Chapter 36: Even selling vegetables has fans now

Chapter 36: 36. Even Selling Vegetables Has Fans Now

Wulan also nodded: "The weather is warming up quickly lately, so things won't be idle for long. There's plenty of work to do!"

"Tantan, if you want to plant rice, you should start preparing the seeds now."

"And for the vegetables you want to grow, some of them need to be prepared for seedling trays by the end of the month."

"Before the end of next month, these few plots of land must be plowed."

With this calculation, it seemed no one would be able to stay idle.

Except for Qiaoqiao.

However, Qiaoqiao had his own mission: Dabai was his number one priority, while he also moonlighted as a porter, a picker, and a vegetable vendor.

Song Tan also began to feel the pressure of time—after all, no matter how well the *Cytisus scoparius* (Chinese milk vetch) was maintained, the tender sprout stage would only last for the remaining half month; next month, they would need to bloom and grow.

So, after hurriedly finishing her meal, she called out to Qiaoqiao

"Let's go! Come accompany Sister to pick vegetables!"

Instead, Qiaoqiao sat on his stool and looked at her: "You said you'd show me Ultraman. Where is Ultraman?"

Song Tan:...

Children could be quite difficult to coax sometimes! She had no choice but to promise him two more episodes and a Peppa Pig plushie.

...

Compared to wild vegetables, harvesting the *Cytisus scoparius* was exceptionally simple. This was Song Tan's first time selling them, but in just half an hour, she had packed three large baskets. When she arrived home, she saw her grandparents sitting in the courtyard.

"Tantan, I heard you sold some wild vegetables recently? Not bad. The girls of the Song family are truly capable—come, your grandma and I have nothing to do, so we'll help you sort the vegetables."

Song Tan smiled: "That's great! I was just worrying about having no help. It's a good thing Grandpa and Grandma dote on me!"

Sorting vegetables was not a strenuous task for them!

The elderly couple was delighted by her sweet words and began working briskly. Song Tan watched them; with their speed, these three large baskets wouldn't take them even half an hour to process.

She had originally planned to sell these *Cytisus scoparius* in the morning, but several members of the group chats mentioned there was a dance performance this morning. They said if she could come in the afternoon, they would bring all the sisters from the dance troupe along.

That was a famous senior dance troupe in the city! They were all experts at buying groceries.

Knowing she couldn't miss this opportunity to expand her customer base, Song Tan moved her selling time to the afternoon.

After returning from picking and finishing the sorting, she would be ready to set off. The reason she hadn't picked more was that since it was her first time selling them, she needed to gauge people's acceptance.

After thinking for a moment, she instructed: "Mom, please make a bowl of cold-dressed *Cytisus scoparius* for me later and grab some disposable chopsticks. I'll let them taste the flavor when I get there."

...

Meanwhile.

The ladies of the senior dance troupe were walking down the street, looking jubilant in their matching rose-red cheongsams and bright red lipstick.

Someone suggested

"We won an award today! I say we should celebrate! Otherwise, let's just go to the KTV to sing!"

"Yeah, we have a membership at the KTV. It's fifty yuan per person per month; we lose money if we don't go!"

Business was tough these days, and the old KTVs in the city couldn't attract new customers, so they had opened up their cheap group-buy afternoon sessions to middle-aged and elderly people.

From 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, a large private room cost 1,500 yuan a month. By pooling their money, the ladies could afford it.

This activity was usually very popular, but as soon as the suggestion was made, an auntie with permed red curls shook her head

"No, no, I have to buy vegetables this afternoon."

Buy what?

What kind of vegetables?

The people in the group looked at each other in confusion.

However, another person chimed in: "That's right. The ones we bought last time were all eaten up yesterday. We definitely have to buy more today."

Another sounded a bit hesitant: "We're switching to new vegetables today. That... *Cytisus scoparius* thing? The stuff they used to feed cows in the fields when we were kids. You guys are buying that too?"

