The Daily Life of a Down-on-Hard-Life Medicine Girl Supporting Her Family

Chapter 1 Accident
"Sister, is this edible?"

Twelve-year-old Chunyan ran up to Chunnuan with a handful of green leaves and small yellow flowers and asked.

"No, this is called 'heartbreak grass'." It'll solve everything once and for all: "Quickly throw it away and go wash your hands thoroughly by the stream."

There was nothing she could do; her eldest sister was already married, and at fifteen, she was the oldest. She pulled Chunyan along as she watched her wash herself in the stream. Just as she stood up, Chunshu placed a stinking peony in front of her from behind.

"Sister, what kind of flower is this? Is it edible?"

"Smell this, can you even eat it?"

She couldn't recognize anything, and had to ask her about everything. She also had to take care of their safety, fearing they might fall, get bitten by insects or ants, and that if she wasn't careful, the two sisters might slip in poisonous herbs and wipe out the whole family of twelve.

She brought two novices up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables; she really did something terrible.

It's good that you're not afraid of hardship or getting dirty, but maybe you shouldn't bring it next time.

"Sister, are we really useless?" A series of blows left the two girls dejected and without any fighting spirit: "Grandma said that we used to learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but now that we've fallen on hard times, none of these things are of any use. The whole family is relying on you to dig wild vegetables to fill our stomachs."

“Chunyan, Chunshu, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. This is something you two are not good at.” Chunnuan took out the dandelion and houttuynia cordata from the small bamboo basket and gave them to the two of them: “Take one each. If they look the same shape and taste the same, then dig them out.”

"Okay, sister, we understand."

The two little girls regained their fighting spirit and continued searching for food for the night.

As Chunnuan watched their retreating figures, her nose inexplicably stung with tears.

Who would have thought that just a month ago they were the granddaughters of Physician Xiao, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy in the capital? They were not only young ladies from wealthy families, but also well-bred young ladies. They were learning music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and cooking from female teachers. All they had to do was wait to grow up and be betrothed to a suitable family to become young mistresses.

Spring had brought joy to many, and the wedding of the second son of Zhang, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was set for August 19th. However, fate intervened. His grandfather was implicated in the case of the Emperor's most favored concubine's alleged false pregnancy and was beheaded at the Meridian Gate. All male members of the family over the age of twelve were exiled to the northern deserts, barred from taking the imperial examinations for three generations. The women, thanks to the Empress Dowager's favor, were taken back to their ancestral home in Sichuan by their grandmother. The Zhang family broke off the engagement, a decision the Xiao family understood—after all, who would willingly marry the descendant of a criminal? If it weren't for her pregnancy, the eldest sister, Chunyu, would likely have also been divorced by the Wu family.

I thought that I could be protected because of the care my great-grandfather and grandfather had given to the clan over the years.

Unexpectedly, the grandmother and her family couldn't even get into the gates of the Xiao clan; the clan head expelled this branch of the family from the clan.

Grandmother fainted on the spot from anger.

Fortunately, my aunt remained calm in the face of adversity. She pawned some of the family's best clothes and got a few taels of silver, which she used to rent a dilapidated courtyard behind the town and settle the whole family down. The few taels of silver were used to pay the rent, buy some daily necessities and a few pounds of coarse grains, and that was it.

This family truly lacks everything; if it weren't for the fact that it's early summer, all twelve members of the family would have frozen to death.

Having nothing to eat, Chunnuan joined the young women and wives of her neighbors in digging for wild vegetables in the mountains. Previously uninterested in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, and only fond of reading and tinkering with herbs, Chunnuan had now become the pillar of the family.

Seeing that her elder sister was working too hard, Chunyan and Chunshu offered to go up the mountain with her. Now it seems that bringing them along would be a burden.

From the moment their grandfather fell ill, the Xiao family's future was filled with hardships and difficulties.

With a sigh, spring returns as the treasure hunt continues.

Yes, she was not only digging for wild vegetables, but she also hoped to dig for some medicinal herbs, process them, and send them to the pharmacy to earn some money to supplement her family's income.

"Sister, look, isn't this the same?"

