Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Snowman
Shu Niannian spoke in a boastful manner, but Ye Jinhong doubted that she had any real ability.
This little girl liked to act big when she was young. Relying on the fact that she had memorized several pulse cases and prescriptions, she often gave him "lessons", speaking in a lot of different ways, but in fact she didn't know any medicinal herbs.
Thinking of the forgotten past, Ye Jinhong curled the corners of his lips and smiled.
Never mind, let's just do whatever she says.
At worst, he would just endure the pain and praise her a few more words.
Shu Niannian pulled Ye Jinhong upstairs, and Ye Jinhong walked behind Shu Niannian with his long legs, following her slowly.
After not seeing her for a few years, she seemed to have grown taller and her temperament seemed to have become much calmer.
The way back to the room was too short. Before Ye Jinhong had time to think, Shu Niannian had already led him into the suite. He saw Shu Niannian take out a few eggs from the small package and blinked at him with a pair of round almond eyes: "It's time to witness a miracle."
Ye Jinhong chuckled, "Okay, I'll wait for the miracle you give me."
Shu Niannian turned and walked into the kitchen. She first turned on the stove, and after the flames came up, she took out a small iron pot from the cabinet and placed it on the stove. After the temperature of the small iron pot came up, Shu Niannian threw the peeled egg yolks into the small iron pot one by one and slowly stir-fried them.
The egg yolk gradually turns black, produces oil, and emits a fragrant aroma.
Ten minutes later, the egg yolk had been stir-fried beyond recognition. The bright yellow egg yolk had become a lump of black "Chinese medicine". If Ye Jinhong had not seen the whole process with his own eyes, he would never have believed that this lump of black stuff was originally an egg yolk.
Shu Niannian put the burnt and oily egg yolk in a small bowl and placed it on the table in the living room. She then methodically scalded a towel with boiling water and very carefully cleaned the wound on Ye Jinhong's knee before starting to apply medicine to Ye Jinhong.
"Uncle, this is called Phoenix Oil. It can protect wounds and promote wound healing. My grandfather said that when there were no Western medicines, wealthy families used Phoenix Oil to treat external injuries. Whether it was a scrape or a burn, applying Phoenix Oil would not only heal very quickly, but also leave no scars."
Shu Niannian carefully applied medicine to Ye Jinhong while explaining to him the uses of Phoenix Oil.
The wound on his knee was slightly painful under the stimulation of the warm Phoenix Oil. Ye Jinhong had already planned that even if Shu Niannian crippled him today, he would still praise Shu Niannian against his will. However, he did not expect that after applying the Phoenix Oil on his knee, it only took a few minutes for the originally stinging wound to become slightly warm, and the feeling of tightness and swelling was gradually subsiding.
Ye Jinhong stood up and walked a few steps slowly, and his steps were obviously much more agile than before.
His dark eyes glanced at Shu Niannian without leaving any trace, and praised: "I didn't expect that Nian Nian's medical skills have become more and more advanced. It's much better than when she was a child."
Ye Jinhong was obviously teasing Shu Niannian, but Shu Niannian was not modest at all. She smiled and said, "Of course. When you meet someone after three days, you should look at him with new eyes. I didn't expect that my uncle's impression of me is still stuck in my childhood! I'm so great now. Didn't you hear Sister Ruyu praising me?"
As she spoke, Shu Niannian put her hands on her hips, pretending to be angry. Her almond-shaped eyes were wide open. She thought she looked angry, but in Ye Jinhong's eyes, she looked like a grumpy cat.
He wanted to coax Shu Niannian, but found that he couldn't say a word. After all, Shu Niannian was a grown-up girl now, and nothing he said would be appropriate. Moreover, in name, Shu Niannian was still his "niece-in-law" who had not yet married into the family.
The seniority is clearly stated. What can he, as an elder, say?
Ye Jinhong hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "How about I buy you a candied haws?"
Hearing about the candied haws, Shu Niannian could no longer pretend. She pursed her lips and smiled softly, saying, "Uncle, do you still think I'm a child? I don't crave candied haws anymore."
