Chapter 116: Wind and Rain Together, Recovery
"What are you standing there for? Go eat. The dumplings will get cold soon."
Yan Zhuo noticed her motionless figure and raised his eyebrows.
Zhao Mingsheng only realized she'd been staring at him for so long after hearing Yan Zhuo's call. A blush crept across her fair, delicate face. She quickly looked away, acknowledged, and found a seat nearby with her dumplings in hand.
After serving the rest of the people, Yan Zhuo came to Zhao Mingsheng with a bowl of dumplings.
When I got closer, I found that the girl was holding a bowl of dumplings with her head slightly lowered, and I didn't know what she was thinking about.
Yan Zhuo: "Why don't you eat?"
Zhao Mingsheng came back to his senses and sighed slightly: "I'm fine, I just feel a little blocked in my heart..."
Yan Zhuo's expression suddenly changed.
"uncomfortable?"
The god of war, who had remained calm despite being stabbed dozens of times by the enemy on the battlefield, was now panicked by the words of the girl before him. Without even thinking, he reached out to the girl's wrist to feel for her pulse.
Zhao Mingsheng was startled by his action, and her eyelashes trembled slightly. But she immediately realized that Yan Zhuo must have misunderstood, and quickly waved her hand to explain:
"It's not that I'm feeling unwell, but I feel a little distressed when I see them so happy just eating a bowl of dumplings."
Yan Zhuo finally realized he'd been mistaken. After the tension wore off, the delicate texture his fingertips touched was magnified countless times. The gentle warmth caused his usually steady hands to tremble for a moment, but reason and etiquette forced him to slowly flex his fingers.
"oh."
He responded softly to cover up his gaffe.
Zhao Mingsheng gazed around and continued, "Although the food sent by the court is abundant, there are not many green vegetables. They still have wild vegetable dumplings to eat now, but if there are a few more autumn rains, winter will come, and by then even wild vegetables will be gone..."
Food is the most important thing for people. The nobles in the capital enjoy meat and fish every day, but the common people in Yanzhou cannot even afford vegetables.
Yan Zhuo had thought about this problem before, and he pondered for a while.
"I've thought about this before. I submitted a report on the situation in Yanzhou to the court a while ago, adding that I hope the second batch of supplies will include more vegetables in addition to grain. However, vegetables are prone to rot during transportation..."
This is also what Zhao Mingsheng is worried about.
Huzhou was the only place where vegetables could still be grown in winter. Most of the vegetables consumed in the capital came from Huzhou, and Yanzhou happened to be the farthest region from Huzhou. Merchants from Huzhou had to pass through the capital before reaching Yanzhou, making transportation of supplies inconvenient.
In previous years, everyone would store some long-lasting vegetables in the cellar in advance, but this year due to the drought, less than one-tenth of the seedlings planted by ordinary vegetable farmers survived, which is not enough for everyone to eat.
Although the canals had been built and irrigation could keep pace with farming, it was no longer suitable for large-scale cultivation at this time of year. Furthermore, since the region was located in the north, if the weather turned cold, the vegetables would freeze to death in the fields before they could even mature.
Apart from this, is there any other way to ensure that the people of Yanzhou have access to vegetables and that the vegetables do not rot during transportation?
Zhao Mingsheng, who was deep in thought, caught a glimpse of a small dish of vinegar not far away, and a flash of inspiration came to his mind.
“That’s right!”
"How could I have forgotten this?"
Zhao Mingsheng slapped his head and said happily, "If fresh vegetables can't be transported here, we can pickle them! Seal them in jars and then transport them here, so they won't go bad."
While it still wasn't as good as fresh vegetables, it was still better than eating bland potatoes and sweet potatoes every day. Zhao Mingsheng couldn't help but swallow his saliva when he thought of the pickled vegetables from Aunt Zou's home in Qingshan Village. Even if there weren't fresh vegetables, having a variety of pickled vegetables as side dishes was a good choice.
Yan Zhuo nodded and agreed to her proposal.
"Okay, I'll propose to the court that we send more pickles in the next batch of supplies."
Zhao Mingsheng gave him a thankful smile. "Thank you for your help. You should eat quickly. The dumplings won't taste good if they get cold."
After she finished speaking, she realized that the dumplings in her bowl were getting cold. She quickly turned her gaze to the large bowl in her hand. The moment she saw the situation in the bowl, her breath was choked...
What a big bowl of dumplings.
She hadn't noticed before, but only now realized how much Yan Zhuo had served her.
Oh, that's not right.
How much did I serve for Yan Zhuo?
