"Is there no law anymore?! What are you doing?"
The owner of the "Zhen Amian Tofu Pudding Stall" frantically tried to stop people, but was beaten by two burly men with wooden sticks. The customers at the stall had already sensed something was wrong and fled in panic.
Tables, chairs, benches, pots, pans, and dishes were all smashed. When Aunt Liu tried to go up and say a few words to mediate, she was shoved to the ground and then punched and kicked.
Screams, gasps, a slab of snow-white tofu falling to the ground, stomped on by boots until it was filthy and turned into a muddy mess... Although A-Mian didn't like her fellow scholars, seeing this group acting so domineeringly, destroying these perfectly good grains and showing no regard for their belongings, made her anxious and angry.
The stall owner's hard work was ruined. It was no easy task to assemble this set of equipment. Even though business was gradually declining, it was still a business for his family.
This man, who was about thirty years old, was beaten severely with sticks. When he saw the group of thugs going to empty his money box, he decided to fight them to the death.
However, two fists are no match for four hands, and he was quickly grabbed by two strong men, who punched him several times in the stomach.
"I didn't provoke you... I didn't offend you... You're trying to drive me to my death... Why are you doing this..."
The leader spat on the ground, "What are you pretending for? Isn't this 'A-Mian's Tofu Pudding Stall'? You should have thought this day would come if you dared to mess with us! And everyone else, listen up, there's only one tofu shop in this city. Don't buy from those unclean little stalls and vendors. If they add croton oil to it, don't blame me for not warning you in advance!"
The stall owner, his ribs broken, gasped for breath and slowly said, "I... am not... 'A-Mian's Tofu Pudding Stall'..."
"There's no use saying anything now. You all need to think it over yourselves. When the officials come, anyone who wants to die or doesn't want to do business honestly anymore can go ahead and say so. Let's go!" After saying that, he scattered the money from the money box everywhere. Some of the waiters and cooks who were hiding in the shop and secretly watching started to pick it up quietly and quickly.
Ah Mian didn't pick it up.
Her big eyes were wide open, and she memorized the appearance of this group of people.
These people did the same thing back then, taking away her ninety copper coins. Meng Chijian was holding her hand beside her; he had rushed over in a fright after hearing that "A-Mian's Tofu Pudding Stall" had been vandalized.
The people from the bean shop came in aggressively and left swaggeringly, clearly local bullies in the city.
Only the stall owner whose stall had been vandalized sat dejectedly on the ground, repeating over and over, "...This really isn't Ah Mian's tofu pudding stall..."
After a short while, the county officials arrived and inquired about what had happened.
Everyone said they didn't see it clearly, or that they were too busy in the shop to see it.
Ah Mian saw that it was Constable Chen who had arrived, along with two or three other people she didn't recognize.
However, she now says that she was hiding and didn't see anything.
She now has a family, and she doesn't just randomly grab fire tongs and start hitting people in the street anymore when something happens.
Just then, someone shouted, "Oh no! Something terrible has happened! Someone has been killed!"
At this glance, on the stall that had just been smashed, Aunt Liu had not gotten up for a long time, and there was a pool of blood spreading under her, but it was mixed in with the broken objects and could not be seen at all without careful observation.
Everyone rushed to help Granny Liu up. They checked her nose and found she was still breathing, so they quickly called the doctor from the pharmacy to come and see.
Aunt Liu was injured somewhere, and Amian, who was fast, quickly ran to call for help.
"Dr. Mo—it's terrible! An old lady was beaten up in the street and can't even get up now!"
Mo Man was seeing patients at the pharmacy when she heard about it, so she picked up her medicine box and followed A Mian to the food street.
Aunt Liu was leaning against a big tree, clutching her chest and panting heavily.
Upon seeing Granny Liu, Doctor Mo felt a vague sense of familiarity. However, this was not the time to inquire about the situation. Seeing the young, fresh-faced female doctor before her, Granny Liu struggled to utter a sound from her throat: "Don't take advantage of me because I don't know anything... cough cough... I need the old doctor, quickly call the old doctor to save me..."
She didn't believe the woman in front of her knew anything about medicine; she was probably just messing around here.
"Are you stupid! She's a very famous doctor, what time is it now!" The passersby were getting anxious for her.
However, the more this happened, the more suspicious Aunt Liu became. These people had always been at odds with her, and now they probably wanted someone to kill her. "I don't want these quack doctors. I—cough cough—if you won't call them, I'll go see the old doctor myself..."
A-Mian asked in surprise, "You... can still walk?"
She didn't understand why Aunt Liu would insist on seeing an older doctor instead of the one in front of her. Logically speaking, an older doctor might indeed be more experienced, but the problem was that there weren't many older doctors in the city at the moment. Even Wen Qiao was still very young, and the family's old doctor was said to practice in Zhoucheng.
How can this be so rigid?
Ah Mian has the flexible and adaptable thinking that ordinary people often have: try anything as a last resort!
But Aunt Liu refused to see Doctor Mo. Instead, she stood up with a limp and said, "I... feel, cough cough... nothing's wrong... my master... will pay, cough cough cough... to take me to see the old doctor."
The stall owner picked up some copper coins from the ground, his smile more like a grimace. The incident happened at his stall, so he had to take responsibility; otherwise, it wouldn't be right.
Since she said that, everyone had no choice but to disperse.
A-Mian was a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Dr. Mo, for making you come all this way for nothing. I'll treat you to some fried tofu."
Mo Man, who had been aloof and indifferent in front of others, followed the little country bumpkin to her stall, only to be surprised: "Sizzling tofu!"
"Okay. I'll get you a large portion." Ah Mian didn't know why she was so surprised, assuming it was because she really liked the food.
Mo Man was indeed a little hungry. She had been in this world for so long and thought she would never be able to eat these snacks again!
The piping hot pan-fried tofu was placed in a bowl. Mo Man picked it up with wooden chopsticks, blew on it, and took a bite.
Well, compared to modern teppanyaki tofu, it's not as spicy or salty; the spiciness is milder, and it doesn't have cumin as a seasoning. However, the outer skin is fried until very crispy, while the inside is soft and fluffy. Eating it with scallions enhances the texture and aroma.
"tasty."
"I'll pack a few more portions for you to take back to the shopkeepers. It's not far from here anyway." A-Mian was always grateful to Doctor Mo, but felt she had no way to repay him.
They quickly filled two large bowls and helped deliver them to her pharmacy.
Dr. Mo chuckled for a moment as if he had just thought of something: "You could also make 'stinky tofu,' or fry a kind of food called potato... oh, you call it 'yangyu' here. Hmm, but I don't know the specific recipes for these things, so just take it as an example."
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