Making Medicine

Lao Pang didn't come out of the house until dinner time; he looked like he was asleep.

Lunch was too greasy, so Su Ziyang cooked porridge for dinner, heated up some steamed buns, and made some pickled vegetables. Lao Pang, who usually has an enormous appetite, only ate half a steamed bun and drank a bowl of porridge before going back to his room.

Su Ziyang didn't know what was wrong with Lao Pang, so he didn't dare to ask any more questions. After washing the dishes, he went back to his room to rest.

The next morning, Su Ziyang got up and started drying the poplar bark that had been soaking for a day and a night.

Lao Pang watched Su Ziyang busy in the yard, then went out to do something else. Around midday, Lao Pang returned on a tricycle carrying a small stone mill.

"Master Pang, what are you doing with this little stone mill?" Su Ziyang saw the Lao Pang carrying it down and quickly went over to help.

"Making medicine."

Lao Pang didn't ask Su Ziyang for help. He picked up the stone mill himself and strode into the house. Turning back inside, Lao Pang saw Su Ziyang still standing there and called out loudly, "There's a medicine boat in the east wing, bring it over!"

Medicine boats, also called medicine grinders, medicine boats, or grinding troughs, are tools used by ancient people to grind Chinese medicine. They are mostly made of copper, but some are made of cast iron.

The medicine boat is shaped like a sampan, with a large iron wheel in the middle. The iron wheel rolls back and forth in the trough, which can crush the herbs into powder. The medicine boats come in different sizes. The large ones need to be stepped on with both feet to roll, while the small ones can be rolled by hand.

The medicine boat belonging to Lao Pang was particularly large; Su Ziyang had to use both hands and some effort to lift it up before carrying it into Lao Pang's house.

The medicine boat crashed to the ground, cracking the floor tiles.

"Tsk..." Lao Pang clicked his tongue as he looked at Su Ziyang. "Young man, why are you so clumsy and careless when you do any work?"

"Hehe!" Su Ziyang scratched his head a little embarrassedly. "I saw the iron wheel was about to fall, so I was a bit hasty when I put it down."

"You're such a lazy bum, you'll work yourself to death. Why don't you bring the boat over first, then the iron wheel?" The Lao Pang was speechless.

"What you said seems to make sense!"

Now that Su Ziyang is on good terms with Lao Pang, he dares to make a few sarcastic remarks.

"Do you know how to use it?" The Lao Pang completely ignored Su Ziyang's question and instead pointed to the medicine boat on the ground.

I saw it on TV!

"Hmm? Sigh~" The Lao Pang glared at first, then sighed.

"Find a stool and sit on the edge of the medicine boat, then put both feet on it and push back and forth with a little force! Don't use too much force."

Lao Pang took a stool and sat down beside the medicine boat, kicking it twice, and the iron wheels started rolling around in the trough.

Watching the Lao Pang pedal so easily, Su Ziyang found it difficult when he tried it himself. The iron wheel was very heavy. It was easier to control the force with his hands, but his feet weren't as flexible. If Su Ziyang exerted too much force, the wheel would wobble, and if he exerted too little force, the wheel wouldn't have enough grinding pressure.

After practicing for a while, Su Ziyang finally mastered how to use his feet to stand on the "iron ship".

During this time, Lao Pang sighed repeatedly as he watched Su Ziyang's uncoordinated movements, "Sigh, is this how you practice Baguazhang? I've always thought you were quite agile when practicing Baguazhang! How come you're like this when you're working?"

Hearing the Lao Pang tease him, Su Ziyang chuckled, "Hehe, Master Pang, that's called specialization!"

Lao Pang wasn't good at talking. Seeing that Su Ziyang was arguing with him but not responding, he turned around and went to the outer room to bring in two bags of medicine.

"Step on it! I'll put the medicine in!" The Lao Pang took out a handful of slightly crushed white, blocky medicines and put them into the medicine boat.

Although the medicine had been broken, Su Ziyang recognized it at a glance: it was cuttlebone, also known as squid bone.

"This isn't ink~" Before Su Ziyang could finish speaking, the Lao Pang gestured for Su Ziyang to be quiet.

"To make pharmaceuticals, one must be completely focused, observe and listen more, and speak less!"

Since Lao Pang said that, Su Ziyang didn't dare to speak anymore. He focused on pedaling the medicine boat. The iron wheel was very sharp and heavy, and he quickly ground the medicine that Lao Pang had brought in into an extremely fine powder.

Seeing that the grinding was finished, Lao Pang picked up another packet of medicine and made Su Ziyang continue pedaling the wheel.

This time it was handfuls of dried leaves, which Su Ziyang didn't recognize, so he couldn't say anything about them...

Leaves were added handful by handful, and Su Ziyang could only pedal the iron wheel helplessly. An hour later, beads of sweat appeared on Su Ziyang's forehead, but there was still more than half a bag of leaves left.

"Young man, is this all you've got?" The Lao Pang said with a hint of teasing.

