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

Chapter 23 Lin, the Embroidery Shop Manager

"Oh, Chunnuan, you don't know, we're a poor family, how can we afford medicine so easily?" Aunt Luo doubted Chunnuan's medical skills, and also felt that the medicine was indeed expensive: "The two pharmacies in town, Baicaotang and Qianjintang, both sell expensive medicine. You can't even think about seeing a doctor or getting medicine without at least two taels of silver. We're all cheap, we have to bear our own lives, or we'll die."

“Yes, the medicine is indeed expensive.” Chunnuan nodded in agreement: “For an illness like yours, you can get better without medicine, just make sure to rest, especially during your period. Avoid overexertion, cold drinks, and contact with cold water.”

"Another method is to treat postpartum illnesses during the postpartum period and take good care of yourself when you have another child, which can help you recover some of the damage."

"I can't have any more children, I can't have any more children." Aunt Luo laughed: "I'm forty-six this year, I've given birth to nine children, three of them died young. They were lucky to survive. At the end of last year, I turned my back on myself, I'm too old, I won't have any more children."

He laughed after saying that.

"Look at me, a young girl, why am I telling you all this?" Aunt Luo said quickly, "Alright, spring is here, and these melon seedlings are all planted. Go and scoop some diluted manure water to water them first. After that, water them every three to five days. Don't let them dry out, but don't water them too much either."

"Thank you, Aunt Luo."

Watching Aunt Luo walk away, Chun Nuan sighed.

Aunt Luo ultimately did not believe her.

Of course, it's true that she said the medicine is expensive.

Grandfather was right. Women never see themselves as human beings, and no one considers these discomforts as illnesses. They just tough it out as long as they don't die!
Following Aunt Luo's instructions, Chun Ning borrowed a manure bucket to fetch manure.

This was the first time Chun Ning had ever faced these things in a cesspool in her entire life. She felt terrible; it was so smelly and disgusting.

However, he knew he had no way out.

This is the life of a farmer, and it's something he has to face.

If he doesn't pick up the manure, who will?

It's impossible to let my older sister do it.

Chun Ning forced himself to scoop up half a bucket of manure, then stuck the carrying pole into the rope, only to find that the pole wouldn't fall onto his shoulder no matter what he did.

"Haha, Chun Ning, you're not even as tall as the manure bucket," Aunt Luo laughed. "With the manure bucket frame and the carrying rope, you really can't reach it. Just put the carrying pole under the frame, and you can carry it like that."

With Aunt Luo's help, Luo Ning finally managed to pick up the manure bucket.

They leisurely carried the seedlings to the edge of the Shatian paddy field and watered them.

When Chun Ning returned from work, she was covered in sweat but looked excited.

"Sister, I learned a lot today."

"Yes, you are very capable."

Chun Ning's mindset alone is commendable. Although she doesn't approve of publicizing suffering, what's the use of complaining when life throws curveballs? It's better to work hard and diligently. Things change, and as long as you don't die from overwork, you should work yourself to the bone. She's confident that the Xiao family will overcome this difficulty!

“I think I’m pretty amazing too.” Chun Ning nodded: “I learned to climb trees in three days, and now I can climb trees and pick flowers just like Xiao Gang; I learned to sell flower cakes; I learned to bargain with the shopkeepers and waiters; I learned to dig soil and plant vegetables…”

Spring warmth brought a smile to her face, but tears streamed down her face: My little brother has really, really grown up!
"When you go to the dock tomorrow, ask who owns that embroidery shop and see if you can find some embroidery work for Mother and the others."

“Sister, we can support the family, so we don’t want them to work so hard. Doing needlework hurts their eyes.” “Chun Ning.” Chun Nuan knew this was his filial piety: “The family belongs to everyone, and there are many places in this family that need money. Chun Yan and Chun Shu are working hard. If we don’t let Aunt and Mother do something, they will feel like they are just eating for free. Once people start to get excited, they will start to overthink. We don’t care how much the embroidery is worth. We just want them to realize that they can also do something for this family. We want them to have something to do so they won’t have so much time to think about other things.”

"Sister, I understand."

Chun Ning knew that although the elders in the family didn't say it, they all missed their relatives who had been exiled to the northern desert.

He had heard Chunxin say that she saw her eldest sister-in-law secretly crying.

Chun Ning then instructed him to take good care of his elder sister-in-law, entrusting the important task of caring for her to the two-year-old Chun Xin, and asking him to make his elder sister-in-law laugh more.

Sure enough, because she had to take care of Chunxin, the eldest sister-in-law didn't have much time to think about her brother.

After selling all the flower cakes at the dock, Chun Ning went to the embroidery workshop to look at the embroidery products.

"Young man, are you buying this as a gift for a girl?"

Manager Lin, though past her prime, still retained her charm. She leaned against the doorpost with her arms crossed, laughing and teasing Chun Ning.

"No, no." Chun Ning's face turned red to her ears. "Shopkeeper, my mother can also embroider. She just wanted to see if you need any embroiderers here."

"No need." Shopkeeper Lin had thought she had finally found a buyer and could make some money, but instead, someone came along who wanted to make money off her.

“It’s alright if you don’t need it now.” Chun Ning took out a handkerchief that his mother had embroidered for him and showed it to Manager Lin: “The bamboo on this handkerchief was embroidered by my mother. If you need to find an embroiderer, my mother can help you.”

"This..." The layman sees the spectacle, but the expert sees the details. Manager Lin was stunned when he saw Chun Ning's handkerchief: "Let me see."

"Please take a look, shopkeeper."

"Judging from the needlework and embroidery technique, this is Shu embroidery?" Manager Lin looked Chun Ning up and down: "Where do you live? Is your mother an embroiderer?"

“My family lives in Shuikou Village, An’nan Town. My mother is not an embroiderer.” Chun Ning said frankly, “She just likes embroidery and wants to find something to do to earn some money to supplement the family income.”

Manager Lin glanced at Chun Ning sideways: I don't believe a single word you say!

Shuikou Village in An'nan Town was her maternal home. She knew all the women in the village, but none of them were particularly skilled at embroidery. Besides, she had never met this young man before.

"Are you from Shuikou Village? What's your surname? What are your parents' names?"

Little brat, it will only take a moment to expose your lies!
“My surname is Xiao, my father’s name is Xiao Changqing, and my mother’s surname is Huang.”

"Surname Xiao, Xiao Changqing?" Manager Lin laughed in exasperation. "I said, you're so young, why don't you learn to behave? What good will it do you to lie to me? Where in Shuikou Village is there anyone with a surname? Xiao Changqing, oh, there is one family with the surname Xiao, that's the Xiao clan between An'nan Town and the dock, they do have someone with the character 'Chang' in their name. Don't tell me you're from the Xiao clan!"

“I am not a member of the Xiao clan.”

They had already been expelled from the clan, and the powerful Xiao clan looked down on them, so they didn't try to curry favor with them.

“But we are indeed surnamed Xiao. We are not locals; we just moved here. We rent land from Master Zhang, and the house belongs to Aunt Zuo.”

"Are you from the Xiao family, the imperial physician in the capital?"

(End of this chapter)