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

Chapter 77 Meeting Master Zhou
Someone knocked on the door of the courtyard under the banyan tree.

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

Chun'an opened the door and saw a strange, burly man. He quickly asked what was wrong.

"I'm looking for Xiao Chunnuan."

Chun'an... He looks quite fierce. Should I let her see him or not?

"Master Zhou wants to see her."

The person who came spoke in a cold voice, sounding more like a threat than an invitation.

"Please wait a moment." Chun'an slammed the door shut and ran quickly to find her older sister.

"Sister, sister, someone named Master Zhou wants to see you."

Chunnuan was processing medicinal herbs when she heard this, and her hand trembled, causing the herbs to fall to the ground.

I felt so sorry for her.

She had no choice but to leave it there for the time being, and she went to check what the situation was like outside.

"So you are Miss Xiao. Seventh Master wants to see you. Please."

The man who came was a middle-aged man with a dark and muscular face, which left her no room for resistance.

Chunnuan felt that if she disagreed, he would probably knock her unconscious with a slap and then take her away.

"Uncle, may I ask what business Master Zhou has with a young woman like me?"

Does Master Zhou want to see her?

It's probably nothing good.

Thinking about what Qingsheng and Zhao Minghua had said, Chunnuan felt increasingly uncertain.

"Miss Xiao, please."

"Wait a moment, let me change my clothes."

The immediate priority is to use delaying tactics: "Since the house is full of women and children, it is inconvenient to invite you in, please forgive us."

As soon as Chunnuan finished speaking, she slammed the courtyard gate shut with a loud "bang".

The middle-aged man... having worked for Master Qi for so many years, had never been turned away twice in a row in one day.

The Xiao family is indeed extraordinary.

At the Xiao family home, Chunnuan changed into her most ordinary clothes while thinking of an idea.

Finally, having exhausted all other options, he gathered some self-defense powder and applied it to his face.

No matter what, I need to save my life and clear my name first.

After changing her clothes, Chunnuan's face was flushed.

"Sister, why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?"

"A little, maybe he's sick."

It wasn't just a little bit; it was very uncomfortable. My face was about to be covered in red spots, all red and swollen, the kind that would scare someone to death.

If beauty is a mistake, then let's cover it up first.

"Sister, let's go see a doctor and have him prescribe some medicine for you."

Chun'an felt sorry for her older sister and quickly took her hand, saying, "Sister, I won't go out, I won't go anywhere."

"But there are people waiting for you outside, sister."

Of course, I don't want to go when it's warm in spring.

But Master Zhou's men were clearly not to be trifled with; they were determined to make her go, and there was no way she could escape.

"Chun'an, Brother Ning isn't home. Can you do me a favor?"

"Sister, you said that as long as you tell Chun'an, he can definitely do it."

"Alright, as soon as your sister leaves, you must quickly run to Baicaotang and ask to see Young Master Zhao. Tell him that I was taken away by Master Zhou's men." Chunnuan didn't dare say more, mainly because she was afraid of frightening her family: "Got it?"

"Remember, find Young Master Zhao and tell him that my sister was taken away by Master Zhou's men."

Yes, that makes sense, that's exactly what it says.

Chunnuan bets that Zhao Minghua will save her life because they are business partners and he will help her make money.

If she can stall long enough, she will have enough time to wait for Zhao Minghua to rescue her.

Spring warmth greets the doorway.

"Where is Master Zhou?"

"Just follow me."

"I won't leave unless you tell me."

"You..." Ah Zhuang was furious: "I'm at Willow Fragrance Garden, hurry up, don't keep me waiting, or you'll regret it!"

What kind of place is Liuxiangyuan?

Chunnuan had been trying to figure out how to convey the name "Liuxiangyuan" to Zhao Minghua.

"Just go when I tell you to, stop with all the nonsense."

Is Liuxiangyuan a place she could possibly know about?

The person living there is Miss Liu, whom Seventh Master truly values. Unfortunately, she is unlucky and often falls ill. She doesn't even dare to leave the courtyard. When Seventh Master misses her, he will come to town to see her.

It's frustrating that I can't get any information out of Chunnuan and can't spread the word about this place.

The only advantage was that we didn't ride in a carriage, but just walked with him.

It seems that Willow Fragrance Garden is very close to here.

He hoped to run into an acquaintance on the way there, and he was sure he would pass on the message.

Sure enough, Chunnuan felt she was lucky, and soon she saw Aunt Zuo, the village's landlady.

"Aunt Zuo, you're out shopping? What did you buy?"

"I didn't buy much, just a pound of salt." Aunt Zuo looked at Chunnuan, who came out alone, and asked, "Where are your younger siblings?"

"At home."

Where are you going again?

"I'm going to Liuxiangyuan."

