Chapter 40

Mint and loquat drink is the name Xu Yi gave to the new cold drink. Although it is a cold drink, drinking a cup in summer has a good effect on quenching thirst and relieving heat, clearing the lungs and moisturizing the throat.

Therefore, Xu Yi hesitated to regard this "mint loquat drink" as a medicinal drink.

After the word "medicated diet" appeared more than a thousand years ago, the content of medicated diet and dietary prescriptions became more and more abundant as time went by. Before the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were famous medical books such as "Yellow Emperor's Omnivorous Diet Taboos" and "Food Prescriptions". Later, after the famous doctor Sun Simiao wrote "Essential Prescriptions for a Thousand Gold", the subject of dietary therapy was improved and supplemented. [Note 1]

In subsequent generations, those who focus on this subject are also improving and adding step by step, and are also formulating medicinal and dietary recipes that are more suitable for the new era.

Because medicinal diet not only has the effect of curing diseases, it can also strengthen the body and prevent diseases. Nowadays, the powerful and wealthy people also have great trust and respect for medicinal diet.

Many people will also ask doctors to provide customized dietary prescriptions at home, just to stay healthy and live a long life.

As for cold drinks, they were very popular in the Northern Song Dynasty a thousand years ago. They call this "cold water", but it's actually more like a "juice" type of drink. For example, in Kaifeng Prefecture, "licorice ice and snow cold water" and "lychee ointment" are popular. [Note 2]

There is also health-preserving "cooked water". At first, you just boil the water before drinking it. It is said to be good for health and fitness, and then you start to add various health-preserving ingredients. Use methods such as frying and soaking to bring out the aroma and medicinal effects. For example, the mint and chrysanthemum tea that Xu Yi drank belongs to the category of "cooked water".

From this point of view, this "mint loquat drink" is still a health-preserving cold water.

Xu Yi smiled and classified it as a health-preserving cold soup. It can be drunk cold in summer and fried or soaked in hot water in winter.

After confirming it, Xu Yi continued to improve the food recipe and determined the dosage of mint and loquat meat.

Then write down a few derivative recipes. For example, if there is damp phlegm in the throat, you can add tangerine peel and honeysuckle. First soak it in hot water, filter it out and let it cool. After chilling it with ice water, add the mashed mint leaves and candied loquat meat.

Hot soup is simpler. Boil water, add honeysuckle, tangerine peel, and mint in sequence. Finally, turn off the heat and add two spoons of candied loquat. Wait until the temperature is suitable and you can drink it.

He has been writing a lot recently. When he writes, he writes in a smooth and coherent manner. He writes in a leisurely manner for several pages before stopping.

A burst of output made Xu Yi feel refreshed. While it was still early, he put on a narrow-sleeved robe, put a bamboo basket on his back and went out to a medical clinic he frequently visited.

The schoolchildren in the medical center all recognized him and came over with a smile to ask him what he wanted to buy.

"Doctor Xu, do you want to buy the same old three as before?"

Xu Yi shook his head and asked him: "How much saltpeter is there in the hospital? I want it all."

The schoolboy looked at the inventory accounts in the hospital, opened his mouth slightly, and looked at Xu Yi Yi said: "There are still 126 kilograms of saltpeter in the medical clinic, which is quite a lot. Dr. Xu, are you sure you want all of it?"

Xu Yi nodded and said, "Yes," and said, "I want it all." , please help me calculate how much it is, and I’ll give it to you.”

“That’s easy, just wait for a moment,” the student said quickly.

The amount of saltpeter is not large, and not much can be sold on weekdays. This batch of saltpeter was purchased the winter before last. It has been a year and a half and it has not sold much. Xu Yi wanted it, and it just met the medical center's wishes. The schoolchildren didn't have to continue taking care of it, and they didn't have to think about buying so much saltpeter and what to do with it.

He didn't ask, and Xu Yi didn't have to make up any excuses.

After waiting for a stick of incense, the schoolboy dragged in a sack of saltpeter from the back door. He put it on the scale and saw that it was indeed one hundred and twenty-six pounds.

After paying the money, Xu Yi put the saltpeter into the bamboo basket and walked home quickly.

When he got home, he poured out the saltpeter, smashed it into small pieces with a wooden hammer, and then ground them into fine powder using a Huiyi trough. In this way, saltpeter can dissolve in water more easily and speed up its production.