When Shu Niannian was a child, she would visit the Lu family every year. Every time she came, Ye Jinhong happened to be there. She found that this "uncle" Ye Jinhong was particularly easy to bully. Every time she wanted to eat candied haws, she would pretend to be angry and ask Ye Jinhong to buy her candied haws. Ye Jinhong would also be obedient. If Shu Niannian said she would buy candied haws, he would go buy candied haws.
Of course, the result of eating a few strings of candied haws every day was that Shu Niannian's teeth were damaged. Her baby teeth were either missing a corner on the east side or the west side, and they looked black and broken, which was very ugly.
Shu Niannian has loved beauty since she was a child. Ever since her teeth broke, Shu Niannian hadn't come to the Lu family for several years. Later, her broken baby teeth fell out one by one, and neat and white new teeth grew out. Only then did she visit the Lu family again at the repeated invitation of the old man of the Lu family. But at that time, she rarely saw Ye Jinhong.
Ye Jinhong went to the army as arranged by his family. When they met one time, Ye Jinhong gave her a bullet and said that it was the first bullet he had fired in the army.
Shu Niannian even sewed a small cloth bag specially for the bullet at that time. She put the bullet into the small cloth bag with great care, thinking that it was the first bullet fired by Uncle "Tanghulu".
Thinking about the past, Shu Niannian still found it very funny. Why was she so cunning when she was a child? !
Later, when I grew up, my heart became more sincere, and I was almost ruined by others' plotting against me for the rest of my life.
Shu Niannian sighed silently. Even though she was extremely sure that she would start over in this life, every time she thought of her miserable past life, she still felt a heart attack.
The heavy snow had stopped. Looking through the window, it was white outside. Shu Niannian shook her head and exhaled lightly. She turned and said to Ye Jinhong with a smile, "Uncle, please sit in the living room for a while. I'll go downstairs and build a snowman for you to see!"
To hell with the depressing heart attack, such heavy and nice snow is hard to come by, how can I miss it?
After saying that, Shu Niannian put on a scarf, ran downstairs, and quickly gathered the snow into one place.
Shu Niannian is particularly good at making snowmen. In her previous life, she would make snowmen every year, including those of her grandfather, her parents Shu Guodong and Li Guifen, and her two brothers.
Stack them up in a row and pretend they were still there so she wouldn't feel so alone.
Perhaps because she often makes snowmen, Shu Niannian is very good at it. She gathered the snow together, and soon, a snowman took shape in her hands.
This time, she did not make a snowman of her grandfather, nor did she make a snowman of her parents and two brothers. Instead, she made a snowman of Ye Jinhong. The snowman she made in the image of Ye Jinhong actually looked 70% like Ye Jinhong at first glance.
The snowman has broad shoulders, strong features, and looks forward with his head held high.
Shu Niannian sculpted "Ye Jinhong" bit by bit with her hands. When she finished and wanted to call Ye Jinhong out to see the snowman, she turned around and found that Ye Jinhong was standing not far behind her.
He put his hands in his pockets and stood there with a serious look in his eyes, flashing with emotions that Shu Niannian could not understand.
But it only took a short moment for Ye Jinhong to return to his calm and serious self. Shu Niannian waved at him, "Uncle! Uncle! Come and see the snowman I made. Guess who it is? If you guess correctly, there will be a prize!!!"
Ye Jinhong was wearing a thin camouflage training suit. The northwest wind made his clothes shake, but it did not affect his calmness at all.
Ye Jinhong walked over, stared at the snowman carefully, and said, "It really looks like me. This must be me."
Shu Niannian chuckled, "Correct answer!"
"Tell me, what reward do you want? It can't be too expensive, I'm poor now, but if you can wait for a while, you can ask for a more expensive reward."
In the gray sky, large flakes of goose feather-like snowflakes began to float again.
