Yu Tongchen looked at her peaceful sleeping face and felt satisfied.
In the afternoon, after she got up, Yu Tongchen carefully checked her clothes to make sure she would not be cold and then took her to the pavilion.
The stone bench in the pavilion was replaced by a very large table, on which were placed many fresh ingredients. There was a hole in the middle of the table, on which was placed a pot filled with boiling soup.
After sitting down, Shu Shiyu looked at the food in front of him and said, "Isn't it cooked yet? Then why is it served here?"
The boiling soup was emitting mist. "Could it be, the offering of the clouds?"
"Yes, we'll put the fresh ingredients into the broth and cook them later and we can eat them." Yu Tongchen went to prepare the dipping sauce for her.
“I’ve only seen it in books, but never eaten it this way.”
"It tastes good. If you like it, eat it often in the future."
"good."
Meng Ziqian came over with a food box and took out a bowl of dumplings for each of them. "Here, you two made them. I cooked a pot specially for you."
"Thank you." Yu Tongchen said.
Hearing this, Meng Ziqian teased, "It's rare to hear you say thank you."
Yu Tongchen ignored him and looked at Shu Shiyu beside him, "Wait until it cools down and eat it. There is a folk saying that if you don't eat dumplings during the winter solstice, your ears will freeze off and no one will care."
"It's well known to everyone. I'm a little curious about your experience." Shu Shiyu withdrew his gaze from the mist rising from the pot and looked at him.
"I am a doctor. I often go to free clinics and visit people's homes. One year, I spent the winter solstice at a home of a commoner, and the man said this to his child. I remembered it."
"It's just that my eldest and second apprentices have been away for the past two years, so I rarely go out for free medical treatment."
Shu Shiyu said "Oh", "Are your eldest and second disciples also as old as Ziling?"
Yu Tongchen shook his head. "The eldest disciple is forty-five, and the second disciple is thirty-eight. They have both gone to the south and will return to the capital in a few years."
Meng Ziqian said: "He is 23 years old. His first and second disciples are old enough to be his fathers, but he still begs and cries to be his disciple."
Meng Ziqian was not exaggerating. Those two really were begging for mercy and studying outside the Divine Doctor Valley every day. Yu Tongchen couldn't stand it anymore and accepted them.
"This shows that he is very capable." Shu Shiyu commented seriously.
Yu Tongchen curled the corners of his lips.
Meng Ziqian curled his lips. Why did he feel a little full even though he hadn't had dinner yet?
The curtain was opened, and Nanxing came in with two large food boxes, "Master, Miss Shu, these are the dishes we cooked."
Hearing this, Meng Ziqian folded his hands and watched the show, "It took them a long time to learn it. He Guang, you can't spoil their fun."
When the food was placed in front of him, Yu Tongchen picked up the chopsticks and took a bite.
"Too woody."
“Too salty.”
“Too bland.”
"It's a mess."
…
Yu Tongchen commented on the dishes one after another, and finally only two dishes were left. "These two are OK."
"If it's too salty, add more rice. If it's too bland, add more salt. You can figure out how to deal with the rest. Don't waste what you can eat."
Nanxing was very happy. He and Wangyou were left behind because of what they did. "Okay, Master."
"Miss Shu, Baitong and Baixi asked me to tell you that they are having dinner with us in the kitchen, so you don't have to worry about them."
"good."
After Nanxing left, Yu Tongchen picked up two chopsticks of food and put them into a clean bowl. "They made it especially for you. Do you want to try it?"
"good."
Shu Shiyu tasted it twice and nodded, smiling, "Not bad. Bai Tong will complain to me less when he comes back."
After finishing dinner, Yu Tongchen took Shu Shiyu back home. The red lanterns on the corridor were blown by the wind and the candlelight flickered, adding a few touches of warmth to the quiet winter night.
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