Chunyan called to her from the distant stream, and Chunnuan hurried over to see.

Does it smell the same to you?

"Yes, it's the same, it just doesn't smell good."

"Even if it doesn't smell good, it's still a wild vegetable. There are quite a lot of them here. Dig carefully and don't hurt your hands."

Chunnuan also squatted down and used a wooden stick to pry up the houttuynia cordata. Yes, they didn't even have tools to dig wild vegetables, and relied entirely on whatever they could find.

Chun Shu heard that there were many wild vegetables here, so she came over too. The three sisters worked up a sweat and finally managed to dig up a small basketful.

"Sister, is there enough for tonight's meal?"

"This can stay for a couple more days. You guys keep looking for it, and I'll go wash it."

Chunnuan squatted in the ditch washing houttuynia cordata, thinking that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. There shouldn't be any fish in this ditch... What did she see?
It was a huge crab.

Chunnuan left the houttuynia cordata behind, took off her embroidered shoes, rolled up her trousers, and carefully walked toward the rock where the big crab had crawled: We can have extra dishes tonight!

The large crab was startled and ran out after the stones were moved.

"Where do you think you're going?" Chunnuan chased after it relentlessly, pouncing again and again, finally catching it despite being soaked. "Ah!" Her fingers hurt so much that she couldn't help but scream.

"Sister..."

Chunyan and Chunshu rushed out upon hearing the news: "Sister, what's wrong?"

"My hand, my hand."

This thing is impossible to shake off!

Spring warmth crashed directly into the stones on the road, but the crab remained unmoved.

"Sister, what should we do, sister..." Ten-year-old Chun Shu cried out in fear, "Help! Help! Save my sister!"

Upon hearing the news, a group of teenagers actually rushed over.

"Haha, I got pinched by a crab."

"Look, they're all crying from fright."

"Whose young lady is this? She's even catching crabs in the river."

Four or five teenagers stood by the stream, laughing and watching the commotion.

Spring warmth brought a mix of anger, embarrassment, and pain, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.

"Girl, if you put your hand back in the water, the crab will automatically let go." Zhao Minghua, who was watching from afar, couldn't help but speak up.

"No, it will let go and run away if you put it in the water."

Chunnuan actually knew about this solution, but she wasn't confident she could catch the crab again after it escaped, and she couldn't take that risk.

“You…” Zhao Minghua was stunned: This girl who looked so nice was actually an idiot?
"Is the crab more important or your finger?" Zhao Minghua said anxiously, "If you pinch it any harder, your finger will bleed."

That seems to make sense.

But we can't let the crab pinch our fingers for nothing.

Upon seeing the small bamboo basket next to him, he quickly emptied the houttuynia cordata, put his hands and crabs into the basket, and then put them into the water.

Sure enough, the crab loosened its claws as soon as it saw water.

Ignoring her pain, Chunnuan quickly pulled the bamboo basket out of the water.

"Fortunately, it's still there."

"Sister, are you alright?"

Chun Shu, with tears still on her face, ran over to see Chun Nuan's hands.

"Sister, it's alright." Gently wiping away her tears, he said, "Don't cry, we can add an extra dish tonight."

"Sister?"

"Look, crabs. We can make a soup tonight."

“Sister.” Chunyan’s eyes also reddened.

"It's alright, let's go, we should go home."

In the spring, she picked up her embroidered shoes and put them on. She divided the cleaned houttuynia cordata into five portions, letting her two younger sisters each hold a handful. She held wild vegetables in her left hand and carried a bamboo basket in her right, checking from time to time to see if any of the houttuynia cordata had crawled out.

When Chunnuan passed by those teenagers, she didn't seem to notice anything unusual.

Do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper, and do not speak of what is improper. It is impolite of those who witness your embarrassing situation.

However, when she passed Zhao Minghua in the distance, Chunnuan nodded and thanked him softly.

"Thank you for speaking up for me earlier, young master."

"No need to be so polite." After the three Chun Nuan sisters passed by, the young man suddenly asked, "Are you family members of Physician Xiao from the capital?"

(End of this chapter)