Mint Loquat Drink was the name Xu Yi gave to his new cold beverage. Although it was a cold drink, having a cup in summer had excellent effects for quenching thirst, relieving heat, clearing the lungs, and soothing the throat.
Therefore, Xu Yi deliberated whether to classify this “Mint Loquat Drink” as a type of medicinal cuisine beverage.
After the term “medicinal cuisine” appeared over a thousand years ago, content and recipes related to medicinal cuisine and dietary therapy had become increasingly rich over time. Before the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were famous medical texts like Yellow Emperor’s Miscellaneous Food and Drink Taboos and Food Prescriptions. Later, after the famous physician Sun Simiao wrote Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold, he further improved and supplemented this branch of study.
Later generations who focused on this discipline continued to improve and add to it step by step, developing medicinal cuisine recipes more suitable for their new eras.
Because medicinal cuisine not only treated illness but could also strengthen the body and prevent disease, the current nobility and wealthy families placed considerable trust in and respect for medicinal cuisine.
Many families would even invite doctors to their homes to custom-design dietary therapy prescriptions, hoping to maintain good health and live to a hundred years.
As for cold drinks, they had been deeply loved by people in the Northern Song Dynasty a thousand years ago. They called them “cool water,” but they were actually more like “juice” beverages. In places like Kaifeng Prefecture, “licorice ice-snow cool water” and “lychee syrup” were fashionable.
There was also the health-promoting “ripened water.” Initially, it was simply boiled water drunk for health benefits, but later people began adding various health-promoting ingredients. Using methods like decocting and steeping, they extracted fragrance and medicinal effects. For example, the mint and white chrysanthemum tea that Xu Yi drank belonged to the “ripened water” category.
Looking at it this way, this “Mint Loquat Drink” belonged to health-promoting cool water.
Xu Yi smiled, categorizing it as a health-promoting cold soup that could be drunk cold in summer and decocted or steeped in hot water in winter.
After settling on this, Xu Yi continued perfecting the recipe, clearly determining the amounts of mint and loquat flesh.
He then wrote out several derivative recipes. For instance, if someone had dampness and phlegm in their throat, they could add chenpi and jinyinhua. First steep in hot water, filter it out and let it cool, chill it with ice water, then add crushed mint leaves and candied loquat flesh.
The hot soup version was simpler. Boil water and add jinyinhua, chenpi, and mint in sequence. Finally, turn off the heat and add two spoonfuls of candied loquat. Once the temperature was suitable, it could be drunk.
Recently he’d been writing much more, and his brush flowed smoothly when writing. In one breath, he filled several sheets of paper before stopping.
This burst of output left Xu Yi feeling refreshed and clear-headed. While the sky was still bright, he changed into narrow-sleeved robes, shouldered a bamboo basket, and left home to visit a medical hall he frequently patronized.
The apprentices at the medical hall all recognized him and came over with smiles to ask what he wanted to buy.
“Doctor Xu, are you buying the usual three items?”
Xu Yi shook his head and asked, “How much saltpeter does the hall have? I’ll take it all.”
The apprentice checked the medical hall’s inventory records, his mouth falling slightly open as he said to Xu Yi, “The medical hall currently has one hundred twenty-six jin of saltpeter. That’s quite a lot. Doctor Xu, are you certain you want it all?”
Xu Yi nodded with an “Mm,” saying, “I want it all. Help me calculate how much it costs, and I’ll pay you.”
“Certainly, just give me a moment.” The apprentice quickly said.
Saltpeter wasn’t used in large quantities and didn’t sell much on ordinary days. This batch of saltpeter had been purchased as stock the winter before last. A year and a half had passed, and not much had sold. Xu Yi wanting it suited the medical hall perfectly. The apprentice wouldn’t have to continue managing it, and he didn’t think to ask what someone would do with so much saltpeter.
Since he didn’t ask, Xu Yi didn’t need to make up an excuse.
After waiting the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the apprentice dragged in a hemp sack of saltpeter from the back door. Weighing it, it was indeed one hundred twenty-six jin.
After paying, Xu Yi loaded the saltpeter into his bamboo basket and hurried home.
Arriving home, he poured out the saltpeter and used a wooden hammer to break it into small pieces, then used a mortar to grind it into fine powder. This way the saltpeter would dissolve more easily in water, speeding up its effectiveness.
After grinding it to powder, Xu Yi drew two buckets of well water. Water just drawn from the bottom of the well was most suitable. Touching it felt ice-cold and refreshingly cool to the core.
