Qiao Songzhi soaked the lotus roots in a large basin, saying that soaking them overnight would make them cleaner.
The next day, Qiao Qingqing peeled and chopped a lotus root and used it to make pork rib soup. The pressure cooker simmered it on low heat for the whole morning, and the aroma filled the air.
"It smells quite nice. The neighbors must have cooked lotus roots as well. The water downstairs is full of lotus root skins." Shao's mother said, looking towards the kitchen expectantly.
"They say that food left after a flood cannot be eaten, but I'm still a little worried." Father Shao frowned.
"The water won't recede anytime soon. We're afraid the environment will remain like this for a long time. It's humid and full of bacteria. Our bodies have to adapt to the environment." Shao Shengan listened to Qiao Qingqing's analysis and felt that now was a good opportunity.
In fact, the couple secretly cooked the fish they caught before and added it to the fish meat at home, and then mixed it with the fish meat for their family to eat. It was a very risky approach. The couple did not dare to sleep that night and paid close attention to the situation of their family. Fortunately, except for Shao's mother who had diarrhea once, no one else had any discomfort.
Father Shao thought about it and felt that it made sense.
There is an old saying in my hometown, which roughly means that if you don’t eat too much fine food, your stomach and intestines will be strong, but if you eat too much fine food, your stomach and intestines will be weak.
At noon, everyone drank two bowls of pork ribs and lotus root soup, and no one felt any discomfort in their stomachs.
In the afternoon, there was a commotion at the Zheng family next door. Zheng Tiehui's daughter Zheng Liangying hurried out to find Zheng Tiehui, and Zheng Tiehui hurriedly took his son to the hospital in a speedboat.
In the evening, Grandma Wang's great-granddaughter and a great-nephew also had stomach problems, vomiting and diarrhea, and Qiao Qingqing lent them a speedboat to take them to the hospital.
The child was gone for more than a week, and when he was brought back from Grandma Wang's house, his face had become thinner.
"It's so hard! There are so many patients in the hospital and there are not enough beds. They all have to sleep in the corridor. If you are not careful at night, your socks on the bedding will be stolen. People's hearts are really evil!" Grandma Wang cried, her face full of sadness.
Qiao Qingqing comforted her with a few words and gave her two bottles of milk.
Grandma Wang held Qiao Qingqing's hand and cried sadly: "The child has suffered! But there is nothing we can do. The amount of supplies distributed is limited. I wanted to get more food for the child. I cooked the lotus root thoroughly, but I didn't know there would be problems. When will this damn water stop flowing?"
Qiao Qingqing couldn't say anything more and just let Grandma Wang hold her hand.
She remembered that in her previous life, Grandma Wang had lost her husband, two great-granddaughters, and a great-grandson. It was a freezing period, and the weaker elderly and children suffered greatly. Grandma Wang was mentally abnormal at that time, and she often muttered why she was not dead, why she was not dead, and why she would not die, and that if she did not die, she would harm her children and grandchildren. Qiao Qingqing felt sad when she heard this.
"It will be fine." In the end, she only uttered this weak word of comfort.
Grandma Wang’s two grandchildren were finally cured and returned home, but she never expected that Zheng Liangdong had not yet been discharged from the hospital. This was different from his previous life.
The Zheng family was in a gloomy mood. Mrs. Zheng, who was always proud, looked haggard when she occasionally appeared in public.
"Isn't the Zheng family's son sixteen or seventeen years old? How come his physical condition is worse than the kid downstairs?" Shao's mother muttered.
Fortunately, after another week, Zheng Liangdong was finally discharged from the hospital. He was so thin that his bones were just skin and bones. Zheng Tiehui became even busier. At night, one could always hear the sound of water stirred up when he went out. Once, when Qiao Qingqing went to the toilet at night, she saw him coming back in a kayak, carrying a large bag of things.
Slowly, Zheng Liangdong's cheeks became plump, but his eyes were very gloomy. Qiao Qingqing had seen him several times and felt that Zheng Liangdong must have a mental problem. However, she had a mediocre relationship with the Zheng family, so she didn't waste her breath to say anything more.
