Chapter 12: The Bustling Mountain Goods Market!

The mountain goods market was a large courtyard, paved with red bricks that looked somewhat old.

Besides a few paths that were left clear, most of the area was filled with people setting up their stalls.

A drone was live streaming the scene.

Several old men in military uniforms, smoking cigarettes, had their stalls laden with many plants still covered in dirt, unidentifiable.

There were also a few people wearing headscarves, carrying bamboo baskets on their backs, finding places to sit down and setting out their goods one by one.

This kind of market had little regulation, no stall fees required; it was purely managed by mountain runners who came to sell on their own.

There were quite a few customers around.

Coming to wander around, you would always encounter some good finds.

Xu Yang parked his car in an open space and then set up a small table next to it, laid out a tablecloth, and poured a basket of golden mushrooms on the cloth, along with some deer antlers.

Big Yellow lay quietly aside, looking around.

At that moment, Xu Yang noticed something interesting.

"Look over there, a pet exclusive to our area," he said to the viewers.

The drone's camera pointed forward, capturing a very small Little Sika Deer next to a stall, its mouth fitted with a muzzle, sniffing something on the ground.

The Sika Deer was dressed in clothes and a leash, resembling a dog leash.

Such a tiny Sika Deer looked very adorable.

The comments exploded instantly.

[Holy crap, keeping a Sika Deer as a pet? Isn't that a First Level nationally protected animal?]

[Looks criminal, so cuffable!]

[Is there no law anymore? Is there no justice?]

[Wait, is this even legal?]

Seeing everyone's doubts, Xu Yang explained,

"Let me educate you all a bit — wild Sika Deer are First Level nationally protected animals, but those bred in captivity are not."

"There are many Deer Houses in the Northeast, and the number of Sika Deer is also very high, and not only do Deer Houses produce antler, but they also sell deer meat under regulated conditions."

"Little Sika Deers can also be pets, even bought and sold locally."

"There are quite a few people here who raise Sika Deer."

"However..."

At this point, Xu Yang's tone shifted,

"The prerequisite for raising Sika Deer is you must have a yard at home. When Sika Deer are small, they are still manageable, but as they grow, they need a lot of space for activity and are not suitable for being kept in the city."

"So if you want to keep a Sika Deer, you'll need to have a large yard first."

Upon hearing Xu Yang's words, the viewers' initially joyful mood quickly plummeted.

[The host speaks so timely, how did you know I wanted to keep a Sika Deer!]

[Hahaha, I also wanted to keep one, but hearing you need a yard, guess I'll pass.]

[Having a house is already difficult, let alone a yard!]

[You're right, Little Sika Deer might look cute and small, but they grow pretty big, and average families can't manage that.]

Xu Yang set up his stall, waiting on the side.

The mountain goods market was bustling with people coming and going.

Some noticed Xu Yang's drone and looked up at it occasionally.

His drone was exceptionally quiet, almost inaudible, quite a step forward for technology in this world.

Soon, people began to inquire about the price of Yuhuang Mushrooms.

"Twenty per pound," Xu Yang responded directly.

"20? Isn't it usually 15 per pound? You're selling it a bit expensive," the customer said, sounding skeptical while carefully inspecting a Yuhuang Mushroom.

"20 is already cheap, these are all wild Yuhuang Mushrooms, they have larger sizes, I was planning to sell for 25."

"No bargaining," said Xu Yang, curtly.

"How about 18 per pound?"

"I don't bargain."

"Young man, you don't know how to do business. Fine, give me a pound."

"Alright."

Xu Yang pulled out a plastic bag, filled it with some Yuhuang Mushrooms, and weighed them on an electronic scale.

Exactly one pound.

His scale was very precise, and he always gave exactly the amount the customers asked for, never giving one and a half pounds if they asked for one.

Young people nowadays, they still uphold integrity in business.

Xu Yang's business did surprisingly well.

Mainly because the Yuhuang Mushrooms he gathered were quite large, and many of the people here were professional mountain runners who could tell these were wild Yuhuang Mushrooms.

So, not long after he had set up his stall, many people came to buy, and in less than twenty minutes, over eight pounds of Yuhuang Mushrooms had been completely sold.

