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

Chapter 2 The eldest sister-in-law burned down the kitchen.
Are Doctor Xiao's family members?

Does he know us?
Chunnuan and her two sisters were tense all over. Were they members of the Xiao clan?

"My name is Zhao Minghua. My father is the owner of Baicaotang in town." Xiao Minghua quickly introduced himself: "I have heard my father mention that Physician Xiao is a master of medicine since I was a child, and I have also aspired to become a doctor who saves lives."

"That's great." Chunnuan paused for a moment, then nodded.

She was embarrassed. After knowing that her grandfather had been involved in the case of the Imperial Concubine and had been beheaded, did the person in front of her still have such ambitions?
"Thank you for your help today, Young Master Zhao. I must take my sisters and go home now, so that my family won't worry."

“Of course,” Zhao Minghua quickly replied. “Miss, difficulties are only temporary. My father and I both believe that Physician Xiao is innocent.”

"Thank you."

When the Xiao family encountered misfortune, the relatives who had always been favored by the great-grandfather and grandfather took advantage of their misfortune, but they never expected to gain the trust of a stranger.

Spring warmth brought tears to my eyes and bitterness to my heart. Stubbornly, I raised my head and looked up at the heavens: Grandfather, can you hear me? There are still clear-headed people in this world who know that you died unjustly and with resentment.

"Sister, that young master is really nice," Chun Shu whispered on the way back.

"Okay, don't mention this to your family when you get back."

Whether it was the bedridden grandmother, the three wives who had never experienced anything significant, the pregnant eldest sister-in-law, or the young younger siblings, none of them were fit to hear about their grandfather anymore.

What Chunnuan never expected was that before she even got home, she saw thick smoke billowing from the direction of her house.

Many people are helping to carry water and put out the fire.

"what happened?"

When spring warmed up, she ran back and saw her neighbor, Aunt Luo.

"Spring warmth, you're back. Your house caught fire. They say it was caused by your sister-in-law starting the fire."

"Where are my grandmother and the others? Are they alright?"

"Everything's alright. Where are you?"

Under Aunt Luo's guidance, Chunnuan finally saw the trembling family, especially her eldest sister-in-law, Zhu, whose face was deathly pale.

"Sister-in-law, it's alright, it's nothing serious, as long as you're okay." Zhu Nuan placed her hand on her pulse, inwardly sighing, "Come on, sister-in-law, listen to me, relax, don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."

It's so tough. My sister-in-law, who is six months pregnant, is having another unstable pregnancy.

"Chunnuan, it's my fault. I just wanted to start a fire to cook, but the fire fell out, and I..." She had never started a fire before. The fire fell out and ignited a large pile of firewood that Chunnuan had brought back. She was so frightened that she was speechless and didn't know what to do for a moment. It wasn't until Chunning saw the raging fire that she was pulled out. Later, the fire burned down the entire kitchen.

"Sister-in-law, it's alright. It's good that everyone is safe. People are the most important thing. Listen to me, relax, don't worry, nothing will happen."

This pregnancy has been incredibly difficult for her. Last month, her family's fortunes changed, and her eldest brother was willing to write a divorce agreement, promising that the Xiao family would take care of the child born. However, her sister-in-law is a kind and righteous woman who is willing to leave her wealthy family to follow the Xiao family.

The bumpy journey and malnutrition had already made the pregnancy less than ideal, and this shock... Chunnuan didn't dare to think about the future and could only comfort her over and over again.

"I'm useless, it's my fault."

"Eldest sister-in-law, it's alright, really alright. Out with the old, in with the new. Burn it down and we'll build a bigger one later."

Chunnuan tried her best to comfort her: "Just take good care of yourself and the baby in your belly."

“Yes, Lingling, it’s not your fault. If you ask us, we’re all useless.” Aunt Xu wiped away her tears and stepped forward to comfort her: “We’re all too old to cook. We can’t even count on ourselves, let alone expect you, who’s six months pregnant, to cook. It’s all our fault.”

