When Zhenzhen arrived at Mr. Zhang's house, Zhang Renze had already packed up and was ready to go out. Seeing Zhenzhen's energetic appearance and rosy face, he immediately showed a very satisfied expression on his face and asked with a smile: "Zhenzhen, did you go out for a run this morning?"
"Yes." Zhenzhen took the basket from Zhang Renze and said with a smile, "I ran around Houyang this morning and read some French."
Zhang Renze nodded with satisfaction: "That's good. Young people should be full of vigor and vitality, like the rising sun." He was wearing a T-shirt, shorts and a large palm-leaf fan. From his appearance, you couldn't tell that he was a famous doctor known as the master of traditional Chinese medicine.
Nowadays, the country's policy on private ownership has been fully liberalized. Although you still need tickets to buy things from supply and marketing cooperatives, shops, grain stores, grocery stores, etc., there are also some scattered small markets that have spontaneously formed, selling home-grown vegetables and chickens, ducks, fish, eggs, etc. Although the prices are slightly higher, the good thing is that you don't need tickets, and the things are fresher.
When Zhang Renze and Zhenzhen carried their baskets to the small market, a bustling crowd had all gathered there. The sounds of hawking and bargaining were intertwined, and the bustling crowds made this originally ordinary and quiet alley synonymous with bustle.
Although Zhenzhen occasionally went to the supermarket to buy vegetables in her previous life, she has always grown her own vegetables in this life. This is the first time she has gone to the market to buy vegetables in so many years. She can't help but feel it is very fresh.
Mr. Zhang was very familiar with the vegetable market here. He took Zhenzhen to the depths of the alley with ease. Unlike the outside, the food sold here were chickens and ducks raised by the family, as well as fish caught in the lake.
Mr. Zhang stopped in front of a vendor selling chickens and ducks. He picked up a chicken and squeezed it left and right. He quickly selected the fattest one. He also selected a duck and bought some vegetables. Then he took Zhenzhen home.
Zhenzhen got up early in the morning, ran and practiced French, and was already hungry. As soon as she entered the door, she immediately put the things she bought aside and asked Zhang Renze impatiently: "Sir, what are we going to eat for breakfast?"
Mr. Zhang looked at Zhenzhen with a smile: "I have already done it, go wash your hands first."
"Okay!" Upon hearing that there was something delicious, Zhenzhen immediately responded, ran to the pool in the yard, turned on the faucet, bent down and washed her face and hands. Because she was anxious, she didn't even bother to wipe with a towel. She just wiped it with her hand and it dried in a moment.
At this time, Mr. Zhang had already moved a small table to the yard and brought out a clay pot from the kitchen. Zhen Zhen's eyes lit up and she immediately came over and couldn't wait to lift the lid and asked, "Sir, what are you cooking?"
As they were talking, a strong aroma of rice mixed with the coolness of lotus leaves spread as the lid was opened. Zhenzhen took a deep breath and looked down at the light green rice porridge in the earthenware jar covered with red wolfberries. The color combination alone was enough to make her mouth water.
Zhenzhen took a deep breath, with a happy smile on her face, and exclaimed, "It smells so good!"
"This is lotus leaf and wolfberry porridge. It is very suitable for summer because it can relieve heat and dampness." Mr. Zhang handed Zhenzhen a spoon and said, "Spoon out the porridge. I'll go get the buns."
Upon hearing this, Zhenzhen immediately took the spoon from Mr. Zhang, scooped two bowls of porridge, put down the chopsticks, and looked eagerly at Mr. Zhang who brought a tray of buns and placed it on the table: "Fuling buns."
"Poria cocos buns?" Zhen Zhen stared at the buns for a long time: "How is this made?"
Mr. Zhang placed a plate of kohlrabi with scallion oil on the table, picked up a bun and took a bite, then slowly explained: "To make this Poria cocos bun, you need to put water in a casserole, add the Poria cocos and bring it to a boil, then simmer it on low heat for half an hour. When the Poria cocos is cooked and has juice, use the juice to knead the dough. The dough made in this way has the effect of strengthening the spleen and stomach, and it is good for the body."
"So that's how it is!" Zhenzhen suddenly understood, and couldn't wait to pick up a bun and take a big bite, squinting her eyes because it tasted so good.
