The divine stone felt a pang of regret, wishing it hadn't given him this opportunity, for he clearly didn't understand business. Such pears could only be appreciated by discerning individuals. As the saying goes, "Taigong fished, and those who wished were hooked." If others weren't buying his pears, he could only wait for the right customer.
Naturally, those who would desire such pears would be the wealthy and influential. Common folk could only afford pears priced at two or three yuan per jin. He didn't even grasp this simple truth, being too eager for quick profits in business…
The fruit merchants nearby, witnessing Ye Tiancheng selling his pears, mocked him. "You're a peculiar fellow. Still selling pears at this time? They must be inferior products, or perhaps some fruit hidden with low prices, treated with preservatives. Such unappetizing fruit, who would buy it?"
"You speak too much nonsense. People like you, poor as you are, can't afford them."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng's retort, the fruit merchant burst into laughter. He saw that Ye Tiancheng's entire outfit, including his clothes, wouldn't fetch ten yuan. Such attire wouldn't even be wanted by a beggar, as Ye Tiancheng was still wearing his university graduation uniform from three years ago, washed countless times and now riddled with holes.
"You wait and see. If I sell just one pear for a hundred thousand, you'll have to crawl between my legs. If I can't sell it, I'll crawl between yours…"
"A bet's a bet, man to man. What are you afraid of?" The fruit merchant dismissed him entirely, believing Ye Tiancheng was simply desperate for money.
However, upon reflection, he felt a shiver of apprehension. He suspected Ye Tiancheng might be mentally unstable, as only someone truly deranged would entertain such wild fantasies…
Therefore, the merchant paid him no further mind, seeing no reason to engage with him.
"This makes him quite displeased. You speak with such confidence, but if things go awry, you'll be in deep trouble…" The divine stone was surprised that this fellow had already gotten into a dispute. Even with unparalleled ability, it seemed impossible to find a buyer so quickly, especially for a pear priced at a hundred thousand yuan. Was this fellow's brain waterlogged? Or had a donkey kicked it?
"You're responsible for your own mess. I'm not helping you anymore. I haven't even secured a deal, and you're already talking like this. Do you even know how to do business?"
"Of course not. Can't people learn to do business?" Ye Tiancheng shot a disdainful glance at the divine stone.
"Kid, just wait for your downfall. I'll watch you suffer…" Seeing Ye Tiancheng standing there in a daze, the fruit merchant laughed heartily. He assumed the man was simply stunned by the wager and frozen like an idiot. In reality, Ye Tiancheng was conversing with the divine stone, their dialogue inaudible to anyone else. Thus, the fruit merchant mistook Ye Tiancheng's stunned silence for fear.
"Fine, let you be happy for now. We'll see who cries later." Ye Tiancheng had expected the divine stone to offer assistance, but instead, it had criticized him, which soured his mood. His words carried a sharp edge. The fruit merchant, overhearing Ye Tiancheng, raised an eyebrow and looked at him as if he were an idiot before turning away. He had plenty of time to waste with Ye Tiancheng.
Just then, a woman approached. She wore a Bohemian-style dress, her hair cut to shoulder length and styled in golden waves, exuding an alluring charm. Her prominent features further enhanced the sexiness of her dress.
The woman walked over, crouched beside Ye Tiancheng, picked up a pear, and immediately asked, "Young man, how much are these pears?"
"One hundred thousand yuan each."
The woman, not lacking in funds, was nonetheless stunned by the price. What kind of pear could command such a sum? Had he robbed a bank?
"I admit your pears are excellent, but this price is outrageous."
The woman frowned, about to leave, but Ye Tiancheng stopped her.
Ye Tiancheng whispered into the woman's ear, "Miss, your complexion is poor, and your heart and lungs are inflamed. These pears are perfect for you. If you buy this entire basket, you'll be completely cured…"
This woman was Su Muxian, the daughter of Su Dezheng, one of the wealthiest men in the city.
She had suffered from her illness for a long time, consulting numerous renowned physicians without success. Hearing this young man accurately diagnose her condition, she was astonished and gave him a deep look. "Sister doesn't lack money, but I dislike being swindled."
"I am from Houjia Village, also known as Xiaohe Village. My name is Ye Tiancheng, and I stand by it. If I deceive you, you can smash me with money, and I won't resist."
"Smashing me with money would make me happy. I want to buy one to try. If it's effective, I'll buy the whole basket. If not, I won't pay a cent." After some thought, she said this to Ye Tiancheng. Ye Tiancheng found this acceptable, as he had immense confidence in his pears.
"It's a deal then." Su Muxian said, and then proceeded to eat a pear without peeling it.
The onlookers were bewildered by Su Muxian's act of eating the pear without peeling.
Most fruits nowadays were treated with pesticides. If one didn't want to be poisoned or contract cancer, they would certainly peel the fruit. However, they were unaware that this woman came from a wealthy family and consumed only organic fruits, thus needing no peeling.
Having developed this habit, she acted accordingly.
Thus, the country folk mistook Su Muxian for a bumpkin, unaware that they themselves were the true bumpkins.
