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Bai Tang walked out of the port with the crowd. Looking up, she saw the future city and felt it was very different from her imagination: there were no bizarre buildings; the architecture here was similar to that of the twenty-first century, consisting of square buildings, although the materials and heights differed from modern ones. As for the materials, Bai Tang couldn't tell; she only noticed that the buildings' exteriors reflected a metallic sheen. The shortest buildings were over five or six hundred stories tall. In the twenty-first century, such technology did not exist; the world's tallest building, the Kingdom Tower in Saudi, was only one hundred sixty-seven stories high, reaching a total height of one thousand six hundred meters; while China's tallest building, Shanghai Tower, was only six hundred thirty-two meters tall.
The hovering vehicles in mid-air flowed orderly and continuously. Some of the vehicles had no drivers; they were automated public buses. Their routes were pre-set, and as long as one waited in specific areas by the roadside, an empty bus would arrive within ten seconds to pick up passengers, making it very convenient.
What amazed Bai Tang the most was the abundance of greenery. The future city's landscaping was exceptionally well done; aside from roads and buildings, all remaining areas were transformed into green belts and parks, with floating gardens even suspended in mid-air. The green grass and flowers in the green belts were unfamiliar to Bai Tang, but she could at least confirm that these plants were not native to Earth. She asked a passerby who looked free about them, and the passerby told her that these flowers and grasses were cultivated by botanists to absorb dust, exhaust gases, and cosmic debris from the air, playing a significant role in purifying the environment. The only drawback was that all toxins absorbed accumulated at the roots and stems, making them dangerous to touch; otherwise, one could get poisoned.
Bai Tang casually boarded a hovering vehicle. With only ten Alliance Coins left on her, she decisively got off when her balance dwindled. This area seemed to be a residential zone, next to which was a park that had quite a few people—mostly elderly folks chatting with children to pass the time. Bai Tang entered the park and found a spot she liked. From her backpack, she took out a camping fire pit along with a table, a stove, plates, and seasonings... Bai Tang learned from Kate that scientists in this future world used spatial folding technology to create spatial products; a bag about one foot long could hold items equivalent to twenty square meters of space. Therefore, taking out this series of items did not raise any suspicions among others in the park.
After igniting the camping fire pit, Bai Tang tossed some sweet potatoes into the fire. While waiting for them to roast, she took out several potatoes, peeled them, and cut them into finger-width strips. She set up a pot on the stove, poured in cooking oil, and after heating it up, added the potatoes for frying. After completing this series of tasks, the sweet potatoes were already roasted. Anyone who has eaten roasted sweet potatoes knows that regardless of whether they like sweet potatoes or not, the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes is absolutely mouthwatering. Just then, as Bai Tang pulled out the fried potatoes, a group of children had already surrounded her.
"Sister, what are you roasting? It smells so good!" asked a sturdy boy who seemed to be their leader.
Bai Tang smiled as she scanned this group of kids; each had liquid drooling from their mouths.
"This is sweet potato; it's sweet when roasted and very delicious!"
"What is sweet potato? Is it some new food? Why have I never heard of it?" asked a scholarly-looking boy in a serious tone.
Bai Tang suppressed her laughter: "No, sweet potato is an ancient species discovered by some Colonel in the Alliance on Ancient Earth. Sweet potato also goes by many names: yam bean, Chinese yam, red yam, etc. It is an annual plant from the morning glory family. Its tubers are starchy and can be eaten or used for brewing or animal feed. Sweet potatoes are rich in protein, starches, pectin, cellulose, amino acids, vitamins, and various minerals; they are known as 'longevity food.' They contain sugar levels reaching 15%. They have anti-cancer properties and help protect against heart disease, prevent emphysema and diabetes while aiding weight loss. They are also commonly referred to as yam or mountain yam."
After educating this group of little ones about sweet potatoes, Bai Tang asked: "Sweet potatoes are not only tasty but also good for your health. Would you like to try some?"
The group of kids eagerly nodded.
Bai Tang smiled as she took out a large sweet potato and broke it open; its golden flesh was exposed to the air with an even stronger sweet aroma. The kids all inhaled deeply as their mouths watered profusely. Bai Tang could hear nearby elderly people swallowing their saliva. She chuckled inwardly; after all, these elderly folks were her main target for sales today.
Bai Tang shared a Sweet Potato with the children, giving each of them a bite. The sweet aroma captivated all the kids, and one bite was simply not enough for them; they all stared eagerly at the Sweet Potato that Bai Tang pulled from the fire.
"Big sister, I want to eat more!" said a sturdy boy, blinking his big eyes and adorably asking for more.
"Guys, these Sweet Potatoes are for selling to make money. If I give you all of them, I won't have any money left for a place to stay!" Bai Tang remained unmoved. With two little ones at home, she had developed a certain immunity.
"Are these for selling?" asked a polite boy.
