They were just ordinary people, and their kowtowing and expressions of gratitude were all rather haphazard, but they were absolutely sincere.
Jiayin, nestled in Grandma Li's arms, jumped up and down with joy!
These two names are the best protection. Even if outsiders are envious and want to steal them, they won't dare to do it openly.
Clearly, Mr. Liu and Mr. Wen understand this principle even better and intend to make full use of it.
So, after returning to the Li family home and sitting down, the two discussed with the villagers and set the price of the cold melon at three taels of silver each, and the fragrant melon at five hundred coins each.
The price isn't particularly high, but it's definitely not low either.
The villagers trembled with excitement at the thought of the vast fields of melon vines along the riverbank.
How much silver would this cost?
One cold melon is worth a month's wages for them!
The village chief banged his pipe heavily and called out to everyone.
"Wake up, all of you, and don't let your wealth cloud your judgment. We are where we are today because firstly, we were lucky enough to get such a wonderful place as Broken Gold Beach; secondly, the Marquis sent people to find such precious melon vines; and thirdly, Master Liu and Mr. Wen helped us deliver them to the Emperor, where they were bestowed a name."
"Otherwise, once word gets out, the melon patch will be trampled to the ground, and none of us will survive. So, all of you, keep your guard up and don't let me hear anyone spouting nonsense!"
"Understood, don't worry, uncle," the villagers quickly replied.
The village chief nodded and said, "We need to hunt the geese back first, then we'll figure out whether to roast or stew them, and give each person a few pieces. For now, everyone stay calm. If you scare the geese away, you'll all have nowhere to cry."
He turned to Li Laosi and asked, "Laosi, are you going to visit Young Master Ye these next few days?"
"Yes, Uncle, we made some food at home and were thinking of sending it to Young Master Ye," Li Laosi replied.
The village chief instructed, "Before you leave, go to the fields and pick some winter melons and cantaloupes. It doesn't matter if others don't eat them, but Young Master Ye must try some! We are where we are today because of Young Master Ye!"
Grandma Li, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan to swat away mosquitoes for her granddaughter, said, "This matter has dragged on for almost half a month. Why don't we pick the melons tomorrow night and leave first thing the day after tomorrow?"
Madam Cui sat down beside her and said, "I've been in the village these past few days, so why don't we have the fourth son drive my family's carriage? It'll be faster on the road."
"Alright, I won't stand on ceremony with you. Once we sell the winter melons and get the money, we'll get a carriage for our family too." Old Mrs. Li was also happy; everyone likes money.
Putting everything else aside, at least we won't have to worry about supporting our eldest grandson's education anymore, and we can get whatever we need.
The villagers were all smiles, figuring out how to spend their share of the silver, and the more they thought about it, the happier they became.
There is never a shortage of well-informed people in this world. On that day, the emperor received two kinds of good fruits and bestowed them upon several important officials and imperial relatives.
The next day, the whole of Xindu knew about it.
Some people say that the Jade Melon and the Golden Fruit are the best in the world, while others are skeptical.
But when asked about the families who received the reward, they all praised it highly, saying, "It's a wonderful product for cooling off in the summer, much better than what was sent by the foreign vassals."
Everyone is naturally curious, so they rack their brains to find out more.
Soon, because it was Old Master Liu who led the people to offer melons and fruits as tribute, someone found out about Liu Zhiheng's place.
Liu Zhiheng was equally unceremonious, charging five taels of silver for a jade melon and one tael of silver for a golden fruit. Those who wanted to buy had to pre-order, and the quantity was limited, with each person not allowed to buy too many.
Scarcity drives up prices, and the jade melons and golden fruits were quickly snapped up and sought after.
Some clever people found Broken Gold Beach and wanted to buy some from the village.
But the villagers made it clear that the jade melons and golden fruits were all handed over to Liu Zhiheng for sale, and the village only supplied the hot spring valley with them.
Guests who come to soak in the hot springs can pick and eat the fresh produce on the spot, ensuring freshness.
Meanwhile, the hot spring valley was already buzzing with excitement.
The guests were all eager to taste the fruits that the Emperor himself had praised, so the waiters were kept extremely busy.
A cantaloupe is divided into five pieces, each worth one hundred coins; a jade melon is divided into thirty pieces, also worth one hundred coins per piece.
