Chapter 835 - 837 Seasickness Medicine_1
Bai Ruozhu cast a casual glance at Dang Youshen, contemplating when would be the best time to take care of him.
After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms, because they had to set off as soon as the day broke, so they all went to wash up and then went to bed.
Dengdeng was tired from playing as well, so he went to sleep without making much fuss. Bai Ruozhu got up in the middle of the night to change Dengdeng’s diaper and, sure enough, found that Tu Ying, just as she had claimed, was a heavy sleeper. Bai Ruozhu originally tiptoed around carefully, but later didn’t need to be so deliberate about it; this girl’s sleep was indeed sound.
The next day before dawn, the bugler called everyone to wake up. Everyone got up, quickly got ready, went downstairs for a bowl of hot porridge, then got back into the carriage and continued forward.
On the third day, they indeed found the official road to be very muddy, just as the head of the Academy had mentioned, leading them to believe there had indeed been continuous heavy rain before. Dang Youshen clenched his teeth so hard they made a grinding sound upon seeing this, and at this moment, not many people gathered around him anymore; his previous words had not made it difficult for others to guess his intentions.
After walking for two more days like this, everyone finally reached the boarding point and switched to traveling by water.
Jiang Yichun instructed his deputy officer to lead people in making extensive purchases, as for a long time to come, everyone would be spending their time on the boat.
The official ship they boarded this time was much larger than the one they had taken to the Capital, but even so, it still took two ships to accommodate so many people.
Once the supplies were fully procured, the official ship set sail, and the group proceeded along the Inner River toward Jiangnan.
Once settled on the boat, the rooms were no longer so cramped. Bai Ruozhu stayed in a larger room with Dengdeng and Jiang Yichun, Tu Ying stayed in a smaller room by herself, the students participating in the competition shared rooms in pairs, while the soldiers were crowded together on communal sleeping quarters.
Having stabilized on the boat, members of the delegation often gathered on the deck to meet, mainly to discuss the arrangements for the competition, even including guessing the topics for this year’s exam.
However, less than two days into the journey, many of the students became severely seasick and couldn’t even continue the meetings. Even some of the soldiers were seasick; after all, soldiers from the Northwest rarely traveled by water, and not being a "landlubber" did not guarantee immunity to seasickness.
Luckily, before boarding, Bai Ruozhu had made a list and had the deputy officer purchase a large quantity of medicinal materials.
"Tu Ying, come on, let’s prepare some medicine and make some Seasickness Soup Medicine for those who are seasick," Bai Ruozhu said as she saw the number of seasick people, pulling Tu Ying along to the storeroom.
"This is why it’s so good that Jiang brought you along; we could spare the military doctor," Tu Ying said with a chuckle. "Those students really don’t know what’s good for them. With you accompanying them, they should be thankful."
Bai Ruozhu handed Dengdeng over to her to hold, then personally prepared the medicine and took it to the kitchen to be stewed. Afterwards, she had someone deliver a bowl to each of the seasick people.
On the deck, many people were retching so badly that they turned pale and queasy, with their stomachs churning wave after wave, wishing they could immediately return to the shore and forgoing the competition.
Dang Youshen was also prone to seasickness, so his family had prepared Seasickness Medicine for him before he left. After taking the Seasickness Medicine, he wasn’t as uncomfortable as the others.
One of the seasick individuals, who had participated in the competition with Dang Youshen the previous year, remembered that Dang was affected by seasickness as well and asked, "Brother Dang, weren’t you also seasick? How come it looks like you’re fine now?"
With a somewhat smug tone, Dang Youshen said, "I brought Seasickness Medicine with me. You get seasick and didn’t prepare?"
"I did prepare, but the effect isn’t that pronounced. It’s not as bad as the last time, I didn’t throw up as much, but my head still feels dizzy," the man replied.
Dang Youshen laughed, "The Seasickness Medicine my family prepared for me was sought with a hefty sum of gold, so naturally, it’s not something you can compare with the ordinary over-the-counter Seasickness Medicine."
The man was in such discomfort, although he found the guy’s argument somewhat unsettling, he couldn’t help but say, "Otherwise, Scholar, lend me one, and I’ll pay you back in silver once I return."
"No way, what if I don’t have enough for myself?" Dang Youshen said and turned back to the ship cabin, ignoring everyone else.
That day, the man who had helped Dang Youshen look for Tu Ying was named Liu Jianzhou. He too was suffering from seasickness, and he had overheard Dang Youshen’s words while on the deck. However, he cleverly did not ask Dang Youshen for the medicine in public. He thought that since the medicine was so precious, if he asked Dang Youshen privately, he would definitely give it to him and it wouldn’t put Dang Youshen in a difficult position.
Liu Jianzhou entered the ship cabin and quickly found Dang Youshen to request a seasickness pill.
Dang Youshen glanced at him and said, "This medicine needs to be taken daily to be effective. If I give you one, it will be in vain if you don’t take it every day. But if I were to do that, then I wouldn’t have enough for myself, so I can’t help you."
Liu Jianzhou was dumbfounded. Dang Youshen wasn’t giving it to him?
"Then just give me one for today, to make me feel better," Liu Jianzhou pleaded pitifully.
Dang Youshen gave him a disdainful look and said, "Isn’t that a waste? Do you know how much this medicine costs per pill?"
"Haven’t I helped you a lot? Isn’t that worth a single medicine pill?" Liu Jianzhou challenged.
Dang Youshen ignored him and said with contempt, "That was your own choice, do you think I haven’t provided you with any benefits?"
"You..." Liu Jianzhou pointed at Dang Youshen, wanting to say more, when a wave of nausea struck him. His emotional agitation made the seasickness worse, and he couldn’t hold back any longer. With a retch, he vomited, spewing sour, yellow liquid onto Dang Youshen’s clothes, even splattering some droplets onto Dang Youshen’s face.
Even though Dang Youshen had taken seasickness medicine, the smell immediately made him feel queasy as well.
At that moment, someone outside called out, "Those who are seasick, come out quickly, Lady Jiang has prepared seasickness medicine for everyone. Drink it and you won’t feel sick anymore, hurry up and get it!"
Liu Jianzhou was already in unbearable discomfort and, fearing Dang Youshen would make trouble for him, hurriedly turned and left for the deck.
There was a breeze on the deck which, coupled with not being crowded, made it feel somewhat more comfortable. Moreover, no one wanted to vomit in their own cabins because the lack of air circulation would make the smell unbearably disgusting.
Bearing his nausea, Dang Youshen took off his outer garment and rushed to the deck in one breath, tossing the soiled clothing into the river. He gagged a few times over the side of the boat, but fortunately, the effective medicine he had taken didn’t make him actually vomit.
He sniffed himself and still felt nauseous, but he thought it might be because there were so many people vomiting on the deck, causing that odor.
At that moment, he saw Bai Ruozhu holding a child and watching everyone collect their medicine soup. He muttered to himself, "Daring to drink any medicine they’re given, aren’t they afraid of being poisoned? These people who’ve never seen the world."
The seasick students and teachers went to get their medicine, and even soldiers came for the Spiritual Medicine. They each went up to Bai Ruozhu to thank her with a bow, saying, "Thank you, Lady, for bestowing the medicine."
The headmaster of the Academy, standing not far away, blushed slightly. He didn’t get seasick and didn’t need the medicine, but none of the Academy students who had collected the medicine had shown any gratitude. Was it because they were too exceptional, too proud to remember to be grateful, or did they just think it was their due to receive medicine on the boat?
These Scholars who had extensively read poetry and books showed less courtesy than soldiers who had never been educated. Wasn’t that ironic?