Chapter 183 Xijiang Grapes

"Miss, we're here at Wan'an Street." Luo Kui spoke and got off the carriage impatiently. Having stayed in Fu'an Village for a long time, the crowded Wan'an Street made Luo Kui particularly excited.

"There are quite a lot of people." Xiao Jiuyue took a look and saw many people gathered under a big banyan tree nearby. Red ribbons were hanging on the lush banyan tree.

"Miss, it seems that the Qiqiao Festival is coming soon, and everyone wants to find a partner." Luo Kui said, standing on tiptoe and looking at the banyan tree. There seemed to be a Yue Lao Temple!

"Miss, do you want to go and have a look?" Luo Kui's eyes were full of longing.

"You can go and pray for a marriage." Xiao Jiuyue said jokingly, looking at the people crowded together, praying devoutly for marriage in the Yue Lao Temple, and he had no intention of joining in at all.

Is it that money isn't good enough, or that one's life isn't free enough?

"Miss, when it comes to finding a marriage partner, you're not as reliable as the Third Master." Hua Qing watched from the side and encouraged her again.

"Did the Third Master really not give you any money?" Xiao Jiuyue looked at Hua Qing jokingly. Whenever she had the chance to speak, Hua Qing always spoke well of Jun Lie.

"I don't even know him, so why would he give me money?" Hua Qing patted his chest and said, "Miss, please believe me. We Hua people are much more reliable than Yue Lao in fortune-telling."

Xiao Jiuyue simply ignored Hua Qing's instigation. If it weren't for her good martial arts skills, she really didn't want to take her out.

"Miss, the people over there are dressed very strangely." Lianxin spoke. Just a little bit in front of the Yue Lao Temple, there were several people dressed strangely and setting up stalls in front of them.

"Let's go and take a look." Xiao Jiuyue walked over. After listening to Hua Qing's words, she couldn't help but pack up Hua Qing and send her to Jun Lie.

In front of the stall, a man was wearing strange clothes, with bunches of grapes in front of him. Each grape was purple-red. When you got close, you could even smell the fragrance of the grapes.

"This is from Xijiang Country, where grapes are grown in abundance." Hua Qing explained, standing aside. "I've been to Xijiang Country. The girls there all have deep eyebrows and eyes, and are incredibly beautiful!"

"Really?" Luo Kui said doubtfully, "These grapes are even bigger than the ones in Shengjing. I wonder if they're sour."

"Very sweet, not sour." The man grinned, revealing his large white teeth. He looked at Xiao Jiuyue, who was protected in the middle by the crowd, and said, "Miss, only fifty cents a pound."

Luo Kui exclaimed, "Fifty coins a pound? Why don't you just go and rob them? Grapes in Shengjing are only thirty-five coins a pound!"

Hongdu is not even as good as Shengjing, so why do grapes cost fifty cents per pound?

"These are authentic Xijiang grapes," the man said, his face flushing as he explained, "They're shipped from Xijiang. They're big and extra sweet."

"I haven't eaten it yet, so how do I know whether it's sweet or not?" Luo Kui stared at the grapes that were bigger than the ones in Shengjing, and thought: They are bigger than the grapes in Shengjing, but who knows if they are as sweet as the grapes in Shengjing?

"One penny each." The man placed the grapes in his palm. The grapes were round and purple-red. He said, "It's not easy to transport the grapes here. These are all grown by me at home. I guarantee they'll be very sweet."

Luo Kui was about to say something when Xiao Jiuyue stepped forward, looked at the grapes and said, "Wash a few and try them. If they taste good, I'll buy more."

"Okay." The man immediately picked a few large grapes and washed them with water.

"Grapes spoil easily. How can you guarantee they won't spoil at such a distance?" Xiao Jiuyue looked at the ripe grapes, curious about how they were preserved. She asked, "Xijiang isn't close to Hongdu."

