Chapter 227: "Using Bodhi as Medicine" (Second Update)

“You’re not even an official employee, what gives you the right to talk to me?”

“Well, Xiao xiao isn’t an official employee anymore either, so now I have every right to talk about her.”

...

The argument ended with Wang Danai winning by a narrow margin. She wiped her lips, feeling a little dry. “Let’s go grab breakfast. So many people would do anything just to get into this place, all for a taste of the food here.”

Curious to learn more about the recent happenings, Jing Shu followed Wang Danai into the cafeteria.

The morning rush was mostly over, so they didn’t have to queue. Each of them grabbed a bowl of porridge and a small plate of salt-seasoned mushrooms mixed with greens.

In her previous life, Jing Shu would have dreamed of eating such simple food, but in this life, she found herself unable to stomach it. She had grown too accustomed to better things.

Taking a seat, Jing Shu pushed her meal toward Wang Danai. “You eat it. I already had breakfast before coming.”

“Just eat another portion! I could eat five servings of this, it’s so good. Are you crazy?” Wang Danai looked at her in disbelief.

Jing Shu chuckled. “I have a small appetite. I’m full already.” She lied through her teeth.

“Well, more for me! Thanks, I love people like you.” Wang Danai gleefully dug into the food.

“What’s been happening lately? How’s that batch of plants they assigned to me?” Jing Shu asked.

“Funny you mention it,” Wang Danai said, pausing to wipe her mouth. “That batch of Gastrodia, which used to grow all crooked, has been thriving ever since you fixed it. I check on it daily, and it’s doing better and better.”

“And the Honeysuckle assigned to you—since President Zhou handed it over, it’s been growing like it’s alive or something. Every day it looks healthier. Plants that never bloomed before are now flowering, and ones that were stunted are filling out nicely. While it’s not quite at the level it was before the apocalypse, it’s finally getting close to medicinal grade.”

Wang Danai continued like a waterfall, sharing the latest gossip. “The Astragalus you planted has sprouted too. The germination rate is way higher than anyone else’s, and none of your plants are showing the strange symptoms others have seen. Honestly, your plants would thrive even without anyone watching over them.”

“President Zhou says it’s all because your seeds are special, probably soaked in something secret.”

Jing Shu nodded in surprise. It seemed the effects of the spiritual spring water were even stronger than she had expected. To avoid drawing attention, she had used a heavily diluted version, but even so, the plants she nurtured were far superior to the others.

“That’s good to hear,” Jing Shu said. “But what about the people? There are a lot of new faces around today. Where did all the familiar ones go?”

At this, Wang Danai looked a little somber. “Some were laid off, others were reassigned to lower positions. After all, there’s only so much space in the Herbal Medicine Association, and it’s a waste of food to keep too many people here. The lower-level positions are in those defunct pharmaceutical factories. Once the herbs are processed, the leftover dregs can be turned into lower-grade medicines. They’re not as effective, but it’s better than nothing. They’re planning to reopen the factories, but it’s grueling work, and the pay is worse than here.”

Jing Shu gave a long “Ohhh” in understanding. So that’s why the Herbal Medicine Association, which she had heard was highly prestigious, only had seven official employees for now. It was still in the process of consolidating.

“These new people have been here for over a week. The higher-ups want to consolidate all the herbal cultivation efforts in the province and distribute the processed herbs to city and county levels, making the supply chain more efficient. They’ve called in experienced herbalists from all over the province—this is just the first batch; more are coming.”

Lowering her voice, Wang Danai added, “I’ve heard some of them are from herbalist families. With President Tie praising you like that earlier, it’s likely those family members will come looking to stir up trouble.”

Wucheng had a population of 4 million, but the entire province had 30 million people. Even with about 15% of the population gone, there were still 20 million left. By the time all the herbalists were gathered, the association might have over a thousand members, which would make things very lively.

As for the potential trouble Wang Danai mentioned, Jing Shu wasn’t too concerned. If people asked her questions, she could just stay quiet. After all, she wasn’t an expert on herbal medicine.

Wang Danai quickly ran through the latest gossip and developments at the Herbal Medicine Association. After breakfast, they both headed off to start their work.

Well, Wang Danai had actual work to do.

Jing Shu’s “work,” on the other hand, consisted of checking on her plants—Gastrodia, Honeysuckle, and Astragalus.

Despite Wang Danai’s enthusiasm about how well the plants were doing, Jing Shu thought they were only so-so, not even close to the growth of the weeds around her villa. But even so, her plants were thriving compared to the other medicinal herbs at the association.

Some herbs were just notoriously difficult to cultivate, almost like flowers.

Jing Shu had a plan. With these three herbs under her care, along with the leeches she was already raising (before anyone else got the idea), she was positioning herself well. Add two more herb varieties to her list and solve a few key problems, and she’d have the vice president role in the bag.

The association wasn’t idle either. They were growing herbs for treating the most common ailments of the time. Although the quantities were small, it was enough to meet emergency needs.

This left Jing Shu with limited options for new herbs to grow. She’d need to focus on rare and valuable plants.

As she glanced over the list of medicinal plants, her eyes lit up when she saw that aloe had been added to the roster. She realized she didn’t need to be so rigid in her thinking—anything with medicinal properties could be cultivated.

“I can grow Bodhi trees! Bodhi is a natural enemy of parasites! And the best part is, I got these seeds from Mu Xiaoxuan, so I have a valid reason to cultivate them.” Jing Shu had a sudden flash of inspiration. She had always wanted to plant the Bodhi seeds but hesitated because they were difficult to explain.

Now, as a member of the Herbal Medicine Association, she had the experience and credentials to grow medicinal herbs. Mu Xiaoxuan had conveniently given her the Bodhi seeds, and she could now plant them.

If parasites ever became a rampant problem in the future, she could use the Bodhi tree to save lives, boosting her reputation and improving her standing. Parasites were a terrifying problem in the apocalypse—hopefully, no one would die from them in this life.

Determined, Jing Shu retrieved the Bodhi seeds from her space and planted them in the association’s growing beds, recording the details in the database to make it official.

Bodhi trees grew fast, needing to be repotted every month, and would be ready for medicinal use in just four months. Jing Shu had plenty of time to grow them.

Originally, she had considered using a cutting to speed up the process, but for the sake of "fair play," she decided to grow them from seeds instead.