Qinghe placed three glass vials on the stone table. Each held a tiny sample drawn from a different medicine batch, and each sat inside a shallow tray of clean sand. Jessa checked the labels against Ning’s cargo record while Tessa warmed the neutral test solution over a low flame. No one tasted or touched the samples. The medicine was not going onto a patient until they knew what they had.
“Start with the batch that matches the clinic inventory,” Qinghe said. “We need a control before we compare the others.”
Jessa set a marked glass slip beside the first vial. “The anti-fever formula we use has a sharp scent, a pale amber color, and a slow reaction in this solution.”
Tessa turned the vial gently. Sediment shifted along the bottom, then settled. “This one looks like the usual mixture.”
“Let’s see if it behaves like it,” Qinghe said.
She drew one drop with a glass rod and let it fall into the test solution. The liquid clouded briefly, then cleared. The amber shade held. Jessa compared it with the clinic’s reference mark and nodded. “Same range.”
The next batch smelled stronger. Tessa held it near the lamp without opening the seal. “This has more of the bitter root.”
