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

"The period after childbirth is when a woman's body is at its weakest, and the most important thing at this time is not to take large doses of tonics."

Is your body weak, but it's not a good source of tonics?
What does it mean?
Is it because you're afraid you won't be able to handle too much nourishment?

Chen Xiaoyin knew that there was a type of deficiency that could not be effectively treated with tonics.

"Firstly, most women who have given birth are deficient in qi and blood, so they should eat more warm and nourishing foods to help restore their qi and blood. Before nourishing them, they must first take medicine that cools the exterior, otherwise the nourishing foods will not only be of no benefit to the postpartum woman, but may also cause very serious problems, or even lead to the death of the postpartum woman."

Zhao Minghua felt uneasy for a long time after hearing this.

Giving birth is a dangerous thing, and even eating a nourishing soup or tonic can lead to death.

Why are there so many troubles?

We won't let Nuannuan have any more children in the future.

"When the body is weak, symptoms such as fever, bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea may occur after consuming tonics."

"Master, how do you diagnose a new mother's weakness?"

Chen Xiaoyin knew that there were several types of "falsehood".

"Xiaoyin asked a good question. There are different types of physical weakness, such as yin deficiency, yang deficiency, qi deficiency, and blood deficiency. The methods of tonification are also different for different types of physical weakness."

If one fails to differentiate between yin and yang imbalances, or between qi and blood imbalances, and disregards the properties and meridian tropism of tonifying herbs, indiscriminate use of tonifying herbs will lead to a condition where the body is "too weak to tolerate tonification."

When spring arrived, I told them about my various symptoms of physical weakness.

Chen Xiaoyin patiently took notes.

This highlights the importance of learning to read and write from a young age.

Whenever Chunnuan shared important information, only Chen Xiaoyin could keep up with her pace, writing down anything she didn't understand.

Mei and the others found it difficult to take notes on the spot because their literacy was limited and they couldn't write many of the characters.

The only way to get the notes from Chen Xiaoyin is to ask her after class or to ask her questions.

Chunnuan felt that given time, Chen Xiaoyin would truly achieve great things.

"Different situations require different methods of tonification, and the use of medicine also varies, including cooling tonification and warming tonification. Furthermore, there are methods for tonifying Yin by seeking Yin within Yang, and methods for tonifying Yang by seeking Yang within Yin..."

Chunnuan continued talking, and Chen Xiaoyin continued taking notes.

This is truly a good student.

Chunnuan brought up the issue of not being able to shower or wash hair again.

"Because new mothers are physically weak, they are prone to catching a cold when bathing or washing their hair, and once they catch a cold, it may cause very serious consequences."

In mild cases, it can cause skin to peel off layer by layer; in severe cases, it can cost a life.

Also, it's normal to have lochia after childbirth, but you should be careful. If it continues for a long time, you should see a doctor.

"Master, I know about this."

Chen Xiaoyin immediately had a case study.

“I heard my mother say that my aunt had persistent lochia after giving birth. It never got better, and she was too embarrassed to ask the doctor. Eventually, the lochia became smelly, and her health deteriorated. When she died, no one dared to approach her body.”

Chunnuan and the others felt very sad after hearing this.

“Being sick is not scary; what’s scary is being reluctant to see a doctor,” Chunnuan remarked.

"But the world is so unfriendly to women, and doctors are all men. Women are embarrassed to ask doctors to treat them when they are sick, and men are also unwilling to let male doctors treat their women. They would rather the woman die than have her treated by someone else."

Chen Xiaoyin remembers that her aunt died tragically, and her mother lamented that her aunt was stubborn and what good did seeing a doctor do?

You have everything if you have life.

Chen Xiaoyin also knew that on the day her aunt was sent up the mountain, her sister-in-law from her maternal family came to persuade her uncle to marry her younger sister, saying that it would be better for the children if they were related by marriage.

And the uncle actually believed her nonsense and married a new woman on an auspicious day when his aunt was less than 100 days old.

When the new family arrived, the baby born to the aunt's younger brother did not receive proper care and died in less than a year.

“My uncle and that woman have been married for three years but they don’t have any children.” Chen Xiaoyin felt that it was retribution: “My mother said that my grandmother went to have my uncle’s fortune told and said that my uncle’s current wife is destined to be childless. Now they are anxious and want to divorce her.”

“Master, after seeing so many things, I really think that marriage is very risky for women. If they marry badly, they can even lose their lives.”

This is also why Chen Xiaoyin was unwilling to listen to her family's arrangements when she should have been getting married.

The incident with her aunt had left her with a psychological scar, and she had no desire to get married at all.

Gaining her grandfather's trust to learn medicine from her master not only gave her skills but also indirectly delayed her marriage, which was truly wonderful.

