Chapter 306: Miao Chu Chapter 328: Admission

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

In the storeroom's front courtyard, Wang Sanlang looked behind everyone and asked, "Doctor Lin, didn't you come to pick medicinal herbs? Have you bought them? Do you want to put them on the carriage?"

Doctor Lin said, "It's already settled; they'll deliver to Tianyuantang themselves tomorrow, no need to worry about it."

She added, "There's quite a lot of stuff; never mind whether it fits or not, even if it did, once it's in your carriage, a whole carriage of medicinal herb smell would ruin the food!"

As she spoke, she glanced at the carriage interior — several food boxes sat in the corner.

For a moment, the four disciples were like they'd been hooked by fishing rods; they all turned their necks too, mimicking their master's posture to peer into the carriage.

After everyone boarded the carriage, Wang Sanlang checked the interior once, then said, "This whole stretch is Huangsha Road; the dust outside is heavy. Eldest Sister and Xiao San Bu, be careful opening windows, lest you choke your noses and mouths."

He added, "Once we're past this section, I'll knock a few times from outside and tell you, then you can open the windows!"

Everyone agreed, offered thanks, and hurriedly shut the windows tight.

Earlier, with windows open for air, they hadn't noticed anything; now with doors and windows sealed, the scent from the food boxes gradually seeped out.

First the youngest disciple sniffed east, sniffed west, then leaned toward the person beside her: "Senior Sister, can I swap places with you?"

"What for?" that senior sister asked.

"I... my legs stretched out here are uncomfortable; I want to sit against the wall!"

A child after all; her mouth said one thing, but her eyes had long been fixed on the large food box under her senior sister's seat, staring unblinkingly, even swallowing saliva involuntarily — clearly not because her legs were uncomfortable, but because the gluttonous bug in her belly was truly uncomfortable.

How could this fool anyone?

"Junior Sister, I see it's not that you want to sit against the wall, but that you want to sit next to that box of food!"

An older fellow disciple teased her.

The little disciple's face reddened at once; she stammered, "Wh-what food! Fo-Fourth Senior Sister, you're talking nonsense! You're talking nonsense!"

But after talking nonsense for half a day, she couldn't help pointing at the corner again, accusing, "It's so fragrant, the stuff in this box is so fragrant! Don't you want to eat it too!"

Fourth Senior Sister's gaze followed, and she involuntarily swallowed saliva too.

It really is fragrant!

Ordinary food, once cold, naturally loses its aroma; but this is a double-layered food box, with charcoal padded underneath to keep it warm, letting the fragrance seep through the box's cracks, simply pouring into one's nose in an unending stream, impossible not to smell...

She took a deep breath; her mouth opened faster than her brain, turning to Doctor Lin: "Master, Shopkeeper Song said these steamed buns must be eaten hot — best eaten straight out of the steamer!"

Once someone started, the rest immediately followed suit.

"Right! Master! Song Jiejie said these buns are different from others, best eaten hot; though padded with charcoal, it's still not the same as fresh; after long warming, they won't taste as good as originally!"

"Yes! Yes! Master, you said earlier we'd eaten many snacks and couldn't eat buns, or we'd be stuffed — but it's been a good half day since we ate our fill, my stomach's empty again, just now it even went gurgle-gurgle-gurgle like a drum; can I eat one? Just one!"

"Master said eating in the carriage upsets the stomach, but Wang Sanlang drives so steadily, a bucket of water inside wouldn't spill; are our stomachs worse than a bucket?? Just let us taste the flavor!"

The several disciples persuaded back and forth; most importantly, Doctor Lin herself was craving terribly.

So fragrant!

And more and more fragrant!

For some reason, she always felt she smelled cured ham fragrance, and different from the soup she'd drunk earlier; this aroma was richer, fuller...

【34】 Facing four mouths waiting to be fed, eight eyes, feeling her own belly's call, and the saliva unconsciously flowing in her mouth, Doctor Lin simply said, "Then bring it over, let everyone have a taste."

