Yuan Xianger came to Yongjitang on East Street. This drugstore's exclusive and secret snake oil ointment is very effective in treating scalds and is well-known far and wide.
Yongjitang used to be the most reputable pharmacy in Queqiu Town. The medicines sold in the shop had remarkable curative effects and fair prices. The original owner, Dr. Han Rui, is a kind-hearted doctor. Since the couple opened this pharmacy, they have often rescued the dead and wounded, donated doctors and medicines, and helped many people. They are very loved by the neighbors.
Yuan Xianger was often dispatched by her master to buy medicinal materials since she was a child, and the couple left her with a good impression.
It is deplorable that during the spring flood season at the beginning of the year, Dr. Han and his wife went out. When they crossed the river on a merchant ship, they encountered Jiang bandits. Unfortunately, they both died on the river.
The poor couple had only one 8- or 9-year-old young man under their knees, and the two cousins of Doctor Han had to help take care of this prosperous pharmacy. The two brothers were originally taken in by Doctor Han to do odd jobs in the pharmacy, but now they have taken over the pharmacy in the name of taking care of their nephew. Young Master Han also took turns to be fostered in the homes of two uncles, and lived a life of being under the fence of others.
At sunset, the sky and the earth are dim, and everything is hazy, blurring the boundaries of the world.
The shops on both sides of the street lit up lanterns one after another, and many customers who bought medicine came in and out of the entrance of Yongji Hall, and the excitement continued.
Now, Mrs. Jiang, the wife of the new shopkeeper Han, is sitting outside the shop door, twisting a handkerchief and complaining to the familiar neighbors.
In the early years, Jiang lived an extremely poor life with her husband who had tried many times. She was thin and dark, with a bitter look on her face, and her temperament was very stingy. Even though the husband learned the craft in his cousin's pharmacy and became a shopkeeper, his life gradually improved. She also began to wrap Ling Luo in gold and silver, but she still couldn't get rid of the bitterness engraved in her bones.
"My poor nephew, I don't know what happened in his life. He just killed his father and mother, and now he has lost his own life. He only suffered for his aunt and me. It took a lot of effort to support him, and spent a lot of money, who would have thought that this little conscience would just let go, but how can I live?"
Although she couldn't squeeze out the tears, she twitched her handkerchief and howled dryly, and with that shriveled and sad face, she was also very presentable.
Since her nephew Han Youzhi was lost in Tianlang Mountain a few days ago, the Jiang family has been complaining in front of this door for several days. Now everyone knows that her nephew has died unexpectedly. They could not help but reluctantly inherited.
The wife of the shopkeeper Han Er, Zhu Shi, is a woman with a pungent personality and a short stature. At this moment, leaning against the counter, nibbling on melon seeds, he said, "Sister-in-law is a kind-hearted person. Who doesn't know that you treat your nephew better than your own son, because he didn't have such a happy life and died at a young age. I am a younger brother and sister. In my heart, it's so uncomfortable that I can't eat for a few days."
As she spoke, she fluttered her lips and spat out the skin of the melon seeds, but she didn't look like she couldn't eat at all.
"There is no way that people can't be resurrected from the dead. I thought that since my nephew is gone, we should invite a few mages to do something and send him on the road safely."
Jiang Shi put down the veil and glared at her, "How much will it cost?"
On the snowy street at this moment, Yuan Xianger hesitated for a moment while looking at the pharmacy across the street.
The bustling door, the pavement as bright as day, and the tiledang at the front of the pharmacy's door stood a monster in the state of a meat worm, and there were many pedestrians in the past, but they didn't notice it.
"Hey, it's disgusting, what is that, I've never seen it in the mountains." Wu Yuan, who was parked on Yuan Xiang'er's shoulder, showed a look of disgust.
"That's the beetle (du jealousy), a kind of monster that feeds on grudges, and it only exists in the human world." Yuan Xianger saw the three-foot-long monster slowly creeping and crawling on the tile, and she really didn't want to pass under it. . The monster's human face and insect body slowly climbed to the edge of the eaves, and hung the wrinkled human face from the roof, almost sticking to Jiang's head, and opened his layered eyelids to look at Jiang's.
And that Jiang Shi didn't realize it, and still pretended to cry with his sister-in-law.
"It is a monster that survives by devouring people's jealousy, resentment, hatred and other negative emotions. It mostly breeds around some gloomy and jealous villains." Yuan Xianger explained to Wuyuan the unique monster in the world,
"As it grows up, even if the family was full of good fortune and golden light, it will gradually disappear. Gradually, the negative things will gather, the bad luck will grow, the fortune will wither, and the people who live in it will soon have bad luck. The family is declining. So their resentment and hatred will grow more and more, so that the beetle will continue to grow."
Life is impermanent, the dead do not know where their souls go, but the living are still staring at some dead things in the world. But I don't know what kind of ghosts will eventually be recruited by my side.
"Meow, I saw that this house was originally golden, but now it's almost been dispelled by the rotten black gas of this ugly bug. It really stinks inside, and I don't want to go in."
"Then wait for me here." Yuan Xiang'er touched the clean-loving kitten on her shoulder, found a stone pier, swept the snow off it, put on her own veil, and placed her squeamish apostle on it.
She pinched her nose and endured to pass under the monster's body, walked into the pharmacy, and bought ointment.
When he stepped out of the pharmacy and stepped over the threshold, the grudge-eating beast stuck its head out from the eaves and glanced at her with dark red eyes. Yuan Xianger ignored it, patted off the bad luck stained on her body, crossed the street where the sewage was flowing, crouched in front of the stone pier, reached out to retrieve her clean kitten, and took advantage of the drowsy sky on the way home. Leave the brightly lit, noisy and lively shop behind you.
