On the way back, Qin Ke suddenly heard some movement coming from the fields. He told Lu Youqing to wait on the path while he went to take a look. When he stepped inside, he discovered several puppies yelping pitifully.
The moment Qin Ke saw them, he smiled. Their household happened to be short of guard dogs.
When Lu Youqing saw the puppies cradled in Qin Ke's arms, their soft, milky whimpers instantly stirred her affection.
Ignoring the mud clinging to their bodies, she carefully took them from his arms and said gently, "They're so cute. Are we going to raise them?"
"Yes. Do you think that's all right?"
"Yes—but they're so small. I wonder if they'll survive?" Lu Youqing lowered her head, stroking their fine, soft fur without looking up.
After returning home, Qin Ke boiled a kettle of hot water and helped Lu Youqing wash the puppies clean, then fed them some rice porridge. In the unfamiliar environment, the puppies were extremely timid and didn't dare run around, huddling quietly in the nest Lu Youqing prepared for them.
"We should give them names."
Qin Ke glanced at the little puppies scrambling to crowd around Lu Youqing's hands and snorted lightly. "Let's call them Boss, Second, and Third."
Lu Youqing ignored his sour tone and even rolled her eyes at him.
Qin Ke had no choice but to lean over with a shameless grin. He poked at the yellow puppy that was sticking out its pink tongue and licking Lu Youqing's hand. The poke sent the puppy rolling onto its back, all four paws in the air.
"Today happens to be the first day of the month—let's call this one Chuyi. The spotted one can be Shiwu, and the biggest black one can be Liuyue."
Seeing that he wasn't making things up this time, Lu Youqing didn't object.
And so, the three puppies settled down here.
Two days later, Li Nanqiao returned with a cart full of saltpeter. Since saltpeter was also a raw material for making gunpowder and fireworks, it was easy to purchase in Jincheng, and they hadn't had to spend much effort.
Seeing the two of them dusty from travel, Qin Ke told them to go rest first while he moved the saltpeter into the storeroom for storage.
A week later, the puppies—who had initially been timid and kept their tails tucked—were now running freely around the courtyard every day. Lu Youqing and Qin Ke were often followed by several little "tails."
Han Qi, who had once been skin and bones, had also begun to fill out. He no longer looked as scrawny as before, and his complexion had improved considerably.
Qin Ke took Han Qi and Li Nanqiao to the watermelon field to pick some ripe watermelons to bring home. Aside from Qin Ke, the others had long been curious about these green, round things he had grown.
Now that they were finally ripe, everyone was brimming with excitement, eager to taste them.
That day, Qin Ke had even prepared some ice and placed it in an ice chest. An ice chest was an ancient summer container used to hold ice and store food.
It had handles on both sides, a lid on top with coin-shaped openings that served both as handholds and vents for cold air. Ice was placed inside a wooden or bronze box, which released cool air while preserving food—essentially the ancient equivalent of a refrigerator.
Qin Ke selected the ripest-looking watermelon and placed it in the ice chest, planning to eat it after the meal.
In truth, Qin Ke was also curious. Although he had eaten plenty of watermelons in his previous life, the system had confidently guaranteed that its seeds were of superior quality. He wanted to see for himself what was so special about them.
Han Qi and Li Nanqiao ate absentmindedly during the meal. Qin Ke found it amusing. When he judged the timing to be about right, he took the watermelon out of the ice chest.
The watermelon, radiating coolness, was placed in the center of the table. Li Nanqiao stared at it without blinking.
Qin Ke had previously gone to a blacksmith specifically to have a watermelon knife made—slightly narrower and longer than an ordinary kitchen knife.
The moment the blade cut in, a crisp "crack" sounded. Following the split, Qin Ke cleaved the round watermelon cleanly in half.
The two halves tilted slightly outward like open shells, revealing the vivid red flesh inside. The color was dazzling, and the sweet, fresh scent of watermelon filled the air.
Sugary juice flowed down along the cut and pooled on the tabletop.
It was the first time Li Nanqiao and the others had ever seen such a bright red fruit, and they were utterly amazed. Even Lu Youqing, who had initially been sitting farther away, moved closer.
What surprised Qin Ke most was that there were very few seeds inside the watermelon—and they were small. He hadn't expected the system's seeds to produce a seedless watermelon.
Without pausing, Qin Ke cut one half into long slices and nodded toward Han Qi and Li Nanqiao.
He peeled and cubed the other half, arranging it neatly on a plate before setting it in front of Lu Youqing.
Lu Youqing looked at him in surprise, then lowered her gaze to the neatly cut, evenly sized watermelon cubes. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she picked one up and placed it in her mouth.
Only after seeing the two of them eat did Li Nanqiao and Han Qi finally reach out for the watermelon they had been eyeing for so long.
The watermelon's texture was delicate, the flesh plump and juicy, sweet and refreshing. With one bite, cool, clear sweetness flowed down the throat. Chilled beforehand, the fruit brought an unparalleled sense of refreshment—like a timely rain nourishing parched earth.
"Delicious! I've never eaten fruit this sweet before!"
Li Nanqiao was completely won over, devouring piece after piece with her head down. If Qin Ke hadn't warned her in advance that the rind wasn't edible, she might have swallowed the whole thing.
"It truly is excellent. These watermelons won't be hard to sell," Lu Youqing admitted. Ice-chilled watermelons were indeed perfect for beating the summer heat.
Qin Ke wasn't as dramatic as the others. After tasting a piece, he confirmed that it was indeed a top-grade variety—something hard to find even in his previous life.
Before long, the entire watermelon was gone. To verify whether all the watermelons were of the same quality, Qin Ke randomly selected another one and cut it open.
Products from the system truly lived up to their reputation.
He had Li Nanqiao take a remaining portion home for her mother to try, but for now, the matter of the watermelons was to remain confidential. They were not to spread word of it yet.
Qin Ke wasn't worried about Han Qi—he was unfamiliar with the place and people.
Li Nanqiao readily agreed and blinked as she asked, "Master, this melon is so good—are we going to sell it?"
"Tomorrow morning we'll pick watermelons from the field and take a cartload to town to sell first."
"How much should we sell them for?"
Qin Ke wasn't entirely sure and turned to Lu Youqing for help.
She lowered her eyes in thought for a moment before saying, "Since this is a fruit that has never appeared in Great Yan before, we shouldn't set the price too high at first—it would be hard for people to accept. Let's start at five hundred copper coins and see."
Too cheap would make it seem low-grade; too expensive would deter ordinary buyers.
"Then tomorrow we'll let customers taste it for free first. Once they've tried it, they'll definitely want to buy. If demand exceeds supply, we can raise the price later," Qin Ke said, rubbing his chin. "Things have always been more valuable when they're rare—we won't have to worry about selling them."
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Currently at chapter 144 for advance chapters
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