Chapter 103 Chapter 102 Fake and inferior products are long...
Doctor Zhao, who worked in the pharmacy, was sleeping soundly when he was awakened by the noisy voices outside the door. When he opened the door, he saw a large group of people gathered outside. He was scared to death and almost thought that it was bandits from outside the city who rushed into Chang'an to rob.
He carried a medicine bag and visited about thirty households. He felt the pulse of every patient and finally concluded that all of them had stomachaches caused by eating something unclean. He wrote a prescription of Chinese medicine to protect the stomach and intestines. After thanking him, the neighbors took the medicine and left.
Duan Zhiwei quietly pulled Mrs. Wu's sleeve and asked, "Did your little tiger eat fried cakes during the day?"
Madam Wu shook her head and said, "No, but the old lady next door gave me a piece of fried pork tongs during the day, so I might have eaten that and got an upset stomach."
Ah Pan put on a thick fur coat and boiled some medicine for the two little guys. Soon after they drank it, they stopped complaining about stomachaches and fell asleep quickly.
After such a long time, Duan Zhiwei was so sleepy that his eyelids were fighting. He went back to the warm bed and buried his head in Yuan Shenji's arms. He said in a daze: "I don't know why so many people have stomach problems."
Yuan Shenji helped her to smooth the hair that fell on her cheek, and then thought of the strange oil seller that General Mingwei met at night.
The next morning, when Duan Zhiwei woke up, Yuan Shenji had already gone to the government office for duty. She went to check on them and found that the two children, after a night's rest, were lively again and each drank a large bowl of corn porridge.
Only then did she feel relieved.
A fisherman by the Wei River sent a basket of large black carps. In winter, the Wei River was covered with ice, making it difficult to catch fish. As a result, the price of black carps doubled in winter and few restaurants wanted them.
Seeing that the old fisherman's hands were frozen purple, Duan Zhiwei's old soft-hearted habit came back and he bought the basket of black fish.
She went to the backyard to scrape the fish scales. The Jinhua cat stopped lazing around the brazier and rubbed against her feet. Duan Zhiwei touched its round head and said, "Don't worry, you'll have your share."
With this guarantee, the Jinhua cat was much more satisfied. It ran back to the main hall, lay down beside the stove, and fell asleep.
After burning incense, Aunt Duan came back and came in through the curtain. Seeing that she was still chopping fish, she stood aside and talked to her: "The street is really lively. The county lieutenant brought a team of yamen runners to arrest people everywhere. They said that many people ate unclean food last night and had vomiting and diarrhea."
Duan Zhiwei asked: "Has the culprit been caught?"
Aunt Duan shook her head and said, "I've walked around the streets several times, but I haven't caught anyone."
Seeing that it was almost time for lunch, Duan Zhiwei quickly lit the firewood, put the black fish in the iron pot to stew, and added onions, ginger, garlic and star anise.
There was no corn this morning, so she made some rolls and stuck them to the edge of the pot, then put some frozen tofu, eggplant, and cabbage in, and stewed them together until they were sticky and glutinous. The rich red soup was boiling in the iron pot. Duan Zhiwei took a large spoon and poured the sauce over the fish, and the rich fish aroma soon filled the entire room.
Despite the cold weather, this delicious, steaming fish pot quickly became popular among diners.
Zhen Hui had just finished his shift. He wrapped himself in a cotton coat and walked in shivering. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the warmth of the restaurant.
Aunt Duan was sitting aside sewing shoe soles. When she saw him come in, she asked, "Would you like a pot of wine?"
Zhen Hui nodded and sat down next to the fireplace.
She poured a pot of wine and placed it in front of Zhen Hui and asked, "Didn't the young master from the Su family come with you?"
Zhen Hui took the wine and looked unhappy: "Don't mention it, he ate an extra fried cake yesterday, complained of stomachache, and asked for leave to go home."
He took a sip of wine and said, "Su Lushi praised the cake to me. It's only three cents a piece and it's even crispier than the cakes fried by the chef in the princess's mansion. He said he would bring it to me tomorrow. Fortunately, I didn't eat it."
Duan Zhiwei found it strange that so many people had stomach upsets.
