Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The next morning, Zhang Shanqi brought over the recorded numbers, along with twenty watermelons, all large melons weighing over ten kilograms each. Zhang Youtie looked at the numbers on the paper and asked, quite puzzled.

"Why so many?"

“Hehe, Third Brother, there are also some from other villages. When we asked each household last night, we found that many of our relatives had also planted it, so we went to ask them overnight and added them all together.”

"Alright, I'll go to the county town to ask around later. I'll let you know when I get back tonight if it works out."

"Thank you, Third Brother, thank you, Third Brother." Zhang Shanqi thanked Zhang Youtie repeatedly.

After everyone left, Xia Yu asked Zhang Youtie at the dinner table.

"Father, is this a lot more? Can the Shen family handle it?"

"It's alright, it's just an extra three thousand catties. The most important thing now is the price."

When the Zhang family sold more than two thousand watermelon seedlings, they had anticipated this situation. Therefore, they had already signed an agreement with the Shen family. However, the price had not yet been agreed upon by both parties and would depend on the watermelon harvest this year.

In the courtyard of the old house, Liu carried a melon she had just picked from the vine back to the main room.

"You old fool, didn't you say that one melon vine could bear more than a dozen watermelons? Why are there only three on our vine?"

"Three is fine, why are you so excited? Three is enough for us to eat." Old Master Zhang couldn't remember ever mentioning a dozen melons on a vine.

"You're just trying to annoy me," Liu said, then went out to call her son and daughter-in-law to come and eat some melon. They weren't planning to sell their land; they hadn't planted much this year and intended to keep it all for themselves.

At the Shen residence, Steward Qin warmly received Zhang Youtie.

"Brother Zhang, the watermelon arrangement was arranged by my master, so there shouldn't be any surprises. It's just that the price this year..."

"Oh, Manager Qin, that's the main reason I'm here today. There are more watermelon farms this year, and watermelons should be ripe in other areas too. The price naturally can't be the same as last year, but we'd like to discuss the specific price with you." He then pointed to several baskets on the ground and said to Manager Qin...

"These watermelons are grown in our village. We brought them here for everyone to try today."

Manager Qin glanced at the several baskets of watermelons on the ground and said...

"Your watermelons are quite big. We planted some on our farm this year too, but they weren't as big as yours." After saying that, as if he had thought of something, he suddenly called out to the outside.

Soon a servant entered and respectfully said...

"Manager Qin, what are your orders?"

"Take the watermelon and cut it in half," Manager Qin ordered.

After saying "Yes," the man took the watermelon and went outside.

Zhang Youtie sat to the side, watching Manager Qin carry out his duties without saying a word.

Soon, the waiter brought over a plate of watermelon.

"Brother Zhang, please." Manager Qin gestured for Zhang Youtie to enter.

"Thank you, thank you." After saying that, Zhang Youtie picked up a slice of watermelon and took a bite. However, he was looking down at the watermelon and did not see that Manager Qin's eyes lit up after taking just one bite.

After finishing the watermelon in his hand, Manager Qin wiped his hands and said to Zhang Youtiedao...

"Brother Zhang, regarding the price of watermelons, I still need to report to the master and madam before I can finalize it. I will send you the message no later than the day after tomorrow."

"Alright, thank you for your help, Manager Qin. I'll wait for your message."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Zhang Youtie got up to take his leave.

After he left, Steward Qin immediately had two watermelons cut up and taken to Madam Shen.

"Madam, if I may be so bold as to ask you to taste these two plates of watermelon and see if there's any difference," Steward Qin said respectfully, bowing to Madam Shen.

Madam Shen, who was checking the account books, looked up at the watermelon on the tray and said to the maids beside her.

"Come and have a taste, and help Manager Qin see what's different."

Upon hearing Madam Shen's words, the maids accompanying her happily thanked their mistress before taking the two plates of watermelon. They first presented two slices to Madam Shen, and then the others divided the rest among themselves.

Madam Shen's eyes never left the account book. She casually took a bite of watermelon without any reaction. Steward Qin, watching from below, clearly saw that his mistress ate watermelons grown on her own estate first.

"Oh, this watermelon I'm eating is so sweet!" one of Madam Shen's maids exclaimed first.

"I don't think it's that sweet," another person said.

“Yes, I also think it’s not that sweet,” another girl said.

Manager Qin didn't care about the others; he just waited for Madam Shen to eat the two slices of watermelon.

When she ate her second slice, Madam Shen finally looked up from the account book. She looked at the watermelon in her hand, and then at Steward Qin, who was standing below her, bowing low.

"This watermelon is quite sweet; it wasn't grown on our estate!" Madam Shen said with certainty.

“Reporting to Madam, these sweet watermelons are from Zhangjia Village. They are sweeter than those grown in our village. We signed a purchase agreement with the Zhang family before, and they sent these today so we could have a taste. However, although the agreement was signed, the price has not been agreed upon. I have come to ask Madam for your instructions.”

"How many watermelons did Zhangjiazhuang send? Are they all this sweet?"

"Twenty were delivered today, each weighing about ten kilograms. They're not as big as last year's, but they're still bigger than the melons in our village. I opened one while he was here, and this is the second one I've opened. There are eighteen more to go."

"Go to Zhangjiazhuang yourself and pick out some of those small watermelons that don't look very good."

"Yes, I'll go right away."

Having received his master's instructions, Steward Qin immediately sent his servant to prepare the carriage, as he needed to go to Zhangjia Village right away.

After Manager Qin left, Madam Shen tapped her long, slender, white fingers on the ledger, seemingly lost in thought.

After leaving the Shen residence, Zhang Youtie didn't linger in the city. He had Uncle Ma drive the mule cart directly back to the village. However, when he arrived home, several impatient people were already waiting outside the courtyard. Seeing Zhang Youtie's mule cart return, they gathered around from a distance.

"Third Brother, you're back? How did it go? Is the Shen family still willing to take you in?" someone asked anxiously.

No sooner had I asked the question than someone standing behind me slapped me on the head.

"Don't you have any sense? Let Third Brother rest for a while. Can't you see he's covered in sweat after coming back from outside?"

The person who asked the question first nodded hurriedly.

Upon hearing this, the person who had spoken earlier noticed the sweat on Zhang Youtie's forehead and immediately felt embarrassed. He lowered his head shyly and dared not ask any more questions.