Chapter 156: Chapter 156

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

The old bull she brought out from Peach Blossom Cove was dead. This old bull had made many contributions, including the spring plowing and autumn harvest. He had pulled the carriage without complaint and finally died of exhaustion on the road.

The villagers of Peach Bottom were all unfortunate when they saw the dead old ox. They were reluctant to eat it. After all, it had made so many contributions.

But even if they didn’t eat, they couldn’t stop the other disaster victims. The eyes of the starving disaster victims lit up when they saw the old bull’s body.

“Peel the skin and eat!”

Old master Qiu ordered with tears in his eyes. This was the old cow’s last contribution to Peach Blossom Cove.

“Bury the bones and let them rest in peace.”

Old master Qiu reminded them again, and could not bear to watch any longer. After the incident of Qiu Yue stealing the silver from Peach Blossom Cove, old master Qiu always felt that he did not have enough confidence to speak in front of the villagers.

When Su Qing saw the old bull’s corpse, she thought of the cow tendon. A crossbow made of hair would break after one use, and the tough cow tendon was the best material.

The leather could also be made into leather boots. Since the Jingshi Dao was cold, cotton socks inside the leather boots could resist the cold.

When Ji Shuisheng saw Su Qing driving the carriage back, his suspended heart was finally at ease.

Su Qing tied the carriage to a tree. The carriage was filled with food, salt, and some commonly used medicinal herbs. There were also dozens of steamed buns and two boxes of exquisite desserts, which could be used on the road. Master Chu was very thoughtful.

She walked over to look at the dead old cow and was already thinking about how to cook the beef. She would stew some meat and make the rest into beef jerky so they could eat it on the way.

When Xiao Qi knew that her master wanted to make beef jerky, she immediately went to check the recipe without asking. Su Qing felt that Xiao Qi was a caring little cotton-padded jacket and a good subordinate who would work hard without complaint.

“Big sister, quickly come and see godmother.”

Ji Xiaoying looked at Su Qing as if she had found her Savior and ran over to call her.

“Wait, I’ll get something.”

Only then did Su Qing remember the three wounded. She returned to the carriage, and Xiaoying was surprised to see her sister bring back another carriage. Now, the surgical tools given by the system could be used.

Su Qing entered the carriage and removed the system’s surgical tools and medicine. She also gave Xiaoying the snacks that master Chu had given her.

“I’m not eating.”

Xiaoying shook her head and refused to eat, putting the dessert back in the carriage.

Su Qing followed Xiaoying to the carriage where Madam Li was lying. Madam Li’s face was pale, and she was unconscious. The flesh of her wound was exposed, and the color had already turned white. Although Ji Shuisheng had applied medicine, it was just an ordinary medicine for injuries. It was not adequate for inflamed wounds.

“Xiaoying, go out and help me keep an eye. Don’t let anyone in to disturb me.”

Su Qing was going to perform the suturing surgery for Madam Li. Outsiders could not see the modern surgical equipment, so she asked Xiaoying to go out and guard the place while she sutured consort Li’s wound in the carriage.

Now that her [ medicine ] skill had reached level seven, dealing with minor problems like suturing was easy. Madame Li’s wound was too deep, insufficient to suture the outer layer. The fat layer inside also needed to be sutured. She also needed to clean the wound, or it would rot from the inside out. If it were a severe infection, it would be septicemia.

Madam Li, who was unconscious, frowned deeply due to the pain from the stitches and moaned softly. Zhong Yong heard his mother’s painful moans from outside and wanted to go over to accompany his mother, but Xiaoying stopped him.

“Sister Su Qing is saving godmother. Don’t disturb her.”

Zhong Yong dared not disturb Su Qing, so he paced in circles before the carriage.

On the other side, Aunt Qiu pulled her son to a place where no one was around and implored him,

“Yongkang, you didn’t find Qiu Yue?”

