Chapter 366

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Lin Laodaifu was about to ask a question, but since her throat was itchy, she first covered her mouth with a handkerchief, turned her head to the side, and dry-coughed several times, then picked up a teacup beside her and drained the bottom in one gulp before saying: "If there's anything you don't understand, just say it, don't be thin-skinned—I love it most in my life when patients ask questions; the more they ask, the more it shows this person is willing to follow the doctor's orders, and they'll probably recover all the faster!"

Seeing this old doctor coughing rather severely, Shen Xingniang hesitated even more, only replying: "Everything I wanted to ask has already been asked!"

After speaking, she quickly added: "I'm much better now, but Doctor Lin... you must take good care of your health!"

Lin Laodaifu was amused, saying: "You're taking medicine and still worrying about me, a doctor! You just take good care of yourself, and I'll be thanking heaven and earth!"

Just as they were speaking, a disciple outside entered carrying a pot and knocking on the door, stepping forward to refill the water.

Lin Laodaifu handed her own cup and bowl to the disciple, then said to Shen Xingniang: "You're already quite rare like this. We doctors fear most that patients won't listen—told not to eat this or not to do that, they agree nicely to your face, then the moment they turn around, they don't care about anything at all."

"Not only ordinary patients, but some people, even though they study medicine, are actually very unscrupulous; when treating others they speak fluently and logically, but when it comes to themselves, they won't manage this or follow that, always doing as they please."

"Last time I had a disciple who fell ill; originally she should have avoided raw and cold things, but she secretly ate half a Ice-Piercing watermelon—I caught her, and she still argued stubbornly, saying 'the watermelon was eaten after being warmed up,' how could she say such a thing!"

After speaking, Lin Laodaifu pointed to the cup and bowl just placed before her, refilled to the brim, saying: "Some doctors, when prescribing medicine for themselves, because they don't want to eat something so bitter, keep changing the important ingredients, and naturally the medicinal effect becomes poor! I'm different; look, my lung heat, I prescribe all symptom-appropriate medicines, and every day I also drink Xiao San Bu; although it's bitter and smelly, it works fast!"

"I often tell patients: don't eat what shouldn't be eaten, don't drink what shouldn't be drunk, don't do what shouldn't be done; these 'three nots' are already as simple as can be, yet there are always people who can't do it! I just don't understand! Such a grown person, not a child, where exactly is the difficulty!"

The disciple, hearing this, hurriedly shrank her head and neck, carrying the pot as she walked out.

Doctor Lin called out to her: "Now you know to run? I'm talking to you!"

The disciple turned back with a smile, begging for mercy: "Master, I know I was wrong! I'll definitely change!"

Doctor Lin said earnestly: "You, a doctor yourself, if you can't set an example, and patients see it and imitate it, what then?"

The disciple listened seriously, looking very ashamed, promised many things, then slumped her shoulders and left.

Doctor Lin turned back to Shen Xingniang: "Go, this time's medicine only needs to take three doses first; after drinking them, come find me again, and we'll hurry to see if the prescription needs changing—after the day after tomorrow, I'm going on a long trip, and it will take over half a month before I can return."

Shen Xingniang heard Doctor Lin teaching her disciple here, saw her medical ethics and teacher's ethics, and saw how she had always been so patient and meticulous with her; she already admired her greatly, and because she had learned from Xiao Lian that Doctor Lin's so-called long trip was to the countryside to treat those elderly people, especially old women, she now felt profound respect.

She quickly agreed, then brought out the bundle, and said with great regret: "I went to Sanzao County Alley today, and Song Xiaoniangzi said she had newly made a food called 'matong,' and there were also orchid strips, pine-flower sugar, and rice-flower sugar; none of these are being sold to the public yet, so I thought I'd bring them to you first to taste, who knew you were actually ill!"

Lin Laodaifu heard it was food made by Song Xiaoniangzi of Sanzao County Alley, and hurriedly put back on the table the Xiao San Bu she had just poured full in her hand.

She straightened her body in an instant, and a pair of eyes stared at the food box.

"What 'matong'?"

Shen Xingniang untied the bundle and opened the food box inside to show Lin Laodaifu.

"This is it; hearing Song Xiaoniangzi describe the method, it's very troublesome! It smells especially fragrant! Too bad it's fried, and there's sugar inside, and the many sesame seeds wrapped on the outside are also stir-fried, very heating..."

Sitting was after all not very convenient; Lin Laodaifu stood up all at once and leaned forward to look.

Two-layered food box; not bothering with the layer holding orchid strips, pine-flower sugar, rice-flower sugar, and such, the other layer inside was filled full, all with a kind of half-palm-long, round and plump short-stick-shaped food.

