Make a Fortune and Become Well-off [90] - Chapter 128

Jiang Ning noticed Grandpa Jiang’s unimpressed expression and was secretly amused.

She actually understood that Grandpa Jiang was quite willing to try new things. He was happy to try all the new foods and items she bought for him, even if he didn’t like them afterward. He would still give them a try.

For example, soy milk which was advertised on TV every day. They heard it was nutritious, so after Jiang Ning got her scholarship in college in her previous life, she returned home during every semester break and bought various supplements for Grandpa Jiang—soy milk, lotus root starch, and milk powder for the elderly to boost his health.

Grandpa Jiang particularly hated the beany smell of soy milk, but because his eldest granddaughter had bought it, and it was advertised daily on TV, he drank a cup of soy milk every day. He poured it into a transparent jar, and as he walked slowly among the old men herding cattle, he would open the jar and sigh, “Oh, my eldest granddaughter got a scholarship in college. She heard soy milk is nutritious, so she used her scholarship money to buy me a bunch of soy milk to nourish my body. This stuff doesn’t taste good; it’s terrible, but I drink it every day.”

As he spoke, he took a sip in despair, his brows furrowed, and his expression showed everyone just how unpleasant that soy milk was.

He looked so disgusted by it that the old men herding cattle wanted to beat him.

It was inconvenient to cook in the shop, and Grandpa Jiang was alone. Jiang Ning worried he wouldn’t eat well, so she told him not to bother cooking. She would go to the cafeteria every day and bring him food at noon.

“The food in the cafeteria is prepared for teachers and students, and the chefs eat the food they cook. It should be hygienic and it’s not expensive. This way, you won’t have to cook your own meals, which would require coal stoves and coal, and washing dishes. I’ll bring you food directly from the cafeteria. I’ll also bring you a pot of boiling water from the water room at noon. If the water isn’t enough, I’ll bring another pot from the school in the evening for only one or two meal tickets. Lighting a coal stove would cost more in coal alone than this.”

This arrangement suited Grandpa Jiang perfectly.

Eating alone, Grandpa Jiang was too lazy to cook, so he figured he’d just have a bowl of sesame paste at noon.

Now that he could get food and water from the cafeteria, it saved him a lot of money.

However, Jiang Ning was only occasionally allowed to leave school. The guard would let her out sometimes, but going out three times a day was unusual, even for a day student. The guard told her she needed a certificate from her class teacher and the director of the Political and Education Department before he could permit it.

Jiang Ning went to Teacher Wang and the director to get a certificate.

It was easy to get the certificate from Teacher Wang; the situation was clearly explained, and her class teacher knew it was true. But when she went to the director of the Political and Education Department, she had to spend a long time persuading him, saying good things and explaining that Grandpa Jiang wasn’t in good health. It took a lot of effort to convince him that Grandpa Jiang had come to Wucheng just to be near her and that she was there to make sure he ate well. She even showed Grandpa Jiang’s physical examination report and the doctor’s medical record. Eventually, the director followed her to investigate the situation on the spot. Seeing that what Jiang Ning said was indeed true, he relaxed and issued her a certificate allowing her to leave school for twenty minutes after school in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening. It was also strictly stipulated that she must note the time she leaves and returns and where she went.

“Except for the shop you mentioned, you can’t go anywhere else,” the director said sternly. “Otherwise, who would bear the responsibility if something goes wrong?”

“Yes, yes, you’re right. You’re responsible for us students. Without good teachers and leaders like you, we wouldn’t be able to manage our No. 1 High School so well, and the students’ scores wouldn’t be as good. We’re the leading key school in Wucheng. As a student of No. 1 High School, I’m deeply proud of being here.”

Jiang Ning’s flattery made the director laugh. He tapped the table with his pen and smiled, “Flatterer.”

But even though he knew she was trying to flatter him, the director couldn’t help feeling good about it. He issued the certificate right away and reminded her, “It only lasts for twenty minutes each time. You will meet the guard.”

“Don’t worry, Director. I’m punctual. I promise I’ll come early and never be late.”

After getting the certificate, Jiang Ning packed her lunch and ran to Grandpa Jiang to see how he was doing after spending the whole morning selling clothes in the shop.

“How was it?” 

In just one morning, Grandpa Jiang had sold eleven pieces of clothing, two of which were bought by older girls.

With one piece of clothing, they would only earn one or two yuan, so selling eleven pieces meant more than ten yuan in earnings. If they kept this up, Grandpa Jiang calculated, they could earn at least three or four hundred yuan a month. He was simply shocked.

Three hundred yuan.

At that time, many cadres’ salaries were not that high. They would probably earn more than their brigade secretaries.

So all the confusion about letting go of his mountain patrol job vanished.

‘I can earn 300 yuan a month. Even if I deduct the rent, water, and electricity, I still have at least 100 yuan left each month. If I can make 120 yuan a month, that’s 1,500 yuan a year. My granddaughter has two semesters a year. That’s enough to cover her tuition fees.’

With this thought, Grandpa Jiang, who had been a little depressed and unaccustomed to quitting his mountain patrol job, suddenly became more energetic. His back was no longer sore, his legs no longer ached, and the sky seemed brighter.

At noon, the dishes Jiang Ning brought to Grandpa Jiang were stir-fried dried lotus root slices with green peppers and braised pork with pickled vegetables.

Except for the braised pork with pickled vegetables, the meals in the canteen remained unchanged all year round. The rest of the dishes in the canteen would change according to the seasonal vegetables available in the market.

For example, it was the season when lotus roots were on the market. The lotus roots were extremely cheap. To save costs, the school cafeteria would buy these lotus roots. They would either fry lotus root slices or shreds every day. The lotus roots they bought weren’t the good ones from the middle; instead, they were the small lotus root nodes at both ends and the long, flat lotus root nodes, which the locals call “lotus root waste”.

These lotus root pieces were not as easy to sell as the middle sections with the rounded shape. Lotus root sellers usually cut off the small and long nodes at both ends, sending the middle sections to the market. The cut-off nodes would then be sent to small canteens near schools and school cafeterias, where they could be purchased at a lower price to reduce costs.

The taste and nutrition of these lotus root pieces were the same as those of the round middle sections, but they’re small, flat, and not as visually appealing. However, they’re just right for making fried lotus root slices.