Chapter 16: Adapting

The room where menials lived naturally couldn't be considered good. They slept on a heated brick bed (kang), and the length from the head to the end of the kang was exactly the length of the room. Opposite the kang was a row of wooden cabinets, and then there was nothing else.

Hua Changxi glanced at the communal bed. The inner part had already been occupied, and now only the position by the window was left.

Quickly making her bed and changing into the blue menial uniform, Hua Changxi went out to find Du Ruo.

"Manager Du, my family doesn't know that I have to live in the Menial Hall. I want to ask for leave to find someone to send a message to my family."

Du Ruo looked at Hua Changxi in surprise: "Who are you going to find? How come, do you still have people you know in the Medical Department?"

Hua Changxi viewed entering the Menial Hall as entering the workplace. In the workplace, having elders to look after you would be friendlier to newcomers who were just starting out, so she smiled and said: "I have an elder who is an apothecary on the Jiujie."

Hearing this, Du Ruo attached a bit more importance to Hua Changxi and asked curiously: "Since you have such a relationship, then why do you still want to come to be a menial?"

Hua Changxi smiled: "Elders are all quite busy, and I can't trouble them with everything."

Du Ruo didn't ask further and nodded: "Then go quickly and come back quickly. If you can't finish cleaning 200 medicinal herbs, you aren't allowed to sleep tonight."

Hua Changxi smiled and agreed, then walked quickly out of the Menial Hall.

Outside the pharmacy at Number 12, Jiujie, as soon as Apothecary Xu came out, he saw Hua Changxi dressed in menial attire and his jaw dropped: "Jiuniang, you..."

Hua Changxi smiled: "Uncle Xu, I've entered the Medical Department. I am now a menial in the Menial Hall."

Hearing this, Apothecary Xu was somewhat pained: "Didn't I tell you? If you can't be an apprentice this year, just take the exam again next year. Why did you run to be a menial?"

He knew too well how heavy the daily workload in the Menial Hall was. How could it be something that Jiuniang, a young girl, could handle?

Hua Changxi smiled: "Uncle Xu, I have my own intentions for entering the Menial Hall. You don't need to worry about me."

Apothecary Xu looked at Hua Changxi and sighed: "Your family actually didn't stop you!" Pausing, "Although the Menial Hall is a place for rough and tiring work, the personnel inside are also complex. If you encounter trouble in the future, you must come find me."

Hua Changxi smiled and nodded: "Uncle Xu, I have to work today. I didn't know I had to live in the Menial Hall. After you finish your shift, can you please go to the Hua family pharmacy to send a message for me? Tell my Third Brother that I will go home as soon as I have a holiday."

Apothecary Xu shook his head: "I really don't know what you are doing this for, insisting on entering the Menial Hall to find suffering. Don't worry, I will go tell your Third Brother."

Hua Changxi thanked him, listened to a round of Apothecary Xu's instructions, and returned to the Menial Hall.

Hua Changxi returned to the Sixth Bureau and went to Du Ruo to collect her assignment.

"These two carts of medicinal herbs are what you must clean today."

Du Ruo led Hua Changxi to the two carts of medicinal herbs, gave her the tools for cleaning medicinal herbs, and went to busy herself.

As a third manager, she also had a cleaning task of 400 medicinal herbs every day.

The layout of the courtyards in each bureau of the Menial Hall was similar. They were divided into two halves by a five-meter-wide artificial canal in the middle, and all the menials cleaned medicinal herbs on both sides of the canal.

Many menials, in order to be faster, rolled up their trouser legs and stood directly in the canal to clean.

Hua Changxi looked at the medicinal herbs she had to clean. They were all medicinal herbs used by martial artists. Seeing that there was nothing that needed special attention, she followed others, rolled up her trouser legs, stood in the water, and started working.

【Purification Technique (Advanced): Cleaning Medicinal Herbs 256/1000】

【Purification Technique (Advanced): Cleaning Medicinal Herbs 257/1000】

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Watching the numbers change constantly, the corners of Hua Changxi's mouth began to rise gradually.

Not far away, Du Ruo occasionally raised her eyes to size up Hua Changxi. Seeing her working nimbly and cleaning the medicinal herbs quickly and cleanly, she finally set her heart at ease.