"That's right, we're useless." Madam Xu and Madam Huang, standing nearby, also felt deeply guilty: "We couldn't help at all."

Suppressed sobs rose, and everyone felt like crying. "Stop crying! If you don't know how, learn it. As long as you're alright, that's all that matters. Wipe away your tears and try again," the old lady said coldly. "My Xiao family won't collapse because of a single mishap or a fire!"

"Grandma is right. We'll take it slow, and everything will be alright."

After comforting her family, Chunnuan, along with her younger brothers Chunning and Chun'an, thanked each of the neighbors who helped put out the fire.

"Spring is here." Landlady Aunt Zuo came to the door again: "This house was rented to your family with five rooms, and you burned it down..."

"Aunt Zuo, don't worry, when it's time for us to move out, there will still be the same number of rooms. We will rebuild the ones that burned down later."

"Well..." Aunt Zuo sighed, "Alright then. Actually, I was a little worried about renting this house to your family, since the Xiao family won't even let you in..."

“Aunt Zuo, if there were any problems, our whole family would not be able to return to Shu from the distant Shengjing. We will always remember your kindness today and will repay you handsomely in the future.”

"Don't mention repaying us, as long as you're really alright, that's all that matters." Aunt Zuo was relieved. "The reason we were able to rent to you is because my father-in-law said that when your grandfather was young and returned to his hometown to visit relatives, he treated his illness and gave him medicine without charging a single penny. If it weren't for your grandfather, my father-in-law would have died. Our Zuo family is repaying that kindness."

Mentioning her grandfather again warmed Chunnuan's heart. Even those from other clans who had received kindness in the past were willing to risk their lives to take them in. Yet, the very clansmen her great-grandfather and grandfather had supported had turned on them at this crucial moment, nearly leaving a group of women and children stranded in the wilderness. She would never forget that!
"Chunnuan." Seeing Chunnuan return, her mother, Xu, quickly pulled her aside. "Chunnuan, all the coarse grains we bought yesterday have been burned. Tonight..."

Another meal where we can't even afford to eat!
"Mom, we dug up some wild vegetables, and I also caught a crab."

When spring arrives and people go to look for bamboo baskets, there's no sign of crabs left.

Looking at the empty bamboo basket, Chunnuan's nose stung with tears again. It was really so hard; she wanted to cry.

"Spring warmth?"

"Mom, it's alright. Let's have some wild vegetables tonight. Houttuynia cordata soup is good for clearing heat and detoxifying."

A fire burned down all the firewood, rice, oil, and salt in the kitchen; everything was gone. Luckily, the big iron pot was still there, so we'll make do for now and deal with tomorrow's problems tomorrow.

"Little brother, is this the residence of Physician Xiao?" someone asked from outside the door; the voice sounded quite familiar.

"Who are you?" Six-year-old Chun'an looked up at him. "Are you a good person or a bad person?"

Springtime brings both laughter and tears. While heightened vigilance during springtime is a good thing, it can also be quite awkward.

"Spring peace, who's looking for the Xiao family?"

I looked up and saw a familiar face.

How did he end up here?
"Miss Xiao, I have some ointment. You need to apply it to your hand, otherwise it will swell and bruise."

Zhao Minghua handed Chun'an a tube of ointment: "Little brother, quickly put this on your sister."

"Sister, are your hands injured? How did you get hurt?" Chun'an rushed over anxiously. "Sister, let me see, did you burn your hands just now?"

"No, my hand is fine."

The moment I think of getting the crabs, I realize it's like trying to fill a basket with water – a complete waste of time and energy, losing both my wife and my army.

"By the way, Miss Xiao, my pharmacy needs some medicinal herbs. My father told me that families like yours usually know how to process medicinal herbs. Could you process some and sell it to us? Consider this money as a deposit."

Zhao Minghua took a bag of loose silver from his waist and gestured for Chun'an to take it.

Processing medicinal herbs, spring is here! This young master Zhao is truly a kind person who helps those in need!

"What kind of medicinal herbs does your family need, young master?"

(End of this chapter)