Chapter 206 - Chapter 206: Giving Something
Chapter 206: Giving Something
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Jiang Xia gently patted Jiang Gu’s back, singing a lullaby to lull her into slumber. “Sleep, sleep, go to bed early, a well-rested baby is always pretty.”
The next morning, Jiang Xia woke up very early. She guessed that the adults had drunk alcohol last night and would probably have a headache today. So she prepared water mixed with interspace water to help with their hangovers.
Jiang Xia was also concerned about her aunt’s two miscarriages. She suspected they might be recurrent miscarriages. She had read a bit about it in medical books at the library but didn’t know the exact treatment. The best way would be medicines, like vitamin E, but they were unavailable. So, the only option was to use food as a remedy.
Her first thought was to give her uncle the sheep they had caught, which had grazed in the interspace and looked even healthier than modern farm sheep.
But she quickly dismissed that idea. Even if their household conditions had improved, presenting such a fat sheep without an explanation, especially during a famine, would raise questions.
So she tied two wild rabbits with grass rope, gathered a large basket of wild vegetables, and added a bag of raw melon seeds.
The melon seeds came from a time when she traveled by bus to the county town. She had exchanged wild vegetables for these seeds with someone on the ride.
She planted the seeds in the interspace and didn’t pay much attention to them. To her surprise, they sprouted and grew on their own. They thrived so well that they quickly turned into sunflowers over a meter high. The flowers had large heads and were filled with plump sunflower seeds that were a delight to see.
Jiang Xia initially planned to roast these seeds in a pan, seasoning them to make spicy-flavored seeds. However, her current body was only thirteen years old, making it difficult for her to handle the heavy pan, let alone roast the seeds. So, she could only pack a bag of raw seeds.
When the adults woke up, both Zhou Wan and Xu Niu, despite the pleas of Zhou Lan and Jiang Chuan, decided to leave early. They were worried that if they stayed out too long, their elderly parents would be anxious. They even chose to leave without having lunch.
Zhou Lan quickly packed some wild vegetable cakes and corn muffins that she had prepared in advance for them to eat on the road. Jiang Chuan discreetly slipped some money and grain tickets into Zhou Wan’s pocket.
When Zhou Wan went to pick up his basket, he noticed it felt heavier than expected. Upon opening it, he found it filled with fresh wild vegetables, two lively wild rabbits, and a bag which, to his surprise, contained melon seeds such a rare treat!
Zhou Wan glanced at Zhou Lan and then at Jiang Chuan, momentarily at a loss for words. The rough man’s eyes couldn’t help but become a bit moist. He originally came to help and support his sister’s family, yet he was leaving with a bounty of gifts.
At this moment, Jiang Xia spoke up, “Uncle, all these were prepared on my mother’s orders. The wild vegetables were picked fresh this morning. You can share them when you get back. These two wild rabbits were encountered by Dad and me in the mountains!”
Her underlying message was that these items weren’t as precious as he might think, hoping Zhou Wan wouldn’t feel burdened and would accept the gifts.
Seeing Jiang Xia’s clever and well-behaved appearance, Zhou Wan couldn’t help but smile, revealing two rows of white teeth. The more he looked at her, the more he was moved by her intelligence and sensibility, making him even more speechless.
Zhou Lan quickly added, “Yes, elder brother, I’ll only be at ease if you take these with you. I’ve never had the chance to properly show filial piety to our parents and always worried them. It pains my heart. If you don’t take these things back, I’ll feel even worse.”
With a pitiful look on her face, Zhou Lan seemed as if she was about to burst into tears any moment.
Jiang Chuan quickly wrapped an arm around Zhou Lan’s shoulder. She leaned into him, burying her face. She genuinely felt sad, having just reunited with her brother, the impending separation was hard to bear.
Realizing the depth of the conversation, Zhou Wan ceased his refusals. He shared a glance with Xu Niu. With baskets strapped to their backs and under the watchful gazes of all, they set off..