The Astronomically Priced Watermelon

"Alright, old man, today I'll take a chance—let's fulfill your wish," the grandfather said, gritting his teeth, taking out fifty yuan to buy a small piece of watermelon.

"My goodness, someone actually spent fifty yuan on a tiny piece of watermelon?" The surrounding crowd was astounded.

"Young man, you can't just swindle money from elderly folks," someone shouted at the young vendor.

The young man paid them no mind; he simply gazed at the elderly couple. The grandfather carefully fed the small piece of watermelon to his wife, and she ate it with relish.

"Old man, you should try some yourself. This watermelon is simply delicious," the grandmother said after finishing her piece.

"Oh, I've already tasted it."

"Is there any more? I want another bite. It's truly delicious, don't you think?"

"Yes, yes, but I could only buy two pieces. The rest have already been sold," the grandfather lied.

"You've changed," the grandmother suddenly said, a little annoyed.

"Ah, dear, why are you upset?"

"Tell me, is the vendor over there a young man?" she asked, turning her face toward the young man.

"Yes, did you hear us talking?"

"Hmph, look, there are still watermelons on his table. Why did you lie and say they're all gone?" Her words startled the grandfather.

"How did you know there were watermelons on his table?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Strange, I can see some blurry shapes. Old man, what's happening? My eyes seem to be improving—I can see some shadows," she said, stunned at first, then overjoyed.

The old man stared intently at the young man and the watermelons before him, recalling clearly what the young vendor had told him: "If I tell you that after a few bites of my watermelon, your wife's eyesight will return, the opportunity is right here. Whether you believe or not is up to you."

"Why are you so quiet?" the grandmother nudged her husband.

"Wait, dear—maybe your eyesight will recover today." The old man was ecstatic. He rushed to the watermelon stand and handed over three hundred yuan, buying six more pieces in one go.

"Grandpa, don’t be fooled," the bystanders protested, still skeptical.

"Yes, grandpa, there’s a place two streets away selling watermelons for two and a half yuan per kilo."

"Young man, how can you be so unscrupulous? Is it right to cheat an old person like this?" Some even cursed at the young vendor.

But the young man said nothing; the old man nodded politely to the concerned crowd, then hurried back to his wife with the watermelons, feeding her most of them and eating only a small piece himself.

As soon as he ate a piece, his expression changed. He felt a cool sensation spread through his body, and the toothache he had endured for days began to ease.

Beside him, his wife ate six pieces in succession. She felt as though her whole body was bathed in refreshing energy, especially her eyes and the places where she had felt discomfort—everything was warm and pleasant.

"Old man, I can see you again!" Not long after, the grandmother reached out, grabbed his hand, touched his face, and gazed at him, her voice choked with emotion.

"Your eyesight has returned? You really can see?" the grandfather asked, his voice trembling. Her vision had been blurry for years, and he never imagined it could be restored.

"Yes, I don’t know why. After eating the watermelon, my eyes gradually recovered, and all the aches disappeared."

"Hahaha, the young man’s watermelon may be expensive, but it’s worth every penny," the old man laughed.

"Sister Li, Sister Wang, Sister Zhang, why don’t you come out for a walk?" At that moment, several elderly women arrived together. The grandmother greeted them warmly, standing up and walking over.

"Big Sister, your eyesight is restored?"

"You can see us?"

"Is it true—your eyes are healed? Where did you go for treatment?"

The group of old friends were delighted, crowding around her in disbelief.

"It’s been years—I never thought my eyesight would ever recover. You all look older, too," the grandmother sighed, holding their hands.

"It's thanks to that young man. My husband fed me his watermelon, and that’s how my eyes got better," the grandfather added.

"What do you mean? Her eyes just got healed?"

"Exactly. Only a few minutes ago—after eating the young man's watermelon. And after I ate it, my tooth stopped hurting and my legs felt strong again," the old man nodded.

"What? A watermelon with such miraculous effects?"

"You aren’t being duped, are you?"

"It's impossible—a few pieces of watermelon curing blindness and tooth pain?"

The others didn’t believe him, and the old man couldn’t prove it: "I didn’t believe it either at first, but her eyesight really did return just now, and my toothache faded away. If you don’t believe me, buy a piece and try. Just know that it’s expensive—fifty yuan a slice."

"My migraine has lasted half a month. If a piece of watermelon could cure it, I’d pay five hundred, not just fifty," one woman said, tempted.

"Go try it then. We’ll watch out for you, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll ask the young man for a refund," someone encouraged.

So the old women gathered around the young vendor. The one with the migraine asked, "Young man, your watermelon costs fifty yuan a slice. They say it cures illnesses—is that true?"

"Auntie, my watermelon does cost fifty yuan a slice. It can indeed help with some minor ailments, but it won’t cure everything. If you’re buying it to heal yourself, I advise against it. But if you just want to try, that’s fine," the young man replied, smiling.

"That’s true—there’s no panacea in this world. Can we really expect his watermelon to cure all our ailments? Zhang, just spend fifty yuan and try it. Who knows, it might help," the grandmother urged.