Chapter 351: Chapter 135 Poisonous Flower_3
Hong Fang Xu?
A flicker of thought crossed Lu Tong’s mind.
She had followed Lady Yun for many years and had heard of most dicinal herbs, but she had never heard of the na "Hong Fang Xu".
"The Hong Fang Xu is precious," Zhu Mao said with a benevolent expression, his smile beaming, yet his tone could not hide a hint of condescension, "He Xiu will pick it with you. Be careful not to damage the petals while picking. Each Hong Fang Xu plant produces one flower, and all are recorded in the garden. If any are missing, even selling you would not cover the loss."
After speaking, the man extended his thick palm and surreptitiously stroked Lu Tong’s shoulder a few tis before leaving with a smile.
A lingering slimy touch seed to remain on her shoulder. Lu Tong looked up and saw the woman who had given her the burlap, the one who had slept on the wooden bed beside her, standing not far ahead, beckoning her shyly.
Lu Tong understood. It seed that this was He Xiu, the one she would be picking "Hong Fang Xu" with.
She walked over to the woman.
He Xiu looked up, revealing a sallow and emaciated face, and gave Lu Tong a dry smile. After pushing the wooden cart forward, she whispered, "Follow ."
...
The dicinal herb garden was so distance from the dormitory.
He Xiu pushed the cart ahead.
Lu Tong watched the slightly hunched figure in front of her in silence. It seed He Xiu noticed Lu Tong’s gaze, for she turned her head back, her lips pressed together uncomfortably, and took the initiative to speak.
"Hongfang Garden is at the deepest part of the herb garden; it’s still a walk from here. After picking, the harvested Hong Fang Xu need to be washed and sorted from stems and leaves to be sent to the storeroom, then to the Imperial Apothecary."
"The Imperial Apothecary will use the herbs to make dicine."
He Xiu glanced at Lu Tong cautiously, and upon seeing no sign of repulsion from her, continued, "We must log the daily picking of Hong Fang Xu. You’ve just arrived at the Southern Pharmacy, and your technique is not yet skilled. If we don’t pick enough by evening, Lord Zhu might bla us... After entering the herb garden, we have to make the most of our ti."
Lu Tong asked, "Is it also our responsibility to clean and sort the plants?"
He Xiu nodded.
Lu Tong understood. This was probably a tough and thankless task. Zhu Mao might have been acting under Cui Min’s instructions, or perhaps he just wanted to curb her spirit by assigning her this arduous job.
"What if we can’t complete it?" Lu Tong asked casually, "Is there a punishnt?"
At this, He Xiu shivered, "...If we don’t complete the task, we get no food, can’t sleep... and, and Lord Zhu will scold us."
It didn’t sound like much, but He Xiu appeared very anxious. Lu Tong pondered and said no more.
The two made their way, passing by the fields where dical practitioners occasionally bent down to pick herbs. The deeper they went, the fewer the cultivated fields, and unkempt weeds grew freely, no longer in sight of other dical practitioners.
Lost in thought, He Xiu stopped walking: "We’re here."
Lu Tong looked up, montarily taken aback.
After a ss of wild, unruly grass, a vast expanse of pink mist unfolded before her. It was a field of vibrant pink flowers. Dense clusters of flowers thrived, radiating a stunning beauty and remarkable brilliance. As a breeze wafted through, wisps of pink mist slowly drifted from the field, bringing with it a rich, fragrant scent.
Lu Tong’s gaze fixed itself upon the sight.
She had passed by this place while searching for the dormitory the day before and noticed a sea of crimson flowers from afar. She hadn’t realized this was Hongfang Garden.
The flowers were blooming so profusely that picking them one by one would be no easy task.
Lu Tong hesitated no longer, taking hold of the handle of the wooden cart and preparing to walk inside, only to be stopped by He Xiu.
"Wait!"
Lu Tong turned around, "What is it?"
He Xiu took sothing out of her bosom and thrust it into Lu Tong’s hand, "The fragrance and pollen of the Hong Fang Xu are toxic. Covering your mouth and nose with this will help."
Lu Tong looked down to see a wrinkled handkerchief. The fabric was coarse and worn, having been used for who knows how long, its edges frayed and torn.
Lu Tong asked her, "What about you?"
"I don’t need one," He Xiu replied hurriedly with a forced smile, "I only found out you were coming this morning, didn’t have ti to grab an extra kerchief. It’s the sa ripping off a piece of cloth later."
Though she said this, the care with which she had kept that coarse kerchief in her possession suggested that finding "a piece of cloth" wasn’t as easy as she made it sound.
Lu Tong’s eyes dwelt on the dense red patches under He Xiu’s eyes, dim in color and brownish as the large mold spots on the walls of the dormitory, making her sallow face look even more withered.
Seeing that Lu Tong did not respond, He Xiu beca even more uneasy, looking at her as if wanting to speak but not daring to.
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