Chapter 69 Going to the Shu Mansion to Treat an Illness

Shen Dong put Shen Nian down and then said to Nie Jiu: “My second son wants to go to the prefecture city to apprentice under a carpenter named Qin Kui.”

Nie Jiu had never heard of Qin Kui, so he just said “oh” and didn’t ask any further questions. He wasn’t interested in woodworking.

He asked Shen Nian: “I’m going to make a medicinal ointment for your fourth uncle. Do you want to help me?”

Shen Dong laughed: “Nian Nian is only three years old. She doesn’t understand medicinal herbs. She can’t help.”

Nie Jiu said: “She can learn. Your daughter is very talented. She can remember any medicinal herb I tell her once. She’s a natural for medicine.”

Shen Dong was stunned: “Ah? Really? My daughter is so amazing! But wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you? And isn’t it true that a doctor’s skills can’t be passed on casually?”

Nie Jiu nodded: “You’re right. My skills can’t be passed on. How about this, let your daughter be my apprentice. It’s only natural for me to teach her.”

Shen Dong quickly hugged his daughter, staring at Nie Jiu warily: “Are you serious? My daughter is a woman. Is it appropriate for her to learn medicine?”

Nie Jiu laughed: “Who says that a doctor must be a man? Women can learn medicine too.”

Shen Nian refused: “I have medical books. I don’t need to learn from you.”

Nie Jiu sneered: “You won’t achieve much just relying on medical books.”

Shen Nian said: “I don’t want to achieve much. I just want to have a little success. I’m not going to make a living from medicine. I like farming the most.”

She wants to grow a large farm, filled with fragrant flowers.

“Uncle Nie, thank you for your kindness. You heard her. My daughter doesn’t like learning medicine. Let’s forget about the apprenticeship. We still have to eat. We won’t bother you anymore. We’re leaving now.”

Shen Dong took Shen Nian, Shen Xue, and Shen Feng back to the main house. Shen Duo and the others went home.

Nie Jiu was very disappointed that he didn’t get an apprentice, but he didn’t give up.

After dinner, Shen Nian and her brothers went back to the mountain to continue cutting wood.

Nie Jiu stopped Shen Nian at the door and showed her a medicinal herb: “You can only go out if you can tell me the effects and uses of this herb. Otherwise, I’ll pester you.”

Shen Nian looked at him: “Grandpa Nie, can you not be so childish?”

Nie Jiu puffed out his cheeks: “No.”

Shen Nian said: “This is gallnut. It has the effect of astringing the lungs and clearing heat, astringing the intestines and stopping diarrhea, and astringing sweat and stopping bleeding. It can be roasted and ground into powder for consumption.”

Nie Jiu nodded in satisfaction: “That’s right. You can go now!”

Shen Nian glanced at him and followed her brothers.

Nie Jiu watched her back and smiled. He turned and went to the fourth house. He asked Shen Bei for a room and set up a small stove to make medicine.

As the children went out, the adults also picked up their plows and went to the fields to plow.

They didn’t have oxen, so they had to use people to pull the plows. Shen Dong’s four brothers pulled the plows, their wives controlled the plows behind them, and the elders were responsible for picking up stones and weeds from the fields.

After chopping and bundling the boxwood branches and carrying them home, Shen Xue wasn’t in a hurry to do woodworking. He called his brothers and sisters to take their farming tools and go to the fields to help the adults work.

During the busy farming season, no one could be idle.

The weather was cool these days, with occasional drizzle. The fields were bustling with activity.

Shen Bo was going to take the prefectural exam, so the headmaster kept him to give him special instruction. He couldn’t go home for the busy farming season. Otherwise, he would definitely be helping his brothers and sisters work in the fields right now.

Wan Baocai came to the Shen family again. Before he even reached the Shen family, he saw Shen Nian and the others working in the fields. He brought his guards and rushed forward to help. Soon, he collapsed in the field.

Farming was too tiring!

Wan Baocai complained bitterly. Studying was so much easier! He should go learn accounting!

After whining for a while, Wan Baocai perked up again. He rolled up his sleeves and ran to Shen Nian’s side to continue digging.

At noon, Wan Baocai’s palms were blistered, and Shen Nian’s tender hands were also blistered. Shen Feng was the same. The brothers weren’t much better.

The adults were also tired, especially Shen Dong’s four brothers, who were acting as oxen. Their shoulders were all scratched and burning with pain.

But the fields hadn’t been plowed yet. They still had to work for the rest of the afternoon.

Shen Nian felt heartbroken: “Father, can we buy an ox?”

Shen Dong smiled and waved his hand: “An ox costs seven or eight taels of silver. No, no. Although our family has earned some money now, there are many places where we need to spend money. We have to save wherever we can.”

