Mingjing was overjoyed, then looked at Xie Junan apologetically, "I don't know your aunt. Can you come with me? If it's done, I'll give you 80% of the profits."
She figured that having an acquaintance to guide her would guarantee a better price than finding strangers on her own.
Seeing that things were looking promising, Dong Li laughed and said, "Let Jun'an go with you. I'm too busy at my little restaurant to leave, and your honey will spoil if it's left out for too long."
He then turned to Xie Junan and said, "You're not allowed to bully people, kid. Be careful on the road."
"Dad, don't worry."
Mingjing had no choice; Xie Junan was indeed the most suitable candidate at the moment.
"Come pick me up from my house tomorrow afternoon. There are quite a lot of beehives, and we need a truck to transport them away."
"No problem, I'll pick you up from your house tomorrow."
After discussing the honey, Mingjing pointed to the barnacles on the cart.
"Uncle Dong, I also got some basil. I wonder what the price is now?"
"That stuff is expensive, 150 yuan a pound, how much do you have?"
Dong Li looked around from the back of the truck bed and calmly said, "I can't eat this much. How about this, you leave it with me first, and I'll give you half the money."
I'll contact the boss tomorrow and give you the rest of the money.
He was already used to the surprises Mingjing gave him; no matter how rare something was, it was normal for Mingjing to give it to him.
"Thank you so much."
Mingjing trusted Dong Li and naturally didn't say anything. After all, if it rotted in the hot weather, it would be worthless.
"I want 60 jin, give the rest to them."
Dong Li got off the bus with a sack, leaving behind 60 jin of basil, and started clicking away on his calculator.
"Reset to zero!"
"It's nine thousand yuan in total."
Dong Li readily counted out nine thousand yuan in cash and gave it to Mingjing.
"Okay, Uncle Dong, I'll wait for your news."
When Mingjing left the seafood restaurant, Xie Junan offered to take her back, but she refused.
After Mingjing left, Dong Li finally smiled and said, "You better watch your step tomorrow, or you'll lose him."
Xie Junan teased, "Dad, you're quite satisfied with her too?"
Dong Li smiled, his mouth almost twisted into a grin, "Of course, this girl is smart and sensible, and she's also beautiful, with the air of a young lady from a wealthy family."
Most importantly, she's a money-maker. Since she started supplying us, my little restaurant's business has improved many times over. She's a true benefactor.
"Are you choosing a daughter-in-law or a money tree?"
"What do you know, kid? When you marry, you should marry a virtuous woman. It's not just about being pretty. She should also know how to manage a household, earn money, and support the family. That's the most important thing."
He had arranged many blind dates for Xie Jun'an, but they were either too busy with work or only good at dressing up. None of them were as good at making money and helping his family's restaurant as Mingjing.
He did want Mingjing to marry into the family, but it would depend on how they got along. Even if they didn't become a family, maintaining a good relationship would be fine.
When Mingjing returned home, the Ming family members were still awake, and they were cleaning the beehives by lamplight in the main room.
"Dad, we've decided. We'll go collect the traps tomorrow. In the afternoon, Xie Jun'an and I will go to Dongguan City. His aunt should know someone there."
After saying that, Mingjing took the money and said, "I bought nine thousand barnacles. I'll have Uncle Dong help me sell the rest. We'll wait to collect the money. I'll take this nine thousand to the city to deposit it tomorrow."
Ming Dahai was silent for a moment before speaking, "You should go early tomorrow and come back early. Don't stay out too late with the boys. Your brother and I will collect those fish traps."
"Never mind then, Dad, wait for me to come back before you do it, let it sit for a while longer."
Mingjing was afraid that if she wasn't there, her luck wouldn't fall on the trap.
"No need, your brother and I will go, we can finish all thirty-odd in one day, and then we'll come back."
"Alright, I'll leave tomorrow. We need to find something to store this honey. Xie Jun'an will drive over to pick it up tomorrow."
