Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Earth salt!

Because it was very inconvenient to go out and buy things at the market, and salt was very expensive at that time, the people here learned to make local salt from their ancestors.

So-called "earth salt" refers to the salt and alkali mixed with soil from the Gobi Desert. When villagers use salt, they first collect this salt and alkali, then dissolve it in a ceramic jar, let it settle, and then use the middle layer of solution for cooking.

Nowadays, people only care about being full when they eat, not about the taste. So as long as it's salty, they're fine with it, without caring about its purity or how good it tastes.

The soil here has suffered severe iodine loss, and while these soil salts contain sodium hydroxide and sodium chloride, they do not contain iodine. Long-term consumption of these soil salts will definitely lead to iodine deficiency.

Sigh, it's all because of poverty and hardship!

Poverty is often accompanied by illness, and illness, in turn, leads to further poverty. An age-old problem!

Therefore, this endemic disease is not merely a medical problem, but also a social one. The prevention and control of this endemic disease can only be achieved by eradicating both the root causes of the disease and the underlying poverty.

But how do we dig out and pull out this root?

This is an extremely complex project concerning people's livelihood! In later generations, the prevention and control of many endemic diseases took decades to gradually resolve, even with substantial human and material support. What can she do now?

This problem was far too difficult for Ji Yongling! Her power was too insignificant; she neither had the ability nor the authority!

If she could dress up as a princess or prince, perhaps there would be a chance; at worst, she could simply and directly relocate the entire village and leave this place!

However, nowadays, she doesn't even have the power to relocate the entire village, let alone ask individual families to leave.

Nowadays, there's no such thing as going out to work and support your family. People at the bottom of society are firmly tied to the land. If they leave their original land, they might become migrants, so it's better for them to stay here.

All she can do now is address her illness first; as for poverty, she can figure out a solution step by step later.

The only way to address the geological iodine deficiency that causes goiter is through exogenous iodine supplementation. However, the Loess Plateau is far from the ocean, and foods like kelp, seaweed, and iodized salt are not only expensive but also extremely difficult to obtain for the people there.

But when Ji Yongling arrived, she had a solution.

After all, she was a transmigrator with a cheat code, so when she came to Guazi Village this time, she brought potassium iodide from the future.

This time, she's back to her job of administering medicine.

She set up a table in front of Gaixia's house and asked Gaixia's husband to go door to door and call everyone to come and take their medicine.

Ji Manqing sighed, "You calling people over to take their medicine this time reminds me of when you were giving medicine to the children in Niujiazhuang. I can't believe how much time has passed!"

Yes, it's medication again.

Life is short, and time waits for no one!

Ji Yongling was also somewhat dazed; so much time had passed without her realizing it. She lived in this era, seemingly having done a lot, yet also seemingly having done nothing at all. Perhaps what she did were all insignificant little things!

Since Dr. He first came to Guazi Village, he has come to the village every year to administer medicine. Now that Dr. He has passed away, his apprentice is still carrying on his legacy and comes to administer medicine from time to time.

So when the villagers heard about the medicine being distributed, they thought Ji Yongling was a disciple of Doctor He.

Several elderly people surrounded Ji Yongling and asked, "When will Dr. He's apprentices also start taking on female apprentices?"

Ji Yongling smiled but didn't explain.

Although she had never met Dr. He, she held him in the utmost respect. It was an honor for her to be regarded as Dr. He's grand-disciple, and she felt she had benefited from Dr. He's influence.

In any era, there is no shortage of doctors who are compassionate, righteous, and have a benevolent heart.

Just like Dr. He, who, since he was young and discovered he had goiter, would come here every year despite the treacherous roads to find the cause and administer medicine, until he was too old to walk anymore, and then his apprentice took over.

Generation after generation, year after year, they have always persevered.

So next, let's have Ji Yongling take over!

This time, she had everyone in Guazi Village take potassium iodide once, but one dose was far from enough to prevent goiter.

In order to better combat the goiter in Guazi Village, Ji Yongling decided that the 15th of each month would be "Iodine Day" for Guazi Village. On that day, either she or Ji Manqing would come to Guazi Village to administer the medicine.

When the villagers heard that Ji Yongling came to distribute medicine every month, they were extremely grateful.

An old man even knelt down before Ji Yongling and said, "Dr. Ji, tell me, can our village escape this misery and get better?"

"Yes, definitely!" Ji Yongling helped the old man up, saying with absolute certainty.

The old man, his back hunched, said with eyes full of expectation, "Dr. Ji, we're relieved to hear you say that! You don't need to worry about our goiter; it doesn't matter. As long as the babies born in our village in the future aren't as thin as melon seeds, we'll be content! We'll definitely build a shrine for you and erect a longevity tablet for you!"

Ji Yongling shook her head; she didn't need any of those.

She doesn't chase fame or fortune. It's not that she's particularly noble, but rather that fame and fortune are of no use to her in this world. Could any amount of fame or fortune possibly get her back to the modern world?

Since she can't go back, she just wants to live according to her own heart and use her meager strength to help the suffering people at the bottom of society.

Nevertheless, she still felt somewhat heavy-hearted after listening to the old man's words.

The old woman's expectations were heavier than any words. Although she could help Guazi Village prevent and treat goiter, poverty and disease go hand in hand. What could be done about this poverty?

A deep sense of powerlessness left Ji Yongling feeling somewhat lost.

But she didn't want to shatter the old woman's hopes, so she said softly, "Grandma, your village will get better in the future! I promise, you'll all come to take your medicine on the monthly iodine day, and the babies born to the women in the future will definitely not be like this anymore!"

The old man's eyes welled up with tears. He held Ji Yongling's hand tightly, as if he could see the hope for the future of Guazi Village.

But only Ji Yongling knew that this was just the beginning, and the road ahead was still long.