Time flies like a fleeting horse, the years pass like a shuttle, and a year and a half went by in the blink of an eye.
Because Tan Yunxian was truly getting on in years, her granddaughter couldn’t rest easy and personally came to bring her over to live with them, so Xu Miaozhen bid farewell to her master and returned home early with her parents.
She only had three or four sets of clothes to change into, but her medical books filled three whole trunks.
Her father was just as before—whenever he wasn’t writing, his whole body ached, and he would often use a wooden mallet to pound his arms and shoulders.
“When I get back, I’ll do moxibustion for you on the Shousanli Point and Quchi Point. I guarantee you’ll feel refreshed after the treatment,” Xu Miaozhen said hurriedly.
Xu Erpeng nodded repeatedly—he couldn’t wait for someone to relieve his back and waist pain.
The three of them boarded the boat.
The wind was still a bit strong, so Xu Miaozhen quickly had Mei Shi put on an extra layer, since her mother had just given birth to a younger brother at the end of last year and couldn’t afford to catch a chill.
Then she heard Mei Shi say, “You’ve just turned thirteen now, you’ve read your books and learned medicine, so from now on, stay home and be good. Speaking of which, your Xiaogugu is about to get married too, and you’ll just make it back in time.”
“Mother, will Da Bo Fu and Da Bomu come back from Jinling?”
Xu Miaozhen still remembered how Da Bo Fu had asked the family to send money back then.
Mei Shi squeezed her hand.
“At first, your father and your San Shu asked the Huang Family to inquire, and later they wrote to your Da Bo’s friends, but there was no news. Finally, this Lantern Festival, those few people finally returned, but when they got back, they didn’t even have a place to stay. They stayed at your San Shu’s house for a few days, but you know what your San Shen is like. When you were six, she gave you five wen, and she’s still talking about it.”
“Your Zumu even asked your Da Bo’s family for your Xiaogugu’s Mother’s Money for Bride Price. All this back and forth, it was unbearable. Then your San Shu said our house had a spare courtyard and wanted them to stay with us—thank goodness your father disagreed.”
“So what happened then?”
Xu Miaozhen asked.
Mei Shi said, “Previously, those two rooms of ours—sold to your San Shu for a total of twenty taels—but over the years, he’s only paid back half. So your father said in front of the whole family that each household should lend ten taels to your Da Bo, so at least they’d have a place to stay and wouldn’t have to keep relying on others. As for our family’s ten taels, your Da Bo can ask your San Shu for it.”
Xu Miaozhen was relieved—her father was shrewd, turning from San Shu’s creditor into Da Bo’s creditor.
Still, she asked, “And then what?”
“Your San Shu only brought out ten taels, saying that the debt to your father was settled, and with ten taels, they could buy two or three rooms to live in. But your Da Bo Fu and his family took the money and rented two rooms near Dye Alley to live in.”
“How did it come to this? I remember their family had so many fine clothes and jewelry. Couldn’t they just pawn a few pieces? Dye Alley is full of all sorts of people, good and bad mixed together—it’s not a good place.”
Xu Erpeng, who had been pounding his back nearby, said, “What else could we do? I could only do a small favor—being able to get ten taels from your San Shu for him was already not easy.”
Xu Miaozhen was thoughtful, and couldn’t help but recall that Rushi’s consultation fee was only two or three qian, while famous doctors often charged two or three taels, even five taels.
If she were to charge for consultations, she’d have to start with just one qian.
Whether in ancient or modern times, if you want to live well and have aspirations, you must first have material security.
Even though Da Bo was a Gongsheng, he lived in such poverty that he couldn’t even settle down.
So making money was still important.
Now, she could be considered experienced, and with the title of Yan Ruren’s Disciple, things would naturally be different from before.
As she was thinking, she yawned.
Mei Shi hugged her and said, “Get some sleep. When you wake up, we’ll be home.”
At Xu Da Lang’s house, he was also sleeping.
He had originally gone to rely on friends, and after more than half a year, finally found a job through them.
