Under the scorching sun, at the height of noon, the number of pedestrians on the street had dwindled significantly.
After all, no one wanted to wander the streets under a blazing sun in this kind of heat.
After finishing lunch together, Lin Li and Zhang Yuxi walked out of the cool, air-conditioned restaurant.
A wave of heat washed over them, making them both grimace in discomfort.
"It sure is hot this afternoon!" Lin Li remarked.
"It is! At this rate, it’ll probably be over half a month before it starts to cool down," Zhang Yuxi said, recalling the forecast for the next couple of weeks she’d seen that morning.
Still not full from lunch, Lin Li was thinking, ’I need to hurry up and find a buffet to fill my stomach.’ So he said, "Well, this is it for today. I have some things to do, so I’ll be going..."
"Okay," Zhang Yuxi nodded. The two then parted ways, heading toward their respective cars.
As Lin Li walked toward the van he’d parked on the side of the road, he thought, ’This restaurant was pretty good, but the portion sizes were really disappointing.’
Suddenly, he remembered something he had forgotten to do. He stopped short, turned, and saw Zhang Yuxi walking away in the distance. He immediately broke into a run to catch up to her.
Zhang Yuxi was in an excellent mood at that moment, largely thanks to the lunch she’d just had with Lin Li.
Just as she was about to enter the parking garage, she heard Lin Li call out from behind her. "Zhang Yuxi, wait a second!"
About to enter the garage and head home, Zhang Yuxi turned around when she heard Lin Li call her name.
Before she could ask what he wanted, she saw two large bags of fruits and vegetables suddenly appear in his hands as he approached. He then smiled and spoke.
"I’ve been tending a plot of land and planted some fruits and vegetables. I didn’t expect the yield to be so high. There’s no way I can eat all of it by myself, so take these two bags and enjoy them!"
"..." Zhang Yuxi was taken aback for a moment by his words. She quickly recovered and said with a smile, "Thank you! These fruits and vegetables look amazing. It seems you have a talent for farming!"
Zhang Yuxi didn’t doubt his story. It was quite trendy for city dwellers to rent a plot of farmland in the suburbs and grow their own vegetables.
She naturally assumed that when Lin Li mentioned tending a plot of land, he meant he was renting one in the suburbs.
"It’s nothing special. My farming talent is just average," Lin Li said with a smile.
He was telling the truth. He wasn’t a lifelong farmer and didn’t have much experience. The only reason he could grow such high-quality produce was thanks to a boost from the Mysterious Small Island.
Zhang Yuxi just assumed he was being modest. She smiled, nodded, and reached for the two large bags of produce he was offering.
"They’re pretty heavy. Let me put them in your car for you," Lin Li said, holding onto the bags instead of handing them over.
She thought for a moment, thanked him again, and led him to her parking spot.
THUD.
Lin Li placed the two large bags of produce in Zhang Yuxi’s trunk and closed it.
Having taken care of the matter he’d almost forgotten, Lin Li heard Zhang Yuxi ask, "Lin Li, do you have any more pearls on hand right now?"
"Uh... you’ve already sold the whole batch I sold you last time?" Lin Li asked, surprised by her question.
The last batch had been quite large, and the deal had only been made a few days ago. To say they were all sold out already would be an incredible exaggeration.
Even though Zhang Yuxi’s jewelry store did excellent business, selling tens of thousands of pearls in such a short time was practically unthinkable.
Unless she had flipped the entire stock to another buyer, it would be impossible to sell that many so quickly through retail alone.
"Not yet! How could they sell that fast?" Zhang Yuxi said with a laugh. "The store shouldn’t need any more pearls for a while."
"Then why...?" Lin Li was confused. If she hadn’t sold out of the last batch, why was she asking if he had more?
Zhang Yuxi explained, "I have a friend who runs a jewelry store in the Capital City. If you have more pearls on hand, I can recommend you to her."
’So she wants to introduce me to a buyer! I saved her life yesterday, and she owes me a huge favor. I didn’t expect to get something in return so quickly...’ Lin Li thought happily after hearing her explanation.
"I do. I have another large batch of pearls..."
"Great. I’ll contact her later, then. Given the quality of your pearls, she’ll definitely be interested."
"Thank you for the trouble."
"Don’t be a stranger! We’re friends, aren’t we?" Zhang Yuxi said with a wink and a bright smile.
Lin Li nodded. Just then, he heard her ask another question. "I forgot to ask, how many pearls do you have on hand right now?"
’How many pearls did I buy from the Spirit Realm the other day?’ Lin Li wondered for a moment before answering, "A hundred thousand."
"..." Zhang Yuxi’s jaw dropped in astonishment at the number he quoted.
She couldn’t believe it. After she had already purchased eighty thousand pearls from him, he still had this many left.
After all, natural pearls of this quality were incredibly scarce on the market.