Chapter 23: Emptying the Vegetable Market!

Just as the big uncle and Master Zhong left, the cattle farm owner called.

“The 800,000 pounds of beef are slaughtered, should I deliver them to the usual place?”

“Yes.”

Gu Man transferred 12 million.

Not long after, the pork and chicken farm owners also called, arranging to deliver the goods to the cold storage, and then transferring the money.

Next, she dialed the number her uncle gave her.

The other side picked up immediately.

It seemed her uncle had already given instructions. Before she even spoke, the voice on the other side eagerly asked:

“Miss, may I ask what kind of grains you need? Our company’s grains are of the highest quality, and we sincerely hope you will consider doing business with us.”

Gu Man smiled and didn’t keep him guessing.

“Two million pounds of flour, three million pounds of rice, five million pounds of corn, millet, and various beans. This is the first batch.”

“About ten days after that, I’ll need this amount every day.”

The person on the other end was stunned for a moment.

After a while, they cautiously asked, “Miss Gu, are you sure?”

They originally thought this was just a small order from Mr. Xu’s relative, something like a few thousand pounds of food, just a little fun.

But instead, the person was asking for 10 million pounds of goods. And this would continue for 10 days.

Gu Man was completely certain.

“Yes, I’m not joking.”

She immediately transferred 50 million.

“I’ve just transferred 50 million to your company’s account.”

“Please deliver the grains to this warehouse.”

The other side paused. “Please give me a moment to process this.”

“Alright.”

Five seconds later.

“Okay, Miss Gu, I’ve calmed down. The quantity of this batch of grains is enormous, and the authorities will definitely inquire. Can you please swear that these grains will not be used for any activities that harm the country or its citizens?”

“Also, if an investigation happens, I will cooperate and reveal your identity.”

Gu Man replied: “Okay.”

She had already considered this issue.

If the authorities really came to find her, she… would look forward to it!

Hearing her confirmation, the person on the other side felt reassured.

“Miss Gu, please wait for good news.”

After hanging up the phone, Gu Man went to the farmers’ market.

Shopping by phone is enjoyable, but personally selecting and buying food is even more satisfying.

The farmers’ market was bustling with activity. Vegetable vendors had neatly arranged the vegetables they had bought, waiting for customers to choose.

“Beauty, what would you like to buy? Cabbage, radish, chives… it’s all fresh!”

“Oh, I’ll take everything, including what you haven’t displayed. Give me a price, make it cheap.”

The vegetable vendor was overjoyed; a female fortune goddess had arrived.

“Alright, alright, let me calculate… It’ll be 3240. I’ll knock off 40 yuan for you.”

“Fine, pack up the vegetables first, I’ll wait here.”

The vendor, a savvy businessman, noticed she was still buying.

“Would you like more vegetables, I can go fetch them for you right now?”

Gu Man gave him an interested look; this boss was quick-witted.

“Yes, bring as much as you can, but make it quick.”

“Got it, please wait.”

The vendor swiftly packed the vegetables and hurried to fetch more.

Other vendors, seeing how quickly she bought, were envious and came over to promote their own vegetables.

“Beauty boss, my vegetables are fresh and great, take a look!”

“My vegetables were just brought in, still have dew on them!”

“My vegetables are straight and sturdy, they’ll stay fresh!”

Gu Man looked through them one by one.

“Pack yours up, give me a price.”

“Pack yours up too, how much?”

“Yours are nice, let’s settle on a price.”

Nearly every vendor on the street was selected by her. She also bought some fruits along the way.

The entire market was in high spirits.

Large quantities of vegetables were packed up and ready to be delivered.

The sight of her buying so much stunned the owner of the farmers’ market company, who came over:

“Boss, if you want vegetables, you can come to me. I can get fresh produce from Shandong, Henan, Hunan, and Hubei, and the prices are definitely affordable. I’ll even deliver it for free.”

“But if you buy from me, you can’t be buying small quantities. Small orders won’t do.”

Just what Gu Man was waiting for.

She thought, if you didn’t come looking for me, I would have to go to you.

“I’ll need about 100,000 to 200,000 pounds of vegetables every day, long-term. Are you interested in this business?”

The owner was genuinely shocked.

“I definitely want to do this business, but with the amount you’re buying, the authorities will surely check, and I’ll have to tell them the truth.”

“Do you mind?”

Gu Man understood.

“I don’t mind, after all, there are too many spies these days, it’s better to be cautious.”

The vegetable owner felt relieved.

“I’ll pack 100,000 pounds of vegetables for you, and you can pay me 3 million.”

Out of the 3 million, 400,000 was profit.

Getting rich was within reach.

“Alright, I’ll transfer the money.”

“For our first collaboration, could you also pack up all the vegetables and deliver them to this address?”

The vegetable owner was very generous.

“Of course, no problem.”

He immediately dispatched people to load the trucks for delivery.

One truck after another began delivering the vegetables to the warehouse Gu Man had specified.

Gu Man checked the time; it was almost noon.

She immediately drove to the warehouse and bought four packed lunches for Grandpa Sun.

“There’s no need for you to keep an eye on things here, you can rest now.”

Grandpa Sun accepted the lunches and happily left.

Gu Man went to the warehouse, which was already packed with beef, pork, and chicken.

There were also 10 million pounds of rice, flour, and beans.

She couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly the grain owner had acted; he was definitely a person worth collaborating with.

She sent a message to Song Lufeng:

“Prepare the warehouse. I need to transfer the meat; the quantity is the same as yesterday.”

“Also, 10 million pounds of rice, flour, and beans need to go into a larger cold storage.”

“Prepare a few more vegetable cold storage units. I bought over 500,000 pounds of vegetables, and they should arrive by afternoon.”

After sending the message, she waited a moment.

Once she received a confirmation, she started taking photos for the delivery.

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By the time the news of meat and porridge at the city lord’s residence had fermented overnight, nearly all of Xuanwu City had heard about it.

Those with quick access to information arrived early to wait.

Those closer by arrived quickly.

Those farther away had to travel by military vehicles.

Everyone was ragged, and there wasn’t a clean person in sight.

The fatter ones were nowhere to be found.

They were all as thin as sticks.

Some children, suffering from long-term malnutrition, had huge heads and bloated bellies, while their limbs were tiny and fragile.

Without proper nutrition, they rarely grew any hair.

Their appearances weren’t bad, though.

Xuanwu City’s gene optimization technology was very advanced, and even though resources were scarce, this technology had been maintained.

Thus, the children had good looks.

Their intelligence was also high.

Unfortunately, they were hungry and thirsty, their eyes dull and lifeless.

The teenagers weren’t much better either, their growth stunted. At 14 or 15 years old, they looked like they were 10. They were all very thin.

These were the lowest-class children, some fortunate enough to have parents looking after them.

But more were orphans, struggling to grow up in the mud, having endured extreme hardships just to survive.

“Does the city lord’s residence really have meat to eat and porridge to drink?”

A young girl asked repeatedly, not believing it.

No one could answer her.

It wasn’t until they arrived at the city lord’s residence and smelled the delicious aroma of meat porridge that they perked up.

But the next scene completely stunned them.

A batch of beef, pork, and chicken suddenly appeared, being delivered in trucks, with helpers working enthusiastically.

After the meat was delivered, bags of rice, flour, and beans appeared as if by magic.

One bag wasn’t properly secured and spilled, the corn kernels rolling to the feet of a girl.

She stared at it, grabbed a handful without caring about the dirt on it, and shoved it into her mouth.