At this point, Sun Kang’s worry was completely alleviated.
Next, he called Zhao Zhitong over, regarded her with a serious and solemn expression, and said, "Young girl, Grandfather is very happy that you are willing to learn dicine from . However, let state the difficult parts first. Studying dicine is not child’s play; it’s not sothing you can master in a day. It’s a long-term process. Once you’ve committed, you must take it seriously. You must not complain or quit halfway. Can you do this?"
Zhao Zhitong nodded her little head, "Tongtong will not complain, and Tongtong will not give up either."
Sun Kang smiled approvingly, "Well said! You’re truly my, Sun Kang’s, granddaughter. Grandfather has high hopes for you."
Then, he took out a book from his robes and asked, "Young girl, are you learning characters with your Teacher?"
Zhao Zhitong nodded, proudly saying, "Mm-hmm, Tongtong now knows many, many characters."
Sun Kang nodded, "Good. Then take this book. This is an introductory dical text. You must morize the entire book by heart."
Zhao Zhitong happily took the book, holding it like a cherished treasure, "Grandpa, is this for ?"
Sun Kang chuckled and reached for the tobacco pouch at his waist, "Yes, it’s for you, young girl."
Zhao Zhitong was overjoyed; this was her second book. "Wow, thank you, Grandpa! I will treasure it."
The book must have been quite old, as its pages were slightly yellowed. But judging from its cleanliness and neatness, it was evident that its owner had taken good care of it.
Zhao Zhitong used her little finger to point at the three large characters on the cover, saying cheerfully, "I recognize these three characters! They are ’dicine,’ ’Nature,’ and ’Verse’!"
Grandpa Bai, who had been silently watching, chid in, "Young girl, this is an excellent book, very suitable for beginners in traditional Chinese dicine. Its summarization of dicinal properties is concise and insightful. morize it well, and it will benefit you for a lifeti."
Upon hearing Grandpa Bai’s words, Zhao Zhitong’s eyes sparkled even brighter.
Seeing the young girl’s adoration for the book, Sun Kang laughed heartily. "This book lists two hundred and forty-eight commonly used dicinal ingredients, categorized into four types based on their properties: cold, hot, warm, and neutral. Young girl, you must morize them well. Also, from now on, you won’t have much ti to play. After your lessons or during Muxiu Ti, I’ll take you to gather dicinal herbs. You can also go with your Eldest Uncle to procure dicinal ingredients. In the initial stages, it’s crucial to observe and learn as much as possible."
Hearing this, Zhao Zhitong was ecstatic, excitedly twirling around Sun Kang. "Grandpa, Grandpa, does that an I’ll also learn how to process dicinal ingredients with you?"
Sun Kang laughed heartily, "But of course!"
With this burden lifted from his mind, his spirits rose, and his laughter beca heartier.
While the grandfather and granddaughter were enjoying their ti together, Sun i and the others had already set the table with food.
Her grandmother began calling them to eat.
The little tykes shrieked with excitent, scrambling towards the dining table to be first.
Zhao Zhitong, however, first ran to her room, placed the book on the table by her bed, then scampered out, panting as she clambered onto her chair.
Once all the dishes were on the table and everyone was seated, the al began.
Zhao Zhitong sat with her two little female cousins, bragging that she now had two books and knew so many characters, her little mouth chattering nonstop.
Her young female cousins were filled with envy.
Sun Xiaoxue said, "Younger Cousin, you’re so amazing! We also learn characters with Grandpa, but those characters are so difficult, all twists and turns. We can’t learn them, and we don’t like to learn them either."
Nearby, her second male cousin, Sun Daqing, nodded vigorously in agreent. "Those characters are like indecipherable scribbles, too hard to rember. It’s better not to learn them. Besides, learning them is useless."
Hearing this, Zhao Zhitong’s little face tightened. "Second Cousin, Elder Female Cousin, you’re wrong. Teacher says that reading and learning characters can help us understand principles and teach us how to conduct ourselves. How can it be useless?"
Sun Daqing was unconcerned. "When people grow up, they naturally understand principles. You don’t have to study."
He even added that when he grew up, he would be strong like his father, a great farr, and had no desire to be a feeble scholar.
Zhao Zhitong pouted. "Second Cousin, you’re a blockhead."
Sun i, who had just co over to give stead buns to the children, heard the insult and imdiately tapped Zhao Zhitong’s little head. "Hey, how can you insult people?"
Zhao Zhitong said defiantly, "Mother, Second Cousin said learning characters is useless, just like that blockhead Zhao Yue, who says when he grows up, he’ll go to the marketplace to butcher pigs and sell at."
Sun i sighed. "Even so, you can’t insult people. Everyone has their own aspirations. What they want to do is their own choice. You can’t impose your own ideas on others, understand?"
Zhao Zhitong replied, "Oh."
In truth, she hadn’t paid any attention at all. After Sun i left, she quietly began to persuade her young male and female cousins again.
"Knowing characters can earn lots and lots of money, much more than you earn from farming."
This statent successfully caught the attention of her young cousins.
Sun Xiaoxue said sadly, "But I can’t learn them."
Zhao Zhitong, mimicking her mother’s tone when coaxing a child, said, "It’s okay if you can’t learn them right away. You have to persevere. Teacher said that if you can’t learn it once, study it a few more tis, and you’ll eventually get it."
And so, the little ones all declared they would learn characters with Zhao Zhitong from then on.
Zhao Zhitong, her little face beaming with pride, patted her chest and assured them it was no problem.
Seeing the little tykes whispering to each other with their heads down instead of eating, Zhao Guifen coughed and said sternly, "What are you children doing? If you don’t eat now, there’ll be nothing left."
The little ones quickly sat up straight, picked up their porridge bowls, and buried their heads in their food.
Even while eating, they couldn’t help but sneak glances at each other, then grin happily.
The dishes on the table were mostly cooked by Sun i. Needless to say, everyone ate with great enjoynt.
The children practically fought over the braised pork, with the exception of Zhao Zhitong.
After one delicious bite, her chopsticks didn’t go near it again.
This included Zhao Dong and Sun i, who also only ate a single mouthful each.
It wasn’t that the dish wasn’t tasty, nor that they were reluctant to eat it; rather, the flavor was vastly different from what they had expected.
It was like a Northerner visiting the South for the first ti. They might unwrap a rice dumpling, inhaling the sweet fragrance of the leaves and anticipating the taste of sweet glutinous rice. But upon biting into it, they discover it’s savory and contains a large piece of fatty at—that was the kind of jarring surprise it was.
This at was just like that. The expected rich aroma of at was absent; instead, there was a strong, unpleasant gay odor.
Sun i carefully replayed the entire cooking process in her mind. She was certain she hadn’t forgotten the scallions, ginger, and garlic, so the taste must be inherent to the at itself.
While washing the dishes, Sun i casually asked her two sisters-in-law, "Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, how was the braised pork today?"
Liu Clan chuckled and lavished praise, "Delicious! Especially delicious! Better than what they sell in restaurants!"
Miss Zhao also smiled and said, "Yes, although I’ve never been to a restaurant, what Younger Sister-in-law made is truly delicious."
Sun i asked, puzzled, "Didn’t you notice a gay taste?"
Hearing Sun i’s question, Liu Clan was confused. "Doesn’t all pork taste like this?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)