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

It has to be said that the village is a really good place to recuperate.

Hu Nuan stopped vomiting after having a meal at the village.

After Dingxiang noticed this phenomenon, she specifically asked Aunt Zhong: How was the food prepared? Why was the young mistress able to eat it?
In the Zhao family, the young mistress vomited everything she ate, and no matter how hard Zhou Ma cooked, it was all in vain.

You have to spit it out as soon as you eat it.

She ate heartily at the village.

“Young lady, we don’t have much to offer you here. We’ve killed our own chickens. It’s chicken stew with mushrooms. You can see that the mushrooms were picked by you, young lady.” Aunt Zhong said, “The vegetables are also homegrown. We just picked them from the field. If there’s anything different, it’s probably the water.”

Aunt Zhong knew that the Zhao family's water was well water. There were two ancient wells in the town, and everyone in the town drew water from them to drink.

"The water in our village is mountain spring water that we collect from the mountains. After boiling it, it has a slightly sweet taste." Aunt Zhong scooped a bowl for Ding Wu: "Try it."

Dingxiang drank it, and it did indeed have a sweet aftertaste.

"I use this water to boil rice, wash vegetables, and make soup."

"I understand."

It turns out that the young mistress needs to drink the water from this estate.

This is really difficult to handle.

Should we have the village deliver water to the town every day, or should we have the young mistress stay at the village permanently?

None of that seems very realistic.

However, Dingxiang still told Zhao Minghua about her discovery.

"Good, you're very thoughtful. Birthday celebration, here's a reward."

Qingsheng quickly took out two taels of silver and gave them to Dingxiang.

"Thank you for the reward, young master."

"No need to be polite. All of you, whoever you are, as long as you keep the young mistress's affairs in mind, I will certainly not treat you unfairly." Zhao Minghua said, "Especially during this special time for the young mistress, you must all be energetic and serve her well. I will reward you handsomely later."

"Yes, Master."

Dingxiang thanked her happily and left.

"Young master, are you saying what Dingxiang said is true? Is it because of the different water?"

"Also a possibility."

Zhao Minghua nodded.

Qingsheng said he didn't understand.

Zhao Minghua didn't understand either, but he would take this question to Chunnuan.

"That's one possibility, but there's another one."

"What's possible?"

"I was in a good mood after I came to the village, and being in a good mood can affect your appetite."

"So you're in a bad mood in town? Why? Did someone upset you?"

This is outrageous! Someone actually dared to make her angry.

"No, that's not true. It's just that I don't feel as good in town as I do in the village. It's not because of the people, I think it's probably because the view is wider here. As soon as you step out, all you see is lush greenery, which is particularly pleasing to the eye."

It's different in town.

There are some flowers and plants in the yard, but the artificially cultivated ones are completely different from the wildflowers and willows planted by farmers and growing naturally.

Upon entering the courtyard, all she sees are houses, streets, pedestrians, and vehicles... In short, she generally doesn't go out; she feels restless whenever she does.

It's different in the village. You can smell the fragrance of grass as soon as you step outside. It's truly a place where smoke rises from chimneys and birds sing among the flowers.

"Then what do you think is the reason for the water?"

Zhao Minghua asked curiously.

“The water quality is different.” Chunnuan knew about this issue: “Water is indeed different from water. Medical books record that most people in some villages live long lives, but there are no precedents of long-lived women who marry out of those villages. Women who marry into those villages also live long lives, but there are no precedents of long-lived women in their families. After comparing various factors, we believe that water quality helps people live longer.”

Is there still water like this?

If everyone went to find this water to drink, wouldn't everyone live a long life?

"This is recorded in medical books, but it doesn't mention which specific type of water is conducive to longevity."

"Then it must be fake. Anything that hasn't been verified is fake."

This is how Zhao Minghua understands it.

Chunnuan glanced at him and asked, "Is it better to call him stupid or too naive?"

The world's great wonders.

Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Medical books are very rigorous books, compiled and edited by doctors throughout history.

Medical books are not plays; they cannot be made up out of thin air.

Feeling a little guilty under Chun Nuan's gaze, Zhao Minghua was filled with a strong survival instinct.

"There's a play that says there's a river called the Mother and Child River. If you drink the water from it, both men and women will get pregnant and give birth. Do you think that's true?"

"You know, that's just what they say in the play."

Spring has arrived, and I'm talking about medical books, not opera.

