The villagers were already struggling, so Ning Xi'er certainly wasn't after their food...
From the conversation between the villagers and the village chief, Ning Xi'er roughly guessed that the villagers' main source of food was...
If you have surplus supplies, take them to Pingyuan County in the neighboring area to exchange for grain...
The villagers' lives are so difficult that they certainly won't be able to exchange for much food.
The main focus is probably still on the cakes made from vine roots and stems, as they mentioned.
Somewhat curious, Ning Xi'er also wanted to know just how difficult things could be for the villagers...
Until the villagers carefully brought out the only two flatbreads they had left in their homes...
Ning Xi'er had seen it before; when carrying water, the village chief would take out these kinds of flatbreads from his pocket and distribute them to the villagers who were too hungry to move.
After being heated by a kang (a traditional heated brick bed), some parts turned black and hard, and the veins of the vines and roots could still be vaguely discerned.
Ning Xi'er felt a soreness in her throat.
She reached out, but instead of taking the pancake, she tore off a small piece from the side.
I put it in my mouth, bit it a few times, and it tasted like chewing sugarcane...
The difference is that you can't get any juice out, and you can't spit out the "residue" in your mouth...
Seeing Ning Xi'er's appearance, Xie Zhun patted her back lightly, tore off a thumb-sized piece, and put it in his mouth.
Curious, Zheng Ye stepped forward and tore off a small piece...
I chewed a few times and thought I was eating it wrong...
I glanced at Ning Xi'er and Xie Zhun, and seeing that they were just chewing normally, I realized that it wasn't my method that was wrong...
Rather, the problem lies with the food itself.
It's impossible to chew!
Is this something you can eat?!
Having been a general, he didn't reveal it to her face.
Continue chewing, keeping it in your mouth.
Zheng Chengguang rarely saw Zheng Ye so quiet, so he took a piece the size of a fingernail and put it in his mouth...
That's what Eunuch Xu did.
However, after chewing twice, Eunuch Xu immediately reached under Xie Zhun's lips, urging him to spit it out onto his hand...
Xie Zhun swallowed it whole.
Zheng Ye remained silent and swallowed his words.
He only tore off a small piece because he was worried about eating all the villagers' pancakes.
If even such a small piece is so difficult to swallow, imagine how hard it must be for these emaciated villagers!
Ning Xi'er chewed a few times and swallowed it. She looked up at the villagers, and everyone had a kind smile on their face.
The villager who had taken out the flatbread handed over the remaining one yuan or so in his hand, explaining apologetically:
"It must be hard to swallow, right? I'm sorry, it's a drought here, and crops don't grow..."
The roots and stems of these vines are thick and tough, indeed difficult to chew.
Worried that Ning Xi'er, Xie Zhun, and the others might be hungry, he cautiously asked:
"Want more?"
Zheng Ye went to another country to save face.
Ning Xi'er smiled and declined, "Thank you! That's enough, we're not hungry anymore!"
Having said that, he subtly released Xingming from the space.
When Xingming appeared, he was carrying a large vat filled with spiritual spring liquid.
He had two large bundles on his shoulders.
Xingming opened it, revealing a bag of acupuncture needles and various herbs;
The other one was filled with steamed buns and mantou.
Ning Xi'er had already given Xingming instructions in the space through her thoughts.
Xingming placed the water vat at the village chief's feet and then handed the bundle full of grain to the village chief...
He chuckled and said, "I already told them on the way here that I'd find another way for the villagers..."
The village chief and villagers were extremely grateful; some even knelt down before Xingming...
Xingming felt guilty and secretly observed Ning Xier's expression...
Ning Xi'er gave him a warning look, and Xingming quickly stepped forward to help the villagers up one by one...
Ning Xi'er coughed lightly, and Xingming immediately turned around and returned to Ning Xi'er's side.
He opened the bundle containing the silver needles and herbs, raised his voice, and said to Ning Xi'er:
"Your medical skills are superb, but the conditions here are limited. There are no acupuncture needles or herbs. How can you save people?"
"So, I've prepared a little bit for you too. If it's not enough, just ask me for more later!"
Ning Xi'er took the child, thanked her, and took the child back from the village chief's wife.
After examining the child again, it was confirmed that the asthma attack had subsided and breathing was stable and smooth...
Ning Xi'er took out roasted ephedra, asarum, schisandra, and ginger from her bundle...
The ingredients are: three qian of roasted ephedra, three qian of schisandra, and two slices of ginger. The herbs are decocted in the spring water from the water vat by the crabapple tree.
The village chief counted the number of buns and steamed bread in the bundle. He originally wanted to keep half for Xie Zhun and Ning Xi'er, but Xingming stopped him...
Xingming said that they had prepared separate arrangements for them, and only then did the village chief not insist.
The burden was huge; according to the number of households, each family received one steamed bun and one mantou.
Unlike the gray and black cornbread given by the guards, the steamed buns and mantou given by Xingming were white and large, which the villagers cherished and held in their hands.
The village chief then told everyone to come back and get their bowls, and each person to scoop two bowls back...
When the villagers saw that the medicine needed to be decocted, they voluntarily went home to get a bowl, scooped out only one bowlful, and left...
Zheng Ye was deeply moved. He had probably become accustomed to the coldness of human relationships since the argument, and suddenly encountering such simple, considerate villagers...
It's hard not to be moved.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
