Li Xiuhong watched the brother and sister make fun of each other affectionately with envy, she once very much hoped to have a brother who could take care of herself and love her, who could help her share the burden of the family and distract the pressure on her heart.

She glanced at her younger brother who was sitting next to Gu Ming, smiling carefree and carefree, hoping that he would be as responsible as Gu Ming in the future, and she and her mother would also have something to rely on.

"Brother Gu, I'm causing you trouble!" The village chief breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the goal of this time had been achieved. If you want to talk about other families in the village, he, the village chief, can be a seven-point master, but when he came to Gu Xiao, his confidence weakened for some reason.

Gu Xiao said politely: "Folks, what is the trouble is not troublesome." Xiao Yezi soaked a jar of medicinal wine, and invited Brother Li to taste it another day. ”

"The medicinal wine brewed by the little doctor in our village, that can't be missed, let's have a good drink with a few old guys another day!" The news that Gu Ye rescued a pregnant woman who was bleeding heavily had already spread in the village. You must know that blood collapse was almost certain death in ancient times, which was equivalent to snatching your life in the hands of Hades. The people in the village privately called her a "little miracle doctor" in awe.

Gu Ye said to Widow Li: "You sit warm and warm, and I'll go and collect Master's things." Brother, you go to the firewood room to get some firewood and burn the kang first......"

Widow Li hurriedly got down from the kang and stumbled: "How dare you work Miss Ye'er, I'll clean it up......"

Aunt Yan grabbed Widow Li and said, "The old doctor has a strange temper and doesn't like others to touch his things. Think about it, they are doctors, and people who don't understand many things can't move around. On Chinese New Year's Eve, the home was stolen and the pharmacy was in a mess. I looked anxious and couldn't help. It's all our girls who cleaned it up little by little. ”

Widow Li and Li Xiuhong, who was just about to get up, heard the words and sat back again. Yes, if you mess up other people's medicinal materials or something, you will do a bad thing with good intentions.

Fortunately, there are not many things in the medicine saint's room. Gu Ye put the master's clothes and some ordinary medical books and medicine books in the cage into the cabinet, and put valuable things, such as the rare pharmacopoeia, the master's pharmaceutical experience, and the medicinal materials handmade by the master's father, into his own space. He also helped to spread the futon on the kang.

Widow Li came in from outside. Gu Ye smiled and said, "Aunt Li, you can see what is still missing, just tell me."

"No...... No...... We were already grateful to be given a place to stay. You're so new, I'm afraid it's going to get dirty, so you better put it away......" Widow Li was a little helpless when she saw the new boxes and cabinets in the house, and the thick and fluffy bedding.

Gu Ye took the burden in her hand and put it in the cage: "Isn't the quilt just for people?" If it's dirty, just wash it. Our quilts are removable, making it easier to disassemble and wash. ”

Li Xiuhong watched in amazement as Gu Ye demonstrated how to disassemble the quilt cover, which was very convenient, but it cost fabric. However, when the people came back from the border gate, they brought back several horses with the cloth, all of which were given by the person who treated them. It's good to be a doctor, not to mention being respected, and you can also receive a lot of thanks.

Widow Li looked at the children around her, no longer shirked, and said with great gratitude: "I really caused you trouble." Miss Ye'er rest assured, when we leave, we must wash the quilt. ”

"Sister-in-law Li, do you want to eat with us, or do you cook your own food?" Dinner was about to be made, and Aunt Yan came in and asked.

Widow Li hurriedly said: "We brought food, just do it ourselves, don't trouble the Yan family's sisters." "Widow Li heard that Uncle Gu's family usually has good food, stewed with meat, and it will definitely be better for the New Year. If you partner up, I'm afraid that the food expenses are not something they can afford.

Widow Li borrowed the kitchen of the Gu family to cook a pot of paste and heat two coarse grain steamed buns. After thinking about it, she cut two thin slices of palm-sized bacon, sandwiched them in steamed buns, and brought them into the house. The Li family, like most families in the village, eat two meals a day. Today's dinner was late, and the whole family was hungry.

Seeing that there was salted meat in the steamed buns, Li Xiaohai cheered, and was reluctant to bite down for a long time. You know, except for the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, their family hardly sees meat all year round.

Widow Li looked at her son's satisfied appearance, and a smile appeared on her sad face. Li Xiuhong saw that her mother only lowered her head and drank mush, knowing that her mother only warmed steamed buns for herself and her younger brother, and she used porridge to satisfy her hunger. She broke off half of her steamed bun, and tore off a piece of the salted meat inside and stuffed it into her mother's hand.

Li Xiaohai also followed his sister's example and gave his salted meat and steamed buns to his mother to eat. Widow Li's eyes are sour, her daughter and son are so sensible, but it's a pity that she, a mother, has no ability to let the children fill their stomachs......

"It's so fragrant...... Li Xiaohai snorted softly like a puppy. Tonight, Gu Yejia heated the sticky bean buns, and the braised pork left over from noon, fried two vegetarian dishes, and stewed bone broth. The thick aroma of braised pork wafts from the kitchen.

Widow Li's eyes flashed with tears, she sighed, and said: "You have suffered with your mother, if your father is still here, you will definitely be able to eat a lot of meat......" Widow Li's man was also one of the best hunters in the village. One winter, he went hunting alone in the mountains and never returned.