"Master, you told us today that pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care are all dangerous things." Chen Xiaoyin's face was a little pale. "Master, tell me, why must we women get married and have children?"

"This is the law of nature. Marrying, having children, and procreating are the only ways for humanity to continue." Chunnuan didn't understand why this was necessary, but that's how everyone has lived: "We can't avoid these things, so let's strive to become stronger, learn more about medicine, and gain more knowledge to protect ourselves and women."

"That's why I want to teach you medicine and study women's diseases," Chunnuan said. "I hope you study hard so that you can have the opportunity to carry on this tradition and make it a success from generation to generation. You all have a long way to go."

Several people nodded.

Today's lecture was very profound, and it was packed with knowledge and information.

Chunnuan was tired of lecturing, so she let them learn on their own and ask her questions later if they didn't understand something.

"Young mistress, let me help you back to rest." Dingxiang stepped forward, carrying Chunnuan back to the inner courtyard, and whispered, "Young master has been listening to your lectures behind the screen."

"He's probably too free today."

So being in the village was also troublesome; Zhao Minghua couldn't do anything else and could only stay here with her.

We should let him go about his business, as spring is in the air.

As a result, Zhao Minghua did not go out, saying that it was too dangerous to go out in the chaos outside.

Upon hearing this, Chunnuan stopped mentioning letting him go out, after all, nothing is more important than safety.

In fact, Zhao Minghua was worried that Chunnuan was not safe in the village and dared not leave for even a moment.

Because some people took advantage of the chaos of war to rob wealthy families under the guise of the troops of the King of Shu or the Third Prince.

Those wealthy households were suffering terribly.

Putting aside other things, it is said that the Xiao family, a powerful clan, encountered this a couple of days ago.

The courtyard where the patriarch of the Xiao clan lived was ransacked, and the stored grain was transported away by twelve horse-drawn carts.

Even when Xiao Jia Wharf's third son and his men returned, they couldn't make it in time, and the clan chief fell ill from anger.

We still asked Dr. Chen to see us.

According to Zhao Minghua's wishes, they shouldn't let Doctor Chen go.

But his father wouldn't allow it. He said that when someone asks a doctor to see a patient, regardless of gender, relationship, or even if they were enemies in the past, as a doctor, one should go.

After examining the patient, Dr. Chen returned and said that the sudden surge of anger had caused a stroke, resulting in left-sided hemiplegia, speech loss, and incontinence. The head of the Xiao clan was to be replaced.

Xiao Chunnuan sat down and drank the pickled radish and old duck soup that Aunt Zhong had stewed for her, and she felt very comfortable.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Minghua told her about the Xiao family again.

"May I laugh out loud three times?"

Chunnuan really felt this was retribution. "Back then, in order to prevent us from getting better, they sent people to rob us. That's how my grandmother was driven to her death by them. Now they've been robbed too, and the clan leader is so angry. This is retribution."

Not not reporting, time is not here!
"Aren't you worried at all about who will take over as patriarch of the Xiao clan?" Zhao Minghua said, "None of the patriarch's sons are easy to deal with, especially the eldest, third, and sixth sons. They all have the ability to fight back. I reckon they're going to cause trouble."

"What does that have to do with us?" Xiao Chunnuan thought to herself, "Don't blame me for being unkind, but I'm hoping they get into more chaos and eventually fall apart, which would be even more satisfying."

"Although we are all from the Xiao clan, we were expelled from the clan on the first day we returned from Shu. Now, our branch of the Xiao clan is a separate one. We are nothing in Changzhou now, but fortunes change every thirty years."

It's just that the timing wasn't right. When the time comes, everyone will want to take advantage of the situation and seize what belongs to them.

The Xiao family received a lot of support in the capital back then. The Xiao clan's ancestral fields, mountains, and the silver given for building the mansion—if they could all be taken away, they would be nothing but an empty shell.

"That's true. Things change every thirty years. For example, this time, guess who the general sent from the capital to quell the rebellion is?"

"who is it?"

Chunnuan knew the names of most of the military officers in the capital, but did not recognize them by name.

However, I just hope that I won't have any enmity with the Xiao family.

Otherwise, it's entirely possible that someone might use their position to settle personal scores and kick you while you're down.

The Xiao family has just caught its breath and is struggling to develop. If they are messed with again, they might fall into the abyss once more.

"It is Xia Guangcheng, General Xia."

what?
It's actually my sister's husband?

Yes, that's right. Although they had never met, she knew from her elder sister's letter that the Xia family treated her and Panpan very well, so the Xiao family naturally accepted Xia Guangcheng as their son-in-law.

