Chapter 13 Famine and Strange-Tasting Chinese Herbal Pancakes
Before entering the mountain god temple, Hai Hongzhu told You Mingjiang that Tie Pinggu had woken up and was in good condition.
You Mingjiang took a deep breath and walked into the temple with Hai Hongzhu and Lu Xiaojia.
When everyone saw You Mingjiang return safely and heard that she had dealt with all the bandits, they were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes.
You Mingjiang put down the bamboo medicine basket, took out the last piece of tofu, and handed it to Uncle Hai: "Uncle, cook a pot of tofu soup."
Hai Si's father immediately started preparing tofu soup.
Meng Xinghun, Shi Qun, and Xiao He, though small in stature, all actively helped: some washed pots, some gathered firewood, and others cut tofu.
Lu Xiaojia remained silent, simply following You Mingjiang and Hai Hongzhu towards the base of the north wall.
The mountain god temple was cramped, and the villagers were crammed together, so the smell was really unpleasant.
You Mingjiang had previously separated this area and hung a rough burlap cloth to block out the light.
Tie Pinggu lay half-reclined on the reed mat, her head against the wall, quietly observing You Mingjiang, whose face was covered.
You Mingjiang knelt down beside the reed mat, with her knees on the mat and her feet under her buttocks.
This posture keeps the reed mat clean and also covers the straw sandals that have been soaked in mud.
She hiked up and down the mountain, wading through mud and water that was up to her knees; moreover, the road to Jingyanggang was rugged, and her straw sandals were already worn out. Mud and water kept seeping in through the seams of her shoes, and with each step, it squeezed out from the heels, causing many blisters to form on the soles of her feet.
Tie Pinggu was very sensitive, and her eyes unconsciously glanced behind You Mingjiang, but You Mingjiang reached out and hooked her chin to stop her from looking.
Looking at You Mingjiang's haggard face, Tie Pinggu choked with sobs and tears streamed down her face.
You Mingjiang sighed softly and reached out to wipe away her tears. "You just woke up. Crying too much will hurt your health."
"Dr. You... no, Sister You, you've gone to so much trouble." Aunt Tie Ping coughed twice, paused for a moment, and forced a smile. "I've caused you a lot of trouble these past few days."
"What trouble have I suffered?" You Mingjiang glanced at Hai Hongzhu, then smiled at Tie Pinggu and said, "You're thanking the wrong person. When you were unconscious, it was Hongzhu who fed you medicine and wiped your body."
Upon hearing this, Tie Pinggu turned her gaze to Hai Hongzhu.
Seeing Tie Pinggu's weak and pale face, and her bloodless lips, Hai Hongzhu took out a red apple-shaped rouge box that she had been reluctant to use. She dipped her finger in the bright red rouge and gently applied it to Tie Pinggu's lips, making her look healthier. She said, "Everyone was hoping you would wake up. We were so happy to see you wake up."
At this moment, Gao Jiping, who was wearing a green brocade, walked over, followed by a little boy of about five or six years old who walked with a limp. "Iron Girl, I haven't thanked you for the green brocade yet. When you get better, I'll make you lots of pretty hair ornaments."
"Thanks……"
Tie Pinggu gave a weak smile, and after a moment of silence, tears fell like beads from a broken string. "I feel so guilty right now..."
"...Guilt?"
“Although I was unconscious, I could feel that everyone had given me a lot of medicine and food, and they always gave me the best things first, as if they were fulfilling the last wishes of a dying person. But now I’m alive, and I feel like I was just pretending to be dead to deceive everyone’s kindness. I’m so sorry…”
You Mingjiang frowned. "Don't talk nonsense. Everyone is doing this because they all want you to succeed."
Tie Pinggu wiped away her tears and said softly, "I really... don't know how to thank everyone..."
You Mingjiang sighed softly, "Don't overthink it. The fact that you've woken up is the best thing."
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Just then, the little boy following behind Gao Jiping, Ye Xiang, who had previously suffered from gangrene, rushed onto the reed mat.
He reached out his little hand and clumsily wiped away the tears from Tie Pinggu's eyes, his tender face filled with determination: "...Sister, don't cry. When I grow up, I want to be a great hero. If anyone dares to bully the sisters again, I'll fight them to the death!"