She filled a big bowl of dumplings according to the amount an adult man eats.
You have to finish the dumplings you serve yourself even if you die!
Zhao Mingsheng resigned himself to his fate and picked up the chopsticks and stuffed a dumpling into his mouth.
Mmm, it smells so good!
After eating more than ten of them in a row, Zhao Mingsheng's movements gradually slowed down and she looked into the bowl.
Even though she had already eaten quite a bit, there were still seven or eight dumplings left in the bowl. Not wanting to waste food, she stuffed two more into her stomach. Just as she was about to stuff the third, Yan Zhuo beside her spoke.
"Forget it if you can't finish it."
Yan Zhuo finished the dumplings in his bowl and looked up to see that the little girl was clearly unable to eat any more but was still trying to hold on with a frown on her nose.
The little girl shook her head stubbornly, "No, we can't waste food."
The man chuckled after hearing this, stretched out his big hand, and poured all the remaining dumplings in her bowl into his own bowl.
Zhao Mingsheng had no time to stop him. He touched his nose embarrassedly and whispered, "If you are not full, you can go get more. There is more in the pot. These are my leftovers..."
Before he could finish his words, Yan Zhuo had already finished the remaining dumplings in no time, his movements were quick yet elegant.
Yan Zhuo said casually, "I'm full, I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable just because of a few dumplings."
Zhao Mingsheng was stunned. She didn't expect that Yan Zhuo didn't mind the food she had eaten at all. But then she thought that he was just trying not to waste food, so she felt relieved.
She stood up and said, "Then I'll get you a bowl of dumpling soup."
Zhao Mingsheng had just noticed that Yan Zhuo had quite a few dumplings in his bowl. After eating these seven or eight, he must be full.
Drinking a bowl of dumpling soup can not only warm your stomach, but also help digest the original food.
After dinner, everyone rested for a while, and the doctor who was responsible for taking the pulse of the recovered patients for the last time began to work.
"Young man, congratulations! Your epidemic is completely cured!" The doctor smiled and congratulated sincerely.
Standing before him was a young man who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a slightly dark complexion. His name was Niu Fei. Perhaps because of his youth and better physique, his symptoms were relatively mild, so he was also among the first group to recover.
After hearing the doctor's congratulations, Niu Fei stood there stupidly without moving, and it took him a while to react.
"Did I hear correctly, doctor? You just said that my illness is cured and I can leave?!"
The doctor repeated it again, feeling somewhat amused and helpless, "Yes, you heard correctly. Now that the disease in your body has been cured, you can leave the academy and reunite with your family!"
After saying this, the doctor went to check the pulse of another patient and left first.
Niu Fei was stunned for a moment, feeling as if he were dreaming. He had been feeling terribly uncomfortable just a few days ago, but today he was completely healed.
Hearing the congratulations from the people around him, he realized that he had really saved his life. He was so excited that he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
After getting excited, he grinned and went to see the doctor again.
The doctor was busy checking on other patients. He turned around and saw him again. He felt helpless and said, "Why, you still don't believe me?"
Niu Fei scratched his head and smiled innocently: "I believe it! I believe it! I just wanted to come here to thank you, you are my second parents!"
The doctor had no time to stop him and could only watch him bow deeply three times.
"Okay, thank you already. If you have nothing else to do, go home quickly." The doctor smiled at him and prepared to leave. There were several other patients waiting for his treatment.
"I...I have one more thing..."
Just when Niu Fei finally mustered up the courage to speak, a waiter ran over with an anxious look on his face, "Doctor, we're short-staffed in the West District. If you don't have anything else to do, please come and take a look!"
Curing the disease and saving lives is the most important thing, so Niu Fei quickly stepped aside and watched the doctor leave. Niu Fei's head slowly drooped.
The doctor said that he could leave the academy to reunite with his family, but his family members were no longer around, so where could he go after leaving here?
Niu Fei fell into deep thought.
Today, a group of recovered patients can leave the academy. The doctor has already notified them all, and the academy is filled with a joyful atmosphere.
However, Zhao Mingsheng found that one of the young men had his head down and looked a little depressed. He did not look like a recovered person at all and was out of tune with the surrounding atmosphere.
Seeing this scene, Zhao Mingsheng paused and walked towards the young man.
"Why don't you look happy?"
Niu Fei was depressed for a while and was about to leave when he heard someone talking to him. He looked up and his eyes lit up instantly. It was the young lady who saved them! Over the past few days, everyone knew that if it weren't for the young lady's hard work day and night, they wouldn't have recovered so quickly.
