025 Distribution of Coral Essence

"Are you looking for a thermometer, Yi?" Liu Guidi called out to Xie Yihuang, "Shall we look together?"

Xie Yihuang nodded with a gentle smile. "Sure, but I’m not after a thermometer. I just came to play around here, I’ll browse a bit. You two look for what you need, don’t mind me."

Liu Guidi nodded eagerly. "Then Jianxiong and I will search for the thermometer, you go ahead."

As they went off in search of the thermometer, Xie Yihuang headed to a spot nearby to look for thumb-sized glass bottles.

The qualified thumb glass bottles were supplied to pharmaceutical factories as containers for special powders and medicines. The requirements for these bottles were extremely strict; any minor defect would lead to immediate rejection.

Some of these rejected bottles had been pulled off spec during manufacturing, some did not meet size requirements, and some had oversized mouths, resulting in a considerable number of defective products.

Xie Yihuang carefully picked through them. She had brought a lidded rattan basket with her this time, planning to collect more—perhaps they would prove useful in the future.

She mainly sought out various glass bottles, not limiting herself to any particular size. Just the small bottles alone, she gathered two or three dozen, along with other defective bottles—functional but not up to the glass factory’s standards.

Returning home with her basket full of bottles, Grandpa Qi said nothing except, "If you’re planning to use these bottles, you’ll need to sterilize them."

Xie Yihuang nodded earnestly, "I’ll boil them in hot water to disinfect."

Neither Grandpa nor Grandma Qi ever interfered with the children’s interests. When Xie Yihuang wanted to boil water to sterilize the bottles, they naturally lent a hand. Grandma Qi even lit a new coal stove just for her, which Xie Yihuang used to boil water and disinfect the glass bottles.

The current method for sterilizing glass bottles was simply to boil them in water. Xie Yihuang first washed the bottles thoroughly, then placed them in a pot of cold water and brought it to a boil. After boiling, she opened the lid and boiled them for another ten minutes. Once done, she set them aside to cool before taking them out.

Grandpa Qi even placed a cabinet in Xie Yihuang’s room, specifically for storing her bottles.

"Grandpa, I’ve collected so many glass bottles and even sterilized them—aren’t you curious what I want them for?" Xie Yihuang was genuinely curious about Grandpa Qi’s thoughts. At home, her mother questioned every little thing; her mother was typical of rural parents.

As a child of the countryside, she’d never had any privacy. This was why rural parents managed everything, and why rural children, once they entered the rebellious phase, were especially rebellious.

Xie Yihuang was curious because Grandpa Qi was so unusually open-minded.

Grandpa Qi laughed, "Everyone has their own ideas and will. Besides, you’re not doing anything illegal—just collecting bottles and sterilizing them. That’s not a big deal. Why shouldn’t I support you?"

Xie Yihuang’s eyes lit up at his response. "Grandpa, you really are open-minded."

Grandpa Qi chuckled, "I understand what you mean. Your mother likes to manage everything. Take the incident a few months ago when you and your sister bought comic books and she punished you—I heard about it.

Your mother did it out of concern, worried you’d go astray, but her actions were a bit excessive. If it were me, I’d ask why you wanted the books and explain the consequences, whereas your mother just punished you. Is she wrong? Rural parents all educate their children this way. Is she right? We all know it’s a bit over the top.

But it’s a matter of perspective, and you can’t really blame your mother. She’s my child, but she faced plenty of hardships when she studied. She only graduated primary school, as she, being the eldest daughter, had to work hard to earn work points. Her outlook is limited."

Grandpa Qi never made excuses for his children. What Xie’s mother did was normal for most families, but he knew this mindset shouldn’t be passed down.

Xie Yihuang understood his meaning and raised her brows. "Don’t worry, Grandpa. I know right from wrong. Besides, my mother has her flaws, but many strengths too."

Grandpa Qi smiled with satisfaction. This child was indeed clear-minded and perceptive.

That evening, Xie Yihuang sent a message to the group with six small bottles filled with coral essence: "Sisters, I happened to get some coral essence and shared a bit with you all."

Du Wushuang received it with delight. She had now entered the Outer Gate. Though only an Outer Gate disciple, her treatment was much better than a menial disciple’s. At least she could learn basic alchemy and pharmaceutics. "Coral essence can be used to refine antidote pills and beauty pills. Xiaohuang, you’re incredible to have gotten coral essence, and it’s ten-thousand-year-old too. With this amount, I can produce three furnaces of pills!"

Curious, Xie Yihuang asked, "Is the antidote pill you refine different from the one we received?"

"There’s a difference," Du Wushuang replied. "The compensation antidote pill is a supreme-grade pill, which only the direct disciples of the Medicine Emperor can refine. For us novices in cultivation, the highest grade we can make is advanced. I’m an Outer Gate disciple now, so I can only make basic ones. Basic pills are fine for mortals, but for me and Xiaomei, they’re ineffective. Xiaomei, I’ll refine yours once my skills improve."

Du Wushuang didn’t hide the truth and spoke directly to Hu Xiaomei.

Xie Yihuang sent her portion to Du Wushuang. "Then please refine me some antidote and beauty pills—I want to be beautiful!"

The others sent theirs as well. Hu Xiaomei did too: "Mine goes to you—keep it for now, refine it for me when your skills are better. I’m not in a hurry, I haven’t been poisoned, and I still have the compensation antidote. Most importantly, I’m a celestial fox—immune to poison by nature. Later, just make all mine into beauty pills. Women ought to be a bit prettier."

Yan Qingqing chimed in, "Make half my coral essence into beauty pills, half into antidote pills. I’m a mortal, still struggling in the harem."

Her tone conveyed her grievances, and everyone felt Yan Qingqing’s hardship.

Bing Ying sent her coral essence to Du Wushuang, "Two-thirds for antidote pills, one-third for beauty pills." Then she asked Yan Qingqing, "What happened? Did the imperial concubine give you trouble again?"

Perhaps because they’d all come together through similar experiences, their hearts were united. Anyone who treated any of the sisters poorly was, in their minds, a common enemy.