That confident and determined look made Tie Pinggu smile through her tears.
You Mingjiang laughed and hugged Ye Xiang. "Oh my, future hero, you're awake too." She touched Ye Xiang's forehead and felt his temperature. "The fever's gone down, that's great."
After saying that, he casually scratched his armpit.
Ye Xiang laughed at her joke, buried his face in her neck, and wrapped his arms tightly around her neck.
Lu Xiaojia crossed her arms and leaned quietly against the wall, watching intently.
He was more than just captivated; he was completely mesmerized.
As the saying goes: "②We are brothers when we are born, why must we be blood relatives? ③Besides, we are like branches of the same tree, sharing the same body."
Previously, he always felt that these words were empty and meaningless.
Now, he has seen it with his own eyes.
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After laughing and joking for a while, Uncle Hai prepared to put the tofu into the pot.
But You Mingjiang took on the job.
Apart from them, the surviving villagers were all drooling with envy, staring longingly at the piece of tofu.
But the villagers dared not utter a word, fearing that they would anger You Mingjiang and be driven out by her, the old, weak, sick and disabled.
You Mingjiang didn't speak. He glanced around the temple to get a general idea of everyone's situation, then silently walked to the pot and took out a full bowl of millet from the bamboo medicine basket.
This is the last of the millet in the basket.
She stir-fried the millet over low heat in a pan that had been greased with lard until it turned golden brown. Then she poured in a lot of water and simmered it into a large pot of thin millet soup.
She ladled out several bowls of millet porridge and distributed them to the villagers with broken arms and legs, asking those around her to help feed them. These people were seriously injured and had been in a coma for most of the night after having a fever, so their appetite was not strong. Two or three of them had almost lost their lives in the middle of the night.
You Mingjiang could only do her best to save as many as possible.
She slowly stirred the millet soup in the pot, making the firewood burn more vigorously, then poured in the diced tofu. She simmered it for a long time, added salt, and cooked it into a large pot of millet and tofu soup. She first served the children, then ladled soup for the conscious villagers one by one.
"Thank you, Dr. You!"
Although each person received only a small amount, it was enough to give them a little warmth amidst their hunger.
Lu Xiaojia sat on the roof beam again, holding her unsheathed sword. She watched You Mingjiang meticulously care for the thirty-odd elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people, and then glanced at her tattered straw sandals that she hadn't had time to change into. She couldn't help but reach out and cover her chest.
fool.
His chest felt as if it were filled with a fluffy wad of cotton, soaked in the sweet nectar of honey, making it feel swollen and full.
Kindness is like a spring buried deep in the earth; it will never dry up because it nourishes others.
The more kindness you offer, the more abundant the warmth that wells up in your heart becomes, until it overflows the entire riverbed of your life.
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Over the next few days, You Mingjiang was extremely busy.
By this time, the rain outside had stopped, the floodwaters had gradually receded, and the weather had returned to the sweltering heat of midsummer.
The villagers, whose bodies had recovered somewhat, began to look for food.
Grass roots and tree bark also became options for them. These were readily available on Jingyang Ridge. However, You Mingjiang rejected this idea, as some grass roots and tree bark were poisonous.
Strangely enough, the Holy Mother System hadn't awarded any rewards in a long time. Her bamboo medicine basket contained limited food, and the imperial relief was slow to arrive; there simply wasn't enough to feed so many people. Despite her best efforts to help every villager, the system seemed to have vanished into thin air, never offering any rewards.
You Mingjiang was not used to this for two or three days, and then she started to find a solution on her own.
One day, several villagers returned excitedly, saying that they had found a griddle and several bags of grain in the ruins of the wealthy family's house, and that they would no longer have to worry about food.
Upon opening the bag, a sour, musty smell wafted out, and the grain was wet and sticky. It turned out that the grain had been soaked in the flood and had already become moldy, rendering it inedible.
However, that griddle does come in handy.
The griddle is used to make pancakes.
Yu Mingjiang, not bothering to figure out what the Holy Mother System was all about, began taking out medicinal herbs such as Poria cocos, yam, fox nut, kudzu root, and coix seed from the bamboo medicine basket and grinding them into a fine powder. These herbs are rich in starch, have a strong feeling of fullness, and can not only satisfy hunger but also strengthen the spleen and stop diarrhea.
