xymnovel Chapter 19 Chemistry Lesson
Chapter 19 Chemistry Lesson
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Yin'e got out of bed.
He didn't sleep well that night.
Before dawn, he decided not to sleep anymore, so he put on his clothes, got out of bed, and opened the window to let in some fresh air.
The morning breeze, carrying a cool breeze, blew in, dispelling the stuffy heat that had accumulated in the room overnight.
Yin'e stood by the window and took a deep breath.
There are many things to do today.
"Fuquan," he called out towards the door.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Fuquan pushed open the door and came in carrying a copper basin.
"Sir, where should we set out for breakfast today?"
"The study," Yin'e said while washing his face. "Oh, and after breakfast, go out and order something for me."
Fuquan immediately perked up his ears: "Sir, please give your orders."
Yin'e walked to the desk, picked up the paper he had written on the night before, and handed it to Fuquan.
The paper had a line of words written on it: Autumn Water Lily.
A few smaller notes were added below.
"A herbaceous plant with pale purple flowers, a bulbous rhizome that is white when cut, which can be found in pharmacies or in the countryside."
"Take this and go to all the major pharmacies in the capital to ask if they have this herb," Yin'e instructed.
"If you can't find it there, look in the suburbs. You should be able to find it on the hillsides north of the city or along the damp ditches."
If all else fails, go ask the herb gatherers; I'm willing to pay any price, I must find them.
Fuquan took the note, glanced at it, and looked troubled: "Master, this... Autumn Water Fairy? This servant has never even heard of it."
"That's why I asked you to go look for it. Ask around, someone will know eventually. Go and come back quickly."
"Yes, sir." Fuquan carefully folded the note, stuffed it into his sleeve, and jogged away.
Yin'e sat alone in his study, going over the steps of refining Autumn Water Alkaloids in his mind again and again.
The powdered rhizomes of autumn crocus were soaked in alcohol, and after repeated extraction and concentration, a pale yellow crystal was finally obtained.
I don't remember the specific steps very well, but the general principle is organic solvent extraction, filtration, evaporation, and recrystallization.
Fine gauze for filtering, earthenware pots for evaporation, stone mortars for grinding, and high-proof liquor...
These things are all available in the manor; there's no need to go looking for them.
What he lacks most right now is the autumn crocus itself.
It's unknown how long it will be before Fuquan returns.
About an hour later, hurried footsteps finally echoed in the courtyard.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Fuquan's voice came from afar, "Found it! Found it!"
Yin'e suddenly stood up and strode to the door.
Fuquan came running in, panting, his forehead covered in sweat. He was carrying a cloth bag, which he carefully placed on the desk.
Pale purple petals, slender leaves, spherical stems, and a white cross-section when cut open—this is the autumn crocus.
"Where did you find it?" Yin'e picked up a plant, his heart filled with joy.
"Your Majesty, I have visited seven or eight pharmacies, and they all say they have never heard of this herb."
Later, I went to a large pharmacy in the south of the city that specialized in wholesale herbal medicines.
The shopkeeper said this stuff is called "Autumn Cicada," but Westerners call it something like "Corscium," saying it's poisonous and nobody dares to use it, so most pharmacies don't stock it.
Fuquan wiped his sweat and continued, "However, the shopkeeper said that he happened to have a batch in his warehouse that he had received from Western missionaries, and that he had been holding onto it and couldn't sell it."
"This servant spent three taels of silver to buy them all."
"Three taels of silver?" Yin'e smiled. "Worth it."
He counted them; there were seven plants in total, with plump roots and stems, and they looked quite good.
"You did a great job." Yin'e patted Fuquan on the shoulder. "Go to the accounting office and collect your ten taels of silver as a reward."
Fuquan's eyes lit up, and he quickly kowtowed, "Thank you, Tenth Master! Thank you, Tenth Master!"
"Alright, you may leave. Tell everyone in the manor that I'm not going anywhere today, and I won't see anyone who comes."
"Yes, sir." Fuquan responded and left happily.
Yin'e closed the door to his study and carefully arranged the autumn crocuses one by one.
He started to take action.
The first step is cleaning.
He cut off the rhizomes of the autumn crocus, washed them clean of the dirt with water, and then dried them with a cloth.
The second step is grinding.
He cut the washed rhizomes into thin slices, put them into a stone mortar, and crushed them into a paste with a stone pestle.
This process was very strenuous. He gritted his teeth and pounded it again and again until the root was completely turned into fine dregs.
The third step is soaking.
He poured the crushed root residue into a clean earthenware jar, and then had Fuquan pour in a jar of strong liquor that had been prepared in advance, just enough to cover the residue.
He put the lid on the earthenware jar, shook it vigorously, and let the alcohol fully soak into every grain of dregs.
Then, he placed the earthenware jar in a corner of his desk and let it soak.
While the water was soaking, he began preparing the tools for filtering.
Several layers of fine gauze were laid on a funnel, and a clean porcelain bowl was placed below the funnel.
Once the wine has soaked, pour it into a funnel to filter out the sediment, leaving the clear wine.
Then comes evaporation.
Pour the filtered wine into a shallow porcelain dish, place it on a charcoal stove, and heat it slowly over a low flame to allow the alcohol to evaporate, leaving behind a concentrated extract.
This process requires great care; the temperature cannot be too high, otherwise the active ingredients will be destroyed.
It also can't be too low, otherwise the alcohol will evaporate too slowly.
Yin'e brought in a small charcoal stove, placed it in the corner of the study, put the porcelain plate on it, and slowly heated it with the lowest flame.
Time passed by, second by second.
The sun outside the window moved from the east to the south, and then from the south to the west.
Yin'e's forehead was covered in sweat, as if he had been in a steamer all day.
His eyes were red from the smell of alcohol, and his throat was dry.
Finally, the wine in the porcelain plate had evaporated almost completely, leaving only a thin layer of viscous brown paste that emitted a strong medicinal smell.
"It's done." Yin'e let out a long breath, took the porcelain plate off the charcoal stove, and placed it on the table to cool.
After the paste had completely cooled, he scraped it off with a knife and put it into a small porcelain bottle.
The portion was small, only about the size of a fingernail.
"Will this thing... work?" He picked up the porcelain bottle, held it up to the light, and felt a little unsure.
He lacked professional purification equipment, precise dosage control, and even the concentration of colchicine could not be measured.
Does this stuff work? Is it toxic? What's the dosage? He had no idea.
But he didn't have time.
Lao Jiu's gout won't keep flaring up.
An acute gout attack typically lasts three to seven days, and the pain will gradually subside if left untreated.
He had to deliver the medicine before Lao Jiu's gout subsided naturally.
Otherwise, if we wait until he recovers before sending it, it will be too late and the effect will be greatly reduced.
"Let's give it a try."
He sealed the porcelain bottle, placed it close to his body, and paced back and forth in the study a few times, his mind racing as he considered how to administer the medicine to Lao Jiu.
We should try with a small animal first. Are there any cats or dogs in the house? Or maybe we could catch a few mice outside?
Just as he was pondering this matter, there was a knock on the door.