Chapter 102

Xu Yi thought it would be good if he could sell two bottles of the medicinal wine he originally brought out tonight.

Although he believed that some people would be willing to buy wine, after all, the price was high and not many people would be willing to buy it. In addition, A Xu and Zhang Tiegou were not people who would shout and sell alcohol, so Xu Yi didn't have much hope for this.

He was prepared that the medicinal wine would not be sold, but he never expected that by smelling the aroma of the wine, two-thirds of the wine he brought out would be sold.

Xu Yi smacked his tongue: "..." Sure enough, people in the Song Dynasty loved wine for more than just talk.

Half an hour later.

With a joyful smile on his face, A Xu ran to the tea shop opposite to find Xu Yi. He smiled so hard that he showed his teeth and shouted: "Mr. Lang, all the wine you brought out is sold out!"

Fifteen bottles of wine were all sold. .

This was almost beyond everyone's expectations. Even if A Xu knew that the wine was good, someone would definitely buy it. But with so many people buying it, he never thought about it.

Xu Yi said: "Since it's sold out, let's go back."

"Yeah, sir, wait a moment, I'll clean up the stall." A Xu saluted and jumped back to the stall opposite.

Zhang Tiegou, who was guarding the stall, was talking to a customer. This customer came a little late and didn't buy any wine. He stamped his feet sadly: "No more? Can I go get the wine again?"

"No, tomorrow is the first day of the year. " , I won’t leave the stall,” Zhang Tiegou replied to him.

The matter of not leaving the stall was discussed before I went out today.

When the man heard that he had run out of wine, his face was full of sadness, and he quickly asked: "I am the manager of procurement in the mansion. The master wants two jugs of good wine. Please ask this young man to be accommodating and get two more bottles." Here comes a pot of wine."

He thought, if there is a business, this strong man will definitely agree.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Tiegou was a fool. If he said he didn't have it, he wouldn't have it. Let him come back in a few days.

The man was dumbfounded. He had never seen anyone doing business like this: "..."

A Xu came back to see this scene and asked the man: "Do you want two pots?"

When the man saw that there was still a chance of improvement, he immediately became humble. He said: "That's right. I'm also working for the master's family. Brother, please be accommodating. If you can bring me two pots, I'm willing to pay an extra fifty yuan for each pot."

He just became the purchasing manager and was thinking about it. In front of the owner, he said that he just passed by this stall and saw that it was selling medicinal wine, so he stopped and watched.

When he smelled the aroma of medicinal wine, his heart moved.

The owner is an alcoholic. He has drunk all kinds of good wines in Yanting County, but he has never smelled the medicinal wine tonight.

If he could buy it back and deliver it to his master, he would definitely get a lot of reward.

A Xu thought about it again and again and said, "We are closing the stall. If you want to buy something, you can come with us and pick it up at home."

As for making a special trip to get it, A Xu didn't dare to make the decision privately.

When the man heard that he was going to get the wine, he hesitated for a while and then nodded in agreement.

Soon, there was a strange guest among those who returned.

The guest was also curious when he saw Xu Yi. After asking, he learned that the medicinal wine was made by Xu Yi, and Xu Yi was a doctor. His eyes were full of surprise.

"Doctor Xu is so capable at such a young age, which is really impressive." He praised.

Then he asked if there was any more wine behind.

"Although I am not a wine lover, my husband loves wine and needs to have wine every time on weekdays. I have drunk almost all the good wines in several pubs in the county. My husband often said that he wants to try something else. Wine. "

Tongchuan Prefecture also has good wine, and the traveling merchant teams have carriages and horses, so it is not difficult to send wine back and forth.

But he likes to raise prices, and even a dime of good wine can cost a lot of money. Even his master cannot afford to spend so much.

Xu Yi said lightly: "There will be something behind my medicinal wine, that is, you should not be greedy when drinking. When you bring it back, remember to tell your master that it should not exceed the amount of a bowl of wine." Xu

Yi asked A Xu to sell the wine when he was selling it. He reminded wine-buying customers to remember the amount of alcohol they drank. This time, he also mentioned it.

The next day is Yuan Day.

On this day, the neighbors in South Street woke up to the sound of firecrackers.

A Xu and A Jin got up, brushed their teeth with tooth powder, washed their faces with warm water, put on new cotton robes made this winter, and came to Xu Yi's house in advance to pay New Year greetings.