The red-haired auntie laughed: "Oh, we ate those wild vegetables every day as kids until we were sick of them, but aren't we still scrambling for them now?"

"That girl does good work. Every time she brings wild vegetables, there's no cutting corners. It's always a full weight, and they are cleaned thoroughly."

"Exactly! The taste is truly wonderful! I'm telling you, I've grown accustomed to it, and my palate has become very picky. I can tell if the vegetables are fresh just by the smell!"

"I'm definitely buying more. My granddaughter is counting on eating more of this family's vegetables."

"Hey, Xiufen, let me tell you, last time I learned a new way to use wild scallions as bun filling. Not only were the buns delicious, but they were also as big as fists! My little grandson devoured eight in one sitting!"

"Really? Why didn't you say so sooner? Now they're all gone!"

"Hahaha, wasn't I just afraid you'd compete with me and I wouldn't be able to buy any?"

The aunties chatted loudly and laughed heartily, looking quite out of place with the brightly-lipped dance troupe.

The remaining group stared at each other in confusion, and after a long silence, one finally asked: "What... what vegetables are you buying?"

Only then did everyone realize

"Oh, look at my memory!"

"I intended to tell you this morning, but it's not too late to say it now—we ate some incredibly delicious wild vegetables before. They were so fresh you could almost swallow your tongue. The owner notified us that she'll be at the market at 2:00 PM. Do you want to go buy some? Let's go together!"

"But the wild vegetables ran out three days ago. Today she's selling *Cytisus scoparius*. Luckily, I grabbed a lot of shepherd's purse last time, so the dumplings can last another two days..."

Wild vegetables and *Cytisus scoparius* were worth such a scramble?

This didn't sound like their usual selves!

With such questions in mind, the group strolled in an orderly fashion toward the market, which was unusually quiet for the afternoon.

As soon as Song Tan's small pickup truck appeared, the aunties quickly swarmed around. They first glanced at the truck bed and then let out disappointed sighs—

"Didn't they say there would be a large amount? Why is there so little!"

Song Tan was also stunned—why did they arrive in such an organized fashion? And why were they all in uniform?

Qiaoqiao had already skillfully unloaded the baskets. Looking at the neatly bundled *Cytisus scoparius* and smelling the faint fragrance in the air, the red-haired auntie clapped her hands

"That's the real scent!"

She turned and stood in front of Qiaoqiao, her voice as soft as honey

"Sweetie, do you remember Auntie? Give me five bunches."

Song Tan hadn't expected her "die-hard fans" to show up so soon.

So, she quickly opened the container of cold-dressed *Cytisus scoparius* she had packed from home

"Auntie, this might be your first time buying this. No rush, why don't you taste it first to see if you like the flavor?"

She handed over the disposable chopsticks. The red-haired auntie didn't hesitate; she picked some up and popped them into her mouth.

After a few chews, she suddenly fell silent.

The group of old friends behind her watched her in unison, only to hear her ask: "Young lady, when will you sell them next time?"

Song Tan thought for a moment: "There's a large amount of *Cytisus scoparius*. In the future, I'll harvest at 7:00 AM, clean them at 8:00 AM, and I'll be here around 10:00 AM."

The auntie nodded, looking as if she had suddenly breathed a sigh of relief: "Just come every day then—Sweetie, hurry up, give me five bunches!"

When it came time to pay, she sounded quite pained: "My monthly pension is only enough for groceries—I'll be back tomorrow morning! Remember to prepare more; don't be stingy like this time."

*Weekend, I am working too hard!*

*Cytisus scoparius* can be stir-fried with nothing, stir-fried with meat, or served cold. But please note: in reality, *Cytisus scoparius* is not as delicious as the kind in Tantan's hands.

The part about the KTV membership is true, though with the pandemic, you can't really do that anymore and many KTVs have closed down. However, the price in reality would be much cheaper...

(End of Chapter)