Su Ziyang pursed his lips and didn't say anything, but he increased the pressure on his foot.

The entire bag of leaves was ground into powder, and Su Ziyang's thighs and calves began to tremble.

"Young man, if you can't do it, I'll do it. Don't underestimate me just because I'm old; I still have some strength!" The Lao Pang chuckled as he mixed the freshly crushed medicine together and poured it into a large glass bottle, talking to Su Ziyang as he did so.

"That ridiculous, lousy 'Thousand-Jin Art ' you've been practicing has made you as strong as oxen; how can a human compare to that!"

Of course, Su Ziyang only thought this to himself and didn't say it aloud...

Seeing Su Ziyang's lips twitching from exhaustion, the Lao Pang man's smile deepened. Layers of wrinkles piled up on his aged face, a testament to the passage of time.

"It's alright, young man. If you're tired, just rest your legs. Turn the millstone with your arms, it won't tire your legs!" The Lao Pang patted Su Ziyang's shoulder, and then, without giving Su Ziyang a chance to speak or rest, he moved the small millstone in front of Su Ziyang's face.

"Bring it on!"

Lao Pang grabbed a handful of finely chopped medicinal herbs and put them into the hole of the millstone, gesturing for Su Ziyang to start turning it.

Su Ziyang looked at the bags of medicinal herbs piled on the ground by Lao Pang, gritted his teeth, and swallowed hard. "Come on!"

Turning the millstone was more tiring than pedaling the medicine boat, because the medicine boat had a limited capacity. Each time it ground a lot of medicine, it had to stop and empty the powder from the trough. At this time, Su Ziyang could take a breather.

But the millstone was different. The herbs were placed on top and the powder came out from the bottom. Lao Pang kept putting them in, while Su Ziyang kept turning it, his arm never stopping.

While others would have been exhausted long ago, Su Ziyang, having cultivated the Midnight-Noon Heaven and Earth Art and completed the Great Heavenly Circulation, possessed strength several times greater than ordinary people. Even so, Su Ziyang was still somewhat out of breath.

The grinding wheel made a rumbling sound as it rubbed against each other. This sound reached Su Ziyang's ears, turning Su Ziyang into an emotionless medicine-grinding machine.

The only thing that could stir Su Ziyang's emotions was when Lao Pang put another medicinal herb into the millstone.

Su Ziyang couldn't remember how many medicinal herbs Lao Pang had changed, but he recognized more than a dozen of them.

"Platycodon grandiflorus"

Red peony root

"Chuanxiong"

Angelica dahurica

Cinnamon

Asarum

Licorice

"Sichuan peppercorn"

Angelica sinensis

Cyperus rotundus

Su Ziyang muttered the names of the medicinal herbs in his mind as he furiously turned the millstone.

The master and apprentice skipped lunch and worked tirelessly until sunset.

When the Lao Pang swept the last bit of medicine powder into the bag, Su Ziyang finally couldn't hold on any longer.

At this moment, Su Ziyang stood up without saying a word. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but that he was so tired that he couldn't even open his mouth.

"You've worked hard, young man. If it were before, it would have taken me four or five days to prepare these medicinal herbs. It's good to be young; you can finish the work in a day..." The Lao Pang looked at Su Ziyang with a big smile.

"There's a bathhouse at the east end of that town. Go there and wash up. Just say you're my apprentice, he won't charge you. Go quickly!" Lao Pang instructed again.

After hearing what the Lao Pang said, Su Ziyang reluctantly raised his hand, waved at the Lao Pang, and turned around and went back to his room.

Exhausted, Su Ziyang Su Ziyang and fell asleep immediately. In his later words, that wasn't sleeping; that was a coma.

So tired, Su Ziyang didn't get out of bed the next day. When he finally opened his eyes, it was already 10 a. m.

Su Ziyang moved slightly on the bed, and every part of his body, from his hair to his toes, ached.

"Damn it!" Su Ziyang cursed through gritted teeth, then trembled as he got out of bed.

As soon as Su Ziyang stepped out of the room, he saw Lao Pang carrying a clay pot of medicine coming in from outside.

"Master Pang, I'm sorry, I overslept!" Su Ziyang was used to getting up early to cook for Lao Pang, even if it was just simple, plain food, it was still cooking.

Su Ziyang's apology startled Lao Pang for a moment, then he revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Hahaha, it's alright, it's alright. You must have been exhausted yesterday. I specially made you something nice today. Come, come, sit down!"

Lao Pang pulled Su Ziyang to sit at the table and gave Su Ziyang a bowl.

Su Ziyang was used to being Lao Pang's apprentice and part-time nanny. Now that Lao Pang was taking the initiative, Su Ziyang became extremely apprehensive. Lao Pang offered Su Ziyang a seat, but Su Ziyang didn't dare to sit down. Instead, he stood up and said to Lao Pang, "Master Pang, please don't be like this. I'm scared. I'll definitely be able to get up early tomorrow!"

