The appointed time with Yao Lingling arrived quickly.
Qiao Yu had booked high-speed rail tickets to City Y for 5:30 in the morning, so the two had agreed to meet at the station at 5:00.
“Qiao Qiao!” Just as she stepped out of the taxi, Qiao Yu was caught in a flying hug from Yao Lingling.
Qiao Yu’s body stiffened for a moment before she raised a hand to pat her friend’s back. Having lived through the Apocalypse for too long, Qiao Yu was no longer accustomed to such enthusiastic greetings. Yao Lingling, completely oblivious, happily pulled her into the station.
While waiting for the train, Qiao Yu kept her head down, checking her phone for news about Jiang Zhan. She didn’t notice the glances people around her kept casting her way, but Yao Lingling, standing beside her, did.
“Qiao Qiao, what skincare products have you been using lately? Your skin looks even better now—so fair and smooth, you’re practically glowing. You were already pretty before, but now you look like a fairy. Those guys over there have been staring at you for a while now; I think they’re thinking about coming over to hit on you. It’s making me feel embarrassed to stand next to you!” Yao Lingling joked with a hint of envy, tugging at Qiao Yu’s sleeve to gesture toward the left front.
Qiao Yu merely cast a brief, indifferent glance at the group of boys before lowering her head again and replying softly, “I haven’t been using anything special. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been staying up late lately, so my complexion has improved a bit.”
That was what she said, but Qiao Yu knew very well that it was all thanks to the Fruit Water. Ever since discovering its effects, Qiao Yu had been paying close attention to the fruits on the Jade Tree, wanting to drink it yet afraid to—worried that once she picked all the fruits, there would be nothing left. But to her surprise, the very next day after picking, she discovered that a half-grown fruit had appeared on the Jade Tree Vine, and two days later, it had grown to the same size as a mature one. Only then did Qiao Yu feel at ease, and she went all in, replacing all her drinking water with Fruit Water.
As a result, the effects of the Fruit Water became even more pronounced. The impurities expelled from Qiao Yu’s body decreased day by day, and after three days, there was no discharge at all. Moreover, as the impurities left her body, Qiao Yu could clearly feel her overall condition improving, with all her bodily functions gradually strengthening.
But such an extraordinary matter naturally couldn’t be shared with Yao Lingling.
Fortunately, the two didn’t have to wait long before boarding the train. Yao Lingling had always been carefree, and once on board, she dropped the topic of those boys. Still excited, she kept talking to Qiao Yu about the scenery and agricultural products of her hometown. Qiao Yu listened attentively, asking a question now and then, and roughly gathered the types of crops and the terrain of Luling Village.
City Y wasn’t too far from City S—the high-speed rail ride took just over two hours—but Luling Village was remote. After getting off the train, they not only had to take a long-distance bus but also transfer to two city buses.
It wasn’t until past two in the afternoon that the two finally arrived at Luling Village. Qiao Yu followed behind Yao Lingling and spotted from a distance a young woman and two middle-aged men waiting at the village entrance.
Yao Lingling first ran over to hug the girl standing in front, then pulled Qiao Yu over and introduced the three to her one by one: “This is the village chief, this is my dad, and this girl is my friend—you can just call her Ning Ning.”
The village chief and Yao’s father both looked very kind, and the girl called Ning Ning also smiled at her shyly in a friendly manner. Qiao Yu politely greeted each of the three in turn before following them into the village. After walking only a few steps, she saw an old-fashioned ox cart parked ahead.
“Our village is still further in, and the roads are all mountain paths. It rained a few days ago, so the road isn’t in great condition—taking the ox cart will make it a bit easier.” Yao Lingling explained as she helped load her luggage onto the cart.
The ox cart was extremely crude—essentially a thick wooden plank mounted on wheels, enclosed by low wooden rails on the sides. People sat on those wooden railings. It looked somewhat old and worn, but it certainly saved a great deal of effort.
The ox cart ambled along at a leisurely pace for about fifteen minutes before Qiao Yu could vaguely make out the outlines of houses in the distance. Throughout the ride, Yao Lingling had been introducing the crop fields along the way—the village even had off-season vegetables and fruits grown in greenhouses.
Oranges, strawberries, apples, kiwifruit, as well as cherries and tangerines, each had their own dedicated growing areas. The variety of vegetables was also abundant—napa cabbage, bok choy, potatoes, white radish, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, celery, and spinach, everything one could think of. There were also various mushrooms and off-season eggplants, lettuce, and more.
Listening to all this, Qiao Yu couldn’t help but silently marvel again that Luling Village truly was a treasure trove of a place.
