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

Chapter 146

"Sister, is this frostbite cream?"

"Yes, the frostbite cream. Did you remember the ingredients in it?"

"Okay, I've got it: ginger oil, aloe vera, ginseng, safflower, peppermint, and comfrey..."

"What's its purpose?"

"Prevents frostbite, repairs ulcers, cracks, itching caused by frostbite, promotes blood circulation, reduces swelling, relieves itching, moisturizes, nourishes, and protects the skin, etc."

Very good, Chun Ning memorized it all. It has to be said that people who are good at studying are good at everything.

Chun Nuan prides herself on having some talent, but compared to Chun Ning's memory, it's far inferior.

“That’s good, you remember very accurately,” Chunnuan said. “Given time, you will definitely become a qualified pharmacist.”

"Sister, can I become a doctor?"

Why become a doctor?

"If I can't be a good prime minister, I'll be a good doctor." Chun Ning said, "I think this ambition is quite good."

"I'd rather have medicine gathering dust on the shelves than have sick people in the world." Chunnuan said, "This sentence is in the medical notes of my great-grandfather and grandfather. If you want to be a doctor, a good doctor, then you are destined to never become rich and become a wealthy family."

Chun Ning was taken aback, but immediately nodded to indicate that she understood.

Yes, ideals are lofty but reality is cruel. The Xiao family no longer has the conditions to realize their ideals.

Their ideals were shattered by that imperial edict.

Thinking of her elder sister, who was struggling to support the family alone in the capital, her father, who worked hard day after day in the northern desert, and the children in the house in Sichuan, thirteen-year-old Chun Ning felt a heavy burden on her shoulders.

He needs to make money, lots and lots of money, so that he can provide a good life for his family and even bring them together for a family reunion.

Therefore, being a conscientious doctor who can't get rich is not something he can do right now.

"Sister, does this formula make a very effective frostbite cream?"

“Yes, this is a formula developed by my great-grandfather, which was once used by people in the palace.” Chunnuan said, “Later, I added two medicinal herbs to make the finished product, and Aunt Mao and the others used it. They all said it was very effective, and the relapse did not occur again after one year of use.”

Aunt Mao was the old woman in charge of laundry in the mansion. Every winter, they would get frostbite. When the spring warmed up, they were given frostbite cream to use and were so moved that they couldn't stop crying.

Chunnuan was too embarrassed to admit that it was an experimental product she had created.

However, the feedback from Aunt Mao and the others after using it met their expectations.

"Later, my grandfather used this formula when he was giving it to people in the palace," Chunnuan said. "It can not only treat frostbite, but also moisturize, nourish and protect the skin. Even nobles like to use it."

"Sister, why don't we make more and sell them too?"

"Will this be the first medicine produced by Xiao's Pharmacy?"

"Yes, that's what I mean. We'll use our family's secret recipe to create unique ointments and the like. Only our family can make them in the world. I'm sure our business will be booming."

"That's right, she has a good business sense." Chunnuan supported Chunning's idea.

She had thought about this before and had mentally budgeted for it several times, but always gave up for various reasons.

Now that Chun Ning has brought it up again, Chun Nuan has decided to give it a try.

"Let's give our ointment a name, and from now on all ointments will be called by this name."

"How is Doctor Xiao?" Chun Ning said, "Our family is a family of doctors. Two of our family members were imperial physicians. Although my grandfather died unjustly, no one can erase his achievements."

Otherwise, why would the Empress Dowager and the Empress personally support their elder sister? They were repaying their grandfather's kindness.

Why did the Emperor bestow a marriage upon his elder sister? Firstly, it was at General Xia's request, and secondly, it was certainly to make amends to his grandfather.

He knew he had killed the wrong person, but emperors never admit their mistakes. Killing the wrong person is your own bad luck.

Therefore, it will be very difficult for the Xiao family to return to Beijing in the short term.

Only by becoming strong can we pave a road back to the capital with gold and silver.

Therefore, Chun Ning's suggestion to make and sell ointments is indeed a way to get rich.

Of course, to make ointment for sale, it's not enough to simply put it in a bamboo tube. You have to go to a pottery factory to fire special small ceramic bottles, the kind with lids, and write a few words on the bottle: Dr. Xiao's Frostbite Ointment.

"Sister, what's wrong?"

"This is a silver note totaling two hundred taels sent by my eldest sister. Let's use these two hundred taels of silver to gamble."

If they win, they will achieve success and make their first fortune, paving the way for future wealth; if they lose, all they will get is more frostbite cream to send to the northern desert.

"Okay, let's take a gamble."

Chun Ning not only had to learn how to make plasters, but also had to go to ceramic manufacturers to discuss the small ceramic bottles.

Because the quantity was small, the ceramics factory agreed to produce a thousand small ceramic bottles for them in advance after much persuasion.

Next, I bought the medicinal herbs to make the ointment.

In order to finish the ointment making work quickly, Chun Ning called Luo Xiaogang to help and promised to pay him.

“It’s okay, I’ll still help even if I don’t get paid.”

Luo Xiaogang loved following Chun Ning around. Over the past two years, he has become much more mature from a child who only knew how to climb trees and cause trouble. He has learned many characters, how to use an abacus, and even how to identify medicinal herbs.

That's right, he copied everything Chun Ning learned.

No matter how much or how little, learning even a little bit is a bonus, so how could we miss such a great opportunity?

Not only was he learning, but Sanya was also learning from Chunyan and Chunshu. In any case, the Luo family had tasted the benefits of learning from the Xiao family. No matter how the villagers ridiculed and mocked them, they continued to follow the Xiao family without fail.

In my father's words: You must learn to play the fool. The villagers say it's out of envy and jealousy; since they can't get the Xiao family's protection, they can only speak ill of us to comfort themselves.

Learning more is always beneficial. Look at how your family is getting better year by year; it's because you've learned from the Xiao family.

Without spending a single penny, everyone learned to read and write their own names. How fortunate we are!

Those people lack foresight and opportunity, yet they still mock their own family members; they are truly foolish.

You laugh at me, I laugh at you, but only those in the thick of it know who the ultimate winner is.

Chunnuan asked Chunning to go to the Zhao family's herbal medicine shop to buy the necessary medicinal materials, and then they started making frostbite ointment.

Chun Ning then led Luo Xiaogang to bottle the bottles.

"Oh dear, this bottle is broken." Chun Ning felt very guilty for breaking it by accident.

"It's alright, may you have peace and safety every year. Just be careful not to cut your hands."

As they were talking, Luo Xiaogang reached out to pick up the broken pieces, and ended up cutting his own hand.

Spring is coming... but we were still a step too late.

Chun Ning quickly found some hemostatic powder and applied it to him.

"Brother Chun Ning, why are all the medicines in your house so effective?" The bleeding stopped immediately after the powder was sprinkled on. "These medicines aren't sold at Baicaotang or Qianjinfang. Where did you buy them?"

When Chunnuan heard that Baicaotang Qianjinfang didn't sell many words, another idea popped into her head.

(End of this chapter)