Chapter 66
[Kaoqila: The first of next month? Doesn’t that mean there are only five or six days left?]
[Elisa Leek Seeds: Wow—so I actually got to see the launch date! Lucky!]
As soon as Xie Xingchen announced the release date for the new products, StarWeibo erupted in cheers.
After all, the Earth Trading Company’s hydrosols and essential oils were insanely effective!
Just watching the livestream reviews was enough to make people crave them.
Now that they knew the products would be on sale in a few days, how could they not be over the moon?
However—
[An Nan: Boss Xie, let me quietly ask—what about the price? Can a broke “mud-dog” like me afford it?]
[dppdec: I know it’s wishful thinking, but… what if… ahem… as a remote-planet person, I’m shamelessly asking: is this still a “welfare price”?]
Within minutes, comments asking about pricing were liked to the very top.
Clearly, a lot of people were focused on how much the essential oils and hydrosols would cost.
In the interstellar era, technology ruled. Even though safe plants were rare, essential oils as a category never went extinct.
And because of that, everyone knew how terrifyingly expensive essential oils could be—so expensive that most people kept their distance, feeling like they belonged to an entirely different world, something only the truly wealthy could afford.
Now, seeing Xie Xingchen hand out samples on such a massive scale, some people couldn’t help but hope.
But… some people were destined to be disappointed.
Xie Xingchen saw the comments, fell silent for a moment, and still didn’t respond.
Because this time, as some had guessed, his target customers weren’t ordinary netizens—they were the ones with deep pockets.
But even if he didn’t answer, other fans answered for him.
[Casually Giving Up for No Reason: Are you dreaming of peaches? There’s no way essential oils and hydrosols would be cheap! Even charity wouldn’t make them cheap!]
[Milk Tea Is My Favorite: Please—if you drank even a little peanut liquor you wouldn’t be this drunk. Go look at the prices at the flower tea shop next door! Even that tiny bit of flower tea costs that much. Essential oil and hydrosol take hundreds of kilograms of flowers to make. Even if Boss Xie doesn’t profit, it can’t be cheap!]
[Wuhu, It’s You: Exactly. The cost is there—it can’t be low. I’m pretty sure I can’t afford it, so I’ll just repost and pray for a giveaway.]
In this world, there were broad-minded people—and there were always people who loved to take advantage.
Earth Trading Company had been selling top-tier goods at low prices for ages; of course it attracted a crowd of bargain-hunters.
But as the saying goes: fairness lives in people’s hearts.
Anyone who could do the math had already mentally prepared for the essential oils and hydrosols to be pricey. Now it was just a matter of how pricey.
The debate went on for a long time. Xie Xingchen’s post drew both praise and scolding.
But not long after, those rich second-generation buyers—who’d been paying huge sums to buy hydrosols and oils on StarNet—stormed in, turning his post into their personal arena for verbal warfare.
They output at full power, taking on countless trolls alone.
Their sarcastic, logically airtight, yet totally righteous comments made the trolls so angry they practically spat blood.
Xie Xingchen didn’t say it out loud, but deep down… it felt pretty good.
Not only because someone was battling the trolls for him, but because—
His target customers had arrived.
Time flew. In the blink of an eye, launch day for the new store came.
At 10 a.m., Xie Xingchen bought a “Falling Blossoms” effect in StarNet Mall.
It was a newly released special environmental effect: for 48 hours, the designated area would be surrounded by flowers, birds, and small animals—and for 24 hours, you could even match it with music and scents according to your preference.
In short: extravagant.
The people waiting on the Earth Trading Company themed street for the new store to open lit up the moment they saw the effect—clearly delighted—yet at the same time… they understood.
That effect was expensive.
The stuff inside the store would be even more expensive.
It was tragedy opening the door for tragedy—tragic all the way home.
When they saw the skincare shop’s décor, their mood went clang straight into the abyss.
Honestly, no need to even walk in.
One look and they knew: this was a store they couldn’t afford.