Shu Niannian was now in the white snow. Ye Jinhong watched the snowflakes falling on Shu Niannian's forehead, eyelashes, and the frozen red tip of her nose. She smiled carefree like a child, calling "Uncle, Uncle" all the time.
It was as if he was really her uncle.
Ye Jinhong clenched his hands into fists in his pockets and said calmly, "No need, Nian Nian has already given me a gift that has benefited me a lot."
Shu Niannian blinked, "I don't have it?!"
Ye Jinhong chuckled, "Of course I didn't. You gave me Phoenix Oil to treat the wound on my knee. For me, this is the best gift."
Shu Niannian was a little confused. She wanted to say that didn't count, but Ye Jinhong didn't give her a chance to continue speaking. "I've been out for a long time. I have to go back quickly. Okay, you've built the snowman you wanted to build. It's snowing again now. Go back to your room quickly, otherwise, you'll catch a cold."
As he spoke, Ye Jinhong took long strides and walked towards the jeep. Before the car started, Ye Jinhong waved his hand for Shu Niannian to go upstairs. Shu Niannian nodded and said okay. She also waved her hand, asking Ye Jinhong to go first.
Ye Jinhong couldn't persuade Shu Niannian, and finally took a deep look at the snowman in the snow, started the car, and disappeared in the white street in an instant.
Shu Niannian stood in the snow and waited until the army green jeep disappeared in the snow before turning around and returning to the suite upstairs.
The sky was foggy, the clouds were getting lower and lower, and the snow was falling heavier.
Shu Niannian washed her hands with hot water and stood by the window waiting for Shu Chengzu to return.
This stop lasted more than an hour.
Shu Niannian looked at the clock on the wall. The hour hand had pointed to 6 o'clock. She silently estimated the time in her mind. Her grandfather Shu Chengzu had been out for 5 hours.
It was freezing cold outside, and Shu Niannian was becoming more and more worried. Although her grandfather looked strong and agile, he was old after all. If he accidentally slipped and fell in the snow, the consequences would be disastrous.
Thinking of this, Shu Niannian could no longer sit still. She wrapped the scarf around her neck, turned around and walked downstairs. Although she didn't know which old friend's house her grandfather had gone to or which specific direction he was going, she felt that even standing at the intersection waiting was much better than staying in the room and worrying.
Shu Niannian went downstairs hurriedly. She had already prepared herself to look for someone on her own, but who would have thought that she would run into Shu Chengzu who had returned in the snowy wind in the lobby of the guesthouse.
Shu Niannian was so happy that she walked up to Shu Chengzu and hugged his arm, asking him repeatedly where he had been and why he had only come back so late.
Shu Chengzu went to the open space next to him, shook off the fallen snow, and then told Shu Niannian the whole story, "I made an appointment with someone to arrive today. As long as the weather and my physical condition permit, I will go today. You know what, when I get to their place, they will be waiting for me. They all know that I will not break my promise." Finally, Shu Chengzu told a story related to Shu Niannian.
"I went to Captain Lu's house at last, and Lu Jianjun happened to be there, so we naturally talked about your marriage. Captain Lu knew you were coming, and he kept wanting to send someone to take you to his house. Lu Jianjun was also very happy and wanted to come back with me to see you. I refused because it was inconvenient after dark, and told them that I would take you to Lu's house tomorrow."
Shu Niannian didn't care. Meeting them or not would not change the final result. But since the Lu family already knew that she had come to Haicheng, if she didn't go to meet them, she would be ignorant and impolite.
"Okay, Grandpa. I was just thinking about going to see Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu, too."
This is the truth. Lu Jianjun is a scumbag, but Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu have always been nice to her. When she was a child, she came to visit the Lu family. Grandma Lu would take her wherever she went and introduce her to playmates. But she was afraid that her playmates would bully her, so she always protected her and made sure she didn't suffer any harm.
Even though she did not marry Lu Jianjun later, when Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu saw her, they would still hold her hand, ask her about her well-being, and ask her if she had suffered any grievances and whether she was living a happy life.
Even after learning that she was being abused, Grandma Lu took Grandpa Lu to the Li family to support her.