The bun skin is made of flour that has been sieved only once, and the aroma is particularly strong. The bun filling is made of hand-chopped pork belly with fat and lean parts, and then mixed with onions, ginger, garlic and a little soup. The finished bun skin is thin and the filling is rich. As soon as you bite through the skin, the broth in the filling flows out. Take a bite with the skin and filling, the chewy dough mixed with the fragrant meat filling is oily but not greasy, and the fragrance is so fragrant that you almost swallow your tongue.
Zhenzhen finished a large one in one go, and felt that it was not enough, so she couldn't wait to get the second one, which was totally unpresentable. Zhang Renze didn't mind, he just smiled at her and reminded her: "Drink some porridge first, don't choke."
Zhenzhen nodded and scooped a spoonful of lotus leaf and wolfberry porridge into her mouth. The taste of this porridge was different from any she had eaten before. Not only was it smooth, but the fragrant lotus leaves also had a hint of sweetness. It should be seasoned with rock sugar!
Compared to Zhenzhen's voracious eating, Zhang Renze was much more restrained. He was already old, and eating was mainly for health. He only ate three steamed buns and a bowl of porridge for breakfast. Feeling about 70% full, he put down his chopsticks and stopped eating.
So the remaining delicacies all went to Zhenzhen. She not only ate all the remaining seven buns, but also drank a bowl and a half of porridge. Her stomach was full, but she still felt a little unsatisfied.
Zhang Renze saw that she was burping from eating so much and couldn't help shaking his head: "Zhenzhen, you've eaten too much. Just eat until you're 70% full."
Zhen Zhen touched her stomach and thought for a moment, then asked Zhang Renze with a tangled look on her face: "Sir, what do you mean by 70% full?"
Zhang Renze sat at the tea table nearby and slowly began to boil water to make tea. He poured the water for washing tea onto the tea table and smiled at Zhenzhen: "This is 70% full, which means you are neither full nor hungry."
Not full nor hungry? Zhenzhen carefully recalled her feelings when eating, and suddenly felt that the answer given by the gentleman was too abstract, so it would be better not to say it. She scratched her head and looked at Zhang Renze with some embarrassment: "Sir, I think I have these two feelings of being hungry or full. If I am neither full nor hungry, I must not be full. That is definitely not okay. I can't sleep if I eat half a meal less at night."
It seemed that it was useless to tell her. Zhang Renze couldn't help but shook his head and said, "Forget it. If you like it, eat more. You are still young and strong, so eating more is not a bad thing. Come on, wash this bowl and the pot."
After eating her husband's breakfast, she always had to do some work, so Zhenzhen immediately went to wash the dishes and the clay pots, and then sat quietly opposite Zhang Renze.
Zhang Renze was very satisfied with Zhenzhen's performance. He poured her a cup of tea and began to tell Zhenzhen the basic knowledge of making medicinal food: "Although this medicinal food is food, it has the same origin as medicine and food, and it cannot be made carelessly. Otherwise, it will not only fail to provide nutrition to the body, but will become the culprit for inducing disease." At this point, he took a sip of tea and continued: "Sourness enters the liver, bitterness enters the heart, sweetness enters the spleen, spiciness enters the lungs, and saltiness enters the kidneys. The preparation of medicinal food must vary from person to person and from time to time, so you must understand the Yin-Yang and Five Elements of Chinese medicine, the theory of internal organs, the medicinal properties of Chinese medicines and their compatibility, so that you can make good medicinal food."
After hearing what Mr. Zhang said, Zhenzhen's little face wrinkled involuntarily. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history and is profound and extensive. There are tens of thousands of medicinal materials involved. If one wants to understand each one thoroughly, it will probably take at least ten to eight years.
Zhang Renze understood Zhenzhen's thoughts as soon as he saw her. He smiled and shook his head, then stood up and went back to the house to take out two books and handed them to Zhenzhen: "I have two books here. The first one is the basic knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine and common medicinal materials compiled by me. You can read more when you are free and understand as much as you can. This thick book is the medicinal diet recipes I compiled over the years. Since you have a weak foundation and cannot prepare medicinal diets by yourself, you can only memorize them by rote. Write down all the commonly used ones, which will be enough for you to use."
