Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Nine Yang Qi Replenishment Come on, a Nine Yang Qi Replenishment...
Father Zhao carefully poured out a shiny black pill from the porcelain bottle and handed it to Zhao Mingsheng.
As soon as the pill came out of the bottle, a fragrance filled the air before I could get close to smell it.
"Is this the pill Daddy has been working so hard on lately?" Zhao Mingsheng didn't know its specific effects, so he asked, "What are they made of? What can they cure?"
When talking about medicine, Zhao's father immediately started talking non-stop:
"This recipe uses a total of nine herbs: ginseng, poria cocos, white atractylodes, licorice, white peony root, angelica root, chuanxiong, rehmannia root, and most importantly, astragalus root. These are all extremely yang herbs, very effective for replenishing qi and blood. They're ten times more effective than ordinary recipes!"
Father Zhao is so sure about the efficacy of this pill. It seems that it has been tested in comparison with ordinary prescriptions?
Could it be that Father Zhao had secretly used it on him...
With the experience from last time, Zhao's father could tell at a glance that if he didn't explain something, his daughter might overthink it again.
So he cleared his throat twice and added, "I tried it on the Shi family's chicken a while ago."
"chicken?"
"Yes, the Shi family has a rooster and four hens."
In addition to a goat, the Shi family gritted their teeth and used all their savings to raise some chickens last year. The hens are raised to lay eggs, and they also want to hatch a brood of chicks. If the hatched ones are hens, they will stay and continue to lay eggs. If the hatched ones are roosters, they can be sold for money when they grow up.
The idea is good, but as a year goes by, the hen is almost old and lays one egg every day, but the chicks just won’t hatch!
The last time Shi Xiaozi came to deliver goat milk, he just mentioned it to Zhao's father casually, but he didn't expect that Zhao's father would remember it and actually went to his chicken coop for a visit.
He inspected the hens in the coop; each one appeared healthy, laying large eggs. On the surface, there seemed to be nothing wrong. It was just that the Shi family's hens were laying eggs, but they weren't hatching chicks. Considering the climate, there were other families in the village who raised chickens, and their eggs were hatching chicks, suggesting that the climate wasn't the issue.
Based on his many years of medical experience, he judged that the problem was not with the rooster.
In order to solve this problem, Zhao's father studied the pharmacy and went up the mountain to collect herbs. He worked non-stop for several days before he finally made the pills.
Zhao Mingsheng: ...So this medicine was developed specifically for a rooster?
"A few days ago, I took the pills I just made to test on his rooster." Father Zhao's face lit up with pride when he mentioned this. "Little Shi told me yesterday that the eggs his chickens just laid are stirring. If nothing goes wrong, they'll hatch chicks this time!"
If chicks could be hatched, it would be a considerable income for the Shi family. Zhao Mingsheng was happy for them. She smiled brightly and said, "Daddy, this medicine is really powerful. By the way, what is it called?"
Father Zhao frowned and said in distress, "I haven't decided on a name yet." He looked at Zhao Mingsheng and said, "Girl, why don't you come up with the name?"
"Since it contains nine kinds of extremely yang medicinal herbs and is used to replenish qi and increase energy, why not call it the Nine Yang Replenishing Qi Pill!" Zhao Mingsheng said after careful consideration.
Father Zhao readily agreed and praised, "This is a good name!"
Hearing that Zhao Mingsheng had put all the Qibao Meixu Pills he had made in the pharmacy for consignment, he handed the porcelain bottle in his hand to her and asked her to take it too.
With the nourishment of the spiritual spring, Cui Cen's legs have almost recovered, but it is still a little inconvenient for him to walk, and the distance to and from school is still quite a distance.
Although Cui Cen said he could walk back by himself, Zhao Mingsheng was still a little worried. Since he had nothing to do at home, he went to the door to pick him up when school was over.
Along the way, he received many warm greetings from villagers. When he was about to reach the school gate, Zhao Mingsheng seemed to hear someone calling him, so he stopped and looked back.
A young man with slightly dark skin was looking at her, hesitant to speak. He was the boy from the Shi family who often came to the Zhao family to deliver goat milk.
He called out to Zhao Mingsheng, as if he had something to say, but when Zhao Mingsheng stopped, he felt a little embarrassed to speak.
It was Zhao Mingsheng who spoke first and greeted him: "It's you! What's going on?"
The boy opened and closed his mouth, as if he was gathering up enough courage before he uttered a single word.
"I don't want to go to school anymore."
"Don't want to go to school?!"
This surprised Zhao Mingsheng very much, because usually Cui Cen praised this kid the most at home.
He is not particularly smart, but he is the most hardworking and diligent one. Diligence can make up for lack of talent.
"Can you tell me why?"
The young man was silent for a long time, and finally said what he had been holding in his heart for a long time.
"My mother is not in good health. I used to work odd jobs outside to help support the family. But since I started school, the family is now entirely dependent on her..."
Zhao Mingsheng understood a little bit. He thought that this was because he felt sorry for his mother.
Indeed, children of the Shi family's age would either start working in the fields or go to the town to work.
Since he has made up his mind, it is difficult for Zhao Mingsheng to stop him.
"Does Aunt Shi know?"
