The man’s expression stiffened. He hadn’t expected that this woman actually knew her business.
“Miss, if I had tickets, I wouldn’t have risked coming here, right? Your sister-in-law isn’t feeling well—maybe you could give me a better price? From the first moment I saw you, I could tell you have a kind heart. When your sister-in-law gets better, both of us will be truly grateful to you.”
Seeing that he couldn’t trick Shen Qinghe, the man switched to the pity card.
Shen Qinghe was about to refuse when a slightly plump middle-aged woman happened to pass by. Her skin was fair, and she looked wealthy. When she saw the chicken feathers peeking out of Shen Qinghe’s basket, her eyes lit up, and she hurried over in a few quick steps.
“How much for this chicken?”
“Two yuan per pound, no ticket required.”
Only two yuan per pound? The woman was a little surprised; she had just seen someone selling at 2.3 yuan per pound. She asked again, “Is this a rooster or a hen?”
“A hen, but it’s a wild chicken.”
“Wild chicken?” The woman was slightly disappointed; wild chicken tends to be tougher and less tasty than domestic chicken.
“The meat isn’t as tender as domestic chicken, but its nutritional value is higher. It has much more protein. It’s excellent for pregnant women, the elderly, or patients.”
The woman hesitated. Her daughter-in-law had just given birth, and she wanted to buy this chicken for her. She had heard that wild chicken really was more nutritious than domestic chicken.
“I also have wild rabbit.”
“Wild rabbit too?” The woman’s eyes lit up again. “Great, I’ll take one of each. My daughter-in-law is in her confinement period, and she mentioned a few days ago that she wanted to eat rabbit meat.”
Shen Qinghe beamed and praised her: “Oh, sister-in-law, you’re really a good mother-in-law! You even risked coming to the black market to buy meat for your daughter-in-law. That’s really thoughtful of you!” She gave the woman a thumbs-up.
The woman smiled broadly. “Well, since my daughter-in-law married into our family, she’s family to me. I treat her like my own daughter—it’s nothing.”
“Nowadays, there are too many cruel mothers-in-law. Your daughter-in-law is lucky to have you.”
“Oh, young lady, you really know how to speak!”
“I’ll weigh them for you.” Shen Qinghe had brought a scale from home. She grabbed one wild chicken and one wild rabbit—together they weighed exactly ten pound, costing twenty yuan in total.
The woman readily took out two large bills from her pocket.
After collecting the money, Shen Qinghe grabbed two pears from her basket and stuffed them into the woman’s basket. “Sister-in-law, these are wild pears from the mountains. They’re nutritious too. You seem kind-hearted, so I’ll give you two for free.”
Although the pears didn’t look perfect, who would refuse a gift? The woman grinned from ear to ear. “Young lady, I won’t be polite, then.”
Just in time, Juanjuan wanted some fruit, so the pears could satisfy her craving. Pears at the supply store cost three cents per pound.
“I also have some blueberry jam. Take a look.”
The woman looked at the dark purple jam in the glass jar and asked curiously, “Blueberry jam? What’s that? I’ve never heard of it. How do you eat it?”
“It’s jam made from wild persimmons from the mountains. Its scientific name is ‘blueberry.’ You can eat it with a spoon or mix it with water. It’s sweet and sour, very tasty.”
The woman had never heard of wild persimmons either. She asked, “How much per jar?” It looked fancy in a glass jar; it couldn’t be cheap.
Shen Qinghe told her the price, and the woman was shocked, waving her hand, “I don’t want it—it’s too expensive.”
“Sister-in-law, this is made with white sugar. There’s not much jam from the persimmons, plus the glass jar. The price is really reasonable.”
Ah, made with white sugar—that explains the high price.
Shen Qinghe continued, “You can try it.” She took out a jar with a small layer of jam and used a chopstick to give her a taste.
“This little bit is free, right?”
“Of course.” Shen Qinghe smiled.
“Alright, I’ll try it.” After tasting it, the woman raised her eyebrows in surprise. “It tastes really good! Sweet and sour. My Juanjuan will love it, but it’s a bit expensive—1.2 yuan for this little bit. Can you give me a discount?”
“Sister-in-law, the cost is not low. I picked all the persimmons myself. I don’t know if I can pick more next time. This may be the last batch. The price is already the lowest I can go.”
Hearing that, the woman gritted her teeth. “Fine, I’ll take a jar.”
“Great, sister-in-law, you really are a good mother-in-law. Don’t worry about the amount; a little goes a long way in water. This jar is enough for many servings. But it doesn’t keep long, so eat it soon.”
After the woman left, Shen Qinghe looked at the glasses-wearing man. “Brother, do you still want some?”
He still thought it was expensive. “Miss, can you make it cheaper?”
Shen Qinghe refused firmly. “No, I didn’t give that mother-in-law any discount. This is a small business—I don’t make much profit anyway.”
Small business? That single sale just earned her over twenty yuan! The glasses man was a little dissatisfied but didn’t show it.
While he was thinking, another customer came asking about wild chickens.
“The lady just said you sell wild chicken and wild rabbit. Do you have any left?”
A young man’s voice. He wore coarse cloth, his head wrapped, leaving only his eyes visible. But from his hands and the skin around his eyes, it was obvious he was wealthy, just hiding his identity.
“Yes, what do you want?” Shen Qinghe lifted the cloth on the basket, showing him the wild chickens and rabbits.
The man’s eyes lit up. “Only two wild chickens and two wild rabbits left? How much per pound?”
“Just these, two yuan per pound.”
“Fine, I’ll take all of them.”
So straightforward? Shen Qinghe was a bit surprised. Before she could say anything, the glasses man protested, “Hey, I came first!”
“Brother, didn’t you say it was too expensive?” the man asked. “I heard you. So what’s wrong with me taking them all?”
“You!” The glasses man was furious. He was still bargaining, and this guy just appeared. But he calmed himself and said in a low voice, “Brother, my wife is ill. I need these wild chickens for her recovery. Can you spare one for me?”
The man hesitated, but hearing it was for his wife, he relented. “Alright, sister, weigh these three for me.”
While Shen Qinghe weighed them, the man scanned her basket. Seeing the mountain produce, hope flickered in his eyes. “Sister, did you gather these from the mountains? Do you have any white fungus? The kind that looks like black fungus but white.”
White fungus? Shen Qinghe’s eyes sparkled. “I do! I got it from the mountains and was wondering who to sell it to. It’s quite valuable. What do you want it for?”
“Really? That’s wonderful!” The man was overjoyed. “My wife is pregnant. She can’t eat much but loves white fungus. Last time I got three good ones, and it helped her with morning sickness. She even insisted on more. In the north, it’s rare. I’ve been looking for days! I didn’t expect to meet you this time. My wife is lucky!”
Three? That must have been the batch bought from Second Brother. Shen Qinghe hadn’t planned to sell her white fungus this time—it’s expensive, and few can afford it. She hadn’t even put it in the basket. But luck brought a wealthy buyer.
She pretended to search for something, but in reality, she used her consciousness to pick five pieces of white fungus from her space and secretly put them in the basket.
“Look, is it this one?”
“Yes, that’s it!” The man couldn’t take his eyes off it. “Sister, how many do you have in total? I want them all!”
“Just five.”
“Five!” The man was ecstatic. Five should be enough for his wife for a while. “Great, I’ll take them all. How much per piece?”