CHAPTER 304: CHAPTER 299: PHOENIX MAN

"Liu Sanying, these are your son and daughter-in-law, huh? My, this young couple looks so splendid. When are you planning the wedding banquet? We all can’t wait to have a good time together." Today is the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, and since Granny Liu had already taken care of most of the household cleaning the previous days, she simply decided to go to the market with her family of three.

As it’s just before the New Year, the market that had been bustling for the past several days won’t close, continuing until noon on New Year’s Eve. Ye Qiu is the only postgraduate from nearby, good-looking and academically brilliant—who doesn’t know him?

Zhang Meng is a new face, brought along by Ye Qiu, and also very beautiful, immediately drawing everyone’s attention. They are all neighbors from miles around—familiar faces even if not directly acquainted, they came over one by one to inquire.

Listening to everyone’s admiring comments, Liu Sanying also felt radiant with pride, smiling cheerfully all the way: "Mengmeng is Ye Qiu’s girlfriend, he specially brought her back for me to meet. As for marriage, they are both still studying, so we’ll talk about it after their graduation. Everyone must come to support the event then."

"Wow, so the girl is also in university! Liu Sanying, your Ye Family is really going places, having two university students!"

"Ye Qiu is already twenty-three this year, right? Still studying? Wouldn’t it mean waiting another two years will make him a bit too old?"

A bunch of people surrounded Liu Sanying with comments, some envious, others a bit sour.

Liu Sanying had been persuaded by her son in the morning, considering these people were just jealous of her good fortune, so she felt not a single thorn in her heart, but was very proud instead: "You don’t understand, young people nowadays prioritize their careers first. Ye Qiu and Mengmeng are both pursuing their combined master’s and doctoral degrees. When they come out, they’ll both be highly educated intellectuals. Getting married later is not an issue. Doesn’t our country also advocate for delayed childbearing and childrearing? Besides, Ye Qiu and Mengmeng aren’t old yet, waiting another four or five years is no big deal."

"They’ll both be PhDs in the future!" Someone gasped, they might not have received much education themselves, but they’ve seen on TV that a PhD is the highest degree there is!

"Yes, but it’s all up to them, you know. I heard that there are also students in their school who get married and then continue their studies; it doesn’t hold anything back. I’m old now, young people’s affairs, they should have the final say." Liu Sanying was beaming with joy, affectionately holding Zhang Meng’s hand.

The other women at the scene were filled with envy. How did they not have the good fortune to find such an outstanding daughter-in-law? Look at Ye Qiu’s girlfriend, with such delicate and tender hands and face, she must be from the city. And the clothes she wears, so pretty, her family’s condition must be very good!

One really should study more, just look at Ye Qiu, although he hasn’t graduated yet, once he does, he’ll be a PhD, and from the Medical University at that! Imagine how high his future salary will be! Plus with his wife’s earnings, their joint income...

A few people exchanged glances, all displaying envy and jealousy.

Granny Liu was extremely delighted, and as a result, she kept buying things for Zhang Meng. That morning, after her son Ye Qiu told her that he truly wasn’t short of money, he even handed Granny Liu twenty thousand yuan in cash. Ye Qiu originally wanted to give more, but he thought it might be hard to explain and was afraid of shocking her, so he decided on twenty thousand yuan. In the rural village, Granny Liu barely needs to spend much on food. That twenty thousand yuan could last her several years.

Despite inconvenient transportation and most villagers not being wealthy, resulting in old-fashioned styles of clothes and shoes, there’s an abundance of wild, premium mountain goods. It’s a good time to buy some to send to Zhang Meng’s father.

Granny Liu was astounded when she heard from her son the day before that the in-laws owned a hospital. That must mean they are very wealthy! Ye Qiu being friends with Mengmeng was their family reaching high. They might not have other riches, but they certainly don’t lack these mountain treasures.

The fact that they trusted Ye Qiu to bring their daughter to this small mountain village speaks to their high regard for Ye Qiu and trust in their own household. So, she must not let down the parents-in-law’s good intentions.

"These shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms look good." Liu Sanying squatted down to carefully select them, casually asking, "How much per pound?"

"Shiitake mushrooms at forty, wood ear mushrooms at twenty-five."

"That’s quite expensive!" Liu Sanying exclaimed with widened eyes.

"Sis, I painstakingly harvested these shiitake and wood ear mushrooms from the mountains. Look, is there a single bad one among them? They’re all dried, just soak them in water when you get home and they can last for several meals!"

One could clearly feel the high quality of this batch of mushrooms and wood ears; each was carefully selected, full of fragrant aroma, even the thrifty Granny Liu couldn’t find any faults. It was just their price that was a bit steep.

Zhang Meng, however, felt they were already very cheap. These were all wild products; taking them to the city would sell for dozens or even hundreds of yuan per jin!

Ye Qiu whispered an explanation to her: "These all come from the mountains, practically with no cost. The price people from outside pay when they come to collect is about the same. The high prices in the city are mainly due to middlemen and transportation fees."

Zhang Meng understood; no wonder the news said that farmers couldn’t even make back their costs, but when buying in the supermarket, ordinary citizens can’t afford it. The profits made by middlemen and the cost of transportation are indeed big issues.

"Then isn’t there anyone selling these online here?" Zhang Meng asked. Although delivery might be a bit expensive, if sold directly, it would be a good deal for everyone!

"It’s not as easy as you think. Those who stay in the mountains are mostly middle-aged and elderly people. Most of them haven’t even finished primary school; how could they use a computer? Besides, the upfront cost for buying computers and running an online store isn’t small, and no one wants to take that risk. Moreover, people are accustomed to this model. Every year, people come into the mountains to collect, and since most of the products don’t cost anything to produce, earning a little is still something."

"What about the young people? Why don’t they come back and do something?"

"The city has everything while the mountains don’t even offer a chance to find a wife. Who would want to return? Moreover, these mountain goods can’t provide a continuous supply, so basically, no one is willing to take this risk. However, I’ve heard that the government is paying more attention to this issue, and it should improve before long."

While Ye Qiu and Zhang Meng were talking softly on the side, Granny Liu had also negotiated the price with the vendor. She bought all the shiitake and wood ear mushrooms, but managed to get the price reduced by three yuan per jin.

"Mengmeng, when you go back to the city, you can take all these things for your dad," Granny Liu said with a smile.

Zhang Meng hadn’t expected all these products were for her dad and hurriedly said, "Auntie, we really don’t need so much. My dad is just one person; how much can he eat?"

"It’s okay, isn’t your father the hospital director? He can share some with his staff. These are high-quality goods that you can’t find in the city. Let’s keep looking around and see if there are any other wild products. I tell you, the taste of wild chickens and wild boars from these mountains is absolutely delicious."

"Auntie, this is too much!"

"No problem, let Ye Qiu carry them. Isn’t he a strong man, surely he can carry a bit of stuff like this. And if not, there’s always express delivery. It’s not often we come back, and the items aren’t expensive, so let’s buy more."

Hearing Granny Liu’s rich-madam tone, Ye Qiu couldn’t help but offer a wry smile, while Zhang Meng felt a warm feeling inside.