This was the only antibiotic he could produce right now; of course, calling it an antibiotic might not be entirely accurate, since the purity could not reach the required standard.
In fact, people of this era already knew that garlic had many uses; traces of garlic could be found in various internal and external medicines, but their understanding of Allicin was still too limited, they did not know how to purify it.
Zhu Ci was simply performing a slight purification; he intended to keep this formula a secret, not because he wanted to use it to make money, but because it might serve as an important bargaining chip at a critical moment.
Therefore, he did not let anyone enter the small kitchen while he was making it, he was fortunate that the family still had a small kitchen.
The method for making Allicin was not difficult. The first step was to mash the garlic into a paste and let it sit for a period of time; this process allowed the garlic enzymes to convert into allicin.
While the garlic was resting, Zhu Ci did not sit idle; he fashioned a simple distiller to use for distillation and purification.
Fortunately, he had traveled to the end of the Ming Dynasty, where distillation methods had long since appeared and were even widespread. Even if he produced a simple distiller, he wouldn't have to worry about being unable to explain it.
This simple distiller was extremely crude. A porcelain jar was placed inside a large pot, topped with a metal lid acting as a condenser. The concave part of the lid faced upward, by adding cold water, it became a simple condenser; the steam would hit the "condenser" and condense into liquid, dripping down from the top of the lid into a porcelain bowl.
To say it was highly efficient, or even particularly good, would be an exaggeration; one could only say it was functional.
After Zhu Ci finished setting up this simple distiller, the time for the minced garlic to sit was about up. He mixed the minced garlic with the purchased white liquor at a ratio of one to three and then began the distillation. He had to pay attention during this process; the boiling point of Allicin is approximately eighty to one hundred degrees. He had to ensure the water did not reach a boil, because the boiling point of water is also one hundred degrees, the liquid distilled at that time might contain some water vapor.
Fortunately, Zhu Ci had made a type of sausage back then, when cooking that kind of sausage, one had to ensure the water didn't reach a boil, otherwise the sausage would burst.
He is using beehive coal now, which makes controlling the fire much easier than using a stove.
During the distillation process, he also had to constantly change the cooling water; besides that, he also set aside a portion of the garlic paste mixed with the wine to sit.
Under sealed, light-proof conditions, let it sit for three to seven days, finally, it can be filtered to obtain Allicin liquid.
There is also mixing minced garlic with sesame oil for low-temperature heating, with the temperature even being maintained below sixty degrees.
Zhu Ci tried each of the three methods for making Allicin, as he didn't know which one would produce a more useful result.
The alcohol content of the white liquor was unknown, the water temperature was controlled entirely by feel, the distillation equipment was far too primitive; a single mistake in any of these steps could cause the Allicin to lose its potency, the simplest method was likely this one of letting it sit.
However, letting it sit would take many days. If Xia Lei were to die during this process, it would be far too tragic.
Zhu Ci spent nearly an entire day tinkering in the small kitchen, Fu Chunsheng left his meals at the door for him to eat whenever he had a moment.
By the time he finally made his way out, it was almost dark.
He held two small porcelain bowls in his hands; one contained a pale yellow liquid, the other.. it smelled of both garlic and sesame oil, a strange combination that made it feel as if a meal was about to be served at any second.
Zhu Ci handed the porcelain bowls to Fu Chunsheng, stretched, said, "Let's go see that unlucky fellow."
Fu Chunsheng..
He could only carefully carry the two small porcelain bowls all the way to the guest room.
By nightfall, Xia Lei's temperature began to rise again, he became restless.
When Zhu Ci arrived, Xi Ya was learning his method of using rice wine to cool down Xia Lei.
Mm, although the alcohol content of rice wine isn't high, it has other benefits, so there's no need to worry about causing alcohol poisoning from using too much.
Zhu Ci went over to take a look at Xia Lei's wound and couldn't help but frown; the wound was more ulcerated than he had imagined, even in the middle of winter, the wound had started to develop necrotic tissue.
He turned to Fu Chunsheng and said, "Go find Qiulu and tell her to boil my dagger's blade in boiling water for fifteen minutes, then bring some of the honey we bought earlier."
Fu Chunsheng immediately went to find Qiulu, while Zhu Ci and Xi Ya worked together to disinfect Xia Lei's shallower wounds with Allicin, then used honey as a dressing to cover the wounds.