He turned quite a profit.

Some also inquired about the deer antlers.

At this stall, you could see people selling deer antlers as well.

"Young man, how much for these deer antlers?"

A middle-aged man asked.

"1300, non-negotiable."

Xu Yang responded.

"That's expensive, isn't it?"

"There aren't many of better quality than these on the market, and these are a complete pair. Even slightly inferior ones go for 1000."

The middle-aged man looked for a while, seemed to like them, but still didn't buy.

Expensive items are just like that, not so easy to commit to buying.

After all, most people here don't have high incomes.

But there are always some wealthy individuals around, and also those who like to collect animal specimens.

These antlers wouldn't lack buyers; they just needed to wait.

After a while, the radishes and tomatoes Xu Yang brought had also sold out; these items weren't expensive, just a few tens of yuan.

The mountain goods market was still bustling.

Some people displayed rows and rows of Lingzhi mushrooms, some had placed a couple of ginseng roots, and others sold green leaves that the netizens couldn't identify.

Everyone dressed very plainly, or rather rustically, even giving off a nineties vibe.

Only Xu Yang, dressed in casual clothes, looked slightly different.

Such is the life of a mountain runner.

Apart from doing the usual farm work, growing some crops, it was about trying your luck in the mountains.

Digging for mountain goods in the morning, selling them at the mountain goods market in the afternoon.

Living off the mountain, as they say.

The livestream room saw a constant flow of people, perhaps because the mountain goods market was just a novelty, and with relatively few loyal fans, the viewership stayed steady at around four to five hundred.

That was quite alright.

There were occasional gifts and tips.

The day's income was still two to three hundred yuan.

Livestreaming was lucrative, no doubt about it, but that was for top or somewhat popular broadcasters.

For the vast majority of streamers, making over ten thousand a month was already extraordinary, considering most lower-tier streamers didn't even make a hundred yuan a month.

Xu Yang only had a pair of antlers left unsold.

There were some bids in the livestream room, but Xu Yang thought the antlers were difficult to ship, and the hassle of potential returns made him prefer to sell them at the mountain goods market.

Soon, a slightly chubby man wearing a black mink shawl and large gold chains appeared in the market.

Three words were written all over his face: flashy rich guy

Wearing mink in summer wasn't for showing off, it was purely for showing off.

People like him enjoyed the unusual attention they got from others.

The man walked around and directly headed for Xu Yang's stall after spotting the antlers, which were the largest and most eye-catching in the entire market.

Upon learning they were priced at 1300, the man decisively bought them.

"Alright, I'll get you a bag to pack them."

Xu Yang felt happy inside.

He had finally sold them.

Another bit of income.

In total, he had made 1500 yuan that day.

That counted as a high income.

Xu Yang packed the antlers for the customer, then packed up his stall and loaded everything onto his tricycle.

"Big Yellow, let's go for a walk," Xu Yang called out to Big Yellow and started strolling around the mountain goods market.

As he walked, he also educated his viewers.

"This is called Three-leaf clover, it's quite popular around here, especially for men to make tea. It helps a lot with kidney function and boosts marital life, so it's a hot seller."

"This one's called Sanghuang, turn it over and inside it's scorched yellow, also a medicinal herb."

"Look at this stall, all wild Lingzhi mushrooms. This guy must have hit the jackpot with the Lingzhi, but they're just the ordinary kind, so not too pricey."

"The most common item sold here is ginseng, almost every other stall has some. Everyone knows, you won't find wild ginseng here, it's all cultivated."

"Probably just to deceive some tourists from other places," Xu Yang stated unapologetically.

However, no one was really paying attention to what came afterward.

[Host, is that Three-leaf clover thing real? Does it really boost marital life? Is it effective?]

[I have a friend who wants some Three-leaf clover, is that okay?]

[Host, put up a link, I want to buy Three-leaf clover!]

Clearly, everyone's focus was on the Three-leaf clover.

Xu Yang glanced at the chat, and seeing everyone's messages, he couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

"There's definitely an effect, how noticeable it is depends on individual constitution, should be around the same as oysters and leeks."

"Just go easy, everyone."