A-Lian, the wife of their neighbor Zhao Tiezhu, had just given birth a few days ago. In an era where even a common cold could be fatal, postpartum fever was no small matter.
It was already late at night. Not only was it uncertain whether a doctor could be found, but even if one were located, without a generous fee, no doctor would be willing to make a house call in the middle of the night.
Su Zhen couldn’t stand by and do nothing, especially since Mother Zhao had spoken up for them earlier that day. She had to go and check on them.
The Zhao household was already in chaos.
Zhao Dashan and his wife had turned the house upside down, gathering all the money they had, hoping that a doctor might make the trip to Su Village for the sake of the consultation fee.
But Zhao Tiezhu, clutching an empty, deflated money pouch, was frantic, his eyes red with worry. “With so little money, the doctor definitely won’t come.”
“Then kneel and beg him! We’ll owe him the money for now and pay him back later, no matter what!” Mother Zhao was also distraught, wiping away tears.
Having grown accustomed to the cold-hearted and ungrateful people in the Su family, Su Zhen felt a strong sense of warmth and humanity in the Zhao household.
The room was stuffy and airtight, with the windows sealed tightly. The weak A-Lian was covered with two layers of quilts but was still trembling slightly.
Remembering Mrs. Song’s warning, Su Zhen didn’t mention that she knew medicine. Instead, she simply felt A-Lian’s forehead and quietly slipped her hand under the quilt to check her pulse at the wrist.
Just as she had suspected, A-Lian didn’t have a cold. She was only slightly feverish, and the chills were due to postpartum weakness. In this situation, there was no immediate need to call for a doctor.
Moreover, A-Lian still had to breastfeed the baby, so she couldn’t take medicine carelessly.
“Mother Zhao, Brother Tiezhu, my late father often suffered from chills in the middle of the night, and a doctor once taught me a sweating remedy. Why don’t we try this remedy first? If it doesn’t work, we can still call for a doctor.”
Seeing the Zhao family hesitate, Su Zhen added, “Going to the city to fetch a doctor would take over two hours round trip. What if Sister-in-Law’s condition worsens in the meantime? It’s better to try the remedy the doctor taught me than to let Sister-in-Law suffer!”
The elderly couple mumbled uncertainly, unable to make a decision, but Zhao Tiezhu made up his mind. “A-Zhen, just tell me what herbs you need. I’ll go up the mountain to gather them right now!”
The back mountain had some medicinal herbs, and many villagers dug them up during the farming off-season to supplement their income. Zhao Tiezhu recognized a few of them.
“No herbs are needed.”
Noticing brown sugar and red dates placed by the kang, Su Zhen asked, “Do you have ginger? Slice three pieces of ginger, add five red dates and some brown sugar to boil in water. Brown sugar ginger and date tea can drive away cold and replenish qi and blood. Sister-in-Law A-Lian still needs to breastfeed the baby, and drinking this won’t affect the child.”
Mother Zhao nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes! I was so flustered I forgot. Brown sugar water is best for women after childbirth. I’ll go boil the water right away.”
There was a small pot for boiling water on the stove in the room. Su Zhen tossed a few red dates into it, scooped two spoonfuls of brown sugar, and added the ginger slices Mother Zhao brought over.
Soon, the sweet, fragrant scent of ginger and dates filled the room.
Once the water had cooled to a warm temperature, Zhao Tiezhu carefully fed it to his wife spoonful by spoonful.
After drinking half a bowl of the brown sugar water, A-Lian actually stopped trembling. Her cheeks flushed pink, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. Her voice sounded strong and full of energy—if Mother Zhao hadn’t stopped her, she would have sat up to breastfeed the baby!
The whole family was overjoyed. Mother Zhao’s eyes welled up with emotion as she tightly grasped Su Zhen’s hands, thanking her repeatedly.
Su Zhen responded politely, but inwardly, she was puzzled. The effects of that half bowl of brown sugar water were far too remarkable—it shouldn’t have been so pronounced in theory.
Given A-Lian’s condition, she would have needed to drink it at least ten times to achieve such a good effect. What exactly was different?
