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

Chapter 217

"Brother, why can't you say something nice?"

Qingsheng was speechless; when had he ever caused trouble?

It's just a sprained ankle.

"I didn't want to tell my family, because I was afraid my parents would worry."

"How old are you? How could you twist your ankle while walking?"

The young master had criticized him in the same way, without offering any explanation.

The truth couldn't be told, but he felt the sprained ankle was worth it.

At least, the situation would be completely different if Sakura had sprained her ankle.

So I silently endured their reproaches without feeling angry at all.

"Brother, I asked you to come because I have something important to ask you to tell Mother."

Qingsheng told him about his crush on Zhong Xiaoying.

"You think you're alright, kid?"

After that, Fusheng stopped talking about calligraphy altogether.

She was two years older than him, and matchmakers had come to propose marriage many times, but she was always too picky and couldn't find anyone suitable, so they hadn't gotten engaged yet.

Unexpectedly, Qingsheng, after coming to the manor with his master, took a fancy to the manor keeper's daughter and even asked his mother to send someone to propose marriage.

"Have you obtained the young mistress's consent?" Fusheng, being the older brother, was more considerate.

"Master knows."

"You……"

What do you mean by "young master knows"?
"You must beg the young mistress for her favor. This is the young mistress's dowry estate, and the villagers are also the young mistress's people."

Young Master is not allowed to interfere in such matters.

“Alright, now help me go and pay my respects to the young mistress, and ask her for a favor.”

Fusheng had no choice but to help his younger brother to the main courtyard to pay his respects to the young mistress.

"Birthday celebrations are not allowed inside."

Before they even reached the door, Dingxiang stopped them: "Young Master instructed that you cannot go in."

why?
"The medicine for your foot injury contains musk, which can affect the young mistress, so you can't go in."

"Ah, okay, I won't go in, I won't go in."

Upon hearing that the medication had affected the young mistress, Qing Sheng was also greatly alarmed.

Fortunately, the young master had the foresight; otherwise, if he had recklessly rushed in and caused any harm to the young mistress, the sin would have been grave.

"If you have something to say, just tell the young mistress outside, and then leave immediately."

Dingxiang now sees Qingsheng as if he were an unclean person. She has already decided that after Qingsheng leaves, she will quickly wash her hair and take a bath, change her clothes, and then go into the inner courtyard to serve the young mistress.

"Young mistress, I wish to marry Zhong Xiaoying. Please grant me this favor."

To celebrate his birthday, he shouted loudly outside the courtyard gate.

Dingxiang looked at him. "You little rascal, you've only been in the village for a few days, and you're already trying to steal Uncle Zhong's precious daughter away."

Chunnuan could hear it clearly even in the inner courtyard.

"The people around me must marry a responsible man, and they can only be with one man for life, and cannot take concubines. Can you do that?"

"It's definitely possible."

Qing Sheng thought to himself: "Young mistress really thinks too highly of me. What kind of family do I come from? It's already a blessing from my ancestors that I can get a wife and not be a bachelor anymore. Where would I get the capital to take a concubine?"
Let alone not having the means to take a concubine, even if he did, he certainly wouldn't. Since even the young master doesn't have a concubine, why would a servant like himself take one? Is he just tired of living? Or does he think his monthly salary is too high?
"Alright, go and call Zhong Xiaoying over, I'll ask her if she's willing."

"Young mistress, I still need to ask a matchmaker to come and propose marriage first."

"If she agrees, then you can ask a matchmaker to come and propose marriage; if she doesn't agree, then forget it."

He had no choice but to agree to the birthday celebration.

Then, with her brother's help, she went to see Sakura.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I..."

"Xiaoying, I'm serious. The young mistress said that as long as you agree, my mother will ask a matchmaker to come and propose marriage." Qingsheng was very anxious: "I promise I will treat you well. If I don't treat you well, may I be struck by lightning."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Don't spout off."

Zhong Xiaoying was shocked: "How could you make such a rash oath?"

"What are you afraid of? I won't treat you badly, so the oath you made is just empty words."

“You…” Zhong Xiaoying stomped her foot in anger and ran away.

"Xiaoying, the young mistress is waiting for you in the main courtyard..."

Don't forget this important thing.

Zhong Xiaoying ran a few steps, then turned around and ran back towards the young mistress's face.

"Sakura, by the way, I have something to tell you."

"what's up?"

"You can just stand at the main gate and answer the young mistress. You helped me apply the medicine, but my medicine contains musk, which will affect the young mistress."

"okay, I get it."