Grinding it into powder, Xu Yi went to pick up two buckets of well water. The water just picked up from the bottom of the well was the most suitable. It was icy and cool to the touch.

He poured the well water into the clay pot and continued to melt it in the same way as before. After waiting for everything to melt, put the small clay pot in and wait for the saltpeter to take effect.

The water in the well gradually turned cold, and when the coldness struck, Xu Yi quickly took out the small clay pot and poured some of the ice water into the jar prepared in advance.

As Xu Yi lived longer, there were more and more clay pots at home.

The new pots were bought a few days ago. After the roof was completed, Xu Yi felt that there were still too few pots at home and bought them.

Most of the clay pots we buy are not used to hold food, but to hold dried medicinal materials.

Good clay pots are more suitable for storing medicinal materials than sacks. It can be stored for a long time and is not easy to deteriorate and destroy the medicinal properties. For him, the price of the clay pot is not worth mentioning.

The remaining half of the ice water continues to be frozen in the saltpeter water, so that after an hour or two, ice can form.

Xu Yi carried the basket to the yard, picked half the basket of mint, and went to the kitchen to soak it clean. After mashing it with a medicine mortar, squeeze out the juice into ice water. Don't waste the remaining residue. Continue stirring with a small amount of ice water, and then filter it out to make the most of every mint leaf.

Then, you can add other things.

Xu Yi thought that the weather was hot and ancient people could not wear short-sleeved shorts like modern people. Wearing long robes all day long would easily cause heat stroke, so he added white chrysanthemum and dried hawthorn slices.

White chrysanthemum and dried hawthorn slices do not need to be fished out. After soaking, they have a beautiful color and can also play a beautiful role.

The last step is to add an appropriate amount of candied loquat.

After finishing cooking, Xu Yi took a small bowl and tasted it. First, there was a cold feeling in the mouth, followed by the sweet aroma of loquat meat, and then the cool and refreshing fragrance of mint. It was sweet with a hint of sourness. The fragrance of mint and loquat blended very harmoniously. The white chrysanthemum and dried hawthorn slices added to it are not inconsistent.

In Xu Yi's words, this is the most successful health drink he has made.

He was very satisfied, so he filled out two pots and sent them to Mrs. He and Mrs. Chen's homes respectively.

Both of them were shocked when they received the mint loquat drink from Xu Yi.

After being together for such a long time, this was the first time they saw Xu Yi cooking such food in person, and it was a Xiangyinzi that was not sold outside.

Xu Yi looked shy and explained: "Thanks to Mrs. Chen for helping me make candied loquats, which made me think of a health-preserving soup that can be eaten cold or hot."

The color of the soup is not amazing, but the taste is delicious. It smells quite good. It’s different from what’s sold in markets and teahouses. After drinking it, I feel refreshed and it tastes really good!

Mrs. He exclaimed: "Brother Yi, when did you get this skill? This drink is no worse than the ones sold in big teahouses for tens of renminbi!"

There are high and low xiangyinzi, and the cheap ones can be drunk for just one or two fen. , the expensive ones can be sold for tens of cents, and the price has no market. They are only supplied to the rich and powerful, and ordinary people cannot even see them.

Mrs. He is not that well-connected, and she has never drunk any fragrant drinks worth tens of yuan a cup, but this does not prevent her from thinking that Xu Yi has this ability.

The more she looked at Xu Yi, the more she fell in love with him. She just lamented that he didn't have a sister, otherwise she would have been able to get married.

Mrs. Chen's reaction was even greater than hers. Not long ago, Xu Yi asked her to make Xiangyinzi. She was either greedy for the money, or she was always happy to earn some money and save it.

Moreover, the old grudge between her and Xu Yi has been resolved. Xu Yi seems to have a great future. Although she is a woman, she also knows how close such a person needs to be.

Not to mention the benefits, if you have any minor ailments in the future, you can go to the nearest Xu Yi to see him.

In just ten days, Xu Yi was able to independently develop a fragrant drink that had never been seen in the market. It tasted good, and after drinking it, it felt cool and comfortable in the throat, and the whole person felt better.

It has such amazing miraculous effects. If you sell it in the market and sell it for ten cents a cup, people will be willing to pay for it and drink it!

After getting approval from Madam He and Madam Chen, Xu Yi made another clay pot when he returned home.

He looked at the time and saw that it was almost time for Xing Yuesen and the others to finish school.

Then he put the prepared drinks into palm-sized jars, sealed them with stoppers, and put them into food boxes.