Xu Yi wore a red fox scarf made by Ah Jin, boots made by Ah Jin, and a clear water-colored robe. He sat in the middle of the room and gave rewards to the two of them.

It's not much, just a string of copper coins for each person, it's a festive occasion.

After receiving the reward, A Xu and A Jin kowtowed to express their gratitude.

Xu Yi didn't stop him this time. He had asked Xing Yuesen before that day. Xing Yuesen told him that if a husband wants to make the people below him obedient and respectful, he must not just give benefits, but also let them know the majesty of being the master of the family.

Xu Yi thought to himself that he had never thought about it this way, but the life contract between the two of them was in his hands.

After the proper formality is completed, there is no need to be so restrained in the following time. Just continue as usual.

A-Xu-A-Jin first changed out of her new clothes and went to the kitchen to work on today's meal.

Xu Yi didn't want to go to too much trouble. If there were just three of them preparing a table of dishes, the dishes at the back would not be ready and the dishes at the front would be cold.

So, he proposed to have a side stove today.

A Xu already knew what a side stove was from Xu Yi's mouth.

It was difficult to buy good river fresh food at this time of year, so Xu Yi asked him to buy a chicken, a carp, and a leg of lamb.

The hooves of the lamb leg are chopped off and cooked into soup to make a soup base for the side stove. The upper part with the meat on it is first used to remove the mutton smell with spices, then potatoes, chestnuts and dried mushrooms are added, and it is simmered in a small stove. .

It takes several hours to simmer, and by the time you eat it in the evening, the lamb leg will be stewed until it is soft and tender, and the fat skin on the outside will be like jelly, soft and chewy.

After finishing this, A Xu started to fillet the carp, cut it into thin slices and put it on a plate. Then he washed a few plates of vegetables, soaked some dried mountain products, and used them to rinse and eat. Everything was delicious.

At this time, Zhang Tiegou came to the door carrying bacon.

He stayed at an inn in the city to rest last night, and left before dawn. He went to his house to pick up some meat, and then came right over without stopping.

"You came just in time. Today's breakfast is yam porridge made by Ah Jin." Xu Yi asked him to sit down.

Ah Jin turned around and left after hearing this. When he came back, he had an extra pair of bowls and chopsticks in his hand.

After a simple breakfast, Xu Yi handed Zhang Tiegou a copy of "The Thousand-Character Essay", which he copied last night and didn't finish until midnight.

He told Zhang Tiegou that Ajin would teach him the previous sentence.

"Ajin is very talented in reading and can read very quickly. She is already reading the second half of the book. It is more than enough for her to teach you."

Zhang Tiegou: "..." If you want a nine-year-old girl to teach him how to read, you can't say no. exit.

Xu Yi seemed to see his embarrassment and said with a smile: "I have already told Ah Jin. Ah Jin said that she has no problem and will give you homework like me."

Zhang Tiegou didn't want to talk anymore. After what happened last night, he impulsively promised Xu Yi to learn "The Thousand Character Classic". He was eager for that set of boxing skills, but he understood that it would be more painful for him to become literate than to have him fight for his life with bandits.

I originally wanted to come over and tell Xu Yi to forget about literacy, but Xu Yi took the initiative and copied all the "Thousand Character Essay".

Seeing his good brother talking to him slowly and rubbing his wrists, he knew that it would not be easy to finish copying such a thick book.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say what he wanted to say.

"Moved?" Xu Yi looked at him with raised eyebrows.

Zhang Tiegou scratched his head: "If I don't learn well, you won't scold me, right?"

"No." Xu Yi drank the tea and said calmly, "But I don't know if Ah Jin will scold you."

Zhang Tiegou Shocked: "?" He looked at the well-behaved and sensible Ah Jin, "Are you bluffing me?"

Xu Yi said: "Why am I bluffing you? If you don't believe me, you can learn the first sentence from her today and see how she teaches. You are literate."

Of course, Xu Yi would not let Zhang Tiegou be tortured by reading on such a day.

He fiddled with the herbs in his hand, scattered them back on the dustpan, and clapped his hands. The sound of wheels rolling over stone slabs could be heard outside. It was Uncle Liu driving over.

Uncle Liu jumped out of the car and brought a box of potato and meatballs made by Wang to pay New Year greetings.

