Novel Bin Chapter 355 - 355: Too Tired
This is how Jiang Chuan had planned in his mind. Now that he had taken on the role of the commune’s accountant, he didn’t have time to work in the fields and earn work points. Therefore, all the farmwork was handed over to Zhou Lan. Even though Zhou Lan was stronger than most, Jiang Chuan couldn’t bear to let his wife toil under the sun and wind every day.
Besides, what could a single work point buy? It wasn’t nearly enough to support a family of four. And when their elder daughter returns, their expenses would surely rise. Such earnings were just a drop in the bucket.
Other women spent their days shopping and buying clothes. Yet, Zhou Lan, after following him into this era where there was a scarcity of everything, struggled daily for their livelihood. Jiang Chuan never voiced it, but he felt both guilty and pained deep down.
Furthermore, Zhou Lan loved to cook and research recipes. Jiang Xia’s interspace realm still had a lot of unused vegetables. Zhou Lan had almost entirely used them to experiment with various pickled dishes. Just a few days ago, she made pickled radish, and the taste was beyond delicious.
Now, there was an opportunity to both get rid of the excess vegetables from the interspace realm and make money. Why wouldn’t they seize it?
However, it was too cumbersome to trade at the co-op market every time. It would be better to establish a partnership with Liu Xing, offering regular supplies. Perhaps they could head to the town once or twice a month, providing a fixed amount of pickled vegetables in exchange for grain tickets.
Jiang Chuan had initially planned to discuss this with Liu Xing in town the next day. But considering he’d been away from his commune job for a full day, if he missed another day, Captain Tian would certainly take issue.
Glancing at Jiang Xia, who was engrossed in her meal, he thought she might be physically young, but mentally she was mature and even sharper than him. She was meticulous in her actions. Sending her with Xiao Li to town might be a good idea.
With this in mind, he asked Xiao Li, “Are you busy tomorrow?”
Puzzled, Xiao Li thought about his schedule, “I need to till the soil in the morning, and then pickle more vegetables at noon. After that, 1 should be free. Brother Jiang, is there something you’d like help with?”
Jiang Chuan shared his plan. Xiao Li, not savvy in business but not dull-witted either, suddenly realized, “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? Don’t worry, Brother Jiang. I can handle this. There’s no need for Jiang Xia to accompany me.”
Jiang Chuan was wary. If Xiao Li were outsmarted by Liu Xing, it would be problematic. After all, Liu Xing was a competent businessman. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be running a cooperative market. Sending Jiang Xia with Xiao Li was to offer counsel.
However, Jiang Chuan couldn’t voice these concerns outright. Seeking an excuse, he said, “When discussing a partnership, each family should be represented, right? 1 have to work during the day, and Zhou Lan has her farm duties. Only this young lady from our household can go, so please take her along.”
Hearing this, Xiao Li nodded in agreement, realizing he hadn’t thought of that aspect, and admired Jiang Chuan’s comprehensive thinking even more.
“We’ll head out early tomorrow,” Xiao Li decided, “After breakfast, I’ll take Jiang Xia to the co-op market to discuss our partnership. In the afternoon, I’ll return to the fields.”
After settling the matter, he got up, ready to leave. As he approached the door, he turned back and said to Jiang Xia, “Jiang Xia, I’ll come to pick you up tomorrow morning. Make sure you don’t oversleep, okay?”
His tone was as if he was coaxing a child. In his heart, Xiao Li was thinking about how well Jiang’s family had treated him. During the trip to the town with their daughter, he needed to take good care of her. With some spare change in his pocket these days, he even considered buying her a piece of milk candy on the way.
Jiang Xia smiled obligingly, but deep down, she wasn’t too fond of being treated like a child.
After Xiao Li left, Jiang Chuan took a moment to advise Jiang Xia, “Xiao Xia, when you negotiate with Liu Xing tomorrow, don’t be too soft-hearted. I’ve heard that Liu Xing’s cooperative is thriving, and they’re doing better by the day. We can certainly ask for more.”
Boss Jiang always sized up his trading partners. If they were struggling, he’d be more lenient in business dealings. But if they were the type not to miss a few grain tickets here and there, he’d naturally want to make a hefty profit.
Moreover, the fact that Liu Xing’s business was doing so well was partly due to their help. Previously, Jiang Xia had played matchmaker, introducing Liu Xing to the Shen family. In those times, having just a bit of connection could significantly improve one’s fortunes, and Liu Xing’s cooperative was no exception.
Jiang Xia was well aware of their family’s current situation. Even though their days were improving, there were still many things they lacked. She was determined to strive for the maximum benefit for the family the next day..