CHAPTER 1519: 327, TEACH WITH ITCHING POWDER (SECOND UPDATE)

Wen Jingming’s father is not only an Imperial Physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau, but also universally recognized as the next adjudicator of the Bureau. Such a venerable and respected person actually making a bet with his son over an apprenticeship? This was simply too astonishing for words.

Xiao Linshuang couldn’t help but purse her lips speechlessly. Who else was there to blame? She could only blame herself for having such a good mentor!

Lin Yuan also looked helplessly at Wen Jingming; now she finally understood what Xia Zheng meant. Indeed, being a disciple of Lao Fan was like being a trouble magnet!

"Master, Master? How do you plan to test me? Don’t worry, I will definitely not let you down!" Wen Jingming was still excitedly circling Xiao Linshuang, intending to become her disciple, completely oblivious to the dramatic change in the young girl’s expression.

Finally, Xiao Linshuang had had enough of this buzzing nuisance. She puffed out her little chest, and an astonishing strength burst from her tiny frame: "I don’t want any disciples! If you want to become an apprentice, go find my master! Stop bothering me!"

Wen Jingming was so startled by her sudden outburst that his jaw nearly dropped.

However, just when Lin Yuan thought this guy would either walk away dejectedly or angrily rebuke Xiao Linshuang for being unappreciative, unexpectedly, he leaned close to Xiao Linshuang’s face and said very seriously, "Master, your eyes are red and you’re speaking harshly; this is a sign of excessive liver fire in your body. In my view, you should take a concoction made from schizonepeta spikes, mint, Fang Feng, Bupleurum, perilla leaves, pueraria root, and also Bai Zhi, and Gymnema leaves, supplemented with platycodon roots, bitter almonds, and reed roots. One prescription a day, taken continuously for three days, should show improvements."

After speaking, Wen Jingming actually began to mix the medicine right there on the Second Floor of Frost Pavilion. Watching his earnest behavior, Lin Yuan and Xiao Linshuang exchanged glances, feeling utterly bewildered.

Soon, Wen Jingming had the medicine prepared, but his prescription was obviously incorrect.

Xiao Linshuang glanced at the herbs he cheerfully held and said with a helpless and ironic smile, pointing at one of the ingredients, "Is this bitter almond? This is clearly peach kernel! Peach kernel!"

Wen Jingming was stunned, blinking blankly before looking down at the herbs in his hands. Suddenly crying out, he quickly tossed the peach kernel to the side with a regretful face: "I’ve always mixed up almonds and peach kernels, and this time again! I can’t even count how many beatings I’ve gotten from my father over this since childhood! Tsk tsk, Master don’t be upset, I’ll definitely remember it this time. Ah, it’s mainly because the almonds and peach kernels here are all ground to powder; it’s understandable that I couldn’t tell them apart in a moment, quite understandable, hehe."

Now Lin Yuan was even more speechless. The Second Floor of Frost Pavilion was specifically used for preparing various medicinal pastes, and naturally, the herbs here were ground to powder.

However, Wen Jingming, with his inadequate skills, had confused almonds and peach kernels, yet instead of looking for the fault in himself, he pushed the responsibility away. Was someone like this really suitable to become a Medic?

Xiao Linshuang slumped into a chair, one hand supporting her forehead and the other waving in exasperation, her voice hoarse: "Young Master Wen, come back when you can tell the difference between almonds and peach kernels. For now, please go back! Don’t speak any more, if you say another word, I’ll prescribe you mute medicine that will leave you unable to speak for a month!"

"Mmm, mmm!"

Hearing the mention of "mute medicine," Wen Jingming indeed became much more obedient. He clutched his mouth tightly and nodded repeatedly as he ran downstairs, gesturing wildly with his hands and feet as he went.

Although I couldn’t understand what he was gesturing, seeing his urgency and silent swearing, Lin Yuan guessed that he was probably saying, "I’ll definitely learn to distinguish almond from peach kernels, Master, just wait for your disciple’s good news!"

Finally having chased that guy away, Xiao Linshuang lay on the table with a look of utter despondence, finding even talking to be too much effort.

This was the first time Lin Yuan had seen her like this, and she chuckled quietly to herself; if Wen Jingming really became Xiao Linshuang’s apprentice, at the very least this little girl would behave herself more from now on, and wouldn’t have so much spare energy to mess with others.

Thinking about it that way, taking Wen Jingming as an apprentice doesn’t seem such a bad idea after all.

Poking Xiao Linshuang’s forehead, Lin Yuan said teasingly with a smile, "I think this Young Master Wen isn’t bad. Though he’s not very meticulous, his heart as a medic is certainly enthusiastic. With a strict and good master to guide him all the time, changing his scatterbrained bad habits wouldn’t be difficult."

As soon as Xiao Linshuang heard Lin Yuan speaking up for that annoying guy, she jumped up from her chair like a cat that had been stepped on its tail, and protested loudly, "No way, no way, I’m not taking that blockhead as an apprentice! How can I teach him if he can’t even distinguish between almond and peach kernels? It’s not just almonds and peach kernels; he can’t even tell ginseng from radish roots! Big Sister, it’s not just a matter of not being meticulous, he’s really too dumb!"

Xiao Linshuang folded her arms across her chest, looking aggrieved: "I get it! That Doctor Wen must be annoyed with his own son for being too dumb and unteachable, so he kicked him over to me to teach! Surely I can’t be like his dad, spanking him with a board every day, can I?"

With a snort, Lin Yuan almost sprayed out the tea she had just drunk.

"You, you don’t need to spank him with a board. Let me tell you, if he can’t learn, just slip him some itching powder and wait until he has learned everything to give him the antidote. See, isn’t my method good?" Lin Yuan said.

Xiao Linshuang’s eyes lit up, and a mischievous, eager smile appeared on her lips.

However, the young girl quickly came to her senses, still shaking her head like a rattle-drum: "No, no, my itching powder is made from many good medicines. If that guy can’t learn every day, then all my itching powder won’t be enough. No, the cost of teaching such a dumb apprentice is just too high, I really need to think it over."

Picking up the herbal medicine that Wen Jingming had just prepared for her to cool the internal heat, Xiao Linshuang’s eyes rolled, and she snickered, "This Young Master Wen’s father is an Imperial Physician at the Imperial Medical Bureau, right? Then he must have lots of precious medicines and unique books that others don’t have. If I could take those as tuition fees, I might consider taking him as an apprentice, hehe."

Lin Yuan shook her head speechlessly. This little sister really did copy her own money-grubbing ways perfectly—other people take apprentices to pass on knowledge and skills. Instead, she is eyeing the precious medicines from Doctor Wen’s family.

Shaking her head, Lin Yuan silently paid respects with three sticks of incense in her heart to Doctor Wen and Wen Jingming, hoping that this father and son would not be wrung dry by Xiao Linshuang.