Chapter 70: 70. Green Sichuan Pepper_1

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

Zhang Yanping could never have imagined that his universally charming appearance would fail him at the hands of the market aunties in just three rounds!

Here’s how it went down—

He was replacing Qiaoqiao, helping Song Tan sell vegetables!

In theory, this wasn’t difficult work. He efficiently bagged the vegetables and announced the price:

“Sixty.”

But the auntie’s face immediately tightened:

...

“Girl, where did you find this helper? No good! Just look at him, he doesn’t have a single bit of festivity in him.”

Zhang Yanping touched his face in disbelief.

Standing there tall, big, fair, and chubby—he was the type all middle-aged aunties loved! It didn’t make sense that he’d falter here, right?

So, when the next auntie with red hair came along, he made sure to put on a particularly endearing smile.

The red-haired auntie was buying in bulk. She claimed she had perfected a new pickling recipe, making some every day and accumulating various flavors to send to her children who lived far away—it was highly sought after.

However, when Zhang Yanping, still smiling, had stuffed the milk vetch into a bag, the red-haired auntie found fault:

“Ah, young man, your smile isn’t as pretty as Qiaoqiao’s, no need to force yourself!”

Zhang Yanping’s smile almost cracked.

But the deadliest blow came from another auntie who was even more scathing—

“This young man must be thirty, right? Trying to emulate little Qiaoqiao, really like an old cucumber painted green…”

Zhang Yanping felt a surge of anger!

He was only twenty-six!

Twenty-six!

Just eight years older than Qiaoqiao, and still in the prime of his youth. How did he become an “old cucumber painted green”?

But the auntie had already walked away, with the next one coming up the line, he could only sullenly continue as a numb cog in the machine.

When they’d almost sold out of vegetables, a man rushed over in a fluster:

“Girl, where’s my tea?”

While speaking, he looked around sneakily, like a thief.

Zhang Yanping knew this was the devoted fan who only ever bought a couple of ounces!

The customer looked surprised to see Zhang Yanping:

Zhang Yanping: …Is it really necessary?

Seeing the customer’s anxious expression, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The man whispered in response, “I’m buying this on the sly; the tea is so expensive, and I didn’t want my partner to catch me.”

He took the tea, opened the sealed bag, and fished out a small packet wrapped in white paper, furrowing his brows.

Then he lifted a corner of the paper and took a deep sniff with his head lowered—

Just that action, and his face rippled with smile after smile, radiating sheer anticipation:

“Ah, the scent! Truly exquisite!”

He hurriedly repacked the item and immediately began dashing back the way he came.

The neighboring vegetable vendor squeezed over, eyeing Song Tan curiously:

“What exactly are you selling? You’re acting all secretive about it.”

He wasn’t saying anything yet, but his actions and demeanor were like those of someone secretly peddling contraband, quite illicit.

Seeing him, Song Tan swiftly bagged the five kilos of milk vetch that the vendor had wanted the day before:

“Picked fresh this morning; they’re still crisp.”

The vendor looked around, then with a swift motion, snatched the bag of veggies and carefully hid them behind his own stall.

This clandestine transaction was no different from the tea-buying uncle’s ordeal just moments before.

It wasn’t until then that Song Tan finally answered his question:

“It’s just some tea leaves fried at home, a bit pricey, so everyone is cautious.”

The vegetable vendor couldn’t help but feel tempted again:

“Your family’s tea leaves…”

However, Song Tan was too busy to wait for him to make up his mind today, and she quickly packed up the basket: “Brother Yanping, let’s go.”

…

On this trip, they were heading to Huacheng, a two-and-a-half-hour drive away.

There was no need to enter the city; the suburbs were their destination—Xinxin Flowers Nursery.

How Zhang Yanping knew so many people, Song Tan couldn’t find all the items she needed even on TaoTao treasure, but this Xinxin Flowers Nursery really pulled it off—in one go, they produced two hundred Golden Sakura saplings!

Now in the early spring, these Golden Sakura trees had been deeply pruned last winter, and at the moment, they looked bare and far from pretty.

But a careful inspection revealed a well-developed root system and a vigorous vitality, confirming they were truly in the prime of their maturity.

Song Tan pointed out a few with obviously weaker root systems, but saw the owner scratching his head and chuckling awkwardly:

“Girl, you have quite an eye… Um, this wild type is really hard to deal with. It’s been years since anyone bought it.”

“You came wanting them all of a sudden, and I can’t muster two hundred trees right away. I scrapped a few from the pots, just a tad weaker, just a tad. I had actually planned on grafting and cultivating them with rosebushes…”

While the owner spoke, his face showed signs of reluctance to part with them:

“But you won’t lose out.”

He hurriedly searched through the pile of already pruned Golden Sakura, finding an exceptionally robust and large one:

“This one is the source plant of all these saplings, very strong. In the past, I wouldn’t have sold it for fifty bucks!”

Since the owner said this was the source plant, it meant that all of the Golden Sakura were propagated from it. Generally speaking, the source plant would be even stronger.

This deal wasn’t a loss.

Song Tan was very satisfied in her heart.

The few that she had picked out were only slightly weak at the roots, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t grow well, and this source plant was indeed an unexpected bonus.

It was thick and strong with a well-developed root system. Just this one could take care of a six- to seven-square-meter space.

Both parties were very pleased.

However, even if she personally came to pick up the goods, the owner wouldn’t budge on the price of three thousand yuan.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yanping treated the nursery as if it were his own, pulling Song Tan along to stroll around the place.

But most of what was here was ornamental flowers, many of which were specially cultivated horticultural varieties. They didn’t hold much economic value in the countryside.

Song Tan looked and looked, and finally set her sights on a small sapling just budding in the corner of the wall:

“What is this?”

The owner was taken aback, then after some thought, he remembered: “It’s Sichuan pepper.”

Sichuan pepper?

A thought struck Song Tan, “Owner, I won’t haggle with you anymore. Give me this Sichuan pepper tree.”

The owner was stunned, “But this is one I planted for my own family to eat, I haven’t taken much care of it…”

“No matter!” Song Tan declared confidently: “I think your Sichuan pepper looks quite good. We don’t grow much in Yun City.”

The owner hesitated, doing some mental calculations: Accepting her offer was fine, as long as he didn’t have to haggle. Besides, the tree wasn’t expensive. Thinking of the batch of Golden Sakura that had nearly been stuck with him, he finally agreed.

Zhang Yanping didn’t understand. What did Song Tan want with a Sichuan pepper tree? It was a spice; how much could a family eat by themselves! It was enough to just buy some, why bother planting one specifically?

But Song Tan had already turned around:

“Brother Yanping, I remember grass carp is quite suitable for making Sichuan pepper and sauerkraut fish hotpot, right?”

Sichuan pepper and sauerkraut fish… Slurp!!!

With that said, Zhang Yanping started to feel hungry too.