pappabearbooks Chapter 95 Rewarding the Child Who Was Crying for Food!
Chapter 95 Rewarding the Child Who Was Crying for Food!
Chapter 95 Rewarding the Child Who Was Crying for Food!
The lung qi has been exhausted; it's a death trap that even a celestial being couldn't save!
A few sips of sugar water, a few breaths of cool air, and that's how—he was saved?
"Keep kneading! Don't stop!" Li Shimin reacted and grabbed Xiao Sizi's shoulder as if he had grasped a lifeline.
"Um!"
Little Sizi's face was flushed from exhaustion, and her forehead was covered in sweat, but she dared not stop using her hands for even a moment.
Squeeze and release.
The gurgling sound of water echoed in the silent palace, a sound more beautiful than any celestial music.
Half an hour later.
Empress Zhangsun exhaled a long breath and slowly opened her eyes.
Although extremely weak, his eyes were clear, the eyes of someone who had truly come back to life.
"Jiro----"
The voice was faint, but no longer hoarse.
"Yes! I'm here!"
Li Shimin held her hand and pressed it against his face, his stubble scratching the back of her hand, and wiped his tears and snot on it. "Guanyinbi, I'm here."
"What's that noise? It's so noisy!"
Empress Zhangsun turned her head slightly, looking at the strange thing by the bedside and her youngest daughter, who was sweating profusely and struggling with the leather tiger.
"That's the rhinoceros lending you some energy."
Li Shimin burst into laughter through his tears, a laugh that was more painful than crying, "That's because our daughter is extending your life."
Little Sizi's hands were so sore they felt like they were about to break, but when she saw her mother wake up, she grinned, revealing the gap in her mouth where she had a missing tooth, and smiled brightly.
"Mother—does it still hurt?"
Empress Zhangsun's heart softened, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
She wanted to reach out and touch her daughter, but she didn't have the strength, so she could only nod gently.
Li Shimin turned to look at the imperial physician kneeling on the ground, his warm expression instantly vanishing, replaced by a cold, hard expression.
"You saw everything?"
The imperial physician trembled and kowtowed desperately: "Your Majesty, I saw it! Your Highness is blessed with boundless good fortune, this divine object—"
'
"Get out of here! Go and study this prescription for me! If it still doesn't cure the disease, I'll tear down the Imperial Medical Academy!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Your Majesty, I will go immediately!"
The imperial physician was overjoyed at being granted a pardon and scrambled out of the room, but before leaving, he couldn't help but glance back at the gurgling, magical furnace.
The hall was quiet.
Li Shimin walked over and tenderly took the leather tiger from Xiao Sizi's hand.
"Father, come here, Sizi, rest for a while."
He has a strong grip, so his hands are steady when he squeezes.
"That kid Su Mu—"
While acting as a human respirator, Li Shimin looked at the copper dome with a complex expression, "It really is—very eerie."
"Father."
Li Lizhi stood aside and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her calves were cramping. "Su Mu said that this black liquid is called 'Autumn Pear Syrup,' and this stove is called a humidifier bottle. He said it can cleanse the air."
"Cleanse the air—"
Empress Zhangsun murmured the two words repeatedly, a weak smile playing on her lips. "This name—it's quite fitting. It feels like my very being has been cleansed, purified."
"Does he want any more rewards?" Li Shimin asked.
Li Lizhi thought for a moment and shook her head: "He didn't say anything, just that it was a dream from a deity. He also said—if it can't be cured, it won't get worse anyway."
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then laughed in anger.
"You bastard."
He was cursing, but his eyes were full of laughter.
"It can't be cured, but it won't get worse either—only he would dare to say such nonsense."
Looking at the tireless bubbling bottle, Li Shimin suddenly felt a strong curiosity about the boy who spent his days hiding in the woodshed slacking off.
Just how many shocking things are still in this person's head?
The morning mist hadn't completely dissipated yet, and a few drops of dew clung to the leaves of the large locust tree in the backyard of the imperial kitchen, landing with a soft thud on Su Mu's forehead.
It's cold.
Su Mu didn't move, remaining slumped in the bamboo chair, only shifting the palm-leaf fan covering his face up a little.
Yesterday's ordeal, though I didn't exert much physical effort, left me mentally exhausted.
Treating Empress Zhangsun's illness was a life-or-death matter, and it was only because of Xiao Sizi's sake that it was a favor.
"Brother!"
The shout was full of energy, and even before anyone was seen, the festive spirit wafted in on the wind.
The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Xiao Sizi rushed in like a small cannonball.
Today she changed into a pinkish-brown ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her hair was neatly combed, and there were red strings tied to her two little buns, which bounced as she ran.
"Brother! Mother's better now! Mother's not out of breath!"
Little Sizi pounced on Su Mu's legs, tilting her little face up, her big eyes curving into crescents, filled with stars.
"That black liquid is amazing! Mom stopped coughing after drinking it! And that stove with the blowing steam, Mom slept so soundly!"
Su Mu reached out and brushed her disheveled bangs aside, finally feeling a huge weight lifted from his heart.
It's stable now.
Once the acute phase is over, you can gradually recover.
However, this illness is a disease of the wealthy, and it is also a long-term battle.
The climate of the Tang Dynasty was dry and cold in winter and filled with flying catkins in spring, which was a torment for the respiratory system.
Empress Zhangsun's lungs were riddled with holes, making it difficult to completely eradicate them.
Su Mu's fingers accidentally touched Xiao Sizi's warm cheek, and his heart sank slightly.
This girl has this problem too.
It's too early to tell now that he's young, but if he's still cooped up in this deep palace when he gets older, he'll become a problem sooner or later.
We need to find a way to get some food therapy recipes that nourish the lungs and replenish qi, and eat them for a long time.
"That's good."
Su Mu tossed aside the palm-leaf fan and sat up from the bamboo chair. "Now that Mother is better, shouldn't we settle another score?"
Little Si blinked, looking confused: "Settling accounts? Settling what accounts?"
"A few days ago, someone was crying and begging to eat meat, and even said that if they lost a tooth, they would blame me."
Su Mu stared at her mouth with a half-smile. "Where are your teeth? Are they still there?"
Little Sizi instinctively covered his mouth, his tongue pressing against the loose front tooth.
It's still there, but it's even more shaky now.
"Yes, I'm here!"
The little ox released its grip, baring its teeth at Su Mu, "I'm saving it to gnaw on the bones!"
"Okay, as long as it doesn't fall off, I'll make you that sweet and sour pork ribs that makes the neighbor's kid drool."
Su Mu stood up and walked to the cutting board.
The pork ribs that were prepared in advance were carefully selected baby ribs with fine bones and tender meat.
The knife rises and the knife falls.
Boom!
The ribs were chopped into small pieces, only the length of a thumb. This size was just right, enough for a little one to eat in one bite, without having to tear them apart, the meat could be easily separated from the bone with a gentle suck.
Place the ingredients in a pot of cold water, add ginger slices and cooking wine, blanch, and skim off the foam.
Remove from the water and drain.
Next comes the main event—caramelizing the sugar!
Su Mu poured a little oil into the pot and threw in a handful of rock sugar. He simmered it over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula.
The rock sugar melts in the hot oil, first bubbling up large bubbles, then turning into fine, small yellow bubbles, and the color changes from transparent to an enticing jujube red.
The timing and temperature control are the most challenging.
If you don't make money sooner, you won't reap the rewards; if you don't, you'll suffer later.
Just as the syrup turned a deep red, Su Mu poured the ribs in.
Sizzle—!