Chapter 8 Talking about Yunxian Talking about Yunxian
After finishing her meal, Miaozhen went back to her room. She first finished her lessons at the girls' school, then practiced calligraphy. After taking a bath, she recited "The Ode to the Properties of Medicinal Herbs" at her desk.
She spent about half a month memorizing "The Properties of Medicinal Herbs". She had memorized "The Formulas of Decoctions" when she was studying medicine in modern times. In addition, Ru showed her the medicines. She was also willing to put in the effort and recited them every day from 7 pm to 11 pm.
From autumn to winter, every night when Xiaoxi got up to add charcoal to the brazier, she would stomp her feet to keep warm. Seeing that her mistress was still at her desk, she hurried over, put some charcoal in the hand warmer, and handed it to her.
Even in modern times, Miaozhen wouldn't work this hard, but in ancient times, she had no choice but to. Most girls got married at sixteen or seventeen. After marriage, having children goes without saying, but many young women were afraid to admit their illnesses. Not to mention her grand ambition to heal all the women in the world, she was even willing to heal and recuperate for herself.
After reading the last paragraph and hearing the night watchman strike the gong to signal midnight, she finally went to bed to rest.
After getting up at Chenshi (7-9 AM), Xiaotao took her little jacket out of the warm quilt. It was lined with plain silk, with three or four pieces of silk floss in the middle, and plain satin on the outside. She then put on a light yellow undershirt, and on top of that, a peach-red cloak.
The life of the second branch of the Xu family is much better than before. Xu Erpeng had suffered before. It is said that when he was a child, his family was poor and the padded jacket he wore was too thin and old, so he always had a runny nose and walked with a hunched back.
So as soon as winter arrived, he took ten taels of silver to buy cloth and hire a tailor. Miaozhen got a rabbit fur coat, two jackets, a cotton undershirt, and a thick vest.
Suzhou isn't in the north, so even though it's December and cold, it hasn't snowed yet. She was warm enough wearing two layers of padded jackets. Xiao Tao brought in breakfast from outside: scallion rolls, walnut porridge, and a plate of scrambled eggs.
"Have you eaten yet?" Miaozhen asked.
Xiao Xi and Xiao Tao both laughed and said, "We're not in a hurry. Let's take the girl to school first, and then we'll eat when we get back."
After sending their young mistresses to school, both of them would come back and do laundry, sweeping, and needlework. Fortunately, their young mistresses were well-educated and reasonable, and the Xu family never mistreated their servants, which was much better than at home.
When they arrived at school, Tong Pan'er was eating a meat bun, and because it was too hot, she was grimacing.
Miaozhen took off her cloak and put it aside, then laughed and said, "You've gotten quite bold. Madam Qiu is a vegetarian, and you're eating meat buns here."
"I got up late this morning, so I just had the maid find a camel vendor to buy it," Tong Pan'er said casually.
Miaozhen knew that although Tong Pan'er was the daughter of a student of the Imperial Academy and her father was a clerk in Suzhou Prefecture, she was born out of wedlock. Her first wife had no children, so she was pawned as a concubine. That concubine was unlucky; she died after giving birth to Pan'er. Pan'er was raised by Madam Tong, who later gave birth to a son and a daughter.
Everyone said that because she brought her son along, Mrs. Tong took care of her wholeheartedly, treating her like her own children. But since she wasn't her biological mother, Tong Pan'er's life at home wasn't very pleasant. However, she was broad-minded and didn't take anything to heart.
After she finished the steamed buns in no time, she choked again. Miaozhen quickly helped her massage her back, and then saw Wang Xie and Lin Xiaoxiao coming over together outside.
Ma Yulan lived the closest, but arrived the latest.
Lin Xiaoxiao joked, "Going to dawdle again."
"No way, it's because some relatives came to visit. My mother prepared forty dishes of food, and we had to entertain them. We also hired two singers. I slept in too late, so I couldn't get up," Ma Yulan said, yawning as she spoke.
Everyone gasped in surprise and asked what kind of relative they were.
