Chapter 8

“You want to take Taohua as an apprentice?”

Su Nan and her husband had been childhood sweethearts, together for nearly forty years. When she heard he was planning to take the little girl with him to gather herbs, she immediately understood what was on his mind.

Cao Xiu didn’t rush to reply. Instead, he held his wife’s hand, guided her to sit beside him, poured her another cup of tea, and then explained:
“From what I’ve seen, that child has a rare temperament. Her mother has also come by several times to praise her. I think she may already have the intention for it.”

Su Nan didn’t object to this. The couple were both sharp-minded, and besides, Xu Hehua had never tried to hide her thoughts. Taking a sip of tea, Su Nan asked:
“So when will you set the date for the formal tea ceremony?”

“How could it be that soon?” Cao Xiu slipped an arm around his wife’s shoulder and chuckled. “We’ll keep observing for now. Medicine is about saving lives—character is more important than cleverness.”

Su Nan pressed further with curiosity:
“If the child proves hardworking, upright, and also shows some talent, would you truly take her as a disciple?”

Her husband was too proper by nature—rigid, methodical, almost overly lofty. In all these years, aside from their own son, she had never seen him look favorably upon another child.

“If that’s the case, it would be my good fortune. After all, a worthy student is hard to find.”

After sighing, Cao Xiu opened his hands, lowering his gaze to his long fingers—hands that had saved countless lives. He muttered:
“I had thought Jingliang would inherit my craft. Who could have known that halfway through, the boy would choose Western medicine instead? I can’t possibly take my entire knowledge and bury it in the ground with me.”

Thinking of the contents of her son’s letters, Su Nan playfully smacked her husband’s arm:
“Our son already said it himself—learning Western medicine won’t mean he abandons the treasures of our ancestors. Why the long face?”

“How can that be the same? Human energy is limited. Mastery in one field is the proper path.” On this point, Doctor Cao, nearly forty and still studying diligently, was particularly stubborn.

Su Nan didn’t indulge him. She shot her husband a sidelong glance, her tone soft but edged with amusement:
“If the elder disciple fails, then just train a younger one. Why all the sighing?”

The henpecked doctor grew uneasy under her gaze, but he still held firm:
“Where is this ‘younger disciple’? She still needs careful watching. Oh—by the way, later tell Taohua she should sell her herbs together with ours to the pharmacy. Big shops always squeeze small sellers—if she sells alone, she’ll lose at least a third of her silver.”

Su Nan… this old man with his stiff mouth.

---

Meanwhile, the proper little “Western doctor” Xu Wanchun had no idea about the discussions and hopes brewing next door.

Pinching her nose, she downed her bitter Chinese medicine, then began tidying up the herbs.

Xu Hehua, worried about her daughter’s health, set aside her own work to help out.

Processing Bai Tou Weng (Pulsatilla root) wasn’t difficult—pick out the impurities, then rinse it with water.

The key was in the washing: it mustn’t take longer than three seconds, or else the medicinal potency would be diluted.

Perched on a small stool, Xu Wanchun worked steadily and calmly, without any impatience.

Seeing her daughter so composed for one so young, Xu Hehua only carried the water—

Xu Hehua once again felt grateful to the Earth God for blessing her with such an obedient child:
“When you go with Doctor Cao to gather herbs, I’ll go along too.”

Knowing her foster mother only said this because she worried for her, Xu Wanchun sighed helplessly:
“Mom, I can manage on my own. Besides, if Auntie Su isn’t going, it wouldn’t be proper for you to go either.”

A widow’s household always attracted gossip—especially a young and beautiful widow. Even though Xu Family Village was more decent than most, there were still a few scoundrels around.

Xu Wanchun had already noticed several times that strange men, passing by their gate, would crane their necks to peer inside.

And some women treated her foster mother as an imagined rival, flinging baseless slander at her.

If not for Doctor Cao, whose special standing made their neighbors cautious, the mother and daughter might not have lived such a relatively peaceful life.

Thinking of this—and remembering how Grandma and Auntie Lancao always came by fuming, repeating the gossip they’d heard—Xu Wanchun suddenly said:
“Mom, let’s get a dog. A fierce one.”

“It won’t be easy to find a fierce one.” Though she didn’t understand why her daughter suddenly wanted a dog, Xu Hehua’s first thought was where she might get one, since she always wanted to indulge her girl.

Seeing that her mother didn’t object, Xu Wanchun suggested:
“Why don’t we ask Grandpa Tun later?”

Xu Hehua nodded:
“Alright. If you want one, I’ll ask.” Then she went back to her earlier concern: “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you to gather herbs? Aren’t you afraid of snakes and bugs?”

