Chapter 71 Math Class: Poor Students Have Many Stationery Items
Since it was a rare opportunity to go shopping, Ning Jia specially took the two of them to a relatively large stationery store.
As soon as they parked the car and before they even entered the store, Ning Jia started giving the two of them a lesson.
There's a saying that goes, "Poor students have a lot of stationery."
Although Ning Jia doesn't like reading and hasn't studied in a long time, she loves shopping—no, she loves browsing stationery stores!
Therefore, she is quite knowledgeable when it comes to stationery, after all, she has visited this stationery store many times.
Ning Jia's description piqued the interest of Cang Lan and the other person, and they also became looking forward to the goods in the store.
However, Ning Jia couldn't help but feel a little regretful as she remembered something and reminded him:
"We're mainly buying notebooks and sticky notes this time. As for pens and ballpoint pens, they're too big for you and you can't use them."
Canglan and the others didn't care at all. "It's okay, it's good enough to have a pencil to write with."
Of course, the pencils they were referring to were the simple mini pencils that Ning Jia had made for them before using pencil leads and washi tape.
"I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it. Although we don't need to buy pens, we do need to replenish the pencil lead."
As for washi tape, well, we don't need to buy it this time.
Among stationery items that are difficult to consume, tape is definitely at the top of the list.
This stuff doesn't look like much, but it's actually very difficult to use up a whole roll.
Ningjia bought a lot of washi tape for the Little People online before, and even though it was all in repackaged form, it's still not all used up yet...
As she spoke, Ning Jia led the two into the store, and soon they were immersed in a sea of beautiful stationery.
Faced with a dazzling array of stationery, Canglan and Juye were surprised, but having had their previous experience at the bookstore, they calmed down a bit.
After getting used to the visual impact of the store, the two of them quickly calmed down and hid in the canvas bag with great interest, secretly observing the various kinds of cultural products.
The first thing to put in the shopping basket was sticky notes, which were very familiar to the little people. Ning Jia generously let Cang Lan and the others choose first.
Considering the needs of the little people, Canglan plans to choose smaller sticky notes.
Even so, there are a wide variety of target objects to choose from, not only in various colors, but also in all shapes and sizes, including round, square, long, and irregular shapes, as well as patterned and three-dimensional ones, which is simply dazzling.
Canglan hesitated for a moment and chose a square sticky note with simple flowers printed on it, while Juye chose the most ordinary four-color solid-color long sticky note.
Ning Jia asked curiously, "Since you rarely come to the store, why didn't you choose something nicer?"
Ju Ye shook his head:
"This paper is meant for studying. If it's too pretty, wouldn't it make people less focused on their studies?"
These words made even Cang Lan, who was standing to the side, feel a little embarrassed, let alone Ning Jia.
Ning Jia quickly tried to save face:
"However, not everyone loves learning as much as you do. Pretty paper can attract people who don't want to study to study. Even if the motives are impure, as long as it can make people study, it's a good thing."
"It seems...to be?"
Orange Leaf seemed to be convinced, but she still didn't seem to be very interested in those pretty sticky notes.
Thinking of Guoguo and Xingxing, those girls who are obsessed with aesthetics, Ningjia simply picked out a few for them as well:
"Choose more nice-looking ones, as there are other people who need them."
Ning Jia grabbed six or seven packs of sticky notes in different styles and threw them into her shopping basket without even blinking.
Seeing many miniature notebooks hanging on the shelf next to her, she excitedly grabbed a stack of them:
"Wow, this size notebook is just right for you."
In the past, when Ning Jia visited stationery stores, she would only look and not buy. But today, she was using the funds of the Little People to buy stationery. Without hesitation, she abandoned her usual stingy ways and started buying and buying, leaving Cang Lan and Ju Ye dumbfounded.
Seeing that they were still a little reserved, Ning Jia smiled and advised them:
"The stationery here isn't expensive; it's all wholesale price. We still have plenty of budget left today. Besides, we can get a discount if we buy more at once."
Freesia/Orange Leaf: ...Is that so?
Gradually, Ning Jia took the lead in their shopping, and their empty shopping baskets were soon filled with sticky notes, notebooks, pencil leads, as well as sticky notes, colored pens, stickers, loose-leaf binders, clips...
Anyway, there's a lot for the little people to learn, so buy more and more.
With that in mind, Ning Jia started buying things and couldn't stop.