Everyone in the family was in good health, but Shao's mother caught a cold and had a fever, so Qiao Qingqing and her husband took her to the hospital.
The hospital was really overcrowded, with beds everywhere in the hall. It was difficult to pass by, and there was no place to stand. Her ears were filled with all kinds of sad and happy sounds. Shao's mother was shocked by the state of the hospital, and she vomited all at once due to the psychological pressure.
"Mom, mom, please sit here. I'll go register." Shao Shengan took out two folding chairs for Qiao Qingqing and Shao's mother to sit on while he went to clean up the vomit and register.
"Mom, close your eyes and take a rest first." Qiao Qingqing applied some medicated oil to her philtrum and held her against her.
"I'm useless. I used to take antipyretics when I had a fever and it would go away after a night's sleep. Cough cough!"
"It's okay, it's okay mom."
There were occasional vomiting sounds around, and the air was filled with the sour smell of vomit and feces and urine. Qiao Qingqing also applied some Fengyoujing on herself and looked at Shao Shengan in the crowd.
After registering and waiting for three hours, it was finally Shao's mother's turn. The doctor diagnosed and prescribed medicine, and explained the precautions in a hoarse voice.
"…It's a viral cold…There are too many bacteria. Older people have weaker resistance. You need to pay attention to daily cleaning. You can fumigate the doors and windows with vinegar…Go get an IV." The doctor waved his hand.
"Thank you, doctor. Sorry for bothering you." Qiao Qingqing helped Shao's mother out. Before leaving, Shao Shengan gave the doctor two big apples and stuffed them into the drawer. He moved too fast and turned around and left. The doctor was stunned and quickly shouted, "Hey, patient's family, please wait a moment!"
Shao Shengan had already gone out and closed the door.
The doctor touched the apple and felt the fragrance of the apple rushing to her nose. She looked at the paper frog on the table, thought of her daughter's little face, bit her lip and closed the drawer.
Now it is free to see a doctor in the hospital, but there are not enough medical staff. She waited for nearly an hour before a nurse came in a hurry and gave Shao's mother an injection. Fortunately, after Shao Sheng arranged the long queue, she finally got the medicine. Qiao Qingqing poured hot water for Shao's mother to take the medicine. After the medicine was hung up, Shao's mother felt much more relaxed.
"There's still one bottle left, Mom. Hold on a little longer. What do you want to eat?"
Shao's mother had a slightly better appetite and said she wanted to eat porridge with pickles. Shao Shengan came over with a big backpack, which could take out anything he wanted. He fed Shao's mother porridge, and then he and Qiao Qingqing ate steamed buns together. The buns were frozen buns that Shao Shengan had ordered directly from the factory. After steaming, they were placed in the space so that they could be used at any time. Qiao Qingqing took a bite and her mouth was full of salty fragrance: "This is filled with lava and egg yolk. Do you want to eat it?"
Shao Shengan came over and took a bite: "Delicious."
Qiao Qingqing ate three buns before she felt full, but Shao Shengan only ate two.
It was already dark when we got home, and Shao's father came down to help, saying with a happy face, "Qingqing's friend is here, he's been waiting for a long time, and he's just about to leave!"
Qiao Qingqing's heart moved, and she immediately thought of Yuan Xiaowen: "Is her last name Hu?"
"Hey! It's true. He said his last name is Hu and asked us to call him Dahai. He said his wife asked him to come over. Come on, let me come! Qingqing, go upstairs first. They are waiting for you."
When she saw Hu Yanhai again, Qiao Qingqing was surprised at how haggard he looked.
The haggard Hu Yanhai did not wait for Qiao Qingqing to ask, and said with a smile: "Qingqing, Wenwen asked me to send you a letter and a gift. She asked me to wish you a happy birthday."
Qiao Qingqing shook her head: "Why did you listen to her? Why are you still celebrating your birthday at this time?"
