Xu Yi entered the house single-mindedly. The people outside who still wanted to watch the excitement were puzzled. Why had the Wang family left so quickly? There hadn’t been any sounds of arguing either. And… could Young Master Xu really swallow this humiliation?
Li Ji was hiding inside the crowd, furtively peering around. He wasn’t tall to begin with, and acting this way now, he looked rather shifty.
“Good sir, what trouble has the Xu family encountered?” he asked the person in front of him in a low voice.
The person being questioned turned to look at him. Seeing a familiar face, he said, “You don’t know? Young Master Xu had his engagement broken off today. The person breaking it off said Young Master Xu couldn’t even make ends meet, so he shouldn’t think about taking a wife!”
Li Ji was stunned. “…”
He had heard that Xu Yi was engaged but hadn’t known it was to a wealthy family.
“So is Brother Yi… Young Master Xu really unable to make ends meet?” Li Ji asked excitedly.
“Nonsense. I’ve seen that since Young Master Xu stopped studying, his life has gotten better and better,” another person nearby spoke up. He was the one who had questioned why the Wang family was breaking the engagement earlier. “I think that family is just aiming too high. This clearly wasn’t a good match to begin with. It’s better that it’s broken off.”
Someone nearby teased, “Don’t tell me you’ve taken a fancy to Young Master Xu…”
“Ha! I’d like to, but I’d have to be able to afford the dowry.”
“If you ask me, Young Master Xu never cared for this match. Look at his attitude toward the Wang family. It’s as if he knew all along they would come to break the engagement.”
“It does seem that way… Ah, fortune is fickle. The Xu family has had enough disasters and difficulties this past year.”
The old woman speaking shook her head and didn’t stay to gossip further.
The others continued discussing in low voices. Li Ji listened with his ears perked up, growing more confused. He remembered that Doctor Sun was still waiting for him to return and didn’t dare linger long, but he also wanted to know more specific details. After thinking it over, he inevitably wasted time.
When he returned to Apricot Grove Hall, he was criticized by Sun Shitong again.
“You were gone so long and only got this news? What does that have to do with whether that Xu boy wants to open a medical hall?” Sun Shitong didn’t want to hear this useless gossip. This Li Ji was truly incompetent.
But inwardly, after learning of this matter, he was still quite pleased. Good, good. Seeing that boy suffer, why wouldn’t he be happy?
However, he didn’t show it. He harshly pointed out where Li Ji had done poorly. After finishing the lecture, he sent him to the back courtyard to scrub the wooden tubs used for soaking medicine.
Li Ji ran off to scrub tubs with a bitter expression, his head lowered. He felt he couldn’t stay here much longer!
Sun Shitong, who had entered the consultation hall, wasn’t in much better spirits.
Recently, Jishi Hall had released a pill that could treat indigestion, named Chen’s Digestive Pills.
The appearance of these digestive pills quickly attracted the attention of several other medical halls in Yanting County. Setting aside the efficacy of these digestive pills, just the fact that they didn’t need to be decocted or dissolved in water before taking made them quite different.
No one knew which physician had created them. For a time, they had become even more popular than the Miraculous Hand Pills sold at Immortal Crane Hall on West Street. Everyone who had taken them said they were effective.
Sun Shitong had a medicine boy buy a packet and bring it back, costing him twenty wen.
The price wasn’t expensive. The pills had a strong medicinal fragrance, appeared glossy and smooth on the outside, and were the perfect size to be swallowed directly.
He felt doubtful. Could they really be as good as claimed?
Recently the weather had been muggy and the sunlight scorching. Sun Shitong had an old stomach problem. He often felt bloated and uncomfortable after eating his fill, with belching and gas. They said physicians couldn’t treat themselves. The prescriptions he wrote for himself had limited effectiveness.
Today for breakfast, he had eaten meat-filled flatbread with mutton. Having eaten too much rich food, his stomach had been uncomfortable ever since.
Seeing these fragrant digestive pills, he wondered if they would be effective after taking them, if they were really as good as those common folk said. Just a small digestive pill? He didn’t believe it.
One pill went down his throat.
After waiting the time it took to burn an incense stick, Sun Shitong didn’t feel his stomach was much better.
He thought disdainfully that it was indeed Jishi Hall boasting. How could such a small pill have such good effects?
Relieved, he hummed a little tune, making his two tufts of goatee quiver. He calculated that with such a good opportunity, how could Apricot Grove Hall not get involved?
