Chapter 5

"What's going on?" Xiao Ping was inwardly surprised, but he remained calm, pressing the Spirit Pot through his clothes to avoid being noticed by others.

The Spirit Pot had never trembled on its own before, and Xiao Ping knew there must be something strange about it. He nervously looked around, but found nothing unusual, except for a vendor waiting for customers at a jade stall.

"Could it be because of these jades?" A thought flashed through Xiao Ping's mind, and he squatted down, pretending to pick out some jade. As soon as he squatted, the Spirit Pot's trembling became more noticeable. Xiao Ping knew that these jades were causing the Spirit Pot to react.

"How much are these jades?" Xiao Ping asked casually.

The vendor replied casually, "Small ones are a hundred, large ones are two hundred."

The quality of these jades was quite ordinary, so the price wasn't particularly high. However, a few hundred yuan was no small amount to Xiao Ping. He only had a little over six hundred yuan left, and he needed to hold out until his first batch of vegetables was sold. But Xiao Ping felt that the jades must have some extraordinary significance for the Spirit Pot, otherwise it wouldn't have reacted. In the end, he decided to buy two pieces to investigate.

So Xiao Ping began to carefully select the jades. Actually, he knew nothing about jades and had no idea which ones to choose. However, he soon discovered that when he held certain pieces of jade, the Spirit Pot's reaction was particularly strong, while others had no special effect.

This way, Xiao Ping knew which pieces to buy. He examined each piece of jade, haggled with the vendor for a long time, and finally spent four hundred yuan to buy three pieces of jade, two large and one small. Xiao Ping tucked the jades into his clothes and hurried home. Perhaps because he was closer to the jades, the Spirit Pot trembled occasionally on the way, and even Xiao Ping could feel its urgency.

Finally, he got home. Xiao Ping carefully closed the door and examined the Spirit Pot and the jades, but couldn't find any connection between them. So, he used the simplest method—touching the Spirit Pot with the jades. Surprisingly, it worked. As soon as the jades touched the Spirit Pot, they underwent a surprising change.

The unique luster of the jades quickly faded, and they soon became no different from ordinary stones. Before Xiao Ping could react, the jades crumbled silently in his hands, turning into a pile of powder on the table. Although he had never seen such a thing before, he could tell that the Spirit Pot had absorbed all the essence from the jades, leaving only residue.

"So, the Spirit Pot needs to consume jades." Xiao Ping finally understood the significance of the jades to the Spirit Pot. He then used the other two pieces of jade to touch the Spirit Pot, and they also quickly turned into a pile of powder.

These three pieces of jade had cost him a large portion of his savings, and seeing them consumed by the Spirit Pot made him feel a bit heartbroken. Xiao Ping had hoped that the Spirit Pot would change after absorbing the jades he had paid a "high price" for, but he couldn't see any difference, and he couldn't help but sigh in disappointment: "I've lost a lot of money. I hope the vegetables sell well, or I won't be able to pay the rent next month."

Actually, Mr. and Mrs. Liu were very understanding and wouldn't say anything if Xiao Ping paid the rent a few days late. But Xiao Ping didn't want to take advantage of others, especially since the Lis had always been very kind to him. He didn't want to let them down.

Losing four hundred yuan was no small matter for Xiao Ping, and he was somewhat listless for the rest of the afternoon. By evening, he had regained some energy. Three days had passed, and it was time to harvest the spirit liquid.

"Should I drink it myself or use it to water the vegetables?" Looking at the Spirit Pot in his hand, Xiao Ping was torn.

For Xiao Ping, who had suffered from a serious illness, health was the most important thing, and he wanted to use the spirit liquid to strengthen his body. However, his vegetables also needed the spirit liquid. Based on his experience, the effect of one dose of spirit liquid only lasted three days. After three days, the growth of the vegetables slowed, and they looked less vibrant. This put Xiao Ping in a difficult position, as a small drop of spirit liquid was not enough.

But Xiao Ping knew that being indecisive wouldn't help, so he decided to collect the spirit liquid first. He took out a small glass and turned the Spirit Pot to let the spirit liquid slowly drip into the glass. After one drop fell, Xiao Ping was about to put the lid back on when he noticed another drop of clear liquid at the mouth of the pot. Without hesitation, he quickly swallowed the second drop.

