Chapter 140: Beyond expectations

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Once Jiang Chuan got a clear grasp of the situation, he started to choose his words carefully.

“Big Sister, we’ve just arrived in the city and we don’t even have a fixed place to live. We don’t need any fancy stuff. So, you just tell us how much you think these wild vegetables are worth, and give us a fair deal.”

On hearing this, Wang Ping’s gaze involuntarily shifted to Jiang Xia and Jiang Gu’s tattered clothes. The sight of these two children, nearly the same age as her own, dressed so poorly, touched her heart.

Ping Wang was also a straightforward person. She immediately went into a small room in the hotel and brought out two sets of clothes that her granddaughter no longer wore and handed them to Jiang Xia and Jiang Gu.

Additionally, she brought out two bags of candy from the room. Her husband was the manager of a sugar factory, and their children had grown tired of these sweets, so they had plenty to spare.

After she’d brought out all these things, Wang Ping felt that she had received so many vegetables and yet given them so little in return. It felt as if she was taking advantage of them. So, she went back in and fetched ten pounds of cornmeal and five pounds of sorghum.

The fifteen pounds of grain she brought out had just been exchanged with her food stamps. Her original plan was to share it amongst her three sons’ families, after all, they had their own grains to eat. However, right now, what was scarcer than grain were these fresh, tender wild vegetables.

Even if they searched the entire county, it would be hard to find the vegetables as good as Jiang Xia’s family.

While sorting out the items, Wang Ping noticed her grandchildren’s used notebooks and pens on the table. “Are you two little ladies in school?” she asked. “My grandchild doesn’t need these notebooks, you can use them first.”

It was really rare to see pen and paper in this era where food was scarce. Jiang Xia didn’t hesitate to accept the notebooks, saying sweetly, “Thank you, Auntie! My sister and 1 will always remember your kindness!”

“This girl sure knows how to speak,” Wang Ping remarked, “But remember, having accepted my gifts, you must study hard. You should at least complete primary school and learn to read and write. Otherwise, you’ll have a tough time in the future!”

Wang Ping was right. These days, even factory workers needed to be literate. At the very least, one had to have completed junior high school or, at the bare minimum, primary school. Or, like Zhou Juan’s father’s sugar factory, one had to be a city resident even if one didn’t know how to read.

Of course, Jiang Xia prioritized education more than anyone. If not, she wouldn’t spend every spare moment teaching Jiang Gu to read.

Still, Jiang Xia was grateful to Wang Ping. After all, she appreciated the importance of education, unlike some who believed that it was pointless for girls to study.

After they had counted the items, Jiang Chuan hinted to Wang Ping that they could gather more of these wild vegetables, and was curious if there was a demand for them among her connections.

If asked about demand, indeed there were people she know would need. However, Wang Ping was a public servant. Even if she wanted others to buy wild vegetables from the Jiang family, what if someone reported her?

“If you have more, you can sell them to me. My grandson really loves them.” Wang Ping said this with a grin. Her intentions couldn’t have been clearer.

Without further ado, the family gathered the grains and clothes they had just bartered and went upstairs.

The items they received in exchange exceeded what Jiang Xia had expected, particularly the two notebooks gifted by Wang Ping.

As soon as they went upstairs, Jiang Xia saw their room, and the whole family marched in unison towards it.

The hotels in this era were not very good. When they opened the door, there were only two beds in the room.

However, having a bed was a luxury in itself, an eye-opener for Jiang Gu.

“Wow, sis, is this a bed? So soft, so white!” Jiang Gu stared wide-eyed at the two small beds in front of her. This was way better than what they had in their village.

“Xiao Gu, try sitting on it.” Jiang Xia, seeing Jiang Gu’s expression, smiled and suggested.

Being in an unfamiliar environment, Jiang Gu was a bit reserved. She first glanced at Jiang Chuan and Zhou Lan, and seeing her parents encouraging her, she carefully approached the edge of the bed and gently sat down.

“It’s so soft!”

Jiang Gu didn’t dare to apply too much force.

“Comfortable, right?” Seeing this, Jiang Xia walked straight to Jiang Gu’s side and sat down.

“Sister, you…”

Jiang Gu’s eyes widened when he saw how rude Jiang Xia was.

“Xiao Gu, beds are made for people to sleep on, and we paid for this room, so it’s okay to sit or sleep on it as you like.”

At this moment, Zhou Lan chimed in..