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

Chapter 183

During her few days in the northern desert, Chunnuan was busy seeing doctors and treating her family members, as well as Aunt Ma, and teaching Xiaohu acupuncture.

Zhao Minghua was also busy.

She knew that Chunnuan was interested in medicinal herbs wherever she went.

Before coming to the northern desert, Zhao Minghua learned that there were ten kinds of local medicinal herbs here, including licorice, North American ginseng, and Saposhnikovia divaricata.

So while Chunnuan was busy at the mine, Zhao Minghua went to buy medicinal herbs.

Chunnuan watched as the caravan arrived with its carriages full, and returned with them still full. The difference was that this time, the owner was Zhao Minghua.

"You bought so much?"

Good heavens, it's all medicinal herbs.

"Having entered a treasure mountain, how can one leave empty-handed?"

Zhao Minghua was very satisfied with these medicinal herbs.

"Authentic medicinal herbs are indeed the best; this quality is clearly top-notch."

With a family background in traditional Chinese medicine, Zhao Minghua is very professional in identifying medicinal herbs.

"You really know how to make money."

Spring is here and I'm smiling!

Therefore, people are truly different.

To most people, accompanying her to the northern desert was already a very deep expression of affection.

Zhao Minghua not only accompanied her, but also took the opportunity to do business with her.

This guy is all about business.

Thinking of Mrs. Zhao's evaluation of him, Chunnuan smiled to herself without saying a word.

This person really kept it a secret; even his own parents didn't know he was so capable.

"Nuan Nuan, I can tell that medicinal herbs are good, but I don't know what they are used for. Can you teach me?"

On the way, Zhao Minghua transformed into an ambitious and studious student.

"Alright, I'll just name a few. Remember as many as you can."

Chunnuan felt that Zhao Minghua was just making conversation for the sake of it.

Since he has this idea, I won't be the one to spoil the fun.

"Northern ginseng has a sweet taste and is a yin-nourishing medicine," Chunnuan said. "Saposhnikovia divaricata is used medicinally with its dried root, as it is best for treating wind-related ailments, hence its name 'Fangfeng' (meaning 'preventing wind'), also known as 'Guanfangfeng'. The northern desert is one of the most important production areas for Guanfangfeng."

"It has significant effects in preventing wind and sweating, eliminating phlegm, dispelling wind, releasing exterior pathogens, and relieving pain."

"I bought the most windproof products, two whole truckloads of them." Zhao Minghua felt that the windproof products here were much better than those purchased in Sichuan.

"Cistanche deserticola is a bit expensive," Zhao Minghua said, "but the quality is good."

"It's normal for Cistanche deserticola to be expensive; it also has another name: Shamo Ginseng."

Ginseng, do you think it's expensive or not?

"Cistanche has the effects of tonifying kidney yang, nourishing blood, moistening the intestines and relieving constipation, and increasing..." Chunnuan suddenly stopped talking. Well, the space in the carriage was cramped, and even for an engaged couple, it was a bit awkward to talk about this topic.

"Add what?"

Zhao Minghua was puzzled and pressed for an explanation.

"Physical fitness."

The word "spring warmth" was immediately replaced with another, and everyone was thinking to themselves how clever they were.

Zhao Minghua nodded, indicating that he understood.

He was a good student; he could remember everything Chunnuan taught him.

"The Cistanche deserticola from northern Mongolia is large and thick, of the highest quality and has a high yield, earning it the reputation of being the hometown of Cistanche deserticola."

"Nuan Nuan, what do you think about me opening a herbal medicine shop here?"

A traditional Chinese medicine shop?
"Master Zhou's caravan comes to the northern desert several times a year. I will send the medicinal herbs that are lacking here, and then transport the high-quality medicinal herbs that are produced in large quantities in the northern desert to Sichuan."

"It's fine if you think it's okay."

Chunnuan once again admired his sharp mind.

That's a brilliant idea.

The northern desert region lacks medical resources, so opening a large herbal medicine shop here would be a good idea.

"However, you should know that the majority of people in the northern desert are poor."

"Different medicinal materials have different effects. Expensive ones can cure diseases, and cheap ones can also cure diseases. It all depends on how they are combined."

Zhao Minghua said, “I can treat patients just like you do. Ordinary people can use cheaper medicines instead of regular medicines, but when wealthy people, especially the gentlemen and young masters, get sick, their lives are more important, and they are willing to spend money.”

A gentle nod in the warmth of spring is a good method.

Therefore, they all have something in common: a compassionate heart.

Chunnuan thought that if she ever became incredibly wealthy, she would definitely help the poor and needy.

Being poor cares themselves, being wealthy cares the world.

As a doctor, I will have a kind heart, just like my grandfather.

But when I think about my grandfather's fate, I can't help but sigh.

Along the way, Chunnuan would sometimes ride in a carriage with Zhao Minghua to talk about medicinal herbs and prescriptions; other times they would ride horses together.