Thinking of this, Shu Niannian's eyes suddenly felt hot. She turned around and pretended to pack her things, quietly holding back the tears that were about to overflow.
Shu Chengzu naturally didn't know Shu Niannian's true situation and just thought that she really wanted to clean up the room.
Shu Chengzu placed the small medicine box on the dining table in the living room. When he went out, the box was filled with herbs for curing diseases and regulating the body. When he came back, the box was filled with Shu Niannian's favorite meals.
"What a coincidence! Today, the Lu family has invited the chef from the Red Flag Restaurant to come to their home. When Captain Lu heard that you were coming, he immediately asked the chef to prepare a few dishes that you like and asked me to bring them back for you. Come and have a look."
Shu Chengzu brought out several plates with a smile. Shu Niannian took a closer look and found that they were all rare dishes that were not often seen in the countryside.
There are chestnut roast chicken, sweet and sour pork ribs, braised hairtail, scrambled eggs with black fungus, and pickled cabbage.
This time, Shu Niannian laughed so hard that tears came out, and she couldn't hold it back.
These dishes were all the ones she had eaten when she visited the Lu family a few years ago. When Grandma Lu asked her if she liked them, she was greedy and kept nodding her head, saying they were delicious and she liked them.
I'm afraid Grandma Lu had remembered them at that time and thought that these were her favorite dishes. But in fact, she was just a girl from the country, so how could she talk about whether she liked them or not?
Because people in the countryside live frugally, she could seldom eat braised chicken once a year. She liked any dish with meat on the table.
Shu Niannian wiped away her tears with a smile. To be honest, as long as Lu Jianjun was not such a bastard, even if she had no feelings for Lu Jianjun, Shu Niannian could live with Lu Jianjun because of the love that Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu had for her.
But unfortunately, Lu Jianjun is a scum.
Shu Chengzu was a little confused by Shu Niannian's crying and laughing. Shu Niannian was afraid that Shu Chengzu would become suspicious, so she just smiled and said that these were tears of happiness.
Shu Chengzu didn't take it seriously. He had never been able to figure out the thoughts of children, so he just thought that Shu Niannian was telling the truth.
For dinner, Shu Niannian followed Shu Chengzu's health-preserving philosophy and only ate until she was 70% full. Shu Chengzu was very pleased when he saw this. Was this right? How could he, the granddaughter of an old Chinese doctor, not know how to preserve her health?
Shu Chengzu thought that Shu Niannian had already figured out the desire for food.
However, what he didn't know was that Shu Niannian only ate meat in the morning, at noon, and at night. After eating too much, she felt a little sick of it and didn't want to eat it for the time being.
Besides, she was going to the Lu family tomorrow, and she felt somewhat emotional and uneasy, so she lost her appetite.
After dinner, Shu Niannian cleaned up everything, washed up simply, and returned to her room early. However, she tossed and turned in bed and couldn't fall asleep.
Shu Niannian just didn't believe it. If she couldn't sleep, then she just gave up and got up to review English materials.
Since I have made up my mind not to marry Lu Jianjun in this life, I will never have anything to do with Lu Jianjun again no matter what.
The reason why she was so conflicted now was that she thought of the kindness of Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu.
Shu Niannian forced herself to concentrate on doing the questions. As expected, studying can make one's mind clear. In just over ten minutes, Shu Niannian had calmed down.
She has three main goals in life. The first is to make money to support her family and let her parents and two brothers live a good life.
The second is to get into university and have a better future.
The third is to achieve success in her career and expand her business from her previous life.
Her three goals complement each other, and each one must be achieved through her own efforts, and has nothing to do with men or her in-laws.
Shu Niannian finished a set of test papers and felt no longer troubled.
She let out a breath, put the exercise book away, turned off the light and went to sleep.
A dreamless night.
The next morning, after Shu Niannian and Shu Chengzu packed up, they set out for the Lu family.
On the way, Shu Chengzu had to give Shu Niannian some instructions, saying everything he could about everything from politeness to etiquette.