Ma Yulan looked around for a moment, then lowered her voice and said, "The old lady from that family is my grandmother's cousin. However, our family has declined since my grandfather's generation, while they have risen through the ranks and become high-ranking officials in the capital. But I heard that they offended someone in the capital and came back. It's strange, their family is originally from Wuxi, but this time they want to stay in Suzhou."
“Our Suzhou is great, isn’t it? Who in the world doesn’t love our Suzhou?” Tong Pan’er said with a smile.
Everyone laughed.
As the year drew to a close, this was the first time their family had celebrated the New Year together, and it was very lively. They bought two sheep and two geese early on, not to mention the cured meat, fish, and sausages hanging under the eaves. Mei sent someone to buy a lot of spring platter boxes from Tiger Hill, two of each size, some in the shape of melon petals and others in the shape of red lacquered chrysanthemum petals.
It was rare for the girls' school to close, and Madam Ru said she had something to do, so Miaozhen could rest at home for a few days. She then took the shoe uppers to Madam Mei to do needlework.
These are two pairs of shoes to be made for Ru Shi. The soles will be sewn by Feng Niang, and the uppers will be embroidered by her. One pair will be a pair of pointed-toe phoenix-shaped bow shoes with a bright red satin sole and embroidered eight-treasure pattern, and the other pair will be a pair of plain silk bow shoes with lotus and cloud patterns.
As Madam Mei was saying, "You've really mastered embroidery under Lady Qiu's care, that's what I was worried about."
"Mrs. Qiu teaches me everything. I've never even been in the kitchen before, but now I can make a few kinds of snacks, wontons, and vegetarian dishes. It's all been worth learning from her," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Mei joked, "You're more capable than your third aunt now; she can't even make a pair of shoes."
When Miaozhen was in school, she never went to any of the family gatherings. Mei told her a lot of things in bits and pieces, such as how her eldest uncle often came to their house to freeload meals. Because her eldest aunt and her sister Miaoyun never came back, her third aunt got into a fight with the clerk and even chased after him with a knife. Later, her third uncle apologized and paid money so that he could continue to run the business as usual.
Uncle Qiao took another concubine in Hangzhou Prefecture. Not counting those from outside, this is now his fifth wife. It is said that Aunt Qiao's face is as black as ink, but she still has to pretend to be virtuous.
These gossips were a way to spice up life, and Miaozhen listened with great interest.
However, she also mentioned what happened next door: "A few days ago, Sister Ma told me that they had some very important guests. They had forty dishes of food and even hired someone to sing and play instruments. It was quite a grand affair. Do you know who it was?"
"I know about all the rumors. I even brought my two grandsons back with me. I bought a house near Xumen and it's under renovation. We'll be staying at your sister Ma's house for now."
Before she could finish speaking, Madam Ma's maid came in from outside, asking Madam Mei for some pickled spring buds.
Every year, the pickled spring greens made by the Mei family are tastier, more refreshing, and better with rice than those from other families. As a result, every year people would come to their door with bowls to ask for some. Mrs. Ma was a neighbor and had a good relationship with the Mei family, so the Mei family immediately sent a jar of pickled spring greens to her.
The maid from the Ma family said that their guest had no taste in his mouth, but somehow after eating Mei's "Spring Never Fades," he actually ate a bowl of rice, which is why Mrs. Ma came over to ask for more.
After the Little New Year, Miaozhen's shoes were finished. Her mother took the festival gifts to Madam Ru's place. Madam Ru was very pleased with the shoes she made and said, "The stitches are fine and the design of the shoes is also very good. Mrs. Xu, I even want to snatch Miaozhen away and make her my daughter."
Miaozhen humbly replied, "I have only been learning embroidery for a short time, and I am afraid my skills are not yet proficient. I am grateful that my master does not despise me."
In fact, Madam Ru taught her very carefully, but whenever she went to a wealthy family for medical treatment, she would take Ru Xiniang with her. Ru Xiniang was very friendly to her at first, but later she found that she was learning very quickly, so she became a little awkward and often kept it to herself.