At that reminder, the image of yesterday’s herb-gathering popped into Xu Wanchun’s mind, and her small face wrinkled up instantly. She might have the courage that came with her medical training, but when it came to earthworms and snakes, she couldn’t help shuddering all over. Still, her foster mother really couldn’t conveniently tag along, so she gritted her teeth and said:
“It’s fine. The more I go, the more I’ll get used to it.”

After all, during her first anatomy class she’d been so frightened she couldn’t eat for a week—but hadn’t she overcome it in the end?

“Alright. If you really can’t bear it, then don’t go. I can provide for you,” Xu Hehua said firmly. She could endure all kinds of hardship herself, but she couldn’t bear to see her daughter suffer, wishing she could take care of everything for her.

Fortunately, Xu Wanchun was mature beyond her years inside. Otherwise, she really might have been spoiled into a thankless child.

---

Afternoon.

Still not fully recovered, Xu Wanchun took a nap.

When she woke up, her body felt much lighter.

Hearing faint voices in the courtyard, she stretched lazily on the bed before getting up.

Once she was neatly dressed, she opened the door—and saw Grandma Xu Wangshi wiping her eyes yet again. By now, Xu Wanchun was used to the sight. She only greeted obediently:
“Grandma.”

“Eh,” Wangshi answered, then asked, “Your mother said you caught a chill? Come here, let Grandma take a look.”

Xu Wanchun walked over. Once the old woman’s rough hand pressed to her forehead, she said:
“It’s not hot anymore.”

“Still too skinny,” Wangshi muttered, then pulled two eggs out of her pocket. “Take these and eat them. Grandma boiled them for you.”

“I don’t want them. You should eat them yourself.”

The old lady was already skinny as a stick—

The child was so filial that Xu Wangshi felt overjoyed, her wrinkled face breaking into a smile.
“Grandma doesn’t like eating eggs. I brought these just for you—hurry and eat them.”

Seeing that the old lady insisted, Xu Wanchun looked toward her mother.

Xu Hehua’s cold face softened a little.
“Your grandma dotes on you. Take them.”

This time, Xu Wanchun didn’t refuse.
“Thank you, Grandma.”

“Eh!” her grandmother responded happily. Her granddaughter seemed to change day by day—washing her hands before peeling an egg, so clean and delicate, even remembering to say thank you. Nothing like the other children in the village. Xu Wangshi adored her, but at the same time didn’t know quite how to get close to her, so she turned back to her own daughter:
“About borrowing money, your eldest brother really doesn’t know about it. Sanni, why can’t you talk it through?”

At those words, Xu Hehua’s face instantly turned cold again. She slammed down the half-crushed chestnut she was grinding and said angrily:
“Don’t you know what kind of person your son is? He definitely agreed to it. Playing good cop and bad cop with his own sister—what’s the point of that?”

Her eldest brother wasn’t exactly a bad man. If siblings were in trouble, he’d lend a hand. But as the eldest son—the one most valued by their parents—he loved to put on airs and take advantage while keeping up a virtuous facade. Xu Hehua didn’t believe for a second that Hu Yangmiao could have decided to borrow money on her own.

A parent always knows their child. But blood was blood, and no matter what, siblings were tied by bones and sinew. Xu Wangshi wiped at her tears again and tried to patch things up:
“Your father scolded them too. Don’t stay angry, Sanni. You can’t cut ties with your family forever.”

Every household had its troubles. Xu Hehua wasn’t going to sever relations with her natal family over something like this—but she still had to show her stance, so her face remained cold.

This was the moment for the little “cotton-padded jacket” to step in. Xu Wanchun split one of the eggs in half, popped half into her grandmother’s mouth, the other half into her mother’s, and then grinned:
“Grandma, Mom—does it taste good?”

Xu Hehua had only been putting on a show of anger. She wasn’t truly upset, and after swallowing the egg she scolded lightly:
“You little rascal, always so quick-witted.”

But for Xu Wangshi, who had lived sixty years, it was the very first time someone had ever fed food straight into her mouth. She felt both touched and embarrassed, though she still couldn’t help putting on a strong front:
“Such good food is wasted on Grandma.”

There it was—the classic self-sacrificing type. Xu Wanchun didn’t argue, only coaxed sweetly:
“It’s not wasted. When I earn money in the future, I’ll buy meat for you and Grandpa too.”

“Aiyo, our Taohua is so filial!” Xu Wangshi had never in her life been put first like this. At once, even the egg in her mouth seemed unbearably sweet.

