After much thought, I decided to go to Gezhuang.
Gezhuang is the largest watermelon growing base near Kyoto, and its Jingxin No. 5 variety, introduced in recent years, is the most famous.
Thin-skinned, large, high in sugar, and with an excellent taste.
Autumn has arrived, the season is over, it will be too late if you don't order now.
Zuo Ling found a field of perfectly round melons that stretched as far as the eye could see.
"Young lady, are you buying a melon?"
The melon farmer, whose teeth were so black you couldn't see his eyes, greeted Zuo Ling.
"Yes, is it Jingxin No. 5?"
"Yes, yes, this whole area is planted with Jingxin No. 5 melons, no doubt about it. More than half of the melons in Kyoto are produced here."
The melon farmer was very proud.
"Give me 10,000, pick the good ones, don't take the bad ones."
I didn’t expect Zuo Ling to want so many. The Jingxin No. 5 is big, with an average weight of 13 or 14 jin each. Ten thousand of them would be 130,000 to 140,000 jin.
"Girl, you're not kidding, are you? You really want 10,000?"
Melon vendors rarely order 10,000 at a time; they usually order two or three thousand, and then they come back when they're sold out.
If you keep too much of it in your hands, it won't be fresh anymore, and customers will cause trouble.
"No joke, 10,000. Go ahead and pick them, I'll watch you pick them. Or, how about I transfer you some money first?"
Seeing that Zuo Ling didn't seem to be joking, the melon farmer said:
"10,000? I don't actually have any here. I'll have to find some around here for you."
"Any combination is fine, as long as it's fresh, nothing stale."
"Don't worry, don't worry, all our melons are freshly picked, none of them are overnight."
The melon farmer gave a call, and a whole bunch of people, including his eldest son, second son, eldest daughter-in-law, second daughter-in-law, uncles, nephews, daughters-in-law, and helpers, came together and worked busily.
He then ordered someone to ride an electric scooter to a nearby melon field to seek assistance.
Zuo Ling's eyes welled up with tears; such a vibrant scene would soon be gone.
The apocalypse is gloomy, lifeless, and without light... what it lacks most is vibrant greenery.
I'm thinking I need to change my plans. I'll buy vegetables directly from farmers; they'll be fresher, and I won't have to deal with the weird smells in the market.
My phone rang; the number was unfamiliar. I answered.
"Hey, miss, are you coming back this afternoon?"
It's Old Hong from the grain store.
"Uncle, I'm out here, something's holding me up, I can't go today, I'll go tomorrow."
Old Hong felt relieved; he was afraid of losing face if he skipped out on the order.
"I've prepared everything for you. Can you deliver it?"
I checked the time; it was 4 PM.
"Can it be later? 6 o'clock, I'm in the warehouse."
"Okay, okay, no problem. Is Lao He also delivering around that time?"
"Yes, please tell them, thank you."
"You're welcome, you're welcome, it's my pleasure, it's my pleasure."
A fleet of three-wheeled vehicles belching black smoke approached from afar, and the melon farmer called out to people to unload the vehicles.
Zuo Ling approached to take a look. Seeing her coming over, the melon farmer smiled and said, "Miss, check it. The melon vines are still wet. There's no mistake."
Delivery interface:
"Pick a truckload, sell a truckload; they won't last overnight, each one is guaranteed to be sweet and fresh."
Zuo Ling noticed that two donkey carts were swaying along behind the convoy, each carrying dozens of large, green watermelons.
Zuo Ling found it very rare to see such primitive means of transportation.
The black donkey shook its head and wagged its tail, pawing at its hooves.
Am I handsome? Am I handsome? I know I'm handsome. No matter if it's a young woman or a married woman, they all stare at me with a dumbfounded look.
A silly girl came along! She was practically drooling, which made the donkey monster feel embarrassed.
Hey, give a snort and respond!
Turn your attention back to the melon.
Zuo Ling had no concept of how much 10,000 melons were. The 9.6-meter-long truck was less than a third full when she realized how outrageous her actions were.
It was already past 5 p.m., and I had arranged to meet Lao Hong at 6 p.m.
Ask the melon farmer, "How much longer until you finish loading them?"
"Young lady, are you in a hurry? Where should I take it? Do you have a scale?"
Zuo Ling: "..."
She didn't know if there was a floor scale.
Pretending to reach into his bag, he actually took out the rental contract from his personal storage space, which had the real estate agent's phone number on it.
What did the young man think it was about?
"Sister, how can you rent out a warehouse without a weighbridge? People who rent warehouses usually store large quantities of goods, and without a weighbridge, they can't inspect the goods. You didn't notice, but there's an inconspicuous iron platform in the passageway right by the warehouse entrance; that's the weighbridge. The monitor is right at the entrance of the warehouse; you can see it at a glance."
Zuo Ling felt relieved.
"I have a scale, so please deliver as much as you have first. The rest can be delivered later. I have something to do and am waiting to receive the goods, so I don't want to keep them waiting."
The melon farmer was very easy to talk to.
"Okay, okay, I'll go with you after I finish loading this truck. I'll deliver the rest later."
Zuo Ling paid 50,000 yuan first and then drove the loaded car to the warehouse.
There was some traffic on the road, and even though we rushed, we were still more than twenty minutes late.
Old Hong is already waiting, but Old He hasn't arrived yet.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was delayed on the way."
Old Hong waved his hand gently: "It's alright, it's alright. I know you're busy, we just arrived too."
A quick glance revealed that Zuo Ling had returned with a truck full of large watermelons. He generously remarked:
"Let them unload first, since they're easy to unload."
A 9.6-meter-long vehicle, with one driver and one passenger.
Zuo Ling thought to herself, "When will this ever get done?"
The watermelon was weighed by the scale that Zuo Ling had watched over, so there was no need to weigh it again.
The large warehouse door was opened, and the car reversed in.
Drive to the location designated by Zuo Ling.
The carriage tilted slowly downwards, with a long ramp extending from the rear, and the watermelon obediently rolled down it.
The person accompanying the truck only needed to gather the pieces together, and the entire process was completed in about ten minutes.
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