Xie Zhizhi calculated her funds, grabbed her keys, phone, and bag, then headed downstairs to the parking lot. She drove her Land Rover onto the streets and began her shopping spree.
If she were really going to time-travel, food would likely be the most important thing. With enough to eat, at least she wouldn’t starve.
Even though it was probably impossible and just her own wild imagination, it didn’t dampen her enthusiasm. Indulging in a stockpiling fantasy was still fun!
First, she rented a two-hundred-square-meter warehouse near the market as a cover, then headed to the largest wholesale grain store.
Walking past large shops on both sides of the road piled high with bags of dry goods stacked three to four meters tall, Xie Zhizhi found the owner behind the counter on the right and asked, “Hello, boss. I’d like to know how many types of grains you have in your store?”
The plump owner was sitting at the cash register counting money. He looked up at the vibrant young woman and asked, “Are you looking to buy in bulk or just a small amount?”
Xie Zhizhi tilted her head thoughtfully. “A bit of each. How many varieties do you have?”
The owner explained, “For rice, we have regular rice, japonica rice, brown rice, sorghum, black rice, and red rice. For wheat, we have wheat, barley, oats, rye, and hull-less barley. For beans, we have broad beans.”
“We also have soybeans, mung beans, red beans, kidney beans, white beans, and more. There are too many types of grains and beans to list. The store also has dried corn and over a hundred other varieties.”
Xie Zhizhi listened while counting on her fingers—there really were a lot of types. “That’s quite comprehensive. Boss, could you pack fifty jin of each variety for me in plain white bags without any labels or patterns?”
That way, no matter where she went, it would be convenient to use without drawing attention.
She really was a clever one!
The owner perked up immediately, putting down the money in his hands with a beaming smile. “Bags without labels? No problem. We work with a factory—I can have them delivered. Are you sure you want fifty jin of each variety?”
Xie Zhizhi had already calculated the storage space. That should be enough—a hundred jin would be too bulky and wouldn’t fit. If only she hadn’t written her plan in such detail! She nodded. “Yes. For rice, I want both Wuchang rice and farm-milled rice. How much will it cost? Can you deliver?”
“Of course. Where to?” The owner had already started scribbling on the order form.
Xie Zhizhi took out a piece of paper, wrote down the warehouse address and phone number, and handed it to him. “This address. Call me when you’re on your way. It’ll probably take a while to pack all this, right?”
“No problem. It should take about two hours.” The owner calculated the price first and, ten minutes later, said with a smile, “That’ll be twenty-eight thousand one hundred and ten.”
Xie Zhizhi took out her phone to scan the payment code and casually asked, “How about rounding it down to twenty-eight thousand?”
The owner agreed immediately. “You’re straightforward, young lady. Twenty-eight thousand it is!” He thought to himself that he’d never seen someone place such a large order in just five minutes—she was impressively decisive.
Xie Zhizhi didn’t forget to add, “Boss, make sure it’s the freshest and best quality. If it’s not good, I’ll return it.”
The owner waved his hand with an honest, good-natured smile. “Don’t worry, young lady. It’ll definitely be the freshest stock. I want repeat customers, don’t I? I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“Thank you. I’ve paid.”
“No, thank you! Here’s your receipt.”
She nodded slightly, not wanting to dampen his expectations. Whether she time-traveled or not, she probably wouldn’t be coming back—even if she opened a rice shop.
After paying and taking the delivery slip, she turned and headed to the wholesale vegetable market.Rows upon rows of shelves were stacked with dozens of vegetable varieties—reds and greens that dazzled her eyes. She looked up at the shopkeeper standing amidst the piles of produce and asked, “Hello, how much are these vegetables?”
The shopkeeper, bald with a thick black beard and a sturdy build, looked more like a knife seller than a vegetable vendor. He sized her up for a moment before smiling and asking, “Looking to buy in bulk, young lady?”
Xie Zhizhi thought for a moment. One pound of each would be enough—after all, they’d restock automatically. “One pound or one piece of each, not in bulk.”
