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

Chapter 12 This dock belongs to the Xiao family.

"Chuning, I'm going to take a look around. I'll come back to find you in half an hour."

"Sister, the docks are a mixed bag..."

"It's alright, it's broad daylight, don't worry, I won't go far, I'll just look around."

Chun Ning wanted to say something more, but then she thought about how her elder sister had taken care of the whole family all the way from the capital to Sichuan. She was bold and meticulous, and she could only try her best not to hold her back.

The pier was bustling with activity, with boats of all sizes docking frequently, and it was very popular.

No wonder people flock to a small zodiac-themed shop that charges twenty coins a day; it must be a great place to do business.

The passengers disembarked and went to the dock, speaking in various accents.

Suddenly, as spring warmed up, I heard someone talking about things in the capital.

"All the male members of the Consort's family were beheaded, not even the children were spared, and the female members were sent to the brothel."

"Alas, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; the emperor's favor comes and goes quickly."

"Who can argue with that? Honor and disgrace can change in an instant."

"The case of the Imperial Concubine involved many court officials, and even some imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy were executed..."

"It is said that the Crown Prince is in poor health. He used to be treated by Imperial Physician Xiao, but now the imperial physicians are at their wits' end, and the Emperor has issued an imperial edict to recruit renowned doctors from all over the country."

Hearing news about her grandfather from others filled Chunnuan with sorrow. How innocent her grandfather was!
The pregnancy was a false pregnancy, and the woman's family was completely wiped out, involving the Imperial Hospital. Her grandfather and the imperial physician in charge of diagnosing and protecting the pregnancy both lost their lives.

Xiao Chunnuan once thought it was the Empress's doing, but now it seems that it might not be, because the eldest prince's illness has indeed been treated by his grandfather. So, the person who set up this scheme is the fisherman behind it all.

So who orchestrated this scheme?
It had been a long time since Chunnuan had heard any news from the capital. She wanted to hear more, but then the two people boarded a large ship and the ship sailed away... Looking in the direction the ship went, Chunnuan wondered when she would hear any more news from the capital.

Judging by the time, her eldest sister is about to give birth, and her life in the Wu family may not be easy.

Every single thing is causing me immense anxiety as spring warms up, yet I feel powerless to help. The only thing I can do is protect my family and keep them alive... Only by surviving can there be hope!
Turning my head, I saw a lot of wormwood on the riverbank.

Artemisia capillaris in March and Artemisia argyi in April, they can be burned as firewood in May and June.

Spring warmth strode forward, probably because the wormwood on the riverbank was growing very well and was very tender, making it perfectly suitable for processing into medicinal herbs.

Thinking of this, he quickly pulled it out.

As I was pulling, I suddenly heard a loud commotion on the dock.

“We paid the money, and this is the proof of payment. Why did you take our things? Give them back to us.”

It's Chun Ning's voice!

Chunnuan didn't even have time to look at the old wormwood she had pulled out before rushing over.

"what happened?"

Xiao Changfu asked the question at the same time as Chunnuan.

“We paid them money, and these people said that we are under their control in this territory and that we have to pay them money.” Chun Ning didn’t want to call the Xiao family, but she wanted to make things clear.

"You...you are Third Master Xiao?"

The young men who had asked Chun Ning to pay were terrified when they saw Xiao Changfu: "We...we were just joking with him, it's not serious."

That's not actually the case. They prey on newcomers at the dock, trying to take advantage of anyone who's just starting out.

Unfortunately, I had bad luck today. I didn't expect Xiao Changfu to be here, and I even bumped into him.

"This joke isn't funny at all." Xiao Changfu grabbed one of them in each hand and threw them into the river. "You dare to act so arrogantly at Xiao Family Wharf! Do you think I'm dead?"

"Third Master, we were wrong, we will never dare to do it again."

The two men in the river struggled to get up, but Xiao Changfu's servant grabbed a carrying pole from the crowd and placed it across the river, clearly intending to prevent them from getting ashore.

"Third Master is so kind."

"Third Master, they often bully the newcomers."

"Exactly, what kind of behavior is it to bully two little kids?"

Those making a living on the docks were all complaining, while those in the river were begging for mercy. "Let them soak for a full hour before they leave," Xiao Changfu said, turning back after taking two steps. "From now on, don't let me see you at Xiao's dock. Remember, this dock belongs to the Xiao family!"

"Yes, yes, Third Master, I remember, I will never dare to do it again, never dare to do it again."

As Xiao Changfu left, the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Serves you right. You dare to run wild on the Xiao family's territory. You only got away with it because you ran into Third Master. If it were Sixth Master, he would have stripped you bare."

"That's right. With Third Master watching over the dock, we can all feel at ease."

Spring is here... Turns out, twenty coins can buy you peace!
These people who run small businesses are actually willing to pay money?

No, the Third Master they're talking about seems very kind, while the seemingly gentle Sixth Master is quite ruthless.

The saying "You can't judge a book by its cover" is really true.

Third Master Xiao, Xiao Changfu, illegitimate son, Chunnuan remembered.

"Sister"

"Chuning, how many packets are left?"

"Sister, there are only two packs left."

Just then, a maid came over.

"Hey vendor selling flower cakes, what kind of flowers do you have?"

"Yes……"

"It's a purple magnolia flower. This flower cake is not only fragrant, but also has the auxiliary effects of warming the lungs, clearing the nasal passages, and dispelling wind and cold."

"Oh, really? Then I'll buy them all." The maid counted out the money and gave it to Chun Ning, then took the two packets of flower cakes away.

"Sister?"

Isn't it called the Forsythia suspensa?

Why is it called Purple Magnolia Flower again?
By the way, it also has another name: Magnolia biondii.

"If something is too ordinary, who would be willing to spend money to buy it?" Chunnuan taught him, "Things are valued for their rarity; changing the name makes them seem extraordinary."

The locals call it Wangchunhua (望春花), and may not know its other names.

"Sister Chunnuan, will we still be selling tomorrow?"

Luo Xiaogang was already very excited; he should be able to make money today.

"We'll sell them, but it will be a lot of work for you to pick the flowers early tomorrow morning."

“We’re not afraid of hardship, really, Sister Chunnuan. We’ll make a little more tomorrow and come sell it earlier.”

"it is good."

After Chunnuan calculated, after giving the Xiao family twenty coins, there were still several dozen coins left. After deducting costs, they could still make a profit of more than ten coins.

Spending money is like water washing away sand, while earning money is like picking sand with a needle.

She used to be too ashamed to give her maid twenty coins as a reward, but now she works hard all day and only earns this little bit.

Of course, every penny counts, and she wouldn't complain about it.

"Sister, let's go home."

Your family must be worried.

"Don't panic, help me take those Artemisia capillaris back."

"Sister Chunnuan, these are everywhere on the mountain, why are you bringing them back?"

"Make it into a tea to drink." Chun Ning was afraid that if her older sister said it could make money, Luo Xiaogang would spread the word and it would be difficult for her family to find herbs, so she took over the conversation directly.

Chun Nuan glanced at Chun Ning: Sure enough, you only become smarter through experience. This kid is getting more and more cunning.

(End of this chapter)