After entering the village, Qiao Yu was arranged to stay at Yao Lingling’s home. After a quick tidy-up, Qiao Yu proposed that she wanted to see the goods. Yao Lingling didn’t hesitate and soon took her to the village chief’s house.
The village chief poured Qiao Yu a cup of tea, then sat on a wooden stool nearby, rubbing his hands together with a somewhat awkward smile. “Miss, I heard from Lingling that you folks want a lot of goods—is it true that you’ll take as much as we have?”
“Yes, Village Chief. We’re planning to open a large-scale warehousing and supply market, so we’re looking for a stable source of goods. If the products here are good and the prices are fair, we may consistently source from here in the future.” Qiao Yu had prepared her explanation in advance and answered with calm composure that was easy to believe.
The village chief nodded but still seemed a bit puzzled. “With that much goods, how come only you came alone? How are you going to move it all out?”
Qiao Yu smiled. “Village Chief, you don’t need to worry about that. Everyone can prepare the goods first, and after I’ve inspected them, if there are no issues, I’ll have people come to move them. We have workers and vehicles, so the villagers won’t need to exert themselves!”
Hearing this, the village chief thought Qiao Yu might have misunderstood that they didn’t want to help, so he waved his hands repeatedly. “Eh, that’s not what I meant. When you move the goods, we’ll definitely help!” After a moment’s thought, he added, “Alright, since you’ve said so, let’s go take a look at the goods first!”
When they headed out, Yao’s father didn’t go, but Yao Lingling and Ning Ning still accompanied her. When the villagers heard that a “big client” had arrived, many came out of their homes out of curiosity to see her. When they encountered her, they would smile and greet her warmly, all very friendly.
The village chief first took her to the large grain storage facility on the mountain, which held the surplus public grain contributed by the villagers, with detailed records of how much each household had deposited. In truth, it wasn’t so much “public grain” as it was a temporary storage place the village provided for families whose harvests were so abundant they couldn’t store it all themselves. Luling Village was sparsely populated with vast land, and its people were industrious—the village truly produced grain in abundance. Unfortunately, there was little demand for it, so the surplus grain could only be piled up here, waiting for the village chief to organize people to haul it by oxcart to nearby towns and villages to sell.
The grain storage facility was composed of over a hundred small granaries, all identical in size—cylindrical in shape, with a base diameter of three meters and a height of about three meters as well. The total footprint of the facility was roughly half the size of a soccer field. Inside, it was divided into six sections, storing wheat, rice, corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and peanuts respectively. Each granary had a nameplate affixed to it. According to the village chief, virtually all of the granaries here were full. The nameplates indicated which household each granary belonged to, so that whenever grain was hauled out to sell, they could rotate through each household’s share in turn, making management easier.
“Little Boss Qiao, what’s the matter? Is it too much? No worries—take however much you need,” the village chief said, noticing Qiao Yu was silent and assuming the quantity was more than her “market” could handle.
Qiao Yu snapped back to attention and smiled. “No, I just didn’t expect you to have this much grain stored here. Village Chief, please don’t stand on ceremony—just call me Xiao Qiao.”
“Alright, Xiao Qiao. So, do you want all of this?”
“Yes, but Village Chief, with such a large grain storage facility, wouldn’t there be rats?” Grain wasn’t like other goods—it went into people’s mouths, so it had to be clean.
“Haha, I guessed you’d ask about that. Don’t you worry—our grain storage is spotless. Every granary is made of thick iron sheeting. See, even the bottoms are iron, and they don’t sit directly on the ground. These granaries are precious, so the village arranges for someone to inspect them inside and out every day for rats and pests. The grain inside is all packed in bags, and people regularly go through and turn them over. Rats and such—there’s no way they could get in. Rest assured!”
Qiao Yu listened and nodded with a smile. “Alright, then I’ll trouble you to have someone weigh it all out. We’re running an honest business, so we’ll pay at the market rate! But I’d also like to ask—does the village have a mill? I’d like to have the wheat ground into flour. And for the peanuts, could someone have the shells removed, keeping half as peanut kernels, and pressing the other half into oil? I’ll pay for the labor.”
Though the village chief was a bit puzzled as to why Qiao Yu wanted the grain processed, since she’d made the request, she must have her reasons. He didn’t pry and readily agreed. “No problem! We’ve got a mill, and we’ve got an oil press too. Don’t let the remote location fool you—we’re not lacking in these things. And nowadays everything runs on machines, so it’s mighty convenient! Peanut shelling doesn’t need manual labor either—there’s a machine for that, so no labor fee needed!”
Once again, Qiao Yu experienced the simple honesty of Luling Village. Even with such a good opportunity to mark up the price, the village chief showed not the slightest inclination to take advantage of her.