It was a little after 5:40 when Shouzhan showed up at the stall.
The departure time had changed a bit, but she still went to Dawei and got a little soft, then specifically found a shop to buy disposable gloves, which delayed her by another ten minutes or so.
Song Luo was already there.
As soon as she saw Jiang Mei, she greeted her warmly, “You’re here! I made thirty servings of beef and mushroom sushi today! Yesterday it sold really well, and there were even people who wanted to buy more later, but I’d already run out, so today I got a bit bolder, haha!”
Yao Zhu laughed as well. “You’ll definitely sell out. When the time comes, open one up, and it’s best if you eat while selling—let the aroma spread.”
“That makes sense!” Song Gong nodded seriously, then asked Jiang Mei if she wanted to eat, but Jiang Mei had already eaten dinner before coming, so she declined.
Then the two exchanged goods.
Song Gong brought two jars of Ting Beef Sauce. This time she adjusted the flavors: one jar was not spicy, the other was spicy.
In exchange, she received today’s batch of mushrooms that weren’t visually appealing, with two porcini mushrooms inside.
Today was a lucky day—maybe thanks to the Spiritual Rain’s effect, there were more porcini than before. She’d picked a full five jin, and none were damaged, so she added these to the batch for sale, giving away two big, heavy ones, about half a jin in total.
There were also two mulberries that had been pre-chilled in the fridge.
“These mulberries, I’ve washed them—they’re really clean, so don’t worry about little bugs. You can eat them directly.” Jiang Mei made a point to mention, and before handing them over, she even used some Spiritual Power to help chill them a bit more.
Indeed, these things tasted great, but they really did attract bugs. Many people were put off by that and didn’t dare eat them.
Song Gong’s eyes lit up. “Wow, you’re amazing!”
Everything was taken care of, so she could eat right away!
Xi Dian smiled. “You’re really awesome too. Thank you for your Zai Wei—it’s so perfect with rice.”
Both sides were happy.
Back at her stall, Song Luo couldn’t wait to pop a mulberry in her mouth.
It had been out of the fridge for half an hour, but it was still cool. The taste was sweet with a hint of tartness.
She couldn’t resist eating several more. Compared to the ones she’d bought at the supermarket before, these were so much tastier.
That unique texture made her feel especially comfortable.
This girl really was something—not only could she pick such delicious wild mushrooms, but even her mulberries were this good.
Although it wasn’t that hot in early May, the past few days had been all bright sun.
She’d been running around, working up a sweat, and as she ate, she felt the heat in her body fade away. Song Huan also ate several more.
Even after eating a lot, she didn’t feel sick of them, nor did her mouth feel dry. The texture was as delightful as ever.
For a moment, she was so satisfied that she just wanted to sit down somewhere and slowly enjoy more.
Just then, a customer came over, so Song Luo had to reluctantly set the mulberries aside and put on a bright smile. “Hi! What flavor sushi would you like? Our main recommendation today is this beef and mushroom sushi…”
The customer stared at her purple-stained teeth and lips, hesitating. “Boss, what flavor is the one you’re eating?”
She’d originally planned to just buy some fish sushi for dinner, but after seeing the boss like this, she got curious.
More customers quickly arrived as well.
After the past few days, she barely had any time to play games on her phone while in the stall. Basically, every minute or two, she had to stop and serve a customer.
Luckily, the game she played was a farming game, so there was no combat and she could pause anytime.
“Boss, are you selling mulberries too?” A customer who’d just bought mushrooms eyed the plump, juicy mulberries nearby with interest. But when she thought about the price—thirty yuan per jin—she hesitated and just made a casual comment.
Gui Xi smoothly handed over a sample mulberry and a pair of disposable gloves. “That’s right, I just picked some. You can try them. I washed these at Home, they’re really clean. Go ahead and try one.”
The customer had already noticed the mulberries in the disposable lunch box, obviously for sampling, but she was too shy to try since she didn’t plan to buy. Now that the boss offered, she popped one into her mouth the moment she got it.
The taste was just as good as it looked.
It was just right—sweet, but not cloying, with a hint of tartness that enhanced the overall flavor. The tiny seeds added a fun texture, and the juice was refreshing.
She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Boss, why is everything from your Home so delicious? All your Zai Wei are tasty, and now even these mulberries are amazing!”
The customer was convinced. The boss looked so pretty, like Xiao Hongmao, and that made her even more persuasive—but mainly, it was just that everything tasted so good.
Resigned, she said, “Weigh me a jin.”
Song Luo packed the mulberries, weighed them, and handed them over. “With everything together, that’s 194 yuan. Since you’re a regular, I’ll round it to 190.”
The customer felt like she’d gotten a deal!
Happy, she left with her purchases.
Song Luo watched her go, then turned back to her game.
When it was time to wait for a harvest, she put down her phone and opened a pack of nuts—Xiaweiyi Nuts. Even with the shell already cracked, she remembered how she used to struggle opening them all sorts of ways.
Of course, she didn’t need to anymore.
She gripped a Xiaweiyi Nut and applied pressure with both hands.
With a faint “pop,” the shell split, and after another squeeze, the whole kernel landed in her palm, perfectly intact.
She silently gave herself a thumbs-up.
She was getting better and better at this!
