Before selling the winter melon, she had prepared for the worst, such as not being able to sell the melons.
Given the current situation, she could put her heart back in her stomach.
The initial cost of the winter melon had been recouped.
When Lu Siyuan returned after delivering the winter melon, he was puzzled; everything had been fine when he left, but upon his return, Shen Mianmian was nowhere to be seen, only a group of older women tightly surrounding their small stall.
Mianmian’s petite figure was submerged in the crowd, not a trace of her in sight.
Thinking something might have happened, he hurried to push through the crowd, but an older woman pushed him out.
"We were all here before you, if you want to buy something, get in line. Don’t push."
They’re all here to buy winter melon?
Realizing they weren’t there to cause trouble, he wasn’t panicked anymore. He circled to the back and approached the ox cart, and only then did he see Mianmian surrounded by people, helping them cut the winter melon in an orderly manner, weighing, and collecting money without any rush, all the while talking.
"This bamboo basket was woven by my grandpa himself; it’s especially convenient for carrying groceries to market, and the price is very reasonable too. Those of you who bought melons and want to take a look can come round to the back."
With so many people, Mianmian didn’t dare to pass the baskets through, better to be safe than sorry since there were always bad people around; if someone stole even one, it would be like giving away all the melons for free.
Only then did Lu Siyuan notice, not only had Mianmian sold three winter melons, but also two bamboo baskets.
"The baskets are indeed nice, convenient for shopping for vegetables." An older woman, who had finished buying her melon, circled round to the back to look at the baskets. Mianmian kept an eye out, glancing back worried that the woman might pilfer something, but when she turned around, she caught sight of Lu Siyuan standing there, looking bewildered.
"Don’t just stand there, didn’t you see someone wants to buy a basket?"
On hearing this, the older woman said to Lu Siyuan, "You go help the young lady sell the melon, and I’ll have a look at the baskets first."
Elderly people shopping are like that, always liking to touch and fiddle with something for ages; she wasn’t in a hurry to buy.
"Then take your time."
Lu Siyuan picked up the knife from the ground and began to cut winter melon according to customers’ requests, while Mianmian took charge of weighing. These women had a habit when shopping; fearing that Mianmian might underweigh the melon, they would request to see the scale.
Mianmian would rather err on giving a bit more than to give anyone less of what they were due.
In this day and age, the older men and women are the most powerful communicators; they like to reweigh their purchases once home, and if they gained a little extra, the whole neighborhood would know you sold good, honest goods. Updates are released by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
Conversely, if you gave them even a little less, it would incite public anger, and you couldn’t last long in business that way.
Encounter someone even a tad more difficult, and they might come back with the goods to confront you.
People are like that, seeing everyone else buying makes them think the goods are good and a bargain; to not buy would feel like missing out, so customers kept coming in waves.
The eight large winter melons were gone in less than two hours, all snapped up.
Even Lu Siyuan’s baskets were almost all sold, with only one left.
By the time the shoppers had all dispersed, Lu Siyuan was still somewhat in disbelief; he had sold things in the city many times, but this was the first time he had seen such a scene.
Actually, he was somewhat puzzled: a very common farm vegetable, not considered anything special in the city or the countryside, and yet, once cut up, it was frantically bought up.