Miaozhen was originally a very goal-oriented person. When her parents divorced in modern times, she was initially awkward and not very proactive in paying child support. She blamed herself for spending too much money and was sad. Later, after entering society, she realized that no matter what she said, as long as she got the money, it was real.
It's the same now. As long as Ru teaches her seriously, she'll learn what she needs to know. She won't worry about anything else for now.
“Zhen’er, then we’ll see you next year,” Madam Ru said with a smile.
...
After leaving the Tao family's house, Madam Mei asked her daughter, "How are you doing with your studies these days?"
"I've only just started learning. I'm a fast learner. It will probably take at least a year or two," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Last year, during the Lunar New Year, Madam Mei was heavily pregnant and about to give birth. This year, she has her own house and maids to serve her. Xu Erpeng even went to repay fifty taels of silver to the previous landlord, thus reducing the loan from a three-tael loan to a two-tael loan.
However, Xu Erpeng continued to write diligently, while Miaozhen only played for a few days, staying at home reading "Danxi Xinfa" and other books. In fact, for the year after the New Year, she hardly went anywhere in her spare time, but the effect was still very significant. Ru Shi also began to slowly teach her acupuncture.
She, who usually visited the Tao family without fail, took a day off today for the first time. "Master, a close friend of mine is leaving tomorrow, and a few of us friends are seeing her off."
Knowing that she had never been late or absent for a single day in the past year and a half, even during the torrential rain and heavy snow last year, Ru readily agreed when she heard that it was for a friend's sake. She added, "But I'm going to do a free clinic the day after tomorrow, which will also be a chance for you to get some experience, so you must come."
The free clinics mostly involved diagnosing the poor and needy, and the women they came into contact with were mostly laborers and peddlers. Ru Xiniang didn't care for such work; she would just go to the front to distribute medicine, give instructions to others, and listen to their gratitude.
"Don't worry." Miaozhen knows that no matter how solid your theoretical knowledge is, it won't work if you don't put it into practice.
Lin Xiaoxiao's mother passed away, and her father doesn't plan to remarry. Her maternal family plans to take her to live with them, and she has already set off from Nanjing.
The farewell banquet was held at the Ma family's house. The four of them chipped in eight coins and prepared ten dishes, five dry and five wet, not counting fruits, pastries, and fruit wine.
Tong Pan'er said regretfully, "Madam Qiu said she would teach us how to make abalone with bones in the spring, but you have to go to Nanjing."
Lin Xiaoxiao also looked reluctant, "Yes, it's great to play with everyone, but there's nothing we can do about it."
A young woman without a mother's upbringing is easily mistaken for the eldest daughter of a widow. Moreover, Lin's maternal grandfather worked as a clerk in the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing, her uncle was a battalion commander, and the family owned several shops, making them quite wealthy.
Seeing that everyone was sad, Miaozhen smiled and said, "Nanjing is the former capital, a first-class place. I think that if Sister Lin goes there, she will be able to experience the charm of this ancient capital. My uncle used to study at the Imperial Academy in Nanjing, and he still talks about it fondly."
As she spoke, she opened the box again, inside which were a pair of clay figures. These two clay figures were clearly Lin Xiaoxiao and herself. The clay figures were sculpted to be incredibly lifelike. Upon seeing this, Lin Xiaoxiao burst into tears. It took some persuasion from the crowd to stop her tears.
After the banquet ended, Miaozhen saw her out. Lin Xiaoxiao took her hand and said, "Sister Xu, I know you're studying medicine. You know my mother and I are often ill, and we've consulted doctors everywhere. My illness has only improved in recent years, thanks to Madam Yang from Wuxi. She's your master's cousin, her maiden name is Tan, and her medical skills are superb, and she's a person of impeccable character. Although Madam Tao's medical skills are also good, they can't compare to Madam Yang's. Trust me, if you want to learn a superior one, ask your teacher to introduce you."
Her surname is Tan, and she is Lady Yang? Isn't that Tan Yunxian?
Miao Zhen felt enlightened and took her hand, saying, "Thank you so much, dear sister."
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