Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

Zhang Dawei's act of watching the melon quickly attracted the attention of others, gradually creating a chain reaction.

Some people come to cleanse their palates, some come to quench their thirst, and some come to join in the fun.

"Give me a small one, the car's about to leave, it's too uncomfortable to hold my pee after eating too much."

"There's no need to weigh the melons; they all look about the same, it's too much trouble."

"I've finished eating."

"What's going on here? A meeting?!"

……

Zhuang Changhe and his companion walked out of the restaurant, having eaten and drunk their fill and chatted happily.

When I was picking up my car, I was heading south when I saw a peculiar sight in the distance, so I couldn't help but come over to take a look.

There were eight or nine people squatting on the ground, each holding a two-cornered watermelon. They chewed a few times and then casually spat out the seeds, which landed in the bags on the ground.

Chen Mian had just finished throwing things away and was washing her hands in a small basin.

He brought the basin himself, while the water was provided by the Panyuan Restaurant.

The shop assistant saw him talking to Jiang Bingyuan and mistakenly assumed they knew each other, so she was happy to help.

"Business is good."

As soon as Chen Mian saw Zhuang Changhe and the other person approaching, she quickly ran a few steps forward and said, "Uncle, are you going back now?"

"Hmm," Zhuang Changhe responded, but his gaze lingered on the onlookers.

Curious, he walked over to the large sign and read it. He didn't like eating watermelon, but being from a humble background, he knew a little about it, so he asked, puzzled, "Don't you remove the seeds?"

Chen Mian explained frankly, "It rained where we are yesterday. These melons were picked before the rain, so they won't last more than a few days. I was thinking that selling them this way would help them sell faster."

Then he thanked Jiang Bingyuan, saying, "Thanks to Boss Jiang, I just shamelessly went to the restaurant to borrow some water, and the waiter there was very helpful."

Jiang Bingyuan hadn't expected this. Pointing to the bags of melon seeds, he asked curiously, "Aren't these melon seeds afraid of spoiling?"

Chen Mian wiped the sweat from her brow with the towel around her neck: "I didn't get any melon seeds."

"I have to set up my stall all day to sell melons. The melon seeds can't be stored in this hot weather. They'll turn sour and spoil in just a few hours. I'm afraid someone will pick them up and do something bad, so I just dump them in the trash can after I'm done."

Jiang Bingyuan nodded seriously: "If you need anything later, just come and get it by name."

The young man is of good character, hardworking and conscientious. With Zhuang Changhe's connection, he wouldn't mind giving him some favors.

Without saying another word, the two left.

Chen Mian's friendly conversation with the two well-dressed individuals naturally attracted the attention of onlookers, who were puzzled as to how someone dressed so plainly could know a car owner.

When people came up to chat and inquire, Chen Mian changed the subject and never mentioned the three people. Gradually, people wisely gave up.

People ate and left, quite satisfied, and spread the reputation of the melon stall to the waiting room of the station, thus attracting more customers.

Gradually, Chen Mian no longer needed to greet them; people would come on their own, either out of curiosity or because they wanted something refreshing and thirst-quenching.

Chen Mian seized the opportunity to promote her product as well.

"Big sister, this is probably your first time eating watermelon. It has a lot of seeds, and you can roast the leftover seeds yourself. Although they're not as good as the ones in the store, they're still a nice snack to keep at home."

"Auntie, I'm taking this melon from the village to the city to sell. This price is really not expensive. You can take this melon home and eat it yourself. If it's not exposed to the wind and sun, it can last for a week."

"Brother, I've been here at the station for half a day, and I'm the only one selling melons. Everyone else is digging melons and taking the seeds at home, and they can sell them for more than a dollar a pound. Who's as stupid as me, running around for dozens of miles to sell melons, busy with all the work?"

"Hey, Uncle, we can't compare him to a watermelon. They're not the same price. Just think about it, can one of his watermelons be worth the price of two of ours?"

"Little sister, you're so pretty, don't hold it against me~"

……

The period from 12 o'clock to 2 o'clock is the most agonizing time. The temperature soars to its highest point, making even the most worn-out clothes feel squeezed. The number of people at the station also decreases sharply. The only good thing is that you can take a break and catch your breath.

I checked the bulging bills in the cloth bag; I'd made a total of 39.4 yuan. Looking back at the car, after removing the damaged melons, I estimated there were still about half left.

If we can sell the remaining melons by the afternoon, we'll only sell a maximum of 400 jin for the day. My older brother will sell even less, but we still have over 1,000 jin stored in the side room at home.

"Tomorrow is the county market day, we need to think of some new ways to compete with others for business."

"Gurgle~"

Chen Mian touched her stomach and began to protest.

I didn't eat breakfast and was busy all morning, no wonder I was hungry.

Seeing that no one was coming, Chen Mian ran straight to Panyuan Restaurant. The interior was bright and spacious, and looked very comfortable.

"Little sister~" Chen Mian said affectionately to the female shop assistant.

Whether it was passersby or diners nearby, everyone turned to look at Chen Mian, their eyes filled with curiosity and disdain.

Calling a woman who is clearly older than yourself "sister"—isn't that indecent?

"Hey bro, you're here! Need some water?"

The shop assistant is quite shrewd; you call me sister, I call you brother, we each act our own way.

"No, no, we haven't finished that bucket yet."

Chen Mian waved her hands repeatedly, then took out four yuan and fifty cents, pretending to be in trouble: "Give me two steamers of buns and a bowl of egg drop soup. Could you please make the egg drop soup in a bigger bowl? I have to go outside to watch the stall. Thank you for your trouble, little sister."

"Hey~ Is that all? Leave it to me."

The female shop assistant was extremely warm and friendly, treating him like her own brother, which made some people grimace, while others couldn't help but laugh.

Chen Mian stood with her hands behind her back, calm and composed, completely unconcerned about people's opinions.

When you're out and about, you rely entirely on your mouth, so being sweet-talking is always a good thing.

Chen Mian knew she was not yet 20 years old and understood how despicable the word "younger sister" was.

But there's no other way. As the old saying goes, "Women dress up for those who appreciate them." What does "appreciating them" mean? It means saying nice things to them, and they can't get enough of it.

The young women and wives in the restaurant all loved to listen, and they all covered their mouths and smiled at themselves, their eyes sparkling with affection.

I learned a trendy term in my past life called "emotional value." I don't know how people came up with it, but it's so fitting.

Thinking it over, it shouldn't be difficult to find a partner here, but Chen Mian isn't that desperate yet, and right now she's only focused on making money, so she'll get through this autumn harvest first.

A short while later, the ordinary-looking female shop assistant returned, carrying a plastic bag of steamed buns in one hand and a large yellow jar in the other.

"Don't rush to return the jar, eat slowly."

Chen Mian was already starving, so she thanked them repeatedly and then hurried back.

One steamer basket contains 8 buns, and two baskets cost a total of 4 yuan.

The buns cost 25 cents each, which isn't too big or too small; you can barely hold one in your hand. For a location like a train station, it's quite affordable.

The egg drop soup was more than I expected, with seaweed and dried shrimp added. It was much more expensive than steamed buns, costing 50 cents, but it was really delicious.

In my past life, whenever I passed through the station on my way to the county town, I would stop by for a baked bun, steamed buns, and egg drop soup.