Chapter 24: That Costs Extra

Zhuang Huiping held her daughter’s hand as they walked into the fruit and vegetable shop. The air was filled with a fragrance of fruit, even more intense than it was outside, and she couldn't help but swallow hard.

Not far away, a young woman was talking to an elderly lady, though Zhuang couldn't make out what they were discussing. Suddenly, the young woman said, "Please, feel free to look around."

Zhuang guessed that she must be the owner.

As she approached, she saw that the produce was fresh, plump, and vibrant, emitting the authentic, natural aroma of fruit and vegetables. It was clearly top-tier quality. Zhuang looked up at the prices and frowned slightly; they were a bit expensive.

Feeling a slight tug on her hand, she looked down at her daughter. The little girl was gazing up at her with longing, so Zhuang crouched down and asked, "Does Nannan want to eat some?"

The little girl nodded, then shook her head: "I want to, but if you don't want to buy them, Mommy, it's okay not to have any."

Zhuang stroked her daughter's hair, her heart aching at the sight of the girl’s sharp, thin chin. She smiled and said, "It’s rare that you actually want something, so of course we’ll buy it."

Zhuang didn't know why her daughter had suddenly developed anorexia; she hadn't eaten properly for a long time. Watching her grow increasingly thin and haggard, Zhuang had decided to take her on a trip, hoping that the local delicacies of a different place might spark her interest. To her surprise, as they passed this shop, her daughter had stopped in her tracks and gazed inside.

She had brought her daughter in to take a look, and although the fruit was pricey, it was worth it since Nannan finally wanted to eat. With that thought, the cost no longer stung. "What fruit do you want, Nannan?" she asked.

The little girl tilted her head: "I'll eat whatever you buy, Mommy."

Zhuang agreed and picked up a basket. She selected six strawberries, one peach, six lychees, and one apple. She didn't buy much, intending to test the waters first since they would be in the area for a few more days.

She brought the fruit to the counter. Qin Yueran had already finished her conversation, and the elderly lady had left so as not to disturb her.

"Owner, just these," Zhuang said, handing over the fruit.

Qin Yueran smiled. "Alright, that’s 3,663 in total. With the twenty percent discount, that’s... 2,930. You can pay that amount."

Zhuang’s heart skipped a beat, and though she was weeping internally, she nodded and pulled up her payment code. Qin Yueran scanned it, then bagged the fruit. Zhuang’s expression flickered slightly—it felt a bit surreal to have such expensive fruit packed into a plastic bag.

Qin Yueran separated the different fruits before placing them into a large bag—they were biodegradable plastic bags bought from the shopping mall, after all!

"Here you go," Qin said, handing over the bag. "Come back if you like them."

Zhuang nodded and left with her daughter. Having made her first sale, Qin Yueran was in high spirits. She had just made over two thousand—wealth was just around the corner!

Back at the hotel, Zhuang washed the strawberries, ready to try them. "Nannan, go wash your hands so we can eat some strawberries," she said.

"Okay, Mommy," the girl replied. She quickly washed her hands and returned, offering one to Zhuang: "You have some too, Mommy."

"I will," Zhuang said, smiling. She took a closer look at the strawberry. It wasn't just a strawberry; it was massive, larger than her daughter's fist, feeling almost like an apple in her hand. And the apple itself was even bigger.

The little girl took a bite, her eyes sparkling even brighter than before. "Mommy, it’s delicious!" she exclaimed.

Zhuang took a bite as well. It was indeed delicious! The fresh, tender flesh was delicate and soft, bursting with juice and a perfect balance of sweet and tart that left a lingering, wonderful aftertaste.

The two of them finished the six strawberries, then reached for the lychees. Afterward, Zhuang felt a twinge of regret that she hadn't bought more. But she noticed a sense of satiety, and wondered about her daughter...

Sure enough, the little girl said bashfully a moment later, "Mommy, I think I’m full."

"Being full is good, it's good," Zhuang said, her eyes welling up with tears. As long as she could eat, that was enough.

"Shall we save the rest for later?" Zhuang asked softly.

"Okay," the girl replied.

Zhuang smiled with relief. She remembered that the shop also sold vegetables and thought she might buy some before they left; perhaps Nannan would eat those too.

While Zhuang was contemplating what vegetables to buy, Qin Yueran welcomed several more waves of customers. Some left immediately after seeing the prices, while others bought a few items to test them out. Gradually, she made quite a bit of money.

Just after seeing off a customer, a trendy-looking boy wearing sunglasses walked in. He wandered over to the fruit racks, looking left and right. Qin wondered if he could even see what the fruit looked like, but recalling videos she had seen about high-quality sunglasses, she didn't dwell on it.

Xu Wenle fought back the urge to drool as he hurried toward the fruit. He checked the prices... "It looks so high-end, yet it's actually quite cheap," he muttered.

Having undergone cultivation, Qin Yueran’s hearing was superhuman. Hearing this, she was left speechless. It must be a rich kid, she thought with envy.

Xu Wenle started grabbing everything, picking a variety of all the fruits. Basket after basket was delivered to the counter. Qin suddenly remembered that she had initially intended to sell the smaller fruits like strawberries and lychees by the piece, but had been too lazy to price them, so she had standardized them.

Qin Yueran thought, *Honestly, if it weren't for my laziness in choosing a uniform price, I'd be counting these one by one right now.*

She weighed the items, feeling grateful for her wise decision. Looking at the baskets of strawberries and lychees, she realized it would have taken forever to count them!

As she entered the data into the computer, Xu Wenle brought his last basket—longans, another fruit she had planned to sell individually. No one had bought vegetables today; Qin figured it was because the customers were tourists who didn't need to cook. Local residents would stick to their usual markets or supermarkets, and given their lower incomes, they wouldn't be willing to pay for her vegetables anyway.

Xu Wenle pushed his sunglasses up slightly and looked at Qin, saying with practiced familiarity, "Where do you source this fruit, boss? The quality is great."

"Oh, that's a secret," Qin replied.

"Ah, I see. Business secret, I understand," Xu said with a wink.

Qin Yueran: "..." *What exactly do you understand?*

She packed the fruit and placed it on the table. "That’s 40,257 after the discount."

Seeing that Qin wasn't engaging him, Xu scratched his head and brought out his phone to open his payment code. Qin scanned it, confirmed the transaction, and gestured to the table.

"It's all here. Take your time," she said with a smile. "Come back if you like them."

*Over forty thousand! A god of wealth!* She decided she would give everyone a warm welcome today, hee hee.

Xu Wenle stared silently at the overflowing piles of fruit on the table: *Oh no! I think I bought too much! How am I supposed to carry this?!*

"Haha," Xu laughed awkwardly. "So... does the shop offer a delivery service?"

Qin Yueran beamed. "That would be an extra charge."

"Hmm... is one thousand okay?" he asked. If that wasn't enough, he was prepared to offer more.

Qin’s smile widened, revealing her white teeth. "Where would the customer like it delivered?"