At night, Yuan Shenji came back in the wind and snow, looking unhappy.
He was on duty at the government office today, but several of the military marquises took leave and didn't come. When he asked, they all said they had stomach problems. If things continue like this, he's afraid they won't be able to get a team together to patrol the streets at night.
Yuan Shenji deliberately left his shift early and took a detour to Chang'an County to inquire about the matter. He found out that the yamen runners had arrested several peddlers for questioning. They all said only that they bought cheap oil and there was nothing unusual.
As for where the mysterious oil seller was and what he looked like, the vendors said all kinds of things. Some said he was an old man with gray hair, while others said he was a cheerful woman, which confused the Chang'an County Lieutenant.
The north wind was blowing hard outside. He sat there with a frown on his face, like a cold and hard statue. Duan Zhiwei found it interesting and put a pot of fish in front of him: "Don't think about it, eat first."
Yuan Shenji came back to his senses then. He took out the slightly mushy roll from the pot, dipped it into the soup and took a bite. It was delicious.
Duan Zhiwei supported his chin and watched him eat.
Yuan Shenji thought she looked funny and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just because you look good." She said nonsense.
He finished eating in two or three bites, put his arm around her waist and went back to the room: "I'll go back to the room and show you slowly."
The sword was pressed against her skirt, and kisses fell lightly one after another. He leaned close to her, kissing her eyebrows and eyes, and his hands slid to her skirt: "Last night was interrupted by trivial matters. Even if the sky falls today, I will..."
Duan Zhiwei enthusiastically hooked her hands around his neck, ready for tonight's joy. Before the two of them were completely honest with each other, they heard hawking sounds outside the yard.
"Oil for sale, oil for sale...cheap and delicious oil is here." The wind was whistling outside, and the sound was extremely abrupt in the dark night, but the tone was surprisingly lively.
Duan Zhiwei quickly pushed his solid chest and said, "It's past curfew. Who would buy oil at this time? It must be that suspicious oil seller."
The two men climbed up from the bed, put on their clothes and chased out through the back door. There were two shiny oily marks on the ground, which must have been the oil marks left by the donkey's wheels rolling over the ground.
The two men followed the oil trail all the way north, and when they were almost at the intersection of Second Street, they finally met the oil seller.
The man wore a tattered felt hat and was driving a donkey. There were two large oil barrels on the donkey's back, and some oil leaked onto the ground from time to time.
Duan Zhiwei hurriedly said, "The oil seller, please wait, I want to buy some oil."
The oil seller stopped and turned around. His face was hidden under his felt hat and his expression could not be seen clearly. "How much oil do you want, madam?"
Duan Zhiwei said: "One pot will do."
The oil seller held out his hand: "Bottle."
There were no plastic bottles in this dynasty. If people wanted to buy oil, they had to bring their own bottles, either made of porcelain or silver.
Duan Zhiwei didn't really want to buy oil, and he was in such a hurry to catch up that he completely forgot about it. He could only smile awkwardly and said, "I was in such a hurry to come out that I forgot."
The oil seller was good-tempered: "Forget it, let's do it next time." He pulled the donkey's reins again and continued to move forward.
Duan Zhiwei wanted to stop him, but he had no excuse. Instead, Yuan Shenji unceremoniously drew out his sword and blocked the man's way: "Wait."
He didn't use any strength, just lightly touched the other person. Unexpectedly, the oil seller's head with a tattered felt hat fell to the ground with a "thump" and rolled three times, scaring Duan Zhiwei so much that he almost screamed.
Although his head had fallen off, the oil seller's body could still move. He waved his hands in the air a few times and shouted anxiously, "Ahhhh, you didn't see anything, you didn't see anything." He walked around on the ground for several circles like a drunk crab.
Then he grabbed the oil barrel that had fallen to the ground and held it above his head, pinched the donkey's belly, and ran away.
Yuan Shenji chased for a short distance, and the oil seller and his donkey disappeared under a big locust tree.
Yuan Shenji wanted to chase her again, but he was worried about Duan Zhiwei who was already stunned by the shock. He hurried over to hug her, rubbed her red hands, and whispered in her ear: "Don't be afraid, my lady. I'm here."
