Chapter 129: Applying Medicine
“This, how can this work?!”
Gao Fen simply couldn’t believe her ears. Could this child have been addled by the chili?
Who settles accounts in a way that only lets themselves take a loss!
“Aunt, this Jade Visage Paste is just a bit complex and laborious to make, with two kinds of Chinese medicinal materials that are relatively rare, so one thousand yuan is already enough.”
Taking the opportunity to withdraw her hand from hers, Su Ning smiled and explained while taking the money bag from her arms and placing it on the desk. “Rest assured, I won’t earn yours and won’t shortchange myself.”
“This, really? Really no loss?”
“That must be real.”
Seeing her speak with such conviction and full of sincerity in her eyes, Gao Fen could only half-believingly open the money bag.
After counting out one thousand yuan, she thought for a moment and still took two hundred more. “Then we’ll each give a little ground, just this much.”
Amused and helpless, she watched her face clearly saying: either this much, or all of it.
Su Ning no longer tugged back and forth, closed the money and gripped it in her hand. “Then Aunt, Xiao Lian, I’ll go make today’s ointment first. It’ll probably take one or two hours.”
“Alright, Xiao Su, go get busy. We mother and daughter won’t disturb you, we’ll just rest in the courtyard and wait.”
“Sister Su, thank you.”
Rubbing Xiao Lian’s hair top, she got up and returned to the bedroom.
She put the money in her hand into the desk drawer, into the iron box used for daily expenses.
One thousand two hundred yuan plus the money and ration coupons of her monthly salary originally placed there—Su Ning tugged at the corner of her mouth, seemingly discovering that just by herself, her spending speed really couldn’t keep up with her earning speed.
Pretty good, mm, pretty good!
Closing the biscuit iron box and putting it back in the drawer, she got up and locked the doors and windows, then listening to the faint laughter coming from the courtyard, she turned and flashed into the space.
……
In the Peach Blossom Spring Space.
The hundred herbs garden by the spring water, thanks to the medicinal seeds gifted by Teacher Ge and their growth over this period, was already taking initial shape.
After thoroughly memorizing the pharmacopoeia, her speed at identifying Chinese medicinal materials grew faster and faster, no longer in the embarrassing state of everything looking like grass.
Coming to the medicinal garden, she picked several portions of the Chinese medicinal materials needed for Jade Visage Paste and put them into the small back basket she carried.
She took a basin of spring water, and finally picked up a piece of blue jadeite, then Su Ning walked into the simple thatched hut built beside the medicinal garden.
In the thatched hut was placed a long counter half a person’s height, with pitifully few tools for drug manufacturing on it, all scavenged by her from the recycling station.
After several experiences making Jade Visage Paste, it was undoubtedly much smoother than the initial fluster.
She methodically processed all the Chinese medicinal materials and began simmering them in order on a small stove over low heat.
Taking this time, she ground the blue jadeite into fine powder.
Thanks to being in the space where she could use spiritual power to operate, otherwise just this grinding step would take who knows how much time.
A piece of jade less than half an adult’s palm in size yielded only a small bowl’s amount after being ground into powder.
She added spring water and stirred it into a thick paste, then used a bamboo splinter to scrape out an appropriate amount and add it bit by bit to the ointment.
……
She followed the steps described in the book completely, but the result…
Looking at the freshly made Jade Visage Paste in her hand, which had once again mutated into soap.
Su Ning unusually stayed silent: exactly where was it going wrong?
Why did the medicines she made always undergo various mutations? Powder form turned into liquid, ointment form turned into solid?
Several times, without exception!
It wouldn’t be that when she tried making pills, she couldn’t roll out even one, right?
This… somehow felt very likely.
Smiling bitterly and shaking her head, fortunately Teacher Ge hadn’t relented and taken her as a disciple. At his age with a weak heart, teaching her might really give him a heart attack from this “dead wood.”
“Forget it, the medicine maker is the boss. As long as the effect is good, who cares what it looks like!”
Silently comforting herself, Su Ning packed the Jade Visage Paste into an empty box.
After stretching a big lazy waist, she took the wooden box and turned to exit the space.
In the courtyard, Gao Fen and her daughter were sitting under the corridor, chatting softly.
After the autumn tiger, there were still plenty of mosquitoes. Fortunately, mint had been interplanted in the courtyard’s plants and trees to repel them; otherwise, sitting out at night for just a short while would guarantee being bitten all over with bumps.
