Chapter 147: Food Therapy
Editor: Atlas Studios
After Pang Kongqing finished taking his pulse, he looked at Little Bowen and asked softly, “What did you eat this morning? Do you usually eat like this? What did you eat last night? What about yesterday afternoon?”
Little Bowen answered them one by one in a clear and organized manner. Pang Kongqing could not help but take a few more glances at him before nodding slightly. Looking at their clothes and limbs, he understood the situation. After pondering for a moment, Pang Kongqing picked up a pen and said to Mu Yangling, “I’ll prescribe him a warm and nourishing prescription. His diet is usually rather light, but he has to eat nutritious foods as well. Although he’s born with a congenital deficiency, he’s been nursing his health rather well. At this rate, he should be able to completely stop using medicine in three to four years.”
Mu Yangling frowned. Although Traditional Chinese Medicine was relatively gentle and Bowen was taking a warm nourishing prescription, there would definitely be medicinal poison left in his body after consuming it for seven to eight years.
Pang Kongqing could tell what Mu Yangling was thinking at a glance. Sighing, he said, “It’s not that there’s no better way, but that method of nursing one’s health is too meticulous. I’m afraid your family can’t afford it, and your ability and energy are insufficient.”
“Sir, why don’t you tell us about it? Perhaps my family has a way. Even if we can’t do it now, we can adopt the method when we have the ability in the future.” Mu Yangling looked at Pang Kongqing with bright eyes when she heard that there was a safer way.
“It’s not difficult actually. You have to know that food and medicine have the same origin. In ‘The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic1’, there’s a saying that goes, ‘Grains nourish, fruits assist, livestock enhance, vegetables supplement. When flavors harmonize and are consumed, they replenish essence and improve energy.’ However in the case of food therapy, to achieve a better nourishment effect, the ingredients and the precision of the cooking are not something an ordinary family can afford.” Pang Kongqing paused for a moment before continuing, “First and foremost, it requires one to have the utmost exquisite culinary skills. After cooking, you have to preserve most of the nutrients in the ingredients so that they can take effect from the inside out. Over time, one’s circulation will be enhanced, and their essence energy will naturally be abundant. Moreover, because it’s food therapy, there’s no medicinal poison. One’s internal organs will be nourished, allowing them to regain perfect health.”
Seeing that Mu Yangling understood, Pang Kongqing said with a smile, “I see that you and your younger siblings have calluses in your hands. Other than the new calluses on your younger brother’s palms, the rest are old calluses. Based on this, I don’t think your family is rich. If your younger brother chooses to stop taking medicine and opts for food therapy instead, he has to eat in such a way for years without stopping. Although this warm nourishment prescription is a medicine, it has its own benefits. At least, when your family falls into difficult times, it’s fine to pause consumption for two to three months. He’ll recover after taking it for three to four years. On the other hand, food therapy will definitely take longer and consume more time.”
Mu Yangling lowered her head and thought for a moment. Then, she looked up and said seriously, “Sir, please give us a prescription for food therapy. It’s best if you can write down clearly how to prepare the ingredients and if there’s anything he needs to avoid eating.”
Pang Kongqing looked at her suspiciously. “Someone in your family knows how to cook? This food therapy is very detailed.”
“Sir, don’t worry. My mother’s culinary skills are not bad. It shouldn’t be a problem for her.”
When Pang Kongqing heard her say this, he turned around and went into the inner room to take out a booklet. He said, “This is the food therapy prescription I wrote. Preparation methods are written below. Of course, it’s only a rough idea. If your mother’s culinary skills are good, she can improve upon them. However, you have to try your best to ensure that the nutrients in them are preserved. I’ve also recorded all kinds of cooking methods suitable for specific foods.”
Mu Yangling did not expect Pang Kongqing to treat them so well. She could not help but decline. “This must be very precious, right? How can I take it away? Why don’t I make a copy?”
“… Take it, I have multiple copies. But, I have a condition. Your brother has to come over every half a month for me to take his pulse. Also, if you find a way to improve the cooking method, you have to write me a copy.” Then, he said, “In return, your brother doesn’t need to pay for any treatment here. Whatever your brother needs to use, I’ll give it to him for free. How about that?”
