Chapter 26:

Yuan Xianger came to Yongjitang on the East Street. The unique secret snake oil ointment made by this pharmacy is very effective in treating burns and is well-known far and wide.
Yongjitang used to be the best-reputed drug store in Queqiu Town. The medicines sold in the store have remarkable effects and reasonable prices. The former owner, Dr. Han Rui, is a benevolent doctor. Since the husband and wife opened this pharmacy, they have often rescued the wounded, donated doctors and administer medicines, and helped many people. They are very loved by the neighbors.
Yuan Xianger was often sent here to buy medicinal materials by her master when she was a child. The owner and his wife left her with a good impression.
What is regrettable is that during the early spring floods, Dr. Han went out with his wife and encountered Jiang bandits while crossing the river on a merchant ship. Unfortunately, both were killed on the river.
The poor couple only had an eight- or nine-year-old son at their knees. This prosperous drugstore had to be taken care of by two cousins ​​of Doctor Han. The two brothers were taken over by Doctor Han in the pharmacy, but now they take over the pharmacy in the name of taking care of their nephew. Young Master Han also took turns in fostering at the home of his two uncles, and lived a life under the fence.
At sunset, the heavens and the earth are dim, and everything is hazy, blurring the boundaries of the world.
The shops on both sides of the street lit up lanterns one after another, and there were many customers buying medicine coming in and out of Yongjitang’s doorway.
Now the wife of the new Han Dao treasurer, Jiang Shi, is sitting outside the shop, twirling a veil in the neighborhood where she is familiar with her complaints.
In the early years, Jiang had lived an extremely poor life with her tried-and-tested husband. He was thin and dark, with a miserable look, and very stingy. Even if the husband learned the craft in his cousin's drugstore and became a shopkeeper, life gradually improved. She also began to wrap Lingluo in gold and silver, but she still couldn't get rid of the bitterness engraved in her bones.
"My poor nephew, I don’t know what's wrong with his life. He died of his father and mother just now, and now he has lost his life. He only suffered from his aunt and me. It was delicious for half a year. I bothered to raise him, and spent a lot of money and meters. Who knows that this little unscrupulous person just left like this, but how can I live."
Although she couldn't squeeze her tears, she squeezed her veil and wailed dryly, matching her distressed and sad face, and she looked decent.
After the nephew Han Youzhi lost in Tianlang Mountain a few days ago, Jiang has been complaining in front of this door for a few days. Now everyone knows that her nephew has died. Of course, this shop in Rijin Doujin is also not allowed. They reluctantly inherited it.
The wife of Han Er's shopkeeper, Zhu Shi, is a pungent, short and chubby woman. Leaning on the counter at the moment, talking with melon seeds, "Sister-in-law is a kind-hearted person. Who doesn't know that you treat your nephew better than your own son. He didn't have the life of this blessing, and died at a young age. I am a younger brother and sister. In my heart, it was too uncomfortable to eat for a few days."
As she spoke, she flipped her lips and vomited the peel of the melon seeds, but she couldn't tell that she couldn't eat.
"People can't come back to life after death. There is no other way. I wondered that since my nephew is gone, let's ask a few mages to do something about it and send him on the road safely."
Jiang put down his veil and glared at her, "How much does it cost?"
On the snow-covered street at this moment, Yuan Xianger hesitated looking at the drug store across the street.
The lively gate, bright as a pavement in daylight, and a monster in the state of a fleshy insect crouched on the tile at the door of the medicine shop. There were many pedestrians in the past but they didn't notice it.
"Hey, it's disgusting, what it is, I have never seen it in the mountains." Wu Yuan, who stopped on Yuan Xianger's shoulder, showed an expression of disgust.
"That's du jealousy, a kind of monster that eats grievances, only in the world." Yuan Xianger saw the three-foot-long monster slowly creeping and crawling on the tiles, and she really didn't want to pass under it. . The monster's human face and insect body slowly climbed to the edge of the eaves, and hung the wrinkled face from the roof, almost touching it next to Jiang's head, opening its layered eyelids to look at Jiang's.
But the Jiang clan didn't realize it, still pretending to cry with his wife.
"It is a monster that survives by devouring human jealousy, resentment, hatred and other negative emotions. It breeds around some gloomy and jealous villains." Yuan Xianger explained to Wu Yuan the unique monster in the world.
"As it grows up slowly, even if the family was full of blessings and the golden light of merit, it will gradually disappear. Gradually the femininity gathers, the bad luck grows, and the fortune withers, and the people in their lives will soon have bad luck. The family status is declining. As a result, their resentment and hatred will become more and more in order to feed the silverfish to continue to grow."
Life is impermanent, the dead do not know where their souls go, but the living still stare at some dead things in the world. But I don't know what kind of ghosts will eventually be recruited around.
"Meow, I saw it. This house was originally golden, but now it's almost dissipated by the foul black air of this ugly bug. It's so stinky inside, I don't want to go in."
"Then you wait for me here." Yuan Xianger touched the clean kitten on his shoulder, found a stone pier, swept the snow off it, spread her veil, and put her squeamish apostle on it.
She pinched her nose and passed under the monster's body patiently, went into the drug store, and bought the ointment.
When stepping out of the drugstore and crossing the threshold, the grieving beast poked its head out of the eaves and glanced at her with dark red eyes. Yuan Xianger didn't pay attention to it, patted the bad luck on her body, squatted in front of the stone pier, crossed the sewage-flowing street, reached out her hand to retrieve her clean kitten, and walked on the way home in the gloomy sky. Leave the brightly lit, noisy and lively pavement behind you.
