Chapter 83

"Winter Wontons, New Year Wontons."

It talks about the winter eviction day, when every household will buy vegetables and meat to make wontons to celebrate the fat winter. The wontons here are Jiaoer, the modern dumplings.

Mrs. He said that many families in Kaifeng City today would do the work on this day, but few people in Yanting County celebrated the winter. She used to work as a maid in a wealthy family, and when she saw the owner's family eating it, she became interested. impression.

Madam He could think of this, and Xu Yi naturally thought of it too, but it was only a few days before winter, so it would be a good thing to learn how to play the role in advance.

When the real winter eviction day comes, they can eat it at home.

Xu Yi's favorite food is cabbage and pork stuffing. He asked A Xu to prepare it, which was also stuffed with cabbage and pork.

A Xu came back with a basket containing all the prepared ingredients.

Mrs. He took a look at it and had an idea in her mind. She asked A Xu to chop the pork and cabbage into small pieces.

A Xu started cutting meat and vegetables, while Mrs. He was mixing noodles beside him.

Seeing that they were all busy, Xu Yi couldn't help but ask, "Mrs. He, what should I do?"

"You go sit in the room and you can eat when we are ready." Mrs. He didn't even raise her head.

Xu Yi: "..."

He didn't leave. After thinking about it, he went to light a fire nearby.

The fire was almost burning, and the water in the pot was boiling. When Mrs. He saw Xu Yi boiling the water, she used a wooden spoon to scoop half a spoon into the flour. While it was still hot, she kneaded the flour into a smooth dough, covered it with a piece of gauze, and placed it next to the stove to rest.

Then, she began to wash and chop the onions, which Xu Yi knew how to do.

Just like cutting medicinal materials, his technique for chopping green onions is similar to cutting medicinal materials. He lifts the knife with his hand and cuts the green onions into chopped green onions.

Madam He covered her mouth and said with a smile: "Brother Yi, I can't wait to relax. Didn't I tell you to stay in the kitchen? It will be ready later. If you are hungry, can I order some noodles for you first?" "

Anyway, the dough for making horns and noodles are both made of flour, the shapes are just different.

Xu Yi was running outside today, only taking a few snacks along the way and eating a simple, oil-free vegetarian meal at the Golden Goose Temple.

Mrs. He said that, he was indeed a little hungry.

She was hungry, but she could bear it. Xu Yi shook her head and said, "When the money is ready, we will eat together."

After hearing what Xu Yi said, Mrs. He stopped talking.

She opened the gauze and looked at the dough. When she saw that it was almost awake, she shook some flour onto the kneading board. Her fingers flexibly spread the flour around. The dough kneaded on it and turned into a long strip.

Mrs. He picked out the noodles with her hands. Each one was about the same size as an apricot.

Now that the noodles are ready, she still wants to see how the fillings A Xu made are doing.

When it looked like there was no problem, I started seasoning.

The fillings of the jiaozi are various, and some even include delicacies from all over the world. At that time, the house where Mrs. He was serving made the jiaozi with eight kinds of fillings.

This pork stuffing is the cheapest, and other good ingredients must be added to it, such as scallops, mushrooms, etc., so that it won't have an unpleasant smell. Rich people love to eat stuffing made of mutton, with other ingredients added into it. The money made from it is something ordinary people have never heard of, let alone eating.

Mrs. He used all the condiments available at home, such as soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ground ginger and pepper.

Pepper is very expensive, Xu Yi asked A Xu to bring it here.

Mrs. He was afraid that the taste would be bad, so she added some more and stirred it again, and the fragrance wafted out.

It’s finally time to get to the final part of making money.

Xu Yi became more interested and stared at how Mrs. He rolled out the dough.

She was not very skilled at making it, so she used the technique of rolling out noodles. She rolled the dough out to the size of her palm, added stuffing, and then pinched the dough on both sides to form an exquisite and cute crescent shape.

"Okay." Mrs. He shouted happily and asked Xu Yi what he wanted to earn.

Although it is somewhat different from modern dumplings, it is infinitely close.

Xu Yi praised Mrs. He for her good-looking money.

