PFC Chapter 342
Chapter 342
The apples on the hilltop were hanging on the branches, looking juicy and beautiful. Zhong Ruyi and several workers walked among them, picking the ripe and sweet fruits one by one.
Time passed quickly. It had only been a short time since Boss Wang shipped back 1,000 kilograms of apples, and he sent someone over again to ask for 4,000 kilograms, asking her to help pick them in the next two days.
About fifty baskets of apples were picked before three o'clock in the afternoon and carried to the foot of the mountain, where Boss Wang's people were already waiting.
The person who came this time was the manager who came last time. It is said that he has been following Boss Wang for a long time.
It is not easy to pick four thousand kilograms of apples quickly because we are worried that the apples will get stuck on the skin, so we are very careful when picking them.
The number of people invited was three times more than last time. Chen Dongzhi and Zhong Laosan had both come. At this moment, they were busy carrying a whole basket of apples onto the carriage.
There were more than fifty baskets of apples, and more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages were responsible for loading the goods. Fortunately, each carriage could hold six baskets, so there were just enough carriages.
Zhong Ruyi was checking accounts with the manager and also settled the money for the apples.
She used to buy it at a grocery store for ten cents per pound, and she thought the price was a bit high at the time.
Who would have thought that after planting apples on half a hill, after deducting the cost of labor and fertilizer, the ten cents per pound of apples was basically charity.
The price went up by twenty cents, which was acceptable to Boss Wang. Zhong Ruyi thought that as a businessman you are always better at business than a farmer like me. If the price was more expensive, you might not want it.
But if you want it, it means that the price is still too low, but she can't go back on her word, and she can still make a profit of thirty cents.
After paying for the four thousand kilograms of apples, Zhong Ruyi casually asked, "Why didn't Boss Wang come this time? Didn't he say last time that he wanted to come and see how the watermelons were growing? I'm waiting for him here."
The manager smiled helplessly and shook his head, saying, "Miss Zhong, you don't know that the last time the apples were sent back, they were in short supply! Every day, people come to buy a few kilograms. We have a lot of rich people there, and some buy more than ten kilograms at a time. A thousand kilograms is not enough!"
Since this business is doing well, naturally some people are jealous and want to get a piece of the pie.
Just as Boss Wang was leaving the city gate in his carriage, he discovered that several groups of people were following him. The main reason was that they were following him too obviously, following them wherever they went.
"We have no choice but to split into two groups. Let one or two carriages go out of the city gate first, and the others will follow. Otherwise, Miss Zhong, you will see more than just me today."
He smiled bitterly, looking a little helpless.
However, it is unknown whether he was truly helpless or pretending to be helpless. Anyway, he actually looked quite proud of himself.
More than a dozen horse-drawn carriages drove out of Xinghua Village and headed towards Jixiang Town.
On the way, they came across the inn where they stayed last time, and the manager and his people went in as usual to order food and book a room.
After dinner, I called the waiter to settle the bill. The waiter bent over with a polite and flattering smile on his face, "Sir, these two tables are treated by our shopkeeper. Our shopkeeper said thank you for the apples your master sent last time. I want to ask if you have any apples left in your shipment this time? If you do, our shopkeeper wants to buy some."
Since they don't have to pay for meals, they can spend more of the budget given to them, so naturally the person in charge will agree to it.
Hearing that it was to thank his master for the 100 kilograms of apples he sold him last time, the manager asked hurriedly, "How much do you want? We have some this time, too, and the price is the same as last time."
The waiter said he would ask the shopkeeper to come over and talk about the matter, as he couldn't make the decision himself.
When Shopkeeper Mei came over, the apples that the manager had asked someone to bring also came over. Seeing this, he smiled and said, "It seems that the master already knows why I'm here."
The manager stood up to greet him. After they sat down together, they chatted and found out that he did not keep the 100 kilograms of apples for himself, but sent them to his sister's home in Wuzhou.
"So far? The fruit hasn't gone bad yet?" The manager looked surprised.