Shi Xiaozi shook his head and said, "My mother doesn't know yet, but I will find a chance to tell her."
Since he has already made up his mind, it is difficult for Zhao Mingsheng to stop him.
"Have you thought about what to do after you stop going to school?" she asked with concern.
The boy shook his head again nervously. "I haven't decided yet, but I plan to go to the town and take a look."
Zhao Mingsheng remembered that the owner of the drug store, Yu, wanted to recruit apprentices, and he was worried that he couldn't find a suitable candidate.
She looked up and down at the person in front of her, and then her eyes lit up. Isn't this the person Manager Yu is looking for!
So Zhao Mingsheng asked the young man, "Do you want to be an apprentice in a pharmacy?"
Don't underestimate the apprentices in the pharmacy. The first requirement is to be able to read and write, and Shi Xiaozi just meets the requirements.
These days, after Cui Cen's teaching, he can already recognize and write most of the Thousand Character Classic.
Hearing these words, the young man who had been hanging his head suddenly raised his head.
"Is it okay? I want to!" He nodded vigorously.
Zhao Mingsheng smiled at the young man and said, "Then come with me to the pharmacy in town in a couple of days."
Just as she was about to say something else, she heard a muffled voice coming from behind her.
"What are you talking about?!"
When I turned around, I saw Cui Cen with a raised eyebrow, walking out of the school with a crutch in one hand, leaning on the crutch, looking unhappy.
"Hello, Master Cui!"
As soon as Shi Xiaozi saw Cui Cen, he immediately greeted him loudly, with admiration in his eyes.
Cui Cen responded indifferently and asked the same question again.
"What were you talking about just now? You were laughing so happily."
Zhao Mingsheng felt that Cui Cen's temper was a little strange and weird today, but she still patiently told Shi Xiaozi's decision again to him.
After hearing that the two of them stopped by the roadside and talked for a long time because of serious business, Cui Cen felt inexplicably relieved.
He was also very surprised when he heard that Shi Xiaozi was not going to continue the class. He felt a little sorry after being surprised, but after hearing what happened next, Cui Cen quickly understood his thoughts.
"So that's how it is!" He patted Shi Xiaozi on the shoulder and encouraged him, "A real man should have the courage to take on the responsibilities of the family. I support your decision."
After receiving the teacher's affirmation, Shi Xiaozi was so excited that his eyes turned red.
"Thank you, Master! I will definitely work hard to earn money to support my family and shoulder the burden!"
Zhao Mingsheng found the scene before him indescribably amusing. One boy patted another boy's shoulder, speaking earnestly and with a pretentious air of sophistication, while the other boy nodded excitedly.
He is obviously not much older than Shi Xiaozi.
Thinking of this, Zhao Mingsheng realized that she didn't know how old Cui Cen was this year.
So on the way back home, Zhao Mingsheng raised this question.
Seeing Cui Cen hesitated for a long time without saying anything, she asked in confusion: "Why, can't you say it?"
She was just about to say that she didn't want to talk about it anymore, but she saw Cui Cen scratching his head embarrassedly and said, "It's not that I can't talk about it."
Just saying it out loud makes him feel a little small. Ever since he became a teacher, he has been trying hard to maintain his mature and steady personality, and he hasn't even mentioned the catchphrase "young master" much.
But when he met Zhao Mingsheng's eyes full of curiosity, he had to answer honestly, "I'll be sixteen in a few days."
As expected, he was only three or four years older than the boy from the Shi family, and only two years older than himself.
"Oh, you'll be sixteen in a few days..." Zhao Mingsheng repeated it silently, as if he had grasped other information. "Wait, you mean, your birthday is in a few days?"
Zhao Mingsheng originally just asked casually, but he didn't expect that she would actually ask an unexpected surprise.
Cui Cen hummed uncomfortably.
He didn't mean to reveal that his birthday was coming up!
After returning home, Zhao Mingsheng picked and washed the vegetables he had picked from the space today.
The vegetables that have been picked and left outside for a day are still as juicy as if they were just picked.
When Zhao's father came back from outside, he brought back a piece of pork.
Zhao Mingsheng took a look and found that it was the pork tenderloin part.
Moreover, the tenderloin is the most tender part inside the pig's spine. The meat is firm and elastic, making it perfect for making crispy meat.
Zhao Mingsheng first loosens the tenderloin with the back of a knife, then cuts it into finger-length strips. He then marinates it with peppercorns, whole Sichuan peppercorns, ground Sichuan peppercorns, salt, and other seasonings for about an incense stick's worth of time to fully absorb the flavor.
Prepare another small bowl, put the onion, ginger, garlic and peppercorns in the bowl and soak them in warm water until the water turns slightly yellow.
Starch was added before frying. Zhao Mingsheng felt that the starch was a bit dry after coating, so he beat an egg into the mixture and added the bowl of scallion and ginger water that had just been soaked.
The golden egg liquid, fully mixed with starch, is wrapped around each piece of tenderloin.
When the oil is hot, put the pork tenderloin strips that have been evenly coated in it into the pan and they immediately swell up when they come into contact with the hot oil, and the aroma of fried meat wafts out.
A stray dog passing by outside the Zhao family's courtyard whimpered when it smelled the fragrance, sat down and refused to move.
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