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

Chapter 81 Two Letters Home in One Day

"Young lady, someone is looking for you outside."

The wet nurse, Wu, knocked on the door of the pharmacy: "It seems to be people from the Zhou family's trading company over at the dock."

"Okay, coming right away."

Upon hearing that it was someone from the Zhou family business, Chun Nuan immediately put down what she was doing and strode out.

"Hello, you are?"

The person who came was not a manager or employee she had dealt with before, but a boy of twelve or thirteen years old.

"Hello, are you Ms. Xiao Chunnuan?"

"Exactly."

"That's right, this is a letter that Brother Tang asked me to give to you."

Tang Liu, the guy who went to the capital.

"What about Brother Tang Liu?"

"Sixth Brother Tang is escorting the goods; they won't arrive for another half month."

"Thank you very much."

Chunnuan instinctively wanted to give a tip, but then remembered that the Xiao family was also poor. They were poor, but since the Xiao family had gone to the trouble of delivering a letter to her, she still gave them a few coins.

"Thank you for your hard work. Here, have some tea."

"Thank you, Miss Xiao."

The boy was overjoyed; he never expected to receive an unexpected reward for delivering a letter.

"I will bring you another letter next time I receive one."

"it is good."

Watching the boy run off happily, Chunnuan was also pleased. Yes, who wouldn't want an unexpected surprise?

A few coins aren't that important to my family now. It's worth it to win his favor and make him run faster next time.

Chunnuan knew that this was a letter written by her eldest sister.

After entering the study, Chunnuan opened the letter to read it.

Sure enough, in the letter, Chunyu said as always that they were doing well, that Panpan was learning to speak, that her little face was round and rosy like an apple, and that her big eyes were as bright as grapes...

As expected of the eldest granddaughter in the family, her calligraphy, filled with tenderness, perfectly expressed her love for her youngest daughter.

Chunyu also wrote about Qiuyan's troubles, how she could never find a suitable match with the men that Madam Qiu asked her to marry.

Changing the subject, she asked Chunnuan what her plans were: whether she would wait until the mourning period was over to get engaged in Sichuan or prepare to marry far away to the capital.

If she's to marry into the capital, then as the eldest sister, she needs to be careful and make sure to choose an excellent man for her.

Chunnuan felt a pang of sadness watching her elder sister worry about this and that. Look at her, she never mentioned the hardships and injuries she had suffered, and she always brought hope to her family.

Yes, my eldest sister also wrote a letter asking the merchant to help bring back some New Year's gifts.

The distribution of each New Year's gift is clearly written out.

I felt helpless when I saw that my eldest sister was also giving New Year's gifts to the clan to express her filial piety.

Fortunately, she delivered the letter to herself first; otherwise, she would have suffered a great loss if it had been delivered directly to the Xiao family.

Therefore, she had to carefully manage the distribution of this New Year's gift, ensuring that not even a small thing like the gauntlet would slip into the hands of the Xiao family; they were not worthy!

Half a month later, Tang Liu returned, bringing Chun Nuan a whole carriageload of New Year's gifts.

"so much?"

"Yes, your eldest daughter is really capable and considerate. She specially selected so many gifts for you all, including food, clothing, and other necessities." Tang Liu was also very tired. "I used a whole carriage to carry them all. Your family has the most goods on this trip. Most importantly, Seventh Master said that your family can bring anything we need in the future without having to report to him. Miss Xiao, how did you manage to do that?"

It's amazing that Master Zhou was willing to help Miss Xiao without making things difficult for her. This is definitely not in Master Zhou's nature. He said that his purpose in opening a business is to make money, not to do charity, so why wouldn't he charge a fee?

However, Xiao Chunnuan's family was an exception.

"Because I have a kind heart."

He cured his beloved Miss Liu of her "affectation" syndrome!

Tang Liu loves gossip, and this habit of hers is unchangeable. So, seeing that no one was around, she whispered to Chun Nuan, "Miss Xiao, you don't know yet, do you? Aunt Li, who offended you last time, has been neglected by Seventh Master and is no longer favored at all."

This... it really wasn't her doing.

"Also, Seventh Master used to love coming to Willow Fragrance Garden in your town, but he hasn't come even once in the last two weeks. Why do you think that is?"

"do not know."

Chunnuan smiled inwardly. Zhou Qiye wasn't stupid; he'd seen what he needed to see and heard what he needed to hear. How could a grown man be controlled by a woman? If she pampered you, you were the apple of her eye; if she didn't, you were just a blade of grass.

Men like Master Zhou are never short of women, so it's really not easy to get on his good side.

