Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Hometown Taste Braised Crab Roe and Lion's Head...
On the small road leading to the village, Zhao Mingsheng and Aunt Wang, who had finished taking care of the medicinal herbs, walked back side by side.
"Hey, taking care of these medicinal herbs is no easier than growing vegetables."
It wasn't that the place was too big for her to manage. It was that each herb required different amounts of water. Aunt Wang was a little unfamiliar with the idea at first, and her memory wasn't great either. Zhao Mingsheng explained it once, but she forgot, so she went back to ask again.
Zhao Mingsheng didn't get annoyed and patiently taught him many times. Later, he became familiar with it and gradually got better.
Aunt Wang shook her aching arms and saw that Zhao Mingsheng was not feeling unwell. She said with some envy, "It's still good to be young!"
"When I was young, I was also a good worker in the village. During the busy farming season, I could do the work of two people alone!"
As she spoke, she danced to demonstrate to Zhao Mingsheng how to cut rice. However, the movements were too large and she accidentally pulled her arm. She couldn't help but cry out in pain:
"Ouch, my arm!"
It can be said that happiness turns to sorrow.
Zhao Mingsheng couldn't help laughing when he saw this scene, and walked forward to rub her.
She had recently learned acupoint massage from Father Zhao. She followed the meridians in the arm from Jianjing acupoint to Houxi acupoint, pressing, kneading and grinding with her thumb and elbow. Aunt Wang immediately felt that most of the pain was relieved.
Zhao Mingsheng bent his fingers and used the joints of his index and middle fingers as the axis, and rotated half a circle on the shoulder well acupoint. When he heard Aunt Wang cry out in pain, he had a guess in his mind.
"Aunt Wang, have you been experiencing frequent arm pain lately, especially behind your shoulders?"
"Yes, it's especially obvious when you wake up in the morning and after you finish work." Aunt Wang said with a worried look on her face.
She had originally thought she was just tired and would be fine after two days of rest. But now, five or six days later, the pain hadn't improved. She was worried about it. If it didn't get better, it would delay her work in the fields.
Zhao Mingsheng glanced at her slightly thin coarse linen clothes again, and became more certain in his heart.
"Your arms are sore because you're wearing too little, Aunt Wang."
Aunt Wang looked up at the sun, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and was very puzzled:
"Girl, why do you say I'm not wearing enough? I'm still feeling hot even though I'm dressed like this today."
"It's hot now, but the morning air and dew are heavy, so the dampness and coldness are naturally strong. The clothes you're wearing are certainly not excessive now, but they are a bit thin for this morning."
The weather has been strange recently. Although it is hot during the day, it is very cool at night. The temperature difference between day and night is so large that the frost and dew in the morning are particularly heavy. The arms are most susceptible to invasion of cold and dampness. The meridians here are twisted and stagnant due to the alternating temperatures, which naturally causes soreness and pain.
"When you go out to the fields tomorrow, bring some thick clothes with you. Take them off when it gets hot. Remember to keep warm, otherwise you might get sick later."
Aunt Wang was moved by her words and had no reason to disbelieve her, so she nodded and agreed.
Zhao Mingsheng then smiled. Aunt Wang's current condition was not difficult to treat. Her tendons were twisted. All he had to do was find the acupoints and massage to clear the tendons and veins.
Being able to find the correct acupoint is one thing, and the strength of kneading is another. If it is too light, it will have no effect, and if it is too heavy, it may damage the meridians, so the strength must also be controlled properly.
Fortunately, Zhao Mingsheng is very talented in this area. After she finished the massage, Aunt Wang felt comfortable all over.
"Hey, did you learn this skill from your dad? It's really good!" Aunt Wang, who had recovered from the pain, couldn't help but give a thumbs up and praise.
"If Uncle Wang has time, you can ask my dad to teach him some simple massage techniques so that he can help you when he gets home." Zhao Mingsheng suggested with a smile.
"Really?" Aunt Wang's lips curled up. "Thank you so much!"
As they entered the village, they ran into the young people in the village hurrying by. Aunt Wang casually asked, "Chen Dalang, where are you going?"
Chen Dalang heard someone calling him, turned around and saw Aunt Wang and the young lady from the Zhao family. He stopped and replied:
"There's a new old teacher in the village school, and I was just about to inform everyone that classes will resume tomorrow!"
Aunt Wang was overjoyed when she heard this.
