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

Chapter 191

Chunnuan was invited by Grandpa Fang to have tea.

Chunnuan has always felt that she has some knowledge of tea.

She put a lot of thought into the herbal tea recipes for Master Zhang's teahouse and the flower tea recipes for Zhao Minghua's teahouse.

Unexpectedly, the first sip of tea she drank at the Fang family's house amazed her.

"You look a bit chilled. This tea will make you feel much better," Grandpa Fang said. "How could you be so careless? Why are you running around outside in the middle of winter instead of staying home?"

"Looking for herbs." Chun Nuan smiled slightly: "Tang Tietou said that there are many herbs in his hometown, so we came here."

"You're a hard-working girl, it's a pity you didn't have that luck on Xiao Nian."

Spring is here... I am so grateful for your kindness, you can't stop talking about your precious grandson.

"Young Master Fang will meet a girl even better than me."

"Then I'll take your good wishes," the old man said. "If you're talking about finding medicinal herbs, you'll have to ask Xiao Nian."

"Would Young Master Fang be willing to offer his guidance?"

I was actually a little embarrassed to ask Chunnuan.

The main problem is that Grandpa Fang keeps trying to play matchmaker.

"If you don't mind, young lady, I'll humbly offer my humble advice."

"Please enlighten me, Young Master Fang."

“Young lady, you’ve come to the right place in Hanzhou if you’re looking for medicinal herbs. Hanzhou is rich in medicinal herbs, the most famous of which are the Eight Flavors of Han.”

The so-called "Eight Flavors of Chinese Cuisine" are Gastrodia elata, American ginseng, Eucommia ulmoides, Corydalis yanhusuo, Ginkgo biloba, Aconitum carmichaelii, Polyporus umbellatus, and Cornus officinalis.

Fang Xiaonian was such a refined person, but when he talked about medicinal herbs, he became very knowledgeable, his eyebrows dancing with excitement, as if he were a completely different person.

Chunnuan remembered the other names she had seen in the book, such as "Medicine Saint" and "Medicine Monster".

People's mental state varies when they are obsessed with something.

It has to be said that chatting with people who share your interests is a pleasure.

Fang Xiaonian and Chunnuan were chatting so intently when they glanced over and saw that Grandpa Fang was dozing off in his chair.

"Would you like to help Grandpa Fang back to rest?"

The old are still like children, it's really true. The way an old person dozes off is no different from a child. Their head keeps nodding, and when their head droops, their eyes open again, and their spirits immediately return. Then, after a while, they doze off again.

“No need, Grandpa rests like this. He takes a nap every day at this time,” Fang Xiaonian said. “He said that you can’t sleep too long during the day, because it will deplete your yang energy.”

"Then let's speak in a lower voice."

I was really afraid of waking him up.

"It's alright, Grandpa's sleepy can't be woken up by thunder."

That's pretty capricious.

Generally speaking, you can't sleep for the first thirty years, and you can't wake up for the next thirty.

The old man is nearly 100 years old, yet he still has such a good sleep.

Spring warmth brings questions about the old man's daily life, including his diet and lifestyle.

“He eats everything, and his teeth are still pretty good.”

Good teeth make everything taste good.

"Oh right, I'm just killing time anyway. Wait a minute, I'll go roll Grandpa's cigarettes, otherwise he'll get angry when he wakes up and there are no cigarettes to roll."

cigarette?
"Yes, leaf tobacco."

Fang Xiaonian went inside and took out tobacco leaves, then meticulously cut them into thin strips, and slowly rolled them up.

When Chunnuan saw all this being done with the utmost care, as if it were embroidery, the rolled cigarettes looked completely different from the cigarettes that ordinary people smoke, and she felt that they were works of art.

“Grandpa grew the tobacco himself, and he only smokes the tobacco he grows,” Fang Xiaonian said. “Grandpa also grows the tea he drinks, and he grows the vegetables he eats…”

In short, the old man is completely self-sufficient at his age.

"I'm looking at the herbs in this little courtyard..."

“Grandpa took care of all the planting,” Fang Xiaonian said. “Grandpa does more work every day than I do. I spend most of my time making medicine.”

Chunnuan and Fang Xiaonian also discussed pharmaceutical issues for a while.

I have to admit that Fang Xiaonian is better at making pharmaceuticals than I am.

Once again, I'm struck by the saying that there are always people more capable than you, and the world is always beyond your understanding.

Who would have thought that such a grandfather and grandson would live in these deep mountains?

Tang Tietou truly believed that he was on par with Grandpa Fang, but Chunnuan was self-aware enough to know that there was a reason why Grandpa Fang had lived to such an old age.

What surprised Chunnuan even more was that the Fang family ancestors were not doctors; everything was figured out by Grandpa Fang himself.

