The workers Xu Milu contacted the second time were much more reliable. There was a man and a woman; the man had dark skin and was taciturn, while the woman was slightly overweight. Both of them worked very efficiently, and by 10 a.m., all 160 boxes of fruit had been moved out of the warehouse.
The truck arrived at the wholesale market at 10:30 a.m., and the number of customers had decreased sharply, with only a few individual customers still browsing.
Those in the know understand that the wholesale market is busiest in the morning. Some vendors arrive early to get the freshest goods, so Xu Milu's arrival at this time is indeed a bit late.
There wasn't much of a person at the market management office, except for a middle-aged woman drinking tea. On the table in front of her was a wilted clivia plant, and a large pile of documents and materials were scattered haphazardly.
Hearing a knock at the door, she put down her teacup, glanced at Xu Milu, and said knowingly:
"Here to pay your stall fee? You're a bit late."
Xu Milu already knew that the regulations for fruits were not strict; as long as you filled out the form and paid the stall fee, you could enter the venue, and there was nothing to pay attention to.
"Yes, something came up this morning and I'm only just getting here. Do you have any empty stalls available for rent, ma'am?"
"Yes, there is, but the location isn't very good; it's too far inside. Do you still want to rent it?"
The older sister expertly flipped through a register, squinted for a while, and perhaps seeing that Xu Milu looked young, she kindly offered a few pointers:
"Little sister, you're really late. The vendors who get their goods from the morning market arrive at four or five o'clock. Right now, the market is full of individual customers, and even if they do buy something, they won't buy much."
Xu Milu was slightly annoyed; she had been so busy these past few days that she had completely forgotten about this.
One hundred and sixty boxes of fruit may not sound like much, but it adds up to more than 1,600 jin (750 kg). Ordinary families usually only buy a few jin of fruit to try. She arrived late today, so it's unlikely that she can sell all the fruit by relying on these individual customers.
But she's not one to give up easily. Even if the fruit doesn't sell, she can simply bring it back to the warehouse untouched and put it back in the storage compartment, so there's no real loss.
The older woman worked very quickly, completing the stall rental procedures in no time and giving her a receipt as proof.
"Here, stall number 32 in section B. You're late. This is the only stall that's close to the exit. Take the form and go there quickly."
Xu Milu breathed a sigh of relief. This location was indeed a bit far inside, but it was close to the exit and had a large flow of customers, making it a good spot.
...
...
There are quite a few stalls selling grapes in this market, mostly common varieties like Muscat, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Drunken Fragrance. There are also larger grapes, such as American Black Globe and Kyoho. The variety is so extensive that it's easy to get overwhelmed by the choices.
Grapes are a precious fruit and are not resistant to pressure, so they are usually sold in cardboard boxes.
Xu Milu's ping-pong grapes and egg cherries were all packed in straw baskets woven by the villagers themselves. She took a shortcut and put the straw baskets together in a foam box.
I don't know if it's a characteristic of grapes themselves, but even after several hours, the grapes are still juicy and fresh.
On the first day of opening, Xu Milu was not sure what to expect, but she was very confident in the giant fruits in the food world. She opened a box and poured them on a plastic film for customers to enjoy.
The egg cherries are round and cute, and their deep red color, set against the dark green leaves, makes one want to taste them immediately.
The ping-pong grapes were so juicy and plump that you could even see dewdrops rolling on their white frost. They were especially impressive in size, with each grape as big as a ping-pong ball. The bunches of them were a huge visual impact, and even the vendors at the next stall couldn't help but take a second look.
"Little sister, how much are your grapes? Are they sweet? Can I try some?"
An auntie riding an electric tricycle sped past the stall, circled around, and then quickly turned around. With a "squeak," the tricycle came to a steady stop in front of Xu Milu's stall.
"You can try it. It's displayed outside so people can taste it. Please try it. This is a new variety called Ping Pong Grape. It's a new hybrid variety developed by our company."
Even if you tell a lie a thousand times, you'll believe it yourself. Xu Milu even believed that she really had a company that specialized in developing new varieties of fruit.
The middle-aged woman twisted a grape, wiped it in her hand, and popped it into her mouth. The sweet, fruity aroma exploded in her mouth, and her eyes lit up, but she had to pretend to be uninterested.
"Hmm, it's quite sweet, the flesh is thick, and the skin isn't thick. How much is it per pound?"
Xu Milu answered with a smile:
"One jin is 125 yuan, not sold individually. Our box contains five jin, and it's weighed exactly. It's 620 yuan per box."
Kyoho grapes are 25 yuan per jin, American black grapes are 32 yuan per jin, and her Ping Pong grapes are priced at 125 yuan per jin, which is a bit expensive, but they are big and delicious!
"One hundred and twenty-five?! That's too expensive! Look at other places, their grapes are ten yuan for three jin. Your grapes are delicious, but they're not worth this price!"
The woman's eyes widened in surprise.
Although grapes are almost out of season, there are still plenty of grapes priced at 10 yuan for three jin or 10 yuan for five jin. Grapes priced at 125 yuan are still available in the wholesale market, which is indeed an exorbitant price.
"It's not expensive at all. Look at my grapes, they're big and sweet, and they're seedless. Whether you eat them yourself or give them as gifts, they're great. These are a new variety of grapes, so of course they're expensive. Go out and see if you can find any other grapes as big as mine."
Xu Milu remained calm. When she saw the older woman about to grab a second bunch of grapes, she calmly pulled the grapes in front of the woman back and put them in the basket.
"I'm just trying them out, how can I buy them if I don't taste them to see if they're sweet? — These grapes are so big, have you used growth hormones on them?"
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