He poured the well water into a ceramic jar and, following the previous method, stirred it clockwise to dissolve. After everything dissolved, he placed a small ceramic jar inside to let the saltpeter take effect.
The well water gradually became ice-cold. When touching, it felt bitingly cold, Xu Yi swiftly and deftly removed the small ceramic jar and poured out a portion of the ice water into a prepared jar.
The longer Xu Yi lived here, the more ceramic jars accumulated in his home.
The new ceramic jars had been bought just a few days ago, after the roof work was completed, when Xu Yi felt there were still too few jars in the house.
Most of the purchased ceramic jars weren’t used to properly store food, but rather to store dried medicinal herbs.
Good ceramic jars were more suitable for storing medicinal herbs than hemp sacks. They preserved things longer without easily spoiling or damaging medicinal properties. For him, the price of ceramic jars wasn’t worth mentioning.
The remaining half of the ice water continued chilling in the saltpeter water. This way, after waiting one or two shichen, ice would form.
Xu Yi took a basket to the courtyard and picked half a basket of mint, then went to the kitchen to wash it thoroughly. After crushing it in a mortar, he squeezed the juice into the ice water. The remaining residue wasn’t wasted either. He continued stirring it with a small amount of ice water, then filtered it out, utilizing every mint leaf to the fullest.
Next, he could add other things.
Considering the hot weather and how ancient people couldn’t wear short sleeves and shorts like modern people but had to wear long robes all day, making them prone to heatstroke, Xu Yi added white chrysanthemum and dried hawthorn slices.
The white chrysanthemum and dried hawthorn slices didn’t need to be removed. After steeping, their colors were attractive and served a decorative purpose.
The final step was adding an appropriate amount of candied loquat.
After finishing, Xu Yi first took a small bowl to taste. The first sensation in his mouth was a burst of coolness, followed by the sweet fragrance of loquat flesh, then the cooling freshness of mint. Sweet with a hint of sourness, the mint and loquat fragrances blended together harmoniously. The white chrysanthemum and dried hawthorn slices added inside didn’t feel out of place at all.
In Xu Yi’s words, this was the most successful health-promoting beverage he’d made.
Extremely satisfied, he filled two pots and sent them separately to Madam He’s and Madam Chen’s homes.
Both were quite shocked to receive the Mint Loquat Drink Xu Yi sent over.
After getting along for so long, this was the first time they’d seen Xu Yi personally make such food. And it was a fragrant beverage that wasn’t even sold outside.
Xu Yi’s face flushed with embarrassment as he explained, “I owe much thanks to Madam Chen for helping me make the candied loquats, which gave me the idea for a health-promoting soup drink that can be enjoyed cold or hot.”
The soup’s color wasn’t particularly stunning, but the smell was quite fragrant. It was different from what was sold in the markets and teahouses. After drinking it, one’s whole spirit felt refreshed and clear. The taste was truly excellent!
Madam He exclaimed in admiration, “Brother Yi, when did you acquire this skill? This is in no way inferior to what the large teahouses sell for several dozen wen!”
Fragrant beverages had both cheap and expensive varieties. The cheap ones could be drunk for one or two wen, while expensive ones could sell for several dozen wen. There were even some that had prices but no market, only supplied to noble families, with common people unable to even see the cup.
Madam He didn’t have such worldly experience, nor had she drunk any fragrant beverages costing several dozen wen per cup, but this didn’t prevent her from believing Xu Yi had this capability.
The more she looked at Xu Yi, the more she loved him. She only lamented not having a daughter, otherwise she could try to arrange a marriage connection.
Madam Chen’s reaction was even greater. Not long ago, Xu Yi had asked her to make fragrant beverages. It wasn’t that she coveted those few coins, but being able to earn some money to save was always pleasing.
Moreover, the slight awkwardness between her and Xu Yi had been resolved. Xu Yi clearly had great prospects. Though she was a woman of the household, she understood that such people needed to be befriended.
Not to mention gaining advantages, if there were any minor ailments in the future, she could seek out Xu Yi nearby for diagnosis and treatment.
In just over ten days, Xu Yi had independently developed a fragrant beverage never seen in the marketplace. Not only did it taste good, but after drinking it, one’s throat felt cool and comfortable, and one’s whole spirit improved.
With such remarkable miraculous effects, if taken to the marketplace to sell, even at ten wen per cup, people would be willing to pay for it!
Having received affirmation from both Madam He and Madam Chen, Xu Yi returned home and made another ceramic jar full.
He glanced at the time. It was almost when Xing Yuesen and the others would finish school.
He filled palm-sized jars with the prepared beverage, sealed them with stoppers, and placed them in a food box.