Zhenzhen's eyes suddenly lit up, and she quickly opened the thick book that the teacher had given her. She saw that it was organized very carefully, and the medicinal diet recipes were classified in detail according to their effects. There were not only specific methods of making medicinal diets, but also the corresponding diseases for each medicinal diet. It was obvious how much effort the teacher had put into writing this book.
Zhang Renze was willing to give her his hard work, and it was obvious that he was giving her everything he knew without reservation. Zhenzhen couldn't help but feel touched, and hurriedly said, "Thank you, sir!" while holding the book.
Zhang Renze smiled at her and said, "No need to thank me. Don't come and learn from me just because you have the recipe. I didn't write down the processing methods of some ingredients and herbs in detail. You have to be taught step by step to know them. Don't think of being lazy this summer."
Zhen Zhen nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "Since you are willing to take the trouble to teach me, I will definitely study hard. Please rest assured, sir!"
"Okay then." Zhang Renze drank the tea in the cup and said, "Come with me to kill chickens and ducks now."
"Okay!" Zhenzhen followed him.
Zhang Renze is not only good at picking chickens and ducks, but also very smooth at killing chickens. Zhenzhen squatted on the side and watched Zhang Renze kill the chicken and remove the feathers swiftly. He cleaned up all the internal organs with just one pull. She couldn't help but sighed, "Sir, you are really a good cook who was delayed by the career of traditional Chinese medicine."
"What are you talking about?" Zhang Renze was amused by her words. He looked at her with a smile and simply told her some common sense about killing chickens: "You know, you must drain the blood and remove the chicken fat before killing the chicken. Otherwise, the stewed soup will be very turbid, which will not only look ugly, but also affect the taste."
"So there's so much knowledge!" Zhen Zhen looked at the string of greasy chicken fat and couldn't help asking, "Sir, since chicken fat will ruin the taste, what's the point of keeping it?"
Zhang Renze rinsed the slaughtered chicken under the tap and said, "Don't think that the chicken fat is not suitable for making soup, but it can be used to make fried pancakes. They are yellow, fragrant and crispy, and they are delicious."
After listening to her husband's description, Zhenzhen's mouth immediately watered. She originally wanted to throw the chicken fat into the bag, but now she carefully placed it in a bowl and carried it into the kitchen with both hands.
Zhang Renze is going to cook two meat dishes today. One is the famous Yunnan dish Cordyceps Steam Pot Chicken, and the other is the Eight Treasure Duck that nourishes the kidneys and strengthens teeth. Zhenzhen listened to Mr. Zhang introducing the key points of these two dishes while cooking, and she always felt that something was wrong: "Sir, these two dishes don't seem to suit me?"
"Yes!" Zhang Renze glanced at her and said, "It wasn't originally for you to eat."
Seeing the chicken nuggets, bamboo fungus, and Xuanwei ham being put into the steamer one by one, he quickly pressed the cordyceps: "Sir, this thing is expensive and hard to buy, why don't we save some money and not put it in."
Seeing Zhen Zhen's pitiful appearance, Zhang Renze snorted coldly: "You don't even call me Master, and you just want to eat the chicken I stewed. How can it be so delicious?"
Zhen Zhen looked at him with a frown on her face: "You are too narrow-minded."
Zhang Renze immediately took out another portion of Cordyceps and prepared to put it in. Zhenzhen rushed over and held down Zhang Renze's hand: "Master, Master, Master... Don't put it in!"
Zhang Renze paused and looked at Zhenzhen with great reserve: "You were the one who called me that. I didn't force you."
"Yes! Yes! Yes! You are right." Zhenzhen snatched the small medicine bag from his hand and put it aside: "Master, what should we do next?"
Zhang Renze felt that the word "Master" was particularly pleasant to his ears and nodded contentedly: "Since you are so sincere, I will reluctantly accept you as my apprentice."
"You have the final say!" Zhen Zhen looked at him with a smile on her face: "Master, you are almost living like a child."
"It's because Su Weiran always brags in front of us that you are his apprentice. Wangwo is your teacher. Even Xie Shurang can teach you French. I can't fall behind." Zhang Renze said happily: "When you learn my medicinal food skills, I will take you out to show off and make them envy you to death!"
