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

Chapter 160

Chunnuan diagnosed Qin, the daughter of Zuo Dasao, as pregnant and prescribed medicine for Zuo Dasao. Zuo Dasao was not like Luo Dasao; she told everyone everything.

For a while, the Xiao family's door was always open, with neighbors frequently coming to ask her to treat them.

"Isn't this a bad thing for Nuannuan to continue like this?"

Seeing this, Madam Xu was worried for Chunnuan: "Look, this morning three groups of people came to ask Nuannuan to see a doctor, and Nuannuan didn't charge them for their consultations. Country folk always like to take advantage of others. If they keep coming to our house, won't we offend the doctor in town?"

“Not all of them will come to our house.” Xu Shi understood this clearly: “Rich people value their lives more and are more willing to trust the doctors in town. These are all poor people from the village. They don’t have money, but they are particular. Look, when Nuan Nuan was treated, these people either brought eggs or vegetables. They didn’t come empty-handed.”

Aunt Zuo brought ten eggs as a token of her gratitude for Chunnuan's kindness.

The busy spring weather has led to a pile of eggs and vegetables in the Xiao family's kitchen.

Moreover, without exception, they all went to Baicaotang to get their medicine.

The reason is simply because Baicaotang is owned by Chunnuan's fiancé's family, and also because Baicaotang's medicine is cheaper than Qianjintang's.

When prescribing medicine in the spring, people tend to use common herbs instead of expensive ones, as long as the effects are the same.

Doctor Chen from Baicaotang handed the prescription written by Chunnuan to Fusheng.

"Get the medicine according to the prescription."

It has to be said that he was completely outmatched by the prescriptions written by the future third young mistress. In the past few days, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of villagers coming to get their medicine. It seems that this third young mistress is not going to keep a low profile.

"Miss Xiao's handwriting is so beautiful." If there's one person Fusheng admires the most, it's Chunnuan. She writes excellent prescriptions and her handwriting is beautiful too: "I can get the medicine without any trouble at all by following the prescription."

"So it's too much trouble to read my prescription?"

Madam Chen, though old, refused to admit defeat.

"Dr. Chen, do you want to see what you've written?"

Fusheng had something he was too embarrassed to say: What's the difference between your prescription and those fortune tellers on the street?
Even if someone else were to dispense the medicine, they wouldn't be able to do it.

Fortunately, I've worked with him for so many years and developed a keen eye, so I can tell what kind of medicine it is at a glance.

"What do you know?" Doctor Chen glared at him. "A prescription like Miss Xiao's is truly unacceptable."

What?
Was he being sarcastic?

"The right medicine is for every disease, and the right prescription is for every patient. That's true medical skill. Many people just blindly follow the prescriptions and think that the same prescription will do the same thing for the same illness. This often leads to misdiagnosis or the wrong medication," Dr. Chen said. "Go out and see more doctors. How many prescriptions can you understand?"

Everyone has their own unique preferences when writing prescriptions, and the young pharmacists are well-acquainted with each other, able to recognize what kind of medicine it is at a glance, but others cannot.

This also serves to protect their exclusive formula.

Fusheng is still too young.

Also, the reason Chunnuan wrote it this way was probably because she was afraid Fusheng wouldn't understand.

But she overlooked one thing: the secret to protecting herself.

We need to talk to the Third Young Master about this, and have him talk to Miss Xiao about it.

Zhao Minghua sneezed several times in Shuzhou.

"Young Master, it's your family who's been talking about you." Qing Sheng realized his words were inappropriate and corrected himself, "It's Miss Xiao who's been talking about you."

"That's more like it." Zhao Minghua's complexion visibly improved. "Qingsheng, how many days have we been out?"

"Young master, it has been forty-two days."

"How is Taikangtang doing?"

“Young Master, didn’t you have Carpenter Lin working on it?” Qingsheng said, “Why don’t we take a look?”

"Go and have a look."

Zhao Minghua wants to open a pharmacy in Shuzhou and name it Taikangtang.

His plan was to use the pills and ointments made by Chunnuan to make the pharmacy famous.

Yes, Zhao Minghua's goal is to expand and strengthen the business, and join hands with Chunnuan to revitalize the "Dr. Xiao" brand.

Taikangtang is his own private business. He told his father about it when he left, and his father expressed his full support.

So, being able to book a nice fiancée is really a good thing, even his own father, who always disliked him, has become kind to him.

In the past, if I said I was going to do something, I would be given a long lecture, telling me that this was wrong and that was not allowed, which would make me feel discouraged before I even started.

In their parents' eyes, the eldest brother was reliable and steady, skilled in medicine, and had inherited the true teachings of his grandfather and father. He possessed the Zhao family's medical secrets and would inherit the family business as the future head of the family.