The large reed fan in her hand paused upon seeing Su Ning come out from the room. Gao Fen quickly stood up with a smile. “Come on, Xiao Su, tired, right? Hurry and sit down to rest first.”
“Sister Su, you’ve worked hard!”
“Hehe, not as tiring or hard as you imagine. Just standing for a long time makes the legs a bit sore and numb; it’ll ease up after a while.”
Without standing on ceremony, Su Ning sat on the low stool in front of Xiao Lian, looking at Gao Fen who had moved out a small stool from under the corridor again.
“Aunt, last time was just testing the effect. This time we start formal treatment.”
“Alright, good. Xiao Su, we’ll do whatever you say, just as you instruct!”
“Then Xiao Lian, you go wash your face first. Wash your face and neck clean, like last time, without leaving any sweat.”
“Mm.”
Xiao Lian nodded to show she understood, quickly got up and went to the bathroom, carefully washing her face and neck with scented soap.
When she came back, her little face and neck, along with the scars on them, had been rubbed bright red.
This little girl… was really too earnest.
A smile floated in her eyes. Seeing the person sit properly with her back still straight as a rod, Su Ning gently patted her back. “Xiao Lian, relax.”
“Just like applying it that day, there won’t be too much tingling. Don’t be afraid.”
“Mm, Sister Su, I’m not afraid. I can endure that tingling and stinging pain.”
Listening to the soft comforting words behind her ear, Xiao Lian unconsciously curved her lips, her body relaxing even more involuntarily.
As for tingling and stinging pain, compared to these ugly scars all over her body, what were they?
Grandmother, father and mother, and brothers had given so much for her, spent so much money, all hoping she could get better.
As long as she could get better, as long as she could become like a normal person, no matter how painful or bitter, she was willing.
“Sister Su, go ahead. I’m ready.”
“Good.”
Lowering her head to open the wooden box in her hand, after the final soaking in spring water, the blue ‘soap’ had gained a bit more cold white.
Just from the appearance alone, the Jade Visage Paste in her hand looked even better than described in the Medical Canon.
As for the effect, no need to say more.
“Aunt, hold Xiao Lian steady. The face is different from other places; the stimulus might be stronger.”
“Alright, good.”
Hearing this, Gao Fen hurriedly got up and came to her daughter’s side, wrapping half her body in her arms.
As the Jade Visage Paste was applied bit by bit to her face, sure enough, Xiao Lian’s body began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.
From her tightly biting lower lip and her closed eyes with jet-black eyelashes trembling root by root, it was clear the ointment on the face this time was much more uncomfortable than the previous experiment on the hand.
“Xiao Lian, how does it feel? Any burning sensation?”
“It’s okay, Sister Su. No burning feeling, same as yesterday—still stinging pain and tingling.”
“Endure it. Once the medicine melts and seeps into the skin, it’ll be fine.”
“Mm.”
After layer upon layer of application, her face gradually changed from faint blue to transparent.
Seeing the Jade Visage Paste take effect and slowly penetrate the skin, Su Ning stopped applying and switched to evenly pressing with her fingertips.
After more than half an hour, until the last spot on the neck where the ointment was applied also took effect, she straightened up and stepped back, letting the light from the corridor fully shine on Xiao Lian’s body and face.
“This… this is too miraculous!”
Although she had seen it yesterday, seeing it again, Gao Fen still couldn’t help sighing out loud.
Worthy of being something handed down from the ancestors!
Looking at the places on her daughter’s face where the scars had disappeared, it was the first time she clearly saw what her own Lian Wa would look like grown up.
Gradually, more and more mist gathered in her eyes. Gao Fen immediately wiped away the tears with her hand, not letting her daughter’s face blur in her sight.
“I knew our family’s Lian Wa is the most obedient!”
“Mother?”
Wanting to touch but not daring, Xiao Lian turned back to look at her mother with a tearful smile full of emotion, feeling a bit uneasy in her heart. “Mother, is my face better?”
“Better, better!”
Gripping her shoulders tightly, Gao Fen nodded affirmatively. “You look just like your great-aunt, big eyes small mouth, no matter how you look, so very obedient.”
“Mother!”
“Aunt isn’t exaggerating. Xiao Lian, remember I said you’re also very pretty? Come, take a good look. See if we’re wrong.”
Taking out a mirror, Su Ning smiled and handed it to Xiao Lian.
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