I Became a Medical Genius in the 80s

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Cooking Porridge

Qin Hongmei lost face and didn’t stir up any more trouble; everything would be put off until she recovered.

Beisitian saw that Mrs. Qin was very worried, Luo Anping was also scared stiff, and even her father-in-law, Luo Anguo, was stretching his neck out to look, his face heavy with concern. Her guilt in her heart grew even deeper.

”Mom, don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I’m just pretending for them to see!” Beisitian said with a bitter smile, revealing the truth.

Luo Anping’s small dark face was full of seriousness, ”Sister, don’t talk anymore, just lie down quickly.”

Saying this, he reached out his small hand, attempting to push Beisitian’s head back onto the bed.

Seeing this, Beisitian quickly lay down properly.

Mrs. Qin sat on the long bench in front of the cabinet, her face unchanged and silent. She didn’t believe a word of what Beisitian said. Whether a person is sick or not is obvious at a glance!

She was angry inside—angry at Qin Hongmei, angry at her mother-in-law, and angry at herself.

Angry at Qin Hongmei for making trouble out of nothing, angry at her mother-in-law for foolishly listening to gossip, angry at herself for agreeing to deliver the water.

”Mom, I really am pretending!” Beisitian could tell Mrs. Qin was angry from her sullen face.

No matter what Beisitian said, no one in the family believed her; she had no choice but to resolve to take good care of herself.

Starting the next day, Mrs. Qin wouldn’t let her get out of bed again; Luo Anping continued to herd sheep as usual, while Mrs. Qin continued cooking and taking care of the household duties.

Beisitian always felt as if she had shot herself in the foot.

Fortunately, she ’recovered’ quickly. After a week, she was able to get out of bed and move around. After discussing it with Mrs. Qin several times, she regained the responsibility of cooking.

For others, cooking was just work. Everyone preferred to sit and wait for food, but for Beisitian, cooking was a kind of enjoyment. She loved preparing medicinal dishes, which not only satisfied her appetite but also improved her health.

Although the village’s conditions were limited, being backed by mountains provided a plethora of resources. The other day, she noticed there were still some hawthorns in the grass basket at home that no one had eaten, so she decided to make hawthorn porridge.

Hawthorn porridge can strengthen the spleen and stomach, eliminate food retention, and remove blood stasis, which was very useful for her current condition. Unfortunately, her home didn’t have japonica rice, only cornmeal, and the sugar was sealed away by Mrs. Qin, affecting the taste.

Beisitian was particular and knew how to enjoy life. She couldn’t get japonica rice, but she could find a substitute for sugar.

Sweetroot, which grows underground and is dug up by children for snacks, was the perfect sugar substitute, especially since it’s warm-natured.

Luo Anping didn’t let her down. After returning from herding sheep, he placed a bunch of sweetroot at the edge of the bed, still with dirt on it.

After cleaning the sweetroot, Beisitian steamed out its sweet water, then simmered hawthorns to extract the juice, using it to make porridge and adding the sweetroot water afterward.

Luo Anping had already prepared a hot pot table in the east room, setting pickled vegetables and corn buns, just waiting for the hawthorn porridge.

Beisitian’s cooking was much tastier than Mrs. Qin’s. Luo Anping was thrilled that she could cook again.

When Luo Anping saw Beisitian bringing in two bowls of steaming porridge, the golden cornmeal had a light red tint, making it look very appetizing.

He quickly went out to fetch two more bowls from the stove.

”I’ve never heard of using hawthorns to make porridge before; this is really something new!” Mrs. Qin huffed.

”Let me try a sip.” Luo Anping couldn’t wait and took a sip, gasping for air afterward as it scalded his tongue to a numb state.

”Slow down, no one is going to fight you for it!” Mrs. Qin said irritably.

Mrs. Qin blew on the porridge and put the first bite into Luo Anguo’s mouth.

Luo Anguo was indifferent to food; as long as it filled his stomach, it was fine—being a disabled person, what more could he ask for?

Luo Anguo smacked his lips and, surprised, couldn’t help but say, ”Delicious!” He then gobbled up the second spoonful Mrs. Qin offered.

Seeing this, Luo Anping hurriedly blew on the porridge, having not tasted the flavor with the first too-hot mouthful. But he knew his father had never outright praised anything as delicious.

Luo Anping blew on the surface and put it in his mouth. A slightly sweet and tart flavor filled his mouth instantly; his taste buds felt like gentle rain after a long drought, pushing him to drink a second mouthful, despite its heat!

”Drink slowly, there’s more in the pot.” Beisitian laughed.

It’s a pity it was cornmeal porridge; if it were japonica rice, the flavor would be even better.

Beisitian considered herself not a perfectionist. Given the limited conditions, she could only satisfy herself as much as possible on this basis.

Seeing that they all drank with delight, Mrs. Qin’s curiosity about the hawthorn porridge grew.

When Luo Anguo’s arm felt less heavy, he took the bowl from Mrs. Qin’s hand and began drinking by himself, so Mrs. Qin picked up her bowl.

Putting it in her mouth, Mrs. Qin paused, the sour and sweet flavors indeed tasted very good!

It had been so long since there was any decent food in the house. Seeing the Luo family father and son drinking bowl after bowl, she sighed internally, deciding to let Little Tian’er fuss in the future and not to intervene.

A big pot of porridge, with each of the four people drinking two bowls, was all gone, while the corn buns on the table were eaten less. Beisitian placed them back in the basket and hung them up again before starting to tidy the table.

Having listened to Mrs. Qin’s instructions, Luo Anping now knew to take the initiative to help clean up, much more sensible and considerate than before.

”Sister, I found some new varieties again; I’ll tell you tonight!” Luo Anping’s eyes narrowed into slits, smiling so broadly his teeth showed. But seeing Beisitian’s glance, he quickly added, ”Don’t worry, sister. I didn’t go to dangerous places!”

That night, Luo Anping still nestled in the west room telling Beisitian about the flowers and plants he’d seen nearby. Most were useless, with only a few being beneficial.

”Ping’an, the foot of the mountain is full of herbs. Why doesn’t anyone in the village make a living selling herbs?” Beisitian was always curious about this question.

Living by the mountain and selling wild herbs is indeed a viable livelihood.

”I heard that people used to come to collect them, but they found this place too remote, so they gradually collected less. In recent years, no one’s come from outside,” Luo Anping said.

Understanding, Beisitian nodded, just as Mrs. Qin came over carrying a sewing basket.

”Your father has gone to sleep; I’ll patch shoe soles in this room,” Mrs. Qin said.

”Mom, can you still do it with your eyes like that?” Beisitian frowned.

”I’ve been doing it for years; I can do it without seeing!” Mrs. Qin was a bit proud; the soles she’d patched in the past had such fine stitches that they wouldn’t wear out even after years!

Seeing Mrs. Qin carefully stitch through with an awl, Beisitian realized it did not seem to affect her much.

”Why is Mom patching shoe soles?” Beisitian asked.

The family’s shoes were all in decent shape and had backups to wear, so new ones weren’t needed anytime soon.

”To sell at the market; even pocket money is money,” Mrs. Qin threw a bundle of braids to her. ”If you can weave, then weave some.”