Wu Yuan sat on Yuan Xiang'er's shoulder, her eyes gleaming in the dark, watching the farce behind her, "Since that woman is not sad, why does she cry and howl?"
"Humans are different from you. Sometimes I am secretly happy, but I have to pretend to be distraught on the surface. Sometimes I am clearly sad in my heart, but I have to put on a smile in front of people."
"Why is that?" Wu Yuan blinked in confusion, "Your life is only so short, shouldn't you concentrate on living a happy life?"
In the eyes of fairies with a long life, human life is as easy to disperse as morning dew. Wu Yuan felt puzzled. He always thought that these races, who were living and dying, must cherish their fleeting lives very much. At least it should be like Ah Xiang, playing happily every day.
Unexpectedly, after arriving in the world, he found that many human beings did not seem to feel that their lives were short at all, and always spent a lot of time on unnecessary things.
Yuan Xianger returned home, washed her hands, and smeared Nan He with a scalding medicine made from snake oil.
Nan He changed back to the appearance of a silver wolf, and obediently lay on a soft towel on the table.
Humans are a fragile race, so they spend more energy than any other species, developing and refining medicines and methods for healing wounds from generation to generation.
The wound medicine was translucent and pale yellow with a peculiar fragrance. It was applied to Nan He's skin, and a cool feeling immediately came from the wound. The applicator moves very gently and treats him with care. The fingertips slid across his skin, leaving a tingling and tingling feeling along the way.
"The back is fine, you turn around." the man said.
Nan He was awkward for a moment, then slowly rolled over his body, his four legs curled up, revealing his sparse and soft belly. He put his head aside crampedly, not knowing where to look.
"Don't be nervous, it's just a medicine. I'm so sorry for you." Yuan Xianger said with a smile. She said that she was embarrassed, but she didn't feel any embarrassment in her hand, and she managed Nan He's wound neatly.
Nan He quickly turned back, limping and wanting to climb off the table.
Yuan Xianger picked him up and carried the towel back to the pad on the kang. She couldn't help but want to touch the little white ears. Soft fur, and will move from time to time, it is too cute.
She tentatively stretched out her hand and gently stroked the soft fur. The little wolf covered in the smell of medicine was lying there, her ears were shaking, and she didn't make any sound.
Without a sound, she agreed, and Yuan Xianger happily played the wolf ears that she hadn't touched for a long time.
In fact, she is more used to the appearance of Nanhe cubs, and it seems that it is less stressful to get along with this kind of little milk dog. However, since seeing Nan He's human figure, Yuan Xiang'er no longer has the good intentions of bullying people around.
"Why did you become like this again? When you were in the human world, weren't the human figures the most energy-efficient?" she asked Nan He.
"I'm not very good at changing human clothes." Nan He turned his face away.
So you can't be naked in front of you.
…
The sky was low, and the cool toad was in the sky. After dinner, Yuan Xianger sat on the threshold to help cut the rice candy made by Yunniang.
This kind of snack is a bit complicated to make, but it is a snack that every household has to prepare before and after the local New Year.
There are many complicated processes to make this kind of rice candy. First, select high-quality glutinous rice, soak it and steam it to make frozen rice, then fry the frozen rice into rice popsicles, and finally add syrup, peanuts and sweet-scented osmanthus. Stir-frying, solidifying and slicing, can become a piece of crispy and delicious sweets, used to entertain guests and make children happy before and after the New Year.
What Yuan Xianger cut on the chopping board was that Yunniang had spent a lot of thought to make a large piece of rice candy. It had to be sliced thinly and evenly, the size was the same, and it was packed and put into a jar. Wu Yuan and Jin Yu squatted and waited with their eyes wide open. If there is any accidentally chopped, Yuan Xianger will throw it over, Wu Yuan grabbed it in one bite, and quickly rushed to the big banyan tree to squat to eat. Jin Yu was still looking at it with outstretched hands, Yuan Xianger had no choice but to pick up a small piece or two and put it in his palm.
The injured Nan He curled up on the mat beside Yuan Xiang'er, watching the long-necked chicken fluttering its small sleeves and running away holding the candy, and glanced at the two goblins disdainfully.
Yuan Xiang'er picked up a piece and handed it to Nan He, "Do you want to try Xiao Nan too?"
Nan He turned his head and shook his head.
Seeing Wu Yuan and Jin Yu running away, Yuan Xiang'er quietly took out two sweet-scented osmanthus candies in the shape of plum blossoms from her purse, held them in her palms, lowered her head and leaned on Nan He's side, and whispered, "Let's eat this, Yu Ji's The sweet-scented osmanthus candy, I bought it on purpose in Lianghe Town last time, there are only two left, and we both secretly eat it."
Sure enough, the arrogant little wolf's amber eyes moved, stretched out his head, and licked away a candy. Pink's little tongue accidentally scratched on Yuan Xiang'er's palm, making her ticklish. of.
Just then, there was a soft knock on the door outside.
"Who is it?" Yuan Xiang'er stood up to answer the door, how come there are still guests at this hour
A young couple stood outside the courtyard gate,
"I'm sorry to disturb you." The lady had a kind face, gave a thoughtful blessing, and said earnestly, "We've traveled a long way, but we haven't found the inn, and we finally saw the lights here. Can you let me We'll stay for one night, and we'll leave early tomorrow morning."
The hem of her shoes, socks and clothes were all wet, dripping with water in the cold weather, looking at Yuan Xianger with a pleading expression. Her husband stood silently beside her, respectfully giving Yuan Xianger a big gift.
Yuan Xianger watched her silently for a long time, then opened the door to let them in.