Chapter 108: Probe, Drug Manufacturing
Dark clouds blanketed the sky, with continuous heavy rain; the Mid-Autumn full moon was destined not to be appreciated by anyone.
Accompanied by the sorrowful cries of the deceased’s relatives, the rainy night made people feel even more sentimental.
The ticket seller’s husband was a man not tall in stature but covered in sinewy muscles, his appearance of wailing loudly while pounding his chest and stamping his feet full of contrast.
After hearing Luo Shuangshuang’s words, he incredulously stepped forward with repeated questions, “Young Comrade, you’re talking about the ticket seller on this route bus, right? You mean she’s still alive, not dead, and your friend took her to Yuan County Hospital, is that it?”
“Yes, in Yuan County Hospital.”
Originally, they had prepared to send to the hospital the young man in his twenties who seemed the most seriously injured and Luo Fosen’s father.
But Yan Bei said that the ticket seller might have a spinal injury and if not treated in time, it could cause paralysis; with Su Ning secretly ‘favoring’, not only was she treated first, but she was also given more spring water fed to the Luo family members, given that Luo Fosen’s injuries only looked serious on the surface.
After a simple discussion, and with Luo Shuangshuang agreeing, one of the two sent to the hospital became her.
“Woo… That’s great, that’s great! Thank you, thank you all… You not only saved my daughter-in-law but also saved our entire family!”
What is bittersweet emotion? Like darkness descending only to be instantly dispelled by light, at this moment he felt it crystal clearly.
As long as the person is still alive, no matter how severe the injury, even if disabled or paralyzed, he was willing to take care of her for a lifetime!
The man, half-crying and half-laughing, thanked them repeatedly before quickly turning to leave and find a way to rush to the hospital.
Luo Shuangshuang, eyes red, gripped her friend’s hand with some force, “Ning Bao Gai, if only…”
“You’ve already done very well.”
Knowing the self-blame in her unfinished words, because she felt it too.
If possible, they hoped more than anyone to have saved more people at the time.
Silently sighing, she patted her hand, and Su Ning led her to the kitchen to continue decocting medicine.
The dead are gone; the survivors still needed medicine for treatment.
Yan Xi had also experienced such despair and grief, and couldn’t bear to see the current scene; with bloodshot eyes, he closely followed the two of them back to the kitchen.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to console, but a light “my condolences, accept fate”—how could one accept such condolences or fate?
……
After decocting medicine for everyone one by one and having them take it, Luo Shuangshuang and Yan Xi, while Luo Fosen and the others were still in decent spirits, gathered as a family to talk.
Without joining to disturb, Su Ning finished washing the bowls and found Doctor Ge who was soaking Chinese medicinal materials.
This pharmacy looked small and even very rudimentary, but it had everything it should.
Against the wall was a full medicine cabinet, with small, neat drawers labeled outside with names of Chinese medicinal materials.
In front was a long counter table with various vessels and tools placed on it, and in the corner beside it were several layers of triangular wooden racks for laying out and drying Chinese medicinal materials.
After smelling the medicinal aroma permeating the entire room, one’s emotions oddly settled into calm and peace.
“Like it? Don’t find it unpleasant?”
Ge Laotou saw the emotion in her eyes and couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows in surprise.
Nowadays, Western Medicine worked quickly and was convenient to take; neither young people nor children liked traditional Chinese medicine decocted into bitter soup that’s hard to swallow.
For minor issues like a cold or diarrhea, they preferred to spend more to buy pills from him rather than get cheaper traditional Chinese medicine.
The once naive children, smelling the strong medicinal scent on him, would disdainfully fan their noses and make faces with “bleh bleh bleh.”
Of course, he wasn’t saying Western Medicine was bad; some special effect drugs and for external injuries, Western medicine indeed had advantages.
It was just that these were things passed down from generation to generation…
Shaking his head inwardly, this was also why the Brigade Leader urged him to take two apprentices, but Ge Laotou never agreed.
If not truly passionate from the heart, just to earn full work points and take over the barefoot doctor position on the team—teaching such an apprentice would only infuriate him to death?
He wanted to live a few more years, so no need to make trouble for himself!
“Not unpleasant; how could the scent of medicine be unpleasant?”