"The shape is not good, it's not pretty at all." Mrs. He lamented, "You don't know how exquisite the knickknacks made by kitchen ladies from wealthy families are. Each one of them looks like a piece that can be put out for play." "My son, it's so beautiful that I can't stop talking about it." Xu Yi said with a smile, "Ms. He is very

skillful. If she does it a few more times, she will definitely be able to make something as beautiful as this." Things like dumplings are interesting when you have to make them yourself. He called Mrs. He to teach him. Madam He was about to teach A Xu how to wrap. She heard that he wanted to learn, so she also taught her. Not only that, she also called He Qiulin. Common people don't pay attention to the saying that "a gentleman is far away from the kitchen". A few people sat around on the small stools and watched Madam He pinching her left and right, thinking that it would be easy to make money. Only after I tried it did I know what ugly things are. The things Xu Yi and He Qiulin pinched out were not even dimes, and even their basic shapes couldn't be distinguished. On the contrary, A Xu, who is still young, is very talented and can make decent characters. Despite this, Xu Yi did not give up and continued to do it for six or seven times. Later, he also made a crescent-shaped corner. Put the jiaozi into the pot and cook until they float one by one. Mrs. He picked it up with a slotted spoon, put it on a plate and asked Ah Jin to take it out one by one. Oil lamps were lit in the He family's house, and the dim light made the house feel warm. Looking at the newly cooked coins, the steaming mist floated, making people's stomachs growl. Everyone was hungry, so there was no polite conversation, especially since the two families knew each other very well and would give each other food on weekdays. Vinegar can whet your appetite, so Xu Yi told them how to eat coins dipped in vinegar. He Qiulin's eyes lit up, and he got up and went to the kitchen to get vinegar. "I brought it over." Xu Yi motioned for him to sit back. What he brought was mature vinegar. Compared with rice vinegar, mature vinegar has a less pungent smell. When you turn it out, it will have a strong vinegar aroma. People who like to eat will find it delicious, while people who don't like to eat will be put off just by smelling it.

After listening to what Xu Yi said, Mrs. He and the others thought about whether it tasted good or not.

Xu Yi poured vinegar dishes for them.

They were all a little surprised when they ate it. It was indeed better than eating the coins alone.

Eating it was very appetizing and my appetite was whetted.

Xu Yi took a dime and dipped it in vinegar and bit it open, revealing the stuffing of cabbage and pork inside. The stuffing was delicious and soaked in vinegar, it tasted even more fragrant.

"Brother Yi, how did you know about this way of eating?" He Qiulin looked at him with admiration.

Xu Yi said calmly: "This way of eating has been around for a long time, but we have never seen it."

He Qiulin couldn't help but yearn for it: "I want to go out more so that I can learn more things."

"I can't stop eating. Your mouth." Madam He glared at him. Ever since Brother Qiu said he was going to do business as a businessman, Madam He felt uneasy.

But Brother Qiu was in high spirits, so she couldn't say anything disheartening, so she stopped caring about him.

...

Early the next morning, Xu Yi woke up, finished practicing boxing, had breakfast, and asked A Xu to follow him outside the city.

A Xu packed up the simple travel equipment and brought many things such as bamboo baskets, dry food, water, machetes, clothes, etc. When Uncle Liu arrived in the ox cart, they got in the car one after another.

As soon as they left, Ah Jin stayed at home alone, and Xiao Huang accompanied her, following her wherever she went.

With this follower around, Xu Yi felt relieved that Ah Jin was alone at home.

The bullock cart driven by Uncle Liu did not have a complete carriage or even a roof cover. It could be described as being surrounded on all sides.

After getting in the car, A Xu simply took out the things he had prepared, a hand stove to warm his hands, lit the charcoal inside, added a piece of Xu Yi's favorite incense, laid a heating pad on the bottom of the car, and took out a Put the cloak on Xu Yi.

Xu Yi blinked, feeling that he was being taken care of little by little, and now he was no longer so uncomfortable being taken care of by a child.

But he was fully equipped, and A Xu was still wearing a cotton-padded robe with narrow sleeves.

Xu Yi put the heater into his hand: "Warm your lower body yourself."

"Lang Jun, I'm not cold." A Xu quickly returned the heater to Xu Yi and said happily, "This is my best holiday this year." It's the warmest winter. My sister and I didn't have anything to wear before. As long as we met my husband, we never stopped wearing clothes and food. He is the best person I have ever met."

Xu Yi stroked his fur . Looking at his head, looking at his longer hair, the bun he used to wear was very small, like a bun, but now it is like a bun.

He couldn't help but rub it, and then he took back his hand with satisfaction.

The oxcart drove slowly through the main road of the county town and slowly headed towards the gate of the county town.