【35】 With Master relenting, the youngest junior sister, taking advantage of her small stature and size, was the first to cheer and hop down, hurrying to feel out the food box.

Doctor Lin also had someone tap the carriage door, calling Wang Sanlang.

Hearing it was an invitation to eat buns, Wang Sanlang laughed heartily: "You eat, you eat; the shop left rice for me — tonight the proprietor personally wields the knife, I must save room in my belly!"

He added, "I'll drive the carriage slower; today these buns are a new flavor; after you taste, tell me too — too salty, too bland, anything to improve!"

Finished speaking, he indeed slowed the mule down and down again.

Wang Sanlang's driving was originally very steady; now slowed further, it was even more level and gentle, not a single jolt.

Inside the carriage, Doctor Lin didn't need her disciples' service; she personally took the food box.

The moment the lid opened, she felt as if the fragrance had slammed into her face.

A heavy fragrance, almost viscous in form.

A scent that should be very familiar, yet not quite so familiar.

One sniff tells you it's steamed buns; the grain aroma is too rich, too comforting, but completely unlike any other buns she'd eaten daily; within it lies a strong cooked pork fat fragrance, heated and mingled with the fermented aroma of cured ham, struggling so hard to burst from the food box, pushing and squeezing its way out, crashing into people's noses.

Doctor Lin lowered her head and saw wrinkled buns lying inside.

The buns were larger and fuller than those she usually ate; the gathered tops had slight cracks, bearing an obvious downy feel, yet not true down, but the bun's fine dough layers "pushed out" into down, a bit like a ripe peach about to split, a bit like plum blossom buds, beaten by sudden rain, half-ruined, swollen ten or twenty times, half-open.

The outer skin was a shade yellower than milky white, looking extremely glossy with oil; even without seeing through the cracks, just through the dough skin, one could already see the deep color of the filling inside.

The Steamed Buns were larger and fuller than those she usually ate, the gathered tops showing a slight crack, carrying a distinct downy hair feel, yet not truly downy hair, but rather the downy hair "pieced together" by the fine layering of the steamed bun dough skin, somewhat like a white peach ripe to the point of splitting, and somewhat like a thin-petaled plum blossom bud, swollen ten or twenty times larger, half-ruined by sudden rain, half-open and half-closed.

Doctor Lin handed out two bamboo skewers per person, saying, "Only allowed to eat one! No seconds!"

Everyone knew propriety after all; they all leaned their heads over, surprisingly not rushing to grab buns, but instead examining from different angles for half a day, before one by one piercing the buns with skewers.

Some wanted the big ones, some the tall ones, some those that looked like they had more filling.

Doctor Lin chose last, piercing a "flower bud" bun without an opening.

— One bite down, completely unexpected texture.

It was layer upon layer; that layered texture was extremely prominent, yet each layer was thin to an uncanny degree; cicada wings wouldn't suffice to describe it, like some kind of bubbly, fluffy fine gauze, also like the extremely thin layer of ice on a lake in cold weather that hasn't fully condensed yet, letting you feel it clearly but not making you taste it as distinct, uniformly fluffy, incomparably soft.

That fluffiness wasn't empty puff; it had a touch of substance, with an exceptionally distinct cooked pork fat aroma in the middle, relying on the pork fat to separate each dough skin thin as unformed ice flakes, yet sticking them together.

Only the words "stunningly beautiful" could describe the dough skin, letting Doctor Lin's mouth and tongue immerse in intoxication.

That fluffiness was not void fluff, it had a bit of substantial feel, the middle carrying an exceptionally distinct pork fat fragrance, relying on the pork fat to let each layer of dough skin, thin as unformed ice flakes, separate independently, yet still sticking together.

Only the two words "stunningly beautiful" could describe the noodle skin, which intoxicated Doctor Lin's mouth and tongue into entering.