“Hehe, you girl are quite interesting; by your words, you like it too—why haven’t you thought about studying medicine?”
Ancestors could pass down such miraculous secret medicine, so it must be either from a master of traditional Chinese medicine with inherited secret books or some encounter yielding a precious prescription.
If the former, hadn’t the girl’s elders thought of having the next generation inherit it?
“I’ve thought about learning; isn’t this hoping to meet a good master who can teach?”
“Hahaha~”
Hearing the probe in her words clearly, Ge Laotou couldn’t help laughing out loud, “Then girl, tell me what you want to learn, and what makes a good master in your view—how should they teach to be considered good?”
“Want to learn drug manufacturing.”
As for what makes a good one?
For this question that could easily step on a mine, Su Ning smiled without answering.
Everyone has different ideas, so definitions differ; who could give an exact answer?
The fact is, what she considers good is good.
“Oh, just want to learn drug manufacturing?”
“More precisely, want to soak Chinese medicinal materials and roll pills.”
“Hahahaha, good good good, good rolling pills!”
“Then, Ge Lao, will you take me as an apprentice?”
The rarely beaming Ge Laotou shook his head without hesitation, “What you want to learn isn’t what this old man specializes in, and you’re not the apprentice candidate I have in mind.”
“However…”
Seeing the obvious disappointment on her small face, Ge Lao’s smile didn’t fade as he turned, squatted down, and dragged out a dusty box from the very bottom of the counter table.
Blowing off the half-finger-thick dust on top, Ge Laotou opened it, revealing a well-sealed and preserved cowhide cloth bag inside.
The pattern embroidered on the bag was very unique, very much like some… family’s crest.
Her heart skipped a beat; Su Ning, striving to stay composed, naturally looked up with just the right touch of puzzlement, “Doctor Ge, this is?”
“No one knows which Ge Family ancestor got this from where and passed it down.”
“You want to learn drug manufacturing, right? Though we have no master-apprentice fate, your temperament suits this old man’s taste; consider it my gift to you as a meeting present.”
“This… isn’t it too precious? Isn’t it handed down from ancestors?”
Was it okay to so casually say give it away and just give it?
Suddenly feeling Ge Lao’s true nature, Su Ning felt both helpless and an indescribable warmth.
The old masters she knew were all strangely cute.
“What’s yes or no about it? It’s not the Ge Family’s inherited medical skill, nor did any later generation leave word not to show it; now in my hands, I’m happy to give it, so I give!”
Neither of them knew the specific value of this thing now.
Ge Laotou thought it was just a drug manufacturing manual accidentally obtained from an ancestor, and incomplete at that—what value could it have?
Su Ning, with her super strong memory knowing from memory that this might truly be a Su Family item, really wanted to take it for verification.
Even so, there was no reason to take the old master’s thing for free.
Thinking it over, Su Ning took out a transparent small bottle from her carried bag; this was a batch she specially had made at the glass factory after knowing the wonders of the spring water.
This small bottle was just two finger joints tall, with a screw-type wooden stopper at the very top instead of a press-type rubber one.
Inside the bottle was a small half of spring water, along with half a section of the Ginseng King’s tendrils.
“Then, can I exchange this for it?”
“That secret medicine water from your ancestors?”
“Mm, only this much left.”
“Good good good! Exchange, must exchange!”
Not exchanging would be foolish!
Ge Laotou, face full of joy, impatiently stuffed the cowhide cloth bag into her arms, then carefully took the small bottle with both hands.
He was really extremely curious; this medicinal water that looked like clean water actually had such miraculous healing effects.
“Rest assured, girl; I’ll just look, won’t privately research it or give it to others.”
“I trust you.”
Returning the smile, Su Ning nodded to the suddenly serious Ge Laotou, indicating true trust.
After all, no matter how much researched, it would be hard to analyze the specific components of this medicinal water.
One old and one young both got what they wanted; it seemed neither lost out, all happy.
“Girl, I won’t ask why you only want to learn drug manufacturing, but this old man must remind you: the main reason many ancient prescriptions’ pills are lost is the medicinal materials themselves.”
Either due to age issues or environment… many plants and animals have gone extinct in the river of time.
Having a rare prescription without matching medicinal materials is useless; even settling for second best couldn’t achieve half the recorded effects.
