PDLP Chapter 43 Hand-made Pills
Chapter 43 Hand-made Pills
Sure enough, not long after, with stars still in the sky, the yamen runners rang the alarm bells and shouted, "Get up, everyone get up! Hurry up, eat breakfast and set off!"
Wenwen hadn't slept long before she woke up when she heard the yamen runners shouting.
The Wen family members also got up one after another, and everyone worked together to make breakfast.
The prisoners also hurriedly prepared their own meals.
Wenwen took out the earthenware pot and approached her second aunt, whispering, "Second aunt, take a look at this."
Ye lifted the lid suspiciously, revealing the dregs and burnt rice inside. She looked at the dregs, rubbed them between her fingers, and smelled them. "This is for treating diarrhea, Wen'er?"
"Second Aunt, I want to make pills, but I can't. Can you teach me?"
"Okay, Auntie, give it a try."
Ye took the earthenware pot, added some water, and started cooking it over a wood fire.
The commotion attracted Grandma's attention. "What are you two doing? Why are you being so secretive so early in the morning?"
Wenwen whispered a few words to her grandmother, who ignored them and went to call a few children to get up and tidy up.
Soon, the aroma of medicine wafted out. While stirring, Auntie explained the process to Wenwen. The water in the earthenware pot was decreasing, and the dregs were slowly becoming soft and sticky. Auntie continued stirring, explaining the final step and the heat to Wenwen. Finally, she put the lid on and quickly removed the firewood.
"It's done. Once the earthenware pot has completely cooled down, take it out and while it's still warm, roll it into pills or divide it into pieces for storage."
Wenwen watched her second aunt's movements without blinking. "That's it. The key is the heat control?"
"Yes, it's all about the heat."
Wenwen inwardly groaned. Her mind told her that she understood what she read, but she needed to verify it with her hands.
After the earthenware pot had completely cooled down, my second aunt took out a palm-sized piece of black plaster from inside.
Purely by hand, pinching off tiny bits and rolling them into pills.
These pills have pitted and uneven surfaces, and upon closer inspection, you can even see some herb stems; they are truly very primitive pills.
Wenwen seemed to have figured it out; this was a good start.
Soon, everyone ate breakfast and, urged urgently by the constables, packed their bags and set off.
In the quiet morning, the only sounds on the road were the clanging of chains and some hurried, forceful footsteps.
Thanks to their haul in the woods last night, the prisoners' bags were now much fuller.
It is precisely because of the gifts of nature that we have gained more confidence.
This morning, the journey was quick and easy, without the need for excessive whipping or urging from the yamen runners and soldiers.
Of course, no matter how rushed or hurried the journey was, it wouldn't stop Wenwen from seeking guidance from her teacher.
Another good sign is that Wen Chengjian and Wen Chengbin have become completely interested in that skin-shedding technique.
Along the way, the two of them secretly asked Wenwen for cards to study, and they exchanged ideas and discussed things, which made the other sisters secretly compete with each other.
The older sisters listened to Wenwen and the teacher's discussion and joined in, occasionally asking questions as well.
Along the way, the Wen family's discussion eventually caught the attention of the fellow prisoners.
Some prisoners scoffed, "Oh, you've been exiled, and you're still showing off your knowledge. Do you think you can get exonerated and go back to Beijing to take up a post?"
"Aren't these Wen family members just a bunch of brutes? How did they change their names to literati and scholars? It's utterly ridiculous!"
Several ugly-looking playboys joined in, making a fuss.
"Look everyone, the Wen family has so many beautiful young ladies! We might as well sing some songs on the way to relieve our boredom!"
"That's right, what's the point of studying literature? A bunch of brutes, they're just sulking and offending my eyes. Your wife will have to make up for it."
These filthy words immediately enraged everyone in the Wen family, and the men of the Wen family were filled with anger.
Without saying a word, Wen Chengjian and Wen Chengbin picked up stones and threw them.
"I'll tell you to be a bitch."
"Ah! My teeth..." a libertine screamed, clutching his mouth as blood trickled down between his fingers.
A fight is about to break out.
Several spoiled brats ignored everything and rushed towards the Wen brothers.
Disputes can erupt in an instant.
The constables had been watching the commotion from the sidelines, but seeing it getting out of hand, they had no choice but to intervene.
He gripped the rattan whip, looked fierce, and came over, grabbing the whip and starting to beat her.
Regardless of who it was, everyone nearby suffered.
The Wen family only had time to protect the elderly, women, and children; the men on the periphery were all whipped to varying degrees.
The constables whipped a group of people, finally giving a severe beating to a few troublemakers.
"You lot are really just bored and have nothing better to do. Why do you care what others say? It's not going to delay our trip. If you're so capable, why don't you recite a few articles to wake me up and cultivate my mind? You don't have the ability, yet you keep causing trouble. You'll learn your lesson after a few lashes."
Several spoiled brats wailed, "Sir, we dare not, we dare not, we will never dare to do it again."
After the constable finished his reprimand, he ordered, "Men, take the Wen family members to the back. If they don't obey, beat them until they do."
Because of a fight with several spoiled brats, the Wen family was escorted to the back of the procession, guarded by a dozen soldiers and yamen runners.
The Wen family's discussion also came to a halt.
The pace of the entire prisoner group slowed down considerably.
The yamen runners then announced, "Lord Zhu said that we should travel a little further today and rest early by the woods so that everyone can find more food."
His words instilled a lot of hope in everyone.
Even though the lunch break was short, no one complained. After a quick lunch, they set off, hoping to rest early by the woods, hunt some wild game, and have a hearty meal that evening.
Driven by this thought, the prisoners walked and walked, thinking about wild game, gritting their teeth and persevering.
As the sun began to set, a denser forest came into view in the distance, as the soldiers who had gone out to scout ahead had returned to report.
Lord Zhu finally gave the order: the woods ahead would be the campsite for tonight.
With their last bit of strength, everyone reached their destination and was finally able to sit down and rest.
Given the Wen family's indirect ability to cause trouble, the yamen runners chased them to a rocky slope near the edge of the woods.
As their name suggests, this family is a troublemaker; keeping them away will put everyone at ease.
In truth, the Wen family members were eager to get away from everyone's sight, but unfortunately, there were still many soldiers and yamen runners on guard around them.
This earthen slope has one advantage and one very obvious disadvantage.
The advantage is that it's very close to the woods behind, making it easy to get in and out without attracting attention.
The downside is that the ground is covered with pebbles, and there's not a single flat spot to be found, so you probably won't be able to sleep well at night.
The Wen family had just caught their breath and hadn't even had a chance to rest.
Grandmother urged, "You all quickly unload your bags and apply medicine. Everyone's suffered today, so check each other's wounds, apply medicine, and be careful."
The entire family, except for Wenwen and a few children, was affected.
Wen Chengjian and Wen Chengbin's backs were truly horrific, covered in wounds, with old injuries not yet healed and new ones added.
The two put down their bags, and one said angrily, "Those bastards, if they dare to come near us again, we'll beat them up."
Another chimed in, "Yeah, beat them until they're scrambling for their teeth."
Wenwen agreed with both hands, "Let's find an opportunity tonight and make them search for their teeth in the woods."
The brothers immediately became interested, "Do you have a solution?"
The elders became anxious upon hearing this, saying, "You all need to be careful, so that no one can find fault with you and bring it up in front of the adults."
Wenwen nodded confidently, "Don't worry, Wen'er knows what she's doing."