walked slowly back to the village with the village chief.On the road, I asked about village trivia. The village head talked endlessly; he had a whole belly full of things to say!Recently, almost all...Mrs. Liu was curious and smiled, "What's the matter Tell me."

"It's not a big deal. My family arranged a marriage for my younger brother. The other party is from a very low-key scholarly family." 。But I haven't been to any gatherings with young girls for several years since my marriage, so I've never met that girl. 。My mother is not in good health and rarely goes out, so this is a bit of a dilemma. 。After all, bringing someone new into the family is a big deal. It's important to find out about their character and personality before making a decision. 。"

"Oh, this is easy " 。"Mrs. Liu agreed readily, "Tell me your daughter's family background and name. I know many ladies whose daughters are all over ten years old; there must be a few I know." 。"When the exact news comes to light, I'll have someone tell you. You can also come visit me at my place with your child. Don't stay cooped up at home every day." 。" Last time I went back, why didn't sister-in-law mention it I could also help inquire about it. " 。However, the other party is from a scholarly family, it's really more appropriate for Liu's sister-in-law to make noodles. 。"

Wǎn'ěr quickly nodded and detailed that girl’s family background and birth order.

After some more idle chatter, Madam Liu and Second Mistress Jia prepared to take their leave. 。Wan'er invited them to stay for a meal, but they refused. Wan'er could only have someone prepare baskets and send each of them a jade gourd. 。A jade gourd the size of a pottery basin, emerald green throughout, faintly exuding a sweet fragrance, it's pleasing to look at no matter how you view it. 。Mrs. Liu exclaimed in surprise, "Have the melon fields at Suijintan already bloomed"Wan'er smiled and nodded, "Yes, Aunt." 。This was brought by the village head this morning, both my father and Mr. Wen know about it. We're preparing to present a tribute gourd to the palace tomorrow, then we'll open our garden for business and sell to the public. 。" Madam Jia Er reached out and patted the jade gourd, delighted. She smiled softly, "Wouldn't that mean we got to eat this year's jade gourd before even the Emperor" 。" Mrs. Liu also smiled, “I will definitely tell my grandfather when I get back. He's like a child now. I think he'll be delighted for several days because of this.” 。"My old mistress is the same," Jia Erfu said, even more pleased. "She's been complaining lately about a bitter taste in her mouth, probably because of the heat and fire in her body. If she eats a few pieces of emerald melon, I'm sure it will cure her instantly." 。“ She had someone cover the basket with a thick piece of cloth, then sent them off in their carriage. 。Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Jia Er arrived with great excitement and departed happily. 。After returning home, naturally, they all coaxed the old man into a smile. 。On the second day, Li Laoer and Mr. Wen brought along the village head and Liu Daibiao, with a truck full of emerald gourds and golden fruits, making a grand procession through the market before arriving at the palace. 。Both inside and outside Xindu were long accustomed to the Li family's unconventional way of making announcements. 。Then, the melon fields of Suijin Tan opened. The news spread almost instantly. 。The children at home were jumping up and down, clamoring to eat watermelon. If anyone in the house even hesitated for a moment, the kids would roll around on the floor as if they were angry. 。The old men and women dote on their grandchildren. Even in this sweltering heat, they long for a juicy watermelon to quench their thirst. 。Therefore, if the pillars of each family can't grab back a few jade gourds, then they are disrespectful to the elderly and children alike. 。They had no choice but to take their servants under the scorching sun and hurried along the path to Broken Gold Beach, sweating profusely all the way. 。But even if it was scorching hot, they didn't dare to stop for a moment, fearing that if they were late, they wouldn't even be able to buy a single cucumber seedling. 。If it were in previous years, if one couldn't buy good watermelon with gold shavings, they could always find them elsewhere. 。Although the quality is not as good as that of Suijin Beach, it's not as sweet or juicy, but it can still satisfy your craving. 。This year, however, the weather has not been kind. Since spring, there has been a drought, and the melon vines in other places have withered away. Occasionally, some jade-green melons are produced, but they are small and pitiful. 