Chapter 123: The Explorer
Huai Yu didn’t understand Uncle Zaozi’s money-making logic at all.
You could say he was stingy, but when he sold her that folding bed before, he was super straightforward and generous.
But then again, if you said he wasn’t stingy, he would fuss over just a few cents for ages.
Huai Yu thought about it and could only give a perfunctory comment—this must be the mindset of rich people.
Chen Xing, though, was really interested in the compressed tea he had just mentioned, “You have compressed tea? Want to sell me some? If the quality’s good, price is negotiable.”
Uncle Zaozi quickly chimed in, “The quality’s great! Not like the usual compressed tea from before, but it has a unique flavor and is super effective for constipation.”
“Little Yu treasures it like crazy. Last time I wanted to buy some, she was so reluctant, only gave me a little. I drink one ball a day and I’m almost out.”
As he finished, he stared at Huai Yu with a resentful look.
Huai Yu: …
Uncle Zaozi, do you even hear yourself right now?
By now, the animal had been back with her for a while. She’d seen with her own eyes how it gnawed out a pile of crumbs every day and then used its mouth and paws to roll them into perfectly round balls.
How exactly was this supposed to be sold as tea?
Sure, it didn’t seem deadly or anything, and maybe it even had some medicinal effects—looking at Zhou Qian’s experience as proof.
But…
She felt a huge mental burden selling this stuff!
Yet now it wasn’t just Uncle Zaozi, even Chen Xing was looking at her eagerly.
Huai Yu thought for a bit and could only mutter, “This compressed tea’s production process… isn’t exactly clean…”
“Tsk,” Chen Xing brushed it off, “We’ve been eating all sorts of stuff these past six years, what haven’t we swallowed? Little Yu, just looking at your skinny self, I bet you’re super picky with food, right?”
She raised her eyebrows, “Don’t worry, I’ve got a tester. Whether it’s edible or meets standards, I’ll be the judge.”
“I’ll be in Flower City all week for Labor Day, if you decide to sell, you must come to me!”
She said that, patted Huai Yu’s shoulder, and then shot Uncle Zaozi a fierce glare before striding out of the hospital.
Huai Yu watched her back and thought—
Even her back looked so cool, she walked with such a heroic vibe, really stylish.
Then she looked at Uncle Zaozi and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Why did Sister Xing come to the hospital? Uncle Zaozi, did you hurt her or something?”
“‘Sister Xing~’”
Uncle Zaozi mimicked her in a weird tone, “Who’s closer to her, you or me? You’re totally starstruck already, tsk!”
Huai Yu giggled, “But she’s really cool. I want to grow up to be like her someday.”
Uncle Zaozi just didn’t get the vibe between girls.
But honestly, if it meant running 10 km a day, maybe she’d rather not grow up like that after all. People really are different.
Uncle Zaozi snorted, “Look at my face—how could you even say I hit her? If I had that kind of skill, would I be in this state?”
“People like her, these explorers, every time they go out, they bring back a few injured folks.”
“If they’re lucky, they come back with minor injuries. If not, well, sometimes they can only bring back ashes.”
“Little Yu, don’t be fooled just because she’s young, has a car and a company. Their lives are always on the edge, it’s really tough!”
“They don’t save up points, either—it’s all spent on gear or on having fun. Looks flashy, but that’s no way to live. Don’t you dare copy them!”
“If anyone ever tries to talk you into becoming an explorer, you must say no.”
Of course she wouldn’t!
Explorer, explorer… who knows when you’d even come back? What would happen to her veggie patch, her chickens, Big Cub, Little One, and Keta Lang?
Besides, she couldn’t even run 10 km. Why bother joining explorers?
So Huai Yu obediently listened to Uncle Zaozi’s serious advice. Only when the nurse called his number did Uncle Zaozi hurry up and go into the doctor’s office.
Huai Yu stood in the lobby, super conflicted—
Should she sell Keta Lang’s tea balls or not?
…
The next morning, at the crack of dawn, Huai Yu got up to pack her stuff.
First, she let the baby chicks out of their coop so they could forage on their own.
Then she went to the bamboo grove to check on Big Cub and Little One. Whether they understood or not, she at least told them she was going out.
Finally, she went back inside and brought out two huge tubs of Keta Lang’s balls.
She had thought it over all night and finally decided to carry them over to test the waters.
No way she’d sell them to Boss Tang—better try with someone else, assuming they’d accept them.
Also, Keta Lang was like a workaholic—gnawing away from morning till night, and by now she had a whole jar plus two stainless steel basins full of the stuff.
If she didn’t start selling, she’d really need to build a warehouse.
Right now, she brought Keta Lang into the house and pointed at the tea balls, “Lang, there are way too many of these. I want to try selling a bit… are you okay with that? If yes, can you tell me which ones are for drinking and which ones are medicine?”
Keta Lang flapped its wings and twitched its antennae, looking pretty happy—seemed like it was fine with it.
Then it walked over to the colorful balls, looked around, and picked out a dazzling multicolored Celery-leaved buttercup ball and handed it to Huai Yu.
She looked at the ball in her hand, then at the two big tubs—
Well! So all the other “cooling and detoxifying” stuff didn’t even count as medicine in Keta Lang’s mind. The two tubs were all drinkable.
She took out a stack of plastic bags and sorted the balls by color. Before long, she had a basket packed to the brim.
And Keta Lang happily waddled off. When Huai Yu peeked out, it was already munching on a bunch of fresh dandelion leaves.
Still, business was business. She needed to check out the highway station, but Zhou Qian’s extra meal had to be handled too.
She had already planned last night what to make.
Now, she took out the rice she cooked yesterday, added wild garlic and scallions for flavor, chopped up some soaked dried bamboo shoots, and stir-fried it all with pork lard scraps—making a huge fragrant pot of fried rice.
She also blanched some fresh bean sprouts and tossed them with oil, salt, and chili for a refreshing little side dish.
Checking the time, she grabbed the food and headed out without delay.
She caught the early bus, and when she arrived at the hospital, the morning announcements had just started. Zhou Qian looked at her in surprise, “Little Yu, how come you’re here so early?”
Huai Yu handed over the food, “I met a super cool explorer lady yesterday, and I want to discuss some business with her, so I came early.”
“Explorer, huh?”
Zhou Qian didn’t ask what kind of business, just said, “What’s her name? Which company?”
Huai Yu took out a business card. Zhou Qian looked at it carefully and finally relaxed, “I’ve heard of this company. Their boss is indeed called Chen Xing. I heard she’s young but gutsy, and generous too.”
“If you want to talk, give it a shot.”
