Cui Ni saw Jiang Wanting hitting her own head and quickly comforted her, “Sister, you were really amazing just now, daring to speak up to them like that. Even my dad and older sister don’t dare to go into that place. You’re so brave!”

“Brave, my foot. We both got kicked out. But we have to sell this ganoderma today, or the six yuan we spent will be wasted.” Jiang Wanting silently calculated in her heart: she only had seven yuan and seventy cents left. After deducting the fifty cents for the return trip, that left just seven yuan and twenty cents. This was her first business venture in this life—she couldn’t afford to lose money!

(Línzhī is the traditional Chinese name for Ganoderma lucidum, a medicinal mushroom widely used in East Asian medicine)

If she wanted to do business, she had to toughen up. After all, no one in this life knew her anyway.

Cui Ni sighed and hung her head after hearing this. She dug at the pebbles on the ground, scratching them back and forth. There was nothing she could do to help, so she could only follow quietly.

Just then, a man walked out of the restaurant. He was of medium height, slender, with fair skin, wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit with a pen tucked in the pocket. His lower half was clad in blue polyester trousers and black rubber shoes, and he carried a briefcase under his arm—the very image of a progressive youth who had just entered the workforce.

Jiang Wanting hurried over to him. “Hello, comrade. Could I trouble you for a few minutes? There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

The young man stopped and gave her a once-over, his expression slightly disdainful. “What is it?”

Jiang Wanting quickly opened her bag and revealed the ganoderma inside. “This is fresh ganoderma my sister and I picked from the mountains early this morning. It’s high-quality and large. I was wondering if your restaurant would be interested in buying it.”

The young man shook his head and was about to refuse when Jiang Wanting cut him off and began spinning a sob story. “Please, comrade, you have to help us. My sister and I had no other choice but to come out and try to earn some money. Our mother hurt her leg working and needs money for treatment. Our father was arrested for making a mistake, and we have a baby brother at home who needs formula. We risked our lives to pick this ganoderma, just hoping to earn some money for medicine and formula.”

Seeing this, Cui Ni immediately played along, pouting and letting out a few choked sobs. “Sister, it’s all our fault for being such burdens.” She mimicked Jiang Wanting’s posture and blocked the young man’s path.

The young man, Zhou Weidong, happened to be the restaurant’s procurement officer. He looked at these two beggars who had suddenly blocked his way and felt an inexplicable surge of irritation. “Move aside! The restaurant isn’t a scrap collector. Go ask somewhere else. We can’t make private purchases, and ganoderma isn’t on the procurement list. We don’t need it.”

With that, Zhou Weidong sidestepped the two. Jiang Wanting took a few steps back but still blocked his path. “Fresh ganoderma won’t be available in a month. If you don’t buy it now, when will you? Don’t you have seasonal menus? This stuff would be perfect for soups or medicinal dishes!” She shoved the ganoderma closer to Zhou Weidong. “Don’t judge us by our ragged clothes—we’re not beggars. Picking ganoderma means going deep into the mountains. You can’t do that in nice clothes.”

Zhou Weidong was furious. He shoved Jiang Wanting aside and strode off.

Jiang Wanting fell hard on her backside and immediately checked if the ganoderma was damaged. She’d just learned from Song Zhiguo that damaged goods sold for much less than intact ones.

Luckily, the ganoderma was fine.

But this attempt at sales had failed again.

Cui Ni lowered her head and thought for a moment. “Sister, maybe we should go back to the county. The mining canteen buys ganoderma.”

Jiang Wanting refused without hesitation. “That canteen has cheated you out of enough money. Don’t go there anymore.”

Despite another failure, Jiang Wanting didn’t feel embarrassed. She led Cui Ni north toward the square. There was another restaurant there—the equally famous Lakeside Hotel.

In her past life, Jiang Wanting had often dressed up beautifully and dined alone here, enjoying a steak with a glass of red wine, or a salad with a cup of coffee.

Back then, Jiang Wanting’s image had been well-known at the Lakeside Hotel. Later, some artistic youths even imitated her, dressing exquisitely, sitting alone at a table with a steak and a glass of wine.

This time, Jiang Wanting left Cui Ni outside and entered alone. Spotting a waitress in a blouse and pencil skirt, she walked up with a smile and deliberately greeted her in English, then said, “I’d like to speak with your logistics manager. There’s something I’d like to discuss.”

The waitress had initially planned to ignore Jiang Wanting and shoo her away upon seeing her patched clothes. But the moment that fluent English left Jiang Wanting’s mouth, the waitress immediately straightened up and stammered in English, “Please wait a moment.”

She then hurried off to consult the supervisor. The supervisor glanced at Jiang Wanting from a distance and instructed the waitress to fetch the catering manager.

The supervisor approached Jiang Wanting and politely asked her to take a seat in English, offering her a glass of ice water while she waited.

Before long, a heavyset man arrived.

Jiang Wanting had always assumed that staff at Western restaurants were all elite types—tall and slender, like the waitress and the supervisor. She hadn’t expected to see a heavyset man. In this era, overweight people were a rare sight.

The man walked over and sat down politely across from Jiang Wanting. With a friendly tone, he tested the waters in English: “Excuse me, ma’am, do you speak Chinese?”