They persisted, and Mingjing couldn't stop them; all she could do was pray that the luck value of the earth cage remained constant.
"It's alright. There's a big wine vat at home, something your grandfather left behind. It's been sitting in a corner, and it's enough to store honeycomb."
Mingjing nodded, went inside to wash up, and then went back to bed to call Xie Junan, asking him to come over early the next day.
Just after six o'clock in the morning, the rooster in the yard crowed, waking Mingjing up.
She paused for a moment and opened the system. Her luck value for the day was 100, which meant there must be something in the cage. Unfortunately, she couldn't go there and didn't know if it would have any impact.
After washing up, Mingjing stood in front of the wardrobe choosing clothes. Most of the original owner's clothes were in the style of a girl next door, such as a blue floral dress paired with a white cardigan.
She braided two fishtail braids herself and tied the ends with blue bows; she looked exceptionally beautiful even without makeup.
Outside the door, Ming Dahai had already put the beehive into the large wine vat.
The wine vat is made of wood, looks quite old, has a reddish color, and smells of wood. It is half a meter tall.
"Let's eat before we leave," Sun Yunmei said, bringing out a basket of large steamed buns.
Mingjing sat down to eat when Xie Junan's car pulled up.
"Xiao Xie, you've worked hard today. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Sit down and eat before you go," Sun Yunmei greeted warmly.
Mingliang sized up the two of them, finding them utterly displeasing.
Seeing Xie Jun'an staring at Mingjing, his eyes glued to her sister, drooling, and swallowing frequently, she felt inexplicably angry.
"Hey, my mom's talking to you. Want to eat?" Mingliang called out irritably.
"Eat, eat." Xie Jun'an snapped out of his daze, chuckling awkwardly as he turned to look at the large wine vat. "The beehive is all here?"
Yesterday he thought it was just a hornet's nest, probably weighing only seven or eight pounds, but he never expected it to be so big, at least several dozen pounds.
"It's only half full, not even full yet."
"That's quite a lot."
Xie Junan was wearing the most fashionable leather jacket and loose black jeans, with white sneakers on his feet. His eyes sparkled when he smiled.
Mingjing would steal glances at Xie Jun'an from time to time. This man was really handsome. It wasn't the kind of good looks that came from money; he just had a genuinely handsome aura.
Ming Dahai and Ming Liang loaded the honey onto the back of the truck and wrapped the entrance with a huge black cloth.
"Are you finished eating? Let's go if you're done." Mingliang found the sight of him increasingly displeasing.
"I'm done eating," Mingjing said, stuffing a few steamed buns into her pocket and quickly drinking a mouthful of porridge.
Sun Yunmei glared at Mingliang, "What's the rush, kid?"
"It's okay, I'm full too," Xie Junan said, stuffing half a bun into his mouth before getting up to drive.
Sun Yunmei took out a large bag. "Mingjing, this contains water, steamed buns, and eggs. Take it and eat it on the way. Go early and come back early. Don't stay overnight. Call me if anything happens."
"Okay," Mingjing said, taking the bag and getting into the car.
On the way, Mingjing sat in the passenger seat, absentmindedly munching on a steamed bun.
"Mingjing, what do you plan to do with all this honey after you sell it?" Xie Junan asked.
"Saving it up to pay off the debt."
Xie Jun'an frowned. "What money?"
“My godfather helped me get an apartment in Hong Kong and even gave me a boat. I’m thinking of giving him money every month and trying to pay it off as soon as possible.”
Hearing that he had borrowed money to buy it, Xie Junan breathed a sigh of relief.
"Actually, the houses in our town are quite nice. If you buy one here, it definitely won't cost you much money."
Xie Junan's current restaurant is a renovation of his old house. He demolished and rebuilt it himself, and it only cost him a few thousand yuan.
“It’s different. I’m keeping the house in Hong Kong to rent out. I plan to build one on an island. I’ve found the location, but I’m still a little short on funds.”
"Just tell me how much you need, I have enough at home."
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