Boiling medicine was Yu Jinnian’s expertise, so he was very adept at it.
Because of his fondness for alcohol, he had to significantly shorten the process of soaking the herbs, but this did not matter much. What did matter was the duration and frequency of boiling, and the amount of water used, which were all determined by the nature of the herbs. For example, prescriptions for dispersing wind-cold needed a short boil to prevent excessive evaporation of the medicinal effects, while tonic prescriptions required a long, slow boil to fully extract the ingredients. There were also methods of pre-boiling, post-boiling, wrapping, and melting in the mouth, all related to specific herbs in the prescription, which would not be detailed here.
For Aunt Xu’s medicine, it was about right to boil it twice, each for the time it took to burn one incense stick.
Yu Jinnian lit an incense stick by the stove for timing and took out another clay pot to brew a pot of sobering soup.
There were many types of sobering soup throughout history, some taken before drinking to prevent drunkenness, and others to treat headaches and nausea the next day. The soup he intended to brew today was called “Lady of Wine,” a playful name suggesting that the soup was as gentle and considerate as a wife at home, attentive to warmth and cold. In reality, it was a common sobering tea, suitable for any time, made simply with Kudzu flower and Zhiju seeds.
Zhiju seeds were not commonly used in modern times and were rarely sold in pharmacies, but they were common here. Because of their twisted and odd appearance, they were colloquially known as “leper’s fingers” or “chicken claw fruit,” and more pleasantly as “gold hook pears,” a good remedy for hangovers. Kudzu flower was known for its saying, “a thousand cups of wine will not make one drunk.”
Yu Jinnian took three Zhiju seeds, crushed them, and boiled them together with two Kudzu flowers. Soon, the small kitchen was filled with a strong herbal fragrance.
Outside, the bright moon shone high. A shadow silently passed through the curtain, stopped in the courtyard as if absorbing the essence of the moon and sun, then turned and floated towards the dimly lit kitchen.
Yu Jinnian, having drunk quite a bit, felt warm in the kitchen. Holding a small fan, he started to feel sleepy by the stove. Just as he nodded off, a dark shadow at the kitchen door startled him awake.
Under the starlit night, autumn insects whispered.
The man stood against the doorframe, backlit by the moonlight, with a face as handsome as jade but unusually disheveled. He panted slightly, as if being chased. His previously high-tied hair was now a mess, with the hair crown missing, and his long black hair cascaded over his shoulder, partially covering his face.
Yu Jinnian stared at him in a daze, calling out, “Master Ji?”
The man walked in without responding, sitting on a small stool diagonally behind Yu Jinnian, watching him boil the medicine. This was the stool where Sui Sui had sat that afternoon. The small wooden stool, meant for Sui Sui, was too small for the tall man, making him look cramped and possibly unhappy, with a slightly sullen expression and silent demeanor.
What was wrong with this person? Could it be that he was afraid of the dark in the front hall and had to follow the light and human presence?
Yu Jinnian clutched his fan, feeling uneasy under the intense gaze.
The sobering tea in the clay pot boiled again, and Yu Jinnian quickly removed the lid and stirred it. Seeing that it was almost done, he wrapped the hot pot handle with a cloth and poured out a bowl of the tea.
Ji Hong, watching from behind, frowned even more deeply, almost looking resentful.
Both Kudzu flower and Zhiju seeds were sweet, so despite its tea-brown color, the soup was not bitter. Seeing Ji Hong’s expression of deep aversion, Yu Jinnian, unwilling to argue with a drunk, brought out a jar of honey from the cupboard, added two spoonfuls, and stirred. Then he fetched some well water from the courtyard to cool the bowl. Because the nature of alcohol was hot and the discomfort of drunkenness was often due to heat and dampness, sobering tea was better taken slightly cool.
Ji Hong hung his head dejectedly, wanting to hide in the shadows and avoid being seen. It wasn’t until the bowl of tea was under his nose that he reluctantly lifted his eyes, staring at the hand holding the bowl.
“Master Ji… Ji Hong?” Yu Jinnian’s arm was getting tired.
Ji Hong, hearing his name, blinked his stiff eyes, looking as if he were enduring great suffering. It was as if Yu Jinnian were offering him a bowl of mud and rotten shrimp soup. After struggling for a while, he seemed to make a big decision, frowning and asking, “Must I drink it?”
Yu Jinnian nodded. “You must drink it.”
They stared at each other, neither willing to back down. Unfortunately, Yu Jinnian had a thick skin, smiling calmly despite Ji Hong’s icy glare. After a while, Yu Jinnian relented, suggesting, “How about this? I drink a sip, and you drink a sip. If it’s too bitter, you can spit it out.”
Ji Hong thought about it and agreed, feeling it was fair.
Yu Jinnian quickly brought the tea bowl to his lips, then thrust it towards Ji Hong’s face, saying, “It’s your turn.”
Ji Hong frowned. “You didn’t drink.”
Yu Jinnian tried to deceive him. “I did.”
