"How much?" Liu Xincheng's eyes widened, unable to believe what he was hearing, convinced he had misheard. The price far exceeded his acceptable range.
Liu Yifeng, seeing his incredulity, said expressionlessly, "I said seven yuan per jin. You heard correctly."
"Seven yuan per jin? Are you crazy? Even if your watermelons are big and sweet, they can't possibly sell for seven yuan per jin! That's more than ten times the market price. You might as well just rob people." Liu Xincheng's emotions flared. If Liu Yifeng had said two or two point three yuan, he might have considered it, prioritizing profit even if it was a smaller amount. But Liu Yifeng was asking for seven yuan per jin right off the bat. His audacity was staggering. Liu Xincheng would not only fail to make money, but he would also lose a significant amount. He'd have to be an idiot to agree.
"I've stated my price. You can't afford it. But it's alright, I'm not forcing you to buy. If you're not willing, then forget it." Liu Yifeng smiled nonchalantly, as if seven yuan per jin for watermelons was the most normal thing in the world.
Seeing that Liu Yifeng was unyielding, Liu Xincheng turned to Liu Chunsheng, who was eating KFC, "Chunsheng, I'm trying to do business with your family, to help you make money. But your son is completely insincere. Who in their right mind would buy watermelons for seven yuan per jin? You need to talk to your son. I can compromise and offer two yuan per jin for your watermelons. This is already a very high price. If you don't agree, you'll find others, and the price will be even lower."
He believed Liu Chunsheng lacked discernment and was unaware of the watermelon's true value. Hearing his words, he was sure Liu Chunsheng would try to persuade Liu Yifeng. And as his son, Liu Yifeng would naturally listen to his father.
To his surprise, Liu Chunsheng merely smiled dismissively, "What's there to persuade? I never ask about the prices for the watermelons, vegetables, and crayfish sold at home. Since my son wants to sell them for seven yuan per jin, then let him. I won't interfere." With that, he resumed eating his chicken wings. The KFC tasted quite good, he thought.
Liu Xincheng was stunned again. Were these father and son obsessed with money? Selling watermelons for seven yuan a jin, wasn't that just dreaming? Seeing that he couldn't reason with them, his temper flared. He scowled, "Don't blame me for not warning you. You'll never sell these watermelons at seven yuan per jin. You'll just watch them rot in the fields!"
With that, he prepared to leave. Liu Yifeng reminded him, "You still haven't picked up the watermelons!" He paid no mind to Liu Xincheng's words. Watermelons sold at six yuan per jin were gone in an instant; seven yuan should sell just as well.
Liu Xincheng stopped and returned. Such large watermelons, it would be a waste not to take them. "Here, sign your name here, and you can take the watermelons," Liu Chunsheng handed Liu Xincheng a pen.
Liu Xincheng quickly signed his name, then, shouldering the sack, he laboriously carried away two large watermelons.
After Liu Xincheng left, Liu Chunsheng became worried, "Yifeng, setting such a high price for the watermelons. What if they really don't sell? Liu Xincheng plants watermelons every year; he knows the market. You should listen to him."
Liu Yifeng didn't reply. He pulled out a wad of cash from his pants pocket, containing hundred-yuan bills, as well as fifties, twenties, and tens. "Dad, what is this?" He spread the money out for his father to see.
Liu Chunsheng looked at the thick stack of money with surprise, "Is this from selling watermelons?"
"Yes. Six yuan per jin. In just over an hour, all my watermelons were sold, making nearly seven thousand yuan. Some customers who didn't get any even asked me to bring more, saying they'd wait for me there. You tell me, if it was so easy to sell at six yuan, why wouldn't they sell at seven yuan per jin? This Liu Xincheng, precisely because he knows the market and can see the quality of the watermelons, wants to take advantage of us. If we had sold them to him for two yuan per jin, he would have made a large profit by reselling them, and we would have suffered a huge loss."
Hearing his son's words, Liu Chunsheng's face flushed with anger, "That scoundrel Liu Xincheng, trying to play tricks on us! I almost fell for his scheme."
"Dad, don't get angry. We didn't sell to him anyway. Tomorrow morning, I'll bring another cartload to sell, and I'll see if I can work directly with fruit stores and supermarkets. That way, I won't have to make daily trips, and selling retail would take forever." Liu Yifeng said.
Liu Chunsheng nodded, "Alright, then negotiate well tomorrow. If they're not willing to buy at seven yuan, sell them at six yuan, understand? Once these watermelons are fully ripe, they won't be worth much," he warned earnestly.
"I know. I'll try negotiating first. If I can't get seven yuan, then we'll see," Liu Yifeng nodded.
Just then, Li Rongfang and the others returned from the vegetable patch, all sweaty. "Yifeng, the vegetables you wanted are all prepared in the field. You can come pick them up when you have time," Li Rongfang spoke first.
The eldest daughter-in-law, He Hua, seeing the large watermelons in the courtyard, gasped, "How did these watermelons get so big?"
"Auntie, I'll bring you two watermelons later. You can come get more after you finish them." Although Liu Yifeng had promised to give each household two watermelons, there were no limits for his own family. They could take as many as they could eat.
"That's great. Do you have any cut watermelons now? I'm so thirsty," He Hua said, her mouth watering.
"Dad, can you cut one for Auntie to eat? I'm going to drive to the field now to pick up the vegetables."
"Do you want me to help?" Liu Chunsheng asked, worried that his son couldn't manage alone.
Liu Yifeng shook his head, "It's fine, I can handle it myself." With that, he drove off to the fields. Seeing Tongtong still playing with Da Bai, he didn't call him.
After bringing the vegetables back that evening, Liu Yifeng delivered watermelons to his uncles. He was busy until past eight o'clock before eating some of the lunch leftovers. He was currently pondering how to transport both the vegetables and watermelons to the county town tomorrow. The borrowed van from Qiangzi was already full of vegetables, leaving no space for watermelons. Making two trips would be too troublesome. Besides, the hotels wouldn't open so early. If he took the watermelons first, he didn't know how long they would take to sell.
Just then, he thought of someone: Du Ziheng. He arranged for a driver to pick up crayfish every day, and his trucks had plenty of space. Perhaps Du Ziheng could help transport the vegetables to the hotel. Thinking of this, he immediately dialed Du Ziheng's number.
The call was answered quickly, "Hello, Brother Liu, what is it this late?"