Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 1064 - 1044. Going back now!

Chapter 1064: 1044. Going back now!

The 40 jins of rice nearly made the rice pressing machine smoke, and even by evening when the market was almost dispersed, a group of people still stayed by the machine!

It wasn’t just the old-timers from the Tian Group; there were also a few kids from Little Song Village, their faces chapped in the biting winter, cheeks blackened and red, holding their positions and refusing to leave.

Even more persistent than them were the netizens of our time.

During this entire afternoon, Qiaoqiao’s job of holding the bags kept being swapped out by others, so he simply held his phone to livestream the market for everyone, only returning here at the end.

By now, the viewers who managed to snag some rice stalks to eat were already satisfied, while those who missed out were left salivating in anguish—

So what if they’re not selling? What’s the big deal? Isn’t it always like this? Nine times out of ten, they don’t sell what we’re curious about anyway!

These were seasoned fans. They should have learned to restrain themselves by now.

o(╥﹏╥)o

As night gradually fell, and the lingering hues of the sunset disappeared from the horizon, the rumbling machine finally came to a stop.

One bag after another of rice stalks was packed tightly into plastic bags, tied up, and placed by the roadside, while Qiaoqiao was settling accounts with the stall owner—

"Normally, my going rate with customers bringing their own rice is 5 yuan per bag for labor. But look at this—your bags today are so huge! At just 5 yuan each, I would lose money like crazy."

The husband in the duo spoke earnestly, as if he really wasn’t making a single cent.

The wife chimed in seamlessly, "Exactly! Just look at your bags—they’re filled three times the size of my usual ones. But since you’ve done so much, we won’t overcharge you. How about 12 yuan per bag as a fair labor fee?"

The couple worked as a well-practiced team, now pointing at their still-steaming machine: "See? We’ve worked all afternoon; the machine is practically falling apart!"

Qiaoqiao glanced off into the distance, conceding that their bags were indeed quite large—they had made a total of 45 bags.

But...

The curious little troublemaker blinked his eyes in wonder and asked:

"If I didn’t show up today, wouldn’t other customers have broken your machine? When I arrived, your machine wasn’t resting either!"

Ah, this.

See, it’s just business talk—why nitpick the wording so much? The boss huffed and hemmed:

"Alright, alright, we’re all neighbors! Let’s call it 10 yuan per bag and leave it at that—I really won’t make any profit this way! Just think of how much my afternoon labor is worth!"

Qiaoqiao did the math and immediately furrowed his brows—it came out to his entire nine days’ worth of allowance! He was out of funds!

So, he quickly countered, "But our rice is so good—it smells great and attracts everyone. This afternoon, so many people said they’d come find you next time during the market..."

Awkwardly, he added, "You... you haven’t even paid for advertising yet!"

The boss’s brows knit tightly, realizing that this kid wasn’t as easy to trick as he looked. They had assumed he was simple-minded, but his bargaining game was anything but!

Unable to push further, the stall owner begrudgingly said, "Exactly, your rice is so good—not a single bit was wasted. My wife and I worked nonstop all afternoon, earning just 200 yuan each, all through hard labor..."

Thinking about his uncles’ and aunts’ wages, 200 yuan didn’t seem like—

"Wait, no!"

Qiaoqiao crossed his arms and spoke defensively: "My mom said you charge 3 yuan per bag for pressing rice stalks, but the first price you quoted was 12 yuan! Boss, you’re so greedy! My bags aren’t even four times bigger than normal!"

He puffed up indignantly: "If you want, I’ll open the bags right now and count every single stalk for you!"

"And pressing rice stalks is your job, so why are you pretending you’re overworked just to hike up the price?!"

The boss: ...

It’s just some normal haggling. Why is he being so serious? And now he’s really opening the bags—

"Fine, fine!" The boss gave in. "You name the price!"

Qiaoqiao beamed—he really was getting better at bargaining now!

He proudly lifted his chin, brimming with confidence: "Eight yuan per bag, and throw one in as a bonus for me."

The boss looked at the row of packed bags near the vehicle, his face stiffening with a conflicted expression.

In the end, after a quick discussion with his wife, he reluctantly agreed: "Fine! 360 yuan total! Next time you want rice stalks pressed, make sure you come to us! Here, let me give you my phone number—call me, and I can even offer home service later."

As he collected the payment, he couldn’t resist adding another suggestion:

"By the way, kid, the next big market is on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. If you’re free then, try to bring your rice over—I’ll give you a good discount..."

Not to mention, countless people had asked for his number this afternoon. This boy might be a little naive, but the rice he brought was top-notch.

It was so fragrant—just from the kids staring wistfully outside, one could tell how amazing it was!

And this 360 yuan—they had only made 116 yuan the entire morning!

A big client, truly a big client!

But Qiaoqiao shook his head. "No more markets! On the eighth, our family needs to slaughter pigs. Tomorrow’s already the sixth; we need to start preparing!"

Making fried dough twists, frying crispy leaves, popping popcorn.

There’s also the pots, pans, and utensils to prepare.

And choosing the spot for slaughtering... oh, and the pigs, too.

Qiaoqiao felt reluctant, but... but wasn’t raising pigs meant for eating in the end?

He could only hold back the sting in his nose as he glanced at Song Tan, who sat in the car scrolling on her phone, and then steadied himself again—

His sister had promised they wouldn’t feel any pain at all, and she would definitely make sure of it!

Though he felt a little sad about eating the pigs, the pork was undeniably delicious!

Meanwhile, the couple froze momentarily before lighting up with excitement: "Wait, what? You’re slaughtering pigs? Are you selling the pork?!"

Nowadays, the government didn’t allow pig-raising at home. Even in rural areas, eating pork meant buying it. Grain-fed pigs grown naturally were nearly impossible to find, even in the countryside.

If somebody secretly sold pork, people from the urban area could flood in the same day.

Hearing someone mention slaughtering pigs now, the couple immediately grew eager. If Qiaoqiao gave the green light, they’d call all their relatives tonight.

Qiaoqiao was stunned but then shook his head: "Nope, not for sale. It’s not even enough for our own family to eat."

He gestured: "We’re hosting a class reunion, and with so many people coming, the pig will be gone in no time."

Huh?

The couple exchanged awkward glances, doing a mental calculation—

A class reunion would have at least 30 to 50 people, right?

And how much meat could one pig actually provide?

Yeah... no luck.

...

The couple packed up their vehicle, and Qiaoqiao, too, finally sorted everything out. Each person grabbed two lightweight bags and tossed them into the truck bed with contented expressions.

Not only were they all satisfied from eating this afternoon, but even the old folks made off with a mixed haul. Although some deals were missed, plenty of odds and ends had been bought, along with countless videos and photos taken.

Ha! Those old fogeys back in the Imperial City must be jealous... hahahaha!

Well, there’s no helping it—they’re just not as strong and sturdy to endure long trips, so what can you do?

As the sky deepened into darkness, the forested hills echoed with the calls of unknown birds.

Seated in the truck, everyone finally began to feel the weariness settle in.

Before leaving, Qiaoqiao turned back, opened a bag, and counted how many kids were by the roadside. He handed each kid a stalk.

"I remember giving you some this afternoon—could it be my rice stalks are just too tasty?!"

He grinned broadly, making the group of sooty-faced children giggle as well.

Even Lao Zhu and the others, watching through the truck windows, couldn’t help but smile knowingly.

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