The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 86

Jiedufu.

Zhu Xiu was sitting in the yard, holding a cattail leaf fan in his hand and a stove in front of him. There was a casserole on the stove, and the water in the pot was already boiling.

Zhu Xiu added some cold water to the pot and continued to let it cook. He gently shook the cattail leaf fan and his thoughts returned to Song Shen's old mother who was sick in bed.

After coming back, Zhu Xiu thought for a long time. Judging from Song's mother's symptoms at the beginning of the illness and her current illness, it was very likely that she had scurvy.

Scurvy was rare in Chinese history, and there had never been a large-scale outbreak.

Most of the records of scurvy in Western history can be traced back to the period of great voyages, where short-term outbreaks occurred due to the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables during long ocean voyages.

Historically, Chinese people had a more balanced diet than Westerners, and they also had the habit of drinking tea. Their intake of vitamins was relatively sufficient, so they were less likely to suffer from scurvy.

But there are exceptions to everything. Maybe Song's mother had some physical reasons, and her family had been in a miserable cold in the past few years. She followed Song Shen around to avoid the war, and her diet was too monotonous. After all, her body was weighed down and she fell ill.

Now, Song's mother has developed other serious complications. If not treated in time, she may not have much time left.

According to Zhu Xiu's speculation, if scurvy was the root cause of Song's mother's illness, then only when the scurvy was cured could the rest of the diseases be cured.

Unfortunately, the delay was too long, and Song's mother's health was basically broken. Even if Zhu Xiu found the root cause of the disease, he was not sure of the cure.

Ma San and Shi Lingyan entered the courtyard. Ma San carried a bottle of rice wine and a bowl of syrup, while Shi Lingyan carried a small cloth bag with some hawthorn and black beans in it.

After Zhu Xiu checked that everything was correct, he washed the hawthorn and black beans with water, put four taels of each into a casserole, poured the syrup into it, covered it with a lid, and fanned it hard to increase the heat.

"I'll do it, little official~" Ma San wanted to take over.

Zhu Xiu pushed him away: "Watch me carefully first and remember it in your heart."

Ma San thought Zhu Xiu was teaching him some new technique, so he hurriedly stared at it without blinking.

Bring the casserole to a boil and then add water. Add four bowls of water in total. When the four bowls of water are almost dry, add four ounces of rice wine and boil until warm. Take it orally.

"Zhu Xiu, what are you cooking again?" Shi Lingyan blinked his eyes and licked his lips with his little tongue, his face full of anticipation.

Zhu Xiu shook the cattail leaf fan and glanced at her: "This is medicine for treating illnesses. Do you want to take it too?"

"Zhu Xiu, you lied to me again! Who cooks medicine and puts syrup in it? It smells delicious!" Shi Lingyan spoke with a crisp voice, sucking her nose hard, her face delicate and innocent.

"Tch~ It's so rare~" Zhu Xiu rubbed her chin, her eyes wandered dishonestly at the little girl.

"Drinking this medicine is amazing! It can grow a big beard, just like your father's! The chest will become flat, just like mine. The face will be flattened, like Ma San, and the head will become bald, like Guan Tieshi!"

Zhu Xiu crossed her legs, looked at the frightened little girl with wide round eyes, and said slowly: "How about it, do you want to drink?"

Shi Lingyan hurriedly waved her little hand: "I don't want to drink it! It's clearly poison!"

Ma San laughed and said, "The little official is teasing you~"

Zhu Xiu glared at him angrily.

"By the way, Yan'er, I remember that you hid a lot of oranges, cabbage, dates, pomegranates, amaranth, etc. in the cellar, is there any more?"

"What do you want to do?" Shi Lingyan took a step back and stared at him warily.

Zhu Xiu handed the cattail leaf fan to Ma San, stood up, rubbed his hands and said with a flattering smile: "Good Yan'er, Jianghu is in an emergency, can you spare some for me?"

Without even thinking about it, Shi Lingyan shook his head vigorously and swung his two pigtails: "No! I saved those all and will eat them until summer!"

"That's it." Zhu Xiu put his arms around the little girl's shoulders and let out a long sigh, "Speaking of which, this is a sad story, do you know Judge Song Shen Song? He is the filial son of our Zhangyi Town."