"Alright, I won't waste more words with you. It's useless. Now, I want you to understand something: life is realistic, and there are truths you cannot overcome…" At this moment, she noticed the country folk buying fruit looking at her like a bumpkin, which greatly annoyed her. She then addressed them.
Some people in the crowd recognized the Su family and, upon seeing it was Su Dezheng's daughter, exclaimed in surprise, "That's Miss Su Muxian of the Su family! She only eats high-end fruits and never peels them. Do you think they're treated with the pesticides and fertilizers we eat? Those are the dregs of dregs!"
The person who spoke these words immediately caused the faces of those who had been mocking to flush with shame.
After finishing the pear, Su Muxian felt an immense coolness within her, as if a block of ice had been placed in her heart. She looked at Ye Tiancheng in astonishment and said, "Young man, it truly works! You didn't lie to me. I'll take all the pears you have."
Since the tree had yielded fifteen pears in total, and Ye Tiancheng had eaten five, with one more consumed just now, there were nine remaining. He smiled at Su Muxian and said, "There are ten pears in total. I'll give you a 20% discount, making it 800,000 yuan."
"How can you say that? We agreed on one hundred thousand yuan per pear." Being a person who wasn't short of money, she didn't care about the extra twenty to thirty thousand yuan and prepared to pay Ye Tiancheng. However, she didn't have that much cash on hand. She asked Ye Tiancheng, "I'm truly sorry, I don't have that much cash on me. Do you have a bank card? I can transfer a million yuan to you."
"I'm truly sorry, I don't have a bank card either," Ye Tiancheng said sheepishly. He hadn't visited a bank in three years, and during his time in school, he had never bothered to get a bank card. As a poor person with monthly expenses of only a few hundred yuan, how could he possibly need a bank card? He spent such small amounts of money before a month was even over, so he never considered getting a bank card. He started to worry: what if he didn't have a bank card?
Su Muxian lowered her head and rummaged through her bag. After a moment, she pulled out a golden card and handed it to him. "This is my card. It has 2 million yuan. If you have more of these pears, deliver them to my home. This million yuan is a deposit. I'll buy as many as you have in the future."
"Oh, my goodness! He really sold pears for one hundred thousand yuan each!" At this moment, the fruit stall merchant's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. He deeply regretted his wager with Ye Tiancheng and knew he was ruined and finished. He would have to crawl beneath Ye Tiancheng's legs.
"Very well, I agree. But you'll have to wait half a month. This time, I should be able to produce about thirty pears." Ye Tiancheng smiled, his hand trembling slightly as he took the golden card from Su Muxian.
Seeing his reaction, Su Muxian found it somewhat amusing. She could tell he was someone who had never seen much money. People accustomed to poverty, when suddenly encountering a windfall, often exhibit such behavior, as Su Muxian had witnessed many times.
After Su Muxian left, Ye Tiancheng's expression darkened. He glared hatefully at the fruit stall merchant and said, "Now, what do you intend to do? If you don't want to crawl between my legs, give me a million yuan, and I'll forgive you."
"Are you kidding me? If I had a million yuan, would I still be selling fruit? I'd have retired to the countryside long ago, spending a hundred yuan a day, over thirty thousand a year. I wouldn't have to work so hard my entire life; I'd be living a comfortable life." The fruit stall merchant was filled with envy, jealousy, hatred, and a complex mix of emotions.
"Then you'd better crawl over here faster," Ye Tiancheng said, pointing to the space between his legs.
The fruit stall merchant was furious but helpless. Who told him he had made the bet? Moreover, he had seen that Ye Tiancheng was not a good person, the type who wouldn't know when to stop and enjoyed toying with others. Such people were shameless and wouldn't show mercy when they could. Therefore, he had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he got down on the ground and crawled like a dog between Ye Tiancheng's legs.
"Hahahaha! This feels so good! I've never felt such a sense of accomplishment. I never imagined I'd be able to defy fate and turn the tables like this." Ye Tiancheng laughed triumphantly as he watched the fruit merchant crawl between his legs.
The onlookers were speechless, seeing Ye Tiancheng's behavior. They hadn't expected him to have such a ruffian-like personality. They thought he might be a gentleman and let the merchant off the hook, but Ye Tiancheng was no gentleman. He was grateful to those who helped him, but he remembered grudges deeply. Anyone who offended him would absolutely not be forgiven, and he would seek revenge even to the ends of the earth.
He had no desire to be an advisor or a good person. In this life, he didn't want to do good deeds, nor did he want to do bad ones. He thought like an ordinary person, wanting to get rich overnight without effort.
His thoughts were truly like those of a villager from a poor and desolate land, his thinking and ideas limited by extreme poverty. He harbored anger and hatred towards the world. Several times, he had contemplated acting recklessly and ending it all, but he still had grievances to settle. This hatred kept him rational, preventing him from acting rashly.
Others said hatred was bad, but for Ye Tiancheng, it was precisely the unfulfilled desires that prevented him from doing anything foolish or from acting on his impulses for revenge and then choosing suicide.