Resplendent – Chapter 514

Chapter 514 – Heartache

Night fell, draping the assessment grounds in a vast veil of darkness. People on the viewing platform gradually dispersed, leaving only a few families of the apothecaries taking the exam, lingering above and unwilling to leave.

Red lanterns hung from poles beside each refining station, adding a touch of festivity to the otherwise solemn testing grounds. Among the remaining family members on the viewing platform, they noticed that one particular area was far brighter than the rest.

Looking closely, they saw that a large candelabrum had been placed on that refining station, with five or six candles burning on it. Each candle was covered with a transparent glass shade.

Those who knew better could tell that even a single glass shade cost nearly a thousand taels of silver, and this candelabrum held six identical ones. It was simply extravagant beyond reason!

Most of the apothecaries had already stopped their work, yet in that bright area alone, a small, delicate figure was still busy at her station. The exam-takers’ families found it strange: to avoid unnecessary mistakes, most apothecaries stopped working by sunset. Even with candlelight, it could not compare to daylight.

Who else would work through the night besides Gu Ye?

A batch of golden sore medicine took at least more than two full days to complete. She wanted to push through the night and try to finish within two days. Tent or no tent, nothing outside was as comfortable as sleeping at home.

The entire Duke’s family remained on the viewing platform to accompany Gu Ye, except for Lady Jun, who had been forcibly sent back to the manor by the Duke. If anything was needed, they could respond right away. 

Ling Juechen also left the Yan Kingdom delegation and sat beside the Duke, even having food delivered from Qingfeng Pavilion to share with his future father-in-law and brothers-in-law.

The aroma of the food drifted across the grounds. Gu Ye paused her work, straightened up, closed her eyes, and inhaled lightly. She murmured, “Braised pork, sweet-and-sour ribs, old duck wonton stew, braised lion’s head meatballs… It smells so good!”

Seeing this, Yue Yuan pressed her lips together and hid a small smile. “Miss, it’s dinnertime. Why don’t you rest for a bit?”

Filled with grievance, Gu Ye glanced pitifully toward the Duke’s Manor’s viewing platform and said dejectedly, “What ingredients do we have left? I want meat…”

Yue Yuan opened a large chest and pulled out a jar from within layers of crushed ice. Smiling, she said, “There’s a jar of chicken broth Aunt Yan simmered all night. The meat has practically melted into the soup. We can make chicken-broth noodles. If you don’t want noodles, Hua Hao can knead dough for cold noodles and pour the thick topping over them. The topping includes perfectly balanced pork belly with lean and fatty parts!”

“Then let’s have the cold noodles! Heat the chicken broth first. I want a bowl to warm my stomach…” 

The broth and topping were already prepared. Hua Hao, swift and efficient, cooked the noodles, rinsed them in cold water, and ladled the topping over them. She did everything in less than a quarter of an hour. 

Gu Ye managed to eat a bowl of noodles and a small bowl of chicken broth, then went right back to work.

The Chu family on the viewing platform watched the entire vast assessment field, where only that small figure was still working. Their hearts ached for her. Chu Bufan muttered under his breath again and again, “Why isn’t she sleeping yet? She’s still growing, and her body can’t take this constant strain. Whatever’s unfinished, she can continue tomorrow. What will we do if she wears herself out?”

Ling Juechen also felt distressed, but knowing Gu Ye’s temperament all too well, he understood that once the little girl started making medicine, she entered a state of complete immersion: forgetting to eat, forgetting to sleep, sometimes barely even drinking water just so she wouldn’t have to go relieve herself.

He sighed and said, “Don’t worry. The girl knows her limits. She set a goal for herself today. If she doesn’t finish it, even if you force her to sleep, she won’t rest easily.”

The Sage Apothecary, who had wandered over drawn by the smell of food, cast a disdainful glare at Chu Bufan. “Can you stop pacing back and forth? You’re making this old man dizzy. The brat Ling is right. My disciple has her own plan. Stop fretting over nothing!”

Sure enough, around midnight, the candlelight in the field went out, and the small figure finally climbed into her tent. 

Gu Ye didn’t sleep well at all. Somewhere nearby, some pharmacist was snoring like thunder. Even stuffing soundproof earplugs into her ears didn’t help.

The next morning, with two enormous panda eyes, Gu Ye angrily washed up, her gaze repeatedly shooting dagger-like glances at the chubby apothecary next door. Knowing his own problem and seeing the girl’s lack of sleep, the plump pharmacist smiled apologetically and cupped his hands toward her.

A proctor nearby barked at him, “No communicating through gestures or eye contact!”

After drinking a bowl of egg-drop chicken soup, Gu Ye began the day’s work. She instructed Yue Yuan to take the processed herbs to be ground. 

Grinding was done in a designated area, an entire row of benches lined up with iron herb grinders. Yue Yuan placed the herbs into one, set her feet on the pedal wheels, and skillfully began grinding away.

The apprentice apothecaries nearby didn’t expect there to be a female apprentice in the field. Adding to that, Yue Yuan’s delicate, pretty looks and youthful energy drew the attention of quite a few of the boys grinding herbs. Some became so distracted watching her that they missed a step, slipped, and landed on the ground with a thud.

The apprentices were all young, and seeing this made them burst into loud laughter. The supervising pharmacists noticed the commotion and several of them came over to maintain order.

Yue Yuan rolled her eyes and sped up her grinding. She had martial training and was already highly skilled at the task. Under the astonished gazes of the other apprentices, she quickly finished grinding the herbs and returned to her young mistress.

By the afternoon, all preliminary tasks were done, and it was time for the precise mixing. This step could not be delegated. 

Gu Ye took out a small balance scale and carefully weighed each amount. Whenever she reached this stage, she deeply missed the electronic scales from her past life.

By dusk, Gu Ye inspected the completed golden sore medicine once more before dividing it into five small packets and heading toward the judges’ table.

The president of the Yan Kingdom’s Apothecary Guild greeted her with great courtesy, smiling as he said, “Miss Gu, you’re the first to submit in this round.”

At the Great Pharmacists Convention, senior pharmacists exams could not be evaluated by one’s own nation’s pharmacists. A ninth-level apothecary from the Yan Kingdom accepted her medicine, and the five judges examined it with great care. Because her trauma medicine was a unique secret formula, they could not verify its efficacy on the spot. Thus, they sent someone to a nearby clinic to select a suitable injured patient for a clinical test.

Gu Ye’s golden sore medicine had already been approved by the Dongling Kingdom’s military and was supplied directly to the army, so she had no fear of scrutiny. Normally, senior-level evaluations were not announced immediately. Sometimes the judging took even longer than the exam itself.

However, Gu Ye was clearly fortunate. Before long, a burly man with his head covered in blood was carried over. Reportedly, he’d gotten into a fight and had been struck by someone wielding a club.