"You're home? Why are you calling me all of a sudden, is something wrong?" Liu Ju asked, a note of wariness in her voice.
She rarely heard from Liu Yifeng by phone, perhaps once a year. His sudden call to ask if she was home suggested he might want to borrow money.
Liu Yifeng, oblivious to her unspoken suspicion, replied, "Nothing much, just that the watermelons and vegetables we grew at home are ripe. I wanted to bring some over for you, but there's too much for me to carry alone. I was wondering if your cousin is home, so if he is, he could come down to the complex entrance and help me carry them up."
Upon hearing Liu Yifeng's words, Liu Ju nodded repeatedly. "He's home, he's home. Your cousin is off today. I'll have him come down to get them. You wait downstairs."
Although what Liu Yifeng was bringing wasn't anything rare, it was still free. She lived in the county town, where everything cost money. With the vegetables and fruits Liu Yifeng brought, she could go a few days without spending money on groceries.
"Mom, who called? What do I need to go down and get?" Zhao Kunming, Liu Ju's son, asked from the side while playing with his phone.
"It was Yifeng. He said he brought us some vegetables and watermelons, but he can't carry them all by himself, so he wants you to go down too."
"Do we even need these delivered? We live in the county town, we can buy anything. The money he spends on gas to drive here could buy us two days' worth of vegetables." Zhao Kunming looked down on his cousin from the bottom of his heart. How could he, young and jobless, stay in the countryside for over a year? He heard he was growing vegetables and watermelons to sell. How much money could that possibly make? In his eyes, anyone who chose to stay in the countryside was a failure.
"Just go get it when I tell you to, why so much nonsense? He's bringing it, so why not take it? Do you think he'll ask us for gas money?"
"Never mind, I'll go down with you. Otherwise, neither of you might be able to carry it all," Liu Mei said, not entirely reassured.
Zhao Kunming couldn't help but chuckle. "You know the situation at Uncle Er's place, right? They're dirt poor. How much can they even bring? It's just for us to taste a bit. They can't afford to bring much more."
"You can't say that to your Uncle Er and Yifeng directly. Those words are too harsh!" Liu Ju, though often sharp-tongued, knew certain things were better left unsaid.
Zhao Kunming stood up with an impatient look. "I know, I know. I'm not that stupid. I'll head down first."
"Wait, I'll go too!" Liu Ju feared her son might find it too much trouble and leave some behind. If she went, she could at least carry some back.
Liu Yifeng had placed the vegetables and watermelons from the trunk onto the ground. His watermelons immediately attracted the attention of the complex residents. No one had ever seen such large watermelons, and they were so vibrantly green.
"Young man, your watermelons look really good. Are you selling them?" an elderly woman couldn't help but step forward and ask.
Since the vegetables were in snake-skin bags, they weren't visible, otherwise, people would have wanted to buy those too.
Liu Yifeng smiled and said, "Aunty, I'm sorry, these watermelons are ones I grew myself. I'm bringing them for my second aunt. I'm not selling them!"
The elderly woman, unsatisfied, persisted. "This watermelon is so big, your second aunt probably can't eat it all at once. And if it sits for too long, it'll spoil. You could cut some and sell it to me!"
"How about this, when my second aunt comes down, I'll see what she says!" Liu Yifeng didn't agree immediately.
Compared to her elder sister's family, her second aunt's family was relatively smaller. She only had one son and two grandsons, and her husband was always away on business. So, there weren't many people at home.
"Handsome, these watermelons look good. Are you selling them?" At this moment, another young woman asked, pulling a small boy by the hand.
"I asked, he's not selling," the elderly woman preempted Liu Yifeng before he could answer.
The woman looked disappointed. "Oh, really? Then forget it!" With that, she prepared to lead her son away.
Unexpectedly, her son refused to leave. "I'm not leaving! I want to eat the big watermelon!"
The woman looked embarrassed. "Come on, sweetie, this is someone else's watermelon. If you want to eat one, Mom will take you to buy one outside, okay?"
"No! I want to eat this big watermelon! The ones outside are so small!" The little boy broke free from his mother's hand, crossed his arms, and looked stubborn. He refused to leave.
The woman was at a loss. She didn't want to hit him, but her son wouldn't budge. And she couldn't force a purchase. As she was wondering what to do, Liu Ju and Zhao Kunming walked over. From a distance, they saw quite a few people standing around Liu Yifeng, men, women, young, and old.
Thinking he had caused trouble, they hurried over. "Yifeng, didn't you say you were bringing us watermelons and vegetables? Why are you arguing with people? Hurry up and apologize!" Liu Ju immediately blamed Liu Yifeng without understanding the situation.
Liu Yifeng was speechless. Did he really look like someone who would cause trouble?
The elderly woman nearby explained for him. "You must be the second aunt the young man mentioned. We are all residents here. We saw how well your nephew's watermelons grew and wanted to buy some to taste. He said he can't make the decision and asked us to ask you."
Only then did Liu Ju notice the large watermelons at Liu Yifeng's feet. At first, she thought they were winter melons. She never expected them to be watermelons, and they looked even bigger than winter melons. No wonder Liu Yifeng said he couldn't carry them alone. Such large watermelons, let alone two, would be exhausting for one person to carry up to the fifth floor.
"Yifeng, your watermelons have grown really big!" Zhao Kunming couldn't help but exclaim.
"They're alright. Cousin, please carry one, I'll carry one up. Second Aunt, you can carry the vegetables in the snake-skin bags. He brought quite a bit of vegetables too, over thirty catties, but your single-handedly carrying them is enough."
As Zhao Kunming was about to pick one up and head home, the elderly woman quickly stopped him. "I say, you can't possibly finish such big watermelons yourselves. Why not sell some to us? That way, you won't have to cut them, can't finish them, and they'll spoil!"
Zhao Kunming remained silent and looked at his mother. Liu Ju agreed. These watermelons must weigh at least forty to fifty catties each. They couldn't possibly finish them even in three days after cutting them. Watermelons couldn't be kept overnight, as they would develop a lot of bacteria and be bad for one's health.
"These aren't ordinary watermelons. These are ones my nephew meticulously grew. You can't buy watermelons this big anywhere else. It's not impossible for you to buy them, but the price will definitely be a bit higher than ordinary watermelons!"
The elderly woman nodded. "That's only natural. I'm interested in the quality of the watermelon. Tell me, how much per catty?"
Liu Ju thought for a moment. "Two yuan per catty!" That price was enough to buy four catties of watermelons from outside.
Hearing this price, Liu Yifeng felt a pang of pain. He sold them for six yuan per catty, and even bought them from others for eight yuan per catty. Now his second aunt was selling them for a mere two yuan per catty, and acted like she was getting a great deal. He didn't know how to stop her.