Chapter 22: Fresh Things, "Catalogue of Herbs" (two chapters in one)
"It's in the river outside the village. Xiaoyan and I went fishing yesterday and caught it by luck." Lu Qing replied.
"How could there be green turtles of this age in that small river?" Old Doctor Chen was a little surprised.
The river outside the village is not very big, but it is rare for a green turtle to grow to this size.
But he suddenly thought that several nearby villages did not seem to make a living by fishing.
Perhaps this is why the green turtle was able to grow.
"No wonder you said before that you have a talent for fishing. You can produce a fish stone of this quality. The size of the green turtle must be quite large. How could you catch it?"
Old Doctor Chen took one look at Lu Qing's thin body and couldn't help but look at him with admiration.
"This is all thanks to the thread you gave me, Grandpa Chen." Lu Qing said modestly, "Grandpa Chen, the thread is really very strong. Without it, I really wouldn't be able to pull up this big fish."
"It's good as long as it's useful. It's useless to me anyway."
Old Doctor Chen waved his hand and didn't seem to care.
On the contrary, he was somewhat interested in the wooden barrel that Lu Qing had been holding in his hand.
"What's in your bucket? It looks heavy."
Because Lu Qing put some branches and leaves in the bucket when he went out to prevent the fish from being too frightened, Doctor Chen couldn't see clearly what was in the bucket for a while.
"Inside is something I want to give to you, Grandpa Chen." Lu Qing began to take out the branches and leaves from the bucket. "Yesterday, Xiaoyan and I went fishing and caught two big fish. We ate the big green turtle, and I wanted to give this smaller one to you, Grandpa Chen, to try."
"Yes, Grandpa Chen, this fish is so beautiful. Grandpa Zhang and the others don't even know what kind of fish it is." Xiaoyan also spoke.
"Oh, you are so thoughtful. I'd like to see what kind of fish it is."
Doctor Chen became even more interested after hearing this.
“That’s the fish.”
Lu Qing cleared away all the branches and leaves in the bucket and handed the bucket to the old doctor.
The old doctor looked into the bucket and saw the fish that was like fire. He was shocked at first, and then he was moved.
He blurted out: "This, this is the Red Moon Carp?"
The old doctor really knew this fish.
Lu Qing's mind was racing, but there was a look of confusion on his face.
"Grandpa Chen, do you know what kind of fish this is?"
The old doctor put Xiaoyan down, walked forward, reached into the bucket to tease the fish, and then carefully identified it.
Finally, he confirmed: "No doubt, this is the Red Moon Carp!"
The old doctor looked at Lu Qing with a look of amazement. "How could you catch such a rare fish as the Red Moon Carp?"
"Grandpa Chen, what is a Red Moon Carp?" Xiaoyan asked ignorantly.
"This Red Moon Carp is quite extraordinary."
Seeing that Lu Qing also looked confused, Doctor Chen simply began to explain.
"Red Moon Carp is a kind of strange fish. In this world, any fish that can be called strange fish has its own unique features."
"This Red Moon Carp is famous for its delicious taste."
"It is rumored that its taste is extremely delicious. Once you have tasted it once, you will never forget it. Therefore, some people even call it one of the ten most delicious delicacies in the world."
"One of the ten most delicious delicacies in the world?"
This time it was Lu Qing's turn to be surprised.
He didn't expect that the Red Moon Carp was so famous.
It is indeed a rare fish that can be evaluated as extremely fresh by the supernatural.
"Big Red Fish is so amazing!" Xiaoyan was also a little shocked, "Grandpa Chen, have you ever eaten Big Red Fish?"
"Grandpa, I once had the honor of tasting this Red Moon Carp at a nobleman's banquet. The taste was so good..."
Doctor Chen didn't finish his words, but even Xiaoyan could see the aftertaste on his face.
"Then it would be most appropriate to give this Red Moon Carp to you, Grandpa Chen." Lu Qing said.
"I dare not accept your gift." Doctor Chen came back to his senses, "Do you know how much this red moon carp can be sold for if it is sold in the city?"
Lu Qing shook his head.
"One hundred taels of silver." Old Doctor Chen held up a finger, and seeing the shock on Lu Qing's face, he continued, "The best quality Red Moon Carp can be sold for at least one hundred taels of silver."
"A fish is worth one hundred taels of silver?" Lu Qing took a breath.
But he knew that the purchasing power of silver in this world was very strong.
