9 chapters are translated so far so I wanted to make a thread to discuss it http://www.novelupdates.com/series/kusuriya-no-hitorigoto/ Spoiler: sypnosis In the imperial court, a young woman is put into servitude, Maomao. The tale is just beginning for the woman doctor/pharmacist from the red-light district, as rumors circulate about the emperor’s children’s lives being short-lived. Her curious nature and thirst for knowledge pushes her to action. To satisfy her curiosity, this young doctor/pharmacist will investigate the origin! What is shifting in the imperial court..!?
Well its set in a fantasy China type world and is about this young girl who's forced to become part of the emperors harem as a low level maid. She plans to stay low key to avoid any attention but gets caught up in it anyway because of a "conspiracy " involving the emperor newborn children The Mc is really smart (she's kind of like a doctor) and tough as you'll find out into the later chapters. Shes really curious and likes to solve stuff
It's strange to find a Japanese novel with heavy Chinese influences, usually it's the other way around
I'm really like maomao so far. She is really blunt, but not enough for her to get into trouble. Just enough to to get the message across
I see that huge image I pulled from Amazon taking up the screen. And I'm like orz, I should've pick a smaller image haha Share the love for Maomao~! She's so cool
Ok, not really LCD, but still: I just finished reading the first book, and an very confused as to certain motives. 1) Maomao got her debt to the Madam because the Madam chose a prostitute she couldn't afford to attend that muscles-military guy? This forced her to become a prostitute herself after getting fired? Why are these people 'friends'? Why didn't Maomao ask for someone cheaper or a cheaper service, rather than a Full Service from one of the Top Three - which the prostitute herself wanted, by the talk of the muscle fetish? 2) The entire book, Maomao wants to go home, back to her dad, who she was kidnapped from. Then she finds out she'll be dismissed and begs to stay? Then she meets Jinshi-the-eunuch at a expensive young-guys party (?!) and begs to be hired again? This really feels like whiplash, I can't figure out the MC's motives or goals. She wants to keep a low profile, wants to go home and be with her dad, and keeps betraying her own objectives. With her abilities and knowledge, can't she earn money just about anywhere? Does she have to stay in the imperial city? I keep feeling like this mixes the Japanese passive MC attitude with a Chinese story, and it really doesn't fit together.
1) From what I understood, originally, muscles-guy was only supposed to have tea or something. However, that prostitute slept with him of her own initiative, and the extra service got charged to Maomao. Also, she couldn't ask for someone cheaper, she got muscle guy to bring him out by promising him that he could meet with one of the top ones. Maomao isn't one to shirk on the bill though. 2) Maomao isn't absolutely attached to her home or anything. What made her most angry was the fact that her kidnappers were making money off her. That got resolved via that consort's head maid breaking a vase and charging her kidnappers for it. The second thing after that is, she at least wants to see her father Sometimes, at least to let him know that she's doing okay. I recall that she now has the freedom to go back from time to time, so that's also enough for her. Also, Maomao's main interest is in 1. pharmacy and 2. satisfying her curiosity. It turns out her adoptive father had planted medicinal herbs everywhere in the harem, so she's quite happy to play around there. Also, there are enough interesting things happening in the harem to keep her entertained. 3) Since Maomao got charged extra because of the muscle-guy, back then, the madame of the prostitution house wanted to use this as an excuse to get Maomao to become a prostitute. Said madame thinks of prostitution as a proper career, and probably thinks Maomao would do very well because her mother was a super famous prostitute (the type that catters to excentrics but still). From their POV, it's not something sinister, more like 'haha, you owe me one now, now you'll have to work at my company. I tell you, you won't regret this, you'll be rich!' Because the prostitutes are kind of like Maomao's family, it's a bit like meddlesome aunts trying to set you up. However, because they're close, I think Maomao also knows that the madame wouldn't really threaten or force her. It's just super. extremely. annoying to Maomao. Returning to work as a maid in the imperial harem means running away from these meddlesome aunts. Maomao has no interest in prostitution. Because she owes the madame, she can't just sneak away to make money through other means either. Also, Maomao's interests are very focused. She just isn't interested in making money. Look at her dad for example, He can probably make money too. I forgot whether it was in the raws or already translated but... Spoiler At one point, Jinshi tried to make her undergo exams so she can be come a higher-ranked maid and be a proper assistant. Maomao actually failed the test. She's intelligent, but she simply won't bother with things she isn't interested in. You could say that Maomao naturally gravitates towards areas that are 1. least troublesome and 2. most interesting (this is not contradictory, Maomao will put in effort in areas she's interested in). Working with her father as a pharmacist was not troublesome. Being nagged to become a prostitute Is troublesome. Working in the palace isn't too troublesome, and can be super interesting (free shows everywhere). Her father knows she's safe and vice-versa, and the human traffickers are no longer making a dime off her, so she's quite content with staying at the imperial harem.
Coming out of lurker status to address this I agree with what Mizura said, 'cept for one little thing that I interpreted differently. What I got from that scene is that Maomao baited Muscles (love this nomer lel) with a glimpse of the Three Princesses to get him to take her home, but she had only planned (and brought enough money) to treat him to a high-class prostitute as thanks. She didn't think the brothel madam would call out Pairin (one of the Three Princesses; top-class prostitute) for him, and thus couldn't pay up the bill and is now in debt with the brothel (there was no way of her refuting the madam's choice anyway).
Is that how it happened? I don't recall well. Basically, Maomao was scammed by the prostitution house. xD In recent chapters, we've had yet another splendid example of how Maomao is only single-mindedly focused on things that interest her. Jinshi: So about what you're touching... Maomao: MUSHROOM. MUUUUSHROOM. Jinshi: So as I was saying... Maomao: THE MUSHROOM. IT IS CALLING ME. *later* Maomao: Crap, now that I think about, I'll probably be executed. I hope I'll be able to die by poison at least. Ooh, there's one that doesn't show the cause of death. I wonder if I can get him to get me the missing ingredients... Jinshi: But I called you to talk about my frog... I mean identity... That Maomao is too... ahahaha! It wasn't too bad when she just thought of Jinshi as 'the guy who'll probably execute me for knowing his secret.' She actually didn't seem to care Too much about that. But now he's somehow become 'the harem's manwhore meant to produce political pawns (but not doing too good of a job at it)'. The sad thing is that Jinshi might still be a virgin. xD
Actually I think author want to throw BL scene but can't do it repeatedly because her book already published as normal shoujo lol Look BL ehrem but... it didn't happend again...