A crowd surged forward, completely surrounding Xu Kuo and Niu Erbao.
"Wow, this food...it looks so fresh!"
"This cabbage, these leaves, are so green they're practically dripping with moisture!"
"These tomatoes are huge, bigger than my fist!"
The villagers chattered amongst themselves, their eyes wide with astonishment.
"Xu Kuo, how much are your vegetables?" an older woman asked impatiently.
"Auntie, what do you think of this dish?" Xu Kuo asked with a smile.
"Great! Excellent! Much better than those wilted vegetables in the market!" The woman gave a thumbs up without hesitation.
"If you think it's good, then go with this price..." Xu Kuo quoted a price slightly lower than that of the vegetable market.
"Okay! Give me two pounds of cabbage and a few tomatoes!" The woman didn't hesitate and immediately took out her money.
"I want one too! I want one too!"
"Xu Kuo, leave some for me!"
The crowd instantly erupted in excitement, scrambling to buy vegetables, afraid they'd miss out if they were too late.
The vendors in the market were all overjoyed to hear the commotion outside.
"Listen to this, listen to this noise! We're sure to make a fortune today!"
"Haha, I knew it! That kid surnamed Xu won't last long!"
"Once the door opens, we can just sit back and count the money!"
The vendors rubbed their hands together excitedly, eager to welcome customers.
Shi Jixing was even more smug. He cleared his throat and announced loudly, "Open the door!"
With a creak, the market gate slowly opened.
The vendors beamed with smiles, craning their necks to greet customers.
But the next second, their smiles froze on their faces.
Outside the door, there was indeed a large, dark mass of people standing there.
However, these people had no intention of coming in at all!
They craned their necks, stood on tiptoe, and desperately pushed their way out, waving banknotes and shouting, "Don't push! Don't push! Leave some for me!"
"What...what's going on?" one vendor asked, dumbfounded.
"I don't know... Why aren't these people coming in?"
"Could it be... that there's something good outside?"
The vendors looked at each other, filled with doubt.
Tan Wang frowned and looked at Shi Jixing: "Boss Shi, what's going on? What are they doing out there?"
Shi Jixing was also bewildered; he didn't know what had happened.
"I'll go ask!" Shi Jixing said, and started to walk out.
He had just reached the door when a customer who was trying to squeeze out pushed him aside.
"Ouch! What are you doing? Don't you have eyes?" Shi Jixing nearly fell over and shouted angrily.
"Get out of the way! I need to buy groceries!" the customer shouted without turning around, and continued to push his way out.
Buying groceries? Shi Jixing was stunned. There were vegetable vendors outside? That shouldn't be the case!
"Could it be that kid Xu Kuo selling vegetables outside?" a vendor suddenly said.
"Impossible!" Tan Wang immediately retorted. "That kid has only been planting vegetables for a few days? Less than a month. What could he possibly grow?"
"But...but everyone's out buying groceries..."
"Hmph! They must have used some underhanded methods!" Tan Wang said through gritted teeth.
"But...these people are all outside, what should we do?"
Although the vendors didn't believe Xu Kuo could grow vegetables, they couldn't help but feel apprehensive looking at the bustling scene outside.
Just then, a customer who had finished buying groceries squeezed out of the crowd, carrying a full basket of vegetables, looking quite satisfied.
Shi Jixing reacted quickly and grabbed him.
"Hey fellow villager, what's going on outside? Why is everyone out buying groceries?"
The customer said excitedly, "You don't know yet? Xu Kuo, who used to sell fish, has started selling vegetables today! And the vegetables are incredibly fresh, much better than the ones in your market! Everyone's scrambling to buy them!"
"What? Xu Kuo is selling vegetables?"
"This...this is impossible!"
The vendors were all stunned when they heard the news.
Tan Wang's face turned ashen, his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time. He simply couldn't believe that Xu Kuo had actually grown vegetables, and that they were so popular!
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" Tan Wang shouted, and tried to rush out.
There were too many people, and he couldn't squeeze in at all.
"Boss Shi! You have to think of something!" Tan Wang was frantic and quickly turned to Shi Jixing for help. He was now in a bind; if Xu Kuo really managed to steal all the customers, he would be completely finished!
At that moment, Xu Kuo, who was squeezed in the middle of the customers, happened to meet an old man.
The old man had gray hair, a wrinkled face, tattered clothes, and a hunched back. He was clutching a few discarded rotten vegetable leaves in his hand and was about to leave.
"Sir, wait a moment!" Xu Kuo called out to him.
The old man turned around, his cloudy eyes revealing a hint of confusion and wariness.
Looking at the old man's weathered appearance, Xu Kuo felt a pang of sorrow. This old man had no children and lived a meager existence by scavenging garbage and vegetable scraps. He had seen this several times before.
"Grandpa, what is this...?" Xu Kuo pointed to the vegetable leaves in the old man's hand.
"Oh, I... I'll just pick some vegetable leaves to cook and eat when I get home." The old man's voice was hoarse, revealing a sense of helplessness.
Hearing this, Xu Kuo felt even worse. Without saying a word, he picked out a few fresh vegetables from the vegetable cart, put them in a bag, and handed it to the old man: "Grandpa, please take these vegetables home and eat them. Don't pick up those rotten leaves; they're bad for your health."
The old man was stunned. He looked at the bag Xu Kuo handed him, a hint of surprise flashing in his cloudy eyes, which was then replaced by deep gratitude. His hands trembled as he wanted to take it but dared not.
"Young man, this...this won't do, I can't take your vegetables." The old man waved his hands repeatedly, somewhat frightened.
"Grandpa, please take it. It's nothing valuable." Xu Kuo insisted on putting the bag into the old man's hand, and even put in a few extra tomatoes.
The old man held the heavy bag of vegetables, his eyes instantly reddening, tears welling up in them: "Young man, you are such a good person! I...I..." The old man choked up, unable to speak for a moment.
The surrounding customers were also moved by this scene, and their eyes looked at Xu Kuo with more respect.
"This young man has a truly kind heart!"
"Yes, there aren't many people like him these days."
"No wonder his vegetables are so good; if he's a good person, his vegetables must be good too!"
Praises rose and fell from the crowd.
Shi Jixing, standing on the periphery, felt a growing unease seeing his side deserted while Xu Kuo's side was bustling with activity. He tried desperately to squeeze in, but the wall of people was impenetrable, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get through, making him so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged.
"Get the hell out of my way!" Shi Jixing finally couldn't hold back and roared at the top of his lungs.
This shout was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, startling everyone.
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