Wei Shi said to Shen Nian: “Mother knows you feel sorry for your father. Mother feels sorry too. But life is like this. When we finish building the house, if we have any money left, we’ll buy an ox. Next year, we’ll use the ox to plow the fields. We won’t make your father and uncles act as oxen anymore.”

In the end, they just didn’t have enough money.

Shen Nian sighed.

She would continue to work hard.

In the afternoon, Shen Xue stayed home to work on his woodcarving while Shen Dong and the others continued plowing the fields. Shen Nian, Shen Feng, Wan Baocai, and the four guards remained at home.

Shen Nian and Shen Feng were preparing dinner for the adults. Wan Baocai wanted to help, but he didn’t know how, so he could only watch from the sidelines.

After watching for a while, Wan Baocai went over to Shen Xue. Seeing Shen Xue sawing wood, he also went over to fiddle with it.

Wan Baocai asked, “Second Brother, what are you doing with all this wood?”

Shen Xue replied, “I’m going to make woodcarvings. I’m going to the prefecture city to apprentice and learn the craft. I want to be the best carpenter.”

“What’s so good about being a carpenter? You don’t make much money,” Wan Baocai said, not understanding.

Shen Xue smiled and said, “You don’t understand. Although carpenters don’t make as much money as businessmen, they have their own unique charm. It’s the carpenter’s charm to bring ordinary wood to life and transform it into something precious. Houses, furniture, and many other things require carpenters. Carpenters are one of the most indispensable people in this world. I want to be someone like that.”

Wan Baocai was confused. He didn’t understand what carpenter charm was, and he found it boring. But seeing Shen Xue working so hard, he also inexplicably felt a surge of ambition.

“Brother Baocai,” Shen Nian called out from the kitchen.

Wan Baocai quickly responded, “Yes, Nian Nian, what do you want?”

Shen Nian walked over and said, “Didn’t you say your father wants you to learn more characters and accounting? You can’t help us with anything right now, and you’re just sitting around doing nothing. Why don’t you learn to read?”

She went to Shen Bo and Shen Xue’s room and took out a copy of the Thousand Character Classic. “Here you go, Brother Baocai. This is my elder brother’s book. You can read it. If you don’t recognize a character, you can ask me. I can already recite this book backwards. I know all the characters in it.”

Wan Baocai said, “Recite it backwards?”

Can you not be so discouraging?

You’re only three years old, not thirty. Can’t you act like a child?

In the end, Wan Baocai resigned himself to taking the book and sitting down to read.

Shen Nian said, “Brother Baocai, you have to read out loud. Reading should be done with gusto.”

“Oh.”

“Heaven and earth are vast…”

“Brother Baocai, that character is read as ‘huang’.”

“…”

Wan Baocai spent an hour reading the Thousand Character Classic and still hadn’t finished it. He made mistakes on every page.

Whenever he made a mistake, Shen Nian patiently corrected him.

After preparing the ingredients, Shen Nian came over and gave Wan Baocai some math problems to solve.

Wan Baocai was overwhelmed. He wanted to go dig the earth.

Before dinner, Wan Baocai couldn’t take it anymore. He found an excuse and hurried home.

Transplanting rice seedlings didn’t require much land. Before dusk, Shen Dong and the others had plowed enough land for transplanting.

Everyone came back sweating profusely and discussed irrigating the fields tomorrow and Shen Nian’s visit to the Shu Mansion to see Mr. Shu.

Shen Nian said, “Tomorrow, I want to take Grandpa Nie with me. Grandpa Nie is a doctor. I want to ask Grandpa Nie to see Uncle Shu. Grandpa Nie has already agreed.”

Shen Dong said, “As long as your Grandpa Nie agrees, we have no objections.”

Shen Nian smiled happily.

Shen Feng thought for a long time before finally asking, “Nian Nian, can I go with you to see Mr. Shu tomorrow? I’ve never been to the county town before!”

Shen Nian nodded, “You can. You should go out and see the world more often.”

Shen Feng was overjoyed. He looked at Shen Dong and the others.

Shen Dong waved his hand, “Go, go. You’re grown up now. You should go out and see the world. You can’t stay in this small village forever.”

Anyway, there would be adults accompanying them tomorrow, so they wouldn’t be in any danger.

The next day.

Shen Nian went to the county town with Shen Feng, Wei Shi, and Nie Jiu. Shen Dong sent them to Liu’s village to take the ox cart. He specifically told Old Man Liu a few things.

Old Man Liu said indifferently, “Don’t worry. I’ll wait for them to come back together.”

Shen Dong was finally relieved and went home.

As the ox cart started moving, a carriage came towards them.

The carriage stopped, and the driver asked Old Man Liu, “Old man, excuse me. Is this Liu’s village?”

Shen Nian, who was sitting in the ox cart, heard the voice and thought it sounded familiar. She poked her little head out and took a look. She smiled and called out, “Uncle Qu!”