There were Miraculous Hand Pills and Digestive Pills, so he would make Life-Saving Pills. They would surely sell for a good price.
Sun Shitong daydreamed. Without realizing it, his stomach was no longer bloated, his chest no longer stuffy, and his whole person felt refreshed…
His body paused. The bloating was gone?
Thinking that he had only taken this digestive pill and hadn’t eaten any other pills or decoctions, his heart panicked. He used his right hand to take the pulse of his left hand.
He hadn’t known before checking, but checking gave him a shock. His pulse was healthy, and the abdominal bloating had completely disappeared.
Sun Shitong: “…”
These digestive pills really were effective!
His heart fluttered with anxiety. He wanted to call Li Ji to investigate and find out which physician had made these digestive pills.
Among physicians surnamed Chen in Yanting County, there was only Doctor Chen at Miracle Hands Hall. If Doctor Chen had made digestive pills, he certainly wouldn’t take them to Jishi Hall to sell. It definitely wasn’t him.
Since it wasn’t the old doctor, it must be someone else.
But in Yanting County… there wasn’t another Doctor Chen.
–
Xu Yi didn’t yet know that the digestive pills had already spread throughout the county seat. He stared gloomily at the earthenware pot that still contained only ice water.
Dozens of catties of saltpeter couldn’t even produce three catties of ice? Or perhaps his ice-making environment was wrong.
He recalled the experiment he had watched years ago, with its precise instruments and equipment and first-rate teacher. The scene had become blurred, but he still remembered that the teacher had only taken one packet of powdered saltpeter and produced a tube of ice.
So it was still a matter of environment and proportions?
Xu Yi realized he had been too hasty. Ancient ice-making methods had always existed only in ancient texts. He had thought it would be easy to make.
In reality, ice stored in summer in ancient times mostly relied on the ice-cutting method. On frozen rivers in winter, they would cut out square blocks of ice and store them in ice cellars, wrapped and sealed with straw. When taken out in summer, they would still look as they had when stored in winter.
As for saltpeter, also known as fire alkali, it was initially used to make firecrackers. Control wasn’t strict before the Ming and Qing dynasties, so common people who could make ice relied on oral transmission from generation to generation, never letting outsiders know.
But in most marketplaces, the fragrant beverages sold in teahouses rarely contained ice blocks. They used ice water for cooling.
There weren’t many ice-making techniques, and they couldn’t be shown to others. Xu Yi wanted to find someone to discuss it with but didn’t know who to look for.
The sun gradually moved overhead, shining on even the shaded walls until they felt warm. Unable to think of a good solution for the moment, Xu Yi retrieved the small pot soaking on top, then moved the large pot into the sunlight to let the water inside naturally dry in the sun.
After the water dried, saltpeter would crystallize again at the bottom. At that time, he would think of a new method.
It would be a waste to pour out the ice water in the small pot. Xu Yi planned to use it to make fragrant beverages, but he didn’t know how. So he carried the pot to find Madam He next door.
He knocked on the door, but no one came to open it. Instead, Madam Chen’s door opened, and she called out to Xu Yi, “Brother Yi, Madam He isn’t home.”
Xu Yi paused and asked her, “Madam Chen, do you know when Madam He will return?”
“Earlier when I went to wash clothes, I saw her taking food to Qiu geer at his work. If she’s quick, it won’t be until much later.”
She wouldn’t be back until evening. By then, this ice water would probably be room temperature.
Madam Chen looked at him holding the pot, not knowing what was inside. She asked with a smile, “Brother Yi, is it something urgent? If you trust me, you can tell me about it.”
After that incident last time, Madam Chen hadn’t greeted Xu Yi in a long while. It wasn’t that she was angry at Xu Yi, but rather that she couldn’t get past that hurdle in her heart for a while.
At the time, her mind had been stubborn. She felt Chen Erwanghad angered Xu Yi and that’s why he was unwilling to treat him.
Later, she thought about it for a long time and gradually understood the reasoning in Xu Yi’s words. But by then, Xu Yi was often not at home, and as a woman, it wasn’t proper for her to take the initiative to seek out a young gentleman to talk.
“I have a pot of ice water here. I was thinking it would be a waste not to make it into fragrant beverages to drink, but my skills aren’t refined. I’m afraid what I make won’t taste good, so I wanted to find Madam He.”
As Xu Yi spoke, Madam Chen’s eyes brightened slightly.
Madam Chen said happily, “I can make them!”
Xu Yi: “Hm?”
