Hearing Li Suisui's question, everyone felt a lump in their throats.
They now understood that the little girl was not dull, but too timid to eat.
Thinking about this, they couldn't help but curse the old lady of the Li Family hundreds of times in their hearts.
"Of course, you can. This is all for you. Quickly try it and see if it's tasty?" her Eldest Aunt said confidently.
But Suisui was still too scared to eat, quickly looking up at her Grandma.
In the Li Family household, she had to get Old Madam Li's approval to eat anything. Otherwise, she would be beaten mercilessly.
"Eat, all of it is yours."
Suisui slowly opened her mouth, putting one piece of preserved fruit in it, and began to chew slowly.
"How is it? Is it tasty?" her Eldest Aunt stared at her and asked.
The lingering medicinal taste in the little girl's mouth slowly gave way to sweetness as she chewed.
Her eyes widened, her expression as if she had stumbled upon a new continent.
"It's tasty!"
"Then have another one." Her Eldest Aunt fed her another piece.
The old Doctor watched with astonishment from one side.
Zhiwei Restaurant's high-quality preserved fruit cost one tael of silver per box, with about twenty pieces in each. This seemingly destitute farming family was actually letting a child indulge in such an expensive treat!
Wang Dongxue coaxed the little girl into taking her medicine, and soon the plate of preserved fruit was empty.
"Do you want more? Eldest Aunt will go get you more!"
There's more?
The little girl's eyes sparkled as she looked at Wang Dongxue.
Seeing her large, eager eyes, Wang Dongxue couldn't help but chuckle, gently tapping her little nose.
"Wait! Eldest Aunt will go fetch it for you!"
Grandma Ji fanned her with a cattail fan. It was the sixth month of the lunar calendar. Around midday, the effects of the medicine began to kick in, and sweat started to drip from her drowsy face.
"With this hot weather, it's not good for wound healing. What should we do?"
Grandma Ji had slept with Suisui the previous night. Suisui had been restless; even turning over would wake her from the pain.
"Mother-in-law, your concern is valid. Why don't I go to the county town and ask Bright Moon Pavilion to send over some ice!"
When Third Aunt Zhu Xiuxiu said this, the old Doctor was stroking his beard in thought. He couldn't help but jolt, yanking out a few hairs from his beard and wincing in pain.
The Ji Family members looked at him, wondering why the old Doctor was plucking his own beard.
The old Doctor smiled sheepishly and said hastily, "I apologize, I got lost in thought. I have some things to attend to; I must take my leave."
With that, he promptly took his leave.
This is unbelievable! Such a dilapidated farmhouse possessed the miraculous Rejuvenation Pill. They can afford Zhiwei Restaurant's preserved fruit. And they can even use ice, a luxury for the wealthy!
The Ji Family was unaware of the old Doctor's inner turmoil. At this moment, they only hoped for Li Suisui to recover quickly. The little girl had suffered too much at such a young age.
Suisui slept until it was dark. An oil lamp burned by her bed, specially lit for her by Grandma Ji.
This was to prevent Suisui from being scared when she woke up.
Gently turning over, Suisui saw her Grandma dozing off while still fanning her with the cattail fan, and her heart filled with warmth.
"Grandma!" she murmured, quietly taking the fan from her Grandma's hand and starting to fan her softly.
The dozing Grandma Ji's lips curled into a gentle smile. An innocent heart is truly priceless!
"Awake? Are you hungry?"
Suisui blinked. "Grandma, you were pretending to sleep!"
"Grandma isn't pretending to sleep; Grandma is resting her eyes!"
"Resting her eyes?" Suisui blinked her big eyes at her Grandma, not understanding what she meant.
"It means when you can't sleep, you close your eyes to conserve your energy," Grandma explained, then got up and helped Suisui sit up.
"Are you hungry? There's food over there. Go and eat something."
Suisui looked at the table outside. There were so many delicious things: soup, rice, even meat.
GURGLE...
Her little stomach rumbled, and Grandma chuckled. She helped Suisui to the table and first ladled her a bowl of soup.
"Drink up, your favorite Radish Soup!"
It was filled with small slices of radish and had a wonderful aroma. Suisui picked it up and began to drink it in large gulps.
"Delicious! Grandma, can I have another bowl?"
"Your body is still weak. Drinking too much of that Radish Soup might be hard for you to digest. Have some Tremella Soup instead; you can drink as much of this as you want!"
Grandma Ji ladled her a bowl of Tremella Soup. The little girl is far too thin, just skin and bones. I'm truly afraid I won't be able to nurse her back to health!
"Okay! Thank you, Grandma."
The little girl was very well-behaved. She took the Tremella Soup and started to drink it slowly.
"Suisui is awake."
Her Eldest Aunt came in from outside with a bowl of medicine. Seeing the dark medicinal soup, the little girl's face scrunched up.
"Eldest Aunt, can I not drink the medicine? It's so bitter!"
The four-and-a-half-year-old girl had been coaxed by her Eldest Aunt with preserved fruit to drink her medicine for the first time. However, the bitter aftertaste that followed made her regret it terribly.
"No way. How are you going to get better if you don't take your medicine? Be good, Suisui. Eldest Aunt prepared preserved fruit in advance. Let's drink it slowly! The Doctor specifically added licorice to this medicine to cover up the bitterness."
Her Eldest Aunt coaxed patiently, handing a piece of preserved fruit to Suisui's mouth, but Suisui instinctively covered her little mouth.
"Eldest Aunt, the medicine is really, really bitter."
Suisui grimaced, complaining about the bitter medicine, but she still obediently drank it down slowly.
For several days, a similar scene played out in the Ji Family's courtyard.
Eldest Aunt would hold the medicine bowl. "Suisui, be good, it's time for your medicine."
Suisui would cover her mouth tightly. "Eldest Aunt, the medicine is so bitter! I don't want to take medicine!"
Third Aunt would bring out a plate of preserved fruit, smiling and waving at her.
"Suisui, these are new preserved fruits that your Third Aunt just bought from Zhiwei Restaurant. Try them; they are very sweet."
Second Aunt sat with Grandma Ji under the eaves, smiling so broadly they could barely contain their amusement.
"Every time Suisui takes her medicine, she needs First Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law to coax her for quite a while. Girls are certainly coddled," Ji Youbo said, pushing Ji Youyuan's wheelchair in from outside. He had just witnessed this scene, and his brow furrowed in displeasure.
Ji Youyuan glanced at him in surprise. "You seem to pay quite a bit of attention to her."
Ji Youbo seemed to want to say something but hesitated, ultimately just shaking his head without a word. Perhaps I was overthinking it. Or maybe the girl's initial injury wasn't as serious as I thought?
He pushed Ji Youyuan back into the room.
"Eldest Uncle! Fourth Uncle, you're back."
Suisui, desperately trying to avoid the bitter medicine, saw Ji Youyuan and his brother return. She quickly ran over, took the wheelchair from Ji Youbo's hands, and hurriedly pushed her Eldest Uncle into the room.
"Slow down, there's a step in front. The wheelchair is heavy, I'll help..." Ji Youbo started to say, but the word "lift" caught in his throat.
The wheelchair, weighing about fifty jin, was actually lifted by the little girl! That wasn't the main point. The crucial part was that a fully grown man, weighing about a hundred jin, was sitting in that wheelchair!
"Fourth Uncle! What are you doing?"
Not hearing Ji Youbo's trailing words, Suisui asked after pushing her Eldest Uncle into the main hall.
"N-nothing!" Ji Youbo swallowed hard and said nothing more, his gaze lowering in deep thought. Did Eldest Brother secretly help her? Or was that really the girl's own strength?