Chapter 36: Chapter 23: Juhua’s Dad Fell and Broke His Leg (Part 2)

Juhua waited until Zhao San was far away before stepping forward to gently roll up her father’s left pant leg. His entire knee was terribly red and swollen, his lower leg looked twisted, and a long, ugly gash gaped open.

She couldn’t hold back her tears. ’If they can’t fix his leg, what will we do? Won’t life be even harder for our family? How could Zhao San talk about such a serious injury so lightly? Does he think I’m just a child he can fool!’

Although Zheng Changhe was in immense pain, he forced a smile when he saw his daughter’s face and tried to comfort her. “Juhua, it hurts a little, but it’s really not a big deal! That Doctor Qin is an excellent physician, or your Uncle Zhao San wouldn’t have sounded so confident. Now, stop crying!”

Juhua didn’t dare to move him. She first poured him some water to drink, then went to the kitchen and boiled a pot of water. After scalding several old cloth towels, she gently cleaned the area around the wound. ’It’s a shame the liquor we have is so cheap and weak,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, I could have used it to disinfect the wound.’

Just then, the sound of urgent, heavy footsteps—THUMP THUMP—came from outside, and Yang Family rushed in. Her face was a mask of panic, and her hands were caked with mud. “What happened? You were perfectly fine when you left, and now you come back being carried?” As she spoke, her eyes reddened, but seeing Juhua nearby, she managed to hold back her tears.

Zheng Changhe laughed. “Look at you. I just spent forever calming Juhua down, and here you go again. I just fell from a slope into a gully and hurt my leg. You’re not a child, so what’s all the panic for? You’ll make our daughter worry too. Third Brother has already gone to get Doctor Qin. As soon as he’s here, he’ll fix me up, won’t he? I’ll just have to rest in bed for a few days, that’s all.”

Yang Family wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, only then noticing her hands were covered in mud. She forced a smile and said, “It just caught me by surprise—Zhao San didn’t explain it clearly. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

Zheng Changhe replied, “I didn’t eat much on the mountain this afternoon. Juhua, why don’t you soak a bowl of scorched rice for me?”

Juhua quickly interjected, “Father, with an injured leg, you need to be careful about what you eat. There are a lot of foods you shouldn’t have. We should wait for Doctor Qin to take a look and see what he says. For now, I’ll make you a bowl of noodles. I’ll also start stewing this wild pheasant so you can have some broth later.”

Yang Family said hurriedly, “That’s definitely one of the restricted foods! The scorched rice is brushed with shrimp paste. Just make a bowl of noodles and add two eggs.”

Zheng Changhe had no choice but to agree. But he felt awful, and everything tasted bland. He desperately craved the fragrant scorched rice—it was precisely because he loved it that Juhua always brushed it with shrimp paste whenever she made it—but for now, he had to endure.

It suddenly hit him how hard it must be for Juhua, who had to avoid so many foods all the time.

Juhua made a large bowl of noodles, adding a small spoonful of lard—a bit of fat she had insisted on skimming from the pot of braised pork back when they were digging the well. She topped it with two tender poached eggs, vibrant green spinach, and chopped scallions. The aroma made Juhua’s own mouth water.

They rarely indulged in noodles like these. Her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Wang, had brought over two pounds on her last visit, and they had been saving them ever since.

Zheng Changhe took the bowl his daughter offered. His mouth watered at the sight of the picture-perfect noodles. He picked up a mouthful with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. ’Mmm! This is delicious, every bit as good as the scorched rice.’

He chuckled and said to Yang Family, “Our daughter’s cooking is simply the best.”

In one go, he finished the entire huge bowl of noodles and both poached eggs. He let out a satisfied burp, handed the bowl to Juhua, and sighed contentedly. “I feel much better. Even my leg doesn’t hurt as much.”

His content, simple-minded expression made Juhua smile.

Seeing his spirits had improved, Yang Family also cheered up. She said to him, “Once Juhua stews that pheasant, I bet you’ll want to eat the whole thing yourself.”

Zheng Changhe laughed. “After all the trouble I went through, I have to save some for my daughter.”

Yang Family said, “Our daughter is so sensible, you think she’d mind? You should get some sleep. I’ll wake you when Doctor Qin arrives.” As she spoke, she covered him with a thin quilt.

Zheng Changhe nodded and closed his eyes to rest.

Qin Feng arrived quickly, with Zhao San following him. Zhao San was worried they might need help and, with Qingmu not at home, he wanted to be there to lend a hand.

He was also carrying half a basket of eggs, at least a hundred of them, which he placed on the table.

Zheng Changhe hadn’t actually fallen asleep. Seeing Zhao San, he asked, “You already went home, why are you back? Hey! What are you doing bringing all these eggs? If you bring them all here, what will Little Shitou eat? I can’t possibly accept this!”

Zhao San said impatiently, “You’re already in this state, and you’re still running your mouth? Mind your own business. Doctor Qin, give him a good look. Can this leg be fixed?”

Qin Feng looked at this pair of awkward villagers expressing their affection for each other and chuckled lightly. “Heh heh… Don’t worry! Let me take a look. Uncle Zheng, you can stop worrying too. Once you’re better, you can just pay him back with more eggs.”

By the time Juhua arrived in the main room with two cups of hot tea, Qin Feng had already set Zheng Changhe’s bone and was applying medicine.

Juhua saw that he wasn’t using a splint to immobilize it. As he finished applying the medicine and began bandaging the leg, he instructed Zheng Changhe not to move around. She couldn’t help but ask, “Doctor Qin, is my father’s leg going to be alright?”

Qin Feng smiled. “It’s fine! The bone is set properly. He’ll just have to stay in bed for a while and endure some hardship.”

Zhao San said triumphantly, “See? I told you not to worry.” He grinned at Yang Family, who was walking in from outside. “You can relax now. This is the perfect time to help Changhe recover and fatten him up a bit!”

Zheng Changhe grumbled, “I’m not a pig—what do you mean, fatten me up?”

Hearing this, Yang Family was overjoyed and stepped forward to carefully examine Zheng Changhe’s leg.

Juhua cautiously asked Qin Feng, “Doctor Qin, you told my father not to move, but while he can manage that during the day, how can he control it when he’s asleep at night? Couldn’t you use two wooden boards to splint his leg and tie it up? Wouldn’t that be safer?”

Qin Feng was taken aback. He thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he clapped his hands. “Excellent idea! That would indeed be much more secure—he wouldn’t be able to move it even if he wanted to!”

He couldn’t help but look at Juhua with admiration. “Juhua, you’re very clever!” But there was a probing, inscrutable look in his eyes. Juhua turned her head, deliberately ignoring it, not wanting to dwell on its meaning.

When Zhao San heard there was a safer way, he quickly asked, “How do we do it? Doctor Qin, just tell me what to do and I’ll get it done.”

Qin Feng smiled. “Shaving two smooth bamboo planks will work.”

Zhao San said, “That’s easy.”

Right away, Yang Family found a length of bamboo in a corner of the woodshed, and Zhao San immediately started whittling it down.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep