Chapter Eighty-Seven: A Prescription for Xie Ying

The cave was broad from the moment they entered, wide enough for all of them to walk upright at a brisk pace, even for Xie Jue, the tallest of the group, who did not need to stoop or bow his head.

After seven or eight steps, the space within opened up even further.

Inside lay a single, vast, irregular chamber, with no branches and no side passages; one glance was enough to take in the whole cavern.

It was not deep, and because the entrance was so wide and high, daylight still filtered in from outside, allowing those who entered to see the cave clearly in its entirety.

Most of the cave walls were stone, though here and there were earthen patches draped with vines, which showed that the cavern was very solid and not likely to collapse under ordinary circumstances.

Wei Ruo could also see water trickling down the stone wall on the right, making it clear that the humidity inside was not low.

As for the temperature, at this time it was pleasantly mild within the cave.

Wei Ruo walked a full circuit along the walls, inspecting the cave from end to end.

In some corners she found wild fungi, gray-white and slender, a variety that was not usable.

But that also confirmed indirectly that the cave’s environment was suitable for mushroom growth.

“How is it, Little Sister Wei? Does it meet what you had in mind?” Xie Jue asked after Wei Ruo had made her round.

Wei Ruo nodded. “Yes, this is very much the sort of cave I was looking for.”

Xie Jue could not help but smile. “That’s good.”

He was considerate enough not to press her on why she wanted to find such a cave.

When she had not said it at the beginning of the day, it meant she could not easily reveal the reason. In that case, it was best not to pry too much; if Little Sister Wei wanted to speak, she naturally would.

Having seen enough of the cave, Wei Ruo said to the Xie siblings, “All right, I’ve finished looking. This cave is quite good. As for exactly what we’ll do with it, we can discuss that next time. For now, let’s go out.”

“Then shall we keep gathering herbs?” Xie Ying asked.

“If you’re willing, we can go a little farther up the mountain and gather more medicinal herbs,” Wei Ruo said.

“I want to. I want to pick some useful herbs myself and take them back to nourish my mother’s body,” Xie Ying said.

She had money, but that money had been given to her by her mother. Using her mother’s money to buy herbs for her mother did not count as her own ability. If she picked them herself, it would mean something entirely different.

Xie Jue looked at his enthusiastic younger sister and said helplessly to Wei Ruo, “My sister still isn’t satisfied, so I’ll have to trouble Little Sister Wei to keep leading us in search of herbs.”

“Very well,” Wei Ruo agreed.

After leaving the cave, the group went a little deeper into the woods.

The farther into the mountains they went, the greater the chance of finding precious medicinal herbs.

In the end, it was not until dusk that the four of them came down from the mountain.

On the way down, Xiu Mei and Xie Jue each carried a bamboo basket, both filled to the brim.

Wei Ruo wrapped up a bundle in cloth, while Xie Ying had no cloth bundle, so she took off her brother’s outer robe and used it as a sack to carry the remaining herbs.

Most of these herbs were not especially valuable; together they might not even be worth as much as Xie Jue’s cloud-patterned silk robe.

But what could be done? Since his sister wanted to use it, how could Xie Jue dare refuse?

Once they reached the foot of the mountain, Xie Ying wanted to give most of the herbs to Wei Ruo and keep only a few stems for herself, to take back and brew into a cooling tea for her mother.

Wei Ruo refused. “You picked them yourself, so of course they belong to you.”

Xie Ying said, “No need. I only want some of this self-heal to make a cooling tea for my mother.”

Wei Ruo said, “If you picked it yourself, then it is yours.”

Xie Ying said, “But if you hadn’t told me and taught me, I wouldn’t have recognized any of them at all, let alone picked them back.”

Wei Ruo said, “Teaching is teaching; picking is picking. The knowledge you have learned is your own, and the fruits of your labor are your own as well.”

Xie Ying thought about it, then said, “All right, then.”

Turning back to Xie Jue, she said, “Brother, you must keep these herbs safe. Don’t lose them. Not a single stem can go missing!”

Xie Jue laughed and agreed repeatedly. “All right, all right, I know. I’ll keep them very safely.”

Wei Ruo smiled faintly, then asked, “Do you have paper and brush?”

“What do you need paper and brush for?” Xie Jue asked.

“The herbs we gathered today can be used to make a nourishing medicinal soup. Its properties are mild, so it is very suitable for women to drink. I’ll write it down. When you get back, just prepare the ingredients according to my instructions and simmer them in the proper proportions,” Wei Ruo said.

Xie Ying had said she wanted to gather herbs to strengthen her mother’s body, and now that the herbs had been collected, Wei Ruo would see the matter through to the end by giving her the prescription as well, so that Xie Ying might achieve her wish.

“You’re giving me a prescription too, Ruo Ruo?” Xie Ying asked.

“Yes. Cooling tea may be simple, but it has no nourishing effect, and besides, the weather has already turned cooler. It would not be good to drink too much of it now,” Wei Ruo said.

Xie Ying was overjoyed. She rushed forward and hugged Wei Ruo. “Ruo Ruo, you’re really so good!”

Xie Jue had no paper or brush on him, so he quickly sent a servant who had been following them from a distance back to the manor to fetch them.

When the Xie servants returned with paper and brush, Wei Ruo found a relatively flat stone and wrote down the prescription.

Xie Jue, watching from the side, could not help laughing at the crooked, uneven characters she wrote.

He was not mocking her; he simply found it rather endearing.

It seemed Little Sister Wei was not skilled at everything after all.

Then his sister pinched his arm without mercy.

Xie Ying shot Xie Jue a glare, warning him with her eyes not to laugh at her good friend’s handwriting, though it really was ugly.

Only then did Xie Jue stop smiling.

Wei Ruo wrote very carefully, and even included a clear explanation of how to prepare all the herbs they had gathered that day.

When she finished, she handed the prescription to Xie Ying, then took her leave of the two of them.

After parting with the Xie siblings, Wei Ruo and Xiu Mei returned along the same road to the carriage waiting by the roadside.

Seeing Wei Ruo return so late, Granny Zhang said somewhat helplessly, “Miss, you nearly frightened me to death. If you hadn’t come back soon, I was ready to go back and fetch reinforcements! Covering for you is one thing, but you absolutely must not let anything happen to yourself. Otherwise, I’ll be the one left in a terrible fix!”

“I know. Next time I’ll try to come back earlier,” Wei Ruo said.

She also knew she had been late today. There was nothing to be done about it; back on the mountain, Xie Ying had refused to leave, and she could hardly drag her away.

Granny Zhang sighed. “Forget it, forget it. So long as you’re all right.”

Wei Ruo and Xiu Mei boarded the carriage, and on the way back, Wei Ruo began to think about what should come next.

They had found a suitable cave; this one was enough for now. Once the experiment succeeded later on, she would then consider expanding the scale.