Miao Chu

Chapter 364 Shameless
Just as Dr. Lin was about to ask her a question, she covered her mouth with a handkerchief, turned her head away, and coughed several times because her throat was itchy. Then she picked up the teacup next to her and drank the last bit of tea in one gulp before saying, "If there's anything you don't understand, just say it. Don't be shy. I love it when patients ask questions. The more questions they ask, the more they're willing to follow the doctor's advice, and the faster they'll likely recover!"

Seeing that the old doctor was coughing quite badly, Shen Xingniang hesitated even more, and only replied, "I've already asked all the questions I needed to!"

After saying that, she quickly added, "I'm much better, but Dr. Lin... you really need to take good care of yourself!"

Dr. Lin chuckled and said, "You're taking your medicine and you're already worrying about me, a doctor! Just take care of yourself, and I'll be thanking God!"

Just then, his apprentice came in with a kettle, knocked on the door, and came forward to refill the water.

Dr. Lin handed his cup to his apprentice and said to Shen Xingniang, "You are already doing very well. As doctors, what we fear most is patients who don't listen to us—they agree to things we don't want to eat or do, but then turn around and don't care about anything anymore."

"Not only ordinary patients, but some people, even those who are medical students, are actually very unrefined. When treating others, they are very knowledgeable and knowledgeable, but when it comes to themselves, they are unwilling to care about this or that, and always act according to their own whims."

“Last time, one of my apprentices got sick and was supposed to avoid cold and raw foods, but she secretly ate half a chilled watermelon—I caught her, and she even had the nerve to say that ‘the watermelon was warmed up before she ate it,’ how could she say that!”

After saying that, Dr. Lin pointed to the cup that had just been placed in front of him and filled up, and said, "Some doctors, when prescribing medicine for themselves, change several key ingredients again and again in order to avoid drinking such bitter medicine, so the efficacy of the medicine is naturally reduced! But I am different. You see, for my lung heat, the medicine prescribed is all appropriate for the symptoms, and I also drink Xiaosan Decoction every day. Although it is bitter and smelly, it makes me recover quickly!"

“I often tell my patients: don’t eat what you shouldn’t eat, don’t drink what you shouldn’t drink, and don’t do what you shouldn’t do. These ‘three don’ts’ are as simple as they can get, but some people still can’t do it! I just don’t understand! You’re a grown man, not a child, so what’s so difficult about it!”

Upon hearing this, the apprentice quickly shrank back, picked up the pot, and walked out.

Dr. Lin then said to her, "Now you know how to run away? I'm talking to you!"

The disciple turned around and smiled, pleading, "Master, I know I was wrong! I will definitely change!"

Dr. Lin said earnestly, "If you, as a doctor, can't set a good example, what will happen if patients see this and follow suit?"

The disciple listened attentively, looking quite ashamed. He made many promises before walking away with his shoulders slumped.

Doctor Lin turned back to Shen Xingniang and said, "Go ahead, take only three doses of the medicine this time. Come back to me after you finish them so I can see if the prescription needs to be changed. I'm going on a long trip the day after tomorrow and won't be back for about half a month."

Shen Xingniang heard that Doctor Lin was teaching her students here. Seeing her medical ethics and professional conduct, and noticing how patient and meticulous she was with her, she already admired her. Since she knew from Xiaolian that Doctor Lin's so-called "going on a long journey" meant going to the countryside to treat the elderly, especially old women, she felt even more respect for her.

She readily agreed, then took out the bundle again, saying with great regret, "Today I went to Suanzao Lane, and Miss Song said she made a new dish called 'Matong,' as well as some orchid strips, pine flower candy, and rice candy. They're not available for sale yet, so I thought I'd bring it over for you to try first. Who knew you'd fall ill!"

Upon hearing that it was Miss Song from Suanzao Lane who had prepared the food, Dr. Lin quickly put the medicine he had just poured back onto the table.

She sat up straight in an instant, her eyes fixed on the food box.

"What 'Ma Tong'?"

Shen Xingniang untied the bundle and opened the food box inside to show Doctor Lin.

"This is it. I heard from Miss Song that it's quite complicated to make! It smells so good! It's a pity that it's fried, and it has sugar inside, and all those sesame seeds on the outside are roasted. It's really heaty..."

Sitting wasn't very convenient, so Dr. Lin immediately stood up and leaned forward to take a look.

The food box had two layers. Ignoring the fact that one layer contained orchid strips, pine pollen candy, rice candy, and other similar items, the other layer was filled to the brim with short, round, and plump stick-shaped snacks, about half a palm's length long.

