In the spring of the first year of the Jinghe reign, Deng Ying brought me back home from the inner court.
I was in a particularly good mood, and as soon as I got back to Deng Ying's room, I started preparing for the renovation.
I was born in the late 1990s and was one of the first users of the Internet. When I was young, I liked to play with the room decoration in the show, and fantasized that one day I could have my own house, determine the style, choose the elements I like, and participate in the design of every detail. Unfortunately, I didn’t save enough money to buy a house, and I went to Deng Ying’s Ming Dynasty. Although the Ming Dynasty went back 600 years, I was not afraid. I had Deng Ying, just like I had a construction team.
But...
I was excited for a day.
Sometimes, I have to admit that things change over time.
I had once confined Deng Ying to bed for more than half a month, and now he was doing the same thing. I had no choice but to give up my desire to go to the building materials market and stay at home for the time being.
According to Dr. Li who treated me, my illness was caused by mental and emotional overwork. It is very important to take care of yourself and cannot just rely on medicine.
Doctor Li was recommended by Yang Lun. He was a nice person and very patient, but he was a bit nagging. Deng Ying used to be a quiet person, but after staying with him for a long time, she was gradually led astray by him.
"You have to take medicine and follow the diet."
"I'll take a piece of paper and write it down."
Deng Ying went to get a pen and paper, dipped her sleeve in ink, looked at Doctor Li and said, "Doctor, please tell me."
Doctor Li smiled and said, "Sir, you can't cook? Why don't you wait for the girl who served Madam to come back and I'll tell her."
Deng Ying held the pen and smiled shyly, "That girl is the manager of Qingbo Pavilion, she is not someone I can order around. I am the only one doing the work at home, just talk to me."
Doctor Li smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll tell you. Listen carefully. It's a soup of old duck with Radix Adenophorae, Polygonatum odoratum and Radix Polygonati. Oh, this is a delicious dish. It will be very beneficial for Madam's lung disease. Hey, it must be an old duck. Throw away the hair and internal organs, wash it clean, mix it with Polygonatum odoratum and Radix Adenophorae and stew it over low heat. (Here is a reference to a recipe on Baidu)."
"Old duck, pluck the feathers... remove the internal organs... Polygonatum odoratum, Adenophora scabra... reduce internal heat."
Deng Ying was recording at her desk while I sat on the bed with my knees hugged, imagining the taste of the stewed duck.
It was drizzling outside that day, but as if it was some kind of solar term, there were a lot of people coming and going outside the wall, and it was very lively.
Deng Ying sent Doctor Li out, went back to her room, took off her old clothes, and stood in front of the wardrobe to change into her robe.
"You need to get out."
"Well, I'll go see if I can buy a duck."
"I want to go, too."
Deng Ying looked out the window and shook her head at me, "Be obedient, Wanwan, and don't get out of bed."
"oh."
I said with a fallen face.
Deng Ying was somewhat helpless, so she had to tie her belt while walking in front of me, "Besides duck, what else do you want to eat? I'll buy you some."
“The baked pancakes in front of Yingtian Mansion!”
"It's too greasy. You're taking medicine, so you can't eat too much."
"The roast goose behind Qingbo Pavilion."
"I'll stew the duck for you. As for the goose..."
I interrupted him and said, "Then what do you think I can eat?"
I was looking at Deng Ying when I said this. I don't know if it was because I didn't control my expression well, but he was stunned and the half-tied strap loosened.
Then we both cleared our throats immediately and said in unison: "You're not well yet."
This weird tacit understanding is simply fatal. Who would have thought that the second sentence would be inexplicably closed: "I'm not that person."
Who cares what we think
On the contrary, I watched him walk out with a stiff neck, and when he came back carrying the duck, he didn't let go.
The person who lives with me in Daming is much better at taking care of people than I am.
I have been recuperating since I returned home, and most of the time I can't help much.
But whenever he rolled up his sleeves to do housework, he would always call me from time to time.
"Wan Wan."
"ah?"
"What are you doing?"
"Sitting and eating melon seeds... What's wrong?"
"It's okay, you eat."
"Wan Wan."
"What's the matter?"
"Does eating melon seeds make your mouth dry? Do you want some water?"
"You poured me a cup before you left. Did you forget?"
"Oh, then drink it and tell me when you're done."
"Wan Wan."
"What?"
"What are you doing?"
"I… "
In order to prevent him from calling me all the time, I simply went to see him in my slippers. I moved a small stool and sat next to him. He would also laugh when he saw me sitting behind him. I crossed my arms and said, "Have you been wanting to call me over for a long time?"
Deng Ying turned around and continued working, and replied softly, "No."
I held my chin and watched his hands as he worked. The wound on his wrist was caused by wearing a torture device for a long time. Although he had been resting for a month, it was still not completely healed. I heard Chen Hua persuade him privately, asking him to tell me to buy one or two slaves to keep at home. But Deng Ying refused, saying, "Wanwan will not buy slaves."
"Why."
Deng Ying shook her head and didn't explain to him.
"Can you do this all by yourself?"
"Um."
Deng Ying responded, "Although she eats a lot, I don't cook well."
