Chapter 109 A Last Glimmer of Light?
The room was quiet; Song Wanjun had sent the two imperial physicians and the maids and servants away beforehand.
Looking at the man on the bed, whose lips were bluish-black and whose appearance was emaciated, Sheng An couldn't help but gasp.
She was so sick; it was more serious than she had imagined.
If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, Sheng An would have thought that the person was already dead.
Before meeting Ning Sihan, Sheng An felt he was 30% confident, but now he wasn't even 1% confident.
Looking at Sheng An's grave expression, Song Wanjun's heart sank to the bottom: "Boss Sheng, have you...?"
Sheng An raised his hand to interrupt him, and emphasized again, "Mr. Song, I am just a chef. I can only cook good food, and I am powerless to do anything else."
Don't expect any guarantees from her.
Realizing he had misspoke, Song Wanjun changed the subject: "My nephew hasn't eaten a single grain of rice for two days. I wonder if Madam Sheng has any way to get him to eat?"
Sheng An glanced at the unconscious person and shook his head helplessly: "I'll go back and cook a bowl of rice porridge, and feed him as much as he can."
Ning Sihan is on the verge of death and is now unconscious. He cannot swallow any food other than rice porridge.
Song Wanjun understood this principle and looked at Sheng An with hope: "Back then, Ding Tianci was also seriously ill, but Boss Sheng only spent two months helping him stand up."
Sheng An said irritably, "If you had sent him here two months ago, he might be standing in front of you right now."
Song Wanjun closed his eyes briefly, concealing the regret in them: "It's my fault."
At that time, he did not trust the woman in front of him, was skeptical about the idea that dietary supplements could cure diseases, and was unable to persuade the old lady and his two elder brothers who were officials in other places.
Even the rest of the clan would not listen to him and agree to let Sihan come to Qingzhou to recuperate.
Ultimately, he had too many concerns, which led him to waste two months.
Sheng An shook his head and turned to walk out: "Once the rice porridge is ready, I will send someone over to supervise your people as they are fed."
Song Wanjun understood her concerns and naturally agreed: "Thank you, Boss Sheng."
Sheng An did not let Song Wanjun see her off. She walked out alone along the way she came. When she passed through a small courtyard, she met two old men dressed in plain clothes.
Hearing how they addressed each other, Sheng An guessed that they were the imperial physicians who were treating Ning Sihan.
She had no intention of approaching them or making over them; she treated them like ordinary people and walked right past them.
The two imperial physicians glanced at Sheng An a few more times.
Watching her figure disappear through the moon gate, Physician Wang muttered with some doubt, "This woman is dressed as a married woman, she doesn't seem to be a servant, so why is she here?"
Physician Hu casually remarked, "Perhaps they are relatives of the Song family, who came specifically to visit the young master after learning of his arrival in Qingzhou."
After saying that, he couldn't help but sigh.
Prince Ning's illness has reached its terminal stage, beyond the reach of medicine; every glance he takes is a precious moment, and he may pass away tomorrow...
The imperial physician was also saddened: "In the end, it was our lack of skill that prevented us from prolonging the prince's life."
Ten years ago, when Ning Sihan left the palace to recuperate, they accompanied her and treated her.
Ning Sihan was gentle and learned, and she had great respect for the two imperial physicians.
After more than ten years of companionship, they regarded Ning Sihan as their own junior.
Now that this junior could die at any moment, how could the two imperial physicians feel good about it?
Unaware of Wang and Hu's sadness, Sheng An went to the main kitchen to wash rice and cook porridge.
The porridge wasn't made with water, but with leftover chicken broth from lunch.
This chicken soup comes from an old rooster, which was simmered for two whole hours until the chicken meat was tender and fell off the bone.
After skimming off the top layer of fat, the chicken soup was clear and bright, and exceptionally delicious.
Pour the rice into the chicken soup and simmer over low heat.
Half an hour later, a bowl of rice soup with the aroma of chicken was ready.
Baoxiu was so engrossed in the aroma that she could only swallow hard, her eyes involuntarily fixed on the rice porridge: "Master, we both simmer it over a low flame, so why does yours smell so much better than ours?"
Not only the rice porridge, but even the roasted chicken they mastered, despite strictly following their master's instructions step by step, still didn't taste quite right.
Only when the master personally flips and roasts it will the taste be elevated to another level.
Privately, the girls discussed that their master's hands were blessed by God, which was why the food she made was so delicious.
"The timing and heat are crucial; this takes time."
Sheng An found a plausible reason and instructed Bao Lan to call Shu Qi over and deliver the bowl of rice porridge to the neighbor's yard.
At this time, Ning Sihan had not yet woken up. Not only were two imperial physicians guarding her bedside, but even the busy Song Wanjun was there.
Upon hearing the servant's report, Song Wanjun immediately ordered him to invite the person in.
When Shuqi came in, he saw the situation in the room, but he didn't ask any questions. He handed the food box to Song Wanjun and then stood aside and watched.
The food box, though tightly sealed, couldn't hide the subtle, delicious aroma wafting out.
The two imperial physicians couldn't help but sniff, and looked at the food box at the same time.
What's inside? It smells like chicken, but it smells so good!
Song Wanjun also found it delicious and couldn't help but think of the two meals he had at Shengyuan. Suddenly, he felt hungry.
He opened the food box himself without asking anyone else to do it, and the rice soup was steaming hot.
In an instant, the domineering aroma of freshness filled the entire room without restraint.
