Chapter 22: Achyranthes Bidentata
Sun Mei dusted off the dirt on Zhao Zhitong, picked her up, and quickly headed towards the school. "What have you been up to, young lady, getting yourself all dirty like this?" she asked.
Zhao Zhitong wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and answered honestly, "I was digging up wild vegetables."
"What do you want those for?" Sun Mei asked. "Don’t we already have vegetables in our vegetable garden?"
Zhao Zhitong shook her little head. "It’s not the same; that one is a treasure, you know."
Sun Mei laughed, not taking her seriously. "How can wild vegetables be treasures?"
Zhao Zhitong leaned into Sun Mei’s ear and whispered, "It’s a secret, shhh."
Seeing the mysterious look on the young girl’s face, Sun Mei merely smiled at her mischievousness and didn’t press further. After arriving at the school, she gave Zhao Zhitong a few instructions, then went to find Country Gentry Wei.
In the school, the grain for the children’s meals provided by the kitchen was supplied by the students’ parents each month. The Wei family contributed the largest share and would also periodically donate meat to the kitchen to improve the children’s diet.
Naturally, the school kitchen was also managed by the Wei family, ensuring the Teacher wouldn’t be distracted by miscellaneous matters and could focus on teaching.
Sun Mei and another elderly woman working in the kitchen were also hired by Country Gentry Wei’s family; they both received their wages from Country Gentry Wei.
Lately, with things being busy at home, Zhao Zhitong might have to eat her meals at the school. Therefore, Sun Mei needed to inform the Wei family first and hand over their grain contribution.