When Chunnuan uttered those three words, she was afraid the burly man would beat her up.

Fortunately, the burly man acted as if he hadn't heard her and did nothing to stop her.

Not long after Chun Nuan walked over, Aunt Zuo saw Chun An.

"Chun'an, your sister went to Liuxiangyuan, are you going too?"

"Okay, Aunt Zuo, I'm going to catch up with my sister now, we'll talk later."

I'm so grateful to her for sending me the message that my older sister went to Liuxiangyuan.

Chun'an jogged all the way to Baicaotang.

"Help, help..." Chun'an gasped for breath, which frightened the old doctor Chen so much that he quickly pulled him over to sit on a stool, while still taking his pulse with one hand.

"You brat, you're just tired from running. You're perfectly healthy and won't die. Why are you yelling for help? You gave this old man quite a fright."

"Help! Save my sister's life! Find the Third Young Master..."

Chun'an had almost forgotten what her elder sister had said, she only remembered that she was looking for the Third Young Master.

What happened to your older sister?

Fusheng had heard Qingsheng mention that his third young master treated the Xiao family's daughter differently, even calling her "Grandma."

The person whom the Third Young Master values ​​so highly cannot be allowed to suffer any mishaps.

"Liuxiangyuan, Master Zhou took my sister to Liuxiangyuan."

It's worth it!

Master Zhou is a big shot in Changzhou, and those who know him know his hobbies.

"Fusheng, run faster and hurry up and tell the Third Young Master."

Doctor Chen also felt that this matter was of great importance. After all, it was Miss Xiao, a Miss Xiao who could process medicinal herbs and prescribe medicines, a Miss Xiao who was unique among women in the world.

"I'll go find the young master right away."

Fusheng ran back to the Zhao family home as fast as he could, shouting "Third Young Master!"

"What are you yelling for? You're getting more and more undignified."

Zhao Minghua came out: "Look at you, are you being chased by ghosts? Didn't I tell you all, you shouldn't show your emotions when things happen..."

"Third Young Master, Miss Xiao has been taken to Willow Fragrance Garden by Seventh Master Zhou's men! Quick, go save her!" "What?" Zhao Minghua wailed upon hearing this, "Why didn't you say so sooner? Oh my god, what I feared has happened. That Aunt Li is no good at all. Master will cripple her later..."

"Third Young Master, those are Master Zhou's men. You are now going to Master Zhou to bail them out."

Who says you can't show your emotions? Look, someone's getting carried away too.

"Alright, I'll go right now."

Willow Fragrance Garden was a courtyard in An'nan Town where Master Zhou kept his mistresses. I was really afraid that after I went there, Chunnuan would also be kept there.

When spring arrived at Liuxiangyuan, her face was red and swollen, and she could no longer see any trace of her former beauty.

"Miss Xiao, are you... alright?"

Ah Zhuang had been carefully observing her condition the whole way. Her face had turned into a round pancake. How did she do that?
"Something seems to be wrong. I feel like I must look incredibly ugly right now and I can't show my face in public. What am I going to do?"

Chunnuan said, "How about I go see a doctor first?"

"Seventh Master instructed that you must be invited over. You see..." Ah Zhuang thought for a moment, "Let's see a doctor after we've seen Seventh Master. There are doctors at Willow Fragrance Garden."

Spring warmth made her even more curious about the three characters "Liuxiangyuan".

She wondered if this might be one of Master Zhou's strongholds.
The courtyard of the Tibetan beauty?
The fact that there was a doctor in the courtyard shows that he was highly regarded by Master Zhou.

Chunnuan disregarded her appearance in an attempt to delay the inevitable, but in the end, she still couldn't see a doctor and was instead taken directly to a large courtyard at the entrance of town by the burly man.

Is this Liuxiang Garden?
The thought of meeting that Master Zhou Qi made me feel uneasy.

I wonder if Chun'an managed to invite Zhao Minghua.

And another thing, surely Master Zhou wouldn't be interested in my face anymore?
I hope you can let me off the hook.

Chunnuan followed Azhuang into Liuxiangyuan.

Well, inside and outside are completely different concepts.

Who would have thought that there would be pavilions and towers in a courtyard in this place, with all kinds of flowers inside? You know, being able to grow such flowers at this time of year is not something that a few people can do; it takes a lot of money to grow and enjoy flowers.

Therefore, the people who live here know how to enjoy life.

The people living here are under the supervision of Master Zhou.

With various thoughts in mind, Chunnuan was led into a hall.

"Wait here, I'll be right there."

Ah Zhuang left Chun Nuan there and went to report it.

"What did you say? Her face is red and swollen, she looks terrible?"

"Yes, sir, you..."

I feel sorry for him, I don't even know how he'll be able to eat this later.

