Chapter 19: Wild Vegetables Go on Sale

Chapter 19: Wild Vegetables for Sale

Ulan had only eaten one bowl; she was full, but not entirely.

However, judging by the family's appetite, everyone would definitely be stuffed tonight. Thus, she refused flatly: "We'll eat the dumplings tomorrow morning. Come, try these wild vegetables first!"

She had picked Malantou (Chinese fat hen), purslane, and watercress. To save time, and purely to test the flavor, she had mixed them all together using the same seasoning after blanching them.

At this moment, red chilies, white sesame seeds, dark brown sauce and vinegar, and green tender leaves and stems were all intertwined, sending a refreshing, sour, and spicy aroma straight to the nose.

Song Sancheng didn't hesitate any longer. He quickly extended his chopsticks, grabbed a mouthful, and popped it into his mouth—

"Mmm!"

Delicious, numbing, spicy, sour, refreshing, crunchy... various textures intertwined. Song Sancheng couldn't stop eating; with a single chopstick movement, he could clear half a plate of vegetables.

It was just that...

"This is too appetizing. If I had known, I would have cooked a pot of rice," he said with great regret.

Ulan, however, looked at his stomach: "Stop eating, stop eating! Don't you fear you'll overeat and feel sick? Let me try!"

Upon tasting it, the whole family fell silent.

After a long pause, Ulan asked hesitantly, "Is... is ten yuan too cheap?"

Song Tan made an immediate decision: "It's a steal—listen to me, 20 yuan per bundle!" If they couldn't sell them in the morning, it wouldn't matter; the repeat customers coming back after lunch would definitely return!

Right now, making money was the priority!

Ulan instantly regretted it: "If I had known, I would have only picked a few stalks of each to taste!"

...

Early the next morning.

It was truly early. Song Tan was woken up at 5:30 AM. Song Sancheng had planned to help carry the vegetables, only to find that his daughter had a basket in each hand, Qiaoqiao was carrying another, and seventy to eighty bundles of wild vegetables were already being loaded onto the vehicle.

"Are you sure you don't need me to come along?"

"No need, we have Qiaoqiao. Qiaoqiao can help, right?" Song Tan refused him.

Qiaoqiao agreed loudly from the side: "Yes! Qiaoqiao is enough!"

Song Sancheng stood there with his hands outstretched in a daze, suddenly feeling a pang of heartache at the realization that he was "getting old."

It wasn't until Ulan called him again: "There are still some dumplings left in the pot, do you want some?"

"I do!" He instantly tossed aside his sudden melancholy.

...

Uncle Wang, who was driving the van, was an acquaintance from the village. As he watched the road, he asked curiously, "Tan Tan, are you going to the city to sell vegetables?"

Song Tan nodded: "Yes. It's cold now, so people want something fresh. If we don't sell it all, we'll just bring it back to eat ourselves; it's no big deal."

That was true.

Uncle Wang nodded: "That's good. What young people these days would be willing to endure such hardship? Your parents are truly blessed!"

After a bit of mutual business flattery, the car pulled up near the famous vegetable market in the old town, and it wasn't even seven o'clock.

Though called a vegetable market, it wasn't formally planned; it was just located by the river with many connecting paths, so people had a tacit understanding to come here with shoulder poles and carts to sell their goods.

Song Tan didn't even need to pay a stall fee. She arranged the baskets one by one in front of her, took out two small folding stools and a stack of plastic bags, and she was all set.

"Sister, I'll do the selling!"

Qiaoqiao couldn't wait any longer.

Song Tan quickly yielded the center stage to him: "Okay, Qiaoqiao is selling—do you know how much they are?"

"I know!"

Qiaoqiao rubbed his hands together: "Twenty yuan a bundle, no bargaining!"

Knowing that was enough.

Song Tan thought for a moment and then put up the two QR codes they had printed at the village office yesterday—one was a payment code.

The other was: "Wild Vegetable New Arrival Preview Group. Scan to join for advance notice of fresh wild vegetables."

She dared to swear on her cultivation career that anyone who ate her family's wild vegetables today would definitely become a repeat customer.

...

The weather was quite good today. Although the sun hadn't risen by seven o'clock, the morning glow was already faintly visible on the horizon. The market was bustling with housewives weaving through the crowds, dressed in coral fleece pajamas or old down jackets.