He filled six cans in one go, filled the food box, and went to the house to get a thick piece of cloth and wrapped it around the outside of the food box to prevent the icy cold drinks from reaching normal temperature so quickly.

Then, he cut out a piece of paper and wrote a letter, briefly mentioning the name of the drink and its effects.

After doing this, Xu Yi went out with the food box, called the idle man who often called him, gave him some money, and asked him to deliver the food box to Xing Yuesen's private school.

...

The idle man ran errands very quickly, and in less than a quarter of an hour, he handed the food box to the concierge of the private school.

The gatekeeper was an old man with a white beard. Hearing that it was for the young master of the Xing family, he took it away for him.

Later, he asked the boy to bring the food box into the private school and gave it to Xing Yuesen's bookboy Amu.

Not long after, it was time for school to end, and as soon as the teacher left, the students in the classroom became relaxed and casual.

It was still early, and some people didn't want to go home so early, so they asked their classmates if they wanted to go to a teahouse or restaurant.

Someone asked Xing Yuesen if he was going.

Xing Yuesen shook his head while packing his things: "No, I still have to review my homework."

"You are becoming more and more eager to learn. What's the matter? Could it be that your family is urging you to pass the exam next year?" Then A classmate asked with a joking smile.

In the school, there are a lot of people who are just dawdling around, and they don't really want to earn fame.

It's just that I don't want to take over the family business early and make myself busy day and night, so I can enjoy some leisure time and fun.

Xing Yuesen looked serious and said seriously: "If you can really get fame early, why not do it."

Classmate: "..."

He pursed his lips, feeling that Xing Yuesen was getting more and more boring.

Just as he was about to say something, he saw Xing Yuesen's book boy Amu come in carrying something ugly.

He shouted curiously: "What is this?"

Amu shook his head and said he didn't know, then lowered his eyes and said to Xing Yuesen: "Lang Jun, the concierge Zhuang asked his servant to bring this. It's time for a pot of tea. Doctor Xu sent someone here. "

Xu Yi?"

Xing Yuesen's eyes lit up, and he took the package and opened it himself, not caring about the looks of other people in the school.

After removing the ugly-colored cloth on the outside, I found a food box inside, which was still exuding cold air.

He was confused and did not open the food box immediately. Instead, he opened the letter and read it.

Xu Yi didn't say much nonsense in the letter. He just said that the mint and loquat drink in the food box was made by himself and could moisten the throat and clear the lungs, clear the eyes and relieve the heat.

If he meets Xin Shengyuan, he will bring him a jar so that Xin Shengyuan can taste the drink he made.

Xing Yuesen: "!"

"Ziteng, don't be in a daze, tell me what this is."

"For those of you who are curious, isn't it just a food box? It's just pretending to eat."

"You don't understand, Zi After Teng has been in the private school for so many years, who can see a kind person bringing food? I see that this box is ordinary, it should not be sent by my wife."

"..."

Several jokes made Xing Yuesen blush. Darkness fell.

He looked at those people with cold eyes and decided not to share the Xiangyinzi that Xu Yi brought him with them.

So boring. He thought, it's not as good as Xin Yao, at least the other party won't have so many dirty thoughts.

Xing Yuesen said: "You are so noisy that you can't even say a few decent words. I don't know where you came from. You are still a scholar."

The classmates were stunned when they heard this and quickly said that it was the same. Just kidding, tell Xing Yuesen not to be angry.

Xing Yuesen didn't want to hear what they were talking about anymore and asked Amu to get the food box. He wanted to go to the school next door to find Xin Shengyuan.

Xin Shengyuan hasn't left yet. He is talking to Tao Qinghao. The two of them did average homework today and were criticized by their teacher in class.

At this moment, they were all still sulking and discussing without interest whether to go to the night market in the evening.

He saw Xing Yuesen coming towards him with a dark face.

Xin Shengyuan: "..." Strange, how did I offend him.

Just when he thought this, he heard Xing Yuesen calling him: "Xin Yao, come out."

"Me?" Xin Shengyuan was a little hesitant. To be honest, he was still a little afraid of Xing Yuesen. He couldn't beat Xing Yuesen.

Of course, this cannot be said by others.

He walked out reluctantly, stopped three steps away from Xing Yuesen, and said impatiently: "Why did you ask me to come out?"

Xing Yuesen put away his black face and said to him: "Xu Yi sent someone to bring incense. Come here, Yinzi, I have your share, do you want to drink it?”

