Gourd Farm Chapter 65
Translated by Etherna (ko-fi)
Chapter 65: Comparing Goods from Three Different Vendors to Avoid Loss
With the cold weather, there weren't many people out at the moment.
Yang Meng checked the time; it was already 8:30 in the morning, and they hadn't made a single sale.
Yang Meng was getting a bit impatient and was pacing around the tractor.
The elderly man sitting in the vehicle watched Yang Meng circling around and said, "Can't you sit still? Are you so well-fed?"
"Dad, how about we just go back? There's no business happening here, and it's embarrassing. I'd rather play some video games and relax."
"Shut your mouth. All you ever think about is games. Tomorrow, you can go play games directly, you good-for-nothing."
"..."
"Boss, these tomatoes look quite fresh. How much for a kilogram?" a customer inquired.
Xia Ying was wiping the tomatoes with a clean cloth and replied, "Oh, they're ten yuan per kilogram."
Yang Feng was still browsing an online forum when he saw someone approaching, so he quickly put his phone in his pocket.
An elderly lady riding an electric scooter hesitated upon hearing the price, then revved her motor and headed straight towards Yang Meng's section.
Seeing the customer walking away, both Xia Ying and Yang Meng smiled in resignation.
"Boss, how much are your tomatoes?" the elderly lady asked.
Yang Meng, who had been anxiously waiting for a potential customer, approached her with excitement, "Eight yuan per kilogram. These were picked today."
The elderly lady's eyes darted back and forth, and she scrutinized the tomatoes carefully. One price was a bit higher, but they looked more appetizing, while the other was cheaper but had some deformities.
The elderly man, who had a deliberate stride, walked over and said, "These are all grown at home. They may not look perfect, but the taste is absolutely great."
"Give me ten yuan worth."
In the end, the elderly lady couldn't resist the temptation of the price.
Seeing that they had made the first sale, Yang Meng glanced at Yang Feng's area, which was still devoid of customers. He had a smug look in his eyes.
"Yang Feng, it seems like someone thought our prices were too high."
"No need to worry. With the cold weather, people tend to arrive later."
As they were talking, a black car pulled up in front of Yang Meng's stall.
Two young people, presumably a couple, stepped out of the car.
The young lady picked up a tomato, examined it, and then placed it back. "Boss, how much is this?"
"Oh, it's eight yuan per kilogram."
The man accompanying her looked around aimlessly, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Yang Feng's stall.
"Wife, it looks like the ones over there are fresher. Let's go take a look."
The young couple reached Yang Feng's stall, and he stood up, saying, "Take a look, these were just picked."
The young lady picked up one tomato and said, "They look good. How much for this one?"
"Ten yuan per kilogram."
"Let's buy some. They seem fresher, and it's perfect for making tomato and egg stir-fry for our child."
She picked up another tomato and turned to the man for confirmation.
The man nodded, and the young lady said, "Please weigh two kilograms for us."
...
It was now past nine o'clock, and more people were starting to appear on the road.
A group of elderly women walked along the road, chatting and laughing, making their way toward the stalls.
One of the elderly women approached the stall and picked up a tomato, saying, "These tomatoes look quite fresh. Maybe we should get some for home?"
"Yes, they do look fresh. We're almost out of tomatoes at home."
"Young man, what's the price?"
Yang Feng prepared the bag in his hand and replied, "It's ten yuan per kilogram, and these were just picked."
As soon as they heard the price, the group exchanged looks, and their brows furrowed.
"Tsk."
"Young man, the supermarket is selling them for just 9.8 yuan per kilogram. Your price is too high."
The elderly woman, who had been smiling just moments ago, put down the tomato she was holding.
"Well."
"These are a different variety. Supermarket tomatoes don't even compare to the quality of mine."
Another person, a tall and skinny individual, took over the conversation. "Boss, can we taste one?"
"Xia Ying, get the fruit knife from under the tractor seat."
Yang Feng picked up the fruit knife and made a few quick cuts, dividing a tomato into several pieces.
"Here, take a taste. See if it's delicious?"
They exchanged glances, and the tall and skinny woman who had asked for a taste took a piece. "No need to be polite, just try it. It's free if you don't buy."
As soon as the tomato touched her lips, the woman's eyes widened, and she vigorously nodded, despite her earlier indifference.
"Yes, this taste is amazing. Young man, give me three kilograms. Our grandson loves these."
The others who had tried the tomato also praised its taste.
"Give me two kilograms. My daughter-in-law just gave birth, and she's been craving tomatoes every day."
"Yes, it's really good. I'll take two kilograms too."
"..."
The stall that had been quiet earlier was now bustling with activity. Yang Meng had a dark expression, no longer reveling in his earlier success.
When it comes to shopping, people tend to flock together when they see a crowd. Customers kept arriving, buying a pound or two for the most part, while some found it too expensive and went to the neighboring stall.
A middle-aged man in front of the stall was munching on a tomato. "Boss, weigh some for me. If the other is not that great despite being this expensive, I'll come back for you."
"Don't worry, you'll get what you pay for."
"Young man, weigh this amount for now. I'll buy more after we finish eating."
A woman with a child handed over the tomatoes she had selected.
"Hey, handsome, give us a bag."
"We'll take one too. These tomatoes are really good."
"..."
Yang Feng was busy serving the customers enthusiastically, while Xia Ying handled the payments.
"Xia Ying, get a couple of plastic bags from the plastic bag stash over there."
Xia Ying was busy tallying up someone's bill and said, "Here's your change of seventy yuan. Please take it."
"Alright."
Meanwhile, Yang Meng sat dejectedly on the tractor's seat.
"Grandpa, should I go buy a megaphone? This can't go on like this."
Even the elderly man was feeling a bit deflated now, looking at Yang Feng's half-empty cart of tomatoes, while he had only sold the top layer of his own.
He was deep in thought, and the calculator at his side was clicking away.
Hearing his son's suggestion, he realized it wasn't a bad idea.
"Alright, even though our goods are a bit inferior, the price is to our advantage."
Yang Meng turned on the megaphone with a pre-recorded message: "Tomatoes are now on sale, eight yuan per kilogram or fifteen yuan for two kilograms. Don't miss out!"
"Hey, what's Yang Meng shouting about?"
Yang Feng, who was weighing tomatoes, turned to see that the stall next to them was using a megaphone to advertise.
At first, the megaphone shouting did attract some attention because of the low prices, and quite a few people were drawn in.
"Yuck."
"Boss, what's wrong with these tomatoes? They're so sour and a bit bitter."
A young woman in front of the stall held up a half-eaten tomato, her tongue extended quite far, and she wrinkled her nose.
Two others tasted the tomatoes as well, and though their expressions weren't as exaggerated, they seemed uncomfortable. All of them had come over from Yang Feng's stall because of the lower prices.
Seeing the situation wasn't going well, Yang Meng picked a good tomato and offered it to the dissatisfied customer. "Maybe the one you had wasn't fully ripe. Why don't you try this one?"
The customer shook her head. "Never mind, I'll go over there. It's true that cheap prices don't guarantee quality."
She didn't look back and hopped onto her electric scooter, heading towards Yang Feng's stall.
As the young woman walked away, Yang Meng wore a disgruntled expression and took a bite of the tomato in his hand.
"Don't show off; I'm not even interested in selling."
Right after he said that, the tomato in his mouth made his nose and eyes scrunch up from its sourness, making him look no better than the young woman.