Chapter 43: Stewing Soup for Lu Tingxiao
The noise of the house-warming party gradually faded away, and Jiang Ruoxi and Lu Tingxiao's lives quietly returned to their old pace.
Every morning at dawn, Jiang Ruoxi would be in the courtyard, concentrating on studying ancient martial arts and body-building techniques. Each move was filled with the charm of ancient martial arts. Sweat soaked her clothes, but it never dulled the determination in her eyes. During this day-to-day practice, she could feel her own strength quietly growing, and every breath she took seemed to resonate with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Lu Tingxiao occasionally led the team to take on some missions in his spare time. Although these tasks do not involve life-threatening situations, they are still exhausting enough. Every time he came back, although he was not injured, he could not hide the fatigue all over his body, and there was a hint of weariness in his steps. Jiang Ruoxi saw it and felt pain in her heart. She used spiritual spring water as a guide, combined with various rare herbs, and carefully refined it into pills to restore energy according to ancient recipes.
When night fell and the lights came on, Jiang Ruoxi would always prepare a cup of tea brewed with spiritual spring water, along with the carefully prepared pills, and gently place them in front of Lu Tingxiao. Lu Tingxiao raised his eyes and looked into her concerned eyes, feeling warm in his heart. He took the pill, tilted his head back and swallowed it. In an instant, a warm force slowly spread throughout his body, and the feeling of fatigue was instantly relieved a little.
The two sat opposite each other, without much conversation, just enjoying the warmth of each other's company in this quiet time. They know very well that no matter how the outside world changes, this friendship of mutual support and concern will always be the warmest harbor in life, enough to withstand all the storms in the world.
In addition to practicing martial arts, studying, and making pills for Lu Tingxiao, Jiang Ruoxi occasionally went out to buy groceries and take a walk. On this day, Jiang Ruoxi had just gone out to buy some meat when she ran into Zhang Saozi next to her: "Sister-in-law, are you going out to buy some?"
"Yes, my Tingxiao has been on a mission recently and is very tired. I am going to buy some meat and a pigeon to make soup for him. Sister-in-law, is there anything you can do?"
"It's okay, I can go with you too."
"Okay, let's go!"
"Sister-in-law, how do you make the pigeon soup you mentioned? I want to make some for my old Zhang too. He's been on missions a lot lately, and he doesn't seem to be injured, but I always feel like he's exhausted!"
"Sister-in-law, I'm stewing Chinese yam, Poria cocos and pigeon soup. Chinese yam strengthens the spleen and stomach, Poria cocos soothes the mind, and pigeon nourishes the blood. This soup can replenish the vitality of those who are physically weak and mentally unwell. You should give some to Deputy Captain Zhang. They are always on missions and need plenty of energy. Although they are still young, they can't take advantage of their youth to waste their bodies, right?"
"Sister-in-law, you are absolutely right. I will have to learn from you how to make these soups that are good for the body. Don't rely on your youth and not nourish your body, or you will suffer when you are old!"
"Sister-in-law, you are absolutely right. Let's go buy some pigeons, Chinese yam, and Poria cocos, and give them some good nourishment when the time comes!"
"OK!"
The vegetable market is bustling with people and shouts can be heard one after another. Jiang Ruoxi and Mrs. Zhang were shuttling between the stalls, having already visited several stalls in search of two baby pigeons for making soup.
"Mrs. Zhang, look at the feathers. The feathers under the wings have not grown fully. The wing feathers are shorter than the tail. The feathers are white and clean as a whole, without blood clots or stray hairs, and the feathers are soft and smooth. Look at the skin, it is pink and smooth, the pores are fine and almost invisible, and there is no roughness, yellowing or spots. The eyes are sharp, the pupils contract freely, and the eyeballs move flexibly without dullness or turbidity. The mouth is flesh-colored, soft in texture, and the lower jaw is slightly wider than the upper jaw. The claws are light flesh-colored or water red, slender and with a thin cuticle. Such pigeons can be stewed in soup!" Jiang Ruoxi pointed at the baby pigeons in the cage, her eyes full of anticipation.
