The men in the workshop were told not to work. They were told to cut the pythons into smaller pieces, keep some for themselves, and sell the rest. They were sold very cheaply, only five coins a pound. Some villagers bought one pound, some bought two pounds, and they were sold out quickly.
Village Chief Lin took the copper coins and went to find Aunt Xia, but then thought better of it and decided to wait until dinner time to give them to her.
Xia Hua returned to the courtyard, put the venomous snakes from her storeroom into a wooden bucket, and covered it with something. "Shu Shu, I'm going to Xiao Wu's place, are you coming?"
An Shuyi was still sitting in her room eating fruit when she heard this, she immediately stood up and said, "Go, I have to go." How could she miss such a fun thing? Then she took out the gastrodia elata from her warehouse and put it in a small basket.
Seeing her face flush with excitement, Xia Hua chuckled, picked up the bucket, and led her to the house next door. When they arrived, Xiao Wu was in the yard, drying medicinal herbs, all of which were common items that could be picked.
Upon seeing them, Xiao Wu hurriedly ran over and asked, "Mom, Auntie, what brings you here? Mom, are you feeling better?"
He had originally planned to visit his mother in the evening, having already gone at noon, but his aunt wouldn't let him see her, saying that his mother was fine, so he could only wait until the evening to go.
An Shuyi said, "Mother is fine, don't worry. These are the medicinal herbs you found, quite a lot. How's it going with Doctor Liu's training?"
Although Xiao Wu said he liked to study poisons, he could only do so if he was good at medicine. Otherwise, if he only studied them and didn't know how to detoxify them, he would poison himself to death. To prevent such a thing from happening, Xiao Wu is now studying medicine with Doctor Liu and sometimes they go to collect herbs together.
"He's learning very well. Doctor Liu didn't hold back at all and taught his son everything. He knows all about the medicinal herbs, the four diagnostic methods of observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation. He just needs more practice. He can also process the medicinal herbs."
An Shuyi nodded, "As long as you learn well, that's fine." She handed over the basket of Gastrodia elata, saying, "This is the Gastrodia elata that your aunt and I found. Process it and put it away properly."
Xiao Wu took the basket and nodded, "Okay, Mother."
After they finished speaking, Xia Hua said, "Wuwa, your mother and I found some poisonous things on the mountain. We know you like to study them, so we brought them with us. Do you want them?" As she spoke, An Shuyi deliberately took a few steps back.
"Something poisonous?" Xiao Wu looked at the bucket in surprise. "Auntie, what is this poisonous thing? I want it." He had been looking for something poisonous, but it was hard to find. Not only was he afraid of not finding it, but he was also afraid of encountering something he didn't understand, which would put his life in danger.
Now that my mother and aunt have actually found something poisonous, I must say, they're really something.
Seeing his excited expression, An Shuyi and Xia Hua both smiled. Xia Hua handed him the bucket, saying, "It's inside the bucket. Take a look for yourself. If you don't want it, you'll have to throw it away. But the poison in each of these things is different."
Xiao Wu put down the basket in his hand, then went over to take the bucket, placed it on the ground, opened the contents of the bucket, and upon seeing what was inside, he was so shocked that he fell to the ground, breathing rapidly. However, perhaps because he was brave, he did not tremble with fear.
"Fifth child, are you alright?" An Shuyi asked with a gloating expression. Sure enough, no one would like this thing.
Xia Hua added, "Fifth Brother, since you want to study poisons, you should know that all of this requires experience. Besides poisonous plants, the most dangerous thing is snakes. If you want to study them, it's hard to avoid contact, so you have to adapt."
"This thing is unlike anything else. If you get bitten by it, you'll die soon. So you have to be careful to study its poison."
"I'm fine, Mother, don't worry, I know, Auntie!" After saying that, she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, then stood up. "Thank you, Mother and Auntie, for finding the snake. Although I was a little scared, I'll get used to it soon."
Actually, he wasn't that scared. If it were just one snake, he wouldn't be so frightened. It was just that there were too many snakes in the bucket, at least more than ten, and they were all different colors. He had carefully read through his books about poisonous things.
I know the types of snakes. The one with the wide head is probably a king cobra, the one with black and red stripes is a rattlesnake, and the green one is probably a bamboo pit viper. My mother and aunt were able to find so many, so the mountain must be very dangerous. No wonder my mother got injured.
Of course, he didn't miss his mother's retreating steps, but he figured she was afraid, which was why she did so.
Xia Hua nodded, "It's good that you can adapt, but this poison is too potent. Be careful when you're researching it. Also, if possible, I need you to research the antidote as well as the poison."
Ideally, we'd get some kind of antidote pill that could cure any poison, along with serum or something—that would be amazing! But that's just wishful thinking.
"If you ever want poisonous snakes or herbs in the future, you can tell us. Your mother and I will often go up the mountain, and if we see any, we will bring them back for you."
Xiao Wu looked at the snakes in the bucket, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Thank you, Mother and Aunt. I'll let you know if I need anything." It wouldn't be a short time. He didn't lack venomous snakes. There were so many that it would take a long time to study them. It seemed he would have to tell his master later that he couldn't go to his place to study or collect herbs for the next few days.
After giving the items to Xiao Wu, the two left and returned to their house. Along the way, they talked about Xiao Wu's reaction when she saw the poisonous snakes. However, Xiao Wu had already calculated that it was impossible for a person not to be afraid if they suddenly saw so many snakes.
Not long after they returned, the sound of bells rang out in the village, signaling that it was time to eat. They were having python meat for dinner, so Xia Hua didn't eat with An Shuyi. She kept An Shuyi in her room and had Wu bring the food to the house for her to eat by herself.
An Shuyi knew that she would be eating python meat tonight, so she naturally wouldn't go. After Wu brought the food, she ate alone, washed up, and waited for Doctor Liu to come.
After finishing his meal, Doctor Liu returned to the house with Xia Hua, while his wife, Wang, went back to get the medicine.
"Sister An, let me take your pulse!"
"Thank you so much, Brother Liu. I'm troubling you again," An Shuyi said, reaching her hand inside.
Doctor Liu placed his hand on her and began to take her pulse. "Sister An, you are much better today than yesterday, but it is best to rest in bed for a few more days. It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. Although it is not, it has caused internal rot, so you should be careful."
"Wang will bring the medicine later. After you finish taking it, take a ginseng slice. This is essential. Tomorrow's medicine will still be twice a day. Starting the day after tomorrow, it will be once a day. Whether you need to take medicine after that, I will take your pulse to decide."
An Shuyi nodded, "Thank you, Brother Liu." She really wanted to ask if she could skip the drink, or at least reduce it to one less time, but seeing Xia Hua watching her intently from the side, she didn't dare to say it, she simply didn't dare to say it.
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