Chapter 171: Rising Fame
he courtyard was quiet, and Li Jiayin was stunned.This dream feels so real!But the former neighbors have vanished, the path in front of the yard has disappeared, and the distant hills are gone, replac...Even common folk, when bowing and thanking, might be clumsy and disorganized, but their hearts are always sincere.
The good news made Li Laotai's heart soar with joy!
These two names are the best talismans. Even if outsiders are envious and want to seize them, they wouldn't dare come openly.
It is evident that Mr. Liu and Mr. Wen understand this principle better and intend to make full use of it.
So, after returning to Li's home and taking their seats, the two of them discussed with villagers how to price the bitter melons and fragrant melons. They decided on a price of three taels of silver for each bitter melon and five hundred wen for each fragrant melon.
The price is not particularly high, but it's definitely not low either.
The villagers, thinking of the vast fields of gourd seedlings on the riverbank, were so excited their hands trembled.
How much silver will this cost
One watermelon is worth a month's wages for them!
The village head hammered his pipe heavily, shouting to the crowd.
“Snap out of it! Don’t be blinded by the silver. We are successful today because of three things: first, we were lucky enough to find this good place, Fragrant Gold Beach; second, the Marquis sent people to retrieve these precious melon seedlings; and third, thanks to Master Liu and Mr. Wen who helped deliver them to the Emperor, earning us a royal name.”
"Otherwise, word will get out and the melon field will be trampled flat in an instant. None of us will survive. So, all of you, keep your thoughts to yourselves and don't let me hear anyone talking nonsense!"
"Understood, Uncle, don't worry, we get it." The villagers quickly replied.
The village head nodded and added, "First, we need to get the geese back. Then we can decide whether to roast them or stew them, and how many pieces each person gets. Now, all of you calm down. If we scare the geese away, you won't have anywhere to cry."
He turned to Li Lao Si and asked, "Lao Si, are you going to visit Young Master Ye these days"
"Yes, sir, our family cooked a little bit of food and wanted to send it to Young Master Ye," Li Laosi replied.
The village head instructed, “Before you leave, go to the fields and pick some winter melons and fragrant melons. It doesn’t matter if others don’t eat them, but Master Ye must try them! We owe our good fortune today to Master Ye!”
Li Laotai was waving a fan, chasing mosquitoes away from her granddaughter, and said, "This matter has dragged on for almost half a month now. Why don't we pick the melons tonight and leave early tomorrow morning"
Mrs. Cui, sitting beside her, said, "I've been in the village these past few days. It would be better if Lao Si drove my carriage, as it's faster on the road."
"Alright, I won't beat around the bush. Once we sell the watermelon and make some money, our family can get a carriage." Old Mrs. Li was also pleased, who wouldn't like silver
At the very least, I won't have to worry about my eldest grandson's education expenses in the future. We can afford anything he needs.
The villagers were all smiles, their minds busy calculating how to spend the silver they'd received. The more they calculated, the happier they became.
There has never been a shortage of well-informed people in this world. When the Emperor obtained two excellent fruits, he bestowed them as gifts upon several high officials and members of the imperial family.
The next day, everyone in the new capital knew about it.
Some people believe that the Bihua gourd and golden fruit are found only in heaven, not on earth. Others hold a skeptical view.
But when asked those who had received the rewards, none of them were anything but effusive in their praise: “A truly excellent gift to beat the summer heat, far superior to anything sent by foreign vassal states.”
Everyone can't help but be curious, and the more so they rack their brains to find out.
Soon, because it was Old Master Liu who led the commoners to present fruits and vegetables, some people found out about Liu Zhiheng here.
Liu Zhiheng was also not polite. The jade gourds cost five taels of silver each, and the gold fruits cost one tael of silver each. Those who wanted to buy them had to place orders in advance, and the quantity was limited. Each person couldn't buy too many.
Rarities are precious. For a time, jade gourds and golden fruits were quickly snapped up and sought after.
Some clever people also found the site of the broken gold beach and wanted to buy some from the villagers.
But the villagers made it clear that both the B jade melons and the golden fruits were sold to Liu Zhiheng. The village only supplied the Hot Spring Valley with extra produce.
Guests coming to soak in the hot springs can also pick and eat fresh vegetables, guaranteed freshness.
And over in the Hot Springs Valley, things had already boiled over.
Guests all wanted to try the fruits that the emperor had personally praised, so the young attendants were busy as bees.
A watermelon is divided into five portions, and each portion costs one hundred wen. A green jade melon is divided into thirty pieces, also costing one hundred wen per piece.
