Shopping

"Good name." The old village chief wrote it down and prepared to drive away.

"Wait, Chief!" Tong Hua hurriedly called him back. "Could you take me to the village market? I'd like to buy a few more things."

What Tong Hua wanted most right now was rice, flour, and cooking oil. After eating dried noodles for two meals yesterday, he really didn't want to keep eating them.

"All right, then. Go lock Miltank inside first. The ranch fence hasn't been repaired yet, so be careful not to let any Pokémon wander off."

"Okay."

Tong Hua went back inside and gave Miltank a few instructions, then left her home alone. Taking Minccino, Turtwig, and his wallet, he headed out with the village chief.

"Moo~!"

Miltank stood by the window and waved goodbye, her eyes full of longing.

Just yesterday, she had been happily grazing with a whole group of friends. Now, because of a single request from the village chief, she had hastily joined this entirely new family.

Miltank lay quietly against the windowsill, gazing out at the free world beyond...

As the cart bumped along, Tong Hua asked the village chief a few more questions about spring planting.

"With your current situation, you don't actually need to clear much farmland. A small patch around the orchard will be enough.

"The important thing is choosing the right crops. Take the potato and cabbage seeds I left you, for example. Those two crops have short growing cycles and fairly decent yields. In this season, they should be ready to harvest in about a week."

"A week?" Tong Hua was a little surprised. He had never farmed in his previous life, but that growth rate still seemed a bit too fast.

"That's exactly why I recommended them. After a few harvests, you'll gradually gain experience. Then you can expand your fields and plant more varieties.

"Oh, and your Turtwig seems pretty well raised. Remember to keep it with you when you're farming. Fields where Grass-type Pokémon have been active generally grow better."

"Turt! Turt!" Apparently understanding the village chief's words, Turtwig nodded at Tong Hua, doing its best to show its worth.

"Min! Min!" Not to be outdone, Minccino swished its tail and showed Tong Hua its skills as well.

"I know, I know. You're both great." Tong Hua helplessly patted the two little Pokémon on the head.

That was what raising little ones was like. Once you had more than one, it became hard to treat them equally. Thinking back to the pets he had kept in his previous life, Tong Hua realized that no matter the world, pets always competed for attention.

After a bumpy ride of ten-odd minutes, the cart finally reached the square in the center of the village.

It was also the village's busiest marketplace. Neatly arranged stalls and vendors lined both sides of the street, selling all sorts of fresh farm produce and goods shipped in from Windward Town to the north.

"Fresh chicory! Going cheap!"

"Fish for sale! Fresh fish!"

"Light bulbs! Anyone need new light bulbs?"

The vendors' enthusiastic cries filled both sides of the street. Here and there, Pokémon such as Aipom and Pichu could be seen helping them sell their goods.

The village chief had always described Chicory Village as a small village, but seeing the marketplace for himself, Tong Hua thought it was quite lively.

That was probably because Windward Town lay so close to the north. Many of the people seemed to have come from there.

"Oh, the chief's back."

Mudsdale attracted plenty of attention as it walked through the market. Vendors on both sides warmly greeted the village chief.

The old chief nodded repeatedly, smiling back at everyone.

"All right, go buy whatever you need. Once you're done, follow the road back on your own. If you forget the way, just keep heading west."

With that, Tong Hua got off the cart with his two Pokémon, and the old village chief drove away, leaving the three of them to shop in the market.

"Min! Min!" "Turt!"

In the crowded marketplace, the two Pokémon took their usual positions: one on Tong Hua's shoulder, the other sprawled on top of his head. His neck got quite a workout.

"Anyway, let's buy some rice first."

Focused entirely on buying rice, Tong Hua paid the two Pokémon no mind. He soon found a grain shop after only a short walk.

The owner was a plump middle-aged woman with a friendly smile.

"How much is your rice?"

"Oh, aren't you the Tong family's boy? Out shopping with these two little cuties? It's been a few days. I heard you opened a ranch?" Rather than answering his question, the woman launched into a familiar chat.

"Ah, yes, that's right. I'd like to buy some rice. How much is a bag?"

Smiling broadly, the woman pointed to a bag in front of the stall labeled "Koshihikari Rice."

"Premium rice. Five kilograms for 2,000 League Coins."

Accustomed to prices back in China, Tong Hua froze for a moment, then silently converted the amount.

That's about ten jin of rice... for 100 yuan! Tong Hua recalled buying rice online at home in his previous life. Ten jin had never cost him more than 40 yuan!

Calm down, calm down... I earn League Coins and spend League Coins. These prices are normal in this world. Come to think of it, I forgot to ask the chief how much Moomoo Milk sells for...

Remembering that he still had 128,000 in savings, Tong Hua gave himself a hefty dose of reassurance before reluctantly buying ten jin of rice, along with a container of cooking oil and assorted seasonings.

"All right! I'll give you a little discount. That'll be 3,500 League Coins altogether. Leave your address, and I'll have someone deliver everything later."

"Uh..." Tong Hua pointed west and told the owner, "Fairy Tale Ranch, to the west. I only moved in yesterday, so there's no sign yet."

Worried that she wouldn't know the place, he added, "It's the old abandoned ranch that used to belong to the village chief's family."

The owner accepted his money, made an okay gesture, and turned to serve the next customer.

Relieved to have bought his rice, Tong Hua went to the neighboring stall and bought some fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit. This shop seemed to be connected to the plump woman's store, and they likewise promised to have someone deliver his purchases later.

"What should I buy next?"

Tong Hua looked around the other shops in the market, thinking about how to develop his ranch quickly.

First comes spring planting. If I have to clear the fields by myself, I probably won't get much done in a day. Even with Turtwig and Minccino helping, it'll still be tough.

With that in mind, Tong Hua decided to look

for somewhere he could buy Pokémon that could till the land.

After all, there were no Poké Balls in the Almia Region for catching Pokémon. Some specialized ranches bred Pokémon for sale, which was entirely different from the Pokémon sold by smugglers on the black market.

After asking a passerby, Tong Hua soon found a suitable ranch near the village.

It was called Sunshine Ranch, and the sign out front looked like a giant Sunflora.

Tong Hua stepped inside and found rows of shelves, just like an ordinary shop.

A kindly old man sat at the front counter. Wearing reading glasses, he had his head lowered over the Almia Times that had just arrived that morning.

Hearing footsteps at the entrance, the old man looked up.

"What would you like to buy?"

Tong Hua entered the shop and got a clear look at what was on the shelves. He immediately grew excited.

"Are these Pokémon Eggs? Nice!

"Sir, do you sell Pokémon Eggs here?"

Tong Hua regretted the question the instant it left his mouth. Wasn't he pretending not to see the obvious? With so many eggs on display, what else would they be for? Showing off?

"You've got a funny way of talking, young man." The old man stood and took off his glasses. "I don't just sell fully raised Pokémon and animals here. I also sell all sorts of Pokémon Eggs. What would you like?"

"Well... could I have a look around? I'd like to see what fully raised Pokémon you have first."

"Of course... huh?" Halfway through his reply, the old man suddenly narrowed his eyes and studied Tong Hua's face.

"You're... the Tong family's boy? What brings you here? Did your grandfather send you? Speaking of which, how's that old fellow been lately?"

The old man recognized Tong Hua, but apparently didn't know that his grandfather had already passed away. Not wanting to upset him, Tong Hua avoided revealing the truth and gave a vague reply instead.

"Yes, I've recently opened a ranch myself, so I wanted to see what Pokémon might be suitable to raise. Sir, could you show me around your ranch?"