Yes, he had never even formally become an apprentice.

However, he gave the villagers many tips on herbal combinations, explaining which herbs were effective for which diseases, and the medicines they drank according to his guidance were all effective.

Chunnuan found this unbelievable.

Judging from Fang Xiaonian's age, she felt that the old man must be hiding something.

Fang Xiaonian chatted with her while rolling cigarettes, stopping after rolling ten.

"Grandpa smokes three cigarettes a day, always after meals. He says a cigarette after a meal is better than being a god."

What kind of theory is this?

Chunnuan thought it was a fallacy.

Normally, it is not advisable to smoke.

But Grandpa Fang not only smokes, he also drinks. Everyone says that older people should eat lighter meals, but the old man insists on eating meat and fish every day. He can't live without meat.

He didn't restrict any of the foods that older people should avoid, and it didn't affect his longevity in the slightest.

“Grandpa said that if I want to eat something, it means my body needs it, so don’t stop me. I know what I’m doing,” Fang Xiaonian said. “So no one in the family has ever cared what Grandpa wants to eat.”

In short, eat whatever you want and cook whatever you want.

He gets angry if a meal doesn't meet his expectations.

"Who said I'm angry?" The old man, who was dozing off, suddenly opened his eyes: "Fang Xiaonian, you're talking bad about me when I'm not looking. I'm your grandfather, is this appropriate?"

"I'm sorry, Grandpa, I was wrong."

Fang Xiaonian admitted his mistake very quickly.

"Grandpa, Young Master Fang is praising you, saying you have good teeth and a good appetite."

"That's essential. Good teeth mean a good stomach, and a good stomach means a healthy body." The old man had a lot to say about this: "Girl, you can't skip this or that. Young people need to eat more; you'll get married and have children someday. A strong mother means a healthy child..."

Goodness, the old man has told the whole story of a woman's life.

The key point is that what he said makes a lot of sense.

"Grandpa, were you a doctor before?"

"No, he's a farmer."

Grandpa Fang vehemently denied it.

It's so fast you don't even have time to react.

Spring warmth came to her senses: There's no mistake, the old man must have been a doctor before.

What caused him to retreat to the mountains to live in seclusion?
And he never mentions that he used to be a doctor.
The young man actually believed him, thinking that he had never studied medicine.

Generally speaking, there aren't many people who live to his age; those younger than him are just listening to him.

Therefore, the old man concealed a part of his past, which may have been exciting, helpless, or painful.

Chunnuan regretted her presumptuous inquiry and quickly changed the subject.

"I'd like to buy a batch of medicinal herbs here. Grandpa, do you think it's a good idea?"

“It’s appropriate, what’s inappropriate about it? Medicinal herbs are for saving lives. If you can use them, you’re doing a good deed,” Grandpa Fang said. “Let Tie Tou and the others help you buy the medicinal herbs.”

"Yes." "That's good."

After drinking tea for half an hour, Grandpa Fang talked more about Chunnuan's medical treatment.

Spring warmth answered them one by one.

The old man nodded.

"What a pity, what a pity..."

Then they kept saying it was a pity.

Chunnuan didn't understand what the old man meant by "what a pity".
Perhaps it's because my medical skills are inadequate.

If my grandfather were still alive, I would have acquired even more advanced medical skills under his guidance.

Seeing that it was getting late, Chunnuan prepared to say goodbye and leave.

"Wait a minute."

The old man stood up, went inside for a while, and then came out with a yellowed notebook.

"Girl, here, take this."

"grandfather……"

Chunnuan flipped through it and was instantly astonished: it was a medical manual!
"you……"

"Don't say anything, don't ask anything," the old man said. "It's fate that we met. Xiao Nian is only suitable for making medicine, not for practicing medicine. I can't take it to my coffin. You can take it. If you can use it, that's fine. If you can't... just use it as a tinderbox."

"Thank you grandpa."

Chunnuan stood up and bowed respectfully to the old man: "Grandpa, I don't know how to repay your kindness."

"What's there to repay? And don't tell anyone about this, it's not worth it."

"Yes, Grandpa."

There's no doubt that this is the old man's life's work, originally meant to be passed down from generation to generation, but the lineage has broken down with him.

Just like the Xiao family, the son didn't study medicine, and the grandson didn't want to study medicine either, only making medicine. The old man was willing to give this thing to someone he had never met before, which was definitely a great act of love!
This filled Chunnuan with awe.

"Go ahead, do what you love, do it well, and God will be on your side."

The old man's words gave Chunnuan great encouragement.

The old man also asked Fang Xiaonian to take Chunnuan down the mountain.

When the group left the Fang family, Chunnuan's heart remained unsettled for a long time.

She often wondered what made the old man withdraw from the world.