In one go, he filled six jars, filling the food box. He then went inside to fetch a thick cloth and wrapped it around the outside of the food box to prevent the chilled cold drink from warming to room temperature too quickly.
Next, he cut a piece of paper and wrote a letter, briefly describing the beverage’s name and its benefits.
After completing these preparations, Xu Yi took the food box out and called over the idle man he often hired, giving him some coins to have him deliver the food box to Xing Yuesen’s private school.
…
The idle man ran errands quickly. In less than fifteen minutes, he delivered the food box to the school’s gatehouse.
The gatekeeper was a white-bearded old man. Hearing it was being sent to Young Master Xing, he accepted it on his behalf.
Afterward, he had a servant bring the food box into the school and give it to A’mu, Xing Yuesen’s book boy.
Soon, school dismissal time arrived. Once the teaching master left, the students in the study hall became relaxed and casual in their postures.
The sky was still bright. Some unwilling to return home so early called out to their classmates in groups of three or five, asking if they wanted to go to teahouses or wine houses.
Someone asked Xing Yuesen if he was going.
Xing Yuesen shook his head while packing his things. “I’m not going. I still need to review my lessons.”
“You’ve become increasingly studious. What’s this about? Has your family been pressing you urgently to pass the juren examination next year?” That classmate asked jokingly with a laugh.
In the study hall, quite a few were just passing time, getting by, not truly seeking to earn any scholarly honors.
They simply didn’t want to take over the family business early and be busy day and night, preferring to enjoy leisure and pleasure.
Xing Yuesen’s expression was serious as he said earnestly, “If I could truly earn scholarly honors early, why wouldn’t I?”
The classmate: “…”
He pursed his lips, feeling that Xing Yuesen was becoming increasingly dull.
Just as he was about to say something, he saw Xing Yuesen’s errand boy A’mu come in carrying something ugly.
He called out curiously, “What is that thing?”
A’mu shook his head, saying he didn’t know, then lowered his eyes and said to Xing Yuesen, “Young master, Steward Zhuang from the gatehouse had a servant bring this about the time it takes to brew a pot of tea ago. He said Doctor Xu sent someone to deliver it.”
Xu Yi?
Xing Yuesen’s eyes brightened. Unconcerned about the scrutiny of others in the study hall, he personally took the package and unwrapped it.
After removing the ugly-colored cloth block on the outside, he discovered a food box inside that was giving off cold air.
Puzzled, he didn’t immediately open the food box but instead opened the letter to read.
In the letter, Xu Yi didn’t waste words, only stating that the food box contained Mint Loquat Drink he’d personally made that could soothe the throat, clear the lungs, clear the eyes, and relieve heat.
If he encountered Xin Shengyuan, he should also bring him a jar to let Xin Shengyuan taste the beverage he’d made.
Xing Yuesen: “!”
“Ziteng, stop daydreaming. Quickly tell us what this is.”
“Look how curious you all are. It’s just a food box. Naturally, it contains food.”
“You don’t understand. Ziteng has been at this school for so many years. Has anyone ever seen any sweetheart send food to him? I see this box is quite ordinary. It shouldn’t be from Sister-in-law’s family having someone deliver it, right?”
“…”
These several jokes made Xing Yuesen’s face darken.
He looked coldly at those people and decided not to share the fragrant beverage Xu Yi brought for him with these people.
How terribly boring. He thought. They’re not as good as that Xin fellow. At least he doesn’t have so many filthy thoughts.
Xing Yuesen said, “You lot are truly noisy, unable to utter a few decent words. Those who don’t know might think you’re ruffians from who knows where, unworthily claiming to be scholars.”
Hearing this, the classmates were stunned and quickly said it was all just jokes, telling Xing Yuesen not to be angry.
Xing Yuesen didn’t want to hear them continue speaking. He told A’mu to pick up the food box. He was going to the neighboring study hall to find Xin Shengyuan.
Xin Shengyuan hadn’t left yet. He was talking with Tao Qinghao. Both had done mediocre work on today’s assignments and had been criticized by their teacher in class.
At this moment, they were still sulking with little interest, listlessly discussing whether to go visit the night market that evening.
Then they saw Xing Yuesen walking toward them with a dark expression.
Xin Shengyuan: “…” Strange, where did I offend him?
Just as he thought this, he heard Xing Yuesen calling him: “Xin, come out here.”
“Me?” Xin Shengyuan was somewhat hesitant. To be honest, he was still a bit afraid of Xing Yuesen. He couldn’t beat Xing Yuesen in a fight.
Of course, he couldn’t say this to others.