Several children helped clean the medicinal herbs and cut them into small pieces, while Uncle Hai drove the mule to grind the herbs into a thick paste by constantly adding water.
Afterward, You Mingjiang added an overly sweet glucose injection to the thick batter to mask the taste of the Chinese herbs. She poured the batter into the center of a heated griddle, gently rotating it to create pancakes of varying thicknesses. Although the taste wasn't great, the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people in the temple managed to survive day by day by taking turns making pancakes.
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Despite no one holding them back, the "stored food" in the bamboo medicine basket is still decreasing day by day.
Yu Mingjiang would go out every day to try to hunt.
But after the flood, the prey became scarce.
The sun has been scorching these past few days. Despite applying Ziyun ointment every day, her forehead is still peeling from the sun, and blisters are starting to form on her palms, causing a dull ache.
Seeing You Mingjiang growing thinner and thinner, Lu Xiaojia finally couldn't sit still any longer.
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It was late at night.
Hai Si Die was already fast asleep on the haystack, lying sprawled out, snoring intermittently.
The others huddled in their own corners, silently enduring the torment of being half-starved.
You Mingjiang sat beside the altar, carefully wiping the tiger-shaped handle in his hand by the dim light of an oil lamp.
Lu Xiaojia lightly jumped down from the roof beam, crossed her arms, and walked to the opposite side.
He stared at You Mingjiang for a while, then suddenly asked, "When do you plan to leave?"
"Leave?" You Mingjiang was slightly taken aback, then lowered his head and continued wiping the tiger-shaped pancake. "Are you tired of eating pancakes?"
"Yes." Lu Xiaojia pursed her lips. "When are we leaving here?"
Those who were still awake in the temple sat up, their eyes fixed on You Mingjiang, ears perked up, waiting for her answer.
If it weren't for Dr. You's all-out efforts to help them these past few days, even if they managed to escape the bandits and wild beasts, they probably wouldn't have been able to withstand this famine, given that they are a group of elderly, weak, and disabled people with missing limbs.
You Mingjiang saw through Lu Xiaojia's thoughts, blinked, and said, "The floodwaters have just receded, the roads outside have all been destroyed, and the imperial relief hasn't arrived yet. I might have to stay a few more days..."
Lu Xiaojia scoffed, "What if the imperial court doesn't come to our aid? As time goes on, these people will not only take the food and help you give them for granted, but they will also become more and more greedy."
He had phoenix eyes that were wide at the outer corners and pointed at the inner corners, with the corners slightly upturned and pointing straight to his temples, exuding a cold and sharp sense of aggression. A single glance from him could send chills down one's spine.
In addition, Lu Xiaojia is young and his eyebrows and eyes still have a wild and unruly air. The corners of his mouth are slightly curled up, and the slight upward curve is full of provocation, which undoubtedly presents an extremely contemptuous attitude.
"The day comes that you're short even one pancake, they'll see you as a heinous criminal. When you can't even produce a pancake, they'll probably tear off their hypocritical mask in an instant, revealing their fangs and treating you like an enemy, wishing they could devour you alive!"
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Upon hearing this, the entire mountain god temple fell silent instantly.
Gao Jiping's face was pale.
This is probably something that not only Lu Xiaojia has thought about, but also perhaps something that has crossed everyone's mind.
But……
Human hearts are made of flesh and blood.
Dr. You is a truly great person.
Only Dr. You still treated them like human beings.
Therefore, everyone strives to maintain the purity of their hearts and abandon distracting thoughts; no one has the heart to destroy this beauty.
They were all rough men, and although they were illiterate, they understood the principle that "a favor received is remembered for a thousand years, and a flower received is fragrant to ten thousand people."
After a moment of silence, the village's private tutor spoke first, "Dr. You's kindness is truly genuine. My old bones are of little use, but if I can help Dr. You, I'll go through fire and water without hesitation!"
The women and children, their voices trembling with tears and their eyes red, said, "Dr. You, no matter what the final outcome is, we will always be grateful for your life-saving grace. We can do all the chores like grinding flour, making pancakes, and washing dishes!"