"Okay, I will definitely study hard." Zhen Zhen patted her chest and made a promise, then asked attentively: "Master, can you help me wash some more vegetables?"
Zhang Renze and Zhenzhen worked all morning, cooking two meat dishes, four vegetarian dishes, and a plate of crispy and fragrant chicken pancakes. Zhenzhen scooped a bowl of tender meat and clear soup from the steamed chicken, and took a sip while blowing the hot air. The delicious taste lingered on her lips and tongue, and Zhenzhen slapped her thigh in frustration: "All those wild chickens I ate before were wasted."
There were many dishes for lunch, so Zhang Renze didn't serve the duck. When Zhenzhen came home, Zhang Renze handed her the duck with eight treasures: "Go back and bring it to your grandma and your parents. Come back tomorrow morning."
Zhenzhen rubbed her bulging belly and asked Zhang Renze worriedly, "Master, how much weight do you think I will gain from studying this summer?"
Because the way Zhenzhen ate really stimulated her appetite, Zhang Renze ate more than usual. When he heard Zhenzhen's question, he suddenly became worried: "I think I might get fat too!"
***
Zhang Renze came to Lao Li's house every ten days to take Xie Yanan's pulse and change the prescription according to the symptoms. Xie Yanan knew Zhang Renze, the master of traditional Chinese medicine, so she regarded his words as an imperial decree. Not only did she strictly follow the fixed time to take the medicine every day, but she also followed some of Zhang Renze's casual remarks about common sense in life meticulously, as if she were doing an experiment at work.
After taking the medicine for about a month, Xie Yanan clearly noticed the changes in her body. Apart from other things, at least her previous waist soreness was gone, and the problem of cold hands and feet as soon as autumn came was also improved. Even Mingxi said that her feet were warm now, unlike before, which were cold all year round.
When Xie Yanan was on vacation for about a month, all the projects developed by Mingxi's project group were also completed. Considering that the researchers had regarded the institute as their home in recent years and had been working overtime for years, and fearing that they would exhaust themselves, the director waved his hand and gave everyone a three-month vacation to have a good rest first.
This is the first time Mingxi has had a holiday in years since he followed two PLA soldiers right after graduation. Not only Mrs. Li and Wang Sufen, but even Zhenzhen was extremely happy at the thought that Mingxi could stay at home for two more days.
In order to test Zhenzhen's ability in making medicinal food, Zhang Renze came to Lao Li's house to help take Mingxi's pulse, and wrote a pulse report in a neat and tidy manner, allowing Zhenzhen to come up with a medicinal food dish by herself.
Mingxi is young and has attended military school for many years. He has a good physical foundation. However, since he started working in scientific research, he has fewer opportunities to exercise and has stayed up late more often, which has damaged his qi and blood. Zhenzhen chose a medicinal meal that replenishes qi and nourishes blood. From the purchase of ingredients to the later production, she did it all by herself. Zhang Renze just watched silently by the side without saying a word. It was not until the medicinal meal was ready that Zhang Renze told Zhenzhen the problems that occurred when making the medicinal meal. However, although Zhenzhen made some mistakes when making the medicinal meal, the recipe she chose was still very appropriate, so this medicinal meal was still served to Mingxi.
Mingxi looked at the casserole in front of him in surprise, and when he heard Zhenzhen say that it was specially stewed for her to nourish her body, tears immediately filled his eyes. While eating the soup, he chattered with Zhenzhen: "Originally, your second sister-in-law thought that if she could give birth to a daughter this time, she would not give her a food name, but a unique nickname, such as Xixi or Chuchu." After drinking a bowl of soup, Mingxi poured a second bowl: "But now I think you are too good to me, otherwise you can give my daughter a nickname in the future." He ate a piece of stewed tender ribs and looked at Zhenzhen expectantly: "What do you think I should call my daughter if I have a daughter?"
Zhenzhen looked at Mingxi with a helpless look, and teased him deliberately, "Why not just order bread?"
Mingxi, who was drinking soup, suddenly brightened up after hearing this: "Look, what do you think? Great minds think alike, right? I think so too, but your second sister-in-law is not happy."