Master Zhou, however, went out with great interest. He wanted to see just how extraordinary the Xiao family's granddaughter was, that even her own mother would plead for her.

"Seventh Master has arrived."

Someone was singing loudly outside the door, and my heart, warm with spring, skipped a beat.

However, she remained composed and stood up to give Master Zhou a bow.

"This humble woman, Chunnuan, greets Seventh Master. May I ask what business Seventh Master has with me?"

"Are you really Physician Xiao's granddaughter?"

"Exactly."

"I don't think so."

Spring is here... what do you think it resembles?
No, now, even your own mother wouldn't be able to tell, let alone you.

"As Physician Xiao's granddaughter, she should at least know about pharmacology. This isn't an illness; it's an allergy. You couldn't possibly not know that, could you?"

"Forgive my ignorance, but I truly do not know."

"Alright, alright, let's get to the point." Master Zhou thought to himself, "Like begets like. But there are exceptions. For example, this is Physician Xiao's granddaughter, not his grandson, so it's normal that she doesn't understand pharmacology."

"Please speak, Seventh Master. I am all ears."

On the surface, the warmth of spring seemed calm, but my heart was in my throat.

"Are you taking winter clothes with you to the northern desert?"

It turned out she was looking for me about this matter; talking about it cheered her up.

"Indeed, please do me a favor, Seventh Master."

“Okay, write down your father’s and the others’ names, and then bring the winter clothes you need to Liuxiang Garden.”

You agreed to that?
No other conditions attached?

Chunnuan didn't dare to thank him, afraid that if she thanked him too early, what if he said the condition was that he stay?
Is what I'm saying hard to understand?

Master Zhou was both annoyed and amused by the little girl whose face was swollen like a pig's head. Shouldn't he thank her at this moment?
What is she doing, daydreaming?

"No, it's not hard to understand. Seventh Master means that I should write down the names of Dongyi and my father, and Seventh Master will help send them over." Chunnuan pinched her palm hard and said calmly, "I wonder how much the reward is for Seventh Master, so that I can prepare."

"Need not."

What?
Is Chunnuan really not understanding right now?

"I……"

Just as Master Zhou was about to say something, the gatekeeper came to report that the third young master of the Zhao family was requesting an audience with Master Zhou.

Zhao Minghua is here!
Chun Nuan felt a surge of secret joy. This kid was indeed a bit unreliable usually, but now he seemed to have descended from the heavens like a god, and she had finally saved him.

"Zhao San, why did that kid come to see me?" Master Zhou frowned and said, "Even his own parents don't want to see him, yet they still want to see him. Tell him to crawl away and get as far away as possible."

"Yes, Seventh Master."

The servants hurriedly went to deliver the message.

Just as Chunnuan was about to say something, she heard Zhao Minghua screaming like a pig being slaughtered outside.

"Seventh Master Zhou, Seventh Master Zhou, please release Miss Xiao. Don't worry, I will find you one, no, no, I will find ten of the most beautiful maids to serve you well."

"This Zhao San is just like his mother, completely lacking in common sense!"

Hearing Zhao Minghua's shouts outside, Master Zhou wished he could gag him with a rag.

"Seventh Master Zhou, it seems there's some misunderstanding with Young Master Zhao. Why don't you let him in so you can explain things clearly in person?"

We can't let Zhao Minghua leave; if he leaves, we'll have no security at all.

"you……"

Master Zhou looked at Chun Nuan and suddenly laughed in anger.

"You were wary of me, so you had someone notify him to come?"

How embarrassing! He directly exposed my thoughts.

"What do you think I'm going to do to you?"

That's not just what I think, it's what everyone would think.

No, wait, does he mean he wouldn't do that to himself?
"You came to see me with a pig's head on your head, that's to be on the safe side."

Well, you were right again.

Well, Master Zhou is quite good at playing tricks on people, tearing off his own disguise to ridicule himself.

"You really are..."

Master Zhou was so angry he laughed.

"Go away, go far away, I have no desire to see you."

"Thank you for your help, Master Zhou. As for the reward, Chunnuan will give it to you."

"Do you have a hundred taels of gold?"

What?
Chunnuan was startled again. He could have easily stolen it, but he still used such a civilized method.

"Since there is no reward, don't mention it in front of me." Master Zhou said arrogantly, "If I want to do something, I will do it without a reward; if I don't want to do something, even a thousand taels of gold won't change my mind."

"Thank you, Master Zhou, for your warmth in spring."

This means not accepting money, but owing favors is really hard to repay.

Aside from not being able to repay his kindness with my body, what else can I do for him, since I still need to repay a favor?

"Master, Miss Liu has fallen ill again."

A servant came to report: "Master..."

Before he could finish speaking, Master Zhou had already darted away.

Spring is here... If you don't leave now, when will you?
She quickly slipped away.

(End of this chapter)