Chapter 260 Secret
Chen Afu thought that with such a large quantity and the underdeveloped transportation in ancient times, if he wanted to sell it at a good price, he must first explore the market.
Fortunately, there are these six acres of watermelons to fight the front. First, sell such good watermelons to wealthy places. Merchants there will come to buy them if they think they are good.
Especially Dingzhou is the transportation hub of the Dashun Dynasty. The Grand Canal beside the city ends at the capital in the north and Wucheng, an important town in the south of the Yangtze River, and is connected to the mother river of this time and space, Changfu River. These watermelons look a lot. As long as the market is found, the strong purchasing power along the Grand Canal alone is in short supply.
Old man Zeng has rented ox carts and donkey carts from two nearby villages, plus an ox cart borrowed by Tangyuan on a voluntary basis and an ox cart of his own, a total of eight carts, which can be pulled at one time. In addition to the 1,000 kilograms given to Chen Erliangpu, the rest are sent to Dingzhou Fuyunlai Merchants, and then the merchants go along the canal to sell them to distant places. The watermelons are not on the market yet, and the melons from his own family are big and sweet, so the price must be good. As for how much it should be sold for, Zeng Shuang, who has done market research, should know.
Also, pick 40 watermelons first for home consumption and giving away. Fuyuan, Luyuan, and Tangyuan each want a few, the old monk, the abbot Liaochen, the first house, the Yang family in the county town each send two, the good people in the village each send one, and Chen Shiying's family and the Marquis' Mansion in the capital each send five.
The next day was the 20th, and Dabao and his family had a day off. Except for Chu Hanyan who didn't like the crowds and went to Fuyuan, the old marquis, Chu Lingxuan took Chu Lingzhi and Dabao to the watermelon field next to Fuyuan to watch the fun, and even Mr. Liao came. Some families in the village and the tenants of Tangyuan, as well as the children of the farm households and the servants of Tangyuan, also came to watch the fun.
The old Marquis Chu smiled and was very happy. Seeing these beautiful big watermelons, he thought of the crops such as rice, wheat, and corn that he would plant in the future. These were all seeds provided by Master Wuzhi. If they were also like these watermelons, with high yields and good taste, it would be a blessing for the people of Dashun Dynasty.
He didn't approve of his granddaughter-in-law's enthusiasm for opening a business and farming. His family was not short of money, and letting his granddaughter-in-law do these things would easily make people laugh. But now it seems that this is not a matter of money, but a big issue related to the people's food, and it is to relieve the emperor's worries. He will strongly support this.
Ah Fu, the name is really good, he is really a blessed person. This granddaughter-in-law is a good choice!
The old man did not treat himself as an outsider, and asked someone to pick two melons and cut them into small pieces to entertain these onlookers.
Dabao looked at Chu Lingxuan standing under a tree in the distance. He couldn't get along with these old farmers, and just stood there stupidly. Unlike the old marquis and Mr. Liao, they could integrate into the villagers and talk to them about the weather and the harvest.
Dabao came to Chu Lingxuan with a piece of watermelon, handed it to him with both hands and said, "Daddy, eat watermelon, it's very sweet."
Chu Lingxuan was stunned for a moment, happily took the watermelon and took a bite, and said, "Yeah, it's very sweet."
Dabao did not leave, but stood beside him and said, "These watermelons will definitely sell for a good price, and my family will make a lot of money. Mother also said that I also helped when she soaked the watermelon seeds, and she would give me ten taels of silver as wages. This money is the first pot of gold I earned myself, and I want to buy a gift for my mother, grandma, grandpa, and dad as a filial piety. What gift does Dad like?"
Chu Lingxuan didn't know why Dabao suddenly showed kindness to him, and didn't know why he called ten taels of silver a bucket of gold, but such a sensible and grateful child made Chu Lingxuan's heart unusually soft. Seeing him looking at him with his clear and bright eyes, these eyes were cunning, flattering, cautious, innocent, and clear.
Chu Lingxuan thought that if he grew up in that big yard, he would never have the latter two looks. Although he suffered a lot in the countryside and lived cautiously before, the kind-hearted Chen family still let him grow up happily.
Thinking of the incredible news that his grandfather brought, Chu Lingxuan was really surprised and happy. Before, he was afraid that Chen Afu was of low birth and his family would not agree. He thought of many ways to deal with the elders' disapproval, and even thought that it would be unlikely to get married in the next few years. However, he didn't expect his grandfather to agree so readily. Later, he learned that when his grandfather went to explain the matter to that person, he learned an incredible secret. This matter, except for the emperor and that person, deceived everyone...
This is really God's help for him. He will marry his beloved woman home as he wishes next year. Although the responsibility on his shoulders is heavier, he is willing to bear it. For loyalty to the emperor and for Afu.
Seeing that Chu Lingxuan did not answer his question, Dabao's eyes darkened, and he twisted his fingers nervously and said, "Dad, don't you like my gift to you? Although it is not worth much, it is my filial piety to you."
Chen Dabao's words interrupted Chu Lingxuan's thoughts, and Chu Lingxuan quickly smiled and said, "Thank you, Dabao, you know how to honor me after earning money, and Dad is very pleased. If you want to give Dad a gift, give..." He pretended to think for a while and said, "Just give a pen. When I write, I can think of Dabao."
Dabao nodded happily and said, "Okay, I will go to the county town to buy better pens."
At the end of May, the watermelons in Wangshan Village began to be picked again. Although the taste of these watermelons is slightly inferior, they are still sweeter and bigger than the watermelons grown by contemporary farmers.
In early June, after the watermelons on the six acres of land were harvested, Chen Afu asked people to tidy up the land and prepare to plant autumn corn.
This time, the watermelons from the six mu of land were sold at the highest price because they were on the market early, big and sweet, and earned a total of 420 taels of silver. After deducting more than 80 taels of silver for transportation costs, mainly shipping costs, there were more than 300 taels of silver left.
The watermelons from Wangshan Village will be sold cheaper, but because of the large volume, the money will be much more, probably nearly 2,000 taels of silver. However, it will not sell so well next year. Other farmers use this kind of watermelon to grow melons. If there are more varieties of the same kind, the price will not go up.
Chen Dabao also got the 10 taels of silver wages given to him by his mother as he wished.
On June 10th, he was going to the county town to buy gifts to honor his elders.
In addition to Chu Lingxuan, he also asked for the opinions of several other people. He planned to buy a pine wood carved comb for Chen Afu and Wang Shi each, and a set of tea bowls for Chen Ming. Later, he thought that Lord Chu, Mr. Liao, and Old Lady Chen were also elders, so he should buy them gifts, so he decided to buy a pen for each of the first two and a comb for Old Lady Chen.
Chen Afu didn't have time to accompany him, so he asked Xue Dagui to accompany him. Tangyuan sent two more guards to deliver five more melons to the Yang family. It would be even better if the two little brothers and sisters of the Yang family could be brought over.
At the beginning of noon, a few unexpected guests came to Fuyuan. It was Chen Shiying, and he also brought Chen Yulan, Chen Yuqing, and Chen Yuxia.