A few days later, Tang Zheng came by to give Ning Shu a letter along with some Chinese herbal medicine ingredients. Ning Shu opened the letter. It was a letter from Zhu Siyuan. The letter was filled with worry for Ning Shu and also great pride. He said he had shown the letter to his teacher and classmates, and they had all praised his mother, saying that she was a great hero.
At the end, he told Ning Shu to make sure to protect herself properly and said that he’ll grow up as soon as possible so that he can head to the battlefield to fight against the Japanese devils.
When Ning Shu saw this letter, she felt that Zhu Siyuan had grown up a lot.
She put away the letter and started dealing with the medicinal herbs while teaching Xiao Tong the process. As of now, the two of them had an additional task, which was to deal with these herbs. This meant they had even less time to sleep.
Ning Shu always had Xiao Tong go rest. She had practiced the Unsurpassable Martial Arts, so her body could still hold up. However, a little girl like Xiao Tong wouldn’t be able to hold up.
Fortunately, with the help of these traditional Chinese medicines, the treatment process also became significantly easier.
Tang Zheng came to find Ning Shu and said that he was interested in her prescriptions. He wanted to mass-produce them. It was only after he headed back this time that he discovered that the armies on other fronts had suffered heavy losses. Many wounded had died before they could even be treated. Although the lives of people in troubled times were of little value, the death tolls were still very astonishing. There were too many dead soldiers, it was a severe blow to the morale of the whole country.
Tang Zheng had noticed for quite a while that the powder used by this military doctor seemed to be very effective. During this time when the fast-acting western medicine was in short supply, being able to use traditional Chinese medicine that was passed down by their ancestors was a very good alternative, especially since traditional Chinese medicine ingredients were widely available.
A lot of thoughts flashed through Ning Shu’s mind, then she asked, “Whose idea was this?”
“I reported this to the commander and the commander said that if you offered up this prescription, you’ll be granted a second-class merit.” Tang Zheng looked at Ning Shu. “You have more merit citations than a company commander now.”
Exchanging a prescription for a second-class military merit citation was a pretty good deal, but Ning Shu had another idea in mind. She said to Tang Zheng, “Alright, but I have another condition, which is, I want to apply for a patent for this prescription. This prescription must belong to me, Zhu Suniang. Other people cannot use it illegitimately.”
This prescription wasn’t anything that special, especially in the present situation. Putting it out wasn’t much of an issue, but there needed to be a name. Applying for a patent would allow Zhu Suniang to be known and once they reached a peaceful era again, the patent would equal money.
“A patent?” Tang Zheng didn’t quite understand, Ning Shu explained, “It means that this will belong only to me. Although I’ve offered this up, I still possess ownership rights of the prescription.”
Tang Zheng thought about it for a moment, then scrutinized Ning Shu’s face. “Then that’s the same as you didn’t offer up your prescription.”
“Officer Tang, everyone likes fame. I’ll offer up the prescription, but this prescription will still belong to me nominally. However, in reality, won’t you guys still have the final say?” said Ning Shu with a smile.
Tang Zheng shook his head. “I’ll have to report this to the commander.”
Ning Shu nodded.
“Master, the commander’s going to award you a second-class military merit citation?” Xiao Tong looked at Ning Shu with admiration and reverence. “Master, you’re amazing!”
Ning Shu grinned. It was still an open question whether or not it’d succeed though. Ning Shu looked at Xiao Tong as she said, “You can also become a military doctor in the future.”
Xiao Tong’s face was red, but then she seemed to recall something and her expression dimmed. Ning Shu knew that she had recalled her traumatic past.
“You’ll definitely be able to become a good military doctor.” Ning Shu told Xiao Tong about her past, saying that she had been abandoned by her husband and had to raise her child on her own. For the sake of survival, she had participated in the military doctor training.
