Chapter 24
Lilith, upon seeing her mother's reaction, couldn't help but burst into laughter. Just a moment ago, her mother's face was filled with pride while drinking the herbal medicine, but now, her expression was twisted, resembling dried laundry that hadn't been properly washed!
Lily couldn't focus on anything else at the moment. She had been too careless, as the taste of the drink she just consumed was incredibly unpleasant! It took her a few moments to recover from the overwhelming taste.
With her senses returning, Lily heard her daughter's questions seeking validation.
"That's right, Mom! It tastes awful! Who would want to drink something so bitter and strange?"
Hearing this, Lily was momentarily speechless because what her daughter said was the truth.
Alex, who noticed the distaste of the two women towards the herbal medicine he concocted, felt a bit displeased. He then took the herb from Lily's hand and gulped it down without the slightest warning. He thought that the two women were exaggerating greatly.
But to Alex's surprise, the taste was indeed terrible! The bitter, sour, and spicy flavors in the herb he had just drunk were much stronger than anything he had ever tasted on Earth!
Despite feeling extreme discomfort, Alex was trying his best not to overreact. He didn't want his unappealing expression to be seen by the two women, as he couldn't handle the taste of his concoction.
Lily and Lilith were a bit amazed at first but then found it quite amusing. They couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Alex's struggle.
Alex knew what these two women were thinking and felt a little helpless. He couldn't bear the unpleasant taste in his mouth any longer. Just as he was about to give in to the urge to vomit, suddenly a familiar middle-aged woman's voice called out.
"Alex! Where are you!'"
Hearing this, Alex immediately frowned and then struggled to swallow everything in his mouth. After managing to do so, he greeted Greenfield's mother with a forced smile as she appeared with a curious expression on her face.
Meanwhile, Alex managed to avoid the embarrassing incident that almost happened. The herbs in his mouth had completely disappeared, leaving behind a bitter and slightly spicy aftertaste.
Mrs. Greenfield, seeing her family standing together with strange expressions, was a little confused. She couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you all? Why are you standing and chatting here?"
Lilith, upon hearing her grandmother's question, immediately complained, "Here comes grandma! My father purposely made something that tastes bad to drink!"
Mrs. Greenfield, who heard this, was a little displeased. She then scolded her son gently, "Russell, you've grown up, why are you still so mischievous like a child!"
Alex, feeling a bit sad, felt he was being misunderstood. "Mom, I'm not playing around. The thing I gave Lilith was some kind of medicine. I told her to drink it to stay healthy! Which medicine isn't bitter nowadays?"
Hearing her son's explanation, Greenfield's mother nodded slightly. It seemed that her son had good intentions in taking care of his child.
With that, it was Lilith's turn to be lectured.
"Your father is right, Lilith. It's good for your health, and the medicine isn't that bitter. In the future, you'll become an extremely beautiful young lady!"
"But grandma, those things are scary! If you don't believe me, try it!" Lilith said, still chuckling, while pointing at the half-filled glass in Alex's hand.
Observing her granddaughter, Greenfield's mother didn't find the situation outrageous at all. She took the glass from Alex's hand to demonstrate that good things should be consumed.
And so, the same thing happened again. Greenfield's mother, who already had wrinkles, deepened them even further. Her expression of intolerance surpassed the ones shown by Lilith and Lily before.
In this scene, Lilith was the most pleased. Who told you guys to bully this cute girl?
Meanwhile, Alex felt depressed seeing his mother like this. At first, he wanted to stop his mother from drinking. But she was so fast that he was left speechless.
"Bah! What is this feeling!" exclaimed Greenfield's mother after finishing a mouthful of the herbs.
Then Mother Greenfield asked Alex accusingly, "Is this medicine? Why does it taste a hundred times worse than medicine?"
Alex, who heard this, was a little speechless. He looked for excuses before finally saying, "Mom, don't you believe me? Isn't there a warm and relaxed feeling in your muscles after drinking it? This is a good thing!"
Hearing this, Greenfield's mother finally realized that it was true, the herbal medicine did have some positive effects as her daughter had described.
Lilith and Lily also finally realized that what their father and husband said was true. However, they still found the taste unbearable.
Seeing the uncomfortable looks on everyone's faces, Alex hurriedly took the glass filled with medicinal herbs and then asked his mother, "Mother, why did you come at night like this?"