Very soon she ate the filling inside.

Oh heavens!

Old heavens!!

What is this most fragrant thing in the human world!

Just taken from the hot food box, wrapped in warmth, the juice thick, it had both the fresh aroma and oily meat juice of stir-fried meat filling, and also the deep red cured ham diced meat with a handful of salty fragrance, brown sugar, and maltose blending into sweet honey juice.

The sweetness was not too sweet, but the aroma was extremely rich, and eating it was a very strong flavor, the meat juice mixed with the slightly flowing brown sugar and maltose honey juice, a continuous, fine, warm salty-sweet feeling.

What kind of steamed bun is this!

She had lived more than half her life, how had she never eaten this before!!!

The cured ham diced meat flavor was full, mixed with meat filling, really too delicious too delicious, the sweetness was just right, the outer puffy silk skin was unique, ah! ah!! ah!!!

It turned out eating just one steamed bun could make someone this happy!

A fist-sized steamed bun, Doctor Lin did not wolf it down, but finished it in two or three bites—the outer puffy silk skin was too easy to eat, the inner cured ham diced meat too fragrant, all swallowed down, the salty-fresh flavor lingering between lips and teeth.

Just one, how is that enough!

Doctor Lin couldn't help but look toward the food box.

Inside there were still many more, steaming with heat and aroma.

She looked up, and the disciples opposite had also eaten seven or eight parts full, only the youngest one was still gnawing hard, gnawing with a smiling face.

Those who had finished eating on the side either stared at the food box or couldn't help but look around, and one called out: "Junior Sister, why is your steamed bun different from mine!"

Soon, everyone started arguing.

"Mine is mushroom flavor! So fragrant! Too delicious!"

"Mine is red bean paste filling, red bean paste, sandy and soft, so fragrant, so clear and sweet!"

"Mine is dried pickled vegetable!!! Ah, mine is the most delicious!"

Doctor Lin drew a big cross in her heart for all her disciples.

—No taste, no luck, the most delicious was clearly this cured ham flavor she had eaten!

"Master, let's share another one!"

"Yes! There are four of us here—Junior Sister has a small belly and can't eat that much, let's four people share one, one bite each?"

Such an outrageous suggestion, if on ordinary days, Doctor Lin would absolutely not pay attention.

But at this time she was completely moved! Unconsciously she stretched out her hand!

How should the flavor of this steamed bun be distinguished?

There should be no flavor that could compare to the cured ham diced meat filling she had just eaten, she really wanted to eat another one! But they all said what they ate was also delicious—if she accidentally got another flavor, should she eat another one, until she ate the cured ham diced meat filling?

If she got the cured ham diced meat filling again, shouldn't she eat a few more, also try other flavors, and finally eat one cured ham diced meat filling to finish?

Her head was full of steamed buns, her hand also grabbed one, she took a dried lotus leaf, and was about to break it—

"Ah!!!!!"

The mule cart suddenly stopped in a hurry, everyone in the cart body stumbled, Doctor Lin's upper body leaned forward heavily, the steamed bun in her hand was not held steady, and accidentally rolled onto the ground.

"Steamed bun!"

"Master!"

"Our steamed bun!"

"Is Master alright??"

"What happened outside??"

When the cart body was in chaos, outside almost at the same time came cries of pain, that sound was especially loud, especially piercing, almost piercing the sky.

Before everyone could react, another person loudly called out: "Father!! Father!! What happened to you! Where did you hit??"

Doctor Lin no longer cared about the steamed bun, hurriedly opened the cart door and leaned out.

Wang Sanlang's face was deathly pale, he had already stopped the mule, hurriedly jumped off the mule cart, and rushed forward to look at the person on the ground.

By this time they had already left the alley, there were many pedestrians on the road, as soon as he approached, two people behind had already come forward, one man and one woman, both in their thirties or forties, rushing up, one to stop Wang Sanlang, one to look at the old man on the ground.