Shopkeeper Mei smiled and said, "None of them were bad. After they were delivered, my sister wrote me back, saying that her whole family liked them very much and asked me if I could buy more next time. Now that they are in stock again, I'm shamelessly asking you to sell them to me again."
"No, no! What's the point of asking for it? We should thank you for taking care of our business!" The manager waved his hands repeatedly. If it were the master, it would be the same. No matter how much, as long as someone wants to buy it, he has to sell it. A little bit adds up to a lot!
After saying a few more words, the manager asked him how much he wanted. He told someone to bring 100 kilograms from the carriage, and if it was not enough, he would ask someone to get more.
"I need 500 kilograms this time. I'll send 400 kilograms to my sister's house, and I'll keep the remaining 100 kilograms as a favor or eat it myself."
Then what was brought here was not enough, so the person in charge asked someone to bring a few more baskets.
Shopkeeper Mei pretended to be confused and said, "I don't know why, but people always come to our post station to ask if we know where the goods that Master Wang of Jixiang Town transported come from. I didn't tell them out of caution."
The manager was shocked when he heard this. Have these people already found out about this place and are here?
I felt relieved after hearing him say that he had not told anyone anything. Last time, my master had told Shopkeeper Mei that these fruits came from Xinghua Village in Liuyun Town.
Fortunately, this person is tight-lipped, otherwise they would not be the only ones doing this business.
"Thank you very much! This time the fruit will be given to Shopkeeper Mei. If someone comes to ask Shopkeeper Mei again next time, can you please not say anything like you did now?"
Naturally, he had no objection to getting 500 kilograms of apples for free, and the two sides reached an agreement.
From now on, whenever the Wang family brings apples over, they will give priority to selling them to Shopkeeper Mei. Similarly, Shopkeeper Mei cannot tell those who come to inquire about the origin of these fruits.
*
After working hard for most of the day, we finally picked all 4,000 kilograms of apples.
Zhong Ruyi picked out some of the broken and poor-looking ones from several baskets and gave them to the workers who came to work today, asking them to take them home and eat.
She asked Zhong Laosan to pick a basket of fruits, preparing to use some as a reward for being an outstanding employee, and to take some home to share with her three sisters-in-law.
After wiping two apples casually, she and Chen Dongzhi squatted at the foot of the mountain waiting for Zhong Laosan to come down after picking the apples.
"...Brother Dongzhi, take some home later and let mom, Xiaoxue and Xiaoman eat more. There is a saying that goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away."
She munched on an apple as she spoke, her words somewhat vaguely.
This was the first time Chen Dongzhi had heard such a statement. He took a half-eaten apple and looked at it. "Isn't this a fruit? It's not medicine. How can I not get sick or see a doctor after eating it?"
"Of course!" Zhong Ruyi gave him an affirmative look. "Don't disbelieve me. When my second sister-in-law was pregnant with Lanlan, she often ate fruits and vegetables. Look how healthy Lanlan is. Other children don't have pains and fevers when they are born, but our Lanlan has never been sick since she was born!"
"Little sister, is what you said true or false?" Zhong Laosan strode down carrying a basket of apples, his face calm and his breath clear.
...
Shopkeeper Mei had his 400 kilograms of apples delivered to Wuzhou early in the morning by express horseback. It took only three days and two horses to get there.
At the prefect's house, the servant at the back door yawned, stood up and walked towards the toilet. In a daze, he seemed to hear someone knocking on the door, but he couldn't hold it in any longer. He could only go and solve a personal problem before coming back to see who was knocking on the door.
When the door was opened, a familiar-looking young man appeared. The servant knew at a glance that this was Aunt Mei's brother who had sent someone to deliver something again. He quickly put on a smile and said, "Oh, why are you at the back door again today? Didn't I tell you last time to go to the front door?"
The young man just whispered, "It's against the rules," and waved his hand to let the person behind him put down the things he had brought. "My master asked me to bring this to you. Thank you for your help, young man!"
The servant smiled and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "It's no trouble, it's my honor to work for Aunt Mei."
As he said that, he went in and asked someone to come and move the things.
Several servants worked together to move the things in the baskets into the room.
One of them sniffed and said, "It smells so good!"