During dinner that day, Jiang Fenglan drank rice porridge with pickles, and Huang Zhengguang across from her did the same, but next to him there was an extra glass of light brown wine, unlike his wife.
Jiang Fenglan saw that she had never seen the wine in front of Huang Zhengguang before. It seemed that he brought it back today. Seeing that he was just staring at it without drinking it, she asked.
Huang Zhengguang said with a deep look in his eyes, "This is the medicinal wine I brought back from Doctor Xiaotian today. I took some to try. He said that this wine is good for the body. I plan to try it tonight."
Jiang Fenglan thought that he had some minor ailments. Although they were not serious, he would feel uncomfortable occasionally. So she nodded without saying anything, lowered her head, drank her porridge and talked about other things.
Huang Zhengguang's eyes swept over his wife, then he lowered his head and smiled, taking a sip. "Tsk, good wine."
It tastes sweet and mellow, and although it contains medicinal herbs, it does not have any bitter taste. If you taste it carefully, you can find a light sweetness, and the flavor is very unique.
The next day, Jiang Fenglan slept until noon.
She rubbed her aching waist and sat up. It had been many years since she had done this. She touched her still rosy cheeks and spat with a smile, "What an old wretch! I don't know what he ate. He's already fifty years old, but he's still so energetic!"
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However, this rain provided the crops with enough water, and after two days of drying in the sun, the fields returned to their previous slightly dry state. Tian Cai also went up the mountain with a backpack on his back.
She had said before that she wanted to go to the mountains to look for wild strawberries or wild grapes, which she could transplant into her own vegetable garden so she could eat them whenever she wanted and achieve fruit freedom. Now that she finally had the time, she wandered around the mountains.
After wandering for three days, she finally found traces of wild strawberries in a remote valley, but she found wild grapes on the first day.
She used a hoe to dig a full basket of wild strawberries and carried them all back home. She planned to wait until the evening when the temperature in the vegetable garden was not so high before planting them. Then she would sprinkle some dew on them and they should be able to be eaten this year.
She put the strawberries away, changed into a pair of exposed straw sandals, and went to the well with a bucket of water. Just after she washed her feet, she saw Old Lady Shi coming from the village entrance.
This time she came here to find Tian Cai to see a doctor in Qingshan Village. Her eldest brother's grandson, who was born prematurely, was in poor health and didn't like to drink milk. The family had no money to take him to the health center, so Old Lady Shi said she wanted to come and find Tian Cai to see a doctor. The Shi family had been waiting for their son for a long time, and they were planning to borrow money to go to the county for treatment. But after hearing Old Lady Shi praising Tian Cai all the time, she asked her to come and try. If Doctor Tian couldn't treat him, they would still have time to go to the county.
Old Mrs. Shi doesn't know how to ride a bike, but Tian Cai does. However, she herself doesn't even know how to ride one, let alone bring someone else with her, so they might as well just walk to Qingshan Village together.
Before leaving, Tian Cai specially took two straw hats. Now that the scorching sun was shining on his body, it seemed that they had some effect.
"There are quite a few male descendants in our generation. I'm the only girl. Besides this eldest brother, I have two younger brothers, but one of them didn't make it and died at the age of six." Old Lady Shi wiped the sweat off her skinny wrist. The large palm-leaf fan in her hand was of no use at all, even worse than a straw hat. However, the straw hat was also scorched by the sun, and the wind it blew was hot, making it even more uncomfortable. She swallowed and continued, "But my eldest brother's branch of descendants is not so good. After decades of hardship, my nephew is the only child, and he's still in poor health. I don't know if it's because he didn't have a good diet in the womb, but he has grown up."
Mrs. Shi couldn't help but sigh when she thought of her eldest brother's family situation. "My nephew is already 35 this year. He's been suffering from illnesses both serious and minor these years. He can't do any tiring work in the fields. The family depends entirely on my niece-in-law and the two elderly people to support them. My eldest sister-in-law passed away a few years ago, and my eldest brother's health is not as good as before. And my nephew and niece-in-law keep having children. Isn't it getting worse and worse? The family can hardly make ends meet!"
Tian Cai now really enjoyed listening to this kind of family gossip, and couldn't help but ask, "How many children do you have now?"
Old Lady Shi gestured to her, made the number four, thought for a moment, and then waved her hand, making the number five. "Including this newly born one, there are five now. The first four were all girls, and now we finally have a boy. His physique is exactly like my nephew's. When he's born, he'll be no bigger than a mouse. I don't know if he can be raised."
Tian Cai: “…”
As long as there is no congenital disease, a premature birth of a month or so is not a big problem, and the baby can be recovered with careful care.
The two of them talked all the way. Thanks to the gossip that they had never heard before, Tian Cai didn't feel stuffy anymore. It was like he was listening to a story. His eyes were shining, and the more he listened, the more he wanted to listen.
Normally, Old Lady Shi would chat with the villagers under the tree at the village entrance. Sometimes, she couldn't get a word in because they were all so talkative. But now, she was the only one who could say it. Tian Cai was a very good listener. As the two of them walked together, she would listen, occasionally glancing at you. And most importantly, she was very cooperative with everything you said. And then? What happened next? Not very good! You're right!
People who gossip have a problem. As long as someone praises them, they will get more excited!
So when the two of them arrived at the door of Shi's house, Tian Cailian knew how many piglets the mission pigs in Qingshan Village had given birth to, how many males and females they were, and which piglets didn't like to eat.
"We're here, right here," Old Lady Shi said as she walked forward and pushed open the half-closed door. In the yard, a little girl about ten years old was sitting on a stool washing something. The wooden basin in front of her looked twice as big as her. Seeing Old Lady Shi coming in, she hurriedly greeted her, "Auntie, my grandfather is inside. It's hot outside, please come in and sit for a while."
She glanced at the girl next to her aunt and saw that she was wearing a straw hat. She didn't dare to ask who she was, but she felt that the half of the girl's face that was exposed looked a little familiar.
Old Lady Shi raised her chin slightly and nodded, "Zhaodi, this is Doctor Tian from Kaoshan Village. He's here to check on your brother. Why don't you hurry up and find your father?"
When Shi Zhaodi heard this, her eyes widened in surprise. No wonder she felt that Tian Cai looked familiar! She threw down the clothes in her hands and ran out, shouting to them as she ran, "Auntie, take the doctor in first. I'll go find my father!"
"That child, how fast can she run!" Old Lady Shi spat at the disappearing figure, then turned and said to Tian Cai with a smile, "It seems her father is not home. Shall we go in and check on the child first?"
Tian Cai had no objection, and the two of them walked into the house. As soon as they reached the door, they heard faint crying coming from inside.
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