Zhang Shuzhen hurriedly ate some rice to fill her stomach, then rushed to the kitchen to clean the pig's trotters, blanched them, put them in a clay pot, and simmered them slowly on the stove.
Afterwards, they used the small aluminum pot with two handles that Sheng Xiping and the others had brought up the mountain to cook a pot of millet porridge on the stove in the west room.
The millet porridge was simmered slowly over low heat until the rice oil appeared, then it was taken off the heat and a few eggs were boiled in a different pot.
Everything was ready, and Zhang Shuzhen carried the food into the west room.
"Honey, get up and eat something. You just gave birth, and your stomach is empty. Eat something so you won't be hungry."
Zhou Qinglan was just feeling drowsy from postpartum exhaustion; she wasn't actually sleeping soundly. She woke up as soon as her mother-in-law called her.
"Don't move, Mom will help you up."
Zhang Shuzhen quickly got onto the kang (a heated brick bed), helped Zhou Qinglan sit up, and placed two pillows behind her for support.
Then he peeled the egg, put it into the millet porridge, and handed it to Zhou Qinglan.
"The porridge is dark in color because it contains brown sugar. It's okay. You need to drink some brown sugar porridge to replenish your blood."
Zhang Shuzhen, fearing that Zhou Qinglan would refuse to drink the brownish-red porridge, quickly offered an explanation.
"For this meal, have millet porridge and eggs. Next meal, Mom will make you brown sugar water with eggs."
There's still some pig's trotters stewing in the kitchen. When they're almost done, I'll add peanuts, red dates, and a few pieces of *Lulu Tong* (a type of herb). Drinking that is said to help with milk production the fastest.
After handing the food to her daughter-in-law, Zhang Shuzhen quickly unwrapped her grandson's blanket to check if he had wet or soiled himself.
"Mom, you don't need to go to all that trouble to cook for me. I'll just eat whatever the family eats. Millet porridge and eggs are fine enough."
Zhou Qinglan had heard from her mother and relatives that millet porridge and eggs were the best way for women to nourish their bodies during postpartum confinement.
In the past, when conditions were poor, it was considered good if a woman could drink some millet porridge and eat some eggs for the first three days after giving birth.
After that, I just ate flatbread and pickled vegetables with my family, and that's how I got by.
Zhou Qinglan was giving birth for the first time and knew nothing about it.
She felt that the Sheng family's living conditions were quite good, with meat almost every meal, something that other women might not even be able to eat so well during their postpartum period.
There are many things to do at home, and Sheng Xiping is not at home, so her mother-in-law is responsible for everything inside and outside.
Zhou Qinglan figured that she could eat with everyone, so there was no need to trouble her mother-in-law to cook a special meal for her.
"How can that be? We used to eat millet and eggs because conditions were bad."
We don't say we have everything you need right now, but I've prepared everything you need for postpartum care. Don't worry, you definitely won't lack for food this postpartum period.
I'll cook you different dishes, so just eat whatever you like. Getting better is the most important thing.
Zhang Shuzhen put a soft diaper under her grandson, then wrapped the large diaper and quilt back up, and finally covered him with another quilt.
He talked to his daughter-in-law while working.
Zhang Shuzhen started preparing well in advance for her daughter-in-law's postpartum period.
Not only did she raise chickens at home to lay eggs, she also bought a hundred eggs from the Dajianchang farm, specifically for Zhou Qinglan to eat during her postpartum confinement.
In addition, she prepared all the pig's trotters, various meats, wheat flour, and noodles she had saved up over the winter, and gave them all to her daughter-in-law.
"Mom, you're so thoughtful, thank you so much." Zhou Qinglan said, her mouth full of food, feeling incredibly touched.
Ever since she became pregnant, she's heard a lot of the older women in the forest farm talking about how they used to experience postpartum confinement.
Most of the women in the forest farm came from their hometown in Shandong.
She lives far away from her parents' home, her mother-in-law isn't around, and her husband is always away on the mountain, so there's no one to help her.
Back then, when they gave birth, they couldn't possibly stay for a full month; they would usually go back to work in the fields after only three days.
Washing clothes, washing diapers, cooking meals for the family, and so on—you had to do all sorts of chores.
Many women develop health problems during their postpartum period, and these problems all come back to haunt them as they get older, causing them a lot of suffering, such as back pain or leg pain.
"Look at you, child, what are you saying? There's no need to thank me."
You are our family's daughter-in-law, and you gave birth to the Sheng family's grandson.
"Xiping is working on the mountain and can't come back. If I don't take good care of you, who will? Isn't that how a mother-in-law should act?" Zhang Shuzhen laughed when she heard this.
“When I gave birth to Xiping, your grandma and maternal grandpa lived far away, and the whole family was too busy to help.”
Your dad took five days off to take care of me at home, and then rushed back up the mountain to work.
Fortunately, it was summer, so it wasn't too bad, and I slowly got down to work in the fields by myself.
Later, when I gave birth to Xi'an and Xi'kang, it was your maternal grandfather who sent your aunt over to take care of me during my postpartum period.
By the time the fourth, fifth, and sixth babies are born, Xiping will be older and able to help with things like cooking and tending the fire, so we'll gradually get through it.
Zhang Shuzhen wrapped up her grandson and put him on the kang (a heated brick bed). The little guy slept soundly, letting his grandmother change his diapers and wash the swaddled baby without waking up.
Zhang Shuzhen adored him, sitting next to her grandson with a beaming smile as she chatted with her daughter-in-law.
"I've suffered from not having a proper postpartum period, and I can't let you suffer the same pain."
For women, the postpartum period is the most crucial. If you recover well during this time, you won't have any health problems later on. Otherwise, you'll be in pain all over your body, what will you do then?
Seeing that her daughter-in-law had finished a bowl of porridge, Zhang Shuzhen took the bowl, ladled out half a bowl for her, and then put an egg in it.
"You can't eat too much at once right now. Eat a little less, and I'll make you something else later."
There's no need for us to be polite. Just tell me whenever you feel hungry, and please don't hold back.
If the baby wakes up crying later, pick him up and feed him, regardless of whether there's milk or not. Let him suckle to get him used to it, and he'll get used to it gradually.
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