Chapter 59 - 58: Chili Seeds

Chapter 59: Chapter 58: Chili Seeds

Huai Yu smiled.

She had a pretty good idea of what the two Defense Army soldiers sitting across from her were thinking. It was probably because she was dressed so plainly, and on top of that, she was carrying a basket to take risks over at the Rose Corridor. It made them mistakenly think she was strapped for cash—

Well, she really was strapped for cash. She only had twenty-something points left.

But kind-hearted people had already helped her too much. From the well-meaning reminders when she first collected relief food, to the sleeping bag sent over by Captain Zhou, whom she had only met once. Not to mention all the subsequent help, and even Boss Tang’s goodwill towards her.

Huai Yu believed that a person’s luck was finite. The kinder others were to her, the more she needed to cherish their goodwill. Now that she had already broken free from basic survival needs and everything she obtained was a gift from nature, there was no longer any need to use this to earn the sympathy of ordinary people.

The two Defense Army soldiers held out their wristbands. Each swiped one point to Huai Yu, and in return, the young girl handed them a massive handful of Mao Ya’er. The three of them huddled together and, for some reason, laughed happily.

By the time the peeled grass skins from the Mao Ya’er had formed a small handful in her grip, they arrived at the Golden Yuan District. A crowd of people surged onto the bus at the stop. Huai Yu smiled and waved goodbye to the two soldiers, grabbed her basket, and stepped off at this station for the first time.

The stop was located right next to the ruins of an elementary school. Various weeds grew in clusters among the broken walls and ruins, but she didn’t see anything edible. They had probably all been dug up by the district’s residents.

From the aunties’ chatter on the bus, she had learned that this place was originally destroyed by a massive mutated pumpkin vine from the Student Vegetable Garden that had burst through the structures. However, even though that mutated pumpkin was feral and tasted awful, it had managed to keep hundreds of people alive when they were completely out of food and supplies.

Walking a few steps past the elementary school and crossing the road, one could see the originally grand entrance and roads of the Golden Yuan District. With her basket on her back, Huai Yu walked into the district. She noticed others around her carrying baskets or shouldering bags, also coming in from the outside. She couldn’t help but observe them curiously.

They gathered in twos and threes, chatting. It seemed they were from other small communities nearby. Those areas had fewer people, so whenever anyone had surplus goods, they would bring them all to the Golden Yuan District to trade. Now, after more than a month of development, this place had practically turned into a small bustling market.

She walked into the once-grand fountain square, only to see it surrounded by two circular streets, one inner and one outer. Pieces of burlap sacks were spread closely together on the ground, and the sound of bargaining rose and fell, making the place exceptionally lively.

It seemed Huai Yu had arrived a bit late. She walked around the fountain square twice with her basket on her back but couldn’t find a single spot to set up a stall. Instead, she spotted someone selling second-hand farming tools. When she asked for the price, she was told that a rather old, weathered hoe cost twelve points.

Who knew how long this hoe had been used? It looked more like something casually grabbed from a village courtyard. A wedge had been fiercely hammered into the hole where the smooth wooden handle met the metal head, securing the hoe tightly. It was vastly different from the one-piece molded manganese steel hoes available on the market today.

Huai Yu gave it a test swing and found the weight to be quite suitable. Thinking of her land-clearing plan, she gritted her teeth and bought it, even though it cost half of her remaining savings. Taking advantage of having just bought the hoe, she sat down next to the farming tools stall, hugging her bamboo basket.

The owner of the stall beside her gave her a glance but didn’t shoo her away. However, an old lady on the other side spoke up.

"Girl, there are a few of these Mao Ya’er around our district too. They don’t fill you up, and there’s not much to eat on them. I reckon you won’t be able to sell them for a good price."

Huai Yu smiled and nodded. "I know. I’m just trying my luck."

On the old lady’s stall laid about twenty fresh shepherd’s purse plants, freshly dug from the soil. The old lady nodded and asked, "How much are they?"

Huai Yu originally wanted to say five points a catty, but she changed her mind right as she was about to speak. "One point per handful."

As she spoke, she grabbed a handful of Mao Ya’er from her basket, straightened them out, and tied them with a rubber band to use as a display.

Just then, the hoe stall owner’s grandson returned. Seeing the neat, bright green Mao Ya’er, he couldn’t help but squat down and look at them curiously. Looking at his age—no more than six or seven—he had probably never eaten this kind of thing before. Huai Yu smiled, casually pulled one out, and handed it over.

"Give it a taste."

Not everyone in the Golden Yuan District used Mutant Value detectors. Many transactions here relied on tasting to estimate the quality. People had been eating all sorts of messy plants for six years. They couldn’t guarantee exactly how good the good stuff was, but everyone had a mental scale for how much the slightly inferior goods should cost.

The child carefully reached out and took the piece of Mao Ya’er. Clumsily mimicking Huai Yu’s actions, he peeled back the green outer skin, revealing the tender, soft, and white strip inside—

"Wow!"

His eyes widened. He turned his head and ran into the crowd to call another little girl. "Sister, come eat!"

Before long, a circle of children had surprisingly surrounded the small stall. They all looked at the pile of Mao Ya’er with curiosity and longing, looking as if they hadn’t seen much of them before.

Huai Yu smiled and sighed, then grabbed a handful and handed them out one by one. "Here, one for each of you."

The stall owner, however, glared at her from the side. "How are you so good at doing business?" He paused and added, "Forget it, give me a point’s worth. It’s been so many years since I last had this—no, wait, let me taste one first. If it’s too awful, I don’t want it."

Smiling, Huai Yu handed a piece of Mao Ya’er over. She didn’t point out that the kids had already eaten them, and if they tasted bad, they definitely wouldn’t have stuck around.

Not long after, another child tugged on his mother’s hem and walked over, staring at the bright green Mao Ya’er with pure joy. Huai Yu was stunned. She hadn’t expected that these supposedly unsellable things would actually be completely sold out in such a short amount of time.

Although she had only earned a dozen or so points in total, the feeling of setting up a stall here was somewhat different from selling things to Boss Tang. For some reason, she also felt incredibly happy.

***

The trading market in the Golden Yuan District was quite interesting. Many items were half-new, half-old. There was even a dedicated scrap Amazom zone, bustling with residents from all around. Compared to trading with points, people were more accustomed to bartering.

There was even someone selling vegetable seedlings. According to the owner, they were grown in a small, homemade insulation greenhouse and were selling like hotcakes. The chili seedlings, priced at ten points each, were snatched up in no time.

What a pity.

Huai Yu stood there watching for a long time. She patted the dozen or so points she had just earned in her pocket, plus her original remaining dozen points, and could only give up in dismay.

After thinking for a moment, she turned back. "Do you sell seeds?"

"Yes, I do!"

The vendor seemed accustomed to this question and pulled a small packet of chili seeds from his pocket. "One point per seed. Buy ten, get one free. But whether they sprout or what they grow into, I’m not responsible for that!"