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

Xiao Changhe was conflicted.

Xiao Chunhua was also conflicted.

As the future matriarch of the Xiao family, Madam Zhu also reported the situation of the household to the man.

In her letter to him, Zhu wrote about how much suffering and grievance Nuannuan had endured for the family.

She also wrote about her son Muyang's hard work and intelligence.

It also describes the unreliability of the third aunt, Huang.

I have a feeling that my aunt's actions will make the whole family feel disheartened.

He has never considered the family's interests whatsoever, only caring about his own petty gains, and he even competes with his family for profit.

What Zhu couldn't understand the most was that, despite being from a scholarly family, she was willing to send her daughter Chunshu back to the Huang family as a concubine.

This is a disgrace to the Xiao family.

Her mother-in-law was angry, her second aunt was angry, and even she was angry.

They were deliberately trying to belittle the girls of the Xiao family.

Fortunately, my mother-in-law stopped the matter altogether.

Moreover, Chun Shu was not one to be trifled with. She directly rejected her biological mother's arrangements and even said that she would never visit anyone again.

Xiao Chunhua thought about her third aunt's personality. If she knew her third aunt had done something so outrageous, would she be furious?

For a moment, I didn't know whether I should say it or not.

I got so caught up in it that I couldn't sleep, and the next day I woke up with a toothache and half my face was swollen.

"Nuan Nuan, do you know any suitable medicine to treat my teeth?"

Oh, how embarrassing! I'm a grown man, and not only can I not help, but I have to rely on this younger sister for help.

"Elder brother didn't eat much yesterday either?"

To welcome their arrival, the family brought out their best cabbage jelly to entertain them, but the food was really simple.

Chunnuan had the cured meat she brought from Sichuan cooked and sliced ​​it thinly. Everyone ate it without any problems; it's impossible that only the eldest brother got a sore throat.

"I didn't eat much, but I'm prone to getting a sore throat, and my teeth hurt whenever I do."

Xiao Chunhua had a lot to say about her toothache.

"The pain on the left side is a little better, but sometimes the right side hurts too. I can bite anything."

So, it's not a big deal if half of your face is swollen.

"Is it just a toothache, or a sore throat?"

"You know what, it hurts a little too."

"You really know how to pick your time to get sick. You have a toothache again as soon as Nuannuan comes over." Xiao Changhe was both amused and annoyed. "Your eldest brother's teeth are probably going to need to be pulled out."

"what happened?"

“He often has toothaches, and when he has a toothache, he can’t eat anything. Look at his body, he’s even thinner than me.”

"A toothache isn't a disease, but it can be excruciating when it hurts." Chunnuan expressed her understanding: "If your teeth are bad, you'll have a poor appetite, and a poor appetite leads to poor health."

These are all related.

"Can it be cured completely?"

Xiao Chunhua was very distressed: "This never happened when I was in Beijing."

Is life in the capital the same as life in the northern desert?

The food they eat is different.

The Xiao family is a family of doctors, and they are particular about the dishes they eat, the soups they make, and even the tea they drink in summer and winter.

Special health practices.

If all else fails, if there's anything amiss, just have the old man take your pulse, prescribe some medicine, and you'll be fine.

Here, you have nothing, so naturally you feel sad.

Chunnuan took Xiao Chunhua's pulse.

"Eldest brother, open your mouth wide so I can see it."

"what."

"what?"

Xiao Chunhua obediently opened her mouth wide.

Chunnuan used a bamboo strip she had found to press down his tongue and looked into his throat.

"I'll prescribe some medicine for you to clear heat and detoxify, unblock the meridians and disperse nodules, reduce swelling and relieve pain," Chunnuan said. "Your throat, larynx, tonsils, and gums are all red and swollen."

"I knew this time it would hurt more than usual, and now I know there are so many things wrong."

"Elder brother, take this medicine. You may not be able to eat much these next two days because of your sore throat, but you should still try to eat as much as possible. Eating more will help you get better."

My eldest brother is too thin!
It feels like all that's left is skin and bones.

How heartbroken the eldest sister-in-law must be to see this.

The whole family's health deteriorated significantly after they came to the northern desert.

Therefore, it was necessary for her to come to the northern desert.

Moreover, she decided that she would come every year from now on, otherwise, she was afraid that her family would not be able to hold on until they could return to Beijing.

"Thank you for your trouble, Second Sister."

Xiao Chunhua was very grateful.

He watched Chunnuan prescribe medicine and felt a strange sense of envy: if he had learned medicine from his grandfather back then, would he be able to solve some minor illnesses and pains now?
You see, my father has a back injury, and I have a toothache, but I never dare to see a doctor.

I've been holding on until now, and I can only take my medicine and see a doctor when Nuannuan comes.

