Everyone was overjoyed. Those who exchanged them for a few bucks were definitely delighted, and Heizi himself was more than pleased.
As for the idea that one copper coin could exchange for ten vegetables, that would require ten kids, or one kid coming ten times. Even if they came both in the morning and afternoon, that would take five days — and Heizi wasn’t a fool, he wouldn’t let people continually exchange his vegetables.
Besides these square-hole copper coins, there were also small copper coins. Those marked with ten or fifty from the previous year worked, as well as some other old coins. As long as people brought them, they could exchange them for a tomato. However, each person was limited to two exchanges per day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon - no more than that.
If cash was exchanged, it would be counted by the number. Ten for a dime. Heizi didn’t understand antiques and didn’t know their value, so they were all the same to him - ten for a dime.
That’s why fewer and fewer people are handing over dimes nowadays. For the most part, what they receive are old coins. If not for this, Heizi would be blatantly slacking off here all day. Moreover, if you just do the math, it’s evident that this generates less profit compared to directly selling vegetables.
When Heizi told Yan Fei about this method, he was extremely pleased with himself, claiming that he learned it from the Thirty-Six Strategies. It’s called "openly repair the gallery roads, but sneak through the passage", it sounded so cool! His new catchphrase became, "intoxicated elderly’s intention is not in the wine, it is amidst the scenery!"
Back when they were in school, they were the ones that teachers would have loved to beat up every day to instill learning. Now that they’re out of school, well, they seem to have actually learned something after all. They’re even quoting literature now!
As the day drew on into a sleepy haze, an old man leisurely ambled over from a distance, leading a fashionably dressed child by the hand. From a far off, he shouted to Yan Fei, "Hey, Little Yan, I’ve come to collect my debt!"
He was the old man who looked after the bamboo grove. He had "disappeared" for quite a while. After being "driven away" by the tiger, he hadn’t been seen for several days.
Yan Fei understood the old man’s meaning. "So that’s why you asked for a few melons in the winter! It was for your grandson, wasn’t it? This is your grandson, right?"
The old man replied with bluster, "What’s it to you? Doesn’t he look like my grandson? Hurry up and hand over those melons you owe me!"
Yan Fei saw him getting uppity and responded weakly, "Sorry, we agreed it would be before the New Year. You didn’t come before the Lunar New Year, so I ate them..."
"Hey, how could you do that?" The old man started stamping his foot when he heard that Yan Fei had eaten the melons. "We had a deal! My grandson hadn’t come back then, had he?"
While they were talking, the two of them still hadn’t reached Yan Fei. His grandson had already started shaking his hand back and forth: "Grandpa! Grandpa! I want to see the big tiger, I don’t want to eat melon. I want to see the big tiger!"
The old man quickly comforted his grandson, "Don’t worry, don’t worry. Didn’t you say that small sweet melon was your favorite last time you came back? How about we eat the small sweet melon while watching the big tiger, okay? Look, there’s an even bigger tiger here. Let’s watch this one first..."
Without moving forward, he stood there begging Yan Fei, "Boss Yan, don’t bully an old man. Are there really none left?"
Seeing him this way, Yan Fei tilted his head back, "There are two left for you. Go inside and pick them!"
The old man looked troubled, "Can’t you pick them for me? How can I go in there?"
Yan Fei and Xu Xiaoyan were standing at the entrance of the greenhouse, and a tiger lay at the door next to him, its tail blocking the entrance. The old man didn’t dare take his grandson past. Kindhearted Miss Xu Xiaoyan stood up with a smile, "I’ll go then."
The old man quickly started complimenting her, "This young lady is really nice, both in looks and at heart. Unlike you, with your dark heart...".
Yan Fei jostled the tiger’s head mischievously. The tiger immediately gave a low growl. Instantly, the old man yanked his grandson back, stopping his talking. The child, however, was fearless, his face full of excitement, "Grandpa! Grandpa! Did you see, the tiger just growled..."
Originally, the old man and his grandson were standing far away from Yan Fei. Now they had retreated to stand beside Heizi. When the old man saw the glossy red tomatoes and green cucumbers in the box next to him, he turned to his grandson, "Do you want to eat tomatoes and cucumbers tonight? Do they have these out-of-season vegetables in East Sea City? Should I buy some for you? Tell Grandpa what you want to eat, I’ll buy it for you. Later when we go back, I’ll tell your father to wait till after the Lantern Festival to leave, is that okay? Grandpa will take you out to have fun..."
"Are you taking me to see the tiger every day?" The child asked, looking up.
"Alright, alright, if you want to see it, we’ll come every day." The old man smiled wholeheartedly. Just then, Xu Xiaoyan brought the melon over. The old man received it and while expressing gratitude, he kept wiping it with his hand before handing it to his grandson, "Here, taste it. The small sweet melons here are really good! You can have anything you want, as long as you listen to me."
His grandson didn’t take the melon, "You didn’t even wash it before letting me eat, mom says that’s not hygienic..."
The old man quickly looked around and said to his grandson, "Wait a moment."
He ran towards a puddle next to the greenhouse. The child looked at the little pool, shouting, "The water in that pool isn’t clean..."
The old man froze, halting his steps. He turned to look at Yan Fei’s kitchen, shouting to Yan Fei who was talking to Xu Xiaoyan, "Boss Yan, is there water in your kitchen?"
Yan Fei waved his hand dismissively, "The water in the jar in there is clean. Go wash it yourself!"
The old man ran inside to wash the melon. When he came out, he shook the water off violently before finally handing it to his grandson, "Alright, it’s been washed with clean water. You can eat it now."