Even the display racks were made of the most expensive gemstones and metals!
Sure, this was a holographic mall—but who didn’t know the prices here were linked to real-world prices?
Maybe not identical, but even in the holo mall, this stuff was luxury-tier!
Some people sighed, shook their heads, and left without even entering.
Others, unwilling to give up, walked in for a look—only to leave with their heads down.
How to put it?
The pricing wasn’t even unreasonable. You could call it fair.
But the items were genuinely expensive—so no matter how “fair” the price was, it still wasn’t something they could afford.
“Let’s go. We’ll come back when we’re rich.”
“Waaah… guess we really have to work hard and make money.”
“Eh, Earth Trading Company isn’t bad, though. At least the pricing is honest. Even if we can’t afford the oils… there’s still soap, right? We can’t buy 100k-plus oils, but a 5,000 StarCoin soap bar is nothing.”
“…”
Comments like these were everywhere.
People walked in happy, walked out with lowered heads—inevitably a little down—but after leaving the skincare shop, they turned around and went to the food shop for a tasting portion.
Eating snacks while staring at the skincare store—and seeing that it was still packed—they couldn’t help but sigh: even if they weren’t rich, the galaxy definitely had a lot of rich people.
Which raised a question: why weren’t they one of them? QAQ—this cursed heavens!
“Mimi, hurry up!”
Seeing her bestie still leisurely applying skincare, Manman kept urging her.
Mimi glanced over, sighed, and silently sped up.
Two minutes later, Mimi finally finished and slowly put everything away.
“Mimi, you’re so slow,” Manman teased.
Mimi let out a cold laugh. Her refined, glamorous face showed clear displeasure. “Me? Slow? Slow my ass. You’re so fast—so why don’t I see you rushing to buy anything?”
Unexpectedly, Manman grinned and shot back, “I already bought mine. Did you think I was waiting for you?”
Mimi: ?
Mimi frowned, genuinely irritated. She turned sharply, arms crossed. “So?”
Manman said matter-of-factly, “So I’m waiting for you now—so once you’re done, we go buy yours.”
Now Mimi was speechless. “Do you really need to buy that much?”
They both came from wealthy families, sure—but they weren’t idiots throwing money away. Spending wasn’t the issue; spending worthwhile was.
Buying a ton of a new product right away—wasn’t that paying an IQ tax?
Manman waved her hand. “Ugh, you don’t get it. This is definitely worth it. Come on—hurry up, before it sells out.”
With no choice, Mimi logged into the holographic mall.
Following the address Manman gave her, she arrived at the Earth Trading Company themed street.
Like many first-timers, she was stunned before she even stepped fully inside.
A beautiful flower archway, fairy-like shops, a storybook street, vintage-yet-natural décor…
Everyone passing by carried gorgeous fresh flowers, or held milk tea that looked delicious. Here and there were giggling kids, clutching cute balloons tied to their chubby wrists, running in and out of the street’s far end.
It was rare—a street scene that was both lively and genuinely relaxing.
“See? Told you I wasn’t lying,” Manman said smugly.
She knew Mimi would love this place.
Linking arms with Mimi, Manman marched straight to the milk tea shop. Like a regular, she ordered two tasting cups and handed one to Mimi, then happily skipped over to the skincare shop.
The skincare shop’s exterior looked delicately ethereal, but the moment you entered, you realized it wasn’t “ethereal”—it was understated luxury.
To rich young ladies, the store was actually small—only 100 square meters.
But with only twenty products, it felt spacious.
Nine kinds of floral hydrosols and essential oils—same specs, different designs.
The bottles used expensive gems, metals, and hardwood. Some even incorporated silk, ribbons, lace, and other elements.
Every bottle was different, yet all were exquisitely crafted—so beautiful you wanted to buy them just to display.
Seeing so many stunning oils and hydrosols in person, Mimi finally understood why Manman couldn’t resist buying so much.
