Chapter 10 Mustard Peanuts
"What kind of nonsense is this? It's a matter of life and death, how come they haven't arrived yet!" Doctor Luo was also angry, "Didn't you urge them?"
"I've urged them to deliver the goods. I've called them several times. Every time, the city bureau said that the goods would arrive soon and they would hurry up to arrange it. But until now..."
"Okay, stop talking." Doctor Luo paused, "Call the county hospital and medical school right away and ask them to borrow some first."
The young nurse hurried out to make a phone call, and Doctor Luo shook his head.
As a doctor, she knew very well that the reuse of infusion tubes would pose various hidden dangers even if they were disinfected, and could easily lead to complications from infusion.
However, the medical conditions in the county and even in the entire city are not good.
Disposable infusion tubes are in short supply throughout the city, let alone in her small clinic...
It is normal that there is a shortage of medical equipment. The Municipal Bureau said that reusing infusion tubes is unhygienic and there is nothing wrong with it, but the patient is lying in bed and any further delay could cost lives.
She sighed and said, "Auntie, I'll prescribe some antipyretic medicine for Xiaoli first, and I'll give her an IV once the IV tube arrives."
Grandma Su nodded helplessly.
The young nurse walked in with her head down. "Doctor Luo, the medical school said they have no more. The county hospital said the IV tubes are too tight. They hinted that they would not allocate any to our department..."
"Okay, I got it. You can continue to urge the patient tomorrow. First, give the patient a shot in the buttocks. I will prescribe some antipyretic medicine. Go and prepare it."
Doctor Luo had anticipated this situation to a great extent. At this moment, she had calmed down and her tone had softened.
The young nurse felt very guilty and nodded quickly.
Su Xiaoli was lying on the hospital bed. She heard something about not having enough intravenous tubes in a daze. She didn't hear anything else and fell asleep.
The next morning, Grandma Su rushed back home and made some porridge and brought it over. She then stopped the nurse and asked her questions for a long time.
As expected, I still couldn’t borrow an IV tube…
It took three full days, all thanks to Su Xiaoli's own tenacious vitality and two injections in the buttocks every day, before her fever subsided.
Grandma Su thanked Doctor Luo and the young nurse again and again, which made Doctor Luo and the other nurse feel embarrassed.
"Auntie, please stop thanking me. We didn't do our job well. If he had received an IV, the child's fever would have gone down in one day."
Doctor Luo had some free time these days and chatted with Grandma Su. He knew that the family conditions of the two grandmothers and granddaughter were not good, and that staying in the clinic for three consecutive days would be a huge expense for them.
How could Grandma Su not know that it wasn't the doctor's fault that the infusion tube was not in place?
She took out a bag of washed peanuts in shells and handed it to Dr. Luo.
"There's nothing else at home, just lots of peanuts. Eat them when you stay up late on duty."
Doctor Luo couldn't refuse, so he thanked Grandma Su for her kindness. Then Grandma Su took Su Xiaoli home.
"Xiao Li, what are you going to do with these peanuts at home?"
Grandma Su looked at the yard full of peanuts drying in the sun. This girl must have come up with an idea after harvesting so many peanuts.
When it comes to doing business, Su Xiaoli has to set the tone. Young people who have received education have active minds.
"Grandma, selling them directly won't make any money, so we still have to process them. We can stew the wet peanuts, and fry the dried peanuts in their shells, or remove the shells and make spicy peanuts and mustard peanuts."
"Wasabi peanuts, what is that?"
Grandma Su knows about braised peanuts, fried peanuts, and spicy peanuts, but this is the first time she has heard of mustard peanuts.
"The peanuts are peeled, even the red skin is not needed, and there is no excessive processing. After drying, they are just roasted with oil and coated with a little mustard powder, pepper powder and fine salt."
Dr. Su travels a lot on business and has tasted a lot of delicious food.
