A couple entered the shop, carrying eggs.
The shop assistant didn't make a fuss. She came over to help carry the eggs while recommending the shop's new clothing.
Cen Yemeng immediately took a liking to several dresses and began frequenting the fitting rooms. Jiang Ye sat on the sofa to rest. Whenever his wife's gaze sought his opinion, he would nod, like a woodpecker.
"Judging by your accent, you're not from around here?" a shop assistant asked Jiang Ye with a smile. "Just moved in?"
"We're here for tourism, leaving in a few days." Jiang Ye was a little surprised. "I feel like our speech is no different from yours! Is there even such a thing as an accent on Zhigaoxing, where everyone is from elsewhere?"
"There are still differences, slight ones." The shop assistant chuckled. "Even though everyone is from elsewhere, there's a distinction between new outsiders and old outsiders. Take me, for instance. I've lived in this area for over a hundred and fifty years, and my accent has naturally assimilated."
"You were the... a hundred and fifty years ago?"
"I was the second planetary governor of Qiluxing. Where are you from?" the shop assistant asked.
"Jiangyexing, Birongxing, Liuxing, Yunshixing. Have you heard of them?" Jiang Ye listed the planet names.
"No." The shop assistant shook her head apologetically. "My planet is very far from here."
"I've only been in office for a few years; you're a senior." Jiang Ye said. "I'm very curious, why did you give up your position as planetary governor back then to become a shop assistant here?"
"Life with high status and great power was too exhausting. I served for eighty-five years and was completely tired of that kind of life." The shop assistant tilted her head, reminiscing. "The economic cycle hadn't been broken then. Our planet had a cycle every twenty years. I watched firsthand as the economy boomed, then slumped, as buildings rose and then collapsed, over and over again. It felt so pointless, like watching the same movie on repeat."
Jiang Ye pondered.
"When people get older, they lose the concept of holding office," the shop assistant sighed. "All the leaders of the planets I visited back then have changed. Everyone grew weary of the heavy responsibility and pressure, the constant stream of new problems every day. Planets were like patients with no immunity, constantly developing new illnesses, and even recurring ones. Our work was practically as mechanical as moving bricks. At least with moving bricks, you see a building rise. Our buildings would rise only to fall again, in an endless cycle. It was more futile than Jingwei filling the sea."
"It feels like Sisyphus, doesn't it?" Jiang Ye interjected.
"Exactly," the shop assistant nodded emphatically. "Some of the planetary governors we knew used to meet regularly. During one of those gatherings, we discussed this very issue. Perhaps human lifespans have a certain logic. We achieved immortality and possessed everything, but then there was nothing left, only emptiness. We could only rely on hobbies to sustain ourselves. A few old friends grew truly tired of living and decided to die, either by freezing themselves or by heading towards the end."
"Heading towards the end?" Jiang Ye blinked in surprise.
"End-of-the-world ships, time jumps, traveling to infinitely distant times to witness the end of the world," the shop assistant explained.
The fitting room door opened, and Cen Yemeng emerged, a smile on her face as she showcased the dress, interrupting Jiang Ye and the shop assistant's chat.
"What do you think, husband?" Cen Yemeng asked.
"Beautiful," Jiang Ye said with a serious expression. "Like a lotus flower."
"Guess who the designer of this dress is?" Cen Yemeng asked mysteriously.
Jiang Ye shrugged, completely clueless about fashion.
"Tian Rao." Cen Yemeng smiled.
Jiang Ye was surprised.
Tian Rao had some talent, for her clothes to be sold this far away!
Jiang Ye mused that Tian Rao's commercial empire had expanded its borders to this point. Perhaps, in a way, her influence was even greater than his own.
He raised his phone, took a photo, and sent it to Tian Rao.
Jiang Ye: "Impressed. A shop by the roadside on Zhigaoxing, your designed clothes."
Tian Rao: "Oh wow! How much do they sell them for in that shop?"
Jiang Ye asked the shop assistant for the price.
"Four hundred thousand," the shop assistant said. "It's half-price for the season change."
Jiang Ye: "Four hundred thousand, and it's discounted."
Tian Rao: "Holy cow, why don't they just rob people? My ex-factory price is only thirty thousand. Have Mengmeng try on the right size, and I'll get the goods for her directly when she gets back. Why waste money?"
Jiang Ye chuckled and didn't reply. A mere few hundred thousand wasn't worth the fuss. He'd buy it directly later.
He felt a sense of having lived through different eras. He recalled how Tian Rao, starving, used to beg with her base vehicle and sell black silk photos. If those embarrassing photos were still around today, they'd probably be priceless. However, considering her special identity, her actions back then might have all been an act.
Cen Yemeng chose four outfits and bought them all, totaling 1.88 million.
Besides carrying the eggs, Jiang Ye now also had shopping bags for the clothes. Fortunately, the fabric of the clothes was very high-grade and light as nothing.
They browsed a few more clothing stores but didn't buy anything else.
Night fell.
The couple entered a roadside wonton noodle shop.
Jiang Ye had never seen such a luxurious wonton shop. The floor was inlaid with countless agates, each table held a fiery red coral tree, and the windowsills were made of jade. Even an ancient emperor's sleeping quarters might not have been this grand.
The price list on the wall showed 12 pork wontons priced at 2,400 yuan, with "(Special current price)" added. There were also deer antler wontons, alien meat wontons, tuna wontons, and over two hundred other fillings. The average price for each small wonton was no less than five hundred yuan.
Cen Yemeng called Jiang Senlin and hung up after a brief conversation.
"What did he say?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Our son said he's already eaten at a hen soup and oil pancake shop. He's sleeping at home and wants us to enjoy our time alone, so we don't need to worry about him." Cen Yemeng smiled, resting her chin on her hand. "Isn't our son a bit too sensible?"
"That's perfect. No need to wait, I'm hungry too." Jiang Ye beckoned a waiter.
The waiter seemed to have recently arrived on Zhigaoxing, still carrying the demeanor of someone from a high position in his movements.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng ordered several flavors of wontons and two small side dishes, paying twenty thousand yuan.
The food was served quickly and was unexpectedly delicious. The taste of the wonton broth was strikingly similar to that of clear boiled cabbage. After taking a bite, both Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng's eyes widened. Suddenly, the price didn't seem so steep. The restaurants on Zhigaoxing were truly something.
"We've played all day. What are your thoughts, husband?" Cen Yemeng suddenly asked.
"I have a very bold idea," Jiang Ye said, putting down his spoon. "On Zhigaoxing, I've seen a new possibility for planetary development."
"A new possibility?" Cen Yemeng paused slightly.
"Look at this little thing," Jiang Ye said, scooping up a wonton with his jade spoon. "Five hundred yuan, with a cost of at most five yuan. A hundredfold price."
"Uh-huh?" Cen Yemeng raised an eyebrow, as if asking, "So what?"
"Your dress, Tian Rao's ex-factory price is thirty thousand, and that thirty thousand already includes more than half her profit. Here, it's four hundred thousand with a discount, and eight hundred thousand without. That's still a profit of tens of times," Jiang Ye said.
"Uh-huh?" Cen Yemeng continued her "uh-huh."
"Why?" Jiang Ye asked. "Why can they sell it so expensively here?"
Cen Yemeng opened her mouth, about to say something, when her eyes widened, as if she had just realized something.
"You understand now?" Jiang Ye smiled.