As a manager, she didn't want to take in a burden who couldn't work.

Two hundred medicinal herbs, at Hua Changxi's speed, could be cleaned in an hour or two. However, she knew she had just entered the Menial Hall and it wasn't good to be too prominent. Although she really wanted to upgrade the Purification Technique to perfection, she still deliberately slowed down her speed.

During this period, Hua Changxi secretly tasted every kind of medicinal herb she cleaned.

【Commentary on the Hundred Herbs (Advanced): Tasting Hundred Herbs 565/1000】

Approaching noon, just as Hua Changxi was buried in cleaning medicinal herbs, someone walked past her and called her name.

"It's time to eat. Go eat first."

Hua Changxi straightened her body and looked at the person who spoke. Just as she wanted to thank them, that person and several others walked away quickly.

Hua Changxi went ashore, put on her shoes, and followed behind those people to the cafeteria at the back.

After lunch, everyone hurried back to the canal and continued cleaning medicinal herbs without resting for a moment.

No matter how dawdling she was, Hua Changxi still cleaned the two hundred medicinal herbs. Seeing that everyone was still buried in hard work, she didn't go to Du Ruo to increase her assignment but put her hands in the water and secretly practiced the water control technique.

"Changxi, have you finished cleaning your medicinal herbs?"

Du Ruo suddenly came over.

Hua Changxi stood up: "Manager Du, the medicinal herbs you assigned to me have all been cleaned."

Du Ruo checked the medicinal herbs Hua Changxi cleaned. Each one was very clean, and there was nothing to pick on: "Since you've finished cleaning, come with me to send the medicinal herbs to the Second Department."

Hua Changxi was surprised that Du Ruo was pulling the cart herself, and hurriedly walked to the two carts of her own, pulling one of them.

When she first pulled it, it was a bit strenuous, but once the cart moved, it was a bit better.

Only then did Hua Changxi truly realize how tiring the job in the Menial Hall was. If it were her previous physical strength, she definitely wouldn't have been able to pull the cart.

Just as Hua Changxi followed Du Ruo quickly, she didn't notice that the other female menials around were all looking at her in surprise.

Female menials had little strength. When sending medicinal herbs, they all sent them in small amounts. Like Hua Changxi, who could pull a full cart, there weren't ten such people among all the female menials.

Du Ruo was also startled by Hua Changxi and said somewhat tongue-tied: "Changxi, your strength is a bit big."

Only then did Hua Changxi notice the cart Du Ruo was pulling. The medicinal herbs on it were not piled full, so she smiled sheepishly.

Du Ruo looked at her with envy: "It's good to have big strength. With big strength, you work fast. If you work fast, you can sleep early at night. I finally know why your family sent you to be a menial."

Hua Changxi smiled sheepishly and asked: "Manager Du, why do we have to send the cleaned medicinal herbs to the Second Department?"

Du Ruo explained: "Our Menial Hall is responsible for the preliminary processing of medicinal herbs sent from various places. After the medicinal herbs are cleaned, they still need to be processed."

"The First Department and the Second Department are responsible for processing medicinal herbs. Only processed medicinal herbs will be sent to the Medicine Warehouse for storage."

Hua Changxi listened carefully. Before long, the two arrived at the Second Department.

The Second Department had people responsible for receiving medicinal herbs. When receiving, they had to record the type and quantity of the medicinal herbs. After recording, and after Hua Changxi and Du Ruo signed, it was considered finished.

"Remember, next time you come to send medicine alone, you must watch the people of the Second Department count the medicinal herbs and don't let them record it wrong."

"If they record it as less, and you haven't completed your daily assigned task, you will be deducted money when the monthly allowance is issued at the end of the month."

Hua Changxi: "Thank you for the reminder, Manager Du. I've remembered it."

Afterward, Hua Changxi came to the Second Department three more times. Not only did she pull all her own medicinal herbs, but she also helped Du Ruo pull two trips.

The medicinal herbs she and Du Ruo were responsible for processing were all handed over, and her first day's work in the Menial Hall was considered completed. ===== CHAPTER 17 =====