Chapter 33: A New Variety — Fruit Cucumber

Gu Qingyu watched her movements, becoming even more calculating inwardly. Others might not know, but he was fully aware: ever since Chu Peihan returned from that battle, he had suffered from serious trauma—what they called PTSD.

If anyone got too close, he would immediately lash out.

As expected, this little girl was different to him!

Very soon, she finished rinsing the teaware and poured tea for them.

“Brother Pei, sister-in-law, please enjoy some tea.”

“Thank you.”

“Sister-in-law, may I ask, what kind of vegetables do you have?”

“Whatever you want, I have.” Jiang Yunhe took the teacup and smiled sweetly. “I just don’t know what you need around here.”

“Sister-in-law, don’t try to trick me. At this time of year, it’s mostly just radishes and cabbage. What else could there be?” Gu Qingyu squinted and said in a low voice, “But even for radishes and cabbage, we care about quality. After all, we run a state-owned restaurant. We have to consider the customer experience, don’t you think?”

“Don’t worry about that. You can check the goods first. If you’re not satisfied, I won’t force a sale.” Jiang Yunhe was confident and followed up easily, “Business, in the end, should be about mutual willingness, right?”

“Exactly! Exactly!” Gu Qingyu relaxed. She didn’t seem like someone who would coerce others. He had honestly been worried she might force him into a deal.

That would’ve been a mess!

Still… Chu Peihan, farming?

Sorry, he just couldn’t picture Brother Pei growing vegetables. The idea felt completely unrealistic—even imagining it seemed absurd.

Unless… there was something he didn’t know?

Maybe, after retiring, Brother Pei wanted to get rich through other means? That wasn’t impossible.

“Right, sister-in-law, you said there were also…”

“Green beans, cucumbers, eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes… Oh, and some chives. Don’t know if you need those.” Jiang Yunhe quickly listed, “I took great care of them—each one is super fresh and full of life.”

“Come on!” Gu Qingyu became even more convinced of his theory: Chu Peihan must be having financial trouble, which is why he wanted to make money through alternate skills.

Otherwise, where would you find tomatoes or potatoes at this time of year?

It was already hard enough finding decent radishes or cabbages.

Brother Pei must be in a bind. He needed help.

Gu Qingyu silently vowed: when he saw those vegetables, even if they were rotten or stinky, he’d buy them—he couldn’t let Pei be humiliated.

Jiang Yunhe glanced hesitantly at Chu Peihan, then looked down at her coat. Hmm… taking it out now shouldn’t count as cheating, right?

Without hesitation, she reached into her pocket—actually into her spatial storage—and pulled out a small cucumber.

Though small, it was extremely fresh, still wearing a tiny yellow blossom on top, covered in little white spines, looking juicy and tender.

Gu Qingyu was stunned. He asked uncertainly, “Is this… a cucumber?”

Jiang Yunhe replied, “Oh, it’s a new variety. Fruit cucumber.”

Gu Qingyu: “……”

Liar!

Even if he wasn’t exactly an expert in farming, he could at least recognize a cucumber. Wheat or chives might confuse him, but come on.

The cucumbers he knew were big, old, and thick-skinned—dry and tough to eat.

Chu Peihan, with his poor eyesight, hadn’t noticed anything off. When Gu Qingyu stayed silent for a while, he thought he was just making things difficult for Jiang Yunhe.

He immediately spoke up to support her.

“If she says it’s a cucumber, it’s a cucumber. If she says it’s a green melon, then it is. Gu Qingyu, you can’t even recognize a cucumber anymore? Clearly, you’ve been away from practical life too long. You need to get back to work.”

“But—”

“Labor is glorious.”

“Brother Pei…” Gu Qingyu felt utterly defeated. He wanted to explain but didn’t dare, completely confused by what kind of game the two were playing.

“You can try it.” Jiang Yunhe handed him the cucumber, resting her chin in her hands with a smile that seemed easygoing… but Gu Qingyu knew better.

In a bit of defiance, Gu Qingyu grabbed the tender cucumber and shoved it in his mouth. Hmph!

But after just one bite—he was hooked.

His eyes lit up. No wonder they called it a fruit cucumber. She could’ve said it was the queen of fruits and he’d have believed it!

The texture, the taste—it really could pass for fruit.

“Hehehe… Sister-in-law, do you have more?”

“How much do you want?”

“As much as you’ve got!”

Gu Qingyu wasn’t dumb. To run a restaurant, you needed skill and foresight. This kind of vegetable—definitely, the more the better.

Jiang Yunhe wasn’t surprised by his reaction but didn’t go overboard. She just said, “Fifty catties. If you want them, I’ll gather and deliver them.”

Gu Qingyu: “Only fifty?”

Jiang Yunhe: “My garden’s not very big. I’ve only planted a bit of each vegetable. Around fifty catties per type. Cabbage has more—around a hundred. Oh, and I’ll need a deposit.”

She needed the money—to take Chu Peihan for medical treatment.

Gu Qingyu agreed readily: “How much?”

Jiang Yunhe tested, “Fifty?”

Honestly, she wasn’t sure of the going rate.

Gu Qingyu twitched his mouth and glanced at Chu Peihan, but still nodded. “Okay. But what’s your price per catty?”

Jiang Yunhe: “Off-season vegetables, 1.5 yuan per catty. In-season, 0.5 yuan.”

Gu Qingyu: “……”

That’s… kind of expensive.

No wonder she asked for a 50-yuan deposit.

Jiang Yunhe coughed lightly: “Or perhaps you won’t need that much. We can always look for other buyers.”

Gu Qingyu: “No, no, I’ll take all of it. But I have one condition: you can only sell to me—not to anyone else.”

Jiang Yunhe: “That’ll cost extra. That’s a separate price.”

Gu Qingyu: “Fair enough. I’ll give you 100 yuan as an exclusivity fee. Deal?”

Jiang Yunhe: “……”

How could she refuse?!

She didn’t know the exact market rate for vegetables, but she did know the cost of living in this era. Riding an ox cart only cost a few cents. Everyday goods were all a matter of a few dimes.

Only big-ticket items like TVs and electric fans cost dozens or even hundreds of yuan.

She was clearly on a path to wealth!

Still, Jiang Yunhe didn’t think Gu Qingyu was being taken advantage of. After all, the produce from her spatial dimension wasn’t ordinary—it grew day and night under spiritual spring water.

At the very least… give some credit to the red koi!

The red koi, meanwhile, was fuming: If you’re really doing it for me, then could you give me some merit points too? I’m dying of anxiety here! If this keeps up, I won’t even have a place to cry! Wuwuwu… my master just wants to make money, not cultivate immortality!

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