Chapter 11

Several villagers eagerly approached Lucy, asking about her plans. While farming was manageable, selling the produce was always the hardest part. Selling online wasn't practical for them—shipping costs alone would wipe out any potential profits. Farming was already tough work without adding more expenses. Most villagers sold their produce at the local market in town or, at best, took it to the nearest city. "Alright. Let me reach out to some contacts first. I'll let you know if I need more," Lucy reassured them, surprised by how enthusiastic everyone became after she agreed to buy several thousand pounds of sweet potatoes. Meanwhile, Viviana was left standing awkwardly to the side. Since Lucy no longer had to be a bridesmaid, she decided she might as well skip the wedding entirely. Busy with many tasks, she simply transferred 200 dollars to Viviana as a wedding gift. Now that she was financially comfortable, that amount didn't mean much to her. Besides, she knew she would have even more money in the future. She had tens of thousands in hand and much more to come. For non-relatives, even a 50-dollar wedding gift was considered respectable in their village. In the city, however, the minimum was usually 200 dollars, often reaching 500 dollars. Viviana had initially felt a bit uncomfortable seeing how much better Lucy's skin looked than hers. However, when she saw that Lucy had given her 200 dollars as a gift, she no longer felt upset. She warmly engaged with Lucy, chatting with her in a friendly manner. Indeed, money had the power to influence emotions and make people feel more positive. … That afternoon, when Lucy returned home, Gordon, Sharon, and Tatiana were already waiting for her. Before stepping into the yard, Sharon urgently asked, "Lucy, I heard you bought all of Maya's sweet potatoes and even the Shaw family's potatoes." News traveled fast in their village. Any notable event would spread in just a few hours. "Yeah, I have a friend in Pyraelis, and since I came back, I've been collecting vegetables. I've already collected the watermelons and tomatoes we planted on our land. I even had Dad plant some cabbage, and I'd collect that too." In Hans' post-apocalyptic world, land was no longer usable for farming, so they definitely needed a lot of food. "Lucy, you're really our family's lucky star!" Sharon exclaimed. "Selling vegetables nowadays is hard, so this saves us a lot of trouble!" Otherwise, they would have to haul everything to town at the crack of dawn to sell. Vegetable prices were higher in the morning, but the prices would drop again by the afternoon or evening. The harvest was getting better each year, but the prices of vegetables kept going down, and the more they farmed, the poorer they got. And the fact that most of the young people in the village had gone to work in the city still remained. Lucy took everything off their hands at once, and there would be no need for several trips. "Dad, just collect everything and take it to the warehouse in town. I'll go with you to show you where it is." "Alright, sounds good! I knew sending you to university was worth every penny. If you stayed in the city, you'd be doing even better," Gordon said, beaming at her. "Once we make some more money, I'll buy you a tractor so farming won't be so exhausting anymore," Lucy added with a smile. "A tractor? That's expensive—it'll cost tens of thousands!" Though he was pleased, he couldn't help but feel concerned about the high price. Just then, Tatiana butted in, "If you're buying sweet potatoes, why didn't you start with Oscar's farm? He still has a sixth of an acre left to harvest. That's easily over a thousand pounds worth!" "But Lucy already bought so much. Does she need more?" Sharon interjected, furrowing her brow. She heard that Lucy had paid Maya the deposit. If Lucy couldn't sell it all, she would lose out. Sharon was worried that she might suffer a loss. "Just cancel the order with Maya and buy Oscar's sweet potatoes first," Tatiana insisted, completely unfazed by the idea of breaking a deal with the neighbor. "I can't do that—I already paid a deposit. Let's wait a few days, and I'll decide then," Lucy responded calmly. She needed time to check with Hans on how much more produce was required. Tatiana's face darkened instantly, her expression sharp and displeased. "What do you mean wait a few days? That's your Uncle Oscar! You should prioritize family! How could you buy from outsiders first? This makes no sense!" "I didn't say I wouldn't buy from him—I just need a few days." Lucy sighed, feeling frustrated at Tatiana's persistent favoritism. "Fine. Give me 500 dollars as a deposit for Oscar. I'll pass it to him so we can lock it in," Tatiana demanded. It wasn't that Lucy lacked the 500 dollars—she simply resented Tatiana's attitude. "I don't have that kind of money right now. I'll have more once I sell the sweet potatoes I bought. Besides, Uncle Oscar's family shouldn't need a deposit. We're all family, right?" "You gave Maya a 500-dollar deposit, but you won't do the same for Oscar? Lucy, he's your blood relative!" Tatiana shouted angrily. Gordon quickly intervened when Tatiana was about to escalate things into a full-blown argument. "Lucy, you've had a long day. Go upstairs and rest." Tatiana wasn't ready to back down. She wanted to pressure Lucy into making the payment and paying the deposit upfront. "I'll cover the 500-dollar deposit," Gordon said, trying to avoid an argument and prevent Tatiana from getting upset, which would lead to her fainting again. If that happened, Oscar would surely blame them for not taking good care of her, and the neighbors would gossip. Lucy had transferred him over 7,000 dollars just yesterday. "Give it to me now," Tatiana said, unwilling to feel at ease without holding the money. "Sharon, go get 500-dollar cash for Mom." Sharon managed the family's finances, and she was unwilling to do as told. "But what if Lucy doesn't confirm whether she'll buy it? If she doesn't buy it, she'll lose out," Sharon said, clearly concerned for Lucy. Gordon knew this too, but if Tatiana caused trouble, it would stir up the whole village, and next month, she might even stay with them again instead of at Oscar's house. "Go on," he urged. Although Sharon was unhappy, she couldn't help but think about how their family always ended up making sacrifices. They had two brothers and two elder sisters, yet their family always got the short end of the stick. The last time, Tatiana had made a huge fuss and stayed with them for an extra two weeks, causing her a lot of trouble. She would just treat this money as spending to ward off disaster! But it was 500 dollars. They didn't even spend that much in a whole month. Once Tatiana had the money, her mood brightened, and she happily left the house. Sharon, watching her leave, frowned, clearly not pleased. "She's old. Don't argue with her," Gordon said, seeing her displeasure. "But what if Lucy loses out?" "We'll consider it as paying to avoid disaster. The amount Lucy paid for the vegetable is more than enough; I'll cover the cost to prevent trouble. I can't take any more of this commotion." They recalled the previous chaos when Tatiana caused a scene. The whole village had come to watch, making both of them speechless. … Lucy went upstairs, and her phone rang nonstop in the afternoon, filled with recommendations and comments. It looked like her novel had exploded in popularity. With the food in her pocket space already cleared, she hurried inside and told Hans that she would take the novels from the bookstore.