บท 15: Chapter 15 Selling Vegetables_1
The marketplace was buzzing with voices, vibrantly lively.
Mo Yan was busy greeting customers who came to buy vegetables. With Grandma helping to weigh them, she felt much more at ease, and the increasingly heavy money pouch at her waist filled her heart with joy. However, with just a basket of vegetables, the stock couldn't last, and within moments, all the cabbages and tomatoes were sold out, leaving only three golden ears of corn.
She didn't plan to sell the remaining corn, so she took out the corn and placed the basket behind her.
"Child, you still have corn left, why have you put it away?" Grandma couldn't help but ask.
Mo Yan stuffed the corn into Grandma's bamboo basket, laughing as she said, "Grandma, thanks to your help today, I was able to sell all the vegetables. This corn isn't worth much, so I want to give it to you as thanks."
Upon hearing this, Grandma hurriedly tried to return the corn to her: "How can this be? This corn can sell for six wen money!"
Here, corn was sold by the piece, and Mo Yan's corn was big, each one equal to two of others', and even worth one wen more, so there were plenty of people buying it.
Mo Yan held onto Grandma's hand, and with her head hung low, she said somewhat sheepishly, "Grandma, I lost the pass today. If my dad finds out, he will surely beat me to death. I was thinking of keeping it from him for now. In the next few days, as I sell vegetables and save up some money, I will secretly get another pass. For these few days, I hope Grandma can bring me in like you did today. These few ears of corn are to thank you. If you don't accept them, it's as if I never said anything."
With those big black eyes of hers, looking as pitiful as a little milk cat with no home, Grandma's heart softened, and with no choice, she nodded in agreement.
With her wish fulfilled, Mo Yan's smile brightened, even outshining the sun for a moment.
Since Grandma had done her a huge favor, Mo Yan decided to return the kindness by helping with the customers coming to buy pears. After two hours, both baskets of pears were sold out, too.
Because she needed to buy cooking oil and other staples, Mo Yan arranged a meeting place with Grandma for the next day before they went their separate ways.
Carrying her worn-out basket, Mo Yan made her way to the shop selling oil, salt, and condiments. After comparing prices in three different shops, she found the cheapest one where a jin of salt cost twenty-two wen, and oil, though a bit cheaper, still cost twenty wen.
Mo Yan weighed her money pouch, clenched her teeth, and bought two jin of salt and two jin of oil, along with some pottery containers for them. Her total spending was ninety wen, which nearly cleaned out the money she had earned from selling vegetables, leaving her with only seven wen money.
Mo Yan couldn't be bothered to hold onto her last seven wen, so she went and bought a jin of rice. God knows that in the half month since coming to this world, she hadn't even seen a single grain of rice.
Thinking of the rice plants in the Space, visible but inedible, made Mo Yan frustrated. However, she didn't plan to sit by the rice jar and starve. After earning money from selling vegetables tomorrow, she intended to buy a sickle and a small stone mill. She could cut the rice plants, thresh the grain, then use the stone mill to grind and dehusk it, and finally, the remaining rice grains could be cooked and eaten.
Storing the rice, salt, and oil in her basket, Mo Yan left Longshi Town with a spring in her step. She found a secluded spot to take out ten or so ears of corn and some radishes from the Space before returning to the dilapidated temple.
The golden cooking oil and the pristine rice and salt delighted both Xin Er and Zhenzhen, who had also been eating boiled vegetables for half a month. Even Mo Qingze was looking forward to it.
But adults always consider more than children. After the excitement, Mo Qingze inevitably asked, "Where did these things come from?"
The concern in his words was not one of doubt, but of care.
"Don't worry, Dad. I didn't steal or rob anything. All these things were obtained legitimately!" Mo Yan didn't directly answer his question but her expression was utterly serious.
Although her father was suspicious of the vegetables she brought out, he was also confused and found it hard to imagine that she had the Space power. She didn't plan to expose this secret, not because of a lack of trust, but because she didn't want another person to bear what seemed like a beneficial but was actually a heavy burden.
Upon hearing her, Mo Qingze indeed didn't ask any further, but the flash of disappointment and loneliness that crossed his face made Mo Yan feel somewhat stifled.
The lunch was eagerly prepared by Liyan, who, with Mo Yan's guidance, poured out half of the rice to wash and cook. Once the water boiled, she added the broken corn kernels and finely chopped radishes into the pot.
In just half an hour, the entire dilapidated temple was filled with a rich aroma. After oil and salt were added, the two children couldn't help but circle around the pot, wishing they could devour the meal immediately.
When the porridge was served, everyone's bowl was filled to the brim. Mo Yan held her bowl, sipping the porridge in small tastes, her eyes half-closed in enjoyment. The porridge was soft and delicious, having fully absorbed the flavor of the radishes, and the fragrance and sweetness of the corn made it irresistibly tasty.
The others also found the meal exceptionally delicious. It had been a long time since Mo Qingze and his sons had tasted rice or salt, while Liyan and her grandmother were even worse off, having nothing to eat after escaping from bandits. They survived on grass roots, leaves, and raw water on the way, and if they hadn't encountered the Mo Family, they probably would have starved to death on the roadside.
After the meal, the two children played for a while before taking a nap. Liyan, feeling uncomfortable resting, took care of her grandfather before he lay down. Against Mo Yan's objections, she went to wash everyone's dirty clothes.
"Let her do what she wants; it'll make her feel better," Mo Qingze spoke from behind Mo Yan, watching Liyan's retreating figure.
Mo Yan understood his meaning and thought to herself that because of this, she must take extra care of the girl and her grandfather during their journey.
As they prepared to resume their travel, Mo Yan suddenly remembered to ask her father, "By the way, Dad, what did you find out from your inquiries today?"
Upon hearing this, Mo Qingze's brow furrowed slightly, "Over half a month ago, the Court dispatched an additional seventy thousand troops. The unrest should have been quelled quickly, but it seems that foreign enemies are involved in the conflict. The fighting is fierce in the south, while the north remains relatively calm, maybe..."
At this point, Mo Qingze stopped, feeling there was no need to continue; his daughter might not understand the complexities.
Mo Yan got the information she wanted, and she had no desire to probe further. As long as the north was stable and they could reach their destination safely, that was enough for her.
...
Early the next morning, Mo Yan waited at the place agreed upon with the old lady the day before, holding a heavy basket. It wasn't long before the old lady came along with two baskets of pears, and just like the day before, they disguised themselves as grandmother and granddaughter and entered the town smoothly.
Today, Mo Yan brought a basket of vegetables that sold even faster than yesterday's. Many were customers who had bought from her the day before. Having cooked those vegetables at home, their families found the flavors superior to previous vendors, and even the previously veggie-averse children ate with gusto. Early that morning, they had come back to buy more.
A customer, after paying, joked, "Girl, your vegetables look and taste better than others'. Why not sell them to a big restaurant and spare yourself the trouble of setting up a stall in wind and sun?"
The speaker had no intention; the listener had interest.
Mo Yan's eyes lit up, feeling the idea was feasible. However, she needed to consider how to proceed carefully; she didn't want to risk exposing her Space secret for the sake of a few bucks.
This time, before she could come up with a secure plan, a big business opportunity unexpectedly came knocking on her door...
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