You have to know your limits. Pretending to be sick all the time makes him desperate and desperate for treatment, and he even threatens someone like you who has no information about you.

For Chunnuan, this was both a challenge and an opportunity. In order to gain the favor of Master Zhou, she directly exposed the Liu family's secrets.

She felt a little guilty at the time, but the woman never gave her a kind look. If only Liu had been a little more polite to her, she would have been much more tactful.

So don't offend her; she's not the type to swallow her anger.

"Sixth Brother Tang, you've got some nerve, you even dare to gossip about Seventh Master."

He had no idea that the turning point in their lives was related to Chunnuan, so he felt a little embarrassed.

"Is there any gossip in the capital?"

Comparatively speaking, Chunnuan was more interested in news from the capital.

"There are so many in the capital," I wonder which one Chunnuan wants to hear.

"I heard that an imperial edict was posted to find a miracle doctor for the eldest prince. Has anyone answered the call?"

"No, to be honest, even Physician Xiao, who can cure the Crown Prince's illness, has been..." Cough, Tang Liu remembered that Physician Xiao was her grandfather: "Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. No one dares to take the list. They may have the ability to make money, but they may not have the ability to spend it."

Who would be so kind as to value money over their life?

Having witnessed the fate of Physician Xiao, who would dare to step forward and offer their head as a sacrifice?

"In September, Consort Wei gave birth to a princess," Tang Liu continued. "Next year, the palace will hold a selection of consorts."

Hehe, go ahead and choose. No matter how many concubines he takes in, it's a blessing if he can give birth to another princess.

Others may not know, but Chunnuan had read the medical records written by her grandfather. She understood without him explaining: the patient was suffering from asthenospermia. From her marriage at the age of sixteen until now, the fact that she had one prince and four princesses was all thanks to the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital.

That's one of the good things about being an emperor—what precious medicinal herbs couldn't you get?

Various medications protected him as he had worked hard for 21 years since ascending the throne to have five children—no, now there's a princess too—which is quite a blessing.

Of course, the emperor didn't think he had any problems; instead, he thought that the three thousand women in his harem were incapable of bearing a son.

If nothing unexpected happens, the eldest prince will be his only son as he grows older.

A talent show?

Choosing more options won't help!

After Tang Liu left, Chun Nuan took the New Year's gifts that her elder sister had sent back with her.

"Grandmother, Aunt, this is a New Year's gift from my eldest sister." There were many kinds of New Year's gifts, but the most common were fabrics.

These are all newly emerging fabrics in the capital.

"Good, good, we're relieved that Chunyu is doing well in the Wu family."

The reason why they believed she was doing well in the Wu family was because the New Year's gifts were definitely sent from the public treasury, and the fabrics sent were all of good quality, which showed that the Wu family was very satisfied with this daughter-in-law, and that they still valued her after the Xiao family returned to Shu.

"Grandmother, this is a letter from my eldest sister."

Chunnuan had examined it and could not find any flaws, so she dared to boldly present it to the old ladies for them to see.

Chunyu's letter was passed around in her family, and they were all happy for her.

Chunnuan also looked happy, but she felt very sorry for her elder sister.

Yes, my elder sister was ruthlessly divorced by the Wu family that day, and all her dowry was taken from them and confiscated. She also received rewards from the Empress Dowager and the Empress, so she should still have some money. Now that she is no longer tied down by her husband's family, she can run her own business.

When I visited a rouge shop during the spring, I thought about making rouge and face powder.

Now, this prescription can be used by my eldest sister.

He immediately returned to his room, wrote down the prescription, and then wrote a letter home, which Tang Liu would deliver to his elder sister half a month later.

As he was writing, Aunt Wu came running over to call him again, saying that someone else was looking for him.

This time, it was a letter from the northern desert.

Looking at the familiar handwriting, Chunnuan burst into tears.

The Xiao family has a common habit: they only report good news and not bad news.

Chunquan's letter detailed their situation there. It was tough, but everyone was doing well. They had learned to start a fire and cook, and were gradually getting used to physical labor.

My brother said that everyone should work hard together, everyone should take good care of themselves, and we look forward to the day when the whole family can be reunited.

Wiping away her tears, Chunnuan delivered the letter to her grandmother.

"Grandmother, today is truly a day of double happiness. We received a New Year's gift from my elder sister in the capital, and we also received a letter from home in the northern desert."

"I'll see, I'll see."

The old lady was also moved and wiped away her tears.

"Grandmother, shall I read you a letter from home?"

Upon seeing this, Chun Ning quickly said...

"Alright, let Ning-ge read this family letter. Everyone, come and hear how they are doing."

The whole family gathered around, and Chun Ning unfolded the letter and began to read it.