By the time the boiled dagger was brought over, almost everything on Xia Lei's body had been treated, except for the festering wounds.
Zhu Ci picked up the boiled dagger and held it over the charcoal fire for a long time before saying, "Conditions are poor right now, so this is all we can do. Whether he can pull through depends on his fate."
At this moment, Zhu Ci felt as if he were an irresponsible military doctor, only concerned with keeping Xia Lei alive for the time being.
Wounded soldiers treated by military doctors would be sent to a hospital for meticulous care, but he didn't have that luxury here; as for Xia Lei.. he'd just have to hope for the best.
Fu Chunsheng watched Zhu Ci roasting the dagger and couldn't help but swallow hard. "Young Master, is this.. are you going to dig up the rotten meat?"
Zhu Ci gave an affirmative response: "Correct. If we don't dig it out, we'll truly have to find him a feng shui-rich burial site."
Of course, even if it were dug up, it might not necessarily lead to anything.
Fu Chunsheng, Fu Qiulu, Xi Ya exchanged glances, their faces etched with hesitation; they truly had no experience with this and feared they would have to just bite the bullet.
The three of them had never imagined that Zhu Ci would personally take action; as it turned out, after disinfecting the dagger, the Crown Prince went straight to work himself.
Not only did he get his hands dirty, but his movements were also incredibly skilled; his cuts were fast, precise, ruthless, without a single unnecessary stroke.
As the red-hot dagger touched the flesh, it released the foul stench of burning protein. However, at this moment, the other three had no mind to care about the smell; they all stared wide-eyed and dumbfounded as the noble Crown Prince performed debridement there without even blinking.
Fortunately, Xia Lei's wound was not very large, the red-hot dagger had also served to stop the bleeding to some extent.
After Zhu Ci cleanly cut away the necrotic tissue from the wound, he used Allicin to disinfect it, finally used honey as a dressing to bandage it.
After finishing, he sighed and said, "Next.. it's up to his fate."
Clearly, Xia Lei's luck was quite good, or perhaps it was because Zhu Ci had performed exceptionally well while making the Allicin, making the stuff quite effective.
On the day he woke up, it happened to be the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, the child from the household to the west was also sent to the small courtyard.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Minced garlic.. sesame oil.. I'm craving Sichuan hotpot. Kitty wipes its drool. jpg
Next update at 12:00 PM~
Chapter 39
That child was personally brought over by Xi Ping.
Zhu Ci was truly surprised when he saw that child: "He is.. eight years old this year?"
Xi Ping nodded.
Zhu Ci frowned slightly. This didn't look like an eight-year-old at all; he looked more like he was only five or six, he was so thin that his head seemed oversized.
The child was clearly somewhat timid, but he still mustered the courage to bow to Zhu Ci and say, "Greetings, Young Master."
Zhu Ci crouched down to look at him and asked, "What is your name?"
The child blinked and said, "Dalang."
Zhu Ci looked up at Xi Ping, Xi Ping said in a low voice, "When this child was born, his health was poor and he was sickly. His parents were afraid he would die young, so they never gave him a name."
There is a folk legend that if you don't have a name, you won't appear in the King of Hell's Book of Life and Death; otherwise, you'll be given a very common name that many people use.
There are so many people named Dalang in this world that even the King of Hell might overlook a child, unable to tell who is who.
Xi Ping sighed after speaking, not expecting that the child would be fine, while the adult, however..
Zhu Ci patted the child's head and said, "We should still give him a name. Do they have a generation name?"
Xi Ping shook his head and said, "In a rural family, they barely know a few characters, so where would they get something like that?"
For commoners like them, surviving through two generations in these chaotic times would be good enough; what need they have for a family genealogy?
Zhu Ci thought for a moment and said, "Since there is no name, then let's give him one: Xi Zhenliu."
Seeing that Xi Ping looked somewhat dazed, Fu Qiulu said, "To rest one's head on a stone by a flowing stream; the flowing water is always there, to sleep upon it. It means to live a life as stable as reclining by the water. The Young Master hopes that he will have a peaceful and safe future."
After hearing this, Xi Ping hurriedly nudged the child and said, "Why haven't you thanked the Young Master yet?"