The second brother was diligent and studious. He made up for his lack of talent with hard work and finally passed the county-level examination. He will take the provincial-level examination next year. It seems that he will pursue an official career. This is also the only chance for the Xiao family to change its fortunes.

Only he, idle all day long, has no sense of propriety.

He once said he wanted to go into business, but his father ruthlessly rejected his idea and forbade him from pursuing it.

I never expected that after I got engaged, I would say that I wanted to open a pharmacy in Shuzhou. My father readily agreed and even asked me to take 10,000 taels of silver from the public funds.

Zhao Minghua then asked clearly: Was this 10,000 taels of silver intended to support him in opening his shop, or was it a loan that he needed to repay?
In any case, Taikangtang in Shuzhou can only be his private property.

The father laughed in anger and scolded him for being an ungrateful wretch who couldn't be raised properly.

No matter how much they scolded him, Zhao Minghua wouldn't budge.

After all, the eldest brother inherited the family business, and the vast estate belonged to him. The second brother was going to become an official, and it was inevitable that he would have power and influence. If he didn't want to just coast along, live off his family's wealth, or rely on his family's inheritance, then he had to have his own business.

Regarding Zhao Minghua's request, Zhao Chengxun remarked that his son had truly grown up and matured since his engagement, and was now willing to take responsibility and shoulder burdens.

In fact, Zhao Minghua was far more capable than they had imagined.

Zhao Minghua never mentioned this.

Pretending to be weak while actually being strong is Zhao Minghua's forte.

Zhao Minghua and Qingsheng arrived at Taikangtang.

When Lin the carpenter saw Zhao Minghua arrive, he quickly greeted him.

"Master Lin, how much longer until it's all fixed up?"

"About ten days," said Carpenter Lin. "Young Master Zhao has high standards. These jobs are very detailed, and only slow and steady work can produce fine results, so it will take a relatively long time."

"Can we hurry up and finish this?" Zhao Minghua really wanted to go back to Changzhou: "Talk to the masters and ask them to work on it tonight. If we do a good job, I won't let them down."

It means that wages have increased, which Master Lin likes to hear.

After all, who doesn't go out to work for a couple of taels of silver?

They get a bonus for finishing quickly; if they don't hurry, they're considered impolite.

Qingsheng knew that his young master was really willing to go to great lengths to get back as soon as possible.

From that day on, Zhao Minghua and Qingsheng stayed at the shop, mainly to check whether Master Lin and his team's work was up to standard and whether it was what he wanted.

"Young Master Zhao, what do you think?"

The work, which was originally scheduled to take ten days, was completed in five days and then inspected by Zhao Minghua.

Master Lin boasted that if he was second to none in carpentry in Shuzhou, no one would dare to claim the top spot. Indeed, the first was Master Lu Ban, not just anyone.

Master Lin is absolutely the one who deserves the second place.

"Hmm, not bad, it's the effect I wanted."

"I'm not exaggerating, but Young Master Zhao's pharmacy is one of the best in Shu Prefecture."

"That's because Master Lin's skills are superb, and he has the shadow of the legendary Lu Ban."

"You flatter me. It is Mr. Zhao's attention to detail that has enabled us to create a decent shop."

Master Lin really wanted to ask: Why bother making such a good business out of a pharmacy?

The money spent on repairing this pharmacy could buy a lot of medicinal herbs.

They say they'd rather have medicine gathering dust on the shelves than have people in the world be safe and sound. What is Young Master Zhao up to?
Should we do the opposite?

Zhao Minghua had no idea that Master Lin had so many interesting speculations in his mind.

After inspecting the pharmacy, he felt it was exactly what he wanted. Taikangtang was now his business, and he decided to make it a century-old establishment, passed down from generation to generation.

Yes, that's right. The title "Dr. Xiao" has been put on Taikangtang. He wants a win-win situation with the Xiao family.

Zhao Minghua was very satisfied with the tidy-up of the pharmacy.

Everything was ready except for one thing, so he immediately returned to Changzhou with Qingsheng.

Chun Ning was waiting for this "brother-in-law" to arrive.

"Brother Zhao, take a look at these, how many of them do you have?"

There are nine ceramic bottles on the display shelf in the Xiao family's pharmacy.

Zhao Minghua examined each one, smelled them, and finally had to ask Chun Ning what their effects and medicinal uses were.

"Is Brother Zhao testing me?"

Chun Ning smiled. He had made all the medicines under his older sister's guidance. His older sister was worried about him and had tested him several times.

Zhao Minghua asked again, and Chun Ning answered fluently.

"That's great, Dr. Xiao will be your doctor from now on."

Zhao Minghua looked at his "brother-in-law" with satisfaction and sighed: "People can't teach you everything, but you can learn something in no time."

Back when I was Chun Ning's age, I had already secretly opened a teahouse in Changzhou.

