In the evening, when Chiang Songhai and the others returned and heard what had happened, they all finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Our Little is really impressive, making us so proud! Otherwise, why don’t we go to Peace Restaurant tonight and have a feast to celebrate Little becoming the youngest ninth-grader!" Ge Dejun swept his arm grandly.
During this period, they had made quite a bit of money. Compared to the past, life was now like heaven and earth apart, and with their overwhelming joy, they were prepared to splurge extravagantly just this once.
Liu Pei initially felt reluctant. What was the big difference between eating at Peace Restaurant and eating at home? Wasn’t the difference just money?
A lot of things in Peace Restaurant now were actually supplied by them.
However, upon thinking that Little’s achievement was indeed worth celebrating, she also came around to the idea.
"I think it’s a good idea, I’ll take a break with big sister too, no need to cook!"
Ge Liutao personally had no objections and simply went along with the decision.
Chiang Xiao started to laugh and said, "Wow, that means I’ll get to enjoy a big meal! Uncle Ge, I want to eat snail meat! Let’s order that!"
Ge Dejun’s face wrinkled into a kind and incredibly approachable smile, "Okay, whatever Little wants to eat, we’ll eat! Let’s go!"
That evening, they returned home with greasy mouths from the delicious food.
After the meal, they took a slow stroll back home, which served as a way to aid digestion.
Chiang Xiao took the opportunity to speak about her plans.
"I want to go to the provincial city tomorrow!"
This statement took everyone by surprise.
"To the provincial city?"
"Yes, I’ve always wanted to go. I plan to buy some books on painting at the bookstores there, and also, to check if there are any art exhibitions. We don’t have these in our town."
This was the excuse she had thought of well in advance.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely an excuse, as she indeed had this plan. But all this was in order to find a way to sell her paintings.
Additionally, she also wanted to go to the library to look up ancient characters.
She hadn’t been able to translate the characters in that booklet, and it always felt like there was a significant task left unfinished.
Every time she talked about this, the first to agree and support her was Xu Linjiang.
This time was no different.
"I think Little is right, a trip to the provincial city would at least broaden her horizons, expand her knowledge. The bookstores there are many times bigger than those in our town. Little is about to start ninth grade, and her studies are definitely going to be much more intensive than before, so it’s necessary to buy a set of study materials."
With him saying that, how could Chiang Songhai and the others object?
However, the issue was how she would get there.
Chiang Xiao hoped to go by herself, as it would make things a bit easier, but including Xu Linjiang, nobody agreed to that.
No matter how clever she was, she was still a child, after all. The provincial city was far away and vast, and she had never been before. Who could feel at ease letting her go alone?
Chiang Xiao felt quite helpless. She could follow them to the city, but the primary reason she wanted to go alone was to take this opportunity to visit the mountains first and release that giant snake.
Moreover, it would be best if she could find some more valuable items in the mountains.
If she followed Ge Dejun and the others, their pace into the deeper mountains would be too slow, and she believed that once they reached a certain depth, they wouldn’t venture any further.
After all, it was genuinely dangerous.
But she herself wanted to explore deeper into the mountains.
She always felt that the mountains must hold many more treasures.
"Actually, it’s really okay for me to go alone. It would be a great opportunity for self-improvement, making me sharper, more attentive, and smarter," Chiang Xiao said, and she even started blinking and pouting to beguile them.