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

Chapter 15 No Interference Allowed
"The problem is..." Mrs. Zhao thought for a moment and still felt something was wrong: "Sir, you don't want Minghua to marry that Miss Xiao, do you?"

Looking at the woman he had shared a bed with for twenty-eight years, Zhao Chengxun thought to himself that she understood him after all and had become a little smarter.

"Master, you really don't think that way, do you? The Xiao family are descendants of disgraced officials, and they are destitute. If Minghua marries a woman like that, wouldn't people laugh at him to death?"

Why would he choose to marry a girl from a poor family instead of the granddaughter of the patriarch of the powerful Xiao clan?
Do you think Minghua is good enough for that girl?

Zhao Chenghun sighed: In the end, he overestimated his wife's intelligence!

That's exactly what he thought, but whether he could marry her depended on Minghua's efforts. Well, his own wife was already complaining! He didn't know where she got the confidence and courage to think that Miss Xiao was not good enough for her son.
“Our Minghua is not only unworthy of her, but he is also worthy of Xiao Chunlan… even the county magistrate’s daughter.” Mrs. Zhao retorted to her husband, unconvinced.

"Yes, all children are good to their own parents." Zhao Chenghun didn't say a word: "Other people's wives are always better."

"That's true, our Minghua is so handsome and has such a good personality..."

Mrs. Zhao suddenly got stuck. What else could her son do?

Zhao Chengxun just stared at her and said, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Why don't you tell me all the good qualities of your youngest son?

Of his three sons, the one who caused him the least worry was his eldest son. He started reciting herbal formulas at the age of three, recognized thousands of herbs at five, and could diagnose and prescribe medicine at seven... He felt at ease handing over the Zhao family's herbal medicine shop to his eldest son.

The second son is studious, though not particularly gifted, which is understandable, as studying medicine and academics are not the same path. But he works hard, and I believe he will soon pass the imperial examination and become a scholar. At that time, the Zhao family's reputation will be transformed.

As for the third son... he was frail and sickly as a child, and as he grew up, he was afraid of hardship and fatigue. He didn't want to learn this or that. He was smart but lacked willpower. He always felt that as long as the third son didn't commit any crimes, having two older brothers to protect him and ensuring he would live a long and healthy life would be a blessing from the Zhao family ancestors.

"Anyway, my Minghua is the best. Master, the girl from the Xiao family is not within our scope of choosing a wife."

Mrs. Zhao was shocked when she thought that if the marriage with the Xiao family fell through and she became involved with the granddaughter of Physician Xiao, she would be directly offending the Xiao family.

"Don't worry, Minghua and Miss Xiao are discussing business."

Discuss business?
Can you believe that you'd do business with a girl from a destitute family?
Zhao Chenghun felt very tired. Women, they only ever see the immediate benefits.

"Imperial Physician Xiao has several grandchildren. His eldest granddaughter is married to the second son of the Wu family in the capital. Lord Wu is a fourth-rank official." Zhao Chengxun knew this very well: "This Miss Xiao is named Xiao Chunnuan. She is fifteen years old and was originally engaged to the second son of the Zhang family, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. After the incident, the Zhang family broke off the engagement."

"Yes, who would dare marry his daughter if something happened?"

Look, even such a high-ranking official knows to avoid him, so why is my own master so eager to have Minghua marry him?
Zhao Chenghun... really can't communicate with this daughter-in-law.

They only see the surface of the problem.

“The Zhang family is also a fourth-rank official family. If Miss Xiao didn’t have any outstanding qualities, would she have been chosen by the Zhang family?” Forget it, let’s just be blunt. She can’t understand anything anyway: “Miss Xiao has been learning medicine from Xiao Taiyi since she was a child. She knows medicinal herbs, can take pulses, diagnose, and prescribe medicines. She also has a great skill in processing medicinal herbs.”

"A husband's virtue is considered his talent, while a woman's lack of talent is considered her virtue. What's the use of learning these things?"

Zhao Chengxun looked at his wife and laughed in exasperation.

"Then tell me, what should she learn?"

"Learn the three obediences and four virtues, learn needlework, and learn cooking skills."

"So, have your needlework and cooking skills come in handy?" Zhao Chengxun was truly at a loss for words. "Is it that you can't afford a maid or a seamstress?"

"master……"

"To tell you the truth, your son, Minghua, has nothing to offer. By chance, he met Miss Xiao. I arranged for him to discuss business with Miss Xiao, processing medicinal herbs. This is a matter of great importance concerning the future of our Baicaotang, and you are not allowed to interfere."

This statement is more of an order than a notification, not a discussion.

"You're afraid your son will take a liking to Miss Xiao?" Zhao Chengxun shook his head and sighed. "I'm just afraid the girl won't even look at him. There are plenty of good men in the capital. Minghua is just a playboy from Changzhou at best." "Master!"

That's going too far! He's even complaining about his own son!

"Let me say it again, don't mention the marriage with the Xiao family again," Zhao Chengxun said. "I will personally oversee Minghua's marriage."

Three years is a long time; anything is possible. If the ancestors of the Zhao family could know this from beyond the grave, and put in a good effort to please the two generations of Imperial Physicians Xiao, and bless Minghua, this matter might actually come to fruition.

Before this, the wife must not be allowed to interfere in the third son's marriage.

"You must not interfere in the fact that Minghua has a relationship with Miss Xiao."

"master……"

Mrs. Zhao felt very uncomfortable seeing that he had made up his mind.

Why?
She gave birth to the son, but she was excluded from such a major event as his marriage.

How is she supposed to tell Mrs. Xiao?
After all, I've had some connections with Mrs. Xiao over the years, and I'm afraid I'll offend her this time.
The man was arbitrary, and the son wouldn't listen to her advice; she was so worried that her hair turned white!

Xiao Chunnuan, the granddaughter of Physician Xiao, she wanted to see what kind of girl she was that could win over both the master and Minghua.

"Achoo!" Chunnuan sneezed loudly.

"Sister, have you caught a cold?" Chunyan asked with some concern.

"It's nothing, it's just the wormwood powder that's causing the discomfort."

That's right. In the spring, the process of preparing Artemisia capillaris involves drying it, removing any remaining roots, old stems, and impurities, then chopping and crushing it, and finally sifting out the ash.

A large basket was used to prepare a package.

Tomorrow, I'll have Chun Ning take it to Bai Cao Tang to see how much money she can get.

"Sister, I'm going to pick flowers with Xiaogang before dawn tomorrow."

Tomorrow, he's going to learn to climb trees. He refuses to believe that climbing a tree will be too difficult for him!

"Okay, be careful on the road." Then it suddenly occurred to me: "Were there many fallen petals under the trees too?"

"Yes, some landed on the weeds, some landed on the ground, and they all rotted."

"Turning into spring mud to better protect the flowers."

Chunnuan casually remarked, but in fact, she already had an idea in mind: Magnolia flower has the effect of dispersing wind and cold and clearing nasal passages, and is often used for colds caused by wind and cold, nasal congestion, sinusitis, etc. It is also a good medicinal material.

Since there are plenty of materials on that mountain, using local materials is an excellent option.

Looking up at his burnt-out kitchen, he realized that the most important thing right now was to rearrange the kitchen.

Building a house is not an option, but you can make a bamboo fence and thatch it.

However, the Xiao family consisted entirely of women and children, so they needed to hire a helper to do this kind of work.

Who should I look for?

(End of this chapter)