"These are meatballs made by my wife myself. You can't buy them outside. Doctor Xu, don't dislike them." He said with a smile.

Xu Yi said: "How can I dislike it? These meatballs smell so good. I'm just full and feel hungry."

After saying that, Xu Yi took the box with a smile and handed it to Ah Jin next to him, and smiled and invited him into the room to drink . Tea.

Uncle Liu passed by the yard and saw Zhang Tiegou lying in a daze in the yard, with doubts in his eyes.

"Zhang Orion, are you here to pay New Year's greetings to Dr. Xu?"

Zhang Tiegou opened his eyes and shook his head at him: "I'm here to celebrate the festival."

Uncle Liu: "..." Good guy, can you still do this?

There was envy in his eyes, but he also knew that Zhang Orion had a good relationship with Dr. Xu, and since there was no one else in Zhang Orion's family, it was not so inappropriate to come to Xu's house for the festival.

Yuan Day is the first day of the New Year, which is a very important day.

There are records that on this day, both the court and the people will pay New Year greetings. Among the people, the way of New Year greetings is also very unique. Greeting cards with blessings will be prepared in advance and given to each other.

Some wealthy families will hang red paper bags at the door to receive greeting cards from others. [Note 1]

Xu Yi did not prepare paper bags in advance. As a result, after Uncle Liu came to give gifts and blessing cards, people came one after another.

Those who came to send greeting cards first came from the nearby neighbors.

These people have always received Xu Yi's care, buying medicine and seeing a doctor. Xu Yi treats them equally and never charges a penny more.

They sent greeting cards and said auspicious blessings with smiles on their faces.

Some even prepared hard-boiled red eggs, put them in baskets covered with red paper, and delivered them to Xu Yi personally.

They are all the families that Xu Yi gave free clinics to when the South Street was hit by a disaster.

Seeing that they had brought eggs, Xu Yi couldn't accept them directly, so he asked Asu Ajin to grab a few handfuls of jelly beans and give them to them.

"It's the festival. I bought a lot of jelly beans at home. Uncles and aunts, let's share them with the children at home."

After Xu Yi finished speaking, they happily took the jelly beans and said they were the jelly beans given by Doctor Xu. , the children eat it, and they can spend the new year peacefully.

After they left, Xu Yi looked at the dozen greeting cards on the table.

Most of these greeting cards were written by a scholar from South Street. The greetings on them were not very innovative, but his handwriting was good.

Xu Yi read them one by one, picked out a few interesting ones, and showed them to Ah Xu and Ah Jin.

These pictures were written by the neighbors themselves.

The writing is a bit ugly, but it uses easy-to-understand words and phrases that even two young children, A Xu and A Jin, can understand.

After reading the greeting card, Xu Yi cut out the red paper, folded it into the shape of a paper bag, and sealed the loose ends with rice paste.

Then use red rope to cut four small holes in the top and pass it through. After fastening, hang it to the wooden door beam.

He hung up the red paper bag, and not long after, a new round of New Year greetings began again.

This time it was the entourage of friends who came to give gifts.

The first person to arrive was Xing Yuesen's attendant Amu. Amu put the greeting card in his hand into a paper bag, took out a gift, and respectfully told Xu Yi what Xing Yuesen had told him.

Xing Yuesen knew that Xu Yi would be busy today, so he specifically told A Mu not to let A Xu and others go to Xing Mansion.

If you have prepared greeting cards, just ask Amu to take them back.

After Xu Yi heard this, he gave the prepared greeting card and the festive gift to Amu, and said with a smile: "Please bring it to Brother Xing for me."

The festive gift he prepared was a bottle of medicinal wine, and he gave this medicinal wine to Tao Qinghao and Xin Shengyuan Everyone prepared a copy.

After saying that, Xu Yi did not forget to give Amu a reward, no more, no less, eight coins.

This number sounded festive, and Amu was very happy to receive the reward. He happily left with the return gift.

Next, servants from the Xin family and the Tao family also came to give Xu Yi gifts.

During this period, Xu Yi also received Wu Guanshan's apprentices...

Xu Yi had not received so many people in one day for a long, long time.

He looked at the threshold, which was about to be trampled down, with joyful helplessness in his eyes.

...