"Yes, I heard that the Emperor personally appointed General Lou, but on his way back to his residence, General Lou's horse was startled, and he fell off and broke his ribs. In the end, General Xia volunteered to come to Shu to quell the rebellion."

"Are you surprised?"

Chunnuan almost laughed herself silly when she heard this reason: a military general startled a horse and fell off the carriage, breaking his ribs.

This was the funniest joke she had ever heard!
If everyone had his abilities and could become a general, the borders of the Great Xia Dynasty wouldn't need to be guarded, and the enemy could simply drive straight in!

"Sichuan is far from the capital, and the mountains and roads are treacherous and unfamiliar, making it easy to be ambushed. Therefore, it is no easy task to quell the internal strife."

Zhao Minghua felt that Xia Guangcheng's initiative to volunteer this time was a bit reckless; he didn't know how difficult the roads in Sichuan were.

The road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven!

The rebels were all from Sichuan, so they knew the roads well and could walk on flat ground. Any mountain could be an ambush.

Xia Guangcheng, who was previously stationed on the border, was unaware of the intricacies of the situation. His courage in coming to Sichuan to quell the rebellion was commendable, but his actions were not advisable.

If Chunnuan can think of these issues, how could those old foxes in the imperial court not know them?

When Xiao Chunyu heard that the general was going to conquer Shu, she was both worried and secretly pleased.

While packing Xia Guangcheng's luggage, she gave him some instructions.

"Don't worry, I will definitely return safely."

Xia Guangcheng truly couldn't bear to leave his beloved wife, but what could he do?

That old bastard surnamed Lou actually used this trick to scheme, even willing to lose a rib in order to avoid going to Shu.

Even if he didn't step forward, the emperor would have already appointed him. Rather than doing that, he might as well earn a good reputation.

Of course, Xia Guangcheng was not the kind of person who was afraid of death. It was just a small rebellion, and he might not be unable to take it down.
"General..."

Xiao Chunyu hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Don't worry, now that I'm in Shu, I will visit my mother-in-law."

"General..."

Xiao Chunyu was moved to tears upon hearing this!
Yes, she wanted Xia Guangcheng to go see his mother and the others.

Although Nuannuan always brought good news in every letter home, saying that everything was fine at home.

However, it is their tradition to only report good news and not bad news.

Seeing is believing, and hearing is deceiving. She desperately wanted someone to see her family in person and tell her the truth about them.

"Don't cry, crying will hurt your eyes."

Xia Guangcheng was truly reluctant to leave her: "While I'm away, you all need to be careful. I'll assign someone to protect Panpan when she goes out. You, Mother, and son should try to minimize the frequency of leaving the manor..."

Panpan was summoned to the palace by the Empress or the Crown Prince at unpredictable times; there was nothing that could be done about it.

Of course, the palace also provided sufficient security. Xia Guangcheng knew that Panpan was Chunyu's life, so he specially arranged for secret guards to follow her.

The reason why the mother and Chunyu were advised to reduce their outings was because the current situation was turbulent and unpredictable, and no one knew what might happen.

As long as we are in the mansion, there will be no problem.

The people in the general's mansion are all very clean, so I feel safe using their services.

If he leaves the manor, no one knows who might be watching him. If he is unable to save people due to being overwhelmed, he will regret it later if it causes unforeseen and immeasurable consequences.

"You are all my weaknesses."

"Yes, I know. My mother also told me that after you go to war, our general's mansion will be closed to visitors."

He avoids provoking anyone and doesn't attend any banquets, big or small.

"That's best."

On the second day at dawn, Xia Guangcheng led an army of 30,000 to conquer Shu and quell the rebellion.

The mother and wife who saw him off outside the city gate were in tears.

Xia Guangcheng glanced back in the direction of the capital and silently vowed that he would quell the rebellion as soon as possible and return to the capital.

"The army has already set off?"

"At the Lou residence," General Lou asked, lying in bed.

"Reporting to Father, we have already set off."

"Heh he ... sent to gnaw on this tough nut to crack. This time he's just walking into the lion's den, thinking he's doing a meritorious service? Heh heh heh I'll send him to gnaw on this tough nut to crack."

"Father was right after all."

General Lou's son admired his father immensely.

“Young man, if you don’t have ten or eight cunning tricks up your sleeve to survive in the imperial court, you’ll be devoured to the bone.” General Lou said, “I’m going all out, this rib… it hurts so much.”

"Father, I'm going to fetch the imperial physician."

"Go and invite them. Sigh, these imperial physicians are all useless. It was Physician Xiao who was really good back then. He could cure this kind of injury with just one dose of medicine."

"It's a pity that Physician Xiao died so unjustly."

"Who told him to be so stupid?" General Lou said. "Stupid people deserve it."

To reminisce while simultaneously slandering—that's truly something else. (End of Chapter)