Qin Xue took a bath, changed into clean clothes, grabbed the little money she had left, and headed out.
Aside from the day she returned from the county town and told Fang Hong that she would be drawing plans at home, she asked Fang Hong not to disturb her as long as there was nothing important.
Today, after several days, Qin Xue went out and came to the town to buy a basket for carrying vegetables on her back.
She sneaked into an empty alley, went into her space, and took out a few kilograms of vegetables, put them in the basket, covered them with cloth, and then carried them to the black market.
Upon arriving, she looked around, asked about prices, and searched for buyers.
Qin Xue was amazed that vegetables costing only 20 or 30 cents a pound outside could be sold for 50 or 60 cents here. The price gap was huge.
Where could she find a big customer? Qin Xue wondered as she walked along.
"Ah! Sorry." Qin Xue looked up and realized she had bumped into someone because she wasn't watching where she was going!
Li Zhao saw that it was a girl who bumped into him and apologized promptly.
The girl had a good attitude, and after hearing her apology, he replied, "It's fine, it doesn't hurt."
Qin Xue couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh, but I just couldn't help it."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but laugh again, amused by the man. He claimed not to be in pain, as if he were made of iron and bronze.
However, this also showed that he was an educated man.
Qin Xue looked up and saw that he was wearing a black suit and shiny leather shoes.
By his clothes alone, she could tell he was wealthy. He was quite tall and thin, about 180 cm, and had handsome features.
It was only the scar on the left side of his face that marred his good looks, but his eyes were filled with laughter.
From his words just now, Qin Xue knew that he was not a bad person – people say that eyes don't lie.
As Qin Xue was taking measure of Li Zhao, he was also sizing her up.
Originally, Li Zhao had come to the black market to find a large supply of vegetables. The southern region had experienced flooding this year and needed a large supply of fruits and vegetables, which could fetch a good profit.
However, after searching the entire black market, he had only found scattered vegetables which couldn't meet his needs.
Unexpectedly, he wasn't paying attention and got bumped into by the woman across from him. Although he was always smiling, the scar on his face scared off people who didn't know him well.
However, this woman was not scared at all; instead, she seemed amused, which made Li Zhao find her quite interesting: "Miss, aren't you frightened by my appearance? Aren't you afraid of the scar on my face?"
"No, your scar does look a bit scary, but it's not like you wanted it.
Moreover, such a long scar could only have been left by a very serious injury.
You can still live your life with a smile even after having such a big scar, so what is there for me to be afraid of?" Qin Xue was not one to judge people by their looks.
Having seen so many gruesome injuries in her previous life, this scar certainly couldn't scare her.
However, she did admire this man. Many people would feel inferior because of their disfigurement.
But he didn't. Instead, he lived his life with a confident smile. That was how people should live – whether they're crying or laughing all day, why not live with a smile? So, this man left a good impression on Qin Xue.
"Miss, you're quite a remarkable person. Many people are frightened by my looks and overlook other aspects.
But you can see beyond that. Can we become friends? My name is Li Zhao, and everyone likes to call me Zhaozi." Li Zhao was very perceptive of people.
This woman was not ordinary, and befriending her might be very beneficial to him.
Qin Xue didn't expect Li Zhao to say such things, but it would be good for her to have more friends in this unfamiliar place.
"Hello, my name is Qin Xue. I'm pleased to meet you."
"You seem younger than me. Can I call you Little Sister Qin Xue?" Li Zhao politely asked Qin Xue.
"Sure, then I'll call you Brother Zhao." Qin Xue wasn't one to hesitate.
"So, are you here to buy vegetables, Sister?" Li Zhao asked as he looked at Qin Xue's basket.
"Well, I just wanted to see what kind of vegetables they have here. What about you? What are you looking to buy?" Although Qin Xue had become friends with Li Zhao, she couldn't reveal her hand in front of someone she had just met.
"As for me, I'm also here to check out fruits and vegetables. To be honest, I'm a businessman, and the Southern Region is in great need of fruits and vegetables due to the flood this year. So, I wanted to see if there were any large quantities available. However, I went through the entire county market and only found a small amount, which wasn't enough for my needs, so I came to the black market to look."
"But I only found a few hundred kilograms here, which is far from the 20,000 kilograms I need." Li Zhao felt frustrated when thinking about the amount of supplies he needed to provide for the Southern Region.
At present, there are still no open policies, and many things require vouchers. It's hard to find the goods they need by sneaking around.
However, Li Zhao didn't want to give up this opportunity, so he had to keep searching.
"You mean you need a large amount of vegetables?" Upon hearing this, Qin Xue felt as if her heart was about to take flight. It was as though heaven was helping her.
This was like getting a pillow when she was sleepy. If this were really the case, wouldn't her problem be solved?
"Yes, do you know where I can find them? If you know, please let me know. If you help me solve this problem, I won't let you go empty-handed." Li Zhao's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
Qin Xue had indeed made a valuable friend, as he could help her solve her problem.
"You really need them? You're not lying to me?" Qin Xue thought it was best to confirm once more.
"I really need them. If you know where to find them, let me know. No matter the quantity, I'll take it all. I believe in credibility as a businessman. You can rest assured that I'll settle the payment and take away the goods without causing any trouble for you." Li Zhao was not solely engaged in the vegetable business.
He also traded other goods to earn a profit. Since being discharged from the military, Li had amassed quite a fortune. Although the quantity he needed this time was considerable, he could handle it.
"The vegetables are of excellent quality. What price will you give?" Qin Xue thought about selling all the vegetables she had so that she could have some money.
"Sister, as for the price, I need to see the quality of the vegetables before I can give you a quote. But I promise that if the quality is good, the price will not be low."
Qin Xue knew this, so she led Li Zhao to a less-crowded area and took out a bundle of green vegetables from her bag.
"Take a look at the quality. All the vegetables are top-notch, so you can't give me a low price."
When Li Zhao saw the vegetables in Qin Xue's hand, he was thrilled.
The vegetables in Qin Xue's hand were fresh and lush, plump and delicious, without a single insect hole. They couldn't find vegetables of this quality throughout the entire county. If they shipped these vegetables to the Southern Region, wouldn't they make a fortune?
Li Zhao looked at the rest of Qin Xue's vegetables: "Are all of these of the same quality? I'll take as many as you have. The market price is 50 cents a pound. Since your vegetables are of better quality, I'll give you 60 cents a pound for bok choy and cabbage, 70 cents for tomatoes, and 80 cents for chili peppers."
If Qin Xue knew what Li Zhao was thinking, she would definitely scoff at him.
It was certain that these vegetables were grown using Spirit Spring water. The space had spiritual energy, no insects, and its products couldn't be inferior, could they?
Li Zhao's offered price was not low. Originally, he wanted to offer 60 cents for all, but later, thinking that giving a lower price for such good quality might make Qin Xue unhappy, he offered a higher price. The serious water damage in the Southern Region meant that chili peppers could improve the body's ability to fight off the cold, so he couldn't lose money on this deal.
Therefore, he offered a higher price, and Qin Xue knew that getting this price was really good. It was an extra 10 cents a pound higher than the market price. However, the quality of produce from her space couldn't be inferior.
"Okay, you can find someone to go to the old house outside the city to collect the vegetables. There should be about 10,000 kilograms in total. I'll meet you there." When Qin Xue entered the city, she saw an old, vacant house.
She figured she would move the vegetables there first, otherwise, she would have to find a way to get the vegetables in front of Li Zhao.
"All right, sister, I'll go find some people and vehicles to pick them up." Li Zhao didn't want to ask Qin Xue too many questions.
It wasn't necessary to dig into a friend's secrets while getting to know them. So, upon hearing Qin Xue's suggestion, he agreed.
After going their separate ways, Qin Xue took her bag and bought a lock before heading out of the city to the old house. Luckily, it wasn't too far from the city.
Qin Xue took a look at the old house, which appeared a bit dilapidated. It had two rooms and a living room, and it was empty inside. She didn't know who it belonged to.
She thought, 'Who cares, I'll borrow it for now.' Qin Xue then removed all the vegetables from her space, filling the entire room.
After moving everything, she locked the door and sat outside, waiting for Li Zhao and his team. About ten minutes later, Li Zhao arrived with four small trucks and a large scale.