Unexpected Motherhood: Marked by the Elite Alpha - Chapter 8

The goods sold in the livestream were not fixed; for the past few days, the focus remained on small cherries.

Her family grew cherries as well. Originally, she started filming videos to find sales channels online because the fruit was not selling. Once her videos gained traction, the other villagers began reaching out to her for help.

She felt that everyone had it hard, relying on these few fruits for their income all year round, so she helped where she could. This led to her current livestream sales model.

Her video style had essentially found its tone, and with a fixed audience, the products became much easier to sell.

The village committee also provided a lot of assistance. First, they contacted courier companies in the name of “Village Collective Bulk Shipping,” which reduced the shipping fees by several yuan and lowered her costs.

Second, they helped coordinate prices. Since price inconsistencies often occurred among villagers, the village committee’s involvement was far more effective than her own words.

Her total followers across all platforms had just surpassed 500,000. It was not a large volume; compared to influencers with millions or tens of millions of followers, she was barely a blip.

Furthermore, her video style was very down-to-earth, lacking the “earthly paradise” appeal of other rural influencers. Her product selection consisted of mountain goods and agricultural products priced between 10 and 40 yuan. She hosted fewer than 20 livestreams a month and did not accept advertisements. After the platform’s cut, commission splits, packaging costs, labor, and product loss, her monthly income was about 30,000 to 40,000 yuan.

This amount had to be shared with Tuanjie and Lin Yin, so she personally ended up with about 10,000 to 20,000 yuan. That was only when sales were good; if sales were poor, she might only make a few thousand. Still, it was definitely better than working a regular job, and she was quite satisfied.

She only had a high school education. If she went out to work, she would not find a very good job, and rent and food would be major expenses. Plus, she would be far from home. This way, she could stay with her family while making money.

If there were no major expenses in the coming years, she could save a significant amount for Taiyang’s future schooling. If she had extra funds, she planned to buy a house in the city.

She did not know yet if Taiyang would work elsewhere or stay local, but having a house in the city would be convenient. Housing prices had dropped recently, and it was said they would not rise for a long time or might even fall further. If houses became as cheap as cabbage in the future, she could buy a large one for Taiyang.

The livestream started at 6:30 PM, so she grabbed a quick dinner at home.

There were many fried meatballs left. Grandmother put two bags in the freezer to save for later and stewed the rest with Chinese cabbage and tofu.

Using fried meatballs for this kind of soup was delicious. Paired with a few cold side dishes, they rolled the leftover bone meat from lunch into multigrain pancakes.

Grandmother stripped the meat from the bones and mixed it with shredded green onions. It was incredibly savory when wrapped in a pancake. Li Sangyue ate two before stopping.

She picked up another one to eat on the go and hurriedly left with Tuanjie and Lin Yin. “We are heading over now!”

“Always in such a rush! Finish eating first!” Grandmother said, pained that she never took the time to eat a proper meal.

Li Ningjun put the dishes in the kitchen and wiped her hands. “Mom, I am going over to help. Just leave the bowls there when you are done; I will wash them when I get back. Taiyang, listen to your Great-Grandmother and Great-Grand-Aunt. Do your homework before watching TV. I will check it tonight.”

Since her mother and grandmother were going to the small warehouse, Taiyang could not sit still. She jumped off her chair. “Grandmother, take me with you! I want to go too!”

Li Sangyue had taken Taiyang to the warehouse several times, and the girl loved playing there.

“Stay home and do your homework. Keep your great-grandmothers company.”

“Just let her go. She can do her homework tomorrow. We two old ladies are going out to chat with people after we eat anyway.”

“I am afraid I cannot take her today. The warehouse will be very busy and messy.”

“I promise not to cause trouble! Grandmother, please take me! Take me, take me, take me!” Taiyang pleaded, swaying Li Ningjun’s arm.

Li Ningjun could not resist and agreed to take her. There was an electric tricycle at home, and Taiyang climbed onto it herself.