“Brother Yi probably doesn’t know, but when I was still unmarried, I helped my father sell beverages. Though I didn’t use ice water to make them, the method is the same.” Madam Chen recalled past matters with a smile.
Hearing this, Xu Yi knew Madam Chen was willing to help. He set the pot on the ground and pulled out more than ten copper coins from his sleeve.
“Could Madam Chen help me make those fragrant beverages? I can pay for the work, as long as Madam Chen doesn’t mind.”
Seeing those dozen or so copper coins, Madam Chen’s heart itched, but she remained rational. “Why would it cost so much for the work? Don’t worry and wait. I’ll bring them over when they’re ready.”
She only took ten wen and pushed the rest back to Xu Yi, then carried the pot of ice water back to her house.
Chen Erwang, inside the house, saw her return and grunted, “What were you doing? Taking so long to come back?”
Then he saw the earthenware pot in her arms. “Where did that come from?”
“Mind your own business,” Madam Chen glared at him. “You’ve been lying around the house for a month now and still won’t bestir yourself to find work. Do you think we have spare money at home to support a lazy good-for-nothing?”
“I don’t need you to support me. I’m spending money I earned before,” Chen Erwang said self-righteously. After retorting, he lay back down on the couch.
Madam Chen had nothing to say to him. She carried the pot to the kitchen.
Xu Yi had only provided a pot of ice water. The rest of the ingredients had to come from her supplies, which was why she had the nerve to take a few extra coins.
There were too many ways to make fragrant beverages. Madam Chen first brewed a pot of tea, cooled it with ice water, then added dried osmanthus flowers from autumn to make a simple osmanthus beverage.
There was also a sesame peanut flour beverage. She roasted sesame seeds and peanuts until done, then ground them up. She also roasted some flour until fragrant, mixed it with hot water, sprinkled on the sesame and peanut powder, and drizzled a spoonful of honey water. After chilling it over ice water until cool, it was ready to eat.
With limited time and ingredients, she only made these two types of fragrant beverages, but the kitchen was already filled with their aroma.
Chen Erwang, who had been lying around in the house, smelled the fragrance and sprang up. Throwing on his loose-hanging long robe, he went to the kitchen to find Madam Chen.
“You wasteful woman! Sneaking good food in the kitchen behind my back. What? You even made fragrant beverages? Where did you get money to buy ice water?!” Chen Erwang was angry first. He knew how expensive ice water was in summer. How much money would that cost?
While feeling distressed about the money, his eyes greedily fixed on those fragrant beverages. He reached out to snatch them.
Madam Chen’s expression instantly turned cold. She said urgently, “These aren’t ours. Young Master Xu asked me to make them. If you drink them, I’d like to see how you explain it.”
Hearing the three words “Young Master Xu,” Chen Erwang froze.
Taking this opportunity, Madam Chen moved the fragrant beverages into a basket, not letting Chen Erwang touch them.
She softened her expression and explained, “When I opened the door, I happened to see Young Master Xu. He wanted someone to make fragrant beverages, so I took the job.” Seeing Chen Erwang’s greedy look, she pulled at the corner of her mouth. “If you want to eat some, give me money and I’ll buy it for you.”
Chen Erwang: “Do I have money burning a hole in my pocket?”
He didn’t want them anyway.
One bowl cost several wen. He wasn’t a wasteful thing like that Xu boy.
Thinking of secretly watching the Xu family have their engagement broken this morning, with the returned betrothal gifts containing several good items, Young Master Xu must have taken that money to buy ice water.
“You’re a woman. You mustn’t learn this kind of wasteful bad habit. Fragrant beverages are so expensive. Better to drink plain loose-leaf tea,” Chen Erwang didn’t forget to admonish before returning to his room.
Madam Chen: “…”
She wasn’t someone who spent money freely.
However, in front of Chen Erwang, she said nothing more and turned to leave carrying the basket.
Xu Yi was drying medicinal herbs. Seeing Madam Chen approach, he hurried to open the door.
“They’re ready?” Glancing at the basket she was carrying, he asked with slight surprise.
Madam Chen smiled. “Of course they’re ready. I don’t have many ingredients at home, so I only made osmanthus beverage and sesame peanut flour beverage for you. These two types, the osmanthus beverage is refreshing, heat-relieving, and thirst-quenching, while the flour beverage is filling and can be eaten as a midday meal.”
Her family had rules about passing skills to sons but not daughters. Even though she knew several beverage recipes, she couldn’t open a shop or set up a stall. Otherwise, she would have wanted to be like those women who showed their faces in public, openly doing business outside without caring about others’ gossip.
