Over these two years, every household in Dongchen Village planted quite a lot of sesa. Jiang Sanlang even paid to learn the technique of extracting sesa oil from a workshop specializing in making castor oil.
When he returned, he taught his eldest brother-in-law’s son, Daniu, how to extract oil, and even had him build two huts at the market just outside Dongchen Village to serve as an oil mill specifically for sesa oil extraction.
Of course, Daniu also buys sesa and sells the oil he extracts. His business is thriving, with people from surrounding villages coming to buy his oil, leaving him barely able to et demand.
Nowadays, every family in Dongchen Village loves to use fragrant sesa oil when cooking their vegetables and rice, even using less lard.
Yingbao led her second senior brother ho, just as her mother finished roasting the sesa.
Spring Lady cheerfully brought the roasted sesa seeds to the table, preparing to crush them, and said to her daughter, “Baobao, if you want so, just grab a handful and try. It’s really fragrant.”
Yingbao grabbed a handful for herself, before signaling her second senior brother to do the sa.
Zhang Min had no qualms about grabbing a handful and chewing on it.
He has to admit, the roasted sesa was truly fragrant.
This was his first ti eating roasted sesa, and it had his mouth watering.
“Don’t eat too much, it can give you a headache,” Yingbao said. “Wait until Mom crushes the sesa, then we can mix it with sugar and taste.”
Nodding, Zhang Min turned to Spring Lady, “Auntie, let help you crush them.”
“No need, I can handle it on my own. It’ll be ready in a bit,” Spring Lady answered as she took a rolling pin and spread the sesa seeds on a clean board. She rolled with all her might, and the freshly roasted sesa seeds were so crisp that they were quickly crushed into bits.
The fragrance of the sesa grew even stronger.
Spring Lady transferred the crushed sesa into a clean pottery jar, left so aside, mixed it with sugar powder, and added a little boiling water to make two bowls of sesa paste. She handed one to Zhang Min, “Here, have a taste.”
Zhang Min took it and was soon enraptured by the aroma with each mouthful.
Spring Lady then gave the other bowl to her daughter, “Baobao, you too, have a taste.”
Yingbao took a spoonful for her mother and one for herself, and soon her bowl of sesa paste was empty.
“Would you like a bit more?” asked Spring Lady.
“No need, too much sesa is cloying,” Yingbao responded as she took her and her second senior brother’s bowls to wash.
Zhang Min, fueled and hydrated, went out for a stroll and bumped into Huzi, who had co back for water. The pair huddled together, whispering about their martial arts training.
Yingbao ignored them, sitting inside chatting with her mother. “Mom, why is our weaving workshop empty?”
Pinching a piece of cloth to cut into a dress for her daughter, Spring Lady explained, “The cotton at ho has all been spun and this is the busy farming season, so all the weavers went ho for farm work.”
“And our cloth, has it all been sold?” asked Yingbao.
Spring Lady pointed to the dozens of bolts of cotton cloth piled up in the room, “Your father exchanged them for goods at Sin Town’s cloth shop. We’ve kept these here for family use. It saves us buying cloth for festival or occasional needs. We have all we need at ho.”
Pausing for a mont, she went on, “Sister Dani and the Zhang Family have set the wedding date, and they will get married next spring. Sigh, ti flies, Dani is getting married and your father and I are getting old.”
Spring Lady’s sigh was not about Dani getting married, but about her own little daughter growing up fast. In just five or six years, they will have to find her a match.
The thought of her daughter getting married made Spring Lady’s heart ache.
Once she marries, her visits ho will beco less frequent. Even though Spring Lady didn’t want to admit it, once a daughter is married off, she basically becos part of another family, and her returns ho are like those of a guest.
Yingbao gave her mother a serious look, “Mom, you’re not old at all, there are no wrinkles on your face.”
Spring Lady chuckled and touched her face, “Who says I don’t have wrinkles, look at these deep forehead lines.”
“I have forehead lines too.” Yingbao tried to raise her eyebrows high, causing two creases to appear on her forehead.
Spring Lady playfully touched her daughter’s forehead, laughing, “Where do you see forehead lines on you?”
Touching her own forehead, Yingbao said, “I’ll make a moisturising cream for mom. Apply it every night. Your skin will definitely beco fair and soft. That’s how the noble ladies in the city care for their faces.”
“Great, I look forward to Baobao’s skin cream.”
After the mother and daughter chatted for a bit, they heard soone outside shouting, “Is Mrs. Xu ho?”
Chunniang quickly put down the scissors in her hand and went out to check.
The visitors were two n in green robes and a middle-aged woman, who did not look local.
“What can I do for you?” Chunniang wiped her hands on her apron and looked at them.
The woman stepped forward to bow, “My surna is Wang, I’m from Willow Village. I’m here with my husband today to ask the little Divine Doctor for help.”
Only then did Chunniang turn her gaze to the man by her side.
One man was unsteady on his feet, being supported by his companion, his face extrely pale.
Chunniang frowned, unsure if she should agree. At that mont, Yingbao ca over and said, “Please have a seat.”
She led them to the grape arbor in the courtyard and asked the woman, “What’s wrong with the patient?”
The woman walked behind her husband and lifted his collar, “My husband has an abscess on his back that hasn’t healed. Recently it’s gotten much worse. I beg the little Divine Doctor to have a look.”
Yingbao went over to inspect and indeed saw a pus-filled abscess the size of a fist on the man’s lower neck, emitting a strong odor.
“The doctor in our village said it’s a carbuncle.” The woman said, wiping the corner of her eyes with her hand.
“Carbuncle?” Yingbao frowned.
She knew about the treatnt for carbuncles, but it required first cutting open the abscess to drain the pus, then cutting away the necrotic flesh, and afterward preventing infection. Any carelessness could be fatal.
But this man’s carbuncle was extrely large. If she recklessly operated, he probably wouldn’t be able to take it.
Seeing Yingbao’s hesitation, the woman all of a sudden knelt before her, “I beg you, little Divine Doctor, please save his life.”
Yingbao was faced with a dilemma, “His carbuncle has beco severe. If I were to treat him, I’d have to cut him open and remove the necrotic flesh. The process is risky. If complications arise, can you bear it?”
The woman was stunned.
The sick man raised his head to Yingbao and said, “I beg you, little Divine Doctor, operate.”
He had already tried several drugstores and even the county’s health departnt. At first, they operated on him, but later the abscess recurred, and maggots developed inside. He couldn’t bear it and wanted to end his life. But soone told him that in Dongchen Village of Chuanhe Town, there was a little Divine Doctor who didn’t just treat anyone, but all her patients fully recover.
Yingbao replied, “If that’s the case, we shall sign a contract first. If cured, you must pay the dical expenses. If not healed, you can’t bla .”
She couldn’t guarantee that she could completely cure him. If she couldn’t, she didn’t want to be falsely accused.
“Okay!” The man agreed without hesitation.
Afterward, Yingbao went into the house to get a brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and wrote a contract on the spot, making all three of them leave their handprints.
Of course, she, the contracting party, also left her handprint.
Chunniang even specifically went to invite Clan Leader Chen Fu and two village elders over to leave their handprints as witnesses.
Now it was ti to prepare for the operation.
Doing it at ho was definitely not feasible. Yingbao asked her mother to clear out a room in the weaving workshop outside the courtyard for the man to stay temporarily.
Then, Yingbao began to sterilize the scalpel by boiling it in a clay pot.
She also prepared a jar of strong alcohol.
dicine like dandelion, licorice, and astragalus were essential.
But these were only stopgaps, they could only temporarily alleviate the symptoms.
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