?Chapter 25: Twenty-five is really a bumper harvest_1 Chapter 25: Twenty-five is really a bumper harvest_1 To be honest, Gu Chen was also hungry.


    He had been busy all morning, and it was almost one o’clock and he still hadn’t eaten.


    Old Tang by his side was so craving that he was practically drooling.


    “They really know how to do business, putting out such a mouthwatering meat scent right at the entrance. Who could resist that?”


    To tell the truth, he was hungry too.


    But a meat sandwich cost five yuan, and he was reluctant to spend that much.


    Old Tang was forty this year.


    Unlike Gu Chen, he had three kids to feed, plus his elderly father and mother, and his wife as well.


    The family relied solely on his dried goods business for income.


    Their life was always hand to mouth, so he tried to save wherever he could.


    After saying this, Old Tang took out two steamed buns from a metal box under his tricycle seat, along with a small box of pickles.


    Feeling it wasn’t right to eat alone, he looked at Gu Chen.


    “If you don’t mind, why don’t you have some too? It’s just tough on the little girl. I don’t have anything nice to treat her with.”


    The truth was, Gu Chen didn’t really care, but what about Tangtang, right?


    His daughter had been following him around all day, and he didn’t want her to just have steamed buns and pickles.


    Gu Chen chuckled.


    He said carefreely, “No way, that pickle looks good. You can’t just keep that to yourself.”


    With that, he walked over to the meat sandwich stall.


    The man selling the sandwiches was middle-aged. The apron on his body was somewhat old and stained with oil, the kind that had been washed many times but couldn’t be fully cleaned.


    The stall was tidy as well.


    Seeing Gu Chen, the man smiled amiably, “Brother, is it your first time buying vegetables at this market?”


    Gu Chen also smiled, “Yeah, I just came today.”


    He then asked, “How much are the meat sandwiches selling for?”


    The boss looked at Gu Chen.


    “Five yuan each, but since we’re all locals, I’ll give you one for four yuan, with plenty of meat.”


    Gu Chen nodded, “Okay, then thank you, boss. Give me three.”


    Thinking that Old Tang had a big appetite and one might not be enough, he changed his mind, “Actually, make it four!”


    “Alright!”


    The boss didn’t hesitate, scooping up a piece of perfectly colored braised meat and started chopping.


    In no time, he packed four meat sandwiches, still steaming, and handed them to Gu Chen.


    Gu Chen took the sandwiches and paid sixteen yuan.


    Then he walked back with the meat sandwiches.


    Tangtang’s mouth watered when she saw the meat sandwiches; she loved eating meat the most!


    “Daddy, meaty! Meaty!”


    Gu Chen ruffled his little girl’s cute head before passing her the sandwich, “Go ahead and eat.”


    The child eagerly grabbed it and started munching away, taking big and small bites alike.


    Gu Chen then handed two sandwiches to Old Tang, “Big brother, why don’t you bring out your pickles for us to try?”


    Old Tang felt a bit ashamed. One sandwich was worth quite a few yuan, and Gu Chen had bought two for him.


    He really felt somewhat embarrassed.


    “No, no, no, you have yours, my steamed buns are good.”


    He started reaching for his own steamed buns.


    Gu Chen didn’t heed his refusal and simply stuffed the meat sandwiches into his hands, “Come on, big brother, I’ve already bought them. It’d be a waste not to eat them!”


    Seeing that Gu Chen was insistent and also genuinely craving one himself,


    Old Tang didn’t refuse any longer, smiling, “Alright then, I won’t say no.”


    After enjoying the meat sandwiches, they both started to tidy up their respective stalls.


    Gu Chen’s Huacai, because it was so unique, instantly attracted attention once he set it out.


    A young housewife caught sight of the Huacai at Gu Chen’s stall and was astonished.


    “What’s that? Why is it so big?” S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before Gu Chen could explain, Old Tang enthusiastically said, “What’s that? This is imported broccoli, it tastes absolutely top-notch. It’s been selling like crazy. Have you ever seen people queue to buy vegetables? If you want this stuff at Beiqiao Market, you would have to line up!”


    After all, Old Tang had eaten Gu Chen’s meat sandwich and felt like he owed him.


