Chapter 214: Drawing a Map
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Jiang Xia held the half-used pencil that Wang Ping from the small town hotel had given them, along with a few notebooks with some bent corners, and slumped over the table in worry.
In the notebook, there was already a rough outline of the mountain map. What remained was marking the spots where wild vegetables were found and guiding Xiao Li to discover new vegetable patches.
Jiang Xia poked her own head with the pencil’s eraser, trying to figure out which plot of land was more suitable for a vegetable field. This was a habit she had developed when she was studying. Whenever she encountered a problem that she could not solve, she would poke her forehead with the pen as if she could figure it out with just a poke.
Jiang Gu was also lying beside the table. Her two small hands were holding the edge of the table. Her round little face was placed on her little fingers. Her wide, shiny black eyes were wide open as she looked at her sister curiously.
“Sister, what are you drawing? Why are there so many tangled lines? I don’t understand,” Jiang Gu said.
While ’messy’ was a new word Jiang Gu had just learned, and while she understood the meaning, she couldn’t write it, especially the last character which was too complicated to even copy.
Seeing her younger sibling’s cute expression, Jiang Xia momentarily set aside the map issue. Smiling, she rubbed Jiang Gu’s head and began to explain, “This is called a map. You’ll learn about it in elementary school during geography lessons. The map has symbols indicating directions like north, south, west, and east. These tangled lines are not just lines; they represent the paths we take.”
“What does ‘complex’ mean?” Jiang Gu asked, eager to learn.
Jiang Xia explained the meaning and then tore a page from the notebook, writing down the word for Jiang Gu to practice.
Zhou Lan took the cloth that had already been washed and hardened and placed it in a basket. She sat down beside Jiang Xia with the basket in her arms and took a few glances at the words ” complex”.
“Xiao Xia, Xiao Gu hasn’t started elementary school yet. Don’t you think the word you’re teaching is too complicated?”
Jiang Xia thought for a moment and realized that it seemed to be the case. In the modern world, she had skipped several grades because of her high IQ. She had even learned more than her peers. Therefore, she had forgotten that most of the words she learned before she entered school were words with fewer strokes.
However, Jiang Xia didn’t expect Xiao Gu to understand these words. In fact, she wanted her to learn how to write first and cultivate her interest in learning, so the complexity of the words didn’t matter
Jiang Xia still had other things to worry about.” Mother, where do you think we should choose for the new wild vegetables? 1 looked at this map and couldn’t think of a reasonable location. It could be hidden and not easily discovered, and it wouldn’t be too difficult to pick vegetables.”
Jiang Chuan, leisurely fanning himself with a hand fan, walked in and said, “You can’t get everything from a map. Some things require on-the-ground examination. The map is just a guide.”
Jiang Xia felt that it made sense.” That’s true, but it’s the middle of the afternoon now. If we go to the foot of the mountain brazenly, we’ll surely be spotted. Maybe I should inspect the area at night!”
Zhou Lan expressed her concern, “It’s pitch-black at night. Do you really want to venture to those remote foothills? 1 was really worried the other night when you sneaked out to the old Jiang family house. 1 won’t let you go alone tonight!”
Jiang Xia felt a bit guilty for her previous night’s escapade and didn’t argue. Instead, she said, “Of course, I’ll have my brave mom with me! Without you by my side, I’d be scared!”
Zhou Lan chuckled at Jiang Xia’s words and felt reassured, picking up a needle to start sewing shoe soles.
The fabric, once starched and washed, was very stiff. Pushing a needle through required a lot of effort. For most people, it would take a long time just to make one stitch. But Zhou Lan had unusual strength; she effortlessly made several stitches as if sewing through cotton.
Thinking about how the family would soon have new shoes, Zhou Lan felt joyful and worked faster. In no time, she had shaped the sole of one shoe..