Chapter 44 - Boiled Peanut

The price of this watermelon really surprised Gu Qingming. She was born into a wealthy family and had lived a luxurious life since she was young. Everything she ate was the best.

Although she did not know the price of the fruits at home, she knew that most of them were imported fruits. Their prices were definitely not cheap.

However, she had never expected the watermelons planted by her uncle’s family to be so cheap.

Gu Qingming looked at the watermelon in her hand and asked in confusion, “But, Uncle, this watermelon is even sweeter than the watermelons I used to eat. How can it be so cheap?”

Eldest Uncle smiled and explained, “Our watermelon is sweeter than other watermelons, but its price is only a few cents more expensive.”

Gu Qingming was speechless. She lowered her eyes and fell into deep thought.

Logically speaking, the watermelons at Eldest Uncle’s house had never been tainted by pesticides and were considered organic. The price should not so low. Had Uncle and the rest been deceived?

Gu Qingming asked again, “Uncle, how many watermelons does our family produce per acre? What kind of vendors are buying them?”

Eldest Uncle and the others were immediately puzzled by Gu Qingming’s sudden concern about selling watermelons, but they had their answers for questions from this beloved niece.

Eldest Uncle smiled and said, “Our watermelons are well-managed, but their production value is a little higher than others. One acre can yield 7,000 catties. Generally speaking, their production value is about 5,000 to 6,000 catties.”

“Then what kind of people are the vendors?” Gu Qingming asked.

“Who could they be? They’re all acquaintances.” Uncle said with amusement. “They haul the watermelons out of town to sell.”

After hearing her uncle’s explanation, Gu Qingming understood.

For example, the watermelons at her uncle’s house could be said to be organic fruits. They belonged to the upper-middle level and could definitely take the middle-class market route. The people in the market could completely target those rich people. Naturally, the price would also rise.

However, Uncle’s watermelon lacked a sales channel. Thinking of this, Gu Qingming had an idea.

She asked again, “Uncle, have we sold all our watermelons?”

Eldest Uncle shook his head and said, “There are many people planting watermelons. Just our family alone has 20 to 30 acres of land. There are also a few families in the village that plant a large number of watermelons.

In the past, our watermelons could also be said to be more popular in our village. The prices were not bad.

However, this year, there are more people planting watermelons in other villages, and their prices are cheaper than ours. Many vendors have gone to other villages to buy them.”

Nowadays, farmers did not just know how to satisfy their families. They wanted to make a lot of money.

“Only 50,000 catties of our watermelons have been sold so far!” Uncle said helplessly, “There are still more than 100,000 catties of watermelons left in the field. I wonder if anyone will buy them.”

That was the worry of every farmer.

As long as the things in the fields had not been sold, he would always be worried that they would rot in the fields and cause a huge loss.

Farmers might make losses from time to time, but if they suffered a huge loss, they might lose their savings for many years or half their life savings.

Gu Qingming thought for a moment and said, “Don’t worry, Uncle. Our watermelons are sweet and grainy. They’re so delicious, they can definitely be sold.”

It was fine if she didn’t know in the past, but now that she knew, she would definitely help her uncle and the others sell the watermelons. And not only did she have to sell them, but she also had to sell them for a good price.

Of course, Gu Qingming did not tell her uncle and the others for the time being. It would not be too late to talk about it when she contacted a good person.

After Gu Qingming ate a piece of watermelon, her aunt brought over a basin of peanuts.

She smiled and said, “Ming’er, these are boiled peanuts. Try them. Do you like them?”

Grandma smiled and said, “Darling, in the past, when you came here, it was during the New Year. At that time, there were no fresh peanuts, so I didn’t cook peanuts for you to eat. Now, these peanuts have just been pulled out of the ground, so we cooked them. These are salt-cooked peanuts. See if you like them?”

Gu Qingming nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll definitely try it!”

With that, she took a peanut at random, peeled it, and popped it into her mouth.

“Yes, these peanuts are delicious. They’re soft and sticky, and they smell good.” Gu Qingming’s eyes lit up. “They’re really delicious!”

After eating one, she took another small handful and ate.

Grandma smiled and said, “Alright, as long as you like it. If you like it, I’ll cook it for you every day. Moreover, I’ll cook it in all kinds of flavors. Today’s peanuts are only cooked with salt and no other seasonings. They taste lighter.”

Gu Qingming asked curiously, “Ha, can boiled peanuts also be seasoned with various flavors?”

“Of course! There are various flavors. Ming’er, we’ll make them in whatever flavor you like,” her aunt said with a smile.

“Mom, you’re really biased.” Gu Qingming’s fourth cousin, Shi Qinghao, smiled and said, “The day before yesterday, I said I wanted to eat something spicy, but you even asked me to cook it myself. Now that Cousin is here, you offered to cook all kinds of flavors.”

Second Aunt glanced at him and said angrily, “You brat, you eat it every day. Haven’t you gotten tired of it?”

Shi Qinghao shrugged and said, “I like boiled peanuts. How can I get tired of them so quickly?”

Every year, in June and July, when the peanuts were harvested, they could eat sweet boiled peanuts.

In the past, there were no snacks in the countryside. When the peanuts were harvested, they would pick out the tender peanuts that did not look too ripe and cook them. They would add some salt and cook them until the peanuts were soft. Then, they would be fished out and eaten. They were especially fragrant.

Many children especially liked those peanuts that were not ripe. The peanut shells were sweet and very moist. When they took a bite, the juice sprayed out. It was simply interesting.

It was the joy of many children eating boiled peanuts.

However, now that the conditions were good, many adults wouldn’t pick and choose the unripe peanuts to cook. Instead, they would choose the kind of peanuts that had just been pulled out and were full of soil particles. After they were washed and cooked in a pot, they would add seasonings to create whatever flavor they liked.

After Gu Qingming ate a handful of boiled peanuts, she ate more.

Since she liked it, everyone was naturally happy.

However, Gu Qingming had rushed over after a long journey. She had yet to have dinner or rest. It would be difficult to digest if she ate too many peanuts.

Grandma didn’t let Gu Qingming eat much.

“Come, come, it’s time to eat.” Shi Hangyu carried out two dishes and shouted, “Everyone, sit down.”

“Come, Ming’er, let’s go eat,” Grandma said with a smile. “Your second aunt made a few of your favorite dishes. Eat more later.”

Gu Qingming couldn’t help but touch her stomach and think to herself, “Can I still eat now?”