Uncle Liu, who was at the head, was talking to Xu Yi in a good mood.

He happily said: "There is a notice posted outside the city saying that two days before the winter holidays in the second half of the year, the gentry in the city will give porridge at the Chenghuang Temple and the tents outside the city. This time there are free doctors who will treat people for free. , I don’t know if it’s true or not.”

After talking about it, Uncle Liu felt a little excited. There are many people in his family, so it would not be bad if he could go to the soup kitchen and queue up to receive the porridge.

What's more, there is a doctor who treats people. He has already made up his mind to bring his wife and two sons who have been doing heavy work all year round to see the doctor that day.

It would be great if the old illness could be cured.

Xu Yi said: "It's true that the free clinic is open."

Hearing this, Uncle Liu was happy at first, then smiled awkwardly, and told Xu Yi that he would definitely line up to see a doctor this time. He and his wife have accumulated some minor ailments over the years, but they are reluctant to spend money on medical treatment. If there were a doctor to treat poor people like them this time, they would not want to miss it.

Xu Yi raised his eyebrows, smiled in agreement and said, "That's the case, that's a good thing. Uncle Liu, remember to go when the time comes. The Xing family not only opened a free clinic, but also provided medicinal materials."

There will be two A doctor was at the scene and I didn’t know what the situation would be like.

Xu Yi was vaguely looking forward to it.

...

The ox cart came out of the county town and headed slowly towards Yilu Mountain.

Xu Yi has not gone up the mountain for nearly a month. This time he went up the mountain because he wanted to collect medicinal materials suitable for winter harvest.

Moreover, in the past two months, the number of patients coming to him for medical treatment has increased a lot, and the medicinal materials stored at home have also been gradually reduced.

There are not many medicinal materials that can be dug in winter. Except for the medicinal materials suitable for picking in winter, Xu Yi wonders if he can miss other medicinal materials.

After the ox cart arrived at Yilu Mountain, Xu Yi asked A Xu to wait for him at the temple on the mountain.

As for Uncle Liu... Uncle Liu said that he was used to blowing outside and was not afraid of the wind and snow. Besides, it was still sunny today and it didn't look like it would snow.

The sun hanging in the sky warmed people's bodies. Uncle Liu squinted his eyes and fell asleep, so Xu Yi took off his cloak and gave it to him.

He was going up the mountain and it was inappropriate to wear a cloak. It would be great if this cloak could be left for Uncle Liu to wrap himself up in and sleep with.

Uncle Liu took it gratefully, not daring to touch the cloak which looked like it was made of good material with his rough hands. He carefully put it on his body and said many auspicious words to Xu Yi sincerely.

He also told Xu Yi to be careful when going up the mountain.

"There are a lot of animals that come out to look for food in winter, Doctor Xu, you have to be careful."

Xu Yi nodded to him: "Thank you, Uncle Liu, for letting me know."

After saying that, he went up the mountain without looking back.

The mountains are covered with snow, and the trail that people walk up the mountain is covered with snow, only a shallow curved line is exposed, which is sparser than the weeds growing on both sides.

Xu Yi bent down and swept away the snow on the grass nearby, revealing the original appearance of the plants inside.

It is a green, low tree.

Xu Yi picked off its leaves at will and folded them in half. He raised his legs and walked deeper into the mountain.

After walking for a while, Xu Yi stopped under the crown of a tall tree. The branches of this tree were covered with snow, but the traces of previous work on the trunk were still conspicuous.

He did not move on, but looked around for the rhubarb he had found last time.

This rhubarb is also called fragrant rhubarb, general, Sichuan army, etc. Its picking season is in late autumn and early winter. At this time, the stems and leaves will wither, and the mature stems from the ground can be dug out.

Xu Yi dug through the snow on the ground and soon found rhubarb with withered stems and leaves.

He used a shovel to dig up the soil above, and after digging for a while, he dug out something that looked like cassava pieces.

This thing is the rhubarb that Xu Yi wants.

Wild rhubarb is not as fat as artificially grown rhubarb, and is longer in shape. After removing the soil on the rough skin, you can smell a strong medicinal smell.

This rhubarb needs simple processing. You need to remove the outer rough skin, slice it and dry it, or dry it whole and then cut it.

When Xu Yi discovered a piece of wild rhubarb here, he marked the tree.

Xu Yi dug up all the ripe rhubarb in one go.

