When I Woke Up, I Had Three Romantic Partners - Chapter 9

Looking at the small three-wheeled carts, one for each group, each piled high with identical vegetables, Si Jiamo felt a headache coming on.

When had she ever sold vegetables?

The only time was years ago with Chi Jinqing. When Chi Jinqing was interested and wanted to cook, Si Jiamo would go to the supermarket with her to buy groceries. But selling them…

This was truly too much for her.

Chi Jinqing had worked part-time selling vegetables when she was a student and later even worked as a temporary picker in a greenhouse. However, since Chi Jinqing hadn’t reached that point yet, she didn’t know much about the current market prices.

Besides, the vegetable prices eight years ago were vastly different from now, something even Chi Jinqing couldn’t grasp.

Noticing the slightly worried expression on Si Jiamo’s face, Chi Jinqing pursed her lips. At least she had grown up in the countryside; she wouldn’t be completely incompetent at this.

“I’ll drive. I have a license.”

Chi Jinqing got onto the small three-wheeler and patted the seat next to her: “Come on, I’ll take you.”

Si Jiamo hesitated for a moment but eventually sat down.

Sensing Si Jiamo’s high tension, Chi Jinqing offered a comforting word: “If you’re scared, just hold onto me.”

Si Jiamo clenched her jaw and insisted stubbornly, “It’s just a small three-wheeler. How could I be scared?”

Chi Jinqing shrugged, engaged the clutch, and the next moment, the engine started. The cart lurched forward slightly, causing Si Jiamo to immediately close her eyes in fright, gripping the seat beneath her tightly.

Chi Jinqing: “…”

“Hold onto me. The seat won’t save you.”

Si Jiamo: “…”

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, her face pale. Her hands slowly and unnaturally wrapped around Chi Jinqing’s waist, holding on a little tighter.

Chi Jinqing’s lips curved slightly. Then she engaged the clutch again, and the cart quickly moved forward. Si Jiamo felt her scalp prickle; she had never ridden in an open three-wheeler like this. As the cart started, she was overcome with fear and instinctively tightened her grip around Chi Jinqing’s slender waist.

Chi Jinqing’s waist was very soft, unlike her personality, but since Chi Jinqing didn’t like being touched much, few people knew this.

The two drove to the market close together. While the other groups were still learning to drive, Chi Jinqing had already secured a relatively shady and eye-catching spot.

The market here opened quite late, so there was no fear of missing out on vegetables by arriving late.

The vegetables on their cart were grown by the villagers themselves. The production team bought them at market price and rented the three-wheeler. If these vegetables didn’t sell, they would have to take them back and eat them themselves.

Since they were fresh vegetables, they wouldn’t be as good after a day, making it hard to sell them for a good price.

Looking at the thoughtfully prepared price list by the production team, Chi Jinqing took out a small stool, examined the prices carefully, and decided they were all reasonable. She then looked at Si Jiamo.

Si Jiamo: “Why are you looking at me?”

Chi Jinqing: “Can you call out to attract customers?”

Si Jiamo: “…”

“What are you saying? How could I do something like that?!”

She was a Movie Queen; she hadn’t even done any shouting in TV dramas or movies.

Chi Jinqing: “Oh.”

“Then you sit. I’ll do it.”

Just then, an older woman approached, looking to buy vegetables. She didn’t seem to recognize them. Chi Jinqing quickly called out, “Ma’am, looking for vegetables? Freshly picked from the field, absolutely organic!”

Si Jiamo was startled by the sudden shout and instinctively wanted to reach for a mask, worried about causing a commotion.

But she patted her pockets and realized she hadn’t brought one.

It’s over. I’m going to be embarrassed today.

Si Jiamo covered her face. The older woman was drawn by Chi Jinqing’s good looks, and the vegetables on the cart looked quite fresh. She walked over, picked up a head of cabbage, and examined it. It was indeed freshly harvested, with a strong cabbage scent.

“Little boss, how much is this cabbage per catty?”

Chi Jinqing smiled sweetly: “One-and-a-half yuan.”

The woman was an experienced market shopper. Seeing Chi Jinqing was young, she put down the cabbage and said kindly, “Can you make it cheaper? One yuan, and I’ll buy ten catties. How about that?”

“Ma’am, we’re a small business. We just happened to grow too much to eat, so we brought it out to sell. You might not see me again after today. One-and-a-half yuan is already very cheap.”

Chi Jinqing effortlessly spun a simple story, her words sweet. Within minutes, she had complimented the woman into buying two heads of cabbage. The woman genuinely liked the fresh vegetables and then spotted a few ears of corn.

“Is this corn sweet?”

The woman peeled back the corn husk and pinched a kernel. Seeing the sweet juice squirt out, she beamed with delight: “This corn is good. How much per catty?”

“Not much, four-and-a-half yuan,” Chi Jinqing deployed her best eloquence from her school days: “Our corn is especially fresh, right at its most delicious.”

“Alright, I’ll take a few ears.”

“Great.”

Chi Jinqing weighed them, handed them over: “That’s 21 yuan in total. Here you go.”

“Oh, your cabbage is the best.”

The woman left satisfied with her vegetables. Chi Jinqing took the money she had just earned and handed it to Si Jiamo: “Here, first successful business transaction.”

