The article tells the story of Lei Nichols, who grew up in a rural Chinese village without modern amenities, where her grandmother utilized herbal remedies for health issues. After moving to Xi'an for her education, Nichols eventually married an American, moved to Massachusetts, and adapted to a new life while raising her daughters. Her connection to her heritage remained strong, leading her to introduce her students to a version of her grandmother’s medicinal soup, which sparked the idea of selling it, merging her past with her present.
In the summer, Nichols's grandmother would boil plants from her garden in a large pot to make herbal medicine. The town had no doctor, and this was the primary treatment for a variety of ailments.
Ten years after the move, Nichols and her husband separated, and she found work as a Chinese-language teacher at a local Catholic school.
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