About a month after Ed returned.
"Carly, do you know? The stranger's gloves have been praised by the lady of the house, and now a pair of gloves is worth five cans of salt. That Grandet has made a fortune."
Listening to her father's words and looking at the gloves she was wearing, little Carly felt a pang of heartache. She should have negotiated the price properly; now it was too late. No matter how good or valuable the item was, it was useless, and the stranger had already left. That wretched Uncle Grandet, what a miserly fellow!
"Father, I never imagined these gloves were so valuable. If I had known, I would have asked for more salt. But there's nothing we can do now. The stranger has been gone for a while now, and we don't know where he went."
"If only we could find someone from out of town before next winter, and trade a jar of salt for a pair of gloves, our family would be so much better off!"
The gloves are very valuable now; five jars of salt make one pair of gloves, which is a conservative estimate, because there are only so many gloves available now. The more people know about them, the higher their value will become. This could potentially change their family's fate once again.
"Father, the outsider definitely won't be coming for the time being, but the robbers over there will definitely be following him." The little girl, Carly, was certain that the robbers wouldn't let the outsider go so easily.
The middle-aged man seemed slightly tempted by his daughter's words, after all, restoring his family's glory had always been his pursuit. However, the robbers were not so easy to deal with, although they rarely targeted people like them.
Because trade is relatively developed here, they have better options and there is no need to waste time on these poor people.
"Carly, but those robbers aren't so easy to talk to." The middle-aged man was still hesitant about whether to ask the robbers for information.
"Father, that's impossible. They wouldn't tell you for no reason, and it would be difficult for you to find them anyway. Let's think about what to eat tonight!" Carly's words interrupted the middle-aged man's fantasy.
A somewhat disheartened middle-aged man thought to himself, "Yes, we don't have much food left at home."
As the middle-aged man was lost in thought, a sound coming from outside caught his attention.
"Niche Carly, are you home? Your generous Uncle Grandet has come to see you. Look what I brought you."
Upon hearing that it was someone he disliked, the little girl Carly said with some displeasure, "Oh! Carly isn't home. She's been very sad because her beloved Uncle Grandet bullied her."
The middle-aged man glanced at his daughter, then went out to welcome Grandet inside. Seeing Grandet holding a salted fish, Carly became even more displeased.
"Oh, my niece Carly, I heard your family is going through some difficulties. I hope this gift of mine can help you get through this." Grandet placed the fish on the table.
Carly thought to herself, "What a miser!" Of course, she wouldn't turn down food.
"Thank you, Uncle Grandet! Is there something you need today? Is it because the bread I ordered the other day was miscalculated, and you've come to make up for it?"
"No, my niece Carly, you're absolutely right. That's a skill only a learned young lady could possess." Grandet was very good at flattering people.
This made Carly's father, a middle-aged man, extremely happy.
"Carly, Grandet is a very good man." The middle-aged man suddenly lost his mind and forgot everything.
Seeing her father Carly's helplessness, she said that her grandfather was kind, but she herself wasn't much better. A few kind words made her lose her senses.
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased considerably, Grandet continued:
"Niche Carly, do you still have those gloves?"