“Yes, these are small cherries grown in our village. They are very sweet. After you receive your order, you can try a few first. If you think they are not sweet, you can return them to us for a full refund.”

Li Sangyue’s livestream set was very simple. The background showed several villagers sitting on small stools sorting cherries. Neither she, the host, nor Tuanjie, the assistant, wore makeup, and they were dressed in everyday clothes.

The two were showcasing the cherries in front of the camera. Several baskets of fresh cherries sat on the table, just picked today. They looked as translucent as colorful jade, which was very appealing.

Qin Nian no longer had the heart to listen to what Fan Rou and the club owner were saying. She clicked the link that popped up in the livestream and ordered 500 units of ten-pound cherry packs. For the delivery address, she wrote Fan Rou’s company in Taining.

“Providing some benefits for your company employees. Remember to have someone sign for it,” she informed Fan Rou.

Fan Rou was swirling her wine glass and mocking a friend’s obvious plastic surgery nose. Even after seven or eight years, she still found it funny.

“Hmm? What benefits?” She leaned over to look at Qin Nian’s phone. Li Sangyue’s beautiful face appeared on the screen as she introduced the cherries. “Oh? You actually watch this kind of thing? What did you buy? Let me see. This host is quite good-looking.”

“Local Taining cherries.”

Fan Rou let out an “oh.” “Why buy from a livestream? Nine out of ten hosts are fakes. This one is probably the same.”

She had followed trends and bought items from livestreams a few times and was never satisfied, so she had developed a bias against influencer selling.

Qin Nian smiled and put away her phone. “I have tasted her cherries. They are very sweet.”

“Li Sangyue?” Fan Rou had seen the name. “Is she the little Omega you asked me to look into last night?”

“It is her.” Qin Nian’s expression turned slightly solemn.

Seven years ago, she and some friends came to Taining for fun and followed Fan Rou to this club. During the visit, she accidentally drank a cocktail containing an aphrodisiac, which triggered her rut. Realizing something was wrong, she went to a VIP room on a floor without surveillance, hoping to endure it through willpower.

She happened to encounter Li Sangyue, who was running out of another room in a panic and crashed into her arms. The little Omega had seemingly just entered heat, and her pheromones were rich and enticing. Qin Nian could not resist.

It happened. After she sobered up, she felt immense regret. Not only had she taken advantage of the little Omega during her disoriented heat, but she had also forcibly marked her, a complete permanent mark, leaving bite marks on the gland.

At the time, she thought Li Sangyue was a “hostess” at the club. Before leaving, she entrusted the owner to give Li Sangyue a sum of money. It was not until today that she learned Li Sangyue was just a part-time waitress who had just turned of age when she was marked.

Li Sangyue gave birth to a daughter seven years ago and was expelled from school on the eve of the national college entrance exam because of it. She never retook the exam and had lived in Yangtoubu with her family ever since.

She had planted many cherry trees a few years ago and now lived by selling cherries and other agricultural products. Her family consisted only of her two grandmothers, her mother, and her daughter. It was not complicated.

Gathering this information was not difficult. Fan Rou’s friend made a call last night, and everything was gathered within half an hour.

That little girl she saw at the gate of the Party and Government Compound yesterday afternoon.

Qin Nian rubbed her temples. She never imagined that a single accident would lead to today’s situation. Li Sangyue did not seem to remember her at all. She had not decided whether to confess everything and take responsibility. She was unsure of Li Sangyue’s attitude toward the matter, so for now, she could only observe slowly and wait for the right opportunity.

They had dealt with large orders before. Once, someone ordered 200 units. The three of them, inexperienced and naive, were very happy, only for the buyer to maliciously return all the goods.

At the time, they did not understand shipping insurance and other hidden operations and had offered free shipping. Consequently, in addition to the loss of the goods, they had to bear double the shipping costs. They lost almost everything. After learning that lesson, they were now wary of orders for dozens or hundreds of units.

