Chapter 53 Snacks
"Hey, Deming, it's worth coming to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Continuing Education School!"

"Not only can I learn some knowledge of Western medicine, but I can also listen to senior and famous doctors explain the case history, from the simple to the profound, which is very beneficial!"

"Hey, Deming, you have already learned all about Western medicine?"

As soon as the get out of class was over at noon, senior brother Wu Dinghuan started talking excitedly in Wang Deming's ear.

Kicking the bicycle stand open, Wang Deming carried the bicycle through the hospital gate and replied with a modest smile: "Western medicine is simple, just memorize it by rote."

"Anyway, if it's a high fever, give antibiotics. Oh, penicillin, that's right."

"Ha, the English crested carriage!"

At this time, Wu Dinghuan discovered that Wang Deming's bicycle was actually a British Phoenix-head bicycle. He also lifted his own bicycle to pass through the gate and said with envy: "Hey, this bicycle is really beautiful."

"I wanted to buy it, but my master said it was too ostentatious and wouldn't let me."

"I ended up buying this second-hand American parts assembly car."

"Well, what's the difference between a bicycle and a bicycle? They both rely on your legs to pedal!"

"Shouldn't the ones who really envy you be those who ride in cars?" Wang Deming jumped into the car and said, "Brother, shall we go to Longfusi Street to have lunch at noon?"

"Yeah. Okay!"

Longfusi Street is very close to Xia Xiwu's home, and the two men happened to be going that way. They rode their two bicycles, one in front and one behind, one on the left and one on the right, and came out of the grinding factory with the bells ringing.

After passing Qianmen Tower and the tall gate of Zhengyangmen, turn right into Dongjiaomin Lane, ride to the end, then turn left to Chongwenmen Street and head north, Mishi Street-Dongsi South Street, pass the intersection of Chaoyangmen Street and Zhushi Street, and you will reach Dongsi North Street.

The first street on the left is Longfusi Street, and the first street on the right is Dongsi Toutiao Hutong.

No. 1 Dongsi Toutiao is the dormitory of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Qian Zhongshu, Yang Jiang and others lived here; No. 5 is the home of the literary giant Mao Dun.

If you turn left into Longfusi Street, you must get off the car and push it.

Longfusi Street was originally an internal road inside the mountain gate of Longfusi Temple. After the temple was burned down, the incense stopped but the temple fair continued. There were always small vendors making a living here, and over time it became a street.

There were vendors setting up stalls on both sides of the alley, with the sound of hawking one after another. There were all kinds of snacks: bean juice, braised cake, cut cake, pea yellow, donkey rolls, noodle tea, and sausage; there were also toys: people selling windmills, shadow puppets, and Beijing insects, and crickets and oil gourds were chirping.

There are many shops on the street: photo studios, theaters, flower shops and bookstores, as well as "mountain goods shops (also called mountain goods houses: curtains made of sorghum stalks, sieves woven from rattan, winnowing baskets woven from bamboo, large baskets woven from wicker, small baskets woven from split bamboo, etc.)" that sell all kinds of daily necessities.

There are four cinemas, from east to west they are the Mingxing Cinema, the Dongsi Workers Club which is under construction, and the Chan Palace Cinema. There is also a Dongsi Theater which is under construction in Donglangxia Hutong.

By the way, the China Academy of Art is in Langxia Hutong.

One of Wang Deming’s targets is a small halal restaurant next to the Chan Palace Cinema which is under renovation: Baikui Laohao, also known as Dongguangshun.

Baikui's roasted mutton is a unique dish, and is known as one of the four major mutton restaurants in old Beijing, along with Donglaishun's shabu-shabu mutton, Kaorouji's roasted mutton, and Yueshengzhai's marinated mutton.

There is a small restaurant on the east side of Chan Gong Cinema, called Zaowen. As the name suggests, the stove is always on day and night.

As soon as you enter the door, there is a row of large stoves against the east wall. They can be used to fry, steam or cook for diners, and you can also use the fire to warm your food, so the stove temperature has another meaning.

It is said that this restaurant existed during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty. It was discovered during the early years of the Republic of China when business tax was levied.
This "Zao Wen" now only sells noodles and pancakes, but its "small bowl of dry fried" and "Yiwo Si" are particularly famous.