Qiu Yongkang couldn’t bear to see his mother’s anxious eyes. She would be devastated if she knew that his sister had died. He could only lie to her so that she would have some hope. He nodded and said,

“Yes.”

“How can a girl survive in such a chaotic situation? Isn’t Qiu Yue courting death?”

Qiu Yongkang lowered his head and didn’t say a word.

“Forget it. We can’t hold everyone back because of her. She asked for her own life and death.”

After crying for a while, Aunt Qiu wiped her tears away. Even if Qiu Yue returned, she could not stay at Peach Blossom Cove. She would be drowned in saliva since she stole everyone’s silver. She could only hope to meet a good family and live a peaceful life.

After Su Qing finished suturing and bandaging Madam Li’s wound, she gave her some anti-inflammatory medicine and blood-replenishing pills. Madam Li’s complexion was much better, and she no longer looked in pain. She slept very peacefully.

“Xiaoying, you take care of her.”

Su Qing opened the curtain and asked Xiaoying to care for Madam Li. Then, she checked on seventh brother Jiang and Wang Youliang’s injuries. They had a lot of injuries, but they were not as severe as Madam. Li’s. They had been unconscious because of excessive blood loss.

It was also fortunate that Xiaoying had applied red medicine to them in time, so although the bleeding had stopped, it was not life-threatening. Ji Shuisheng had already treated their wounds, and Su Qing had treated them again. The deeper parts of the wounds were only stitched up twice, and after cleaning the wounds and reducing the inflammation, they changed into a clean cloth and re-bandaged the wounds.

Li Shuang’er and Jiang Yuyan didn’t throw away the cloth but took it to wash.

Su Qing treated the wounded. Conversely, the old cow had already been skinned and its internal organs removed. The beef was also removed.

To prevent the disaster victims from digging them out and eating them, Ji Shuisheng asked people to bury them in the forest’s depths. There were ferocious beasts in the deep mountains, so the disaster victims did not dare go there. Everyone dug a hole and buried the heads, hooves, and bones.

The old cow was already skinny, and there wasn’t much meat. Su Qing cut all the ribs and stewed them in a big pot. As the old cow was not easy to stew, she added a lot of hawthorns.

The bull’s hind legs and upper brain were the best when barbecued, but the conditions could not make it into such an alluring food under the covetous eyes of the disaster victims.

One pot was used for stewing meat, and the other was used to steam dry rations. If they were in a hurry and didn’t have time to cook, they would make more dry rations to eat on the road.

As for the rest of the beef, Su Qing planned to cut it all and make beef jerky according to the recipe given by Xiao Qi. However, Su Qing gave up after seeing the complicated steps of making beef jerky.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it, but the conditions didn’t allow it. If she had done it this way, they wouldn’t leave today. It would waste too much time.

Therefore, she marinated all the beef. Eating marinated beef on the road was convenient, and it tasted good. It was also a new dish.

Su Qing asked Li Daniu to clean the cow’s water. She also put it into the big pot and added some seasoning to remove the smell. It was a simple and crude method. In times of famine, nothing could be wasted.

Su Qing felt that it was a pity. She was only running away. Otherwise, the dishes made from these things would go well with wine.

The poor victims of the disaster were so hungry that their stomachs were growling. They still had to smell this alluring fragrance and wanted to go over and snatch it, but when they thought of the terrifying scene of Zhong Yong smashing people’s heads with his iron hammer, no one dared to come over.

After stewing for more than two hours, the meat was finally stewed. Those in Peach Blossom Cove who had feelings for the old bull could not bear to eat it, so they just ate dry food.

Su Qing and Zhong Yong had no feelings for the old cow, but Su Qing had already eaten at old master Chu’s house, so she didn’t eat. Seeing that his mother was no longer in danger, Zhong Yong’s appetite grew, and he opened his mouth to eat a lot.

Qiu Yongkang saw too much stewed beef left and set up a stall to sell it. However, before he could set up a booth, the rear of the victims was already in chaos..