Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 449 - Chapter 449 449. Processing Golden Sakura_1

Chapter 449: 449. Processing Golden Sakura_1 Chapter 449: 449. Processing Golden Sakura_1 Secretary Xiaozu chuckled all the way, and Guo Dong couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.

After returning to Song Tan’s house, she first took out the pound of Golden Sakura that Qiaoqiao had picked to inspect it — not that she was in a rush, but mainly to display her composure.

The Golden Sakura in the basket were all oval, with plump thorns, and a golden-red color that was extremely vivid.

They were not only free of any impurities, but also had their stems with thorns trimmed down a good length, truly high-quality and harvested with care.

She turned and asked, “Auntie, do you have any old gunny or cloth bags at home? It’s okay if they’re torn; I want to remove the thorns from these Golden Sakura.”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

Wu Lan went back to the storeroom and after rummaging around, she quickly pulled out an old grey-green gunny bag — likely used for holding wheat bran.

Guo Dong didn’t mind; she poured the Golden Sakura into it, rolled it a couple of times, and then threw it on the ground, starting to rub it with the sole of her shoe.

Secretary Xiaozu’s brow twitched at the sight:

“Didn’t you say the quality of the medicinal herb was very good? Are you processing it like that?”

“What else?”

Guo Dong matter-of-factly said, “Those who are used to doing this kind of work have calluses on their hands and don’t mind the little thorns; they can do it by hand.”

“I don’t have that skill, so I’ll use my shoes first–what are you worried about with a bag covering it? Anyway, there’s just a little bit, I want to test the medicinal properties first.”

At this thought, she suddenly remembered something and looked around at the busy members of Lao Song’s family, whispering to Secretary Xiaozu:

“If I really end up staying, talk to Song Tan’s family for me, the price for these medicinal herbs can’t be so high!”

Two hundred really is outrageous!

Secretary Xiaozu smiled even more cordially, “Then tell me, could you buy the two meals you’ve eaten for 200 yuan outside?”

“I had to go through a lot of trouble to mooch these meals myself; with this quality, you definitely won’t be at a loss! You should just be grateful that no one is competing with you for now!”

Guo Dong fell silent.

Alright then.

She went back to rubbing the Golden Sakura with a resigned look, while loudly mentioning casually, “Auntie, these Golden Sakura can be preserved for a long time once they’re steamed and dried. They can also be used with donkey-hide gelatin to make Golden Sakura paste, or even boiled down into a syrup.”

“Is that so?” Wu Lan truly became excited.

Why is Doctor Guo so enthusiastic? What a sincere girl.

But still…

She glanced at the spiky fruit that Guo Dong was still fussing with and shook her head, “Forget it, it’s too much trouble, and we don’t lack this kind of food at home; I won’t bother with it.”

Golden Sakura indeed required a lot of effort.

For just about a pound of Golden Sakura, she rubbed and fussed with them for almost twenty minutes before finally shaking them off and washing them clean.

The work wasn’t done yet!

She then borrowed a knife and chopping board from the kitchen and cut each one in half–after that, she took a chopstick (since there was no spoon small enough), and painstakingly dug out all the tiny seeds inside each piece.

Only after another thorough washing could she lay them out on white gauze to dry.

By the time she finished everything, it was even time for dinner at the house.

Song Tan looked at her doubtfully; she suspected that Doctor Guo had been so meticulous in her work because she wanted to linger and have another meal at their house.

But Doctor Guo, under the sun and holding her bowl, remained unfazed and quite calm, as if she truly believed 200 yuan could last her a lifetime…

Fortunately, the overly enthusiastic Secretary Xiaozu drank two big bowls of rice wine and egg drop soup at the dinner table and then solemnly announced–

Yunqiao Village has a new doctor!

“Don’t worry!” Secretary Xiaozu was very resourceful, “I’ll frame your certificates and hang them on the wall for you!”

“And for the wall, get in touch with some of your old clients and get a couple of banners!”

“And if your family dares to cause trouble–don’t worry, the whole village has got your back!”

Guo Dong: … although, however.

Her specialty was invigorating yang and fortifying the kidneys, and her wealthiest clients belonged to this particular demographic…

Ahem.

As for these banners… would the clients be willing to lose face by presenting them? Or what if they wrote something like “Regaining Vigorous Vitality” on it… would she hang it or not?

Seeing her troubled expression, Secretary Xiaozu also considerately brought it up.

Guo Dong then carefully weighed her words and softly spoke about her particular field of expertise.

The sharp-eared and clear-eyed Song Tan: …

He had thought she just had a unique skill, but it turned out she was really specialized and proficient.

Secretary Xiaozu: …

Oh this.

This…

He was stumped too.

Then turning around, “Who are you planning to test this Golden Sakura’s… medicinal properties on? All the people at Lao Song’s family are bachelors, isn’t it too unfair to test it on them?”

“Who says?!”

Wu Lei, who was vigorously eating, instinctively retorted at the remark: “I have a girlfriend!”

His Lili, although increasingly busy lately, shared true love with him that wouldn’t be affected by time or distance!

After looking at him a while, Secretary Xiaozu then disdainfully said: “Forget it! A long-distance relationship, plus you’re doing hard labor… It’s only a matter of time before you quantum collapse back to being single.”

But Guo Dong didn’t see it as a problem: “No worries, I can usually tell if an herb is good just by its appearance. I’ll let my clients know that we’ve added some new herbs, let them experience the effects… Trust me, they’ll be willing to try.”

It was true, her family’s traditional prescriptions combined with modern ingredients didn’t always match up at first. It all depended on feeling the pulse and careful subtraction or addition to find the perfect sovereign, minister, assistant, and courier herbs.

Her long-time customers had a high level of trust in her, she wasn’t lacking volunteers!

But then, Guo Dong soon faced a painfully evident problem.

She looked eagerly at Wu Lan: “Aunt, as a doctor in the village, can’t you guys provide meals? I’m willing to pay.”

“Oh dear…”

Wu Lan was also quite troubled: “You see, the workload for cooking a meal at our place is really huge, and besides, we’ve been asking my nephew-in-law to help out… It’s not about the money…”

Looking at the other older folks at the table, who looked like they were begrudgingly making sacrifices, she said: “Well, if you really want to eat our food, you can come and buy fresh vegetables every day–if we have them, I’ll prioritize selling to you! Just at market price is fine.”

“But Doctor Guo… our price is considered somewhat unreasonable in the village, so I’d appreciate it if you could keep it a secret for the time being.”

Even though it might not be possible to keep it secret for long, at least wait until the peaches were sold and there was significant cash on hand, which would make it easier to speak more assertively.

As a village-raised child, Guo Dong knew all too well how serious and reckless jealousy could get.

She hesitantly and excitedly accepted Wu Lan’s “special case” of selling vegetables, but upon sitting down and thinking carefully–

It seemed like there was still something that didn’t quite add up…

But she didn’t have time to think it over for long because Wu Lan soon considerately asked: “Are you busy this afternoon? If not, I’ll ask a few people to help tidy up your clinic.”

“While you’re at it, take a look if you need to add any furniture or appliances–if you’re shopping online, try to choose Wind Speed Express. Our local Xiaozhang can drive them straight to you.”

Guo Dong instantly put her doubts to the back of her mind and sincerely said: “Thank you, Auntie!”