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As night fell, Yezhi rode her bike back to Zhoujiatun, dusting off the dirt from her clothes as she carried a sack into the yard, where Big Yellow wagged its tail to greet her.
In the small kitchen of the grass house, the warm glow of candlelight illuminated Aunt Zhou's figure as she kneaded dough. Just as Yezhi was about to quietly enter and put down her things, Aunt Zhou leaned out with a beaming smile and said, "You're back! Oh~! What have you got there?"
Yezhi set down the sack. "I... bought some things!" While trying to think of a reasonable explanation, Aunt Zhou shot her an annoyed glance and said, "Wasting money! What did you buy at the supply and marketing cooperative?"
Indeed! There was a Supply and Marketing Cooperative 50 miles from Zhoujiatun, which was an essential resource for farmers' production and daily life. Having never experienced rural life, Yezhi, who had vague memories of the Vegetable Store and butcher shop from her childhood, couldn't pinpoint where to buy things. She mistakenly thought that the county town had more options without considering the current situation of material shortages and rationing. Yezhi hit her head lightly, feeling foolish for going out of her way when she could have just gone nearby.
"I bought two outfits, got you two pieces of plain fabric, four pairs of sandals—two pairs each for us—and some candy and a few books. That's all!"
Yezhi replied rapidly to Aunt Zhou.
Aunt Zhou sighed. It was normal for a young girl to care about her clothing and enjoy some snacks! But what Aunt Zhou felt was pity: as an old woman, what new clothes or shoes did she need? Wasn't that a waste?
Hearing Aunt Zhou sigh made Yezhi nervous. She knew it was difficult for someone who had long struggled on the poverty line to suddenly adapt to her lifestyle. Aunt Zhou had already been very open-minded.
Yezhi smiled sweetly and changed the subject. "Aunt, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
"Sorghum Cakes and Maozi Cabbage Soup!"
"Oh~! Then I'll put my things away first and come help you!" With that, she dashed into the house.
After putting her things away, Yezhi rolled up her sleeves and walked into the kitchen. "Aunt, where's Black Treasure?" Aunt Zhou answered while deftly flattening the cakes, "He went out to play with Er Niu and One Egg."
Yezhi sat on a small stool controlling the heat. The fresh and sweet aroma of sorghum cakes filled the kitchen. She felt a bit hungry; after living in the village for several months, she had started to get used to the "roughness" of the cakes. However, compared to corn, she preferred the natural freshness and simple primitive taste of sorghum.
"Black Treasure, this is all for you; don't ignore me!" One Egg's flattering voice made Aunt Zhou and Yezhi exchange smiles.
“Black Treasure, don’t listen to One Egg. All the peaches in my basket are for you. Once you finish, I’ll bring you more!” the dog shouted, opposing One Egg.
Yezhi walked out of the kitchen and saw Black Treasure lying on a basket full of fresh peaches. The dog, One Egg, Er Zhu, Xiao Shuan, and Er Niu each brought several baskets of fresh peaches, either on their backs or lifted in their arms.
Yezhi put on a teacher's authority and said, “What’s going on here? At such a young age, instead of studying well, you’ve learned to give gifts. Take them all back!”
“Sister Ye, we have plenty of peaches at home. My dad asked me to bring some to Black Treasure as rations,” Er Zhu replied confidently since his father was the village chief.
“My dad said there are only three of us at home, and we can’t finish them every year. With Black Treasure’s big belly, it will help a lot!” One Egg mimicked One Gun Brother’s tone.
The dog, Er Niu, and Xiao Shuan added that their peaches were ripening one after another, and they really couldn’t finish them. Peaches were hard to preserve, so during this season, they almost treated peaches as meals.
Yezhi looked at the green fruits hanging from the Peach Tree in the yard and then at the fresh peaches brought by the kids. With the Vegetable Store in the county being so popular, she wondered if anyone would buy the peaches.
After sending off the kids, Yezhi absentmindedly finished dinner and played a bit of wrestling with Black Treasure, who was now her defeated opponent. Even while lying on the kang, her mind was still on peaches. Realizing this, she decided to go into town for market research; she could no longer act blindly.
“Master, the formal contract from Cosmic Mall has arrived.”
This was a significant matter concerning her wallet. Yezhi logged in with her consciousness. Xiao Fang excitedly waved the contract in hand and said, “Master, quickly open it and take a look.”
Faced with the dense legal terms, Yezhi felt a headache and handed it to Xiao Fang, asking it to check for any legal loopholes or signs of fraud. After quickly browsing through it, Xiao Fang reported, “Master, there are basically no issues. After signing, an initial payment of 5 million Bodeton will be made. The remaining payment will be made after completing promotional photos and advertisements.”
Suddenly remembering that the contract needed to specify: she would appear as a person with dark skin and that her personal information must remain confidential. Hearing this request from Yezhi, Xiao Fang felt disappointed; it wished that the entire universe would know that it—good1555 “Xiao Fang”—was a celebrity robot!
After noting down the modifications needed, Xiao Fang sent it back to Cosmic Mall. At that moment, while admiring her cute photos on Social Network, Yezhi was excitedly startled by the shimmering 3D head of Dulisa on the right side! Clicking on it revealed the stunning and charming figure of Dulisa before her.
