Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Chicken Soup and Pork Dumplings

As she neared the county town, Gu Qinghuan stopped by the woods, found a secluded spot, and slipped into her space.

The chicken soup had been simmering on low heat for two hours. The chicken was tender and flavorful, the broth a beautiful golden color, delicious beyond words.

Gu Qinghuan sneaked a small bowl for herself, instantly feeling much warmer. The weather in northern China was already getting chilly in early October, and a bowl of soup chased away the cold from her long journey, leaving her stomach wonderfully comfortable.

Most of the chicken soup was meant for the patient. For lunch, she planned to have dumplings—simple, convenient, and, most importantly, easy to carry.

There was no time to make dumplings from scratch now.

She simply boiled two boxes of frozen pork dumplings—twenty in each box, forty in total. With a pot of chicken soup, that should be enough for three people for lunch, right?

While the dumplings were cooking, Gu Qinghuan hurried to the vending machine outside.

She’d just realized there weren’t any suitable containers in the villa for packing chicken soup and dumplings.

She couldn’t exactly show up with fancy modern thermal containers to deliver food to that mother and daughter, could she?

She tried searching “retro lunch box” in the vending machine’s search bar.

A dazzling array of products popped up on the screen.

There were old-fashioned aluminum lunch boxes, thick enamel bowls, large enamel mugs, and even the kidney-shaped mess tins commonly used by soldiers.

Gu Qinghuan’s eyes landed on the kidney-shaped mess tin—it was large and well-designed.

The lunch box had two layers: a shallow top layer for dishes, a bottom layer for rice, a side compartment for chopsticks, and a handle for carrying.

It was also the most expensive option—two yuan and eighty cents.

The seller had noted that this kidney-shaped mess tin was modeled after WWII military mess kits, but the aluminum had been replaced with stainless steel for better quality, hence the higher price.

She added it to her cart.

The dumplings could go in the lunch box, but the chicken soup was a bit trickier.

Gu Qinghuan decided to try her luck and searched for “1970s retro thermos.”

To her surprise, there were results!

There was the Shanghai Xueshan brand thermos.

And the Bengbu Glass Factory Huangshan brand thermos.

Both styles were high-quality replicas of the era, so she wouldn’t stand out carrying them around.

The Shanghai Xueshan thermos was on sale for three yuan fifty. Gu Qinghuan added it straight to her cart.

She checked out, inserted the cash, and the screen showed the transaction was complete.

Soon enough, Gu Qinghuan saw her purchases in the vending slot.

So fast! This thing was amazing.

No time to feel sorry for the six yuan thirty cents she’d just spent—she quickly grabbed her things and went back inside.

The dumplings were ready.

All forty dumplings fit perfectly into the kidney-shaped mess tin—not a bit of space left.

She filled the thermos to the brim with chicken soup and chicken pieces.

Remembering that the patient should eat more fruit, she grabbed two apples and two oranges from the coffee table.

Lunch was ready.

Gu Qinghuan casually grabbed a plain canvas shoulder bag from the cloakroom and packed everything inside.

When she returned to the main road, her bike’s handlebars had a bulging canvas bag hanging from them.

—

“Zijun, let’s listen to the doctor and stay two more days, okay?” Cheng Shuying followed behind her daughter, trying to persuade her.

“Mom, I know my own body. There’s no need to waste two more days’ money.

Most of the money Huanhuan borrowed for us is already gone, and who knows when we’ll be able to pay her back. We’ve already burdened her enough.

Speaking of that child, I don’t know why, but I feel so anxious.” Zhong Zijun’s arm was in a sling across her chest, and she pressed her other hand to her heart, looking uncomfortable.

Of course, Cheng Shuying knew her daughter just wanted to save money. But the cowshed was no place to recover from an injury. Once they went back, she’d have to start working again. At least here, she could rest for a day or two.

It all came down to money. After a lifetime of comfort, now in old age, they were suffering, and the children were suffering too. The family was barely holding together.

