Chapter 134: Hitting the Melon

By the end of July, the weather had become much less oppressive. As the mid-morning hour approached, Jiaoyan headed toward the Qi family residence, carrying two porcelain bottles. Inside were her latest creations: hair oil, made from almond oil infused with flower petals.

Almond oil is highly nourishing yet non-greasy, making it perfect for moisturizing hands, faces, and hair. Jiaoyan had yet to master the recipe for face cream, so she had started with this hair oil. She intended to give these to Qi Xuemei. She had already gifted a few bottles to her master and her friends, Ruyun and Ruyue, all of whom had praised the quality. Jiaoyan had selected two rose-scented bottles for Xuemei.

Upon arriving at the Qi household, she found Grandmother Qi sitting in the courtyard with her daughters-in-law. They all wore expressions of worry, and she could not discern the cause.

"Grandmother Qi, Auntie Qi, is Sister Xuemei home? I was looking for her," Jiaoyan asked. Not knowing what was troubling the family, she chose not to pry, focusing only on her search for Xuemei.

"She is, right inside," Grandmother Qi said, a smile breaking through her concern as she saw Jiaoyan. She turned toward the house and called out, "Xuemei, come out quickly! Jiaoniang is here to see you."

Moments later, Qi Xuemei emerged from the house, still clutching an embroidery hoop. "Oh! Jiaoniang, what brings you here today? Sit down, I’ll go get you some water." She turned to head back inside.

"No need, Sister Xuemei!" Jiaoyan quickly stopped her. She wasn't thirsty, and there was no need to trouble her. "I made two bottles of hair oil and brought them for you to try."

"Hair oil? You made it yourself? My goodness, I must see this!" Xuemei exclaimed, clearly delighted. She took the bottles and pulled the stopper from one to catch the scent. "Oh, it smells wonderful! Is this rose?"

Many families in the village grew roses. Because the plants were covered in thorns, they were usually planted along the perimeter of gardens to keep mischievous children or wandering livestock away. The Miao family had some as well, and Jiaoyan had previously trimmed many to use for sachets. She had decided to use some of the petals for her hair oil. The rose fragrance was potent, and infusing it into the oil only made the scent richer.

"This is a new batch. The oil base is different from what others use; it's clear, less greasy, and excellent for nourishing hair. Try it and see. If you like it, I'll bring you more," Jiaoyan said with a smile. It hadn't taken much effort to make, and she was happy to share it with everyone.

Xuemei dabbed a little onto her hand to test it. It was indeed much clearer and less sticky than the store-bought variety. "It’s truly wonderful. You clever little thing, I don't know how you come up with these ideas. Wait right here, I’m going to pick some plums and sand pears for you—the trees are full of them!" With that, Xuemei ran off to the back garden.

Soon, she returned with a basket full of fruit. She washed them and served them to Jiaoyan. "Eat up! Your family doesn't have these. If you like them, feel free to come pick some whenever you want."

"Thank you, Sister Xuemei," Jiaoyan said, wasting no time. She picked up a plum and took a bite. It was a genuine "Big Red Robe" plum—firm and crisp, with a perfect balance of sweet and tart. It was delicious.

"Sigh, it’s a pity this year’s watermelons aren't good. Otherwise, I would have brought a few over to your house," Xuemei remarked unexpectedly.

"The watermelons aren't good? But the weather has been great this year—not too much rain. They should have grown well," Jiaoyan said, pausing mid-bite. Just a few days ago, Wentao and the others had brought back two watermelons from the school, and they were sweet, sandy, and quite excellent.

Before Xuemei could reply, Grandmother Qi sighed, "Oh, don't mention it. We planted two acres of watermelons, hoping to sell them at this time. But I don't know what happened this year; the melons grew fine on the outside, but when we cut them open, they were filled with nothing but seeds and very little flesh."

Jiaoyan paused, surprised. "Filled with seeds? How could that be?"

Xuemei sighed as well. "We couldn't believe it either. Wait, I'll go get one to show you." She stood up quickly, went into the house, and returned holding a watermelon. With a knife, she sliced it open on the table.

Indeed, the inside was packed densely with seeds. Moreover, these seeds were enormous—much larger than standard watermelon seeds, almost rivaling the size of pumpkin seeds.

"Are these 'daguas' (seed-melons)?" Jiaoyan exclaimed upon seeing them.

"Jiaoniang, what is a 'dagua'? Isn't this just a watermelon?" Xuemei asked, looking confused.

Jiaoyan felt a surge of excitement. This wasn't a standard watermelon; it was a variety specifically grown for its seeds. The seeds, once dried and roasted, were incredibly fragrant, and the kernels were large and far more satisfying than sunflower seeds. In her past life, Jiaoyan had eaten the seeds but had never seen the actual melon. She hadn't expected to encounter one here.

"Sister Xuemei, this isn't a normal watermelon; it’s a seed-melon. The melon itself is edible and sweet, but because it has so many large seeds, people eventually started growing it primarily for the harvest. Where did you get the seeds? Didn't you ask what kind they were?" Jiaoyan asked, puzzled. Surely people here knew the value of these seeds?

Grandmother Qi, hearing this, asked curiously, "Jiaoniang, tell me—what did you call it? A seed-melon? You say it’s for the seeds? What can you do with those?"

Jiaoyan explained honestly, "They’re for eating, just like sunflower seeds. Grandmother, look at how big they are! They’re delicious when dried and roasted. You can even experiment with different flavors. Has no one here ever seen this before?"

"No, nobody has seen a watermelon like this," Grandmother Qi lamented. "This spring, when your Uncle Qi went out to buy seeds, he ran into a merchant. He saw the seeds were so large and assumed the melons would be huge. Who would have thought the melons would turn out like this?"

The Qi family relied on their two acres of watermelons to bring in eight or ten taels of silver each year—a significant income that helped far more than basic grain. With no one willing to buy these at the market, they faced a total loss of their labor and land. The women had been worrying about the financial hit.

Jiaoyan’s mind raced. She smiled, "Grandmother, don't worry. The reason everyone is upset is just because they haven't seen this before. I have a way to turn this around so that not only will you avoid a loss, but you might actually make a profit. Would you be willing to listen?"

Jiaoyan knew that roasted seed-melon kernels were highly popular and fetched a much higher price than ordinary sunflower seeds. Given the yield of two acres, and assuming each melon produced about three taels of seeds, they could harvest hundreds of pounds. If processed correctly, they could sell for a very good price.

Grandmother Qi looked at her skeptically. "Jiaoniang, are you serious? You’re just a little girl—don't tease your grandmother."

Jiaoyan laughed, "Grandmother, I saw these in the south. Since the land is already planted and it's too late to grow anything else, why not trust me? If it works, you’ll have a new source of income."

Seeing the bright, confident sparkle in the six-year-old’s eyes, Grandmother Qi felt convinced. The child wasn't playing around. "Xuemei, go get your grandfather, your father, and your uncles. We need to discuss this."

When the men returned, Qi Changwen listened to the proposal. Though doubtful, he decided to trust the girl. Jiaoyan asked for ten melons to conduct an experiment. If she could successfully create a seasoned, roasted snack, it would turn their potential disaster into a new venture. Qi Changwen agreed immediately; they were desperate for any way to salvage their hard work.