Operating A Stall (2)

"A breakfast, you say?" the middle-aged man chuckled after hearing what Long Yuan had to say. His bewildered expression seemed suspicious, like there's a hidden meaning behind his reaction.

"To think that I would get offered with breakfast by a junior... Did you make it on your own?" the middle-aged man continued his sentence with a not-your-typical question. And right now, he looked curious, like he was looking at some unknown creature that knew no fear due to its adolescent age.

"Yes, senior. This young one only has some wheat flour and Silvergrass Fruit in hand, so all I can make is some plain and sweet-flavored steamed buns. Would you like to have a try?" Long Yuan wasn't able to catch the hint behind this senior's gaze.

Instead, he brought the nicely wrapped pair of steamed buns out from the harvest basket on his back. But due to politeness, Long Yuan didn't unfold the wrapping cloth.

This gesture made the middle-aged man even more curious about how the bun looked and tasted.

Seeing how sincere Long Yuan seemed with both hands holding on the food in his hand, the middle-aged man accepted his offering without saying anything else.

But instead of eating the food right on the spot, he kept the two steamed buns into his inner chest pocket. The pair of buns might be cold for now, but it was believed to be fresh in the eyes of the farmers.

"This senior would accept your kind gesture then." the middle-aged man said after keeping the two buns away.

After accepting the steamed buns from Long Yuan, the middle-aged man just randomly loiter around the golden field filled with Jinqian Wheat. Both of his hands were interlocked on his back while appreciating the view before his eyes.

'Let's hope that senior would enjoy the steamed bun just like how that lass and Old Wen did.' Long Yuan muttered to himself and returned to collect the grain scattered over the ground.

The sight of Long Yuan picking up what others left behind might seem lazy in the eyes of the others. Still, to Yuan Long, he felt nothing shameful about what he did.

For Long Yuan, he would rather be the target of others' malicious gaze if he could prevent food wastage. Although the Jinqian Wheat here seemed to be growing full year-round, it means nothing if they didn't know how to preserve the food they had.

The middle-aged man seemed to discover a worthy spot to receive a single swing of his sickle. And just like before, his single move took out ten meters worth of Jinqian Wheat before the harvest flew into the jade piece in his other hand.

His departure was akin to the wind as he vanishes without attracting a hint of attention from the passerby.

The middle-aged man was long gone when Long Yuan finally filled the harvest basket full of grains. This time, the basket weight about six pounds in total, or a little over 3 kilograms, give and take.

'Did that senior leave?' Long Yuan asked himself.

Putting the basket over his back, Long Yuan prepared to go home. But he's prepared to make a detour again this time.

In his hand was a sack woven from softened hemp fiber. It seems that he already had the intention to get inside the woods to collect the Silvergrass Fruit on his way home.

But this time, Long Yuan had a slightly different idea when it came to the Silvergrass Fruit.

He would harvest the fruits that soon ripen, not those matured and turning bad soon. His reason for doing so was to grasp the fruit's flavor and uniqueness.

Based on his twenty years of cooking experience, Long Yuan knew over ten methods to create a perfect citrus fruit compote. The steaming and leaving the fruit overnight was one of the few methods he knew. Yet, it barely passes Long Yuan's requirement.

'Let's make something else from the fruit this time. I don't believe I cannot create a perfect fruit compote that could go well with the steamed buns,' Long Yuan told himself.

With his hand holding on the collected Silvergrass Fruit about two pounds worth, Long Yuan left the woods much earlier than yesterday and went home unobstructed.

-----

Meanwhile...

"My stall is not for rent, little girl. Go away and don't disturb me if you're not buying anything." a peddler said while his hand was telling Yuan Ling to go away. He seemed uninterested in talking with Yuan Ling at all, judging from the restless expression on his face.

Unable to do anything to change the peddler's mind, Yuan Ling turned around and left the stall. She had no idea that it would be this challenging in her search for a rentable booth.

She was pretty confident in the morning before leaving the house. But the reality turned out to be going towards the opposite way. After approaching close to ten stalls and the vendors managing them, Yuan Ling realized that she was treated like a troublemaker by all of them.