"I can't be Doctor Xiao. I'm just learning how to process medicinal herbs and make pills from my older sister. I know nothing about diagnosis. The real Doctor Xiao is my older sister."

Zhao Minghua was stunned for a moment, but then he understood what was going on.

When spring arrives, people can process medicines and make various pills, so they should naturally be able to provide medical treatment.

"Brother Zhao, which of these medicines under Doctor Xiao's name do you want?"

“Only children make choices. I’m an adult, and I want it all,” Zhao Minghua said. “I’ll take as much as you produce from now on. Don’t sell it outside the company. Don’t even give it to Baicaotang. We have a contract.”

"Brother Zhao, you really are putting righteousness before family!"

Baicaotang is his own business, yet he doesn't even allow Baicaotang to sell these pills and ointments. This shows how domineering and autocratic he is.

“Bai Cao Tang can’t sell at a high price, so it won’t make much money. Instead, it’ll just mess up the market,” Zhao Minghua laughed. “It’s better if fewer people know about making money. I’m taking it to Shu Prefecture to open up this market.”

"Then why don't you go to the capital?"

Like Chunnuan, Chunning also wanted to indirectly connect with the capital through Zhao Minghua, and then bring her family back to the capital at the right time.

The capital city is their birthplace, the place where they grew up, and the place where they spent their youth.

All the Xiao family wants in their lives is to be reunited as a family.

How wonderful it would be if my relatives in the northern desert and my elder sister in the capital could both rely on me.

"It's not advisable to go to the capital this year." Zhao Minghua told Chun Ning everything he had heard.

"real or fake?"

Although the news was a bit of a shock, Chun Ning's heart was racing.

"I'm only telling you this news because it's absolutely true, but you can't tell anyone else. After all, this is no small matter; if people find out, you'll lose your head."

"Brother Zhao, of course I won't say anything. Don't worry, I know what I should and shouldn't say."

Chun Ning's heart was in turmoil. If what Brother Zhao said was true, then the day when her family could return to the capital for a reunion was not far off. After all, the new emperor would grant a general amnesty upon ascending the throne. If they could pull some strings and some ministers managed to put the names eligible for amnesty in the new emperor's memorials, the chances of success would be much greater.

After Zhao Minghua left, the first thing Chun Ning did when she got home was to tell Chun Nuan what she had heard.

Yes, he didn't tell anyone, but his sister was none other than his own sister, born of the same mother.

"His health has been poor for more than just the last two years."

Chun Nuan's words surprised Chun Ning.

“It’s recorded in my grandfather’s medical notes,” Chunnuan said. “I didn’t pay attention to it before, but now that I think about it, I remember every little detail. It’s time to put what I’ve learned into practice and give it serious thought.”

Chunnuan wouldn't tell Chunning; the Emperor would be lucky if he could survive three years.

The Crown Prince's illness will take some time to be fully cured. The best-case scenario is that by the time the current emperor passes away, the Crown Prince's health, abilities, and connections will have been in place.

This matter is difficult to accomplish even with the help of the eldest prince; the main solution lies with the empress.

Therefore, someone who becomes empress does so through their own abilities, not simply by issuing an imperial edict.

In Kunning Palace, the Empress saw her son standing in front of her and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Mother, what's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing, it's just the wind getting in my eyes." The Empress could express how excited she was to see her son regain his energy, but at the same time, she was also worried, wondering how long this condition would last.
"Mother, please take good care of yourself and don't worry about me anymore. I feel much better now, and I would like to invite Panpan to the palace again."

"Yes, you can make the decision yourself. Just send someone to pick up Panpan." The Empress had to admit that Panpan was the Crown Prince's lucky star. Whenever Panpan came, her son's spirits would be greatly enhanced.

The eldest prince immediately sent someone to fetch Panpan to the palace.

"Big brother, big brother, here's some pills for you."

As soon as Panpan entered the palace, she took out a pill and put it into the mouth of the eldest prince.

The servants were already used to it, and the eldest prince did not refuse at all.

"Panpan is such a good girl, she always shares her good food with her big brother, doesn't she?" "Yes, big brother, have you been eating your food properly and taking your medicine properly?" "Yes, Panpan lets big brother eat, and big brother eats." The eldest prince took the little girl's hand and walked into the imperial garden: "Panpan hasn't been to the palace for a long time, don't you miss your big brother?" "Yes, I do, but Panpan has to wait for Second Aunt's medicine to come." Panpan waved, signaling the eldest prince to bend down, she wanted to whisper something.

"What did you say?"

The eldest prince asked curiously, "What kind of medicine does your second aunt have?"

"It's a delicious pill that will soothe your throat and make you sing like a lark." Panpan smiled, her eyes narrowed. "It's so sweet, Panpan loves it."

(End of this chapter)