My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 89 Fresh Flowers

As usual, this time I brought four large baskets of vegetables, with eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, and chives piled high.

Cucumbers and green beans were not planted, partly because it was too late, and partly because the water used was diluted from the Dongtian Stream. The vines of cucumbers and green beans were not as strong as those grown directly with the stream water and needed to climb trellises.

To save time, Chen Ling planted some potatoes and chives.

The chives are grown in our own fields. With a sprinkle of water from Dongtian Creek, one crop after another grows, so there's no need to bother planting them again.

Although potatoes are a bit difficult to harvest, they weigh a lot, so planting just a little will get you enough to make a full pound.

Moreover, if he can dig up peanuts, this little bit of potatoes is nothing to Chen Ling.

After finishing with the vegetables, Chen Ling noticed that it was market day in the county town and there were many people on the streets. Since it would be inconvenient to drive the oxcart, he didn't rush to deliver peanuts to the oil mill.

After thinking for a moment, he took out another basket and filled it with fresh peanuts.

Fresh peanuts are simply fresh, wet peanuts that haven't been dried out.

Previously, Chen Ling would collect peanuts grown by external forces into his cave, and when he took them out, they would be dehydrated even more thoroughly than those that had been sun-dried.

This was actually influenced by Chen Ling's subconscious.

He subconsciously thought that wet peanuts would be difficult to sell, and if they were sent to be pressed for oil, they would have to be dried for a long time. Moreover, even if he was willing to spend the time drying them, it would be difficult to cover them up, which was too troublesome.

So he kept thinking about it, and he never expected that the Sun and Moon Grotto would work so unexpectedly.

However, this method doesn't work for everything.

For example, the turtle eggs, and the few bird eggs that the weasel gave him, he put them in and took them out, he kept thinking about it and tried a few times, but unfortunately there was still no movement, and there was no sign of them hatching.

Perhaps it's the difference between living and dead things.

In short, he still only has a vague understanding of many of the functions of the Sun and Moon Grotto, and is quite confused. He still needs to spend time slowly exploring them.

After tidying up the fresh peanuts and vegetables, Chen Ling opened the small door facing the street and added the words "Newly Arrived Fresh Peanuts from the Greenhouse" to the blackboard, which was then hung on the outside wall.

And so he set up his vegetable stall.

It's just past 10 a.m., and the market is bustling with people. Even though this is in the south of the city and not even at the tail end of the market, people still come and go.

Seeing Chen Ling set up a stall here, especially since fresh peanuts were being sold, people couldn't help but come over from time to time to ask about the price or try them to see how they tasted.

However, most of the people who came to the market were villagers from various villages. Chen Ling also sold fresh peanuts for two yuan per kilogram. As a result, many people asked about the price, but very few were willing to spend money to buy them.

After all, wet peanuts are quite heavy. They may look like just a tiny bit, but they weigh two or three pounds on the scale. Farmers who toil in the fields all day know this better than anyone.

In their view, spending four or five yuan to buy two jin of peanuts is not as worthwhile as buying a jin of pork.

People have a herd mentality, and influenced by these villagers, many residents of the county town also dared not buy them.

Several elderly women, having nothing else to do, brought their children and gathered around Chen Ling's stall to haggle, hoping he would lower the price.

"Young man, give us a discount. Dried peanuts are only 80 cents a pound at the market. I won't say anything if you sell wet peanuts for a little over a dollar, but selling them for two dollars is really a bit expensive."

"And these chives, you can get a lot of them from the garden, and they can grow for several years after planting. You'll want two yuan for these too."

"Exactly. These days, anything with the word 'greenhouse' on it is ridiculously expensive, and you can't even be sure if it tastes good."

Chen Ling immediately explained, "Aunties and ladies, you can't say that. The vegetables sold in the market are definitely different from the ones sold here. You buy vegetables often, so you can definitely tell whether they are good or bad."

"Let's not talk about the fresh peanuts yet, since they're not in season. Let's talk about the chives instead."

As he spoke, Chen Ling pulled a few leeks from the basket and handed them to them: "Most leeks don't look as good as mine. Look at these leek leaves, they're not only thick but also very tender and juicy. They're delicious whether you're making dumplings or stir-frying them. Once you've tasted them, you'll know how good they are."

As a result, these old women refused to try it, and only asked Chen Ling to lower the price of peanuts again, because they came for the peanuts.

"Can you give us a discount on the peanuts? I think your peanuts are pretty good. How about this, you sell them to us for 1.5 yuan a piece, and we'll each buy 5 jin from you. Is that okay?"

After saying that, the old woman went to Chen Ling's side to get the scale.

