Jiang Guoxia agreed in his heart.
He thought these rare mushrooms would be better sold, since she was running this business herself, but since she’d already promised, he said, “If she gives them, just take them. Don’t be polite with your niece.”
Jiang Changhai grinned even wider.
Jiang Heng waved and went home.
She dumped all the mushrooms from the sack, glad she’d bought some blue baskets for fruit and vegetables recently.
They could be stacked in layers, so nothing got squashed.
As usual, she took out a soft brush, cleaned off the dirt, and sorted the mushrooms by type.
The rarest Termitomyces and Boletus went together, and the rest went into their own baskets.
Today’s haul was great—except for a few less Forest Mushrooms, everything else was about the same.
She packed the Torch Termitomyces, Boletus, and Wuzhong Mushroom into three bags, ready to give one each to her uncle and Uncle Changhai’s families, and one to Aunt.
Finally, she messaged Song Ming to ask how many lower-grade mushrooms she wanted today.
Song Ming replied boldly: 【I’ll take them all! And two more jin of mulberries】
【Jiang Heng: Struck it rich?】
【Song Ming: Hehe, I sold all fifty portions yesterday! The profit from the other sushi covered the cost, so those fifty portions were pure profit!!!】
【Song Ming: Friend, do you know what pure profit means? (side-eye smile)】
Five yuan per portion, fifty portions sold out—that’s 1,250 yuan! The mushrooms and beef made into sauce weren’t used up in one batch, and even if the profit from other sushi was only a hundred yuan, it covered the Beef-Mushroom Sauce cost.
This was her peak earning from the Sushi Stand.
When she did the math last night, her parents were so happy they said they’d come help after work, make more, and sell more!
No, she couldn’t think about it. The more she thought, the more Song Ming giggled.
【Jiang Heng: I get it, I’m always making pure profit】
【Song Ming:………………】
【Song Ming: You win (teary eyes)】
【Jiang Heng: (my bad jpg)】
After some teasing, they got down to business.
When Song Ming heard there were Torch Termitomyces, she was tempted.
But since they were well protected and undamaged, they’d have to be sold at full price: unopened buds at 260 yuan per jin, opened caps at 200 yuan per jin.
Though she’d earned a lot yesterday, Song Ming was still frugal and couldn’t think of a way to use them in sushi. So she only bought half a jin of opened Termitomyces to try.
Including everything else, she’d have to pay 560 yuan.
After handling the mushrooms, Jiang Heng went to pick mulberries.
Having skipped two days, the ripe mulberries were bigger and juicier. Jiang Heng brought two baskets and soon filled them both.
Carrying dozens of jin of mulberries, Jiang Heng returned home, feeling light-footed.
So many gains today!
Would she have to work until eight again at the stall?
As it turned out, things were much better than Jiang Heng had expected.
People who were about to run out, or already had, were impatiently waiting.
For the first time, as soon as Jiang Heng arrived, customers greeted her before her cart even stopped: “Boss is here!”
“Boss, finally! I haven’t had mushrooms for two days. Nothing else tastes as good~”
“Yeah, after getting used to your mushrooms, the supermarket ones are flavorless!”
“And the mulberries too. The supermarket’s new mulberries yesterday were so sour and astringent—not at all like yours. I’ll buy more this time.”
People who had been waiting started chatting as soon as Jiang Heng arrived.
Song Ming was busy selling sushi. She’d already reserved mushrooms from Jiang Heng at noon, so her supply was secured. She used up all her remaining mushrooms to make sixty portions.
Other sushi, including the best-selling Eel Sushi, totaled less than sixty portions.
Sushi was selling well, and she had plenty of returning customers. Even though she’d just opened, customers kept coming.
Despite being busy, Song Ming still waved Jiang Heng over—she’d saved her a spot.
Jiang Heng carefully avoided the crowd and, under eager gazes, sat down, placing her baskets and buckets: five baskets of mushrooms, two of mulberries, two buckets of fish.
Then she set out her price signs and QR code.
Once everything was ready, the customers crowded over, all talking at once: “Boss, I want a jin of Boletus, two jin of this mushroom, and this one↑……”
“Boss, I want this………………”
“Boss, can we taste the mulberries?”
“Boss, you’re selling fish too?”
“There’s even Termitomyces today—lucky! Wow, the price is steep, but give me half a jin to try……”
If not for her enhanced hearing, Jiang Heng’s mind would be a mess by now.
But this couldn’t go on, so she called out: “Yes, I’ve prepared samples of the mulberries today, and I caught some fish to sell too. I was lucky to find Termitomyces—they’d been missing until today. Everyone, please don’t rush. There’s plenty, but if you all crowd over, it gets chaotic. How about lining up? It’ll be quick.”
People these days were usually polite, and when Jiang Heng suggested it, everyone realized crowding wasn’t good and said:
“Alright, boss, no need to rush.”
“Yeah, mushrooms are delicate—be careful.”
Jiang Heng thanked them, and when the crowd turned into a neat line, she started selling officially.
“Boss, this one, this one……………” Customers ordered skillfully.
Jiang Heng packed as they ordered, weighing each item before zeroing out the scale for the next. This was her new method, saving plastic bags and letting her keep track of each mushroom’s weight and cost.
“That’s 168, but you can just pay 165.” Jiang Heng handed over the bag.
The customer paid quickly and left, happy.
The next customer stepped up.
Zhang Yan couldn’t wait: “Boss, two jin of mulberries, and a bit of this mushroom, and that one……”
Yesterday she’d bought Beef Mushroom Sushi as a snack with her boyfriend, and after tasting it, they were both amazed by the Beef-Mushroom Sauce inside.