This food doesn't look particularly appealing to the eye, but it's tightly and evenly coated with one or two layers of sesame seeds.

What kind of food is this?
What's it like inside?
What will it taste like?
The outer layer of sesame seeds on this food has been roasted until it turns from white to yellow, giving it a strong sesame oil aroma. It also has the unique fragrance of fried glutinous rice products, along with the sweet aroma of maltose.

Through the yellow sesame seeds, you can see the plump, golden-yellow dough inside, a beautiful yellow color—it must smell so good when fried to this color!

Dr. Lin's legs suddenly gave way, and his hands became uncontrollable, eager to reach into the food box—no matter what was inside, he had good teeth and wouldn't be afraid of anything, even if it was hard!

But before she could reach the food box, Shen Xingniang, who was opposite her, had noticed and closed the lid.

Not only that, Shen Xingniang raised the bundle slightly higher, gestured, and said, "Shall I take it out and distribute it to the junior doctors outside?"

Dr. Lin cleared his throat, but stopped her. He then stepped forward, took the bundle, and casually placed it on the table beside him.

"Go get the medicine first, and I'll have someone come in and distribute it in a bit."

Shen Xingniang didn't think much of it—who would make wild guesses about such a skilled and ethical old doctor?

She responded and quickly left with the prescription.

But she hadn't gone far when she encountered the apprentice who had served tea to Doctor Lin earlier, carrying a teapot, walking out of a room with another, slightly older apprentice.

Having visited Tianyuantang many times, Shen Xingniang had become familiar with many of the patients and could even recognize their names.

She immediately greeted the person and kindly said, "I just brought some food and put it in Dr. Lin's room—it's all fragrant treats like orchid strips and rice candy, and there's also something called 'Matong,' which was specially made by Miss Song from Suanzao Lane. She specifically told me that it's best to eat it right away, as it won't be as fragrant overnight."

"I was going to offer to you myself, but Dr. Lin said she'd have someone get it later—whoever is free, please hurry! Dr. Lin is so busy with so many patients, she might forget!"

Shen Xingniang was worried that Doctor Lin was too busy and had forgotten about the hemp soup that Song Miao had worked so hard to make. Little did she know that as soon as she left, the people in the room immediately returned to the table, glanced outside, and seeing that no one was there, quickly reopened the bundle and food box.

Without the slightest hesitation, Dr. Lin took out a round, plump hemp seed.

She had just taken the herbal decoction and was looking for something to cleanse her mouth, but when she saw the hemp seed and smelled its aroma, her mouth felt bitter and foul, and she couldn't wait a moment longer. Doctor Lin reached for the hemp seed with one hand and held the other hand underneath to catch the sesame seeds.

When she first held the sesame seed in her hand, she felt it was light and a little strange. After taking the first bite, she felt even more uneasy.

The teeth were initially handled with care—after all, they were old and afraid of hurting themselves, which were difficult to maintain—but upon encountering that numb spot, they realized that all their caution was unnecessary.

With a "sizzle," the tooth pierced directly through the outer shell—a very crunchy shell, not the kind of crunchy feeling, but a weak, brittle one.

It is indeed brittle, but if your teeth only make a bluffing attempt to touch it, it will immediately shatter on its own.

Its outer shell is extremely thin, almost like paper. It is the sesame seeds that add a little thickness. After it breaks, the roasted sesame seeds, which are tightly held by the maltose syrup, begin to fall out. Some of them are caught in the mouth, and the rest are too big to be caught in one hand. This makes the mouth full of the aroma of sesame seeds and the light sweetness of maltose.

One of the most difficult aspects of making Ma Tong is coating it with syrup.

If the syrup is too thin, it will seep into the dough and won't stick the sesame seeds properly. If it's too thick, it will coat the dough too thickly and make it too sweet. When you bite into it, it won't be as crisp and crunchy as you expect. It will stick to your teeth and the sesame seeds will clump together, making it impossible to achieve an even texture.

The amount of maltose on this sesame cake is just right—thin yet thick enough, blending perfectly with the biscuit base. It carries the aroma of glutinous rice, with a hint of caramelized fragrance, like the slightly scorched smell of the skin and flesh of a roasted taro. The sweetness is also a caramelized sweetness, not cloying at all.

At this moment, the teeth suddenly became trapped in the vast army in the middle of the matong—unfortunately, both the army and the horses were made of paper.

