At Xingfu Residence, Wu Xin was just about to leave for work when she got a call from Ma Yanyan.
When Ma Yanyan woke up this morning, she realized she hadn’t slept as well as the past two nights. Even her appetite seemed worse when she ate dinner last night.
What’s more, her husband, Wang Fumin, was experiencing the same thing. At first, she didn’t think the grapes were the cause.
It wasn’t until her husband mentioned the grapes, saying his appetite had only improved after eating them, that they put two and two together. They realized that their sleep quality had also improved after they started eating the grapes.
Thinking about how her crow’s feet had faded and how her complexion had become rosy and radiant again, Ma Yanyan couldn’t sit still. She called Wu Xin right away.
"Xiaoxin, where did you buy those grapes your husband gave to mine?"
"Sister Yanyan, you’ve noticed the benefits of the grapes too?"
Hearing this, Ma Yanyan instantly understood. Her changes really were because of the grapes.
"Yes! My complexion is rosier, my crow’s feet have faded, my sleep quality has improved, and I even have an appetite."
"Oh! Sister Yanyan, I thought you’d discovered the grapes’ *special* effect."
"Special effect? What kind of effect? Xiaoxin, where on earth did you buy these grapes?"
She was desperate to know. Her husband had to attend social functions all year round and had some minor health issues as a result.
"They give you a small mental boost, relieve fatigue, and have whitening and anti-aging properties. Long-term consumption might even slightly improve your Constitution. At least, that’s what the description for the grapes said, and I think the effects are great.
The owner, Boss Lin, used to sell them at a stall in Wanfu Square, but he hasn’t been there the last couple of days. I ordered the grapes directly from him."
"Then give me his number. I’ll contact him and place a direct order too."
"Okay, I just sent you his phone number and WeChat. But just so you know, the grapes are a bit pricey. They’re 888 a bunch."
"Thanks. Let’s get a meal together sometime. For grapes with such powerful effects, that price isn’t expensive at all. It’s much cheaper than all those supplements and cosmetics."
She spent tens of thousands a month on various beauty treatments, and the effects of these grapes were far better.
"In that case, I’ll give the boss a heads-up."
Wu Xin sent a message to Lin Feng: "Boss Lin, I have a friend who wants to order some grapes from you. I shared your WeChat with her, so she’ll be adding you shortly."
"Understood. Thank you, Ms. Wu."
Soon enough, Lin Feng received a WeChat friend request from someone named "Ma Yanyan" and accepted it immediately.
"Hello, Wu Xin referred me. I’d like to buy some of those Jade Grapes."
"You know the price, right? How many do you want?"
"I know the price. I’ll take 60 bunches to start. I’ll send you the address."
"Okay, when are you free? I can deliver them to you."
"Five o’clock. Come to this address and call me when you arrive."
Lin Feng looked at the address she sent over. Mingxuan District. It seemed to be next to the county government offices, another high-end residential area.
"Alright, I’ll be there. I guarantee they’ll be delivered by five."
Lin Feng hung up the phone, feeling wonderful. This was his reputation starting to snowball through word-of-mouth.
’Looks like I won’t have to worry about selling the grapes anymore.’
He now had two regular customers, both of whom were wealthy. Their transformations would surely be noticed by their friends.
He believed that before long, the Jade Grapes would become famous among the wealthy circles of Wuyuan County.
If he sold all two-thousand-plus bunches of grapes, he could make over a million yuan. That would be enough to finish construction on the less expensive buildings.
...
Wanfu Square was bustling in the morning, filled with vendors selling breakfast.
Three thugs stared intently, but the van they were waiting for never appeared. The leek pastry in Brother Liu’s mouth suddenly lost its flavor.
"Fuck! When I get my hands on him, I’m gonna beat the shit out of him!"
"Brother Liu, we’ll have to pay up if we beat him. Nowadays, all they have to do is take a dive and they’ll demand a fortune."
"You talk too much damn bullshit! Hurry up and think of a way to find him!"
"Brother Liu, I got a lead. Someone apparently saw that van heading toward Mountain Ridge Town."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go! To Mountain Ridge Town! Once we find him, we won’t leave him a single grapevine."
Not far from them, Wang Peng, who was also eating breakfast with his workers, was looking for Lin Feng’s van as well.
"Brother Wang, it looks like he’s not coming. The vendors around here said he didn’t show up yesterday either."
"He might have changed his location. I’ll find someone to look into it in a bit."
Unlike those three brainless thugs, Wang Peng wasn’t just going to stake the place out every day. In this day and age, there were plenty of ways to find someone.
「Mountain Ridge Town」
The trio of thugs came rattling over in their beat-up van.
"What a shitty road. This place is in the middle of nowhere."
"Brother Liu, who should we ask for directions?"
*SMACK*
"Don’t ask me about every little thing! Use your own brain! See that little shop at the intersection up ahead? Go buy a bottle of water and ask the owner for information."
The owners of these little intersection shops always had the best gossip. Besides, in a town this small, finding a van would be easy.
The thug’s underling quickly returned, holding a bottle of mineral water.
"The owner said there has been a van around lately. The driver is the talk of the town, a guy named Lin Feng. He’s contracted some land in Linshan Village for tourism development."
"So where’s Linshan Village?"
"I forgot to ask."
"Then what are you standing there gawking for? Hurry up and go ask!"
The underling quickly ran back again. "He said Linshan Village was relocated. It’s deep in the mountains, the road is bad, and most people can’t find it. We’ll need someone who used to live there to guide us."
"Let’s go. We’ll find someone from the old Linshan Village and get them to take us."
They had finally found their lead. Liu Dazhuang was getting impatient, his skinny frame practically swaggering with momentum as he walked.
Meanwhile, Wang Peng had also used his connections to get information on Lin Feng and was now heading to Mountain Ridge Town with his men.
After paying a 100-yuan fee, the trio of thugs hired an old man from Linshan Village to guide them there.
"Why are you heading to Linshan Village? There’s nothing there now."
"Isn’t there a guy named Lin Feng doing some tourism development there? We wanted to go see if there’s any work."
The old man was skeptical. One look at these three and you could tell they were up to no good.
Still, they had paid him 100 yuan to be their guide. It wasn’t his business what they did there.
But a few kilometers from Linshan Village, the van broke down. The four of them got out and stared, stunned, at the smoke pouring from the engine.
The old man took two puffs from his pipe and said, "Looks like this piece-of-junk van of yours has had it. What now?"
"Er Yong, check it out."
The taller of the two thugs skillfully popped the hood, took one look at the smoking engine, and shook his head.
"Engine’s probably fried, Boss. When we get back, we’re finding that bastard. He said this car would last a year."
Liu Dazhuang wasn’t concerned with settling scores right now. He just wanted to know what they were going to do.
As for calling a tow truck, the tow fee would be more than this junker was worth.
He turned to the old man and asked, "Sir, is there any way you can get us to Linshan Village from here?"
"For 100 yuan, I can call a vehicle to come take you."
"What?! A hundred yuan for such a short distance?"
"If you don’t want to pay, you can find your own ride. Or you can walk. It’s only a few kilometers."
Liu Dazhuang’s face darkened. He pulled out a hundred yuan and handed it to the old man. "Make the call!"
The old man took the money, inspected it carefully, then pulled out a feature phone for seniors and dialed a number.
"Da Linzi, we’re a few kilometers out from Linshan Village. Their van broke down. Can you drive over and give them a lift?"
A few dozen minutes later, an electric tricycle pulled up beside the four of them, and a man named Da Linzi hopped out.