https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-45-What-Does-Her-Miscalculation-Have-to-Do-with-Me-/12831729/
Chapter 44: Aren't You Supposed to Be Well-Educated?
Chapter 44: Aren't You Supposed to Be Well-Educated?
Zhou Chenglei carried Jiang Xia away from the beach, then gently set her down and took her home. He took out some Yunnan Baiyao to treat her injuries.
Jiang Xia said, "Just use the red medicine water. This powder is almost gone, don't waste it. Your arm needs some too."
His arm wound was deeper.
Zhou Chenglei didn’t say anything. He generously sprinkled the powder on her knees and ankles.
Finished, he stood up. "I’ll go to the beach and sell those shrimps. Stay at home and don’t wander around."
Jiang Xia couldn’t help but protest, "When have I ever wandered around?"
Zhou Chenglei didn’t respond. She hadn’t wandered around, but...
It was hard to explain, but he just felt she wasn’t very obedient.
Jiang Xia didn’t argue further. "Sell the shrimps, the blue crabs, and anything valuable. But don’t sell the orangutan sea chrysanthemum clams."
Zhou Chenglei nodded and went out, picking up the cicada shrimps and blue crabs from Jiang Xia’s bucket. He didn’t plan to sell the orangutan sea chrysanthemum clams or the large sea snail, which was a imperial crown conch. It was so big, there might be a pearl inside.
Jiang Xia also kept the crabs she had picked; she loved eating them. He had picked a few crabs too, and since they had eaten dinner early, he planned to steam them with the cicada shrimps for a late-night snack.
The rest were white clams, blood clams, oysters, and scallops, which weren’t very valuable. They wouldn’t sell these; instead, they would keep them for their own consumption.
After sorting everything, Zhou Chenglei took the water bucket and a large ribbonfish in a snake skin bag, pushing the family’s cart out. The sky was already dark, and Jiang Xia estimated they wouldn’t be back soon.
She went out to heat some water, planning to wash her hair and take a bath.
When she walked out, she saw the cicada shrimps and several crabs left in the bucket, clearly meant for her. She was the only one who loved eating crabs.
The oysters, mussels, and other shellfish were piled on the ground, the oysters being quite small.
The large sea snail and the orangutan sea chrysanthemum clams were also kept.
Jiang Xia felt a bit hungry. They had eaten dinner before four in the afternoon, and it was now past seven.
A pot of white porridge was simmering on the coal stove, cooked by Zhou’s mother. It was unclear if it was for dinner or tomorrow’s breakfast.
Jiang Xia thought they would be hungry when they returned, so she decided to open some oysters and make a seafood porridge with the cicada shrimps and crabs.
She heated the water first, then opened the oysters.
Just as she had prepared a small plate of oysters and finished handling the cicada shrimps and crabs, Zhou Chenglei and his father returned with two baskets of shrimps.
Jiang Xia was surprised. "Why didn’t you sell them?"
Zhou’s mother explained, "There were many people selling shrimps today. The buying station said they would be too old by tomorrow and offered a very low price. Chenglei suggested bringing them back to dry and sell later."
Jiang Xia replied, "There won’t be much if we just dry these. Why don’t we buy shrimps from the other villagers?"
Zhou Chenglei, who was unloading the shrimps from the cart, glanced at her.
Zhou’s father chuckled, "Xia’s idea aligns with Chenglei’s."
Zhou’s mother, a bit reluctant, added, "Chenglei and your brother, as well as the great-grandmother and a few others, agreed to buy their shrimps. They’re offering five cents more per pound than the buying station."
They weren’t making money; instead, they were paying more.
Zhou’s mother’s heart ached at the thought of it. Her son was being too generous.
Jiang Xia reassured her, "It’s fine. We can make a profit by selling them dried."
Zhou’s mother responded, "You and Chenglei are on the same page. But selling dried shrimps in the city market is a hassle. It’s hard to sell in town."
Zhou’s mother thought it was better not to sell their own shrimps at all. At least they wouldn’t lose money. If they couldn’t sell the dried shrimps, they could eat them slowly without wasting them. But buying shrimps from others was a bad deal. If they couldn’t sell them, they would lose money.