    So he decided to help Gu Chen with the selling.


    Hearing this, the young housewife was shocked.


    Queueing to buy vegetables?


    Joking, right?


    She looked at Old Tang with suspicion, “You’re full of it.”


    Old Tang curled his lip, “I never brag, don’t believe me? Why don’t you try some yourself? It tastes just like pears, incredibly sweet!”


    That comment startled the young wife a bit.


    It was the first time she had heard of broccoli that tasted like pears!


    “I just don’t believe it.”


    Southgate Market isn’t like Beiqiao Market. Southgate is inherently more prosperous, and with people here generally earning more, being younger, they are not as gullible as old people.


    The young wife was still very cautious.


    She looked at Gu Chen, “Can I try it?”


    Gu Chen nodded, “Of course.”


    He took out a knife, chose a piece of broccoli, cut a small chunk from the stem, and handed it to the young wife.


    Without a second word, she popped it into her mouth.


    Surprise was written all over her face immediately after.


    “My god, it really does taste like pears, sweeter than pears even!”


    Hearing her say this, the people around couldn’t help but come over out of curiosity.


    “Really sweeter than a pear?”


    A woman next to her asked curiously.


    “Yes, really!”


    After speaking, the young wife looked towards Gu Chen, “Give me one!”


    Being well-off, these people didn’t bother asking the price, didn’t bargain, and didn’t even consider what to do with such a large piece if they couldn’t finish it. Instead, they simply ordered a whole one outright.


    Gu Chen chuckled, “This one piece here weighs six or seven jin. Can your family finish it?”


    “Oh, what’s there to finish? I’ll stir-fry a portion, and eat the rest as fruit, right?”


    The nutritional value of broccoli is originally high, and on top of that, it tastes so good.


    Eating it as fruit seems even better than pears!


    “Alright then.” Gu Chen didn’t ask further. In business, a deal is a deal, they’re all adults, and how much they buy is their choice.


    Gu Chen placed the broccoli on the scale and weighed it.


    “Six jin, thirty-six yuan.”


    The young wife immediately took out fifty yuan from her pocket and handed it to Gu Chen.


    Seeing the young wife buy a whole piece without hesitation and talking about it as if it was some kind of miracle, the people around couldn’t help but become curious.


    “Give me one too, I want to try and see if it’s really that miraculous.”


    “Yeah, give me one too, I’m also curious whether this large-sized broccoli is really that tasty.”


    Everyone was chiming in, wanting to buy the Huacai from Gu Chen.


    Gu Chen smiled, “Don’t rush, there are still over twenty pieces left, everyone will get one.”


    …


    In less than half an hour, Gu Chen’s Huacai were all sold out.


    This was something he hadn’t expected; the higher price actually attracted even more buyers.


    It was truly a bountiful harvest.


    He packed up his nylon bag, ready to head home with Tangtang.


    Old Tang saw him about to leave, and quickly packed up a bag of goji berries to give to Gu Chen.


    “Brother, I don’t know if you’ve eaten the goji berries I gave you the day before yesterday, but this, this is top-grade stuff. Throw a few into chicken soup when you’re making it, it’s excellent for nourishing the body.”


    Upon hearing this, Gu Chen remembered the goji berries Old Tang gave him last time.


    He had too many things to carry that day.


    The goji berries seemed to have been left in the vegetable basket, untouched.


    Now that Old Tang mentioned it, it reminded him.


    Just the thing to buy a chicken to cook!


    Ji Pianran was injured, so eating well was important for the wounds to heal quickly.


    Gu Chen gently pushed Old Tang’s hand away.


    “Old Tang, you’re being too formal. We’re practically family, I haven’t even finished the last batch yet. When I’m done, I’ll ask you for more, no rush.”


    Old Tang felt uneasy with Gu Chen refusing his gesture.


    “It can’t be like that, you have to take this…”


    Before he could finish, Gu Chen was already packed up, holding Tangtang and heading towards the live chicken vendor.


    Today’s gain was good; in the evening, he would cook a nice chicken dinner for his wife, savor the meal, then count how much money he made today.


    Life was simply blissful!