This rhubarb is a common medicinal material in Shu, so there is no need to worry that it will become extinct if it is dug up.

The rhubarb filled one-third of the bamboo basket. Xu Yi patted his hands stained with snow and mud and set off again.

This time, he was going to another marked place.

...

More than an hour later, Xu Yi came down from the mountain safely. The bamboo basket behind him was filled with medicinal materials dug during this trip.

In addition to the rhubarb dug at the beginning, there are also isatis roots and gastrodia elata.

Among them, Gastrodia elata is difficult to find. If Xu Yi hadn't marked it in advance, it would be almost difficult to find Gastrodia elata in the snow-covered mountains.

Seeing that he was back, Uncle Liu happily got out of the car and shouted, "Doctor Xu, you are finally back."

"A Xu and I have been waiting for a long time, and A Xu said that if you don't go down the mountain, I'm going to the mountain to look for you."

Uncle Liu recounted what he had just said to A Xu.

Next to him, A Xu trotted up to Xu Yi. He wanted to pick up the bamboo basket for Xu Yi, but the bamboo basket was too heavy and he couldn't lift it.

Xu Yi patted him on the shoulder and asked, "Didn't I ask you to wait for me in the temple?"

"Lang Jun, I'm waiting." A Xu said, "I have been waiting in the temple for a long time. The master in the temple He said it was past noon, so he asked me if I wanted to go to the dining hall for dinner. I didn't go, so I ran down."

He thought Xu Yi would come back at noon, but he didn't see Xu Yi, only sleeping in a cloak. Uncle Liu.

Uncle Liu was awakened by his shaking, and then A Xu took away the cloak and put it away.

Xu Yi touched his nose: "..."

"I lent that cloak to Uncle Liu."

A Xu's eyes widened and he pursed his lips without replying.

He understands the truth and knows that Uncle Liu is a good person, but Lang Jun's cloak cannot be used casually by others.

He has never seen Lang Jun's friends give their cloaks to others.

But A Xu didn't say it, because Xu Yi would definitely say that others are others and he is him, and there are differences between people.

Xu Yi smiled helplessly, knowing that the little guy didn't listen, so he said nothing more.

He loaded the bamboo basket onto the ox cart, and the group planned to return.

On the way back, A Xu stared at the medicinal materials in the bamboo basket curiously: "Lang Jun, it's such a cold day, and there are so many medicinal materials on the mountain?"

These medicinal materials looked like lumps of wood, because they were freshly dug. When it came out, he couldn't tell what kind of medicinal material it was.

Xu Yi said to him: "This is rhubarb, which can enter the spleen, stomach, liver and intestines. It can purge fire and cool blood, activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis, diuresis and reduce jaundice." [Note 1]

In "Wu Pu's Materia Medica", there is a description of rhubarb. Detailed description is given, including the name, taste, medicinal properties, place of origin, growth cycle and how to prepare medicinal materials.

After Xu Yi finished talking about rhubarb, he talked to him about isatis root and gastrodia elata.

Isatis root is a very common medicinal material. It first appeared in Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica".

It is also called Ma Lan, which is derived from its roots. From winter to early spring, small lavender flowers will grow, which are very beautiful from a distance and up close.

But it is worth mentioning that the isatis root dug by Xu Yi is from the root of isatis, that is, the root of malanil. Unfortunately, in modern times, the isatis root has been replaced by the root of woad.

The stems and leaves of woad are very different from those of woad. It is more like the rapeseed flower of the same Brassicaceae family, with small yellow flowers.

When it comes to medicinal efficacy, the wild isatis roots dug by Xu Yi are naturally more effective.

As for Gastrodia elata...

Xu Yigang was about to talk about the medicinal value of Gastrodia elata, but the speed of the ox cart suddenly slowed down.

Then very quickly, it stopped completely.

Xu Yi's eyes moved away from A Xu's face and fell forward. He saw the road not far away, blocked by a carriage.

The carriage at the back of this carriage is quite large, twice as big as an ordinary carriage. The wooden eaves on the carriage are beautifully carved with hollow floating patterns. A green silk hanging on the right side, with a bronze round coin-shaped sign hanging down.

All signs indicate that the identity of the owner of this carriage is not simple.

Xu Yi frowned slightly and asked Uncle Liu: "Can we get along?"

Uncle Liu looked at the carriage that showed his status with a sad expression, and said melancholy: "There is no way to avoid it. This carriage is pulled by two horses, and we are about to catch up. "Two mule carts."

