Lu’s father smiled slightly, "For over a year now, Xiaoxue has often braved the mountains and rivers to collect medicinal herbs, even remembering to pick out the ones that could cure diseases as she foraged for wild vegetables with the children. After being prepared, they are stored in the medicine cabinet. With these, she’s managed to cure quite a few minor ailments, especially a lot of cases of coughing. There are all sorts of things like loquat leaves, Toad Grass, shepherd’s purse, honeysuckle, and so on."
Cheng Baoguo understood, "When the time comes, send Chinese medicine doctors to the countryside to prescribe treatments, selecting as much as possible medicinal herbs that can be found in the mountains and fields, and having nurses or obstetrician-gynecologists promote health knowledge."
At this moment, Feng Qingxue’s voice rose from outside, "Dad, Comrade Cheng, time for dinner! Ajiang, help bring out the dishes!"
Fearing her voice would carry and stir up controversy, Feng Qingxue announced him as ’Comrade Cheng’, but it was different when they were in the main room. She set the dishes on the table whilst saying, "Uncle Cheng, there’s nothing extravagant at home, please bear with us."
Cheng Baoguo glanced at the dinner table, "This is not good? This is no less than a state banquet."
Upon hearing the word ’eating’, Little Fatty’s body trembled, his hands instinctively reached out for the table, as he called out excitedly.
Feng Qingxue’s hospitality was extremely generous, the food on the table was abundant; a plate of spiced peanuts, a plate of cold pork head meat, a plate of scrambled eggs with leek, a plate of cured meat with red pepper, a plate of braised yellow croaker, a plate of stir-fried pork intestines, a plate of sour and spicy shredded potato, along with a large bowl of bok choy bone soup. Seven dishes and one soup, with corn-in-cob and whole grain rice as staple food.
"If Uncle doesn’t like rice, we also have rolls and mixed grain pancakes at home."
Cheng Baoguo sighed, "Being able to have a full meal is already a blessing from heaven, who am I to be picky? You guys are too kind, preparing so many dishes, I haven’t had such a hearty meal since I left."
"Let Ajiang open a bottle of wine. Enjoy a good meal today." Feng Qingxue laughed.
Cheng Baoguo could barely hold Xibao in his arms as he was struggling to dive onto the table, "Alright, alright, I will enjoy my niece’s hospitality today. But what will Xibao eat for lunch? Look at him, he’s so eager he’s smacking his lips."
Feng Qingxue had made him a steamed egg with minced meat, the meat was chopped very finely, leaving Little Fatty wanting more.
After Little Fatty finished eating, he started yawning continuously. Feng Qingxue cradled him to the bedroom to coax him to sleep. The kids in the house were very sensible, they quietly finished their meal, took their bowls and chopsticks off the table, and left the adults to chat and drink.
"Brother, your family is living a really good life." Cheng Baoguo wasn’t shy to admit, "The pork head meat is especially fragrant, I haven’t tasted it in a long time."
Lu Jiang attentively said, "We still have a big chunk at home, we’ll pack some for you to enjoy with your wine. It’s cooked, you can just have it cold and sliced at home, you will not have to worry about the aroma of cooked meat leaking out and alerting the neighbors."
Cheng Baoguo didn’t refuse, because his wife liked that kind of food.
Before leaving, he pointed at the basket and said to Feng Qingxue, "Xiaoxue, get the things out, I am taking the basket with me. I can’t bear to leave it with you. In the city, even baskets require money and coupons to buy, if there’s a hole in it we have to fix it."
The oilcloth underneath held quite a few things, a bag of Flying Crane milk powder, two cans of mixed goodies, and two pounds of cookies, as well as ten to twenty eggs.
"Uncle Cheng, wait a moment, I’m going to put these things in the kitchen." Feng Qingxue took the basket to the kitchen, took out the milk powder, cans, and cookies, and also took out the eggs. She picked out a few of the broken eggs and beat them into a bowl.
At this time, Lu Jiang came in, "Wife, pack up the pork head meat for Uncle Cheng."