Chapter 108: You Are Unworthy ⑥
In the alley behind the residential area, only the three of them remained. Nie Qiu squatted on the ground, picking the vegetables scattered on the ground into the vegetable basket. Yang Zihao squatted down and helped Nie Qiu pick the vegetables into the vegetable basket. Yang Chun was helpless and squatted down. Since Yang Zihao was helping, he couldn’t just stand there, could he?
After picking all the scattered vegetables into the vegetable basket, Nie Qiu lifted the vegetable basket with a shoulder pole. She forced a smile and said to Yang Zihao, “Thank you both just now.”
“You’re only about fourteen or fifteen years old, why are you here selling vegetables?” Yang Zihao took the tissue handed by Yang Chun and wiped his hands, which were dirty from picking vegetables. He had heard that many children from the countryside couldn’t even complete their nine years of compulsory education due to family reasons. “Are you not studying anymore?”
Yang Zihao’s question made Nie Qiu look up at him. This person… wasn’t like the Yang Zihao she knew. Yang Zihao would never be so enthusiastic. After a short while, his deep gaze forced her to lower her head and mumble, “I am studying. Today is Sunday. I… I… my family is working at home, so I wanted to help out…” She tried her best to appear like a naive country girl who had never seen the world.
Yang Chun smiled and patted Nie Qiu’s shoulder. “Don’t be afraid, we’re not bad people. Aren’t you going to sell vegetables to the supermarket? Come, follow me!” Saying that, he led the way and walked towards the warehouse at the back door of the market.
Nie Qiu nodded and smiled gratefully at Yang Zihao, then followed Yang Chun towards the back door.
Yang Zihao threw away the tissue in his hand and turned to walk towards the residential area. The two of them walked away from each other, their backs to each other. A small alley, two worlds.
Nie Qiu carried the vegetable basket and looked back at Yang Zihao, but only saw Yang Zihao’s back view. That’s right, they were people from two different worlds now. Yang Zihao didn’t know her, and she didn’t know Yang Zihao.
She didn’t hate Yang Zihao. To be honest, even now, she didn’t know if Yang Zihao brought her more happiness or sadness. But what was certain was that if she hadn’t died and been reborn, what kind of life would await her? The future stretched infinitely, and the days she hadn’t experienced were so empty and boring that they felt too long. If she hadn’t died and lived again, and had left Yang Zihao, she might have been lonely her whole life. Because of her parents, she didn’t think marriage could bind a person. On the contrary, she felt that even without marriage, as long as they loved each other, they could be together. But in the end… Yang Zihao chose to compromise with the world, marrying for the sake of continuing the family line and for his parents.
In this love, there was no right or wrong, only the worlds of two people gradually drifting apart.
Compared to the unknown future if she hadn’t died and lived again, she preferred her current life. Busy with life, full of hope for the future, with her mom and friends.
She turned her head with a smile. Some people don’t belong to you, but meeting them is still precious. Because they are treasures in life, mixed with all sorts of joys and sorrows. Perhaps when she is old and looks back at her past life, all the past happiness and pain will have vanished, leaving only memories.
Nie Qiu smiled at the warehouse staff brought by Yang Chun. After Yang Chun briefly explained their purpose to the warehouse administrator, he left.
After Nie Qiu and the warehouse administrator saw Yang Chun off, Nie Qiu sold her vegetables. As she carried the vegetable basket out of the residential area, Nie Qiu was smiling.
Meeting Yang Zihao wasn’t as difficult as she imagined. What was even more fortunate was that she finally sold her vegetables. Because they were all fruits and vegetables, such as eggplants and tomatoes, they didn’t break when they fell on the ground. The selling price was naturally the retail price of the vegetable market. After all, after being carefully packaged by the supermarket staff, these vegetables would be sold at half the price.
The vegetables she sold only brought in over 170 yuan. After deducting the cost of the vegetable basket and shoulder pole, she only made a little over 100 yuan. Adding the small change she had on hand, she only had a little over 200 yuan. It was enough to rent a small warehouse, enough to pay one or two months’ rent, but not enough to buy other things. The cheapest electronic scale for selling vegetables cost at least 200 yuan, and slightly more expensive ones cost 400 to 500 yuan. She didn’t need to buy benches, because their spare tables and chairs were still in good condition. As for the money to buy the electronic scale, she couldn’t think of any other good way. But she hoped to set up her stall tomorrow because she knew Nie Aifang couldn’t be idle. If she was idle, she would regret not continuing to sell barbecue.
When Nie Qiu returned to the vegetable market with her vegetable basket, Nie Aifang was no longer there. She took out her key from her purse, opened the gate of the vegetable stand, and then opened the cabinet-like compartment under the vegetable stand, placing the vegetable basket and shoulder pole inside.
After putting away her things, Nie Qiu locked the place where she stored things in the vegetable stand and prepared to leave the vegetable market. Just as she reached the doorway of the vegetable market, she heard a commotion.
“Didn’t we agree yesterday that you’d sell me long beans for 1.5 yuan per jin? How can you be so untrustworthy?”
“I’ll sell it for whatever I say. Everyone else has raised their prices, why can’t I? Two yuan! I won’t sell it for less than two yuan per jin! If you can sell it for two yuan, why can’t I?”
“Who raised their prices? Who raised their prices here? Are you crazy! If I don’t sell it for two yuan, how can I make any profit? If you don’t want to sell it, fine, but don’t try to play games with me about raising prices!”
The road behind the vegetable market was where private farmers grew their own produce and sold it. Most vegetable vendors in the market bought their goods from these farmers. Nie Qiu saw Zhang Qitian arguing with someone standing by a three-wheeled motorcycle from afar. When she got closer, she realized it was about selling vegetables.
Nie Qiu also understood. It turned out that the old farmer was trying to raise the price to earn more money. But the reason was strange. It was natural for other vegetable vendors to sell at a higher price! If he bought them at a certain price and sold them at the same price, wouldn’t he be working for others for free?
She watched for a while, then turned and walked into the vegetable market. It wasn’t yet the peak shopping time, and besides vegetable vendors cracking sunflower seeds, there weren’t many shoppers. Only those who sold well in the morning would go out to look for goods. Nie Qiu opened her own vegetable stand, then carefully squatted under her vegetable stand and quietly entered her space, taking vegetables out of her space and putting them into the vegetable basket. Even when it was full, it wasn’t enough. She also filled the top of the vegetable stand. When she entered her space, she was careful not to move her feet, so as not to appear in places she shouldn’t be.
After taking out almost everything, she took a breath and climbed out from under the vegetable stand. She slowly moved the vegetable basket out and carried it out of the vegetable market. Zhang Qitian was still arguing with someone. Nie Qiu said helplessly, raising her voice, “Brother Zhang, I’ve brought the vegetables you asked me to deliver. See when you can come and check them and weigh them to see how much they cost? Wholesale, of course, can’t be compared to retail. My long beans are 1.5 yuan for you.”