Thinking of this, the old lady’s eyes filled with tears. Not wanting her daughter to see, she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve.

“At least wait until you’ve finished your afternoon antibiotics before leaving, okay?” Cheng Shuying pleaded with her daughter.

“Huanhuan worked so hard to borrow money for your treatment. You don’t want her to end up with a disabled mother, do you?”

Ah, the heart of a parent. These words struck a chord with Zhong Zijun. How could she bear to let her daughter’s efforts go to waste? Only with healthy limbs could she support the family. She couldn’t make things worse.

“Alright, we’ll go home after the afternoon medicine is done.” Zhong Zijun was already eager to return. She wondered if her father could manage all the work in the cowshed alone these past two days.

“Good, we’ll do as you say!” Cheng Shuying happily opened the suitcase she’d just packed, took out the aluminum lunch box, and said, “I’ll go get lunch. Don’t run off again.”

“Okay! I’m not a child anymore.” Zhong Zijun smiled helplessly.

Just then, Gu Qinghuan came over with her canvas bag and saw Cheng Shuying coming out with the lunch box.

She quickly waved, “Grandma!”

The word “grandma” came so naturally, as if she’d said it a thousand times before.

“Huanhuan, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work today?”

Gu Qinghuan suddenly remembered that the original owner had lied about being busy in the fields these days to hide the fact that she’d “sold herself,” and said she wouldn’t be coming by.

“Grandma, I was worried you’d be overwhelmed, so I took the day off to come check on you. How’s Mom doing?”

“She’s good! The doctor said she’s over the worst of it, but she needs to rest and let the bone heal.”

At this, the old lady seemed to remember something and fell silent.

Gu Qinghuan quickly changed the subject, lifting her bag with a smile. “Guess what goodies I brought you?”

Sure enough, the old lady’s sadness faded, and she smiled. “I have no idea. I was just about to get lunch, and here you are, saving me a trip.”

“It’s chicken soup and dumplings!” Gu Qinghuan said brightly.

“Oh my, that’s a real treat. This is better than New Year’s!” Cheng Shuying said, playing along.

When they returned to the ward,

The other two patients in the room were already eating.

“Hey, sister, my husband made pork and sauerkraut stew with glass noodles. Try some—it’s really tasty.” The old lady in the bed opposite Zhong Zijun offered her a small bowl.

She didn’t know whether to accept or refuse, awkwardly waving her hands.

It wasn’t that she was being difficult. On one hand, she couldn’t accept even a bit of kindness from others now, since she couldn’t repay it.

On the other hand, after being isolated from people for so long and suffering mentally, she didn’t know how to interact with others and could only stiffly refuse.

“Take it! You need to eat something nutritious to recover.” The old lady was kind-hearted. Seeing the mother and daughter eating nothing but dry buns and plain water every meal, she felt sorry for them.

Gu Qinghuan walked in just in time to see this scene.

She walked over confidently and took the bowl, placing it on the bedside table.

“Thank you, ma’am. I brought some freshly made chicken soup—please try my cooking later.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Cheng Shuying and Zhong Zijun both thanked her repeatedly.

Gu Qinghuan opened her lunch box, emptied the old lady’s bowl, and filled it with a generous serving of golden, fragrant chicken soup, making sure to add a few pieces of chicken.

“Here, please try it.”

The old lady felt a bit awkward. She’d meant to help someone in need, but it turned out they were better off than she thought, bringing chicken soup and dumplings.

Her own husband wouldn’t even buy a chicken to stew for her. Clearly, she’d misjudged them—she thought they were dirt poor.

But the chicken soup smelled amazing and looked so appetizing.

Seeing Gu Qinghuan’s open and friendly manner, the old lady accepted the bowl, half-reluctant but mostly grateful.

“Thank you, little girl.”"

"Chapter 8: A Tender Moment, Ordering Meals at the Canteen