Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 20

People tend to follow the crowd.

When a group of seasoned market-goers gathered around a small stall, competing to buy, more and more people joined in.

Song Tan felt her QR code scanner constantly pinging, and her hands were busy packing vegetables.

One person wanted wild onions, another wanted shepherd’s purse, and yet another wanted chrysanthemum greens…

Thankfully, she was a cultivator with quick reflexes; otherwise, she would’ve been overwhelmed by the rush of her first sale.

Qiao Qiao happily pulled and shook open plastic bags, handing them to his sister, thoroughly enjoying himself.

He didn’t understand business, but he found opening bags really fun!

“Qiao Qiao, shout that the shepherd’s purse is sold out.”

“Okay.”

He obediently put down the bag, stood up straight, and cupped his hands around his mouth, “Shepherd’s purse—sold out!”

Upon hearing this, those who hadn’t bought any became even more anxious. “How is it sold out? I was waiting to make dumplings!”

Some tried to get ahead—if there were no fish, shrimp would do!

Hearing this from a distance—what? There were shepherd’s purse for sale? Where was it being sold? It’s already sold out?

Wow, it must be good! I need to check it out, recognize the stall, and come early tomorrow!

As the sun rose, more people gathered around the stall, and Qiao Qiao complained,

“Sis, we’re out of bags.”

The customers didn’t mind.

“No problem! I have a bag. Quickly, give me that bundle—I already scanned the code!”

“I have cash—here, two bundles, forty yuan.”

Qiao Qiao happily took the money and said loudly, “I got it!”

This earnest little boy was endearing, and the aunties were even gentler with him.

Then Qiao Qiao shouted again, “Wild onions—sold out!”

Next was chrysanthemum greens.

And purslane…

Finally, when only three bundles of watercress were left, the stall quieted down.

Song Tan sighed in relief and looked at Qiao Qiao, who was staring eagerly at a child blowing bubbles.

She smiled, “Good Qiao Qiao, you were a big help today! Let me see how much we made.”

Qiao Qiao quickly emptied his pockets, revealing a mix of cash that added up to over 800 yuan. Many market-goers still preferred cash.

“Not bad, not bad!”

Song Tan generously gave him twenty yuan, “Here, you can’t go far, but you can buy anything you like around here.” With spiritual energy watching over him, she felt at ease.

Otherwise, a child like him wandering outside would be very dangerous.

Qiao Qiao’s heart pounded with excitement as he held a large amount of money.

He often helped run errands for the family, but getting so much money for snacks was a first!

He wasn’t good with math and had little social interaction, but Song Tan brought him out to train him. With just twenty yuan, he could buy whatever he wanted. In the village, there were few snacks and even fewer toys.

“Just make sure you don’t run out of money and don’t go too far.”

This riverside spot had a morning market and an evening market, so there were always vendors selling things for children.

Qiao Qiao’s eyes darted between colorful pinwheels, bubble machines, and children eating spicy strips…

He couldn’t move his feet.

…

Meanwhile, Song Tan checked her mobile payments—76 bundles sold, with three bundles of watercress left.

Cash 860, mobile payments 600.

It seemed she hadn’t been shortchanged today—satisfactory!

Then she looked at the QR code group—unfortunately, while the aunties were adept at choosing vegetables, they were less familiar and more resistant to joining the group. Now, there were only 15 members.

But it was a good start!

Song Tan adjusted the group settings and posted an announcement:

“Thank you all for supporting this morning’s wild vegetables. If you’re not satisfied, we’ll refund you! Every time we sell vegetables, we will notify the group in advance, so don’t miss out…”

Before she could send it, she heard a voice filled with disbelief, “Song Tan?”

Song Tan looked up to see a young woman holding a man’s arm, staring at her in surprise.

It took Song Tan a moment to recall, “Wu Qianqian?”

Her high school classmate.

“That’s right!” Wu Qianqian glanced at her attire—an old down jacket, sneakers, and long hair tied back with a simple black elastic, her face bare of makeup.

Though her skin was flawless and her features increasingly beautiful…

But what did that matter?

Look, there was an almost empty basket in front of her, with only a few vegetable leaves, some soil, and three bundles of some kind of green vegetable.

Obviously, the leftovers from selling vegetables!

Wu Qianqian’s eyes filled with disbelief and pity, “I heard you were working in Ning City? Why are you selling vegetables at the market now?”

Song Tan used to be pretty and gentle, with many boys in class being kind to her.

Wu Qianqian had a fiery temper, arguing with everyone, and looked down on Song Tan’s demeanor.

Later, she went to a technical college, where she met her current boyfriend, the man beside her.

Now, he was visiting her family, and Wu Qianqian wanted to show off, so she brought him to the market.

Unexpectedly, she had a “pleasant surprise” of running into an old classmate.

Song Tan smiled slightly, “Yes, the pressure in the provincial capital was too much, so I came home to stay with my parents. Want to buy some wild vegetables? This watercress is freshly picked and tastes great in a salad.”

She spoke so straightforwardly that Wu Qianqian was taken aback. Her boyfriend, however, looked seriously at the vegetables in the basket. “Is this wild vegetable? How do you eat it? Is it good?”

Before Song Tan could answer, Qiao Qiao returned with a colorful pinwheel. Seeing someone interested in buying vegetables, he got excited, “It’s delicious! Super delicious! Qiao Qiao can eat three big bowls!”

To him, everything was as good as shepherd’s purse dumplings.

His pure gaze and childlike smile made Wu Qianqian’s face show even more pity, “Oh right, you mentioned in school that you had a younger brother with some mental… uh—”

Before she could finish, her boyfriend coughed, and Wu Qianqian quickly stopped, smiling awkwardly.

Then she cautiously pinched the grass rope around the watercress and lifted it up to examine:

“It’s not easy for you. I’ve heard rural areas often favor boys over girls… I mean, I’ll buy these vegetables.”

Song Tan didn’t mind.

People with a condescending, pitying attitude were everywhere. They might just be looking for a sense of superiority, not necessarily meaning harm.

After cultivating for over a hundred years, she was indifferent to such things.

So she treated Wu Qianqian’s boyfriend as a customer:

“There’s no need to buy all three bundles. Since it’s a wild vegetable, it might be difficult to cook for those who haven’t tried it before.”

“If you want to try something new, one bundle is enough. At home, fry some pepper oil, mix it with chili, soy sauce, salt, vinegar, then blanch and toss it…”

Wu Qianqian’s boyfriend listened intently, even feeling a bit hungry:

“Alright, we’ll take one bundle to try—how much?”