Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Lu Yuan shot an exasperated glance at the grandmother and grandson, then turned to Qiu Hua with a gentle smile. "Of course your mother isn’t ugly. Your mother is the most beautiful and prettiest mother in the whole wide world."

Though Qi Cheng couldn’t see, her soft voice assured him that her expression was equally gentle.

Yet, as he listened, a strange feeling crept in—it sounded as if she weren’t talking about herself at all.

Old Lady He, feeling a touch of guilt for her earlier muttering, eagerly offered, "There’s still some porridge in the pot. Would you and Chun Hua like some?"

Lu Yuan shook her head. "I’ll pass, but let Chun Hua have some."

She placed the ground beans inside the house, safe from rats.

After a brief rest, she picked up the water buckets again, preparing to leave. To the two children, she said, "I’m going to fetch some mountain spring water. Be good while I’m gone."

Qi Cheng frowned slightly, facing the direction of her voice.

Since her return, she hadn't spoken a word to him. Was she angry?

Had he said something wrong?

Lu Yuan only carried half-buckets of water at a time, necessitating two trips.

On her second trip back, she encountered a villager who asked, "Qi family's wife, are you fetching mountain spring water again to make soy milk?"

Lu Yuan responded with a smile.

The villagers weren't fools. Every time she fetched mountain spring water, it was the day before the market. They could easily guess its purpose.

Soon, others might start making douhua with it too. Who knew if she could still make money from it in the future.

She couldn’t just rely on selling soy milk anymore. She needed to consider making douhua.

She had never made it before, but thankfully, short videos offered tutorials. She had quickly skimmed through one and planned to meticulously recall the steps tonight. After returning from the market tomorrow, she would attempt to make it.

Perhaps because sugar and bittern were costly, no one at the market sold douhua.

She couldn’t think of a substitute for bittern, but malt syrup dissolved in water could provide sweetness when served with douhua.

She would make it first. If the taste was good, she'd calculate the cost and decide the price per bowl. After selling it at a stall a few times, if business was good, she would continue; otherwise, she would abandon the idea.

By the time Lu Yuan returned with the water, the sun had begun its westward descent, signaling the approach of dusk.

Old Lady He had already started preparing supper.

Lu Yuan wiped her hands and entered the kitchen. Seeing Old Lady He chopping chicken, she advised, "Your grandson has just recovered. His stomach has been weak for so long and isn’t ready for greasy or tough foods yet. This chicken needs to be skinned, finely minced, and then simmered in porridge until it’s soft and tender."

Old Lady He asked doubtfully, "But Doctor Wu didn’t mention anything like that?"

Lu Yuan replied, "My grandfather was a barefoot doctor. Although I didn’t learn much from him, I still know what patients need to pay attention to during recovery."

Old Lady He looked at her in surprise. "How come I never heard you mention before that your grandfather was a barefoot doctor?"

Lu Yuan answered, "You never asked, Old Lady He."

Old Lady He was momentarily speechless. After a pause, she grumbled, "You never mentioned it at all. How was I to know your ancestors had such a person? Why would I have asked?"

Lu Yuan nodded. "Yes, yes, it’s all my fault."

"Your mouth—I really feel like sewing it shut with a needle," Old Lady He said.

Lu Yuan joked, "That won’t do. If my mouth is sewn shut, how will I sell soy milk or cheer you up?"

Old Lady He was amused by her words and grumbled, "You’re always joking around."

Lu Yuan smiled, then added, "The mushrooms we didn’t sell earlier can be cooked with the chicken. We can also cook some rice to mix with the sauce. It’ll be delicious."

Old Lady He stepped aside and said, "Then you take over."

Lu Yuan took charge, skillfully chopping the chicken.

Old Lady He said, "Tonight, we need to boil the medicine for you and Sheng Geer. When should we prepare the deworming medicine for Chun Hua and Qiu Hua?"

Lu Yuan replied, "Tomorrow afternoon, after I return. The children are still young, and we don’t know how they’ll react to the medicine. We need to watch them closely."

Old Lady He nodded in agreement. "You cook, then. I’ll go give Qiu Hua a bath."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan paused her actions and teased, "Hearing them call you ‘Great-Grandmother’ really makes a difference. In the past month, you never bathed the children."

Old Lady He said, "How could it be the same? If they call me Great-Grandmother, then they’re like my own great-granddaughters."

"Besides, I’ve been so worried about Sheng Geer that I couldn’t sleep. How could I have had time to care for your two daughters?"

As she spoke, Old Lady He walked out of the kitchen and tested the water that had been sitting out in the sun.

The temperature was just right, and there was enough for both children to bathe.

The utility room, whose roof had been blown away, had become a temporary bathing area.

Old Lady He carried the water inside and called Qiu Hua over.

Since Lu Yuan started selling at the market, she had been busy most days. Old Lady He often took care of Qiu Hua, carrying her frequently, and they had developed a bit of a bond.

Children know best who treats them well. So when Old Lady He called, Qiu Hua happily ran over.

As Old Lady He bathed Qiu Hua, she thought about boiling a pot of hot water later to bring to the room for Sheng Geer to wash up.

Lu Yuan finished preparing supper, brought it to the table, and called out loudly, "Dinner’s ready!"

Soon after, she saw Qi Cheng emerge from the room wearing a gray short coat, his short hair damp, and holding a bamboo pole.

He suited short hair quite well, but she guessed it would only be this once. Once it grew longer, he probably wouldn’t cut it again.

Lu Yuan turned and went into the kitchen to brew the medicine, then brought out the chicken porridge as well.

Qi Cheng’s stomach was weak, and the two children’s weren’t much better, so she had cooked extra porridge for them to share.

