"Fifty wild soft-shelled turtles, plus two big buckets of black carp and grass carp. This will definitely fetch a good price this time!"
Lin Xiao Tian looked at his haul with satisfaction, then began loading it onto his cart, preparing to take it all to the county town to sell.
"Xiao Tian, where are you going?" Li Er Guai asked in surprise.
"To the town to sell fish."
"You're still selling fish? You're a fool. Don't end up being sold yourself while counting the money for the buyer!"
"Uh... Brother Er Guai, don't worry, I'll be careful!" Lin Xiao Tian didn't plan to explain much and continued to move the turtles.
Seeing Lin Xiao Tian about to leave, Li Er Guai couldn't rest easy and followed him.
"Silly boy, wait for me. I'll go with you." Li Er Guai hobbled over.
Lin Xiao Tian was reluctant at first, as Li Er Guai's mobility was quite inconvenient, but Li Er Guai insisted, so he finally let him get on the cart.
With Li Er Guai's leg inconvenience, he was responsible for securing the wooden buckets on the cart, while Lin Xiao Tian pulled it.
The cart trundled along the bumpy mountain road. This journey would normally take at least an hour, with significant inclines, declines, and sharp turns. However, for Lin Xiao Tian, it posed no difficulty.
Since absorbing the energy from the Shen Nong Medical Codex, Lin Xiao Tian's physical fitness had improved considerably. Even on such terrain, he could maintain the cart's steady progress.
Along the way, Lin Xiao Tian was accompanied by Li Er Guai's screams.
Lin Xiao Tian didn't slow down on the descents, and his speed uphill was almost the same as on level ground. Especially at some sharp bends, they skirted the cliff edge several times.
Thus, after half an hour, the two of them successfully left the mountain road.
Lin Xiao Tian flagged down a tractor on the main road and, along with the cart and Li Er Guai, they were all lifted onto the tractor.
The driver was astonished by Lin Xiao Tian's strength, while Li Er Guai, before he could even react, found himself on the tractor, looking bewildered.
The tractor sped down the highway. After about an hour of driving, Lin Xiao Tian finally reached his destination.
After getting off the tractor, Lin Xiao Tian began to wander around with his cart.
Lin Xiao Tian didn't head to the market. It was already afternoon when he arrived, and business in the wet market was generally poor in the afternoon. Moreover, with such a large quantity of goods, it was unclear how long it would take to sell them all in the market.
To sell all these items, he needed to find the large restaurants.
Lin Xiao Tian was confident in the soft-shelled turtles he had brought. These wild turtles were not only large but also grew up in an environment like Bi Shui Lake. Their taste would definitely surpass most soft-shelled turtles, and they were sure to fetch a good price.
Thinking of this, Lin Xiao Tian decided to try his luck first at the local largest restaurant, Jinyuan Grand Hotel.
A tall, slender beauty in a black silk dress appeared ahead, wearing a form-fitting pencil skirt and a sexy black blazer on her upper body, perfectly accentuating her impressive cleavage.
"Miss, do you know how to get to Jinyuan Grand Hotel?" Lin Xiao Tian, pulling his cart, hurried over.
"You're going to Jinyuan Grand Hotel?"
The black silk beauty looked at Lin Xiao Tian with surprise.
Lin Xiao Tian's clothes were tattered, his rubber shoes had a hole in the sole, and he carried a bamboo basket on his back – he looked every bit like a peasant entering the city. Such a person didn't seem like someone who would go to a high-class restaurant.
However, the black silk beauty didn't look down on Lin Xiao Tian and patiently pointed him in the right direction.
"Thank you!" Lin Xiao Tian showed a row of white teeth and politely thanked the beauty. Then, pulling his cart, he sped off like a streak of lightning.
The black silk beauty behind him was stunned. Lin Xiao Tian's speed in pulling the cart was so fast that he even outpaced the electric bikes on the road.
About ten minutes later, Lin Xiao Tian arrived at Jinyuan Grand Hotel.
The exterior of Jinyuan Grand Hotel was grand, and the interior was luxuriously decorated. The greeters' attitudes were also very good. Even though Lin Xiao Tian was dressed like a country bumpkin, they still spoke to him politely.
Upon learning that Lin Xiao Tian was there to sell fish, the greeter initially wanted to contact the hotel manager, but the manager was unavailable. Thus, she led Lin Xiao Tian to the kitchen.
The kitchen was located at the back of the hotel. The greeter led Lin Xiao Tian to the back door.
Lin Xiao Tian stopped his cart and instructed Li Er Guai to watch the goods. Then, guided by the greeter, he entered the kitchen.
The kitchen of Jinyuan Grand Hotel was very large. The greeter led Lin Xiao Tian on a tour before finally finding the head chef.
The head chef was a middle-aged胖子 (fatty). Upon hearing Lin Xiao Tian's purpose and seeing his impoverished attire, his attitude immediately became arrogant.
"Xiao Zhi, what are you doing bringing just anyone in here? I'm busy! I'm not buying! Not a single one! Tell him to go back where he came from!" The胖子 chef didn't even look at Lin Xiao Tian the whole time, shouting and trying to make them leave.
The greeter who had brought Lin Xiao Tian, Xiao Zhi, flushed and then looked at Lin Xiao Tian with an apologetic expression.
Facing the arrogant胖子 chef before him, Lin Xiao Tian took a deep breath and chose not to argue with him.
Dealing with someone who judges people by their appearance would only fuel his arrogance. The best way was to slap his face with reality.
The quality of the goods he brought was so good; it was this胖子 chef's loss for not wanting them.
Lin Xiao Tian thanked Xiao Zhi and calmly walked out.
Seeing Lin Xiao Tian's steady composure, Xiao Zhi's good impression of him deepened.
"Heh, a country bumpkin, what's with all the pretense?" The胖子 chef couldn't resist a sarcastic remark.
Lin Xiao Tian remained silent.
His time was precious, and he had no interest in arguing with scoundrels.
Just as he turned to leave, a familiar voice echoed from the kitchen.
"Zeng Yue, how are you cooking? The guests have sent back several dishes consecutively. Do you know who has come this time? If this continues, I don't think you should be head chef anymore!"
Lin Xiao Tian turned his head curiously and saw a familiar figure.
This person was none other than the black silk beauty who had guided him earlier.
The胖子 chef, who had been so condescending a moment ago, immediately adopted a fawning smile upon seeing the black silk beauty.
"Manager Xue, I can't help it! I've re-cooked every dish meticulously. Who knew the guests had such picky tastes! They used to be fine with everything!"
"Are you blaming the guests now?" The black silk beauty was furious.
Distinguished guests from the capital were here this time, along with influential figures from the local area. If they weren't treated well, how could their Jinyuan Grand Hotel continue to operate in the area!
"Not at all, not at all! Perhaps the ingredients aren't fresh enough. I'll send someone to the market to procure some now!" the胖子 chef said meekly.
"Going to the market now? What were you doing before? Is there any fresh produce left in the market at this hour?" the black silk beauty snorted.
The胖子 chef kept his head low, not daring to even breathe.
Just then, a voice interrupted their conversation.
"Why not try my fish?" Lin Xiao Tian suddenly said.
The black silk beauty looked over in surprise and immediately recognized Lin Xiao Tian.
"It's you? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to sell fish!" Lin Xiao Tian said with a slight smile.