"Xu Yi?" The confusion in Xin Shengyuan's eyes turned into joy, and he immediately said, "What kind of Xiangyinzi is it? Of course I want it. The food Xu Yi makes should be good food that cannot be eaten elsewhere."

Xing Yuesen raised his eyebrows and asked calmly: "Have you eaten it?"

Xin Shengyuan choked.

There must be no more, but he has seen the Xiaoshi pills made by Xu Yi. Although he bought the pack last time, he didn't use it. Even someone in the family felt uncomfortable with bloating, and everyone said it was effective after taking it. .

Since it was made by Xu Yi, there is no need to guess that it is good.

When Xing Yuesen saw this, he was not angry but smiled in his heart, feeling that Xin Yao still had vision.

"I don't know what it is yet. If you don't mind, you can follow me to Juting." He said.

In the school, Tao Qinghao, a deer-headed rat-eyed man, saw that Xin Shengyuan was still not coming back. He was afraid that his friend would quarrel with Xing Wu, so he hurried out to support Xin Yao.

As soon as the results came out, Xin Yao was seen leaving with Xing Yuesen.

"Xinyao, what are you going to do?" Tao Qinghao trotted over, stood in front of him, and winked at him, "I'll go with you."

Xin Shengyuan knew that he had misunderstood, and was about to explain that he did not talk to Xing Yuesen conflict.

Then I heard Xing Yuesen say: "You come here too."

After the words fell, Xin Shengyuan looked at him with something wrong. Why did this man call Tao Qinghao.

Didn't you used to be the most disgusted with dandy boys like Tao Qinghao?

He was still hesitating, but Tao Qinghao had already quickly kept up with Xing Yuesen's pace, and asked Xin Shengyuan to go faster.

Xin Shengyuan: "..."

Ju Ting.

In summer, the chrysanthemums planted in the Ju Pavilion are only full of green leaves, without clusters of brocade flowers, but they are still elegant and quiet.

It was time for school to end again, and almost all the students in the private school had left. Only a few students were still studying hard in the school.

There were no outsiders to disturb him. Xing Yuesen put aside his usual quiet demeanor and opened the food box Xu Yi had brought him. The drink inside had been there for so long, but the clay pot outside was still cold to the touch, with a thin layer of water still hanging on it. beads.

Xing Yuesen said: "This is mint and loquat drink. Brother Yi made it himself and specially sent someone to deliver it."

Brother Yi?

Tao Qinghao thought for a while and finally thought of who it was!

Isn't it the same Doctor Xu that I saw in Cuiyuan last time? This person can also make Xiangyinzi? Those who didn't know thought she was a cook.

He secretly cursed in his heart and did not dare to express it.

Xing Yuesen glanced at Amu, who immediately understood and stepped forward, took out the clay pot inside and sent it to Xin Shengyuan and Tao Qinghao.

"I can't finish it by myself, so I invite you to taste it together." He said and asked his uncle to take a jar.

This cold drink must be finished before it reaches room temperature, otherwise the effect will be poor.

Otherwise, he would not have called Tao Qinghao.

Xin Shengyuan looked at the ordinary earthen jar, opened it without any disdain, and exclaimed when he saw the drink inside.

"It smells so fragrant, it makes people feel refreshed."

Look at the color of the soup inside. It is green and yellow. The yellow loquat meat is easy to recognize, as are the white chrysanthemum and dried hawthorn slices. This is the "mint" Where?

Xing Yuesen also appreciated the can of drink and expressed his doubts: "This green color should be the mint."

"Get the juice?" Xin Shengyuan quickly reacted.

He put it to the tip of his nose and smelled it, then tasted it in small sips. Taking this sip into his mouth, he first tasted an indescribable coolness.

It's not cold, it's more like something that comes with the food.

He took another sip, and this time not only did he feel cool, but he also tasted the sweetness of sugar juice and the fruity aroma of cold water. The candied loquat meat is sweet and glutinous when eaten, and it melts in your mouth as soon as you take a sip. It is really a wonderful enjoyment.

"It's really delicious. Qinghao, please try it quickly. This fragrant drink is wonderful!" Xin Shengyuan said to him with a face full of joy.

Seeing the expressions of enjoyment on their faces, Tao Qinghao hesitantly picked up the jar that he disliked...

As soon as he drank it, his expression changed slightly. It tasted so good?