Being a clinical doctor is stressful, and meals are not always on time, so one often just eats something casually.
Among the many snacks she has tasted, she has a special liking for this "mustard peanuts".
Slightly spicy, crispy and very satisfying.
Not only can it supplement vitamins and calcium, the mustard flavor can also refresh you, which is better than coffee.
The mustard peanuts are spicy, salty, fragrant and crispy, with a multi-layered taste. Just thinking about it, Su Xiaoli's mouth can't help but drool.
"Mustard powder...how can it be delicious?" Grandma Su had only tasted mustard once in her life, and the smell made her nose hurt and tears flowed out of her eyes.
Speaking of food, Su Xiaoli regained his spirits.
"Let's make one and try it ourselves first. If we think it's delicious, we can sell it."
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Grandma Su is a quick person and she does what she says.
There are still a lot of spices left from the ones I bought two days ago. It would be a waste if I didn’t stew the duck, so now I can use them to cook peanuts.
Grandma Su didn't let Su Xiaoli do it, "Go, go back to the house and rest, I will do it myself."
"Then I'll find a shady place to sit and peel some peanuts for you."
The grandparents and grandchildren worked and chatted until the evening, when a large pot of boiled peanuts was ready, and the fragrance filled the yard.
"I'll send some to your Uncle Li. When I come back, we can go sell them together."
Grandma Su didn't allow Su Xiaoli to speak and went to the office in the front yard with a bowl.
As soon as she went out, someone came into the yard and asked, "Is Aunt Su here?"
When Su Xiaoli went out, she saw that it was Aunt Shen's new daughter-in-law, Guo Hongxia, who had been brought here by Aunt Shen once before.
"Sister Hongxia, you're here. My grandma is at work. Is there anything wrong?"
Guo Hongxia smiled at Su Xiaoli, "Nothing much, I just thought the chives I cut in your backyard last time were fresher than those in the vegetable market, so I came to buy some more."
Naturally happy to have business coming to the door, Su Xiaoli took Guo Hongxia to the backyard.
"The aunties in the yard have already cut all the chives. It will take another ten days for them to grow again. How about you try something else, like tomatoes, loofah, cucumbers, or beans? What do you like to eat, sister-in-law?"
The two started chatting as they walked.
Guo Hongxia's hometown is in the mountainous area of Lingzheng County. She was introduced to Li Dazhuang, a city dweller, and married him.
My parents-in-law are "public servants" working in a formal unit, and my husband is a worker at the county's state-owned fertilizer factory. Everyone in the family earns a salary.
But she had just arrived in the county town and had no job. Her parents-in-law just hoped that she would take good care of herself and have a baby after she got married. They were also worried that she would be bored at home, so they asked her to go out into the yard and walk around with other people more often.
Guo Hongxia had just arrived and didn't know many people, but she didn't want to stay at home idle.
She remembered that Su Xiaoli, who was selling duck eggs at the door that day, was about the same age as her younger sister, so it would be easy to communicate with her. There were also fresh vegetables grown here, so she came over.
She was busy picking beans and silently observing Su Xiaoli.
This girl speaks and acts in a steady and open manner, she is indeed a good student. On the other hand, she dropped out of high school after less than half a year, she is not good at speaking and has no knowledge.
Even when her mother-in-law and father-in-law talked about Su Xiaoli's miserable life at home, she was still particularly envious of Su Xiaoli's smart brain and the fact that she could continue to study.
She felt it was very enjoyable chatting with Su Xiaoli. Even though they had only known each other for a short time, they felt very comfortable getting along with each other.
Guo Hongxia handed over two dimes, held the weighed beans in her hand, and hesitated for a long time without moving, as if she was trying to encourage herself.
Suddenly, her face flushed, she said, "I, I...can I talk to you again later?"
As soon as she got anxious, her native dialect, which she had just changed for two months, came back.
What to do? I'm hungry again
(End of this chapter)
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