Ignoring the gazes of the two imperial physicians, Song Wanjun carried the rice soup to the bedside and sat down, softly calling his nephew's name: "Sihan, Sihan, your uncle is feeding you soup."
He repeated it several times, and Ning Sihan finally reacted. Her eyelids trembled slightly, indicating that she had regained consciousness, but she was unable to open her eyes.
Song Wanjun felt a pang of sadness and quickly blinked to hide his emotions.
Then, he picked up a soup spoon to test the temperature of the rice water, making sure it wouldn't burn his nephew, and scooped up a small spoonful to Ning Sihan's lips: "This is specially made for you by the chef, your uncle will feed you."
Ning Sihan slightly opened her mouth, and the next moment a stream of warm soup flowed into her mouth along her lips and teeth.
No, that's not right. Why did he taste umami and saltiness?
His sense of taste and smell were completely lost three years ago, and he could not distinguish any taste. Now he can actually distinguish between umami and salty tastes.
Is it a final burst of energy before death?
Ning Sihan couldn't help but think, slowly swallowing the soup as it went down her throat, unable to resist the lingering, greedy taste.
"Okay, okay, as long as I can drink it..."
Seeing that his nephew could still swallow rice porridge, Song Wanjun's eyes welled up with tears for the first time in front of others.
The two imperial physicians were also delighted, knowing that Ning Sihan hadn't been able to swallow even water since last night.
If it weren't for the 300-year-old ginseng keeping him alive, he would have died the moment he boarded the ship that morning.
Physician Wang strode to the bedside, reached out to feel Ning Sihan's pulse, and found that the pulse was no different from before. The hope in his eyes was instantly shattered.
Seeing this, Physician Hu also stepped forward to check the pulse and came to the same conclusion:
The miracle did not happen, and the crown prince's life remained hanging by a thread.
Song Wanjun paid no attention to the actions of the two imperial physicians and fed his nephew rice soup spoonful by spoonful. Before he knew it, the whole bowl of rice soup was finished.
At this moment, Ning Sihan unexpectedly opened her eyes, her blurry vision looking at Song Wanjun: "Third...Third Uncle, it's...it's salty..."
Upon hearing the words "It's salty," Song Wanjun and the two imperial physicians stared wide-eyed in shock, frozen in place as they looked at Ning Sihan.
The imperial physician was the first to react, and asked anxiously, "Your Highness, you said you tasted saltiness?"
Ning Sihan wanted to nod but couldn't. With difficulty, she uttered a single word from her bruised mouth: "Yes."
The imperial physician, Wang, was agitated and, refusing to believe it, took the pulse again, but the result was the same.
This time, however, Physician Wang was not disappointed. He snatched the soup bowl and examined the remaining soup from all sides, even wiping some with his hand and tasting it.
Upon tasting it, his eyes lit up, and he looked intently at Song Wanjun: "Third Master Song, who made this soup?"
Song Wanjun thought that the Imperial Physician Wang was craving food, so he pointed in the direction of Shengyuan Garden: "There is a restaurant next door. The owner is an excellent cook. I asked her to prepare three meals a day for Sihan."
Upon hearing this, Physician Wang forgot to put down his bowl and ran out.
As he walked, he muttered to himself, "This chef must be quite skilled to be able to make the prince taste saltiness. I have to go and see for myself."
Shuqi heard it clearly and quickly stepped forward to block the way of Physician Wang: "My master is very busy and cannot come out to entertain you for the time being."
There was a table of guests in the evening, and the host was busy cooking, so he didn't have time to chat with this old man.
Song Wanjun was also afraid of incurring Sheng An's displeasure, so he stepped forward to persuade Doctor Wang: "Send a visiting card to Boss Sheng another day. She's right next door and won't run away."
After calming down, Physician Wang realized that it was inappropriate to rush in. He could only stop and pick up the soup bowl again, bringing his nose close to carefully sniff it.
Shuqi's lips twitched; he suspected the old man had some kind of peculiar fetish.
Physician Wang couldn't detect anything unusual and handed the bowl to Physician Hu, saying, "I can't smell any medicine. It's just a bowl of ordinary chicken soup. How strange!"
Physician Hu also dipped his finger in the broth and tasted it carefully, nodding in agreement with his companion's statement: "It is indeed very strange."
Hearing their conversation, Song Wanjun felt a glimmer of hope: "Old Wang, Old Hu, if Sihan regains his appetite, will his health improve?"
The two imperial physicians exchanged a glance, and Physician Hu said tactfully, "If he can eat normally, there is indeed a glimmer of hope."
But Prince Ning is terminally ill, so how could he eat normally?
Song Wanjun, however, became increasingly confident, his gaze fixed intently on the direction of Shengyuan.
The fact that Sihan could taste the saltiness in a bowl of unremarkable rice porridge is enough to prove that Boss Sheng has extraordinary abilities.
As recorded in ancient medical books, medicine and food share the same origin, and dietary supplements can also be used as medicinal supplements.
He didn't believe it before because he had never met anyone with such extraordinary abilities. Even the two imperial physicians had said it was just a legend.
Now that the facts are before him, he has no choice but to believe that Boss Sheng is indeed this extraordinary person.
He almost missed it!
Song Wanjun became increasingly agitated as he thought about it, but his face remained calm, and he did not reveal his guesses to Wang and Hu.
He walked slowly to the bedside and said to Ning Sihan, who had closed her eyes again, "Just stay here and rest. As long as you can still eat, you will definitely get better one day."
Ning Sihan was not unconscious; she could hear her uncle's voice, but she didn't have the strength to open her eyes and respond.
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