Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 82 - 82: 79: The Dish is Ready!

Her gaze wandered through the bushes, trying to luck into a trove of wild mushrooms again, just like the previous time.

But she was disappointed!

There were wild mushrooms on the mountain, but the quantity was far less than the previous harvest. Even after scouring the entire hillside, she only filled the bottom of her basket.

Two bowls of cooked mushrooms might make a good side dish, which is not too bad!

Liu Sisi straightened up and wiped her sweat, then her eyes fell unintentionally on the base of another slope and were drawn to a patch of ferns.

There, left from either human activity or natural disaster, was a large area showing signs of a fire. From the ashes grew a swath of bright green, tender ferns, catching Liu Sisi’s eye immediately.

Aha! This proves that there’s always a way out!

She decided to prepare a cold fern dish when she got home. It would be delicious, complement rice well, and she wouldn’t need to worry about having no dishes to eat – it was a win-win!

She didn’t hold back, harvesting all of the tender ferns before starting her way home.

On the way, she stopped by the Chinese toon tree she’d seen last time and with some effort, cut down a bunch of young shoots to make scrambled eggs with Chinese toon at home.

It was already July. The reason these Chinese toon shoots were still young was thanks to the consistent harvest by people.

Getting late, Liu Sisi quickened her pace homeward.

When she got home, the two children had just returned, each carrying a basket of wild vegetables. Liu Sisi couldn’t help but sigh at how early the children of poor families learn to work!

She quickly washed two big pots, rinsed rice into one and made enough rice for two. In the other, she prepared a pot of coarse cereals porridge.

The rice was, of course, meant for the two doctors.

Over here, she carefully cleaned the wild mushrooms. By the time she finished, the water in the pot was boiling.

“Xuan’er, it’s getting late. Can you help mom start the fire?” asked Liu Sisi.

“Mom, don’t worry. I’ve known how to start fire since I was little,” Xuan’er replied, obediently taking a seat in front of the stove.

The midday summer heat was blistering, making people sluggish. The continuous singing of the cicadas outside was annoying, making one wish to jump into the river for a refreshing cold bath.

However, the sun was gradually reaching its zenith, and the host had not yet lit the stove.

Doctor He sat on the chaise lounge, where Elderly Mr. Di usually liked to lean on, tapping on the table every now and then, making a disconcerting noise.

The medicine pageboy was behind him, fanning him whilst dripping sweat.

The air was filled with a suffocating silence, only occasionally broken by one or two coughs coming from the wing room.

“Here it comes! The food is here!”

Someone suddenly shouted, and everyone in the courtyard started moving, rushing towards the door.

“Old gentleman, the food must be coming, isn’t it?” the pageboy asked excitedly.

Doctor He lifted his eyelids, his ordinarily slight tapping inadvertently missing a beat.

He looked at the pageboy and said coldly, “Quit nagging!”

“I, I’m just really hungry…”

The pageboy quickly lowered his head mumbling, and then couldn’t help but stretch his neck to look outside.

Liu Sisi, carrying a small basket, arrived in front of the old house, being greeted from afar by a tall figure.

Di Yelei rushed up to meet her: “Sisi, let me help you carry that!”

“No need, I can manage these last few steps. Go back home and bring the food I prepared in the water bucket. Remember to change your clothes after eating before coming back.”

Liu Sisi pulled away from his touch and said coldly.

She ignored him and walked straight into the old house through the main entrance.

“Third Son’s family, is this tiny amount of food you cooked going to fill our entire family’s stomachs? Are you trying to starve us, leaving no one with the strength to look after the Old Master, what is it?”

Ms. Zhang’s gaze skimmed over the small basket, and her sharp words immediately echoed.

“Mom, don’t worry, this is prepared for the old gentleman. Ye Lei has picked out the food for everyone else. Just wait a moment.”

Liu Sisi didn’t say anything else and went straight into the living room, where she saw the two doctors sitting leisurely.

She carefully put down the burden, smiled lightly and said, “Sisi was late and let you two wait for a while. Sisi will apologize first.”

“Hmm.”

Old Doctor He responded with a closed eyes and said no more.

Liu Sisi didn’t mind, she took off the grass mat covering the bamboo basket and placed it directly on the table.

This mat was handwoven by Di Yelei. The sealed and green and yellow bamboo strips depicted the pattern of a rich and lucky cloud pattern. After carefully spreading it out on the table, it instantly replaced the originally dull black color.

The old gentleman’s eyelashes twitched, but he remained still.

Liu Sisi’s movements were swift. In no time, there was a table full of dishes spread out on the table.

“Both of you must be hungry by now, please take your time.”

Liu Sisi said softly, then fetched a bowl of clear water from the very bottom of the basket and handed it over.

“Thank you.”

The medicine pageboy accepted it with a smile, swiftly helped Old Doctor He to wash his face and hands, and dried it off, before he started to serve the food.

“Hmph! What’s so great about that! I want to see what kind of dishes she can make!”

With a spit, Ms. Wang couldn’t help but twist her body, sneaking peeks from outside the living room with Ms. Zhang.

The food on the table was served in small white porcelain dishes, each filled only about seventy percent full, but each dish had a different color.

The medicine pageboy picked up the bamboo chopsticks and carefully picked up a loquat from nearby and put it in the old gentleman’s mouth.

“This is a loquat. Although it is a wild fruit from the mountain, it has the effect of removing phlegm and suppressing coughs. It is especially suitable to eat in the summer.” Liu Sisi’s clear voice came from the side.

Then, the medicine pageboy reached out with the bamboo chopsticks to pick up the second dish.

Two snow-white jade rabbits with red eyes, the two small rabbit ears stood up, looking extraordinarily cute.

“This is an egg rabbit, made with eggs laid by wild pheasants and decorated with diced carrots. It is easy to prepare.” Liu Sisi said with a faint smile.

The old gentleman took a bite and nodded almost imperceptibly.

The medicine pageboy then picked up the third dish.

“This is cold lettuce slices. The lettuce slices are arranged in patterns like sunflowers, and chili sauce is poured over it. It is both appetizing and refreshing.” Liu Sisi’s voice came again.

Once the lettuce entered his mouth, Old Doctor He frowned imperceptibly and leaned down a bit.

The medicine pageboy then picked up the fourth dish.

“This is summer scallion jade, made with half a small cabbage and blanched red-skinned white turnip. Arranged into red and white flowers with emerald green stems. The taste is sweet and sour, particularly appetizing.” Liu Sisi smiled confidently, and then withdrew the four cold dishes, replacing them with a few warm dishes.

Old Doctor He unintentionally sat upright.

———-

This chapter and the next one are cooking chapters. If you are not interested, you can skip the chapters.

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