"That won't do. I brought these from the city. If I sell them for 1.5 yuan, I'll lose money on the shipping."

Chen Ling shook his head.

"Young man, why are you so inefficient in doing business?"

"That's right, you haven't made a single sale all day. If we each buy five pounds from you, and you only offer a discount of 50 cents, how can you not make a profit? You can't be so rigid in business."

The old women chattered amongst themselves, like chanting a sutra, trying every trick in the book to get Chen Ling to lower the price for them. But Chen Ling just shook his head: "I can't sell it, I can't sell it. I'll sell it for one dollar and fifty cents. I'll lose money no matter how many I sell."

Just then, two more men came over, one old and one young.

Upon arriving, the old man first complained a bit about Chen Ling not having made any business for more than half a month, then didn't say much else. He ordered three catties of each dish, including the chives.

Then he saw some wet peanuts on display, and without saying a word, he tasted two and then filled ten jin (5 kg) of the container.

Several old women standing nearby were stunned.

Just as they were wondering if this was a shill, Chen Ling's stall was getting more and more repeat customers.

In less than twenty minutes, almost half of the peanuts and vegetables had been cooked, and the old women panicked.

"Young man, give me ten pounds of peanuts too."

"I don't need that many peanuts, just five catties first, and the rest I'll take five catties of vegetables, a little of each. I want to try your chives and see if they're really as delicious as you say."

And so, by noon, Chen Ling's five large bamboo baskets were all empty.

Just as he was about to close the door and go have lunch, someone called him back.

"Hey bro, wait a minute, don't close the door."

Chen Ling turned his head and saw the owner of the book rental shop diagonally opposite Lingyun Middle School. He was a tall, thin man with a buzz cut, wearing a white shirt and gray pants, and a white towel around his neck, running towards him from a distance.

She waved to him as she ran this way.

"Is something the matter, brother?"

Seeing this, Chen Ling came out again.

"Are the vegetables sold out?"

Seeing that Chen Ling was about to close the door, the man with the crew cut asked.

Chen Ling nodded: "Yeah, they're sold out. You want to buy vegetables too?"

"Of course I came to buy groceries. I've been waiting for you to come. You haven't been open for almost half a month. Today is market day, so I went to set up my bookstall there. My daughter just came back for dinner in my place, and then I saw you here..."

"Brother, your vegetables are selling out so fast! Next time you come, could you save a few pounds for me? Just come to my shop and call me then."

There are three or four book rental shops around the school. The guy with the crew cut was afraid that Chen Ling wouldn't know which one he was from, so he pointed it out to him.

"Okay, I'll save a few pounds for you next time you come."

"Oh, by the way, I have some fresh, wet peanuts left over here. They're also grown in greenhouses. They're really good when boiled. Do you want some? If you do, I'll bring them out for you to see."

We only planted a small amount of vegetables, and once they're sold out, they're truly gone. But we still have a huge pile of peanuts; we can't sell them all just by selling them as fresh peanuts.

The man with the flat top was immediately interested. After Chen Ling brought out another basket of peanuts, the man with the flat top tasted them and bought five jin (2.5 kg) to take home.

After lunch, Chen Ling planned to go home after selling this basket of peanuts. After all, he would have more than two thousand yuan after selling them, so it didn't really matter whether he delivered peanuts to the oil mill or not.

To his surprise, even more customers came back in the afternoon. When they saw that all the vegetables were sold out, they asked Chen Ling when he would come back and if he could give them a definite answer. Chen Ling couldn't say for sure either.

When asked if he could have the food delivered to his door next time he came, Chen Ling said no.

This guy almost made the people who came to buy groceries curse.

However, they did sell an extra half basket of peanuts.

Around 4 p.m., when Liang Jinke, the old man, rode his bicycle to the school to change shifts with his bedding, he saw that the gate was open and immediately rode over to confront him, glaring at him.

"You little rascal, you only work sporadically, and you don't even run the shop properly. You've been gone for half a month straight. Is this how you do business?"

Chen Ling explained, "Teacher Liang, these are greenhouse vegetables. The local vegetable market only brings in greenhouse vegetables from the city twice a month. Twice a month is enough for me."

He came twice a month, and even without delivering peanuts to the oil mill, he could still earn three or four thousand yuan. It would be an exaggeration to say that the money at that time was a hundred times more than in later generations, but it was at least ten times more.

At that time, three or four thousand a month was equivalent to thirty or forty thousand a month in later times.

Chen Ling felt very satisfied. The key was that he was living a more fulfilling life than in his previous life. He could sleep until he naturally woke up every day, and he had no worries about food or clothing. He lived a leisurely and carefree life.

This is something that money can't buy.

(End of this chapter)