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

"gone?"

"Yes, young mistress, the third young lady asked this old servant to pass this letter on to you."

Granny Wang took out the letter and gave it to Zhong Xiuxiu.

Zhong Xiuxiu felt a lump in her throat as she looked at the letter.

My third sister has really had a tough time.

In her letter, she said that ever since the Zhong family decided to send her to the Lin family as a concubine, she had considered herself dead.

He was brought back from the brink of death several times, all thanks to the help of his fifth sister.

If there's one thing she'd miss most about the capital, it's her fifth younger sister; she's not worried about her aunt anymore.

After all, the madam is a reasonable stepmother. She has seen and remembered the sacrifices that I have made for the Zhong family. She will treat my aunt well and let her die peacefully.

……

I would like to thank Zhong Xiuxiu again and again, and wish her all the best.

With red eyes, Zhong Xiuxiu threw the letter into the stove.

It was freezing cold, and my third sister was taking her child somewhere. They must have suffered a lot on the way.

Five days after Zhong Xiuyao left, the Lin family's residence was raided.

"The whole family is locked up in jail?"

When Zhong Xiuyao's aunt heard the news, she was extremely anxious, but she was helpless.

She didn't even dare to ask her husband to inquire about it.

After all, at this time, people would avoid even the wives' in-laws as much as possible, let alone the concubines' relatives by marriage.

Only a fool would go forward.

Therefore, she had no way of knowing how her daughter was doing.

“Aunt, don’t worry.” Even the maid couldn’t bear to watch any longer: “Our young lady is a smart person. Even if she’s in prison, she’ll definitely be able to handle it.”

"No, there's nothing good in prison. My poor Yao Yao, why is she so unlucky?"

She truly couldn't understand why the master's past favors towards her and Yao Yao had turned out to be nothing but a mirage. When Lord Lin, at such an advanced age, wanted Yao Yao to be his concubine, he sent her away without hesitation.

Now, Yao Yao is in trouble, but he pretends not to know.

Nothing is more ruthless than a man's heart!
"Is Auntie here? Our young lady has come to see you."

It was Lian'er's voice outside the door.

"Has the Fifth Miss returned to the manor?" the concubine asked hurriedly.

“It’s me, Auntie.”

Zhong Xiuxiu strode in.

"Fifth Miss, you're finally back." The concubine took her hand, but then suddenly realized it was inappropriate and quickly bowed to her, saying, "This servant greets Fifth Miss."

"Aunt, I know you are very worried about Third Sister."

After Zhong Xiuxiu finished speaking, she glanced at Lian'er and her aunt.

"Let's all go back."

"Yes."

Lian'er and her aunt's maidservant withdrew together.

"Fifth Miss, do you have any news about the Third Miss? How is she? Is she suffering? Can I find a way to send something to her?"

Seeing her aunt's anxious look, Zhong Xiuxiu pulled her down to sit.

"Auntie, don't be anxious, listen to me first."

Zhong Xiuxiu glanced outside again and saw Lian'er talking to the girl in the distance. She lowered her voice.

"Auntie, you can rest assured, Third Sister is not in prison."

Not in jail?

When they raided the house, they said that even the concubines and servants couldn't escape.

"My third sister left Beijing with her child five days ago."

The aunt stared wide-eyed in surprise.

"Where did she go? Where could she have gone?"

"When Lord Lin realized that things were not going well, he immediately arranged for Third Sister to take the children out of the capital. I don't know exactly where they went, but don't worry, Aunt. Third Sister is carrying the blood of the Lin family, so Lord Lin must have made arrangements in advance."

"Is that so?" The aunt suddenly felt a pang of heartache. "In that case, does that mean the Third Miss can't return to the capital?"

"It's definitely not going to happen in the short term."

"This humble servant is still thinking about when I'll have time to go see her, and see that young master..."

This means there's no chance anymore.

The aunt was very disappointed.

"But it's alright. As long as I know they are well, I won't ask for anything else, I won't ask for anything else."

She said she didn't ask for anything else, but instead clasped her hands together and kept praying to the Bodhisattva for protection.

Zhong Xiuxiu felt a pang of sadness looking at her aunt: This is what it means to be a mother.

She truly worries herself sick over her daughter.

After visiting her third sister's aunt, Zhong Xiuxiu went to see her own aunt.

"Auntie, I'm here."

"This humble servant greets Fifth Miss."

“Aunt, you are my birth mother, and there are no outsiders here…”

Honestly, it felt strange for Zhong Xiuxiu to receive a greeting from her own mother.

"Propriety cannot be disregarded. You are the young lady, and I am the concubine..."

"Aunt..."

"Alright, alright, you're all better now. But you're the young mistress of the Tang family now."

Seeing her daughter doing well filled Gu Shi with joy.

Zhong Xiuxiu also noticed that her aunt was more than ten years younger than her third sister's aunt.

"Auntie, have you noticed that you're getting more and more beautiful?"

"Really? But it's all thanks to you. I've been taking the pills you send me every day, and I feel sleepy, have a good appetite, and am in a good mood. Even in this cold weather, I feel warm all over and not cold at all." Madam Gu said, "When I go to the main courtyard to pay my respects to the madam, I don't even need to bring a hand warmer."

"You should still bring a hand warmer when you are discharged from the hospital, so you don't catch a cold."

Zhong Xiuxiu felt that her aunt not only looked younger, but also became more petty, and that she was the one who needed to worry about such things.

“It’s not cold. Madam said today that it’s cold, so everyone should stay in their own courtyards. We can just pay our respects on the first and fifteenth of the month.” Madam Gu sighed, “It’s truly a blessing for me to have a mistress like you.”

Zhong Xiuxiu smiled.

If one is forced to become a concubine, it would be a blessing to encounter a good mistress.

If you were to encounter someone like Madam Lin, it would be a disaster.

"By the way, Fifth Miss, I heard the Lin family's property was confiscated. How is Third Miss doing?"

Gu Shi still cared about Zhong Xiuyao.

"Auntie, don't worry, Third Sister has someone to take care of her."

She wouldn't say anything more.

She also told her third sister's aunt that she should never tell anyone about this, not even the master and mistress of the Zhong family, because the more people who know, the more danger they will face.

Since Lord Lin arranged for Third Sister to take the child away, the contract in the mansion must have been tampered with.

It's possible that Third Sister has already disappeared from the Lin family's property deeds.

If that's the case, then after hiding for three to five years and things settling down, Third Sister can change her name and start anew.

Of course, this is just a later story.

The most important thing is to look at the situation of the Lin family.

In prison, Lord Lin also deeply regretted his actions.

"What a misfortune for my family! I was supposed to marry a virtuous woman, but I ended up marrying a spendthrift."

The entire family, including masters and servants, totaling over a hundred people, are currently imprisoned.

It looks like I'll have to be exiled.

Sure enough, after interrogation, the whole family was exiled to the northern desert for twenty years.

I'm already over seventy, how many more twenty years do I have to live?

Whether they'll even survive to reach the northern desert is uncertain.

Before setting off, he looked up at the south, praying silently: "Mrs. Zhong, you must raise my son! I beg you!" (End of Chapter)