Currently, Jiang Chan can only provide some silver coins; any more than that, and she feels powerless. Only now has she realized just how weak an individual’s strength can be.
She wants to change the fate of these girls with tragic backgrounds, but she can’t think of a way to do so. Ever since returning from Jingye Temple, Jiang Chan has been preoccupied with this concern.
She didn’t plan to rely solely on her abilities to support so many people. Ideally, these girls could each acquire a skill. She had heard the orphanage director say countless times that it’s better to teach a person to fish than to just give them a fish.
Temporary aid is just that—temporary. It would be best if she could help them stand on their own. But how? This is what Jiang Chan is currently worried about.
In this era, women’s status is very low. Although women can own shops and conduct business, the deeply ingrained patriarchal mindset still exists.
Lin Shi soon noticed Jiang Chan’s distress. Being a perceptive person, Lin Shi sensed something was off with Jiang Chan since the day after the festival. Initially, Lin Shi thought it was just a minor concern, but it turned out that Jiang Chan had been troubled for quite some time.
After Jiang Chan’s disorganized explanation, Lin Shi finally managed to make some sense of it.
“So, you mean to say you want to help the children from the charity hospital, but you don’t want to foster their dependency. You’d rather they have the ability to live independently?”
As she spoke, Lin Shi felt deeply moved. She had always known Jiang Chan to be a good person, but only those who got close to her could see the warmth and tenderness beneath her stern exterior.
“That’s right, that’s what I mean. But I don’t know much myself, I’m not sure what I could teach them.” This was what troubled Jiang Chan the most—the feeling of being powerless despite having the desire to help.
Lin Shi patted Jiang Chan’s head, “Why speak so lowly of yourself? In my eyes, you have many strengths. You’re an excellent cook, reliable, cautious, and very kind. These are all your strengths.”
“Cooking, cooking!” Suddenly, Jiang Chan’s eyes lit up. How could she not have thought of it before? The cooking skills she learned from Uncle Mo could definitely be taught to those she was helping.
Once they learned these skills, they could either open a small food stall or work as cooks in wealthy households. The only question was how to implement this plan.
In the following days, Jiang Chan and Zhou Xing often visited Jingye Temple, sometimes bringing along little Zhou Wen. They usually left in the morning and returned in the afternoon.
After each return, Jiang Chan felt much better. After a month of training, the first group of ten apprentices from the charity hospital had become proficient.
Among them, there was only one boy; the rest were girls. On a morning in early spring, these ten children bid farewell to the charity hospital to earn their livelihoods.
This group included the eldest, Xiao Lan. After Xiao Lan and the others left, Jiang Chan didn’t forget about them. She frequently visited, sometimes with Zhou Xing to teach cooking, and sometimes it was Li Ma and Lin Shi who came along.
Jiang Chan privately thought that it was wrong to hoard one’s knowledge. Chinese culinary culture is so rich and profound. These people only lacked guidance. Once they learned that there were different ways to prepare food, the culinary industry would soon flourish worldwide.
All she could do was leave a spark in this world, which in time, would surely grow into a blazing inferno.
At the charity hospital, Jiang Chan was very popular. She not only taught the children cooking but also reading and writing. Lacking paper and pens, she used sticks to draw on the ground.
Besides this, she also taught them arithmetic, mainly to ensure they all had a skill, so they wouldn’t be helpless in the world.
She did these things not for publicity but simply because she saw the need, and so she wanted to do something for these children.
Time slowly passed, and after half a month’s journey, Xiao Lan and her group finally sent Jiang Chan their first letter. They had opened their own restaurant with the silver Jiang Chan had given them before they left, and reportedly, the business was doing well.
Knowing that Xiao Lan and her friends had settled down, Jiang Chan finally felt at ease. She believed that children who had endured hardships possessed a strong vitality and once settled, would surely stand firm.
Jiang Chan’s days were very comfortable, and both Lin Shi and Jiang Sen strongly supported her efforts. Having support gave her even more motivation.
During these busy times, Jiang Miao’s imperial examination came around. Wang Shi had to spend all their savings to prepare Jiang Miao for the examination.
Although Jiang Miao was smart, despite failing once, he still became a scholar. When the news arrived, Jiang Chan felt it was a pity that such a person had become a scholar.
But ultimately, other people’s affairs were none of her concern. Jiang Chan focused her mind and continued with her own activities. Since everyone was a stranger now, why bother caring so much?
However, it wasn’t Jiang Chan who sought out Jiang Miao; instead, Jiang Miao and his father, Jiang Mu, came to them. They came to borrow silver from Jiang Sen.
Perhaps becoming a scholar had made Jiang Miao arrogant; he even thought about participating in this year’s autumn examinations, and so did Jiang Mu. He felt he had taught for many years and was sufficiently prepared to try his luck.
The autumn imperial examination is different from the spring one. It’s like facing an army crossing a single-plank bridge. One is my own younger brother, the other is my own nephew. Even if Jiang Sen is unwilling, he can only lend them money.
The loan this time is twenty taels of silver, which makes Jiang Sen feel heartache. Of course, he wants to make it clear beforehand that he will only borrow silver this once; there won’t be any more opportunities afterwards. He’s not running a money-lending business, after all.
Jiang Chan mused to herself, “Do you think they can actually pass?”
Lin Shi sighed, “Who knows?”
Jiang Chan bluntly stated, “If they pass, then a toad might as well eat swan meat.”
Zhou Xing immediately laughed, and Lin Shi poked Jiang Chan’s finger, “You should only say such things at home. You can’t talk like that outside, you know?”
“I know, I think Jiang Miao is too proud. Does he really think that the imperial examination is so easy to pass?” Jiang Chan casually conversed with Lin, while holding a book of strategies.
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