Shu Niannian found it funny. In her previous life, she had taken etiquette classes in order to attract more customers from the upper class. After half a lifetime of experience, she was naturally proficient in all the things that Shu Chengzu mentioned. But at this moment, Shu Niannian knew nothing about them.
It can't be said that she knows nothing, but she still has some simple manners.
After all, she wouldn't fail to say hello when she saw Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu.
"Why, Grandpa wants to use these few tens of minutes to train me into a lady from a noble family?" She herself didn't mind at all. After all, she was the one who was good or bad.
As I said, whether the Lu family accepts it or not, the outcome of this marriage is already determined.
Therefore, even though the Lu family was a wealthy and powerful family and she was just a country girl from the countryside, she was not afraid at all.
She didn't have any of that awkward feeling that an ugly daughter-in-law would have when she was about to meet her parents-in-law.
Shu Niannian walked forward happily, while Shu Chengzu followed behind with a frown. The moment he stepped into the gate of the Lu family, Shu Chengzu suddenly figured it out.
What is he worried about?
His granddaughter couldn't be said to be very outstanding, but at least she was passable. If the Lu family dared to make trouble, at worst, they would just not get married.
After figuring it out, Shu Chengzu held his head high and strode into the Lu family's gate with Shu Niannian.
Unlike what they had imagined, when the Lu family saw Shu Niannian, they all liked her very much.
Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu chatted with Shu Niannian, while Lu Jianjun was busy in the kitchen, saying that he wanted to make Shu Niannian's favorite egg custard.
Grandpa Lu was afraid that Shu Chengzu would pick on him, so he explained to him, "Jianjun's father was transferred out of town for work a few months ago, and his mother went with him. Don't worry, when Nian Nian and Jianjun get married at the end of the year, they will definitely come back to personally host the wedding."
Shu Chengzu smiled comfortably, and thought to himself that the marriage with the Lu family could still be completed. Considering the attitude of the old captain Lu, what else did he have to worry about?
Shu Niannian always stayed obediently beside Grandma Lu, listening to what Grandma Lu said. Occasionally, when Grandma Lu asked her something, she would say a few witty words to cheer Grandma Lu up.
It was a meeting between the in-laws, and everyone was happy, except Lu Jianjun.
He went straight into the kitchen and didn't come out, saying that he wanted to make egg custard for Shu Niannian, but he made it badly several times in a row, wasting a lot of eggs, and didn't even make a single serving of egg custard.
Either it is steamed too tender and has no shape, or it is steamed too cooked, and the surface of the egg custard is full of holes like a hornet's nest.
Grandma Lu scolded Lu Jianjun for not being sure of his hands, but Shu Niannian smiled and said it was okay, "I don't have to eat the egg custard. No matter what it is made of, it is always a token of Brother Jianjun's love. He is willing to treat me with his heart. I will be happy whether I eat the egg custard or not."
After saying a long string of coaxing words, Lu Jianjun felt even more uncomfortable.
Grandma Lu looked at Shu Niannian and Lu Jianjun with a smile, and directly took off the gold bracelet on her hand and put it on Shu Niannian's hand. Shu Niannian wanted to refuse, but Grandma Lu held Shu Niannian's hand and said, "It's a gift from an elder, I dare not refuse. Grandma likes you, so I have to give you a big gold bracelet!"
Grandma Lu said arrogantly, "This dragon and phoenix bracelet was originally a pair. I'll give you one today. When you get married, I'll give you the other one!"
Grandma Lu insisted on giving it, so Shu Niannian accepted it.
It’s not that she coveted the gold bracelet, but if she wore it on her wrist and Shu Meilan saw it by accident, wouldn’t Shu Meilan hate her to death?
It makes me happy just thinking about it.
