Chapter 41: Three Hundred Copper Coins

[Congratulations on obtaining Copper Coin x5 through trade!]
[Congratulations on obtaining Copper Coin x5!]
[……]

A consecutive string of fifteen trade notifications was handled one by one by Chen Ye.

Before long.
His personal assets went from "225 copper coins" to "300 copper coins"!

Aside from the handcart, cooking utensils, and various seasonings, he also had a surplus of fifty copper coins left over to purchase other items.
The harvest could truly be described as exceeding expectations!

Chen Ye hadn't expected that after only half a day, so many people would send him trade requests.

With a thought in his mind, he opened the forum on the bloody smartphone and, sure enough, found quite a few players discussing the sugar-roasted chestnuts he had listed.

Among them, one post had actually surged to the top of the trending list—
《Conscientious Recommendation: Big Shot Chen Ye's sugar-roasted chestnuts taste absolutely peerless!》
Poster: Wang Jing.

Chen Ye instantly felt a start in his heart.
He had completely not expected this trending post to be created by Wang Jing, who had previously traded sugar-roasted chestnuts with him.

He quickly clicked on it to check the content.
He saw that Wang Jing, in the name of a [Gourmet], detailed the taste of the sugar-roasted chestnuts in the post and recommended everyone to purchase them.

In the forum, several other players who had previously bought sugar-roasted chestnuts from Chen Ye also popped up to reply:
"That's right, this big shot is definitely a [Chef]. The taste of the sugar-roasted chestnuts is indeed very good."
"Although the price of five copper coins is a bit expensive, you definitely won't lose out by buying them!"
"I'm already fed up with eating this heap of dark cuisine day after day. After finally finishing work every day, all I get to eat is this bunch of crap, I feel like I'm going crazy!"
"Setting aside the taste, Big Shot Chen Ye's sugar-roasted chestnuts really do have the effect of accelerating physical recovery. Moreover, if you are a player of the [Glutton] sequence, swallowing the sugar-roasted chestnuts seems to also grant an improvement in physique."

As soon as the post was published, it immediately attracted the attention of many players.
After all, Chen Ye was now a somewhat popular leaderboard big shot anyway; as long as there was a discussion thread, people would generally look at it.

However, there were also some replies at the bottom questioning it:
"It's just a sugar-roasted chestnut, is it really that magical?"
"Could you guys be paid promoters?"
"Yeah, spending money and even helping others farm five-star reviews, how come I've never seen such a good deal..."
"It's normal, after all, he's a big shot in the top thirty of the leaderboard, there are bound to be some simps specifically going to flatter him."
"Brother, help me make an introduction, I can farm along too, let's all make money together!"

Wang Jing was quite a hot-blooded fellow. Seeing players slandering Chen Ye at the bottom of the post, he immediately spoke up and started chewing them out.

Both sides launched into a fierce battle of words.
From the initial rational discussion, to later politely and cordially inquiring about the health of each other's family members, and finally descending into indiscriminate attacks...

This great battle instantly attracted quite a few onlookers eating melons, as well as various masters of fanning the flames who cheered repeatedly, keeping the heat of this post consistently high.

At this moment, Chen Ye finally knew where all these trading players in his list had come from.
He couldn't help but feel a wave of embarrassment.
Why did it feel like this Wang Jing was drawing hatred for him?

However, after scrolling through a few times, he found that Wang Jing was vouching for him in the name of a [Gourmet], and realized that the other party was truly and sincerely trying to help him... it was just that the method was a bit too aggressive.

High-level [Gourmet]s possessed the ability to summon diners from all over the world and recommend delicacies.
Any food that had been recommended by them had the potential to sweep across the entire 《Era of Oddities》, thereby bringing unimaginable economic benefits to the creator.

And Wang Jing's willingness to vouch in the name of a [Gourmet] made many players grant a bit more trust, while also surprising them that the other party had actually exposed his occupational identity.