Ji Hong was persistent. “No, you didn’t.” He leaned forward and sniffed near the boy’s mouth, his brow furrowing. His eyes carried a silent accusation, as if to say, “See, I caught you lying,” and he asserted more firmly, “You definitely didn’t drink.”
Yu Jinnian was momentarily distracted by the ticklish breath on his face and the faint scent of incense from Ji Hong. However, Ji Hong’s innocent look, like a child wronged by deceit, left him at a loss. Fearing that Ji Hong might lean in again to smell his mouth, he quickly drank a big gulp of the tea and pushed the bowl towards Ji Hong. Seeing Ji Hong’s still skeptical face, he said with a helpless smile, “I really drank it this time. You can’t possibly check my mouth again, right?”
Ji Hong looked at the shiny liquid on Yu Jinnian’s lips, dissatisfied, but took the bowl. He stared at the medicine soup for a long time before timidly licking the rim with his tongue, tasting the sweetness of honey. Only then did he reluctantly drink it down.
Seeing Ji Hong’s aversion to bitter medicine, Yu Jinnian suddenly had an idea about what to prepare for breakfast the next morning.
Ji Hong sat dazedly, holding the bowl, watching Yu Jinnian pull out a bag of red beans from the cupboard.
These were the common red beans used in rice dishes. The toxic variety, which had caused a misunderstanding in his previous life, was actually another plant, half red and half black, called the “Love Pea,” known for its lethal properties but also used as a rare medicinal ingredient by some ethnic minorities. Thinking of this, Yu Jinnian quickly washed a few pounds of red beans, soaked them in well water, and prepared to make sweet dumplings the next morning.
Making sweet dumplings wasn’t difficult; it simply involved wrapping sugar in dumpling skins and frying them until golden. But Yu Jinnian planned to make a filling of red bean paste with brown sugar and dried tangerine peel, both sweet and digestive. He intended to mix two or three eggs into the dough, rolling it thin to make the dumplings crispier and more delicious when fried.
Just as he finished planning, the second timing incense stick on the stove burned out, and the pot of medicine on the stove began to boil. The lid clattered as the steam pushed against it—Aunt Xu’s medicine was ready. He extinguished the fire, strained a bowl of the medicine, and brought it to her.
Before leaving, Yu Jinnian glanced at the man on the small stool, seeing him nodding off. Still uneasy, he said, “The stove is hot, don’t move around, I’ll be back to take you home.”
Unexpectedly, his departure took longer than expected. Aunt Xu, feeling thirsty and not wanting to trouble Yu Jinnian late at night, drank some cold tea, which aggravated her chronic stomach pain. When Yu Jinnian entered, he found her sweating in pain.
He quickly wiped her sweat, helped her lie down, massaged her acupoints to relieve pain, chatted to distract her, and only when she felt better and could smile did he ask her to drink her medicine. He watched her drift off to sleep before quietly leaving.
Yu Jinnian sighed, feeling a twinge of sadness, wondering how many days she had left.
After half the night, Yu Jinnian, exhausted, suddenly remembered he had left someone behind. He rushed to the kitchen, finding Ji Hong still sitting on the small stool, an empty bowl on his lap, his head resting on the cupboard, sound asleep. Yu Jinnian marveled at his obedience.
“Ah, well, it’s like meeting over a pot of dirty wine,” he thought.
Bending down, Yu Jinnian struggled to lift Ji Hong, carrying him to his room. He removed Ji Hong’s boots and outer garments, loosened his inner clothes, and covered him with a quilt, though not too much to avoid trapping the alcohol. After this care, he felt like a doting wife.
“You really are careless, sleeping in someone else’s house like this. You’ll end up being sold,” Yu Jinnian muttered, feeling the fine, soft clothes Ji Hong had worn. If he were greedy, he’d strip him, pawn his clothes, and sell him to the Flower Pavilion.
The Flower Pavilion was the most popular establishment in Xinan County, where male beauty was a fashionable indulgence among the nobles of Da Xia. Stories of “certain people” gaining fame at Qingluan Platform had only fueled the curiosity of these aristocrats. Ji Hong’s “immortal” demeanor made him highly desirable.
These were stories he had overheard from a servant boy at the Flower Pavilion buying pastries.
Of course, Yu Jinnian had no intention of selling Ji Hong.
“Sigh, it proves I’m the kind-hearted one,” Yu Jinnian muttered narcissistically, laying out a blanket on the floor beside the bed for his own sleeping spot.
Just as he closed his eyes, about to fall asleep, he heard murmuring above. Thinking Ji Hong wanted water, Yu Jinnian got up, knowing drunk people often needed water to avoid a parched night. He poured a cup of warm water, lifted Ji Hong onto his shoulder, and gently fed him.
Despite his drunkenness, Ji Hong obediently opened his mouth when told, making the task easy. Moonlight filtered through the window, highlighting Ji Hong’s exposed neck and collarbone, a soft glow indicating the alcohol was wearing off.
Yu Jinnian set down the cup, ready to return to his blanket, when Ji Hong suddenly grabbed his hand and shouted anxiously, “Second Brother!”