In the afternoon, before Shu Chengzu and Shu Niannian left the Lu family, Shu Niannian specifically told Lu Jianjun, "My cousin Meilan is on a blind date recently. I heard from my aunt that the man is a wealthy family in the county who eats commercial grain. His family has a two-story Western-style house and has plenty of oil and grain coupons. My cousin seems to like him very much. She didn't even have lunch and rushed to the county for the blind date. I see how much Meilan likes him. If nothing unexpected happens, this time it should be successful. How about inviting them to our wedding wine?"
Shu Niannian looked at Lu Jianjun's fake smile, distraught and conflicted look, and laughed even more happily!
******
Shu Chengzu's trip to Haicheng ended successfully, but Shu Niannian's purpose of coming to Haicheng had not been achieved. That afternoon, Shu Niannian went out alone. She followed the route she remembered and came to a Chinese medicine clinic called Miaoshou Huichun.
The owner of this Chinese medicine clinic is Zhang Chunyang, who was her right-hand partner in her previous life.
The Chinese medicine clinic run by Zhang Chunyang was passed down from his ancestors. Originally, he could barely make ends meet by relying on his medical skills, but since the popularity of Western medicine, Zhang Chunyang has been left with nothing.
After all, when a fever can be reduced with an injection or a few pills, who would be willing to spend a lot of energy and time to make bitter, unpalatable, and very slow-acting Chinese medicine?
Zhang Chunyang used to eat meat for every meal and was a greasy fat man. Now he can barely eat his fill and is only slightly plump. In the future, when he has no food to eat after the last meal, he will be so hungry that he is just skin and bones.
Shu Niannian met Zhang Chunyang through an introduction when Zhang Chunyang was starving to the point of being skin and bones.
At that time, Zhang Chunyang's parents had both passed away, his wife and children had separated, and his life was a mess. After he became familiar with Shu Niannian, he often got drunk and cried to Shu Niannian, saying that his parents had a very hard life in the second half of their lives because he managed the business poorly. Not only did they spend all their savings, but they also lost the pharmacy passed down from their ancestors. If he had met Shu Niannian earlier, he would definitely have been able to give his parents a good life. If he had made money, he would definitely have been able to protect his wife and children.
Shu Niannian thought at that time, yes, it would be great if we could meet earlier.
So, after Shu Niannian was reborn in this life, she came early.
There were spider webs on the plaque that read "Miraculous Healer", and the room, the tables and the floor were all covered with dust and paper scraps. It didn't look like a place that would bring good fortune.
Shu Niannian stepped into the door of Miracle Rejuvenation and looked up to see Zhang Chunyang. He was wearing an old-style long gown and cotton-padded jacket with a slanting front. He was leaning on a recliner with a medical book in his hand, flipping through it in a pretentious manner.
When Zhang Chunyang saw someone coming, he quickly put on his glasses and looked around. However, after a few seconds, he put his glasses down and began to lean back on the recliner. His lazy look made Shu Niannian so angry that she wanted to pick up a feather duster and beat him up.
But thinking that this was the first time they met in this life, Shu Niannian endured it.
She walked to the counter and asked, "Doctor, when you saw me coming to your clinic, why didn't you greet me and ask me what was wrong with me? Can you cure it?"
Zhang Chunyang listened to Shu Niannian's words without even blinking, "You are not sick, you are in great health, there is nothing to cure."
Shu Niannian: "How do you know I'm not sick?"
Zhang Chunyang: "I just checked you. Your face is ruddy, you walk lightly and silently, without panting or coughing. Even in such a cold day, you can still sweat slightly on your forehead and nose. This shows that your appearance and inner self are relatively harmonious. In Chinese medicine, this is called mutual benefit. It is a rare unity of man and nature."
Shu Niannian sighed, Zhang Chunyang was too honest. If he had a bit of the cunningness of those unscrupulous Chinese medicine practitioners, with his ability to observe, smell, ask and palpate, he would not have ended up drinking wine.
Shu Niannian knew Zhang Chunyang's personality and knew that beating around the bush with him was useless, so she simply opened the window and said frankly, "Do you want to make money? Big money? The kind of money that you can make without stealing or robbing, but by earning a living with your own ability!"
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