Xiao Lingyu picked out some seeds, and she asked, “How much is the total?” She glanced towards the counter. The staff glanced at the stuff on the table before turning back to her phone. “201 RMB.”
Xiao Lingyu was ready to pay when she saw a small pack of black seeds in the cabinet corner. She pointed at them and asked, “What kind of seeds are those?”
The staff was impatient. She turned around and grumbled, “Strawberry seeds.”
Xiao Lingyu was surprised. “Strawberry seeds?” She thought about it, grabbed the strawberry seeds, and asked again, “How much is it now?”
When the staff saw the strawberry seeds on the counter, she turned disdainful. She said mockingly, “What? Do you plan to grow strawberries? Are you dumb? Why don’t you look around you? Do you think strawberries can grow here? Many big agricultural farms have tried to grow strawberries here, and they failed. Why do you think you can succeed?”
Xiao Lingyu’s face darkened. “I’m here to purchase seeds, not to explain myself. It’s none of your business what I do with the seeds. Now, clear my purchase!”
The staff pouted and scoffed, “Fine. That will be 1201 RMB!”
“What?” Xiao Lingyu was shocked. “These strawberry seeds cost one thousand? They’re that expensive?”
“Of course!” The staff said, “They come from Liao Ning province. They are the best variety, so of course, they are expensive.” She revealed a contemptuous look and said coldly, “If you can’t afford them, then don’t buy them!” The staff was earning a fixed salary. She had no commission. She didn’t need to help sell the seeds.
Xiao Lingyu’s eyes stared sharply at the staff. She countered, “I’m here to buy seeds, not to be ridiculed. Does your manager know about your attitude?”
The staff was insulted. She said angrily, “Leave then. We are not selling any product to a poor wretch like you!”
Xiao Lingyu tried to suppress her anger. “Lady, please understand that this is a seed station. It is government property. Our government sets up these stations to help promote agriculture! It is not your private shop. You can’t stop selling me stuff simply because you feel like it!”
The staff shouted back. “Actually, my family owns this station. So I mean it when I say I am not going to sell you anything!” Technically, the station was managed by the staff’s brother-in-law.
“You…” Xiao Lingyu was furious that she’d encounter such a shrew. “I’ll file a complaint against you!”
“Xiao Lingyu, is that you?” Xiao Lingyu, who was about to storm out, heard someone call her name.
The staff cheered when she saw the new arrivals. “Brother-in-law!” Then she ran to hug her brother-in-law’s arm. She said coquettishly, “Brother-in-law, someone is bullying me. You have to take revenge for me!”
The middle-aged man was short and fat. He had a beer belly and a bald head. He was Mo Deli, the manager of this seed store. Standing next to him was a handsome man. This was the person who called Xiao Lingyu earlier.
Normally, when Mo Deli heard someone had bullied his sister-in-law, he would help her get revenge without a second thought. However, when Mo Deli realized the man beside him knew the woman who bullied his sister-in-law, he knew he had to be careful.
Mo Deli ignored his sister-in-law and asked the man beside him with a smile. “Director Jiang, do you know this lady?”
The man was Jiang Tao, the chief director of Xing Yin County Police Station.
Jiang Tao nodded.
Xiao Lingyu saw Jiang Tao and greeted him with a smile, “Director Jiang!”
Jiang Tao stepped forward, and he smiled. “It is really you.” Then, he glanced at the counter and asked, “Miss Xiao is here to buy seeds?”
Xiao Lingyu nodded. “That’s right. Director Jiang, please call me Lingyu. It feels weird for you to call me Miss Xiao.”
Jing Tao smiled and nodded. “Okay. Lingyu, what happened?”
Before Xiao Lingyu could say anything, Kang Xiaoxue, the staff member cut in, “This poor wretch can’t afford our seeds, and she humiliated me because of it!”
Well, that was interesting.
Kang Xiaoxue was the one who humiliated Xiao Lingyu, but the story got twisted. Kang Xiaoxue was charmed by Jiang Tao’s good looks. When she saw how close the man was to Xiao Lingyu, she was jealous. She needed to do something to destroy Xiao Lingyu’s image.
When Kang Xiaoxue saw the gloomy expression on Jiang Tao’s face, she cheered internally. She believed she had succeeded. She quickly added, “The wretch wanted to buy so many seeds, and they are not cheap. She complained and demanded that I lower the price. I said our prices are fixed. Then, she called me greedy and wanted to complain to my brother-in-law about me. You guys came then.”
Jiang Tao’s expression became uglier and uglier.
Kang Xiaoxue thought Jiang Tao was getting angry with Xiao Lingyu, so she was extremely happy.
However, on the surface, she pouted and choked. She shook Mo Deli’s arm and cried, “Brother-in-law, you have to help me! You have to teach this wretch…” a lesson.
“Shut up!” Mo Deli shouted sternly. He was not as brainless as Kang Xiaoxue. He could see that Jiang Tao was not angry at Xiao Lingyu but at Kang Xiaoxue.
If Jiang Tao was unhappy with Kang Xiaoxue, Mo Deli would be affected too. Mo Deli couldn’t afford to offend Jiang Tao since Jiang Tao could decide his career path. Mo Deli’s goal was to be the director of the Agriculture Bureau. He had been coveting that post for a long time.
Mo Deli had to pull a lot of strings to get Jiang Tao over to the seed station. He invited Jiang Tao over for tea, but his main purpose was to introduce Jiang Tao to his sister-in-law.
Kang Xiaoxue was young and beautiful. Jiang Tao was not married yet. If Jiang Tao married her, it would help Mo Deli’s political career.
However, when they arrived, Kang Xiaoxue had already made a bad first impression by shouting and taunting their patron. To make things worse, the patron appeared to be Jiang Tao’s friend. Mo Deli wanted to seal up Kang Xiaoxue’s big mouth. However, that was not the time.
Mo Deli walked over to Xiao Lingyu and smiled. “Miss Xiao, I’m so sorry. Xiaoxue is young and has offended Miss Xiao. I apologize to you.”
Kang Xiaoxue was stunned.
She widened her eyes and said in disbelief, “Brother-in-law, what are you… Why are you apologizing to her?”
Afraid that she would say something stupid again, Mo Deli immediately shouted at her, “Shut up!”
Kang Xiaoxue was hurt because her brother-in-law had never been so strict with her.
Mo Deli had no time to care about Kang Xiaoxue. He fawned on Xiao Lingyu. “I hope Miss Xiao will forgive her! And let bygones be bygones.”