NCCnovel Chapter 300: Bitter and Sweet Interweaving
Chapter 300: Bitter and Sweet Interweaving
Murong Ling'er gently pushed the half-open wooden door of the Huo family courtyard, and with a "creak", the door slowly opened.
What caught my eye was Huo Zihao squatting beside the small stove in the yard, busily boiling medicine.
Huo Zihao was frantically adjusting the temperature, and the smoke made him cough continuously. His little face was white and black, and he looked in a miserable state.
Seeing Murong Ling'er walk in, his eyes, which were a little blurry from the fireworks, suddenly widened in surprise.
Murong Ling'er rarely set foot in this courtyard. Except for the day when Huo Jianjie had an accident, she came here in a hurry. This was her second visit.
The Huo family's courtyard was more spacious than the one where she and Murong Chen lived, but it was barren. There were no beautiful flowers or plants, nor any fruit trees that could bring vitality. It was empty, which made it look even more bleak. This desolate scene was just like the Huo family's current situation, lifeless.
"Sister..." Huo Zihao was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up, his voice a little embarrassed and uneasy.
Compared with a few days ago, he has lost a lot of weight, his skin is tanned by the sun, and he looks particularly haggard. He is only five years old and should be playing coquettishly in his parents' arms, but now he has suffered a lot of hardships in life.
He stood a few steps away from Murong Ling'er and called out with a slightly trembling voice.
Murong Ling'er's eyes swept across the bubbling, steaming medicine jar beside him, then looked at the open, slightly chilly door and asked with concern, "Where's Aunt Deng?"
"Sister, my mother and second sister are both very ill..."
Huo Zihao raised his head, his eyes were red, and his voice was tearful. As soon as he met Murong Ling'er's eyes, he quickly lowered his head again, as if he was afraid of being seen as vulnerable.
At this time, the sky became increasingly gloomy, and the lead-gray clouds pressed down heavily, as if to swallow up the small yard.
Huo Zihao stood under the depressing sky, his body thin, his face full of helplessness and confusion, like a deer that had lost its way.
Murong Ling'er's expression tightened when she heard this. Looking at Huo Zihao's frightened and helpless look, she felt a surge of pity in her heart.
She walked forward, gently touched Huo Zihao's head, and comforted him softly: "Don't be afraid, I'm here." Then, she walked into the house with steady steps.
As soon as I opened the door, the strong smell of medicine and dampness and mold hit me in the face, making me want to cough. It seemed that the house had not been cleaned properly for a long time. Things were placed in a mess, and the dim light made the whole house seem even more depressing.
Huo Zihao followed Murong Ling'er into the house step by step. They first came to Deng's room. As soon as the door was opened, a pungent smell rushed in.
"Mom..." Huo Zihao was about to speak when Murong Ling'er quickly raised her hand to stop him.
Murong Ling'er walked to the bedside, sat down gently, gently held Deng's bony hand exposed outside the thin quilt, closed her eyes, and concentrated on taking her pulse.
Huo Zihao stood aside, not daring to breathe, his eyes fixed on Murong Ling'er's every move, his eyes full of anticipation and nervousness.
After a moment, Murong Ling'er opened her eyes, took out an exquisite white porcelain bottle from her sleeve pocket, poured out a pill that emitted a faint medicinal fragrance, she slightly lifted Deng's head, and carefully fed the pill into Deng's mouth.
"Sister, this..." Huo Zihao couldn't help but speak, his voice filled with confusion and worry.
"Don't worry, these are just some tonic medicines. You'll feel better soon after taking them." Murong Ling'er consoled with a smile, her eyes full of determination.
After saying that, she gently placed the medicine bottle on the bedside table, turned to look at Huo Zihao, and asked gently: "Zihao, have you had breakfast today?"
"Gurgle..." Huo Zihao's stomach made a loud protest at the right time. His face turned red instantly, like a ripe tomato, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Murong Ling'er raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a gentle smile, and turned to walk towards the kitchen.
In the kitchen, pots and pans were scattered all over the place, and there were few ingredients left.
Murong Ling'er frowned, and after tidying herself up a bit, she decided to make a bowl of hot noodle soup for Huo Zihao. She skillfully lit a fire, boiled water, cut the few vegetables she had, and found a handful of noodles.
After a while, the kitchen was filled with tempting aroma.
Murong Ling'er put the cooked noodles into a bowl. Tender green vegetables floated on the golden soup and a handful of chopped green onions were sprinkled on it. It was steaming hot and it made people's appetite increase just by looking at it.
She carried the noodles out of the kitchen, placed them on the table, handed the chopsticks to Huo Zihao, who was still in a daze, and said softly, "Eat quickly! Don't starve."
Huo Zihao was indeed starving.
Ever since Deng and Huo Shuixian fell ill, he had to take care of their eating, drinking, defecation and urination, and was also busy decocting medicine and cooking.
But he was just a child after all, his cooking skills were terrible, and the food he made was inedible.
He hardly had a full meal these days.
Looking at the bowl of hot soup noodles in front of him, which looked delicious and had a good aroma, Huo Zihao's eyes instantly became moist and tears welled up in his eyes.
He took the chopsticks with trembling hands, sniffed, and began to eat in big mouthfuls. The noodles slid down his throat, warming his stomach and even his cold heart.
Seeing him eat voraciously, Murong Ling'er turned back to the kitchen, heated a cup of milk, and gently placed it in front of Huo Zihao, saying softly, "Eat slowly, don't choke."
After Huo Zihao finished eating, Murong Linger cleared the dishes and poured the boiled medicine into the bowl. She carefully instructed Huo Zihao: "Remember to give your mother and second sister the medicine on time. If anything happens, come to me."
After she finished speaking, she took out a few candies, placed them in Huo Zihao's hand, and whispered, "Life is a mixture of bitterness and sweetness. Once you get through the bitterness in front of you, you will taste the sweetness of candy. Things will get better in the future."
Huo Zihao tightly grasped the candy and nodded heavily, looking at Murong Ling'er's departing back, his heart full of gratitude.
After Murong Ling'er left, Huo Zihao quietly pushed open Huo Shuixian's door.
The light in the room was dim and the curtains were half-drawn. As soon as I stepped into the room, I could see Huo Shuixian with her eyes open. Her face was as pale as paper, without any blood. She was leaning weakly against the head of the bed. She was covered with a thin quilt, and her figure looked particularly thin.
At this moment, her eyes were empty and dark, and she was quietly looking at the bare old tree outside the window, as if her thoughts had already drifted away.
Hearing the footsteps, Huo Shuixian slowly turned her head and looked at Huo Zihao. Her cracked lips opened and closed slightly, and she asked in a hoarse voice, "Murong Ling'er has been here?" As soon as Huo Zihao heard it, he understood who she was referring to.
"Second sister, take the medicine..."
Once upon a time, the grudge between the second sister and the eldest sister was like a tangled mess that could not be cut off or sorted out.
Normally, Huo Zihao and Mrs. Deng tried their best not to get involved. Only their father Huo Jianjie often tried to mediate with earnest words, but the results were always minimal. The two sisters would confront each other as soon as they met and would not give in to each other.
However, later, no one knew what happened, but the second sister, who had originally been extremely disgusted and hostile to the eldest sister, seemed to have suddenly become a different person. She was no longer as prickly as before, but when she occasionally mentioned the eldest sister, a hint of complex emotions would still flash in her eyes.