Chapter 138: Chapter 0138: Expensive Vegetables_1
Zhang Bin left Ma Rufei’s house and drove home, the number thirty billion still swirling in his mind in blood-red letters.
His heart still ached with sharp pangs. He truly couldn’t imagine how Liu Ruolan, such a delicate woman, could make such a massive move and dare to play such a high-stakes game.
Sigh... I have to work hard to earn money, or Liu Ruolan will play me to death for sure, Zhang Bin lamented internally.
When he got home, he discovered a strange sight.
His father was working hard digging up the land, assisted by Big Black and Second Black. Mother Zhang, on the other hand, was burning weeds, sending smoke swirling into the air.
"Mom, Dad, what are you doing?" Zhang Bin asked in astonishment.
"Planting vegetables. I’ve been sick for so long that the fields have all gone fallow," Father Zhang said. "Now that I’m mostly recovered, I can’t let the land go to waste. That would be a terrible shame."
"Don’t listen to your dad’s nonsense. He’s just got money on his mind," Mother Zhang rattled off. "You wouldn’t know, but someone came to the village yesterday to buy vegetables and was very interested in the ones from our garden. He was willing to pay ten yuan per catty. Your dad, as if he were on steroids, rounded up Big Black and Second Black to start reclaiming the land and planting more!"
"What? Ten yuan per catty?" Zhang Bin’s eyes widened.
"Heh heh heh... I couldn’t believe it either, but the man swore up and down that he’d pay ten yuan per catty for everything, no matter what kind of vegetable it was. Even sweet potatoes," Father Zhang said excitedly. "And get this, he bought all the vegetables from both of our gardens. We made several thousand yuan."
"He bought all the vegetables from both gardens?" Zhang Bin was so angry he almost spat blood.
My parents sold the vegetables I cultivated with Spiritual Water for just ten yuan per catty? I’ve lost my shirt on this deal!
He was depressed beyond words.
To make matters worse, Zhang Lele ran out holding a cucumber and said woefully, "Brother, I only have this one cucumber left! Everything else was sold. You have to use your Daoist Magic to make them grow back faster."
The villagers all believed Zhang Bin knew Daoist Magic, which was why his medicinal herbs and vegetables grew so rampantly. Zhang Lele was no exception.
With a stern face, Zhang Bin found a wooden board and wrote a line of large characters on it: ZHANG FAMILY VEGETABLES, 300 YUAN PER CATTY. Then he stuck the board into the ground at the edge of the vegetable garden.
Father Zhang, Mother Zhang, and Zhang Lele all stared, dumbfounded. Three hundred per catty? Was it made of gold?
"Son, if you set such a high price, will anyone actually buy it? People aren’t fools," Father Zhang said in shock.
"That’s right! What kind of vegetables are dozens of times more expensive than meat?" Mother Zhang chimed in.
"The vegetables we grow are worth this price," Zhang Bin stated flatly.
"But what if they don’t sell?" Father Zhang asked worriedly.
"If they don’t sell, we’ll eat them ourselves or give them away," Zhang Bin said.
He had a daily limit on the Spiritual Energy he could gather, so planting more vegetables meant cultivating fewer medicinal herbs. In that sense, it was a bit of a loss either way. He hoped the price of 300 yuan would scare people off, preventing his parents from foolishly planting too many vegetables and wasting his precious Spiritual Water.
Father Zhang instantly felt his enthusiasm wane.
However, he persisted in tilling the soil with Big Black and Second Black and planted some of the seeds he had prepared. Of course, he didn’t plant very much, just enough to fill a few small plots. He was certain no one would buy them at 300 yuan per catty; they would just end up eating everything themselves.
Because they were nourished with diluted Spiritual Water, the vegetables began to grow slowly. Moreover, they grew regardless of the season.
Just overnight, the pepper plants in the garden shot up and began producing peppers. The cucumber vines grew larger and bore fruit. The bok choy was brilliantly green and lovely, while the napa cabbage and head cabbage were extraordinarily vibrant. The chives were already a chopstick’s length tall, verdant and tender.
The villagers clicked their tongues in wonder, attributing it all to Zhang Bin’s knowledge of Daoist Magic. Of course, they also pointed at the wooden sign. "Such a high price? Has Xiao Bin gone crazy for money?"
Zhang Bin naturally didn’t have time to bother with the vegetables. He lived on Mantou Ridge and had already left for Great Green Mountain to gather Spiritual Energy before dawn.
Father Zhang, however, paced around the vegetable patch, his face filled with regret. They were such wonderful vegetables, but they couldn’t be sold because his son had set the price too high.
Big Black and Second Black were still eagerly digging and clearing the land.
Father Zhang changed his mind. He decided to plant some fruit trees, refusing to believe his son would set such an outrageous price on fruit as well.
Just then, a small truck rattled over and stopped by the patch.
Wu Jun parked the truck, hopped out, and picked a cucumber. After taking a few bites, he shouted excitedly, "Uncle, you really are amazing! You can actually make vegetables grow overnight. Hurry up and pick them. I’ll take all of them!"
He was the manager of Qingshan Hotel. He had come to Sanchahe Village the day before looking for high-quality vegetables and discovered the Zhang family’s produce was special. After carefully tasting it raw, he had found it exceptionally delicious. So he came back today to see if Father Zhang had been lying about being able to make them grow overnight.
Father Zhang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yesterday’s price was too low."
"Ten yuan per catty is too low?" Manager Wu asked, stunned.
"It is. Our vegetables are cultivated with Daoist Magic, which isn’t easy," Father Zhang said.
"Alright, name your price. But we must sign a contract," Manager Wu said.
"The price is already set. See for yourself?" Father Zhang pointed to the inconspicuous wooden sign. As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his face away, not daring to meet the manager’s eyes out of guilt.
"Three hundred yuan per catty?" Manager Wu’s brows furrowed slightly. He walked to the side and made a phone call to report the situation to his boss.
"They really grew overnight? And the flavor is exactly the same as yesterday’s? He says they’re cultivated with Daoist Magic?" a crisp female voice asked over the phone.
"Yes..." Manager Wu replied. "I estimate that if they cultivate vegetables this way, the yield won’t be small. We could make it a specialty dish at our hotel."
The vegetables he had brought back yesterday had been priced at 888 yuan per plate and were in such high demand they could barely keep up. Customers flocked to the restaurant, calling friends to come and try the miraculous greens. The hotel’s business had surged overnight.
"Buy all of it and have them start picking," the woman said decisively. "I’m on my way. I’ll sign a long-term supply contract with them."
"Yes, boss."
Manager Wu replied respectfully, a look of joy spreading across his face. He had achieved a great feat by finding these magical vegetables, which were unbelievably delicious. The hotel’s business was sure to soar, and the boss would definitely reward him handsomely.
He immediately walked back over and said exuberantly, "Uncle, I’ll take everything at three hundred yuan per catty! Let’s start picking. Our guests are waiting for these greens. Also, my boss will be here soon to sign a long-term supply contract with you."
"What? You’ll buy them at three hundred yuan per catty? And you want to buy them long-term?"
Father Zhang’s head snapped back around, and he stared at the manager as if looking at an idiot.