Shen Xiuzhen quoted the prices based on her memories from her previous life.
“Cabbage is five cents per jin, potatoes six cents per jin, radishes five cents per jin…”
Auntie nodded. “Same price as the market.”
“Exactly the same,” Shen Xiuzhen said with a smile. “But it saves you a trip to the market. In this scorching heat, going to the market and back will leave you drenched in sweat, won’t it?”
Though there was some exaggeration in her words, they struck a chord with Auntie.
She had a weak constitution and sweated easily. In the summer, every trip to the market left her sticky and uncomfortable.
Even so, Auntie didn’t rush to buy. Instead, she started haggling.
“How about this: give me a discount, and I’ll introduce a few customers to you later.”
Shen Xiuzhen replied, “Sister, my family lives in the countryside. It’s not easy for us to come into the city. If it weren’t for earning a little money for our child’s school fees, we wouldn’t bother making this trip in such heat. How about this: I’ll give you a bunch of cilantro for free, and I’d appreciate it if you could introduce more customers to us.”
As she spoke, Shen Xiuzhen pulled a handful of sunflower seeds from her cloth bag and pressed them into Auntie’s hand.
“Here, Sister, have some sunflower seeds. I roasted them myself. Take them home for the kids as a snack.”
Auntie didn’t stand on ceremony. She took the seeds and started cracking them.
“Alright, since you seem like an honest person, I’ll buy some vegetables from you.”
“Thank you, Sister,” Shen Xiuzhen said, picking up the scale to weigh the vegetables for Auntie.
In the summer heat, vegetables didn’t keep well, so Auntie took a little of each. The total came to forty-three cents.
“Sister, just give me forty cents. This bunch of cilantro is on me. Add a little to your soup for extra flavor.”
Shen Xiuzhen took a bunch of cilantro from the bamboo basket and tucked it into Auntie’s bamboo shopping basket.
Impressed by her straightforwardness, Auntie was quite pleased. Just as she was about to go back and call her old friends over, she spotted a few familiar neighbors coming out with their shopping baskets.
“Sister Liu, Xiaoqin, come over quickly! There are fresh vegetables for sale here!”
Her shout successfully drew quite a few people.
“Coming, coming!”
Sister Liu, Xiaoqin, and the others hurried over at a jog.
Shen Xiuzhen gave Auntie a grateful smile and began attending to the others.
Auntie didn’t leave right away. She stood to the side, cracking sunflower seeds, and after confirming that Shen Xiuzhen’s prices were the same for everyone, she felt completely reassured.
Noticing that Shen Xiuzhen hadn’t given anyone else sunflower seeds—only her—Auntie felt a small, inexplicable thrill.
“Taking gifts makes one indebted, and eating makes one soft-hearted.” Remembering that Shen Xiuzhen was selling vegetables to pay for her child’s school fees, Auntie wanted to help her a little more.
“Girl, I just tried them—your sunflower seeds are really fragrant. Do you sell them?”
“Yes!” Shen Xiuzhen untied the cloth bag of sunflower seeds from the handlebar. “Sister, they’re forty cents per jin. How much would you like?”
Hearing the price, the other aunties and older women selling vegetables also grew interested.
“Forty cents per jin? That’s five cents cheaper than the sunflower seeds at the state-run grocery store. I wonder how they taste?”
These women were all employees of the textile factory. The factory was doing well, so they didn’t mind spending a few cents to buy some snacks to try.
Of course, most of them were buying to please their children at home—they themselves couldn’t bear to eat such treats.
Shen Xiuzhen generously held the cloth bag out to the crowd. “Sisters, have a taste. If you like the flavor, buy some. If not, it’s perfectly fine not to.”
Upon hearing this, the women symbolically grabbed a few seeds to sample.
When it was Xiaoqin’s turn, she grabbed a large handful.
Shen Xiuzhen’s heart ached at the sight, but she kept a smile on her face.
Today was a miscalculation on her part—she had underestimated human greed. Next time she sold, she would hand out small portions herself for tasting.
Auntie couldn’t stand seeing an honest person being taken advantage of and immediately scolded, “Wang Xiaoqin, have you no shame? It’s not easy for folks from the countryside to come to the city and make a small living, yet here you are, taking advantage without any restraint, practically trying to empty the whole bag of sunflower seeds.”
Wang Xiaoqin was notorious in the residential compound for her petty greed.
Given that she was the wife of the workshop director, people usually turned a blind eye and didn’t bother arguing with her.
If she hadn’t gone too far today, Auntie wouldn’t have publicly called her out.
Wang Xiaoqin rolled her eyes. “I say, Sister Zhou, the seller isn’t complaining, so why are you in such a hurry? It’s not your sunflower seeds I grabbed!”
“Pah! She’s not saying anything because she doesn’t want to cause trouble, but you sure know how to push your luck,” Auntie Zhou shot back.
Seeing the two about to start quarreling, Shen Xiuzhen quickly stepped in to mediate.
“Both of you, calm down. It’s not worth arguing over such a small matter.”
Auntie Zhou glared fiercely at Wang Xiaoqin. “For the sake of this young lady here, I won’t make a fuss today. But if you know what’s good for you, pay for that handful of seeds. Otherwise, don’t blame me for spreading word of your fine deeds at the factory.”
“Fine, I’ll pay.” Afraid that Auntie Zhou might gossip at the factory, Wang Xiaoqin scowled, pulled out ten cents, and tossed it to Shen Xiuzhen. “Give me my change!”
That handful of seeds weighed at most fifty grams and wasn’t worth ten cents.
The money fell to the ground, but Shen Xiuzhen didn’t get angry. She bent down, picked it up, and gave Wang Xiaoqin five cents in change.
In her past life, she and Song Shulin had endured all kinds of hardships. Picking up money from the ground was nothing to fuss over.
Taking the change, Wang Xiaoqin stormed off in a huff.
Auntie Zhou spat in disdain before apologizing to Shen Xiuzhen, “Young lady, I’m really sorry. I originally wanted to help bring you a few customers, but then this happened.”
“It’s fine, really!” Shen Xiuzhen truly didn’t mind. After all, when doing business, you were bound to run into a few people who loved taking advantage.
Noticing there were still plenty of vegetables in the bamboo baskets, Auntie Zhou hurriedly said, “Wait here, I’ll go back and round up some people for you.”
Before Shen Xiuzhen could respond, Auntie Zhou had already left with her vegetable basket.
Shen Xiuzhen and Song Shulin exchanged a glance—well, they had encountered a kind soul today.
Auntie Zhou walked quickly with long strides, and before long, she returned with a few of her old friends.
“Look, sisters, aren’t these vegetables fresh?”
“They really are fresh.”
“Not only fresh, but the weight is generous too.”
“That’s wonderful!”
“…”
Without Shen Xiuzhen or Song Shulin having to do anything, Auntie Zhou started promoting their goods for them.
In less than twenty minutes, the two baskets of vegetables they had brought, along with the cloth bag of sunflower seeds, were completely sold out.
The couple couldn’t have been happier.
“Sister Zhou, thank you so much for today.” Shen Xiuzhen pulled two dimes from her pocket and firmly pressed them into Auntie Zhou’s palm. “Sister, please have a soda on me.”
Auntie Zhou refused to accept it, pushing the money back. “Younger sister, what are you doing? I’ve already taken advantage by eating and taking things. If you keep this up, I’ll get upset!”