But because he accidentally let slip about his friend keeping a mistress, he soon lost his job.
Huang Shi lost the support of relatives and had no other connections.
She had planned to pawn her daughter’s gemstone necklace to open a shop and do some small business.
He had even considered bowing his head to do merchant work, but it turned out that the necklace gifted by the Qianhu’s family was completely fake.
Helpless, he pawned one of his own fur coats, but as soon as he got the money, Huang Shi said she wanted to use it to prepare a dowry for their daughter and kept begging him until he handed over the money.
By the end of the year, Huang Shi had given birth to another child, but because she didn’t recover properly, not only did the child die young, but Huang Shi also developed a postpartum illness.
The family pawned everything they could, and in the end, they had no choice but to return to Suzhou.
“Father, have something to eat. You’ll need to go out again in a while,” Miaoyun brought over some thin porridge and a plate of pickles.
Xu Da Lang planned to visit Xu Erpeng, hoping to see if he could work as a Master of Accounts at his younger brother’s bookshop—anything was better than laboring for others.
His parents had been quarreling constantly lately, and Miaoyun was a little frightened.
Back in Jinling, after her father was dismissed, her own marriage fell through, and all those past events seemed to have vanished like smoke.
After returning to Suzhou, her second sister Xu Miaozhen had become a disciple of the famous doctor Yan Ruren, and Second Uncle was even planning to prepare a large dowry for her.
Third sister was engaged to the second son of the woodworking shop, and since hearing that Second Sister was learning medicine, she was following a Steady Midwife to learn midwifery.
Only she seemed to have achieved nothing.
Thinking of this, she remembered the gemstone necklace that the Qianhu Madam had once given her.
At the time, both she and her mother were overjoyed, even kneeling down to give thanks, but who would have thought the gems were all fake—the chain wasn’t even silver.
Those nobles had only made monkeys out of them.
Back then, her mother didn’t know and even offered to waive half a year’s tuition.
“Miss Xu, Miss Xu—”
A woman entered from outside.
Miaoyun got up and said, “Lin Po, is something the matter?”
Lin Po was a hairdresser and widow who supported her family through her craft.
Today, she was dressed very plainly.
She first asked after Huang Shi, “Where has your mother gone?”
“My mother went to the Fang Family to make clothes.”
Huang Shi had an uncle who quickly found her work—embroidering wedding bedding and wedding clothes for the Fang Family’s new bride.
When Lin Po heard this, she slapped her thigh in regret.
“Your mother told me last time that if I found anyone looking for an embroideress, I should recommend her. I finally found someone in need and already agreed for her, but she’s not here.”
Miaoyun’s heart stirred.
“Granny Lin, you can ask me as well. I may be young, but I’ve been doing needlework with my mother for years.”
With that, she brought out her embroidery work.
Lin Po took one look and saw that the stitches were indeed fine, not at all crude, and the designs were novel.
So she agreed.
Miaoyun breathed a sigh of relief—at least she could help support the family.
Once they’d saved enough, they wouldn’t have to live in such a place and look at their relatives’ faces, and could buy a decent house in Xumen or Changmen.
When Xu Miaozhen and her family arrived in Suzhou, the sun was already setting.
As soon as they reached home, they found a shadow standing at the door, giving everyone a fright.
“Big Brother, what are you doing here?”
Xu Erpeng was already exhausted—he’d taken the ferry to Wuxi last night, said goodbye to the Yang Family in the morning, and spent the day boating back.
After all this traveling, he had no patience left.
Xu Da Lang was anxious to find a job and didn’t care about anything else.
“I wanted to ask if you need a Master of Accounts here?”
Xu Erpeng replied, “Li Clerk manages the accounts. He handles things day-to-day.”
He didn’t like hiring relatives—he always looked for people who knew the business and were timid, which made them easier to manage.
Li Clerk had been working for him for two or three years and was much better than the previous clerk.
His place was just a small workshop, not a big bookshop with hundreds of people—there was no need for a dedicated Master of Accounts.
