Chapter 30: 030 part 1
After posting the shop update, Zhu Ran first packed and shipped today’s orders.
Five pots of freesia were sent to S-rank and A-rank planets. As the freesia’s audience expanded, the delivery locations gradually spread from S-rank planets to A-rank planets. Zhu Ran hoped that one day, freesias would be seen on every planet.
The five pots of daisies were all destined for Wendell, an S-rank planet; it seemed the daisies had already been snatched up by artists.
One jar of daisy tea was still being sent to Jialan Academy, though the recipient was still not “Qin Ke is Very Cute.”
Zhu Ran did not forget to pack a pot of lavender for “Ye Chaochaochaochao.” This lavender was a division taken from a soil-grown plant. All three types of plants grew more luxuriantly in soil than in water; one soil-grown plant was as dense as one and a half of the previous ones, with 1.5 times the number of flower buds. Production had seen a slight increase.
After finishing the shipments, Zhu Ran continued preparations for tomorrow’s listing.
“First, I’ll update the ecological garden at the shop entrance, changing it to a design centered on lavender.”
After obtaining a certificate for the lavender through the Stargrow software, Zhu Ran logged into the Stargrow holographic street. Following another ecological garden design plan provided by Yan You, he rearranged the holographic garden in front of the shop.
The primary flower was lavender, with daisies and freesias as decorative accents.
Under Zhu Ran’s efficient movements, a lavender-themed ecological garden was quickly completed. Charming purple flower clusters bloomed elegantly, their small, dense blossoms decorating the green stems. From a distance, it looked as if the stems were wrapped in fuzzy, soft decorations, exuding a unique, delicate beauty.
Occasionally, a few freesias and daisies bloomed at the edges of the garden, their white petals interlacing with the purple in a graceful, leisurely display.
Following the design plan, Zhu Ran installed several lights above the ecological garden, creating a sense of depth through the play of light and shadow. With his experience from the previous two builds and the design plan in hand, the 3D model was finished rapidly. Zhu Ran then pressed the “Confirm” button.
In an instant, accompanied by a wave of data light, the garden that had previously featured wild-growing daisies and freesias transformed into a specialized ecological garden themed around purple lavender.
The colors were harmonious, the theme clear, and the layers distinct.
“As expected of a professional designer; the lavender is the first thing you see. And although the freesias and daisies around it are few in number, their rarity makes new customers even more eager to learn about them.”
Zhu Ran made final adjustments to the garden’s lighting to coordinate with the shop’s interior lights. Under the beautiful illumination, the purple lavender seemed to shimmer with a fine, star-like glow, looking exceptionally exquisite.
“The new natural lavender will be sold at a discounted price of 24,000 credits.”
“The daisy tea and daisies will return to their original prices: 150,000 and 30,000 credits, respectively.”
“And I’ll list four pots of Freesia PLUS; let’s set those at 40,000.”
After arranging the items inside the “Zhu’s Shadow and Fragrance” shop, Zhu Ran surveyed his store.
Nineteen pots of flowers sat on the three display shelves dedicated to natural plants. Lavender occupied the center, flanked by freesias and daisies. The fresh, tender greenery complemented the wooden texture of the display shelves perfectly. Coupled with the simulated sunlight streaming in from the window, the scene possessed a singular aesthetic charm.
On the other side, the wall cabinet that had previously sat empty with only a single jar of daisy tea—making it difficult for customers to notice—was now different. Due to the increased production, Zhu Ran had listed four jars of daisy tea, making the central cabinet look less desolate. He even specifically projected a few sprigs of lavender near the cabinet as decoration to ensure customers would notice the products there.
“I hope the customers like the lavender.”
After setting up the automatic listing and purchase limits, Zhu Ran was about to log off and rest when he received a message from Yan You.
[Yan You: The painting I did during the livestream auctioned for 1.8 million! All the proceeds from the auction will be donated to welfare institutions.]
[Yan You: The inspiration for this painting came from the natural plants in your shop. Thank you so much!]
Zhu Ran replied immediately: [Zhu: Congratulations! Being able to auction for that price shows that many people like your work; it’s because you painted well.]
[Zhu: Whether it’s the natural plants or the ecological garden, they only provided a bit of inspiration at most.]
While browsing the Star-Net, Zhu Ran had seen Yan You’s painting, Sprout. The technique was indeed very unique; the tender sprout that served as the theme actually occupied only a tiny area of the entire canvas, yet it left a profound impression.
[Zhu: By the way, I’ve used your other ecological garden design in the shop. It’s a fantastic design! (Image)]
[Yan You: (Little Rabbit Blowing Kisses.jpg)]
[Yan You: So, are you free now? Can I treat you to a latte?]
[Zhu: Sure.]
Zhu Ran teleported from the shop to the vicinity of the cafe where Yan You was located. Just as he stepped out of the shop, he was momentarily stunned by the bustling scene before him. The District 19 that he remembered as being very deserted was now incredibly lively. People of various appearances were chatting in groups of twos and threes, adding a great deal of human presence to the area.
“You’re here. Have a seat anywhere.”
Seeing Zhu Ran arrive, Yan You made a latte with latte art for him on the spot. Accompanied by his skillful movements, the white fruit-milk transformed through a series of shakes into the shape of a lavender sprig. The umbrella-like top made of tiny flowers was highly recognizable.