"Yes!"
"Then wait for me a moment." With that, the polite boy ran over to his Grandpa.
"Ah! Lin Yi, you're cunning!" The sturdy boy understood Lin Yi's intention and quickly ran back to find his grandmother.
"Tiger, wait for me!" The other children were not foolish either; they scattered in search of their own adults, pulling them over to buy roasted Sweet Potatoes.
"Miss, give me four Sweet Potatoes!" Lin Yi's Grandfather had long been drooling over them and followed his grandson over. He bought four Sweet Potatoes, one for himself and one for his grandson, leaving two for his son and daughter-in-law to eat when they got home from work.
"Okay, here are four. Please take care!" Bai Tang wrapped up four roasted Sweet Potatoes for the old man.
"Miss, give me eight!" Tiger's Grandmother handed money to Bai Tang.
Bai Tang wrapped up eight Sweet Potatoes and handed them over while giving a piece of advice: "Auntie, although Sweet Potatoes are delicious, you shouldn't eat too many at once. They contain 'gasification enzymes,' and eating too much can cause heartburn, acid reflux, bloating, and gas. If you have gastrointestinal issues, you should eat even less; otherwise, it can harm your stomach."
"You are an honest girl; you think about your customers when doing business and don't make money unethically. Good!" Tiger's Grandmother praised her and decided to take good care of this girl's business. "Miss, what are those long things you have?"
"These are sweet potatoes. They're very delicious, ma'am. Would you like to buy some?" Bai Tang said while collecting money and packing the sweet potatoes. Soon, all the roasted sweet potatoes were sold out.
The elderly people who bought the sweet potatoes didn't leave; they were curious about what these 'caterpillar potatoes' were and whether they were as tasty as the roasted sweet potatoes.
"Alright, I'll have a portion!" Tiger's Grandmother was the first to try something new.
"Sure, please wait a moment!" Bai Tang placed the fried potatoes into a porcelain bowl, added soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, cumin powder, sesame seeds, and chopped green onions, and asked, "Do you want it spicy or mildly spicy?"
"Mildly spicy, please!" Tiger's Grandmother replied.
Bai Tang carefully added a spoonful of red oil (chili oil), mixed it, plated it up, and a portion of caterpillar potatoes was ready.
"Give it a try!" Bai Tang handed her a toothpick.
Tiger's Grandmother picked up a caterpillar potato and put it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up as she praised, "Delicious, so good!"
"Grandma, I want to eat! I want to eat!" Tiger jumped up and down beside his grandmother, his eyes fixed on the caterpillar potatoes.
"Here you go!" Tiger's Grandmother handed her portion to her grandson and turned to Bai Tang, saying, "Young lady, make me another portion—no, two or three more portions."
Before Bai Tang could respond, Lin Yi's grandfather interjected: "Miss Zhang, we are still waiting to buy some too. You can't buy so many at once; it won't leave any for us!"
"Exactly," other elderly people chimed in in agreement with Lin Yi's grandfather.
Bai Tang quickly reassured the elderly folks: "Everyone, I brought enough potatoes; there will definitely be enough for everyone!"
"Alright, I'll take ten!" Lin Yi's Grandfather immediately said. Having been neighbors for decades, he knew Grandma Tiger's temperament well; if the girl made something that wasn't tasty, how could she possibly buy five of these Caterpillar Potatoes at once?
"You old thing, you have the nerve to say that! You bought twice as much as I did!" Grandma Tiger rolled her eyes at Lin Yi's Grandpa, and the other elderly people burst into laughter.
Bai Tang swiftly peeled potatoes, cut them, fried them, and mixed them... The money in his pocket kept increasing. The prices for roasted Sweet Potatoes and Caterpillar Potatoes weren't cheap, but the people living in this area belonged to high-income families. Moreover, the elderly knew how expensive new species were when they first came out, so they felt that Bai Tang's prices were already quite reasonable. Therefore, they didn't haggle, allowing Bai Tang to make a substantial profit.
"Make way, make way!" A mechanical voice emerged from outside the crowd. The elderly parted to the sides, and Bai Tang saw a person in uniform walking in. The person's facial expression was flat, and their skin had a slight metallic sheen; they looked human, but Bai Tang knew this was a Robot.
"Illegal street vending in the park; fine!" the Robot stated flatly.
"Who are you?" Bai Tang asked.
The Robot pointed to the armband on its arm. Bai Tang looked over and saw two large characters written on the armband: "Urban Management!"
What the heck! Bai Tang felt like kneeling. The profession of "Urban Management" had survived through five thousand years of changes in the world!
When encountering Urban Management officers, what is the first reaction? Of course, it's to run! In the 21st century, vendors raced against Urban Management with their legs; if lucky, they could escape. But facing future mechanical Urban Management—such a sophisticated presence—could Bai Tang really get away?
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