Honestly… if it were her, she probably wouldn’t be able to resist either.
Based on effects and scent, Mimi chose:
- Two bottles of lavender essential oil
- One bottle of Damascus rose essential oil
- One bottle of camellia essential oil
- One bottle of osmanthus hydrosol
At checkout, she spent 540,000 StarCoins. Since the single purchase exceeded 500,000, the store even gifted her a pretty floral handmade soap.
After payment, the goods would be delivered by courier, so the two of them—hands empty—continued strolling.
They called it “shopping,” but aside from tasting portions, they couldn’t afford anything else—because Earth Trading Company products were all about snatching limited stock.
So their stroll really was just… a stroll.
Watching the kids laughing and playing in the street, Mimi smiled. “When my brother gets back, I’ll bring him here.”
Manman replied casually, “Sure. Let me know—I’ll bring my nephew too.”
Mimi nodded. The girls went back to the milk tea shop to read magazines, bought snacks from the food shop next door, and spent most of the day having fun before logging off in a great mood.
By the time they logged off, the hydrosols and oils had already arrived. The butler had placed them on the shelf outside her room.
They didn’t even have time to go out for dinner. They downed a tube of nutrient solution, then called for the butler to bring over the aroma diffuser.
After adding purified water, they followed the card instructions and dropped a few drops of lavender essential oil into it.
When the mist infused with essential oil began to flow, Mimi and Manman both inhaled deeply without meaning to.
Comfortable… relaxed… light…
At first they chatted and laughed. Slowly, drowsiness crept in.
They yawned, then gently closed their eyes.
Some time later, Mimi woke to a knock on the door.
She nudged Manman in surprise. “Manman, we actually fell asleep!”
Manman yawned elegantly and stretched. “You went into seclusion for a year and came back a country bumpkin—why are you making such a fuss?”
As she spoke, she shook her head, rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up.
Mimi rolled her eyes at her, then took out the unopened bottle of lavender essential oil and asked the butler for another diffuser.
“Manman, wait here. I’m sending a package.”
“Clan Leader, a package from the young miss.”
In the office of the Sky Fox Clan leader of the Animal Civilization, a subordinate’s respectful voice sounded.
Hu Yan looked up. His gentle, handsome face was expressionless.
After placing the package on the desk, the subordinate gave an awkward smile and slipped out.
The clan leader hadn’t been sleeping well—his temper had been awful!
Hu Yan opened the package. Seeing the lavender essential oil and diffuser inside, he had the urge to press a hand to his forehead.
He didn’t believe this stuff would work—but no matter what, it was his precious daughter’s heartfelt gift, so he still opened it and used it.
A minute later, the diffuser was running, and Hu Yan went back to work.
But in less than half an hour, sleepiness surged up.
Hu Yan’s gaze snapped to the lavender essential oil bottle carved from purple gemstone; a rare blankness appeared in his eyes.
He was a sage of the Animal Civilization. High IQ aside, the workload that came with the position was enormous.
Recently he’d been so busy his schedule collapsed; now that things had eased up, he’d developed insomnia.
He’d tried multiple medications, and even several mental-soothing specialists, but nothing could suppress his overactive brain cells. In the end, he could only brute-force it with his body and a healing pod.
Insomnia wasn’t fatal—but it made him far more irritable. That was why his subordinates had been tiptoeing around him like they were defusing bombs.
This drowsiness was too precious.
Hu Yan carefully locked the aroma essential oil together with other important documents, then brought the diffuser into the small adjoining bedroom and placed it by the bed.
He lay down—and not long after closing his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke, daylight was bright. He rose from genuinely good rest.
Staring blankly at the high sun, Hu Yan rubbed his eyes… then suddenly laughed.
Hearing that laugh, the alarm that had been blaring in the subordinates’ minds for a whole month finally shut off.
Hu Yan wasn’t sleepless anymore!
The news spread. People came to see him; when they found him bright-eyed and energetic, they urgently asked for the therapist’s contact info.
