Chapter 361: A Slip of the Tongue
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Liu Xing paused for a moment, finding Jiang Xia’s perspective always unusual compared to most people. This made him feel as though she was more reliable than Xiao Li.
Hearing her composed tone, he felt that Jiang Xia seemed experienced, something unexpected for a village girl like her. Most girls from the village would’ve probably reacted like Xiao Li did upon hearing his words, immediately shaking their heads and leaving.
It’s not that Liu Xing didn’t want to cooperate with them. On the contrary, he sincerely hoped that both families could produce such a large quantity of pickles. After all, he acted as a middleman for the pickles, collecting them and then distributing them to the neighboring village.
This was a closed loop, and Liu Xing could only be considered an insignificant link in this closed loop.
He spoke out bluntly not to be rude, but rather he liked to state the potential problems upfront, so if any issue arose later, it wouldn’t create an awkward situation for both parties.
Addressing Jiang Xia, Liu Xing said, “I can get you the large jars you need, but not many. At most, I can find three.”
Xiao Li began to calculate. They needed to deliver five jars of pickles in half a month. With only three available, they would have to utilize every container they had at home to fill the remaining two. Wouldn’t that mean their courtyard would be filled with jars?
That simply wasn’t feasible!
Noticing Jiang Xia’s growing enthusiasm, Xiao Li feared she might agree without considering the consequences. He tried to pull her away, intending to leave.
Being smaller and weaker, Jiang Xia struggled against Xiao Li’s pull. In her haste, she blurted out, “Uncle Li, let go of me! I’m discussing serious matters. Don’t cause a disturbance!”
The comment caught all three of them off guard.
Realizing her words made it sound as if Xiao Li was the child and she the adult, Jiang Xia looked at the surprised expressions on Liu Xing and Xiao Li. She awkwardly smiled, wondering how to explain herself.
Fortunately, Xiao Li, always one to smooth things over, quickly covered for her, “Did you pick up that way of speaking from your parents at home?”
Jiang Xia was momentarily stunned, unsure whether to commend Xiao Li for his quick thinking or chide him for his simplicity.
Following his lead, she replied, “Exactly! My parents always speak like this. Why can they say such things, but 1 can’t?”
Blinking her innocent eyes at them, the two adults just found her adorable, attributing her words to her youthful naivety.
Chastising her gently, Xiao Li said, “Silly girl, while your parents might say such things, you shouldn’t. In the village, it’s considered disrespectful. You’re an obedient child; you shouldn’t be rude.”
Jiang Xia verbally agreed, but internally she remained unconvinced.
However, after the brief hiccup, the two finally gave Jiang Xia their full attention.
She said, “Delivering five jars of pickles in half a month is indeed a lot for us. We can’t meet that, but our village has many people. Together, we might be able to.”
Seeming to have an epiphany, Xiao Li eagerly added, “Right, Xiao Wu and Fatty’s father can contribute.”
Jiang Xia continued, “We just want to know, if we can deliver, how much grain are you willing to exchange with us, Uncle Liu?”
Adding his thoughts, Xiao Li said, “Yesterday, we traded almost one jar of pickles for one and a half kilos of flour. So, for five jars, it should be at least seven and a half kilos of flour!”
The two coordinated their statements so well that Liu Xing was left momentarily speechless.
Looking conflicted, Liu Xing admitted that seven and a half kilos of flour was a bit too much for him to provide.
After hesitating, he asked, “You only want flour? Don’t you want to exchange for something else?”
Curious, Xiao Li asked, “Like what?”
Excitedly, Liu Xing listed the options, “There’s a lot! Pork, vegetables, tools, and cotton. With winter being so cold this year, why not exchange for some cotton? You can make warm quilts. 1 have some stored cotton here, which 1 can exchange for your pickles..”