"It feels so good! But what's going on?" As the warmth from the spirit liquid spread through his body, Xiao Ping's attention shifted to why the Spirit Pot was producing more spirit liquid. He quickly realized that this must be due to the Spirit Pot absorbing the essence of the jades!

This thought made Xiao Ping very happy, and he couldn't help but think to himself: "If I can earn more money and buy more jades for the Spirit Pot to absorb, there will be enough spirit liquid to grow vegetables, and even to take a bath!"

Xiao Ping knew that jades were not cheap, and if he wanted to use spirit liquid to take a bath one day, he would have to work hard to earn money to buy jades. This made him have high hopes for his vegetables, eager to see how popular they would be.

Time flew by, and soon it was time to harvest the vegetables. Thanks to the spirit liquid, the vegetables grew well, neatly arranged in the garden, with a layer of luster on their green leaves and white stems, looking very similar to the jade vegetable in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan. However, Xiao Ping's vegetables had a more vibrant and lively appearance, making them even more appealing.

Xiao Ping didn't forget his agreement with Li Wanqing and specially picked a few vegetables to give to Wang Fang before the official harvest, asking her to cook them for everyone to try.

Although Wang Fang had watched the vegetables grow, when Xiao Ping handed her the vegetables that looked like jade, she hesitated and asked, "Xiao Ping, are these beautiful vegetables really going to be cooked?"

Xiao Ping was amused by Wang Fang's question and laughed, "Aunt Wang, vegetables are meant to be eaten. If you don't cook them, you'll have to eat them raw."

"Alright, I'll cook them!" Wang Fang was convinced and walked into the kitchen with determination.

Wang Fang was used to doing household chores, and cooking vegetables was no problem for her. Soon, she brought out the cooked vegetables. Just by looking at the dish, Xiao Ping knew that his plan to make money from growing vegetables was halfway successful. Even though the vegetables were cooked, they still looked as fresh as when they were in the garden, making them very appetizing.

Wang Fang, who had never seen such good vegetables, asked uncertainly, "Xiao Ping, can these vegetables really be eaten?"

Xiao Ping, who knew the vegetables very well, replied firmly, "Of course they can. Not only can they be eaten, but they are also very beneficial to health."

"I have to try them," Wang Fang, like many middle-aged and elderly women, was very interested in foods that were said to have health benefits. She immediately took a bite and her expression changed, showing a look of disbelief.

"Xiao Ping, I... I don't know how to describe it. They are so special, I've never tasted anything so delicious before!"

At that moment, Li Wanqing came home from work and heard Wang Fang's words. She laughed and asked, "Aunt Wang, what are you eating? You say you've never tasted anything so delicious before, that's a bit exaggerated, isn't it?"

"These are the vegetables Xiao Ping grew, and he's letting us try them first," Wang Fang quickly explained to Li Wanqing, "Xiao Li, come and try them too!"

Li Wanqing smiled at Xiao Ping, pleased that he hadn't forgotten their agreement, and then tasted the vegetables. Her reaction was similar to Wang Fang's; she was also amazed by the taste of the vegetables. After a while, she sighed, "These vegetables are really delicious! After eating your vegetables, I don't think I can eat ordinary vegetables anymore!"

With the approval of both Li Wanqing and Wang Fang, Xiao Ping finally felt relieved and said to them with a smile, "If you like them, eat more. There are plenty in the yard, and I'll take care of everyone's vegetables from now on!"

"That's not right," Li Wanqing and Wang Fang said in unison, "These vegetables are for you to sell, we can't just eat them."

Knowing that they were thinking of him, Xiao Ping was moved but didn't argue further. He had already decided to often bring some vegetables to Wang Fang. She had always been very kind to him, and he believed in repaying kindness, which was his principle.

Amidst the praise from Li Wanqing and Wang Fang, Xiao Ping also tasted the vegetables. Although he was prepared, the taste still surprised him. The vegetables were still vegetables, and they couldn't taste like meat. However, the moment they entered his mouth, he felt a wonderful sensation. Xiao Ping felt that his language was inadequate to describe how delicious the vegetables were.

After tasting the vegetables, Xiao Ping's confidence grew. The next day, he harvested all the vegetables in the yard, loaded them onto his tricycle, and rode into the city to start his first vegetable-selling journey.