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

Chapter 132

Every region has its own customs, and Chunnuan deeply understands this point.

Of course, back in the capital, she was just a sheltered young lady from the Imperial Physician Xiao's household, never venturing out of her home, and knew nothing about these worldly matters. At that time, her aunt was in charge of the household, and she always did a very good job.

Upon arriving in Shu, her aunt entrusted all matters to her, so naturally, nothing could go wrong.

It was clear that Aunt Luo and Aunt Cai were very knowledgeable, so Chunnuan asked them for help in guiding her. The wet nurse, Wu, was also skilled in these rules and etiquette. Chunnuan simply handed over the responsibility of taking care of the children to Zhu Lingling and Chunshu, and let Wu vacate the space so that she could help manage things in the inner quarters.

The women of the Xiao family obeyed orders completely.

After changing the old lady's clothes, Aunt Luo directed Xiao Gang to burn paper money for the deceased at a three-way intersection and set off firecrackers.

"The sound of cannons alerts everyone, and as soon as people ask who set off cannons, they know who has had an accident," Aunt Luo said. "Next, we need to discuss the vegetarian meal, how many people will be coming, and how many tables we need to prepare."

"Aunt Luo, we've only been in Sichuan for a short time, and we don't have any other relatives or friends, so we probably don't have any guests." Chunnuan hadn't thought of this at all.

Social interactions require prior reciprocity; when they came to the village, no one seemed to be hosting a dinner party.

"Chunnuan, you don't understand. Our custom here is: weddings are not attended without invitation, but funerals are attended without invitation." Aunt Luo said, "No matter which family has an elderly person pass away, people from around here will come during the night mourning period, and we'll prepare a lot of vegetarian dishes."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Aunt Luo." Chunnuan suddenly remembered something: "Why haven't I seen Uncle Luo?"

"Your Uncle Luo..."

"Sister Chunnuan, my father's hand was cut off while fighting with bandits, so he can't help you this time."

"Uncle Luo is injured?" Chun Nuan had no idea about this.

"Oh, it's nothing, just some minor injuries." Seeing Chunnuan's guilty expression, Aunt Luo quickly comforted her, "It's alright, really alright."

"Go back and have your father come over. I'll put some medicine on his wound," Chunnuan said to Sanya.

"No need, no need to trouble yourself. Chunnuan, your Uncle Luo has been through a lot, and has been injured many times."

“Go ahead, listen to me. I need to get your father over so I can apply the medicine to him.” Chunnuan said to Aunt Luo, “Wounds can be big or small. If a wound is big and not treated in time, it can leave sequelae, and in severe cases, it can affect his life.”

Upon hearing how serious it was, Aunt Luo quickly sent Sanya to call for help.

Uncle Luo arrived, the gauze wrapped around his right arm was soaked red with blood.

"You're so badly injured!" Chunnuan thanked him, "Uncle Luo, thank you so much, you've helped us again."

“Chunnuan, you’re being too polite. We’re neighbors. If we do nothing when your house catches fire, the fire will inevitably spread to our side, and we’ll suffer too.”

That's true. Their new home was just a wall away from the Luo family's, and when the fire was raging, it didn't care whether you were surnamed Xiao or Luo.

Saving others is also a way of saving yourself.

"By the way, Chun Ning took a few people to chase after them. Have they returned yet?"

"Not yet," Chunnuan said. "Those people are from the Zhao family."

"That's good. It's good that you have the Zhao family's protection. People like us can only talk the talk, but we have no way of finding out who did it."

"Yes, I'll handle this."

While applying the medicine powder to Uncle Luo, Chunnuan said, "You should go back and rest. Aunt Luo, I have to stay. I need Aunt Luo's help with some things. There are many rules we don't understand."

"It's alright, you've already applied the medicine to me, I can just sit here and keep an eye on the male guests for you. We'll talk about it when Chun Ning comes back."

Just then, they heard someone shout that Chun Ning was back.

Chun Ning led her men to catch up with those people, captured several, injured some, and killed one.

“They’ve been handed over to the authorities,” Chun Ning said. “But I felt that person was a bit perfunctory. Sister, why don’t we ask your brother-in-law…”

"What nonsense are you talking about? Who's your brother-in-law?" Chunnuan looked up and saw Zhao Minghua's eyes looking over, and she immediately stammered.

My fiancé is also my brother-in-law!
"Chuning, what do you think that person meant?"

"The people in the government office seemed very casual to me, and they just told us to come back and wait for news."

Waiting for news may very well mean waiting for no news at all.

The phenomenon of officials protecting each other is well explained here.

“It’s alright, we can find someone to help us solve this,” Zhao Minghua said. “It’s just that this person isn’t in Changzhou.”

