Chapter 147: Two Broke Guys

After everything that had just happened—especially now that everyone knew there were seeds inside the apple core—the people around stared at the big apple in Shen Tu’s hand with even more eagerness.

Those with money and a plan immediately turned their excited gazes to Yun Qimu. Sure, the price was steep, but if you bought an apple, not only could you enjoy its delicious sweetness, you’d also get the seeds. How could anyone pass up such a great deal?

Yun Qimu wasn’t worried that after buying apples, these people would grow their own and steal her business. Even if those with wood-type abilities managed to force the apples to grow, at best they’d get small, sour ones. Without the soil from Earth Village, how could apples grow so well?

Besides, would that stingy AI in the main brain ever let these outsiders take advantage? Obviously not.

Yun Qimu thought happily to herself, then raised her voice to call out, “This is our first time doing business. The apples are limited—first come, first served! If you want to buy, come line up over here!”

Instantly, the crowd exploded with excitement, everyone scrambling to be first in line.

“I—I’m first! Don’t pull my shirt! Even if you rip it, I’m not moving. If you tear it, you’ll be the one with sore eyes, not me. I’m not embarrassed at all!”

A burly guy at the front wasn’t having it either. “Who says? The young lady clearly said it’s this side. I’m first! You all better get in line behind me!”

The others at the front wouldn’t agree, either. They shoved and shouted, “Me! Me, me, me! I’m first! This is the real front of the line!”

As the scuffle grew more intense, Zhong Qiu and a few others—who’d originally been closest to Yun Qimu but were too broke to buy anything—were squeezed out by the frenzied buyers.

Outside the crowd, Zhong Qiu bumped into a dejected young man.

Zhong Qiu sniffled, looking a bit lost. “Hu Can, what are you doing here?”

Hu Can sighed and gave him a resentful look. “My brother and the others went to rescue you this morning and left me behind. I followed the messenger from Honglian Village and ended up here. Then I saw them selling apples. Too bad that green-haired uncle looks dopey but is actually pretty sharp when it counts. I tried to get some seeds for free, but it didn’t work.”

“Oh, so you were the one shouting about illusions just now!” Zhong Qiu suddenly understood, then gave his little bro a complicated look.

There’d been so many people earlier that he’d been pushed to the back. He wasn’t tall enough to see, so he’d only heard the voice, not seen who it was.

Hu Can nodded dejectedly—he hadn’t gotten any seeds and had embarrassed himself in front of Qiu-ge. Life was tough!

Zhong Qiu patted his shoulder and sighed in sympathy. What he’d done earlier was even more embarrassing than Hu Can’s failed scheme.

“Hey, move it, guys! If you don’t have money, don’t block the line!” An impatient, burly man behind them shoved Zhong Qiu and Hu Can aside with a palm as big as a fan, then rushed to join the queue himself.

Once the two hard-luck brothers steadied themselves and turned around, they saw Yun Qimu and her group had already moved to a wider, cleaner spot by the roadside, and the line had naturally formed into a twisting dragon shape.

Clearly, there were plenty of people with money to buy apples.

Zhong Qiu and Hu Can, two broke guys, exchanged glances and finally hung their heads in defeat.

As freeloading little brothers, neither of them had any energy credits to spare. Zhong Qiu had given all his savings to Yun Qimu to thank her for saving his life—he hadn’t kept a single credit for himself. As for Hu Can, how much pocket money could a minor have? At most ten credits—not even enough to buy an apple core.

“How about we go up front for a look? Just to see what’s going on. No one’s going to make us line up if we’re not buying, right?” Zhong Qiu stood on tiptoe, craning his neck to peer ahead, his eyes shining with curiosity about the goods brought by his goddess.

Hu Can, whose curiosity was off the charts, agreed instantly.

So the two of them eagerly slipped around the crowd to the front.

But clearly, they weren’t the only curious broke guys—other penniless folks were just as interested.

What did an apple that cost more than two bottles of premium nutrient solution even look like? And what other fruits and vegetables had that pretty lady mentioned?

Zhong Qiu and Hu Can had barely made it to the front before they were swallowed up by the crowd.

Meanwhile, word of the commotion quickly spread to the other side of the arena. The once-boisterous “Wife Selection” contest, which had drawn a huge crowd, suddenly lost all its audience to Yun Qimu’s group.

As more and more people left the contest to join the crowd around Yun Qimu, fewer and fewer watched the selection.

Dou Xing, who was leading a group of underlings and wife candidates onto the stage from the main street, saw only a handful of spectators left at the arena. Looking over at the bustling crowd not far away, he frowned, his sharp, rebellious face filled with displeasure. “What’s going on over there? Where’s Shen Tu? Wasn’t he supposed to be watching the stage? Where is he?”

“Well…” Xu Le, who also didn’t have much money and had been squeezed out of the crowd after hesitating for just a moment, looked at the packed throng and then at Dou Xing on stage.

Finally, gritting his teeth and prompted by a colleague’s look, he hurried over, braving Dou Xing’s displeased glare. “Brother Tu—he’s over there. We saw a really beautiful young lady, and Brother Tu wanted to invite her to join the contest.”

“Oh?” Dou Xing’s face darkened and he sneered. “And? Did he succeed?”

He jerked his chin toward the crowd. “Don’t tell me that beautiful lady knows some kind of charm magic that’s got everyone bewitched—including that blockhead Shen Tu?”

“Well… it’s kind of like that.”

“Hmm?”

Xu Le shivered at Dou Xing’s narrowed eyes and quickly shook his head, explaining dryly, “No, no, Xing-ge, it’s not that the lady knows charm magic—it’s the apples she brought. Besides apples, she said she has other fruits and vegetables. So Brother Tu stayed there to try and buy some for the boss to try.”

Dou Xing’s eyes narrowed. “Really? Fresh, edible fruits and vegetables?”

“Should be real. I only saw the apples—before I got squeezed out.” Xu Le scratched his nose, still a little regretful. If only he’d been stronger, he might’ve managed to stay in the crowd.

Now, though, Dou Xing was interested. He told his men to keep an eye on the wife candidates, then strode toward the most chaotic part of the crowd. “Come on, let’s check it out.”

He reached out and, like grabbing a chick, caught Xu Le by the back of his collar and dragged him along."