The shopkeeper casually placed a few baskets in front of her, raising an eyebrow with a grin. “Then it’s the retail price.”
Once they settled on the prices, she began filling bags, counting silently as she went:
“Sweet corn, sticky corn, tomatoes, white radish, red radish, eggplant, green peppers, red peppers, cucumber, bok choy, pea shoots, lettuce, pumpkin, potatoes, lotus root, edamame, okra, cabbage, chives, celery, lettuce stems, scallions.”
“Green onions, cilantro, shiitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, ginger, garlic, bird’s eye chilies, seaweed, bean sprouts, choy sum… Hmm, that should do it.”
As for bitter melon, mustard greens, and other unappetizing vegetables, she initially didn’t want them, but after a moment’s thought, she decided to take them anyway.
They wouldn’t take up much space, after all.
Once everything was weighed, the shopkeeper packed the vegetables into plastic bags—five large bags in total. Since they could fit in her car, she didn’t ask for delivery.
The shopkeeper placed the calculator in front of her. “That’ll be four hundred and twenty-one dollars. I’ll knock off one, so call it four-twenty.”
“Thank you.” Xie Zhizhi paid, then effortlessly hoisted the fifty pounds of vegetables, straightening her back and gripping the bag handles firmly as she jogged out of the market. After circling around for a while, she finally found her imposing Land Rover.
After loading the vegetables, she was still full of energy and drove straight to the nearby seafood wholesale market.
The first seafood stall she saw had a wide variety of seafood, with stacked tanks filled to the brim, each bubbling with oxygen.
The shopkeeper, wearing tall rubber boots, walked over with a warm smile. “What would you like, young lady? We sell retail and wholesale.”
Xie Zhizhi stood there, gazing at the live king crabs in the aquarium—so fresh. She decided she’d steam one tonight and enjoy it properly.
Her deep brown eyes sparkled with a smile as she told the shopkeeper her request. “Not wholesale, but I’d like one pound of every variety. For particularly large lobsters and king crabs, just one each.”
The shopkeeper looked surprised. “Our shop has over forty varieties, not counting dried and frozen fish. You want one pound of each?”
“Yes, that’s right. What do you have?” Xie Zhizhi thought it would be good to know for restocking later.
The shopkeeper pointed around the store as she introduced the seafood. “Tiger grouper, spotted grouper, rabbitfish, sunfish, eel, golden pomfret, sea bass, eel, turbot, blue swimmer crab, mud crab, egg crab, shrimp, giant river prawn, tiger prawn, abalone.”
“We have small, medium, and large crayfish, razor clams, oysters, clams, white clams, scallops, clams, mussels, king crab, spiny lobster, today’s sliced frozen salmon, ribbonfish and other frozen seafood, as well as dried oysters, dried scallops, and other dried seafood.”
Xie Zhizhi’s eyes lit up. “You have eel too? Sea eel or river eel?”
The shopkeeper answered honestly, “They arrived just this morning—sea eel, very fresh, about three to four pounds each.””I’ll take one of those.” Just hearing about it, Xie Zhizhi could already imagine the delicious seafood—whether steamed or braised. “For the rest, I’ll take one catty each, and for the larger ones, just one. Can you pack them in foam boxes and deliver them to a nearby warehouse?”
“Of course.” The shop owner beamed with delight. “I’ll call someone to help you pack right away. Xiao Dong, Xiao Xia, Xiao Qiu, Xiao Chun, come weigh the fish!”
The shop owner called over her eldest son and three daughters. The five of them worked together, quickly packing the seafood with ice and calculating the total.
The shop owner handed her the bill and asked politely with a smile, “That’ll be six thousand in total. Where should we deliver it, young lady?”
Xie Zhizhi paid promptly, wrote the warehouse address on a piece of paper, and handed it over cheerfully. “Just call me when you’re ready to deliver, and I’ll open the door. Thank you!”
“No problem.”
As she walked out of the seafood market, she thought to herself. If nothing went wrong, after the Space upgraded, there might even be an ecological cycle area outside the warehouse where the chicks and ducklings could live. She couldn’t wait to see it!