A Young Woman's Heart

"Oh, no problem, whatever's ready-made will do. How much are they respectively?"

"These are fifty, those are eighty, and those are one hundred and twenty."

"Then I'll take an eighty-yuan note." The man readily pulled out a hundred-yuan bill. "Won't any of them be torn?"

"You can bring any broken ones to exchange."

"Alright." It was clear that the man wasn't particularly wealthy, otherwise he would have driven here.

His umbrella was soaked with rain, indicating that he had walked quite a distance.

This is probably a junior manager or something similar under a boss, who comes over to give a small gift as a token of appreciation since the boss is in the hospital.

Compared to health supplements, fruit baskets are the most affordable gifts, as they are both practical and impressive.

So most people would give this as a gift.

Even wealthy people will often buy a fruit basket as a bonus gift.

Then there was another ten minutes of silence before another guest arrived.

"How much are the bananas?" This was a plainly dressed woman who seemed to be buying them simply for herself, as she was also carrying several bags of freshly bought vegetables in her other hand.

“One yuan and fifty cents a pound,” Li Wanyan replied.

"Why are bananas so expensive? I saw they were only a few cents a pound elsewhere."

“You can buy those sesame bananas below,” Li Wanyan replied. “Those are 50 cents a pound.”

"These look like they're about to rot."

"No, that's not true." Mo Xueyao looked up and chimed in, "That one just looks ugly. Actually, that kind is the sweetest. If you're buying it for yourself, that's the best. It's cheap and delicious. You can choose the ones with fewer sesame seeds."

The so-called "sesame bananas" are bananas with small black dots on their surface, which tend to turn completely black if left for a long time.

But actually, once peeled, the banana inside was a pale yellow color, and there was nothing wrong with it at all.

"What's the difference between these two bananas? One is ripe and the other isn't?" the woman asked, puzzled.

"Yes, the cheaper ones are frozen and transported from other places."

"Things transported from other places are cheaper?"

"Because of the large production volume, even with the shipping cost, it is still cheaper than local bananas. It is very difficult for us to grow bananas locally. The more expensive ones above are local bananas, or more accurately, bananas from this province. These bananas are produced in the coastal areas of Zhejiang."

Mo Xueyao introduced the details as if they were her own treasures. She hadn't paid much attention to them before, but her father had explained them to others so many times that she had naturally remembered a lot over time.

The most distinctive feature of this batch of bananas from our province is their freshness. Some people don't like overripe bananas that have been transported from a long distance; they prefer fresh ones. The key is that because the journey was short, these bananas arrived without any blemishes, making them more appealing as gifts.

The bananas came from Huang Zhengyang's farm. That boss not only operates farms in the suburbs of Hangzhou, but also farms in the province. Although most of them are jointly operated with others, he holds the majority of the shares in all of them, making him one of the larger direct suppliers of fruits and vegetables in the province.

"So, the price is higher in this province because of lower production?"

"Well, it's usually better to give those away as gifts," Mo Xueyao advised. "If you're eating them yourself, just get the sesame banana kind. They're really delicious and very sweet."

"Okay, then give me... half a skewer."

"How many exactly?" Li Wanyan asked, holding a small curved knife specifically for cutting bananas.

This small curved knife can reach into the gaps of a bunch of bananas, and with a gentle upward slicing, it can cut off a bunch of bananas, and the cut bunch will remain intact instead of falling apart one by one.

"A little less, um, that'll be enough."

Most of the time, that's how business is. Customers rarely come in droves; they come only occasionally. And that's how you accumulate money little by little.

Some customers would wonder why the fruit was so expensive, and Mo Xueyao would brush it off by saying it was a matter of cost.

But the most important thing is that doing business definitely requires making money. Unless it's a place with very good business where you can make small profits but quick turnover, it's normal for the retail price to be two or three times the cost price.

Otherwise... what's the point of doing business if you're not making money?

Time slowly passed until noon, and Li Wanyan began preparing lunch.

The crisp sound of chopping vegetables is the perfect background music at this moment.

An old cat, all yellow except for its white mouth, walked to the eaves of the fruit shop and began licking its rain-soaked fur.

Su Tang squinted at it and barked a few times, then stretched out a big yawn.

At this moment, Mo Xueyao was calculating her period time, then clutched her head in pain: "Ah... is my period coming soon?"

"Yes, it's around October 10th." Li Wanyan knew her menstrual cycle better than Mo Xueyao herself.

"Ugh, it's so annoying, it comes every month." She muttered, pinching Su Tang's little face, and looked at the cat that had come to take shelter from the rain at the door. "Wan Yan, look at that cat, its mouth is white, it looks like a whisker."

"Ah."

"Old cat with a white beard?"

"Meow—" The old cat seemed to understand that she was calling it, and it called out in a hoarse voice, slowly walking to the cardboard box where Su Tang was lying.

This is a very thin cat. In comparison, Su Tang is as fat as a ball. Of course, the food of stray cats cannot be compared with that of cats fed by humans.

"Meow—" Su Tang lazily looked at him, as if greeting him.

"Meow—" The white-bearded cat's voice sounded very serious, without any hint of coquetry.

"Meow……?"

