Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

chapter 79

Chapter 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.