A moment later, Wen Jing frowned. She hurriedly grabbed the cup on the table and gulped down several mouthfuls of water before finally washing the bitter taste from her mouth.
Jiang Chan unhurriedly put the pills into porcelain bottles. She had made only sixty-six, enough for two months. She had not bought many herbs. Once these were gone, she would make another batch.
“What medicine isn’t bitter?” After putting away sixty pills, Jiang Chan pushed the remaining five toward Wen Jing and the others. Wen Jing had already done away with one of the extra six. “Divide these among yourselves. They’re good for you and help nourish the body.”
A moment ago, the bitterness had brought tears to Wen Jing’s eyes, but her hands did not pause. She carefully picked up a pill. Whatever it did, she had put plenty of work into making it. That alone made it worth keeping as a memento.
“Take one when you’re tired. It refreshes the mind and nourishes the brain.” Jiang Chan kept her explanation brief and ignored Yang Liuqing’s and the others’ questions. She had so many secrets. Where would she find the time to explain every one?
She believed that if they truly regarded her as a friend, they would understand that some things were better left unasked and simply kept to themselves.
Yang Liuqing blinked, then tapped the two chocolate-malt-ball-like pills on the table. “Xiao Chan, could you prepare little porcelain bottles next time? If you give them to us like this, we have nowhere to keep them.”
Yu Jie nodded too. Jiang Chan smiled. “I’ll keep them for you for now and make you more next time. If you need any, just tell me, but you’ll have to provide the ingredients.”
Wen Jing casually slung an arm around Jiang Chan’s shoulders. “Of course. We can’t have you working for nothing. But Xiao Chan, you really know how to do this? Not just anyone can make medicinal pills.”
She leaned closer with a grin. “Can you take pulses? Do you know the four diagnostic methods of Chinese medicine: looking, listening and smelling, asking, and taking the pulse?”
Jiang Chan looked up and examined her complexion. “You’ve been staying up late and eating too much greasy food. Look at those spots on your face.”
Her fingers brushed Wen Jing’s wrist for just a few seconds. “Your right leg isn’t in good shape, is it? It aches when the weather is rainy and overcast?”
Wen Jing’s eyes widened as she listened. She had never mentioned her bad right leg in the dormitory. How did Jiang Chan know? Had she really discovered it just by taking her pulse? That was far too incredible.
“You’re amazing! My right leg was exposed to cold in the past. Whenever the temperature drops a little or it gets chilled, it really hurts. I’ve seen all sorts of doctors. They ease it at the time, but afterward it still hurts just as much.”
Wen Jing looked miserable. “My mum has taken me to so many old Chinese medicine practitioners over the years. Nearly all of them could tell by taking my pulse, but treatment is more troublesome and has to be kept up. I’m a student. Where would I find that much time?”
Jiang Chan tapped the table. “Yours isn’t too bad. It can be treated, but you’ll have to keep at it for a while. I’ll write you a prescription. Get the herbs and soak your feet every evening. Later, when I’m free, I’ll make some prepared herbal medicine for you too.”
Wen Jing’s eyes immediately lit up. “Really? Xiao Chan, you can really treat it?”
Jiang Chan was entirely serious. “Of course. I wouldn’t say so without confidence. With treatment from within and care from outside, you should basically be better in a month.”
Wen Jing hugged her. “That’s wonderful! Let’s try it right away!”
Jiang Chan spread her hands. “Even if we tried now, I don’t have the herbs. How about this? After the Placement Test, don’t we get a break lasting two class periods? We can buy them then.”
Wen Jing immediately nodded. The normally boisterous Yang Liuqing looked hesitant. “Xiao Chan, since you could identify Sister Jing’s problem, could you examine Yu Jie and me too?”
Jiang Chan studied Yang Liuqing’s face. “From what I can see, you have spots on your chin, which are an obvious sign of menstrual irregularity. Are your periods irregular?”
Yang Liuqing looked a little embarrassed. Even an outgoing girl could hardly avoid feeling awkward discussing something so private.
“Yes. I started at fourteen. For the first two years, things were fairly normal, basically five days each month, and quite regular. But after I reached my third year of junior high, everything suddenly changed.”
“Now my periods usually end after three days. Either there’s hardly any flow, or it’s all dark blood clots. It hurts terribly almost every time. Xiao Chan, do I have some serious illness?”
Yang Liuqing was anxious too. Who did not value their own life? With her periods so abnormal, she was terribly worried.
Seeing that she was almost in tears, Yu Jie gently patted her back. “Alright, don’t worry. Xiao Chan is so capable. She even found Sister Jing’s leg problem just by taking her pulse. Try to relax.”
Jiang Chan placed her fingers on Yang Liuqing’s pulse and remained silent for about a minute. “Does your mother have similar symptoms?”
Yang Liuqing nodded. Jiang Chan continued, “Your condition is neither trivial nor terribly serious. You’re young, so it’s still easy to treat. You have congenital wind in your body, inherited from your mother.”
“Besides, the dampness and cold in your body are severe. Your qi and blood don’t circulate smoothly, which naturally causes menstrual pain.”
“As for your periods being normal for two years and becoming irregular in your third year of junior high, academic pressure was a major reason. Relax and don’t put so much pressure on yourself. I’ll prepare some herbs and make you some medicine. Take it for a month first, and we’ll see.”
“As for your mother…” Jiang Chan tapped the table. “Ask her to have a gynecological examination when she has time. With a constitution like yours, gynecological problems are likely later, and uterine fibroids are a real possibility.”
Seeing Yang Liuqing’s uneasy expression, Jiang Chan reassured her. “It’s alright. Your condition is still manageable. I’ll prepare some medicine first. It can be treated, so don’t be frightened.”
After examining everyone in the room, Jiang Chan found that the seemingly frail Yu Jie was actually the healthiest. At the very least, she had no lingering health problems or other ailments. This made Wen Jing and Yang Liuqing very envious.
Seeing that Yang Liuqing was still uneasy, Jiang Chan pushed a little porcelain bottle toward her. “Take this for now. Once I’ve made your prepared herbal medicine after the Placement Test, switch to that.”
Yang Liuqing took the bottle and blinked. “What does this medicine do?”
“These are Great Tonifying Pills. I made them specifically to improve my health. You might look sturdy, but you’re actually quite weak inside. Take these for the next few days to replenish your qi and blood. Once the other medicine is ready, switch.”
Seeing Wen Jing watching hopefully, Jiang Chan frowned. “These aren’t suitable for you. You already have too much internal heat. You’re like a little burning sun.”
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I’m seriously tired of this already… like, I could believe Jiang Chan becomes a studying god after spending lifetime(s) of learning/education. I can believe she’s a great cook. But man, trying to stuff “traditional medicine” into the “real world” (from a cultivation world, mind you), is really testing the limits of my belief/patience. I hate it when the story isn’t even focused on “medicine”/not the main plot, and the author stuffs it into story, just so the protagonist can show off more. As if they weren’t the most OP thing in existence already. Is this a requirement of every c-novel or something? Like, holy heck, I’ve read Japanese/Korean novels too, but I don’t think they’re obsessed with traditional medicine like c-novels are.
I think this comes with the Mary Sue starter pack 😂