And the weather was uncertain. Who knew if the sun would come out tomorrow? If the shrimps didn’t dry properly and went bad, it would be a huge loss.
Mr. Zhou: "We can dry some more fish when the time comes. When we don’t need to go out to sea, we can take them to sell. Why worry so much?"
Jiang Xia agreed and changed the subject. "The hot water is ready, Mom, go take a bath. I’ll make a oyster and shrimp congee for us to eat later."
Since they weren’t selling the shrimp, she decided to add a few more to the congee to make it sweeter.
Mrs. Zhou: "Not yet. Now that the hot water is ready, I’ll quickly blanch the shrimp and then dry them."
Mrs. Zhou was quick to act, fearing the shrimp would go bad if left too long.
Jiang Xia also washed a pound of shrimp, blanched them in boiling water, and added them to the congee, making it even sweeter.
Zhou Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia’s knee but she had already lowered her pant leg, so he couldn’t see it. He didn’t say anything more, just carried the two baskets of shrimp into the kitchen and divided them into two large iron pots.
Mrs. Zhou had already divided the water from one large iron pot into two.
They quickly blanched the shrimp and spread them out to dry. Jiang Xia finished making the congee and called everyone to eat before continuing their work.
The family was indeed hungry, and they all eagerly picked up their bowls to eat.
Jiang Xia gave Zhou Zhou a bowl of congee loaded with shrimp, oysters, and crabs, then asked Zhou Chenglei, "Why aren’t you selling the large sea snail?"
Zhou Chenglei: "That’s a Emperor Triton. Like the Sea Anemone Clam, it has a chance to produce pearls."
Jiang Xia stopped eating her congee and immediately went to bring the large sea snail and clam back to her room.
Someone would be coming to buy shrimp soon.
Although she didn’t know if they contained pearls, she didn’t want to risk someone taking them, which would feel like losing a fortune.
At that moment, Jiang Xia’s mother called from the yard, "A-Lei, someone has brought shrimp to sell! Come out quickly."
Zhou Chenglei responded, quickly finished his congee, and went to his room to take out a stack of change from an iron box. "You’ll be in charge of paying the villagers. Here’s 150 yuan. If it’s not enough, come back and get more from the box."
"Okay." Jiang Xia took the money.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei hurried out.
Jiang Xia found a plastic-woven shopping basket to carry the change, hooking it on her arm for convenience.
A few villagers had gathered in the yard, each with a bucket containing about half a bucket of shrimp.
Wenwan stood behind them, holding two woven bags.
After falling into the water, she had changed clothes and come to sell her shrimp.
She glanced at the bowl of congee in Mrs. Zhou’s hands, filled with shrimp, oysters, and crabs, and involuntarily swallowed, her mouth watering.
The Zhou family was truly well-off, with such a good meal.
No wonder Jiang Xia, upon rebirth, had decided to stay and even divided the household.
Mr. Zhou had already prepared the scale, and he and Zhou Chenglei were responsible for weighing the shrimp.
Pandai Ti, holding a bucket, rushed out first. "Weigh mine first!"
Zhou Chenglei weighed her bucket first. It was less than half full. After subtracting the weight of the bucket: "One pound and six ounces."
Pandai Ti: "How can it be so little? Is your scale accurate?"
Zhou Chenglei: "If you don’t trust it, you can sell them at the buying station."
Pandai Ti: "Forget it, forget it. I’m too lazy to go through the trouble. How much is it? Who can help me calculate?"
Wenwan’s sweet voice rang out: "Thirty-five cents a pound, one pound and six ounces is fifty-six cents."
The villagers were still calculating, surprised by how quickly Wenwan had figured it out.
Someone praised her, "Xiao Wan is really good at math."
There was a girl named Zhou Min, Wenwan’s classmate and friend, who said, "Xiao Wan is the best student in our school. She always gets top marks in exams, so of course, her math is great."
After saying that, she glanced at Jiang Xia. "But I bet Jiang Xia, the city girl, is even better at math. She must be more educated."
Pandai Ti, remembering how Jiang Xia had ignored her last time, immediately chimed in, "Right, A-Lei’s wife is from the city and is said to be very educated. How come she can’t even do such a simple calculation?"
(End of Chapter)
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