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570words2026-01-26 09:14

On the weekend,when my mom went grocery shopping,she pointed at the fish and turned to me,saying,"What kind of fish is this?I've never seen it before..."
Before she could finish speaking,the store owner,with lightning speed,fished the fish out of the tank and slammed it heavily onto the ground.
"Eight hundred dollars!"

I stared at the old man's lean figure."Are you sure you're asking for$800 for this dead fish?"
He gave me a glare and said triumphantly,"Try not buying this fish today."
Before my mom could lose her temper,I quickly paid the money.
Daring to cheat us,those who deal with the underworld.I'm afraid you'll have the money but not the life to spend it!
I had just gotten a great deal on a low-priced second-hand house in this city.
My mom came to visit me on the weekend,and I accompanied her to the vegetable market,planning to have a nice dinner together in the evening.

"Not to mention this coastal city,it's really different from where we're from."
I held my mom's arm and listened as she talked while walking."Look at these fish.We've never seen them back home..."
I was carrying a full bag of vegetables in my hand and didn't have time to stop her.My mom's hand was already pointing at the fish in the fish tank.
The store owner was a sprightly old man.As soon as my mom's finger pointed at the fish,the old man directly picked up the net,fished the fish out of the tank,and threw it heavily onto the ground.

I stared at the fish that was still struggling on the ground,too stunned to react.
"Eight hundred dollars!"The old man's thunderous price rang out.
My heart skipped a beat.He really dared to ask for that much!
"How can you be like this?We..."
My mom's hand that had been pointing at the fish turned towards the boss,shaking with anger.Having lived a thrifty life for half a lifetime,the rural old lady couldn't even imagine spending$800 on a single fish.
Hehe.
The store owner gave a cold laugh,and a fierce look flashed in his deep eyes.
I turned around,only to find there was no way out.Two burly men had already blocked our way behind us.
"Boss,is this single fish really$800?"
The boss was stared at by me intently,but he wasn't the least bit flustered.He looked down at me with his nose in the air.
"Hmph,you chose the fish.Now that the fish is dead,you want to just leave?Isn't this fish wronged?"
After saying that,he proudly raised his chin at me.
I was so angry that I laughed.Looking at the dead fish on the ground,I tightly held my mom's hand and kept comforting her.
After calming down,I asked again,"Boss,are you really insisting that we spend$800 on this fish?"
The old man slowly lowered his haughty look and gave me a glare.
"Little girl,can't you tell what's good and what's bad?The fish is already dead.Who else can I sell it to?Leave the money here and take the fish away!"
By then,people who were shopping in the vegetable market had slowly gathered around.
"It's this store causing trouble again!"
"Really,using the same old trick over and over.The whole market has been ruined by him."
Hearing the whispers around me,I couldn't help but wonder.Was this guy a habitual offender?Since they were all locals and familiar with each other,this trick of his,besides scamming outsiders,probably wouldn't work on the locals all the time.So why was this unscrupulous store still open?