Sure enough, as soon as Lin Ruisi finished speaking, the aunt immediately said.
“How can that be! Since it’s part of your dowry, we can’t just take it for free! Auntie will try it first. If it tastes good, I’ll buy some as a way to support your dowry.”
"Thank you so much, Auntie. You're such a kind person, sob sob sob."
Lin Ruisi tearfully expressed her gratitude, then looked at Yu Jiu and Xu Zijiang with teary eyes.
Yu Jiu looked up, pretending not to see her gaze, while Xu Zijiang turned his head to the side, his eyes seemingly glued to Yu Jiu. Neither of them would engage in a confrontation.
Lin Ruisi was not discouraged. After a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes, she immediately persevered and went to get hot water to make tea for all three of them.
"Try it, isn't it delicious? It smells amazing just from the aroma."
She said solicitously, and even picked up the tea and handed it to the aunt. Although the aunt didn't know much about tea, the tea did smell very fragrant. She even had her husband come over and drink some. It did taste very good, bitter at first but sweet at second, with an endless aftertaste. The uncle nodded repeatedly.
"Young lady, how much do you want to sell this tea? We'd like to buy some, package it up, and it'll be presentable enough to give as a gift."
"I'm sorry, sir, most of my tea has been sent to my relatives. I only have this little bit left. If you want to buy some, I'll have to go there and send it to you. Please give me an address."
Lin Ruisi repeated what she had just said, feeling embarrassed.
"It's alright, I'll just leave you an address. You can send it to me later. As for the money..."
The man was still pondering how to pay when she suddenly interrupted.
"Uncle, we're practically acquaintances now, so I'll give you a discount. Our tea is quite expensive, 50 yuan per jin (500g). If you want to buy it, I'll sell it to you for 40 yuan per jin. Here, when you order tea, you have to pay the full amount in advance, but I can collect half the money from you first. That way, you can pay me the rest after you're satisfied with the product, and I'll feel more at ease."
However, if I do that, my relative will know how much I'm selling it to you per pound, and I won't be able to give you a discount. If you trust me and pay me the full amount upfront, I can secretly bypass my relative and send the tea directly to you. I can then charge you thirty yuan per pound.
"Uncle, how many would you like?"
Lin Ruisi looked eagerly at the couple, the uncle and aunt. They immediately quoted fifty yuan per jin (500g). Goodness, even though it was good tea, it shouldn't be that expensive! But then she heard that they were willing to give them a discount. Wow, it was twenty yuan less per jin!
If they buy half a jin (250g) and pay the full amount upfront, it only costs 15 yuan. It's really good to be able to buy such high-quality tea for 15 yuan, and half a jin can last for a long time. If they want to give it as a gift, they can buy a small box to put it in, which is also a great idea.
"Then we'll take half a jin. I'll just give you the fifteen yuan. Little girl, you must send me some tea as soon as you get home. I really love this kind of tea!"
The uncle gave instructions and immediately took out his money.
The passenger who had been listening intently to the commotion couldn't help but be tempted. "Wow, is this tea really that good? You're willing to buy it for such an expensive price? But it seems like a good deal! Should I buy some to give to my boss?"
"Young lady, same price as him, how about two ounces?"
"I want three ounces!"
The men in the carriage all made their bids, completely believing her words.
Lin Ruisi pretended to be troubled and frowned.
"But I gave the older folks a special price, you..."
"We're acquaintances, it's fate that we met by chance!"
"That's right, if you don't sell it to me, I'm going to report you for speculation!"
Some people even started threatening her. Lin Ruisi had no choice but to nod and agree, writing down each person's address. By this calculation, seven people had actually bought her tea, and she had collected over thirty yuan in total. Wow, she'd become rich overnight!
Yu Jiu and Xu Zi watched all this silently. They couldn't understand why they would trust a stranger so easily. What if Lin Ruisi took the money and left without sending them tea later? What would they do then? Or what if she gave them inferior tea that was completely unrelated to what they were getting now? Would they still be willing to search all over the country for such a small amount of money?
The two were very suspicious, but they had no evidence to expose her scam, so they could only remain still and wait and see. If they weren't mistaken, she would get off at the next stop after receiving the money, but the place she originally mentioned was still several stops away.
Yu Jiu and Xu Zijiang exchanged a glance, and the two tacitly decided to keep an eye on her first.
With over thirty yuan in her bag, Lin Ruisi couldn't help but smile, almost losing her pitiful expression. But she quickly composed herself and, still somewhat unwilling to give up, asked Yu Jiu, who was sitting opposite her.
"Sister, are you really not going to buy tea? It's really delicious. You can try it if you don't believe me. This is the last batch of tea. You won't be able to buy it again if you want to drink it later."
"No need, I don't like tea. I prefer plain water."
Yu Jiu politely declined, fearing the tea might be laced with drugs. She didn't even dare drink the tea; one should always be cautious. Besides, Lin Ruisi wasn't alone in her struggle. If she wasn't mistaken, the first person to stand up and say they wanted to buy tea after the older man was her accomplice.
First, let her accomplice stir up everyone's emotions. In a moment of impulsiveness, everyone fell for the trick and rushed to buy. However, it wasn't cheap after all. Maybe after some time, when everyone calmed down, they would want to ask her for their money back.
Yu Jiu glanced at the time and realized that they really knew how to pick their time; they had excellent control over the timing. They were probably used to being scammed. They would arrive at the station in less than five minutes, and then she could get off the bus before everyone else regretted it and get the thirty-odd yuan for free.
"You can give it a try. Drinking tea is good for your health."
Lin Ruisi seized the opportunity to persuade Yu Jiu, but Yu Jiu couldn't help but be sarcastic, raising an eyebrow and saying calmly.
"If it's good for your health, then why did all your family members die so young, leaving only you? Could it be that this tea is poisonous, and that's why you're all like this, dying young?"
····
Lin Ruisi was choked half to death. Her eyes immediately reddened, and she said aggrievedly.
"Sister, what are you saying? No, they just... Waaah!"
She just covered her face and started sobbing. The aunt who had just been startled by Yu Jiu muttered to herself for a moment, but then thought it was too much, so she couldn't help but stand up and condemn her.
"How could you say that to someone? It's like stabbing them in the heart. If you don't want to buy it, then don't buy it. No one is forcing you. But it's wrong of you to talk like that. Your words are too harsh. Young lady, you should watch your mouth."
She said earnestly.
"Yes, yes, we really should be mindful of virtue; lying will bring bad karma."
Yu Jiu nodded in complete agreement.
Lin Ruisi, who was crying, froze. Had she been discovered? No way? With their stop approaching, she didn't want to continue acting. She quickly wiped away her tears and choked out a sob to the aunt.
"It's alright, this lady probably just doesn't like tea. Auntie, please let me out, I need to go to the restroom first."
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