To say that the most anticipated thing about this business trip was altis.
In the past when they went on business trips, they often went up the mountain to hunt so ga, pick so wild vegetables and cook them to eat. That taste - if they hadn't been eating dry rations all the ti and their bodies couldn't take it - they would rather die than eat that stuff.
This business trip, Gong Xiaohua gave them a surprise again.
They rembered the first ti they camped outdoors, Gong Xiaohua took out the wind-dried braised beef she brought from ho from her luggage, and the scent that diffused made them unable swallow the dry rations in their hands.
So they vied to ask Gong Xiaohua for a little, and when they took their first bite, they were amazed.
The result was that the two catties of braised beef Gong Xiaohua brought was eaten up by them over the course of one night amidst coaxing and trickery.
What was even more outrageous was that when they learned that this braised beef was made by Gong Xiaohua, from then on not only did she have to serve as their bodyguard, she also had to serve as the soul of the team: the cook.
Of course, the rest of the chores in the team were handed over to others to take care of.
So all along the way, as soon as altis ca around, they were keen to make do with whatever was available locally.
Thus all kinds of “mountain delicacies and wild foods” were cooked by her in various ways like stir-frying, braising, stewing, roasting, frying, going through a whole range, and also thoroughly conquered their stomachs.
Even Lord Li, when making the al pot each day, had to ask in advance, what’s for dinner today?
“Xiaohua my dear, what delicious things have you prepared for tonight?”
“Well, Leader Yu and the others caught two rabbits up the mountain just now, and picked so mushrooms too. I’m planning to roast rabbit with cumin, plus a pot of mushrooms in hot and sour soup.”
Lord Li watched as Gong Xiaohua took out various porcelain jars of seasonings from her luggage, and marveled to himself that in all his many years of life, this was the first ti he had seen such a wide variety of seasonings.
“Yet another two new delicacies, Xiaohua my dear, you tell not only are your painting skills first-rate, but your martial arts can also defeat Daye’s number one expert, Leader Lang, and now even your cooking skills are so outstanding. Tell , what other skills do you have that this old lord does not know about?”
“Oh, I also know so basic dicine.”
“What did you say? You know what?” Lord Li was so surprised by her words that the water he had just sipped into his mouth sprayed out.
“I said I also know a little dicine.”
“A little dicine? For instance?”
“Mm, for instance, I’m good at so external injuries. For other internal dicine issues, I know a little about colds and flu, and won’s conditions.”
“You call that knowing a little dicine?”
“You can’t be tricking this old lord!”
“No.”
“Then tell , up until now, how many patients have you cured?”
“Mm, so far I haven’t cured any patients.”
Lord Li almost sprayed out a mouthful of old blood. So after chatting with her for so long, she had been misleading this old lord the whole ti!
“Cough! Xiaohua my dear, young one, don’t get complacent just because you’re talented in a few areas. You still need to stay grounded!”
Xiao Fu, the catching clerk who was Gong Xiaohua’s brainless fan and also Gong Xiaohua’s subordinate disciple, was helping to make the fire. Hearing Lord Li doubt his master, he couldn’t help but defend Gong Xiaohua, although he had never seen his master cure anyone either.
“My lord, don’t look down on my master. She’s very smart. I’ve seen with my own eyes my master read a book through once and rember everything. For her, learning things is easy as pie.”
"Since when have you been her disciple? She looks younger than you?”
“My lord, you can’t say that. Whoever has greater mastery can be master. In the entire Punishnts Departnt, who isn’t in awe and admiration of my master’s martial prowess? Let alone her learning ability, that goes without saying, outstanding to the max.”
“What’s more, I’ll tell you, my master learned dicine all on her own. For her to be able to read through a whole dical book and rember everything is nothing.”
“Little master, you’re exaggerating more and more, don’t mislead the lord.” Gong Xiaohua stopped Xiao Fu.
Her dical knowledge was completely learned in modern tis, not from reading dical books after coming here.
The dical standards here were far more backwards compared to modern tis.
According to records in modern history, the height of traditional Chinese dicine was during the Tang and Song dynasties, whereas the Daye Kingdom was one of the countries ford after the fall of the Qin dynasty, nearly a thousand years away from the Tang and Song eras. It can be seen how extrely low the dical standards were in Daye at that ti.
In this era, when most commoners saw a doctor, their first choice was a witch doctor rather than a traditional Chinese dicine practitioner.
“Xiaohua, is it true what your disciple says, that you read books like photographic mory, and self-taught dicine?”
“Mm, it’s like that.”
Lord Li was very curious what Xiaohua’s brain was like, to be able to hold so much information all at once. At the sa ti, he couldn’t help but sigh in amazent. The Qin Family had really struck gold when they found her.
Most people were shortsighted, thinking that when marrying a wife her family background should co first. Little did they know that one should marry a virtuous wife instead.
Soone like Gong Xiaohua, although her family circumstances were average, she possessed so much talent. If that talent could be passed down through the generations, how could her clan not prosper?
Yet Minister Qin still objected to the Qin Family Boy marrying Xiaohua. Humph! The older one gets, the more muddled one’s thinking becos, totally losing the open-mindedness of younger days.
“Xiaohua, why don’t you break off the engagent with that Qin boy and consider my son instead, what do you think?”
“Although he’s not as good looking as Qin Wu, but he does have a sweet mouth and knows how to coax won well, unlike that Qin boy who’s always cold-faced without a word to say half the ti. Tell , if you married him in future, it would be like facing a block of wood everyday. What enjoynt would there still be in life?”
"Lord, or why don't you go before the Grand King to help break off the engagent? "
Lord Li considered it back and forth, but still it was no good. That sinister Qin Wu, offending him would be no good for his own son.
“Nevermind, that Qin boy is too cunning, better not to provoke him.”
Suddenly a burst of irresistible fragrance wafted over from the air, coaxing everyone's glutton worms out from their stomachs.
Soone couldn't hold themselves back anymore and ca over to ask: “Xiaohua, when can we eat?”
“Yes! Master, this slls too good I can’t concentrate on work anymore.”
Just then, Yu Wei walked over and asked: “Xiaohua, what did you sprinkle on the rabbit, why does it sll so delicious?”
Gong Xiaohua passed the porcelain bottle in her hand to Yu Wei and said: “Oh, this is so seasoning I prepared at ho, specially for roasting at. Here leader Yu, have a sll.”
He took the bottle from Gong Xiaohua’s hand, brought it to his nose for a sniff. The scent was the sa as what was emanating from the roasting at, only lighter.
“Xiaohua, this seasoning of yours is perfect. When we finish up work and go back, you have to prepare this kind of seasoning for us brothers. When we’re out working, eating simple als outdoors, the food is hard to swallow down. Every ti we co back from a business trip it’s like our skin has been peeled off.”
“Alright. I’ll prepare a portion for each of you when the ti cos, I’ll also teach you the recipe. Anyti you want to eat it you can mix your own.”
“Ahem, don’t forget about this old lord too, Xiaohua my dear.”
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare to forget you, my lord.”
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