Chapter 388: Staying

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Auntie Tian words were sensible, but when Auntie Tian traveled a long distance to visit, hearing her daughter express these concerns, she felt as if her daughter was rejecting her.

The older one gets, the more childlike they become, and Auntie Tian started to feel aggrieved and began to grumble, “Hmph, I think you just don’t want me to stay here and bother you while you’re working! Am I not an adult who can take care of myself? I have hands and feet, I can cook. I did for myself in the city, and I can do it here too!”

Tian Zao felt wronged and said, “What are you talking about? How could I think of you as a bother? I am overjoyed that you have come to visit me, I’m just worried that I won’t be able to take good care of you.”

Jiang Chuan stepped in to mediate, “Captain Tian, don’t worry. My wife Zhou Lan can help take care of Auntie Tian. It’s just a matter of adding a bowl and chopsticks for meals. Auntie Tian can come to our place for lunch, and if she wants to stroll around the village, she can join Zhou Lan.”

Aunt Tian, feeling indignant, retorted, “Exactly! I didn’t come to bother you, I came to see Jiang Chuan. He invited me to visit the village, that’s why I came. Do you think I’m so keen on sticking to you, the captain?”

Tian Zao, somewhat distressed, responded, “Mother, don’t be angry, how could I ever despise you. After lunch, I’ll first help you settle your luggage at home, then I’ll go to the commune. You can stay comfortably at home without bothering anyone.”

Auntie Tian was satisfied.

After lunch, Tian Zao took Auntie Tian home because their house was very close to the commune, making it convenient to return.

The half-basket of two and a half kilos of white sugar was entrusted to Jiang Chuan. In order for Zhou Lan to start making pickles sooner, he rode his bicycle home with the sugar after the meal.

While Tian Zao was helping Auntie Tian pack at home, she inquired about how her mother knew Jiang Chuan and some details about their acquaintance. Auntie Tian was full of praise, speaking of how down-to-earth and hard-working Jiang Chuan was, even going to the city to sell vegetables among other things. Only then did Tian Zao realize that Jiang Chuan had always been considering the villagers’ well-being in secret, not letting others know, truly a good man.

After finishing her praise, Auntie Tian also showed a hint of grievance, “I know with your temperament, you definitely wouldn’t want me to disturb your work, but I also miss my daughter. If it weren’t for Jiang Chuan encouraging me, and saying he would take care of me so you wouldn’t be distracted, I wouldn’t have dared to come.”

Tian Zao, filled with gratitude, assured, “Don’t worry. I will definitely invite Jiang Chuan for a meal as a token of my thanks.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Tian was delighted, “That’s very kind. Invite his whole family, I really like their second daughter, smart and clever, and also very pretty. Who knows which lucky boy will end up with her.”

Far away in the county town, Shen Mo sneezed out of the blue. His aide asked if he was catching a cold, but he waved his hand, looking around curiously, “Why do I feel like someone is talking behind my back?”

Tian Zao urged her mother, “These little girls are still young; don’t think about such distant matters. Besides, getting married isn’t the only path for girls. Jiang Xia will certainly achieve great things in the future.”

Auntie Tian sighed. Her daughter’s marriage was her greatest worry, yet Tian Zao was like a stone slab, impervious to persuasion.

Tian Zao had no idea what her mother was thinking, her mind focused solely on Jiang Xia.

Every time she saw Jiang Xia, she felt this girl was destined for more than just being a village housewife; she was bound for greatness. Yet, she could never have imagined how far beyond expectations the futures of the three Jiang sisters would go.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chuan returned home with white sugar just in time to encounter children delivering sturdy mud bricks, even more solid than those made by adults.

It wasn’t that the children’s craftsmanship was superior to that of the adults, but the adults, occupied with building houses, installing windows, and laying tiles, were too exhausted to focus solely on brickmaking, unlike the concentrated efforts of the children.

Jiang Chuan, puzzled, looked at Jiang Xia and asked, “What’s the deal with these mud bricks?”

Jiang Xia briefly explained the situation, leading Jiang Chuan to praise his daughter’s intelligence and gave her some extra cash, saying, “Remember to settle the children’s payment without error; it’s hard work moving these things..”