Chapter 237 The Fat Boy
The most comfortable thing in winter is sitting by a charcoal fire grilling food.
Although these wild chestnuts are small, they are very soft, sweet, and fragrant.
She used the fire tongs to stir the charcoal fire, making the heat more even.
Under the roasting heat of charcoal, the plump chestnuts swelled slightly and soon burst open.
Xiao Yi squatted by the stove, staring intently at the cracked chestnuts, occasionally sniffing, her mouth watering.
"Be careful, it's hot. Let it cool down before you eat it." Jiang Ling used the tongs to pick up a roasted chestnut and placed it in an empty bowl to cool.
Inside the cracked shell, the golden chestnut meat was faintly visible, radiating an enticing sheen and steam.
Xiao Ran was also sitting on a small stool to the side, telling Jiang Ling about the interesting things that happened when she went to the market a couple of days ago.
At first it was fine, but when he talked about Xiao Tao, his voice gradually lowered and his speech slowed down.
He omitted the specific foul language and details of the scuffle, only vaguely saying that he encountered a rogue from the same village bullying a girl, and he couldn't stand it, so he tried to scare the man away.
"...She's Xiaotao, the daughter of the Lin family carpenters in the neighboring Baiyang Village. At the beginning of the year, their village was hit by a disaster; their house was destroyed. She also has two younger brothers, so her parents sold her to the Peony Blossom Village in town..."
Jiang Ling paused for a moment, then turned to look at Xiao Ran.
Considering that he was at the age when he was just beginning to experience romantic feelings, many children in the village were already engaged at that age.
Even in modern times, Xiao Ran would be in junior high school at that age. She recalled that when she was in junior high school, the boys in her class often had this kind of awkward and subtle attention to the girls.
Could it be that Xiao Tao was once his sweetheart?
She had no idea how much it would cost to redeem a courtesan in this era.
If he truly is Xiaoran's beloved, then she cannot be allowed to continue sinking into misery.
She asked softly, "Xiao Ran, tell Sister Jiang the truth... do you... like that girl Xiao Tao a little? If you really like her..."
Xiao Ran was taken aback at first, but before she could finish speaking, she quickly clarified.
"No! Sister Jiang, I've only met her three times, and we barely exchanged a few words! I just... I just felt so sorry for her..."
Although he felt sorry for her, he also knew that he was powerless to save her, which is why he couldn't get over it.
Jiang Ling sighed softly, patted Xiao Ran's slightly thin shoulder, and lamented the hardships of this world.
After Xiaoran and Xiaoyi finished eating the chestnuts, they went to help with the construction work at the new house.
Both of them are restless and eager to finish building their new house and move in as soon as possible.
Jiang Ling continued to stay in the warm shop, and gradually, it started to snow again.
Suddenly, I could faintly hear the laughter and blessings of the craftsmen coming from outside.
Jiang Ling looked up and saw a figure wearing a dark blue headscarf and a thick cotton-padded coat, carrying a basket covered with a red cloth, leading a seven or eight-year-old boy, walking towards the shop with a smile.
It was Aunt Zhao from the east end of the village and her eldest grandson.
"Miss Jiang! Busy?" Aunt Zhao's voice arrived before she did, her tone filled with joy.
"Aunt Zhao, come in and warm up! Why did you come over in the snow?" Jiang Ling quickly got up to greet her.
Aunt Zhao lifted the red cloth off the basket, revealing a basket full of wedding cakes, which emitted a sweet aroma of flour and sugar.
"My second son's wife gave birth to a big, healthy grandson last night! He weighs seven pounds and eight ounces!"
"It's a big, chubby little boy!" the eldest grandson next to him exclaimed.
Despite her red face from the cold in the heavy snow, she still came out to deliver wedding cakes.
Aunt Zhao's voice was full of pride and excitement, and the wrinkles on her face smoothed out. "I specially brought wedding cakes to give to the neighbors, and I also invite Miss Jiang to come to my house for my grandson's one-month celebration on the eighth day of next month!"
