Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 469 The adults’ high-profile visit is the best publicity

The strong men nearby and the three injured people were very grateful when they heard that the families had found shelter and food. They bowed and saluted the two adults, saying, "Thank you, adults."

Just like that, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, before dawn, Shen Yu's family began to get busy and had no time to care about the various customs of the first day of the New Year.

By the time everyone worked together to paste window paper on the four rooms that were originally intended to be used as dormitories and settled all four families, it was already dawn and the new year had begun.

New year and a new look.

The new thing about Shen Yu's house is that it has begun to transform into a canteen and a clinic, providing meals for nineteen people every day and caring for patients.

Among these 19 people, there was a 10-month-old baby, two elderly people in their 70s who walked with a tremor, and three injured patients.

Early in the morning of the first day of the first lunar month, four families checked into the inn one after another, bringing with them cotton-padded clothes and beddings they had rescued from their own houses.

After morning dawn, the snow became much lighter, but there were still small snowflakes falling slowly, and from time to time the cheerful and loud sounds of children playing could be heard on the street.

Li took Yutao and Yucheng to visit their neighbors and several close ladies to wish them a happy new year, then hurried back.

Everyone was busy cooking ginger soup, hot porridge and some meals for the group of people who had been frozen for half the night. They also stewed chicken soup for the baby's mother to prevent the baby from going without food.

For the whole morning, the four families were in a bad mood. They were all discussing which relative to go to for shelter, and the women would cry from time to time.

Shen Yu's family was so upset that they didn't dare to laugh or smile. Not only were they tired, but they also felt depressed.

Shen Yu originally thought that this was the limit, but he didn't expect that there were more embarrassing things to come.

In just the morning, seven or eight people developed symptoms of varying severity of colds, either because they were frightened or because they had stayed in the snow for too long after their houses collapsed.

Some were groaning with fever, others were starting to hold their breath and cough, and there was also the occasional kitten-like cry from a baby.

They were so scared that they had to set up another house farther away to move these people in temporarily and keep them separate.

Shen Yu's original good plan, thinking that after seeing off the governor, he could enjoy the New Year holiday by traveling around leisurely, was completely ruined.

Doctor Sun, who was dozing off in the kitchen stove after a tiring night, was hurriedly woken up and taken to the inn.

Fortunately, after treating several people, it was determined that it was not an infectious disease, but just a cold.

Doctor Sun prescribed different prescriptions according to different symptoms.

However, all shops are closed during the Chinese New Year, and pharmacies and hospitals are no exception.

The runners who stayed behind got the prescription and had to go back to ask for a warrant from the county magistrate. Only then did they find the owner of the drugstore after many twists and turns and open the door.

After the owner of the drugstore called the clerk in charge of dispensing medicine, the runners finally got the herbs for treating injuries and colds according to the prescription written by Doctor Sun.

After the medicine was brought back, it didn't take long before a strong smell of medicine began to fill the air above the inn, which was out of place with the occasional festive firecrackers going off around and the faint smell of gunpowder in the air.

On the second day of the first lunar month, the snow that had brought both joy and worry finally stopped, and the air became fresh and clear.

The rising sun shines on the snow, making it impossible to open your eyes.

On this day, the county magistrate did not send a carriage to pick up Shen Yu to go to the county government office to cook.

Instead, he came to the restaurant in a very high-profile manner with the prefect, sitting in a carriage with obvious official emblems, and accompanied by two legal advisors and several yamen runners.

The adults visited several families who were still staying in the inn, waiting for their relatives and friends to vacate their houses to receive them.

I also went to see the food prepared for these families in the restaurant's kitchen.

The steaming rice porridge is fragrant and thick. The pork and cabbage stewed in the big iron pot are bubbling and emitting an enticing aroma.

The two adults expressed their satisfaction and gave Shen Yu's family some very literary praise.

They were encouraged to overcome difficulties and take good care of these four families until they could each seek refuge with their relatives and friends.

Shen Yu responded with a smile on his face, but he was complaining in his heart.

Originally, if I was just staying here, it wouldn't be a big deal. At most, I wouldn't be able to go out for a few days, which would be a bit hard.

But when a few more patients came in, she became really worried because she lacked confidence in her medical skills at the time.

I am afraid that the patients' conditions will get worse, and then I won't be able to explain myself. Not to mention my merits and hard work, it would be good enough if I don't get sued for it.

After the adults finished their inspection, they did not leave but instead suggested having lunch here.

Shen Yu didn't know what the adults were up to, but it was obvious that they didn't stay because they really wanted to eat hotpot.

Fortunately, the ingredients and soup base are ready.

Jiang and the others were busy preparing the cutting and washing of various ingredients.

Shen Yu contributed his spicy soup base made from lard that had solidified into blocks, and after boiling it with broth, he quickly served the two adults a spicy and delicious dandelion hotpot.

Unexpectedly, the prefect didn't mind the cold and ordered the doors of the restaurants and shops to be opened wide and the cotton door curtains to be lifted.

On the most conspicuous table at the door, the two adults and their masters ate the steaming hot pot together.

Some people who were visiting relatives and friends or sightseeing were passing by and were curious about why the restaurant was still open during the Chinese New Year, so they stopped to take a look.

The yamen runners followed the two masters' instructions and spread the news of the inn's good deed of taking in and caring for these four families.

The people living nearby then realized why the snow in front of the Fengnian Restaurant was simply swept away and no one came out to make a snow lion.

It turned out that the shop owner took his whole family to take care of the people affected by the disaster and do good deeds.

The Chinese New Year is the time when every family gathers together.

As word of this kind act spread, kind-hearted people from the neighborhood came to bring them food, clothes, money, and some even drove mule carts to deliver firewood and grass.

One pass ten, ten pass a hundred.

When several wealthy families in the county heard that the prefect and the county magistrate were coming to visit in person, they told their housekeepers to donate a large cart of food and firewood and unload them in the yard of the inn.

This made Shen Yu's whole family feel relieved.

Although my family stocked up a lot of food and charcoal for heating during the Chinese New Year.

But with the sudden appearance of nineteen more people, the consumption of food and heating is huge, and there are also patients, who need heating and nourishment even more.

Those ingredients and charcoal fire wouldn't last more than a few days.

It was Chinese New Year at that time and all the shops were closed. Even if you had money, you had nowhere to buy things.

Once the problems of food and heating are solved, the rest of the things will be much easier to solve.

Because of the Chinese New Year, we couldn’t find any craftsmen to repair the house, so we could only wait for relatives to come and pick them up.