Chapter 227 Celebrating the New Year Together
After breakfast, Lin Qi and Xu Hexiao started to pack up. First, they wrapped the raw chicken with oilcloth and put it in the backpack, then put a large bag of mushrooms, a large bag of red dates, a large bag of wolfberries and a large bag of angelica. Lin Qi thought about it and found a box to put a few smaller ginsengs. These ginsengs were just grown a few months ago and were about the same size as the ginsengs that had grown outside for six or seven years. However, the medicinal effects were incomparable to those ginsengs that had grown for six or seven years.
At this point, one backpack is full.
She found another backpack and put a jar of jujube honey, a bag of various dried fruits, and finally a clay pot wrapped in cotton cloth, which contained chicken soup.
The couple each carried a backpack and walked out of the house, walking very fast. When they passed by the supply and marketing cooperative, they used up all their egg coupons and bought 47 eggs. After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, they hurried to the hospital.
"It's freezing and snowy, how come those two people are walking so fast, like flying."
"Maybe there's something urgent going on."
Each bed is allowed to have one caregiver stay to keep watch. Cao Zheng was worried about Zhao Hanshuang, so he did not go back and stayed in the hospital all night.
When Xu Hexiao and Lin Qi arrived, Cao Zheng was having breakfast and Zhao Hanshuang was still sleeping. Seeing the two of them each carrying a large backpack, Cao Zheng was a little scared and quickly put down the things in his hands and helped them take down the backpacks behind them.
"Why did you bring so many things?" At this moment, Cao Zheng wanted to cry. He couldn't remember how many times Lin Qi and Xu Hexiao had helped him in times of need.
Xu Hexiao patted his shoulder and said, "It's not a valuable thing. Leave it to my sister-in-law to nourish her body."
Lin Qi took out the clay pot of chicken soup from her backpack and put it on the cabinet beside her. Then she sat on the bed and pinched Zhao Hanshuang's slender wrist with her fingers.
"Hanshuang woke up once at four in the morning. She was probably too tired, so she has been sleeping until now." Cao Zheng explained, "Sister-in-law, are you taking her pulse?"
"Yeah." Lin Qi responded. She was indeed taking Zhao Hanshuang's pulse, but it was just a casual check. Her main purpose was to input some supernatural powers into her to make her feel more comfortable.
Zhao Hanshuang was indeed very weak. She had been in a coma due to the double blow to her body and spirit. After Lin Qi's ability entered her body, her cold body warmed up and she slowly opened her eyes.
Zhao Hanshuang often heard Lin Qi's name. Her husband and mother-in-law liked her very much and were grateful to her. But this was the first time they met. She never knew that the person her husband often mentioned was actually so beautiful.
Zhao Hanshuang thought she was not bad looking, but compared to the person in front of her, there was a huge difference! The other person was not only good looking in appearance, but also in his temperament. He was clean and bright from the inside out, with a kind of transcendent and ethereal spirit that was not tainted by the world.
Is this really the mother of seven?
She obviously looks no more than seventeen or eighteen years old!
God has been really kind to her.
Lin Qi untied the cotton from the jar. The jar was still hot, and as soon as she opened the lid, a fragrant aroma came out. Zhao Hanshuang, who had been hungry for a day and a night, smelled the smell and her stomach growled.
"Brother Cao, quickly scoop some chicken soup for my sister-in-law, otherwise it will get cold soon." Lin Qi reminded Cao Zheng.
Cao Zheng immediately took a spoon and scooped a full bowl. "Sister-in-law, your chicken soup comes at the perfect time. I went to the cafeteria this morning to look for chicken soup, but the cafeteria said it was too early in the morning and there was no chicken soup. Your chicken soup is really delicious."
"It smells really good." Zhao Hanshuang sniffed it and felt even hungrier. "Thank you He Xiao and my sister-in-law."
"Don't be polite, sister-in-law. Drink it while it's hot. After you finish it, there's more. We brought chicken and various ingredients. This clay pot is left for you. Ask Brother Cao to cook it for you." The hospital can rent a stove and charge by the hour.
Cao Zheng thanked him again and again. He didn't know what else to say except thank you.
Cao Zheng and Xu Hexiao went outside the ward, while Lin Qi stayed in front of the bed and talked to Zhao Hanshuang.
In addition to Zhao Hanshuang, there were other patients and their families in the ward. Everyone smelled the chicken soup and the sound of swallowing saliva could be heard one after another.
"Why does this chicken soup smell so good?" a patient whispered.
"Yes, it smells really good." She had never made such a delicious chicken soup.
"Mom, go ask. I want to drink chicken soup, too." The little girl on the hospital bed acted coquettishly to her mother.