This way, whether it's casual visitors or distinguished guests who have booked a wooden cabin, everyone can enjoy the freshness.
If you want to take it away, it's not impossible, but it's limited!
One small courtyard can take away two jade gourds and four golden fruits.
The number of guests at the cabin has been halved, and hikers can only eat in the valley and cannot take food out.
Someone complained about being stingy and wanting to buy more, but after hearing the prices in town, they shut their mouth.
Some people went to great lengths to procure vegetables from the courtyard of the Hot Springs Valley, then brought back jade gourds and fragrant melons to resell at high prices or as gifts.
And nearby at Dahuai Tree Village and Xiaowang Village and Dawang Village, men, women, and children alike, having heard that such good things had come out of Suijin Beach, buzzed with excited discussion.
Most people envied, a small portion were jealous and envious, but because the Fragrant Gold Beach was the Houye's property, and the new fruits were bestowed by the Emperor, everyone could only say a few words and dared not act rashly.
Until then, the two men received an invitation to visit the watermelon patch in Sui Jin Tan. They tasted some fresh fruit and brought back the latest news.
Don't be envious either, the bitter melons and sweet melons grown in Suijin Beach are just hyped up by vendors. The high prices you hear about are inflated, and Suijin Beach doesn't actually make much profit, it's just a hard-earned living.
Indeed, the villagers felt much more at ease after hearing this.
It's not about having little, it's about having an uneven distribution. We are all just commoners who till the soil for a living. Why is it that some people can grow gold nuggets while others can barely feed themselves
But some people also said, "They must not understand the market and have suffered losses. Next year, they will continue to sell at a high price and still be able to make a fortune."
"Inside, however, waved his hand and said with a smile, 'Broken Gold Beach is very generous. Next year, I will teach everyone to plant both winter melons and fragrant melons together. The seeds are all reserved for everyone, not much, but our village has enough to plant several acres.'"
"Really Haha, we're going to be rich too!" The villagers were now completely overjoyed, and everyone changed their tune without exception.
"These people from Suijin Beach are really good, not picky at all!"
"Indeed, such a good thing, not even being kept private."
There are also some smarter people who are more sober, "Maybe we won't make money next year, there will definitely be more people planting."
"That should also be more profitable than farming," someone else countered.
For a time, both within and outside of Kyoto, the area around the Suikinkaku garden became a hotbed of activity due to this incident.
On both the upper and lower reaches of Suijin Beach, everyone was on high alert, with most of the manpower deployed in the melon field.
Thankfully, this was a slack season for farmers, with not much work in the fields.
Without talking about the commotion on Suijin Beach, let's just say that Li Lao Si rode in a carriage with his family member Yi and Liu Yang, along with Ye Shan, racing to the dock.
Logically, Jia Yi and Liu Yang should stay at home to help out, but half-sized children have heavy hearts and it is precisely the time when they need to broaden their horizons. Therefore, everyone at home agreed that they should go on this trip with them.
The emperor moved the capital to the south, although it was hasty, but now that a year has passed, things have gotten much better.
The road from the riverside pier to Kyoto was well-constructed, making for a relatively smooth ride in a carriage.
But because the Li family's prepared meat dishes, minced pork, and winter melon and fragrant melon were all fragile items, everyone along the way dared not walk too fast.
At night, he even found a spot at the foot of an abandoned mountain and rested there for most of the night. Then, before high noon, he reached the military camp on the wharf.
Ye Shan, carrying the marquis's token, went with Li Laosi to interact with the soldiers guarding the camp.
The soldier guarding the gate was particularly strict. He didn't accept the copper coins Li Laosi tried to slip him and went inside to report it.
I waited for a long time before a deputy general came out.
Li Laosi looked at the noodles and thought carefully, it seemed to be a captain who had taken good care of them when they first arrived at the dock. Now he had been promoted and was serving the Marquis.
The general in command also recognized Li Laosi, and had even seen Ye Shan before. He immediately hurried forward to greet them, smiling and saying, "Yesterday the Marquis was still thinking about his home, and today we have distinguished guests!"
Li Laosi was also happy, just about to return the greeting when suddenly a fast horse galloped up. Immediately soldiers jumped off and shouted loudly.
"The Marquis has ordered, dispatch five hundred reinforcements immediately!"
Little treasures, it's updated, three more! Labor Day can't be off work, Huahua is so pitiful, please give a five-star and urge more! Continue to work hard on the code ~g to inherit the title later would be enough.To everyone's surprise, the emperor issued an imperial decree that the entire Jiangning Houfu had to send this precious little one to serve in the army!Not...