"Ah yes, I just remembered, your uncle and aunt called!" replied Greenfield's mother.
"And what did they say?" Alex was a little confused.
"They said they had tasted the vegetables you brought, and they were really good!"
"Oh, is that so? Then I'll send them more next time."
Seeing her son's relaxed behavior, Greenfield's mother was a little annoyed. She had just received good news from her brothers-in-law about the vegetables that Alex sent, and she was feeling happy about it. However, she was still bothered by the unpleasant taste of the herbal medicine.
After that, her brother-in-law urged him to sell the vegetables at a high price and even wanted to sell them themselves with the help of their connections. Greenfield's mother was naturally dumbfounded upon hearing this. She then remembered her husband's words about how her daughter had made a lot of money. She also recalled her son's words about how he could easily support his wife and children and didn't mind the multi-million debt.
At first, Greenfield's mother was displeased and thought her son was too indifferent. However, she soon realized that her son's confidence had a basis. Mrs. Greenfield then explained how the vegetables appeared and that it was not their hands that planted them but Alex's hard work.
Hearing this, Uncle and Aunt started urging Mrs. Greenfield to ask Alex if they could produce these delicious vegetables en masse. They also mentioned that the vegetables could be sold at 2 to 3 times the price.
Upon hearing this, it was clear that Greenfield's mother was moved and immediately came to her son's house.
"Your son has delicious vegetables, but I had no idea! Your uncle and aunt said that the vegetables you made were really good. They believe that if they sell them with their connections, the price will be much higher," Mrs. Greenfield explained to Alex and Lily.
Lily was slightly surprised to hear this, as she never thought that what her husband had been saying was actually true.
After hearing this, Alex finally came to his senses. He realized that he had been keeping the delicious vegetables to himself and not sharing them with his own family. He used to cook with ordinary ingredients but with a little added moisture of life, which made a significant difference in the taste and quality of the dishes.
With this realization, Alex saw a fantastic business opportunity. His aunt and uncle had connections in town, and he could utilize the acceleration inside the ring space to his advantage. Just imagine, tomatoes that have been planted for only five days can already bear fruit! This was truly remarkable and had great potential for business success.
With these ideas in mind, Alex discussed various plans with his mother. He explained that he had connections in the vegetable sourcing business, so even if their family lacked resources in the future, he could still help them out.
His mother returned home with a sense of joy, thinking about the potential for multiplying their money through this business venture.
After her return, Alex resumed his research activities and also started designing a comprehensive plan for selling vegetables with his future aunt and uncle.
As he was deeply engrossed in his work, Alex's phone suddenly rang. Although a little distracted, he decided to answer the call.
Seeing the name of the caller, Alex was slightly surprised. "What could be related to this person? Was there a problem with the vegetables last time?" he wondered with doubt. Curiosity piqued, he picked up the phone and heard a hurried voice on the other end.
"Hello, good night, Mr. Russell," greeted the caller.
"Yes, good night, Mr. Ethan."
"Is Mr. Russell busy?"
"No, don't worry, Mr. Ethan. I'm not busy. So, why did you call me?"
"Well, are the vegetables still available?" Mr. Ethan asked.
Alex frowned slightly. Didn't he say that he stopped selling vegetables? But as he thought about his mother's words earlier and the short time it took to grow vegetables in the ring space, he couldn't help but ask back with great interest.
"For now, Mr. Ethan, they are available. What's wrong? Are the vegetable sales good?" Alex inquired.
"Heheheh, don't hide from me, Mr. Russell. The sales of the vegetables are excellent and have boosted my restaurant. Moreover, I discovered something amazing in your vegetables," replied Mr. Ethan.
"Amazing? What do you mean?" Alex asked with curiosity.
"Well, I wanted to confirm the quality of the materials from the vendor, so I conducted a lab test. The results came back in a few days, and to learn more about your vegetables, I did further tests for potential health benefits. But to my surprise, it turns out there are active ingredients in Russell's vegetable plants that are not only healthy but also have natural beauty-enhancing properties! These vegetables have incredible potential," explained Mr. Ethan enthusiastically.
As Ethan was excitedly explaining, Alex's expression turned from curious to horrified and afraid. He cursed silently in his heart, realizing the implications of this discovery. "Damn, this is a disaster!"