The siblings sat obediently on their small stools. Their features were similar, with bright black pupils and snow-white skin; they were both beautiful and cute, possessing the most amiable faces.

And they were so young.

Looking at this market, let alone the stallholders, there were hardly any young people selling vegetables.

Passersby couldn't help but cast their gaze toward them.

And then they looked at the baskets in front of them—Oh, what kind of weather is this? To actually have such fresh and tender wild vegetables, and even neatly arranged!

"Young lady, how much for these shepherd's purse?"

Vegetables were incredibly expensive during the New Year, and combined with the constant flow of customers, as soon as people saw shepherd's purse, they immediately thought of fresh, juicy dumplings.

Once this auntie asked, it was as if a door had opened, and people slowly began to gather around.

"I know, I know! Shepherd's purse, 20 yuan a bundle, one jin!"

Qiaoqiao couldn't wait to jump in with the answer.

Sitting on his stool, he looked up slightly at the auntie in front of him. He was so well-behaved and adorable, with his fuzzy buzz cut, that no older woman could resist him.

Moreover...

The tone of an adult is different from that of a child.

The auntie who asked looked at him in surprise, seemingly sensing something. Seeing that Qiaoqiao was still staring at her persistently, she tentatively frowned

"This is too expensive. Can you sell it for ten yuan?"

"No, no," Qiaoqiao shook his head like a rattle, emphasizing again: "Shepherd's purse dumplings—I ate three bowls this morning!"

He used his hand to make a "three" sign.

Song Tan smiled along: "That's right, Auntie. I dug these up myself yesterday. They are incredibly fresh and tender; twenty yuan really isn't expensive."

"And each bundle is one jin, no more, no less. Greenhouse vegetables are so expensive now! Spring is here; let's eat some fresh wild vegetables early to feel refreshed."

She then pointed to the QR code nearby: "If you're worried, scan the code to join the group. If they aren't delicious, just find me on WeChat directly, and I'll give you a refund."

She spoke with exceptional confidence, and the auntie in front of her made an instant decision.

However, there were too many choices in the baskets!

Which one should she buy?

She was conflicted.

Yet, the moment the auntie hesitated, Qiaoqiao drooped his brows and looked up at her pitifully

"Auntie, don't you want to buy? Qiaoqiao dug them himself!"

The auntie's heart melted, and everyone present could see where this was going. She immediately agreed: "I'll buy!"

"But Auntie doesn't know which one to buy, what should I do?"

Qiaoqiao blinked blankly: "Then just try a bit of everything!" Even when he bought snacks, he sometimes felt this much agony.

"Oh my!" A group of people in front of the stall laughed joyfully: "You little kid, you're quite greedy. At twenty yuan a bundle, buying them all would cost a hundred yuan!"

Qiaoqiao was undeterred: "Qiaoqiao has been eating them for two days straight."

"Shepherd's purse, for dumplings."

"Wild onion, for stewing with crucian carp or stir-frying with eggs!"

"Ma... Ma..." He forgot the name.

Song Tan quickly patted his head: "Qiaoqiao is so good!"

Then, with efficient movements, she picked up the vegetables to show everyone: "Malantou can be stir-fried with meat or served as a cold dish; watercress is also very tender, and purslane is great for clearing heat..."

"Our family's wild vegetables are guaranteed to make you want a second helping after the first."

She turned the vegetables over and over to show the crowd; every single one was fresh and tender, with emerald green leaves and not a hint of damage.

Furthermore, the people around were experts at buying vegetables; one touch told them that this girl wasn't short-changing anyone on weight—besides, twenty yuan a jin for wild vegetables freshly dug from the village really wasn't that expensive.

The more people looked, the more tempted they became, glancing at the greenhouse vegetables they were already carrying—

"Here, give me two jin of shepherd's purse. My son loves dumplings!"

"I want two jin too—and give me a bundle of those wild onions. Oh, they really are wild, the flavor is so strong! I haven't eaten them in over ten years!"

"I want some too! Give me a bundle of purslane; that stuff is good for reducing inflammation and promoting urination..."

"Malantou is good for reducing internal heat. I'll take that, give me two bundles—and I want the shepherd's purse too!"

"Watercress! Watercress is so tender. I'll take three bundles, and give one bundle to my daughter!"