This food, just looking at it with the eyes, was actually somewhat unprepossessing, but the outside was tightly and evenly wrapped with a layer and a half of sesame seeds.

What kind of food was this?

What did the inside look like?

What kind of taste would it be?

The outer layer of sesame seeds had been stir-fried, long since turned from white to yellow, with an extremely rich sesame oil fragrance; among them was the unique clear fragrance of glutinous rice products after being fried, plus the sweet fragrance of maltose.

Through the yellow sesame seeds, one could see the golden yellow round and plump embryo inside, yellow very beautifully—fried to this color, how fragrant it must be!

Lin Laodaifu's feet suddenly couldn't stand steady, her hands wouldn't obey, and she itched to reach into the food box—never mind what it looked like inside, anyway her teeth were good; even if it was hard, she wouldn't fear it at all!

But her hand hadn't reached into position yet; Shen Xingniang opposite hadn't noticed for a moment, and had already put the lid on the food box.

Not only that, Shen Xingniang also slightly lifted the bundle a bit, gestured, and said: "Shall I take it out to share with the little doctors outside?"

Lin Laodaifu cleared her throat, but stopped her, then stepped forward, took the bundle, and seemingly casually placed it on a table case to one side.

"You go get the medicine first; I'll have someone come in later to take it and share it out."

Shen Xingniang didn't think much of it—who would randomly guess about such a doctor with superb medical skill and noble medical ethics?

She responded, took the prescription, and quickly went out the door.

But she hadn't walked far when she met the disciple who had just refilled tea for Lin Laodaifu carrying a teapot, coming out of a room with another disciple who was somewhat older.

Having come to Tianyuantang to see illness many times, Shen Xingniang had become familiar with many people and could call their names.

She immediately greeted them, and kindly said: "I just brought some food, placed it in Lin Laodaifu's room—all fragrant things like orchid strips and rice-flower sugar, and there's one called matong, specially made by that Song Xiaoniangzi of Sanzao County Alley; she specially instructed that it's best eaten right away, and overnight it won't be so fragrant."

"I originally wanted to bring it out myself to share with you all, but Lin Laodaifu said she'll have someone come get it later—you two see who has time, go quickly! The old doctor has so many things to do and so many patients; afraid that once busy, she'll forget in her busyness!"

Shen Xingniang here worried Lin Laodaifu was too busy, and thus would forget the matong Song Miao had worked hard to make; she didn't know that the moment she left, the people in the room immediately returned to the table, turned to look outside, saw no one, and in two or three moves reopened the bundle and food box.

Lin Laodaifu didn't hesitate at all, and took out a round, plump matong.

She had just drunk the Xiao San Bu, and originally wanted to find something to cleanse her mouth; at this moment seeing the matong, smelling the fragrance, she felt her mouth was bitter and smelly, and simply couldn't wait another moment.

Doctor Lin reached for the matong with one hand, and supported it from below with the other hand, preparing to catch the sesame seeds.

The moment she held a matong in her hand, she felt it light and floating, somewhat strange; and after biting the first mouthful, it was even more not right.

Her teeth had been careful—after all she was old, afraid that her poorly maintained self would be chipped; but as soon as she touched the matong, she discovered all caution was superfluous.

With a "crack," her teeth directly penetrated the outer shell—a very crisp outer shell, crisp, but not that crispy feeling; rather, a hollow crispness that was formidable in appearance but weak within.

It was crisp, but the teeth only needed to touch it with a show of force, and it would immediately shatter for you to see.

Its embryo shell itself was extremely thin, not much different from paper, relying entirely on the sesame seeds to add a bit of thickness; after shattering, the fragrant stir-fried sesame seeds tightly embraced by the maltose syrup began to rustle down; the mouth caught some, and another part, one palm couldn't catch it all, making one's mouth full of sesame fragrance and the faint sweet fragrance of maltose.

One difficult point in making matong is coating with the sugar syrup.

If the syrup is too thin, it will seep into the plain embryo and can't stick the sesame seeds firmly; if too thick, it will coat too thick and too sweet, and biting down won't achieve such crispness and hollow crispness; it will stick to the teeth, and easily make the sesame seeds clump together, unable to be even.

The amount of maltose on this matong was just right; thin yet rich, fused with the plain embryo, carrying the fragrance of glutinous rice, and a bit of burnt fragrance; that burnt fragrance was like when roasting small taro, the slight charred air where the taro skin and flesh meet; the sweetness was also a sweetness with a sugar-charred feeling, not at all cloying.

