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

On this day, Chunyu, Chunnuan, Chunshu, and Chunyan, who had all gotten married, returned to their parents' home together.

Because on this day, Chunnuan was to accept a disciple from the Xiao family.

A table had been set up in the Xiao family's main hall early on, with an incense burner, candlesticks, and three thread-bound copies of the "Compendium of Materia Medica" on it.

Amidst the rising smoke, Chun Nuan, dressed in a dark blue long gown, sat upright in a grand chair, her gaze gentle as she looked at the three people standing below: Xiao Chun'an, unusually, had put away his usual playful demeanor, his back ramrod straight; Xiao Muyang, dressed in a plain cloth shirt, had his hands folded in front of him; Panpan, wearing a light green padded jacket, clutched a small medicine bag tightly in her hand, her eyes full of anticipation.

"The time has come; the apprenticeship ceremony shall begin!"

At the call of the Xiao family steward, Xiao Chun'an stepped forward first, picked up the teacup on the table, knelt down on both knees, raised the teacup above his head with both hands, and spoke respectfully.

"Master, please accept my bow! I am willing to devote myself to studying medicine, practicing medicine to help the world, and will never fail your teachings!"

After saying this, he respectfully kowtowed three times, his forehead lightly touching the blue bricks, his movements devout.

Chunnuan took the teacup, took a sip, placed the cup on the table, and reached out to help him up.

"Get up. From now on, you will be my disciple. You must not only learn medical skills well, but also uphold the benevolence of a healer."

Young Xiao Muyang also knelt down to offer tea, just like Xiao Chun'an, but his tone carried a touch of youthful naiveté.

“Master, although I, Xiao Muyang, am a bit playful at times, I am serious about studying medicine! I will definitely study medical books and identify herbs diligently in the future, and strive to be able to treat patients as soon as possible, so as not to disappoint you!”

Chunnuan looked at him, a smile appearing on her lips.

"You have a lively personality, which is good for dealing with people. In the future, in addition to studying medicine, you can also learn more about how to communicate with people. A doctor should not only treat the disease, but also heal the heart."

Chunnuan knew that Xiao Muyang was a young man with great ambitions and was the first to express his desire to study medicine.

Finally, it was Panpan's turn. The little girl was small, and only her head was showing as she knelt on the prayer mat. She held the teacup in both hands and looked up at the ground.

“Master, Panpan also wants to learn medicine well, to help people treat illnesses like her second aunt, and to remember the herbs that Grandpa taught in the dream, so as to cure more people’s illnesses.”

Chun Nuan took the teacup, her gaze falling on the small hand clutching the medicine packet. She said gently, "Good child, you have a talent for medicine. From now on, you will learn with your senior brothers and sisters. If you don't understand something, just ask. Your master will teach you well."

The three performed the apprenticeship ceremony again, and the onlookers were filled with joy at the sight.

“Nuan Nuan, our Xiao family is a family of doctors. Fortunately, you insisted on learning medicine from your grandfather back then, and carried forward the Xiao family’s medical skills.” Master Xiao was very ashamed: “Your father and third uncle and I are useless, so that the lineage has been broken with us.”

"Uncle, there's no need to blame yourself. This was also Grandfather's decision back then."

Sometimes Chunnuan couldn't understand why her grandfather wouldn't let his sons become doctors.

She only understood when her grandfather was executed: her grandfather did not forbid his sons from practicing medicine, but rather did not want them to enter the palace as imperial physicians.

Once they become doctors, the Xiao family has two generations of imperial physicians, and their eldest uncle will also enter the Imperial Medical Academy.

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. My grandfather had worked in the palace for many years and witnessed the hardships involved. He did not want his sons to follow in his footsteps.

The decline of the Xiao family's medical skills was not his wish, but he knew that he was passionate about supporting and nurturing the family after mastering medicine. Perhaps he had long foreseen this day would come for the Xiao family.

After the apprenticeship ceremony, everyone sat around the main room drinking tea. Chunnuan watched Panpan following behind Xiao Chun'an, identifying medicinal herbs, and suddenly, remembering something, she sighed softly. Chunyu, sitting beside her, noticed her somewhat forlorn expression and asked gently, "Nuannuan, what's wrong? Is something on your mind?"

As spring warmed the air, she picked up her teacup, her fingertips tracing the rim, her voice tinged with nostalgia.

“I took in several female disciples in Changzhou. When I left Changzhou, I wanted to take them with me, but some of them had elderly people to take care of, and some were already engaged, so I couldn’t leave. In the end, I had to give up.”

“They had no choice in the matter. It’s normal for men to marry and women to be married when they come of age.” Chunyu comforted them softly. “They learned medicine from you, which is quite an achievement. This is all you can do to help them. Maybe they are doing well in Changzhou now?”

"Yes, I received a letter from them a while ago, saying they are doing quite well now."

A relieved smile appeared on Chunnuan's face.

"They can now independently treat some women's ailments, and have even learned to deliver babies. They have become doctors in several pharmacies in Changzhou. They say that because of their services, women in Changzhou no longer hide their illnesses, but dare to boldly go to the pharmacies for treatment."

"If you can bring benefits to the local people, then your teaching will not have been in vain."

"Yes, this world is not very friendly to women. It is a blessing that women can practice medicine and ask questions openly."

In the past, many women were afraid to see a doctor when they were sick because they were embarrassed to describe their symptoms, and they even had to be secretive when going out to see a doctor.

Chun Ning happened to overhear their conversation and walked over with a smile.

"Changzhou is quite open-minded in this regard, unlike some places where people think it's unlucky for women to practice medicine in public, and even pharmacies refuse to hire female doctors. It's a blessing for female apprentices to have the opportunity to practice their medical skills."

"That's right. I still remember the first time I took them to the pharmacy to practice medicine, some people questioned, 'How can women treat patients?' But they proved themselves with their medical skills—a woman had a difficult childbirth, and several male doctors were helpless. In the end, my eldest disciple used acupuncture combined with herbal medicine to deliver the baby safely. Since then, no one has questioned them anymore."

"Second Aunt, your disciples are so amazing! I want to be like them in the future, learn medical skills well, and help many, many people get better and better health."

Panpan also came over and took Chunnuan's hand.

"I want to study medicine well and surpass Uncle Chun'an and Cousin Muyang."

Panpan set lofty goals, and Chunnuan was overjoyed to hear this.

Chun'an and Mu Yang, however, were both amused and exasperated by Panpan's antics: So, they decided to challenge the two of them to a duel.
They are men, after all. Wouldn't it be incredibly shameful to lose to a little girl?
Chunnuan knew very well that Panpan wasn't just talking; she truly had the ability.

Among all the female disciples in Changzhou, Chunnuan has taken in so many disciples, but only Panpan truly has talent!

“Great! Our Panpan will definitely be more skilled than all of Second Aunt’s disciples in the future. She will be the most skilled junior sister. Once you have mastered medical skills, Second Aunt will take you to Changzhou so you can exchange ideas and learn from each other.”

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling warmly on everyone.

In the pharmacy, Xiao Muyang was asking Chunnuan about the usage of herbs from a book.

Xiao Chun'an was organizing medical books, Panpan was looking at prescriptions at the table, and Chunnuan and Chunyu were chatting about the past in Changzhou. The air was filled with warmth and hope. Whether it was the disciples around them or the apprentices far away, they were all moving forward on the path of medicine. This inheritance will eventually warm more people.

This tradition has finally been continued in the Xiao family. (End of Chapter)