"It's definitely false that drinking the water of the Mother-Child River will make you pregnant and give birth. As everyone knows, only the union of yin and yang can lead to conception and childbirth. The play was just something the writer made up based on Rong's imagination to please the public." Chunnuan said, "It's false that drinking the water of the Mother-Child River will make you pregnant and give birth. However, there is a well in a certain place where drinking the water will result in twins, and that is true."

How do you know if it's true or false?

"It's recorded in medical books," Chunnuan said. "Like I said, I believe in medical books."

Well, they both have their own reasons, but the most important thing is that they shouldn't keep arguing about these things and ruin their relationship.

"It's good that you're staying in the village, so let's stay here for a while longer."

"No, I promised them I would start the lectures in five days."

“That’s easy. Let Qingsheng bring them all to the manor for the lectures,” Zhao Minghua said. “Anyway, there are plenty of empty beds in the guest rooms over there. It’ll be quieter for them to come here for the lectures.”

"Is this okay?"

"Why not? We should use it in whatever way is beneficial to people."

“Okay, tomorrow I’ll have Aunt Zhong prepare the guest rooms, and then have Qingsheng bring them all to the manor.”

Chunnuan also felt that way; she should rest and recuperate wherever it was suitable for her.

There is no need to force yourself to endure hardship.

Three days later, Qingsheng brought Chunnuan's four female disciples to the manor.

"Master, I heard you weren't feeling well. Are you feeling any better?"

Everyone cares about her.

"Much better, otherwise I wouldn't be able to give lectures."

Chunnuan was very gratified to see that these girls genuinely cared about her.

It is said that a teacher for a day is a father for life. Although she is a female teacher, her students still respect her very much.

"Come one by one, take my pulse."

Chunnuan sat in the pavilion and stretched out her right hand: "Let's see if you can diagnose my pulse."

what?
A test?
Didn't the master say it was much better?
What other pulse patterns can be diagnosed then?

Chen Xiaoyin was the first to step forward and take Chunnuan's pulse. She placed three fingers on Chunnuan's wrist and felt that the pulse was different from usual, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.

"You can try holding my left hand again."

Chunnuan gestured for her to take the pulse again.

The result was the same, and Chen Xiaoyin looked at Chunnuan with some confusion.

"Wait a minute, I'll explain in detail after they've all taken their pulses."

One by one, the disciples finished taking each other's pulses.

Spring warmth asked them, "Can you see anything?"

Apart from Chen Xiaoyin, who felt something was off, the other three said they couldn't tell.

"Xiaoyin, do you feel something is wrong? What's wrong with it?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just feels a bit strange."

“You all made a very basic mistake during the pulse diagnosis.”

What?
They all made mistakes. What mistakes?
"I've said it many times: what does pulse diagnosis require? Observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation. Have you done that?"

"Not a single person asked me what I've been eating lately, or if I've been feeling unwell. Not a single person has looked into my eyes."

Chunnuan was also very helpless: "I asked you to take my pulse, and you only took my pulse. You didn't even do the most basic thing. How can you judge my condition?"

The four of them felt ashamed.

Sure enough, they didn't ask the doctor where he felt unwell or what symptoms he had, nor did they check his eyelids or tongue—these were the most basic things they did.

"I'll give you another chance, let's start over. Chen Xiaoyin, you start by taking my pulse."

It's not that spring is warm and vibrant, but rather that such opportunities are too rare, so they have to start learning from the most basic methods of pulse diagnosis, observation, listening, questioning, and palpation.

When learning to treat women's illnesses, diagnosing this pulse is essential.

"Sir, are you feeling unwell?"

"There are so many things that make me uncomfortable. First, I vomited. I vomited everything I ate, and even bile came out."

"Then there's excessive sleepiness, frequent and urgent urination, and a craving for food. I have to eat whatever I want, otherwise I can't sleep peacefully."

"Any more?"

Chen Xiaoyin silently thought about the conditions described in her grandfather's medical books, and they seemed to match quite well.

"Also, my breasts started to feel swollen, as if they've grown."

"Master, may I ask when your period starts?"

Spring is here... Sure enough, it has to be Chen Xiaoyin. Look how quickly she can think of pregnancy.

"It didn't come this month."

“Master…” Chen Xiaoyin was overjoyed and looked up at Chunnuan. Just as she was about to speak, Chunnuan shook her head, signaling her not to reveal the answer.

After all, there are still three girls who need to learn how to take a pulse.

The three disciples behind her all asked the same question as Chen Xiaoyin.