An hour later, Xu Yi finished receiving the guests. Seeing that it was getting late, he ordered A Xu and A Jin to send the greeting cards he had prepared to the neighbors.

And he personally took the greeting card to Mrs. He's house and Uncle Tang's house.

It was Yu Qiulin who came out to open the door. Yu Qiulin's father, Uncle Yu, came back. When he saw Xu Yi, he happily took his hand and said a few words of blessing before asking him if he still had any medicinal wine?

"That wine is so fragrant, it's really memorable when you drink it." Uncle Yu said.

Xu Yi smiled and said, "There is more. But Uncle Yu, don't drink too much. A small drink can make you happy and nourish your body. It can cure diseases and maintain your health. A big drink can harm your body."

As they chatted, Madam He came out with a greeting card and stuffed it into Xu Yi's mouth. Yi held it in his hand and glared at the person next to him: "Isn't that bottle enough for you to drink?"

Uncle Yu said sheepishly: "It's rare to go home on vacation, so it would be a pity not to drink more."

That's what he said, Later, Mrs. He was still willing to spend another three coins and buy another dime of medicinal wine.

Xu Yi, who came out of the He family and the Tang family, went to Pang Boyi's house again.

Facing Pang Yi, Xu Yi naturally brought not only a greeting card, but also a supply of fragrant pills.

After the fragrant pills were delivered, Pang Boyi played two games of chess with Xu Yi while chatting with him about recent events.

He knew that Xu Yi was making wine recently, but he didn't rush to ask. He only said that Wang Shun had been imprisoned in a cell in the county town, and he thought that after the festival, he would be sentenced to exile.

"Okay, it's time to get down to business." Pang Boyi paused and changed the subject, "I heard from Uncle Pang that you and A Xu were selling medicinal wine in the evening market. This medicinal wine is no better than pills. There are many people watching. Do you want to "Is this the case?"

Xu Yi glanced at him and asked slowly: "Will someone take it away?"

Pang Boyi said: "If it were someone else, it might be snatched away, but I think you have a chance.

" Not at all." Xu Yi shook his head and analyzed calmly, "The county is not a place outside the law. The current magistrate is a fair and good official and will not let this kind of robbery happen in the county. Besides, Captain Pan is here to enforce the law impartially. If this happens, I can go to the Yamen to report the crime. "

"What if it wasn't an open robbery?" Pang Boyi looked at him and asked.

Xu Yi said: "It's not an obvious robbery, it's just a burglary, or counterfeiting of wine. If it's a burglary, I didn't write down the code, I'm afraid I won't steal anything. If it's a counterfeit, I can't stop it. I really can." It was only the other party's ability to make it."

Xu Yi did not underestimate the power of the ancients. For the Song Dynasty, wine had developed to the point where both the court and the people were inseparable from wine. For the brewing of wine, there are no less than hundreds of recipes for brewing koji.

Xu Yi just cooked the wine with medicinal herbs based on the already brewed sake.

This method is not difficult. If you try a few recipes and ratios, others will be able to cook it too.

Xu Yi didn't plan to make a fortune by selling medicinal wine. He just wanted to have more money so that he wouldn't buy a house and end up empty-handed.

Pang Boyi looked back with approval in his eyes and did not continue the topic.

After they finished playing chess, Uncle Pang came over carrying a wooden box not much bigger than a palm.

"This is the gift I asked Uncle Pang to prepare, accept it." Pang Boyi said.

Xu Yi raised his eyebrows in confusion and opened it in front of him.

Unexpectedly, it contained a book, to be precise, a medical record book.

This medical record book was left by a folk doctor from the Tang Dynasty. This doctor was born in a medical family and had treated many patients. These medical records were all recorded in the book one by one.

Xu Yi took a heavy breath and said with fluctuating eyes: "Pang Guanren, this gift is too precious."

Pang Boyi smiled: "Whether it is expensive or not depends on whose hands it is. In my hands, it is just me. It's just a book in the collection of ancient books. But in your hands, it can be of greater use."

Xu Yi touched the medical record book fondly and said gratefully: "Thank you Pang Guanren for giving me this book. It's love."

Pang Boyi was not polite to him: "If you want to thank me, don't just give me fragrant pills, but also give me a gift in return."

Xu Yi raised his eyes and looked at him.

Pang Boyi continued: "That medicinal wine is very good."

He also wanted to try it.