The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1172 - 1151: The Next Cell Inmate

Chapter 1172: Chapter 1151: The Next Cell Inmate

Keke scanned the contents and said: "There is highly toxic Chinese aconite that you’ve picked out, but you’ve picked out two extra prepared pieces by accident."

Upon hearing this, Manbao immediately found those two pieces under his guidance and put them back into the medicine bag.

Xiang Chao looked very worried, somewhat reluctant to take the medicine she had prepared, "Did you really pick them all out? Both herbs look exactly the same to me, I can’t see any difference."

Manbao explained: "It’s correct that they look the same; they are both Chinese aconite. These have been processed properly, while for these, I don’t know how they’ve been processed."

Manbao broke the herbs open to show them the cross-section, "From the outside, they look processed, and the inside doesn’t look much different either, but if you smell and feel them carefully, you can tell whether they are raw or semi-raw."

Bai Shan didn’t reach out to take it but instead made sure, "You won’t get poisoned by touching with your hands or smelling with your nose, right?"

Xiang Chao, who had already touched and smelled it, trembled and the Chinese aconite fell from his hand.

Manbao picked it up and put it back in his hand, reassuring him: "It’s okay, don’t be afraid, as long as you don’t lick it or eat your fingers, you’ll be fine."

She explained to Bai Shan: "Chinese aconite is poisonous, especially the raw ones, which are highly toxic. Some of high quality can kill with just a tiny amount, while others of lesser quality can usually kill with about one Chinese gram."

Manbao weighed a small piece of Chinese aconite to show them, which was one Chinese gram, and said that such a trivial amount would be inconspicuous mixed among a mound of Chinese medicinal herbs.

Xiang Chao trembled again; he swallowed hard and raised the two pieces of Chinese aconite, which he had broken in half in his hand, and asked, "Then, why are you using this kind of medicine?"

Manbao took them, threw them into the pile of toxic herbs, and said: "It’s poisonous, but it can also cure diseases. Both of you have injuries in your joints, especially you, Xiang Ming. Weren’t you drenched with cold water frequently when you were punished? Your Achilles tendons were pricked, and you must suffer greatly when it’s windy or rainy. Chinese aconite can treat rheumatism, arthralgia, and joint pains, hence I added it into your prescriptions."

"However, rest assured, the ones I prescribed are processed Chinese aconite," Manbao emphasized, "They are mildly toxic, and I also added dried ginger and licorice root, which essentially neutralize most of the toxicity. But as for taking medicine, how can it be without any poison, right?"

Bai Shan also reassured them, "All medicine has a trace of poison, you’ll get used to it after taking more."

Xiang Ming turned to examine the other medicinal materials, "Doctor Zhou Junior, should we check the other medicines again?"

Manbao replied: "Sure, I’ll check them now."

But after checking once more, no other poisonous herbs were found, and Keke had helped her scan through them as well.

After all, there weren’t many inherently highly poisonous herbs in the ones she prescribed.

Manbao weighed the correct amount of herbs and began to decoct them. Soon, the medicine pots were bubbling and emitting a fragrant aroma.

The inmates on the other side of the wall could no longer hold back their curiosity and started knocking on the wall. Bai Shan and the others were surprised.

Having been in prison for many days, this was the first time they heard noise from the other inmates.

While the others remained silent, Bai Shan excitedly climbed onto the ’kang’ (heated bed) and knocked on the wall in response. The person on the other side clearly didn’t expect such an eager response from them and yelled from his side of the wall, "What are you guys doing over there? Every day, if it’s not the smell of medicine, it’s a variety of other fragrances. Did you have chicken soup again for lunch today?"

Bai Shan was curious, "You can smell that through the wall?"

"Such a strong scent, we’re not stuffed up; how could we not smell it?" the person on the other side shouted back, "Kid, take a look above your head. Haven’t you smelled the stench of feces and urine drifting over from our side?"

All four of them looked up at the top of the wall and noticed what seemed to be a hole just beneath the roof, but since the cell on the opposite side was also pitch-dark, they couldn’t tell there was a hole there.

"Every day, we smell the scents drifting over from your side. Are you guys officials or is your family wealthy enough to rival the state? How come you end up in jail and still get to have medicine every day?"

For those in the jail, having good food wasn’t particularly unusual— if you have money, you just buy it, even if it’s several times more expensive than outside. Once you’re in jail, you’re pretty much a dead man walking, and since you can’t bring money with you in birth or death, it’s naturally best to use it while you’re alive;

It’s not a big deal if you don’t have money, having power works too.

And there were indeed quite a few people in the jail who had both money and power.

It was probably quite a novelty to have medicine in jail— even if people outside dared to bring it, the jailers inside wouldn’t dare to pass it on; the prisoners themselves wouldn’t dare drink it lightly either since who knows when it could be the death of you?

So they were very curious about the medicinal smell they sniffed every day. Of course, they weren’t hankering for medicine; what they really craved was the smell of the food that wafted through the air vent every day.

"Hey, brother from the next cell, what did you do to end up here? After all, we’re in the same jail, and that’s kind of fate. Could you ask those jailer lords outside to do us a favor and send a couple of buns over here to let us sample?"

Bai Shan said, "None left."

"You’re kidding me, I’ve smelled it; you guys had buns for breakfast and last night as well!"

Bai Shan: "We’ve eaten them all. At noon today, we’re having noodle soup with bok choy and eggs."

"Come on, send me a bowl, hurry up."

Sending it was impossible, but Bai Shan was bored and decided to chat with him, "What do you do?"

"Me? I’m wrongfully accused, brother, I’m a good person, please give me something to eat..."

Xiang Ming gave Bai Shan a look that clearly showed his annoyance: "Why bother talking to someone like that?"

Separated by a wall, although Xiang Ming didn’t deliberately lower his voice, he also didn’t raise it; he wouldn’t have expected that the other side would hear him clearly, but no sooner had he finished speaking than the man on the other side said very rudely: "Listen boy, that’s not nice to say. We’re all in prison; who’s to look down on whom?"

After a long pause, he continued, "I remember now, you’re the kid they brought in last, right? Just by the sound of your voice, hey, you’re still alive? Didn’t those officials say you wouldn’t survive more than a few days? What, that girl in your cell really brought you back to life?"

Bai Shan’s face changed, and he instantly knelt on the ground and leaned over to the wall, asking, "How do you know all this?"

"What a joke, we’re just separated by a wall, I’ve heard everything!" he claimed brazenly: "Whatever happens on your side, whoever comes by, whatever is said, I hear it all loud and clear!"

The four looked at each other, all a bit startled and unsure.

Bai Shan’s eyes flickered as he asked: "Then let me ask you, do you know what I and that girl talked about an hour ago?"

There was silence on the other side, a long absence of words.

Just as Bai Shan and Manbao exchanged glances and were about to breathe a sigh of relief, they heard the person from the other cell say: "You mentioned that the kid brought in a letter again..."

Bai Shan’s mouth fell open.