He walked out reluctantly, stopping three steps away from Xing Yuesen, and said impatiently, “Why did you call me out?”
Xing Yuesen put away his dark expression and said to him, “Xu Yi sent someone to bring over a fragrant beverage. There’s a portion for you. Do you want it?”
“Xu Yi?” The confusion in Xin Shengyuan’s eyes turned to joy. He immediately said, “What kind of fragrant beverage? Of course I want it. Something Xu Yi makes should be something good that can’t be found elsewhere.”
Xing Yuesen raised an eyebrow and asked coolly, “Have you tried it before?”
Xin Shengyuan was speechless.
Of course he hadn’t, but he’d witnessed Xu Yi’s digestive pills. Although he’d bought that package last time, he didn’t actually need it himself. However, when someone in his family had an uncomfortable bloated stomach and ate them, they all said the effects were good.
Since it was something Xu Yi made, it must be good without even guessing.
Seeing this, Xing Yuesen felt amused rather than angry, thinking Xin fellow had good judgment after all.
“I don’t yet know what it is. If you don’t mind, come with me to the Chrysanthemum Pavilion,” he said.
In the study hall, the weasel-faced Tao Qinghao saw Xin Shengyuan not returning for a long time. Fearing his good friend would quarrel with Fifth Young Master Xing, he hurried out wanting to support Xin Shengyuan.
As soon as he came out, he saw Xin Shengyuan about to leave with Xing Yuesen.
“Xin Shengyuan, where are you going?” Tao Qinghao jogged over, blocking his path, and winked at him. “I’ll come with you.”
Xin Shengyuan knew he’d misunderstood and was about to explain that he hadn’t had a conflict with Xing Yuesen.
Then he heard Xing Yuesen say, “You can come along too.”
As these words fell, the way Xin Shengyuan looked at him changed. Why was this person also bringing along Tao Qinghao?
Didn’t he used to most detest dandy sons like Tao Qinghao?
While he was still hesitating, Tao Qinghao had already quickly matched Xing Yuesen’s pace, even telling Xin Shengyuan to hurry up.
Xin Shengyuan: “…”
Chrysanthemum Pavilion.
In summer, the chrysanthemums planted at Chrysanthemum Pavilion only had branches full of green leaves without clusters of brocade flowers, yet it didn’t lose its elegant tranquility.
It was also right at dismissal time. Most students in the private school had already left, with only a scattered few still studying diligently in the study halls.
Without outsiders disturbing them, Xing Yuesen set aside his usual aloof manner and personally opened the food box Xu Yi had sent. After all this time had passed, the ceramic jars inside were still cool to the touch, with a thin layer of water droplets clinging to them.
Xing Yuesen said, “This is Mint Loquat Drink, made personally by Brother Yi, who specifically sent someone to deliver it.”
Brother Yi?
Tao Qinghao thought for a while and finally remembered who it was!
Wasn’t that the Doctor Xu they’d met at Emerald Garden last time? This person could also make fragrant beverages? Those who didn’t know might think he was a cook.
He secretly grumbled internally but dared not show it.
Xing Yuesen glanced at A’mu, who immediately understood and stepped forward, taking out the ceramic jars inside and presenting them to Xin Shengyuan and Tao Qinghao.
“I cannot finish them all alone, so I’m inviting you all to taste them together,” he said, also having A’mu take a jar.
This cold drink needed to be finished before it reached room temperature, otherwise the effects would be subpar.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have called Tao Qinghao either.
Xin Shengyuan looked at that plain earthen jar without the slightest disdain. Opening it and seeing the beverage inside, he exclaimed in admiration.
“What a fragrant smell. Just smelling it makes one feel cooler.”
Looking at the soup’s color inside, greenish-yellow. The yellow loquat flesh was easy to recognize, as were the white chrysanthemum and dried hawthorn slices. But where was this “mint”?
Xing Yuesen was similarly appreciating the jar of beverage and voiced his puzzlement: “This green color should be the mint, right?”
“Extracting its juice?” Xin Shengyuan quickly caught on.
He held it to his nose to smell, then took small sips to taste. With this first sip in his mouth, he first tasted an indescribable coolness.
Not the coolness of chilling, but more like something inherent to the food itself.
He took another sip. This time he not only tasted the coolness but also the sweetness of the syrup and the fruity fragrance of the cool water. The candied loquat flesh tasted sweet and soft, melting instantly in the mouth. It was truly a wonderful enjoyment.
“It’s really delicious. Qinghao, try it quickly. This fragrant beverage is marvelous!” Xin Shengyuan said to him with a face full of joy.
