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

The first one I looked at was naturally my eldest uncle.

“Everything else is fine, it’s just this back…” Xiao Changhe pressed his back: “When I first came here, I was carrying stones. I had never done such heavy work before. I lost my balance when I put the heavy load on my shoulder and fell. Since then, my back has never been better.”

The Xiao family members, who were unable to carry heavy loads or endure hardship, arrived in the northern desert with no one to take care of them and no money to bribe officials. Naturally, they were assigned to do the heaviest work.

Xiao Changhe was unlucky; he injured his back on the very first day.

We didn't have the money for treatment, so it just dragged on like this.

However, thanks to the medicine that Chunnuan sent and the availability of money, Chunquan stepped in to make arrangements, making the task easier.

Sometimes it feels like a tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs. Back in the capital, even princes and nobles would call the three brothers "Brother Xiao". Now they are doing the heaviest work, eating the worst food, and being insulted from time to time.

"Uncle, please lie down on the bed so I can take a look at you."

"This……"

Xiao Changhe felt quite embarrassed.

“Uncle, I am a doctor and your niece at this moment, so there’s no need to be so reserved.”

That seems to make sense.

Xiao Changhe lay down on the bed, and Chun Nuan lifted the back of his shirt, gently pressing it and asking if it hurt.

Does it hurt here?

"It doesn't hurt."

"Here?"

"It doesn't hurt."

Xiao Changhe turned around and pressed his left lower back: "Yes, this is the most painful spot, it hurts every day."

Chunnuan pressed down in the direction of his finger.

"hiss"

Even a strong man like Xiao Changhe couldn't take it and gasped.

"Relax, don't be afraid, I won't strain you anymore."

Chunnuan pressed it twice more, and Xiao Changhe couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"Uncle, haven't you seen a doctor?"

"Seeing a doctor costs money, and we don't have that kind of spare money."

If we had the money, we could eat better.

"You've broken a rib," Chunnuan said with heartache. "How have you been coping these past few days?"

"Sigh, I guess I'll just have to go with it. Sometimes it hurts even to turn over," Xiao Changhe said. "I was thinking, maybe I broke it, and it seems I really did."

"Uncle, you are really good at enduring things."

It's truly remarkable that she's been working for so long with a broken rib, enduring the pain every day.

"Once we leave the capital, we can tolerate it."

I was used to a life of luxury before, and only after coming out did I realize that there was nothing but hardship.

They don't seem to care about the extra back pain.

"Nuan Nuan, can it still be cured?"

"Of course it can be cured, but the effect won't be very good, and you'll suffer more."

Old wounds are much more painful to treat.

"It's okay. As long as it can be cured, I'm not afraid of suffering a little. A short pain is worse than a long one. Once the pain is gone, everything will be fine."

When faced with two evils, choose the lesser; when faced with two benefits, choose the greater. Xiao Changhe naturally knew which option was best for him.

"Nuan Nuan, you must be spending a lot of money on medicine. Medicine is expensive here."

In places lacking medical care and medicine, getting sick can be fatal.

They either run out of medicine or they run out of money; in short, they won't let the poor have an easy life.

"It's alright, I brought these medicinal herbs with me."

Chunnuan was still glad she had been wise. She knew that in such a place, falls and injuries were inevitable.

So I brought some of these medicinal herbs with me.

Chunnuan opened the medicinal herbs she had brought.

I found natural copper, Drynaria fortunei, Angelica sinensis, safflower, red peony root, licorice, and other medicinal herbs.

"Uncle, decoct these medicines and take one dose every day." Chunnuan said, "These medicines have the effects of promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, reducing swelling and relieving pain, and promoting bone and tendon healing. You can take them first, and you can keep the prescription for future use."

"Alright, kid, you even brought medicinal herbs with you."

“You have to bring it, just in case there’s a shortage of medical supplies here. Look how much you’ll suffer.”

Chunnuan felt very sorry for her uncle.

Sometimes Chunnuan wonders why, when large families divide their property, the eldest son's share is always larger.

That's because the eldest son's family also bears more responsibility.

My eldest uncle and aunt are both kind and honest people, and they also have the demeanor of the eldest son's family.

Back then, my aunt was in charge of the household and she was very fair in her dealings. She never embezzled money, and the accounts were crystal clear.

As the eldest son, my uncle shouldered many responsibilities for the Xiao family, allowing my grandfather to focus on his duties without ever neglecting family matters.

"Ah, who can disagree? Luckily, our Nuannuan came. Nuannuan, you are our family's blessing."

Therefore, the father was wise.

Back then, Nuannuan liked to go to the pharmacy, and they were all worried that she would be scolded by the old man.

Unexpectedly, her father not only did not scold her, but also strongly supported her in studying medicine.

The three Xiao brothers were all a little puzzled: why weren't they allowed to learn it back then?
Later, when the old man had an accident, the three brothers felt that he had been prescient.

In the capital, especially for families like theirs, those who studied medicine eventually ended up in the Imperial Medical Academy, living a life of constant danger and insecurity.

Nuannuan is different; she is a woman from a secluded family and would not be chosen to work in the Imperial Hospital.

Moreover, if Nuannuan studies medicine, the Xiao family's medical skills will not be lost.

Knowing that their elder brother's back pain was due to a fracture, both Xiao Changhai and Xiao Changqing felt sorry for him.

“I wanted to learn it back then, but my father wouldn’t let me.” Xiao Changqing still felt a little regretful: “Otherwise, my brother’s back wouldn’t have hurt for so long.”

“Father explicitly forbade the men in our family from studying medicine, but he supported Nuannuan’s decision to study medicine.” Xiao Changhe said, “We can’t blame him for that; it was all out of good intentions.”

"yes……"

When the past is mentioned, the three brothers can only sigh.

More than two years have passed, but their father's experience still haunts them.

"In the end, I still disobeyed my grandfather's orders and let Chun Ning and Mu Yang study medicine."

Chunnuan expressed that she was not a filial granddaughter.

“Things are different now than they used to be. In a place like Shu, it’s not necessarily a bad thing that Chun Ning and Mu Yang can learn medicine. They can make a living and also alleviate people’s pain.”

"Yes, our Xiao family's medical skills also need to be passed down. We should learn them."

Xiao Changhai said, "Our Chunqiang and Chun'an should also learn from this."

My third uncle spoke quite frankly.

"It's excellent that you think that way." Xiao Changhe glanced at his three brothers, then swallowed back the words he was about to say.

His wife, Xu, mentioned Huang's actions in a letter to him.

She prevented her two sons from studying medicine; she envied Chunnuan's dowry and even demanded that Chunshu's dowry be equal to Nuannuan's; she also planned to send Chunshu back to the Huang family as a concubine...

Each and every single incident was extremely inappropriate.

She was no longer the elegant and poised young lady of the Huang family she once was.

Therefore, people change, depending on their environment and family circumstances.

Does he tell his third brother about these things?
If she spoke up, she felt like Nuannuan was complaining; if she didn't, she was afraid the third son's wife would become even more unreasonable. (End of Chapter)