They had never eaten such sweet and juicy fruit before. There was no sour or bitter taste like other fruits, only pure sweetness. When bitten, juice burst out, which was very satisfying.
Yaelle was happy to see everyone enjoying the fruit but reminded them, "Be careful when you eat. Don't swallow the black seeds. Save them to plant more next year. We only have about three hundred seedlings this year, not enough to eat."
Everyone paused for a moment, then became more careful. They gently spit the seeds into their hands to collect them, not wanting to waste any. Eating this kind of fruit meant the more seeds saved, the better.
One seed thrown away could grow into several big watermelons next year. It was very precious. "When you finish eating, wash your hands. The fruit is very sweet and sticky. It feels uncomfortable if you don't clean your hands. After washing, help me pick the watermelons. Follow what I just said and don't pick unripe ones. That would be a waste."
Everyone agreed and started working right away. Their faces were full of excitement because they could pick such rare fruit themselves. They were even more careful than Yaelle.
They carefully selected each watermelon, tapping and listening attentively. It took over an hour to finish picking the whole patch. They placed each watermelon gently into baskets, afraid to damage any.
They did not even dare to breathe heavily. Yaelle counted the harvest. Almost every plant had one ripe watermelon.
They gathered 286 big watermelons in total. She took 100 to the tea house kitchen and sent the rest to the restaurant for sale. Michael discussed with her.
This time, because the watermelons were rare, they decided not to sell them at low prices. They set a higher price. Yaelle suggested chilling the watermelons in ice water first.
Then, cut them into small pieces and offer samples to customers during busy meals. Each table could get a small dish, like modern dipping sauce plates. One big watermelon could serve many.
Her tea house would do the same. Since this was a fresh product no one had tried before, customers would be more willing to try first. Other servings were like modern KTV fruit plates, about one pound each, selling for 188 silver per portion.
She thought sales might be slow but underestimated how much the noble ladies liked them. If they wanted to eat, men nearby would rush to pay for them. Men also liked the watermelons.
Since they came to the restaurant to eat, they were not short on money and would not hesitate to spend a little. In one afternoon, the two restaurants sold forty to fifty chilled watermelons. The tea house sold more than twenty.
Customers kept ordering more because the fruit was sweet and refreshing. From the watermelons they picked, except for a few kept for themselves, the rest sold out in four days. Many people asked why they were sold out.
When they learned there was only one crop, many wanted to place orders. Some even offered higher prices just to please their favorite noble ladies. The second harvest of over three hundred watermelons sold for twice as much money as the first batch.
It made more than eighty taels of silver. The first batch earned just over forty-two taels. With just this small watermelon crop, she made more than 120 taels, about 120,000.
There were still some small and ugly ones left in the field for them to eat. About eighty or ninety small watermelons weighed only four to five pounds each. The skin was thin and the flesh was not very thick but still good.
They chilled them, cut each in half, and ate with spoons. It was very satisfying. Watermelons tasted best this way.
They did not mind eating the small ones themselves. But they did not want to eat the big second crop. Except for a few given to close friends, all were sold.
Next year, they would plant more and eat as much as they wanted. They collected many seeds from the watermelons, some for themselves, some for customers. When giving out watermelons, they usually handed out a small plate to hold the rinds and seeds.
This was to stop people from spitting seeds everywhere and wasting them.
After collecting the watermelon, the tomatoes and corn were ready to eat.
She let the people on the farm pick the ripe red peppers to dry, and sometimes sent some fresh ones to the manor to eat.
The corn was still a little tender, but it was the best time to cook and eat it.
Yaelle broke off more than twenty ears of corn and cooked them right away.
She made tomato and egg soup and a sweet tomato salad.
Early on, she sent Attendant Sean to invite a doctor to the house and asked Michael to come for dinner.
By the time the food was ready, the doctor had arrived.
It was an old acquaintance, no mistake, it was Xavier again.
When Attendant Sean went to the clinic to invite the doctor, Xavier was there.
He heard they wanted to try fresh food and was interested.
It had been a long time since he last saw her, and even though he could not express his feelings or marry her, just seeing her was good.
"Hello, Doctor Xavier, why did you come all this way?" Yaelle asked curiously.
Xavier hid the deep feelings in his eyes and gave a polite smile.
"I heard from Attendant Sean you have fresh food to test for poison. I was interested, so I volunteered to come."
"Okay, please help check for poison."
Xavier took out silver needles and tested each dish for a while but found nothing wrong.
Michael found an old man who tests for poison, promising 500 coins if there was no problem.
If the person was poisoned, he would try to treat them, pay 10 taels if cured, 50 taels if not.
This was a popular job because some old men had few years left.
If they could earn 50 taels near the end, it was enough for their descendants to live well for a while.
Yaelle divided the cooked food into small bowls for the old man.
The old man shook slightly as he took a piece of the sweet tomato salad.
He found it sour and sweet, very appetizing and tasty.
His eyes brightened a bit.
Then he took two bites of the corn, which was sweet and sticky.
It was perfect for people like them who did not have strong teeth.
Finally, he drank some tomato egg soup, which was sour and refreshing.
It was very fresh.
He could not find the right words, so he kept nodding and saying it was delicious.
After eating, he sat in the rest area nearby to wait.
After about the time of one incense stick, Xavier checked the old man's pulse.
Of course, there was nothing wrong.
He gave the old man the money and a few words, then let him leave.
The old man left happily, still savoring the fresh food he had eaten.
It suited his stomach very well, especially the soup.
After drinking it, his stomach felt very comfortable.
"Brother, now you can be sure. I told you this is good food, very tasty."
"After troubling Doctor Xavier to come, if you don't mind, try our new food here," Yaelle invited.
Xavier hesitated for a moment.
Michael said, "Xavier, try it. Since you are here, give us your opinion."
Only then did Xavier agree.
"Okay, then I will trouble you."
Besides the dishes Yaelle made, the kitchen also brought out the dinner dishes for everyone to eat together.