279. The Vegetable Delivery Mix-Up
With that, he placed the vegetables and fruits on the table.
Zhao Zhitong said, "Teacher, these are produce from our ho garden. It’s our way of showing our appreciation. Please do take them."
Yuan Wenkang looked at the basket full of fresh vegetables and fruits, his eyes crinkling with amusent. These children are indeed sincere, he thought, stroking his beard. "Okay, I accept your thoughtfulness."
Zhao Zhitong, seizing the mont, asked, "Teacher, I often see patients at my grandfather’s dical clinic. Can I co to the academy to seek your advice when I encounter a problem?"
Yuan Wenkang stroked his beard and chuckled, "Of course, you can. This place is always welcoming to anyone seeking knowledge."
The trio exchanged glances, their faces showing excitent. Yuan Wenkang had just agreed that Zhao Zhitong could visit the academy.
They all said in unison, "Thank you, Teacher."
Lord Zhang, who was playing with his chess pieces, was very pleased with these sincere and unpretentious children. He hoped that they would stay true to their initial ambitions and strive for progress.
After receiving a few more pieces of advice from the elders, Zhao Zhitong and her friends left the dean’s courtyard.
Once Zhao Zhitong and her friends had left, Lord Zhang laughed, "Co on, let’s play another round!"
Yuan Wenkang teased, "Another round? Isn’t the reason for your visit to recruit students?"
Lord Zhang waved his hand dismissively, "Ah, no rush, no rush. That can wait. I’ll win a round against you first!"
Yuan Wenkang laughed, "Haha, then you might be stuck here today."
Having said that, he instructed, "Bamboo, take these vegetables to the kitchen. Let the cook prepare them. Lord Zhang and I will have so drinks."
Bamboo ca forward, picked up the basket, hesitated for a mont, and then reminded, "Teacher, you must take care of your stomach."
Yuan Wenkang waved his hand dismissively, "I’ll only have a few sips. It won’t be a problem. Besides, isn’t there that prescription the young girl gave ? Later, you can go down the mountain and fetch the dicines according to this prescription."
Bamboo took the prescription, tucked it into his robes, nodded his agreent, and prepared to take the vegetables to the kitchen.
Just then, Yuan Wenkang rembered sothing and called out to him, "Ah, wait, aren’t there so wild fruits? I haven’t had them in quite a while. Wash them and bring them up."
Bamboo responded, "Yes, Teacher."
Bamboo then left with a basket of valuable vegetables to the kitchen.
After a short while, Bamboo ca back with a plate of fruits. These were little crab apples, which were commonly found in the mountains, not sothing rare.
After a while of playing chess, Lord Zhang laughed, "I’m sure I’ll win this round."
With that, he casually picked up a fruit and began to eat. When he took the first bite, he found the fruit incredibly sweet!
"Hmm, Old Yuan, you need to try this. This fruit is just divine!"
But after taking the second bite, he suddenly felt sothing was not right. Monts later, he looked at the small fruit in his hand in disbelief!
By then, Elder Yuan had also eaten one, nodding in agreent, "Indeed, these taste even sweeter than the carefully cultivated fruits. These fruits from that young girl’s hotown are really sweet."
After saying that, he noticed that Lord Zhang’s face seed a little odd, so he asked, "What’s wrong, Old Zhang?"
Lord Zhang said in disbelief, "This fruit... I think I’ve had it before."
Lord Zhang paused to rember, then suddenly exclaid, "Yes, that’s the taste! At the Lantern Festival banquet at the court, the gift that Prince Liang presented to the emperor was such a fruit, which he claid to be a ’holy fruit.’"
"I was fortunate to be gifted one by the emperor. It was just as sweet, and after eating it, I felt invigorated. According to Prince Liang, this fruit, just like the dicinal vegetables, has the power to strengthen the body, promote health, and prolong life."
Yuan Wenkang had never tasted dicinal vegetables or the ’holy fruit’, but he had heard of them. Puzzled, he asked, "Are they exactly the sa?"
Lord Zhang was uncertain as well, "I’ve only tasted one."
Just then, Yuan Wenkang suddenly took a few deep breaths, surprised, "Hey, I think my nose has cleared up."
Imdiately, he stood up and moved around a bit, then said to Lord Zhang, "The fatigue is gone; it seems my cold is gone as well."
Lord Zhang’s eyes widened slightly, "Then there’s no mistake!"
No wonder he had found the young girl a little strange; she clearly said that Elder Yuan had a cold today. Although she diagnosed the gastric ailnt during the dical consultation, she did not ntion the cold at all.
He had thought the young girl had simply forgotten about the cold, concluding in his heart, It really is a child’s nature.
Now, however, he understood. Because she brought a basket of dicinal vegetables and holy fruits, after eating them, the cold would naturally heal, and there would be no need for further dication.
Realizing this, he hurriedly jumped from his chair, disregarding the chess ga, and dragged Yuan Wenkang out, exclaiming, "Quick, quick, to the kitchen! That basket of vegetables might just be dicinal vegetables. If the cook squanders them, it would be a terrible waste!"
Lord Zhang was not one to care much about material things. But when it ca to fine food, he was rather particular, especially nutritious food such as dicinal vegetables, which he had only had the luck to taste occasionally. The taste was superb.
Now, thinking that the precious basket of produce was about to be squandered, he felt such a pang of distress, muttering, This mischievous girl, sending such good stuff and not saying a word!
And so...
An unusual scene unfolded in the dean’s courtyard at the Taiyi Academy...
Two old n were seen sprinting across the courtyard towards the small kitchen... to snatch a cabbage from the cook’s hand just as it was about to go into the pot...
——
Zhao Zhitong had no idea what was happening at the dean’s residence. It was just three quarters past nine in the morning when they left the dean’s courtyard.
Seeing that it was still early, the trio decided to take a stroll through the academy before heading for the main entrance. They spoke and laughed as they descended the mountain.
Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yue were curious about the new friend Zhao Zhitong wanted to introduce.
Qiao Muchen asked, "Tongtong, you said you saved a scholar the other day?"
Zhao Zhitong nodded, "Yes. He was nearly killed by that evil Niu Baishun. I saved him and brought him ho. When he woke up, he said he was a scholar and was planning to go to the capital for the imperial exams next year."
Zhao Yue scratched his chin, "What does a scholar look like?"
Qiao Muchen stated nonchalantly, "What can he look like? Two eyes, a nose, and a mouth."
Zhao Yue: "..."
As they spoke, they headed towards De Ren Tang Clinic.
When they arrived, the dical clinic was not busy. Ding Chenguang was sitting at the entrance to the clinic, writing sothing very seriously.
Zhao Zhitong whispered, "There, that’s him."
Zhao Yue raised his eyebrows and looked at Ding Chenguang, "He seems quite talented."
The three of them moved closer and saw that Ding Chenguang was not writing but drawing.
It could not be denied that this Ding Chenguang was indeed multi-talented; he was skilled in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
When the three of them approached, they blocked the light, prompting Ding Chenguang to look up. He imdiately greeted them with a smile, "Miss Zhao, you’re here? And these two gentlen are?"
Zhao Zhitong then introduced everyone to each other with a smile.
"A pleasure to et you." Ding Chenguang set aside his brush, cupped his hands in salute towards Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yue, and said politely, "I’ve often heard Miss Zhao ntion the two of you. Now that I see you, indeed, you both possess remarkable deanor. It’s no wonder that you beca scholars at such a young age."
Facing Ding Chenguang’s enthusiastic complints, Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yue responded very courteously.
"You flatter us. It is you who are truly impressive, Mr. Ding."
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