Mu Yangling widened her eyes and looked at him. She couldn’t help but ask, “Sir, don’t tell me you’re experimenting on my brother?”
Pang Kongqing waved his hands and said, “No, no. This food therapy is indeed better than the warm nourishing prescription, but I don’t know just how good it is. After all, no one can persevere for years. Actually, I just want to test the taste of the dishes in this booklet…” Under Mu Yangling’s gaze, Pang Kongqing had no choice but to confess. “The dishes in the booklet do have the effect of food therapy, but the taste is a little strange. Although it’s strange, it’s at least better than bitter medicine. At least, it’s guaranteed that there’s no medicinal poison and no future trouble…”
Mu Yangling took the booklet and flipped through it. She realized that it was only a simple cooking method for a single ingredient, as well as some things to pay special attention to. The main aim of the entire booklet was to ensure nutrition. Therefore, some dishes were half-cooked because being too cooked would cause some nutrition of the ingredients to be lost. The amount of oil and salt was also strictly restricted. Mu Yangling felt that she had lost her appetite just by flipping through the booklet.
She looked down at her brother and began to hesitate.
One of the greatest joys in life was to “eat”. With this booklet, although the ingredients were exquisite, according to his cooking methods, the deliciousness of the food would undoubtedly be lost. How could her brother, who was still so young, lose such an important thing as the joy of eating?
Mu Yangling put away the booklet and said to Pang Kongqing, “Sir, I think I have to go back and discuss it with my parents.”
A foodie himself, Pang Kongqing knew the pain as he had tried all the food therapy recipes here. He hurriedly nodded and said, “Go back and ask your parents for their opinions first. I’ll wait for you here.”
Seeing that they were about to turn around and leave, Pang Kongqing quickly stopped them and said, “Why don’t I prescribe a few recipes for your brother’s food therapy first? When you get back, you can make them for your brother to try.” Pang Kongqing coughed lightly and said, “Although my recipes are a little unpalatable, it’s true food therapy. You don’t add any medicinal herbs in it at all, unlike medicinal cuisine recipes where you have to add medicinal herbs when stewing vegetables.”
At the mention of medicinal cuisine, Mu Yangling’s eyes lit up. “Sir, there’s also a doctor who prescribed a medicinal cuisine recipe for my brother. He’s actually eaten it for a while. Although it has a medicinal taste, the taste isn’t especially terrible. What do you think about changing to medicinal cuisine?”
Pang Kongqing was stunned for a moment before saying, “It’s not impossible. Since there’s medicine in medicinal cuisine, it actually works faster than food therapy. However, because there’s medicine in it after all, there’s more or less some medicinal poison. If it’s an ordinary person, medicinal cuisine will naturally be better than food therapy. However, your brother has been taking medicine for many years since he was born. There’s already enough medicinal poison accumulated in his body. It’s naturally best not to add more at this time. Moreover, using food therapy can slowly eliminate the medicinal poison that has already accumulated in his body.”
In other words, complete food therapy was the best solution.
Mu Yangling could only bring her brother home first.
As today was Mu Shi’s day off, Mu Yangling squatted at the entrance of the village and waited for him.
She figured she should ask her father for his opinion on this matter.
Mu Yangling felt that losing the chance to taste delicacies was a terrible thing, but Mu Shi and Shu Wanniang agreed without thinking. Shu Wanniang even blamed Mu Yangling. “Child, what’s there to reject when it’s such a wonderful thing?”
“But Mother, Physician Pang said that those dishes all taste pretty crappy. Little Brother has to eat that kind of thing for three meals a day and won’t be able to eat the delicious venison and rabbit meat I roast. Isn’t that sad?”
Xiuhong nodded fiercely from the side. “If I could only stand at the side and watch while my cousin and the others were eating roasted meat, I would be very pitiful too.”
Mu Yangling looked at her parents with an expression that said, “Right, right? I’m not lying to you, right?” She said, “So we have to ask Bowen for his opinion and see if he’s willing to eat those strange-tasting stuff and give up on eating all kinds of delicacies with us.”