Xu Yi thanked her and took the basket. Opening it, he smelled an enticing aroma that made his mouth water.
Osmanthus could warm the lungs and transform phlegm, relieve pain and disperse cold. Made into osmanthus beverages, it similarly had the effect of stopping phlegm and soothing the throat. Every time Xu Yi came down the mountain into the county seat and encountered them, he loved to order a bowl.
Opening it for a look, he discovered Madam Chen had made nearly half a pot. He couldn’t finish it all day even if he tried.
Looking at the other beverage that resembled a paste, with roasted sesame seeds and crushed peanuts sprinkled on top, it smelled sweet with a hint of toasted wheat fragrance.
“Madam Chen has excellent skills. This really looks wonderful.” Xu Yi was very pleasantly surprised. He hadn’t expected that his neighbors were all skilled at making food.
Coupled with the fact that both Madam He and Madam Chen were good people and treated him well, he suddenly felt quite fortunate.
Madam Chen pressed her lips together and smiled. “They’re just ordinary skills, still not as good as the beverages sold outside.”
Xu Yi had already ladled out a bowl of osmanthus beverage to drink. The ice-cold tea water with osmanthus fragrance went down his throat into his stomach, and his whole person felt refreshed.
He commented, “It’s no different from what’s sold outside.”
Calculating the cost, the price was even cheaper.
He couldn’t finish all this by himself, so he asked Madam Chen if she wanted some. “There’s really too much. If left too long, it won’t taste good.”
Cold beverages were naturally best when ice-cold.
Madam Chen was stunned. She hadn’t expected Xu Yi to be so frank and open, completely different from other young gentlemen, without a trace of restraint.
If Xu Yi knew what she was thinking, he would surely laugh aloud.
In his previous life, he had been over twenty years old. Facing Madam Chen, who was in her early thirties, he viewed them all as elders. Naturally, he didn’t have a young man’s awkwardness or shyness.
Before long, Madam Chen returned home in a daze, carrying a basket containing half the osmanthus beverage.
…
The next day, Xu Yi went out as usual to gather medicinal herbs.
The common people living in Stone Well Lane on South Street, while gossiping and chatting idly, were also each busy with their own affairs.
The busy farming season had arrived. The people of South Street left home earlier. Before dawn broke at the horizon, those going to work the fields had already left.
What farmers feared most during busy season was rainy days. Everyone prayed that heaven wouldn’t send rain.
Just after praying, the morning still had bright sunshine, but by evening the sky turned overcast, frightening many common people into anxiety.
Fortunately, the second and third days remained clear. The hot, scorching sun hung in the sky, making people dizzy and seeing distant scenery tinged with red.
Xu Yi wore a straw hat with a gourd hanging at his waist filled with water. Whenever thirsty, he would take it down for a few sips.
He chatted idly with his companions, talking about any interesting events in the county seat recently.
One person brought up something that happened two days ago. “Do you know the Xin family on East Street?”
The Xin family?
Xin Shengyuan’s family?
Xu Yi’s eyes glanced sideways at that person, listening as he continued, “That Xin family has a horse-racing ground in the eastern suburbs, right? Two days ago they held a gathering there, and a young gentleman riding horses at their track fell off!”
“Oh my—”
“Was the person alright?” Xu Yi asked.
The man shook his head, saying he had also heard it from others. “It seems he broke his leg bone and shoulder bone. I heard this young gentleman was planning to take next year’s imperial examination. Now injured like this, he definitely can’t go.”
“That young gentleman’s family brought a group of servants to settle accounts with the Xin family. Yesterday outside the Xin residence, there were more than a dozen guards surrounding it, afraid someone would climb the walls to get in.”
“The county court doesn’t care?”
“What can they do? The Xin family’s maternal third uncle is a high official in the capital, and the other family has a second uncle serving as assistant magistrate in Tongchuan Prefecture. Our county magistrate can’t afford to offend either family.”
“Better to let them resolve it privately than bring the matter to court.”
“…”
Throughout the conversation, Xu Yi still didn’t know whether this Xin family was Xin Shengyuan’s family or not.
He asked if the man knew, but the man was also vague, saying it was all something his cousin who worked as a yamen runner on East Street had said while drunk. He really didn’t know the specifics.
Xu Yi: “…”
Counting the days, it seemed Xing Yuesen and Xin Shengyuan were about to have their ten-day holiday.