In my eyes, all people are born equal, there is no difference in status or rank.
Deng Ying knows what I am thinking, and I am really happy.
But what do you mean I eat a lot
“You eat a lot.”
One day at the end of March, Yang Lun came to my house to argue with me, and Chen Hua and Yun Qing were also there.
Chen Hua went to help Deng Ying stew the duck, while Yun Qing stood aside and laughed.
Doctor Li was checking my pulse, and seeing my flushed face, he smiled and said, "Eating more is a good thing. You've been sick for so many days, and your energy has been completely depleted. If you don't eat more, how can you replenish it?"
After saying that, he took off his wrist pillow and said to me, "Madam, can you eat pig lungs?"
I hurriedly asked, "Which is easier to cook, pig lung or duck lung?"
Doctor Li said, "It must be easier to cook with duck."
I waved my hands quickly, "Then don't tell him."
Yun chuckled and said, "Mr. Deng can't cook it, I can come over and stew it for you."
"Just take good care of my shop, and I'll be thankful."
Yang Lun said, "Yang Wan, when I came in, I saw that you were being taken care of by him alone. His injuries are not fully healed yet, and it's not like one patient is taking care of another patient. I would ask your sister-in-law to pick a room for you."
I smiled and said, "When I get better, I will be able to do everything from cooking to washing clothes."
"That won't work either."
Yang Lun interrupted her and said, "You are my sister. If I don't allow you to cook and wash clothes for him, then what am I in front of him?"
He looked outside and said, "What is he doing..."
"Plucking the ducks outside."
Doctor Li picked up the medicine box and said, "That's right, the feathers of this old duck must be plucked cleanly, so that the soup will taste better."
Yang Lun squeezed his hands, "Duck feathers? Why does it take so long to pluck them?"
I picked up the medicine bowl and laughed, "You'll know if you try to pull it out."
"I won't pull it out."
Although he said so, not long after, he couldn't help but rolled up his sleeves and walked out.
I propped myself up and lay on the windowsill, watching the two people in the yard.
Deng Ying looked at Yang Lun who suddenly walked out of the door, a little surprised, "What are you doing here?"
Yang Lun said bluntly: "Yang Wan asked me to help you pluck the hair."
As he spoke, he squatted down.
"Hey... Zixi."
Deng Ying tried to stop him, "A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen."
Yang Lun raised his head and said, "This is the soup for my sister. What's the point of being a gentleman?"
I lay on the windowsill, feeling the warm breeze and watching the people and things in the yard with a smile on my face.
Song Yunqing put a coat on me and said softly, "Sometimes, I think you are really amazing."
"What."
Song Yunqing looked at Yang Lun and said, "Although the people around you are of different ranks, as long as you are here, everyone can get along comfortably."
I gathered my clothes around my shoulders and looked at the two people in the yard with their sleeves rolled up.
One of them was a "criminal" who escaped death, and the other was a loyal and trusted minister of the Ming Dynasty who immediately succeeded as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet.
In history, they parted tragically in the early spring of the first year, but now they are in this warm little courtyard, in chaos and plucking duck feathers.
In my eyes, this scene has some magical realism, but I am glad that history has become "absurd" and interesting because of my participation, full of the flavor of life. Just like what Song Yunqing said, although the people around me are distinguished by status, I have never been able to break this feudal concept, but as long as I am there, everyone can get along very comfortably.
"Wan Wan."
Deng Ying started calling me out of habit again.
“Hey.”
"What are you doing?"
"Talking to Yun Qing."
"Go ahead and call Zixi away."
"What's wrong with him?"
"he… "
"Isn't that right? What's wrong with that?"
"No, Yang Zixi, can you go back and sit down?"
The duck soup was a mess. Yang Lun drank some wine and complained about the bad things in the court in front of me and me, and then complained about Deng Ying's gigolo problem. I was very rude to him and he almost threw his cup and walked away.
After finally seeing Yang Lun off, Deng Ying and I sat in the yard to soak our feet.
The foot bath soup is used to drive away the cold, which is good for both me and him. As long as it doesn't rain, I will boil a pot of soup before going to bed, sit with him on the doorstep, and look at the stars above our heads while running. The sky of Daming is very bright, and there is no industrial pollution in the sky. Even in spring, you can see the sky full of stars.
I leaned my head on Deng Ying's shoulder and asked, "When can we go buy some wood?"
Deng Ying raised her shoulders so that I could lean on her more comfortably and whispered, "Why do you want to buy wood so badly?"
"You are a master of cooking, you can't cook for me every day."
Deng Ying smiled and said, "Are you tired of eating?"
"no."
I looked up at the bright starry sky. "I have always wanted to have a home in Daming. I want a few small cabinets to store my rouge, powder and clothes, and a big bed. Now this bed is too small, and I always feel like I am kicking you at night."
"You didn't kick me."
“Then I want a bigger one.”
"Okay, I'll do it for you."
"Yeah. I don't like design."
"good."
"Um… "
I pointed to an empty space in the yard and said, "I want to get another cat. You can build a cat climbing frame for him and put it there."
"What is a cat climbing frame?"
"Here... I'll draw one. Can you try to understand it?"