Hearing Su Qingran’s offer, the fruit vendor’s eyes immediately reddened.
“Y-Yes, Miss. I’ll pack them up for you.”
“No need.”
Su Qingran waved her hand.
“I’ll just load them directly onto my carriage. It’s parked nearby.”
Having a carriage really was convenient.
Whenever she bought something, she no longer needed to come up with excuses.
Just toss it onto the carriage—and secretly into her space.
“Then I’ll carry them over for you.”
The vendor volunteered eagerly.
“Wait.”
After speaking, Su Qingran walked over to the neighboring stall.
“What about these osmanthus saplings?”
The neighboring vendor instantly sprang to his feet.
“Osmanthus saplings are one hundred copper coins each, Miss. How many would you like?”
Su Qingran wasn’t surprised by the price.
In ancient times, osmanthus flowers were often considered tribute items for the imperial family.
Ordinary people rarely had access to them, and saplings were even harder to come by.
Higher prices were only natural.
Seeing her hesitate, the vendor immediately launched into a sales pitch.
“Miss, does your family have any scholars?”
“Osmanthus symbolizes success in the imperial examinations.”
“For scholars, planting an osmanthus tree at home is an excellent omen.”
Although local regions and the imperial court were increasingly divided, ordinary people still relied on the examination system if they wanted to improve their social status.
What other path was there?
For scholars, the imperial examinations were practically the only route upward.
Su Qingran nodded.
Then she smiled.
“Ten saplings for five hundred copper coins.”
“If you’re willing, I’ll buy them.”
The vendor nearly choked.
He had just watched her pay full price at the passion fruit stall without bargaining.
He’d assumed she was an easy customer.
Unexpectedly, she immediately cut his price in half.
“Miss!”
He pointed indignantly at the neighboring stall.
“You didn’t bargain with him!”
“My osmanthus trees are far more valuable!”
Su Qingran looked at him with a faint smile.
“I didn’t bargain because I felt his goods were worth the price.”
“As for osmanthus trees…”
She shrugged.
“I can plant them or not plant them.”
“Five hundred copper coins.”
“If that’s too low, pretend I never asked.”
With that, she turned to leave.
She wasn’t bluffing.
Osmanthus trees were entirely optional.
The only reason she’d become interested was because she suddenly thought about osmanthus wine.
The idea of drinking wine while admiring beautiful scenery sounded wonderful.
Just imagining it made her feel content.
But she didn’t absolutely need it.
Besides, even if she bought the trees, there was no guarantee she’d successfully brew wine later.
In her mind, the saplings were worth exactly five hundred copper coins.
Seeing that she was genuinely leaving, the vendor panicked.
He rushed forward and blocked her path.
“Miss! Wait!”
He immediately put on a flattering smile.
“Five hundred it is!”
“Ten saplings for five hundred copper coins!”
“I’ll sell them.”
Su Qingran nodded.
“Then help this vendor carry everything to my carriage.”
The osmanthus vendor visibly relaxed.
Truthfully, saplings couldn’t be stored indefinitely.
If they remained unsold much longer, they’d start dying.
Selling them now was better than suffering losses later.
“Of course, of course.”
Then his eyes lit up.
“Miss, would you like some plum blossom saplings too?”
“‘Plum blossom’ is considered the symbol of a gentleman.”
“There’s even a famous poem about it…”
He scratched his head awkwardly.
“‘Plum blossoms… plum blossoms…'”
Unfortunately, he couldn’t remember the rest.
It was honestly impressive how hard he was trying to sell his goods.
“Plum blossoms emerge fragrant from bitter cold.”
Su Qingran casually supplied the missing line.
Then she shook her head.
“But you can’t eat plum blossoms.”
“Buying them seems rather useless.”
The vendor stared.
“…They’re meant to be admired.”
“I’ll pass.”
Su Qingran declined immediately.
Pretty but impractical.
In her opinion, using precious spiritual farmland to grow decorative flowers was a waste.
The vendor sighed in disappointment.
Still, selling the osmanthus saplings alone was already a decent outcome.
After wandering around for quite a while, Su Qingran realized she’d only purchased those two items.
She was somewhat dissatisfied.
Unfortunately, fruit varieties in this era were incredibly limited.
She failed to discover anything else worth buying.
Returning to the inn, she immediately entered her space.
Without wasting any time, she planted the passion fruit saplings and osmanthus trees.
She deliberately chose the spiritual fields on the opposite side of the spring.
One side would be reserved for crops.
The other side would become an orchard.
After a long period of digging and planting, more than thirty passion fruit saplings and ten osmanthus trees finally stood neatly in place.
Her farming technique remained exactly the same as always:
Dig hole.
Insert plant.
Cover with dirt.
Zero skill involved.
Once everything was finished, she exited the space and grabbed a passion fruit.
Taking a bite, she immediately squinted.
It was sour.
Very sour.
Wild passion fruits lacked the sweetness of later cultivated varieties.
Still, they were surprisingly delicious.
After eating more than ten fruits in a row, she suddenly felt hungry again.
Sour foods really stimulated the appetite.
Without hesitation, she called a servant and ordered another enormous feast from the inn kitchen.
The servant had barely descended the stairs when a coworker asked:
“The young lady in the premium room again?”
“Yep.”
The servant nodded.
“She eats like a monster.”
“Every meal is a full table of dishes.”
“And somehow she finishes everything herself.”
The other servant looked doubtful.
“She doesn’t look like someone who could eat that much.”
The first servant shrugged.
“Who knows?”
“She pays.”
“That’s all that matters.”
The servants were speaking casually.
But nearby listeners paid close attention.
Several men sitting at a table, drinking tea and munching peanuts, exchanged glances.
Slow smiles spread across their faces.
A very interested kind of smile.
Meanwhile, Su Qingran remained completely unaware that she had accidentally revealed her wealth yet again.
It wasn’t that she lacked caution.
The problem was that a young woman traveling alone naturally attracted attention.
Late that night, she was sleeping soundly when an unpleasant smell drifted into her room.
Years of surviving the apocalypse had made her extremely sensitive to unusual scents.
Her eyes immediately opened.
Looking toward the door, she spotted a tiny hole in the paper-covered window.
A thin bamboo tube had been inserted through it.
Someone was pumping sleeping smoke into her room.
Su Qingran clicked her tongue.
Such amateur tricks.
Did they really think this would work on her?
She wasn’t entirely sure whether this body’s resistance to poison matched her previous one.
To be safe, she immediately entered her space and decided to wait.
Sure enough, after the room remained silent for some time, the door slowly creaked open.
Several masked men slipped inside.
After entering, they quietly shut the door behind them.
The room was dark.
All they could see was a lump beneath the blanket on the bed.
Assuming she was asleep there, one of the men quickly approached.
Just as he reached for the blanket—
The door suddenly burst open again.
“Who’s there?!”
Before anyone could react, several masked men were kicked flying through the room.
Crash!
One unfortunate body smashed directly into a table and chair, reducing both to splinters.
Inside her space, Su Qingran blinked.
Someone else had arrived?
Hearing the commotion, she immediately exited the space.
Taking advantage of the chaos, she slipped back under the blanket.
Though she appeared unconscious, her hand was already gripping a pistol.
If anyone dared attack her, she would shoot first and ask questions later.
Eventually, the sounds of fighting faded away.
Silence returned.
Remaining completely alert, she listened carefully.
Then she heard a cold yet pleasant male voice call her name.
“Su Qingran.”