Chapter 25: A Little Moved
The bus didn’t arrive at the East Gate of Hongsheng Pedestrian Street until 2:30 PM.
The weather wasn’t good, yet there were more people on the street than last time. It was as if everyone felt the need to prepare for the upcoming days of heavy rain before they could feel at ease.
On the way, there were already people hurrying by, clutching raincoats or plastic sheets. Some were even rushing out with rain boots in hand, muttering:
“So greedy! As soon as it rains, they hike up the prices. Fifteen points for a pair—way too expensive…”
“Exactly! When I came here last week, it was only eleven points!”
“Forget it, at least these can be reused…”
Huai Yu listened silently, thinking of the rain boots she had bought for thirteen points, feeling a sneaky sense of satisfaction — not the best deal, but better than some.
Ah, she thought proudly, she really knew how to live frugally!
She wondered what else might have gone up in price. Since she didn’t plan to go out during the rain, she decided she could skip buying anything this time.
While observing and thinking, Huai Yu made her way skillfully to the inspection station.
As she lifted the grass curtain, the security staff couldn’t help poking their head out.
“Whoa! So many wild vegetables? Where in the city can you even find this much… Are you a vegetable vendor?”
Huai Yu shook her head blankly. “No.”
The person was even more shocked.
“Don’t tell me you went to the forest park in the suburbs?”
Huai Yu didn’t know anything about the forest park, so she just shook her head gently. “My brother brought them back. He found them outside.”
Oh, understood — a free adventurer.
The security guard sat back down with a sigh.
“These wild vegetables are so fresh, he probably picked them and rushed back overnight… not easy at all.”
The conveyor belt pulled her stuff into the machine, and soon a test card popped out.
The guard grabbed the card, took one look, and immediately shot up from his seat—
[Mutation Value: 9]
Huh?
Huai Yu was a bit puzzled. Looks like the plants were feeling pretty good; otherwise, how could such tender new shoots have such a low mutation value?
Meanwhile, the inspector was stunned. Without waiting for Huai Yu to reach for the basket, he hurriedly put everything back on the conveyor belt for a second test.
Another card popped out — same result.
[Mutation Value: 9]
Now, a small crowd had gathered around the inspection station, all staring in disbelief:
“Stuff with mutation value 9 can still reach the market?”
“Yeah! I thought this stuff gets bought up immediately at the highway stations…”
“Damn! I really wanna eat this! I don’t even remember what normal vegetables taste like anymore…”
“This is once in a lifetime! And it actually made it to Hongsheng!”
Everyone exchanged glances, then looked at Huai Yu with burning eyes.
“Miss, are you selling these?”
“Ah?” Huai Yu was a little confused.
She wasn’t pretending — she really wasn’t sure what price to set for something with a mutation value of 9. Shyly lowering her head, she said pitifully:
“My brother told me I don’t know much, so it’s safer to just give it to Boss Tang of Huaxia Golden… I don’t know if I can sell it…”
Boss Tang? People working here had heard of him — supposedly from a big family. After all, in times like these, anyone selling luxury goods like gaming consoles and cosmetics usually had some serious background.
“But Boss Tang will still sell it after taking it.”
One person tried to persuade her gently:
“Besides, your vegetables have a mutation value of 9. Even if we all bought some, it wouldn’t be much…”
He thought for a moment and offered:
“Thirty points per pound. Each of us will buy a pound to taste. Is that okay?”
His cautious tone hinted that if these wild vegetables were really sold elsewhere, there’d probably be hidden markups too. But—
Huai Yu tilted her head innocently. “Okay!”
She smiled sweetly.
“The last time I went out for the first time, I didn’t know anything. You big brothers, uncles, and sisters helped me and explained the test cards to me…”
She asked cheerfully:
“Do you want shepherd’s purse or bracken?”
The pearl flowers and a few mushrooms were pressed under the bracken, so she didn’t bother flipping them up.
Everyone felt a bit guilty for being so eager, but soon they faced a bigger problem—
Shepherd’s purse or bracken?
After some thought, everyone chose bracken.
Not that shepherd’s purse wasn’t good, but they wanted a truly satisfying meal. Bracken only needed a few seasonings, while shepherd’s purse usually required eggs or meat — not to mention they’d have to make dumplings, and flour was rationed too.
Even as they held the bracken, their eyes still lingered on the shepherd’s purse, feeling miserable.
When Huai Yu saw them trying hard to get exactly one pound on the scale, she generously added five extra stalks to each portion.
Then she picked up her basket and bag.
“Bye-bye!”
She smiled so sweetly that it made everyone even more emotional.
“Probably her family got hurt or something,” they guessed. “They rushed back before they could properly deal with the fresh wild vegetables…”
Otherwise, a girl so naïve wouldn’t just walk into the trading market to sell directly like this.
The naïve Huai Yu successfully collected 120 points and happily went to Huaxia Golden.
Inside, Boss Tang was frowning over a game console, looking completely joyless.
When he saw Huai Yu arrive, his round body bounced up instantly:
“Aiyo, Xiao Yu! You finally came! I’ve been waiting forever! I’m about to puke from playing these games.”
He was a gaming nerd — before the Cataclysm, he had already beaten all the new single-player games. After six years of disaster…
Forget it. He had played the same few games so many times he was completely numb.
Huai Yu looked a little embarrassed.
“I should’ve come yesterday…”
“It’s okay,” Boss Tang said, waving it off.
“You’re an adventurer. Who can say when you’ll be back? There’s always unexpected stuff… Did you bring wild vegetables today? Mutation value 11, right?”
The plump boss waddled around the counter and peered at her bag.
“Oh wow! These veggies must’ve just come in! If you went around Mount Sanqing, it’d take hours by car. Tough journey, tough journey!”
He figured they had used some kind of speed boost; otherwise, how could the vegetables still look so fresh, like they’d just been picked?
Boss Tang looked at Huai Yu and said seriously:
“Just for how fresh these are, if the mutation value is 11, I’ll buy everything for 9 points each!”
Today’s deal seemed locked in, and he felt their partnership would become solid.
But Huai Yu shook her head and pulled out two test cards:
“The inspection staff didn’t believe it, so they tested twice. If the mutation value is 9, what price should it be?”
Boss Tang’s eyes widened instantly.
He grabbed the two cards and flipped them back and forth. The date, time, and anti-counterfeiting marks were legit.
Mutation value 9…
He paused thoughtfully:
“Xiao Yu, I don’t know if you realize this, but anything with a mutation value under 10 doesn’t circulate in normal markets anymore.”
“Adventurers test them on the spot and immediately inform the buyers. Sometimes it gets sold even before reaching the highway.”
He looked at Huai Yu, his chubby face a little emotional:
“If your brother’s willing to let me see these? You must’ve put in a lot of good words for me, huh?”
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