Chapter 22: Wang Po sells melons

This day, Qiao Mai basically didn't do much embroidery.

The weather was too hot, and a piece of icy watermelon could really soothe people's restless hearts.

Although there were many poor people, there were also many rich people in town. As soon as they heard that someone was selling watermelons, they all ran over.

They all knew Qiao Mai, and seeing that she was selling melons, they all talked to her familiarly.

"Qiao Shi, you're not working at the embroidery workshop anymore?"

"I am, it's just that our shopkeeper got a batch of melons, and since it's hot, she thought about icing them and selling some to everyone."

"How much per catty? Can you sell me a whole one?"

"Watermelons aren't sold whole, fifty wen a piece."

"Ah? You sell it like this?"

"Yes, who told this watermelon to be so scarce? It's not easy to get, so the shopkeeper ordered not to sell it whole."

"Your shopkeeper's business is really tooth-grinding."

"Sorry, when we get more later, you can come and buy the whole ones."

"Fine, then give me a piece. It's the first batch of melons this year, I have to taste it no matter what."

"I want one too!"

Qiao Mai didn't do anything all day, just sold melons. If her surname were Wang, she would really be Wang Po selling melons.

In the afternoon, ten melons had already been sold. Seeing that it was getting late, she called the two servant girls from the embroidery workshop to move the table and chairs back.

She took out a melon from the basket and cut it open directly in the shop.

"Come, I earned quite a bit today, let's celebrate my small stall's prosperous business!"

Lu Sanniang burst into laughter. "Looking at your business over there, it's really not bad. You didn't do any embroidery all day, right?"

"It's mainly because it's hot, everyone is looking for something fresh. It will be fine after a long time."

"When you're busy later, I'll let Xiuhong help you sell melons."

"No need, I just want to do some small business myself, so I won't be bored. If you let someone help me, how can I look for freshness?"

"Fine, anyway, you always have your reasons."

There were five people in the shop, plus Qiao Mai, six in total. Everyone had a share. After eating a watermelon, she wiped her mouth.

"Going home, see you tomorrow!"

Qiao Mai went home early, locked the courtyard door and the room door, and entered the space. She wanted to study that piece of land carefully.

Why was one piece of land divided into two? What was the reason?

Holding the awakened Ling'er, she came to the edge of the land, teasing the child while looking at the land with her single-lidded eyes.

Thinking that after the watermelons on both pieces of land were ripe, she would pick one to see if another one would appear.

If she planted other seeds on the other piece of melon land, would another identical piece of land appear?

Her hands were really itchy. She sat cross-legged by the edge of the land, looking at the melon seedlings that hadn't grown yet. The impulse to pull the seedlings was finally suppressed by reason.

It hadn't even been a day, and yellow little flowers had already bloomed on the melon seedlings.

She couldn't figure it out. The time in the space was the same as outside, why was the cycle of the grown watermelon shortened so much?

Was it because of the black soil? If it was because of it, she could understand it as the black soil expanding its area after having crops? Was the one with the replication function truly the black soil?

She patted her head, frowned with a headache, and didn't want to think about it anymore, tired.

Looking at Ling'er in her arms, she was laughing at Qiao Mai.

"Yo, daughter, are you looking at mother not feeling well and wanting to tease mother to be happy?"

At this time, little Ling'er's eyebrows and eyes had already been revealed. Qiao Mai held her and came to the mirror, looking at herself, looking at the child.

They didn't look alike at all. It's said that a daughter follows her father. In her memory, Tian Sanzhuang looked okay, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a rough man with strength.

Otherwise, when the imperial court asked every family to send one person to serve in the military, Old Tian wouldn't have let him replace the eldest and second sons.

Ling'er's eyebrows and eyes were like Tian Sanzhuang's, she definitely wouldn't be ugly in the future.

Although she didn't like the Tian family, this was the original host's daughter after all, and she had been taking care of her for these past few months.

She had developed feelings for this child. No matter whose child this was, she would raise her.

One thing is one thing. In the future, if this child's grandparents or father provoked her, she wouldn't let them off either.

