The Down-And-Out Medicine Girl Supports Her Family

Dr. Xiao, head of Tai Hospital and a trusted associate of the German physician Shuangxin, became embroiled in the case of the concubine’s false pregnancy and was executed by beheading. All males in the family over the age of twelve were exiled, while the female relatives and young children were allowed to return to their ancestral homeland in Shu, thanks to the mercy of the Empress Dowager.
Unexpectedly, the clan members who had once benefited from Dr. Xiao’s protection turned against them. They drove the women and children away, seized the ancestral property, and nearly wiped them out.
Faced with such disaster, the once-pampered women and children had no means to survive. At this critical moment, Xiao Chunnuan—who had always kept a low profile, preferring to read books and pound herbs—stepped up as the pillar of the family.
She taught the family to do laundry and cook to survive;
taught her sisters to forage for wild vegetables and prepare medicinal herbs;
taught her younger brothers business skills, martial arts, and physical training.
Even if they could no longer take the imperial exam, three generations of the family had to become literate.
She worked tirelessly to earn money and provide aid for their exiled relatives.
When her grandmother arranged a marriage for her, the daughter of the patriarch came to cause trouble. But Xiao Chunnuan was not one to be trifled with.
People may be kind, but if they’re too kind, they’ll be bullied.
Horses may be tame, but if they’re too tame, they’ll be ridden.
Old grudges and new scores—Xiao Chunnuan tallied them all. She was never a soft person.
In both pen and sword, she knew how to fight!