"Yes, Nuannuan, the medicine here is very expensive, and sometimes we may not be able to find enough."

"Elder brother, don't worry. I brought a cart full of supplies, including a lot of medicinal herbs. I've brought all the commonly used ones."

She brought a lot of not only commonly used items, but also rare and precious ones.

In places where medical resources are scarce, these medicinal herbs can truly save lives.

"Elder brother, this medicine is a bit troublesome. You need to remember it carefully."

"You said."

"Here's how it works: First, grind the six herbs, including borax, realgar, red ochre, and cinnabar, into a fine powder. Then, add borneol and menthol powder and grind them together into an extremely fine powder. Store the powder in a bottle for later use."

"Blow and spray the affected area three to four times a day."

"Isn't it food?"

"It's not about eating, it's about blowing smoke."

This does seem to be a bit troublesome.

Xiao Chunhua felt it would be more practical to just bring it over and have a bowl of it.

Chunnuan not only dispenses medicine, but also teaches them how to develop it.

Her trip to the northern desert was entirely about popularizing medical knowledge.

"By the way, Nuannuan, I also often get mouth ulcers. Is this medicine suitable for me?"

Xiao Changqing asked his daughter.

"Father, let me take your pulse."

To Chunnuan's relief, her father, Xiao Changqing, was in better health than her uncle and elder brother.

"Every medicine has some side effects. If you have mouth ulcers, you don't necessarily need to use medicine. You can boil an egg, take the egg and put them together on a fire to make oil, and then apply the egg oil to the affected area."

"It sounds simple," Xiao Changqing said with a smile. "However, in this place, sometimes even buying eggs is quite difficult."

"Who says it isn't?"

There's a shortage of supplies.

"Another method is to peel raw garlic, cut it in half, put it in your mouth and hold it until you can no longer taste the garlic, then chew it..."

This is very simple, it should be fine.

As it turns out, there was no garlic here.

"For those prone to mouth ulcers and oral erosion, you can make a soup with pears and radishes, add some rock sugar and cook until tender before eating."

Seeing her family members looking at her with wry smiles, Chunnuan realized: they were missing pears and rock sugar again.

How to put it? It's like the northern desert where you can't have anything you want.

Spring warmth is truly admirable.

"I'll have the caravan bring these things back to you when I get back."

"Actually, it's not that they don't have them, but they're a bit expensive."

It feels like even tofu is being sold at the price of meat.

"It doesn't matter if it's expensive, as long as it's good for your health. You should all eat more and buy more." Chunnuan brought five hundred taels of silver notes to Xiao Changhe this time: "Uncle, please take these."

"No, no, you need money for your wedding, how can you give it to us?" Xiao Changhe quickly refused. "Don't worry, although we suffer a bit, we still have food. Plus, you've been sending us things over the past two years, so our lives are already much better than others."

Although both were exiled to the northern deserts, the Xiao family's lives were getting better and better.

The Wu family was naturally the most heartbroken.

Yes, speaking of the Wu family, Xiao Changhe asked Chunnuan if she knew why the Wu family was so ruthless back then.

"The Wu family thought the Xiao family had collapsed and was no longer of any use, so they abandoned them and bullied the eldest sister." It was Qiuyan who told her about this in a letter, so Chunnuan knew about it very well.

"When my eldest sister was giving birth, they didn't even hire a midwife. Fortunately, several loyal servants, including Mo Lan, risked their lives to bring a midwife, which saved both my eldest sister and Panpan's lives."

"My eldest sister had just finished her postpartum confinement when the Wu family wanted to divorce her, and they kicked her out of the mansion."

“Everyone says that even tigers don’t eat their cubs, but the Wu family didn’t even acknowledge their daughter Panpan.” Chunnuan felt particularly sorry for her elder sister when she thought of that scene: “The Wu family went too far. My elder sister went to file a complaint with the emperor and sent their whole family to jail.”

“Your eldest sister may seem gentle, but she is actually very strong-willed,” Xiao Changhe said. “If the Wu family had any conscience, your eldest sister wouldn’t have gone down this path.”

"It's good that my eldest sister was able to fight her way out; otherwise, we wouldn't even know what happened if she disappeared quietly in the inner quarters."

“That’s true. Hesitation only leads to more trouble,” Xiao Changhe said. “I’m also proud of her. She fought her way out.”

Perhaps, it will even pave a way out for the Xiao family.

The Xiao family members all understood this, but none of them could say it aloud.

"Now that my elder sister is the wife of a general, Uncle, you don't need to worry about her anymore."

"How can I not worry?" Xiao Changhe sighed. "Before, as the daughter-in-law of the Wu family, her status in the Wu family was not even half as high as that of the Xia family, but she was still looked down upon like that. Now, how is your eldest sister's life?"