"Okay, then I'll ask."
When Lin Qi heard the woman's question, she counted on her fingers and said, "I stewed wolfberries, red dates, mushrooms, angelica and a few slices of ginseng together. There's no special technique involved. I guess it's because the ingredients are of good quality."
The woman wrote down what Lin Qi said, "Shiitake mushrooms and red dates are still available, and wolfberries and angelica are also available in pharmacies, but this ginseng should be expensive."
When Zhao Hanshuang heard about ginseng, she looked up at Lin Qi with a complicated expression, "Sister-in-law, ginseng is not cheap. Why did you put ginseng in the soup? It's too expensive."
A faint smile appeared on Lin Qi's lips. "The young ginseng is a few years old. I bought it from farmers who collect herbs. It's not expensive."
Zhao Hanshuang opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but Lin Qi scooped a chicken leg into her bowl and said, "Eat it. It's important to nourish your body. Keeping your body healthy is the most important thing."
The woman listened to Lin Qi's words and said, "That's right, the money is spent, and good health is the most important thing."
Zhao Hanshuang hummed in a depressed tone, biting the soft and rotten chicken leg, and inexplicably wanted to cry.
This was the second kindness she had felt from a person in all these years. The first was her lover Cao Zheng.
After drinking chicken soup and eating a lot of chicken and mushrooms, Zhao Hanshuang felt her stomach was full. But she didn't feel uncomfortable at all, instead she felt warm and comfortable.
Zhao Hanshuang got up and went to the bathroom, then lay back on the bed and felt sleepy again.
Seeing this, Lin Qi suggested going back.
The things still needed to be carried in a backpack, so Lin Qi and Xu Hexiao left the backpacks behind and walked out empty-handed.
When I got home, it was just after ten in the morning.
Lin Qi went to accompany the children, while Xu Hexiao and Zhao Shu went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Not long after lunch, the family gathered together to make dumplings.
When they were in Anliang Brigade, they did not have the habit of eating dumplings during the New Year. Now they have adapted to the local customs and the whole family gathers around the fire to make dumplings, which is quite enjoyable.
Before it was completely dark, Xu Hexiao went out to invite Weng Song and Mu Huaishan. He was dressed in black, with a hat and scarf, with only his eyes exposed. If you were not very familiar with him, you would not recognize him at all.
When Xu Hexiao arrived at the residence of Weng Song and Mu Huaishan, it was just getting dark. The two old men also prepared a New Year's Eve dinner, dumplings, but only dumplings, filled with eggs and mushrooms. The flour, eggs and mushrooms were all provided by Lin Qi.
The two old men had already wrapped the dumplings, sixty in total, just thirty for each person.
"Do you want to cook it now?" asked Weng Song.
"Cook it. After eating, make up some stories for the children." Mu Huaishan said.
Weng Song nodded, "Okay."
On days like this, if you don't find something to do, you're bound to have wild thoughts.
Boom boom boom!
"Mr. Weng, Mr. Mu, it's me, Hexiao." Xu Hexiao said outside the door.
Weng Song and Mu Huaishan looked at each other, and a smile appeared on their faces.
See, not everyone has forgotten about them.
"You said you would invite us to spend the New Year at your place?" Weng Song asked in surprise, with a hint of disorienting joy in his heart.
I don’t know if it’s because people get older, but they become afraid of being alone, especially on the most important days of the year, they also hope to have their family around them.
"Qiqi, the children and I hope that you two can come over for the New Year's Eve dinner." Xu Hexiao made a sincere invitation.
Weng Song and Mu Huaishan looked at each other and saw the excitement in each other's eyes, but reason prevailed, "But, our identities--"
"Don't worry, Qiqi and I have ways to prevent anyone from discovering you. Besides, it's New Year's Eve, it's freezing and snowy, and everyone is staying at home. Who would come to investigate? Even if someone comes to investigate, Qiqi and I will escort you out. As long as they don't catch you in the act, you don't have to worry about anything." Xu Hexiao persuaded, "You haven't seen the kids for a long time, don't you want to go see them and talk to them?"
When it comes to children, the hesitation of Weng Song and Mu Huaishan disappeared.
Zhao Shu knew that Xu Boxi's four children had teachers, and he also knew that the two teachers would come to have New Year's Eve dinner together tonight. He knew that although the two teachers were down and out now, they were once great writers.
Zhao Shu believed that he was no match for such people, and he dared not look down on them. When the two teachers came, he also wanted to go with Lin Qi and the children to pick them up.
"Godfather, you stay here and look after the three little ones. The children and I will go and pick up the two teachers." Lin Qi stopped Zhao Shu who was standing up.