When Canglan and Juye came to their senses, they were stunned to see the stationery piled high in the shopping basket. They quickly whispered a reminder:
"Ning Jia...aren't these too many?"
"Not... too many, right?"
Ning Jia lowered her head, glancing somewhat guiltily at the now heavy shopping basket.
Canglan couldn't help but mutter in shock, "So much paper, it must be very expensive, right?"
Juye recalled the prices of the various sticky notes, and when they were added up... it didn't seem that expensive?
She quietly told Canglan the total price she had calculated, and Canglan was even more shocked:
So much paper, and so little money, and you can buy it?
Studying in the world of giants is so cheap!
...
Around 4 p.m., despite the scorching sun, the three men, laden with their purchases, were in high spirits.
They were all very excited and couldn't wait to bring the results of their big purchase back and share them with the other little people.
We're back!
As soon as she got home, Ning Jia didn't even change her shoes before she shouted into the house.
In the living room, the little figures who had just finished making a batch of sachets were sitting in front of the whiteboard, listening to Zhelan's lesson.
Today's lesson is not about Chinese characters, but about math.
Most of the little figures are holding up their two little hands, muttering to themselves as they count 1, 2, 3, 4 on their fingers. A few are leaning against mini cushions made of small square scarves, their eyes half-closed, already drowsy.
Ning Jia's shout not only made the little ones who were counting turn their heads in unison, but also woke up the few underachievers who were sleeping in class:
"Huh? Huh? What's wrong?"
He Meng suddenly opened his eyes, leaped up, grabbed his spear, drew his sword, and looked around in bewilderment:
Where is the enemy?
"What enemy? I think the enemy is in your dreams!"
One of the children made a joke, which made everyone else burst into laughter.
He Meng then realized he was still half asleep and reluctantly put down the spear.
"I'm just being prepared! I'm concerned about the world! What do you know!"
She loudly recited the few idioms she knew, trying to save face.
Shi Ying, standing next to him, rubbed his sleepy eyes, feeling very fortunate that he had woken up a little late, otherwise he would have been the one to stand out.
Looking at her daughter's shameless appearance, Zhelan smiled helplessly and clapped her hands, saying:
"Now that Ning Jiahe and the clan leader are back, let's end get out of class and rest for a while."
"Yay~~"
The children scattered like birds and beasts, their boundless joy clearly displayed on their faces. It seems that learning mathematics is no easier than learning Chinese characters.
Ning Jia placed the canvas bag on the ground, letting the orchid and orange leaves jump out of it, and then placed the two heavy bags, one large and one small, on the coffee table:
"These are our shopping results for today. I'll show them to everyone in a bit."
The first step is the public announcement process.
Ning Jia pasted the shopping receipts on the whiteboard and told the little people the total amount spent.
Some of the petty people, like Xuecao, grew impatient and kept urging:
"We'll talk about that later, let us see it first!"
"Yes, yes, let's show it off!" "Let's see what good stuff we bought!" everyone chimed in.
Ning Jia laughed heartily. It was just a shopping trip; why was it being treated like a holiday? This festive feeling of a big shopping spree was something she hadn't experienced since becoming an adult.
Seeing the little ones quickly gather in a circle around the coffee table, some holding sunflower seeds ready to crack open, others carrying small wooden cups filled with water, and Xingxing and Tuantuan even holding a toothpick studded with corn kernels, the children, big and small, were all very interested, looking ready to watch a show. Ning Jia suppressed a laugh, sat in the center of the sofa, and cleared her throat:
"The shopping expo is now in session."
"First, please let Juye introduce the books we purchased today."
Ning Jia took the picture books out of the bag, stacked them on her lap, and placed the top one, "The Story of the Forest," on the coffee table in order.
After letting the little ones admire the book's cover, back cover, and inner pages for a while, he made a gesture toward the orange leaf.
"This, this book..."
Ju Ye was a little nervous at first, but she didn't expect Ning Jia to let her do the introduction.
But she had an exceptionally deep impression of her visit to the bookstore today. Now that the memory came flooding back, she opened her mouth and began to speak fluently and naturally.
Most of the children hadn't yet learned to read picture books on their own; they just stared blankly at the scene with wide eyes. Only a few top students, like Xuecao and Baisu, seriously asked some questions related to the bookstore.
According to Ju Ye, the bookstore is as big as the sky and has as many books as stars. The top students' eyes lit up, and they said they would like to visit it in person if they had the chance.