In this way, whether it's individual travelers or VIPs who have booked a cabin, everyone can enjoy something new.
If you want to take it with you, that's not impossible, but there's a purchase limit!
You can take away two jade melons and four golden fruits from a small courtyard.
The number of guests in the cabins has been halved, and individual travelers can only eat in the valley and cannot take food away.
Some people complained about the stinginess and wanted to buy more, but they shut up after hearing the prices in the city.
Some people go to great lengths to reserve a courtyard in the hot spring valley, then take back jade melons and cantaloupes to sell at a high price or give as gifts.
Meanwhile, the villagers of Dahuaishu Village, Xiaowang Village, and Dawang Village, young and old, were all talking about it when they heard that such a good thing had come out of Suijintan.
Most people were envious, and a few were jealous, but because Broken Gold Beach was the Marquis's property, and the new fruits had been named by the Emperor, everyone only dared to say a few words and dared not make any rash moves.
Until the two village heads were invited to the melon fields of Suijintan to taste the fresh melons and brought back the latest news.
"Don't be jealous. The cold melons and fragrant melons grown in Suijintan are said to be expensive outside, but that's just because the merchants are raising the prices. Suijintan doesn't make much money at all; it's just a hard-earned profit."
Sure enough, the villagers felt much better after hearing this.
It's not scarcity that's the problem, it's inequality. We're all just peasants toiling in the soil, so why do some people grow gold while we barely have enough to eat?
But some people said, "They must not understand the market and suffered losses. They can still make a fortune by selling at high prices next year."
The village head waved his hand and said with a smile, "Suijintan is very generous. They said they will teach everyone how to plant winter melon and cantaloupe next year. They have saved seeds for everyone. There aren't many, but it's enough for our village to plant a few acres."
"Really? Haha, we're going to get rich too!" The villagers were finally overjoyed, and everyone changed their tune without exception.
"The guys from Broken Gold Beach are really nice; they're not stingy!"
"Yes, it's such a good thing, and they don't keep it to themselves."
Some smart people are more clear-headed, saying, "We might not make money next year; there will definitely be more people planting it."
“That should be more profitable than growing crops,” someone else countered.
For a time, the area around Kyoto was bustling with activity because of the melon field at Suijin Beach.
The area around Suijintan was on high alert, with most of the people working in the melon fields.
Fortunately, this is the off-season for farming, and there isn't much work to be done in the fields.
Leaving aside the commotion at Suijintan, let's just say that Li Laosi drove his horse-drawn carriage, taking Jiayi, Liu Yang, and Yeshan with him, heading towards the dock.
Logically, Jiayi and Liu Yang should have stayed home to help, but the boys were still playful and needed to broaden their horizons, so the family agreed to let them go with them.
The emperor moved the capital to Jiangnan. Although it was a hasty move, a year has passed and things have improved a lot.
The road from the riverside dock to Kyoto was in very good condition, and the carriage ride was not bumpy.
However, because the meat, meat sauce, winter melon, and cantaloupe prepared by the Li family were all fragile, the group did not dare to walk too fast along the way.
They even found a deserted mountain foot and rested for most of the night before arriving at the border garrison camp at the dock when the sun was high in the sky.
Ye Shan, carrying the Marquis's token, went with Li Laosi to deal with the soldiers guarding the camp gate.
The soldiers guarding the camp gate were particularly strict; they didn't accept the copper coins Li Laosi tried to give them and went in to report.
After waiting for a long time, a deputy general finally came out.
Li Laosi thought the face looked familiar. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that the man was a captain who had taken good care of them when they first arrived at the dock. Now he had been promoted and was even working by the Marquis's side.
The lieutenant clearly recognized Li Laosi, and had even met Ye Shan before. He quickly stepped forward to bow and said with a smile, "Your Excellency was just talking about home yesterday, and today you have such an honored guest!"
Li Laosi was also happy. Just as he was about to return the greeting and speak, a fast horse suddenly came from behind, and the soldiers jumped down and shouted loudly.
"The Marquis has ordered five hundred reinforcements to be dispatched immediately!"
My darlings, an update! The third chapter! Poor me, unable to take a holiday on Labor Day! Please give me five stars and urge me to update! Back to writing!
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