Chapter 264 How much silver will this cost?
"Wow, is this Ping'er's mother?"
"So that's why her cooking is so delicious."
"She also brought us all kinds of fruit jams, which were so fragrant and sweet."
Before Ping'er could speak, Jiang Nuanzhi was surrounded by several children. He himself was pushed away.
Jiang Nuanzhi found it amusing that the children were staring at her with bright eyes, and one of the younger ones was even sucking on his fingers, drooling. They acted as if they were some kind of delicious treat.
"You've all eaten my delicious cooking, haven't you?"
Jiang Nuanzhi took a closer look at the children. Their clothes were clean, but patched. The children were about the same age as Xiao Er, and their necks and hands were covered in thick chapped skin. Their hair was tied crookedly. They looked filthy.
"Yes, yes, yes, it was brought to us by Brother Ping'er," Little Bean said, patting his chest.
"Ping'er's mother, can we visit your home next time?"
"Don't be rude." Before Jiang Nuanzhi could speak, she heard a man's voice behind her.
Looking up, Jiang Nuanzhi saw a man who looked to be around twenty years old coming out with a cane. She was slightly taken aback when she saw him; this man was missing a leg.
“Anuan, this is my third senior brother, Sun Cheng. He is very knowledgeable and usually takes care of the children. He is also very good to me.” Ping’er introduced him to Jiang Nuanzhi from the side.
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and nodded.
Ping'er then said to Sun Cheng, "Third Senior Brother, this is my mother, Anuan."
Sun Cheng bowed slightly and said, "The children are a bit naughty, please forgive them. They remember the food you made before."
Jiang Nuanzhi didn't seem to mind: "It's alright, I actually think they're quite cute." She then smiled and said, "Next time, if you have the chance, you can come to my house with your brother Ping'er."
As soon as he said this, cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd.
The lively and energetic little boy happily circled around Jiang Nuanzhi, and excitedly tugged at Ping'er's hand: "Brother Ping'er, your mother is so wonderful!"
The children looked at Ping'er with a hint of envy. Indeed, none of them had a mother.
Surrounded by people, Ping'er couldn't help but twitch his lips into a slight smile, even though he was trying to keep a straight face. A shallow dimple appeared on his cheek. He subconsciously glanced up at Jiang Nuanzhi.
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled at him, which was naturally something she was happy to see.
Ping'er's food is very popular at Panshi Academy. However, unlike Gu Kui Academy where people fight over his food, the children at Panshi Academy seem genuinely grateful to him, and he is still happy to share with others.
"Mother, can I go play with them?" Baozhu asked, tugging at Jiang Nuanzhi's hand.
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and nodded, "Of course." Baozhu and Xiao Er were also visiting Panshi Academy for the first time, and they were curious about everything. Jiang Nuanzhi simply didn't restrain them and let them play with the other children in the academy.
"By the way, Ping'er, I brought a few bags of grain on my donkey cart. Shall we unload them together?"
"Yes, Ah Nuan, thank you."
Ping'er's eyes showed a hint of gratitude. He knew his family wasn't well-off, and he had previously mentioned the general situation of the academy to Jiang Nuanzhi, thinking of bringing more food to the academy so that his younger siblings could at least have something to eat. Without saying a word, A-Nuan packed extra food for herself every day.
That would have been great, but to my surprise, she actually brought food over.
"Why are you thanking me?"
Jiang Nuanzhi had heard Ping'er mention the situation at Dean Yue's place, but this was the first time she had seen it up close. In truth, there weren't many students at Pan Shi Academy. Besides these few children and her third senior brother, there were only seven or eight others. These boys were older and had to support themselves during the day, going out to earn money to supplement their food and drink. They would return to the academy to study in the evenings and stay there as well.
When Dean Yue came to his house on ordinary days, Jiang Nuanzhi naturally noticed his predicament. Fortunately, she had a lot of grain stored up this time, so she brought some over.
As they were talking, Ping'er, along with his third senior brother and Jiang Nuanzhi, arrived at the donkey cart.
"So much grain!"
Third Senior Brother Sun Cheng was suddenly stunned: "You've really gone to a lot of trouble. How much silver did this cost?"
Dean Yue suddenly appeared again: "Dr. Jiang, you're so generous! So much refined rice and flour! It's a lifesaver! The price of rice and flour has risen so much recently that my academy is struggling to make ends meet. Before, one tael of silver could buy a bag of rice, but now one tael of silver can only buy eight pecks of rice. The rent is also rising, changing every day. If it keeps going up, the people will have no food to eat."
"Dean."
The third senior brother next to him frowned as he watched his headmaster carry a bag of grain into the kitchen. Ping'er's grain didn't come for free; we have to pay for it, we can't just take it for nothing.
The dean blushed slightly, coughed softly, and looked at Jiang Nuanzhi: "Um, Dr. Jiang, I...I...I don't have the money right now, can you just consider this a loan?"
Jiang Nuanzhi found it amusing: "It doesn't require money; it's just me providing some extra food for everyone. When I need help, Dean Yue can bring everyone to lend me a hand."
After all, this Dean Yue is a very famous figure in the book. How could I be afraid that he can't pay back the money for the food?
"If you need help, just give this rascal a handy call!" Dean Yue patted his chest loudly, then, seemingly a little tired, placed the bag of grain on his feet. He then shouted at Master Jin, who was still rubbing his bottom in the distance, "Hurry up and come and move the grain!"
One second Master Jin looked miserable, the next he saw such a big bag of rice and immediately ran over excitedly: "So much, quick, quick, give it to me."
He was strong and sturdy. When he got there, he picked up the rice and grains, turned around, and went into the house.
Jiang Nuanzhi looked at Master Jin, then at Dean Yue, and then at her third senior brother. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, and she asked with a smile, "Dean, how much money can you students earn in a day when you go out to work?"
Dean Yue placed a sack of flour on Master Jin's person and casually remarked after hearing this, "They're not bad off, earning about ten coins a day. They usually do some copying and letter-writing work, earning only a few coins per letter. However, such work is rare and requires luck. More often, they go to the docks to carry sacks, working themselves to the bone all day, barely managing to earn ten coins. Xiao Wu is a bit more capable; he's quick-witted and now works as a waiter at Wanfulou Restaurant, also helping with the accounts. He earns a few coins more than them each day."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuanzhi's eyes lit up: "If one day we could earn a steady twenty coins, would the people in your academy be willing to do it?"
(End of this chapter)
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