She glanced at the remaining brown sugar, ginger, and jujube tea in the small pot, a suspicion forming in her mind: Could this be the Golden Finger often mentioned in transmigration novels? Could the Medicinal Cuisine she personally prepared have its effects amplified tenfold?
If that were truly the case, she could leverage her medical knowledge to create Medicinal Cuisine. This would not only conceal her understanding of medicine but also allow her to set up a stall to earn money and help people treat illnesses and regulate their health. It would truly be a win-win situation!
However, preparing Medicinal Cuisine required capital. As a widow with children, they had nothing except that half bag of Chinese yam.
Thinking of Old Village Chief she had seen during the day, Su Zhen’s eyes lit up.
Mother Zhao and her family repeatedly expressed their gratitude and even tried to give Su Zhen money.
As neighbors, Su Zhen naturally refused to accept any money. Unable to resist Mother Zhao’s insistence, she finally asked for just a bowl of millet.
Households with women giving birth always prepared millet in advance. Moreover, since it grew in the soil, it wasn’t considered valuable. Knowing that Su Zhen’s family had just separated and had little to eat, Mother Zhao quickly scooped three bowls of millet for Su Zhen—enough to last them several days.
Su Zhen was overjoyed with the millet, grinning from ear to ear. After chatting with Mother Zhao for a while longer, she returned home to sleep.
Early the next morning, to test her suspicion, Su Zhen didn’t let Mrs. Song help with breakfast. From washing the rice to cleaning and cutting the Chinese yam, even tending the fire, she did everything herself.
When the steaming, fragrant millet and yam porridge was ready, her younger sister A-Qiao eagerly grabbed a chipped, coarse ceramic bowl, eating so quickly her cheeks bulged and grains of rice stuck to the tip of her nose.
The little girl patted her full belly contentedly, feeling completely at ease.
Su Zhen couldn’t wait to check her pulse, carefully feeling the thin wrist.
Excellent!
Just as she had guessed, A-Qiao’s pulse was much steadier than the night before. The millet and yam porridge had a clear effect—she truly had a Golden Finger!
With the Golden Finger in hand, all she needed was startup capital.
Su Zhen ladled a bowl of millet and yam porridge, informed Mrs. Song, and headed out.
Her younger brother Su Anyu caught up in a few quick steps. “Sis, are you going to Village Chief Grandpa’s house?”
This kid was clever indeed.
Su Zhen greatly admired her smart and quick-witted adoptive siblings. She nodded. “How did you know I was going to Village Chief Grandpa’s house?”
The little boy puffed out his chest proudly. “Because Village Chief Grandpa helped us. You must be going to thank him. It’s just… the thank-you gift…”
A bowl of millet and yam porridge? Not just in Village Chief Grandpa’s household—in the entire Su Village, no family was poorer than Su Zhen’s. The village chief surely wouldn’t care for a simple bowl of porridge.
Su Zhen naturally understood her brother’s concern and smiled mysteriously with confidence. “Don’t worry, Village Chief Grandpa will definitely like my thank-you gift.”
When the siblings arrived at the village chief’s house, his family was having a meal. Only Old Village Chief sat slumped in a nearby chair, looking troubled, with the food in the bowl before him barely touched.
The village chief’s family warmly invited the siblings to sit and eat, but Su Zhen politely declined. She placed the bowl of millet and yam porridge in front of Old Village Chief. “Village Chief Grandpa, this is porridge I just made this morning. Please try it!”
Old Village Chief listlessly opened his eyes but showed little appetite. “Grandpa is old now. Nothing tastes good anymore. You should keep it for yourselves.”
His eldest son, Su Changgen, also said, “Ah Zhen, your Village Chief Grandpa has been having stomach troubles lately and can’t eat much. You’ve just separated from the family, so food is tight for you. You should take this back!”
Su Zhen frowned slightly. Yesterday, she had noticed the Old Village Chief walking unsteadily and frequently holding his stomach, clearly showing signs of a weak spleen and stomach.
“Village Chief Grandpa, this is millet and yam porridge. Give it a try. I guarantee you won’t be able to stop after the first bite!”
Su Zhen’s eyes sparkled brightly. The Old Village Chief didn’t want to dismiss the younger generation’s filial gesture, so he smiled and took a taste.