After ending the livestream, Li Sangyue took over customer service duties. She checked the delivery address the buyer had filled in; it was within Taining city.

Lin Yin, who was responsible for the links today, was quite distressed. She clutched her hair and said, “It is my fault. I forgot to set a purchase limit.”

After their previous bad experience, they usually set limits in advance. Today was just too busy, and an error was made in the chaos.

Li Sangyue and Tuanjie comforted Lin Yin. It was not her fault; she did the work of several people and worked the hardest.

“I will contact the buyer to confirm.” Since it had already happened, the priority was solving the problem.

She sent a message: “Hello! We noticed you ordered 500 ten-pound packs of small cherries. We need to confirm if your delivery address is correct, if it supports cold chain delivery, and if you can sign for it in person. Due to the high demand, we need two days to prepare and ship. Additionally, fresh fruit cannot be returned or exchanged without quality issues. If there is damage upon arrival, please take photos (damaged fruit + shipping label) within 24 hours to contact us. We will resend based on the damage ratio, dear.”

Experience had taught them to be thorough in retaining evidence.

Qin Nian decided to stay in Taining for a few more days. Fan Rou invited her to stay at her house, but she politely declined.

Fan Rou was considering a divorce, but her eldest sister was against it. If she stayed at Fan Rou’s house and the sister found out, she would try to get information out of her.

She did not want to get involved in their collapsing marriage, so she chose to stay at a mountain villa hotel in Taining. The view was wide and the scenery was good, making it a perfect place for her to quietly think about the events of the past two days.

After showering, she sat on the sofa in her bathrobe, crossing her long legs and propping her head on one hand as she looked at her phone.

Dinner with Fan Rou and the others had run late, so she only just saw the backend messages.

She replied: “That is fine. Someone will be there to sign for it.”

It was so late, yet the other party was still online.

“Are you really sure you want 500 units? Are these for personal use or a group buy? We have group buy prices here, dear.”

“No need. The normal price is fine.”

“Alright, let me confirm the delivery address and contact information once more.” The order details were sent over again.

Qin Nian clicked confirm. To ease the other party’s suspicion, she added another line: “I visited your home yesterday as a guest and tasted your small cherries. I thought they were very sweet, which is why I ordered so many today. Rest assured, I am not a bad person.”

Li Sangyue, sitting in front of her computer, was stunned when she saw those words. Visited her home yesterday? Was it one of those wealthy people?

She cautiously asked: “The one who gave two thousand yuan?”

“Yes. It was returned to me later.”

“It really is you. How did you find my livestream? And buying so many cherries at once, you gave me a scare.”

Qin Nian immediately sat up straight on the sofa, her breathing tightening slightly. “Are you Li Sangyue?”

“Yes, the host and part-time customer service agent.”

It was truly an unexpected gain. She had encountered a “big spender” again. No, wait, it seemed the spender already knew who she was, even though she had not said her name yesterday.

The weather was getting hotter. She had just showered and was already sweating again. Li Sangyue looked down and scratched her arm.

While working in the fields today, she had been scraped by corn leaves, and her neck and arms were red and itchy. It was very uncomfortable.

She found some medicine in the living room drawer and sprayed it on. Returning to her room, she found Taiyang already asleep. The backpack for school tomorrow and the clothes she would wear were neatly laid out on the chair.

Looking again, she saw the suppressants she could not do without these days on the table. There were two left in the box she bought before. She had planned to buy more at the pharmacy tomorrow, but her mother had already bought them for her.

She picked up two and, after a moment of hesitation, opened the newly bought box to take out a third.

In the past, one dose during her heat was enough. Now, it was not. She did not dare tell her family about this, fearing they would worry.

After using the suppressant, she got into bed. Taiyang, smelling her pheromones, habitually leaned toward her.

“Mom,” Taiyang called out in a daze, insisting on shrinking into her arms despite the heat.

She set the fan timer, held Taiyang’s warm little body, and gently patted the girl’s back. Before long, she too fell asleep.