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

Chapter 33 A Place to Stay
"You should go to a pharmacy to see a doctor and get a prescription. My sisters don't know how to do it. You've come to the wrong place."

Chun'an knew to be wary of strangers.

"My master's illness was treated by Miss Xiao. Today we've come to see Miss Xiao again to get two more doses of medicine." Uncle Ma thought to himself, "This child is quite cunning, but she's a clever kid."

"And who is this gentleman?"

“My master’s surname is Zhang, and the land you are renting is my master’s land.”

"So it's Master Zhang, my apologies for not recognizing you." Little Chun'an quickly clasped his hands in greeting and then said, "Please wait a moment."

Master Zhang knew that the Xiao family had been kind to Chun'an. The Xiao family's family education emphasized gratitude and repaying kindness tenfold. That's why his sister prescribed medicine for Master Zhang.

When Master Zhang came knocking, we had no reason to refuse him, as he was a guest.

Just when Master Zhang and Butler Ma thought that the young man was going to invite Miss Xiao, Chun'an laboriously carried out two old, worn-out benches.

"My elder sister and brother have gone out. They should be back soon. Please have a seat, Master Zhang."

No?

Is the Xiao family's way of entertaining guests to be in an open-air courtyard? They won't even let them into their own home?

"Please forgive us, sir, but our household is entirely female, and it is not convenient for us to meet with men outside the home." Chun'an noticed their confusion and stated directly, "Please wait a moment."

As they spoke, Chunyan brought out a bowl of tea, and Chunshu followed behind her carrying a small bamboo basket containing four bowls.

Chunyan ladled tea into bowls, and Chun'an delivered them one by one to Master Zhang and the others, even giving a bowl to the servants carrying the sedan chair.

"Tea, please."

"What is this tea?" Uncle Ma asked, holding up the teacup.

It wasn't that he was being nosy, but the master had a lot of taboos. There were things he couldn't eat and things he couldn't touch, and he had to be responsible for the master's health.

"This is herbal tea prepared by my elder sister. Master Zhang may drink it."

Chun'an had also heard her older sister and Ning-gege talk about Master Zhang's illness and knew what he was afraid of.

"Oh, thank you."

To be honest, I am actually quite thirsty.

Although the bowl was rough, the Xiao family's hospitality was undeniable.

Mr. Zhang first took a small sip, and thought, "Hmm, not bad," and then took a few more sips.

"This tea makes me feel really comfortable."

Acheng and Ada, who were carrying the sedan chair, said in unison, looking up at the earthenware bowl with longing eyes. It seemed like there wasn't much left.
"If you gentlemen like it, feel free to drink more." Chun'an was very generous: "This herbal tea was prepared by my older sister. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, removing dampness and promoting body fluid production, and moisturizing dryness and clearing the throat."

"Thank you, thank you, another bowl, please."

Master Zhang watched as Ah Cheng and Ah Da finished the entire small bowl of herbal tea, thinking to himself that these two were really impolite, not even leaving any for themselves.

Okay, please ask Miss Xiao to buy a copy of the herbal tea recipe later, so we can keep some at home.

Just then, Chunqiang called out into the distance, "Sister and Brother Ning are back."

Luo Xiaogang returned with Chunnuan and Chunning, each carrying a small basket of magnolia buds on their backs. The magnolias were about to wither, so Chunnuan personally led the two of them to pick them to prepare for processing into medicinal materials.

Upon seeing guests arrive in the courtyard, they all slowed their pace.

"Sister, it's Master Zhang and Steward Ma."

"Oh, it's them."

Thankfully, they weren't enemies or bad people.

"Miss Xiao is back."

"Master Zhang, Butler Ma, please wait a moment."

Chunnuan didn't climb trees, but she still ended up looking quite disheveled. Her dress had two holes in it, her hair was messy, and needless to say, her face was covered in sweat. She was definitely not presentable to guests.

When she returned to her room to wash up, Madam Xu asked Chunnuan why Master Zhang had come to visit.
"They probably still want me to prescribe medicine," Chunnuan said. "Don't worry, Mother, there won't be any problems."

"You... sigh..." Xu swallowed back the words that a girl shouldn't show her face in public. The Xiao family's daughter was no longer allowed to stay at home. At fifteen, she had become the pillar of the Xiao family... She felt very sorry for her daughter.

"Mother, it's alright. I'll go see Master Zhang."

Once outside, the warmth and tranquility of spring will allow us to formally welcome guests.

"My home is cramped and I am a woman, so please forgive any shortcomings in my hospitality, Master Zhang."

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter."

Master Zhang glanced at the dilapidated house and expressed his understanding.

"Master Zhang looks much better than when we last met. It seems he has been taking good care of himself."

"It's all thanks to your miraculous healing skills, Miss Xiao." Upon seeing Chun Nuan, Master Zhang naturally expressed his gratitude profusely: "I feel much better, so I came here specifically to ask Miss Xiao to prescribe two more doses of medicine to help me recover."

"it is good."

Chunnuan took Master Zhang's pulse, inquired about his recent diet, and after some consideration, asked Master Zhang to wait a moment.

Back inside, Chunnuan used the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone she had just bought yesterday to write out the prescription, dried it, and took it out.

"Master Zhang, please get two doses of this medicine first. After taking them, you will not need to take any more medicine."

"So, after taking these two doses of medicine, my illness will be completely cured?"

Mr. Zhang's eyes lit up with excitement.

"No." Chun Nuan's calm tone was like a bucket of ice water, which chilled Mr. Zhang to the bone: "This disease is basically incurable. We can only say that we should pay attention to our daily lives and stay away from allergens."

"Does this mean I'll still need this kind of gear when I go out?"

Why does he look so unpresentable?
Mr. Zhang felt that his life was really boring.

They can't eat or drink freely, and they can't move around freely; their activity range is still pitifully small.

"It cannot be cured, but with reasonable treatment and preventive measures, the allergy symptoms can be effectively controlled, and Mr. Zhang's living environment can still be expanded a bit."

Mr. Zhang nodded. "Yes, we can't ask for too much."

Compared to before, when he would be out of breath, coughing, and sneezing after just a few steps, he is indeed much better now.

At least now he dares to go out.

"Master Zhang should stay home as much as possible during spring and autumn."

"Understood, I will only go out in winter and summer."

Spring warmth gave a slight smile, which could be considered an acknowledgment.

When Master Zhang paid the consultation fee, Chunnuan, as usual, only took one tael of silver.

Moreover, this time they came to my door, without asking me to make a house call, so a consultation fee of one or two taels of silver is appropriate.

"Miss Xiao, you and your family live here?"

Master Zhang looked at the three dilapidated huts.

"A temporary place to stay".

Xiao Chunnuan believed that as long as they worked hard, things would definitely get better and better in the future, and this place would not be their home forever.

"I have a small courtyard house in town with six rooms. It's not spacious, but it's quite elegant. Why don't you and your family move in?"

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Zhang."

As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding," and Master Zhang's generosity made Chunnuan feel overwhelmed: "Chunnuan and her family are quite happy living here; the neighbors are all very welcoming."

Does this mean they don't want to move?
“Miss Xiao, there’s no need to worry. That courtyard is empty anyway. It’s more spacious and safer for you to move there.”

Something safer?
These words made Chunnuan's heart flutter.

(End of this chapter)