Chapter 104 Scallion Pancakes, Century Egg and Lean Pork Congee [Second Update]...
The old man really didn't want to go. Teaching one stupid apprentice was already enough (Father Qu: ...). If there were dozens more, how could he make a living?
Despite his polite words, the senior brother immediately established a firm foothold.
“We’ve learned this skill, but teaching a few closed-door disciples is far too few. The spread of traditional Chinese medicine requires a large number of talented people. I didn’t say anything to you before, you lazybones, staying in the countryside, but now that you’ve come to the city, teach a few classes and accumulate some good fortune for yourself.”
What else could the old man say?
All I can say is good.
Two classes a week? Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
Mr. Qu was pleased, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he asked his master if he needed help preparing anything. He could find teaching aids and medicinal herbs here.
The old man said, "No rush. You come with me; you can help me manage the people."
Qu's father: ...
"You don't want to go?" The old man's hawk-like gaze fell on Mr. Qu.
Father Qu: "...Go." Waaah, I finally get to rest for half a day.
Grandpa Duan nodded in satisfaction.
This clumsy apprentice may be useless, but at least he's obedient.
"Tell the neighbors next door that they don't need to cook lunch for me on Tuesdays and Thursdays."
Mr. Qu responded with an "oh".
I also need to make it clear to the patients who have been scheduled that the clinic will not be open on those two mornings.
...
After Grandpa Duan had been gone for half a day, the patients who had come from afar could only find Wen Ji's restaurant. They asked him to make sure he would be back in the afternoon and waited for him there. Feeling bad about just waiting, they ordered a pot of beef offal stew.
I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. After my doctor's visit, whenever anyone asked where I went, I would always say it was a certain pharmacy, and there was a really delicious beef offal hot pot place next door that I should definitely try...
This left everyone else somewhat confused. They were talking about illnesses, so why did they suddenly start talking about food?
Why would you drive hundreds of kilometers just to eat beef offal hot pot?
Are they not sold locally?
Only those who have seen the doctor know the inside story, and just thinking about it makes their mouths water.
"You don't know, they're completely different!"
That restaurant's beef offal hot pot tastes exceptionally delicious; it's incomparable to ordinary beef offal hot pot!
Mr. Qu accompanied his master to the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine several times, and witnessed his master's attitude change from being ambitious in the first class to later asking, "Have you learned this knowledge point before?"
It can be said that their attitude towards themselves has improved a lot.
The students all have clear eyes, but teaching them is really difficult.
Traditional Chinese medicine is a discipline that highly values practical skills, and students are willing to learn, but the practical training opportunities at schools are ultimately limited.
After several attempts, the old man mustered up his courage and went to find his senior apprentice.
"It's not that I don't want to teach, it's just that schools need some practical things too!"
Acupuncture, pulse diagnosis, massage, and bone setting are all very profound, and can only be explained in practice with actual patients.
The senior brother smiled slightly, as if he had finally waited for him to say those words.
"I'm letting you attend classes, but I'm not restricting whether you attend classes at school or how you attend them. It's up to you."
Old Master Duan: ...
Well, I'm on the wrong ship now.
Upon further inquiry, it was learned that students are required to observe clinical practice. The school does not restrict which teacher a student must observe, but the number of times must be sufficient.
Grandpa Duan said with a resentful look, "You said you wanted me to teach, but you really just wanted me to take on apprentices."
Following someone for several years—what's the difference between that and being an apprentice? They just figured he'd refuse to take on apprentices, so they deliberately took a roundabout approach.
His senior patted him on the shoulder: "It's such a waste to retire so young. Take on more apprentices. Our school admits high-achieving students, so take a look. There are plenty of talented ones."
Grandpa Duan snorted: "If I'm going to teach, I won't come to class."
"Okay, okay, as long as you bring it."
Grandpa Duan scrolled through the list several times before finally picking out a few names he remembered.
"I'll start with these few people, and if they don't work out, I'll replace them."
There were four in total, two boys and two girls. They all had high grades and were quite attentive in class.
Grandpa Duan didn't want to wait a second longer before accepting the four new apprentices, and he called them out directly to express his intention.
"Would you be willing to observe my consultations?"
“Your schedule is four days a week, and you can only observe clinics on this day and all day on the weekend.”
"Don't work sporadically; I'll be doing random checks from time to time."
