Seeing how dejected Shopkeeper Li looked, Yang Chuxia found it a bit amusing, but she didn’t relent, as her family didn’t have enough sugarcane to share. Although they provided the seeds, there was only one bag of sugarcane seeds initially, not a lot to go around. How much could they have grown from that?
"Uncle Li, don’t be disheartened or disappointed. There are more good things to come!" Yang Chuxia said, pointing to the bags on the ground.
Upon hearing this, Ye Zi’an took out a white sweet potato from the bag near his feet and placed it on the table.
"What is this? It’s so big!" Shopkeeper Li looked at the white sweet potato in amazement. He’d never seen or tasted one before.
"Uncle Li, this is the white sweet potato Brother An mentioned last time! It can be eaten as a vegetable or enjoyed raw." As she spoke, Yang Chuxia peeled the skin off the white sweet potato on the table, revealing a juicy white flesh. Its lustrous white color made people’s mouths water instantly.
"This can be eaten as a vegetable?"
"Of course!" Yang Chuxia answered, "Uncle Li, take this sweet potato to the kitchen and have the chef cook it. It can be stir-fried plain or with shredded meat. Some people prefer it raw, so have the chef prepare some sauce with a bit of vinegar as a cold dish."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Li quickly summoned a young waiter and handed him the white sweet potato along with Yang Chuxia’s instructions.
A short while later, the chef personally brought out a plate of stir-fried white sweet potatoes and another plate of the cold dish.
The air suddenly filled with a sweet scent. Shopkeeper Li couldn’t help but pick up his chopsticks and take a bite. One bite wasn’t enough, so he took another, and another, until he finally put down his chopsticks.
"Delicious, delicious! Crunchy, succulent, and sweet! It would be so comforting to have a bite of this during winter." Upon saying this, Shopkeeper Li quickly added, "Xiaxia, my dear Xiaxia, we’ve been working together for a long time. You must be here to help me improve my business, right?"
"Of course! I’d definitely want to collaborate with your restaurant with this new dish. Besides, my family doesn’t run a restaurant, and we can’t finish them all."
"So Xiaxia, how much do you plan to sell it for per pound?" Shopkeeper Li asked.
Upon hearing this, Yang Chuxia broke into a smile. "Uncle Li, you’ve tasted it, what do you think it’s worth?"
"How about thirty wen per pound?" Shopkeeper Li pondered for a moment before saying, "Fish from the sea doesn’t cost more than that."
Yang Chuxia knew that Shopkeeper Li’s price wasn’t the highest, but it was not bad. She did some calculations in her mind and found it reasonable. Besides, white sweet potatoes have a high yield, and growing them is much more profitable than growing rice or corn.
But she still had to bargain a bit. "Uncle Li, this is a new and fresh product. I wouldn’t sell it to anyone else below forty wen. However, you did provide the seeds, and we’ve been collaborating for such a long time and have had a pleasant partnership. It wouldn’t be right to haggle over this small matter. So, just as you said, Uncle Li, thirty wen per pound!"
Shopkeeper Li listened to Yang Chuxia’s generous words with hidden undertones and twitched the corners of his mouth, thinking that the price he offered was not low at all. This young girl was taking advantage and acting like a saint.
"Alright, I can offer thirty wen and make the decision. I just don’t know how many pounds you have to offer."
"Well, that’s quite a lot!" Yang Chuxia touched her nose and said, "I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle all those goods. Between my family and Brother An’s, there must be at least ten thousand pounds. We didn’t expect such a great harvest in the first year. Not only are the sweet potatoes big, but some plants also have more than one."