Chapter 448 - 388: Not for You
Chapter 448: Chapter 388: Not for You
Tang Haocheng also pulled a pack of fish jerky and a pack of dried fruit from his satchel, and Wu Xiaowen’s eyes immediately lit up. ’The Tang Mansion’s fish jerky and dried fruit!’ She knew just how delicious they were. From the last batch, she’d only managed to taste them twice. With so many people in the Wu Family, her mother had insisted on saving the last little bit for her father’s health, so she didn’t get any more. She’d even dreamed about the taste!
Just as she reached out to take them, Tang Haocheng paused, then stuffed them back into his bag. ’His sister had specially prepared these snacks for him, filling an entire travel bag for him to take to school. He had originally thought it would be fine to just give two packs to his mother, but now... now he felt it was wrong to waste his sister’s kindness on a mother like this.’
Wu Xiaowen asked in surprise, "Hao Hao? Those are for your mother. Why did you put them away?"
Tang Haocheng glanced at Bai Lihua, who was sitting on the edge of the bed sniffing a packet of herbs. His gaze swept over the neatly arranged canned goods, malted milk powder, apples, and bananas on the bedside table. ’Those must be from Bai Lihua, too,’ he thought.
He said coolly, "If you want to eat that stuff, go right ahead. These are for someone else, not for you. Your body is steadily recovering, so it doesn’t even matter if you stay in the hospital. I did what you wanted and had my sister get the herbs for you all. She said this is the last time, and there won’t be a next. But once Grandpa and Grandma finish their medicine, their health should be back to normal, so they won’t need another course anyway. The herbs have been delivered. I’m leaving."
After speaking, Tang Haocheng tightened the strap of his satchel and actually turned to walk out the door.
"Hey! Hao Hao, wait!" Wu Xiaowen called out urgently. ’Hao Hao clearly doesn’t like Bai Lihua. If he leaves, it’ll save us the awkwardness. Besides, Bai Lihua did promise to spend the whole day with me.’
’But how has my boy gotten so foolish? That fish jerky and dried fruit are such delicacies. Who is he taking them to? Who could possibly be more important than his own mother?’
"What is it?" Tang Haocheng stopped and turned back.
"Be careful on your way back. And at school, remember to eat on time. Don’t be like your father and give yourself stomach problems."
Wu Xiaowen continued her reminders, then her tone shifted. "That fish jerky and dried fruit... you and your sister brought a lot this time, didn’t you? If you want some, you can eat them at home. Just leave those two packs for your mother. It’s a perfect chance for your Uncle Bai to try them, too. They’re a specialty from the South, so they’ll be quite a novelty for him. Don’t take them to school. With a whole room of classmates, you’ll never have enough for them to pick at!"
Tang Haocheng: "..."
He wanted to say something, he really did, but his lips were pressed so tightly together they wouldn’t open. In the end, he said nothing at all, simply yanking the door open and leaving.
"Hao Hao! Hao Hao!" Wu Xiaowen called after him, her clear, pleasant voice tinged with anger. Yet her call was still melodious and full of charm; no one would have guessed such a voice belonged to a patient.
Bai Lihua walked over to close the door, then turned back to comfort Wu Xiaowen. "It’s just some fish jerky and preserved fruit, right? If you want some, I’ll go get them for you."
"You don’t understand. That fish jerky and dried fruit are from the South, and Manman smokes them with a secret concoction of hers. Not only is the flavor rich and delicious, but their restorative health benefits are more than ten times stronger than ordinary fish and fruit! And the wood ear fungus—my parents ate one bag, maybe two pounds’ worth, and for a while after, the hair at their temples started growing in black again! Why else do you think I’m so hung up on it? I was hoping to let you have a taste, too."
The "smoked with a secret concoction" theory had been Lin Aizhen’s guess, and Wu Yu Xuan was thoroughly convinced. Manman had managed to cure the deathly ill Fang Qinglan, restoring her to perfect health. This proved her master was no ordinary person—he had to be a reclusive expert. Such experts possessed countless secret arts, so it was no surprise that Manman could find precious herbs and use them to create delicious, nourishing food!
Wu Xiaowen, of course, believed her parents completely. ’All those wonderful things are made by Xiao Man herself. She has such amazing skills, but she stubbornly refuses to share any of the benefits with her own mother. What’s the point of having a daughter like that?’
Fuming, she frowned and said, "Hao Hao is usually so obedient. This stubborn streak he’s showing today... Manman must have said something to him again. That wretched girl! I must have owed her a great debt in my past life."
Bai Lihua offered a few more gentle words of consolation, though he couldn’t help but feel a little regretful that he’d missed out on tasting Manman’s "secret recipe" fish and fruit jerky. Wu Xiaowen, in turn, comforted him, "When I get out of the hospital in a couple of days, I’ll go find Hao Hao. I’ll have him grab a few bags from home and mail them to you!"
"Wonderful, I’ll be waiting for them," Bai Lihua said with a smile. He picked up one of the herb packets from the bed and gave it a little shake. "Because of my father’s condition, my family keeps a fair amount of Chinese herbs at home. From what I can smell, the aroma of these is so fresh and pure. A few of these herbs are incredibly hard to find. For Manman to be able to procure so many all at once, and at her age... Xiao Wen, your daughter is truly something special. You shouldn’t be so cold to her. You should cherish her, treat her better!"
"I’d love to cherish her and treat her well, but what can I do if she won’t accept it? And besides, that Old Mrs. Tang is always stirring up trouble. I went through so much to give birth to my two children, and she’s turned them both against their own mother, making them act as if they were born from a stone!" As Wu Xiaowen spoke, her eyes grew red. Bai Lihua quickly patted her on the back to soothe her and changed the subject.
"These herbs of yours, they’re just for general nourishment, right? The doctors said you’re fine, but they’re incredibly curious about your physical condition. Of course, they don’t know you took that... what was it called again?"
"Hao Hao said it was a Blood Rejuvenation Pill. He sometimes goes out on fieldwork with his professors, and Manman gave it to him to carry for protection."
"A Blood Rejuvenation Pill? Manman can create such a miraculous elixir at her age? That’s truly incredible!"
Wu Xiaowen copied him, picking up an herb packet and sniffing it before tossing it playfully in her hand. "Hao Hao said Manman can’t make elixirs yet. The ones she has are ready-made ones left to her by her master. There aren’t many; Hao Hao only had that single one. At her current level, all Manman can do is put together some herbal prescriptions!"
Bai Lihua reached out and took the packet from her hand. "Be careful," he said softly, "don’t let it spill. These herbs are precious. Still, since you’re all better now, it doesn’t really matter if you take them or not. Every medicine has its side effects; they can be a bit hard on the liver. How about this: you only take two courses’ worth and give one course to Qing Yue? Qing Yue has a bit of a blood deficiency, too. I’ll have her pay you for it, of course."
"What kind of strange things are you saying? How much could it possibly be worth? Don’t say things that could spoil our friendship." Wu Xiaowen smiled at Bai Lihua. "It’s just medicine, not some delicacy. If taking too much isn’t good for me, and it’ll just expire if I let it sit around, then Qing Yue might as well have it!"
Bai Lihua smiled back. "Then I’ll thank you on her behalf. I’ll have her take you out shopping and for a meal some other day. These herbs for your parents... smelling them, they seem similar to the prescription my father is taking. They’re likely for heart and blood vessel issues. I just wonder what’s so special about the herbs Little Manman gathers. It’s a shame I never have the chance to meet her, or I’d ask her to prepare a few doses for my father to try."