Li Xiaohai obediently wiped his mother's tears and said, "The salted meat made by my mother is more fragrant than big meat!" When I grow up, I will learn to hunt with Uncle Zhang, so that my mother can eat more meat every day! ”

"Don't! Your father just went into the mountains to hunt! There are many beasts in the mountains, and my mother just doesn't eat meat all her life, and she doesn't want you to risk entering the mountains. Widow Lee's face became ugly, and she was anxious to dispel her son's thoughts.

Li Xiuhong took a small sip of the paste, she suddenly raised her head and whispered: "Mother, if only I knew the herbs, Wu Angelica's mother-in-law, every moonlight digging herbs to sell, you can get a hundred and ten copper plates!" ”

Widow Li frowned: "Every time that woman goes up the mountain to dig herbs, she carries people on her back, for fear of being peeked at." Think about it, it is said that the disciples of the church starved to death the master, and those who know herbal medicine, who doesn't hide it? ”

When Li Xiuhong heard this, she swallowed the words in her mouth that she wanted to learn herbs from Gu Ye, buried her head and continued to drink the mush.

The next day, the snow was still falling. After breakfast, Widow Li said to her daughter: "It's snowing for days, and the Gu family's dry firewood is not much, so let's not burn the kang during the day." Let's go, let's talk to your sister Ye'er. ”

They came to the west where Gu Ye and Aunt Yan lived. Aunt Yan was cutting the medicine, Gu Ye was grinding the medicine, and the two of them stopped talking and laughing when they saw Widow Li and them coming in. Gu Ye raised a smile and beckoned, "Aunt Li, Sister Xiuhong, sit on the kang quickly." Xiaohai, there are hazelnuts and pine nuts on the kang table, take them yourself. ”

Li Xiuhong saw that she was skillful in grinding medicine under her feet, and she didn't delay in talking and grinding medicine, so she looked at it seriously for a while and said, "Is this crushing medicine?" ”

Gu Ye explained her confusion and said: "This is called a medicine mill, which is to push the copper stone back and forth in the mill trough with your feet to press and grind back and forth, so that the medicinal materials can be shelled, decomposed, and turned into powder, so as to further make pills, powder, ointment, pills and other medicines. ”

"Can you let me try it?" Li Xiuhong looked out of the doorway, raised her eyes to look at her, and asked tentatively.

Someone is willing to help, so why not? Gu Ye lifted his foot from the medicine mill, moved his buttocks, and let Li Xiuhong sit down in his place.

Li Xiuhong tried it, but at the beginning, she didn't grasp the strength and balance well, and the copper stone under her feet was always disobedient. Gu Ye gave a few words of advice on the side, and she quickly learned the essentials and grinded the medicine in style.

Widow Li also picked up a cutter and cut up the medicinal herbs in the same way as Aunt Yan. Although her knife work is not as good as that of Aunt Yan, she cuts it carefully, and the medicine cut out is quite thin and even. Gu Ye praised: "Aunt Li's knife work is really good, it's better to ...... Can you help me when you have time? I'll pay you ten cents a day. ”

"We're borrowing from you, and it's enough trouble for you. Do a little favor and talk about wages. Widow Li's face turned red, her hands kept shaking, and she insisted on refusing to ask for wages.

Gu Ye explained: "Aunt Li, I want to ask you and Sister Xiuhong to help me for a long time. You see, I only have one pair of hands, cutting, grinding, washing medicine, etc., all pointing at me alone, and I can't concoct much medicine in a month. If you and Sister Xiuhong come to help, it will be different. I don't have to spend cutting and grinding the medicine, and I can make more medicine. ”

If you have 10 yuan a day, you will have more than 300 yuan a month! Li Xiuhong looked at her mother eagerly, obviously tempted. Her family has little land, and the food she grows is not enough to eat, and most of the year is a mushy wild vegetable. My mother's health is not good, she always has to give birth to a few illnesses a year, and the little money she buys and sells wild vegetables is not enough for her medicine. The younger brother is smart and studious, and every time he sees other children going to Uncle Gu's house to study, he will be envious.

If she and her mother can help the Gu family, with an income of more than 600 yuan a month, they can not only fill the family's stomach, but also save some money to send their younger brother to study. Recognize some words, learn to settle accounts, and when you are older in the future, you can find a job in the town in the bookkeeper, which is better than living in this poor ravine for the rest of your life.

Widow Li fell into deep thought when she heard this. Concocted herbs are much more valuable than ordinary herbs. Just look at Wu Angelica's two sons, just collecting medicines, making medicines, and selling medicines, in just a few years, they have accumulated more than 100 or 20 families. Gu Ye's medicine was sold at a good price in the town, and she also heard about it. A few baskets of medicine earned more than sixty taels of silver, which she couldn't even imagine.

Miss Ye'er is right, if you make a few more baskets of medicine every month, you can earn dozens of taels of silver. She also has a salary, which is indeed a benefit for both families.

Thinking about it this way, coupled with Aunt Yan's persuasion by the side, Aunt Li no longer insisted, and promised to come to help every day except for the busy farming season. As for the salary, the daily settlement is too troublesome, so it is agreed to settle it once every ten days.