Ch 49: Daily Farm Life After Returning from Interstellar

Selling

On this day, Old Lady Zheng went to Rui Shang Supermarket as usual to buy groceries. Ever since she started buying San Mu Vegetables from the supermarket, her grandson hasn’t refused to eat anymore. Now, he looks forward to meals every day.

She was prepared for her shopping routine, but she noticed that there were fewer people in the San Mu Vegetable section. She didn’t understand what was happening. Little did she know that since San Mu Vegetables had gained popularity, the daily rush to buy them had become quite intense. If you arrived late, you might not even find a single leaf.

After entering the dedicated section, a crowd became apparent in a corner, gathered together and seemingly discussing something. Instead of joining them, Old Lady Zheng first carefully selected the vegetables her family liked, placing them in a small basket. She went to the weighing station and curiously asked the employee there, “Miss, what are they selling over there?”

The employee smiled and replied, “San Mu brand lychees are now available. Both new and old customers are rushing to buy them.”

This news left Old Lady Zheng unable to stand still. Lychees were her favorite fruit, and she had been eagerly waiting for this year’s lychee season since May, hoping for a satisfying treat.

“Miss, please hurry up. I also want to buy some lychees. If I’m too late, they might be gone.”

The employee reassured her, “Don’t worry, Granny. The lychees won’t sell out so quickly.” Although she said that, her own pace quickened. In just two minutes, she had weighed all her groceries.

Carrying her basket, Old Lady Zheng headed straight for the lychee sales area. Once she squeezed into the crowd, she saw lychees neatly arranged on foam boards, their skins a vibrant red, each as big as a chicken egg. Looking at the price tag beside them, she was surprised – they were priced per lychee, at 99 yuan each.

Perhaps due to trust in the San Mu brand and combined with some well-off backgrounds, there were still many people purchasing bags of lychees. However, most of the onlookers were hesitating.

Old Lady Zheng had come a long way from hardship, and it was only when her son succeeded and prospered that she changed her frugal habits. Yet, when she saw the price of these lychees, she couldn’t help but hesitate.

She has a family of four, and if each person tries one lychee, it would cost about four hundred yuan. This money could buy groceries for two meals, but with lychees, it would be just a sweet indulgence that disappears in a single bite.

However, Muyun City has its share of wealthy individuals, and Rui Shang Supermarket is located in an affluent area. If she doesn’t buy them, there will be plenty of others who will. The lychees were diminishing visibly fast, and Old Lady Zheng even saw someone who had just bought lychees return to buy a large bag.

Finally, she bit the bullet and bought four lychees. After all, money is meant to be spent, she consoled herself.

Due to the delay caused by buying lychees, when she returned home, her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson had already woken up. Old Lady Zheng playfully scolded, “Breakfast works better than any alarm clock.”

Zheng Zhi chuckled, “It’s because of your cooking skills, Mom.”

The young grandson chimed in, “Yes, Grandma, your food is so delicious. I look forward to mornings before I go to sleep at night.”

Old Lady Zheng could only smile indulgently at her only grandson. She patted his little head and then went into the kitchen to busy herself.

Breakfast preparation time wasn’t as abundant today. To avoid delaying her son and daughter-in-law from going to work, she thought for a moment and decided on rice noodles. Fortunately, she had bought a few yuan worth of rice noodles earlier.

The rice noodles were already cooked, so she scooped them into boiling water, added various toppings and sauce, mixed it, and it was ready to eat. With the addition of San Mu Vegetables, no matter how it was prepared, it would be delicious.

After the family of four responded practically to the national “clean your plate” campaign by eating their fill, Old Lady Zheng finally distributed the precious lychees she had bought to them.

“These lychees are from the San Mu brand. They’re quite expensive. After you taste them, let me know if they’re not good, and I’ll give them a piece of my mind.”

Upon hearing that the lychees were from the San Mu brand, Zheng Zhi subconsciously ignored the price issue and focused all his attention on the lychees.

Old Lady Zheng’s grandson was also curious, holding a lychee in his hand. However, his hands were small, and the lychees were large, so he struggled to hold them.

“Lychees are as big as eggs, hehe.”

Hearing her son’s childish words, Old Lady Zheng decided to peel a lychee. As the skin broke, a faint, delicate fragrance wafted out, captivating everyone present.

She gazed at the translucent, crystal-clear flesh in her hand and couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.

