Elixir Supplier

Wang Yao made a formula using the common herbs he grew, which were of a much higher quality than the ones from herbal stores. He weighed two bottles of decoction and took them down the hill at noon.

“Mom, I made these formulas for Uncle and Auntie.” Wang Yao placed the decoction on the table. “This is for three days’ use. Auntie should get better after taking it.”

As Wang Yao was speaking to his mother, his father’s cousin visited him again. Wang Yao gave him the decoction and told him how to use it.

“Uncle, could you please keep it to yourself that I make formulas for family members?” asked Wang Yao. He didn’t want too many people to know about his herbal field or that he was able to make herbal formulas. He didn’t want his peaceful life to be disturbed by people asking him for herbs. He only made formulas for the important people in his life.

“Sure,” promised his uncle. He didn’t leave immediately. “How much do I need to pay you?”

“You don’t need to pay me. We are family. Let me know if auntie gets better after taking this,” said Wang Yao with a smile. The formula was not provided by the system, so he didn’t need to charge money.

“Really?” said his uncle in surprise. He didn’t expect the decoction to be free. He just blamed his wife for reaching out to Wang Yao yesterday as he thought he would have to pay a lot of for the decoction.

“As my son mentioned, we are family. It’s just made of herbs, it’s not worth much money,” said Zhang Xiuying.

“Thank you!” Wang Yao’s uncle was really appreciative. He then left with the decoction.

Wang Yao didn’t think it was a big deal.

“Son, you don’t have the qualification to prescribe herbal formulas. Will you get into trouble?” asked Wang Fenghua when having dinner.

“Sorry, you should blame me. I shouldn’t have told Feng Shou about what our son has been doing,” Zhang Xiuying felt guilty and stopped eating.

“Well…” said Wang Yao.

He had thought about his. The first few formulas he made were for extremely special clients, who had promised not to tell anyone about where they got the formulas from. But Wang Yao knew sooner or later he would have to face the issue of his qualifications. It was fine to grow herbs without any medical qualification or certificate. But prescribing formulas was a different story. He could face severe punishment if he was sued.

So, Wang Yao must have a certain medical certificate or qualifications to meet the legal requirements. But that was not easy. It was not realistic for him to study medicine at the university. Alternatively, he could study under a Chinese Traditional Medicine Practitioner. He required a teacher with rich experience, proof of study and to pass exams of the medical board.

“Dad, Mom, I’m going to get a certificate,” said Wang Yao “Please don’t tell anyone I’m making formulas for people at this stage.”

“Okay!” said his parents.

His uncle went back home while Wang Yao was having dinner.

“Hey, you are back, how much did you spend?” asked his wife as she saw the decoction.

“I didn’t pay,” he said.

“What?” said his wife in surprise. “Your nephew is so generous.”

“He’s family. Try the formula he made for you,” said Wang Yao’s uncle.

“You didn’t want me to take it yesterday. You said your nephew studied biology at the university, not medicine. You were not sure if it was safe to take his herbal formula,” said his wife.

“Just give it a try. His intention is good. Maybe it will work. You can throw it away if you really don’t want to take it.” Wang Yao’s uncle changed his mind and thoughts after Wang Yao had shown good gesture.

“Okay, I’ll try it,” said his wife.

“Let’s have dinner first.”

His wife heated and took the decoction Wang Yao brewed after dinner. The taste was not as bad as the other herbal decoctions she had before but she didn’t feel any different after a while.

“How do you feel?” Wang Yao’s uncle asked.

“This is not an elixir; it won’t take effect so soon!” his wife glared at him.

“Right. But don’t continue to take it if you feel uncomfortable!” said Wang Yao’s uncle.

“I know.”

A new task was given to Wang Yao.

When Wang Yao was chatting with his parents at the dinner table, he suddenly heard the prompts from the system.

Mission (Do something for a good reason): Obtain a medical certificate within ten months.

Reward: a medical book.

Punishment for failure: take back the ancient spring kettle and reducing two attributes by half.

Ten months sounded easy, but Wang Yao knew the process would be tricky. He had to find himself a good teacher first. The master he invented was not going to help him.

Let me ask around first.

Wang Yao did some research on his phone about the how to become a registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner.

He had a university degree, which met one of the criteria. But finding himself a teacher was a big issue. He needed to get approval from the Chinese Medical Board of the province and he had to study under the teacher for at least 3 years. He also couldn’t find a teacher randomly. His teacher must be a senior practitioner with relevant medical qualification and a minimum of 20 years’ clinical experience, as well as have noble medical ethics.

“The criteria are so harsh. God knows how many legacies will discontinue because of it!” sighed Wang Yao.

The certificate had its pros and cons.

What should I do? I should go to town to ask around tomorrow.

…

A conversation was happening inside a house at the village in the afternoon.

“The decoction from your nephew is really effective,” said a woman to her husband.

She took the decoction Wang Yao brewed after lunch but didn’t feel anything at first. But after a few hours, she felt warm in her belly and very comfortable.

“That’s good. You should continue to take it,” said her husband.

“Okay. I thought your nephew had a biology degree. How come he can make herbal formulas?” asked the woman curiously.

“How am I supposed to know? Maybe he learned it in the university. You know, you can study a double degree in the university,” said her husband.

“Really?” said the woman.

“Stop asking meaningless questions. If you think it’s effective, just continue to take it. If you think it’s useless, just throw it away. My nephew made the formula for you out of his kindness. And make sure you don’t tell anyone about it,” said her husband seriously.