Zhong Xiaoying indeed stood at the courtyard gate, bringing warmth to the air.

“Xiaoying, although you work at the manor and aren’t with me, you are still my personal attendant and belong to me.” Chunnuan said solemnly in the inner room, “I will do my best to protect those around me. Qingsheng said he wanted to marry you, and I also said that as long as he is sincere to you and you are willing, this marriage can be arranged. What do you think?”

"Sakura will listen to whatever the young mistress says."

Zhong Xiaoying answered, blushing.

“Marriage is a major life decision, not something you should listen to me or your parents about, but something you should listen to yourself,” Chunnuan said. “You need to think about whether you like him, what good qualities you value in him, and ask yourself honestly whether you will find happiness and joy in spending your life with him.”

Zhong Xiaoying was a little dumbfounded.

Such a complicated problem?
She really hadn't thought about these things.

When you reach a certain age, someone comes to propose marriage, and your mother says you should choose a good one.

Before, I couldn't find anyone suitable, but this time I took a liking to Qingsheng, and Qingsheng also said that he liked her and wanted to marry her.

Now that the young mistress has reminded her, Zhong Xiaoying has seriously considered it.

It seems that I really enjoy being with him. Whenever I see him, my heart beats very fast; whenever I see him, I feel very happy.

Happiness should be the same as joy, and joy should also be happiness.

So, I guess I like it.

"This is a very important question. If you can't figure it out right away, don't worry. Go back and think about it slowly. You can give me an answer within three days."

"Okay, thank you, young mistress."

After Chunnuan said that, Zhong Xiaoying really decided to think about it some more.

The news that Qingsheng received that Zhong Xiaoying needed to consider the matter made her very upset.

"Brother, what's wrong with Xiaoying? Didn't I already promise her that I would treat her well for the rest of my life? How could she not agree?"

"What's the rush? Good things don't come from being in a hurry." Fusheng felt that this kid hadn't learned any of the young master's style after all these years of hanging around him, and was still as impulsive as ever: "Marriage is a lifelong matter, can't people even consider it?"

"I'm just considering it, not that I'm refusing. This kid really doesn't use his brain." "Never mind, brother, you go back first and tell Mother to send a matchmaker to propose marriage."

This process has to be done sooner or later, so let's get it done quickly and strike while the iron is hot.

"you……"

Fusheng was speechless.

"Never mind, I still need to go back to Baicaotang to get the medicine. I'll tell my mother about it when I get home."

"Okay, bro, you have to tell me."

"You should think about how your mother will react when she hears that you're injured."

“Ah, then…” Qingsheng thought for a moment, “How about you don’t tell her about my injured foot, just say that you’re helping me propose marriage.”

"So you won't even need to show your face when the matchmaker comes to your door?"

"It seems unnecessary. We'll only show up when the engagement is officially finalized."

"Whatever you want, I'm going back now. Take good care of yourself."

Watching him walk with one leg in a sling, Fusheng always felt sorry for the injured person.

Yes, he always got medicine from Baicaotang, and whether he was sick or injured, he didn't feel anything deeply.

When the injury happened to his own younger brother, Fusheng realized how difficult it was.

"Sakura, Sakura."

Aunt Zhong called out several times, but Zhong Xiaoying, still clutching her needle and thread, didn't come to her senses.

"You silly child..." Aunt Zhong couldn't help but step forward and pat Zhong Xiaoying's arm: "What are you thinking about?"

"hiss"

Zhong Xiaoying wasn't paying attention, and the needle pierced her finger.

"You silly child, how could you be so careless?"

Aunt Zhong asked anxiously, "Are you alright? Does it hurt?"

It's bleeding, the needle's stuck in your finger, do you think it hurts?
Zhong Xiaoying put her fingers in her mouth and sucked on them, tears welling up in her eyes from the pain.

"What are you thinking about, child? I've called you so many times and you haven't responded."

The incident started because of her, but Aunt Zhong didn't want to admit it was her fault, mainly because Xiao Ying herself didn't hear what she was saying.

"I wasn't thinking anything?"

Zhong Xiaoying blushed instantly and lowered her head.

"You're my daughter, how could I not know what you're thinking?" Aunt Zhong said helplessly, "It's true what they say, daughters grow up and leave home, keeping them only leads to resentment. You silly girl, no matter what, it has to be the man who takes the initiative. You can't just rush to his house, can you?"

“Mother, the young mistress summoned me today for a questioning. She said that if I am willing, she will ask a matchmaker to arrange a marriage.” Zhong Xiaoying was still undecided in the end: “The young mistress also said that I should think about it and give her a reply within three days.”