Wu Yuan sat on Yuan Xiang'er's shoulders, her eyes gleaming in the darkness, looking at the farce behind her, "Since that woman is not sad, why should she cry and howl?"
"Humans are different from you. Sometimes they are clearly happy, but on the surface they have to pretend to be distressed. Sometimes they are clearly sad, but they have to put a smile in front of them."
"Why is this again?" Wu Yuan blinked in confusion. "Your life is only that short. Shouldn't you concentrate on living a little more happy?"
In the eyes of a fairy with a long life, human life is as easy as morning dew. Wu Yuan felt puzzled. He had always thought that these races that were dying all the time must cherish his fleeting lives. At least it should be like Axiang, playing happily every day.
Unexpectedly, after arriving in the world, he found that many humans didn't seem to feel that their lives were short at all, and they always spent a lot of time on unnecessary things.
Yuan Xiang'er returned home, washed her hands, and smeared Nanhe with a scald made from snake oil.
Nan He changed back to the appearance of a silver little wolf, obediently lying on a soft towel on the table top.
Human beings are a fragile race, so they spend more energy than any species, developing and refining medicines and methods for treating trauma from generation to generation.
The wound medicine was translucent and light yellow, with a peculiar scent, applied to Nan He's skin, and there was a refreshing sensation immediately from the wound. The person applying the medicine was very gentle and treated him carefully. The fingertips ran across his skin, leaving a tingling and tingling sensation along the way.
"The back is fine, you turn around a bit." The man said.
Nan He was awkward for a moment, and slowly rolled over his body, his four legs curled up, revealing his loose and soft belly. He turned his head awkwardly away, his eyes didn't know where to put it.
"Don't be nervous, just apply a medicine. I'm so embarrassed about you." Yuan Xianger said with a smile. She said embarrassment in her mouth, but she didn't feel embarrassed in her hand, and treated Nan He's wound cleanly.
Nan He quickly turned back, limping and trying to climb off the table.
Yuan Xiang'er picked him up and hugged him back to the mat on the kang with the towel. She couldn't help but want to touch the little white ears. The ears were pointed, like small hills, and they were thin and white. The soft hair will move around from time to time, which is so cute.
She tentatively stretched out her hand and gently touched the soft hair. The little wolf covered in medicine was lying there, her ears trembling, and no sound was made.
If there is no sound, I agree. Yuan Xiang'er happily rubbed the ears of the wolf that hadn't been touched for many days.
She is actually more accustomed to the appearance of the Procyon cub, and it seems to be less stressful to get along with the appearance of this little milk dog. However, after seeing the human form of Nan He, Yuan Xiang'er no longer bullied others with good intentions.
"Why did you become like this again? When you were in the human world, aren't human figures the most energy-saving?" she asked Nan He.
"I am not very good at changing human clothes." Nan He turned his face away.
So you can’t be naked in front of you.
...
The sky was drooping and Liang Chan volleyed. After dinner, Yuan Xianger sat on the threshold to help cut the rice candy Yun Niang made.
This kind of snack is a bit complicated to make, but it is a snack that every household prepares before and after the local New Year.
To make this kind of rice sugar, there are many complicated processes. First, select high-quality glutinous rice, soak and steam it to make frozen rice, then freeze the rice into fried rice, add syrup, peanuts and osmanthus, and turn it Stir-fry, solidify and slice to become pieces of crispy and delicious sweets, which can be used to entertain guests and cheer children around the New Year.
What Yuan Xianger cut on the chopping board is Yunniang's thoughtful effort to make a large piece of rice candy, which should be cut evenly and uniformly in size, and wrapped and put into a jar. Wu Yuan and Jin Yu squatted and waited with staring eyes. If there is accidentally chopped up, Yuan Xiang'er will throw it over, Wu Yuan grabbed it, and quickly rushed to the big banyan tree to eat. Jin Yu was still looking at it with both hands outstretched, Yuan Xianger had to pick up one or two more pieces and put them in his palms.
The injured Nan He curled up on the mat next to Yuan Xiang'er, watching the long-necked chicken flicking its small sleeves and running away with a tangy cuckoo, and glanced at the two little fairies with disdain.
Yuan Xianger picked up a piece and handed it to Nan He, "Does Xiao Nan want to taste it too?"
Nan He turned his head and shook his head.
Seeing Wu Yuan and Jin Yu running far, she quietly took out two plum-shaped sweet-scented osmanthus candies from her purse, put them in her palms, lowered her head to the side of Nan He, and said quietly: "Let's eat this, Yu Ji The sweet-scented osmanthus candy, I bought it specially last time in Lianghe Town, there are only two left. Let's eat it secretly."
Sure enough, the arrogant little wolf moved his amber eyes, stretched his head, and licked a candy away. The pinky little tongue accidentally scratched Yuan Xianger's palm, making her scratchy and itchy. of.
At this moment, there was a soft knock on the door outside the house.
"Who?" Yuan Xianger got up to answer the door, why are there still guests coming at this hour?
A young couple stood outside the courtyard,
"Sorry, take the liberty to bother." The lady had a kind face, gave a thoughtful blessing, and said earnestly, "We have gone a long way, but we haven't found the inn, and finally we can see the lights here. Can you let me We will stay for one night and we will leave early tomorrow morning."
Her shoes, socks and clothes were all wet, and water was dripping down in the cold weather, describing her embarrassment as she looked at Yuan Xianger pleadingly. Her husband stood beside her in silence, respectfully giving Yuan Xiang'er a big gift.
Yuan Xianger looked at her in silence for a long time, and opened the door to let them in.