It was like a pillow being brought to me just when I was sleepy. I saw that the two children at home had become much more sensible after attending school for a period of time, but recently they had no restraint and started to act naughty again. She was worrying about what to do, and fortunately the teacher finally came.
Zhao Mingsheng was stunned for a moment after hearing this. She had been so busy with the medicinal herbs in the fields recently that she had forgotten to ask about the village school. Fortunately, the weather had been hot recently, so she treated it as a holiday for the children.
Not knowing what arrangements the school had made for the new teacher, Zhao Mingsheng decided to go and take a look. He said hello to Aunt Wang and walked towards the school.
Before I got close, I saw an unfamiliar old man in the distance, brushing the dust off the door plaque with a feather duster.
"Are you the new teacher?" Zhao Mingsheng asked softly.
The old man turned around and saw a young lady with a very outstanding complexion. He was slightly surprised and said:
"It's me, who are you?"
Zhao Mingsheng stepped forward and greeted with a smile, "Hello, Master. My last name is Zhao. I wonder if you're finding anything difficult to get used to in Qingshan Village now that you're new here?"
When he heard that her last name was Zhao, the old man's eyes lit up, and when he looked at her again, there was a hint of scrutiny in his eyes.
His surname is Qin and his given name is Yan. In his early years, he served as the Prince's Junior Tutor. Later, when he was old, he did not want to get involved in the disputes in the court anymore, so he resigned and became a teacher. He was also the object of competition for invitations from major families, but most of the disciples from the aristocratic families were playboys, so there was no point in teaching them too much.
When he heard that King Heng was entrusted by someone to find a teacher to help teach, he immediately recommended himself and took this opportunity to escape.
Not long after he agreed, and before he had time to make it public, the next day one of his most promising disciples came to him and wanted to invite him to teach in a certain place. He was about to refuse by saying that he had already agreed to King Heng, but when he heard the place... Oh my god, isn't this a coincidence?
It’s Qingshan Village again!
He had been wondering what kind of person could be so ruthless that the cold-blooded and grim King Heng and the former devilish king could both ask for help.
Before he saw it, he was as curious as a cat scratching its head. Now that he saw the real owner, he understood half of it.
The girl in front of me is as beautiful as a lotus covered with dew. Her crescent eyes seem to contain a clear spring. Just standing there with a smile makes people feel like they are bathed in the spring breeze. I can't help but like her and want to get close to her, but I can't have any evil thoughts towards her.
How can I not like it?
Even Qin Yan, who is always serious, couldn't help but smile back.
When he realized what he was doing, he immediately cleared his throat and said, "Hello, my last name is Qin Yan, you can call me Master Qin. Everything is fine here, but the house I live in is still missing a bookcase and a wooden table."
A new tiled house was built next to the school. It was originally intended for Cui Cen to use for his lunch break, but now it is just the right place to live as the new teacher. It is closer and more convenient.
The books Qin Yan brought with him were still in boxes and boxes, so he needed a bookcase, and it couldn't be too small. He also had a habit of practicing calligraphy every morning, without interruption, from winter to summer. Therefore, he needed a table for practicing calligraphy. He didn't need to look for expensive wood, but the tabletop had to be stable.
Zhao Mingsheng felt that Master Qin's requests were not excessive, so she wrote them down one by one. As for the tables and bookcases, they were easy to handle. She could just pay for someone to build them. Carpenter Wang happened to be there at the time, but Master Qin's personal living arrangements...
Zhao Mingsheng looked at the feather duster in his hand. He had to do such things by himself. Didn’t he even have a servant?
She asked, "Does Master Qin need a servant to keep him company?"
Qin Yan shook his head: "I am used to being alone. I am still in good health, so I don't need anyone to serve me. I am enough on my own."
It was the same for him in Beijing. Although he had many students all over the world, he had no children of his own. After his wife died, he dismissed the servants in the house, so there was nothing strange about coming here.
Seeing his firm attitude, Zhao Mingsheng stopped talking about the servant and just chuckled, "Master, there's no need to handle such small cleaning tasks yourself. I'll take care of them tomorrow. They're not like the children of the aristocratic families in the capital, so they can still handle these jobs."
Seeing Master Qin nod, Zhao Mingsheng said, "It's almost noon now. Master Qin hasn't had lunch yet, right? If you don't mind, please come to my house for lunch."