There was joy and laughter in the letter. Chun'an knew that the whole family should read it together. There was no bitterness on the whole page; it was all humor. The whole family couldn't help but laugh when they heard it, but their laughter was tinged with tears.

"Okay, okay, we all need to be okay and wait for the day we can be reunited."

The old woman wiped away her tears and said, "It's good to hear news about them. The northern desert is so far away, and they've never suffered before. It's good that they can make it through."

Zhu Lingling looked at the letter from home and felt somewhat disappointed.

She had hoped to receive a separate letter from her husband, but now…

Seeing Wu Ma holding the child and playing with him, she forced back her tears and turned to play with the child herself.

"Eldest sister-in-law..."

Suddenly, Chunnuan appeared in front of her: "Elder sister-in-law, don't be sad or upset. Your elder brother didn't write to you because he forgot about you, but because circumstances didn't allow it."

Zhu Lingling looked at Chunnuan with a puzzled expression.

"This letter was written by my older brother Chunquan, who borrowed pen, ink, paper, and inkstone from the foreman at the labor field. When he wrote it, my uncle, my father, and my eldest brother were all still working under the supervision of the foreman..."

"How did you know?"

“My brother and I communicate using coded language; I figured it out.”

"..." Zhu Lingling blushed; she shouldn't have misunderstood her husband.

My husband is so good, how could he possibly forget me and our child?

“We brought them winter clothes and some silver; next time we’ll surely get a separate letter.”

Most importantly, Chunnuan told her brother that she had brought some pills and what their uses were. If he used them properly, they could change the situation to a great extent.

In the northern desert, the cold wind howls and heavy snow falls.

"Cough cough cough..."

The sudden heavy snowfall left many people frostbitten, including the Xiao family, who all suffered from severe coughing.

Xiao Changhe was the first to fall ill, coughing until his face turned red and he developed a high fever.

"Brother, why don't we go see a doctor?"

The young people are all toughing it out, but the older brother can't; after all, he's getting on in years.

“No need to spend money, it’s just a cold, it will be fine in a few days,” Xiao Changhe said. “Seeing a doctor here is very expensive, a single dose of medicine costs two taels of silver, which is beyond our means.”

"Nuannuan brought us some money..."

"Oh right, Nuan Nuan." Chun Quan remembered: "Nuan Nuan brought the pills. I almost forgot about it. Wait here, I'll go get them right away."

Chunquan checked the coded messages on the letter one by one, and found the medicine for catching a cold and coughing. The pills were packed in several dry bamboo tubes.

"Uncle, come quickly, have one."

"it is good."

The Xiao family all knew that Chunnuan had been tinkering with these pills since she was little, and she had used Chunning as a guinea pig many times. She would coax her by saying that the pills were sweet, and after eating them, all sorts of minor problems would occur. Then she would be given the antidote. In the end, Chunning no longer trusted her older sister's pills and kept her distance.

As Chunquan held the pills, he thought of that scene and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Chunquan, what are you laughing at?"

"I laugh at Nuannuan for making pills back then."

"Are you chasing after Chun Ning to eat?"

"Yes, she was very naughty back then, and insisted on trying the pills she made. Grandmother had a problem with Nuannuan, and once even said she would ask for family discipline."

Chunnuan is a girl, and Chunning is a boy. In the old lady's heart, her grandson is naturally more precious. Besides, even if you want to do experiments, you can't use Chunning as a test subject, so this made the old lady very angry.

“Nuan Nuan has been well-behaved since she was nine years old.”

She stopped chasing after Chun Ning to feed her pills and stopped going out and causing trouble everywhere. She just stayed in her grandfather's pharmacy all day, doing whatever she wanted. But her grandfather had always loved this granddaughter the most.

He had a large family of sons and grandsons, but none of them were as talented as Chunnuan. Moreover, she loved to tinker, so her grandfather treated her as his successor and taught her accordingly.

After taking the pill, Xiao Changhe calmed down for a while and stopped coughing: "This pill is made with warm medicine, so everyone should take one. It can treat illnesses if you're sick, and it can also prevent illnesses if you're not. This recent cold came about strangely, and even the field was given a holiday. None of the supervisors are doing well."

"Yes, the manager on the field has been coughing for seven days. He said he felt like his lungs were going to come out. He's seen a doctor and taken medicine, but nothing has worked."

“Ever since Manager Ma came last time, the foreman has been very lenient with our family.” Xiao Changhe recalled, “Even the supervisor isn’t as fierce anymore.”

"Manager Ma treats him like a brother and has told him to take good care of us," Chunquan said. "How about I give him a pill?"

(End of this chapter)