What the hell is going on now! It was already dark. Yet within Sanyulou of Chu’nan City, the scent of medicine lingered in curling wisps, and incense rose in waves. Yu Jinnian sat behind a writing desk in the room, quietly flipping through the record books of the past few months. Beside him, a small… Continue reading NWAFAM 158: Three Delicacies Congee

You were my husband, and I had given myself to you willingly. When Chen Yang and the rest of the Imperial Medical Bureau were preparing to return to the capital, the season had already passed Major Heat. The scorching weather had peaked; lotus flowers blushed at dusk, rotting grass turned to fireflies, and rain would… Continue reading NWAFAM 157: Blue Gate, Green Jade Cup

Heavenly phenomena descended from the sky, intending to alert the world. It was a long summer night, with waves of insect chirps echoing. A bright silver moon hung high over the treetops, and a gentle breeze carried the subtle fragrance of green bamboo. Threads of fine rain, like cotton strands, fell upon people’s shoulders, bringing… Continue reading NWAFAM 156: Red-Braised Raccoon Dog

Alright, they went out. Shall we continue? “Tap, tap……” It was the sound of water droplets falling to the ground, crisp as pearls and jade scattering. Beneath the faint lamplight that shimmered like scattered beans among the stars, only a lone silhouette swayed. A youth lay crookedly on the luohan bed, with a thin little… Continue reading NWAFAM 155: Mung Bean Chilled Cake

Ji Hong was truly angry. A few foreign merchants were released from the prison and then were arranged to stay in an empty residence on Shijin Lane. Each was served a bowl of mixed sauce noodles, accompanied by a pot of aged cellar-stored Chunlai Fragrance, which was quite precious at that time. That Shijin Lane… Continue reading NWAFAM 154: Locust Flower Soup Noodles

It nourished the stomach! In the quiet little courtyard, at that moment, footsteps were chaotic. Duan Ming crouched in the kitchen, boiling a pot of hot water, while Young Master Jiang stared at a purple clay medicine pot. You Qingbai was keeping watch in the room, administering needles to the boy on the bed to… Continue reading NWAFAM 153: Pain-Healing Powder

I would rather have died on the bed than have eaten pigswill!…… It smelled so good The people in the medical hall had been so busy that they did not even have time to take a sip of tea, and the physicians truly suffered. After enduring the twice-daily shift changes and one round of ward… Continue reading NWAFAM 152: Rock Salt

I, Master Ji, trust him, just as I trust myself. Yu Jinnian rode a fast carriage from Sanyu Pavilion into the prefectural yamen. Led by that young eunuch, he strode into the courtyard where the Crown Prince, Yan Sining, had been living——he saw that the door was half open, three or four young eunuchs who… Continue reading NWAFAM 151: Taiyi Surplus Grain

“Hurry and go see our prince!” “—Master! The water in the pot has boiled!” “Hey, all right, let it boil. There’s a jar of honey in the cupboard, please help me take it out!” With a swish, the thoroughly washed mushroom-meat went into the pot. The water boiled for a few moments, until each piece… Continue reading NWAFAM 150: Sauce-Fragrant Five-Grain Coarse Rice

Sanyu Pavilion · Branch Inside the city, two or three neighborhoods away from the government office, there was a Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Although the name sounded a bit common, it had once been a famous refined tavern in Chunan Prefecture. The building had several floors, with nightly music that never ceased and bright lights shining.… Continue reading NWAFAM 149: Plague Water