A Beauty in the 80s Goes on a Blind Date with Her Child, Captivating the Military Compound - Chapter 65

Xu Hongying pointed at the large steamer, which was billowing with thick clouds of vapor.

“Sisi, what kind of medicine are you brewing? The smell is quite something.”

Shen Sisi casually tied her hair back. “Those are herbs for making medicinal oil.”

“Medicinal oil? What kind of medicinal oil!” Xu Hongying clicked her tongue twice, her face full of wonder. Her daughter-in-law actually knew how to make medicine? She wasn’t at all like the “fox spirit who only knows how to please men” that Yang Qiuxia had described—a hollow vase with nothing but looks. Sisi was actually very capable!

“It’s for bruises, sprains, and promoting blood circulation to heal injuries.”

Shen Sisi leaned over, holding her breath as she exerted all her strength to shove the two barrels of oil further into the kitchen. Seeing this, Xu Hongying hurried forward to help. This oil was heavy; she was worried Sisi might throw her back out trying to move it alone.

“In the future, leave this kind of heavy labor to me!” Xu Hongying didn’t have many special skills, but she had plenty of physical strength to offer. “And another thing—don’t say I didn’t warn you—next time you go out, just leave Niuniu with me. Why bother other people?”

Xu Hongying’s tone was reproachful. She felt Sisi was being far too careless. Li Wenhui had never even had a child; how would she know how to look after one? “If the child gets a bump or a bruise, you can’t exactly blame her…”

Xu Hongying was right; Shen Sisi realized she had been inconsiderate. She had simply felt that Li Wenhui loved children, was meticulous, and made great food, so she had entrusted Niuniu to her.

“Mom is right, I’ll definitely pay attention next time!” Shen Sisi accepted the criticism humbly, promising to leave Niuniu with her mother-in-law in the future.

Her good attitude pleased Xu Hongying, who stopped nagging. She stayed by Sisi’s side, watching her work and occasionally popping into the living room to check on Niuniu, giving her warm water and a couple of biscuits.

By late afternoon, the essence of the herbs had been extracted. After filtering it through gauze, there were virtually no impurities. Sisi then mixed the extract with the oil in a specific ratio and set it aside to settle for a day and a night.

As Shen Sisi sealed the containers with lids, the entire kitchen was filled with the fragrance of herbs and the cooling scent of mint.

Xu Hongying leaned against the doorframe like a curious observer. “Is it finished just like that?”

“Almost. It should be ready by tomorrow.”

The sun was setting. Sisi planned to head to the black market early the next morning to look for glass bottles. After a long afternoon of labor, she was exhausted. After washing her hands, she immediately began rinsing rice for dinner.

“Go take a rest. Leave the cooking to me.” Xu Hongying shooed her out of the kitchen, rolling up her sleeves to scoop rice from the bin. She rinsed the white rice, picked out the stray pebbles, and set up a steamer rack inside the large iron wok. She placed the bowl of rice on the rack and draped two links of sausage over the side to steam along with it.

Xu Hongying found a piece of pork tenderloin in the cupboard. It was quite lean, and if cooked normally, it would surely be dry. She decided to shred it finely to show off a Beijing specialty: Sautéed Shredded Pork in Sweet Bean Sauce (Jing Jiang Rou Si).

Seeing that her mother-in-law was nimble and didn’t need help, Shen Sisi rubbed her aching lower back and went to give Niuniu her medicine. Afterward, she sat on the sofa to catch her breath.

The current batch of oil was sorted, but she didn’t know where the next one would come from. She had to find a way to secure that oil mill! She thought about Old Man Zhang’s condition: lifting a two-hundred-catty rammer by herself without help.

She immediately thought of the principle of leverage. Standing up, she went to the table to do some calculations and quickly drew a rough blueprint.

The sketch showed a modified small handcart. The front of the cart was fitted with two small iron plates, designed to slide into the gap between the rammer and the floor to pry it up. Using the wheels as a fulcrum and the handle as a lever, she could easily lift the weight.

Since she had designed this cart herself, it wasn’t something she could buy in a shop. She would need a carpenter. Realizing that hiring a professional would be another large expense, Sisi grit her teeth and headed to the backyard. She remembered a pile of firewood in the shed, some of which were quite thick logs.

If all else failed, she would try to fashion a makeshift one herself. As long as she could lift that rammer, she would pass the test.

Shen Sisi put on her work gloves, grabbed a saw and a measuring tape, and began sawing wood in the backyard. Niuniu, who had been playing with her rag doll inside, heard the commotion and waddled out.

“Mommy, what are you playing? You didn’t invite Niuniu…” Her little pink lips were pouted toward the sky.

Shen Sisi struggled with the saw. She had seen Gu Chengfeng sawing wood so smoothly before that she thought the saw was incredibly sharp. She hadn’t realized how difficult it actually was! Every movement met with massive resistance; she could barely pull the blade.

With one foot braced against the large log, she used every ounce of her strength, sweat pouring off her. Niuniu stood nearby, pumping her tiny fists. “Mommy, go! Mommy, go!”

With a low grunt, Sisi leaned back with all her might. The wood suddenly snapped in two. Caught off guard, she lost her balance and tumbled backward.

Expecting a hard collision with the ground, she instead slammed into a warm, solid chest.

Gu Chengfeng’s hands gripped her shoulders as a low, muffled voice vibrated against her: “Careful!”

Shen Sisi was still shaken, still holding the large saw in her hand. It took her a long moment to regain her composure. “Gu Chengfeng!”

Gu Chengfeng steadied her and took the saw from her hand. His tone was cold, yet laced with hidden concern. “What are you doing? Why didn’t you wait for me to get home for this kind of heavy work?”

Shen Sisi stammered sheepishly, “I… I wanted to build a small handcart. I didn’t realize it would be so hard.”

Gu Chengfeng remained silent, thinking of her clumsy, struggling efforts just now. She really is too delicate after all, he thought. She couldn’t even saw a log. With such soft hands and a slender waist, what if she injured herself?

With a dark expression, he picked up her design sketch. Seeing the neat, clear lines and the precise measurements, he recognized at a glance that it was a cart based on the principle of leverage.

A hint of surprise flickered in his eyes. “You drew this?”

Shen Sisi nodded. “Yes.”

Gu Chengfeng didn’t pry into why she was making it. He simply asked, “How heavy of an object do you want to lift with this?”

Shen Sisi’s eyes brightened. Gu Chengfeng was sharp; he had seen immediately that it was meant for heavy loads. She thought seriously and said, “Over two hundred catties.”

He was puzzled. Was there anything in the house that weighed two hundred catties? However, he didn’t pry further. Instead, he pointed out a flaw. “For something over two hundred catties, your lever length is a bit short. Also, a wooden cart isn’t the same as an iron one; you have to account for the material’s reality.”

Shen Sisi was amazed. Not only did he recognize the leverage, but he also found the error in her math. Back in school, Gu Chengfeng had been at the bottom of the class, known only for causing trouble. She hadn’t expected that after a few years in the army, he would know so much. Truly, the men raised by the state are excellent!

Gu Chengfeng scanned the paper one last time, then gestured for Sisi and Niuniu to move aside. “Leave it to me. I’ll make it for you…”

As he spoke, he shrugged off his heavy green military overcoat, revealing the fitted green uniform underneath.

Tucking the blueprint under his arm, he reached up with one hand to unbutton his collar, revealing the lines of his neck. He then undid the buttons on his cuffs and rolled his sleeves up evenly, exposing well-defined wrists and an old scar.

Shen Sisi noticed the scar again. If she remembered correctly, that was the spot where he had been cut by a stone while saving her years ago…