Chapter 557: Chapter 196 Lady Yun_2
He sighed, his expression somewhat worried.
Upon hearing the words "great epidemic," Lu Tong’s eyes flickered slightly.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the courtyard grew heavy.
Seeing this, Du Changqing cleared his throat, stood up, and said, "Why speak of such unhappy matters at a good banquet? Today we gather here to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Renxin Medical Hall—"
"If my old man knew about this from the afterlife, he would be comforted. After all, even if he himself were here, he might not have made it to forty-nine."
His interjection helped to dissipate some of the gloom that had just been present.
The host picked up the wine jar on the table, "I’ve bought sweet wine; before we eat, let’s all raise a glass."
Just as he was about to remove the cork, Ji Xun, who had been mostly silent until now, suddenly spoke up, "Drinking alcohol is harmful to one’s health; I have brought Green Bamboo Dew with me today, which we can use instead."
Clutching the wine jar, Du Changqing exclaimed, "Ah," looking somewhat perplexedly towards Ji Xun.
Isn’t it normal to drink at a celebration? Yet this person insists that drinking alcohol is harmful to one’s health.
That’s quite the mood killer.
No wonder there are rumors outside that he doesn’t like to socialize.
Probably because people don’t like socializing with him either.
With no one speaking up, Lin Danqing naturally picked up the conversation and said with a smile, "Green Bamboo Dew... such a beautiful name!"
"Doctor Ji is an Imperial Physician, and on ordinary days, only the nobility inside the Palace are privileged to have him personally prescribe and prepare medicine. The ’Immortal Jade Skin Ointment’ he made before is now something many outside can’t buy even if they wanted to. Since Green Bamboo Dew is specially prepared by Doctor Ji, it must be extraordinary. Just having the opportunity to taste it today means we’re in luck, right?"
Yin Zheng also hurriedly smoothed things over, "That’s right, that’s right, I hear that the herbs from the Imperial Apothecary are entirely different from the ordinary ones. If this medicine were sold outside, it might fetch a hundred and eighty taels. Today, we are fortunate to be under the local host and Doctor Ji’s grace, allowing us to experience such a fine product!"
On the table, that beautiful glazed pot was engraved with intricate patterns, and inside it contained a liquid, green and serene, swaying in the pot like a pool of green jade, with the wooden stopper already open, emitting a faint bitter aroma that indeed was refreshing and capable of alleviating the summer heat.
Du Changqing’s gaze flickered.
Frankly, he did not want to drink this concoction. Who drinks medicine instead of alcohol at a celebration?
That’s just too inauspicious!
However...
The herbs from the Imperial Apothecary are precious, and what Lin Danqing said made sense; this product would be priceless on the outside market.
It’s worth a try.
Having made up his mind, Du Changqing set down the sweet wine he was holding and instead picked up the pot Ji Xun had brought, saying with a smile, "Absolutely, since it is specially brewed by Doctor Ji, it would be rude not to try it."
"Come, come, come—"
He said, "Raise your wine bowls, everyone, the finest nectar and ambrosia of the Imperial City is coming our way!"
He was exaggerating his praise, causing Ji Xun, unaccustomed to such fanfare, to flash a look of discomfort.
The attendant Zhu Ling looked despondent.
Du Changqing, oblivious to the undercurrents, was determined to play the perfect host, diligently filling a bowl for everyone with the contents of the pot.
A bowl was set before Lu Tong as well.
She looked down at the bowl in front of her.
Ji Xun’s "Green Bamboo Dew," true to its name, had a lush green color, akin to that of young bamboo. Poured out, its fragrance was much stronger than when contained within the pot, exuding a bitter herbal scent that even allowed the identification of several ingredients.
Lu Tong frowned involuntarily.
She really disliked drinking medicine.
Compared to that, she would much rather have the peach wine Yin Zheng had brought back, which after being chilled in an ice bucket, was both sweet and cool.
"Cough cough—"
At that moment, Du Changqing had picked up his bowl and returned to his seat to stand.
He said, "Thank you all for gracing our medical hall with your presence today, the young elites of the Imperial City, who make our West Street shine brighter."
"Without further ado," Du Changqing raised his bowl, "as the shopkeeper, I shall drink first as a gesture of respect!"
With a tilt of his head, he drank with gusto.
Zhu Ling began to speak, then stopped, "Ah..."
"Cough cough cough—"
No sooner had his words ended than Du Changqing began to cough violently, clutching his throat.
Ji Xun, holding his bowl, hesitated, "The medicine might be a bit bitter..."
Zhu Ling covered his face.
The medicine that his young master made was indeed bitterly heart-wrenching. Every year on Old Master Ji’s birthday, Ji Xun would present a pot of his self-made medicine, and every time the Ji Family would grimace as they swallowed it.
It was truly bitter!
Nobody knew where the young master found such extraordinarily bitter herbs.
Picturing Shopkeeper Du drinking it all in one go, one could guess how it must taste.
Du Changqing’s face turned bright red, a bowl of bitter liquid in his mouth that he couldn’t spit out, as it was handcrafted by the Imperial Physician. So, he had to swallow with difficulty, and only after downing the last drop did he scrunch his face, still trying to squeeze out a composed smile.