Jiang Wanting almost laughed out loud but managed to hold it in by pursing her lips. “Of course. If I hadn’t used English earlier, I doubt I would have been able to meet you. With the way I’m dressed, I’d probably have been kicked out immediately.”

The heavyset man quickly replied, “I’ll make sure they don’t judge people by appearances in the future.”

Jiang Wanting skipped the small talk and got straight to the point. “Here’s the thing—I have freshly picked ganoderma with me today. It’s top-quality, large, and thick, perfect for soups or medicinal dishes. It’s in season right now, so I thought I’d bring it over and ask if you’re interested.”

The man glanced at the bag in her hand. “May I take a look first?”

“Of course.” She carefully opened the bag and placed the ganoderma neatly on the table.

After examining it for a moment, the man asked, “How much are you asking for it?”

Jiang Wanting wasn’t entirely confident. She didn’t know if they would try to lowball her, but if she asked for too much, they might refuse outright. So she said, “I’d like to establish a long-term business relationship with your restaurant. You know how valuable ganoderma is—I can’t lie about its quality. The cost is just the effort of picking it in the mountains overnight and the bus fare to get here. If I ask for more than you’re willing to pay, it’ll just be a one-time deal, and that’s not what I want. So you can name the price.”

The man was straightforward. “Alright, give me the other one as well. Wait here for me a little longer.”

Jiang Wanting watched as the man carried both ganoderma pieces inside. She sipped her ice water and gazed out the window, feeling for a moment like the elegantly dressed Jiang Wanting of her past life, enjoying a Western meal alone.

Before long, the man returned—this time without the ganoderma but with a small rectangular leather wallet. He sat across from her and slid it toward her. “From now on, we’ll buy at this price—twenty-five per piece. I hope you can bring us ganoderma of even better quality. Also, my business card is inside. You can come to the back entrance of the restaurant to find me directly in the future, or call ahead if you prefer.”

Jiang Wanting opened the wallet and found fifty yuan inside, along with a white card that read:

Zhang Shengli

Logistics Team, Procurement Supervisor

Phone: (Operator Transfer)

“Thank you, Brother Zhang,” Jiang Wanting said, taking the money and the card before handing the wallet back. “I’ll bring more in the next couple of days. By the way, is there a limit on quantity? If I gather a lot, can you take all of it?”

“Of course,” Zhang Shengli said with a smile as he escorted her to the door. “We’ll take as much as you bring.”

Satisfied, Jiang Wanting bid Zhang Shengli farewell. After finding Cui Ni, who was curled up in a corner near the restaurant, the two prepared to head back.

Jiang Wanting proudly patted her pocket. “Finally sold them!”

Cui Ni cheered, “Sister, you’re amazing!”

Jiang Wanting was in a great mood—her little stash had just jumped from seven yuan and seventy cents to fifty-seven yuan and seventy cents. “If you keep gathering ganoderma, I’ll sell it for you. You’ll get about ten yuan per piece—way better than selling it to the canteen!”

Cui Ni gasped. “How much? Ten yuan?” She immediately shook her head and waved her hands. “Sister, just giving me one yuan and fifty cents per piece is more than enough. If I get too much, I won’t know where to hide the money. If they find out, they’ll just take it, and I’m afraid they might even cause trouble for you.”

By “they,” Jiang Wanting instantly understood she meant her father and older sister.

“Hmm… what if you hid the money somewhere?” Jiang Wanting suggested.

“That’s not safe. I might not even notice if it gets stolen,” Cui Ni said, then suddenly had an idea. “How about I leave the money with you, Sister? You can keep it for me, and just give me a few cents every day to take back home. That’ll be enough to keep them satisfied.”

Jiang Wanting considered the idea. It really was dangerous for such a young child to manage a sum of money on her own. If the wrong people found out, she might even lose her life. “Alright, I’ll give you fifty cents a day, starting from the next ganoderma sale.”

Cui Ni nodded happily, practically skipping as they walked.

On the way back to the long-distance bus station, Jiang Wanting spotted an alley with a private fabric stall.

She thought of Chen Meiling’s patched clothes, her own ragged outfit, and Cui Ni’s nearly unwearable rags, and strode in without hesitation. She picked out the cheapest cotton fabric and bought ten meters in one go, spending ten yuan.

Just as she stepped out of the fabric stall, she ran straight into Zhou Weidong—the “progressive youth” from the procurement department of Jinyang Restaurant.

Zhou Weidong looked flustered. “Where have you two been running off to? I’ve been searching everywhere for you!”

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Wanting asked.

Zhou Weidong eyed the much bulkier sack in her hands. “How much for the ganoderma? I’ll buy it.” He started reaching for his money.

“The ganoderma? It’s already sold,” Jiang Wanting said, stepping around him to leave.

Zhou Weidong grabbed her arm. “Hey, then what’s in your bag?”

Jiang Wanting opened it with a shrug. “Fabric. What else would I buy from a fabric stall—steamed buns?”

“No, I mean—where’s the ganoderma? You sold it that fast?” Zhou Weidong wiped the sweat from his forehead in frustration.

“You didn’t want it, so why can’t I sell it to someone else? What’s your problem?” Jiang Wanting rolled her eyes and kept walking.

Cui Ni, trailing behind, also gave him a disdainful “Hmph!”

Zhou Weidong stood there muttering to himself, “Damn it, damn it, damn it… What am I supposed to do now?”