Seeing both of them with expressions of full enjoyment, Tao Qinghao hesitantly picked up the jar he’d found distasteful…
As soon as he tasted it, his expression changed slightly. It was actually this delicious?
Not believing it, he drank several more sips, discovering it wasn’t only delicious, but after drinking, his parched mouth felt cool and sweet, with that faint cool sensation lingering between his teeth.
Tao Qinghao clicked his tongue: “It really is delicious…”
Xin Shengyuan, still unsatisfied after finishing what was in his hand, saw two more jars in the food box and was about to reach for one when Xing Yuesen stopped him.
“Why won’t you let me drink? Surely you’re not so petty.”
Xing Yuesen said irritably, “Brother Yi said we can’t be greedy and should only drink one jar.”
With these two extra jars, it would be a shame not to drink them, but drinking them risked harming one’s stomach from the cold. After thinking it over, Xing Yuesen decided to give them to Steward Zhuang at the gate.
Xin Shengyuan felt reluctant but still agreed.
Xu Yi was a doctor. If he said they couldn’t drink more, then they definitely couldn’t drink more.
…
After Xu Yi sent out the food box, he didn’t pay much more attention to it.
He made some digestive pills in the kitchen, wrapped them, and placed them in his medicine box.
Xu Yi had wanted to go to Yanting County’s night market several times but hadn’t managed it. His heart still remembered Madam He mentioning that stall selling lamb tripe soup.
The night market was set up on the main thoroughfare of prosperous East Street. Bustling with traffic during the day, at night it was brilliantly lit with lanterns hung everywhere, lively and vibrant.
Inside, various delicious snacks were sold, along with clay figurines, flower lanterns, hairpin flower ornaments, rouge and powder, and various interesting small trinkets. Whatever could be bought in Yanting County could also be bought at the night market.
With dense crowds, when Xu Yi arrived, the night market’s liveliness had already begun. Coming and going in throngs, many good spots already had stalls set up.
He wasn’t only coming to browse the night market tonight. He was also returning to his old trade of setting up a stall to sell digestive pills.
The current “Chen’s Digestive Pills” had already spread throughout Yanting County.
As soon as he spread out his stall and hung up the sign reading “Chen’s Digestive Pills,” people came to inquire.
“Young man, are the digestive pills you’re selling the ones from Jishi Hall?”
Xu Yi nodded. “That’s right.”
“What’s the price?”
Xu Yi wouldn’t damage Jishi Hall’s reputation. Jishi Hall sold digestive pills at twenty wen per package. Although the price wasn’t that low, they were still very popular.
Selling at the night market, he hung the same price.
Those who came to play at the night market mostly didn’t lack those ten or twenty wen. Hearing someone was selling “Chen’s Digestive Pills” at the same price as Jishi Hall, those who wanted to buy but couldn’t all gathered around.
After the reputation spread, these digestive pills sold better than imagined.
The forty packages of digestive pills Xu Yi brought tonight hadn’t even lasted an hour before they were all sold out.
He pocketed the heavy eight hundred wen in copper coins, feeling like he was carrying a pile of small stones.
Taking the money he’d earned, Xu Yi immediately spent it again.
With only one mortar at home, Xu Yi bought another, planning to use it for pounding toxic medicinal herbs.
After buying the mortar, Xu Yi continued strolling. Suddenly, at one stall, he saw stone needles being sold.
His eyes lit up as he quickly walked over.
These stone needles were actually used for treating illness. Round at the front and square at the back with round needle tips, when using them one could sterilize them with an oil lamp, heating them over fire until hot, then according to different symptoms matched with different medicines, using the method of stimulating acupoints to treat illness.
In modern times, they had long been replaced by metal filiform needles, but in the Song Dynasty, using stone needles to treat illness was some doctors’ special skill.
Xu Yi hadn’t expected to still see stone needles being sold at Yanting County’s night market. How could he not be delighted?
Looking at the stall owner selling the stone needles, he was an uncle aged over forty.
Xu Yi suppressed his inner joy and asked, “Excuse me, uncle, what’s the price for these stone needles?”
Seeing the questioner was a clear-browed, courteous young man, the stall owner sighed helplessly in his heart but still answered him: “These stone needles are sold as a set of twenty-one needles and cannot be sold separately. The set in the young master’s hand was made by this one from superior bian stone. The price is quite high.”
Seeing the young man show no other expression, he continued, “If the young master wishes to buy them, this set of twenty-one stone needles will cost two strings of cash.”
Having said this, he anticipated the scene of the other party leaving in a huff.