Chapter 199: Chapter 151

“Third Aunt, can I talk to Chun An?”

Chun Nuan noticed that her aunt and mother both looked displeased, and Mrs. Huang seemed somewhat embarrassed, eager for family harmony.

She had no choice but to step forward and mediate.

“Nuannuan, I just want Chun An and Chun Qiang to study diligently. I…”

Back when the Xiao family encountered troubles, they didn’t abandon them but chose to follow them to Shu City with determination. As a mother, she was qualified.

A qualified mother wants her sons to follow the path she has chosen. How is that wrong?

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt; Mrs. Huang wiped away her tears directly.

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry, just speak up. Everything will be fine once it’s said.”

At the critical moment, Mrs. Xu exerted the authority of the eldest sister-in-law: “Nuannuan, take Chun An aside to talk.”

Between Mrs. Huang and Chun Nuan, she chose to trust Chun Nuan unconditionally.

Mrs. Huang wasn’t bad, just a little too self-centered.

In her eyes, she lacked the bigger picture.

Chun Nuan led Chun An to her room.

“Sister, I’m sorry for worrying you.”

What a well-behaved child, apologizing immediately upon arrival.

“You are my little brother. It’s only right for me to worry about you.” She patted the child’s head: “Your mother worries about you too.”

“I know, I understand, but Sister, I truly don’t want to study. Mother makes Chun Qiang and me practice writing for an hour every day. My hand is so sore and painful…”

At such a young age, practicing writing for an hour.

Chun Nuan was also amazed; what was Third Aunt doing?

Pushing him too hard!

Looking at Chun An’s fingers, already callused, filled her with some heartache.

If it goes on like this, his joints will have problems.

Writing isn’t something learned in a day; it’s a long-term practice. At Chun An’s age, practicing for a short quarter-hour daily is enough.

“Sister, I like grinding medicines, let me grind medicine for you.”

“Do you recognize those herbs?”

“I know some, and I’ll gradually remember them all, I won’t mix them up.”

“Can you write the names of those medicines?”

Chun An was dumbfounded, why does grinding medicine require writing?

“Medicine isn’t like other things, it can save lives, but it can also be fatal, so you can’t be careless.” Chun Nuan said, “You not only need to write, but also recognize the characters. You need to know the name of the medicine, what composes a prescription, its use, efficacy, primary treatment, and contraindications…”

Chun An felt overwhelmed hearing this.

“Sister, can’t I just grind medicine?”

“Do you intend to grind medicine your whole life?” Chun Nuan asked, “If you only do simple tasks, you could be easily replaced. Besides, as a descendant of the Xiao family, do you think it’s suitable to only grind medicine?”

“Our great-grandfather and grandfather both served as the heads of the Imperial Hospital; they had remarkable medical skills. Sister has vowed to pass down our ancestral medical skills.” Chun Nuan sighed, “But now, aside from your brother Ning, no one else is willing to learn, and your brother Ning has many trivial matters to handle. You know everything in and out of the house depends on him; these days, he’s lost a lot of weight.”

“Sister, I want to study medicine, teach me.”

“Then you need to first learn to recognize characters, to write them well,” Chun Nuan said, “I’ll give you a year. If you still insist on studying medicine, I’ll explain to your mother.”

“Okay, I’ll follow Mother to learn characters and writing,” Chun An nodded, “But what if Mother still won’t let me study medicine?”

He always wanted to learn, but his mother always kept him confined inside, making him practice writing for an hour daily, insisting he finishes even if he cries.

“There’s a saying that success depends on effort. If you want to learn and have the talent, prove it with facts,” Chun Nuan replied, “I have a Tangtou Song here, and I memorized it for a long time when I started learning. See if you can memorize it within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn; that will show if you’re suitable for studying medicine.”

“Alright, Sister, I’ll go memorize it.”

“Can you recognize the characters there?”

Chun An flipped through it, looking bewildered.

“Many of them I don’t recognize.”

“What should you do now?”

“Learn to recognize characters and write,” he answered.

“That’s right,” Chun Nuan said, “Studying is not just for imperial exams or to bring glory to the family name, but to recognize characters, understand logic, and have the ability to do what you want, not like now, opening a book knowing few characters and being clueless.”

“Sister, I understand now.”

Chun An bowed to Chun Nuan, “Thank you, Sister, I will work hard.”

“Good child.”

Such a good child, why does Mrs. Huang see him as worthless?

In the outer courtyard, Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Xu exchanged glances but held their tongues; both concerned inwardly.

Primarily because Mrs. Huang is the youngest, and her children are the smallest, unlike the children of the first and second families who can take responsibility.

Speaking harshly, Mrs. Huang might overthink; speaking mildly, there would be no effect, so they chose to say nothing.

Just waiting for Chun Nuan to come out with Chun An.

“Chun An, go inside to learn and write,”

Chun Nuan sent him into his room and then looked at Mrs. Huang.

“Third Aunt, don’t worry. Chun An is willing to learn; he just misunderstood, thinking studying medicine means only grinding herbs and doesn’t require learning to write.”

Mrs. Huang bit her lip; she’s very afraid of Chun Qiang and Chun An learning medicine.

“I gave him a Tangtou Song, with many characters unrecognized. Use this book to teach him to recognize characters first. When he knows more, learning the Four Books and Five Classics will be easier. After all, he’s a smart child, sure to infer one thing from another.”

“Alright, I’ll do as you suggest.”

Mrs. Huang inwardly opposed it—learning character recognition and Tangtou Song—what was he really learning?

But she understood that the current Xiao family was no longer the same as before, and her husband wasn’t around. Among the sister-in-laws, she was the youngest, living in the gaps, so she couldn’t demand too much, often turning a deaf ear, unable to express her views.

Mrs. Huang took Chun An and Chun Qiang into her room to study characters.

Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Xu exchanged glances and sighed in unison.

Zhu Lingling saw everything clearly; she knew a family storm had temporarily subsided.

In fact, this conflict would grow more severe over time.

“In the future, let Mu learn whatever he wishes; I won’t restrict him,” Zhu Lingling first stated.

She realized what Third Aunt wanted the children to learn might not be what they wanted to learn.

She wouldn’t allow what the children wished to learn, likely damaging the bond between mother and child.

With her husband in the distant Northern Desert, she couldn’t alienate her son.

Sometimes she felt that Third Aunt had a too-stubborn personality.

But she was still an elder and couldn’t be criticized.

“Try to guide Mu toward studying medicine,” Mrs. Xu stated, “Mu is the Xiao family’s eldest legitimate grandson. The Xiao family’s future depends on him, and the Xiao family is a family of medicine, which must never change.”

Chun Nuan smiled; perhaps all elders loved to decide for the younger generation, but was it truly good to impose hopes upon children?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep