The next day, Lóng Wǔ indeed came again. But this time she didn't come empty-handed; she bought a bunch of things on her way from the supermarket. "Yesterday I noticed there weren't many commercial establishments nearby, so I guessed it might be inconvenient for you to buy things.
I've picked up some daily necessities and groceries." Jiǎn Níng didn't stand on ceremony with her. "Thanks, you thoughtful little padded jacket."
Lóng Wǔ gave a shy smile and helped put the things into the refrigerator. She then remembered something. "Oh, right, my aunt came to my house yesterday and tried that pomelo.
She said it was delicious and wants to buy some. Ning Ning, is that okay?" Jiǎn Níng casually replied, "Just pick some when you pass by."
Lóng Wǔ asked, "How much for the pomelo?" Jiǎn Níng waved her hand. "It's just a few pomelos, no need to pay.
Anyway, there are many pomelo trees in the estate, and I can't eat them all myself." Zhāng Nán, who was lounging on the outdoor sofa, heard this and immediately got up and ran into the kitchen, saying urgently, "How can that be? Ning Ning, you've retired from the circle now and have no source of income.
This estate is large, but it can't be monetized right away. We should sell the pomelos for whatever we can get." Lóng Wǔ agreed.
"Yes, Ning Ning, just charge us the price. I won't feel comfortable taking them if you don't charge, and besides, my aunt isn't short of money." Jiǎn Níng had spent money to hire people to till the land and buy seeds and tools, and she was indeed out of money.
She simply found it troublesome and didn't want to complicate simple matters. "I don't know what price to set." "That's easy.
Let's see the price of pomelos at nearby fresh food stores." Zhāng Nán took out her phone and opened an online fresh food store to check the prices. She read aloud, "Pomelo fruit slices are 19.9 per jin, red pomelos are 15.9 for half a jin, and white honey pomelos are 35.9 for two jin."
Jiǎn Níng listened and was a little taken aback. "Pomelos are so expensive now?" She recalled that when she was in college, the pomelos she bought on the street behind the school were only six yuan each.
"Yes, and your pomelos are so delicious." Zhāng Nán did some mental calculation and proposed a price she considered reasonable. "How about we sell them for 50 each?"
Lóng Wǔ frowned slightly. Jiǎn Níng, being observant, thought they found it too expensive. Indeed, who would spend 50 yuan on a pomelo?
It was outrageous. Just as she was about to interject and offer a way out, Lóng Wǔ spoke first, tentatively asking, "Isn't 50… a bit too cheap?
For such delicious pomelos." Jiǎn Níng: "..." Zhāng Nán rubbed her chin and thought.
"Indeed, pomelos this delicious are much better than those sold outside. This place has been abandoned for so long, and Ning Ning hasn't used any pesticides; they're purely natural pomelos. Imported pomelos from abroad sell for 99 yuan each.
How about we sell them for 100 yuan each?" Lóng Wǔ agreed. "I think that price is fine."
The two of them, playing off each other, settled on the price. Jiǎn Níng quickly said, "I haven't paid much attention to these pomelos, and it didn't take much effort. 100 is really sky-high.
Let's just sell them for 50 each." They were mainly friends supporting her, with no outsiders. In today's world, many people take advantage of their acquaintances, often ripping off those closest to them.
Her conscience wouldn't allow her to do such a thing. Even if she wanted to make money, it wouldn't be this way. A pomelo is about two to three jin.
Selling them for 50 each would be similar to the prices of pomelos sold elsewhere. Zhāng Nán happily raised her hand. "Then I'll take 20!"
She immediately transferred the money via WeChat. "Me too." Lóng Wǔ tried to transfer money but realized they weren't WeChat friends.
"Ning Ning, let's add each other." "Okay." After adding each other, Lóng Wǔ transferred 1000 yuan.
In just a short while, Jiǎn Níng received 2000 yuan. Looking at the two girls before her, her heart felt warm. Jiǎn Níng knew that their intention to buy pomelos was genuine, and their desire to support her, knowing she had no income, was also real.
"Hey, I just thought of a great idea!" Lóng Wǔ had a sudden inspiration. "Ning Ning, your estate has a beautiful natural environment.
You should try becoming a pastoral short video vlogger." "That's right," Zhāng Nán immediately agreed. "The pace of life in the city is fast now, and many people like to watch slow-living videos to de-stress.
Ning Ning, didn't you say you wanted to farm? You could film yourself picking pomelos, growing vegetables, and cooking daily life scenes. You don't even have to show your face."
Jiǎn Níng thought about it. Although she had a system, she still needed money for daily expenses, so a career endeavor was necessary. Becoming a short video vlogger without showing her face was a good option.
"Okay, I'll give it a try." With this plan in mind, Jiǎn Níng was very proactive. She looked online at the general styles of other pastoral vloggers, bought a stable phone tripod, and taught herself editing.
The small bok choy in the vegetable patch grew from seeds into two small sprouts, with the core developing leaves while the initial sprouts withered. The leaves grew larger each day. Jiǎn Níng filmed these as videos.
Sunrise and sunset, clouds drifting by. She scattered flower seeds along the roadsides outside the villa she lived in, and with the enhancement of Sorcery, the flowers bloomed vibrantly. However, the estate was truly vast, and clearing the weeds was extremely difficult.
There were quite a few pomelo trees in the estate, twenty to thirty, scattered in various places. When she went to pick pomelos elsewhere, she always carried a bamboo pole, as the grass was too deep and she feared stepping on snakes. In the evening, while browsing videos, Jiǎn Níng came across free-range chickens.
She remembered how her Grandma used to raise chickens, using a net to fence off an area and letting them roam freely behind it. The chickens would find their own food, supplemented with a little grain. Sometimes, after the rice harvest, the remaining grains in the fields were collected by letting the chickens peck at them.
At night, the chickens would return on their own and roost on wooden perches. Of course, sometimes the chickens were restless, and when they grew older, they would fly out and escape. In such cases, their feathers would be clipped.
The chickens she bought in North City didn't taste right; the chicken meat had no chicken flavor at all. It was the chicken her Grandma raised herself that tasted truly delicious. Now that her old house had collapsed and her Grandma was living with her uncle and aunt in the provincial capital, it wasn't convenient to raise chickens.
But Huáyue Villa Estate was so large, filled with weeds everywhere, she could raise them! Jiǎn Níng searched for nearby chicken farms. It was about ten kilometers away, not too close, not too far.
She was currently unemployed and had nothing else to do, so she planned to go there herself tomorrow. Thinking about raising chickens, Jiǎn Níng couldn't suppress her excitement. She hadn't had the conditions before, but now she did.
She wanted to make kiln-baked chicken herself. When she was young, during Lunar New Year, her uncle and aunt would visit, and if the adults were in the mood, they would prepare kiln-baked chicken, with sweet potatoes also baked inside. She had eaten kiln-baked chicken once, and the taste was unforgettable, let alone having eaten it several times.
Just as Jiǎn Níng was thinking about raising chickens, her phone rang. She looked at the incoming call number and immediately swiped right to answer. "Grandma."
The aged voice on the other end carried genuine concern. "My Ning Ning, what are you doing?" Jiǎn Níng's lips curled into a smile.
She hadn't told her family about the estate yet. She would wait until the estate was in better shape and the time was right, then perhaps she could bring Grandma over. "Grandma, I'm getting ready to sleep."
"Our little night owl, going to bed so early today." The old lady teased her. "Grandma~" "Alright, Grandma won't tease you anymore."
The old lady said, her tone suddenly becoming serious. "Ning Ning, Grandma has something to ask you." Jiǎn Níng, naturally sensitive, immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Grandma, what is it?" "Ning Ning, if your biological Mom and Dad come looking for you, would you still be willing to acknowledge them?"