Chapter 836 - 838 Better Hold Your Tongue_1
Many took the medicine soup, blew on it, and drank it without much suspicion, and since there were no other options at that point, a warm bowl of soup did make their stomachs feel a bit more comfortable.
But soon someone said, "This medicine tastes good, and my stomach seems to feel a bit better."
"How could it work so quickly? It must be a placebo effect," someone said with a laugh.
However, after a while, quite a few people claimed they felt much better, no longer wanting to throw up and their heads weren’t spinning as much either.
"Madam Jiang’s medicine is truly miraculous, I feel much better!" exclaimed a soldier whose seasickness had lightened, now completely cured and unable to hold back his admiration.
Bai Ruozhu had a faint smile on her face, not willing to offer up medicine unless it met her standards.
Tu Ying looked at her with great admiration, saying, "I told you that you are a Divine Doctor. With you on this trip, they should be really thankful."
Many came forward to thank Bai Ruozhu with clasped fist and some even asked, "Madam, do we need to drink this medicine every day?"
Bai Ruozhu smiled and said, "Once every three days will suffice. If someone has severe symptoms, then they need to drink a bowl every other day. I’ll instruct the kitchen to prepare the medicine, and if you really feel unwell, you can go and get a bowl. But since the medicinal materials are limited, everyone mustn’t waste them, otherwise, there will be suffering later on."
Many said they wouldn’t waste it and added that if they weren’t feeling particularly bad, they wouldn’t go out of their way to get the medicine.
"Dang Youshen, look, our seasickness is cured thanks to Madam Jiang’s effective medicine. Much better than those pills you acquired at great expense. Didn’t you hear? Madam Jiang’s soup needs to be taken only once every three days, whereas yours needs to be taken daily. Despite the ’great expense,’ I think it falls short," shouted a delegate trainee Guo Xing at Dang Youshen. He was the one who had been refused the pill by Dang earlier.
Guo Xing’s voice was loud, and Dang Youshen’s face turned green and red with embarrassment. He wanted to retort but felt he couldn’t save face, so with a cold snort, he retreated back to his ship cabin. Yet, upon entering, he was greeted by the stench of vomit from Liu Jianzhou, which hadn’t yet dissipated, making him feel so nauseous that he almost threw up himself and was forced to return to the deck.
Seeing Dang leaving, Guo Xing said with disdain, "We’re all classmates, and only he is so selfish and stingy. Not even half as good as Madam Jiang."
"Our Madam Jiang is a Divine Doctor, having her with us means we’ll suffer less!" A loud-mouthed soldier called out.
"Indeed, it was also out of care for us that Lord Jiang had Madam Jiang accompany us on the trip, making her endure the hardships of travel with us," another veteran soldier said with a nod.
Bai Ruozhu almost burst into laughter. Did they have to idolize Achun to such lofty virtue?
The head of the Study Palace also stepped forward, bowing deeply to Bai Ruozhu with respect, saying, "I am grateful to you for helping those students and would like to thank you on their behalf for your kindness."
Realizing what was going on, the students too moved forward to bow to Bai Ruozhu in thanks, including those not affected by seasickness, among whom were her second brother, Qin Kaichang, and Tu Bai.
The head of the Study Palace felt slightly comforted seeing that everyone was behaving so gratefully.
At that moment, Dang Youshen emerged from the ship cabin again, seeing the scene unfold and feeling very displeased, he grumbled, "If there was seasickness medicine all along, why wasn’t it given out earlier? Why wait until everyone suffered first? Did she want people to feel more grateful for her kindness?"
A burly soldier raised his fist threateningly at Dang Youshen, saying fiercely, "What are you talking about, boy? You’ve been the only one whining all the way, like a nagging wife. Is Madam Jiang someone you can just talk about like that?"
Soldiers might not be well-read, but they tend to be forthright, and many started yelling, causing Dang Youshen to draw the public’s ire.
The head of the Study Palace sighed helplessly, regretting having allowed Dang to come along, as his behavior was becoming more and more outrageous.
Bai Ruozhu raised her hand, signaling everyone to quiet down, and immediately, all the clamor ceased, and everyone waited silently to hear what Bai Ruozhu had to say.
As Bai Ruozhu walked forward, people automatically cleared a path for her. She took step by step until she was in front of Dang Youshen, her face wearing a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, "You brought seasickness medicine when you boarded the ship, and others must have brought some too, hasn’t they?"
Upon hearing this, Guo Xing immediately said, "Madam is right, I also brought some."
Others also said they had brought it, but some people were on a ship for the first time and had no idea they would get seasick.
"With limited supplies on the ship, I had hoped that everyone had brought their own seasickness medicine, so we could save medicinal materials where possible, just in case someone fell ill and we wouldn’t run out of emergency medicinal materials. There are many of us, and the most severe challenge on this journey is not mere seasickness," Bai Ruozhu remarked.
She further added, "Later, seeing that everyone was suffering badly from seasickness, I had to prepare the seasickness medicine first. As for Mr. Dang’s comment about wanting everyone to be grateful to me, he is really overthinking it. With that said, those who believe will believe; I will not force those who do not. Even if someone wrongly blames me, it’s not as if I will lose a piece of flesh, right?"
Her carefree smile and that dash of spiritedness left all the soldiers stunned. It was not long before someone regained their composure and happily exclaimed, "Madam is right, no matter what others think, it’s not as if we will lose a chunk of flesh!"
"Well said!"
"Madam is right!"
The crowd burst into applause, and Dang Youshen’s face turned an ugly shade of green.
With a faint smile, Bai Ruozhu looked towards him, saying, "Just do what you are supposed to do."
Her smile was faint, yet to Dang Youshen, it appeared as naked mockery. Anger shook the hand hidden in his sleeve, but with so many soldiers watching, he had to suppress his outburst.
Bai Ruozhu turned and left with an air of nonchalance, no longer paying attention to Dang Youshen’s jealous gaze. He was not in her league, and there would be plenty more for him to be jealous of in the future.
Jiang Yichun did not appear on the deck but watched the events unfold with perfect clarity. He couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. His wife possessed a certain charm that attracted people, making them admire her every word and gesture.
After the evening meal, the members of the Study Palace gathered again to discuss the upcoming competition. It wasn’t long before Liu Jianzhou rushed out, vomiting violently, then clutching his stomach and crying out in pain, almost reaching the point of writhing on the ground.
Dang Youshen’s eyes lit up, and he dashed over to Liu Jianzhou, feigning concern, "Jianzhou, what’s wrong with you? Did you eat something that didn’t agree with you?"
Other people also gathered around, and Bai Zepei glanced over indifferently, saying, "Call a soldier to ask my sister to come and have a look."
Dang Youshen immediately raised his voice, "Your sister is not a legitimate doctor; is she really up to the task? Liu Jianzhou was fine until he drank her decoction during the day. I bet he drank the wrong medicine!"
Bai Zepei remained calm and unruffled, "There could be many reasons for abdominal pain. He didn’t only drink the decoction today, but also ate other things. Mr. Dang had better not make unfounded statements before getting the facts straight."
This time, the head of the Study Palace also got angry, and said sternly, "Dang Youshen, it would be better if you spoke less!"
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Dear readers, after updating with five Chapters for four days in a row, let’s take a break today and do four Chapters. I will continue to work hard tomorrow. I still owe 2 Chapters, and now we are 31 Chapters behind...