Having seen Madam Yang dry straw mushrooms, Wang Qingchen had formed a preconceived notion that dried straw mushrooms were made by sun-drying. Now, however, it occurred to him that they didn't necessarily have to be sun-dried; they could be dried on the kāng as well. Furthermore, there was an existing facility he could use: that little house by the river. The more Wang Qingchen thought about it, the happier he became, and he decided to try it out the very next day.

The next day, Wang Qingchen woke up very early. After breakfast, he secretly took the fire starter and slipped out.

To fire up the kāng, firewood was the first necessity. Transporting firewood to the riverside shack was much easier now that he had space. As he walked, Wang Qingchen picked up small twigs; after all, he couldn't break larger branches with his bare hands, so picking them up was pointless. By the time he reached the shack by the river, he had gathered nearly enough firewood.

Wang Qingchen checked to ensure no one was around, then went inside and began the mushroom drying process. He approached the kāng, which still had a worn rush mat laid upon it. Not minding the mat’s condition, Wang Qingchen took out more than half of the straw mushrooms from his spatial storage and spread them onto the mat on the kāng. Then, he started firing up the kāng. In a short while, steam began to rise from the mushrooms. After a considerable time, the fresh straw mushrooms transformed into dried ones. Wang Qingchen stopped firing the kāng and carried the mat, along with the dried mushrooms on top, outside to cool. Only after the dried mushrooms had completely cooled down did he place them into his spatial storage, tossing the mat back onto the kāng.

Having completed everything, Wang Qingchen happily started walking home. Upon arrival, he quietly returned the fire starter to its original spot before Madam Yang noticed.

After lunch, Wang Qingchen seized another moment when his family wasn't paying attention, quietly took the family's carrying basket, pocketed the cloth Madam Yang usually used to cover baskets, and set off alone toward the town.

To reach the town, one simply had to follow the official road at the eastern end of the village for three li. Thus, Wang Qingchen didn't need directions; he could go straight there and just inquire about the trading houses once he reached the town. Walking to a less crowded stretch, Wang Qingchen stepped behind a tree by the roadside, took out the carrying basket, covered it with the cloth, and continued toward the town. Wang Qingchen silently congratulated himself for bringing the covering cloth. With the cloth on, no one knew what was inside. Otherwise, carrying so many dried straw mushrooms would surely exhaust him. Now, with the cloth covering, he just needed to find an inconspicuous spot in town and quietly transfer the dried straw mushrooms into the carrying basket.

Wang Qingchen reached the town after walking for about half an hour. At the town entrance, he saw several ox carts, likely used for transporting people, though a ride seemed to cost two wen. Wang Qingchen had previously heard that the town's trading houses accepted dried straw mushrooms, but he first needed to find someone to ask where the trading houses were located. Wang Qingchen looked around and spotted an elderly man napping in one of the ox carts not far from him. He quickly walked over and asked, "Elder, how do I get to the trading houses in town?"

The old man opened his eyes slightly, saw a child about ten years old with a basket on his back asking the question, and couldn't help but smile. "Child, why are you going to the trading house?"

"Elder, I've gathered some straw mushrooms I want to sell to the trading house, so I can exchange them for some candy. I haven't had candy in ages," Wang Qingchen said pitifully.

Upon hearing this, the old man immediately felt the child was quite pathetic. "Just follow this road straight ahead. Count to the tenth establishment; that will be the Huo Family Trading House."

"Thank you, Elder." With that, Wang Qingchen started walking forward.

Wang Qingchen found a secluded corner where no one was watching, transferred the dried straw mushrooms from his spatial storage into the carrying basket, and then located the town’s trading house—the Huo Family Trading House.

When the shop assistant looked up, he saw a small child with a basket on his back and was momentarily unsure if the child was there to play or for some other business.

"Young Brother, do you all accept dried straw mushrooms here?" Wang Qingchen inquired.

"Oh, you've come to sell dried straw mushrooms? We do accept them, but well, we need to take a look first," the young man replied.

"Mm, all the dried straw mushrooms I intend to sell are in this basket. Please take a look," Wang Qingchen said, taking off the carrying basket, lifting the covering cloth, and revealing the dried straw mushrooms inside.

The shop assistant came over to inspect them and noticed there were quite a few dried mushrooms in the basket. However, many households accumulated large amounts and brought them to sell together, so the assistant didn't become overly suspicious. The mushrooms in the basket looked quite good. "Wait here a moment, I'll go call our manager." With that, the young man hurried inside.

Soon after, the curtain at the back was drawn aside, and a gentle-looking middle-aged man walked out, followed by the young assistant from earlier. The middle-aged man paused momentarily when he saw that the person selling mushrooms was just a child, but he quickly regained his composure.

"I am the manager here. Were you the one who came to sell dried straw mushrooms?" the middle-aged man asked kindly.

"Yes, Manager. The dried straw mushrooms are all in this basket," Wang Qingchen replied, pointing to the carrying basket set on the ground.

The manager looked at the mushrooms in the basket, noting there were a good number, and they were processed very well. He sifted through them with his hand and found the quality below was consistent. "We will take your dried straw mushrooms. Same as others, twenty-eight wen per jin. How about that?"

Wang Qingchen had heard this price, which meant the manager wasn't trying to cheat him just because he was young. He nodded his agreement. The manager had someone weigh them; it was a little over eleven jin, almost twelve. The manager rounded it up to twelve jin, totaling three hundred and thirty-six wen.

Wang Qingchen excitedly cradled the three hundred and thirty-six wen. He didn't care if others laughed at him; after all, this was the very first sum of money he had earned in this lifetime.

