A gift box contains five mooncakes plus five cherries, and retails for 398 yuan. There is also a premium gift box for 998 yuan, which includes three extra cherries.
"This is all hype, created by merchants. Last year, weren't Japan's Shine Muscat grapes also very popular? Who would spend 400 yuan just to buy a few pieces of fruit? Isn't that just paying an 'IQ tax'?"
Jiang Liu shook his head.
...
...
Jiang Liu frowned as he looked at the exquisite gift box on the coffee table in the living room. He never expected that his own father would be the one to pay the price for his ignorance.
"Dad, this Mid-Autumn Festival gift box is just a gimmick. Our local grapes are about to be on the market too, aren't they? Why would you go all the way to the newly opened shopping mall to buy a Mid-Autumn Festival gift box just for a few grapes? Ruihua Chain Store? I've never heard of it before. Are you sure you haven't been scammed?"
Grandpa Jiang glared at his son with some dissatisfaction: "What, I don't rely on you to support me, do I have to put up with your attitude just to buy some fruit?"
Jiang Liu quickly explained, "Dad, that's not what I meant. I was just worried that you and Mom would be scammed. I've never even heard of Ruihua Supermarket before."
“This was sent back by your older brother. If you think he’s been tricked, go talk to him.”
Grandpa Jiang opened the gift box, revealing five vacuum-packed grapes preserved in liquid nitrogen.
Jiang Liu remained silent. Although his elder brother Jiang He was rarely home, he still held considerable authority within the family.
Even through the packaging, the grapes were remarkably large. Jiang Liu pushed up his glasses and said somewhat uncertainly:
"These are grapes? Why are they so big? Is it a new variety? I haven't heard of any new varieties being cultivated in China."
Aunt Zhou had heard of "superfruits," and upon hearing this, she quickly put on her reading glasses to examine them closely:
"I know, the internet says this is a super fruit, a newly grafted variety, and that it's good for your health—"
This explanation is too exaggerated; Jiang Liu is more convinced that his parents have been deceived.
He said helplessly, "Mom, what they say online is all lies. These grapes are just a little big. If grapes could cure diseases, what would we need doctors for? Besides, they're just a little big. These grapes cost almost four hundred yuan for five?"
Grandpa Jiang ignored his son and ate one with his wife.
As soon as the grapes entered her mouth, Aunt Zhou exclaimed with delight:
"Wow, these grapes are so sweet! They're the same size as plums and seedless. No wonder they're so popular online."
Grandpa Jiang bit into the grape in his hand, revealing slightly greenish flesh inside, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:
"These grapes are delicious, unlike those finger black grapes or American black grapes you used to buy. They were so sweet and had no grape flavor at all. Plus, they had this one-box-per-person limit, so there was nowhere to buy them."
Jiang Liu, in the spirit of scientific research, casually plucked a grape, put it to his lips, took a bite, and his gaze suddenly froze—
Grandpa Jiang immediately understood what was going on with his son's expression and deliberately teased him:
"So, how was that 400-yuan bunch of grapes? Do you still think your dad paid an 'IQ tax'?"
Jiang Liu remained silent for a while, then got up and walked outside.
Aunt Zhou looked at him curiously and asked, "Where are you going?"
“Call my brother and have him buy the gift boxes.”
Jiang Liu looked utterly bitter and resentful.
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