Compared to that, the beef sauce they bought for meals was just pathetic.
Zhang Yan finally understood: “No wonder everyone ignores the ordinary mushrooms—this is just too delicious!”
Her boyfriend said, “Didn’t we still have a cheat meal left this week? How about skipping it and buying some mushrooms instead?”
Zhang Yan: “Sounds good!”
So after work, she came straight over.
Her budget was just two hundred yuan, but with so many kinds of mushrooms, she picked a few of each. The final bill: 152 yuan!
Zhang Yan was surprised: ……………Huh? So cheap?!
Two jin of mulberries were just sixty yuan, and the mushrooms, though expensive, didn’t add up to much. In the end, it was under two hundred yuan.
At that moment, a fish in the water bucket thrashed, splashing water toward her.
She saw the boss quickly grab the electronic scale and block the splash.
It all happened in a blink. Zhang Yan was stunned.
The boss’s pretty face showed an apologetic smile: “Sorry, did you get wet?”
Zhang Yan: “No, not at all.”
The boss smiled and asked: “Would you like anything else?”
Zhang Yan, distracted by the fish, decided to add one to her order: “Give me a Wild Crucian Carp.”
Dare to splash her? Eat it!
Jiang Heng: “Sure.”
She quickly reached in and pulled out a lively Wild Crucian Carp with her slender, pale hand, bagged it, and set it on the scale.
Zhang Yan had been tempted by the fish, but when she glanced at the price list, her heart skipped a beat. But the boss had already agreed, so she just stayed quiet.
Luckily, the price didn’t exceed her budget. The Wild Crucian Carp weighed just over nine liang. Jiang Heng quickly did the math: “That’s 47 yuan. With the previous 152, it’s 199 total, but you can just pay 195.”
It hurt, but at least it was within her two hundred yuan limit. She scanned the code and paid.
Zhang Yan couldn’t help but say, “Boss, you were so cool just now! Have you trained? That reaction was so fast. When you picked up the scale, I could see muscle on your arm!”
Jiang Heng smiled: “Yes.”
Zhang Yan’s eyes sparkled: “Wow!”
She left still a bit dazed—she swore it was just a joke, but the boss really had trained? No wonder she dared pick mushrooms alone in the mountains—wild mushrooms must taste better.
After serving several more customers, Jiang Heng realized that after two days without mushrooms, people were especially generous, usually spending over a hundred yuan.
Some also bought mulberries, and two even bought fish. Though they thought the price was steep, when Jiang Heng promised the quality was excellent and offered a refund if it wasn’t, they all paid happily.
It was as if they just wanted her to give them a reason.
So it was easy to break two hundred per person.
After just four customers, she’d already made over a thousand yuan.
At this rate, Jiang Heng was a little stunned by how fast she was making money.
After seeing off one customer and greeting the next, she put on her usual smile: “Would you like to buy anything?”
A middle-aged woman picked some mushrooms and, while waiting for them to be weighed, glanced at the fish in the bucket. They were still lively after all this time, so she said:
“Give me a Wild Crucian Carp as well.”
Jiang Heng: “Sure, Wild Crucian Carp are fifty yuan a jin. Do you want a big one or a small one?”
The woman was shocked, staring at the ordinary plastic bucket full of fish: “Are you kidding me?! Fifty yuan for one Wild Crucian Carp?!”
Her words startled the people in line behind her.
Everyone craned their necks to listen.
“What’s up?”
“What happened?”
“The boss is selling fish for fifty, and someone thinks it’s too expensive.”
“Hiss! That expensive?!”
“Yeah, I wanted to try one too, they look lively, probably wild, but at that price, forget it.”
“The mushrooms are expensive enough, but even the fish?”
“Well… wild fish are usually pricier, aren’t they?”
“But that’s too much. At the market, it’s just a few yuan.”
Customers behind her whispered.
The middle-aged woman, hearing this, felt emboldened, puffed out her chest, and glared at Jiang Heng.
Jiang Heng’s smile didn’t change: “Yes, not just Wild Crucian Carp—all my fish are fifty yuan a jin.”
There were several kinds of fish in the pond—White Mouth Fish, Cyprinid, Wild Crucian Carp, Grass Carp, and Bream.
Normally, each had a different market price, but Jiang Heng checked local prices and found the differences weren’t huge, so she set a flat rate.
After all, she wasn’t a professional fish seller—she just happened to catch some, and there weren’t many wild big fish left in the pond. She probably wouldn’t sell fish again.
The woman looked baffled: “All fifty? Are you for real?”
Fifty yuan a jin is already—
She pursed her lips, looking at Jiang Heng like she was a greedy vendor: “Girl, who sells fish like this? The mushrooms are expensive enough, but the fish should go by market price. Who sells all kinds at the same price? Wild Crucian Carp for twenty yuan a jin is enough. Even if you want to raise the price, not this much. Your mushrooms are good, everyone likes them, you make plenty, no need to gouge us on fish too.”
Her tone softened.
Jiang Heng didn’t argue, patiently explaining: “My fish are really high quality. You’ll see fifty yuan a jin is worth it. If you buy one and don’t like the taste, I’ll give you a refund.”
Her voice was gentle but firm, and her clear eyes looked sincere.
The woman hesitated, but holding the mushrooms in her hand, she felt the promise was reliable.
Besides… well, she’d been tempted by the lively fish in the bucket.
They were obviously wild, not farmed, with strong tails. She needed one anyway, so with a pained but tough act, she said: “Fine, get me a Wild Crucian Carp. If it’s not good, I’ll come back for a refund! You’re at this stall, you can’t run away!”
Jiang Heng chuckled: “No problem.”