Qin Yan had originally wanted to refuse, as he had bought some pancakes on the way, which would have been filling even with hot water. But when he met the little girl's expectant gaze, it suddenly became difficult for him to refuse, so he nodded in agreement.
When they arrived at Zhao's house, Zhao's father was busy turning and drying medicinal herbs in the yard. After Zhao Mingsheng gave the two of them a brief introduction, he handed Master Qin to Zhao's father and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Father Zhao was originally worried that he was not talented enough and that such a learned teacher would probably not bother to pay attention to him. He was wondering what to do to avoid embarrassment, but unexpectedly, Teacher Qin spoke first and humbly asked him about medical knowledge with the attitude of a student.
Father Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and told everything he knew. He hadn't expected that Master Qin also had some knowledge of medicine. The two of them expressed their own opinions and had similar interests.
By the time Zhao Mingsheng finished preparing the meal and served it, the two of them were already having a great conversation.
Although Master Qin looked healthy, he was still old. Therefore, in addition to the garlic-flavored spareribs and pan-fried tofu, Zhao Mingsheng specially prepared a few soft and tender dishes for him: a pot of yam and taro paste and a stewed crab meat with prawns.
After Qin Yan sat down at the table, he saw the bowl of stewed crab meat and lion's head on the table and said in surprise, "How did you know I was from Yangzhou?"
He had never said that he was from Yangzhou. After so many years in Beijing, his accent had long since adapted to the local customs, but the dish in front of him looked and smelled like an authentic Huaiyang dish, and his intuition told him that this was not a coincidence.
"The clothes Master Qin is wearing are made of rain-silk cotton, a specialty of Yangzhou."
"So what? Rain cotton can also be bought in the capital." He didn't believe that this Zhao girl guessed that he was from Yangzhou based on this alone.
"You can buy rain-silk cotton in the capital, but the price of rain-silk cotton from Yangzhou increases fivefold when brought to the capital. Master Qin is so frugal, he certainly wouldn't spend such a huge amount of money to buy it."
Zhao Mingsheng looked away from his washed-out cuffs. "The style you're wearing was popular in Yangzhou a long time ago, but it wasn't popular in the capital. So I guess you're either from Yangzhou or you spent some time there a long time ago."
Qin Yan took a deep look at the girl with a faint smile and was defeated.
"Yes, I am from Yangzhou."
His wife had made this dress herself from the fabric in her dowry, and he had worn it with such care over the years, never throwing it away even after washing it until the fabric had turned white. I had never expected a young woman from this small village to have such discernment, to be able to guess his origins from just one piece of clothing.
He thought it was just a simple home-cooked meal, but the other party was so attentive that he had to think more and put down the chopsticks he had just picked up.
Qin Yan sighed softly: "Tell me, what do you want."
After he finished speaking, he didn't hear any response for a long time, so he looked up.
The girl pursed her pink lips slightly, her black and white eyes filled with doubts. She hesitated and said:
"Want the Master to enjoy his meal?"
Qin Yan choked: "That's not what I meant."
In the past, those who inquired about his preferences and then gave him gifts to curry his favor usually had something to ask for. He always hated such things, so he never revealed his preferences easily.
"What do you mean? I really don't want anything."
The girl's eyes were crystal clear, and Qin Yan could see through them at a glance. He realized belatedly that this was not the capital, and he was no longer a teacher sought after by aristocratic families. He was just a teacher in a remote mountain village. What good would it be to please him?
Qin Yan shook his head and laughed self-deprecatingly: "Nothing, I was just thinking about it."
He picked up the chopsticks again and looked at the steaming plate of crab meat stewed lion head in front of him. He felt a sense of nostalgia and was hesitant to start eating.
Seeing that he was still reluctant to pick up his chopsticks, Zhao Mingsheng took the initiative to pick up one for Master Qin in order to prevent the delicious food from being lost. She smiled and said, "Master Qin, please try my cooking while it's hot. It won't taste good if it gets cold."
The tender white meatballs are dotted with golden crab roe and served in a white bowl with blue flowers, looking very tempting.
Qin Yan couldn't refuse.
The delicious meatballs melt in your mouth, their perfect balance of fat and lean. Any less and it's too tough, any more and too greasy. The crab roe is the crowning touch, the secret to their delicious flavor. As you chew, the fragrant gravy, mingled with a hint of crab meat, slowly melts in your mouth.
The familiar taste nearly brought Qin Yan to tears. He couldn't even remember how long it had been since he'd eaten home-cooked food...
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