Chương 54: Cooking and Diagnosis

The backyard garden didn't have much to offer, but there were still useful things to be found. I managed to locate some peppers and ginger. A few sturdy tomatoes had also survived days of neglect. There were some pumpkin vines still alive, though the fruit was far from ripe. I wanted to water them, but all the water jars were completely empty.

"Where do you usually get your water?" I asked the children.

"From the well. The well is over there. Mrs. Isabel places a bucket at the entrance every morning. Mama tells us to scoop water from there into the kitchen."

"And Mrs. Isabel is...?"

"Our neighbor." So, the people here all draw their fresh water from a communal well. For the past few days, the Martins had been relying on the water their neighbor drew for them each morning, which was likely only enough for basic drinking and washing. The remaining water in the kitchen was quite scarce, so I went to the door and asked the two soldiers to fetch some more while I set to work on dinner.

As I was kneading dough, Lealia emerged from the room, saying she needed some warm water to wipe down the patient before acupuncture. Seeing my hands covered in flour, she mixed the warm water herself and carried it back into the room. The rest of the hot water went into the soup broth. First, I sautéed the tomatoes with some lard until they were soft, then poured in the hot water.

Since there were no other sources of protein, I shredded the salted fish and dried squid and simmered them in the water, throwing in a bit of ginger to mask the fishy odor. The fish and squid would also provide some savory depth to the flavor. The final step was just dropping in the thinly rolled and cut noodles. I took a taste and felt quite satisfied.

"Would you two like an early dinner?" I asked the two little ones. They had been standing nearby, smelling the aroma and watching with anticipation for some time now; they instantly nodded vigorously. I ladled a small bowl for each of them, telling them to carry them to the dining table themselves, while I took a bowl into the master bedroom. Lealia was beginning to withdraw the acupuncture needles from the husband. I asked, "May I bring food for the wife?"

"Oh, yes. She needs to regain her strength. Did you cook this?" This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

"Who else would have?" I smiled, helping the wife up so she could eat the noodles herself.

"Are you going to eat, too?" Lealia had finished removing the needles, folded her acupuncture wrap, and helped the husband lie back down. She caught a whiff of the aroma, appearing as though she very much wanted to try it, but she still shook her head.

"No. Their food supply is getting low, right? We can eat when we return tonight." I wanted to point out that whatever the chef back at our lodgings cooked would undoubtedly taste worse than these noodles, but she made a fair point. I hadn't used up all the handmade noodles yet, so they could still have another meal tomorrow. The wife ate slowly but never stopped, a clear sign of how starving she was. After finishing more than half the bowl, she said bashfully:"Thank you both so much. These noodles are delicious...

I truly don't know how to repay you." Lealia replied, "No, this is our responsibility."

"I didn't get a chance to ask earlier, but are you a physician sent by the church?"

"Not exactly, but close enough. I am a Hero Candidate sent by the Cathedral to stop the outbreak. Have you heard of the Hero Candidates?"

"Oh, who hasn't? What an honor, truly an honor." The woman looked deeply moved, a glimmer of hope shining in her eyes.

"So, do you know what illness we have? Can it be cured?" Lealia hesitated for a moment.

"I can't reach a definitive conclusion just yet. I've just performed acupuncture on your husband to improve his circulation and ease his breathing. I had hoped to wake him up, but..." The wife's disappointment was visible, yet she forced herself to say, "I see. What should I do next?" Lealia instructed, "I will prescribe some herbs for you to take after eating. When he wakes up, you must make sure he eats something to regain his strength before giving him the medicine. Asher, could you cook a bit more porridge?"

I nodded. The broth was already prepared; I just needed to add some barley. Once the examination was over, I asked the two soldiers who had returned with the water to give the house a quick cleaning. Afterward, I pulled Lealia out into the courtyard to talk.

"You can't identify the disease?" Lealia furrowed her brows and shook her head, muttering:"No. These symptoms are bizarre. They have no cough, no fever. In fact, their body temperature is lower than normal. They experience total body fatigue and aches, but no specific point of pain. They've been sick for a long time, but the progression isn't clear; the patients are weakening mainly due to malnutrition." I added, "Furthermore, the transmission is very strange.

Those two children have been in close proximity to them for days, yet they haven't caught it." Lealia nodded, then said hesitantly, "Actually... I have a theory, but... Never mind. Let's head back and discuss it with the other Candidates to see if we can draw any conclusions." By the time we returned to the lodgings, the other groups hadn't arrived yet. Since most of the sick were on the east side of town, they were likely trying to visit more than one household.

At that moment, the chef was beginning to prepare dinner. Recalling the flavor of lunch, I couldn't help but walk over to observe.

"What kind of meat is this?" I struck up a conversation. The chef was a stout, friendly man. He replied, "It's mutton, sir."

"No need for titles; I'm just an assistant. Are you going to grill it?"

"That is correct."

"Seasoned only with salt?"

"That's how we've always eaten it, hasn't it?" Mutton is far too gamey for my palate. But since sheep are the most common livestock in Averula, I've had to grit my teeth and eat them day after day.

"You should rub the meat with ginger, or parboil it briefly with ginger water. If you had some rosemary, it would be even better. Shall I give you a hand?"