None of the four people were unwilling.
After all, the old man had demonstrated his skills in class, and he was clearly a seasoned traditional Chinese medicine doctor. The students would privately marvel at where he had come from, wondering if he could open his own clinic and make a fortune.
The two boys, one short and one tall, both had a clever look about them.
The two girls, one chubby and one thin, both looked like model students.
Grandpa Duan took in four people, but he didn't count them as formal apprentices; he planned to assess their aptitude first.
After asking a few questions, I learned about the families of these individuals.
The tall boy's family owns a traditional Chinese medicine shop, while the short girl's grandfather is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. One of the girls comes from a family that runs a clinic, and the other is simply interested in traditional Chinese medicine.
Grandpa Duan was fairly satisfied with the four men's backgrounds, and after agreeing on a time to come to the store on the weekend, he rushed off without stopping.
He'd rather quit than work here if he couldn't eat at Wenji's twice a week!
...
The weekend arrived in the blink of an eye.
The four of them followed the address and found the pharmacy. It was early in the morning, and the pharmacy hadn't opened yet, so the four of them waited at the door.
A tall boy named Ji Boyi asked the others if they wanted to eat.
The short boy, Ren Haijin, immediately responded, "Eat! This weather is so cold!"
The two girls were also freezing cold. Yan Guo, the chubby girl with long hair, said to Ke Miao, the other girl with short hair, "Why don't we go ask the shop next door? It seems to sell food there too."
The four hit it off immediately and walked into Wen's restaurant.
Today is Saturday. Wen Fan got up early and went to the market with his father. They arrived early and returned early. Vegetables were scattered all over the floor, and Wen's mother and Yao Qingqin were picking them. Wen Fan was in the kitchen making breakfast.
"Hello, do you serve breakfast?"
Wen's mother stood up: "I'm sorry, we don't serve breakfast."
The four people were very embarrassed and were about to leave when they suddenly smelled a fragrance.
Hearing the sizzling sound of oil coming from the kitchen, Yan Guo swallowed hard: "Why don't you sell us a few portions? It's the weekend, and it seems like none of the breakfast shops on the street are open..."
This was true. Seeing that they were all shivering and huddled up, Wen's mother went into the kitchen to ask her daughter if it was alright.
Wen Fan didn't care about having a few more people; it was just a matter of making a few more pancakes.
"Okay, let them in."
Wen's mother let everyone in and poured each of them a cup of hot water.
"Are you here for a medical consultation?"
At this time, people waiting in front of the pharmacy are either there to see a doctor or have no other reason to do so.
However, Wen's mother was also a little surprised that all four of them were so young!
Ren Haijin: "We are here to observe and learn from patients; our teacher is next door."
He was very confident and immediately put the teacher in front of him.
Upon hearing the name of Grandpa Duan, Madam Wen immediately became even more gentle, especially after learning that these students were students at a university of traditional Chinese medicine. Madam Wen automatically regarded them as Grandpa Duan's apprentices.
Wen Fan had already prepared breakfast: golden-brown pancakes and congee with preserved egg and lean pork.
The big pot is brought out, and whoever wants to eat can serve themselves.
One pancake and one bowl of congee with preserved egg and lean pork for each person.
The pancake didn't have anything extra; it was just a simple scallion pancake. The crisp scallion color was mixed with the dough, and the aroma of the crispy scallions and the fragrance of the dough blended together. It was still a little hot when it came out of the pan, and the hot, oily pancake was so delicious that after the four of them finished one, they shamelessly asked Wen's mother if they could have another one.
Wen's mother generously put a few more in an iron plate.
Now everyone knows how to eat scallion pancakes with porridge.
When the preserved egg and lean pork congee is simmered, the rice grains are cooked until they bloom, and the thick congee is infused with the rich aroma of preserved egg, which is savory and smooth. The lean pork is tender, and a bowl of this congee is incredibly comforting.
Ren Haijin ate while yelling, "I'll never hate my alarm clock again!"
Luckily he got up early today, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to have such a delicious breakfast.
Ren Haijin gave Wen Fan a thumbs up: "Your skills are amazing!"
Ren Haijin also couldn't understand why the youngest daughter in this family was cooking.
But that doesn't stop him from expressing his admiration for the people who make delicious food.