One tael of silver could provide a family of three with adequate food and clothing for a month.
As far as he could remember, even when the Lu family was at its wealthiest, they probably didn't even have ten taels of silver.
Now a fish is worth one hundred taels, which is really beyond his expectation.
The key point is that this is just a strange fish with a hint of red light in the white light. If it is a real red light level spiritual fish, how precious would it be?
"This world is very big, Lu Qing." Doctor Chen sighed. "The daily expenses of those nobles are beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Do you know how much it costs to entertain a noble?"
Lu Qing shook his head again.
"It would cost at least a thousand taels of silver. If it is to entertain distinguished guests, the cost would be unimaginable."
"This red moon carp is a rare and extremely fresh food. For those rich nobles who are not short of money, a mere one hundred taels of silver is nothing to them in order to taste this delicacy."
Lu Qing's mouth opened slightly.
His expression was half fake, and the other half showed genuine surprise.
Sure enough, no matter which world it is, the extravagance of the rich is always so exaggerated.
"How about it, do you still want to give this Red Moon Carp to me, an old man?"
Doctor Chen looked at the look of disbelief on Lu Qing's face and joked.
Lu Qing came back to his senses, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded firmly: "Give it to me, of course I will. Compared with your life-saving grace, Grandpa Chen, one hundred taels of silver is nothing. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here, let alone catching this Red Moon Carp!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Old Doctor Chen suddenly burst into laughter.
He laughed for a while before stopping, with a look of relief on his face: "I am very happy that you have this kind heart, but I really cannot accept this Red Moon Carp. It would be a waste to give such a precious fish to me."
"But Grandpa Chen..."
Lu Qing wanted to say something, but Doctor Chen raised his hand and interrupted him.
"Okay, it's settled. You leave the fish with me. After two days, I'll take it to the city and sell it for you. I'll exchange it for silver and you can take it home for your household expenses."
Lu Qing opened his mouth, but finally gave up and said, "Okay, but Grandpa Chen, the money from selling fish must be used to pay for your previous medical expenses first."
"Okay!" Doctor Chen nodded.
However, he did not tell Lu Qing that the precious medicinal materials added to the medicine he prescribed earlier were as valuable as this Red Moon Carp.
Because the old doctor could see that Lu Qing was a young man with great self-esteem.
If he knew the value of the medicine, he would probably never accept the money from the sale of the Red Moon Carp.
Doctor Chen looked at the red moon carp in the bucket again.
Then he frowned and said, "It's a pity that your Red Moon Carp, although of good quality, is a little big. I'm afraid it's not worth a hundred taels of silver. Its value will be slightly reduced."
"Why, Grandpa Chen? Aren't bigger fish better?" Xiaoyan asked in confusion.
"Generally speaking, that's the case, but this Red Moon Carp is different," explained Doctor Chen.
"The most valuable thing about Red Moon Carp is its freshness. Generally, Red Moon Carp is at its most fresh and tender when it grows to about two kilograms. If it exceeds this weight, even if the freshness remains, the meat will be slightly older and naturally less valuable."
Lu Qing could understand this.
Just like some seafood in the previous life, it is not that the bigger the seafood is, the more expensive it is. Instead, the smaller the seafood is, the higher the price per seafood is.
"No matter what the value is, I'll have to trouble Grandpa Chen anyway." Lu Qing said.
No matter how valuable the Red Moon Carp is, Lu Qing has no way to sell it.
He believed that if he really dared to appear in the city with such a strange fish, even if he could sell it for money, he would probably not be able to leave the city.
Perhaps only a cultivator like Doctor Chen is qualified to be involved in such a transaction.
"By the way, this Red Moon Carp has always been rare, and its habits are difficult to identify. It likes to be alone and its whereabouts are hard to find. How did you catch it?" Doctor Chen asked curiously.
"Maybe it's luck. After I caught the green turtle yesterday, I fished for a while and happened to catch this red moon carp." Lu Qing replied.
But my heart was slightly moved.
Habits are difficult to identify. So even the old doctor doesn’t know that the Red Moon Carp likes to eat blood apricots?
"So, this is really your luck." Doctor Chen sighed, "Maybe God saw that you and your sister had a hard life, so he bestowed these blessings on you."
The old doctor thought of Lu Qing's sudden improvement in his condition.
Perhaps, this is the reason why Lu Qing’s illness suddenly got better?
After sighing for a while, Doctor Chen put the Red Moon Carp into a water tank in the house to keep it temporarily, and then gave Lu Qing acupuncture.
