Mo Yan, upon hearing these words, touched the mark in the palm of her hand and pondered for a moment before reluctantly refusing, "Sorry, I can’t agree to this!"
"Why?" Manager Wang exclaimed in shock, his face filled with disbelief, and he was somewhat annoyed in his heart.
Their Xiangmanlou was one of the best in all of Longshi Town, with countless vegetable farmers vying to supply them with vegetables. Yet this great opportunity that others would fight tooth and nail for was being refused by this ignorant little girl.
Mo Yan also felt it was a pity, but she couldn’t just swindle others with eyes open, so she explained, "Honestly, in a few days, my family will leave Longshi Town to go elsewhere, so we really can’t supply vegetables to Xiangmanlou for the long term."
When Manager Wang heard this reason, his rising anger dissipated, replaced by a feeling of deep regret. After a moment of silence, he asked again,
"Then how much vegetables does your family have now? Could you supply us temporarily for a few days until we find a new vegetable farmer?"
"That’s no problem. We still have quite a bit at home, and we were planning to sell this batch of vegetables to raise travel funds!"
This arrangement suited Mo Yan perfectly, and she quickly agreed. As for how to legitimately handle the vegetables from the Space, she had an idea on the way here.
Though it wasn’t a big deal, just to be safe, the two of them still made a contract in the presence of an old patron, with each party holding a copy.
The contract stipulated: Mo Yan was to supply Xiangmanlou with fifty jin of cabbage, eighty jin of tomatoes, and one hundred fifty ears of corn each day; Xiangmanlou would purchase Mo Yan’s vegetables at market price, with payment settled daily...
After leaving Xiangmanlou, Mo Yan did not immediately return to the dilapidated temple. Instead, with the one hundred and some wen of vegetable money in hand, she hurried to the Dentist, directed by passersby...
Before long, Mo Yan hurried out of the Dentist with a middle-aged Dentist, arriving at a deserted street corner where a ramshackle adobe house stood before them.
The Dentist took out a rusty key from his sleeve and opened the equally rusty lock. With a push of the door, a great cloud of dust emerged, causing both of them to sneeze violently.
The Dentist stepped back, letting Mo Yan go in first. Seeing that Mo Yan was looking around without commenting, he took the initiative to say, "This house may be old, but it’s not damp. There’s absolutely no problem storing things here."
Mo Yan found it suitable but pretended to be only somewhat satisfied, "It’s barely passable, but if the rent could be a bit cheaper, I would consider renting it."
Hearing this, the Dentist saw an opportunity and became even more enthusiastic, "The rent is negotiable. If you’re willing, I’ll rent it to you for ten wen."
Mo Yan shook her head and held up six fingers.
The Dentist’s face soured at this, but he gritted his teeth and said, "Eight wen, final offer. If you’re willing to rent, we can make a contract now. If you find it too expensive, I can’t make it any cheaper."
Mo Yan laughed and quickly agreed, "Fine, eight wen it is, but I’m only renting for seven days."
The Dentist winced at the mention of only seven days but then slapped his head and said, "Seven days it shall be!"
The house was his to begin with, and it didn’t cost him anything. Leaving it empty wouldn’t earn him money; eight wen a day was enough for him to drink. Only a fool wouldn’t rent it out.
Afterward, they went back to the Dentist to draft a contract. Mo Yan paid the rent and took the key, then quietly went into the old house. She estimated the weight of the vegetables she was to supply Xiangmanlou the next day and moved the cabbage, tomatoes, and corn out of the Space, ready for Xiangmanlou’s staff to pick them up early the next morning.
Having finished all this, Mo Yan took a breather. Thinking it over, she entered the Space again and pulled out a large pile of radishes. Off-season radishes would surely be appreciated by Manager Wang...