Yan Guo and Ke Miao were the same, looking very satisfied as they drank their porridge.
With food around, people are more likely to start a conversation. In just a few words, they had already told each other about their situation. When Wen's mother heard that they would be coming every weekend from now on, she knew that they were probably regular customers. She reminded them, "Pharmacies usually don't open until 8:30 in the morning. You should eat something before you come tomorrow."
We don't get up this early every day.
The four obediently agreed, and then asked what Wen's mother's shop sold at noon.
It's so close, shouldn't we come over for lunch?
Just by looking at how well someone makes breakfast, you can tell that their cooking probably won't be bad.
Wen's mother pointed to the wall. Yan Guo was fine. Ke Miao suddenly remembered something, took out her phone and started flipping through the pages frantically.
"I was wondering why it looked so familiar! It's Wen Ji!"
He excitedly fumbled for his phone and quickly found Wenji's short video page.
"Aaaaaah, I've been following you guys for ages!"
Ke Miao's excitement was genuine. She had followed Wen Ji's account for a long time, but because the school was too far away, she always watched videos to enjoy it. Who would have thought that she would stumble upon it by accident this time!
This unexpected encounter filled her with excitement.
No need to think about it anymore, I'll just have a beef offal hot pot for lunch!
"This restaurant's beef offal hot pot is super popular right now, trust me, it's definitely delicious!"
Wen's mother and Yao Qingqin both laughed; it was the first time they had ever seen a live fan recommend something like this.
"Yes, our beef offal hot pot is our signature dish."
Out of consideration for their neighbor, Wen's mother promised to reserve a table for them.
Wen Fan put away his bowl: "Mom, I'm a little sleepy. I'm going home to sleep for a while."
Wen's mother: "Go back home. Remember to take a hot bath before you sleep, so you can sleep more soundly."
Wen Fan nodded, then paused for a moment after standing up.
"Whose bag is this?"
A black backpack fell to the ground, and Ji Baiyi quickly picked it up.
"Excuse me."
Wen Fan said nothing and turned to go into the kitchen.
The four of them waited in the shop until the store next door opened before settling their bill with Wen's mother and thanking her.
Although Grandpa Duan didn't say anything, he was quite pleased that they had arrived early. He introduced Mr. Qu to them as soon as they entered the pharmacy.
"You can just call him Dr. Qu."
Mr. Qu smiled like a pot-bellied Buddha, indicating that he could tell him anything, as he was the owner of the pharmacy.
Grandpa Duan: "Alright, while we're at it, I'll test your basic skills. Take out your books."
Several people opened their schoolbags.
As soon as Ji Baiyi took out the book and opened it, a piece of paper fell out.
Grandpa Duan had sharp eyes and caught it before it even hit the ground.
Upon opening it, I found a prescription.
He glanced at Ji Boyi: "You drove it?"
Ji Baiyi shook his head. He was only a freshman; he didn't have the ability to calculate a prescription like that.
Grandpa Duan looked at it from top to bottom, becoming more and more excited.
"This prescription is interesting."
It's actually a recipe, and a very well-written one at that!
When questioned again, Ji Boyi insisted that he knew nothing about it. He also said he didn't know who deliberately slipped the book in front of him, since the book wasn't always in front of him during class yesterday.
Grandpa Duan sighed, "This prescription looks like a complete system! There must be more to come!"
Unfortunately, there's only this one left. Old Master Duan is holding it like a treasure, having completely forgotten about the student test he was talking about earlier.
Quickly take out your phone, snap a picture, and send it to your senior.
The senior brother was straightforward, leaving behind the words, "Wait for me."
They drove over before noon.
The two old men studied the prescription for a long time and came to a conclusion.
This recipe works!
The senior apprentice said he would first observe the effects of changing one or two of the herbs that are now prohibited.
"This recipe is for a stew. Let's make it and see."
The taste is a key factor in what makes medicinal cuisine delicious. If a medicinal meal is unpalatable, it's better to just take Chinese medicine.
The prescription was for nourishing yin and tonifying the kidneys, and the two old men said they would try it first.
"I'll take it home and have your sister-in-law try it..." The senior brother indicated that his wife's cooking skills were decent, and she could probably stew it to a near-perfect consistency.
Grandpa Duan grabbed his senior brother's hand, his eyes shining: "Senior brother! I know where to stew it!"
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