But Hu Yan gave them… a StarNet Mall store address?
The group leaders: ?
“Hu Yan, are you okay?” They looked worried.
Please don’t tell them he’d been worked stupid.
Their Animal Civilization already had too few capable people.
If Hu Yan went stupid, what would happen to their work?
These brawny, simple-minded clan leaders were sincerely worried for him.
Hu Yan: Can’t carry them. So tired. (gif)
Realizing again that he couldn’t speak in riddles with these leaders, Hu Yan explained the lavender essential oil’s effects directly.
“Wow, is it really that magical?” said the burly Tiger Clan leader.
“V-very g-good. I’ll b-buy o-one f-for m-my w-wife,” said the slow-speaking Sloth Clan leader.
“This is so expensive. Next time you use it, can you call me over? If it works, then I’ll buy it,” said the honest, frugal Ox Clan leader.
Hu Yan: “…”
If he’d broken the law, he’d rather be punished by law than be harassed by these idiots.
After politely seeing off the group of iron-headed simpletons, Hu Yan immediately bought several bottles of Damascus rose essential oil.
This was the oil for improving irritability and volatile emotions.
Perfect.
The Animal Civilization was one of the five great civilizations in the Star Alliance. Also, most high-quality meat came from them—so they were quite wealthy.
After getting “converted” by Hu Yan, aside from the frugal Ox Clan leader who still wanted to mooch a trial, the others all went off to buy essential oils.
The not-poor-at-all Bear Clan leader even bought two or three sets at a time, making the Ox Clan leader drool with envy.
But the oils and hydrosols were so good that the Bear Clan leader’s expensive haul was immediately fought over by his family—so in the end he barely got to use any. Full of resentment, he gritted his teeth and bought two more sets.
The anecdote was hilarious; people laughed—then couldn’t help buying some themselves.
And just like that, essential oils and hydrosols—which had originally been fairly well stocked—became items you had to fight to purchase.
Before, you could buy them even if you arrived late. Now that was a dream—if you were even a little late, forget stock; you wouldn’t even see the AI customer service!
In just a few days, Earth Trading Company’s essential oils became magical oils that swept through every major species.
Hydrosols, as the essential oils’ derivative products, also went viral across the galaxy. But compared to essential oils—which had broader audiences, more uses, and stronger effects—hydrosols were more famous among beauty lovers.
Still, Xie Xingchen was already very satisfied.
After all, hydrosol was just a byproduct of essential oil.
But now both were recognized—what could be happier than that?
“Boss, the hydrosols and essential oils are sold out. Do we need to list more?” Get-Rich asked.
“At the current pace, raw materials aren’t an issue,” Long-Life added.
“Want to make big money, boss?” Prosperity said—short, sharp, and annoyingly tempting.
Aside from the recently planted Damascus roses and the not-yet-high-yield camellias, roses, lilies, and wild chrysanthemums, the earliest-planted lavender, jasmine, osmanthus, and orange blossoms had already expanded massively—at minimum over a hundred mu, and lavender had reached over three hundred mu.
Meanwhile, the flower shop and flower-tea shop still hadn’t increased the number of fresh flowers listed.
So if Xie Xingchen wanted, he could absolutely divert huge amounts of flowers into essential oil and hydrosol production.
Xie Xingchen rubbed his chin. “How’s coconut oil production?”
Prosperity, who’d been traveling between the two locations every few days, replied, “It’s doubled compared to the beginning.”
Xie Xingchen’s mouth fell open slightly. “That much?”
Prosperity nodded. “Yes. I only just found out too.”
Because Xie Xingchen had instructed them to make as much coconut oil as possible, the robots at Qiong Island’s tropical plantation had even assigned a small team to harvest coconuts—making coconut oil, coconut flakes, coconut milk, and more.
So in addition to coconut oil, Xie Xingchen also harvested lots of coconut flakes and coconut milk. That was why the coconut-scented handmade soaps were born.