The natural kernel was rich with a nutty aroma, and besides that, there was a hint of creamy flavor that made it even more delicious.
Just then, another customer came over, pointing at the mulberries set aside. “Boss, I’d like some of those.”
Song Luo set down her snack and went over. “Sure.”
She handed over some napkins and disposable gloves. “Here’s a clean sample. Feel free to try.”
“Can you use the gloves to pick some for me? About half a jin is fine.” The customer was a bit busy and didn’t want to get her hands all sticky with juice, and these disposable gloves really weren’t sturdy.
Still, the sample was fine—she carefully picked up a mulberry and popped it in her mouth.
How could just-picked mulberries taste this good?!
Coincidentally, just yesterday she’d seen a blogger eating mulberries in a video, and she’d commented to her friends that she wanted some. But after work today, she’d checked the supermarket and found none, so she’d given up—only to stumble across them here.
So she decided to buy some.
Song Luo nodded, put on gloves, and carefully picked out half a jin for her. “Here you go.”
Zhang Yan couldn’t help but take another one, popping it in her mouth. “Actually, just pack me a jin.”
Song Luo’s eyes curved in a smile. “Sure, the ones from my Home are really tasty.”
Zhang Yan had already been tempted by the fruity aroma, but when she thought about her situation and looked at the price, she hesitated. In the end, she shook her head. “No need.”
Song Luo didn’t push her, carefully packed up a jin. “That’s thirty yuan.”
She’d gotten good at this over the past few days—her sense of weight was accurate, so a jin was almost exactly a jin, only a tiny bit over, which she’d just round off.
Zhang Yan was satisfied, paid, and hurried home with her bag.
When Zhang Yan got Home, her boyfriend was making dinner.
Unlike her own nine-to-six job, her boyfriend worked in media, always chasing trending topics.
At first, it brought in some money, but in the past couple of years, it had gotten harder and harder. Without a unique edge over other marketing accounts, his income kept dropping.
But getting him to switch to a regular job was tough—he was used to freelancing, and couldn’t adapt to a set schedule.
So he took care of the Cheng Jiawu at Home.
Her boyfriend was holding a spatula when he saw the little paper bag she brought back. It was pretty flat, so he was surprised. “You got some? Didn’t you say the supermarket didn’t have any?”
Zhang Yan laughed. “I just happened to run into a small vendor. It was a bit pricey—thirty yuan a jin. I’d planned to buy less, but there were samples and it was so good. I figured you’d like it too, so I got some. I’ll go wash them.”
She set down her bag and went to the kitchen to wash the mulberries. It was a bit tricky—they needed to be soaked in hot salted water first, then rinsed repeatedly.
As she washed, one of the mulberries burst, staining the water purple.
The smell was mouthwatering. The more she looked, the more satisfied she felt. But when she glanced at her boyfriend, who was silently cooking, she suddenly noticed, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Her boyfriend looked at her tiredly, then at the bag. “It’s nothing.”
Zhang Yan frowned. “What do you mean? Are you mad I spent too much again?”
Guo Qingyou had been silent, but as he poured the cooked food into a plate and Zhang Yan kept asking, he finally couldn’t hold back. “Shouldn’t we be saving up for a house? It’s been hard enough to save this much, and now with my income dropping and yours just average, our expenses are still high. If we have to dip into savings, when will we ever buy a house?”
“And these are just the first of the season. If you really want them, you could wait a few days for the price to drop, or just buy less.”
Zhang Yan felt a bit guilty. Her boyfriend’s income had dropped, and though she was trying to be frugal, sometimes she still splurged on expensive things. This time, she’d really meant to buy less, but they were just too delicious—and the difference was only fifteen yuan…
Thinking about it, she suddenly grabbed a mulberry, stuffed it into her boyfriend’s mouth before he could object.
He was caught off guard, his mouth opening and closing, then biting down. The sweet juice filled his mouth, and he couldn’t help but swallow. After he finished, he licked his lips, savoring the taste.
He was left wanting more, glancing at the bowl and quickly washing his hands clean.
Zhang Yan felt relieved and teased, “Well? Isn’t it delicious?”
Her boyfriend silently ate another one, not saying a word.
But the way his mood visibly calmed couldn’t be hidden.
The sweet fruit filled their mouths with juice, soothing their spirits and easing the tension that had built up.
Zhang Yan ate one too, with water droplets still clinging to it. She tasted it at the table and was so delighted she shivered a little, then couldn’t help but eat two more, then more.
Suddenly, there was a light cough beside her. “Ahem!”
She looked over in confusion. “What’s up?”
Zhang Yan burst out laughing, seeing him eyeing the bowl. She quickly handed it over, saying gently, “Alright, here you go. I’ll try to restrain myself in the future, but these really are so good, aren’t they?”
Her boyfriend blushed, holding the little basket of mulberries, and said softly, “They really are delicious—not dry at all. Thirty yuan is worth it. And… don’t worry about it so much. We don’t have to cut back on everything. Just try not to dip into savings, and I’ll do my best.”
In the past few months, his declining income had made him more irritable, even less patient with Zhang Yan.
He ate two more mulberries and said, “If you can keep it under control and just buy one or two jin every now and then, it’s really not a big deal. We still have to enjoy life, otherwise we’re just surviving, not living.”