Chunnuan then repeated her previous answer.

However, the three of them were truly ignorant and had no idea how these things could affect their health.

"Come on, watch carefully."

We need spring to set an example for this.

"To take a pulse, you should place your index, middle, and ring fingers on the patient's cun, guan, and chi positions."

Chun touched his right hand with his left, demonstrating and lecturing at the same time.

"The pulse feels like a row of bubbles swimming through my veins, and sometimes it feels like a small iron bead rolling across my fingertips."

As Chunnuan spoke, Chen Xiaoyin nodded repeatedly.

Yes, yes, that's exactly how she feels.

I took your pulse before, but I didn't know how to describe it.

"I also mentioned some symptoms. Do you remember them all?"

"Vomiting, drowsiness, frequent and urgent urination, breast tenderness, and my period is late. Add to that my pulse, what symptoms do you think these are?"

The three looked at each other, and only Chen Xiaoyin stepped forward.

"Congratulations, Master! Congratulations, Master!"

Were the other three completely dumbfounded?
What does it mean?
The master is sick, and Chen Xiaoyin is here to congratulate him?

"I have a slippery pulse, and I'm pregnant. Didn't the three of you notice?"

Chunnuan asked directly, and the three of them blushed: "Really, we didn't notice at all."

"It's not your fault. You all started learning from scratch, unlike Xiaoyin, who read a lot of medical books, which is why she was able to make the diagnosis."

"Actually, I didn't detect my master's slippery pulse before," Chen Xiaoyin said honestly. "I just felt that the pulse was strange, but I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong. Later, after asking my master a lot of questions and thinking about what was described in the medical books, I realized that my master had encountered good fortune."

“Yes, you need to observe, learn, and practice more.” Chun Nuan said, “I am still relatively new to this, so it’s normal that you can’t tell yet. In a few months, I will teach you how to take the slippery pulse.”

"Master, I've heard that some doctors can tell the sex of a child by touch. Can you do that too?"

"I can not."

In fact, Chunnuan isn't incapable; she simply doesn't intend to teach them.

This trick, once learned, is of no practical use and will only harm many female infants.

Yes, many families prefer sons and only want a son. If the pulse diagnosis reveals it's a girl, they will definitely try to take abortion pills to get rid of her.

This is creating trouble out of thin air, so Chunnuan won't teach these things.

"Since we've come up with the topic of a slippery pulse and my upcoming pregnancy, I'll take this opportunity to tell you some things pregnant women should pay attention to."

Everyone... We're not pregnant, why do we need to learn this?
"When we become doctors, we'll have to remind pregnant women of things to be careful about. What they can and can't eat, what spices and flavors they should avoid; and when they can and can't have sex..."

Several people blushed immediately: What an embarrassing question.

"Pregnancy is the most difficult thing for a woman, but also the most joyful. She longs for the baby to come out quickly and grow up fast," Chunnuan said. "Therefore, women must take care of themselves, especially pregnant women. They must prioritize themselves and not be deceived by men's sweet words. If they always give in to men, they will suffer the consequences, and they might even be blamed by their mother-in-law..."

Chunnuan talked about how sexual intercourse can cause problems for the fetus.

Zhao Minghua, hiding in the inner room, listened with trepidation.

Fortunately, Dr. Chen had taught him this before.

No, no, it's Chunnuan who knows all this, and it seems she knows even more than Doctor Chen.

It's true, pregnancy is really tough for women.

Zhao Minghua secretly vowed to treat Chunnuan well and never let her suffer so much pain.

"Childbirth is a difficult time for women. Some may survive by drinking chicken soup, while others may die. Therefore, women should pay attention to what they eat during pregnancy."

Besides avoiding certain cold foods, there is another condition that must be followed.

“Some people think that a strong mother makes a fat baby. When a daughter-in-law is pregnant, the mother-in-law will only feel sorry that her big fat grandson is not eating well, so she will let the pregnant woman eat as much as she can so that the baby will grow well.” Chunnuan said, “But little do they know that it is not necessarily a good thing for the fetus to grow well in the mother’s body. It will make childbirth very difficult, which will increase the risk of cesarean section and may result in the death of both mother and child.”

The words "spring warmth" sent a chill down Zhao Minghua's spine!
How terrible!

"Pregnant women should not overeat or eat too little; they should eat just the right amount."

Chunnuan continued her lecture: "And the postpartum period for women is also a topic worthy of in-depth study." (End of Chapter)