“It’s very lifelike,” Zhu Ran praised.
Zhu Ran took a sip of the coffee. The flavor of the fruit-milk balanced the strange, lemony acidity of the interstellar coffee, making the taste more complex and layered.
Yan You: “Any suggestions for the coffee?”
Zhu Ran smiled gently. “The latte art is great. It would be even better if it could be paired with some small cookies.”
Yan You nodded. “Coffee with cookies or small cakes is indeed a common combination. I’ve noted it down.”
On this peaceful afternoon, the moderately sized cafe in the holographic world was filled with the lingering aroma of milky coffee. Zhu Ran sat on a high stool, holding his coffee and dazing for a while or chatting with Yan You, his expression relaxed and content. He truly enjoyed such a calm and beautiful life.
At exactly 3:00 PM, it was the fixed time for “Zhu’s Shadow and Fragrance” to release its daily new stock.
Following the livestreamed painting duel between Yan You and Yan Han, and combined with the reputation “Zhu’s Shadow and Fragrance” had built for itself, a flow of over ten thousand people flooded in on the day of the new release.
“Why did the traffic for this shop suddenly spike? Hurry, split it into several blocks! Don’t let it become a joke where people are clipping through each other because of the crowding.”
To prevent congestion, the backend of the Starbuy App initiated a traffic-diversion mode, distributing the customers entering “Zhu’s Shadow and Fragrance” into different servers. This allowed the shop to accommodate more people at the same time.
Even so, many people were still blocked outside the street.
“Damn, why are there so many people? This is way too crowded!”
“It’s 3:00, and I can’t even get into the shop entrance! I said I was going to buy lavender; I’m going to lose face now.”
“Who lied to me saying lavender would be easy to buy? At least let me get into the shop first!”
…
Amidst the chorus of wails, Fang Ning’s expression was determined. She had been recommended “Zhu’s Shadow and Fragrance” by an online friend and was set on buying a natural plant today.
“To think ‘Zhu’s Shadow and Fragrance’ is actually a shop that sells natural plants—that’s so rare! Father’s spiritual sea has always been in a bad state; if I can grab a pot, maybe it’ll be useful for him.”
“I heard long ago that things in this shop are hard to snag. Fortunately, I made preparations in advance.”
With that, Fang Ning cleverly changed her virtual avatar, turning into a pudding hamster no larger than half a palm. The hamster was so tiny that she was completely inconspicuous among the tall virtual avatars.
Thus… as soon as 3:00 PM arrived, the hamster sprinted. The hamster leaped over one obstacle after another, climbed onto the flower stand, and successfully reached the finish line! She extended her little paw and touched the vase on the stand. Subsequently, a pleasant notification sound rang out:
[Congratulations to user ‘Hamster Munch Munch’ for purchasing 【Lavender】. Please wait for the seller to ship the item.]
Fang Ning was thrilled; she had actually bought it!
Right next to Fang Ning, a beautiful Blue Morpho butterfly flitted down and landed on a lavender plant. The Blue Morpho’s wings were ice-blue, and with every flap, a few ice crystals would occasionally fall. It was very beautiful and exquisite.
In the next moment, as the Blue Morpho touched it, the lavender that had been in a sellable state suddenly turned into an unsellable state. It was clear that this Blue Morpho had used a tiny animal form to snatch a natural plant, just like Fang Ning.
Fang Ning’s eyes went wide when she saw the Blue Morpho.
Wow~ a kindred spirit!
Unlike Fang Ning and the Blue Morpho, who used unusual methods to buy lavender, other newly-recommended customers swarmed in front of the natural plant display stands, fighting with their hand speed to snag the plants. Snagging one relied entirely on luck and internet speed.
The regular customers of “Zhu’s Shadow and Fragrance” had guessed that the natural plants might be hard to buy, so Qin Ke headed straight for the wall cabinet, aiming for the daisy tea.
Daisy tea was currently incredibly popular at Jialan Academy! Not only he, but his classmates, his seniors, and his rivals were all eyeing it greedily; even the academy teachers favored daisy tea. The post Qin Ke had made on his friend circle—【Daisy tea, a final exam essential…】—had received over 300 likes.
This was a friend circle… do you understand the weight of over 300 likes on a friend circle post?
Qin Ke wanted to cry but had no tears. He was wrong; he shouldn’t have shown off in his friend circle.
At this moment, relying on his broad-shouldered virtual avatar, Qin Ke reached the wall cabinet in 1.1 seconds and swiftly took the daisy tea into his possession.
[Congratulations to user ‘Qin Ke is Very Reliable’ for purchasing…]
The familiar notification sounded. Qin Ke was moved to his core; he had finally managed to buy daisy tea again.
At the shop entrance, some people were also gathered around the updated ecological garden. In their eyes, there was only the garden with its distinct light and shadow; they could no longer see anything else.
“Oh~ Heavens~ this is truly too beautiful. I really want to paint right now.”
“Quick, take photos and videos. The shop owner said the garden can be used for non-profit creations; the owner is truly too kind.”
“How can lavender be this beautiful? My inspiration is erupting…”
…
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