"I brought them here with the stems. They were ripe when I arrived in Hongdu." The man's eyes flashed as he handed over the washed grapes and asked with a smile, "Girl, try them. They're extra sweet."

Lianxin took the grapes, washed them with her own water, and then handed them to Xiao Jiuyue.

Xiao Jiuyue took the grapes and put them in her mouth. The grapes were more sweet than sour, and the taste was just right. Her gaze fell on the man's feet, and her eyes deepened. "Was it transported here by water? Or by carriage?"

"We have everything, everything." The man was vague and changed the subject: "Why, girl, I didn't lie to you, did I? Do you want to buy a few pounds?" The man looked at Xiao Jiuyue with anticipation in his eyes.

Xiao Jiuyue asked Lian Xin to weigh two catties. When the man heard this, his eyes narrowed with joy. He picked up two skewers and said, "Look, young lady, this is two and a half catties. Is that okay?"

"Okay." Xiao Jiuyue responded. The man continued, "Miss, consider these grapes I just gave to you to try."

"You're not charging me anymore?" Xiao Jiuyue raised an eyebrow and looked at him. Perhaps because grapes were expensive, not many people came to buy the grapes on his stall.

"Hey, I'm just afraid of those who want to take advantage of me." The man nimbly filled a straw basket with grapes and handed it forward with a smile, saying, "Girl, I don't have many grapes left. If you want to eat some, you have to buy more."

Xiao Jiuyue raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "I heard that Xijiang not only has sweet grapes, but also many other fruits."

"Yes, yes. We also have fragrant pears and Hami melons. If you like them, you can come and buy them next time we have them." The man was enthusiastic and proactive.

"Then when the mangoes are ripe, can we buy them?" Xiao Jiuyue asked.

The man's eyes were blank for a moment, then he nodded repeatedly: "Okay."

Xiao Jiuyue's eyes flashed slightly, and without saying anything else, he turned and left.

"Miss, why do I feel like something is wrong? Are these grapes really from Xijiang?" Luo Kui looked back at the man in confusion. From the way he was dressed, he looked like a real Xijiang native.

"The grapes are real." Xiao Jiuyue tasted another grape. In the Nanyue Kingdom where supplies were scarce, it was very difficult to eat fresh grapes.

"No, I remember that in Wan'an Village, in order to plant mango branches, they had to dig up sugarcane seedlings. How come there are mangoes in Xijiang?" Lianxin looked at Xiao Jiuyue with confusion.

"So, he's really not from Xijiang?" Luo Kui said angrily, "Isn't he a liar? And he's selling it to you at such a high price!"

Hua Qing pulled her back and said, "Silly girl, you're buying grapes. What does it matter whether they're from Xijiang or not?"

"But, but the way he spoke and the clothes he wore, weren't they from Xijiang Country? Moreover, he even said that he grew his own grapes!" Luo Kui said angrily, always feeling that the young lady had been deceived.

"Silly, there are several places in South Vietnam where grapes can be grown. He said the ones grown in Xijiang, wouldn't they sell for a higher price?" Hua Qing looked at the grapes in Lian Xin's hand and said, "The grapes are well grown, and they are bigger than those grown by others."

"It's also very sweet." Xiao Jiuyue added that in the original owner's memory, the grapes produced in Shengjing should not be so sweet.

I don't know where that person grew the grapes, but they taste pretty good. If the quantity is large, can we make some wine to drink?

The fine wine, paired with a transparent glass, is a pleasure to look at.

"But, but he still sells it at a high price." Luo Kui said.

Xiao Jiuyue didn't say anything. Lianxin pulled Luokui to another stall to ask, forty-five cents per pound!

"It's five cents cheaper." Luo Kui looked at the grapes that were obviously smaller and stopped talking immediately.

Xiao Jiuyue smiled and continued to stroll along Wan'an Street. It was different from what she had imagined, a street full of rare treasures. The food was the same everywhere, not as good as her taro balls and red bean tofu pudding!