After hearing this, Zhao Shu sat back down.
This was the second time that Weng Song and Mu Huaishan came to Lin Qi's house. Compared with the last time, this time was obviously more lively and warmer. They had not walked a few steps into the door when the four children surrounded them, greeted them in clear and orderly voices, and bowed to them.
Weng Song and Mu Huaishan said hello repeatedly, their eyes sore.
"It's windy outside, let's go inside and talk." Lin Qi reminded.
A group of people went into the room.
There were three stoves in the living room. Two of them had pots on them, stewing something, and one was boiling water.
"The food is ready. We can eat while chatting. Now, I'll scoop some hot water. Everyone line up to wash your hands." Lin Qi said.
As soon as she finished speaking, the whole family, young and old, lined up obediently with smiles on their faces.
The three elders sat in the main seats. Zhao Shu was the first to pick up his chopsticks, followed by Weng Song and Mu Huaishan, and then Lin Qi's family.
The three little ones had already eaten rice porridge. Lin Qi gave each of them a chicken claw and asked them to play with it. They then gnawed on the chicken claw without crying or making a fuss. They looked at this and that with their big blinking eyes, looking naive and cute.
Zhao Shuben thought that as an elder, he should play the role of a chatterbox, and he was worried about what to talk about with these two scholars. But in the end, he was not needed at all, and he couldn't even get a word in - the four children pestered their two teachers, asking questions one after another, almost leaving them no chance to breathe.
Fortunately, there were two teachers. While one was answering a question, the other would seize the time to eat a bite of food or drink a sip of wine.
As for the two parents, they silently picked up food for each other, occasionally taking care of the three children, and hardly spoke.
Dinner lasted from eight to ten o'clock. During the meal, Lin Qi wiped the hands and mouths of the three children and took them back to bed. Xu Hexiao went to the kitchen to boil water for washing dishes or taking a bath later.
The four older ones are still asking their teacher various questions.
At ten o'clock, Xu Hexiao interrupted the four children and said, "It's getting late. You should go to bed."
"But we still have a lot of questions we want to ask the teacher." The eldest brother Xu Boxi was reluctant to leave.
"Then you can ask the teacher to stay." Xu Hexiao said, he turned to look at Zhao Shu, "Godfather, you can stay here tonight. Qiqi and I have prepared new clothes for you, from inside to outside. We also have shoes."
Zhao Shu was a little surprised. This was the first time that the couple invited him to spend the night here.
Xu Hexiao didn't give Zhao Shu a chance to refuse. "I'll go get you new clothes and shoes. There are also slippers. In addition to yours, there are also slippers for the two teachers. You can change into them after taking a shower, or you don't have to take a shower. Towels are also prepared for you."
"Since you want to wear new clothes, I'd better wash them." Zhao Shu said happily. His godson and daughter-in-law had prepared everything, which showed that they really wanted to keep him.
Hehe, from now on he can live on both sides.
Unlike Zhao Shu's cheerful agreement, Weng Song and Mu Huaishan were nervous and at a loss.
Can they really stay?
"Teacher, you guys just stay here."
"Mom and Dad prepared three bunk beds in our room, with quilts and blankets, so there's enough space for many people to sleep."
"Teacher, it's dark, cold outside, and snowing. You should stay here."
"Teacher, I still have many questions to ask you."
“........”
The children grabbed the hands of the two teachers, shaking them and acting coquettishly.
Weng Song and Mu Huaishan were almost convinced.
"Teachers, please stay and have breakfast tomorrow morning before going back." Xu Hexiao said.
Now, the two teachers no longer had any worries.
That night, the three old men all took a bath and changed into clean clothes.
However, Lin Qi's family did not take a bath, but just soaked their feet.
Lin Qi and Xu Hexiao were sleeping in the master bedroom, and they could hear voices coming from the study next door.
"There is no desk in the study room. All the desks are used to place beds. It's called a study room, but it's actually another bedroom." Lin Qi said. Nowadays, the children practice calligraphy and read books on the dining table.
The living room and dining room are integrated, there is no sofa, but a square bed of 1.8 meters long and wide, with a one-meter high guardrail, where the three small ones usually stay. The four older ones often take off their shoes and go up to play games with the three younger brothers on the bed.
"Why don't we tidy up the warehouse and put the things in the warehouse into the cellar?" Xu Hexiao suggested.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. The rice, flour, grain, oil and other things we eat on a daily basis should be placed in a cabinet or in the warehouse, and the other things should be stored in the cellar. In the empty space, we can build a bookshelf, put a few desks and chairs in it."
"Okay. I'll sort them out during these few days off."
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