Judging from the old man's demeanor, he was a man who had seen a lot of the world, and he had a very clear understanding of both medicine and life.

When I returned to the village, I saw many people queuing up to sell their grain.

What's going on here?

Chunnuan frowned. This didn't seem like a servant from a wealthy family.
"They are farmers. They heard that the young master bought grain at a higher price than in town, so they all brought their surplus grain here to sell."

Tang Shitou explained.

"What will they eat if we sell them?"

“This is surplus grain. Families around here are very frugal. They often add some other grains and then sell the saved grain for money,” Tang Shitou said. “The price you offer, young master, is higher than what the rice shops offer. When food is scarce, the rice shops in town don’t even offer as much as you do.”

So, these families all picked them out to sell.

"But if they encounter war or natural disasters or man-made calamities, they will have to spend several times the price to buy food. Have they ever thought about this?"

Chunnuan is a very cautious person.

This is the hometown of the Tang brothers, and the villagers have taken good care of them. They are grateful to them now because the Tang brothers sold their grain at a high price; however, they will curse them when there is a food shortage.

“The young lady and the young master said the same thing.” Tang Shitou thought that birds of a feather flock together, and these two masters were both kind-hearted people: “The young master also told me to tell the villagers that if they want to sell grain, they must keep enough grain for one or two years to prevent them from going hungry before they sell it.”

"Would that be useful?"

“Some people took it back, some didn’t,” Tang Shitou said. “Some people even thought it would be more cost-effective to sell it to the young master first and then buy more rice from the rice shop in town.”

This... this is how the abacus is calculated.

However, what if the situation becomes turbulent, war breaks out, or there are natural disasters or man-made calamities leading to poor harvests, causing rice prices to skyrocket?
"Anyway, I've already told all the uncles and elders in the village that selling now is their choice, and they shouldn't scold us brothers later. Besides, even if they do scold us, it won't do any good. We've already gone far away, and they'll be the ones who go hungry."

That's what they say, but... never mind, honest advice is hard to swallow, and those who can understand it are truly blessed.

Are there any large-scale grain sellers?

Even relying solely on these farmers won't yield much.

"I accompanied the young master to the Qu family and found Uncle Wan, the steward of the Qu family. Uncle Wan said that he would have to ask Master Qu before he would know whether to sell it."

"Is the price a little higher?"

"One more coin than the rice shop."

Chunnuan nodded.

The most important thing this time is to purchase grain from wealthy households.

There are very few businesses that rely on purchasing from farmers.

When Zhao Minghua saw Chunnuan return, he quickly asked what had happened.

“As I expected, the old man is a reclusive doctor.” Chunnuan whispered, “He also gave me a notebook.”

"Really?" Zhao Minghua was a smart man and knew that the notebook was quite important. "What benefits did you give him?"

"No, I didn't even have time to bring any gifts."

The visit was very rushed, and I must admit I was impolite.

They left empty-handed, but brought back the Cold Fragrance Pills given to them by Fang Xiaonian and the old man's medical book, both of which were very valuable.

"Then he must have something else in mind."

Zhao Minghua became alert.

"No……"

Chunnuan's heart skipped a beat; she knew this guy was clever.

"Young Master, that Grandpa Fang is quite shrewd; he's trying to trick the young lady into becoming his granddaughter-in-law." Qing Sheng, ignoring the danger, quickly reported the intelligence: "He has a grandson named Fang Xiaonian, who is very handsome and also very skilled at making medicine..."

Zhao Minghua's face immediately turned cold.

"Shut up, Qingsheng."

Chunnuan was so angry with this kid.

I forgot to remind him on the way, and he blurted it out without thinking.

"No, let him speak," Zhao Minghua said. "Qingsheng, you said you're very handsome. How handsome? Am I more handsome than you, young master?"

Zhao Minghua looked at Qingsheng and asked.

"Young Master, actually..." Faced with the young master's dark expression, Qing Sheng knew that this question was a bit difficult.

No, he has to lie and praise his young master no matter what.

“Young Master, actually Fang Xiaonian isn’t that good-looking. Compared to you, he’s just a little fairer-skinned.”

"The legendary pretty boy, Nuan Nuan, do you like this type?"

"What nonsense?"

Spring warmth laughed: "Whether someone is good-looking or not has nothing to do with me, and I don't like his type anyway."

"Why would I give you such an expensive gift if I didn't like it?" Zhao Minghua held out her hand: "Give it to me."

"what?"

"Bring those two gifts here, I'll personally deliver them to the Fang family to return them." Zhao Minghua said, "Nuan Nuan, you're a smart girl, you should know that you're obligated to do what others do for you. Just tell me what you need, and I'll buy it for you, I'll find it for you. We don't need other people's things, okay?"

"Stop messing around, okay?"

This is terrible! This guy's jealousy has exploded!