"Awoo meow—"

"Meow meow meow?"

"Meow..." The white-bearded cat's voice trailed off.

Mo Xueyao couldn't understand the cat's communication, but she figured that the cat had entered Su Tang's territory and was stopped by Su Tang, who told it to leave immediately.

The reason it didn't get goosebumps was probably because its owner was nearby.

Moreover, the white-bearded cat didn't seem to have any intention to attack. After circling the candy a few times, it walked to the door again.

"Meow~" Su Tang turned her head and licked her fingers affectionately, perhaps showing off that she had chased away the cat that had invaded her territory?

"Tsk, silly cat." Mo Xueyao chuckled as she stroked its whiskers.

……

Chapter 94 "Sugar Diary": Possessed by a Wild Ghost?

I like rainy weather.

Because it means I can legitimately sleep in at home without having to patrol my territory.

However, my underlings... no, my subordinates, no, I should say my ministers, still transmit daily intelligence to me.

We are contacting cats to promote the use of titanium alloy cat eyes, just like mobile phones for humans, so that information can be transmitted with a single click even when people are far apart.

Unfortunately, titanium alloy cat eye lenses are currently prohibited from being exported from cat planets, and the one I installed was smuggled in!

However, the peace was broken today because a strange cat came.

Its entire body is covered in yellow fur, except for a tuft of white fur on its chin, which resembles a human beard.

It was just standing at the doorway sheltering from the rain, and I'm not the kind of cat who doesn't care about affection, so I didn't mind. But it went into the room, looked me in the eye, and said, "Are you Sugar, the person in charge of this area?"

“From now on, you should call me Your Excellency the President,” I corrected. “Did you come here specifically to see me?”

"I am a wandering Taoist, not here to find you," it said in a hoarse voice. "I was just passing by and caught a whiff of a wild ghost."

"Wild ghosts?" I stared at it in disbelief. What a joke! This is a scientific society, why are you still talking about gods and ghosts? So I couldn't help but chuckle, "I wonder if those wild ghosts are afraid of the flash of my titanium alloy cat's eyes?"

"It seems you don't quite believe what I've said. Everything I've said is true. That wild ghost has already left a mark on this human girl, and is just waiting for her to be at her weakest to seize her body."

"How can I be sure what you're saying is true? Who knows if you're not one of those con artists? I killed one last time; it even tried to swindle a poor mother and daughter out of their last two scraps of food. It's not even a cat!"

"This humble Taoist priest does not accept any payment; all I need is your cooperation."

"Oh?" I perked up my ears and looked at it curiously. "What's your background?"

"My Taoist name is White Beard. I was originally just a stray cat at the Niangniang Temple on the mountainside. Later, I was enlightened by an elderly Taoist priest and learned some Taoist magic. After spending my old age with him, I decided to go down the mountain and travel around. I didn't expect to encounter a wild ghost trying to possess my body as soon as I went down the mountain. Naturally, I couldn't ignore it."

"...That little dilapidated temple?" I grinned. "How much magic power could a cat from that place possibly have?"

"The depth of one's magical power has nothing to do with the prosperity of a temple's incense offerings." The white-bearded man sighed. "It seems you still don't believe me. In that case, I'll come again tonight, and then you'll believe everything I've said."

I raised an eyebrow and watched it walk to the eaves in front of the shop to continue sheltering from the rain. I couldn't help but turn around and glance at Little Haruka, who was completely unaware of all this... no, I mean, the Minister of Home Affairs!

Hmph, she's still my minister after all, so naturally I have to protect her well. Better safe than sorry.

I'll see if what the Taoist priest said is true or false when evening comes.

Besides, there are no wandering ghosts or spirits; that's all superstition. At most, it's just an anomaly caused by changes in the magnetic field.

As a cultured cat, I scoff at these superstitions.

Even if it does exist, it won't hide from my titanium alloy cat's eye.

This fruit shop is my presidential palace; not even a wandering ghost would dare to cause trouble here.

"Meow~" Seeing that she was still staring at me, I licked her finger, and my tongue, which was connected to the titanium alloy cat eye, was now checking her physical condition.

Hmm... my heart rate is normal, my blood pressure is normal, my blood lipids are normal... but my body is gradually becoming weaker, it seems like my period is about to start.

Whitebeard knew she would become weak recently, so it seems that even a con artist has some skills.

After confirming her condition, I turned my head away, but she insisted on putting her fingers in my mouth...

What are you doing? I don't like licking your fingers. I've already checked your physical condition, so please don't put it in anymore!

Oh well, what can I do when I spoil you so much?

I sighed and could only let Xiaoyao deliberately stick her finger into my mouth.

Anyway, she'll get bored in a little while.

The more I resisted, the more aggressive she became. What a 'vicious' woman!

I decided to spend the day sleeping to conserve my energy for the battle that might come at night.

I also arranged for several loyal guards to stay by my side, so that if that white-bearded cat tried to assassinate me, I would have a way to defend myself.

Hmph, anyway, we should prepare for the worst first. Planning is very important.

I set an alarm clock using a titanium alloy peephole so it will automatically wake me up at 8 p.m. to prevent me from oversleeping.