"Who?"

Ask as soon as spring warms up.

“Seventh Master Zhou,” Zhao Minghua said, “when he returns, I’ll have my mother ask him for help.”

“You really know how to beat around the bush, going through all that trouble. Finding Master Zhou doesn't require your mother; I can do it myself,” Chunnuan said. “However, the most urgent matter is to handle Grandmother's funeral arrangements properly…”

"Grandma, what's wrong with Grandma?"

Chun Ning was startled, realizing that her older sister had slipped up and said something wrong.

"Chuning, Grandmother has passed away."

Yes, he went to chase after the bandits and had no idea that his family had suffered such a great calamity.

"grandmother……"

Chun Ning knelt before the old lady's coffin: "It is your unfilial grandson who failed to protect you!"

Chunnuan had said this before, and Chunning had said it again, indicating that Chunning saw herself as the future head of the Xiao family.

There are thousands of people in a family, but only one person is in charge.

Chun Ning remained kneeling for a long time without getting up.

"Chuning, get up. There are many ways to express filial piety. You have to learn them from the beginning."

Chunnuan asked Chunning to consult Uncle Luo about what else needed to be prepared.

“I’ve been thinking about this issue and making arrangements one by one.”

Uncle Luo treated her like an old lady in his own family, thinking that this old lady never gossiped at the village entrance, rarely even went out, and always had two daughters-in-law with her when she did.

It's a real shame that she was so frightened by the bandits.

"There's one more thing, Chun Ning, it's up to you how you plan to handle it."

Then he mentioned the matter of hosting a banquet.

"Elder sister, we don't have that many relatives, do we?" This funeral seems different from those in the capital.

"Aunt Luo said that neighbors have to come to the funeral even if they are not invited, so even though we didn't have that many relatives before, we now have to prepare about twenty tables."

"so much?"

"You don't understand, just listen to Uncle Luo and Aunt Luo's arrangements."

"Okay." Chun Ning obediently listened to Uncle Luo and started discussing the dishes.

“Funerals are different from weddings. Also, the way to hold a banquet depends on the family’s financial situation. Funerals can be simpler than weddings, but of course, the nine-bowl feast is a must.”

When Chun Ning learned that the Nine Bowls banquet was the standard for banquets in the Changzhou area, she couldn't say anything more.

Since we're following the custom, let's do it.

"Don't be scared by the nine bowls." Uncle Luo has his own secret recipe: "One bowl of pumpkin, one bowl of kelp, one bowl of vermicelli, that's three bowls. Add six more dishes and you have nine bowls."

When Chun Ning heard that pumpkin, kelp, and vermicelli would be served as three dishes, she breathed a sigh of relief: thankfully, it didn't have to be that lavish.

To be fair, the Xiao family could afford to have a sum of money now, but they don't flaunt their wealth. Even so, they still fell victim to thieves. If they knew they had money, they certainly wouldn't have let it slip by.

So this is the beginning, but it will definitely not be the last.

Moreover, he clearly sensed that there must be some scheming involved.

After confirming the menu with Uncle Luo, I asked him to arrange for someone to buy the items.

"Aunt Luo, could you please ask a few aunties to help me with cooking and washing dishes?"

"You don't need to worry about that," Aunt Luo said. "Whenever there's a funeral, there are always plenty of people willing to help. It's all voluntary. After the funeral, just give each person a red envelope."

"Giving red envelopes?"

In Chunnuan's memory, giving red envelopes was something that only happened during the New Year.

Why do you have to give red envelopes for something like this?

"It's for good luck, and the amount of money is small but the meaning is significant," Aunt Luo said. "So you must remember who helped and give them a red envelope at the end."

"That's too hard to remember," Chunnuan said. "Why don't you have someone help me? I'll send out red envelopes right now."

"No, no, no, doing that will only cause more trouble."

Aunt Luo said, "Some people are genuinely here to help, some are just there to make up the numbers, and some are purely here for the red envelopes. So, we can't give them the money now; we have to give it to them after we've finished."

"Okay, I'll listen to Aunt Luo."

Spring warmth suddenly makes you realize that scheming exists everywhere. I never imagined that even in the countryside, people would be calculating over something as small as a red envelope. Helping others for a red envelope is truly speechless.

The old lady is gone.

Uncle Luo arranged for someone to invite a geomancer.

“There’s a bit of a problem with land acquisition.” Uncle Luo suddenly remembered something: “If it’s in the graveyard on the back hill, that’s fine, but if you step on someone’s land, you won’t have any land to exchange with them.”

"If I can't trade, can I buy it?"