Seeing her mother smiling so widely her teeth showed, Xu Hehua glanced at her daughter with a peculiar look, thinking to herself—this child really knows how to coax people.

But Xu Wanchun wasn’t just saying pretty words. Still, her foster mother’s heated stare made her uncomfortable, so she quickly shifted the topic:
“Mom, what are you crushing those chestnuts for?”

Xu Hehua pulled her gaze back and went on pressing the steamed chestnuts in the basin.
“To make some chestnut cakes to send over to Doctor Cao and Sister Nan.”

Her mother, heart aching, frowned and continued:
“If we can’t pay back the money, at least send them some chestnut cakes.”

In truth, she was laying the groundwork for her daughter’s future apprenticeship—planning to deliver a gift every now and then.

But she couldn’t tell the old lady that, otherwise the whole family would know she had money.

Xu Wanchun only knew how to cook some simple dishes; when it came to pastries, she knew nothing. Hearing her foster mother mention making treats, her mouth instantly watered.

Believing her daughter truly owed money, Xu Wangshi immediately pulled out an old handkerchief from her pocket. Layer after layer she unfolded it, until at last she produced a silver dollar:
“Your father and I don’t have much, but take this. Even if you can pay back a little, it’s something.”

Not expecting this gesture, Xu Hehua felt her nose sting and couldn’t find the words to speak.

She didn’t want to deceive her mother. She knew how much her mother cared for her—but the old lady had more than one child, and her favorite was the eldest.

If her mother knew she had savings, it would never end. Xu Hehua was tired of all those petty schemes.

Taking a deep breath, she firmly pushed the money back:
“Mom, no need. Keep it for you and Dad.”

Xu Wangshi grew anxious:
“You stubborn girl, why are you so headstrong?”

Xu Hehua sighed helplessly:
“Don’t worry. Things haven’t reached that point yet. If we truly can’t make ends meet, I won’t carry it alone.”

Her mother looked at her suspiciously:
“Really?”

“Really… By the way, tell me—who is Shuigen courting? Why do his demands sound so high?”

At that, Xu Wangshi’s attention shifted at once. She huffed:
“Shuigen’s a good boy. He fancies Old Han’s third daughter. They only asked for a hundred jin of sorghum. But your brother and sister-in-law insist Shuigen marry a girl from Lijia Village. The girl’s family asked for a dowry of dyed cloth.”

That was news. Xu Hehua asked curiously:
“Is the girl from the Li family well-off?”

Xu Wangshi replied:
“Of course! They say her brother works at a factory in the county. Your brother’s eyes were dazzled by that. He even dreams of sending Shuigen to work in the city.” Then she slapped her thigh.
“As if it were that easy! Shuigen’s an ordinary lad, doesn’t know a single character, a bit slow in the head. He’s only good at physical labor. You think the city will take him? Why doesn’t your brother just send him to the heavens while he’s at it?”

Xu Hehua rolled her eyes:
“Going to the heavens would be easier—one belt is all it takes.”

Catching the hidden jab in her foster mother’s words, Xu Wanchun couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

Xu Wangshi: …

—

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day Doctor Cao had set for gathering herbs.

Early that morning, fully recovered, Xu Wanchun dressed herself carefully—thick-soled shoes, leggings tied tight, food packed in hand—then prepared to call on the neighbor.

Seeing her daughter off, Xu Hehua fretted:
“Rest if you get tired. Half a day at most, you hear?”

Xu Wanchun wouldn’t joke around with her own health.
“Don’t worry, Mom, I know my limits.”

If not for fear of gossip from the villagers, Xu Hehua truly wanted to follow along…

In the end, she could only stand at the doorway, watching for a long time, until the small figure disappeared from sight. Only then did she return inside, still uneasy.

Just as she was wondering whether to trade for a fish in the village to cook a nourishing dinner for her daughter that evening, a familiar loud voice rang out at the gate:
“Hehua girl, you home?”

Xu Hehua turned her head.
“Sister Lancao, so early again? Have you eaten?”

Xu Lancao beamed.
“Eaten, eaten. I came to tell you something. My old He just traded with Zhao Village and brought back a few grape seedlings. Do you want to swap for one?”

Grapes? Now that was a rare thing.

Though they already had a peach tree in the back, her Taohua loved eating fruit. If they could have something new, of course Xu Hehua was tempted.
“Yes, I’ll trade. Can I get two?”

Xu Lancao looked surprised.
“Two would cost eight jin of sorghum.”

It hurt to think about it, but glancing at her daughter’s thin arms and legs, Xu Hehua gritted her teeth.
“I’ll trade!”