He rarely saw two-horse carts in Yanting County. Even the county magistrate only rode donkey carts and mule carts and could not afford a carriage.

Speaking of carriages, it is not something that only rich people can afford. At least they must be from an official family, or they themselves are high officials. Otherwise, just buying a horse to pull the carriage will cost a lot of money. fee.

Moreover, this horse is not as good as a donkey or a mule. It needs to be taken care of more carefully, and there can be no mistakes, otherwise it will not work.

"Uncle Liu, do you know other than this road, which other way can reach the county seat?" Xu Yi asked.

They didn't know why the carriage was parked. Xu Yi was worried that Uncle Liu would be affected, so he tried to avoid it.

Uncle Liu looked troubled: "It's not easy to walk. There is a small road. It takes an extra hour to get there."

If he really wanted to take that road, it would be completely dark when he arrived at the county seat, and Uncle Liu couldn't go home. No matter what, he had to go Just stay in the city.

Xu Yi knew there was no other way, so he jumped out of the car and walked steadily to the carriage.

As soon as he arrived, he heard weak moans and soft soothing voices coming from the carriage.

"Xu Yi, may I ask if something went wrong in the carriage?" Xu Yi frowned and shouted outside.

At this time, a young man wearing a scarf stretched out from the exquisite carriage. This young man was about fifteen or sixteen years old. He was wearing an orchid-colored long-sleeved toga. At first glance, he was a child of a powerful family.

When he saw Xu Yi outside, he was stunned for a moment, and then asked nervously: "Do you know if there is a doctor nearby?"

A doctor is a female doctor who specializes in treating women's diseases.

In order to distinguish themselves from ordinary doctors, some are called "Xiao Niang", for example, the most famous one is Zhang Xiao Niangzi.

Xu Yi's eyebrows narrowed and he said, "I'm a traveling doctor. May I ask if anyone in the carriage got into trouble?"

The young man was stunned and looked up and down Xu Yi's face in confusion.

young! Too young!

"Are you really a doctor?" he asked in confirmation.

Xu Yi nodded: "Yes."

The young man gritted his teeth. It was too late. If he was really delayed and his elder brother came back and found out, he would definitely beat him to death.

He hurriedly asked: "Do you know how to do women's medicine? My sister seems to have had a fetal shock."

Hearing that it was a fetal shock, Xu Yi's aura changed slightly. This alarming fetal gas can be a major or minor problem. If it is a small one, it can be adjusted. Two doses of medicinal decoction will be fine, but if it is serious, it will kill two people, so there is no need to delay.

He nodded without hesitation: "I can."

When he was studying medicine, he had seen many clinical cases with his mother, and had more or less hands-on experience, and discussed obstetrics and gynecology issues with his mother.

Although he has not actually started working after receiving the acceptance letter, it does not mean that he has zero clinical experience.

Perhaps, he has richer clinical experience than some young doctors who have graduated several years ago and work as assistants next to the sitting doctors.

Xu Yi was not sure he could see the problem, but in this wilderness, if he wanted to find a female doctor who could do obstetrics and gynecology, where should he find it?

The young man obviously understood this. After hearing that Xu Yi knew how to treat women's medicine, he hurried back to the carriage and said to the mother-in-law who was taking care of his sister inside: "There is a doctor outside. He knows how to treat women's medicine. I asked him to come in and treat Sister, let's see."

"Jiang Langjun, no!" The mother-in-law hurriedly grabbed his sleeve.

She looked solemn and said earnestly: "How can I let a foreign man look after my wife's fetus? What will my wife do in the future? Besides, my wife didn't show any symptoms, but only had a few stomach cramps. Let's drive faster, and it will be very painful." We can go to the city soon and find a doctor to check my wife's pulse and install the fetus."

The young man felt angry and said displeasedly: "Soon? Do you know how far away from Yanting County it is? If you enter the city. Can't find a doctor?"

He said, looking at his sister who was in pain and sweating on her forehead, how could she continue to delay.

The woman was startled by his sudden change of expression.

But this is against the rules. If Lang Jun knew about this... The mother-in-law wanted to persuade her again, but suddenly, a hand next to her grabbed her arm.

The mother-in-law was startled.

When she lowered her head, she saw the pale Madam Jiang looking at her. She thumped and shouted, "Madam."

Madam Jiang ignored her and nodded weakly to the young man: "Brother Yu, I listen to you."