CHAPTER 486: CHAPTER 486: EYEING THE ANTISEPTIC MEDICINE

"Young Master, the various herbs you requested have been ground and placed in the pharmacy," said Ye Jingzi upon seeing Gu Jinli, knowing she had come to prepare the antiseptic medicine, she told her.

"Okay, I know." Gu Jinli nodded, entered the first room on the right side, which was her own pharmacy, used specifically for concocting new medicines.

Inside the pharmacy were shelves on two walls, holding various pharmaceutical tools and jars and bottles of all kinds.

There were also several small furnaces near the windows for simmering other ointments and roasting the herbs.

Ye Jingzi was a young woman, eighteen years old, who has been following Doctor Wu since childhood, helping with grinding and simmering medicines, and was quite skilled. She was meticulous and efficient in her work, handling all the miscellaneous tasks in the pharmacy for Gu Jinli. She was now Gu Jinli’s most capable assistant in the pharmaceutical workshop.

Gu Jinli looked at the various ground herbs on the long table, took out the small copper scales, and began to prepare the antiseptic medicine. After she finished, she lit the small furnaces and started to roast the prepared antiseptic medicine.

The efficacy of the antiseptic medicine was maximized after a little roasting, allowing wounds to heal faster.

An hour later, she produced five jin of antiseptic medicine, then poured it into jars, picked up the jars, left the pharmacy, and said to Ye Jingzi, who was boiling the scar removal ointment, "I’m going to the Qin family. Keep an eye on this courtyard and don’t let anyone who isn’t from the pharmaceutical workshop in."

"Okay, got it, Young Master," replied Ye Jingzi, sending Gu Jinli out of the courtyard and closing the gate behind her.

Before leaving the fourth enclosure, Han Liu came running over, smiling and said, "Young Master is going to deliver medicine to the Qin family again? Could you take me with you? I want to see how the Qin brothers’ knife wounds are healing."

The Qin brothers’ injuries were examined by him when they first returned; those Gou He Blades were truly vicious, not only tearing the flesh with their reverse hooks but also cutting deep enough to reach the bone in some cases.

On that day, he meticulously cleaned the flesh out of the Qin brothers’ wounds with a small knife. Such wounds are difficult to heal, particularly in the hot weather at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. If the wounds festered, it could be the end of them.

But now, within just ten days of using the Young Master’s medicine, he saw the Qin brothers heading into the mountains to chop wood and search for delicacies, healing so rapidly.

Gu Jinli knew Han Liu had been eager for the antiseptic medicine for a while, smiled, and said, "Okay, let’s go together. It’s just in time to help Brother Qin and the others change their dressings."

"Thank you, Young Master," Han Liu eagerly agreed, following Gu Jinli to the Qin family.

On the way, Brother Cheng saw Gu Jinli and ran over, joining them as they headed to the Qin family, just in time to see the Qin brothers returning with firewood and wild treasures from the mountains.

In Qin San Lang’s held bucket, there was also a bucket of lively big carp.

Brother Cheng clung to the edge of the bucket, looking at the carp inside, and exclaimed with joy, "Brother San Lang, what a big fish! Do you want my Second Sister to help you grill it?"

Brother San Lang enjoyed eating fish, and every time he went into the mountains, he would catch fish from the mountain pond, and each time, he’d have Second Sister help him grill it. He was used to this routine.

Qin San Lang looked somewhat sheepishly at Gu Jinli, "Is that okay?"

"You’ve been grilled fish by her so many times, and yet you ask such nonsense," Gu Jinli put the medicine jars on the stone table in the Qin family courtyard, her tone somewhat dissatisfied: "Your wound has not fully healed yet. Going into the mountains to chop wood is one thing, but to go into the mountain pond to catch fish? If your wound rips open again, or gets infected, you would be in serious trouble."

Qin San Lang smiled: "Then next time I’ll only chop wood and not go into the pond to catch fish."

Qin Er Lang frowned tightly upon hearing this, feeling quite displeased. What did Gu Family’s daughter think she was? How could she speak to San Lang like that? Was it her place to criticize what San Lang does? Was she qualified to manage San Lang?

Qin Er Lang snorted coldly and went to the kitchen carrying firewood.

Gu Jinli blatantly ignored Qin Er Lang and said to Qin San Lang, "Hurry and put down the firewood, let Uncle Xiao Liu take a look at your wounds."

Now that there were outsiders present and Mrs. Cui had specifically reminded her about the importance of propriety between men and women, she was only there to deliver medicine and would not help Qin San Lang treat his wounds again.

Elder Qin was also at home, hearing Gu Jinli’s voice, he came out of the main room and said, "Xiao Yu has come to deliver medicine again, the antiseptic medicine you made is really something – Er Lang and San Lang’s knife wounds have nearly healed."

The Gou He Blade is notorious for its difficulty to heal because its serrated edges and reverse hooks make the wounds hard to close. When he was younger, he had also been wounded by a Gou He Blade and it took more than two months to recover. During that time, because the flesh festered underneath the blood scab, it had to be re-opened, the rotten flesh cut away, before it finally healed.

Gu Jinli’s eyes curved into a smile as she patted the medicine jar on the stone table, "Knowing Grandpa Qin likes this kind of antiseptic medicine, I’ve brought a jar as a gift for you."

Elder Qin was very pleased, "Well, that’s excellent. Er Lang and San Lang inevitably suffer injuries at the Military Office. With this medicine, this old man can rest a little easier."

Then he looked at Brother Cheng next to him and pointed at him with a laugh, "Brother Cheng has gotten fatter."

The boy used to be skinny and meek and not fond of talking, but ever since he settled down, not only has he grown braver, but he’s also gained weight, looking plump and really adorable.

Brother Cheng scrunched up his nose and said, "Grandpa Qin, this isn’t called being fat, it’s called being blessed. Third Grandma said that kids my age should be growing like this."

"Haha, yes, yes, yes, our Brother Cheng is plump and fair, just like a celestial child from the New Year paintings." Elder Qin was very fond of Brother Cheng, chubby kids of four or five years old were at their most adorable.

Seeing Elder Qin laugh so happily, Qin San Lang also smiled, called out ’grandpa,’ and said to Han Liu, "Uncle Xiao Liu, please come inside with me."

Saying so, he picked up the medicine jar from the stone table, and then, as though something crossed his mind, his ears suddenly reddened, and he quickly strode into the room he shared with Qin Er Lang.

Gu Jinli shook her head; this kid was even shyer than she was – she wasn’t watching him apply the medicine in the main room, as she was sitting with her back to it, after all.

Elder Qin, seeing this, laughed as well and took Brother Cheng by hand, teaching him a set of martial arts moves.

Brother Cheng has also been learning martial arts from Elder Qin every day for the past half year, and though he only had little arms and legs, he performed them with proper form.

Elder Qin watched with satisfaction: "Not bad, the boy could be martial arts material in the future."

But Brother Cheng didn’t like martial arts; he thought being like his older brother, using his brain to deal with people, was better.

Gu Jinli said to Elder Qin, "Grandpa Qin, if you have time, please teach my father more often. As he’s getting older, his limbs are stiff, he learns slowly, and without your oversight, it’s hard for him to improve."

The river bandit incident served as a warning for her family. Previously, Gu Dashan thought he was too old, with stiff hands and feet, incapable of learning martial arts, and only practiced a few moves occasionally with the children to keep fit.

But now, he felt that as the man of the house, if he had no skills to speak of, he wouldn’t be able to protect his family if someone came causing trouble, and so he resolved to seriously learn martial arts.