Uncle Li asked about other herbs, most of them common and frequently used.
Cheng You could answer them one by one, but she was purely reciting, with no personal insights or experiences with these things.
Uncle Li glanced back at her, and Cheng You was oblivious.
She held a stick in her hand, idly swatting at the grass beside her. Her small mouth moved, her expression very serious, like a student called upon by a teacher to answer a question.
Uncle Li shook his head with a smile and strode ahead.
If he took this young girl as a disciple, it might not be so bad.
Cheng You's stamina was lacking. She ran all over the mountains with him and soon was covered in sweat.
Uncle Li was not very pleased about this.
But he soon discovered that Cheng You not only knew the Hundred Herbs Compendium by heart but also recognized the properties of many medicinal herbs.
Basically, as soon as he picked one up, Cheng You could name it.
This alone was already quite remarkable.
However, he would not make a decision easily. Whether to take her as a disciple or not, he needed to observe more.
Although Cheng You was tired, she felt very satisfied.
Compared to harvesting rice in the fields, this was already considered easy.
Not only could she earn work points, but she could also have a meal here in the evening and receive a monthly salary of five yuan.
Who wouldn't envy her for such a job?
When Uncle Li had gathered enough herbs, he looked back at Cheng You. She hadn't complained about being tired at all.
He thought, this girl looks delicate, but she surprisingly has quite a bit of perseverance.
"I often come to those few places. Remember them. Sometimes when I'm busy, you'll have to come alone. I come here often, which at least ensures safety."
Cheng You nodded. "Uncle, I've remembered."
"Alright then, let's head down the mountain."
Unknowingly, it was almost noon.
Cheng You carried the basket on her back, following Uncle Li. Along the way, they met many people, all of whom eyed her.
Everyone thought in unison, had Cheng You stumbled upon good fortune? She had caught Uncle Li's eye.
Wouldn't this mean she would soar to success in the future?
When they arrived home, Uncle Li brought out two cups of sweetened water.
"Are you going home for lunch or eating here?"
Cheng You chuckled. "Can I eat here?"
If she could, she would definitely prefer to eat here.
She didn't want to go back and face those people; there wasn't a single one she liked.
Uncle Li glanced at her. "Then hurry up and make lunch, are you waiting for me to cook it for you?"
"Okay!"
Cheng You smiled brightly and turned into the kitchen.
Upon closer inspection, there was a piece of meat in the kitchen, weighing about two catties.
However, the meat was too fatty. Although everyone liked fatty meat, thinking it had more oil, Cheng You disliked it. She only liked lean meat.
After thinking for a moment, she took out flour and started making dough.
She first rendered the fat from the fatty meat, frying it until it was crispy and fragrant, filling the air with its aroma.
Then, she chopped the crispy pork cracklings and mixed them with some cabbage to make a dumpling filling.
Today's lunch would be dumplings!
Uncle Li let her busy herself inside. At first, he could bear it, but the smell of rendering pork fat was too tempting. He couldn't help but stand up and pace back and forth several times.
He couldn't bring himself to go in, feeling too embarrassed.
If that girl found out he was greedy, wouldn't she laugh at him?
After enduring for a long time, he finally heard Old Mrs. Li ask, "What are you making? It smells so good."
Uncle Li stretched his neck to look into the kitchen. "I don't know, Cheng You is busy in there."
After a while, he heard Cheng You call out, "They're ready!"
Immediately after, a puff of steam emerged, and Cheng You carried out the dumplings.
"Uncle Li, quickly, catch!"
Uncle Li took the steamed dumplings from her hand. Seeing her go back in, he asked, "Are there more?"
"I made two kinds, there's also a bowl of boiled soup dumplings."
The soup dumplings were in a clear broth with a few small green vegetables, looking very appetizing.
"Grandma, let's come out and eat dumplings."
Cheng You got shoes for her and helped her walk out.
Normally, Old Mrs. Li always kept her blind cane within reach, otherwise, she felt insecure.
This was the first time Uncle Li saw her willing to be helped out by someone else.
"Grandma, have some soup to wet your throat first. It's not hot."
After Old Mrs. Li drank some soup, Cheng You picked up a dumpling.
"Cabbage and pork crackling filling, not greasy. Grandma, please try."
After Old Mrs. Li ate, Uncle Li cleared his throat with a stern face and glanced at his bowl.
Cheng You understood and smiled fawningly, placing two dumplings on his plate.
"Uncle, please try."
Uncle Li took a bite. The flavor was mixed with the rich aroma of pork cracklings, and the cabbage balanced it, preventing it from being too greasy.
He ate several in a row, unable to stop.
"It would be great if we had some dipping sauce."
In winter, with some chili sauce, it would warm the whole body.
That would be truly satisfying.
Cheng You swallowed the dumpling in her mouth, inspired by his words.
"Uncle, next time I'll make a bottle of chili sauce and leave it at your place. My mom made it before, it was delicious!"
Old Mrs. Li nodded. "I've tried it, your mother's is indeed very good."
"What do you need? I'll exchange for it next time," Uncle Li asked.
Cheng You chuckled. "Other things are fine, but it uses a lot of oil."
Uncle Li said nothing. "Next time I'll have someone exchange for another piece of fatty meat, and you can render the oil."
"Uncle, there are plenty of dumplings, eat more."
Uncle Li waved his hand. "No, no, I'm full. Mom, you can't eat too much either, or you'll get indigestion."
Old Mrs. Li, who was about to take two more, immediately withdrew her hand.
Unfilial son!
Just as Cheng You was about to put away the remaining dumplings, the door was pushed open.
Qi Chengyan walked in, carrying two pigeons in his hand.
At that very moment, Cheng You saw the small pool of condensed dew in her mind show a "+" symbol.
Although it still looked like a small amount, for some reason, she knew that the condensed dew inside had increased.
Her moment of distraction made Qi Chengyan somewhat uncomfortable.
She had been staring for too long.
"Cheng You, go get a pair of chopsticks, let Chengyan have some dumplings."
Cheng You snapped back to attention and quickly went into the kitchen to get chopsticks.
When she came out with the chopsticks, she saw Qi Chengyan had already sat down.
Despite the fairly large table, under the influence of his long legs and arms, it appeared somewhat crowded.
"Young Educated Youth Qi, there are quite a lot of dumplings, please eat as much as you like."
Qi Chengyan had just finished his work and gone to the mountains to catch these two pigeons.
He brought them here as a treatment fee for Uncle Li.
He never took favors, but he ate dumpling after dumpling, unable to stop.
Without realizing it, he had eaten until he was full, just like Uncle Li.
The dumpling filling had less meat and more vegetables, but Cheng You had also added lard, making it very oily.
Qi Chengyan's expression was calm, but he felt a bit embarrassed, wondering if he had eaten too much.
Otherwise, why was Cheng You staring at him, dumbfounded?
"Young Educated Youth Qi, are you full? I also pan-fried some pancakes inside."
These were originally for Old Mrs. Li to eat in the afternoon.