"Uncle, there's no need to worry. From the letters my elder sister wrote home, it's clear that she's truly living a good life. General Xia cherishes her very much, and the old lady of the General's Mansion handed over the management of the household to her the day after she entered the family."

"That's quite generous."

It is well known that the head of the household in a wealthy family represents their social status and position.

In some mansions, it was common for people to fight tooth and nail over who would manage the household affairs.

Some elderly people in wealthy families are reluctant to let go of their responsibilities, yet they are also afraid of hardship, which makes things particularly difficult for their daughters-in-law.

Xiao Changhe nodded when he heard that Old Madam Xia didn't care at all and had left everything to Xiao Chunyu.

"Madam Xia is a remarkable woman with a certain reputation in the capital."

"Yes, I heard that when Madam Xia took my elder sister and Panpan to a social event, someone deliberately tried to embarrass my elder sister and said some unpleasant things. Madam Xia had someone slap her on the spot."

“She is qualified,” Xiao Changhe said. “Back then, Madam Xia fought alongside General Xia on the border. She was a Lady of Imperial Decree personally conferred by the late Emperor. Even the Empress Dowager and the Empress treated her with deference.”

Therefore, with such a strong mother-in-law protecting her, Chunyu's life must be much better.

"Yes, it's written in my elder sister's letters that Madam Xia treats Panpan as her own granddaughter, and always tells others that she is the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion."

"Panpan is a lucky child."

More than that, they're incredibly blessed.

Panpan was still a distinguished guest in the palace.

Chunyu didn't tell her relatives in Mobei about this, nor did Chunnuan, mainly because she was afraid of frightening them.

Some things are accomplished by keeping them secret.

This is a little secret between her and Chunyu.

Chunnuan stayed in Mobei for five days, taking Xiaohu with her every day to give Aunt Ma acupuncture and apply medicine. Aunt Ma's belly visibly shrank considerably.

On the day when spring warmed up and it was time to prepare to leave for home, Aunt Ma even got up to see her off.

"Miss Xiao, don't worry, I've already told our husband that we will take good care of your family."

"Thank you, Aunt Ma."

"We should be thanking you," Aunt Ma said gratefully. "If it weren't for you, I might not be here anymore."

Who would choose to die if they could live?
The feeling of someone emerging from darkness, like Aunt Ma seeing tomorrow's sun, is unimaginable.

“Aunt Ma, this is our destiny.” Chunnuan said, “Uncle Ma is also good to you. You don’t need to worry. Xiaohu can now do acupuncture independently. Continue taking the medicine and applying the poultices as needed. In another two months, you will be basically fully recovered.”

"Okay, okay, I listen to you."

She had expressed her gratitude a thousand times, but she still wanted to say it again.

"Sister, are you really leaving? Why don't you stay here a few more days?"

Xiao Hu was very reluctant to part with his older sister.

Because of his older sister, the Xiao family all regarded him as family.

Anyway, he's shameless, calling everyone "Uncle," "Father," and "Third Uncle" repeatedly.

And his older brothers, Xiao Hu would also occasionally run over to make his presence known.

Because of his older sister, he essentially had a home.

Moreover, his older sister taught him acupuncture, and he found himself particularly interested in this field.

The older sister said that if you are interested, you should learn it. She taught me the acupoints on the human body and many other important precautions.

And then there was the medicine preparation; she never avoided him, she was teaching him her skills.

In the desolate north, where medical care and medicine are scarce, Xiao Hu felt that learning these basic skills would be enough.

After all, what my older sister taught me were all unique, secret recipes.

"I have to go. It'll snow soon, and the roads will be frozen so I won't be able to get back. I'm also not very healthy and can't stand the cold here."

That was truly unbearable.

Chunnuan is very self-aware; if she can't do something, she can't do it, and she would never try to be something she's not.

"Alright then, sister, be careful on your journey," Xiao Hu said. "I'll miss you."

Chunnuan patted his head.

“Stay here and eat at my house. I’ve already told my family to cook your portion every time they cook. You don’t need to go to the post station to help.”

Helping out at the post station is just about getting food and lodging. Since the Xiao family provides him with a house to live in and food to eat, why bother going to the post station?
"Yes, don't worry, sister. I will take good care of myself and my family."

To outsiders, Xiaohu's suggestion of taking care of someone might seem like a joke.

But who is Xiaohu?
He knows several of the staff members there.

And Uncle Ma, do you think the men of the Xiao family would still suffer under such circumstances?

Sure enough, when Xiao Changqing came to see her off, he quietly told her that Uncle Ma had already helped them change jobs—easy ones where they wouldn't be beaten or scolded anymore. This was because of Uncle Ma, and also because Xiao Hu had gone to the mine to chat with the uncles in the village. (End of Chapter)