"We're not such heartless bastards. If we tell a single lie, may we be struck by lightning!"
"Yes! If we lose our conscience and become ungrateful wolves, may we be struck by lightning!"
The people in the mountain god temple all spoke up, expressing their opinions one after another.
Hai Si's father and the children climbed up from the haystack, scratched their heads, not knowing what had happened, but also chimed in:
"We'll do whatever Dr. You says!"
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Lu Xiaojia: "..."
Okay, okay, he's the only bad guy!
Lu Xiaojia took a deep breath, her face stern, and remained silent.
You Mingjiang smiled, slowly stood up, and seeing his dark face, gently walked forward.
She nudged his arm with her elbow, and when he dodged away in annoyance, she raised her hand and patted Lu Xiaojia's back lightly. You Mingjiang smiled and said, "Okay, I know you meant well."
She added, "Thank you."
Lu Xiaojia looked at her in astonishment.
“You’re too nervous. Don’t always think the worst, and don’t be so insecure,” she said, placing her hand on Lu Xiaojia’s shoulder and sharing her warmth.
She patted his back gently twice, her tone tender yet firm: "I'm just putting myself in his shoes. When people are falling into an abyss, they always hope that a ray of light can shine in. If one day I am also at my wit's end, I also hope that someone can treat me like a human being and lend me a hand."
You Mingjiang spoke slowly, softly, and calmly, without showing any sign of anger.
There was another reason, which she didn't say aloud.
Perhaps it was her arrival that brought utter disaster to the village, and she tried her best to make amends.
She smiled and said, "Don't worry too much, get some rest."
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Lu Xiaojia was speechless for a moment.
Who said he lacks a sense of security? That's utter nonsense.
He won't admit defeat easily.
But occasionally, he was willing to listen to these heartwarming yet slightly silly words.
He gave You Mingjiang a strange look, then suddenly reached out and ruffled her hair before walking straight to the outside of the mountain god temple.
He looked up and began to count the stars.
.
There are no stars tonight.
There was only one moon, so bright that Lu Xiaojia wanted to take a bite. He hadn't been eating enough these past few days.
You Mingjiang ate even less than him.
Isn't she hungry? Lu Xiaojia was lost in thought.
Suddenly, a series of flapping sounds came from outside the temple, breaking the surrounding silence.
Lu Xiaojia looked up alertly and saw a carrier pigeon flying swiftly into the courtyard from above, enveloped in the darkness.
A slender bamboo tube was tied to the ankle of this plump homing pigeon.
After circling once in the air, it landed precisely on the millstone not far away. Lu Xiaojia's heart tightened, and she quickly stepped forward, untied the bamboo tube from the pigeon's leg, and pulled out the short roll of letter paper inside.
Unfolding the letter, lines of handwriting came into view: "Border Town, Wanmatang in Guandong".
The signature is Yi Dajing.
Yi Dajing is Lu Xiaojia's brother-in-law. Lu Xiaojia looked solemn and slowly crumpled the letter into a ball.
He really didn't want to go back like this.
But this time, he had no choice but to go back.
Disturbed, he turned around and looked through the half-open temple door at You Mingjiang, who was leaning against the altar.
Her shorts were wrinkled, her hair was disheveled and soaked with sweat, and a few strands clung to her sweaty forehead. As she leaned against the altar, her head tilted back, and she looked utterly exhausted.
She hadn't eaten meat for quite some time, and she had clearly lost weight.
With her brows furrowing deeper and her gaze fixed on the plump homing pigeon pecking at the millstone, Lu Xiaojia suddenly had an idea.
So fat...
A pair of large hands firmly held down the fluttering carrier pigeon.
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A note from the author:
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[Good Luck Lotus] ① A person's kindness is remembered for a thousand years, and a flower is worn for ten thousand years: a folk saying.
[Good Luck Lotus]②When we are born, we are brothers; why must we be blood relatives? This comes from Tao Yuanming's "Miscellaneous Poems: Life Has No Roots".
[Good Luck Lotus]③Moreover, we are like branches of the same tree, sharing the same body: from Su Wu's "Poem to Li Ling".
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