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

Chapter 43 Changing Perspectives

With a loud bang, a gust of wind blew by, and the window in front of Zhao Minghua was slammed shut.

"Young master, a strong wind is blowing, and it's going to rain heavily."

"I'm not blind."

In the sweltering summer, a heavy downpour is quite normal.

"It seems we'll have to stay in the county town tonight, young master. Shall we stay at the teahouse or go back to the old master's place?"

"Why should I go back to listen to their nagging?" Zhao Minghua glared at Qingsheng. "Can't I even have a moment of peace?"

"Alright, alright, I'll go make the bed right away. Also, young master, what would you like to eat tonight?"

"They eat whatever they're given. They're not here to feast on you; they're here to do their jobs."

"Yes."

Sigh, celebrating a birthday is so difficult. Why is my young master so short-tempered?
Being a servant isn't easy for him. Not only does he have to run around following the young master every day, but he also has to climb the stairs every day to see if Miss Xiao in the next courtyard has any dealings with Master Zhang.

It's true, ever since he met Miss Xiao, the Third Young Master has become a completely different person.

I used to only come to teahouses once a month, but now I often come here to sit and drink tea, staring blankly at the Yuanqi Teahouse across the street.

I thought he didn't care how much money he made, and just wanted to do something casually to pass the time.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't that they didn't care, but rather that they had no good ideas.

Looking at the bustling teahouse across the street, he was so envious that his mouth watered.

Sigh, envy, jealousy, and hatred are human nature.

A strong wind has picked up!

As soon as Chunnuan reached the edge of the bamboo forest, she was met with a strong gust of wind, and a bamboo stalk snapped and almost hit her.

"so close."

Chunnuan quickly ran a few steps, but then a strong wind blew by, making her feel unsteady on her feet.

"Coo coo coo..." Suddenly Chunnuan saw Aunt Luo moving through the bamboo forest, making sounds.

"Aunt Luo, what are you doing?"

"It's springtime, the wind is picking up, and it's going to rain heavily. My hen was let out this morning, and I just saw her at the door, but she's gone now. I wonder if she's gone into the bamboo grove."

"Auntie, the wind is so strong, it might break the bamboo and hurt you. Why don't you wait until the wind and rain stop before looking for it?" Chunnuan kindly reminded her, "I was almost hit by a bamboo just now, it's not safe here."

"The wind has stopped, the rain has stopped, and the chickens are nowhere to be found. Even if we find them, we can only eat chicken meat." Aunt Luo was very anxious: "I raise three chickens, and only this hen lays some eggs. The money for buying salt at home depends on it. I can't afford to lose it."

"Cuckoo..."

Aunt Luo insisted on going into the bamboo forest to look for chickens, and Chunnuan's attempts to stop her were futile, leaving her with nothing but a sigh.

"My older sister is back."

"Sister, Chunxin misses you so much."

"Your older sister misses you too."

The four-year-old girl was incredibly sweet-talking, clinging to Chunnuan and refusing to let go. Anyone who didn't know better would think they hadn't seen her in ages, but Chunnuan actually came here every day.

If I have a little spare money, I'll buy some necessities for the house, like rice and flour.

Today I went back to the village and bought a pound of meat. With the Yuanqi Teahouse making a profit, my family's life will gradually improve.

"Eat meat, ga-ga. Eat meat, ga-ga." Two-year-old Chunqiang's favorite thing to do is to rummage through the bamboo basket that his older sister brings back. Look, there's meat under the white cloth, making his mouth water.

"You little glutton." Chunnuan pinched his cheek. Hmm, not bad, he's gotten a bit chubby. "Have you been good? Have you been obedient? If you haven't been obedient, you won't get any chubby treats."

"Yes, sister, Chunqiang is very good. He's learning to write with Brother An. Look, sister, Chunqiang wrote his name."

He immediately picked up a twig and started writing in the sand at the entrance of the courtyard.

That's right. Chunnuan dug up some sand from the river and spread it at the entrance of the yard, then let her younger siblings write words on the sand with twigs.

After all, the Xiao family is not yet at the level of practicing calligraphy with pen, ink, paper and inkstone; saving money and increasing income have always been her way of managing the household.

The women in the Xiao family were all literate, so teaching the children to write and draw was no problem at all.

"Sister..."

Chunyan and Chunshu also ran over to look at her.

"Okay, take the meat and cut it up. Render some fat from the fat. I'll take some back to my elder sister-in-law when it's done." Chunnuan said, "Be careful when cutting the meat, don't cut your hand."

After arriving in Shu, the women of the Xiao family took care of everything themselves, big and small. Their hands were no longer fair and tender. Chunyan and Chunshu had several wounds on their hands, some from knife cuts, and some from thorns and seedlings. Fortunately, none of them were deep. After using the wound medicine prepared by Chunnuan, they slowly healed, leaving only some deep and shallow scars.

Chunnuan regretted not hiding more of the medicine bottles and jars from the pharmacy when her house was searched that day... Alas, she couldn't hide them even if she wanted to. Of the several bottles of medicine she had on her person, she only managed to keep the small ceramic bottle. Luckily, she was quick-witted and whispered to the soldier who was about to search her that she knew the purpose of the medicine bottles and begged him to keep this one, which was medicine specifically for her grandmother's heart disease. Only then did the soldier let go of the emergency medicine.

A woman's hands are like her second face. Daughters of wealthy families and minor officials in the capital are all pampered with fair and delicate skin. Leaving a scar would be a disaster.

When Chunyan and her friends first injured their hands, the elders in the family were extremely worried and concerned.

I'm not surprised anymore; I'm used to it.

People cannot teach people, but things can teach people in one go.

Over the years, the family has gradually gotten used to this rural life. They can do laundry, cook, chop firewood, and grow vegetables. Chun Ning no longer complains about using urine and feces to water the crops.

Chun'an and Chunqiang even learned the habit of holding their urine at home, just like the other children in the village, saying that they didn't want their good fortune to go to outsiders.

Every time Chunnuan hears them chattering away, pointing out each other's shortcomings or praising their progress, she feels both gratified and heartbroken.

Third Aunt Huang couldn't accept that her four young children had become vulgar. She tried her best to correct them, which strained the relationship between mother and children. In the end, the old lady spoke up: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. The first priority for the Xiao family is survival. As long as the rules and etiquette are in the right general direction, it's fine.

Yes, what's wrong with being a little rude?
To put it another way, can't we call it being genuine?

Children need to integrate into their playmates; being aloof isn't a good idea.

For example, Huang didn't like her son coming home covered in mud and sand, or with torn and tattered clothes. What could she do? She could only confine him to the home to write and recite poems.

However, the Xiao family no longer had the opportunity to enter officialdom, and they could not survive by simply studying and learning to read.

They need to interact more with the people and things around them, and learn how to survive.

Climbing trees to steal bird eggs, going down to the river to catch crabs, and digging for loaches and eels with the neighborhood boys... these are all perfectly normal daily activities. The elders of the Xiao family have all accepted the fact that boys should be raised to be a little rough around the edges!
(End of this chapter)