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

Chapter 80 Mutual Concealment
"Xiao Changqing, is your name Xiao Changqing?"

Outside the door, a man was surprised to see a man sitting at the door threading a needle, but then he came to his senses: it was understandable that an exiled person would do anything, let alone thread a needle.

They did everything they could to survive.

"Yes, my name is Xiao Changqing, but I don't know which Xiao Changqing you are looking for?"

"You're Xiao Changqing, the family member of Physician Xiao in the capital?"

"It's me." Xiao Changqing answered decisively. He didn't care who the person was or what they meant. The main thing was that his father's name was mentioned. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he had to stand up and defend him.

We must not let people underestimate the Xiao family.

"Xiao Changqing, you have a letter from home."

This caused quite a stir among the Xiao family members.

"The letter came from Sichuan?"

Xiao Changqing's hands trembled as he took the letter from home. "Thank you, brother. Please come inside and have some water..."

What else is there about hospitality? Xiao Changqing felt he had forgotten.

"No need. We're from a trading company. Your family even sent you some winter clothes. We're glad we found you. We'll deliver them to your door tomorrow."

"Thank you so much."

It seems that my mother and the others received care from their clansmen after returning to Shu. Although life was hard, it was not unbearable. Otherwise, how could they have the means to send winter clothes to themselves and their family?

"You're welcome. I'll come and deliver the clothes to you at this time tomorrow."

"Ok."

As soon as the others left, Xiao Changqing, his heart pounding and his hands trembling, tore open the letter from home.

"Good, good, really good."

Xiao Changqing watched the film while tears streamed down his face.

"The Xiao family has a new addition; Madam Zhu gave birth to a boy, named Muyang."

This news is the most exciting.

"Everything is fine at home; my family made us winter clothes."

After reading the letter, I didn't see any mention of money. Could it be that the person who delivered it didn't tell me and pocketed it?

After all, if someone is sending a gift or a message, there's no reason not to send some money in return.

You see, the thing this place lacks most is money.

"Uncle, let me see the letter."

Xiao Chunquan took the letter from his uncle and was very happy after reading it: Sure enough, his sister Chunnuan had written a coded message, which he had already figured out. There was a winter coat, and there was a piece of silver in the corner of the winter coat. In addition, there was a bamboo tube wrapped in the winter coat, and there were several kinds of pills in the bamboo tube.

Pills are the only thing that can save lives!
Last time Dad was sick, he almost passed away.

The doctors here are not only incompetent, but they also charge exorbitant fees. Exiles don't have that much wealth, so getting sick is tantamount to waiting to die.

The medicines Nuannuan brought included those for colds, fevers, coughs, and stopping bleeding. They were common medicines, but also highly effective ones.

Chunquan knew his younger sister's abilities clearly: she was a descendant of the Xiao family, who had deeply inherited his grandfather's skills.

She once jokingly asked her grandfather if he would pass on all his skills to Nuannuan and then pass them down from generation to generation.

Chunquan read the letter over and over again, but couldn't find any details about Nuannuan's daily life in Shu. The letter also glossed over the matter of her elder sister in the capital: "Elder sister has given birth to a daughter. Mother and daughter are safe and sound. Don't worry."

After reading the letter about his family's situation, Chunquan felt uneasy.

The smaller the words, the bigger the matter, indicating that Nuannuan and her elder sister are not having a good time.

With this in mind, Chun'an decided to have a good talk with the caravan leader the next day.

The next day, Master Ma, who was in charge, drove a horse-drawn carriage and handed the winter clothes to Chunquan.

"We'll check the quantities one by one now, and then you'll sign for it. When you return to Sichuan, you'll need to take this receipt back with you so your family can see it."

"Sir, could you please take a letter home for us?" "Of course."

"Alright, please wait a moment, I'll ask my family what they need to write back home."

Chun Quan had only run a few steps when he remembered a serious problem: This was the northern desert, not the capital. There were no commonly used writing brushes, ink, paper, or inkstones here, not even enough to write a letter home.

"You can borrow the steward's writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

Manager Ma specifically reminded them.

"us……"

I've never asked anyone for anything or borrowed anything since I came here, mainly because I don't have money and I'm afraid of being rejected.

"Alright, I'll go borrow it for you."

"Why don't my husband and I go together and write a note at the steward's house saying we'll take it with us?"

"sure."

Chunquan hurriedly followed Manager Ma to the quarry's manager's office.

On the way, Chunquan tried every means to find out news about his family in Sichuan.

"Does Steward Ma know anything about my family's situation?"

"You mean your grandmother and the others from Sichuan?"

"Yes."

"It's alright. After all, if it were someone else's family, it would be difficult for the entire clan to survive after being exterminated. But your Xiao family is not bad. With a girl holding things together, life is manageable."

"Exterminated?" Chun Quan asked in shock, "May I ask, sir, are you saying that our Xiao family in the capital was exterminated by the Xiao family in Shu?"

"Yes, isn't it written in your family's books?"

"I didn't write it."

“Oh, that’s normal. After all, family letters are usually good news, not bad,” Steward Ma said. “I heard that your Xiao family rented a thatched hut from the Niu family, and the next day they burned down the kitchen; then they rented a field from Master Zhang, and the whole family learned to farm and still managed to harvest grain; I also heard that the women of the Xiao family are particularly good at embroidery, and those women all embroider dowries for others and earn money…”

Chun Quan... I don't want to hear these words!

However, these words were all very hurtful.

As they approached the door of the steward's office, Steward Ma called out to the people inside, "Brother, big brother, come here, I need to talk to you about something."

"Oh, it's Brother Ma. What brings you here?"

"He wants to write a letter home. Could you lend me your pen, ink, paper, and inkstone?" Steward Ma offered. "Don't worry, I'll pay for it."

"Why are you saying all this? Are you trying to be distant with me, brother?" the steward said. "The cured meat and sausages from your Sichuan region are quite good."

"I'll definitely bring some for my brother next time I come."

"Hehe, then I'll have to trouble you."

The two chatted idly, one after the other, while Chunquan picked up his pen to write a letter home.

Each stroke of the pen feels as heavy as a thousand pounds!
Thinking of the various difficulties his family had encountered in Sichuan, he subconsciously concealed the truth about the labor camp in this letter home.

After finishing writing, he took it out to dry the ink and put it in an envelope. He thought that there probably weren't many truthful words in the letters between his elder sister, Nuannuan, and himself.

Life was tough, but they still managed to get by.

This is the spirit of the Xiao family: when they are together, they are a blazing fire; when they are apart, they are stars scattered across the sky.

If even a group of women and children can farm, surely these grown men won't be beaten every day. They should work hard to manage the land and strive to return home and reunite with their families one day.

Over here, Chunnuan sneezed several times.

She didn't think it was an allergic reaction to the medication; it was more likely that someone was thinking of her.

Most likely, the winter clothes sent to the northern desert have arrived, and they are thinking of them.

(End of this chapter)