Chapter 77: Building Snowmen

Doctor Yang carefully examined Zhu Yongwu.

“The bones aren’t injured, but the tendon is severely affected. It will take over ten days just for the swelling to subside. You’ll need to apply this medicinal wine three times a day, and after about a month of this treatment, it should be mostly healed,” Doctor Yang explained. “During this month, it’s best for you to stay in bed and avoid walking. If the injury doesn’t heal properly, it will be as painful as being pricked with needles on rainy days in the future.”

A month?

It was already the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month. If it took a month, wouldn’t he be spending New Year’s here?

Even though he had paid, lodging with this leg injury was already quite a burden on the household. Spending New Year’s in someone else’s home…

It just didn’t seem right.

“Doctor, is there any way to speed up the healing of my leg?” Zhu Yongwu asked. “I don’t mind if the treatment is expensive.”

“Even if you offer more money, I don’t have access to such high-quality medicinal ingredients,” Doctor Yang looked troubled. “If you want a faster recovery, you might need to go to the county. The doctors there are highly skilled, and they have a wide range of medicinal materials. They could prepare some ointments for you, which might help speed up the recovery.”

Go to the county…

With the snow outside nearly a foot deep, walking was difficult, and even carts couldn’t move. It was nearly impossible to travel to the county for medical treatment.

“Then, let’s leave it at that,” Zhu Yongwu thanked Doctor Yang courteously, paid the consultation fee, and received the medicinal wine.

He felt somewhat embarrassed that Doctor Yang had made an early morning trip just after the snow had stopped. Zhu Yongwu escorted the doctor into the main hall and treated him to a savory pork roll and a bowl of tofu soup.

By the time they had breakfast, Jiang Mixia and the others had already finished eating at home. They invited Zhu Yongwu and his son to join them. Jiang Youcheng, having just returned from his early morning outing, joined them as well, having only had a bowl of egg drop soup. In a gesture of camaraderie, he partook in the meal with Doctor Yang.

The winter spinach and tender tofu, combined with tofu balls, had been seasoned with a sprinkle of pepper and chili powder during cooking, and a dash of vinegar and sesame oil added at the end. The resulting flavor was rich and satisfying. On such a bitterly cold day, enjoying a steaming bowl of this soup with a side of savory pork roll was truly a delightful experience.

Doctor Yang enthusiastically drank and even had a second helping, enjoying two servings of the pork roll as well.

“This tofu soup is even more comforting than what you’d get in town,” Doctor Yang remarked after finishing his meal. He wiped his mouth and took out a small packet of medicinal powder from his bag. “I feel a bit guilty for eating so much. Here, this is a healing powder. If anyone in your workshop gets a bamboo splinter or a minor cut, just clean the wound, sprinkle some of this powder, and bandage it. It’s effective.”

“Thank you so much, Doctor Yang,” Jiang Youcheng hastily expressed his gratitude. “I’m sure this medicine is quite expensive. This meal alone doesn’t compensate for it. Let me get you some more money…”

Most medicinal ingredients were expensive, and Jiang Youcheng felt uneasy about taking advantage of Doctor Yang’s generosity. Unsure of how much to give, he prepared to offer a sum of money, intending to let Doctor Yang decide for himself.

“No, no, no, that’s too much formality,” Doctor Yang hurriedly declined. “I also benefited from this. Your pork rolls are delicious, much better than what my wife makes at home. I’m planning to bring a few back to enjoy a couple more meals, so consider this medicine as payment for those pork rolls.”

Hearing Doctor Yang’s words, Jiang Youcheng didn’t insist on giving money. Instead, he accepted the medicinal powder and then asked Madam Liu to pack more pork rolls.

A few extra ones.

After enjoying his fill, Doctor Yang happily took the pork rolls and departed.

Inside the house, Jiang Youcheng and Liu shi checked on Zhu Yongwu and Zhu Guangtai, discussing the injury.

“Once the snow melts, we have a cart at home. We’ll take you to the county to see the doctor again. Hopefully, that will help you recover faster,” Jiang Youcheng assured Zhu Yongwu, assuming that his eagerness stemmed from his desire to seek out his maternal grandfather’s family.

“Thank you, Uncle Cheng,” Zhu Yongwu expressed his gratitude.

“None of that polite talk. You paid, I accepted. You’re the tenant, and it’s the landlord’s duty to take care of the tenant, isn’t it?” Jiang Youcheng smiled, then stood up. “Alright, you rest and recover. If you need anything, just call us. The snow outside needs clearing.”

The snow on the roof needed to be shoveled, and the snow in the yard needed to be removed, or it would turn into a muddy mess when it melted, especially at the workshop.

So they quickly got to work.

“Guangtai, come, go and help Uncle,” Zhu Yongwu instructed his son.

“But he’s just a little kid. What help can he be?” Jiang Youcheng replied. “Actually, Xia and Yun were planning to build snowmen later. Dress warmly and go play with them.”

During their conversations yesterday, Zhu Yongwu had shared his situation, and he had also heard about Jiang Youcheng’s family.

In their household, there were the elderly couple, their daughter, and their daughter’s husband.

It wasn’t uncommon for the daughter’s husband to live with the wife’s family, and Zhu Yongwu didn’t think much of it. However, from last night until now, he had only seen a harmonious and amiable family of four.

In contrast to the usual portrayal of a daughter’s husband enduring hardship and mistreatment, Jiang’s family adored Song Jingyun to the extreme.

At the moment, Jiang Youcheng was even indulging him like a child, letting them go play and build snowmen.

Feeling increasingly fortunate to have encountered such kind-hearted people, Zhu Yongwu watched his son, unsure whether to help clear snow or join in building snowmen, and grinned, “Go play with Aunt Xia and Uncle Yun.”

“Okay.”

Although they were in unfamiliar surroundings, Guangtai was still a child at heart and happily went to find Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun.

Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun first helped clear the snow from the roof and yard, then piled up a large heap of snow in a corner of the yard and led Guangtai to play and build snowmen.

As Zhu Guangtai and Song Jingyun got along well, Jiang Mixia asked Song Jingyun to watch over Zhu Guangtai while she went to help at the workshop.

The workers in the workshop had almost finished clearing the snow and were now using carts to transport it outside, dumping it by the roots of the vegetable garden, allowing the snow to nourish the roots and soil.

Jiang Mixia, being strong, volunteered to help with the carts.

With several carts in motion, everyone pitched in, and by midday, they had nearly finished their tasks.

Upon returning home, Jiang Mixia noticed that the snowmen in the yard were also nearly completed.

The snowmen were placed prominently near the entrance, making them quite eye-catching.

However, their shape…

Not quite round, not quite flat, with no nose or eyes, it was unclear where the head ended and the body began. It was impossible to discern what it was supposed to be.

After Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun had spent the morning working on them, this was the result?

Jiang Mixia scratched her head with some perplexity.

It seemed a bit inconsistent with the usual character of her husband…