“Hey! Dear Ye, have you missed me?” Dulisa greeted warmly. This made Yezhi feel as if she had traveled through time; she sincerely called out, “Sister Du!”
"Dear Ye, am I really such a stingy person? Sending so many cheesy emails kept me up all night. Do you know how important beauty sleep is for someone as beautiful as me?" Dulisa complained with a smile, her silver eyes slightly widened.
Ye felt it was too friendly, taking the cheesiness as amusing; only Dulisa could be so arrogant and self-important! Hehe~!
"If you don't write so many apology letters to show your sincerity, how would I pay attention to you!"
Dulisa brushed her red hair aside and said disdainfully, "I'm not that boring. I went traveling with Tiansuo and Hongdou to the Endless Forest. It's truly beautiful there!"
"Did you not answer that video call?"
Dulisa flashed a charming smile at Ye but didn't respond. A beauty is a beauty; one smile can captivate anyone. Ye smiled back and started chatting with Dulisa about her recent experiences. Dulisa shared photos she took in the Endless Forest, and they had never been this harmonious before. After looking at several of Dulisa's stunning pictures, Ye felt a bit tired and rubbed her eyes, subtly telling Dulisa she wanted to log off. However, Dulisa immediately turned sour, warning Ye that she couldn't leave until they finished enjoying the photos together. Cherishing their regained friendship, Ye decided to stay with "the gentleman"…
After yawning countless times, Ye finally finished teaching Kids and returned home. She poured a scoop of well water over her head, immersing herself in the basin; the icy water instantly refreshed her after a sleepless night.
Black Treasure sat among a pile of fresh peaches, already having lunch. This kid's appetite was growing; he could devour nearly half a basket of fresh peaches in one meal and had developed a habit of three meals a day just like Ye and the others. No wonder the villagers began to worry about her family's food supply; they were so considerate of her family that she had to do something!… She planned to head into town that afternoon.
After lunch, Ye rode her folding bike on the way to town. Upon arriving in the county town and asking passersby for directions, she learned about the existence of Fruit Company. After entering Fruit Company and making some inquiries, Ye walked out with a smile; she needed to hurry back to the village to discuss it with Village Uncle.
Without wasting any time, she returned to the village and found Village Uncle's house. Aunt Li informed her that Village Uncle had already gone to guard the rice fields. Ye rode her folding bike to the rice fields and shouted towards Village Uncle, who was squatting there.
Village Uncle ran towards Ye with muddy feet, looking flustered. "What's going on?"
Ye scratched her head awkwardly and smiled, reflecting inwardly: I always rush around and scare Village Uncle; I need to be more patient.
"Village Uncle, doesn't every household in our village have a few Peach Trees?" Village Uncle looked puzzled but nodded. Ye continued, "Village Uncle, we can't finish all our peaches; why don't we sell them to others?"
Village Uncle chuckled, "Who doesn't have a few Peach Trees? Who would buy them?"
Yezhi said disapprovingly, "Village Uncle, you have confidence in selling the fish we raise, so why don't you have confidence in the peaches? Besides, do you remember Brother Zhang Yishan we met at the 'Grand Hotel'? Their village grows apricot trees and sells apricots and almonds. They are doing much better than our village."
After listening, Village Uncle pondered for a moment and said, "Selling peaches? This is our first time in Zhoujiatun; can it really work?"
Yezhi replied excitedly, "Village Uncle, I found out that the Fruit Company in the county town buys peaches for six cents a pound!"
Village Uncle exclaimed, "What? Six cents a pound?" Yezhi nodded vigorously. Village Uncle was momentarily pleased by Yezhi's confirmation but then started listing a bunch of reasons why it wouldn't work: Zhoujiatun is too far from the county town, the mountain roads are bumpy and could bruise the peaches, and worst of all, all the strong laborers are in the rice fields, leaving us short-handed.
Yezhi thought Village Uncle made some valid points, but sometimes doing things requires a bit of impulse; the more you think about it, the more intimidated you become by the difficulties ahead.
"Village Uncle, these peaches belong to the villagers; can't we ask them?"
"Right, this is everyone's business. I..." Village Uncle glanced at the somewhat anxious Yezhi. "I'll head back to the village right away and announce it with a loudspeaker to everyone."
It took over an hour to walk back to Zhoujiatun. By then, Zhoujiatun was shrouded in twilight. Village Uncle arrived at the Team and turned on the loudspeaker: "Everyone pay attention! I am the village chief! I am the village chief!" Yezhi bit her lip to suppress a laugh; Village Uncle always started this way.
"Fellow villagers, Yezhi has informed me that the Fruit Company in the county town is buying fresh peaches for six cents a pound!"
When the villagers heard six cents a pound, they all smiled broadly. Who doesn't have at least a hundred pounds of peaches at home? Even the kids who just learned math were happily calculating. The adults joined in too, and their calculations brought joy to both adults and children.
"Fellow villagers, if everyone is willing to sell peaches, come to the Team right away so we can discuss!" After Village Uncle finished speaking, he turned off the loudspeaker and sat down with Yezhi, waiting for the villagers to arrive...!
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