We needed to rush on the way here, but it was much safer after we left the northern desert on the return trip.

Since the caravan was in a hurry, Zhao Minghua simply let them go first.

He then strolled around, enjoying the warmth of spring and celebrating his birthday.

Chun'an is right: Nuannuan is not an ordinary young lady; she is a unique individual, and we should give her more special care.

Nuannuan loves to look at mountains and rivers, so Zhao Minghua accompanies her.

Wherever she goes, Chunnuan also enjoys visiting markets. In the local vegetable markets, there are more or less some herbs for sale, and Chunnuan will squat down to look at them and buy them if she finds anything suitable.

“Girl, look at these herbs I have. Why don’t you buy them? I picked them myself.”

"What kind of herb is this?"

Zhao Minghua saw the fresh green leaves placed in front of the old lady and reached out to grab them.

"Be careful, there are thorns."

Chunnuan tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Zhao Minghua was in so much pain that he shook his hand and gasped for breath.

"What is this?"

"These are nettles." Chunnuan was both amused and exasperated: "That'll teach you to be quick."

Nettles will sting your hands as soon as you touch them.

"It has remarkable effects in treating childhood coughs and toothaches caused by wind and heat."

"The young lady is right, she knows this." The old lady said expectantly, "Young lady, why don't you buy them? You can have them all for two coins, okay?"

"Ok."

I didn't actually plan to buy nettles when spring warmed up, since this kind of herb is readily available everywhere.

But the old lady kept begging her to buy it, so she bought it.

The main problem is that it's only two coins, which the old lady considers the harvest of a day's work, but for her... well, Chunnuan now feels that two coins are nothing.

Back when they first arrived in Sichuan, they worked incredibly hard for those few coins. Chun Ning and Luo Xiao Gang would run up the mountain every day to pick flowers and fry flower cakes to sell at the dock.

The money earned from selling the goods also had to be used to pay a protection fee of twenty coins.

When Chunnuan took out money to give to the old lady, she felt a pang of sadness: it was true that once you've been caught in the rain, you want to hold an umbrella for others.

"Girl, I also have some herbs, you can buy them."

"Young lady, my son has some black nightshade, he shou wu, and yellow robe. Would you like some?"

"What did you say?" Zhao Minghua immediately stepped in front of Chunnuan: "What did you say you had?"

"I have black nightshade, fleeceflower root, and yellow robe?"

The old lady was startled by the young man's serious questioning and murmured, "It's okay if you don't need it and don't buy it."

She just wanted to sell some herbs; she shouldn't have broken any taboos.

What is a yellow robe?

Seeing the old woman's trembling and frightened appearance, Zhao Minghua suddenly realized that in this remote town, what taboos did these honest old women know?
I suspect this is the name of something else.

"This is the yellow robe."

The old lady pointed to a small yellow fruit on the ground and said, "I picked this on the mountain."

“I know about the yellow robe.” Chun Nuan also realized what Zhao Minghua was afraid of: “It is a kind of Chinese medicine. The fruit tastes delicious, it can stimulate the appetite, soothe the liver and relieve spasms. It is good for children to eat.”

"Oh, I see." Zhao Minghua breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Heaven knows, the things the old lady was talking about are things that ordinary people can't have in their homes.

“This he shou wu is quite large,” Chun Nuan said, picking up the he shou wu in front of the old lady. “It’s been around for quite some time.”

"Yes, I dug it up on our mountain. I was afraid of breaking it, so I sat there digging along the roots for most of the day." The old woman said, "Young lady, would you like to buy it?"

"how much is it?"

"Just give me whatever you think is best." The old lady could tell that the girl in front of her was a kind-hearted person and seemed to know about medicine as well: "Young lady, you should know the uses of Polygonum multiflorum."

"The soup is good."

This stuff has the effect of nourishing qi and blood, and has a mild flavor. When used raw, it detoxifies and relieves constipation without harming yin, while the sprouts have the effect of calming the mind and moisturizing the blood.

It's definitely a good product.

However, the old lady didn't mention the price, leaving Chunnuan at a loss for what to do.

She also had herbs like selfheal and plantain placed in front of her.

"How about this, I'll buy them all, and I'll give you one hundred coins, is that alright?"

"Okay, okay."

Oh my, I heard magpies chirping on the branches as soon as I stepped out the door this morning. It turns out I really am going to meet a benefactor.

Normally, you'd be lucky to sell this for ten or twenty coins.

I met this girl today and she immediately gave me a hundred coins.

Such a kind-hearted girl is sure to live a long and healthy life.

The old lady was so happy that she even gave Chunnuan the basket she used to carry the medicinal herbs.

"You're so kind."

"It's because you're doing well that I'm doing well," the old lady said. "This way, all the medicinal herbs you bought can be stored here."