"Bleeding!! So much blood!! Father!! How did you get hurt like this! So serious, your legs and feet, can you still move??"

That person called out.

The old man on the ground covered his face, hugged his legs, and also kept calling out in pain, just short of rolling on the ground.

There was a small pool of blood on the ground.

Pedestrians passing by almost immediately gathered around.

Wang Sanlang was stopped, but couldn't help saying to the old man on the ground: "This old man, I... I didn't hit you! My cart was originally driven slowly, and this street is all yellow sand, even more careful, as soon as I saw you... come out, I immediately reined in the mule, it should be that I didn't hit you, right?"

"Terrible! Hit someone, and still won't admit it!"

"Father, who hit you?? Did you see clearly??"

The old man on the ground had cold sweat all over his head, his lips were white, his face was white as paper, looking truly pitiful.

He hugged his legs, enduring the pain, raised his head, pointed at the mule cart, then pointed at Wang Sanlang, his lips trembling, said: "It was this young man... this young man hit me..."

The old man's son stood up at once, both hands grabbing Wang Sanlang's collar, called out: "You beast, where are you from! Hit someone, and still won't admit it!"

The woman on the ground also said to the people around: "Everyone quickly judge for us!! Here there is a heaven-killing person who hit someone and wants to run!!! My old man is hurt like this, and still don't know if he can be treated behind, he is too shameless!!!"

The people who gathered around all went to look at Wang Sanlang, their faces showing contempt.

"Where are you from?"

"Didn't see the hanging cloth above, doesn't look like an outside cart driver."

Wang Sanlang was both anxious and angry, wanted to step forward, was stopped by that man, could only call out across the other person: "Uncle! Uncle! Think again! When you came out I stopped the mule, you fell down yourself—everyone who saw? Did anyone see??"

Around there was not one person speaking.

The person on the ground had already rolled up the old man's trouser leg, revealing the wounds and blood marks inside.

—A large area of abrasions, bloody and muddy, beside it was high swelling, full of purple bruises.

One person leapt out from the crowd and shouted: "I just saw it—it was this cart that hit the old man, running off at thief-fast speed, knocking the man flying!"

Another person in the crowd shouted: "I saw it too—he's the one who hit him!"

The people surrounding them pointed and discussed even more fiercely.

The man shoved Wang Sanlang hard and shouted: "How do you say it? Do you admit it or not? Will you pay or not!"

Under everyone's eyes, Wang Sanlang was being roasted over the fire.

Just then, someone suddenly said: "I look at this wound, it's not right."

Everyone on the left and right looked over.

The speaker was naturally Doctor Lin.

That man only cared about stopping Wang Sanlang, but did not stop others, and even wished more people would come forward to look at the old man.

Doctor Lin stood at the very front of the crowd, looked for a long while, and at this moment when she spoke, the person kneeling on the ground, wiping blood off the old man in a flurry, also looked up.

Because they did not know Doctor Lin's origin, and were planning what to say, they asked with faces full of suspicion: "Not right what?"

"I think this wound is not a collision injury."

"Who are you! An old woman, you say it isn't so it isn't?!"

The person on the ground immediately stood up; if not for seeing Doctor Lin was old, they would already have laid hands on her.

Behind them came a disciple, shouting loudly: "My master is a doctor of Tianyuantang—go inquire, Doctor Lin Laodaifu of Tianyuantang! Our master is the sole female doctor in the Front Hall, has entered the military camp many times, and has seen countless injuries; she says it isn't from being hit, then it certainly isn't!"

Upon hearing the three words "Tianyuantang," not only did everyone by the road discuss it, but every gaze toward Doctor Lin became solemnly respectful; even the man who had been very displeased shrank his hand back, yet hurriedly said: "Right! Not a collision injury—he was hit by the cart, knocked flying, fell to the ground, scraped and rubbed into this state, his leg was also broken, of course it isn't a collision injury!"