Jiang Ling had met her second daughter-in-law, a shy young girl who had come to her shop timidly with a big pregnant belly to buy things.
I didn't expect to give birth so quickly, and it's a chubby little boy.
"Really? Congratulations, Aunt Zhao! With the New Year approaching, the addition of a new member to the family is a truly joyous occasion!" Jiang Ling congratulated her with a smile.
Aunt Zhao was beaming with joy. "That child has such a loud voice, he looks like a sturdy kid! When he's a little older, we'll bring him out for Miss Jiang to see!"
Jiang Ling accepted the wedding cake, a symbol of joy and sharing, and it was still warm to the touch.
"Aunt Zhao, wait for me a moment."
She turned and went behind the counter. She wrapped half a tael of silver in red paper on the counter, and then took a bolt of cotton cloth from the storeroom. This cloth was perfect for making clothes and swaddling clothes for newborns.
Then, they took out a jar of high-quality brown sugar from the shelf to replenish the new mother's blood and energy.
These days, it's considered standard practice for new mothers in the village to drink brown sugar water and have a brown sugar egg during their postpartum confinement period.
Jiang Ling handed the money in the red envelope, the piece of cotton cloth, and the jar of brown sugar to Aunt Zhao, smiling as she said,
"This is a small token of my appreciation, a gift for the child's first meeting. This cloth is soft, just right for the child. This brown sugar is perfect for your daughter-in-law to mix with water; it's excellent for replenishing her blood and energy."
"This...this is too much...Miss Jiang, this gift is far too generous!"
These are all things that are valuable and practical right now.
Few people in Jishui Village are willing to give away these things.
"Aunt Zhao, please don't refuse. This is just a small token of my appreciation! It's all from the shop; it's nothing valuable."
That's what they say, but none of the things sold in Miss Jiang's shop are ordinary goods.
But since it was a joyous occasion, Aunt Zhao declined a few times, but to avoid social awkwardness, she accepted it.
"Then...then on behalf of my little grandson and his mother, thank you, Miss Jiang! Miss Jiang, you will definitely come on the eighth day of next month, you will definitely come!"
"Sister Jiang, you must come!" the eldest grandson called out in his childish voice.
"Okay, I'll definitely go!"
Before leaving, Jiang Ling grabbed a handful of candy from the shop and stuffed it into her eldest grandson's hand.
Despite it being a year of disaster, the people's efforts to survive did not stop, and every now and then a piece of good news would arrive, adding some warmth to this cold winter.
After dinner, Jiang Ling closed the shop early.
It was just getting light there an hour after the shop closed.
Jiang Ling took some time to organize the personal package for Qin Qian.
We haven't bought any firearms yet, so we can only add a few more bulletproof vests.
After all, the weapons of this era cannot penetrate the bulletproof vests designed in the 21st century.
As long as you don't put your head in the enemy's hands, you'll be fine.
In addition to the bulletproof vest, Jiang Ling also asked her father's old friend to get her a few bottles of sleeping pills. Once she smelled them, she would say whatever she was asked and would not remember anything afterwards.
It is best suited for ambushing and interrogating prisoners.
In addition, there was a small amount of anesthetic.
This stuff is quite hard to get; getting two boxes is already the limit.
In addition to weapons, there were also various life-saving drugs.
The primary treatments are external injuries and fever reducers.
They even thoughtfully included an instruction manual.
Once everything was ready, the wooden door was opened, and Boss Yan had been waiting for a long time.
The procession of 150 grain carts was very long, stretching from the other side of the mountain to the shop entrance.
Boss Yan brought a large group of people, and it was clear this time they weren't from the military. However, they were very composed and didn't say or do much.
After Boss Yan bowed respectfully, Jiang Ling waved goodbye.
As the last car disappeared into the mountains, Jiang Ling yawned and went back to sleep.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com