With a gentle bite of her pearly teeth, the juice burst forth from the flesh. Her eyes widened; this was nothing short of an ambrosial nectar.

“How is it? Is it delicious?” Zheng Zhi couldn’t help but ask curiously. However, his wife was already immersed in the delight of the lychee, paying him no attention whatsoever.

Seeing this, everyone else began to move their hands as well. At the moment of tasting, they finally understood why even the elegant Li Lan had lost her composure. The deliciousness of the lychees had conquered them. However, there wasn’t much flesh on each lychee. After savoring two or three bites, the craving had just begun, leaving them uncomfortable.

Zheng Zhi took out several hundred yuan bills from his pocket and said to Old Lady Zheng, “Mom, go buy a few more pounds later.”

Old Lady Zheng waved her hand, saying, “This few hundred yuan can only buy a few. They sell the lychees individually for 99 yuan each.”

Zheng Zhi and his wife were shocked. Rui Shang was indeed bold with their pricing. However, thinking about the slow trickle of juice on their tongues just now, the price suddenly didn’t seem so steep.

“San Mu’s lychees are worth this price. Take this card, eat up, and earn the money back later.” He was the CEO of a multinational company, after all. He could afford to eat a few pounds of lychees.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

And maybe it was just his imagination, but he felt that his minor ailments had gradually improved since he started eating San Mu’s vegetables. It was quite strange.

After Zheng Zhi and his wife left for work, Old Lady Zheng took her grandson to the supermarket again. They headed straight for the San Mu Vegetable section, but the shelf that held the lychees was already empty.

The employee at the weighing station recognized her and said with a smile, “Grandma, did you come to buy lychees? Unfortunately, today’s lychees are already sold out. If you need them, come earlier tomorrow.”

Old Lady Zheng was disappointed upon hearing this, and her grandson drooped his head as well. The sweet lychees were gone, and his happiness went with them. In the end, they managed to buy two pounds of cherry tomatoes and went home in haste.

The news of lychees being available at Rui Shang spread like wildfire. However, the high price and the method of selling them individually per fruit left people speechless. Rui Shang’s competitors decided to cause a little trouble, and as a result, the discussion on the internet grew fiercer.

Some said that Rui Shang was a high-end supermarket, and high prices were expected. Moreover, they were transparent about the prices, and it was up to consumers to decide.

Others argued that the supermarket was demanding exorbitant prices, bordering on insanity.

Of course, some took a moderate stance, remaining neutral. They were willing to buy if it was worth it and abstain if it wasn’t.

Amid these various opinions, the San Mu brand stood out strongly and gradually became well-known to the public.

In this situation, not only did Fu Da hope for the public opinion to settle down quickly, but San Mu’s loyal customers also felt the same way. They didn’t want San Mu to become too famous. Already, the competition for their products was fierce, and if more people joined in, they would be left with nothing but tears.

Su Mu was unaware of the turmoil outside caused by the lychees. Today, a package sent by a friend from overseas had finally arrived—a big package, filled to the brim.

Due to her special ability to maintain seed viability effectively, she had asked her friend to gather all the seeds available in the foreign market and send them to her. This way, she wouldn’t have to trouble others repeatedly.

Unboxing was always a joyous affair. Humming a tune familiar from interstellar broadcasts, Su Mu efficiently unpacked the layers of materials, revealing an array of seeds in various colors.

Some seeds were neatly wrapped in plastic, while others were casually put into small bags. It was impossible to tell the vegetable varieties at a glance; she would have to wait until they grew.

She selected a few types of seeds suitable for summer sowing and placed the rest in her specially crafted wooden box. Each grain of wood bore the imprint of her ability, effectively preserving seed vitality while preventing premature germination.

With a few acres of land remaining from her previous vegetable cultivation, she grabbed a small hoe, packed a few seed bags, and headed out. The land had compacted a bit due to last month’s rain, but Su Mu easily loosened it with a few strokes of the hoe. The compacted soil quickly broke apart, revealing moist earth underneath.

Effortlessly, she prepared a stretch of vegetable beds, meticulously sowing the seeds and then gently watering them with a sprinkling can. After releasing her ability to envelop the vegetable beds, ensuring each seed was infused with her spiritual energy, she leisurely returned home.

These seeds would likely sprout in a day or two, and their growth rate would correspondingly accelerate, shortening the growth cycle by at least half.

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