The first to discover Gu Chen's unique Huacai was a little girl slightly older than Tangtang.
She wore red leather shoes and was plump and fair-complexioned.
She appeared to be about five or six years old.
A middle-aged woman held her hand while carrying a white bag in her other hand.
From the looks of their attire, their circumstances seemed quite comfortable.
The girl looked at the Huacai in front of Gu Chen, her face filled with surprise.
She tugged hard at the middle-aged woman's hand.
"Mom, look, what is this? Such a big flower!"
The middle-aged woman turned to glance and was instantly taken aback by Gu Chen's Huacai.
She looked at Gu Chen with astonishment.
"What are these?"
Gu Chen smiled.
"Sister, this is Huacai. My Huacai is imported; it's the only kind in the whole market!"
Hearing that it was Huacai, the middle-aged woman shook her head.
"Forget it, my child here hates broccoli the most, even though they say it's good for kids."
"But she just refuses to eat it from a young age, spits it out after one bite, truly a headache."
Having said this, the middle-aged woman prepared to walk away with the child.
Gu Chen quickly said, "Sister, don't rush off, my broccoli is different from others, I guarantee the kid will love it!"
At these words, the middle-aged woman stopped in her tracks, looking at him doubtfully.
"You think you know my child better than I do?"
After speaking, she said helplessly, "Little brother, I understand you're trying to sell your vegetables, but the problem is, my child really doesn't like them."
The market was already crowded, and their back-and-forth conversation was drawing attention.
Soon, it attracted quite a few onlookers, including some elderly people.
Everyone crowded around the vegetable stall.
Staring at the large Huacai in front of Gu Chen, they began to express their surprise.
"What's this?"
"This looks like Huacai, but why is it so big?"
"What Huacai, it's officially called broccoli!"
"Have you ever seen one this big? Definitely not!"
Gu Chen watched as the crowd commented, each in their own way.
He smiled and began to explain to everyone.
"This is a new variety of Huacai, imported. It's bigger, more nutritious, and most importantly, the taste is good and tender."
Once sure it was indeed Huacai (broccoli),
several elderly people began to lament.
"Look at that fresh green color, it must taste good, what a pity, my kid just won't eat this. Whatever's nutritious, they won't eat, just like being contrary to adults!"
Hearing this, an elderly person nearby immediately expressed empathy.
"Your grandson doesn't like eating this Huacai either? Mine doesn't, either—frustrating, isn't it?"
"It's not just disliking, he won't even take a bite. Nowadays, isn't broccoli said to be good for kids?"
"Exactly, they say it's high in nutritional value, especially good for children, but they just won't eat it. What do you do about that?"
Gu Chen listened to everyone's talk and chuckled to himself.
He didn't try to explain; instead, he cut a small piece of the green stalk.
He handed it to Tangtang, who was sitting beside him.
"Tangtang, take a bite and tell everyone, is it tasty?"
The little girl, following her father's instructions, grabbed it and stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation, then chewed thoughtfully.
This scared the spectators, who were there for the excitement.
"Geez, that's broccoli, and she's eating it raw!"
"Yeah, you at least need to blanch it, right? Can you even eat it raw like that?"
"Won't she get poisoned?"
Gu Chen just smiled, "Uncles and aunties, don't worry, she won't get poisoned. Actually, many vegetables can be eaten raw; it's just that the taste isn't great, so people don't normally eat them raw."
Tangtang swallowed the Huacai she had in her mouth in two bites.
She smacked her lips, looking not quite satisfied.
Then she blinked and looked at Gu Chen beside her.
"Daddy, it's so sweet, I want more," said the little girl in a milky voice, leaving everyone stunned.
Everyone knows that children don't tell lies.
Especially Nannan, who looked just a little over two years old.
It was even more unlikely for her to deceive.
The child said it was sweet.
Could it be that this broccoli is really different from the usual kind we buy?
Is it really sweet?
In the crowd, an old man with a hat looked at Gu Chen with suspicion.
"You say it's sweet, why don't you cut a bit off for us to try?"
Gu Chen smiled, "Sure."
After saying this, he used a knife to cut off a small piece from the same broccoli stem.
Then he handed it to the old man with a beaming smile.
"Please, have a taste."
The old man didn't say much, took the piece, and immediately put it into his mouth.
The moment he chewed, a sweet juice oozed out.
Bursting with flavor on the taste buds.
The stem was tender, and the juice had a hint of sweet freshness.
The most critical point was.
It was indeed sweet, with a finesse that was somewhat like a pear!
To be honest, this broccoli was truly different from what he usually bought.
The old man was utterly astonished at this point.
After a moment of shock, a look of delight appeared on his face.
He grinned, nodding excitedly.
"Delicious, really tasty, it's as crisp and sweet as a pear!"
Hearing him say this, everyone was amazed.
The little girl immediately tugged at her mother's hand.
"Mommy, can we buy one to take home? Nannan loves pears the most!"
The middle-aged woman, hearing her daughter's request,
hastily turned to Gu Chen.
"How much for your broccoli?"
Gu Chen scratched his head, "Six yuan per pound."
With the New Year approaching, vegetable prices were naturally high, and ordinary broccoli also cost two to three yuan per pound.
Moreover, his produce was from Spirit Field, with unparalleled flavor and appearance.
Asking for six yuan, Gu Chen was already giving a fair price.
Hearing the price,
the middle-aged woman hesitated again.
"Young man, no offense, but your price is too high. Others are only three or four yuan, and you start at six," she complained.
Moreover, such a large piece would definitely weigh around five or six pounds, so buying one would cost over thirty yuan.
The key point was that they couldn't finish it all.
"Yeah, young man, make it cheaper. I want to buy some to let my grandson try too."
"That's right, New Year is coming. I've never seen this kind of vegetable before. Make it cheaper and I'll buy some for the New Year's Eve dinner to let my family taste something new," another chimed in.
The excited chatter of the crowd was relentless.
Gu Chen smiled apologetically.
"Six yuan is already the cheapest. You see, I've come from far away and need to cover the travel expenses, not to mention this imported variety is truly unlike the ordinary ones."
"Not to mention, who can swallow raw Huacai normally?"
There was no falsehood in what Gu Chen said.
Mainly because the taste of his Huacai was too unique.
Everyone was curious about what a pear-flavored broccoli would taste like.
The old man who had just tried a bite, upon hearing the woman's interest in buying, hurriedly said: "Sister, how about this – you and I could buy one together. What do you think?"
His suggestion seemed to resolve the concerns of the middle-aged woman.