He planned to use his three-wheeled cart to haul a load of watermelons to the county town and see if he could sell them for six yuan per jin.
Tong Tong had also been staying in the countryside lately and felt bored to death, so she tagged along with Liu Yifeng.
Liu Chunsheng wanted to go but couldn't, as people kept coming to register for their watermelons.
Without registration, there was a fear of over-distribution or missed distribution, so it was important to keep accurate records.
Soon, Liu Yifeng drove the cart to the county town.
To be honest, he was a little nervous.
Although his watermelons were large and sweet, the highest price they ever sold for was two yuan per jin. Now, with the season for watermelons, where they were everywhere, he was asking six yuan per jin.
He wondered how many people would accept this price.
Nowadays, there were many people setting up roadside stalls, and the city management rarely bothered them.
Therefore, many people engaged in the roadside stall business, and it was not uncommon for them to earn a decent living, at least enough to support their families.
Liu Yifeng arrived at the entrance of a wet market. Along these two streets, many people operated unlicensed roadside stalls.
Some sold clothes, some sold vegetables, some sold snacks, and quite a few sold fruits; in short, there was everything.
As long as they didn't obstruct the vehicles passing through the center of the road, they could set up until closing time.
Most importantly, this wet market was the place with the largest foot traffic, and where there were more people, there was a greater possibility of transactions.
However, he had arrived a bit late, and all the empty spots were taken.
Just as Liu Yifeng was considering whether to pay someone to give up their stall for him,
he saw someone selling apparel from a private car drive away.
Seizing the opportunity, Liu Yifeng, a step ahead of others, parked his cart in the spot vacated by the other person.
It was fortunate that his driving skills were good, otherwise, a few seconds later, the stall would have belonged to someone else.
Seeing his parking spot occupied, the person cursed and drove away.
Liu Yifeng paid him no mind; it was because the other person's driving skills were inferior to his!
Getting out of the car, Liu Yifeng first lifted Tong Tong out, then opened the trunk. The large, emerald green watermelons instantly attracted the attention of many passers-by.
After all, Liu Yifeng's watermelons were not only exceptionally emerald green in color but also very large. Even an adult might not be able to carry one, making them extremely eye-catching.
Soon, a young man walked over and asked, "How much is this watermelon per jin?"
Liu Yifeng took out the price list he had prepared earlier and placed it on top of the watermelons.
"Six mao per jin? Then give me one, is it ripe?"
The young man, only seeing the character "six," naturally assumed it was six mao per jin.
Although it was one mao more expensive than the five mao per jin he usually paid, such a large goose watermelon was indeed rare, so an extra mao was understandable.
But Liu Yifeng's next words stunned him: "Sorry, you misread. It's six yuan per jin, not six mao."
"What, six yuan a jin? Are your watermelons made of gold? Selling them so expensively?"
"My watermelons haven't been sprayed with pesticides; they grow naturally by absorbing the essence of day and night. Not only are they large, but they are also incredibly sweet, with vitamin content at least four to five times higher than ordinary watermelons," Liu Yifeng explained.
The young man still found it too expensive: "You're talking a load of nonsense. Who knows if it's true.
Selling watermelons for six yuan a jin, you might as well go rob someone." With that, he left without looking back.
Seeing that the other party didn't understand, Liu Yifeng didn't bother to explain further. If he didn't think it was worth it, others would naturally find it worth it.
Then, he began to observe his competitors.
He noticed quite a few people selling watermelons, some driving three-wheeled carts, others small trucks.
However, the watermelons didn't look very large. Compared to his watermelons, they were mere toddlers, not in the same league.
But, they sold them cheap, at five mao per jin, and damaged ones at three mao per jin. People were gradually buying watermelons from them.
Seeing this, Liu Yifeng couldn't help but frown. It wasn't that he was afraid his watermelons wouldn't sell.
After all, his watermelons were first-class in both taste and appearance.
But even the best couldn't withstand the cheap prices. Most people would be reluctant to buy watermelons for six yuan a jin.
The money for one jin of his watermelon could buy at least ten jin elsewhere.
Despite this, he had no intention of lowering the price because he believed that as soon as someone bought and tasted his watermelons, they would fall in love with them.
"Auntie, would you like to buy a watermelon? My daddy grows watermelons that are big and sweet, guaranteed to make your skin better after you eat them." Just as Liu Yifeng was wondering if he should call out, Tong Tong had already gone to help him attract customers.
Tong Tong called out to a young professional woman, who looked less than thirty years old and was very capable and refreshing.
The woman smiled gently when she saw Tong Tong's cuteness: "Little one, where is your daddy's watermelon?"
Tong Tong took the woman's hand and walked towards her daddy's stall: "It's right here. I didn't lie to you, did I? My daddy's watermelons are really big."
Looking at the large watermelons in the back of the van, the woman's mouth gaped slightly in surprise. She had thought that the "big watermelons" the child mentioned were of ordinary size.
But she never expected them to be so enormous; it truly shocked her.
However, she was also a woman of the world and quickly regained her composure, then asked, "How much are these watermelons?"
Liu Yifeng, judging by the woman's attire, knew she was well-off and immediately greeted her enthusiastically: "Miss, these are homegrown watermelons. They haven't been sprayed with any pesticides and are grown purely naturally. They're only six yuan per jin."
"Six yuan a jin is not cheap," the woman said. Although she rarely bought things herself, she wasn't clueless about life. She still had some idea of how much watermelons cost per jin.
Even imported watermelons at the supermarket were only three to four yuan per jin. It was the first time she had encountered locally grown watermelons selling for six yuan a jin.
However, the watermelons were indeed large; she just didn't know if they were sweet.
So, she asked, "Can I try a piece?"
"Of course, I'll cut you a piece right away." Liu Yifeng took out his newly bought fruit knife, cut one of the watermelons in half, and then cut a moderately sized piece for the woman.
The woman took it and began to taste it.
Liu Yifeng stared intently at the woman, wanting to see her expression after tasting it.
To his surprise, the woman's expression remained the same after eating. This made him doubt, perhaps this watermelon wasn't sweet?
But soon, he realized he was mistaken.
Although the woman didn't show much expression, her speed of eating the watermelon clearly increased. She finished the watermelon shortly after and still looked like she wanted more.
"Auntie, is the watermelon sweet?" Tong Tong asked softly.
The woman smiled and nodded: "Little one, it's really sweet!"
"Then, Auntie, do you want to buy one to take home and try?" Tong Tong continued to ask.
"Give me two!" the woman said cheerfully.
Liu Yifeng was delighted to hear this and said, "Alright, I'll weigh them for you now."
With that, he picked out two of the better-looking watermelons. This was his auspicious start, and the customer was so straightforward, he naturally had to be careful.