Chapter 10: The One Worth 200 a Pound Can’t Compare to the One Worth 20 a Pound!

Qin Lin watched Zhao Moqing and his mother washing dishes in the kitchen, a faint smile on his face. Seeing Moqing there, his mother’s face was filled with more smiles; she was in high spirits. Being happy and smiling more was good for his mother’s health. It was clear his mother deeply wished to help him bring Moqing home as his wife, but their family’s financial situation made that impossible. Thus, he had to save up for a down payment on a house as soon as possible, place their marriage certificate in front of his mother, and then bring Moqing home. That was perhaps the thing he wanted most right now; one could say he lacked grand ambitions, but there were things in life more important than ambition.

Lost in thought, he looked at the game interface, wishing he could use a cheat code to max out his character, plant the entire field with red strawberries, and rake in millions a day.

When Qin Lin went to take Zhao Moqing home, Lin Fen followed them downstairs to the residential complex, repeatedly urging, "Xiaolin, remember to get Moqing home safely, ride slowly on the way..."

"Mom, I know!" Qin Lin replied with a smile, carrying Zhao Moqing out of the complex.

Zhao Moqing lived in the Dongcheng Mingyuan complex. As Qin Lin parked his motorbike, he could feel the fundamental difference in the environment compared to the old complex he rented. This was one of the best complexes in Youcheng County, with housing prices reaching 14,000 per square meter. A 120-square-meter apartment, plus renovations, would cost just over two million. Knowing that many properties in the provincial capital cost roughly the same, one could see how inflated the prices were in this small county.

Every time he came here, he was forced to consider a problem: under normal circumstances, if he wanted to buy a home here, he would have to live frugally and spend three to five years paying off his family’s debts. If he didn't find a way to make money and change his situation, it would take another five years or more to save for a down payment. And that was assuming housing prices didn't rise any further. Previously, whenever he arrived here, he felt a sense of anxiety, fearing he would let Zhao Moqing down. Fortunately, the game in his mind could pull him out of this quagmire of helplessness.

Zhao Moqing seemed to sense Qin Lin’s mood. Instead of getting off the bike, she pressed her face against his back and whispered, "Qin Lin, why don't we just come clean with our families? I want to struggle and build a future with you."

Qin Lin knew Zhao Moqing was expressing her resolve; she had brought this up more than once. He grabbed her hand and promised, "Didn't I tell you to give me some time? Don't worry, I’ve started a new wholesale business recently, and it's earning more than before. I'll be able to bring you home soon."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Mm, I believe you!"

A few simple words were enough to show her confidence in him. After a brief moment of intimacy, Qin Lin handed her two more pounds of Quality 2 red strawberries he had prepared.

"There's more?" Zhao Moqing was pleasantly surprised. The strawberries from earlier were so delicious that she and Lin Fen had finished them all.

Qin Lin nodded. "Yes, as long as you like them!"

Zhao Moqing was naturally delighted and gave him a lingering kiss before reluctantly heading upstairs. Back home, she found her mother, Chen Xiao, and her sister-in-law, Li Jiawen, watching television in the living room.

"Moqing, you're back!" Li Jiawen, who was the same age as Moqing and worked in cosmetics, was fashionably dressed. Seeing her sister-in-law, she smiled and said, "Moqing, come try this. I had someone purchase these imported strawberries for me; they cost 200 yuan a pound. It's a rare treat."

As she spoke, she picked one up and held it to Moqing’s lips. Moqing opened her mouth, and Jiawen popped the strawberry in. "How does it taste? Not bad, right?"

Moqing chewed, but looked at her sister-in-law with a strange expression. "Jiawen, these cost 200 a pound? Did you get scammed?"

Li Jiawen asked in confusion, "How is that possible? My best friend from college helped me buy them. Are they not good?"

Moqing didn't say a word. She took a strawberry from her own bag and held it to Jiawen’s lips. "Open up!"

Seeing the red strawberry, Li Jiawen complied and took a bite, then froze. It tasted far better than the ones she had bought. "Moqing, where did you buy these? They're so delicious—how much do they cost? They must be very expensive, right?"

"They shouldn't be!" Moqing hadn't asked the price, so she said vaguely, "Qin Lin gave them to me. He sells them at his shop, so they must be cheap—probably 20 yuan a pound!"

"20 a pound?" Li Jiawen was deflated. "What is this? These 200-yuan strawberries aren't as good as the 20-yuan ones! Moqing, I think I really was scammed. Scamming me out of 200? That friend is finished."

As she spoke, her hand was already reaching into Moqing’s bag. The ones she bought didn't seem appetizing anymore; the ones her sister-in-law brought back were the real deal.

Chen Xiao, sitting nearby, heard Qin Lin's name and frowned. "How is Qin Lin doing lately?"

"Mom, Qin Lin has started a wholesale business. He's going to be doing better and better." Moqing didn't actually know how the wholesale business was going, but she could only speak well of him. She finished her sentence and hurried to her room, not wanting to dwell on the subject.

Li Jiawen added, "Mom, actually, Qin Lin is a good guy—he's hardworking and treats Moqing well."

Chen Xiao sighed. "I know he's a good guy, but you know his family situation. How much suffering will Moqing endure if she marries him?"

To this, Li Jiawen had no answer.

...

The next day, Qin Lin woke up, harvested the watermelons and strawberries that had ripened, and planted new seeds. After breakfast, he went to the warehouse, moved the watermelons out of the game, and delivered them to Liu Dasheng and the others who had placed orders.

"Little Qin, let me tell you something!" After weighing the melons, Liu Dasheng asked with a hint of embarrassment, "The price of watermelons has dropped. Can you lower your wholesale price by 20 cents?"

Qin Lin frowned slightly. Had the prices started falling already? It was within his expectations—watermelon prices soared in July and August but usually began to drop after late September. But was it happening this early in the Youcheng wholesale market? After a moment, he realized why: his own interference, bringing in over 800 watermelons and 9,000 pounds daily, must have impacted the small county's market.

In that case, he needed to consider planting something else. Once the price of watermelons dropped, they would become less and less valuable, eventually falling below a yuan per pound, leaving little profit. Sure enough, when he finished his deliveries to the Darunfa supermarket that evening, the manager, Mr. Chen, also brought up lowering the price.

This solidified his decision to stop planting watermelons. As soon as he left, he sent a message to all the store owners: "The watermelons from my uncle's cousin's uncle's son’s farm have all been sold. You can go back to the wholesale market for watermelons starting tomorrow."

He felt no guilt about suddenly stopping supply; it was business, and there were no long-term contracts. He looked at the game interface in his mind, steered his character out of the ranch, and headed to the seed shop in Mineral Town to see if there were any crops for the basic fields that were more profitable than watermelons. He also checked online to compare prices, looking for something suitable, safe, and expensive.

After searching for a while, he found something perfect: okra.

Okra was the most expensive crop for the basic fields and had a similar maturation time to watermelons. Crucially, it was a seed crop, not a seedling, meaning it was just as discreet and convenient as watermelons. In the southern region, the wholesale price had already reached over 6 yuan per pound. His only cost was the seeds, and he didn't need to be greedy—6 yuan per pound would be just fine.

With that in mind, he bought a bag of okra seeds. When he returned home, he entered the game, put the seeds in the storage box, exited, and had his character plow up the old watermelon seeds and plant the okra in those twenty-four plots.