“Xiao Hu is here. Hurry inside. It’s so cold out, bringing a child over in this weather is just asking for hardship.”
Doctor Wang and his wife parked their bicycles. The boy had already jumped down and was wriggling happily in the old woman’s arms.
“Dad, where’s the sachima for Grandpa and Grandma, and the sponge cake?” the boy urged. Doctor Wang was helpless. This firecracker temper, who did he take after?
Nurse Zhou chuckled quietly and lifted the sachima and sponge cake from her husband’s bicycle basket. “Here you go. You can carry them inside for Grandpa and Grandma, but you’re not allowed to sneak a bite.”
Xiao Hu lifted his chin like a proud little rooster. “I wouldn’t sneak any. When we go back, Xiao Hua’s grandma will give me plenty of good food. I don’t need this bite.”
Doctor Wang teased him. “I wonder who was crying this morning.”
Xiao Hu rolled his eyes and pretended he hadn’t heard. He held onto the old woman’s arm and proudly presented his treasure. “Grandma, a new Grandma Jiang came to where we live. Her cooking is delicious, and her cakes are delicious too. Dad bought these from Grandma Jiang last night. You and Grandpa should try them.”
Listening to the boy chatter nonstop, the old woman smiled so widely that her teeth showed. The child was clever and lively.
“Alright. Your Grandpa and I will try these pastries made by this Grandma Jiang and see just how tasty they are.”
Doctor Wang’s family was only a small interlude. Jiang Chan treated it as something done and left it at that, without giving it much thought. She had a little money on hand now, and with the end of the year approaching, she planned to buy some clothes for Xiao Hua and herself.
Xiao Hua was still wearing old clothes that had belonged to other children. They were given by the doctors’ and nurses’ families after their own children had outgrown them. Although they were clean, Jiang Chan always felt uncomfortable about it.
Xiao Hua was the happiest. When she heard that Jiang Chan would not be going to the cafeteria today and was planning to take her to the city to buy new clothes, she jumped so high she nearly reached the ceiling.
Jiang Chan even borrowed a bicycle from Doctor Wang. Xiao Hua sat on the back seat, her small hands tightly gripping Jiang Chan’s clothes.
“Grandma, are you buying fabric to make the clothes yourself? Grandma always used to make my clothes before.” Xiao Hua’s voice was soft and filled with anticipation.
Jiang Chan tightened her grip on the handlebars. Making clothes? In all her lifetimes she had been hopeless with her hands. She would rather make several batches of pastries than sew clothing.
“Xiao Hua, we’re buying ready made clothes. Ready made clothes look better, and handmade clothes are not warm enough.”
“Oh, oh. New clothes!” Xiao Hua cheered from the back seat. Hearing it made Jiang Chan happy too. Although their life was still poor, everything was clearly moving in a better direction.
After selling pastries for a while, Jiang Chan had finally saved a little money. Not much, just a few dozen yuan, but enough to buy clothes for Xiao Hua.
She took Xiao Hua to the free market the nurses had mentioned. As soon as they entered, Xiao Hua’s eyes went wide. There were so many choices. The little girl looked at this stall, then that one.
In Jiang Chan’s eyes, all the clothing styles were extremely outdated. Influenced by Liang Chen in her previous world, she naturally looked down on these designs.
But to others, these were already very fashionable. Jiang Chan worked quickly and decisively. With a brief scan, she picked out three tops and four pairs of pants for Xiao Hua.
Xiao Hua looked a little timid. “Grandma, it’s too much. I can’t wear all of this. One set is enough. Buy some for Grandma.”
The shop owner beamed. “Auntie, your granddaughter is really filial.”
Jiang Chan softened her expression slightly. “This is the first New Year Xiao Hua and I are spending together. It should be happy, and she should be dressed nicely. Grandma’s clothes can wait.”
“Boss, wrap these up first.”
Jiang Chan knew how to bargain. Even though she was usually quiet, she was very clear headed inside. After a fierce exchange of words, the shop owner admitted defeat. “Auntie, you’re really hiding your skills. That price…”
Jiang Chan pressed her lips together. “No choice. Small households like ours just scrape by.”
The shop owner felt defeated.
Shopping was truly addictive. Jiang Chan pulled Xiao Hua along and they walked through the entire free market. By the end, the bicycle handlebars were covered in bags. Xiao Hua watched in terror. When she saw Jiang Chan preparing to head toward another shop that also sold children’s clothes, she closed her eyes and tugged on Jiang Chan’s sleeve.
“Grandma, let’s stop buying. If we buy more, we won’t have any money left.”
The little girl watched the bills in Jiang Chan’s hand grow fewer and fewer, anxiety filling her heart. When Jiang Chan finally stopped, she added, “Grandma, clothes are fine as long as there are enough to wear. We should save the money.”
Even Jiang Chan could not help laughing at the little girl. She realized that Xiao Hua was a bit of a little miser. Whenever money came in, her eyes sparkled. Whenever money went out, she felt heartache.
To be honest, Jiang Chan’s buying spree was mostly for the sake of watching the little girl’s expressions, seeing her small face change throughout the trip. Jiang Chan found it genuinely amusing.
She followed the child’s wishes and stopped. “Alright then. We won’t buy anymore. Now we’re going somewhere else.”
Xiao Hua’s voice sharpened. “Grandma, are we still spending money?”
Jiang Chan helplessly patted Xiao Hua’s braided hair. “No. We’re going to make money, you little money lover.”
Hearing that they were going to make money, Xiao Hua finally relaxed. She pursed her lips. “Grandma, let’s not buy so many clothes. Buy more food instead. Grandma needs to get fatter. Clothes are fine as long as there are enough.”
Just hearing that, one could tell the child knew how to live frugally. The nearby shop owners smiled kindly. No one expected such a small child to say something like this. It was a pity that when they saw the right side of Xiao Hua’s face, they all shook their heads regretfully.
Jiang Chan rode the bicycle with Xiao Hua, weaving through the streets. After more than half an hour, they finally reached their destination.
“Xinxin Food Factory. Xiao Hua, these characters read Xinxin Food Factory. Remember them.”
Jiang Chan educated Xiao Hua at every opportunity. Whenever she saw words around her, she would consciously explain them to the child.
“I recognize the character for factory. I don’t recognize the others. I’ll look again.” Xiao Hua stared at the factory sign. An elderly guard from the gatehouse saw Jiang Chan and Xiao Hua standing there and came over to ask.
Seeing a stranger, Xiao Hua did not shrink back like before. She stood straight beside Jiang Chan. As long as Jiang Chan was there, she was not afraid of anything.
“Hello. I’m here to see Director Liu. He arranged to meet me at ten this morning. My name is Jiang Chan.”
As soon as Jiang Chan gave her name, the guard understood. He helped her park the bicycle and led Jiang Chan and Xiao Hua to Director Liu’s office.
Liu Yuan was pacing back and forth inside the office. He was at his wits’ end. Business at Xinxin Food Factory had recently dropped sharply, and the issue had left him so anxious that he was practically on fire.
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