Si Jiamo looked at the twenty-one yuan, feeling a bit strange. Was the first sale already done?

She hadn’t quite processed it.

Chi Jinqing shook the money in front of her eyes: “Don’t just stare. We still have more vegetables to sell. Get up and start shouting.”

Si Jiamo stood up, took the money, and put it in the small bag provided by the production team. She whispered, “You… seem very familiar with this.”

Chi Jinqing replied casually, “I helped my grandpa sell them when I was little.”

“Is that so…”

Chi Jinqing was always a little reserved in front of the camera, but as long as the lens wasn’t directly in her face, she was fine.

With Si Jiamo joining in, the number of people coming to their stall immediately increased. Everyone pulled out their phones and started taking pictures of Chi Jinqing and Si Jiamo.

“Hello, are you Si Jiamo?”

“Wow, you look just like the Movie Queen Si Jiamo!”

“Are you filming a variety show?”

“Can I be in the shot?”

Si Jiamo visibly grew embarrassed. This wasn’t what she wanted. She just wanted to quietly follow Chi Jinqing and learn how to sell vegetables, but she hadn’t realized she had so many fans.

Chi Jinqing shielded Si Jiamo behind her to prevent people from getting too close and quickly said, “Sorry, we’re filming a variety show. Please don’t crowd around and block us from selling our vegetables. If we can’t sell these, we won’t have any dinner.”

Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “I’ll treat you to dinner!”

The rest of the people quickly chimed in, “Yeah, we’ll treat you to dinner!”

Chi Jinqing playfully deflected, “We can’t do that. A lady earns her meal honestly. We have hands and feet, and we can earn our food by selling vegetables. How can we just freeload?”

“Alright, everyone. If you want to buy vegetables, you’re welcome. If you’re just watching, please stand aside. Don’t block the path, and don’t stop people from buying vegetables, okay?”

Seeing the bodyguards arranged by the production team arrive, the crowd obediently moved to the side, then lamented, “But we want to watch you, not buy vegetables.”

Si Jiamo said, “You can watch us after we’re done selling. We need to make way for everyone now.”

Afterward, she said to Chi Jinqing with a hint of guilt, “I’m sorry, I caused trouble for you.”

“No trouble. That’s just how it is for actors; these things happen.”

Chi Jinqing didn’t mind. After all, it was often portrayed this way on TV. She still felt a sense of not quite adapting to this life—a distinct lack of freedom.

By the time the other contestants arrived later, having relied on the production team’s support, Si Jiamo and Chi Jinqing had already sold quite a lot. Because they arrived early, had a good location, and the vegetables hadn’t been exposed to the sun, they sold very well and quickly earned enough money for their groceries for the next few days.

A restaurant owner, who was a fan of theirs and happened to be there to purchase vegetables for the evening, bought all their remaining produce. Not only was she a fan, but the vegetables were also incredibly fresh, so she bought everything.

Because of the large purchase, the three of them took a group photo.

Seeing that most of the vegetables on the cart were sold, Chi Jinqing looked at the remaining few items and asked the production team, “Can I keep these for cooking? They are so fresh; I don’t really want to sell them.”

What was left was mainly one carrot, two ears of corn, and one head of oilseed rape, which Chi Jinqing had intentionally saved.

“Alright, seeing how hard you worked, we’ll allow it.”

Mainly, it was just too few vegetables left to easily sell.

The director knew Chi Jinqing’s plan when she convinced the previous customer, who had offered to buy everything, to leave these few items.

He hadn’t expected Chi Jinqing to be so cunning; their task was completed in just two hours.

“Want a grilled sausage?”

With money in her pocket, Chi Jinqing wasn’t as rushed. She strolled through the market with Si Jiamo and, upon seeing a small cart selling grilled sausages on the street, asked on an impulse.

Si Jiamo: “Yes.”

“Let’s get two, then.”

Chi Jinqing generously paid. The two bought some chicken legs, cucumbers, and peanuts in the bustling market before turning to leave.

While the others were miserably selling vegetables, these two were leisurely shopping.

Si Jiamo hadn’t eaten this kind of grilled sausage before and ate quickly. Before Chi Jinqing had even touched hers, Si Jiamo was finished.

With this kind of sausage, one wasn’t enough, but two were too greasy. Si Zhimou didn’t know this, so her eyes involuntarily drifted to the sausage in Chi Jinqing’s hand, and she licked the grease from the corner of her mouth.

Chi Jinqing noticed and offered her own: “Want some?”

“No need. You eat yours.”

Si Jiamo turned her head away, pretending to be nonchalant: “That’s yours.”

“Take it. I’m not hungry.”

Chi Jinqing stopped walking, her expression calm: “Eat while you can. You don’t know when you’ll get another chance.”

Si Jiamo’s manager, Su Yunhui, was strict and did not allow her artists to neglect their figure management. She believed that artists should always present their most perfect side as a form of appreciation for the audience.

So, Chi Jinqing buying her the sausage was already pushing it. If Si Jiamo wanted one again, Su Yunhui likely wouldn’t permit it.

Chi Jinqing urged, “It won’t taste good when it gets cold later.”

Si Jiamo conceded the point, took it, and quietly started munching.