Having received a name, Xi Zhenliu was quite clever and immediately knelt to kowtow, saying, "Thank you, Young Master, thank you, Young Master."
Zhu Ci hurriedly helped him up. "That's enough, don't go kneeling every time."
With the child delivered, Xi Ping had essentially completed his mission. Tomorrow was New Year's Eve, today was a busy time, so after saying a few words, Xi Ping prepared to leave.
Before leaving, Zhu Ci said, "By the way, does Xiaozhenliu currently have land holdings under his name?"
Xi Ping said nervously, "Yes, but the transfer requires paperwork, Young Master.. I'm afraid you will have to make a trip to the government office."
Zhu Ci said casually, "If you have time sometime, take Xi Zhenliu to handle the transfer."
In fact, he was not quite clear on what the regulations were for inheritance in the Ming Dynasty.
He also couldn't be bothered to find out. The Great Ming was on its last legs; what was the use of knowing?
Xi Ping froze for a moment. "Huh? Bring him?"
Seeing his hesitation, Zhu Ci couldn't help but narrow his eyes and ask, "What? Is someone trying to embezzle his family's land?"
Xi Ping immediately waved his hands and said, "No, no, this.. if it is for Xi.. for Xi Zhenliu, this old man can handle it."
Zhu Ci realized at this moment that Xi Ping might have thought he wanted the land and property belonging to Xi Zhenliu's family.
He sneered, "What use would I have for those meager plots of land? Remember, every bit of the land and property left by Xi Zhenliu's parents must reach his hands without being diminished by a single grain. If anyone dares to plot against them, don't blame me for stepping in on behalf of this child."
Xi Ping nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Young Master, please rest assured, he won't miss a single bit of what should be his, that.."
He glanced at Zhu Ci and asked cautiously, "This child.. is he.. not being sold into slavery?"
Who said he was to be a slave?" Zhu Ci looked at Xi Ping with a strange expression and said, "He is still a free citizen. I'll teach him some literacy and martial arts; once he grows up, he can find his own way in life.
Xi Ping was shaken by what he heard: "Teach.. teach him literacy and martial arts.."
He said nothing, but after glancing at Xi Zhenliu, who was standing there tugging at Zhu Ci's robes, he actually felt a hint of envy for a moment.
After returning, Xi Ping sighed and said to Xi Shan, "People truly never know what fortune or misfortune awaits."
Xi Shan was a bit puzzled. "What happened to A-fu?"
Xi Ping said, "That young master didn't name him Xi Zhenliu, oh, he gave Xiao Erzi's Dalang a name called Xi Zhenliu, saying something.. Zhen.. something stone, sigh, I'm old and can't remember, but it was meant to mean that the child would have a peaceful and safe life in the future."
Xi Shan muttered a few words, "The Young Master is well-educated; the names he gives are simply different."
“Heh, the Young Master even said he would teach that child to read and practice martial arts. Do you think.. won't that child suddenly rise from nothing to become a phoenix?” Xi Ping said, looking outside. “For a moment, I even felt like I should have left much earlier, but then I thought about how you all are grown up now, the Young Master might not necessarily take you in.”
Xi Shan was also deeply shaken after hearing this: "Read.. read books and practice martial arts? Then.. then won't Xiao Erzi's Dalang be able to take the imperial examinations in the future?"
Xi Ping said, "Since he still holds commoner status, of course he can."
Xi Shan thought of the boys in his family and fell silent for a moment.
Xi Zhenliu and his son used to be playmates, but from this day forward, they would be worlds apart.
Xi Shan's wife happened to overhear this while bringing in hot water. She felt happy for the orphaned child, but she couldn't help but say, "Xiao Erzi's son, Dalang, isn't very bright either, not even as smart as our Sanlang. I'm afraid he'll even struggle to pass the exam to become a scholar."
After saying that, she felt it was inappropriate to speak such words, as the child was truly pitiable, but.. why should a child so poor that he didn't even have two acres of land, who had lost both parents, suddenly have the hope of a meteoric rise, while her own child, who clearly came from one of the best families in the village, was instead..
Xi Ping glanced at his daughter-in-law and said nothing, for he also felt a slight sense of injustice in his heart.
In the end, he could only sigh and say, "A person's fate is predestined by Heaven."