And at this moment, her teeth suddenly sank into the thousands of troops and ten thousand horses in the middle of the matong—too bad this army and those horses were all paper effigies.

Among them were incomparably fluffy, light, crumbly "snowflakes," but those snowflakes were shaped like white honeycombs, without any pattern, only countless fine, dense, yet extremely loose air pockets.

Once in the mouth, this fragrant and sweet snowflake would collapse directly, making a "hissing" melting sound, leaving not a single crumb, only a faint sweetness on the tip of the tongue.

Just like spring snow melting, seeping into the land, as if it had never come.

So this is what ma tong is...

So crumbly, so fragrant and crisp, the embryo paired with maltose is sweet and elegant, the sesame fragrance is lush, the glutinous texture is very good, not sticking to the teeth or the mouth, only leaving fragrance.

Although there is a center inside, it is almost equivalent to being hollow...

Truly delicious.

Truly crumbly to the extreme.

This snack called ma tong has such an interesting texture; eating one down, there is not a bit of presence—then, what difference is there from not eating at all?

Doctor Lin reached out her hand and took out another one.

She thought to herself: I ate too hastily just now, was careless, and had no preparation—this time, let me savor it carefully!

Just as this one was sent into her mouth, about to feel the snowflake turn into snow powder, and the snow powder disappear, she heard footsteps outside; turning her head, she bumped right into her two disciples.

Doctor Lin still held half a ma tong in one hand, chewing sesame in her mouth, and hurriedly swallowed it down.

At the door, the disciple who had poured tea for her earlier stood in place, with a complex expression, unable to help but say: "Master—Song Xiaoniangzi says this ma tong is deep-fried! Your lungs have heat!! If a patient sees it and imitates it, what will we do!!"

Doctor Lin had wanted to put that ma tong away behind her; hearing these words, she coughed once, then cleared her throat twice forcefully, quickly pointed to the antidote decoction on the desk, and said: "I drank the medicine decoction, there are so many medicine decoctions here! The two can offset each other—I know my own body well; how can I be like ordinary patients?? I am a doctor! I only ate two or three bites, it's fine!"

The other disciple beside her was older and usually managed more things; hearing this, he shook his head in disagreement and asked: "Song Ji is always there, Song Xiaoniangzi won't run away—Master, can't you wait until you're better to eat??"

Doctor Lin endured and endured, but couldn't help saying: "Aren't we going out for consultations in a few days? This thing is delivered right in front of me, I watch you eat with one eye, and I have to wait half a month until I come back, then eat the last one myself??"

No matter how Doctor Lin argued, that large food box, along with the countless ma tong, orchid strips, and various sugar cakes inside, was confiscated by the two disciples, and a pot of freshly brewed medicine decoction prescribed by herself was refilled for her.

"Master, not eating what shouldn't be eaten, not drinking what shouldn't be drunk, not doing what shouldn't be done—these 'Three Nots' are already as simple as can be—you must set an example for us!"

Doctor Lin sighed here, helplessly drinking her medicine decoction, her coughing weak and powerless; meanwhile, in Tai Xue Li, Cao Fuzi was also sighing.

It turned out that Chen Fuzi had spoken to him about several student matters that day, and then asked: "Has your nephew submitted his memorial yet? Why has it been so many days with not a bit of news?"

Without him asking, Cao Fuzi had already worried about it many times; hearing this, he sighed and said: "Submitted, but it's said to be withheld and not issued!"

Chen Fuzi, hearing this, though it was expected, was also somewhat anxious, frowning and saying: "Why withheld and not issued again?"

He also asked: "Is Xiaofu capable or not? If not, you'd better tell Song Xiaoniangzi soon, don't keep her hanging here!"

Cao Fuzi's expression looked somewhat unpleasant, and he said: "Earlier I confidently told her that Xiaofu is very reliable in doing things, and said this matter isn't difficult and could be solved quickly—now it's been many days; fortunately these past few days are the monthly exams, and that young lady has been busy, not going there to eat at noon, otherwise I truly wouldn't even have seen her face!"

He also said: "I'll have someone urge them again soon!"

Hearing the person opposite say he would urge them, Chen Fuzi curled his lips and said: "What's the use of urging? As long as it involves Lu Wang, ten times out of ten there won't be a good result; if I were Xiaofu, even if it meant being exiled for three years, I'd make a big fuss about this at this time—if this happens again and again, wouldn't His Majesty be annoyed?"

"Tied hand and foot, what kind of censor are you!"

Saying this, he took a food box from beside him and placed it in front of Cao Fuzi.

"Song Xiaoniangzi sent this for you—if I were you, I'd be too embarrassed to eat it!"