"This silly kid..."
Chen Ye shook his head and cursed with a smile.

But thinking about it carefully, the [Gourmet] was a functional class with low threat and leaned more toward being a supporting role.
For this type of class to expose their identity, the probability of bringing about fatal disaster was relatively small; instead, it was easier to gain the attention of other players and receive cooperation invitations.

Every occupational identity had a different direction of development, and it wasn't necessarily correct for all players to deliberately hide their identities.

"I'll have to give this [Gourmet] a discount in the future..."
Chen Ye thought to himself secretly.
Anyway, the [Gourmet] could have a complementary and mutually reinforcing effect with his culinary skills.
If there were new dishes provided for the [Gourmet] to taste, he could also acquire oddity values.
This cooperative relationship could be maintained for the long term...

Putting away the bloody smartphone, before nightfall completely descended, Chen Ye had to hurry back!

Along the way, he passed the only intersection near Xijiang and found that the barbecue vendors standing on both sides of the road were gone by this time.

"Could it be that these guys couldn't stay in business?"
Chen Ye muttered inwardly, three copper coins for a skewer of barbecue, did they even know how to do business?
Besides, it was charred all over in a mess; normal players aside, even oddities wouldn't buy it!
It didn't look like any game either...

Shaking his head, Chen Ye temporarily cast this matter to the back of his mind, quickening his pace to return to Xining Alley before nightfall thoroughly descended.

Returning to that familiar alley entrance.
He saw the old erhu player holding a sugar-roasted chestnut, tossing it into his mouth, and chewing it carefully.

When the old man raised his head and locked eyes with Chen Ye, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly turned awkward.

After a moment...
The old erhu player finished chewing the sugar-roasted chestnut, looking thoroughly satisfied. He lifted his eyelids to look at Chen Ye and asked with a chuckle:
"These sugar-roasted chestnuts... you made them?"
"Right," Chen Ye nodded. "Can you tell?"
"Hah, I've eaten that old woman's sugar-roasted chestnuts many times, how could any be crafted this crudely?"

The old erhu player's evaluation was not polite in the slightest, but he quickly shifted his tone and said:
"However, for you to cook sugar-roasted chestnuts to this extent in such a short time is already considered pretty good."

Chen Ye smiled slightly and accepted this praise in his heart.
For some unknown reason.
He felt that after eating his sugar-roasted chestnuts, the old erhu player seemed to have become much more lively.

After eating and drinking his fill, the old erhu player took the bucket from Chen Ye's hand, picked up the water ladle, and drank to his heart's content.
It was as if he had been thirsty and hadn't drunk water all day, swallowing half a bucket of water in the blink of an eye, and his complexion correspondingly grew better and better.

Finally, the old erhu player drank his fill, wiped the corner of his mouth with satisfaction, and then looked at Chen Ye to ask:
"How is your suona practice coming along?"

Chen Ye didn't say much; he directly picked up the suona and played a piece called "Melancholy".
This was the song he had practiced the most today.
In the past, Chen Ye always felt that the timbre of the suona was too sharp, making it difficult to control songs with a faster rhythm.
But now, his mastery of the suona had made a breakthrough, and he was already able to blend multiple artistic conceptions, playing in a way that suited the suona's timbre.

When the melody of "Melancholy" came out, it carried a worldly sorrow and helplessness, as if venting injustice along with sighs.

However, when the song reached the chorus stage, the melody abruptly changed!
The timbre became bright and the style became soaring and high-pitched, carrying a carefree tone that diluted the sorrow and sought to transcend worldly troubles through this means.

Right at this moment, the old erhu player suddenly started playing his erhu, joining Chen Ye in a duet!

The lingering and gentle sound of the erhu softened the overly sharp timbre of the suona, thereby perfectly blending with the melody of "Melancholy"!

The entire Xining Alley was permeated with lingering music.

Meanwhile...
Chen Ye discovered that his oddity value had once again made a breakthrough—
[Oddity Value +300!]