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

Chapter 61 How Did She Become My Cousin?
In Shu, Chunnuan was also trying to find out about her elder sister's situation in the capital.

She specially prepared several kinds of pastries to find Zhao Minghua, and asked Qingsheng to take her to Liufangyuan Teahouse.

"Look, look, my Six Directions Tea House is no worse than the Yuanlai Tea House across the street."

The scene is much better than the other side, clean and tidy, but the business is not as good as the other side. Can you believe it?
They used to be evenly matched, but Xiao Chunnuan's meddling made him feel unbalanced.

"Don't try to fool me. Tell me quickly, what recipe did you give me? Can I make my business even better than Yuanlai Teahouse?"

"The secret to a successful business is all in this bamboo basket."

What?
The bamboo basket was covered with a few taro leaves, and he still thought it contained local specialties.

He reached out to grab it.

"Don't move." Chunnuan couldn't help but slap his hand: "These are exquisite pastries, not made of iron. They can't withstand your rough handling."

If you exert too much force, it will turn into tofu dregs.

Zhao Minghua withdrew his hand.

"Then you come, you come."

He wanted to see what was so special about this vegetable basket that could make his business successful.

I have serious doubts!

When the taro leaves were lifted and the pastries in the bamboo basket were still placed on the taro leaves, Zhao Minghua felt it was a complete waste.

"You should at least use a decent plate to put it on."

No, you're supposed to be from the capital, how can you be so unrefined?
Won't the taro leaves absorb the smell if you put them on a liner?
"I need a decent plate too!" Chunnuan thought, "It's like the well-fed don't know the hunger of the starving." "Try it while it's fresh."

It's not that you can't try pastries, but the problem is, people come to a teahouse to drink tea, so what's the point of serving them a few pastries?
Besides, not many grown men like to eat sweets, right?

“What if I told you that these pastries have different effects?” Chunnuan pointed to the three pastries in front of her: “These are three of the Eight Treasures Cakes. They have the effects of strengthening the spleen and stomach, removing dampness and detoxifying, and promoting the elimination of turbidity. These three pastries are very famous in the capital. It is no exaggeration to say that they can rival the royal cuisine of the imperial court.”

Wait a minute, Zhao Minghua immediately grasped the key point: royal cuisine, imperial court products, this... is this something that can appear in Shu?
No, no, no, there is something amazing that can appear and absolutely make his business boom instantly.

"Not only can we serve tea here, but we can also take some home to our families as a token of our affection," Chunnuan said. "Young Master Zhao, what do you think of this idea?"

"Don't panic, let me try it first."

You can't say something is better than it sounds; you'll have to try it to find out.

The pastry wasn't as sweet as I expected, and most importantly, it had a great texture.

"It's been more than an hour since I made it. It would taste best if it were made on the spot."

"Then let's buy the yard next door and make it fresh to sell."

"That works, but I'll only provide the formula and technology."

She couldn't afford a single penny.

“Yes, yes, let’s do it as we discussed before, and double the bonus given by Master Zhang.”

Although it hurt a little to spend the money, her ideas and the pastries she made were really worth it!
With the business deal concluded, Chunnuan wanted to discuss personal matters.

"Is your merchant friend who runs the Beijing route still in the county town?"

Chunnuan traveled so far today just to meet the people in this caravan and ask about the situation in the capital.

You mean Master Zhou?

Master Zhou was the captain of the Changzhou caravan, and he traveled to the capital three or four times a year.

"Would it be convenient for me to pay a visit?" "Um..." Zhao Minghua glanced at Xiao Chunnuan: "It doesn't seem very convenient."

Strictly speaking, this Master Zhou was his distant cousin. In Changzhou, besides being the head of the caravan, he was also known for his lust for beautiful women.

He had many wives and concubines at home, and what he brought back most from his travels was not wealth, but women.

For a girl like Xiao Chunnuan to go to her, how is that any different from a wolf entering a tiger's den?
Yes, nowadays, anyone in the Xiao family could easily bully them. Someone like Master Zhou could easily deal with her; he has plenty of methods, it's a piece of cake.

Zhao Minghua would never dare to do such a thing.

If he acts without thinking and leads people away without considering the consequences, it's like throwing good money after bad—they'll never come back.

Who is Xiao Chunnuan?
She is now not only a daughter of the Xiao family, but also Zhao Minghua's benefactor. Even her grandfather treats her differently.

If anything really happens, Grandpa will break his legs!
"Is it inconvenient?"

When asking for a favor, one should have the proper attitude. Without even asking the reason for the inconvenience, Xiao Chunnuan's disappointment was instantly written on her face.

“But it’s alright. If you need to send a letter or even supplies to the capital, as long as it’s not a large package, I can find someone to help you carry it.” Zhao Minghua was a little reluctant: “Really, I have a brother in the caravan who I get along with very well, and he’s a reliable person.”

"Really? He went to the capital with you last time?"

"The letters he helped deliver were the ones he went to."

"That's good. I'd like to meet you, my brother."

With spring in full bloom, I no longer worry about whether I'll be able to see that Master Zhou.

Zhao Minghua asked Qingsheng to go find Tang Liu.

"Third Young Master, what is this?"

How did this man end up in front of such a beautiful girl?

Want to go on a blind date?
He didn't even have time to change into a clean set of clothes.

"Tang Liu, this is my cousin. She wants to hear stories from the capital."

cousin?

Not only was Tang Liu surprised, but Xiao Chunnuan was also stunned. When did she become his cousin?

But thinking about it, this way of introducing it is quite good; it will save a lot of trouble.

"Young lady, what news from the capital would you like to hear? I, Tang Liu, guarantee to tell you everything I know."

Hehe, he's best at storytelling.

"I heard that an imperial edict has been posted in the capital to seek medical treatment for the eldest prince?"

"Yes, yes, yes, it's posted right at the city gate, but unfortunately we haven't found a good doctor in all these months." Tang Liu said, "Actually, it's not that we didn't take the notice, it's just that serving the emperor is like walking on thin ice, one wrong step and you'll lose your head. Even if you're alive to earn the reward money, you have to be alive to spend it."

"I've heard that the Crown Prince's illness was previously treated by Physician Xiao of the Imperial Hospital. The Crown Prince was fourteen years old, and Physician Xiao cared for him for fourteen years. Then, Physician Xiao suddenly passed away..."

Tang Liu made a beheading gesture.

"What nonsense are you spouting, kid? Aren't you afraid of scaring my cousin?"

Zhao Minghua thought to himself that the person in question was right in front of him, so he quickly tried to stop him from saying anything unpleasant.

"I'm not making this up. Let me tell you, that Physician Xiao's ancestral home is in our Shu region. I heard from Master Zhou that he's from the Xiao clan, a prominent family. I also heard..." Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. Everyone had heard about the Xiao family being expelled from the Xiao clan. Tang Liu became more and more excited as he talked: "This time, the Xiao clan is really shameless. If it weren't for the support of two Physicians Xiao, the Xiao family would still be tenant farmers. How could they have developed into such a prominent family? When they're powerful, they're eager to be relatives; but when they're down on their luck, they even bully women and children."

"Alright, alright, I asked you to talk about things in the capital, not Changzhou."

Zhao Minghua shoved a piece of pastry into his mouth. Surely that would shut him up this time?
(End of this chapter)