'Why the hell is everyone behaving like I'm here to mess with them? It's not like I'm putting on air while speaking with them or messing around!' Yuan Ling complained. Forgetting that she was already at the Foundation Realm's third stage, her stomp created a gentle but noticeable tremor right in front of the last stall she's been to.

Yuan Ling's slight expression of anger caught the attention of those around her. But they barely spent over ten seconds looking at her before moving on.

The young lass continued after venting out some of her anger.

After a few more ruthless rejections from the stalls around her, Yuan Ling came to a store positioned in a secluded alley where hardly any people walking by. The distance between this store and those located on the business street was just a simple corner, but that's all it needed to make a difference.

She might be the only one out of the hundred people to take note of the store. And to her surprise, although this store hardly had patrons shopping inside, all of them were quality customers.

Although all the shop had was a few customers, Yuan Ling was awed by the cleanliness inside the store. Although it was packed with goods and things Yuan Ling had never seen before, there was hardly a speck of dust inside.

'The wares inside this place must be costly...' Yuan Ling had the urge to leave this shop without looking back. But weirdly, a mysterious force pulled her further into the store before she noticed.

By the time she had control over her thoughts again, Yuan Ling was already standing before a portable, wooden steaming rack.

The magical-looking wooden rack caught her attention immediately. But at the same time, she was somewhat turned off due to how penniless she was.

(How much would this wooden steaming rack possibly cost?)

Yuan Ling thought.

With their financial situation, they might not afford it even after working tirelessly for the whole year.

Still, knowing that she couldn't afford it doesn't mean she can't appreciate or get to know what this thing could do. Yuan Ling immediately checked the information slate leaning above the rack to see what kind of magical ability this treasure had.

[Basalt Base Treasured Rack]

=Made from treasured Basalt Rock mined from the Hunyuan Prefecture, this wooden steamer is a perfect companion to all aspiring chefs. The steamer can retain heat or steam using Spiritual Essence and is effective for an hour upon fully charged.

=Racks can be added up to five. Customization possible. It can be used by anyone with the strength of Foundation Realm's second stage and above.

=Discount! Only One-Hundred and Eighty-Eight Foundation Tempering Pills to bring this treasure home! If you're interested, please get this slate to our workers.

-----

Yuan Ling's eyeballs were about to fall from her sockets after she noticed the word "188 Foundation Tempering Pills" written on the description slate. The pricing alone made her heart crack and bleed invisibly. At the same time, she complained about the unfair treatment heaven gave her and her brother.

'Why do I have to see something like this when I am penniless and poor?' Yuan Ling complained and forced herself to leave the store before anyone approached her. If she was late by a minute, she might end up as the people's laughing stock for coming inside a shop as posh as this one.

After coming out from the alley, Yuan Ling completely lost the mood to search for a rentable stall any longer.

All she wanted to do right now was make her way back home and soothe herself by being beside her beloved Long-Gege. And as she decided on what to do right now, Yuan Ling accidentally bumped into a middle-aged man.

"Young lass... Always make sure you bring your eyes when walking in a busy street like this." the middle-aged man said. In his hand was a very familiar-looking piece of linen, which her Long-Gege used to wrap or cover the bowl.

There was a hint of peeled-off skin to be seen on the linen in his hand.

"What brings you around this place at this time, young lass? Shouldn't you be home helping your family at this time?" asked the middle-aged man.

"My big brother wanted me to ask for a few things around the village, which is why I'm here trying to accomplish what he asked me to do." Yuan Ling answered.

She had no idea that this middle-aged man was precisely their benefactor. Without his guidance, Long Yuan might still struggle to make his own flour and had no idea there's Silvergrass Fruit to be found inside the woods.

"What did he ask you to do?" the middle-aged man smiled and asked Yuan Ling out of curiosity.

"He wants me to find out the price to rent a stall to sell the food we made, and also the cost for meat, salt, sugar, and sauces." Yuan Ling honestly answer.

"Really? Did he ask you to find out all of these?" the middle-aged man smiled.