。There was only the Shatang of Broken Gold, with a few hundred people from four villages, and they even hired a few hundred more. Adding up to over a thousand laborers, they painstakingly dug a canal from the river fork, diverting river water to near Shatang of Broken Gold. Then, bucket by bucket, they carried it to the fields, irrigating each gourd seedling. 。Back then, the bustling scene even attracted many people from the city to come and watch the excitement. 。It can be said that the jadeite gourds of Suijintan are now truly rare treasures. 。Everyone was prepared for a doubling of the price! But when they arrived at the melon garden, they heard that the price had only increased by thirty percent. If they traded with food, they could buy priority and even get a two-percent increase. 。The part that sticks out, is the hard-earned money of the villagers and laborers. 。Of course, the food also had to be distributed to the villagers and hired workers. 。On average, a jade gourd fetched six to seven taels of silver. 。 To be able to afford this, they must definitely be wealthy. 。Even wealthy households store grain, so even if there is no harvest this year, it doesn't matter. 。Then, the jade gourds from Suijin Beach were quickly picked and sent onto carriages. 。A large quantity of food also arrived at Suijin Tan successively and was distributed again by Suijin Tan. 。The most important thing for the people is food. 。Farmers depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, but they are also the group most susceptible to famine. 。Especially this year with such a disastrous harvest, no one is more panicked than the farmers. 。Anyone with a shred of intelligence would choose food over money. 。At critical moments, food can save lives, but money is useless... In the palace, the emperor saw baskets of jade-colored gourds and golden fruits, and he was also happy 。He ordered Steward Yi to cut open a jade-green melon directly. He then held a large chunk of it and ate with gusto. 。The village head looked much older than he had a few years ago. 。At this moment, seeing the emperor eating the sweet delicacies, the wrinkles on his face piled up together, making him appear even more simple and genuine. 。The emperor chatted cordially with him, inquiring about the drought situation and the well-being of the villagers, including the mountain fruits and business in the hot springs valley. 。The village head wasn't hiding anything, he spoke about whatever difficulties he had. 。"Your Majesty, this year's drought is indeed severe. The fruit on the mountain is afraid that it won't even have half of last year's yield." 。The spring water in Hot Spring Valley has also decreased a lot. The streams that were as thick as buckets last year are now like a child's urine... "Cough cough!" Chief Steward Yi suddenly coughed, reminding the village head that this kind of talk is inappropriate. 。The village head was a little dumbfounded. Once he understood, he felt awkward and flustered. 。The Emperor put down the melon rind, took the damp cloth to wipe his hands, and then glared at Yi the Head Steward with a smile, scolding him, "You old servant, don't meddle in this. Let the village head say whatever he wants." 。"As an emperor, I've grown weary of the empty flattery and pretentious jargon from my ministers for far too long." 。Just like the village head, it's best to speak whatever comes to mind. 。" Master Yi, with a sly grin, flattered, " Your Majesty is right, I overstepped my bounds. " 。"Hmph, you won't get any of the Jade Cucumber this year. I hope it dies of hunger—that will be your punishment." 。“The Emperor is joking” 。Yet, Yi Zongguan surprisingly didn't humble himself. Instead, he proudly raised his chin and replied, "Even if the Emperor doesn't bestow anything upon me, this old slave isn't afraid." 。"This old servant will go to Zhilan Palace in a while. The county princess and the princess will certainly pity this old servant and give him two jade gourds!" The emperor burst into laughter, pointed at Yi Tongguan and shook his head helplessly, "Look, this old servant has found a backer, knowing that those two girls definitely wouldn't be short of jade gourds, so he doesn't even look me in the eye!" Everyone started laughing. 。Liu Biao head was tall and strong, born with a brave and martial spirit, and his smile was also hearty. 。The Emperor noticed him, so he asked him a few more questions. 。 It was obvious he was at a disadvantage with fewer people, so he turned and ran away.The Vanguard Army, like a cat chasing mice, intercepted left and right, killing waves upon waves of them. In the e...