Chapter 167: Providing for the Elderly and Farewell to the Deceased?
However, considering that Jiang Ling was busy, he didn't ask any more questions and simply agreed readily:
"Alright! You go ahead and do your thing. I'll oversee the construction, and I guarantee it won't be delayed! When you come back, I'll make sure the walls are up and running!"
Since Miss Jiang trusts him so much, he must be extra careful and attentive, even more so than when he's building his own house.
Grandpa Zhao folded the sketch neatly, put it in his cloth bag, and then remembered something as he got up.
"By the way, if you need to temporarily store materials when building the house, just pile them up in my yard. My yard is big, so it's convenient. Also, if the craftsmen are eating lunch here, have Xiao Ran tell my wife that she can make a few extra portions to save you trouble."
Jiang Ling felt a warmth in her heart seeing Grandpa Zhao's kind demeanor, and quickly handed him the hot tea, saying, "Grandpa Zhao, thank you so much. Without your help, I wouldn't know where to begin."
Grandpa Zhao took the teacup, took a sip, and said, "No need to thank me! You've helped everyone in the village so much. Building a house is a big deal, and it's only right that everyone lends a hand. That's how it is in our Jishui Village; when one family is in trouble, everyone lends a hand."
The two discussed some details, such as how deep the foundation should be dug, how thick the timber should be for the roof beams, and how the doors and windows should be made.
Grandpa Zhao spoke eloquently, clearly demonstrating his extensive experience in this type of matter.
Finally, he put away the blueprints and said confidently, "I'll go talk to Carpenter Wang and the others right away. They can come and level the land and dig the foundation tomorrow! When you come back from Beijing, I guarantee you'll be surprised!"
"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Zhao!"
After seeing Grandpa Zhao off, Jiang Ling felt a weight lifted from her heart.
Although the autumn wind is chilly, the warmth between neighbors is more reassuring than anything else.
She felt very lucky to have such a neighbor.
At this moment, Xiao Yi walked over, his small face full of sincerity. His childhood experiences had made him much more mature than his peers.
At only six years old, he already knows how important a stable life is.
He would never forget those days of living in the open, fleeing from place to place, waking up frozen at night, and having rats gnaw at his toes.
A childish voice said, "Sister, Xiaoyi will always be good to you! I will always listen to you! I will earn money for you in the future! I will buy you delicious food! I will take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die!"
Jiang Ling was taken aback. Then she burst out laughing.
Providing care and funeral arrangements?
This topic is a bit off-topic. She's acting as an older sister, not a mother, right?
Seeing his serious expression, Jiang Ling patted his head with satisfaction.
"I don't ask you to do anything for me. Just grow up well, be a good person, and be a happy person in the future. That's enough."
In this era, her decision to bring Xiaoyi back was tantamount to adopting him and taking full responsibility for him.
This is her first time raising a child, so she doesn't have much experience. Just make sure she doesn't raise the child wrong.
Xiao Ran spoke up seriously from the side: "If you do anything bad in the future, or disobey Sister Jiang, I will be the first to not let you off the hook!"
Knowing that Sister Jiang had built a house to bring him back, he felt really envious, and even a little jealous.
However, Sister Jiang also did a lot for him, giving him a job, paying him wages, and hiring a tutor to teach him to read and write.
Thinking about it this way makes me feel much better.
After Grandpa Zhao left, the sun had already climbed high overhead, and scraps of cloth scattered at the shop entrance remained from the morning's cloth-selling activities.
Xiao Ran volunteered to cook, while Xiao Yi carried a winnowing basket to collect the rag scraps.
Don't be fooled by how small these scraps of cloth are; there are quite a few of them.
If a skilled woman sews it together, she can piece together a large piece of cloth.
Or it can be used to patch up worn-out clothes and pants.
This is a valuable resource in this era.
Jiang Ling spent the whole night moving fabrics last night, and her back is still aching from exhaustion.
With someone else doing the work, she was happy to have some free time.
Move a stool outside and sit in the sun.
I had a simple lunch: a plate of braised beef, a plate of greens, and a stew of pickled cabbage and tofu.
The three people sat around the table.
Xiao Yi's eyes hadn't left the bowl of meat since she sat down, and her throat was involuntarily bobbing.
He had lived in the temple for so long, eating only coarse grains and vegetarian dishes every day, without any meat, and he was really craving it.
Although Xiao Ran has a family, there is no meat on their dinner table at this time of year; they eat cornbread and pickled vegetables every day.
However, since he could always eat meat at the shop, he wasn't so craving it anymore.
"Xiao Yi must not have eaten meat in a long time, try some. Xiao Ran, try some too."
Jiang Ling picked up the biggest piece of meat and put it into Xiao Yi's bowl, and then picked up a piece for Xiao Ran as well.
"Thank you, sister." Xiao Yi held the bowl and carefully took a small bite. The aroma of the meat spread in his mouth, and his eyes lit up as he ate.
He didn't swallow it right away, savoring it again and again before eating it with relish. Then he shoveled down a big mouthful of rice, enjoying it immensely.
Jiang Ling smiled at him and said, "Eat slowly, there's more if you're not full."
After finishing their meal and resting for a while, Jiang Ling packed a small half-bag of glistening white rice and two packets of red dates, then said to Xiao Ran, "Let's go see Xiao Ying."
Xiao Ran immediately agreed.
Xiao Yi wanted to come along too, but Jiang Ling patted his head and said, "You stay here and watch the shop. We'll be back soon."
Xiao Yi didn't know Zhao Shiying, so there was nothing to say about bringing her along. Xiao Ran was different; she was from the same village as Zhao Shiying and they had played together before.
Talking to patients can promote recovery.
Xiao Yi nodded obediently. "Okay, then I'll stay and watch the shop."
When they arrived at Xiaoying's house, the smell of medicine had not yet dissipated. The wooden door was ajar, and Aunt Chen's voice could be heard from inside:
"Xiao Ying, have a couple more sips of porridge to nourish your body."
As the saying goes, a close neighbor is better than a distant relative. It's truly rare to find a neighbor like Aunt Chen who takes such good care of Xiao Ying.
Jiang Ling pushed open the door and saw Xiao Ying leaning against the headboard. Her complexion was better than before, but she was still pale. She was holding a bowl of thin porridge in her hand and her eyes were a little dazed.
Jiang Ling met his questioning gaze and smiled slightly.
At just one glance, Zhao Shiying was stunned, her breath seemingly caught in her throat for a moment.
Following his gaze, Aunt Chen saw them, stood up, and said with a smile, "Miss Jiang, Xiao Ran is here. Please have a seat."
The room was sparsely furnished; there wasn't even an extra chair to be found.
Aunt Chen had no choice but to give up her chair for Jiang Ling.
Zhao Shiying then realized that this was the Jiang girl who had saved her life, the one Aunt Chen had mentioned.
Ever since he regained consciousness, he had been hearing from Aunt Chen that it was this Miss Jiang, and that she wanted him to get better soon so he could properly thank her.
In the morning, Aunt Chen brought over a piece of excellent cotton cloth, saying it was a gift from Miss Jiang's shop.
She said it cost only one coin, but everyone knew in their hearts that it was just a random excuse that Miss Jiang had made up to give it to them.
Zhao Shiying was also puzzled. She had only been away from home for five years, so when did a girl named Jiang who ran a general store appear in the village?
However, everyone in the village, including Grandpa Zhao, spoke highly of her, leading him to conclude that she must be a kind-hearted girl.
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