Chapter 5

【Mutter the Saitu website three times, do you remember? If you don't remember, I'll ask again in the next chapter. It's best to share it on Facebook for me.】

As Zhao Xinyu struggled to push his tricycle loaded with vegetables past the stalls in front of the residential area, all he heard was ridicule, not a single person showed any sympathy, and some even laughed with glee at his misfortune.

Hearing these mocking laughs, Zhao Xinyu's heart was bleeding, and it was unclear whether the tears or sweat streaming down his face. Having been in Pengcheng for a few years, he had experienced the coldness of the world more than anything else, and the warmth he had felt was only from a few people.

Zhao Xinyu, who had only one functional leg, was pushing a load of at least 700 to 800 pounds. He originally planned to go to a smaller residential area nearby, but he was already exhausted halfway through.

Stopping the tricycle, Zhao Xinyu's lame leg was trembling. Looking around, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. He was right in the middle of two residential areas.

The entrances of the two residential areas were crowded with people buying vegetables, but there were hardly any buyers or even early morning exercisers around his location.

Thinking about it, if he went to either residential area, he might be driven away by other vendors, and he had no more strength to push the tricycle. Zhao Xinyu decided to set up his stall right there with the electronic scale he bought for eighty yuan.

Time passed minute by minute, and many of the vendors at the entrances of the two residential areas had already packed up and gone home. As they passed Zhao Xinyu's stall and saw the full tricycle of vegetables, they all laughed heartily, and some even looked at him with a condescending gaze.

Looking at his cheap phone, Zhao Xinyu shook his head repeatedly. Yesterday, he was full of confidence, but now he had no trace of excitement left.

After waiting for another hour, it was already past ten o'clock. Zhao Xinyu sighed deeply. With less than five yuan on him, he could only use tomatoes and cucumbers to satisfy his hunger.

After eating three tomatoes, Zhao Xinyu felt much better. Sighing, he put the electronic scale back on the tricycle and decided to find a place to sell the vegetables.

Just as Zhao Xinyu was about to push the tricycle away, a screeching brake sound was heard. "Hey, are you selling these vegetables?"

Zhao Xinyu's body trembled, and he turned to look. Behind him was a small pickup truck, and the driver was a middle-aged man in his forties.

"Selling, selling..." Zhao Xinyu suppressed his excitement and repeated the word "selling" several times.

When the middle-aged man got out of the car, Zhao Xinyu smelled the scent of a chef, and he knew this man was likely a chef.

The middle-aged man circled the tricycle a few times and frowned. "Your vegetables look so good, did you use chemical fertilizers or pesticides?"

"No, no, definitely not. These vegetables are all naturally grown. Try them," Zhao Xinyu said hurriedly, taking a tomato from the box.

The middle-aged man's eyes flickered as he looked at the scarred face of Zhao Xinyu. He frowned and took the tomato, then got a bottle of mineral water from the car to wash it a few times before taking a small bite.

After one bite, the middle-aged man hummed and looked up at Zhao Xinyu, his eyes showing a hint of surprise. Having been a chef for nearly twenty years, he had never tasted a tomato with such a flavor.

"Are they genetically modified vegetables?" the middle-aged man's eyes flickered again.

"How could they be?" Zhao Xinyu, who was new to selling, didn't know how to respond.

"Look, it's almost noon. Your vegetables won't be fresh after noon, and who knows how many will spoil by tomorrow. I can see you have a hard time moving around, so I'll buy them all at a lower price."

Zhao Xinyu's heart raced. "Okay, okay, what price do you offer?"

Seeing Zhao Xinyu's appearance, the middle-aged man realized he was a novice. His eyes flickered. "The current market price for tomatoes is 4.2 yuan per pound. I'll give you 3.5 yuan, and for cucumbers..."

Zhao Xinyu heard the price and couldn't help but smile bitterly. The prices the middle-aged man mentioned were from a few days ago, and at the current price, he couldn't even buy them wholesale.