Thinking of his previous plan, Niu Fei took a few steps forward eagerly.
Zhao Mingsheng was startled by the sudden approach of the young man in front of him. Fortunately, Yan Zhuo was standing by and stretched out his big hand to stop him.
"If you have something to say, just say it. There's no need to get so close."
Yan Zhuo spoke with some displeasure.
Only then did Niu Fei realize that no matter how powerful the young lady in front of him was, she was still a little girl after all. He rushed over like that and scared the little girl. He scratched his head embarrassedly.
"I'm sorry, I was so reckless."
Zhao Mingsheng waved his hand and asked, "Are you having any difficulties?"
Niu Fei said, "It's not difficult, it's just..." Niu Fei hesitated for a moment, then mustered up the courage to ask, "Can I stay?"
"Stay?"
"Um!"
Niu Fei nodded firmly.
"You guys saved my life. Seeing how hard you're working, I wanted to share some of the burden with you." Niu Fei's expression became resolute. "Let me stay! I'll do anything you ask me to do, as long as I can help everyone!"
Zhao Mingsheng had no reason to refuse someone like him who was grateful and took the initiative to stay and help. Moreover, once infected with the epidemic and recovered, one would not be infected again. Niu Fei would not be at risk of being infected again if he stayed to help.
She readily agreed: "Okay, then go back and report to the guys, they will make arrangements for you."
"Thanks!"
When Niu Fei heard that he could stay, he was so happy that his eyes were filled with smiles. After bowing several times, he ran to report to his waiter.
With the first patient leaving the academy after recovery, other patients, even if they haven't fully recovered yet, have become more resolute in their belief that they can be cured! The empty eyes that appeared when they first came in are now filled with hope and light!
A few days passed like this, and when the last patient recovered, the entire academy couldn't help but burst into cheers! Everyone's tense nerves finally relaxed at this moment.
After the cheers, suppressed sobs were heard from the crowd, including those of the patients, doctors and errand boys. Zhao Mingsheng glanced at Huang Furen standing aside and saw that he had secretly wiped away two tears.
It was tears of joy after surviving a disaster.
It is not only the patients who worry every day about whether they can survive. Others are also worried all day long. There is a risk of being infected if they come into contact with these patients every day. They have elderly and young children at home. If they are infected, the family will lose a pillar. However, they still resolutely stay in the academy, and no one escapes.
Fortunately, under strict protection, the source of infection was blocked in time and no one was infected. Everyone survived this crisis safely.
Zhao Mingsheng was genuinely happy for the people of Yanzhou, his eyelashes curved and his watery eyes were filled with smiles.
Zhao Mingsheng found that when he looked up, he met Yan Zhuo's gaze. They looked at each other, and there was smile in each other's eyes.
At this time, raindrops began to fall from the sky. When the moist rain air seeped into the dry land little by little and penetrated into the lungs with the breath, everyone felt mixed emotions.
Zhao Mingsheng took a deep breath of the moist air and exhaled slowly, feeling a sense of relief. She knew that the difficulties in Yanzhou were over.
I felt a little bit cold on my body, but warm inside.
"Would you like to go out for a walk?"
Zhao Mingsheng looked up and saw Yan Zhuo had opened an oil-paper umbrella at some point and came to her side, blocking the falling raindrops.
"want!"
Zhao Mingsheng said quickly.
As soon as I entered the city, I went straight to the academy and never went out again. I didn’t feel bored when I was busy, but now that I have some free time, I want to go somewhere else.
Suddenly, Zhao Mingsheng felt a weight on her shoulders. She tilted her head and saw a crescent-white fox fur coat draped over her shoulders. The white fur shone with silver light, and each strand was crystal clear, clearly worth a fortune. She was about to refuse when the original owner of the fox fur coat spoke up:
"It's cold outside, put on some clothes."
The autumn rain was falling. Although the rain was not heavy, it was still a bit chilly. Zhao Mingsheng did not refuse and accepted his kindness. He raised his hand and tugged at his collar. His white fingertips picked up the scattered laces and tied them carefully.
After putting it on, I immediately felt a lot warmer.
"Thank you."
The girl's voice was soft and gentle, making people's ears numb slightly, and attracted Yan Zhuo's glance.
The soft fur stuck to the girl's cheeks, and half of her face was buried in it. Her eyes seemed to be shining with water, and they looked bigger. The silvery glow made her face look even more rosy, making her look particularly delicate and cute.
Yan Zhuo looked ahead, but the stunning scenery he had just seen was deeply engraved in his mind.
He touched his slightly red cheeks and said calmly:
"Let's go."
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