The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

Fang Tiesheng's brows twitched slightly when he heard the words "Shan Hai Dou".

This dish has an elegant name that's only found in upscale restaurants; most ordinary people in the countryside have never even heard of it. The "mountain" part refers to wild vegetables and mushrooms gathered from the mountains. The "sea" part doesn't refer to actual ocean seafood, but rather to fresh fish and shrimp caught from rivers, ponds, and streams.

Wild game from the mountains and fresh seafood from the water are placed together in one vessel, hence the name "Mountain and Sea Dish".

Note: [Shan Hai Dou, from "Shan Jia Qing Gong," is a famous dish from the Song Dynasty.]

This dish sounds elegant, but in reality, all the ingredients are things that can be found everywhere in the mountains and rivers; it's not exactly a rare delicacy. The restaurant simply makes it exquisite, dividing it into small portions wrapped in rice paper for easy sharing. This method is perfect for giving away to neighbors—each portion is presentable and seasonal.

"Mountain and sea beans, what are those? Are they beans made by chopping up small fish and shrimp?"

Ya Ya looked puzzled.

"It's not beans, it's a bag, a bag for carrying things," Ji Chuntao explained with a smile.

兜？

Ya Ya said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions. Anyway, she would see the dish tomorrow, and it sounded very interesting.

……

Hongye Clothing Overstock City.

The wholesale stall owner leaned against the counter, staring at the young man's retreating figure, his mind filled with questions.

Just now, this young man bought up all the cheap goods that had been piling up in the store for almost a year and couldn't be sold at all. When he left, he was so happy, like he had won millions in the lottery.

The thoughts of young people these days are truly unfathomable.

The older folks thought his batch of goods was too flashy and impractical, the young people thought it was tacky, and even the kids thought it was ugly. He was planning to throw it away in the warehouse, but then this young man passed by, saw him about to throw it away, his eyes lit up, and he pounced on it.

The look in his eyes was like someone who hadn't eaten for three days seeing a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

He was too lazy to charge any money, so he gave the young man the fifty yuan he had packed up, treating it as if he had found someone to take out the trash.

Hopefully, this young man won't come back if he can't sell the goods. He has repeatedly emphasized that once the goods are sold, they cannot be returned or exchanged.

We are all living life to the fullest.

Zhao Jiale hummed a little tune and happily continued strolling around the clearance market, dragging his four-wheeled grocery shopping cart.

It was right around the time of the change of seasons, and the clearance market was mostly filled with last season's stock; there weren't many good seasonal items. He hadn't expected to find anything good on his first visit, but he never imagined he'd stumble upon such a great bargain.

He couldn't guarantee whether other people would like this product, but his major client, who owned yellow cotton-padded jackets, would definitely like this batch.

If this deal goes through, then the entire month's worth of meals from Pinhao will be taken care of.

He continued to stroll in with great interest, visiting several more stalls that sold goods by weight. Many stall owners were browsing and selecting goods, and the place was quite popular.

Zhao Jiale peeked inside, towing his cart, and lo and behold, the familiar mountain of sweaters, along with a pungent, strange smell.

You can't make money off of such dishonest means. The fabric smells so strong; who knows what's mixed in with it?

Give up decisively.

As he wandered deeper into the market, he suddenly spotted a pile of training clothes.

Hey, this one looks pretty good.

Upon asking, the shopkeeper said that this batch of uniforms was ordered by an elderly Tai Chi group. The group's name was still on the back, but the font was a bit messy. Since the group had disbanded, no one had claimed the uniforms, and they had just been sitting there.

Zhao Jiale casually flipped through a few pieces, feeling the fabric; it felt quite substantial. What deserves praise is the placket—not the traditional centipede-shaped buttons, but a diagonal lacing.

The cuffs aren't wide and bulky; they've been specially designed with a tie-up sleeve, making them look very neat and tidy.

How much?

"This garment is made entirely of linen, and the design has many details. The cost of ordering it from the factory was not low. I visited several factories and bought tires from them..." the boss said slowly.

"Stop, stop, stop! I'm not listening to the past or the costs. If they back out, they'll definitely have to pay a loss. If you don't sell these, I'll just be stuck with them. Let's negotiate a reasonable price. If it's right, I'll take them all. If not, we won't waste each other's time, right?" Zhao Jiale quickly interrupted his boss as soon as he heard him about to tell a story.

That's how business works. If the seller doesn't talk about the product itself, but instead starts telling you stories and reminiscing about the past...

That will most likely mean they'll charge you extra for higher elevations.

He's just an AFK player on Earth Online; he doesn't need to pay for someone else's sentimental story.

The shopkeeper chuckled awkwardly, "One hundred and fifty-one sets, top and pants together."

Upon hearing the price, Zhao Jiale was both amused and annoyed: "Fine, boss, goodbye then."

After saying that, he grabbed his grocery shopping cart and walked out without looking back.

"Hey, young man, wait a minute! Don't go yet!" the boss quickly called out, trying to persuade him to stay. "When it comes to buying goods, I set the price, and you negotiate. It's a two-way street, so we can all discuss it!"

Zhao Jiale paused in his steps: "What you call discussing things? I think you're weighing and measuring me, preparing to slaughter me like a pig."

"Hey young man, I'm not that kind of person. Let me give you a real price, one hundred yuan a set, all for you. Look at this all-linen fabric, breathable and sweat-absorbent. The cut is perfect, and all sizes are available, big and small, easy to sell. And the color, the mangosteen red is such a perfect color, and the dark blue doesn't get dirty easily."

Look, we also have smaller children's sizes here. You could even take them to the plaza and sell them as parent-child sets. It would be perfect for seniors to practice Tai Chi with their kids!

The boss hesitated for a moment: "Then tell me, what price range are you willing to offer?"

"Fifty."

"Good heavens, this is ruthless, even robbery wouldn't be this brutal!" The boss clutched his chest.

The two went back and forth, pulling and tugging at each other, and after ten minutes they settled on a price of sixty-eight yuan per set.

This price is already the limit of Zhao Jiale's budget; any more expensive and he won't even be able to afford breakfast tomorrow.

……

Zhou Zihan's mother was abruptly awakened by a strange noise coming from the living room.

She groggily opened her eyes; it was still dark outside.

She reached for her phone on the pillow, and the screen suddenly lit up. The blinding white light made her squint, and when she looked at the time, it was 5:15 a.m.

Zhou Zihan's mother put her phone aside again, tilted her head, and covered her head with a pillow in an attempt to block out the outside noise.

But in the living room, Zhou Zihan's voice reciting multiplication tables seemed to be playing on repeat, seeping in through the crack in the door.

"One times one equals one, one times two equals two... three times four equals twelve, three times four equals twelve, three times four..."

The stream keeps getting stuck on this sentence, like the last sentence of a streamer pausing in a live broadcast room when the network signal is interrupted, looping endlessly.

She couldn't take it anymore, so she ripped off the pillow and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Zhou! Zi! Han!"