Chunnuan really didn't have the time to chat with them about anything else. Just as she was about to speak, Zhao Minghua interrupted, "We'll use whichever piece of land we acquire, even if it's expensive."

Chunnuan glanced at Zhao Minghua, whose arrogant and wealthy demeanor made her both annoyed and amused.

But she couldn't laugh, and felt very helpless.

The Xiao family was once highly regarded by princes and nobles in the capital, but they have fallen so quickly that even their burial grounds are now being schemed against.

“Yes, this method can also solve the problem.” Uncle Luo said to Zhao Minghua, “With Young Master Zhao here, many things can be solved very easily.”

The saying "money can make the devil turn the millstone" is fully exemplified here.

Indeed, some things really shouldn't be said, because once they are, they become prophecies.

The feng shui master circled the back mountain and even compared the old lady's birth chart, but still couldn't find a suitable place. He circled around again and finally found a spot: a vegetable garden of just over one acre.

“This vegetable garden belongs to the Chen family,” Aunt Luo said. “Chuning, the Chen family members have very deep fingernails. You have to keep an eye on Young Master Zhao and make sure he doesn’t throw ten taels of silver at them again.”

"The Chen family, right?" Chun Nuan couldn't help but chuckle to herself. "Alright, I'll go talk to the Chen family right now."

Spring is here again!
With Young Master Zhao following behind, it means that the Chen family's God of Wealth has arrived again.

"Spring warmth, is something the matter?"

Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. His family had dealings with Chunnuan; he had just bought a coffin and burial clothes for ten taels of silver. Now, Chunning was taking people to inspect his land, and he knew all too well that Chunnuan had done so.

This money is safe again!

“Uncle Chen,” Chunnuan smiled slightly, “Grandpa Chen mentioned before that our family is related to your Chen family, right? You see, my grandmother suddenly passed away, and we're almost starving. We can't afford this land either. Could you perhaps do me a favor and compensate you when we've accumulated some savings in the next few years and acquired some property?”

"That won't do, people will talk about me."

He said no, but he really wanted it. He even kept thinking to himself: "Money, money, hurry up and come into my pocket."

“Uncle Chen, who would say that about you? They would only say that you helped the Xiao family. Look, didn’t my great-grandfather also help our family? Now that our family is in trouble, please lend us a hand and let my grandmother be buried there. I will kowtow to you.”

After saying all this, Chunnuan realized that someone had said something similar to her.

Of course, the idea of ​​spring warmth is just talk; he would never actually say it.

“That won’t do. That land was hard-won for our family. You know, it costs five taels of silver per acre…”

The Chen family members, acting in concert, all thought they were fools and suckers, and that exchanging them was out of the question; the only solution was to pay them off.

"Alright, let's buy it." Zhao Minghua then showed off his wealth again: "Five taels of silver per mu is indeed a bit expensive. You only have one fen of land, right? I'll give you two taels of silver. Is that okay? If not, we'll have to find a geomancer to look at other land."

“Two taels of silver is no problem.” Uncle Chen paused for a moment, “However, we have two plum trees planted on the edge of that land. If we want to dig a well, we will have to cut down the trees. Those trees bear a lot of plums every year. They are big, juicy, sweet and sour, and very delicious. We can sell several taels of silver a year just from these two plum trees.”

"Really? Plums can sell for several taels of silver?" Zhao Minghua laughed in exasperation. How could people be so greedy?
"Do you think you're selling immortal peaches?"

"No, either don't disturb our land, or the plum tree must be left."

The plum tree is not far from the area marked by yin and yang, so it's bound to be damaged.

Hearing that "one tael can sell for several taels of silver" makes me want to laugh.

"Two plum trees, how much do you want?" Zhao Minghua wanted to see if the Chen family had any bottom line.

"I don't want more or less, ten taels is just right."

Chun Nuan gasped in shock.

“Uncle Chen, we’re relatives, you know. You need so much, even if our Xiao family sold our blood we couldn’t afford it.”

"Relatives are relatives, but even brothers should keep clear accounts. We should be fair and avoid disputes. There are some things we don't object to, but there are reasons for it." Uncle Chen said, "That plum tree was planted by my mother. She's been gone for so many years, but the tree she planted is still here as a memorial. You see, if the plum tree is cut down, all the things my mother did will be lost to this world, and I'll be heartbroken."

Good grief, they've even resorted to this trick!
Chunnuan was utterly impressed.

The Chen family put on an amazing performance for the money, using every trick in the book!

"..." Zhao Minghua had never seen such an operation before. He was about to speak when Chunnuan glared at him.

Okay, okay, we agreed earlier that we wouldn't be taken advantage of, so let her negotiate the price first.

(End of this chapter)