"You’re really hardworking."
"It’s necessary, otherwise I’d have nothing to eat." Xiao Hu responded, "Uncle brought me to the courier station because here, you earn your meal with your hands. We don’t keep idlers here."
"Yes, as long as you have hands, feet, and a brain, if you work hard, you’ll have food to eat." Chun Nuan said, "Come over here, let me take a look at your ear."
"Um..." Xiao Hu hesitated, "Uncle says my ears are very dirty, afraid that they might disgust the guests and they won’t eat. Maybe... you shouldn’t look."
"It’s okay, didn’t you say that I’m a doctor? Doctors don’t mind such things." Chun Nuan replied, "I need to look at your ear to understand the situation, then I can prescribe the right medicine."
"Alright then."
Xiao Hu walked over, and Chun Nuan had him sit on a small stool.
"How old are you this year?"
"I’ll be fourteen in two months."
Chun Nuan couldn’t help but glance at him twice, he was about the same age as Chun Ning, yet a head shorter.
Apparently, having no parents since young, he likely suffered a lot of hunger and cold, naturally making him not grow tall.
"How long have your ears been uncomfortable?"
"About..." Xiao Hu thought for a moment, "around twenty days, I guess. First, it burned hot, then it itched, and recently there’s been pus coming out and an occasional ringing sensation."
"You said you might become deaf, I truly believed it. I’m still a bit scared." Xiao Hu turned to look at Chun Nuan, "Miss, are you really a doctor? Can my ears be treated?"
"They can be treated, don’t worry. I’ll write you a prescription for the medicine."
"I have no money..."
"I brought the necessary herbs, don’t worry, you don’t need to pay." Chun Nuan explained, "And you said you’d find someone to help take care of my family, we can call it even."
It was clear this child is someone who appreciates kindness and repays it.
"Alright, it’s a deal. You treat my ears, I’ll find an uncle from the village to help look after your family."
"Okay."
Chun Nuan smiled, see how straightforward transactions with kids are, this has established our agreement.
"By the way, Miss, may I know your surname? Which family are you from?"
"My surname is Xiao, from the family of Doctor Xiao in the Capital."
"Doctor Xiao, I’ve heard of him, a very skilled physician. So you’re from the Doctor Xiao family, no wonder you’re good at medicine... Oh, that’s odd, you’re a girl, how did Doctor Xiao teach you medicine?"
"Yes, my grandfather taught me because he saw I had a passion for learning."
"That’s wonderful, I really envy you."
In his eyes, there was yearning and longing.
Chun Nuan understood that what he yearned for was the warmth of a family.
"Xiao Hu..."
"Coming, Auntie, what is it?"
As soon as he heard someone calling, Xiao Hu practically bounced up, as swift as a monkey.
"The firewood’s out, quickly go chop some wood."
"Alright,"
His small figure darted into the back kitchen.
Chun Nuan smiled, being small also has its advantages; truly nimble, like a spade.
Thinking of her metaphor, Chun Nuan smiled even brighter: After living in Shu City for so long, her thoughts had indeed changed.
She returned to the guest room and opened her bundle of herbs.
Xiao Hu’s ear problem wasn’t severe, just caused by inner heat.
Luckily, she had brought all the necessary medicines.
Red peony, fresh rehmannia, mulberry bark, chrysanthemum, clematis, hog fennel among eleven herbs were all ready.
She also fetched fresh ginger and red dates.
After preparing the medicine, she went to the back kitchen courtyard to look for Xiao Hu.
She saw him skillfully chopping wood with an axe.
The movement was evidently practiced.
"Miss, why did you come here, it’s dirty?"
"It’s okay, my family’s from the countryside too, we chop wood at home as well."
Thinking back to when she first arrived in Shu City, they didn’t even have firewood, had to gather dry branches and leaves from the forest and carry them home, much dirtier than this.
"I came to bring you medicine." Chun Nuan said, "Take a break, and I’ll explain how to brew this medicine."
"This is superior medicine, needs to be ground into powder. These herbs should be boiled in water, adding two slices of this ginger, and two pieces of this red date while boiling. Afterwards, drink the medicine broth, do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
"Then tell me what I just said."
Afraid he didn’t get it, Chun Nuan specifically asked him to repeat it.
To her surprise, Xiao Hu accurately repeated everything.
"Your memory is really good."
"Haha, I don’t have many talents but my memory is sharp."
"Can you read?"
"Can’t read," Xiao Hu replied straightforwardly, "I can’t even afford food, so naturally, schooling is out of the question."
This truly isn’t his fault for not trying.
For a moment, Chun Nuan felt the urge to reach out and gently pat his head.