"Hey buddy, how much are your melons?"

The waiter put down the melon rind, looked up, and saw a young man in brocade robes standing in front of him, followed by a burly man who was clearly a follower. He immediately stood up.

With a slightly obsequious smile, she said, "Young master has excellent taste! My watermelons are large, thin-skinned, sweet, juicy, and delicious!"

"Um, how much is it per pound?"

"My melon is not only delicious, but it's also incredibly refreshing!"

"Hey, how much does this melon cost per pound?!"

Jing Zhe really wanted to ask, "Are you from Dunhuang? How come you have so many murals?"

"Um... five copper coins a pound!"

"Okay, then let me pick one!"

"..."

The guy was a little confused because he had encountered too many people in the past few days who either thought the price was too high and didn't buy it, or who would try to bargain wildly after asking the price. He was actually a little unaccustomed to things going so smoothly today.

"Young master is a very straightforward person! I'll go inside and get you some melon right away!"

"etc!"

Before the man could turn around, he was stopped. Glancing at him, he saw that the speaker was the rather burly henchman.

"Other people's melons only sell for two coins a pound, why are yours so much more expensive?"

Watermelons are also grown on Mangshan Mountain. If there are too many to eat, Lu Li will have Hanhan and the others bring them down the mountain to sell, so Hanhan is quite familiar with the price of watermelons.

"Two coins?"

The shopkeeper scoffed, "You're talking about things from a long time ago! Three days ago, the price of this melon went up to five coins! Let me tell you, from now on, I'm the only one selling melons in town. If you don't buy from me, you won't be able to get any melons in town!"

Jing Zhe thought about it and realized that along the way, there were many other fruit vendors, but it seemed that only their shop sold watermelons.

So he smiled and said, "Young man, please don't take offense at the servant's words. We've just come from out of town and aren't familiar with the city, which is why he asked that question."

Upon hearing that they were from out of town, the last vestige of respect on the waiter's face vanished.

"Let me tell you, our young master is Lin Wenyao, the eldest son of the newly appointed prefect of Yongzhou! Prefect Lin arrived here from Jingzhou three days ago to take office, and our young master has bought up all the watermelons in this city! From now on, you can only buy watermelons from our family!"

Jing Zhe nodded. The corrupt official that Lu Li and his group tried to rob three days ago must be the newly appointed Prefect Lin.

Judging from his son's behavior, calling him a corrupt official is perfectly reasonable.

"Then could you please help us pick one out?"

It was already hot, and after standing in the sun and wasting so much time talking, Jing Zhe felt his throat was burning. Even if it was more expensive, he didn't want to wait any longer.

The waiter glanced at them and went inside to get the melons.

"Young chieftain, we shouldn't have bought these melons! That corrupt official's son is truly no good!"

"Shhh."

Jing Zhe looked around and gestured for Hanhan to shut up.

This city is the prefect's territory. If someone overhears this, forget about making money; he'll be arrested too.

"The melon is here!"

Before long, the waiter came out carrying a large melon.

"Young master, shall we take this melon with us or open it?"

"Open it and eat!"

"Okay!"

Upon receiving the order, the waiter swiftly sliced ​​the watermelon into several pieces on the table. Indeed, the rind was thin and the flesh was red. What was even more amazing was that when the watermelon was first cut open, a cool, misty vapor emanated from it.

Seeing Jing Zhe's doubt, the shopkeeper became even more smug. "My watermelons are expensive, not only because we're the only ones selling watermelons in the city, but also because our young master has an ice cellar. Watermelons left in there for a day are incredibly cold when you take them out!"

Staring at the white steam rising from the watermelon, Jing Zhe seemed to have thought of something, grinned, and reached out to grab the watermelon.

Before I could even touch the melon, the waiter reached out and blocked it.

"Young master, if you want to eat some melon, please pay the bill first."

"Hey, let's get the bill."

Jing Zhe didn't care. "How much?"

"This melon weighs ten jin, and costs one hundred coins!"

"..."

Jing Zhe then withdrew his hand.

"Hey buddy, you've miscalculated, haven't you?"

Five coins for one jin, ten jin would only cost fifty coins?

How did it suddenly double?

"That's right, ten coins per pound, so ten pounds would be a hundred coins?"

"You just said it was five coins a pound!"

Standing behind Jing Zhe, Hanhan was furious and glared at the waiter, saying fiercely.

He thought five coins were too expensive, let alone ten.

The shopkeeper wasn't afraid of him and sneered, "Five coins was the price before, now it's ten coins!"

"Then I won't eat it, okay?"

Jing Zhe did not accept this tactic of demanding exorbitant prices.

"Hehe, no way!"

Seemingly having figured out that they were from out of town, the waiter beckoned into the house, and four or five strong men instantly came out and surrounded Jing Zhe and Hanhan.

"I've already cut this melon open for you. You can eat it or not, it's none of my business. But you have to leave the money behind!"

The man crossed his arms and said in a cold voice.

"you--"

Hanhan has been a bandit for several years, when has he ever suffered such humiliation?

He took a step forward, ready to take action.

"Silly boy!"

Jing Zhe quickly pulled him back and whispered, "Don't cause trouble! This is the city!"

Hanhan finally held back, his eyes like knives as he stared at his partner.

Seeing this, the man became even more arrogant.

"You're lucky you know what's good for you! If you dared not pay, we'd beat you so badly you couldn't walk today! And don't even glare at me, beating you won't help! Our young master is the son of the prefect, even if you go to the authorities, it won't do you any good!"

Jing Zhe didn't want to waste any more words with him. He had Hanhan pay 100 coins, and the two of them, carrying melons, walked out amidst the laughter of the shopkeepers and men.

...

"That bastard dares to extort money from us!"

"If the young chieftain hadn't stopped me, I would have smashed his dog's head in!"

"Tell the chieftain to come to the city and kidnap this corrupt official!"

All the way, Hanhan gritted his teeth and cursed.

"Let's eat some melon seeds!"

Jing Zhe didn't respond and just ate the melon seeds heartily.

He tasted it, and the melon was indeed very cool. It was refreshing to eat in such hot weather, but it didn't achieve the chilled effect that Jing Zhe was familiar with.

"Young master, you still have the appetite?"

Seeing Jing Zhe eating melon seeds so carefree and without a care in the world, Hanhan was speechless.

Is this really the chieftain's brother?

It looks so unlike anything I've seen before!

If anyone dares to extort the chieftain like this, she'll smash their heads in without a word. So what if they're in the city? If the chieftain wants to leave, who can stop her?

"You're not going to eat it? Then I'll eat it for you."

Jing Zhe stared at the two melon pieces in Hanhan's hand, his eyes shining.

"I--"

After a moment of silence, Hanhan picked up the watermelon in his hand and began to wolf it down.

After he finished eating, Jing Zhe asked him, "Do you want to teach them a lesson?"

The simpleton nodded frantically.

"I've already come up with a solution."

"What method?"

The boy's face was full of anticipation.

"Um, do they sell firecrackers in town?"

"..."

————