"Tsk~" Lao Pang clicked his tongue habitually. "Young man, why do I find you so afraid of me now, just like the farmhands were afraid of the landlord back then? What? Have I oppressed you?"

Lao Pang pressed Su Ziyang down into a seat, placed the casserole in front of Su Ziyang, opened the lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.

"You were exhausted yesterday, which took a toll on your energy and blood. So I made you a nourishing pigeon soup today. Hurry up and eat!"

Lao Pang shoved the chopsticks into Su Ziyang's hand.

Su Ziyang looked at the fragrant pigeon soup in the casserole and swallowed hard. "Master Pang ~"

"Stop talking nonsense and eat quickly! Finish it all, don't leave any soup behind. You just have a small appetite. When I was your age, I could eat more than a dozen cornbreads and two bowls of stew in one meal." Lao Pang was completely unaware that his appetite had become somewhat abnormal due to his cultivation practice. His appetite was incomparable to that of an ordinary person like Su Ziyang.

Under Lao Pang's supervision, Su Ziyang diligently finished eating a pigeon and a large pot of soup.

The warm soup made Su Ziyang break out in a light sweat, and his sore muscles were relieved to a great extent.

"Master Pang, your soup is amazing! It's made all my aches and pains disappear!" Su Ziyang stretched his neck.

"That's right!" The Lao Pang laughed smugly.

"Thank you Master Pang!" Su Ziyang quickly thanked the Lao Pang, then picked up the clay pot to wash it.

"Young man, let me ask you. Do you wish to formally become my apprentice and inherit the Bian Clan Bonesetting skills?"

Lao Pang suddenly spoke up behind Su Ziyang.

Lao Pang's words startled Su Ziyang. He then turned back to look at Lao Pang: "Master Pang, I heard when I came that you've only ever personally taught one person in your entire life. Isn't that Brother Beichen? I'm just here to become a nominal apprentice!"

"He's not a direct disciple!" The Lao Pang shook his head.

"Why?" Su Ziyang asked the Lao Pang why, but the Lao Pang didn't answer and changed the subject.

"I spoke with Xuhui on the phone the day before yesterday. Was the person who came to see you off that day your extraordinary master? Don't worry, we have different majors, so having two masters won't break the rules. Don't worry about it! And if things don't work out, I'll have Xuhui mediate. I won't put you in a difficult position!"

Lao Pang thought Su Ziyang was worried about the issue of lineage, but Su Ziyang shook his head. "Master Pang, I'm not worried about that. I'm just worried that I lack the aptitude to fully inherit your medical skills, and if that happens, your school of bone-setting will decline, and I will be a sinner to your Bian family!"

"Phew~" Lao Pang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Su Ziyang's words. "No, I think you can do it! The decision to learn or not is up to you. If you choose to learn, I will teach you with all my might. How much you learn depends on yourself!"

Seeing the look in Lao Pang's eyes, Su Ziyang's heart skipped a beat. After thinking for five minutes, Su Ziyang nodded. "Okay, I'll learn!"

"Alright!" Upon hearing Su Ziyang's words, Lao Pang slapped his thigh and stood up from the stool. "Let's go. Let's pay our respects to the patriarch. Then you'll officially be my disciple!"

Lao Pang snatched the casserole from Su Ziyang's hand, put it on the table, and dragged Su Ziyang outside. The small tricycle that Lao Pang had used to pull the millstone that day was parked at the gate.

"Come on, get on here! Young man! Hurry up, hurry up!"

Lao Pang pulled Su Ziyang onto the tricycle, pedaled furiously all the way, and the two arrived at a particularly exquisite courtyard.

Su Ziyang looked around the courtyard and realized it was an ancestral hall. Lao Pang took out a bundle from the tricycle. Inside were some paper money and offerings for burning.

Lao Pang entered the room carrying a bundle, and Su Ziyang followed behind Lao Pang.

Su Ziyang glanced around and noticed that many of the memorial tablets bore surnames other than Bian. After looking at them in confusion for a while, Su Ziyang finally realized that this was not the Lao Pang hall of Lao Pang's Bian family. It must have been jointly built by several families in the village.

Lao Pang pulled Su Ziyang to one side of the ancestral hall, where Su Ziyang finally saw Bian's memorial tablet.

Lao Pang arranged the offerings, lit incense, and respectfully kowtowed several times. Then he murmured, "Your son, Bian Juncheng unfilial. Today, I pass on the Bian family's bone-setting skills to someone outside the family. I earnestly hope that our ancestors will know this!"

After the Lao Pang finished speaking, he pulled Su Ziyang over again. "Come on, young man, kowtow!"

Having agreed, Su Ziyang didn't say much more and respectfully kowtowed several times.

"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Lao Pang said "okay" several times, then pulled Su Ziyang up with him.

After burning the paper money, the Lao Pang picked up an orange from among the offerings and handed it to Su Ziyang: "Disciple, eating this will make you smarter!"

Su Ziyang smiled, said nothing, took the orange, peeled it, and ate it. Strangely enough, the orange was exceptionally sweet!