Zhu Xiu told the story of a filial son who spent many years treating his mother's illness, but prayed for her to no avail.After hearing this, Shi Lingyan couldn't help but feel moved: "So, the medicine you cooked and the fruits and vegetables in my cellar can cure Mrs. Song?"

Zhu Xiu said with certainty: "If my judgment is accurate, then these things will definitely improve the old lady's condition!"

Shi Lingyan blinked and tilted his head to look at him: "Are you really not here to eat by yourself?"

Zhu Xiu flicked his sleeves and said seriously: "Am I the kind of person who covets food and drink?"

"What's behind that grass mound?" Shi Lingyan kicked away the grass mound in front of the stove with a flick of her little foot, revealing a pile of hawthorn cores.

Zhu Xiu was startled and glared at Ma San: "How brave Ma San! How dare you eat secretly behind my back?"

"Little official, I" Ma San was anxious and wanted to explain.

Zhu Xiu waved his hand to stop him: "No need to quibble! If you commit this crime for the first time, you will be fined and deducted from this month's wages! If you dare to say one more word, you will be fined for a whole year!"

Ma San's face was blushing, his neck was thick, and his eyes were full of resentment, so he could only pinch his nose to recognize it.

Zhu Xiu turned to flatter him and said, "Yan'er calm down, I have already punished him!"

Shi Lingyan looked at Ma San, then at Zhu Xiu, clenched her small fists and shook them vigorously in front of his eyes: "If you dare to lie to me, I will not spare you!"

"Hee hee, please forgive me!" Zhu Xiu pretended to beg for mercy, which made Shi Lingyan laugh.

"Wait! I'll get some right now!" Shi Lingyan was very impressed by Zhu Xiu's flattery and ran out of the yard jumping up and down.

"Huh~" Zhu Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and sat down with his butt next to the grass pier, finally fooling the little lady.

"Young official, my wages." Ma San's face was full of pain.

Zhu Xiu's face taught him a lesson: "San, it's not young master that I want to teach you. It's really what you did today that makes me so disappointed! As the saying goes, a little impatience leads to a big plan. Just a little money can make you anxious. Yes! As a person, you need to have a big picture and an open mind! Even if I am the secretary in charge, don’t I still work obediently and get paid for it? "

Ma San blushed, chattering.

"Three, you work hard and serve loyally. I see all of this. From now on, Changyi Town will be on the right track. You are the big housekeeper next to me. Are you afraid of being short of money? I won't be able to count it with ten pairs of hands by then. !"

Zhu Xiuxin swore and patted his chest, painting cakes for Ma San and brainwashing him.

Ma San was speechless, but he still stretched out his hand towards Zhu Xiu cautiously.

"What for?"

Ma San swallowed: "Money to buy syrup."

Zhu Xiu asked doubtfully: "There are some in the kitchen in the house. You can just go and get them. Where can I buy them?"

Ma San cried and said with a big cake face: "Shi Jieshuai gave this amount, saying that he would save the syrup in the mansion to eat the glutinous rice cakes, and the one who made the medicine for Judge Song asked you to buy it yourself, and wait for the salt money to come back. Count them all together”

Zhu Xiu's eyes widened, he jumped up and shouted angrily across the courtyard where Shi Kuangwei lived: "Old Shi! You bastard! You're a bastard!"

Ever since Zhu Xiu taught Shi Xiangwen to make glutinous rice cakes during the Chinese New Year, fry them in oil or roast them over fire, and eat them with syrup, they fell in love with this glutinous rice cake.

Ma San didn't dare to say a word when he saw Zhu Xiu's angry look. He secretly muttered in his heart, wondering who just mentioned the pattern and ambition.
Helpless, Zhu Xiu had no choice but to dig around in his purse and take out a piece of silver the size of a fingernail, and stuffed it to Ma San with distress: "Don't eat it secretly, save it!"

Ma San didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and he didn't know who secretly ate the hawthorn.

Ma San grabbed the money and went out to buy syrup, Zhu Xiu sat down slumped, his wallet was getting dry and empty, and if Bi Zhenhai didn't come back, he and the Jiedu Mansion would be in the embarrassing situation of having no money to use.

(End of this chapter)