She served porridge into their bowls and gave them some chicken and mushrooms.

"Mosquitoes are plentiful at night. Once you’re done eating, go back to your room."

Old Lady He said to her grandson, "Li Niang says your stomach can’t handle greasy food right now, so just have porridge for now. In a few days, I’ll sell another chicken and cook it for you."

Although Old Lady He had given almost all her money to her granddaughter-in-law, she was still doing embroidery work and had some income.

Qi Cheng said, "Grandmother, I’m not craving anything. I’ll eat whatever there is."

Compared to those months lying in bed, surviving on liquid food every day, things were already much, much better now.

After supper, Lu Yuan quickly went to bathe to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes after dark.

After bathing, she went to the kitchen to wash her face with water from washing rice.

The rice water had been boiled and was now cooled.

After washing her face, Lu Yuan brought some into Old Lady He’s room.

She washed the faces of both children and stayed to chat with them for a while.

Old Lady He said, "You’re done washing up, yet you’re not going back to keep your husband company. What are you chatting about here?"

Lu Yuan: "What do you mean, 'man'? That’s your grandson, Grandma."

Old Lady He: "He’s my grandson, but isn’t he also your man?"

Lu Yuan: "I’ll head back in a little while. I’ve been busy all day today, so I should have some time with the children too."

As she spoke, she looked at Qiu Hua and said, "Qiu Hua, say after me: My name is Qiu Hua, and I live in Weishan Village."

Old Lady He asked, puzzled, "Why are you teaching her these phrases?"

Lu Yuan: "If the child ever gets lost, at least she can tell others where she’s from. If she meets a kind person, they might bring her back."

After saying this, she continued to Qiu Hua, "Come on, say it with me: My name is Qiu Hua."

Qiu Hua blinked and spoke slowly, word by word: "My... name... is... Qiu... Hua."

Lu Yuan’s face broke into a bright smile: "Qiu Hua, you’re amazing!"

Being full really makes a difference. Even the usually dull-eyed Qiu Hua now seemed to have a light in her eyes.

Hearing Qiu Hua speak, Old Lady He also looked at her in surprise.

Previously, this child could only say one or two words and seemed rather simple-minded. That’s why, when talking to her grandson earlier, she hadn’t paid much attention to Qiu Hua. She hadn’t expected her to understand so well.

Having been praised, Qiu Hua broke into a smile after a moment.

Lu Yuan rarely saw Qiu Hua show any expression, so this greatly encouraged her.

She continued teaching slowly: "I am from Weishan Village."

Qiu Hua opened her mouth and repeated: "I... am... from... Wei... shan... Village."

Although the pronunciation wasn’t perfect, she got several words out. Lu Yuan didn’t hold back her praise.

"Little Qiu Hua, you’re so clever! You remembered it so quickly. Come on, let’s say it again."

……

Listening to the laughter and talking from the next room, Qi Cheng suddenly felt his own room was rather lonely.

After about a little while, the sounds from the next room quieted down. A moment later, he heard the sound of a door creaking open.

Qi Cheng called out toward the doorway: "Li Niang?"

Lu Yuan: "What is it?"

She walked over, took a comb from the bedside, and began combing her hair.

Qi Cheng was silent for a moment before asking, "Are you angry?"

Lu Yuan glanced at him, puzzled: "Why do you say that?"

Qi Cheng: "You haven’t spoken to me since you came back from grinding the beans."

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and asked, "I haven’t spoken to you?"

Qi Cheng nodded: "No."

Lu Yuan finished combing her hair, sat on the bed, and said, "Could you scoot over a bit?"

Qi Cheng shifted closer to the wall, leaving the outer side for her.

"If I don’t speak to you, can’t you speak first?"

Qi Cheng: "I thought you were angry because I mentioned your appearance to Grandmother."

Lu Yuan took off her shoes and got onto the bed, placing the comb under the pillow. "I’m not that touchy. Besides, I know I don't look my best right now."

After a moment’s thought, she added, "Just so we’re clear, even if I don’t look great now, you’re not allowed to call me ugly. I don’t like hearing that."

Hearing that she wasn’t actually angry, Qi Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Appearance, whether beautiful or plain-looking, doesn’t matter much to me after facing life and death. I truly don’t care what you look like."

Lu Yuan immediately sat up straight: "But I care! What woman doesn’t want to be pretty? I do too. Once I earn some money, I’ll buy skin cream, rouge, and makeup to dress up."

Qi Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Then later, when I earn money, I’ll give it to you. Spend it however you like."

Lu Yuan pouted as she lay down: "First let's get your eyes treated. For now, I’m relying on myself. I’m not depending on anyone else."

Qi Cheng lay down beside her. Compared to last night, he was more accustomed to it tonight.

After a long silence, he asked, "If my eyes don’t get better, you…"

Lu Yuan interrupted him: "Even if they don’t, you still have hands and feet. You can do physical work."

"Besides, your eyes can still detect light now. Even if they can’t be fully cured, after some time, you might regain some vision on your own. Then you’ll be able to manage on your own and work just fine."

At the end, Lu Yuan asked curiously, "If you could see again, what would you want to see first? A person or a thing?"

Qi Cheng: "I’d like to see Grandmother, and also see what you look like."

Grandmother has been worried for months—has she grown more white hair?

He also wanted to see Lu Yuan. It wasn’t about whether she was pretty or not; he just didn’t want to know what she looks like only from others' descriptions.

Lu Yuan: "Alright then. I look forward to the day your eyes recover."

Since he always thought she wasn’t good-looking, she would take better care of herself these days. Once he regained his sight, we’ll see if he can even recognize her.