Xie Yanan looked up at Mingxi and couldn't help but complain: "Is that bread you're talking about? You clearly said black bread!"
Mingxi looked at Xie Yanan and laughed: "Black bread is not bread? Black bread is so delicious, chewy and filling, so honest!"
Zhenzhen watched the couple bantering with each other and was ready to quietly slip away and not get involved in their affairs. But as soon as she turned around, she heard Mingxi ask, "Zhenzhen, do you think what I said makes sense?"
Zhen Zhen turned around and gave him a thumbs up: "No problem, we will definitely not stop my sister-in-law from beating you to death if she wants to."
***
Mingxi moved into the house, but before the family could spend two days together, Mingbei and Zhenzhen went back to school.
Originally, Zhenzhen took the bus with Mingbei and Wang Xinwen to and from school. Although Zhenzhen felt that the wattage of her light bulb was a little bright, she got used to it after a while.
However, this time was different from the past. Xi Junjie asked her to take the bus back to school on the pretext of practicing oral French on the tram. Meanwhile, Wang Xinwen accidentally got pregnant again during the summer vacation. Therefore, the three people's original plan to go back to school a few days earlier to read books and review their lessons in the library was disrupted. After discussing with Wang Xinwen, Mingbei decided to go back the day before school started, stay at home for a while, and take good care of themselves.
Zhenzhen has been at home for about a month. Although she is busy every day, running, practicing French, and learning to cook medicinal food, she still feels a little uncomfortable without systematic learning. So she decides to follow the original plan and go back to school a week earlier with Xi Junjie to review her lessons.
At this time, most of the students in the school had returned. Zhenzhen ran into Guo Xiaoqiao as soon as she entered the school gate. Guo Xiaoqiao ran over happily and took Zhenzhen's arm: "I was just wondering if you would come to school earlier, otherwise I would be scared to sleep alone in the dormitory at night."
Zhenzhen smiled and scratched her nose: "How old are you? Don't you sleep in your own room at home?"
"That's different." Guo Xiaoqiao smiled and held Zhenzhen's hand: "I won't be able to sleep well without you."
Xi Junjie followed Zhenzhen with a stern face, neither too close nor too far away. Looking at the two girls in front who were sticking together, he couldn't help but sigh: What's so good about hugging these two girls? Look, that girl's head is drooping on Zhenzhen's shoulder. What if she gets crushed
Just after he finished grumbling about his dissatisfaction with Guo Xiaoqiao, Guo Xiaoqiao took the opportunity to hold Zhenzhen's hand. Xi Junjie's face suddenly turned dark. His delicate eyebrows and eyes became sharper than before because of his unhappiness. He looked less "beautiful" and more majestic than before.
I originally thought that I could spend more time with Zhenzhen after school, let her get to know me better, and after graduation, things would be smooth sailing for us, but now it seems so uncertain. Xi Junjie followed Zhenzhen, watching her turn a corner and head towards the dormitory building of the Chinese Department, obviously forgetting about him.
Xi Junjie hung his head in disappointment, feeling that the road ahead for him to pursue his wife was still very long. He silently counted the number of wild ducks in the pond at home, wondering whether he should suggest to his mother to raise a few more next time he went home. He couldn't afford to chase his wife and then lose all the ducks.
"Xi Junjie." Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded, and Xi Junjie looked up at Zhenzhen in surprise. At that moment, the joy on his face was like sunshine, particularly brilliant and dazzling.
Zhenzhen was in a trance for a moment before she came back to her senses. This was also due to the fact that she had watched it for more than a month during the summer vacation and had adapted to it to some extent. She let go of Guo Xiaoqiao's hand and walked in front of Xi Junjie, pulling his sleeve and walking two steps to a place where there was no one beside him: "I'm afraid that you said that we can't have dinner together today. I have to go with Xiaoqiao, but let's continue running tomorrow morning?" Seeing Xi Junjie nodding repeatedly, Zhenzhen chuckled: "It's still 5:30 in the morning, see you on the playground."
Xi Junjie nodded happily: "See you tomorrow!"
The author has something to say: Update first, and fix bugs tomorrow.
I am traveling in Sanya with my kids recently and I am so tired. I will take a day off tomorrow night and go to bed early to replenish my energy! Thank you for your support!