Chairman Wang contemplated before he told his assistant, “Call He Shu and tell him to come and see me.”
“Yes, Chairman Wang.”
The assistant looked at Chairman Wang and said softly, “He Shu says it’s the Apothecaries’ exam tomorrow, so he says it is inappropriate to see you now since you are the main examiner.”
For a moment, Chairman Wang was unsure if he should feel proud of his disciple for having strong principles. Perhaps he should feel annoyed by his inflexibility.
“Never mind. I can’t be bothered with him.” Chairman Wang waved his hand.
Each year when it was time for the main exam, He Shu would act this way, so he was accustomed to this.
*
After hanging up the phone, He Shu looked at the charred medicinal herb dregs and could not resist scratching his already disheveled hair.
For the Nth time today, he poured the dregs into the trash can by his feet.
After he was done cleaning up the medicine maker, He Shu decided to try again. However, he realized that there were hardly any more ingredients left on the table, so he pressed his forehead and left the pharmaceutical laboratory.
Before long, he headed to the Chinese herb storage room and gave the inventory manager a list of the herbs which he required.
He stood there for some time waiting for his Chinese herbs. His eyes were badly sunken and bloodshot. There was a lot of stubble on his chin. Judging from the way he looked, it seemed as though he had yet to sleep in days.
He Shu kept thinking about the medicine. He lowered his gaze and his eyes had a glazed look. He failed to notice when someone else came over.
Fu Cheng had entered the room with Pei Rong following him.
Fu Cheng did not expect to encounter He Shu. Fu Cheng pursed his lips when he saw the disheveled state He Shu was in. He smiled and took the initiative to greet He Shu for once. “This is quite the coincidence. He Shu, are you here to get more Chinese herbs?”
After a minute, He Shu finally snapped out of his daze and raised his head. “Fu Cheng, Pei Rong, when did you get here?”
Fu Cheng went speechless.
Pei Rong glanced at Fu Cheng. He knew that Fu Cheng never liked He Shu, so Pei Rong cleared his throat and smiled as he made small talk and broke the ice. “We just got here. You were thinking deeply, so you did not realize we were here.”
He Shu nodded. “It’s true. I was preoccupied.”
Fu Cheng could tell that He Shu was patronizing them, so he felt irritated. However, Fu Cheng did not show it on his face and simply said, “Are you all set for the Apothecaries’ exam?”
“I’m good.” He Shu did not look at Fu Cheng as he replied. He kept thinking about what he should do to improve the results. Perhaps he should adjust the order of adding the Chinese herbs or their dosage.
Fu Cheng did not like it when He Shu got cocky. He kept acting as though he was the best apothecary in the association.
If not for the chairman, he would be nothing.
Tomorrow, Fu Cheng was determined to defeat He Shu and prove that he was the true genius once and for all.
Fu Cheng veered his eyes without saying a word.
Before long, the inventory manager came out with He Shu’s Chinese herbs and handed them to him.
He Shu took the Chinese herbs and nodded to Fu Cheng and Pei Rong before leaving quickly.
After he was gone, Pei Rong handed the inventory manager his list. He said to Fu Cheng, “I hear He Shu has reached a bottleneck. He has been unable to create S grade medicine in a while.”
S grade medicine was hard to create, but He Shu was an advanced apothecary, so it meant his skills were deteriorating if he was unable to make them any more.
Fu Cheng was astonished by the news. He was preoccupied thinking about Old Master Song, so he did not have time to pay attention to other association matters. “Oh really? I doubt it is as serious as you make it sound, right?”