This time after the acupuncture, Lu Qing slept for a shorter time than last time.
After waking up, I saw the old doctor still chatting and laughing with Xiaoyan in the yard, and there was still a plate of yam cake on the stone table.
"Wake up, come and eat something first."
When Doctor Chen saw Lu Qing coming out, he pushed the pastries on the table over to him.
This time Lu Qing did not refuse. He picked up a piece of cake and ate it slowly.
Doctor Chen observed the complexion of Lu Qing's face and nodded.
"Yes, it seems that you have listened to my advice these days and have not treated yourself badly in terms of food and drink."
"Grandpa Chen, my brother and I have been eating delicious food every day these days. The food my brother cooks is so delicious!" Xiaoyan boasted aside.
"Well, grandpa figured it out." The old doctor touched the little guy's head lovingly.
With his medical skills, how could he not see that the brother and sister looked much better than in the past few days.
After Lu Qing ate a few pieces of cake, the old doctor slowly said, "I told you before that after the acupuncture, you will be allowed to learn about medicinal materials from me for half an hour. Do you remember?"
Lu Qing immediately sat up straight and said solemnly: "Of course Lu Qing remembers."
"So now, do you still want to learn about medicinal herbs?"
"Of course, Lu Qing's interest in medicinal herbs has never diminished."
"That's good." Doctor Chen laughed. "I thought you would no longer want to go the herbal medicine route after you caught a red moon carp and became wealthy."
"Lu Qing wants to learn about medicinal materials, not only for the sake of life, but also because he is really curious about the various magical medicinal materials and wants to know how they cure diseases and save lives." Lu Qing said seriously.
"In that case, please follow me."
Doctor Chen stood up and walked into the house.
Lu Qing hurriedly followed.
When they got into the room, Doctor Chen took out a book and put it in Lu Qing's hand.
"Here is a copy of the Hundred Herbs, which records the names, diagrams, and growth habits of various medicinal herbs. Take it and study it carefully, and compare it with the herbs drying outside the yard. If you don't understand anything, come and ask me."
Lu Qing was stunned holding the book: "Grandpa Chen, didn't you ask me to help you dry the herbs while learning from you?"
Now a book of medical classics was actually handed directly to him.
But Lu Qing knew that books were very precious in this world.
Firstly, paper is expensive, and secondly, pens and ink are also expensive.
The original owner's grandfather didn't take anything else with him when he fled, just a few books.
Unfortunately, the books were lost during the escape.
So much so that when the original owner was a child, he often heard his grandfather sighing, saying that the loss of those ancient family books was a sign of his guilt towards his ancestors.
Later, because the family was poor and could not afford paper and ink, Grandfather Lu was never able to revise those ancient family books.
As a result, the original owner could only recognize a few words and was very superficial in calligraphy.
"Why, are you unhappy?" asked Doctor Chen.
"Of course I'd love to." Lu Qing said quickly.
He still knows the value of knowledge in this world.
"That's fine, then you can start learning now."
Seeing what the old doctor said, Lu Qing could only take the book and return to the yard.
After giving Xiaoyan a few instructions, he walked to a quiet place and opened the book.
However, after skimming through a few pages, Lu Qing couldn't help but frown.
This is because the names of many medicinal herbs in the "Classic of Materia Medica" are quite strange, and the characters are very obscure.
The original owner didn't know many words.
Although he has the memories of his past life, the characters in the two worlds are different.
There were some words that even he couldn't recognize.
This makes the "Classic of Materia Medica" very obscure to read.
If this continues, he doesn't know how long it will take to learn the knowledge in it.
Lu Qing knows that he is not an extremely smart person.
Nor do they have the ability to read ten lines at a glance and understand them thoroughly.
In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person with normal IQ who studied hard and barely got into an ordinary first-class university.
Therefore, if he wanted to learn the "Classic of Materia Medica" as soon as possible, he would have to study as hard as he did when he took the college entrance examination.
After encouraging himself, Lu Qing continued reading.
Then, as he was looking at it, the medicine scripture in front of him suddenly emitted a hazy white light.
[Bai Cao Jing: A book that records a lot of knowledge about medicinal herbs. 】
【After learning this book, you may be able to have a rough understanding of all the herbs in the world. 】
【Do you want to download? 】
The first two notes were fine, but when the third note appeared, Lu Qing was completely stunned.
(End of this chapter)
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