He drank a few more sips without belief, and found that not only was it delicious, but Kugan's mouth felt cool and sweet after drinking it, and there was a vague feeling of coolness between his teeth.

Tao Qinghao smacked his tongue: "It tastes really good..."

Xin Shengyuan was still not finished. After finishing the drink in his hand, he saw that there were two more cans in the food box. He wanted to reach out to take it, but was stopped by Xing Yuesen.

"Why don't you give me a drink? Are you so stingy?"

Xing Yuesen said angrily: "Brother Yi said not to be greedy for too much, and can only eat one can."

It would be a pity not to eat the two extra cans, but to eat them Afraid of being greedy and spoiling his stomach, after much deliberation, Xing Yuesen decided to give it to Uncle Zhuang at the door.

Xin Shengyuan was reluctant to give up, but he agreed.

Xu Yi is a doctor. He said you shouldn’t eat too much, so that means you shouldn’t eat too much.

...

After Xu Yi gave away the food box, he didn't care much about it anymore.

He made some digestion pills in the kitchen, wrapped them and put them in the medicine box.

Xu Yi wanted to go to the night market in Yanting County several times but was unable to do so. He was still thinking about the stall selling sheep sausage that Mrs. He mentioned.

The night market is located on the main road of the bustling East Street. During the day, there is a lot of traffic, and at night, it is dimly lit and decorated with lanterns, making it lively and lively.

It sells all kinds of delicacies and snacks, as well as clay paintings, lanterns, hairpin headdresses, rouge and gouache, etc., as well as all kinds of interesting little ornaments. As long as you can buy anything in Yanting County, you can buy it in the night market. Can be bought.

The night market was bustling with people, and when Xu Yi arrived, the night market had already begun to bustle with people coming and going, and there were stalls in many good locations.

He will not only visit the night market tonight, but also return to his old business of setting up a stall selling Xiaoshi pills.

Today's "Chen's Xiaoshi Pills" have become popular in Yanting County.

He spread out his stall and put up a signboard that said "Chen's Xiaoshi Wan", and people came over to inquire.

"You little boy, are you selling Xiaoshi Pills from Jishitang?"

Xu Yi nodded: "Exactly."

"What's the price?"

Xu Yi did not smash Jishitang's sign. The Xiaoshi Pills sold by Jishitang cost 20 cents per pack. Although the price was not that low, they were still very popular.

He sells them at the night market and charges the same price.

Most of the people who came to the night market were not short of ten or twenty cents. When they heard that someone was selling "Chen's Xiaoshi Pills" for the same price as Jishitang, they wanted to buy something they couldn't buy, so they all gathered around.

After gaining a reputation, the Xiaoshi Pills sold better than expected.

The forty packs of Xiaoshi pills Xu Yi brought tonight were all sold out in less than half an hour.

He carried eight hundred copper coins as heavy as a pile of small stones.

Taking the money he earned, Xu Yi turned around and spent it again.

There was only one medicine mortar at home, so Xu Yi bought another one, intending to use it to pound toxic medicinal materials.

After buying the medicine mortar, Xu Yi continued to wander around. Suddenly, he saw someone buying acupuncture at a stall.

His eyes lit up and he walked over quickly.

This acupuncture is actually a stone needle used to treat diseases. The front and back are round, and the needle is round. When used, it can be sterilized with a kerosene lamp and roasted with fire until it is hot. Different medicines can be used according to different diseases to stimulate the pain. Acupuncture points are used to treat diseases. [Note 3]

In modern times, they have long been replaced by filiform needles made of metal. However, in the Song Dynasty, using stone needles to treat diseases was a special skill of some doctors.

Xu Yi didn't expect to see someone selling acupuncture at the night market in Yanting County, so why not surprise him.

Then I went to see the stall owner selling acupuncture and Bianstone. He was an uncle in his forties.

Xu Yi suppressed the joy in his heart and asked: "Excuse me, uncle, what is the price of this needle?"

The stall owner saw that the person who asked the question was a young man with clear features and polite manners. He sighed helplessly, but still answered him: " This acupuncture needle is a set of twenty-one needles and cannot be sold individually. The set in the young man's hand is ground by a high-quality acupuncture stone, and the price is not cheap."

Seeing that the young man showed no other expression, he said. He continued, "If the young man wants to buy a set of twenty-one pins and needles, it will cost two thousand dollars."

After saying that, he thought of the other party leaving in a hurry.