"Small bowl of dry fried" is a small bowl of hand-rolled white noodles, with a portion of dry fried diced meat sauce, and a layer of oil on the sauce. The bowl for the sauce is very small, just enough to mix a bowl of white noodles.

The "Yiwosi" fried noodles are even more famous. The noodles are stretched very thin, as thin as machine-made longxu noodles, and then fried into a pancake shape. When you shake it, it becomes a nest of noodles. It is crispy and fragrant.
They first arrived at "Zao Wen". Wang Deming and his friend locked their bicycles at the door. After an argument, they asked their senior brother Wu Dinghuan to find a seat and reserve it.

Wang Deming went to borrow two large bowls from the boss, wandered to Baikui Laohao across the street, cut some lamb chops and lamb tendons, and added some fresh peppercorns to the wide soup, which cost him 5 cents; he brought the bowls back and asked the stove to heat them up, and ordered two servings of "Yiwosi" and two servings of stretched wide noodles, each costing him 2 cents.

Hey, a bite of mutton and a bite of crispy, delicious.
Then put the stretched noodles into the bowl and mix them. Delicious.
In short, the two big-bellied men, Wang Deming and Wu Dinghuan, enjoyed their meal.

Burping, he slowly pushed his bicycle out of Longfusi Street, crossed Dongsi North Street, walked through Dongsi San Tiao Hutong, and then crossed Chaoyang North Street to Baoyu Hutong. "Hey, are you two going to Baikui Laohao for lunch?"

On the steps at the entrance to the courtyard, Xia Xiwu had just returned from a walk after dinner. He turned around and saw the two apprentices. As they got closer, he could smell the smell of roasted mutton on them. He guessed that they were going to eat at the Baikui Restaurant in Longfu Temple, which was close.

"Master, this is a gift to you!"

Wang Deming took out an oil-paper bag from the basket with a smile, which contained a portion of roasted lamb that he had bought before coming back.

"Well, I was wondering, it's been so long, and you two still smell so bad?"

Xia Xiwu took the oil-paper bag and said, "Hurry into the yard."

The two men carried the bicycles and followed Xia Xiwu into the yard.

This courtyard is a typical two-entry quadrangle. On the left hand side after entering the door is a row of south houses, commonly known as the back houses, which are now used for medical treatment. Passing through the hanging flower gate is the second courtyard, which is used for residential purposes.

There are three main rooms in the north, two side rooms, and three side rooms in the east and west. On the ground at the door of the west side room, there are stone locks, stone balls and other instruments for practicing martial arts.

There is a pomegranate tree in the middle of the yard, and under the tree is a stone table.

There is a thermos and a purple clay teapot on the table, and an armchair next to it. It is obviously a place where Xia Xiwu drinks tea in the sun.

"Everyone come out and see my new apprentice."

As soon as Xia Xiwu finished speaking, two women, one old and one young, came out of the room. The old one had silver hair, a round face, and a kind look; the young one had black hair and a fair complexion, and was of average appearance.

"Deming, this is your master's wife. This is my adopted daughter. You should just call her sister-in-law."

"Hello, Master's wife, hello, sister-in-law!"

"Well, good, good!" The master's wife looked at Wang Deming with a smile on her face and said, "The old man said when he came back from the last National Day holiday: I have gained an extraordinary apprentice."

"Deming, that's you, right?"

"Yeah, he looks energetic, good."

"Master's wife, you are too kind."

"Haha, I'm not flattering you, it's your master."

"Okay, okay, this is the roasted lamb from Bai Kui Lao Hao that De Ming brought over. You can put it in the kitchen with Hui Zhen and have it as an extra dish tonight."

"Dinghuan, move two more chairs out of the house before any patients come in this afternoon. Today is a good day, so the three of us can just chat in the yard."

"Okay, Master."

After Wang Deming and Wu Dinghuan sat down, Xia Xiwu leaned back in his chair and asked, "How did you two feel about going to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Continuing Education School this morning?"

"Master, I didn't expect Deming to be so proficient in Western medicine!"

"Didn't you see that all those famous doctors in the room were stunned by what they heard?"

When asked this question, Wu Dinghuan excitedly recounted what happened this morning, "I feel that Deming explained it better than the professor did."

“It’s not boring, and it’s clear from beginning to end.”

"Haha, Senior Brother, you are flattering me."

(End of this chapter)