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Seeing that Jiang Cong was not speaking to her, Zhang Lanlan finally couldn’t maintain the smile on her face and fell silent for a while.
She refused to believe that now, with a job, she still couldn’t compare to Qin Man, a woman who did nothing but eat and freeload.
Besides having a seductive face, what else did Qin Man have?
Jiang Cong, however, thought Zhang Lanlan was too scheming. Ever since she pushed Qin Man into the reservoir last time, he knew she was a ruthless woman.
It was also her who drugged him that night, making him do something that betrayed Manman. Just like this time, he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, so he had no proof and couldn’t confront Zhang Lanlan about it.
Moreover, Zhang Lanlan’s father was the village chief, and their family still had to live in the village, so he had to endure for now.
Looking at Qin Man’s profile, Jiang Cong felt a sense of contentment. In the end, he could say he found fortune in misfortune—if it weren’t for that fateful mistake, he wouldn’t have ended up with her, nor would they have had such obedient children like Jiang Li and Jiang Yu.
He didn’t regret bringing her home, nor did he regret having children with her. Everything was the best arrangement made by fate.
The bus entered a section of rough road filled with potholes, causing the passengers inside to sway unsteadily.
Jiang Cong gently held Qin Man’s hand to steady her, a small but touching gesture.
Zhang Lanlan watched from the side, seething with jealousy. She was so furious that her fingers, gripping the front seat, turned white.
After over an hour of bumpy travel, the bus finally reached the county. Zhang Lanlan got off early since the restaurant was closer from there.
Only when the bus arrived at the station did Jiang Cong and Qin Man get off.
Right next to the station was the farmers’ market, bustling with vendors selling all kinds of goods.
Jiang Cong carried his baskets and found an empty spot to set up his stall. Nearby, many vegetable sellers noticed the large, bright red persimmons in his baskets and were surprised.
“It’s only this early in the season, and persimmons are already ripe?”
Normally, persimmons wouldn’t be ripe for another month, so everyone found it odd.
“This is an imported variety, much sweeter than local persimmons, so they ripen faster. Just look at the color—you can tell how sweet they are! The taste is excellent, and the seeds are tiny!” Qin Man’s business instincts kicked in immediately.
Exaggerating a bit was necessary to catch people’s attention.
Sure enough, a few women shopping for groceries stopped in their tracks. They found this young couple—handsome and beautiful—very eye-catching.
“Are these really an imported variety? Are they actually good?” one of the women asked.
“Of course! Local persimmons won’t be ready until September. Mine are from another province. If you don’t believe me, try one first—if it tastes good, you can buy some!”
Qin Man casually picked a persimmon and handed it over. The woman took it, wiped it clean with her handkerchief, and took a bite.
After tasting it, she smiled and nodded before turning to the people around her.
“Yes, it’s really sweet and delicious! How much are these persimmons?”
These wild persimmons had been exposed to plenty of sunlight, growing large, and the white wine used to ripen them had enhanced their sweetness. Qin Man had tasted them herself, so she was confident they would sell well!
“They’re not sold by weight—five cents each. You can pick as many as you want!”
Typically, persimmons in the market sold for a few cents per pound, and each pound only contained a few, so five cents per piece was a fair price.
Just as she was about to make her first sale, Qin Man suddenly realized she hadn’t brought any plastic bags, making her feel a little embarrassed.
Jiang Cong quickly explained to the customers, “Ladies, would you mind waiting just a couple of minutes?”
The young man was quite handsome, and the women were happy to oblige.
“Go ahead, take your time—we’re not in a rush!”
Jiang Cong turned and headed to the wholesale store behind them to buy plastic bags, while Qin Man continued apologizing to the customers in the meantime.
“Sorry about that, beautiful ladies! This is my first time doing business, and I wasn’t fully prepared. Please don’t take it to heart!”
The women, delighted at being called “beautiful ladies,” beamed with joy. After all, what woman doesn’t like hearing compliments?
“This girl has such a sweet tongue! And the young man is very polite too!” one of the women praised.
Qin Man, ever the clever one, knew that in this era, university students were highly regarded. In a small county like this, very few people got the chance to attend college. So, she deliberately put on a troubled expression and said,
“You ladies don’t know, but my brother here is still in university. Our family is poor, and school is about to start again. He has to earn his own living and travel expenses.”
“Oh, so he’s your brother? I thought you two were a married couple! A university student, huh? That’s amazing—he’ll have a bright future once he graduates!”
Qin Man smiled shyly. Could she say they were actually husband and wife?
But she had to keep up the struggling-student act.
Hearing that Jiang Cong was a university student, other passersby stopped to see what was going on.
“Which university?” someone asked.
“The No. 1 Normal University in the city!” Qin Man quickly replied.
“The No. 1 Normal University? That’s impressive! That’s a prestigious school!” The person was visibly surprised.
Getting into that university required real ability!
“Girl, just hang in there. It’ll only be tough for a few more years. Your family’s fortune is just around the corner!”
By the time Jiang Cong returned with a handful of plastic bags, he saw a large crowd gathered around their stall.
“Give me a bag! I’ll buy a few for my kids!” one of the women called out first.
“Me too!”
“And me!”
People rushed to buy persimmons—not just because they wanted them, but also to help out the struggling university student.
“Alright!” Qin Man took the plastic bags from Jiang Cong and started handing them out.
She even playfully winked at him, making his heart skip a beat.
In no time, half the basket of persimmons was gone. Almost everyone who had gathered bought a few.
While Jiang Cong collected the money, people looked at him with admiration.
“Young man, you have a great future ahead! Keep working hard!”
Jiang Cong, still confused about what had just happened, simply smiled politely and nodded.
Meanwhile, Qin Man was in high spirits, grinning from ear to ear. Her dimples made her look even sweeter.
The customers, seeing such an energetic and cheerful girl, couldn’t help but be infected by her happiness.
“If they taste good, we’ll be back for more! See you next time!”
Jiang Cong looked at Qin Man, feeling an overwhelming warmth in his heart.
More people kept coming, drawn by the promise of these “imported” persimmons. Before long, all twenty baskets of persimmons were sold out.
They made a total of ten yuan—so easily!
Jiang Cong was quite impressed by Qin Man’s ability to talk. Her quick tongue had sold all the persimmons in no time.
In just one morning, they made ten yuan—way faster than the money he earned from writing articles for the newspaper for several days.
“Let’s go home! We’ll come back tomorrow!”
Qin Man put the remaining plastic bags into the now-empty basket.