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

In the capital, Zhao Minglang personally oversaw the planting of flowers and plants and the arrangement of objects in his mansion.

The yard was full of lush herbs, or flowers that could be used in medicine.

Zhao Minghua was squatting between the rows of mugwort, while Qingsheng was leaning against the bamboo fence, holding a pottery jar.

"Young Master, when I visited the Second Young Master's residence, I saw peonies, roses, and peonies planted in the courtyard. They were incredibly beautiful when they bloomed. But you, on the other hand, have planted only wormwood and mint. Can you even call that flowers?"

Qingsheng poked at a perilla leaf with his fingertip; the young master's hobbies were becoming increasingly unique.

"Smell these perilla leaves; when crushed, they have a spicy aroma that's more refreshing than those delicate flowers."

Zhao Minghua looked up and sneered: "You brat, don't be attracted by superficial appearances. Some things are just all show and no substance. I only like things that are practical and I never judge things by their appearance."

"Honeysuckle is planted on the east side, and wild chrysanthemums on the west. Once harvested in the autumn, they'll be perfect for making new medicinal pills or perfumes in the spring."

Zhao Minghua traced the dirt on the bluestone with his fingertip and pointed to the patch of herbs.

"Pills? Perfume?" Qingsheng suddenly realized that his young master had spent months going to great lengths to please his young mistress.

Tsk, the young master has really changed a lot since he met the young mistress.

"Young master, are these red vines kudzu? I remember you went up the mountain with the young mistress to dig them a couple of years ago."

Qingsheng frowned and leaned closer to examine the seeds: "Young Master, how did you get these seeds?"

It's true, everyone else grows beautiful and expensive plants.

The plants grown by our young master are indeed all sorts of strange and wonderful things.

He can even get his hands on and plant many species that are not from the capital.

And they treat it like a treasure.

I used to think it was just because of her unique appearance, but now I know it was prepared for the young mistress.

He... really spoils his wife.

Indeed, anyone who marries a beautiful young lady like her would surely pamper her.

Sigh, my own wife is just as good!
Thinking this way made me feel much more at ease celebrating my birthday.

"The master wrote that he set off at the beginning of March, which means he should have been traveling for seven or eight days. Where should he be now?"

"We haven't even left Shu Prefecture yet." Zhao Minghua was very familiar with this road. "Putting everything else aside, I'm just worried that the boy won't be able to withstand the bumpy ride."

In March, the dust on the official road was crushed into ash by the ruts of carts, and when the spring breeze blew, the landscape was filled with yellow sand.

Even though the carriage was the best they could get, the road was still very bumpy. To make matters worse, because one of the carriages had broken down, they were delayed and would have to spend the night outdoors.

"What are we going to do in this desolate wilderness?"

Zhou clutched a silk handkerchief and wiped away her tears.

The greatest hardship she had ever endured in her life was the journey to the capital.

After seven days of riding in a carriage, my whole body felt like it was about to fall apart.

If she had known the journey to the capital would be so arduous, she wouldn't have gone.

Sigh, we can't avoid going to the capital; the third son is there, and the second son is getting married.

The brat finally realized he was in a hurry, sending letter after letter urging her to go to the capital as soon as possible.

Therefore, there is no easy task for mothers.

As long as her children need her, a mother will do whatever it takes, no matter how hard or tiring it is.

"Why are you crying? What's the use of crying? Didn't the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) say that there's an inn twenty li away from the next town?"

Master Zhao said, "Hang in there, we can rest once we get to the inn."

"Master, I can't go on. I need to lie down for the whole day tomorrow." Madam Zhou said, "If we keep traveling like this, I'll collapse before we even reach the capital."

"Okay, okay, you say you'll take a break, so you'll take a break."

The group arrived at the small inn in town at midnight.

How many guests are there?

The innkeeper's eyes lit up when he saw the group of people entering: Big business!

“There are twenty-four people in total.” “Oh, this…” The shopkeeper was taken aback: “Unfortunately, we don’t have that many rooms left. Our shop is small, with a total of twelve rooms, and we only have six left.”

"Okay, six rooms it is."

Master Zhao and his wife each had one room, Chunnuan and her son each had one room, and the rest were divided among the servants and bodyguards.

Spring warmth brings a joyful kind of exhaustion.

Sometimes I feel that time really waits for no one.

Back when her family moved back to Changzhou, she, at the age of fifteen, not only had no time to rest, but also had to take care of the whole family, becoming the pillar of the family.

Eight years later, it was the same road, but the direction of travel was different.

Her family members became her husband's family, and she also gained her own son.

Eight years ago, the difference was that she felt a little tired.

It seems my body hasn't fully recovered after giving birth; I'll need to take good care of myself after returning to Beijing.

She received a letter from her aunt, informing her that the Xiao family no longer needed her support, and the Zhao family was thriving, so she no longer had to bear any burdens on her shoulders.

This feeling is truly different.

"Young mistress, let me take care of the boy and put him to sleep."

The wet nurse came in and said to Chunnuan.

"No need, you've worked hard too. Let the boy sleep with me tonight."

The little one is sleeping soundly.

Wait, something's not right.

Chunnuan looked at his flushed little face, reached out and touched it, then frowned.

"Young mistress, young master..."

"It's nothing, just a bit of a cold." Chunnuan asked Baizhi to fetch some medicine.

"Young mistress, isn't this pill a bit too big for the young master? What if he can't swallow it?"

"It's okay, he can't eat that much. We can just divide it in half."

However, it took some effort to feed the little guy the pills.

She cried so bitterly that it almost alerted everyone in the inn.

The other customers were getting upset and loudly asked the shopkeeper what was going on.
"What's wrong? What's going on?" One hot-tempered person yelled, "Don't you want anyone to sleep? What's with all this wailing in the middle of the night?"

"How can this person talk like that?" Zhou was indignant. "The child is young, why can't he be more understanding?"

"Stop making a fuss. When you're out and about, it's best to be peaceful and not cause any trouble."

Master Zhao stopped Madam Zhou, saying, "I'll handle this."

"Gentlemen, I'm sorry. My grandson is a little unwell and crying, which has disturbed your sleep. I apologize. Tonight's accommodation will be on me as an apology."

"Oh, you must be Master Zhao. Is your young master alright?"

"I have a bit of a cold and I'm a little spoiled, so please forgive me for causing any trouble."

"Please understand, it's alright. Everyone has kids, and we all grew up as children, didn't we?"

Zhou rolled her eyes: That's not what you said just now.

However, she did admire the man's attitude towards things.

He's right: When you're out and about, it's better to avoid trouble and take a step back to see the bigger picture.

After the commotion subsided, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou inquired about their grandson's condition.

“Father, Mother, don’t worry, my son will be fine after taking the medicine and sleeping.” Chunnuan said, “You two are tired today, so please get some rest.”

"Alright, alright, you should get some rest too."

I always say, having a daughter-in-law who understands pharmacology is so reassuring! (End of Chapter)