However, she wouldn't let the child acknowledge them. In their hearts, this child had long been dead. After a while, she would pick a suitable opportunity to let the child change from the dark to the light, but now was not the time.

She mixed the formula milk, fed Ling'er, carried her for a stroll in the space, coaxed her to sleep, put her on the bed, and then made food for herself.

Qiao Mai took out a bag of hamburgers from the freezer, heated them in the microwave, and then took a bottle of cola from the refrigerator.

For more than a month, she had been eating dinner like this.

Either hamburgers, instant noodles, or frozen dumplings. Thinking of the delicacies from her previous life, Qiao Mai swallowed her saliva with difficulty.

She swore that every once in a while, she must learn to make a delicacy from the internet.

She couldn't let her child grow up to be like her now, eating so monotonously every day.

After eating, she calculated the accounts. Today she sold ten watermelons, one watermelon was cut into sixteen pieces, fifty wen a piece, one watermelon was eight hundred wen.

Ten watermelons were eight taels of silver. Compared to the few pieces eaten, it could basically be ignored.

It seems that small business can also lead to prosperity. Qiao Mai directly ignored the empty-handed white wolf matter.

She found a large and a small toolbox, put copper coins in the large one, broken silver in the small one, and as for the silver ingots, she placed them directly on the shelf.

She didn't have the habit of going to bed early. She sat by the bed guarding the child, did some embroidery, browsed the internet for things useful to her, and then fell asleep next to the child.

The next day, she got up early, made a silk gauze net cover in the space to prevent flies and insects from sticking to the watermelon.

She also used wood and coarse cloth to make a simple movable cool shed.

Only then did she come out from this room, carried them, and went to the embroidery workshop.

Shopkeeper Lu had the two little servant girls move the table and chairs to the side of the official road early. Seeing Qiao Mai come, she followed her to the roadside.

"Are you addicted to selling watermelons?"

"Yes, I only produce two embroidery pieces a month, and a large piece takes a month. When will I be able to buy a large house and land? I have to think of ways to earn more silver."

"Then sell something else? Don't just sell this one thing?"

"I haven't thought about what to sell yet, let's just sell watermelons for now!"

Lu Sanniang curled her lips, "Then continue to set up the stall and sell watermelons. I'm going back, call me if you have anything."

"Alright."

Qiao Mai started her melon-selling career again. She thought that once people's enthusiasm for watermelons passed, she wouldn't be so busy, but she didn't expect that as soon as she set up the stall, she would be surrounded.

One by one, they stared at her, "What are you staring at? Cut the melon!"

"Uh,"

Qiao Mai cut the melon mechanically. A melon was sold out in a short while. Taking advantage of the time when no one was around, she set up the cool shed, cut the melon, and covered it with the gauze net.

Only then did she sit on the chair and take out her embroidery work to do slowly, looking up from time to time.

In this season, there were flies. It seemed she would have to make a net cover later, otherwise, it would be disgusting if they landed on it. If customers saw it, who would come to buy?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 23 =====

It turns out that the little boy who came by carriage yesterday to eat melon is the young master of a wealthy household in town, and there is only one private school in town.

So he and Tian Yaozu are classmates, but their relationship isn't very good.

Yesterday was a day off, and after he ate delicious watermelon in town, he bragged to his classmates at school the next day. During the break, this young master brought his classmates along and finished off Qiao Mai's first melon.

This is the reason why she was surrounded as soon as she set up her stall, and Tian Yaozu was among those who came along.

When he saw that the one selling melons was actually Qiao Shi, he immediately retreated from the crowd and ran far away, his vicious gaze wishing he could devour her.

He wouldn't eat the watermelon she sold, let alone spend money to buy it; he hoped his classmates would all get diarrhea after eating it, so that Qiao Shi would have to pay compensation and wouldn't be able to set up her stall again.

Tian Yaozu looked at the embroidery workshop behind Qiao Shi, spat heavily on the ground, and left in a huff.

Qiao Mai sensed a pair of hostile eyes, but she didn't pay them any mind.

(End of chapter)