PATGFM Chapter 23 Medicine Identification Competition
Lu Chuan was caught off guard by this question and felt flustered.
Mu Nanqing chuckled incessantly, even pinching Lu Chuan's ear, "Brother, Sister-in-law is just teasing you, why are you blushing? Your ears turn red every time you're embarrassed, it's so amusing..."
Lu Chuan felt completely embarrassed, it was the first time he had seen Mu Nanqing drunk, and he never expected her to be so uninhibited after drinking, completely different from her usual self.
Perhaps Sister-in-law has been suppressing herself for too long, which is why she's acting like this now.
"Sister-in-law, it's getting late, let me help you back to your room to rest," Lu Chuan spoke up.
Mu Nanqing thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "My legs are weak, could you carry me back to the room?"
Lu Chuan was a bit conflicted, but seeing Mu Nanqing swaying unsteadily, he could only nod and reached out to lift her from the couch.
Mu Nanqing hugged Lu Chuan's neck and leaned against his chest, "Xiao Chuan, having you is really nice."
Lu Chuan cleared his throat awkwardly and quickly carried Mu Nanqing into the room.
When he placed Mu Nanqing on the bed and tried to get up, he found her arms still wrapped around him tightly, refusing to let go.
"Sister-in-law, you can release your hand," Lu Chuan said.
Mu Nanqing instead hugged him tighter, "Xiao Chuan, can I sleep with you tonight?"
Lu Chuan's breathing became heavier, "Sister-in-law, this..."
Mu Nanqing placed a finger on his lips, pleading, "Just for one night."
Lu Chuan sighed and thought that maybe Sister-in-law was missing Big Brother and seeking comfort, so he agreed, "Alright then."
He lay down on Mu Nanqing's bed.
Mu Nanqing happily hugged him and closed her eyes.
Lu Chuan tensed up, trying not to move recklessly, and especially trying not to let his mind wander.
It was a difficult night.
At that moment, he remembered the secret Mu Nanqing had mentioned before and thought that her being drunk might be an opportunity, so he asked, "Sister-in-law, what was that secret you mentioned to me before? Can you tell me now?"
Mu Nanqing replied, "Sure."
Lu Chuan immediately perked up.
"That secret is..."
Lu Chuan waited for a while but realized Mu Nanqing hadn't continued speaking.
He glanced down and saw that Mu Nanqing had already fallen asleep peacefully in his arms.
"You fall asleep so quickly," Lu Chuan sighed.
Feeling the warmth from Mu Nanqing's breath, he felt a bit parched.
In order to prevent himself from doing anything impulsive, he focused his mind and forced himself into meditation, quickly reaching a state of detachment, earnestly practicing.
The next morning.
After waking up, Lu Chuan found Mu Nanqing already preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
"Xiao Chuan, you're up. Go freshen up, breakfast will be ready soon," Mu Nanqing glanced at Lu Chuan and continued cooking.
Lu Chuan watched Mu Nanqing as if nothing had happened and thought to himself, "She probably drank too much and forgot what happened last night. Well, it's for the best, otherwise it might have been awkward."
During breakfast, Mu Nanqing continued to care for Lu Chuan as she used to, constantly offering him food and peeling eggs, like a caring elder.
After breakfast, as Mu Nanqing prepared to leave, Lu Chuan reminded her, "Sister-in-law, try to drink less in the future."
Mu Nanqing suddenly blushed and avoided eye contact with Lu Chuan, quickly grabbing her things and turning away, muttering quietly, "Got it."
Then she hurriedly left.
Lu Chuan tidied up the table and quickly got ready before heading out to the herbal market.
The herbal market was vast and filled with a variety of herbs. It was not easy to identify herbs with good quality and efficacy among them. Even experienced traditional Chinese medicine practitioners needed to spend a lot of time searching for a few decent specimens among the many.
But Lu Chuan didn't need to worry about this issue at all.
In his heritage, there was a spell called the "Spiritual Breath Technique," which, when cast, could quickly discern the type, age, and efficacy of herbs based on their scent. It was an unparalleled method for identifying herbs.
Lu Chuan only needed to walk into the herbal shops, take a sniff, and determine if they had good herbs.
So he finished browsing the herbal market in just over an hour and bought a few good quality herbs.
As Lu Chuan walked out of the herbal market and looked at the herbs he had bought, he felt a pang of pain. These herbs had cost him over 110,000 yuan.
"The 120,000 I earned last time was spent in an instant. I used to think 120,000 was a decent amount, but I never expected it would only be enough to buy a few herbs."
"Now I'm broke again," he chuckled helplessly and decided to head back.
At that moment, two people passed by him.
"The Herbal Identification Competition is about to begin. Let's hurry and go watch the excitement. I heard the first prize this time is a 50-year-old ginseng!"
"Wow, with such a generous reward, a 50-year-old ginseng could sell for three to four hundred thousand, right?"
...
Lu Chuan's eyes lit up suddenly, and he quickly grabbed one of them and asked, "Hey buddy, how do I sign up for this Herbal Identification Competition?"
The person said, "You can sign up on-site."
Lu Chuan hurriedly said, "Let's go then, show me the way. I want to sign up!"
The person sized up Lu Chuan and sneered, "Those who participate in this competition are renowned old traditional Chinese medicine practitioners or top students from Chinese medicine universities. Are you sure you can compete?"
Lu Chuan smiled and said, "A man should never say he can't. I must try!"
The person laughed heartily, finding Lu Chuan quite amusing, and led him towards the competition venue.
The competition venue was set up in a small square.
By now, many people had gathered here, making it very lively.
Lu Chuan went to the registration desk, paid the 500 yuan registration fee, and received his entry qualification.
The competition was to start in half an hour.
Lu Chuan observed that most of those who came to register were indeed elderly, many of whom exuded a strong herbal scent. Of course, there were also some young people, whom Lu Chuan could tell were students from Chinese medicine universities from their conversations.
Just as he was casually wandering around, he suddenly saw a familiar figure.
Chu Shanhe was being warmly led over by the organizers towards the square, and he handed Chu Shanhe a signboard with the word "Judge" written on it.
Lu Chuan was slightly puzzled, "Is he the judge of this competition?"
At this moment, Chu Shanhe also noticed Lu Chuan and visibly paused.
After a moment of hesitation, Chu Shanhe walked towards Lu Chuan.
"What are you doing here?" Chu Shanhe asked condescendingly.
Lu Chuan politely replied, "Uncle, I'm here to participate in the Herbal Identification Competition."
Chu Shanhe shook his head, "If I hadn't come, it would have been fine for you to participate, but today I am the judge of this competition. You'd better withdraw."
Lu Chuan frowned, "Uncle, what do you mean?"
Chu Shanhe glanced at him, "Aren't you afraid of losing miserably and becoming a laughingstock later, and then I'll tell Meng Yao about it?"