Chapter 20: Old Classmate at the Vegetable Market

People have a herd mentality.

When a group of veteran vegetable market pickers gathered around a small stall to compete for purchases, more and more people would only gather around later.

Song Tan only felt the QR code payment sound ringing non-stop, and she kept packing vegetables in her hands.

This one wanted wild onions, that one wanted shepherd's purse, and others wanted Ma Lantou...

It was fortunate that she was a cultivator, with quick eyes and fast hands; otherwise, encountering this scene on her first time selling vegetables, she would definitely have been taken advantage of.

Qiaoqiao was happily pulling and shaking the plastic bags on the side, shaking them open and handing them to his sister, playing extremely happily.

He didn't understand whether business was good or bad, but tearing bags was really fun!

"Qiaoqiao, shout out and say the shepherd's purse is sold out."

"Oh."

He obediently put down the bag, stood up straight, and cupped his hands around his mouth: "Shepherd's purse—sold out!"

With that shout, those behind who hadn't bought any became even more unwilling: "How can it be gone? I was waiting to wrap dumplings!"

They still wanted to squeeze to the front—no fish, shrimp would do!

And customers further away heard—what? There's shepherd's purse for sale now? Where is it sold? And it's sold out already?

Oh my, that shepherd's purse must be good! Must go see, recognize the stall, and come early tomorrow!

So, as the sun rose, there were more and more people in front of the small stall. Qiaoqiao said dejectedly at this time:

"Sister, there are no more bags."

Which customer cared about bags or no bags now?

"It's fine! I have a bag, hurry up and give me that bundle—the one next to it! I've scanned the code for you!"

"I have small change—come, two bundles, forty yuan."

Qiaoqiao took it happily and said loudly: "I've received it!"

Oh my, this great young man, silly, looking so pitiful, the aunties' movements became even gentler.

And at this time, Qiaoqiao shouted again: "Wild onions—also sold out!"

Next was Ma Lantou.

Purslane...

By the time only three bundles of watercress were left, the stall in front was finally quiet.

Song Tan also breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Qiaoqiao now, she saw him staring at the child blowing bubbles in front, also looking at Song Tan with expectation.

Song Tan smiled. "Good Qiaoqiao, you helped a lot today! Come, let me see, how much did you earn?"

Qiaoqiao hurriedly took out all the money in his pocket, fragmented, adding up to over eight hundred yuan. There were still more people bringing cash to the vegetable market.

"Not bad, not bad!"

Song Tan generously gave him twenty. "Take it, don't go far; you can buy whatever you like nearby." With spiritual energy helping to watch, she felt at ease.

Otherwise, it would be very dangerous for a silly child like him to wander outside.

Qiaoqiao received a large sum of money, and his heart was pounding.

He usually ran errands for the family, but this was the first time he had been given so much money just to buy snacks!

Actually, he wasn't very good at addition and subtraction, and there were no children of the same age in the village, so he lacked social interaction.

But since Song Tan brought him out, she intended to train him. Now, with twenty yuan, he could spend it as he pleased. In their hometown, snacks at the village shop were pitifully few, let alone toys.

"But you can't go if you don't have enough money, and you're not allowed to go far."

There were people selling vegetables by the river in the morning and people cooling off in the evening, so naturally, there was no shortage of things for children to sell.

Qiaoqiao's eyes looked at the colorful windmills for a while, then at the bubble machine, and then at the spicy strips the children were eating...

He instantly couldn't move his feet.

And Song Tan looked at the mobile payment—76 bundles of vegetables, with three bundles of watercress left.

Cash 860, mobile payment 600 flat.

It seems no one took advantage of her today, satisfied!

Looking at the previous QR code group—regrettably, the aunties were experts at picking vegetables, but scanning the code to join the group seemed unfamiliar and resistant. Now there were only 15 people in the group.

However, this was a good start!

Song Tan set up the group and posted an announcement at the same time:

"Thank you all for supporting this morning's wild vegetables. If it doesn't taste good, I guarantee a refund! Please rest assured. Also, I will notify you in the group in advance before selling vegetables next time. I hope you won't miss it..."

Before she could post it, she heard an unbelievable voice beside her: "Song Tan?"

Song Tan looked up and saw a young woman holding a man's arm, looking at her in surprise.

Song Tan thought for a long time before she found this person in her memory: "Wu Qianqian?"

Her high school classmate.

"Yeah!" Wu Qianqian looked at her outfit—an old down jacket, sneakers, a long ponytail tied simply with a black rubber band, and a bare face.

Although her skin was delicate and flawless, and her features were more comfortable and beautiful the more you looked at them...

But, what was the use of that?

Look, in front of her was a large wicker basket that was empty except for a few vegetable leaves and mud, and three bundles of green vegetables that she didn't know what they were.

It was clearly leftovers from selling vegetables!

Deep disbelief and sympathy appeared in Wu Qianqian's eyes: "I heard you were working in Ningcheng? Why are you selling vegetables at the vegetable market now?"

Song Tan was delicate and beautiful when she was in high school, and she was gentle. Many boys in the class were friendly to her.

Wu Qianqian had a fiery temper back then, scolding everyone, and looked down on Song Tan's appearance.

Later, she went to a junior college and talked about her current boyfriend at school, the one beside her.

Now that the other party was visiting her home, Wu Qianqian also wanted to show off, which was why she brought him to the vegetable market for a stroll.

She didn't expect such a "surprise" to meet an old classmate.

Song Tan smiled slightly. "Yeah, the pressure in the provincial capital is too great, so I just went back to my hometown to accompany my parents. Do you want to buy wild vegetables? The watercress picked yesterday is very delicious when mixed."

She said it so frankly that Wu Qianqian was stuck. Her boyfriend beside her looked seriously at the vegetables in the basket: "Are these wild vegetables? How do you eat them? Are they delicious?"

Before Song Tan could answer, Qiaoqiao returned happily with a colorful windmill. Seeing someone wanting to buy vegetables, he became even more energetic: "Delicious! Super delicious! Qiaoqiao can eat three bowls by himself!"

Anyway, no matter what it was, in his mind, it was the same delicious concept as shepherd's purse dumplings.

His eyes were innocent, and he smiled like a child. The pity on Wu Qianqian's face became even more obvious: "Oh right, when you were in school, you said you had a younger brother whose brain wasn't—"

Before she could finish, her boyfriend coughed. Wu Qianqian hurriedly shut her mouth and smiled embarrassedly.

Then she cautiously pinched the straw rope tied on the watercress with her fingers, picked it up, and looked at it:

"It's not easy for you either. I heard that rural areas often favor boys over girls... ah, I mean, I'll take all these vegetables."

Song Tan didn't care.

People with a condescending and sympathetic attitude were everywhere, and they might just be looking for a sense of superiority, not necessarily having bad intentions.

Plus, having cultivated for over a hundred years, she had long since stopped caring.

So, at this moment, she treated Wu Qianqian's boyfriend as a customer:

"There's no need to buy three bundles. After all, watercress is a wild vegetable, and those who haven't eaten it might not know how to cook it."

"If you want to taste something fresh, one bundle is enough. When you get home, fry some peppercorn oil, use chili, soy sauce, salt, vinegar, etc., blanch it and mix it..."

Wu Qianqian's boyfriend listened carefully, even feeling a bit greedy:

"Alright, then we'll take one bundle to taste—how much?" ===== CHAPTER 21 =====