Mrs. Zhang came forward, looked at it carefully, shook her head gently, and whispered to Jiang Ruoxi, "It looks good. I didn't expect there would be so much to say about a pigeon. But the price is too high, 2 yuan per pigeon. Let's go look somewhere else."
The two then asked several stall owners, but either the quality of the pigeons was poor or they could not agree on the price. Finally, they found a stall in the corner of the vegetable market. The pigeons looked energetic and the price offered by the owner was reasonable, 1.5 yuan per pigeon.
After some selection, the two squabs were put into the bag. After killing and plucking the hair, Jiang Ruoxi weighed the fish in her hand and found that there was only a little more than half a pound left. The boss smiled and said, "Girl, this is a really good pigeon. I'll charge you one dollar and fifty cents for each one."
After they paid the money, Jiang Ruoxi and Mrs. Zhang left contentedly. "Today's trip was not in vain. With this baby pigeon, I can make some soup with it tonight. After Tingxiao drinks it, it will definitely help him relieve his fatigue." Jiang Ruoxi's eyes were curved with joy.
"Yes, it's thanks to you that my old Zhang can drink this yam and pigeon soup! Let's go and buy some yam and poria cocos. I know which yam is good, but I don't know which poria cocos is good."
"Sister-in-law, let's go buy Chinese yam first, and then I'll take you to the pharmacy to buy Poria cocos. I know what kind of Poria cocos is good!"
"Okay, I'll listen to you!"
Mrs. Zhang led Jiang Ruoxi through the stalls in the vegetable market with familiarity, and soon came to a stall selling yam. The yam roots sold at the stall have smooth skin and natural color, without any black spots or signs of decay. They feel heavy in the hand and have a firm texture, and you can tell at first glance that they are carefully selected quality goods.
Jiang Ruoxi gently stroked the yam, her eyes full of satisfaction: "Mrs. Zhang, you have a great eye for choosing yams. Based on the quality, the soup stewed with them will definitely taste good." Mrs. Zhang smiled and waved her hands: "This is all the experience accumulated from daily cooking. You will naturally learn it if you cook a few more times." The two picked a few yams of uniform thickness, paid the money and continued on their way.
After buying the yam, Jiang Ruoxi passed by a butcher shop. Looking at the rosy-colored pork belly on the counter, she couldn't help but imagine the satisfied look on Lu Tingxiao's face when he ate the braised pork. She turned to Zhang's wife and said, "Tingxiao usually loves to eat braised pork, I have to buy some and make it for him." As she spoke, she carefully selected a piece of fatty and lean pork belly and asked the boss to cut and wrap it.
Finally, the two came to the pharmacy. The pharmacy was filled with a faint aroma of medicine, and the clerk came up to us enthusiastically to ask about our needs. Jiang Ruoxi informed the clerk of her need for Poria cocos, who quickly found the Poria cocos from the medicine cabinet, carefully weighed two portions, packed them, and handed them to Jiang Ruoxi. Jiang Ruoxi took the Poria cocos, examined it carefully, and after confirming that it was of good quality, she handed one package to Mrs. Zhang and put the other package into her bag with confidence. The two then paid and left the pharmacy.
After buying all the materials, the two of them walked slowly home, carrying large and small bags. Along the way, the sunlight shone on them through the gaps in the leaves, bringing a touch of warmth.
Jiang Ruoxi was in a particularly good mood. She thought that she could show off her cooking skills after returning home and cook a pot of fresh and nourishing yam, poria cocos and pigeon soup for Lu Tingxiao, and then make a dish of delicious braised pork. The corners of her mouth rose unconsciously.
Mrs. Zhang looked at Jiang Ruoxi's happy face and joked, "Look at you, your heart and eyes are full of Captain Lu, he is so lucky!" Jiang Ruoxi's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said softly, "Sister Zhang, please don't laugh at me. I just want him to eat well, sleep well, and not be too tired from work. Besides, love is a two-way journey for two people, not a one-way effort by one person. I am worried about his health and help him take care of himself. He is worried that I will be too tired if I do too much housework, so he helps me with the housework!"
"You're right, home belongs to two people, not just one. It can't be just one person making all the efforts, otherwise the family will be in a mess!" The two returned home chatting and laughing, and a heart-warming food feast was about to begin.
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