Chapter 39: You Don’t Like It?
Boss Tang immediately became unhappy.
Look at all of you, so eager and flattering. Even if you did find something good, could you even afford it?
It’s still gotta be me!
Thinking this, he relaxed again, then strolled casually… and slipped into a nearby general store, pretending to look at a basin.
He couldn’t go back to his own shop yet. There were so many buyers along the way—what if someone intercepted her? He’d cry and have no place to cry!
Huai Yu was also quite surprised. Even though there were fewer people today, the staff taking the initiative to greet her meant something different.
But… today’s bean sprouts…
Thinking of this, she felt a little nervous.
The bean sprouts were purified, and so was the water used to soak the beans. Although in the last few days she deliberately used unpurified water when changing it, she still wasn’t sure about the mutation value.
At the moment, she hesitated a little.
And the moment she hesitated, the staff at the testing station immediately panicked:
“Miss! Don’t worry, we swear to the heavens we won’t tell anyone!”
As long as she had good stuff and they could afford it, they just needed to lift a hand and it would be done. After all, rare items not circulating in the regular market was the norm.
Seeing how anxious they were, and since it had to be tested anyway, Huai Yu smiled a little awkwardly and then lifted a basket of bean sprouts from her back basket.
There was also a bag of bracken (fiddlehead ferns) casually packed in a plastic bag, so she placed it to the side too.
The moment the basin was opened, the testers’ expressions changed:
“Bean sprouts…”
“Ah, bean sprouts…” They all looked a bit disappointed.
Huai Yu was puzzled:
“Bean sprouts aren’t good?”
“It’s not that they’re bad,” a tester said while placing them on the conveyor belt, “it’s mainly because legumes grow and mutate very quickly. They’re the easiest to find on the market. But they absorb pollution like crazy. If you’re not careful, they’ll—HOLY SH*T!!!”
He stared at the certification machine, his eyes going wide:
“Mutation value 9 again?!”
Everyone knew legumes were the easiest to plant but the hardest to grow well!
If the soil or water had even a bit of pollution, they’d absorb it instantly. Most legumes on the market were used for fermentation to make fertilizer—and even that fertilizer had pollution value.
But now, someone could grow bean sprouts with a mutation value of 9?
This girl was definitely from a rich family!
Who knew what kind of premium seeds and high-purity water she used… With resources like that, why waste them on bean sprouts?!
Looking at Huai Yu again, she seemed clueless—yep, definitely a rich girl!
Huai Yu held the still-warm certificate, looked at the carefully placed bean sprouts on the platform, then at the staff who seemed about to speak but were weirdly downcast, and asked curiously:
“You guys… don’t like bean sprouts?”
Why weren’t they buying? She thought they were excited to buy something again.
The tester gave a bitter smile:
“Of course we like them. Who wouldn’t love mutation value 9? We just can’t afford them.”
Last time they got mutation value 9 wild vegetables for just 30 points—that was already a blessing. After days of heavy rain, vegetable prices had doubled.
Bean sprouts tasted way better than wild vegetables. Wild veggies were a novelty and needed prepping to taste good, but bean sprouts? They were crisp and tasty however you cooked them.
Everyone’s mouths had been craving this flavor for years!
Huai Yu didn’t seem to understand the pricing. On the market, these could easily sell for 50-60 points per jin! They’d be too embarrassed to ask for a discount.
Huai Yu nodded thoughtfully.
Then the next moment, a tester stared at the newly printed certificate and cursed again:
“WHAT THE HELL—this is also mutation value 9?! How is there such bracken in this weather?”
Huai Yu blinked innocently:
“Eh? Is that rare? My brother said it didn’t taste good and told me to get rid of it.”
Gasp—
Several people sucked in a breath.
Rich. Seriously rich.
This girl must be “experiencing commoner life” or something!
Everyone immediately straightened up and quickly handed her the certificates:
“Alright! We didn’t see anything today. Go to the market quickly!”
Huai Yu nodded and obediently packed up her basket to leave.
Thinking for a moment, she squeezed a few soft, wet pickled bracken stems through the bag and said:
“Thanks, everyone! Take these home and have a taste!”
They hadn’t expected such good luck!
A few pieces of bracken each—they could bring them home for their parents or let the kids try some. What a treat!
Buying one or two stems was usually impossible anyway—even if they could afford it, people wouldn’t sell it to them.
From disappointment to delight, their emotions flipped in a flash. They scrambled around like headless flies looking for something to hold the gift in. Finally, someone offered an enamel mug:
“Me, me, me! Put it in my cup! Thank you! Thank you, Miss Huai!”
Huai Yu smiled:
“Just call me Xiao Yu!”
Feeling more confident about her future career, Huai Yu didn’t even mind using up half a bag of her precious salt. She headed straight for [Hua Xia Gold]!
Meanwhile, on the other side, Boss Tang, who had been pretending not to be in a hurry and was slowly walking back to his shop after spotting her certification success, was now anxiously waiting at the door.
—The testing station wasn’t even that far. Why hadn’t she shown up yet?
Hiss! Could someone have intercepted her at the testing station?
Impossible, right? Regular folks couldn’t afford good veggies nowadays…
His pudgy figure swayed anxiously at the door. After a long while, he finally saw Huai Yu’s familiar figure.
All his earlier “calm” and “dignity” vanished. Boss Tang shot forward like he had skateboards under his feet:
“Xiao Yu girl, you’re here!”
“I’m here,” Huai Yu said happily, “Mutation value 9, Boss Tang. Are you happy?”
Boss Tang wasn’t just happy—he was ecstatic, practically ready to faint from joy!
Mutation value 9 after days of heavy rain—what incredible luck!!
Whether he sold or gifted the wild veggies last time didn’t matter. So many people had come to him trying to build connections—and he had made a lasting impression!
Sharing or not sharing wasn’t the point—the key was the network, the show of capability!
He protectively led Huai Yu into the shop, but seeing her basket was only half-full, he felt a bit disappointed inside.
But when Huai Yu lifted the basin for him to see, he instantly bounced like a rubber ball—boing!
“Mutation value 9 bean sprouts?!!”
Without hesitation, he said:
“60 points per jin, Xiao Yu girl. Looks like about four jin? We’ll pay you full market price today!”
Huai Yu’s eyes curved into a smile—
Sure enough, Boss Tang was always so straightforward and generous!
“Then… do you want the pickled bracken too?” She handed him the certificate.
Boss Tang’s eyes bulged like copper bells, and he could only nod blankly:
“60! Everything at 60!”
“Xiao Yu girl, from now on, you’re my dear sister!”
Oh my goodness! He couldn’t even imagine how much of an impression he’d make when he supplied these limited veggies!
