Chapter 345 - Assisting with the Treatmen (1/2)

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Yu Xiaocao also braised the pig's feet and knuckle that she found in the kitchen. In her previous life, aside from the pig's head meat, the top 3 best-selling dishes of her braised food store also consisted of braised pig’s feet.

Not that she was boasting, but she had excellent control of the fire when braising the pig’s feet. With just one bite, one could feel the chewiness of the pig's skin and the soft, tender texture of the meat. Every mouthful was filled with flavor and it was a guarantee that whoever ate it once would definitely want to eat it again. As for the braised pig's knuckle, it glistened golden red, the bone was fragrant while the meat was tender and delicious. It was intact and the soup was thick but not greasy; the emperor emeritus would definitely like it!

Once she finished instructing the imperial kitchen staff to watch over the fire, Yu Xiaocao left, following behind the emperor emeritus. When she got back to Jingyang Palace, she saw the emperor and the empress smiling pleasantly. Seeing Yu Xiaocao, the empress waved for her to go over, then affectionately held her small hands. She said with a smile, “Xiaocao, you’re quite capable even though you’re very young! Not only do you know how to treat illnesses, you also have amazing culinary skills! Hanwen had thoroughly enjoyed the porridge and small dishes that you made. Although there wasn’t a lot of porridge, there were still two bowls of it and I was afraid that he would stuff himself full, so I didn’t let him finish it all. When Hanwen ate the porridge, he said that his stomach felt warm and it was very comfortable as the slight pain in his abdomen also receded. This folk remedy is still quite effective even though it doesn’t use expensive herbs!”

Yu Xiaocao humbly replied, “The little prince is just sick of eating plain porridge. Purslane is just a type of common wild vegetable, and its texture and taste are also just so. However, a lot of wild vegetables also have some medicinal qualities. Many civilians who cannot afford a physician will counter the illness with these wild vegetables and herbs. Over time, they slowly became remedies for certain diseases.”

The empress smiled as she looked at her, feeling that although this little girl was young, she was tactful in the way she spoke and acted. So she became more sincere and affectionate towards Yu Xiaocao. Waking up from his afternoon nap, the young prince was more spirited and, after taking another three pieces of purslane candy, he eagerly asked Yu Xiaocao, “My tummy doesn’t hurt anymore, so does it mean I don’t have to drink that bitter medicine anymore?”

Yu Xiaocao nodded and spoke in a gentle voice, “It’s alright to not drink the bitter medicine, but I have to check your tummy…”

“Alright! You can check my tummy! I’ve really recovered, I don’t need to drink the medicine anymore!” The little prince also risked everything just so he could avoid drinking the bitter medicine.

Yu Xiaocao glanced at the empress. Once she got her approval, she lifted the little prince’s shirt to reveal his small, round belly. Inwardly, she came to an understanding with the little divine stone and placed the multicolored stone on her right wrist on the little prince’s lower abdomen. If someone else saw this, they would surely notice that the multicolored stone emitted a golden ray of light that slowly enveloped the little prince’s abdomen.

Yu Xiaocao pretended to check him as she pressed on a spot and asked him if it hurt, and pressed another spot a moment later and asked if he had the feeling of wanting to defecate...The little prince felt as though her touch was magic, as wherever she pressed, the discomfort of his abdomen would disappear, as if all of it was brought away by her small hands.

Only after the little divine stone used its power to treat the little prince did Yu Xiaocao say to the eager empress and young prince, “You’re almost completely recovered. Medicines are also part poison, so you can stop the intake of medicine. The medicinal diet will be enough for the next few days.”

At this time, the eunuch of Jingyang Palace reported the arrival of Su Ran and Royal Prince Yang. Zhu Junyang focused his gaze on Yu Xiaocao the moment he entered Jingyang Palace. Seeing that she was alright and even smiling, he nonchalantly shifted his gaze away.

After he greeted the empress, he gifted the bedridden young prince an automatic toy horse to relieve boredom. The toy horse was about the size of an adult’s palm, and inside it there was a mechanism that, after being wound up, enabled the little horse to walk by itself on a table. The new toy quickly gained the attention of the little prince as he played with it and laughed from time to time.

Su Ran brought with him a bag of dried razor clams. Once the empress saw that, she turned towards Yu Xiaocao and said apologetically, “Razor clam porridge...I still have to trouble you, Xiaocao.”

Yu Xiaocao hurriedly stood up and said, “It’s not a bother! However, the razor clam porridge will need some time to cook, so this commoner girl will take my leave first.”

Even though the empress was amiable towards her, living in a society where social class was extremely strict and facing the class with the authority to control the life and death of other people still made Yu Xiaocao uncomfortable. She would rather stay in the imperial kitchen and suffer the grease and smoke than converse another word with the empress.

Seeing Yu Xiaocao leave Jingyang Palace, Zhu Junyang also took his leave. With large steps, he caught up to Xiaocao who was being led by Xiazi to the imperial kitchen. Hesitantly, he said, “Actually...it’s alright if you don’t want to do it…”

Yu Xiaocao glanced at the astonished Xiazi, and then smiled at Zhu Junyang, “Don’t you know me? I like the process of cooking. When you were at Dongshan Village and ordered all those difficult dishes, didn’t I also try to make them for you too? I was born for a hardworking life, if you wanted me to sit idly, I would feel ill at ease. It was I who asked to help cook the little prince’s porridge.”