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

Chapter 151

"Third Aunt, may I talk to Chun'an?"

Seeing that her aunt and mother didn't look too good in the spring, Huang felt a little embarrassed and awkward, but for the sake of family harmony...

She had no choice but to step in and smooth things over.

"Nuan Nuan, I just want Chun An and Chun Qiang to study hard and do well in their studies, I..."

When the Xiao family encountered trouble, she did not abandon them but resolutely chose to follow them to Sichuan. As a mother, she was qualified.

If a good mother wants her son to obey and follow the path she has chosen, where is she wrong?

Feeling increasingly aggrieved, Ms. Huang began to wipe away her tears.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry, just say what's on your mind, and you'll feel better once you've talked it out."

At the crucial moment, Madam Xu displayed the authority of an eldest sister-in-law: "Nuan Nuan, take Chun An aside and talk."

Between Huang and Chunnuan, she would absolutely choose to believe Chunnuan.

Huang is not a bad person, but he is a bit too self-centered.

She lacked a sense of the bigger picture.

Chunnuan took Chun'an to her room.

"Sister, I'm sorry for making you worry about me."

What a well-behaved child, apologizing as soon as he arrived.

“You’re my older sister’s little brother, so it’s only natural that I worry about you.” She patted the child’s head. “Your mother has always worried about you too.”

“I know, I understand, but, sister, I really don’t want to learn. Mother makes Chunqiang and me practice calligraphy for an hour every day, and my hands are sore and aching…”

At such a young age, practicing calligraphy for an hour.

Chunnuan was speechless. What was her third aunt doing?
This is like pulling up seedlings to help them grow faster than they should!
Looking at Chun'an's fingers, calluses have already formed, and I feel a little sorry for him.

In the long run, his joints will develop problems.

Calligraphy skills cannot be mastered in a day; they require long-term practice. At Chun'an's age, practicing for a quarter of an hour each day is sufficient.

"Sister, I like to grind herbs. Let me grind herbs for you."

"Do you recognize those medicinal herbs?"

"I recognize some of them, and I will gradually remember them all and won't get them confused."

"Can you write down the names of these medicinal herbs?"

Chun'an was dumbfounded. Why did he need to write about pounding medicine?
"Making medicine is unlike anything else. Medicine can save lives, but it can also kill. You can't be careless at all," Chunnuan said. "You not only need to write, but you also need to be literate. You need to know the name of the medicine, what a dose is made of, its usage, its effects, what it treats, and what the contraindications are..."

Chun'an's head immediately started spinning.

"Sister, can I just pound the herbs?"

"Are you planning to spend your whole life grinding herbs?" Chunnuan asked. "If you only do simple things, you could be replaced by someone else at any time. Besides, as a descendant of the Xiao family, do you think it's appropriate for you to only grind herbs?"

“My great-grandfather and grandfather were both heads of the Imperial Medical Academy. Their medical skills were very advanced. My sister once vowed to pass on the family’s medical skills.” Chunnuan sighed, “Unfortunately, now only your brother Ning is willing to learn. And your brother Ning has a lot of chores, as you know. This family is supported by him. He has lost a lot of weight these days.”

"Sister, I want to study medicine, please teach me."

“Then you have to learn to read and write well first,” Chunnuan said. “I’ll give you a year. If you still insist on studying medicine, I’ll explain to your mother.”

“Okay, I’ll learn to read and write from my mother first.” Chun’an nodded: “What if my mother still won’t let me study medicine?”

He had always wanted to learn, but his mother kept him confined to the house and wouldn't let him go out. He insisted on practicing calligraphy for an hour every day, even if it made him cry.

“There’s a saying that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. If you want to learn and you have the talent for it, then prove it with facts.” Chunnuan said, “I have a book of herbal formulas here. When I first started learning, it took me a long time to memorize it. Go and see if you can memorize it in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. If you can, it means you are really suitable to learn it.” “Okay, sister, I’ll go and memorize it.”

"Can you read the words on it?"

Chun'an was dumbfounded when he looked through it.

"I don't recognize many of them."

What should you do at this time?

"Learn to read and write characters."

“That’s right,” Chunnuan said. “Studying is not just for the imperial examinations or to bring glory to one’s ancestors, but for being able to read and understand, to do what you want to do and to have enough ability, instead of being like now, opening a book, knowing few words, being completely clueless and having no way to do anything.”

"Sister, I understand."

Chun'an bowed to Chun Nuan: "Sister, thank you. Chun'an will definitely work hard."

"Good boy."

What a wonderful child! Why is he worthless in Huang's eyes?
In the outer courtyard, Madam Xu and Madam Xu hesitated to speak, both harboring reservations.

The main reason is that Huang is the youngest and has the youngest children, unlike the children of the first and second wives who are already carrying loads.

If I say something too harsh, Huang will overthink it; if I say something too mild, it won't have any effect. So I simply say nothing.

We're just waiting for spring warmth to bring spring peace.

"Chun'an, go to the inner room to learn to read and write."

Chunnuan sent the person into his room, then looked at Huang Shi.

"Third Aunt, don't worry. Chun'an is willing to learn, but he has a distorted view. He thinks that studying medicine is just about pounding medicine, a job that doesn't require learning to read and write."

Huang bit her lip; she was terrified that Chunqiang and Chun'an would go and study medicine.

“I gave him a book of soup recipes, but he doesn’t recognize many of the characters. You can use this book to teach him to recognize characters first. Once he has a large vocabulary, it will be easier to teach him the Four Books and Five Classics. After all, he is a very smart child and he will definitely be able to learn by analogy.”

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

Huang was against it. Why learn to read and write and then learn the soup recipes? What was the point of learning?
However, she also knew that the Xiao family was not the same as before, and her husband was not by her side. As the youngest of the three sisters-in-law, she was living in the gaps between them, so she couldn't ask for too much. Therefore, she could only pretend to be deaf and dumb most of the time and could not express her own opinions.

Huang took Chun'an and Chunqiang into her room to study and learn to read.

Madam Xu and Madam Xu exchanged a glance and sighed.

Zhu Lingling saw everything and knew that a family storm had temporarily subsided.

In fact, this contradiction will become more and more serious over time.

"From now on, Mu-ge'er can learn whatever he wants. I won't restrict him," Zhu Lingling said first.

She realized that what her aunt wanted the child to learn wasn't necessarily what the child wanted to learn.

She won't let her child learn what he wants to learn, and the bond between mother and child is likely to be worn away like this.

My husband is far away in the northern desert, and I cannot be separated from my son.

Sometimes I feel that my third aunt is a bit too stubborn.

But she is an elder, so I can't say it.

"Try to guide Mu-ge'er towards studying medicine," Madam Xu said. "Mu-ge'er is the eldest grandson of the Xiao family. The future of the Xiao family will depend on him. The Xiao family is a family of doctors, and this will never change."

Chun Nuan smiled. I think all elders like to make decisions for the younger generation. Is it really a good thing to place their hopes on children?
(End of this chapter)