CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 88: PUMPKIN PORRIDGE

Though irritated, seeing Chu Wuyi so humbled, Cen Lizhui silently stepped back behind Chen Muxue; she had her own thoughts, and Cen Lizhui wouldn’t interfere lightly.

Chen Muxue clearly did not expect to become entangled with this second male lead. Her expression turned slightly serious, her brow furrowed.

Seeing her demeanor, Chu Wuyi assumed she was unwilling; his eyes showed pain as he quickly apologized, "I’m the one who disturbed you. If Miss Chen isn’t willing, we won’t proceed. It’s all my fault for being presumptuous. Miss, please don’t take it to heart."

Chen Muxue quickly waved her hand, "No, I’m not unwilling. How is your sister’s condition? Is it serious?"

"These days, my younger sister has been unable to eat anything, even drinking water is difficult. She’s been unable to sleep and even when she does, nightmares wake her up..." The more Chu Wuyi spoke, the lower his spirits became.

They have consulted many doctors. All the doctors said her pulse seems normal, just very weak, likely due to emotional knots in her heart. Each time, they can only prescribe sedatives or appetite-inducing medication to barely sustain her life.

He remembered his sister being such a beautifully crafted little child when she was young, but now she has grown so thin, like a skeleton.

Every time his sister was conscious, she would force a smile at him, reassuring him not to worry, which made him feel even more guilty.

The prosperity of the Chu family, all resting on a sick child, how laughable!

Chen Muxue returned to the kitchen and saw a small pumpkin, deciding to make a serving of Korean-style pumpkin porridge. Nowadays, many Korean BBQ restaurants offer free pumpkin porridge, though most use instant powder.

She remembered once returning to her hometown county and visiting an unassuming small BBQ restaurant. Compared to city BBQ joints, its decor was quite humble.

However, one day as she passed by, she saw the lady owner using a blender to puree pumpkin, then simmering it in a pot. She curiously asked if it was free?

The lady replied that upon hearing city customers mention this offering, she decided to make it herself—free of charge. Most of her customers were regulars, some could even be called by name, and homegrown pumpkins weren’t expensive, just a bit of effort.

It was a very down-to-earth restaurant, and despite its size, it was always bustling with customers.

At that time, she felt a warm sensation.

Now she also made a pot of pumpkin porridge, hoping perhaps to pass this warmth to Chu Wuyi’s sister!

Clean the pumpkin, remove the seeds, and steam it with the skin on for about fifteen minutes over high heat. Once steamed, scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

Since there is no blender here, she can only manually mash it with a stone mortar. In modern times, Chen Muxue might use purified water, but here, what water could be better than the one formed from her Spiritual Power?

Pour the mashed pumpkin into a pot, heat it on high for ten minutes, then switch to medium heat. Mix glutinous rice flour with cold water before adding it to the pot, simmer for another five minutes, meanwhile stirring constantly with a ladle to prevent the bottom from burning.

A strong sweet pumpkin aroma filled the air, and just smelling it warms the heart.

Add rock sugar and goji berries, reduce to low heat, and the vibrant orange porridge with red goji berries rolling about, appears quite adorable.

Seeing extra glutinous rice flour, Chen Muxue simply rolled it into small balls, cooked them, and added them into the porridge; the little white balls bobbing up and down in the orange porridge, resembling a game of hide-and-seek.

Thus, a pot of pumpkin porridge that visually exudes warmth was complete.

The sweet, cozy aroma spread, and if it were winter, one bowl would warm one to their toes.