After selling everything, she packed up her box and left. She planned to go to the West Market to buy things, a place where ordinary people bought goods and traded. After leaving the East Market, Jiang Yue headed towards the West Market. To be honest, Jiang Yue breathed a sigh of relief after leaving this place. There were many dignitaries and nobles here, and if she ran into one or someone who was out of their mind and wanted to cause trouble, Jiang Yue was afraid that she might not be able to hold back.
The West Market was bustling with people, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the air. Jiang Yue went to a pharmacy and bought some star anise, cinnamon, dried tangerine peel, and the like. These spices weren't widely used yet, so you had to buy them from a pharmacy. After leaving the pharmacy, she bought some incense-making supplies, since the incense offered at the Taoist temple was all homemade.
The midday sun was warm and comforting, making everyone feel relaxed. After walking around for a while, Jiang Yue got hungry and ate a bowl of "botuo," also known as noodle soup. When it was served, she felt it wasn't enough, so she ordered two sesame cakes. After eating and drinking her fill, she continued shopping, as there were still many things she hadn't bought.
After finding a cloth shop, Jiang Yue went in and bought some cloth. The Taoist temple required a lot of work from Jiang Yue, and her clothes wore out quite quickly. After all, she didn't wear her robes or use the puppet most of the time, otherwise life would be no fun at all. She only used the puppet when she was lazy or in an emergency.
Jiang Yue left the fabric shop with a smile on her face because there were two adorable little children inside. Their mother had said she would make them new clothes for the New Year, and the two children were jumping around with joy. Jiang Yue was also influenced by them. She bought a lot of dried vegetables at a stall she passed by. When she saw a tofu stall, she wanted to buy two pieces of tofu, but she didn't have a container with her, so she had to give up. Oh well, she'll just grind it herself when she gets home.
Having bought almost everything except for grain, and seeing that it was almost time to go home, Jiang Yue bought a few sesame cakes and went to the grain store. When she arrived, there were quite a few people there. Jiang Yue bought some ingredients to make Laba porridge. Based on her memory, many people come to the Taoist temple to burn incense on this day every year. Master Jiang Yue cooks a pot of Laba porridge every year on this day.
After buying the grain, Jiang Yue hired someone to help carry it. Once outside the city, the person delivered it to the oxcart. When the person guarding the oxcart saw Jiang Yue coming, he quickly helped load the grain onto the cart. By this time, the oxcart was already loaded with quite a lot of things. It seemed that when they went back, everyone would have to follow the oxcart, otherwise the oxcart would be too heavy to pull.
These days, cows are very valuable. There are only a few cows in a village. Cows can only rest in winter. No one is willing to use their cows. After the appointed time, the village chief counted the people to make sure no one was missing. Then the group set off to go home. They set off at three o'clock in the afternoon and it was already past seven or eight o'clock when they returned home.
It was too late for Jiang Yue to go up the mountain, so she stayed overnight at the village chief's house. He had spare rooms available. In the early morning, Jiang Yue woke up early, thanked the village chief and his family, and headed towards the Taoist temple on the mountain. The fresh air and melodious birdsong made her feel happy.
On Laba Festival, Jiang Yue got up early and cooked Laba porridge. After offering incense, the people who came to the Taoist temple would come to Jiang Yue's place to drink a bowl of Laba porridge. After distributing the porridge, Jiang Yue began to diagnose and treat the worshippers. On such special days, she would not charge consultation fees. Those who were sick would be treated, and those who were not sick would have a free physical examination.
As the sun set, Jiang Yue saw off the last worshipper and cleaned the Taoist temple. It was quite chaotic today due to the large number of people. After cleaning, she fed the cats, and the three calico cats were meowing from hunger. After feeding the cats, Jiang Yue started cooking for herself. She had only had some porridge after a busy day and hadn't eaten much. She wondered why there were so many more people this year than in previous years. There weren't this many people when she was with her master.
Actually, it was Er Gouzi's family who helped promote her, as well as the midwife who delivered the baby. You know, there's not much gossip these days, and people are relatively free in winter, so if something happens, it'll spread quickly. Everyone knows that the young Taoist priest's medical skills have surpassed his master's, so many more people came.
Unfortunately, the medicinal herbs she had prepared for a year were almost used up. There was nothing she could do about it. The people who came were all poor families. Jiang Yue wasn't selling medicine, so she charged only the cost price. Some people who weren't sick wanted to buy a couple of doses to keep on hand, but in the end, they gave up under Jiang Yue's surprised gaze.
While the meal was cooking, Jiang Yue cleaned the main hall and soaked some soybeans. She planned to make some tofu tomorrow. With everything prepared, the meal was ready. After eating, Jiang Yue went to bed early, exhausted from a busy day.
Jiang Yue woke up early the next morning. She lay in bed for a while before getting up. She had exercised for a while after her morning class the night before, fed the cat, and then started making her own breakfast. After breakfast, she started making tofu. The soybeans had been soaked overnight and were ready to use. Making tofu was not difficult, especially since Jiang Yue had only made a small amount. After cleaning the stone mill, she started grinding the soybeans.
After filtering the ground soy milk, pour it into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Then, slowly add brine to the hot soy milk and gently stir to allow the soy milk to gradually coagulate into tofu pudding. Pour the tofu pudding into a mold, wrap it with a cloth, place a heavy object on top to press it down, and wait for a while until the tofu is ready.
During dinner, Jiang Yue ate tofu. Sanhua was meowing beside her, and Jiang Yue picked up a piece for her. Jiang Yue ate very light food, and it wouldn't bother the cat if it ate a piece. After dinner, Jiang Yue was about to go to bed when there was a knock on the door. Jiang Yue got dressed, went out of the room, and called out, "Who is it?"
"Master, I was introduced by Wang, the midwife from Xiahe Village. My daughter-in-law is giving birth today, and Wang said the situation is not good. That's why I asked you to come and take a look."
"I see. You go down the mountain first, and I'll prepare to meet you at the foot of the mountain."
"Okay, then I'll wait for you at the foot of the mountain."
After returning to the house, Jiang Yue fed the cat. She figured the cat wouldn't be coming back today. She slung her medicine box over her shoulder, extinguished the oil lamp, closed the door, and set off. On her way down the mountain, she caught up with a couple who were also going down. As she descended, Jiang Yue asked the pregnant woman about her condition. After asking, Jiang Yue breathed a sigh of relief. According to the midwife, it would still be some time before she gave birth.
After descending the mountain, Jiang Yue rode an oxcart towards their village. More than an hour later, Jiang Yue arrived. Upon entering the house, she saw Wang, the midwife who had delivered Er Gouzi's baby last time. When she saw Jiang Yue come in, she smiled and said, "Daoist Master, you've arrived. I feel relieved to have you here."
"Greetings, Daoist Master! Please have a seat and a cup of tea. It's so kind of you to come so late at night."
"You're too kind, it's no trouble at all."
After the tea was served, Jiang Yue didn't rush to drink it. Instead, she went inside to check on the pregnant woman. The check revealed that the baby was slightly breech. Jiang Yue used massage, acupuncture, and Bai Ze (a traditional Chinese medicine) to guide the baby's head to the correct position. If all went well, there shouldn't be any problems.
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