After Ju Ye finished her introduction, she obediently stepped aside, letting Cang Lan take the stage.
Canglan waved her hand:
"There are too many kinds of stationery, and I haven't remembered many of them. Ning Jia, you can explain them to me."
"All right."
Ning Jia hadn't bought this many stationery items in a long time, and excitedly rubbed her hands together before starting an unboxing performance:
She untied the large bag and, in full view of everyone, took out... a stack of sticky notes! Then she laid them out in a row on the coffee table.
"Hey hey, have you all finished using the sheets I gave you before? Here comes some new study sheets!"
The little ones were craning their necks to carefully examine the colorful sticky notes when suddenly the word "study" startled them, causing them to shrink back.
He Meng and Shi Ying, the two academic underachievers, are even more miserable. They get headaches whenever they hear the word "study" and would rather work than study.
However, the little people couldn't help but look over again:
These papers aren't the white ones from before; they're pink, green, blue, and yellow. Writing on them must look really nice.
—Oh, why do I suddenly feel like writing?
Seeing that the little ones were all quietly looking at the sticky notes, without any "wow" sounds, Ning Jia felt a little uncomfortable:
"Don't you like these colored sticky notes?"
"I like it, but there's nothing special about it," Xuecao said, scratching her head.
The dwarfs are not the same as when they first entered the city. They have seen quite a bit of the giant world. This note is not bad, but it is not amazing to them.
Ning Jia paused for a moment, recalling the exquisite grass mats the little people had made before, and couldn't help but feel a little ashamed:
That's true. When it comes to aesthetics, how can these mass-produced Yiwu commodities compare to the taste cultivated in nature?
"Okay, please continue to examine other stationery items."
She carefully collected the plain square sticky notes and neatly placed them in a storage box made of cardboard. Then she took out a stack of sticky notes from the bag!
These sticky notes are nicer this time. They're still square, but no longer a solid color; they're printed with lots of patterns.
There are forest-themed flowers, trees, birds, and butterflies; cute little figures; simple line drawing houses; and beautiful oil painting-style scenery...
Ning Jia carefully unpacked the package and took out the sticky notes with different patterns to show them off one by one. This time, the little ones were clearly interested, and soon a few familiar "wow" sounds came out, which made Ning Jia very satisfied.
"Guoguo, this little person looks a bit like you!"
Xingxing excitedly pointed to one of the light pink sticky notes, which depicted a little girl riding a butterfly.
"Let me see! Let me see!"
Guoguo leaned over and looked at it for a few moments, then decisively shook her head, "Your eyes aren't as big as mine, it doesn't look like me."
Xingxing looked at it more closely again. "I think they're about the same size, look—"
She held up her tiny fingers and made two circles, saying, "They're both this big."
Guoguo: "...Even if the eyes are similar, the mouth is different. This is definitely not me!"
"Besides, I wouldn't be stupid enough to ride a butterfly; butterflies that big are usually poisonous..."
Ning Jia, who was listening to their conversation, almost died laughing.
Seeing that everyone was interested in these patterned sticky notes, she looked at Canglan:
"Clan leader, I see that everyone's calligraphy practice paper is almost gone. How about we distribute a few sheets now?"
There are clearly still quite a few left!
Canglan was speechless at Ning Jia's blatant lying, but seeing the clansmen staring intently at the notes, she turned a blind eye.
"Given that everyone has been studying hard lately, how about we give each of you two sticky notes as encouragement?"
The result was, of course, that the whole clan agreed, although for some people, the intensity of their studies was hardly hard work.
So, Xingxing picked a sticky note with flowers and one that looked like Guoguo, while Guoguo picked two simple sticky notes with cute little houses.
Both Bai Su and Xue Cao chose landscape paintings with soft colors.
Soon, everyone received their preferred sticky notes, leaving He Meng to choose one after another. In the midst of her hesitation, several of her favorites were taken by others.
She opened her mouth, tears almost falling:
"...Waaah, my, my beautiful paper..."
Ning Jia hadn't expected He Meng to have such a serious case of decision-making difficulties. Suppressing a laugh, she patted He Meng's head and comforted her:
"Don't worry, there will be more notes later."
“And I think,” she spoiled, “the next batch might be more suitable for you.”
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Author's note: Happy holidays, my darlings! ヽ(°▽°)ノ
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