Grandma Li chuckled and replied, "Yes, everyone's hard work this year hasn't been in vain. When the money is distributed at the end of the year, those who are getting married can get married, and those who need new clothes can get two new outfits! When we go out wearing our new coats, who won't envy our Suijintan!"
The villagers became even more excited upon hearing this, and happily ran off to continue picking and transporting the melons.
Although the beads of sweat on his face fell to the ground and shattered into eight pieces, they were filled with the crisp sound of joy!
Old Mrs. Li walked up to the village chief and said, "Old brother, remember to leave some for our family. We need to send gifts to the academy tomorrow. Also, send someone to let the Wen family and the Liu family know how much they need."
"Don't worry, Madam, I've already sent word to Mr. Wen and Lord Liu. They both said they'd send someone over soon; they're afraid they'll miss out if they're late," the village chief said with a smile.
His mouth was practically stretched to his ears in a wide grin, and his eyes were full of smug pride.
The harvest season always brings immense joy and satisfaction.
Standing next to the money box, Chief Escort Liu suddenly remembered something and asked, "Madam, should we leave some more melons for the Marquis? The Marquis's residence will probably have even more gifts to give away?"
Just as Grandma Li was about to respond, she saw the customers in line all prick up their ears and look over expectantly.
It was as if they were afraid she would say that the Marquis's residence wanted to keep more melons, then they wouldn't have any to buy.
She quickly said, "There's no need to leave any for the Marquis's residence; arrangements have been made at the estate."
Although Old Lady Li didn't mention Zhengjiazhuang, both Chief Escort Liu and the village chief understood.
After all, the melon seedlings were originally from Zhengjiazhuang! They were sent over, and Zhengjiazhuang must have planted some this year as well, enough for the Marquis's residence to give as gifts!
The buyers breathed a sigh of relief and started chatting with each other.
"Madam, you only have a few acres of melon patch, don't give them away everywhere, keep them and sell them to us. My mother loves these golden melons, she's been asking about them for ages. I'm planning to come and buy some tomorrow and the day after!"
"Yes, madam, can't you sell us more at once? We have to come and queue up every day!"
"Yes, I live in the north of the city. I plan to come and wait at the city gates as soon as they open tomorrow morning."
The crowd was chattering excitedly, but all they wanted was to buy more.
Grandma Li explained with a smile, "Everyone likes the melons grown in our village, which makes us very happy, and of course we want to sell more. But as you can see, our village only has a few acres of land, so we can't grow many melons."
"With this limited supply, everyone can buy a few and taste what the melons grown in our blessed land taste like. If there were no limit, some rich family in the city would probably buy them all. Of course, it would be more convenient and less troublesome for us, but then we wouldn't be able to be filial to our mothers, would we?"
Everyone quickly nodded, realizing they had been mistaken.
Limited editions restrict them, but they also restrict the wealthy and powerful!
The new village may seem impersonal, but it actually strives to place its inhabitants on an equal footing with the wealthy and powerful...
Leaving aside the bustling scene at the melon garden, the Emperor was somewhat restless and irritable in the palace due to the slight drought this year.
Although there were many ice basins in the imperial study, the coolness could not dispel the sullenness in his heart.
The chief eunuch came in from outside, glanced at the emperor discreetly, and saw that he was not reviewing the memorials, but was holding a cup of cold tea and gazing out the window in a daze.
He hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward with a smile and reported, "Your Majesty, Princess Kangle and Lord Li from Suijintan have brought people to present melons and fruits!"
The Emperor snapped out of his reverie and subconsciously asked, "With such a dry season, have the melon fields at Suijin Beach been affected?"
The chief eunuch quickly replied, "Your Majesty, it seems there was no impact. This old servant took a look, and the jade melons were emerald green, and the golden fruits were dazzlingly beautiful. This old servant almost drooled."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor thought of the Jade Melon, which was both thirst-quenching and refreshing, and suddenly felt a surge of appetite. He ordered, "Then bring her in. It's too sunny outside. Princess Kangle is my cousin's precious daughter. If she gets sunburned, my cousin will probably hold me accountable when he comes back."
"Oh dear, this old servant will go right away. I'm afraid my old body can't withstand two kicks from the Marquis!" The chief eunuch joked, which made the Emperor laugh, and then he hurriedly went out to fetch someone.
Soon, Jiayin, Li Lao Er, and the village chief, who were waiting outside, were led into the Imperial Study.
Li Lao Er and the village chief each carried a wooden bucket, while Jia Yin's two little hands were empty.
She rushed towards the Emperor with a big smile as she entered, calling out in her clear voice, "Uncle Emperor, Uncle Emperor, Fu Niu'er has brought you melons! They're big and sweet, and you don't have to pay if you don't like them!"
"Hahaha!" The Emperor bent down to take the chubby girl, picked her up and sat her down, saying, "Fu Niu'er is used to selling melons, she's so skilled at it!"
Jiayin blushed slightly, stuck out her tongue, and quickly replied, "No, Grandma and Grandpa the village chief said that the first melon has to be given to Uncle Huang before it can be sold for silver."
"Fu Niu'er is just practicing; she hasn't had a chance to help sell melons yet!"
The Emperor laughed even harder upon hearing this. Putting everything else aside, there was never any doubt about the loyalty of the people from Suijintan.
Even if you plant melons in the field, remember to let him have the first bite.
Li Lao Er and the village chief knelt down and kowtowed, shouting in unison, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"Get up quickly!" The Emperor raised his hand and, seeing that Jiayin was about to get down and kowtow, pressed the chubby girl down. "It's hot, so don't make a fuss. Look at all the sweat on your forehead, let your uncle wipe it off for you!"
Jiayin grinned, her chubby face beaming, and actually let the Emperor wipe her sweat. She chattered away, "Uncle Emperor, yesterday Fu Niu went to pick melons for you, and one of them suddenly burst open! It was such a pity, so Fu Niu tasted a few bites for you. Oh, it was so delicious, so sweet!"
"Uncle, you must eat more. It will quench your thirst and cool you down so you can better review the memorials! Fu Niu'er also wanted to send some to her godfather, but he lives too far away. Fu Niu'er doesn't even know where he is!"
The Emperor listened with a smile from beginning to end. He not only wiped the little girl's sweat, but also gave her some mung bean paste pastries from the table. "Good, good, your uncle will eat in a little while. You can try the pastries from the palace first. Do you think they're as good as the ones from your shop?"
Jiayin took a big bite of half of it and savored it carefully for a while. The mung bean cake was soft and sweet, completely different from the ones she had eaten before.
These kinds of snacks are perfect for summer.
She suddenly looked dejected and said, "Uncle, the best pastries in the world are really in the palace. When will the chef who makes pastries leave the palace and come to my pastry shop? I'll pay him double the wages, okay?"
The Emperor couldn't help but laugh again, tapping the chubby girl's nose, "Your godfather always said you were smart, but I didn't believe it. Now I know! With just one word from you, you're about to steal the best pastry chef from the palace!"
Jiayin was completely oblivious to the embarrassment of her little scheme being discovered. Instead, she pouted and complained, "Uncle is so stingy. If you can't give me a cook, you could at least give me a recipe for desserts! Poor Fu Niu'er is already tanned from the sun and still has to come in a carriage to deliver melons to Uncle."
"Fu Niu'er can't even get a pastry recipe, boohoo, Fu Niu'er is so sad, when she's sad she misses her godfather so much, so much..."
"Alright, alright!" The emperor was both amused and exasperated, and quickly surrendered.
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