"For people who have long avoided meat, eating greasy food all of a sudden won't be able to handle it, and it could very well lead to vomiting and diarrhea." Jiang You thought for a moment, "We have yam here, which is very nourishing. I'll make her some yam and mutton porridge. Don't worry, it's delicious!"
She said the last sentence to Heidi.
Heidi looked up and was shocked to see that the person speaking was a skeleton, but she no longer had the energy to make a fuss. She just wanted to eat something hot, so she nodded weakly, as if to agree.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