"She is thinking about you." Hu Yanhai handed her a bag on the sofa. Qiao Qingqing opened it and found a scarf inside.
"This is the first scarf Wenwen has knitted since she learned how to knit. I've been waiting in line for it."
Qiao Qingqing touched it and put it away carefully: "Thank Wenwen for me. Is she doing well recently?"
Hu Yanhai's smile faded. "I had signs of miscarriage a while ago, so I stayed in the hospital for half a month before I got better. I was discharged and went home two days ago."
Qiao Qingqing was anxious: "Why didn't you tell me? What's the situation now?"
"It's all right now, don't worry, she didn't let me tell you because she was afraid you would be anxious. Fortunately, there was the speedboat you sent. That night, she suddenly had a stomachache, and the doctor said that if we had come a little later, the baby would be in danger..." Hu Yanhai looked thankful and thanked Qiao Qingqing sincerely. This is really a close friend. If there was no speedboat, it would definitely be too late to send my wife to the hospital using the kayaks that were delivered to each building!
"I'll go see her tomorrow. It's getting dark now, so you should go home first."
Hu Yanhai was a little embarrassed: "Actually, Wenwen asked me to stop you from visiting her, but I wanted to ask you to visit her selfishly. She...well, she used to love going out to play, but now she can't go out all day and can only stay at home. How can she be in a good mood? Although there is a book you gave her before, she got bored after reading it."
"I'll go over tomorrow and bring her new books."
Hu Yanhai said goodbye and Shao Shengan saw him out.
"I'll go with you tomorrow." Qiao Qingqing was packing her things, and Shao Shengan sat next to her and said.
"Aren't we going to the supply ship to pick up things tomorrow? I can go by myself." Qiao Qingqing turned around and kissed him, "I can do it by myself."
She picked up two cans of milk powder for pregnant women, a stack of books, and some balls of yarn. After thinking for a while, she found a Rubik's Cube.
"Let her learn. She couldn't play the Rubik's Cube before. She said she didn't have the patience."
Shao Shengan smiled: "I remember that in the second year of junior high school, playing with the Rubik's Cube was popular in school. During the break, you kept spinning the Rubik's Cube, with your eyebrows wrinkled into a ball. Xiaowen pulled your hand and told you to go out and play, but you didn't move."
Qiao Qingqing said nostalgically: "That was really a long time ago."
"But I still remember the first time I saw you. My aunt brought me to pay tuition. I saw you squatting next to the flower bed counting ants. You had two short braids and your eyes were big and bright. I was thinking at the time, the girls in this city are so pretty."
Qiao Qingqing touched her hair subconsciously, turned her head and met Shao Shengan's shining eyes, and was actually a little embarrassed. She pushed him and said, "Go take a shower first, I'll clean up."
Shao Shengan pretended to fall down, which attracted Qiao Qingqing to pull him up.
"Okay, I'm going to take a shower. I'll go with you tomorrow. I'm really worried."
"Okay, let's go get the supplies first, and then go after that."
But this night was destined to be extraordinary.
At night, Qiao Qingqing was awakened by a chill. She was originally very alert, but in the more than three months since her rebirth, she has received love and care from her lover and family, and her tense mind has gradually relaxed. When she was awakened by the cold, her first reaction was: Why is it so cold? Has the temperature dropped?
"Hiss, it's so cold! It seems like the temperature has dropped." Shao Shengan was also woken up by the cold. He got out of bed and opened the cabinet to get a quilt.
Shao Shengan got out of bed, lifted the thin quilt, and took away the meager heat from the quilt, which froze Qiao Qingqing so much that her mind finally cleared up. She almost jumped out of bed in fear, which scared Shao Shengan: "What's wrong with Qingqing?"
"Mom and Dad! Let's go see them! Their thick blankets are in the closet!" Qiao Qingqing took out two long down jackets from the space, threw one to Shao Shengan and put on the other. She put them on while running out, and Shao Shengan, who had reacted, quickly followed. The two of them went their separate ways, one to see Qiao Songzhi and the other to go upstairs.
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