The puppy that Jiang Chan wanted should be available for purchase right here. Lin Shi had hardly ever been to the market before, and seeing this was also quite novel to her. She couldn’t take her eyes off this and that.
Jiang Chan simply accompanied her, leisurely observing. Although it was a market, it was somewhat distant compared to modern grocery markets. As they walked, they gradually stopped in front of a stall.
The vendor, an elderly man in his fifties or sixties, had red hands from the cold. His worn-out clothes barely covered his elbows, indicating a difficult life.
In front of the stall was a small basket with two thin puppies, huddled together and shivering in the cold wind. Jiang Chan felt a surge of compassion for the pitiful little dogs.
Uncle Zhong, perceptive as always, approached and negotiated the price. Seeing that the old man was relatively shabby in appearance, they felt awkward about bargaining. In the end, Uncle Zhong bought the two little dogs for thirty cents, and the old man thanked him profusely.
Lin Shi looked at Zhong Shu, who was holding a puppy in his hands, with a smile in her eyes. Although Jiang Chan seemed a bit more serious and less approachable, she was still kind-hearted. Lin Shi wondered if the puppy could be taken care of after being bought.
With the main task accomplished, Jiang Chan couldn’t wait to return home and care for the puppies. Uncle Zhong had also finished buying vegetables, so they all headed back to Jiang’s courtyard.
Passing by the Mingyue Tower on their way home, Jiang Chan didn’t notice someone watching her from behind with an incredulous expression. This person was none other than Jiang Chan’s elder brother, Jiang Miao.
Although the Jiang family had a difficult life, Jiang Mu always made sure Jiang Miao had enough to eat and wear. He studied at the town’s academy and, on regular days, had some extra money to dine and drink with friends.
Yesterday, the academy had a break, and Jiang Miao didn’t go back home. Instead, he went out for a small gathering with a few friends. Seeing Jiang Chan was unexpected for Jiang Miao, and he was still unaware of the situtation at home.
He was just puzzled. This person looks like the eldest sister, but does the eldest sister wear clothes like this? Her complexion has also improved a lot. When did she become so close to their Eldest Aunt?
Jiang Miao couldn’t figure it out and just thought that he must ask thoroughly when he goes back next time. In about ten days, he would go to the capital for the imperial examination, and he didn’t know how his family’s financial preparations were going.
Jiang Miao, heading towards the academy, contemplated the possibility of involving Jiang Chan in his schemes if things got difficult. It had to be said that Jiang Miao and Jiang Mu were very similar; both were extremely selfish and cold-blooded.
Jiang Chan had no idea that Jiang Miao had actually seen her on the street, arousing someone’s thoughts. But even if there were ulterior motives, she didn’t care.
Now that she had been adopted by the Jiang Sen family, Jiang Mu’s family could no longer dictate her actions. No matter what Jiang Miao or Wang Shi’s schemed, they were in vain.
Jiang Chan squatted in the yard, watching two little puppies. The old man said these two puppies were about twenty days old, and the family was having difficulties. The mother dog couldn’t feed them, so they thought of selling the puppies, hoping to find a kind-hearted family.
Li Ma brought warm goat’s milk, specially requested of Uncle Zhong by Lin Shi to help Jiang Chan regain her strength. Before, Jiang Chan couldn’t eat enough or keep warm, even though she was fourteen, she looked like an eleven or twelve-year-old girl.
Lin Shi heard that goat’s milk was good for the body and instructed Uncle Zhong to buy some every day. At first, Jiang Chan couldn’t get used to it because goat’s milk had a strong smell. Later, she figured out a way to add tea leaves and almonds to eliminate the odor. Although Jiang Sen often grumbled, his tea leaves decreased significantly.
The two little puppies smelled the aroma of milk and whined in their kennel, crawling to the food bowl, eager to bury their heads in it. Being able to eat meant they could survive, and Jiang Chan finally felt a little relieved.
While the puppies were drinking milk, Uncle Zhong was already preparing a wooden kennel. The kennel would be placed in the yard, well-protected from the wind, ensuring the puppies wouldn’t freeze.
Jiang Chan, chin in hand, watched the puppies. They were essentially local dogs now. One was black with white paws, and the other was yellow with white paws.
Perhaps the puppies were starving; Li Ma’s prepared goat’s milk was quickly consumed. The yard was sunny, and the two satisfied puppies lay on their backs, lazily sunbathing with curled tails.
Jiang Chan pointed to the black one and said, “You’re all black with white paws; let’s call you Taxue (Stepping on Snow).”
Looking at the yellow one, Jiang Chan frowned, “Your color is similar to gold. How about calling you Jinzi?”
Lin Shi chuckled, “It has some poetic feeling – one called Taxue, the other called Jinzi.”
Jiang Chan confidently said, “Mother, how about you think of one?”
Lin Shi looked at the puppy for a while and suddenly smiled, “Look at its white paws. It reminds me of the custard buns you made before. Doesn’t it resemble them?”
Lin Shi didn’t say much, but when she mentioned it, Jiang Chan couldn’t help but find the name fitting. She agreed, “Let’s call it Naihuang Bao (Milk Custard Bun). This name suits it well.”
Freshly named Taxue and Naihuang Bao lay in the yard sunbathing. What did their owner call them? They didn’t understand!
News in town spread quickly. In the afternoon, the old shopkeeper from Mingyue Tower visited again. At that time, Jiang Chan was instructing Li Ma on how to stuff sausages. The old shopkeeper, with his beard curled, looked at Jiang Chan and said, “Xiaochan, we have a longstanding friendship.”
Seeing the shrewd old shopkeeper, Jiang Chan raised her lips, “Shopkeeper, you don’t come without a reason.”
The old shopkeeper grinned, understanding Jiang Chan’s straightforward nature. Yesterday, Jiang Sen’s friends praised the Jiang family’s dishes after having dinner at Jiang Sen’s house. His nephew was a student of one of Jiang Sen’s friends, and after hearing the compliments, he realized it was an opportunity.
In the evening, he quietly inquired and, learning the details, came to Mingyue Tower the next day, bringing four kinds of pastries from the town’s largest pastry shop.
After hearing the old shopkeeper’s intentions, Jiang Chan didn’t refuse. She needed capital to open a shop, and the old shopkeeper had brought it for her. Even if he hadn’t come, she would have gone to him.
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