Inside are incredibly fluffy, light, and melt-in-your-mouth "snowflakes," but those snowflakes also resemble a pure white honeycomb, without any regularity, only countless tiny, dense, yet extremely loose air pockets.

Once inside your mouth, the sweet-smelling snowflakes will collapse and melt with a "sizzling" sound, leaving no residue and only a hint of sweetness on your tongue.

Just like melting spring snow, it seeps into the earth as if it had never been there.

So this is Matong...

So fluffy and crispy, the dough and maltose have a delicate sweetness, and the sesame seeds are rich and fragrant. It's very chewy, doesn't stick to your teeth or mouth, and only leaves a lingering fragrance.

Although there's a core in the middle, it's practically hollow...

It's really delicious.

It's incredibly flaky and melts in your mouth.

This snack is called "Ma Tong". It has such an interesting texture that once you eat one, you don't even notice it. So, what's the difference between eating it and not eating it at all?

Dr. Lin reached out and took out another one.

She thought to herself: I ate too fast just now, without paying attention or being prepared—this time, let me savor it carefully!
She had just put the snowflake into her mouth, and was about to savor the fun of the snowflake turning into snow powder and then disappearing, when she heard footsteps outside. Turning her head, she bumped right into her two disciples.

Dr. Lin was still holding half a piece of hemp seed in one hand and chewing sesame seeds in his mouth when he hurriedly swallowed it.

At the doorway, the apprentice who had just poured her tea stood there, her expression complicated. She couldn't help but say, "Master—Miss Song said this fried dough stick is deep-fried! You have lung heat!! What if the patient sees it and imitates it?!"

Dr. Lin was about to put the hemp seed away when he heard this. He coughed, cleared his throat twice, and quickly pointed to the digestive medicine on the table, saying, "I'll drink the medicine. There's so much medicine here! It will help balance things out—I'm in good health, I know my own body. How can I be the same as an ordinary patient? I'm a doctor! I'll just have a couple of sips, it's nothing!"

The other apprentice, who was older and always in charge, shook his head in disapproval and asked, "Song Ji is always there, and Miss Song isn't going anywhere—Master, can't you eat it after you're better?"

Dr. Lin hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't help but say, "Aren't we going on a medical mission in a few days? This stuff is being delivered right to our doorsteps, and I'm just going to watch you all eat it, and then wait half a month until we get back, and then be the last one to eat it myself?"

No matter how Dr. Lin tried to justify herself, her two apprentices confiscated the large food box, along with the countless pieces of sesame seeds, orchid strips, and various kinds of sugar cakes inside. They also gave her a freshly brewed pot of her own medicinal drink.

“Master, not eating what you shouldn’t eat, not drinking what you shouldn’t drink, and not doing what you shouldn’t do—these ‘three don’ts’ are as simple as they can be—you must set an example for us!”

Doctor Lin sighed and helplessly drank his medicine. Even his cough was weak and feeble. In the Imperial Academy, Master Cao was also sighing.

It turned out that after Master Chen finished telling him about a few student matters that day, he asked, "Has your nephew submitted his memorial yet? Why hasn't there been any news for so many days?"

Without him even asking, Master Cao had already inquired about this many times. Upon hearing this, he sighed and said, "It's been sent, but they said it will be kept in reserve and not issued!"

Upon hearing this, Master Chen, though somewhat expecting it, was still a little anxious. He frowned and asked, "Why are you holding back the message again?"

He then asked, "Is Xiaofu up to the task? If not, you should quickly tell Miss Song not to leave him hanging here!"

Master Cao's expression was rather unpleasant. He said, "I assured her that Xiao Fu was very reliable and that this matter was not difficult and would be resolved quickly. Now, many days have passed. Fortunately, the young lady has been busy with the monthly exams these past few days and hasn't come over for lunch yet. Otherwise, I really wouldn't even have the face to see her!"

He added, "I'll send someone to urge them again in a bit!"

Upon hearing the other person say that they would urge him, Master Chen curled his lip and said, "What's the use of urging him? As long as it involves Prince Lu, it will never end well, no matter how many times. If I were the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, I would risk being demoted for three years to make a big fuss about this. If things keep happening again and again, won't His Majesty get annoyed?"

"Why are you so hesitant and timid, what kind of censor are you!"

As he spoke, he took a food box from the side and placed it in front of Master Cao.

"This was brought to you by Miss Song—if I were you, I'd be too embarrassed to eat it!"

(End of this chapter)