"Okay, thank you very much."

After Chunnuan bought some herbs, four or five other elderly people selling herbs became a little uneasy.

The bolder ones had already spoken up, inviting Chunnuan to go and see them, while the timid ones just watched longingly.

"How about I buy them all, but the price..."

We can't give it that high a price. The old lady's item was mainly a very large he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum).

"Girl, you can give me whatever you want, whatever you say."

"Yes, yes, whatever you say is fine."

Chunnuan glanced at the items and gave ten and twelve coins to one person, and also gave twenty coins to an old man who had some He Shou Wu, but it was much smaller.

In no time, they bought up all the herbs the old man was selling. They were all very happy, and their wrinkled faces smiled like chrysanthemums.

When Chunnuan left, an old lady bowed to her, muttering: "May the Bodhisattva bless this kind-hearted girl with a long and healthy life, and may she turn misfortune into good fortune and have everything go smoothly."

I was still quite emotional when I got into the carriage in the spring.

She spent very little money, yet won such a generous thank you from the old ladies.

"I think you shouldn't buy any herbs in the next market town."

Zhao Minghua, who had been watching from the sidelines, found it quite amusing.

Nuannuan bought one item out of kindness, which resulted in a crowd of people gathering around it.

I bought them all, but they're not really of much use.

The main point is that these herbs are available in many places, so there's no need to go so far to buy them and bring them back.

"Yes, I need to control myself."

Otherwise, they would have to make room in their carriages to store herbs.

"I estimate that these old people's herbs usually don't even sell for two coins."

Chunnuan sighed, "Money is really hard to earn for ordinary people."

Zhao Minghua nodded.

"Your appearance is like a goddess sent by heaven to help them."

Is it really that exaggerated?

However, to be honest, the scene of the old ladies blessing her was truly touching.

She only spent a small amount of money, but the old ladies' blessings for her were so sincere.

When you help the poor, they have no gold or silver to repay you; all they can give you in return is their warm hearts.

After chatting for a while, Chunnuan felt a little sleepy.

"Take a rest for a while."

This carriage was specially modified by Zhao Minghua, and it even has a reclining chair so you can lie down and sleep.

Spring warmth arrived without hesitation; I closed my eyes, lay down, and felt sleepy.

Zhao Minghua took off his cloak and gently covered Chunnuan with it.

I leaned back in my chair and slowly drifted off to sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, the two were suddenly awakened by screams of birthday celebration.

At the same time, the carriage was also shaking violently.

"what happened?"

When Zhao Minghua lifted the carriage curtain to look, he cursed inwardly, "You're asking for it."

"what happened?"

Chunnuan also peeked out to look, but Zhao Minghua immediately pressed her head back down after just one glance.

Good heavens, she saw more than ten people standing in the middle of the road with gleaming long knives.

What's happening here?
Even in broad daylight, there are bandits in the mountains, even outside the northern desert?

My heart is racing again as spring warms up.

I reached into my purse and touched the powder inside. Thankfully, it was still there.

Yes, ever since that night when she encountered bad guys, Chunnuan powder has never been without her.

"How to do?"

Chun Nuan tried her best to keep her emotions in check, but her voice still trembled as she spoke.

"Don't be afraid, it's alright, I'll go and deal with them."

"Be careful."

Chunnuan swallowed hard: "If all else fails, we'll outsmart them."

Outsmarting someone is like scattering powder.

Chunnuan's current headache is that she forgot to bring the antidote.

I could cover my nose and avoid it, but what about Zhao Minghua and Qingsheng?

These two will be a beat slow to react, and if they get infected, I'll have to drag them away, which will be a hassle.

"It doesn't matter."

Zhao Minghua emerged from the horse-drawn carriage and stood beside Qing Sheng: "Gentlemen, we are just ordinary people passing by, and we don't have anything valuable. How about we make a deal..."

Zhao Minghua glanced at the herbs in the basket on his back.

"These are the medicinal herbs we collected in the mountains. How about we give them to you?"

"Nonsense, who said we wanted medicinal herbs?"

"Then what do you want?"

"I want money."

"And there are women too." A man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face grinned wickedly. "The one in the carriage, stay and be our bandit queen."

"That depends on whether the young master agrees."

Zhao Minghua originally thought he could resolve the issue with a few words, but he didn't expect them to be a bunch of ungrateful people who actually had designs on Nuannuan. This was his Achilles' heel!

"Hey, this pretty boy has a temper. Come on, brothers, let's go! Sell the men to be slaves, and the women to be our wives."

"superior."

Hearing the sounds of fighting outside, Chunnuan could no longer sit still and lifted the carriage curtain again.

"Girl, you should go back inside quickly. Don't look, it will scare you."

He didn't dare to move during the birthday celebration, fearing he would become a burden to the young master.

I never expected Chunnuan to peek out and see this scene; I was really afraid she would be traumatized.