But then Xu Da Lang stammered, “I see Li Clerk is really busy. Maybe sometimes he can’t keep up. If you added another Master of Accounts—”
“I’d like to, but there’s no money.”
Xu Erpeng heard what he was implying and refused right away.
Relatives shouldn’t share finances—he understood this well.
It was better to refuse outright than to string things along and end up as enemies.
When Xu Da Lang entered, all the servants from the second branch came out.
Sitting there doing nothing made him feel like a clown, so he left without even saying goodbye.
Since the adults could handle their own affairs, Xu Miaozhen didn’t meddle.
She first had the maids and servants carry the luggage upstairs, then waited with her parents for the kitchen to bring dinner.
Jian Ge’er and her little brother Kun Ge’er were already asleep.
She heard that Jian Ge’er was now attending the local community school, not being tutored at home.
Her father said a child’s aptitude for study shows itself quickly—there was no need for special treatment.
Soon, Yuxiang brought up several dishes.
Everyone was so exhausted and hungry that they enjoyed a hearty meal.
After eating, her father immediately went to the study to write, while her mother accompanied her to the back building.
On the way, she said in a low voice, “Your father says that in two years, you’ll come of age. By then, it’ll be time to marry. We’ll need to save up in the next few years to prepare a dowry of a thousand taels, so you can marry into a good family.”
Xu Miaozhen blushed.
“It’s still early.”
“It’s not early. If you wait until you’re older, it’ll be too late to arrange a match. Miaolian is already engaged—to the youngest son of the woodworking shop. Your San Shu’s family isn’t too happy about it; they think the other family isn’t good enough,” Mei Shi said.
Xu Miaozhen replied, “If they’re not good enough, why agree to it?”
Mei Shi laughed, “That’s just how it is. How many in-laws are ever satisfied with their sons-in-law? Just like few mothers-in-law truly like their daughters-in-law.”
Xu Miaozhen smiled.
“That’s true.”
As they talked, they reached the room.
Xu Miaozhen took Mei Shi’s pulse and asked, “Have you had any discomfort since giving birth?”
Mei Shi just shook her head.
She felt awkward telling her daughter such private things, so she said nothing.
Xu Miaozhen said, “If you feel unwell, you must tell me.”
“All right.”
Mei Shi helped her daughter undo her hair.
After Xu Miaozhen’s hair was down, a servant brought hot water, and she sent Mei Shi out before bathing and washing up.
Xiaoxi and Xiaotao said, “Miss, isn’t it best to be home?”
“Of course, it’s best to be home.”
Xu Miaozhen rested her head on the edge of the tub.
Meanwhile, after Xu Da Lang returned, Huang Shi quarreled with him again, as usual blaming him for his lack of ability.
Xu Da Lang sneered, “If I was useless, how could you have been an official’s wife before? You envied Madam Gao Zhiyuan, so you forced me to expose his affair, saying you couldn’t let her be fooled. I exposed it, lost my job, and our daughter’s marriage was ruined too.”
Huang Shi’s face flushed red and white in turn, and she scolded, “I told you not to go to Jinling, but you insisted. Isn’t it your family’s greed—”
“My family’s greed? At least my brother lent me ten taels.”
Xu Da Lang wouldn’t back down.
Miaoyun pulled the covers over her head.
This house was no home—every day was filled with arguments.
Today, when Lin Po took her to that family, the young miss was innocent and sweet, the lady of the house was kind, and Miaoyun helped make a few embroidered horse-face skirts and decorative borders.
The girl there was only six years old and called her ‘sister’ so sweetly.
But when the lady mentioned wanting to find a tutor for her daughter, Miaoyun, on impulse, claimed to be her cousin and said she’d studied under Qiu Niangzi for several years.
She’d once heard from her second aunt that Qiu Niangzi’s reputation had soared in the Three Wu region thanks to her brother Qiu Yushi’s praise.
When that lady heard she was taught by Qiu Niangzi, and that her family had now fallen on hard times, she immediately considered hiring her as a tutor.