"Then what do you think?"

"What should I do if I can't think of anything right now?" Zhong Xiaoying said, "Mother, what were you thinking when you married Father?"

"What could I possibly think?" Aunt Zhong laughed in exasperation. "You're much better off than us. When I married your father, all I knew was that he existed. I didn't even know if he was tall or short, fat or thin, or if he was lame or crippled. I only saw what kind of person I had married when I lifted my veil."

"Unlike you two, who can still see each other and even have some feelings for each other now," Aunt Zhong said. "You can think about it again. You've met quite a few young men in the past few years, but have you ever had one like Qingsheng?"

Not really.

“Qingsheng is someone who serves the young master. Once the young master establishes his own household, people like him will become stewards, and you will also become a steward’s wife.” Aunt Zhong said, “Working in the manor is always much better than working on the estate. Moreover, the people around the young master are under his control, so they won’t be too bad in the end.”

Zhong Xiaoying could tell that her mother was trying her best to persuade her to accept it.

"Mother, what if I don't agree? Will you skip me and proceed with the engagement?"

“No,” Aunt Zhong said. “Your father and I have both said that although we approve of Qingsheng, we will not force you if you are not willing, because you are the one who will spend your life with him.”

"If a person opens their eyes and sees someone they don't like, their life will be miserable."

Aunt Zhong's meaning was quite clear: everything depended on Zhong Xiaoying.

"Mom, you and Dad are so good."

Some families would sell their sons or daughters for profit, but in her own family, even on such a significant matter as marriage, her parents still respected her choice. How fortunate she is!
"Your parents didn't achieve much in this life, we just hope you will have a better life than our generation." Although Aunt Zhong didn't force Xiaoying to accept the birthday celebration, she still rationally analyzed for her: "Marry a man from a better family with more ability, and life will be much less troublesome."

"When poverty knocks at the door, everything is miserable for a couple. If they also happen to have a husband who is incapable of earning money and is only good at bullying at home, then life will be very miserable."

Aunt Zhong and her daughter had a long talk about marriage and who to marry.

In the end, both mother and daughter agreed that marrying Qingsheng was more beneficial than harmful, making it a very good choice.

The next day, Zhong Xiaoying went to Chunnuan and told her her thoughts.

"It is entirely up to the young mistress to decide."

"Alright, since you agree, I'll have someone from Qingsheng's family come to propose marriage. You can focus on preparing for your wedding."

"Yes, young mistress."

Qingsheng felt a weight lifted off his shoulders after learning that Zhong Xiaoying had finally relented.

Over here, Zhou's mother was stunned when she heard her son Fusheng say that Qingsheng was going to get married.

"Really? You're getting married on your birthday before you're even married? Which girl has he set his sights on?"

When Zhou Ma learned that it was Zhong Zhuangtou's daughter, Zhong Xiaoying, she was very happy.

"That's really good."

Both sons are adults now, but there are always problems finding wives for them, and nothing ever works out.

Unexpectedly, Qing Sheng was smarter and managed to fulfill one of her wishes.

He immediately went to his wife to ask about taking a day off.

"Nuannuan isn't here, and you're not busy there either. Let the older women do the cooking on weekdays. It's only right that you take a couple of days off."

"Thank you for your kind consideration, Madam."

Working for the Zhao family is really good. The masters are considerate of their servants, and any leave request for legitimate reasons will be approved.

"You can also go to the manor to see Nuannuan. If she needs you to stay and cook, you can go to the manor to cook."

"Yes, madam, this old servant will go to the estate tomorrow."

In the village, the birthday celebration had been eagerly awaited, and finally, his mother and matchmaker arrived.

"You little rascal, why are you always causing me so much trouble?"

Zhou's mother wanted to see her son, but what she saw was that his left foot was wrapped up tightly.

"Aren't you supposed to be serving the young master? How can you serve him looking like this?"

"Young Master has granted me leave. Mother, don't worry about any of this. Go to the Zhong family to propose marriage."

"Alright, alright, let's propose marriage."

This kid managed to find himself a wife despite his foot injury; he's got some skills, so I won't bother him anymore.

The Zhong family should have politely declined the marriage proposal at first, and then agreed only when the proposal came again and again.

But Aunt Zhong didn't do that.

Agree is agree, disagree is disagree.

At the moment, she was having a pleasant chat with Zhou's mother and the matchmaker.

It seemed like they were about to directly ask when they would get married.