Everyone held their breath and watched Sanyazi's movements silently.
With just a slash of the machete, the round watermelon was split into two halves, revealing the ruby-red flesh inside.
Everyone gasped. Li Feng had just said that the fruit dug out from Shihe Village was white inside, so how come it turned red now?!
They all looked at Shen Ningsi's expression silently, but found that Shen Ningsi had no intention of explaining.
Sanyazi moved quickly, dividing the fruit into several large pieces according to the number of people in the room, and then handed them to everyone one by one.
Shen Ningsi and Gu Hong also got a piece each. Shen Ningsi, holding the red fruit, looked even whiter. She smiled sweetly and said, "Everyone, don't just stand there. Try it~"
After she finished speaking, she took the first bite. It had been a long time since she had eaten fruit, and the sweet taste that burst out from the tip of her tongue made her feel a little unfamiliar.
Ana Shen savored it carefully and stopped observing other people's expressions.
Even Shen Ningsi didn't have the energy to pay attention to other people, let alone these officials. They had eaten candy before and came from the distant Western Regions, who often offered them some candy.
Apart from this, they can't taste anything sweet except sugar.
But now, everyone's mouth was filled with something juicy and sweet.
They were even reluctant to swallow it directly. After all, there was only one of this thing, and each of them only got a piece. Once they finished eating it, it would be gone!
Shen Ningsi only enjoyed it for a while and then quickly finished the piece of fruit in his hand.
She shook her head with some regret, "Sure enough, the climate is not suitable. Even if I try my best, I still can't achieve my expectations."
After she said this, she raised her head and looked at these people. She saw that everyone who had been silently watching him just now was now lowering their heads and taking small bites of watermelon.
Shen Ningsi did not urge him until the last person put down the fruit that was only left with the white peel. Then he said: "Master Li, it seems that even though Wanning Village has a hot climate, it is still not suitable for growing watermelons. The place that can grow the sweetest watermelons must be Shihe Village."
"Isn't this sweet?!" Li Feng was extremely surprised. "Madam Gu, this is sweeter than the white sugar I eat in the capital!"
Now Li Feng trusts Shen Ningsi very much. You know, this fruit, whose name is changed to watermelon, has existed in Shihe Village for several years.
But they have never eaten sweet watermelon, the ones they have eaten are extremely sour!
"Madam Gu, please tell me what we should do to grow this kind of thing. As long as you tell me, I will urge all the villagers to do it according to your instructions!"
"This matter is actually not simple to explain. I'm afraid I have to go there in person."
Li Feng was even happier after hearing this. Of course, this matter needs the most professional people to do it, right?
He just wanted Shen Ningsi to go to Shihe Village
However, along the way, they have all seen how much Gu Hong cares about Shen Ningsi.
Shen Ningsi was not feeling well again, and he really didn't have the courage to ask this God of Death to let Shen Ningsi, who was in poor health, go there in person.
"Don't worry, you don't need to do anything else. Just plant it according to the normal planting method."
Shen Ning thought... "I didn't do anything. I just prolonged the time the watermelons stayed in the soil. The reason you ate extremely sour fruits in the past was simply because you picked the watermelons in advance."
"Of course, unripe fruit won't taste good."
Li Feng couldn't help but sigh when he heard this, "We actually missed out on such a good thing because of our impatience!"
Logically speaking, it is wrong for court officials to show their emotions on their faces, but now no one will blame Li Feng.
If it were them, knowing that they had missed such a good thing in the past just because the fruit was not ripe, they would be even crazier than Li Feng.
"This fruit has been in Shihe Village for several years. People used to just throw it away when they saw it, because it would only hinder the growth of the wheat seedlings in the fields. Then, when drought struck everywhere, people discovered that this fruit contained water, and everyone started scrambling to get it! How could anyone wait for it to ripen?"
Li Feng didn't regret it for long, and immediately became excited. "I was a little bit unconvinced at first, but I knew that the villagers could have enough food to eat with just this fruit. I knew there would be a market for this watermelon. I'm afraid those wealthy families in the capital will do everything they can to transport these watermelons over!"
"Lord Li, this is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Watermelons must not be supplied. The imperial court can only supply them to the common people."
Shen Ningsi's eyes were firm, and even with a faint smile on his face, he still made people feel majestic.
Li Feng's smile was stiff. He looked at Shen Ningsi for a long time and realized that the woman was not joking, but had made up her mind.
Gu Hong, who was standing behind Shen Ningsi, didn't say anything, as if he tacitly agreed with Shen Ningsi's decision. He thought for a long time before saying, "Madam, this matter is not up to me to decide."
"Under heaven, all land belongs to the king, and all the people are his subjects. It is only natural that all good things in the world should be seen by His Majesty first, and all good things should be provided to the court first."
Shen Ningsi just smiled, "Then Lord Li, have you ever heard that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it?"
Hearing Shen Ningsi say such outrageous words, everyone's faces tensed up, but Shen Ningsi seemed to be blind to the vigilance on their faces.
"The world has suffered from drought for a long time. Every citizen is in danger. Countless people have starved to death at home, yet the court has not taken any action. Do you think the people have no complaints?"
"The reason the world hasn't been in chaos is simply because a leader hasn't emerged to lead the people. The people don't care who sits on the throne. The only thing they, and even I, want is to fill our stomachs."
"I have carefully examined the requirements for the offerings. Rarity is value. The items provided to the harem must be rare treasures. According to the law, an acre of land must not produce more than ten watermelons to prove that they are rare treasures."
Shen Ningsi sneered, she really despised this kind of rule.
Although they could have grown more fruits, they chose to reduce the output for the sake of the emperor and his concubines' face.
Is the face of these dignitaries really that important? Can it make them ignore the wailing of the people?
"If Lord Li really follows the law and supplies this to the imperial court, what will happen to the people in your village?"
Shen Ningsi looked at Li Feng seriously, "Their land is all used to grow watermelons. Don't they have anything to eat? Are they relying on the disaster relief food distributed by Chaotian to survive?"
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