Duan Zhiwei pointed at the head on the ground with a shaking finger, and Yuan Shenji covered her eyes: "Don't worry, it's okay, I'm here, don't worry."
There happened to be a store with lanterns hanging next to it. He stretched out his legs and kicked the head, still wearing a felt hat, on the ground into the light.
It was a head carved out of wood.
Yuan Shenji took away his hand that was covering her eyes: "It's fake, carved from wood."
"What a good escape," he cursed.
He had no choice but to carry the wooden sculpture in one hand and support Duan Zhiwei with the other hand as they went home.
Duan Zhiwei was shivering with cold outside, so he went home and hurried to add two more pieces of charcoal to the brazier.
Yuan Shenji helped her get a basin of hot water to soak her feet, lit the sheep-horn lamp himself, and sat down at the table to study the wooden carved head.
It should be carved from locust wood, and it is rather rough. It is roughly carved into the shape of a head with a tattered felt hat covering it. It is not noticeable at night, but it would be easier to see during the day.
Duan Zhiwei spread his hands and lay on the bed: "How can someone dress like this? It must be a monster."
She has become accustomed to creatures like monsters. Even if Tang Seng and his four disciples stand in front of her tomorrow, she will smile slightly, then sponsor them a bundle of steamed cakes and send them off to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures.
Yuan Shenji spent most of the day studying the wooden carved head but still couldn't figure out what was going on. He felt unhappy about letting the prisoner escape and didn't sleep well. The next day happened to be a day off, so he took this "criminal evidence" to the Dali Temple to find his good friend Li Heng to study it together.
Duan Zhiwei got some late-harvest mung beans from a vegetable shop. The mung beans had already wilted and dried up that day. She wanted to try grinding the mung beans into flour, sieve them to get the powder, then peel and rub them.
To put it simply, it means making vermicelli. If successful, it is not only good for hot pot, but also for making old duck vermicelli soup.
Yuan Shenji had gone out, and Aunt Duan was nowhere to be found either. She and A Pan took turns pushing the millstone for half a day. Mung bean dregs slowly came out, and their arms were sore from exhaustion.
While they were resting, Aunt Duan came in with an excited look on her face. Duan Zhiwei quickly said, "Where have you been, Aunt? Come and help me for a while."
Aunt Duan held a small silver box in her hand and said, "My son is busy right now."
She took out the copper basin she usually used to wash her face from the house, filled it with hot water, then took out the silver box and poured the ointment in it into the water and mixed it evenly.
The water began to emit a rich sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance.
Duan Zhiwei came closer curiously: "What is this?"
Madam Duan began to wash her face with the scented water. "The scented ointment shipped from the Western Regions has a strong fragrance when dissolved in hot water. This ointment costs thirty coins for a small box. The ladies in Pingkangfang are all vying to buy it. I have queued up and bought this."
As she spoke, she pushed the ramie in her hand against Duan Zhiwei's face: "Try it."
"I don't want it." Duan Zhiwei was quite disgusted. He hid back and then went to the stone mill again to work with A Pan.
Aunt Duan happily carried the copper basin into the room and said, "You young ladies don't understand. When my face becomes as white as mutton-fat jade, I won't be willing to give it to you even if you ask me for it."
A Pan and Duan Zhiwei looked at each other, shrugged helplessly, and continued to work.
After a while, a scream was heard from Aunt Duan's room, and the two men quickly dropped their work and ran in.
"What's going on?"
Aunt Duan was wailing in front of the bronze mirror, her face as bright red as a freshly cooked crab.
Duan Zhiwei quickly wiped her wound with a towel dipped in ice water: "I told you not to buy those ointments with unclear origins. Look, you are allergic to them."
"Damn you traffickers!" Although Aunt Duan's face was allergic, she was still full of energy, like an angry Guan Gong statue: "She said with great rhetoric that after applying this ointment, she would be as beautiful as Xi Shi and Diao Chan, but I think she would be as beautiful as a monkey's butt!"
Having said that, regardless of the two ladies' attempts to stop her, Aunt Duan picked up a stick and ran out to settle the score with the hawker.
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