Chapter 423: Skillfully Making Medicinal Meal Dimsum
Bai Ruozhu quickly bowed to him, respectfully saying, "Greetings to Young Master Meng."
Meng Hanhong looked at her with interest, then turned his head to Old Madame Meng and said, "Granny, didn’t you just praise her for the adorable baby in her arms? In my view, she might even be younger than me. How can she possibly be a divine doctor?"
At his words, Bai Ruozhu let out a sigh of relief, but soon tension gripped her again, as if she had learned something she shouldn’t have.
This young master of the Meng family resembled Jiang Yichun’s senior disciple, but upon closer inspection, she realized they were not one and the same. Firstly, their voices were different; although, voices can be changed, so it wasn’t a definitive judgment. Secondly, his eyes were slightly rounder than the senior disciple’s. When not smiling, they looked remarkably similar, but when he smiled, the difference became stark; Young Master Meng’s eyes didn’t curve like crescent moons the way the senior disciple’s did when he laughed.
This wasn’t something he could intentionally control but, overall, the two resembled each other strongly; it was no wonder that people like Bai Ruozhu, who had only met the senior disciple once, could mistake one for the other.
But they wouldn’t look so alike for no reason, would they? Maybe there was some familial relation? Bai Ruozhu felt she needed to keep her composure. She couldn’t slip up; in general, those who knew too much died quickly.
Old Madame Meng smiled, chiding Meng Hanhong and said, "All you know is how to tease your granny. I do love babies in their infancy, but I can still tell if someone is a divine doctor or not; my eyes are perfectly sharp."
Hearing this, Meng Hanhong once again scrutinized Bai Ruozhu, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He asked, "Why don’t you show me? Tell me where I was injured recently and what kind of injury it was."
As soon as he finished speaking, he glared around the room. "No one is to remind her!"
Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched. This young master was probably fifteen or sixteen, possibly even younger than she was. He appeared playful, it was no wonder his mother had no control over him and could only "remind" him.
Old Madame Meng, behaving like a petulant child, said to Bai Ruozhu, "Show him what you’re made of, Bai girl, let’s see if he dare to look down on others!"
Left with no choice, Bai Ruozhu modestly replied, "I’m not particularly adept at diagnosing illnesses through pulse readings, but I’ll give it a try for Young Master Meng."
Having said that, she went over to take Meng Hanhong’s pulse. It didn’t take long for her to release his hand and speak, "Young Master Meng’s left arm meridian seems blocked, likely due to a twist injury. You seem to have also bumped your left leg, but it’s not serious."
Meng Hanhong’s eyes brightened, "You actually guessed it right!"
Old Madame Meng glared at him, sternly saying, "What do you mean guessing? She detected that by herself! If you lost the bet, admit it!"
Watching the playful banter between the elder and the young one, Bai Ruozhu shook her head helplessly. This family was truly wealthy and idle, allowing such capricious behavior.
Bai Ruozhu, noticing the pair engrossed in conversation, suggested excusing herself. Unexpectedly, the old lady insisted she stay for a meal. "If you’re not in a hurry, stay and dine with me. You can also share some health-preserving tips."
Bai Ruozhu wanted to say she was in a hurry, but she also didn’t want to offend the old lady haphazardly. So, she quietly stepped back.
The old lady, eyeing her smugly, then said, "Your brother is Mr. Xie’s outstanding disciple, so you must be fairly close to that Red Sleeve girl. Have you ever learned dim sum from her? If you have, hurry up and make something delicious for your grandmother."
Meng Hanhong’s voice discordantly chimed in, "Granny, aren’t your teeth bad? Can you eat sweets? It’s exactly because you eat too many sweets at such an old age that you don’t take care of yourself." After speaking, he sighed helplessly.
At this, the old lady’s face expression became slightly unpleasant. She defended herself stubbornly, "There are also unsweetened dim sums, I never said that I want to eat something particularly sweet."
Seeing the two continue to bicker, Bai Ruozhu, embarrassed by the conversation, spoke, "I can make a few medicinal dim sums. However, I’m not sure if they will suit the old lady’s taste. Let me try making them in the kitchen."
The old lady’s eyes lit up, "Good, good, ask Nurse Lu to arrange a spot for you in the small kitchen."
Bai Ruozhu followed Nurse Lu to the small kitchen. Nurse Lu offered to help hold Dengdeng, but Bai Ruozhu was afraid if she held him for too long she would get tired. So she suggested putting him in a chair by himself to play.
Nurse Lu was surprised and said, "How is that possible? Won’t he cry? When Young Master was a baby, he couldn’t be left alone for even a moment."
Bai Ruozhu chuckled to herself upon hearing that. This was what was meant by "the poor man’s child is destined to be independent early". Wealthy families always have hands to spare to hold their children, which naturally makes them unable to be left alone.
"We’re always busy at home on a typical day. He’s used to it," said Bai Ruozhu simply with a smile.
She put Dengdeng in a large chair, using objects to block the sides to keep him from falling, and because she was always nearby, she wasn’t afraid he would tumble down.
Nurse Lu watched from the side with nervous eyes, alert and unwavering.
Bai Ruozhu busied herself with her work, guessing in her heart that Nurse Lu had probably never taken care of children herself. Otherwise, the child of a servant would not have been pampered like a young master.
Nurse Lu, bored from standing idle, started to chat with Bai Ruozhu, mainly asking about Bai Ruozhu’s family in Anyuan Town. When Nurse Lu heard that Bai Ruozhu’s family sold snacks, she was a little surprised and asked, "With your excellent medical skills, why bother with such hard work? Why not charge consultation fees for treating people?"
Bai Ruozhu chuckled, "I’m not really a qualified doctor. I treat people based on fate. Don’t laugh, Nurse Lu, but my medical skills were not taught to me by anyone. I had a dream in which an immortal fairy tapped my head, and thereafter I naturally found myself possessing these medical skills for a few years. But who would believe such a story? Instead of making an effort to convince people, it’s easier to let things be."
Nurse Lu listened with utter astonishment, sizing Bai Ruozhu up and down, she said, "I knew there was some spiritual energy about you. So, you have been guided by an immortal. It seems our old lady really has a destiny with you."
Bai Ruozhu just smiled and continued making dim sum. The conversation between them flicked back and forth, and in no time Bai Ruozhu had prepared two kinds of dim sum.
As soon as the dim sum was ready, a faint medicinal fragrance filled the air. It was devoid of the typical medicinal bitterness, and although its sweet aroma didn’t attract people as much as traditional dim sum, it also didn’t have the cloying richness that could easily make people sick of it.
"This dim sum has a really unique flavor," said Nurse Lu, her eyes lighting up with genuine praise.
Bai Ruozhu smiled, picked up several pieces of dim sum onto a small plate and handed it to Nurse Lu, "This is a medicinal cake. I myself am familiar with medicinal principles and I combined the medicinal materials with food ingredients. Not only will it not have any impact on the old lady’s teeth, but it is also beneficial to her current health. Nurse Lu, since I made a large batch, why don’t you taste it first and see if it suits the old lady’s palate."
Nurse Lu knew Bai Ruozhu had noticed her wanting some, and was deeply grateful for her considerate words. She smiled gratefully at Bai Ruozhu and said, "Then I’ll give it a try."
Looking at the elegant pale green plum blossom-shaped cakes on the plate and sniffing the delicate fragrance, Nurse Lu felt her appetite surge before she even took a bite.