"The doctor is right." Chun Nuan hurriedly signaled Chun Ning not to speak further: "Doctor, may I borrow your pen, ink, paper, and inkstone?"
"What are you going to do?" The old doctor was taken aback: "Are you going to write a prescription?"
"Although I am not very talented, I know a little about medicine. Since your shop requires a prescription to fill the medicine, I shall write one out."
It wasn't that Chun Nuan was unwilling to invite a doctor to see her elder sister-in-law, but because a house call requires a consultation fee and pulse fee, and currently, the Xiao family had no savings, so they needed to save where they could.
"You, a young girl..."
"Doctor Chen, let this young lady write the prescription, and we'll prepare the medicine accordingly."
"Patron, this is..."
Doctor Chen didn't understand why the patron agreed to let her write the prescription after just hearing their conversation upon entering, especially since this was a medicine for stabilizing pregnancy, which could be disastrous if not done right.
"It's fine. Don't we need to check the prescription when we prepare the medicine anyway?"
Indeed, if the prescription is wrong, it should not be filled, as that would be contributing to harm, not healing.
"Thank you, patron, thank you, doctor."
Chun Nuan sat down, picked up a pen, and wrote out a prescription, then gently blew on the ink.
"Doctor, please fill this prescription for me."
Sichuan Eucommia, Uncaria, Dogwood... Doctor Chen looked up at Chun Nuan after reading.
"Stabilizing pregnancy must also clear heat."
"Yes, that's why Uncaria is added to clear liver heat."
"Not only stabilizing pregnancy, but also preventing eclampsia."
"The doctor is absolutely right."
"Is this pregnant woman your elder sister-in-law?" Doctor Chen confirmed once more: "Are you really going to use this prescription?"
Although both are prescriptions for pregnancy stabilization, different prescriptions have different effects; the same illness in different people requires different prescriptions.
"Yes, please help fill the prescription, doctor."
Doctor Chen looked at the patron, Zhao Chengxun, who took a look at the prescription: "Such beautiful handwriting."
Doctor Chen... Patron, you should be looking at the prescription, not the handwriting!
"Fusheng, prepare the medicine according to this young lady's prescription."
Before Doctor Chen could remind him, Zhao Chengxun had already handed the prescription to the shop assistant, Fusheng.
"Yes, patron." Fusheng took the prescription, secretly amazed: This is what I call a prescription; that handwriting of Doctor Chen's is like reading a heavenly script, but luckily, I have the skills to understand it!
Preparing a mending pregnancy medicine cost one tael of silver.
When Chun Nuan took out her money pouch to pay for the medicine, she winced in pain; medicine really isn't something people from poor families can afford!
Just think about the storeroom of the Xiao Mansion in the capital; what kind of medicinal herb doesn't it have?
Both her great-grandfather and grandfather treasured herbs, and everyone in the noble families knew that they could absolutely use precious herbs as consultation fees for a visit from Doctor Xiao, who would be delighted.
In the end, the "kingdom" established by the Xiao family's ancestors was confiscated all at once, and no one knew who ultimately benefited from it?
"Sister, the medicine is so expensive."
"Exactly, so if the elder sister-in-law can rest well and take good care of herself, it's as good as earning silver," Chun Nuan said. "I hope this is the final hardship, and everything will go smoothly for us all in the future."
After all, she had already received a big order from the young master of Hundred Herbs Hall, and if she worked hard, she could definitely earn some silver to support her family.
Hundred Herbs Hall; Doctor Chen looked puzzled.
"Patron, do you know that young lady just now? From which family in Changzhou? When did such a talented woman appear in An Nan Town?"
Able to write a prescription and with such beautiful handwriting, was that young lady just parroting a book or was she really talented?
"I don't know her." Zhao Chengxun handed the prescription to him: "Doctor Chen, look at the signature at the bottom."
The signature was of the person who wrote the prescription, what was there to look at?
However, the young lady's name was quite nice: Xiao Chunnuan.
"Xiao Chunnuan, a girl from the Xiao family?" Doctor Chen realized: "No wonder she can write a prescription, the girls from the Xiao family's great clans are indeed multi-talented and capable. I wonder which young lady the third young master wants to marry; is it this one?"
Doctor Chen knew the patron had plans to marry into the Xiao family's great clan, and a few days ago had sent a matchmaker over, but the young lady's side had politely declined.
Of course, it wasn't that the Xiao family looked down on the Zhao family's third young master, but that as the young lady's side, it was customary to pretend to refuse once or twice, so as not to seem too eager to marry off their daughter.
The Zhao family would send a matchmaker again in a few days; many families were competing for a bride, and one had to sincerely ask multiple times.
"Minghua might not be worthy of this young lady." As he said this, a thought flashed through Zhao Chengxun's mind: How would you know unless you tried?
"Which side of the Xiao family's great clan does this young lady belong to? She indeed has some talent."
"She is not from the Xiao family's great clan."
Speaking of which, the Xiao family's great clan was really cold-hearted; they grew prosperous under Doctor Xiao's protection, but when Doctor Xiao was in trouble, they wouldn't even let his family in, and even expelled them from the clan; such conduct was despicable.
It's not right, Minghua should not marry a girl from the Xiao family's great clan!
Yes, the reason he wanted to marry a girl from the Xiao family was because of Doctor Xiao's connections.
Without Doctor Xiao, how long could the Xiao family's great clan remain glorious?
Doctor Xiao's sons were all exiled, but did that mean they had no future?
Just looking at this Xiao Chunnuan, it's clear the Xiao family won't fall!
"Not a girl from the Xiao family's great clan, then who is..."
"Who recently arrived in An Nan Town from Changzhou?"
Doctor Chen's mind was a bit muddled; really, the patron knew he was old and forgetful, yet insisted on quizzing him!
"Patron, is she a girl from Doctor Xiao's family?" Fusheng, being young, reacted right away.
"A girl from Doctor Xiao's family?" Doctor Chen was shocked and regretted having spoken too much earlier: "No wonder she could write her own prescription; indeed, the son of a tiger never lacks cunning..."
"Wrong, wrong, Doctor Chen, this is a family with deep academic roots; it's truly like grandfather, like granddaughter." Fusheng corrected.
"You act all smart," Doctor Chen glared at him: "You've been preparing medicine here for eight years, and you still can't write a prescription?"
"Hehe, I'm just dumb; I can't learn to write prescriptions." Fusheng admitted his shortcomings.
Zhao Chengxun watched the banter between the old and young, smiling, then suddenly paused, staring at the tael of silver on the table.
He remembered, the money pouch from which the young woman took the silver looked really familiar... No, it was particularly familiar.
"I'll head home first." With a certain suspicion in mind, Zhao Chengxun strode quickly, wishing he could fly down the street.
As soon as he entered, a maidservant greeted him.
"Master is back."
"Greetings, master."
"Qingsheng, where is the third young master?"
"Replying to master, the third young master is in the study."
"Tell him to come see me urgently."
"Yes."
Qingsheng noticed the master's unusual demeanor and secretly worried for the third young master, hoping he wouldn't be involved when punishment was dealt out.
Needless to say, Zhao Minghua also didn't know what trouble he was in now.
"Father, what do you want to see your son about?"
"Did you go out this afternoon? Who did you meet, what did you do?"