Chapter 41 - 41: The plan works
Jiang Chuan laughed, face filled with pride. After waiting for the other children to get their portion, Jiang Chuan sat beside the chief and took his portion of the porridge.It was only when he tried it that he realized what the others were talking about, it was really good porridge.
Although Zhou Lan had always been a good cook, it was never this good, let alone receive these reactions from others.
Jiang Chuan thought it was perhaps the ingredients and water that her daughter brought back that made the porridge taste so good.
"Yup! It's too delicious! Mrs. Jiang, how did you make this? Please teach us! I'll let my wife learn from you."A man raised his voice and the surrounding people agreed.
Zhou Lan laughed heartily, "It is the same way you make porridge. Maybe it was the wild vegetables that made it taste better."
Someone tasted the vegetables upon hearing Zhou Lan's words and they were indeed very fresh.
"Mrs. Jiang, you're really lucky to have found such good ingredients."
Although it was her daughter's credit, she was the one being praised. However, Zhou Lan was still happy to hear the praises.
Because they were only building a simple house and they did not lack manpower, the chief informed them that they will be able to move in by tomorrow night.
His words made little Jiang Gu very happy. Perhaps it was not obvious to the others, but Jiang Gu felt that she finally had a home.
A house of their own and a happy family. A place where she will always think about.
Jiang Xia noticed Jiang Gu's reddened eyes and asked, "What's wrong, Xiao Gu? Are you still hungry?
There's still some soup left in the pot, I'll get it for you."
Jiang Gu shook his head and looked at Jiang Xia with puppy eyes. "Jiang Xia, now that the house is built, does that mean we have a home of our own? We don't have to worry about being sold, right?"
"That's right, Xiao Gu don't need to worry about it anymore." Jiang Xia's eyes reddened upon hearing Jiang Gu's words.
Jiang Gu's words were heard by the people close to her, and they couldn't help but feel sorry for the two girls.
Jiang Xia and Jiang Gu's arms were bruised. The Jiang family used to claim it was from the way the kids had been playing. But now that the matter had blown up, everyone knew that Jiang Chuan's family had been abused.
Seeing that the sky had turned completely dark and was not possible to continue working, Jiang Xia whispered to her mother, "Mom, there must be people who are concerned about us finding wild vegetables and animals. We have to think of a way to make those who want to take advantage of us back off."
Hearing Jiang Xia's words, Zhou Lan instantly recalled the old woman from the Sun family who had been eyeing her family's food.
They wanted to repay the people who had sincerely helped their families and were not willing to be taken advantage of.
Knowing her daughter, Jiang Xia would only bring the topic up if she had a plan, so Zhou Lan asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Jiang Xia's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, "Mom, let's talk to the village chief later. We'll gather at the village entrance at about five o'clock tomorrow morning. One person from each family will bring a basket to the mountain. They can dig their own vegetables when they know the location."
Due to the drought, there wasn't much work to do every day. Other than families like the Jiang family who deliberately make things difficult for others, normal villages normally wake up around seven o'clock. Therefore, setting the time that early would limit the people going.
Jiang Xia added, "Also, tell the village chief that there aren't many wild vegetables. If too many people go to dig, the vegetables will run out."
Zhou Lan nodded repeatedly when she heard her daughter's words.
It is not that Jiang Xia expected to keep the secret for a long time, but the longer the secret is kept, the better it is for them. But they still had to make people feel their care in order for them to be grateful.
Moreover, she was the one who decides where the wild vegetables are. If she found out someone was taking advantage of her family, she would just water the crops in a different location.
Zhou Lan rephrased the words Jiang Xiag had said and pass them on to the village chief.
The village chief nodded and gathered the people to spread the news.
The young men were all really happy when they heard that their wives were going up the mountain the following day.
Those without a wife could only wait for Zhou Lan and her daughter to bring them there some other time.