The Challenge of a Farmhouse Son-in-Law-Chapter 489 - 499: Nurturing Medicine

Gu Youyou stuck out her tongue, her face full of disdain.

"This is an outright monopoly, where only officials are allowed to start fires while commoners can’t even light a lantern."

Since the glass-making venture had become unfeasible, her Four Seasons Medicine Shed faced difficulties.

She complained, "The weather in the north is so cold, my cousin told me that out of the four seasons, two are considered winter. Under such climate conditions, herbs don’t grow well. If they were transported from the south, it would be too far, and the cost of transportation is the least of concerns; the main issue is that some substances must be used fresh for their medicinal properties to be effective."

By the end of the first lunar month, the weather these past few days had been unusually cold. Gu Youyou whined as she drew herself further into her quilt. Since arriving in Beijing, she had resumed taking her medicine to suppress the winter poison. The northern winters were incomparably colder than those in the south.

Jin Zijin drew her icy body into his embrace, his handsome brows knitting together.

Without dispelling the cold poison in her body, she was unsuited for the northern climate. If it were not for him climbing over the wall every night to be by her side, who knew how much more medicine she would need to drink to keep the poison at bay.

He gently patted her back and said, "Great Scholar Lin received quite a few rewards before the New Year, surely he can afford a few baskets of coal fire?"

He noticed that her room was not warm and that there was no underfloor heating.

Gu Youyou said, "It’s not that, I used the coal my aunt gave me to maintain the temperature for the herbs."

"What herb is so precious? You can’t neglect your own health. If the cold poison flares up, it won’t be a joke," Jin Zijin said with a mix of warmth and anger.

Gu Youyou said, "It’s precisely because I value my own health that I’m nurturing those herbs. I have to find a way to cure this cold poison someday, and I’m seeing some progress now. Oh, and the heat toxin in your body, it’s more manageable up north here, with many herbs able to be grown directly in the snow."

Jin Zijin was taken aback, watching her with some surprise.

It turned out that her diligent search for various herbs was all to find the antidote.

He knew the way to cure the poison; the Youying Pearl he needed was unattainable, but he had the antidote for her... he just...couldn’t give it to her yet.

He caressed her hair and whispered in a low voice, "You don’t have to work so hard. The antidote for you...I will get it for you one day."

Gu Youyou, however, was not moved because, in her view, if it was already so troublesome to find a cure for his poison, it would be even more difficult to find one for hers.

Hmm, perhaps it would be easier for her to save herself. After all, she couldn’t let her many years of medical study go to waste, could she? fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

"I understand, but I still have to do it. I’ve heard there are seven Medicine Men."

"You..." Jin Zijin looked at her in astonishment, saying, "With your own issues being so troublesome, you’re not going to meddle in others’ affairs, are you?"

"Why would you call it meddling? I am a doctor."

Jin Zijin: "..."

"If they come to seek treatment, how could I possibly turn away patients? I am a doctor with professional integrity," Gu Youyou argued with righteous fervor.

Alright, there’s no winning against her.

It seemed like she was being headstrong, but in truth, she was just using her willfulness to make things easier for him, a strange and stubborn girl indeed.

...

On the second day of the second lunar month, the Dragon Raises Its Head.

In modern times, this festival, almost forgotten amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, was highly regarded in the ancient Zhuzhao Country.

Because at this time, the yang energy would rise again, and the earth would begin to thaw, signaling the start of spring plowing.

Especially in areas in the north where rainfall was scarce, the agricultural yield was often affected by perennial drought. People depended on their worship of the Dragon King to avert disaster and attract good fortune, in hopes that the Dragon King would bless the world with the safety of people and livestock and an abundant harvest of grains.