Chapter 131: No Guesses ③
Li Kai, hiding in his book, hesitated for a long time before slowly and pretending to be calm, he held the book straight, straightened his back, and then followed the recitation of the other classmates, opening his mouth with a mumble. To be honest, he had no idea where they were in the reading.
As he read, his peripheral vision kept glancing towards Nie Qiu. Seeing Nie Qiu drinking the soy milk he had given her, he couldn’t help but smile. His heart was beating a little fast, but he liked this feeling.
Seeing Li Kai secretly smiling, Nie Qiu couldn’t help but smile too. Was this person so easily satisfied?
When school ended, as usual, Peng Yu Yang’s buddies walked together with Nie Qiu and Huang Yan. Of course, accompanying them was Zhang Qidi, who always waited for her outside the classroom after school.
The group drank milk tea at a milk tea shop outside the school. After walking for a while, they had to separate. Nie Qiu and Zhang Qidi were going to the vegetable market.
Huang Yan and Peng Yu Yang walked together. As soon as they were out of each other’s sight, Peng Yu Yang asked Huang Yan, “Did you ask about what I told you to ask? Is Nie Qiu dating Li Kai? What kind of boys does she like?”
Huang Yan looked at the anxious Peng Yu Yang and felt a pang of discomfort. “Peng Yu Yang, do you like Nie Qiu?” The day before yesterday, after evening self-study, Peng Yu Yang asked her to Mi Guo for milk tea. She went excitedly, but Peng Yu Yang asked her to inquire about what kind of boys Nie Qiu liked…
Peng Yu Yang was stunned for a moment. He thought seriously and then nodded at Huang Yan. “Huang Yan, you and Nie Qiu are best friends, and we are friends too. You… you’ll help me, right?”
Huang Yan bit her lower lip, remained silent for a moment, then nodded and turned towards the intersection leading home. Nie Qiu had said that liking was about taking, while love was about giving. Peng Yu Yang, you like Nie Qiu, so what about me liking you?
Nie Qiu wouldn’t like someone who wanted to possess her, and I… Huang Yan blinked a couple of times, tears streaming down her face. She wiped them away, and they flowed again. Indeed, Huang Yan remembered the romance novels she had read from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Indeed, the love in novels was different from love in reality. There was no racing heart, no eternal vows, no grand passion, but the sadness was the same, the same, making one’s heart ache incessantly, like being pricked by needles.
After having dinner with Nie Aifang, Nie Qiu did her homework, while Nie Aifang sat beside Nie Qiu calculating the bills.
“Qiu Qiu, the business at our vegetable stand is getting better and better. Many people around are envious and keep asking where we get our vegetables. Today, a procurement officer from a large restaurant came to talk about ordering vegetables. He said he needed to discuss it with the boss.” Nie Aifang was very happy every day when she calculated the accounts because she made more money each day than before. Even if it was only ten yuan more, Nie Aifang would be happy. An extra five yuan could be shared.
“A large restaurant?” Nie Qiu frowned. “Did Brother Zhang agree?” Because she and Zhang Qidi were classmates, it was fine for her to call him Brother Zhang, but Nie Aifang called Zhang Qitian “brother,” which always felt a bit confusing in terms of seniority.
Nie Aifang shook her head. “He said he needed to discuss it with the farm’s boss. Qiu Qiu, I must say, I really can’t imagine where such good vegetables could be grown. Last time, Sister Zhen, the market manager, brought people from the food supervision bureau to test our vegetables for pesticides, and our vegetables tested zero for fertilizer and were rated five stars! Even before, we only got four stars.”
Nie Aifang put down her pen and counted on her fingers. “No fertilizer, no pesticides, where can such good vegetables grow! Sister Zhen even said our vegetables are green and all-natural. A leader saw them and specifically drove to our vegetable market to buy vegetables! They don’t even go to the supermarket anymore!”
Human greed is insatiable; Nie Qiu understood this principle. Although she wanted money, she was already very satisfied with the current situation. If people from a large restaurant wanted to order vegetables, they would definitely order a lot every day and would be concerned about the source of production. They would inspect the place where the vegetables were grown. She didn’t want anything to be exposed at that time, nor did she want others to know. Therefore, everything had to be kept as low-key as possible.
She had promised Zhang Qitian about the quality of the vegetables, so she couldn’t sell inferior ones… Nie Qiu scratched her hair, becoming a little agitated.
As long as they weren’t sold to large restaurants or supermarkets, it should be fine, right?
When she went to sleep that night, Nie Qiu entered her space and told Dao about the problem. Dao was playing with several little white rabbits in the middle of the pool. Hearing Nie Qiu’s words, he quickly came over and lay on the shore. “What did you just say? A large restaurant wants to book the whole place?”
Nie Qiu nodded. “I can’t let people discover this place, I…”
“Isn’t that simple? Just tell those people it’s a commercial secret,” Dao thought Nie Qiu was making a fuss over nothing.
“Dao, you don’t understand society today,” Nie Qiu squatted down and said seriously. “Nowadays, there’s pollution and bacteria everywhere. Rich people are starting to pursue health preservation and beauty. They want vegetables that are free of any pesticides or fertilizers. Everyone wants to know where they are produced. Even if I say it’s a commercial secret, when it becomes profitable and famous, Mom won’t say it’s me behind it, but I’m more afraid of others.”
Nie Qiu paused. “Others will track and investigate, and if they find out about my vegetables…”
Dao was stunned. He pondered for a moment, then looked up at Nie Qiu and said, “Nie Qiu, hurry up and cultivate! What you do in the future, the vegetables in the space, everything will be under your control.”
“But… is that okay?”
Dao nodded and jumped into the water before Nie Qiu. A splash of water caught him steadily. He looked at Nie Qiu, moved his lips, his little mustache twitched. Watching Nie Qiu jump into the water and be caught by the splash, she sat down cross-legged as she had done in her previous cultivation and closed her eyes.
Then slowly, slowly, she stood up with her eyes closed. She didn’t notice that the several little rabbits that were playing in the water had taken up positions in a gossip formation. As Nie Qiu moved, they kept changing positions. Dao stood at Nie Qiu’s heels, constantly pointing and gesturing at the rabbits.
The rabbits that grew by absorbing spiritual energy were different from domestic rabbits thrown into the space. From the beginning, Dao had been playing with these newborn rabbits on the water. At first, these rabbits would get their fur wet, and some rabbits would shiver from the cold. But now they were much better. Not only could they stand in the water, but they could also dry their fur with ease. This meant that these little rabbits were already capable of assisting Nie Qiu in her cultivation.
