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When Shi Tian arrived, Old Zhao greeted him warmly and walked over, asking, "What do you have? What fish?"
"We have Bigeye Mullet, Shi Ban, Sea Bass, and Black Sea Bream. You can choose!" Shi Tian opened his Fish Bucket right in front of Old Zhao.
After looking through Shi Tian's Fish Bucket, Old Zhao said, "Sea Bass and Bigeye Mullet aren't worth much. Shi Ban has a decent price, but it won't sell for too high here. If you sell it, I'll give you fifty May Day per pound. The Black Sea Bream is cheaper; I'll give you forty per pound."
After quoting the prices, Old Zhao handed a cigarette to Shi Tian and added, "If you take this fish to the City, the price could go up a bit—probably five to ten dollars more. But this market only caters to the townspeople; there aren't many tourists, so you won't get high prices here!"
With the deal set, Shi Tian was pleased and replied with a smile, "Alright, just do what you think is best. The fish is yours now. Please weigh me three pounds of Spicy Stir-Fried Clams for dinner!"
Selling the fish to the vendor was quite different from buying it from him. The price Old Zhao offered likely had a profit margin of ten to twenty dollars, but he also had to bear the risk; if the fish died, the price would drop!
Old Zhao would sell whatever ordinary fish he could; if he couldn't sell them here, he surely had his own channels to offload them in the City. With only the townspeople around, selling high-priced goods wouldn't be easy!
After settling the transaction, Shi Tian picked up the three pounds of Spicy Stir-Fried Clams that Old Zhao had weighed for him and stood aside waiting for Old Zhao to finish his dealings with Old Zhang.
Once they got into the car after leaving the market, Old Zhang began to complain to Shi Tian.
"Damn it! I'm losing so much! How come Old Zhao's prices are different from what I saw online? Some prices are even higher than what’s listed online!"
"The prices online can vary widely," Shi Tian replied. "Most of those are wholesale market prices based on farmed fish. Plus there’s size—there can be a difference of ten dollars or more between fish over three pounds and those under."
"Seafood is tricky; alive or dead, big or small, wild or farmed—all these factors make a huge difference in price!" Shi Tian didn't know how much Old Zhang had been taken advantage of these past few days, but he could tell that Old Zhang was frustrated; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so eager to sell fish to Old Zhao!
On the drive back with Old Zhang, Shi Tian took a quick look around the store before heading straight back to his villa.
It was rare for him to return before dark. He changed into his swim trunks and swam a couple of laps in the pool before lounging on a deck chair with a coconut he had bought in town.
It was sweet—much better than what they sold at tourist spots! After savoring it, Shi Tian began thinking about what to eat for dinner.
Having bought Spicy Stir-Fried Clams and planning to steam some rice, he wondered if he should stir-fry some vegetables as well.
That thought reminded him that he had planted quite a few vegetables in the backyard!
He hadn’t checked on them since planting; he had no idea how they were doing!
Finishing off his coconut juice in a few gulps, he dashed to the backyard. To his dismay, that patch of hard-to-cultivate land was now overrun with weeds taller than a foot! As for the vegetables he had planted? Sorry—there was no trace of them left!
Chives? The tall ones definitely weren't; perhaps there were some tiny ones hiding beneath that could only be seen with a magnifying glass. Of course, they might just be stunted weeds!
Cabbage? Not even visible under magnification! Sanya probably wasn’t suitable for growing cabbage; it wouldn’t thrive in such hot weather. Next time he would try something else!
The vegetables were initially meant for wrapping around grilled meat, but their fate was much like that of the cabbage—total failure!
With so many types of seeds, it wasn't a complete disaster. The cucumbers and beans were growing quite well; although they weren't yet at the point where they could compete with the weeds, at least they could be found without a magnifying glass!
The peppers were also thriving. If it weren't for the photo of pepper seedlings on the seed packaging, Shi Tian might have mistaken them for weeds and pulled them out!
The strongest of all was the tomato, standing tall and stretching a leaf out from among the weeds, as if it intended to dominate them. However, this plant needed to be staked to grow upright; only then could it reach great heights and bear more fruit, somewhat similar to the cucumbers.
There was no rush to set up the stakes; first, he needed to clear out the weeds! As for accidentally harming the vegetables he had worked hard to plant, that was unavoidable! Aside from the recognizable tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, everything else would be eradicated without hesitation!
Previously worried about not having money to buy vegetables, now that he had some funds, did he really need to tend to so many plants? He could leave a few tomatoes and cucumbers for when he needed them, while his curiosity about how the peppers would grow was simply for fun!
By the time night fell, he had only cleared about half of the weeds in the vegetable patch. He managed to finish pulling up the ones around the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers; as for the rest, he would deal with them when he had time! Right now, he needed to hurry and cook something to replenish his energy; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to move!
After devouring three pounds of spicy stir-fried clams with a bowl of rice, Shi Tian lay in bed tossing and turning, feeling as if the weeds in his backyard were constantly waving at him in provocation!
Growing vegetables was ingrained in the bones of his culture. Living in a village meant that anywhere there was soil in front or behind his house, he could plant a few vegetables. When cooking, it was common to run outside to pick fresh produce while waiting for the fire to heat up—what a refreshing experience!
Even living in the city didn't erase this instinct. On balconies or rooftops, even if there wasn’t an ideal spot, one could still use a flower pot to grow a couple of pepper plants or strawberries; otherwise, it would feel like a waste of sunlight and fresh air inside the house!
On land cultivation was not wasted by Hai Li either. As soldiers stationed in Nansha felt that vegetables shipped over from Hainan after traveling over a thousand kilometers were not fresh enough, they grew their own on that tiny island.
What if vegetables couldn't survive on salty sandy beaches? The soldiers who rotated in brought fertile soil from Sanya to the island and planted their crops in foam boxes and plastic pots.
They grew vegetables domestically and abroad without rest. Even in multi-million dollar villas purchased overseas, they replaced lawns with vegetable gardens. Those who lived in such villas hardly spent any time there but still managed to cultivate them like farms.
During Su Pao Huo's time when peacekeeping forces were deployed, who cared about bullets flying overhead? They cleared two acres of land and planted vegetables first!
Antarctica might be cold! With an average temperature of minus twenty-five degrees Celsius and snow covering all four seasons along with extreme day-night variations—this was nothing compared to growing vegetables for those who had such an instinct!
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