However, since these vegetables were grown in his space, and he also planned to sell them at a lower price, Zhao Xinyu didn't think much about it and nodded directly.

Half an hour later, Shi Pulei put the last box of cucumbers on the pickup truck, and 2,206 yuan appeared in his phone.

The middle-aged man, fearing Zhao Xinyu might change his mind, quickly drove away after the transfer. Zhao Xinyu, seeing the middle-aged man leave, felt like shouting out loud.

Over 2,000 yuan, this was what he would earn in at least half a month from delivering food and collecting scrap. Now, he had earned over 2,000 yuan in just half a day, which couldn't help but excite him.

On his way back, Zhao Xinyu splurged, spending over 200 yuan to buy a bag of rice, a chicken, a fish, and a few pounds of pork. In the five years he had been in Pengcheng, 200 yuan was almost a month's living expenses for him.

Back at the recycling station, Zhao Xinyu immediately transferred 1,500 yuan to his grandfather's bank account. Since his grandfather didn't have a phone, he couldn't contact him, but he hoped his grandfather would use the bank card.

Having earned over 2,000 yuan in half a day, and with many more vegetables in his space, Zhao Xinyu was delighted. An hour later, the small table was filled with steamed fish, braised chicken, stir-fried green peppers, stir-fried eggplant, and stir-fried green beans, along with a pot of rice.

After cooking, Zhao Xinyu brought Heifeng out of the space. Over time, Heifeng had grown to the size of a three- to four-month-old puppy.

Unlike ordinary puppies, Heifeng seemed to understand Zhao Xinyu's words, and the lonely Zhao Xinyu treated Heifeng like family and a companion. So even when eating noodles, he would bring Heifeng out to share.

Heifeng was given a small bowl, and then Zhao Xinyu prepared a bowl of rice for himself. He picked up a chopstick of green peppers and took a bite. The moment he did, his eyes widened in surprise.

Although he had cooked them himself, the difference in taste between cooking with meat and cooking with salad oil was enormous. The crisp and fragrant green peppers were incomparable to those sold outside, and the rich meat flavor seemed to adhere to the green peppers.

He added a chopstick of green beans, and the taste of the green beans also surprised him. He knew that even if his grandfather were to come and taste the green beans he cooked, he would be greatly impressed.

After tasting the eggplant, Zhao Xinyu confirmed that the delicious taste of the dishes was not due to his cooking skills but because the vegetables were grown in the space he had somehow obtained.

Realizing this, Zhao Xinyu's heart raced again. He could imagine the impact if such vegetables were sold.

He then made a decision: to sell vegetables as far away from the recycling station as possible to avoid being recognized, as that might reveal his secret of having the space.

Pengcheng, being economically developed, had a thriving catering industry, with not only numerous small and medium-sized restaurants but also five five-star hotels.

In a small restaurant called Nongjia Cai, a slightly overweight middle-aged man was busy in the kitchen, his eyes full of confusion.

Although the restaurant was small, his braised meat had a unique flavor, and every customer who came to eat would order his signature dish.

But for some reason, today his braised meat had hardly sold, while the less popular dishes like stir-fried green peppers, stir-fried green beans, and stir-fried mushrooms and oil greens were selling like hotcakes, with some customers even ordering them multiple times.

When he had a moment to spare, he went outside to take a look. A regular customer, seeing him come out, smiled and said,

"Boss Tan, did you change your chef? The eggplant, green beans, green peppers, and oil greens are really well-cooked. Could you make us another serving of stir-fried eggplant and stir-fried green peppers?"

Boss Tan was slightly taken aback by this. When he returned to the kitchen, he seemed to have an idea and cooked a bit more of the dishes.

After serving the dishes, he took a bite of the green peppers and was stunned. He immediately found the stored eggplants and green peppers and cooked another serving.

After tasting them, Boss Tan's brows furrowed. Comparing them, he knew it wasn't because his cooking skills had improved but because of the ingredients. The vegetables that the customers praised were the ones he had bought at a low price when he returned. Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel excited.

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