While Wang Qingchen was still thrilled, the manager found it amusing and was just about to tease him when a middle-aged man entered from outside. "Manager Hong, business is flourishing!"

Manager Hong looked up and laughed. "Haha... How can I compare to Boss Xue? I presume Boss Xue will be making quite a bit again soon?"

"Ah, don't mention it. It was supposed to be a surefire profit, but the most expensive potted Jianlan masterpiece I acquired is on the verge of death. Breaking even on this trip would be a relief," Boss Xue said with a wry smile.

"How could this happen?" Manager Hong inquired.

"It looked fine when I acquired it, but during transport back, one of the assistants carelessly dropped it, and the pot shattered. The flower is delicate; it couldn't withstand such turmoil. After repotting it, it simply wouldn't recover," Boss Xue explained regretfully.

"Is there really no way to save it?" Manager Hong asked again.

"Alas, I've been in this business for years. Could I be mistaken? I suppose I must blame my own carelessness," Boss Xue admitted.

Saying this, the two men went into the inner room. Meanwhile, Wang Qingchen, having overheard this, guessed that Boss Xue must be a nursery merchant, and the flower he acquired was dying. Wang Qingchen mused that this had nothing to do with him and prepared to leave. After walking a short distance, he suddenly realized this was an excellent opportunity! In his past life, the items he produced caused suspicion because they appeared without a clear source. This time was different; there was a distinct origin—it came from Boss Xue. If he managed to cultivate it, people would at most say he was lucky; they would never suspect spatial storage or magical artifacts. Moreover, even if he couldn't save it, he wouldn't suffer any loss, right?

With this thought, Wang Qingchen hurried back toward the trading house. Learning that Boss Xue had not yet left, he waited outside. After quite some time, Boss Xue and Manager Hong finally emerged.

"Oh, you little one hasn't left yet?" Manager Hong commented.

"This young one was waiting for Boss Xue," Wang Qingchen replied respectfully.

"Oh? You were waiting for me?" Boss Xue looked puzzled.

"This young one overheard that Boss Xue has a pot of flowers that won't survive. This young one wishes to ask Boss Xue to give that pot of flowers to me," Wang Qingchen said, feeling a bit embarrassed, but driven by the desire to earn money, he steeled himself and spoke.

"You child are quite clever. What is your name?" Boss Xue asked with a smile.

"This young one is named Wang Qingchen, from Wangjia Village," Wang Qingchen stated truthfully, reasoning that if someone wanted to investigate, it would be easy to find out.

"Then tell me, why should I give the flower to you?" Boss Xue intentionally posed a difficulty, while also being curious why such a young child would want a dying flower.

Wang Qingchen scratched his head. "To be frank, last year a small peach tree by our doorstep was stepped on by an ox. Everyone in the family said it wouldn't survive, but this young one managed to save it later. This young one just wants to try and see if he can save this pot of flowers too. If I save it, Boss Xue, you will earn an extra sum of money. If I can't save it, Boss Xue won't suffer any loss, right?" After speaking, Wang Qingchen looked at Boss Xue with hopeful eyes.

Boss Xue considered that what the child said was correct. It would be best if he could save it; if not, he lost nothing. Boss Xue looked at the child before him again. Coming to visit his friend this time really proved worthwhile; he had met such an interesting child.

"Fine, we'll do as you say. Come with me to get the flower!" Boss Xue finally agreed. After bidding farewell to Manager Hong, Boss Xue led Wang Qingchen to his temporary lodging in Qingshan Town, a courtyard house with two entrances.

Upon entering the courtyard, Wang Qingchen noticed many potted plants, presumably what Boss Xue had acquired for resale, though he didn't know where they were intended to be sold. Boss Xue brought out the nearly dead orchid and told Wang Qingchen that the orchid was called 'Green Hat Golden Silk Tail,' a famous variety of Jianlan. Seeing Wang Qingchen’s bewildered look, Boss Xue felt it was like "playing a lute to a cow." He had been prepared to explain the flower's required maintenance, but then realized the flower was certainly beyond saving, so explaining would be futile, and Wang Qingchen likely wouldn't understand anyway.

After taking the flower and offering his thanks, Wang Qingchen placed the flower in his carrying basket as soon as he left the courtyard gate—or rather, he placed it in his spatial storage. As he walked, he thought about what he needed to buy. First, he needed to buy a carrying basket so he wouldn't have to steal the family’s anymore. Oh, and Caiyun had been wanting a red hair ribbon; he should buy her one, and then he would see about the rest.

Wang Qingchen walked to a stall selling baskets and spent twelve wen on a new one, stacking it on top of the one he brought from home. At another small stall, he spent five wen to buy the red hair ribbon. Then, he went to a general store and spent three *wen$ on a small bag of sesame candies. However, perhaps because he had walked so much today, Wang Qingchen soon felt hungry. He found an eatery, sat down, and ordered a bowl of noodles cooked in meat broth, which was incredibly delicious. Wang Qingchen wolfed down the noodles, even drinking all the soup at the end.

Wang Qingchen contentedly patted his small belly, then asked the young server to pack five steamed buns stuffed with minced meat to go. The server wrapped the five buns and handed them over. "Five buns are ten wen, plus the three *wen$ for the noodles you ate, totaling thirteen *wen$."

Wang Qingchen paid the money and took the buns, heading home. Calculating his spending for the day, he found he had spent a total of thirty-three wen, leaving him with three hundred and three wen.

On his way back, Wang Qingchen found the tree where he had hidden earlier. Seeing that no one was around, he stepped behind it, placed both baskets and the covering cloth into his spatial storage, tucked the newly bought red hair ribbon and sesame candies into his bosom, and carried the buns in his hand before continuing home with a lighter step.