Chapter 4: Meeting Again

At the first light of dawn, Li Juan took Tao Yu to a village outside the city, known for its fresh and best vegetables. According to Li Juan, it wasn’t just them visiting; several others also came to this village to buy vegetables.

Li Juan selected a few fresh items, paid for them, and then started loading them onto the cart, rushing back to the city with Tao Yu by her side. From the smoothness of the operation, it was clear that Li Juan had become highly skilled in the vegetable business.

As they passed a small stream by the roadside, Tao Yu stopped her.

“Organize the vegetables before heading into the city to sell them.”

Li Juan was in good spirits, knowing her daughter was right there with her. She felt strong and energized. Without hesitation, she followed Tao Yu’s suggestion and pushed the cart toward the stream.

Less than an hour later, Li Juan, now copying Tao Yu’s method, had neatly arranged the vegetables on the cart. The bundles of vegetables, each sparkling with droplets of water, looked fresh and appealing.

Li Juan asked if Tao Yu wanted to wash the potatoes as well. Normally, she just cleaned off the dirt but didn’t wash them. Tao Yu poured some water over the potatoes and shook her head.

“Potatoes with soil on them might sell better. They look like they were just dug up from the ground.”

Li Juan, quick to understand, nodded in agreement and continued pushing the cart into the city. She deliberately slowed her pace to avoid tiring out her daughter, but Tao Yu, helping with the push, showed no signs of slowing down or complaining.

By the time they reached the city, the sky had brightened, and the streets were already bustling with people buying vegetables.

Li Juan, efficient as always, found a good spot and began selling the vegetables. Today, she used the sales pitch that Tao Yu had taught her:

“Pure natural, no pesticides, healthy vegetables! Freshly picked and sold immediately—when they’re gone, they’re gone!”

Her new method quickly drew a crowd. People were curious about the vegetables, especially their neat bundles.

“Wow, these vegetables look different from the others! These are neatly tied in small bundles. How much is this?”

Li Juan cheerfully replied, “Cabbage is 1.8 cents per bundle. We only have a few left in the cart, so once they’re gone, that’s it.”

Someone questioned the price, noting it was higher than others who were selling for 1.7 cents.

Li Juan smiled and explained, “Auntie, look at the quality of my cabbage compared to theirs. Not a single leaf is damaged. I’m not charging 1.7 cents, I’m giving you quality. You won’t regret it.”

She also sold the chives by the bundle for 0.7 cents each, claiming they were freshly cut and chemical-free, with farm manure for fertilizer. She even made sure to highlight their freshness with dewdrops on the leaves.

Her sales pitch worked wonders, and soon her vegetables were selling faster than usual. Even the potatoes, still covered in dirt, sold well because they appeared freshly dug, and Li Juan cleverly priced them slightly lower than the competition.

Tao Yu, meanwhile, had moved on to selling her sugar-coated hawthorn skewers. She was surrounded by a group of curious kids.

“Why are your sugar strings green? What do they taste like?” one of the children asked.

Tao Yu glanced at him coldly and responded, “40 cents per skewer. This is the only price in the city.”

One child, suspicious, replied, “You’re ripping us off! Others are selling for 30 cents!”

Tao Yu remained unfazed, scanning the group of kids. “Do any of those 30-cent skewers have green ones? Have you ever had a green one? These all have smiling faces on them. 40 cents isn’t expensive.”

The child persisted, but Tao Yu, with a sly smile, gave in. “Fine, I’ll sell them for 30 cents today, just for you. But tomorrow, it’ll be 40.”

The kids, feeling like they’d won, eagerly handed over their savings, and Tao Yu made the sale.

After a few more rounds of this, Tao Yu was down to her last three skewers.

With her load lighter, Tao Yu headed back toward Li Juan’s vegetable stand. As she passed the gate of the large estate from yesterday, a car screeched to a halt in front of her. A black sedan had stopped right in front of her.

Today, Tao Yu wasn’t as lucky as the day before. She was carrying the stick, with its end stretched out in front of her. Fortunately, she was carrying it on her left shoulder, holding it loosely. When the car bumped into her, the stick naturally fell to the ground.

Tao Yu glanced at the car, then down at the ground, her expression unreadable, her gaze cold.

“Good,” she thought. She wasn’t hurt, and neither was the car.

The only casualty was the three skewers of candied hawthorn lying on the ground.

In the car

Xiao Zhang, startled, immediately became alert, realizing what had happened. He quickly turned around to apologize to the man sitting in the backseat.

“Mr. Song, it’s my fault! I had a bit to drink yesterday and was still a little dazed. I’m sorry, Mr. Song!”

In the backseat, Song Hecheng frowned, his expression stern.

“Get out of the car and check the situation.”

Without waiting for Xiao zhang to respond, Song Hecheng opened the door and stepped out of the car.

Tao Yu, looking at the fallen candied hawthorns, wasn’t in a good mood.

Xiao Zhang quickly jogged over to her and bowed apologetically.

“I’m sorry, miss! I wasn’t paying attention while driving. Are you hurt?”

Tao Yu silently stared at the sugar skewers on the ground, ignoring Xiao Zhang.

Seeing the candy on the ground, Xiao Zhang quickly realized the situation.

“I’m really sorry. How much are the skewers? I’ll pay for them right away.”

Tao Yu finally raised her eyes to look at Xiao Zhang, giving him just a glance before turning her attention to the tall figure standing across from her.

Clearly, she wasn’t happy.