The Fallen Medicine Woman: The Daily Life of Chun Nuan-Chapter 159 - 125: Mean-Spirited

In Shu City, Chun Nuan was quite busy, busy collecting and processing various medicinal herbs. Some were valuable raw materials sent by Zhao Minghua, while others were herbs picked and sold to her by the villagers.

That day, Aunt Luo came to find Chun Nuan again.

"Chun Nuan, I just remembered, can yam be used as medicine?"

"Naturally, it can be used as medicine," Chun Nuan replied with a smile. "Yam has the effects of nourishing the spleen and stomach, benefiting the lungs. It can be used to treat symptoms like spleen deficiency, chronic diarrhea, chronic enteritis, lung deficiency cough, chronic gastritis, diabetes, seminal emission, enuresis, and leucorrhea." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"There are many yams on the mountain, can we dig them up to sell to you?"

"Sure," Chun Nuan said. "Now is actually the perfect time to dig yams."

"Then we’ll go dig them up."

"Great."

Chun Nuan knew that Aunt Luo was very proactive; she was swift in action and always did things with zeal.

The villagers, having inherited knowledge from generation to generation, could recognize quite a few herbs and roughly knew their uses. Now that they knew Chun Nuan would purchase them in large quantities, they no longer saw herbs as mere plants, but as silver pieces that could be sold for money to buy oil and salt.

So now, whenever they saw large areas of herbs, they would ask Chun Nuan if she wanted them.

If collecting and processing herbs was previously for making some extra money to support the household, with the increasing dividends from the teahouses with Old Master Zhang and Zhao Minghua, doing such herbal processing had become more of a hobby, a way to pass the time. Naturally, it was also to increase the villagers’ income.

Ever since her family officially moved into Shuikou Village, the villagers had become even more enthusiastic than before.

The reality is this: being poor in a bustling area leaves one unasked, but being rich in a remote mountain brings distant relatives closer. Everyone saw Uncle Luo’s family starting to live better following the Xiao family. Being neighbors, the gap shouldn’t be too big, right? So when the Xiao family was planting or harvesting, there would always be elders standing by the dikes giving pointers, while the younger ones would help with farming.

Chun Nuan deeply understood the adage that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. Since they needed her, she would help them as well.

Aunt Luo was the most active in picking herbs.

The village’s girls and young women were smart too; they followed whatever Aunt Luo did.

Digging yams on the mountain, they used to do this in the past years, but only to eat. They never thought there would come a day when they could sell them for money.

Simultaneously, they never expected that one day they would be stopped by people from the Xiao Family.

"What are you doing? What are you doing here?"

A loud shout startled dozens of women and children who were digging yams.

"It’s the Xiao family retainers." Seeing them, everyone felt a little scared and all moved toward Aunt Luo.

Yes, unknowingly, they had already regarded Aunt Luo as a leader and depended on her to stand out whenever there was a problem.

"Big brother, we’re just digging some yams to cook in soup," Aunt Luo was stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped forward to explain. "See, it’s just these, we haven’t dug anything else."

These mountains all belonged to the Xiao Family. Whether it was picking herbs or digging yams, they did it every year, but this year there were more people picking and digging than usual, and the amount dug was larger.

"Look at what you’ve done to the mountain," the retainer said, looking at the freshly dug dirt everywhere. "Who told you to dig here? Leave the stuff and get out."

"Huh?" Aunt Luo was shocked. They never intervened before, why are they asking to leave the yams this time?

Looking at the ten or so pounds of yams in each backpack, the neighbors, too, were reluctant to give up half a day’s hard work.

"Big brother, maybe we can do it this way: we’re just villagers trying to fill our food shortages by digging a little here and there. If you don’t want us to dig, we won’t, but these we worked hard to dig, could we take them home?"

"You’re dreaming! Digging up yams on the Xiao Family’s mountain and still wanting to take them? Take the yams today, and tomorrow you might start picking fruit or even cutting down trees..."

"Nothing like that ever happened. We never do those things."

These were all honest village women who, even though they knew the mountain’s resources, could tell what could be taken and what couldn’t be. The Xiao Family wasn’t anyone to offend.

In the summer, picking mushrooms and herbs from the mountain was allowed, and yams could be dug up from the soil, but trees and fruits weren’t to be touched. Don’t wrong them like this.

"Haha, get caught and then say nothing happened."

A two-person sedan chair stopped at the foot of the mountain, and a voice came from within. "Old Bai, have them put down the yams and leave, or else report them to the authorities."

The voice was soft, but the words were sharp and pierced Aunt Luo and the others like needles.

"Yes, Miss." Old Bai, the retainer who had shouted earlier, said loudly, "Did you hear that? Put down the stuff and leave quickly, or we’ll send you to the government office. Then you’ll really be in for it."

Who dared to mess with the government office? Aunt Luo and the others quickly poured out their yams and prepared to leave.

"Wait."

The person in the sedan chair spoke up again.

"Miss..."

"Leave behind your digging tools as well, or else if we leave, they’ll come and dig again."

What?

"Consider this a lesson. Not everything belongs to you. Remember, these mountains belong to the Xiao Family!"

Aunt Luo listened to the person in the sedan chair, her face flushed with anger, but she was helpless.

It’s well known that in Changzhou, the Xiao Family is indeed not to be messed with.

They had indeed been digging yams on Xiao Family mountains.

They had hoped to earn a little money for oil and salt, but hadn’t expected to lose not only their labor but also their tools, costing them a backpack, a sickle, and a hoe.

The backpack was easy enough; men could weave new ones by cutting bamboo by the river. But sickles and hoes had to be forged by the town blacksmiths, which cost money.

Incidentally, the bamboo by the river belonged to Old Master Zhang, but the Zhang Family never minded if anyone cut bamboo for use.

In contrast, the Xiao Family didn’t usually bother, but when they did, it was infuriatingly harsh.

"What do we do, Sister-in-law Luo?"

"There’s nothing we can do; we’re not in the right. Let’s go."

Frustrated and aggrieved, each of them laid down their backpacks and tools and followed Aunt Luo down the mountain.

"When we passed by the sedan chair, I really wanted to spit on her," one woman said. "Same last name, but the Xiao Family girl is terrible. Look at Doctor Xiao’s granddaughter, Chun Nuan. They’re such good people."

"Such an unbearable girl is bound to never get married."

"Oh, don’t say that. I actually heard some gossip."

"What gossip?"

Everyone loves to hear gossip; it helps them forget the troubles.

"I heard that initially, the third young master of the Hundred Herbs Hall wanted to marry Xiao Chunlan from the Xiao Family, but then nothing more came of it."

"The third young master of the Zhao Family, Zhao Minghua, right?" Aunt Luo had a say in this. "That’s not true. Zhao Minghua has an engagement with Chun Nuan. They’ll marry once her mourning period ends."

"Is that true?"

"Would I lie to you?" Aunt Luo said. "I’ve had meals with Mrs. Zhao, and she likes Chun Nuan very much."

"That girl Chun Nuan is indeed delightful; whoever marries her will prosper."