“Alright then. Let’s increase essential oil output,” Xie Xingchen decided.
It was all money. Not earning it would be wasting it—and earning it wasn’t losing anything!
His account balance looked big, but he always felt the system was holding back some ultimate move.
So even with rising revenue, he still didn’t dare to spend freely.
Whenever he spent big, he felt constrained, afraid he’d spend it all—then the system would drop a huge bomb.
The flowers in his fields were basically “inventory collateral” he could liquidate anytime, so he didn’t touch them lightly.
But some flowers really were overproducing—like lavender, jasmine, and osmanthus.
These three were booming in both cultivated fields and the wild.
And they had broad appeal—especially lavender essential oil, the so-called “all-purpose oil”. Because it was versatile and smelled great, it had already been selling out like crazy.
As for osmanthus essential oil: its fragrance lingered long, and it had calming, antibacterial, and air-purifying effects. It also claimed whitening, pore-tightening, and anti-aging benefits. Among all these, one effect was especially surprising—
Air purification.
Forget the rest; its air-purifying effect was genuinely strong.
Right now, most buyers used it as aromatherapy, just to carve out a clean little pocket of air for themselves.
As for jasmine—once called the “king of essential oils”—its yield was low, but the scent was elegant and captivating. Plus it soothed emotions, hydrated, softened fine lines, and reduced sensitivity, so it was also very popular.
Orange blossom’s yield was decent now, but still couldn’t compare to the top three. Xie Xingchen thought for a moment, then suppressed his impulse.
The Beauty Workshop ramped up production at full speed. Xie Xingchen initially thought it would be busy, so he came to help.
But he’d overestimated it.
The workshop wasn’t busy at all. In fact, because it was usually so idle, scaling up production only made the robots work two or three extra hours.
Xie Xingchen: “…” No words.
When he saw the Beauty Workshop robots so free that they were going next door to the food workshop’s milk tea room to act as delivery robots, he didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh.
Since they didn’t need him here, he could only go back to working the flower fields.
Right now, what worried him most was the peony.
That Luoyang peony was notoriously hard to grow.
Even after watering it with the “miraculous planting potion,” its growth was still only average.
Damascus roses had already expanded to three or four mu, but the peony—despite daily infusions of his mental energy—still hadn’t even filled half a mu.
One plant was growing well, though: the peony mother plant Rabbit Ji had brought back. At this growth rate, it would eventually become a peony “tree,” and having it bloom with one or two hundred peony flowers at once wouldn’t be a problem.
Watering, weeding, fertilizing, channeling mental energy…
After all that, hours passed.
Orange-red sunset clouds appeared on the horizon, dyeing the dim sky with the colors of dusk.
Compared to the afternoon, the air now felt noticeably more humid.
Great—his work was for nothing.
Looking at the peony field he’d just watered, Xie Xingchen resignedly activated a small protective shield.
Not long after, tiny raindrops began to fall.
The droplets were so fine that at first you couldn’t even tell it was raining.
The gentle rain soaked into the earth silently; if the soil hadn’t darkened, Xie Xingchen wouldn’t have realized it had started.
Crossing the ridges, he hurried back along the flower-field road toward the starship.
The moment he got back, the rain suddenly intensified.
The rumbling rain pinned Xie Xingchen in place, making him pause even though he’d planned to shower.
Sitting at the starship hatch, he propped his chin in his hand and watched the misty rain.
Flowers swayed under the rain’s tapping. The blue-purple lavender field in the rain haze looked unbelievably romantic.
Suddenly, a white flash of lightning split the sky—followed by a thunderclap.
Xie Xingchen flinched instinctively, then laughed once he recovered.
Rain was really kind of fun!
But before he could finish that thought, an unknown object flew in from the distance and slammed onto his face.
Its wet fur made him sneeze.
He yanked the filthy thing off and looked—instantly furious.
“Fei-fei! Where did you go playing around to get covered in mud?!”
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