After finishing the accounts, Lu Youqing and the others had a clear understanding of their finances. For Qin Ke, however, there was an even greater gain.
After Lu Youqing returned to the bedroom and went to sleep, Qin Ke opened the system's marketplace interface:
Name: Qin Ke
Points: 5
Task Progress:
Watermelon cultivation (completed, points gained: 10)
Rice cultivation (in progress)
The harvesting of the watermelons meant his points had finally been credited. The balance, which had been negative for so long, was now positive at last, and Qin Ke breathed a sigh of relief.
He refreshed the marketplace again to see if any new items had been added. His next goal was to build vegetable greenhouses. Ancient vegetable varieties were limited; modern crops such as tomatoes and chili peppers were all introduced later from foreign lands, and Qin Ke had no intention of waiting that long.
Moreover, once winter arrived, the vegetables available to ordinary people would be even fewer.
Through the success of the watermelons, he realized that as long as he could grow fresh vegetables in winter, there would be no worry about selling them. As for land, now that they had money in hand, they could always buy more after the autumn harvest.
Early the next morning, they once again harvested a cartload of watermelons from the fields and headed to town to sell them. This time, however, only Qin Ke and Han Qi went to sell the melons. Lu Youqing took Li Nanqiao with her to prepare matters related to selling ice.
Lu Youqing had previously made inquiries and learned that Li Nanqiao knew a young woman named Taozhi from a neighboring village. Taozhi worked as a servant in the Li household in town.
The Li household was considered one of the wealthiest merchant families in town. It was said that their shops alone lined an entire street, and even their steward wore fine silk garments.
Through Taozhi, Lu Youqing established contact with Steward Li, who was in charge of procurement for the Li household. That day was the date they had agreed to meet.
Steward Li chose a private room in a teahouse as the meeting place. Lu Youqing deliberately selected a silk brocade dress. When he entered, Steward Li looked her over carefully. As a steward in a wealthy merchant household, he had seen countless people and believed himself to be a good judge of character. Lu Youqing was slender in build, her face concealed behind a veil, making her features indistinct. Her jewelry was simple and inexpensive, yet her bearing and manner clearly did not resemble those of someone from an ordinary background.
"Steward Li, please have a seat," Lu Youqing said with a nod, ordering tea for him.
"I heard from Taozhi, one of the kitchen helpers, that you have ice?" Steward Li said. He had indeed been troubled over ice recently. Summer had arrived early this year, and the temperatures were higher than usual. The ice stored in the household last winter had been used up quickly, and they could now only ration what remained for the main courtyard.
"That's right. I do have a considerable amount of ice stored at home. If Steward Li is interested, we can supply your household regularly."
Only then did Steward Li's gaze grow serious. When Taozhi first introduced the matter, he had dismissed it, assuming a rural girl could not possibly know anyone of consequence.
Later, as the household's ice supply dwindled and he was unable to buy any despite searching the entire town, he grew more anxious. Families with the means to store ice were barely managing their own supply—who would sell it?
He had come today simply to verify the truth. At first glance, seeing Lu Youqing's plain attire and young age, he had looked down on her. But now, hearing her words, he raised his eyes and reassessed her, his expression turning solemn.
"Can you guarantee a stable supply of ice?"
Lu Youqing took out a sheet of paper from her sleeve and placed it on the table, sliding it toward him with composed confidence.
"Please take a look and see if this price is acceptable."
Steward Li examined it carefully. It was clear she had researched ice prices beforehand. The amount fell within a range he could accept. After a moment of consideration, he nodded and made his decision.
"If you can deliver one cart of ice every half month, we'll go with this price."
Lu Youqing immediately signed a contract with him, agreeing to deliver ice to the Li household on the first and fifteenth of each month, with payment settled on the spot. The contract duration was only two months—after the summer heat passed, ice would no longer have a market.
After seeing Steward Li off, Lu Youqing rose and prepared to leave with Li Nanqiao. Throughout the negotiations, Li Nanqiao had stood quietly behind her, never interrupting.
Only after Steward Li's figure disappeared did she finally relax her shoulders, gazing at Lu Youqing with starry eyes full of admiration.
"Madam Lu, you're amazing. If it were me, I'd probably be so nervous I wouldn't even be able to speak."
Unaware of the deep admiration in Li Nanqiao's heart, Lu Youqing merely lowered her gaze and smiled faintly.
"Nanqiao, when you return, take two taels of silver to Taozhi to thank her for her help this time, and ask her not to spread word of this," Lu Youqing instructed, taking out a piece of silver from her purse and handing it to her.
Li Nanqiao accepted it and nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry, Madam Lu. I'll take care of it."
Lu Youqing put away the contract and prepared to take her to see Qin Ke. As for Li Nanqiao, there was no need for further reminders. She was kind-hearted, and after spending this time together, Lu Youqing knew she understood what could be said and what could not.
For now, the village remained unaware of their affairs. No one had come asking questions, which showed just how tight-lipped Li Nanqiao was.
Still, Lu Youqing frowned slightly. This could not last forever. With how well the watermelons were selling, it was only a matter of time before word reached the village. When that happened, their peaceful days would likely come to an end.
The teahouse Steward Li chose was not far from the West Market. After walking for about the length of an incense stick, Lu Youqing could see their stall from a distance.
There was no other reason—there were simply too many people gathered around it.
"Qin Ke, this is…" As she approached, Lu Youqing saw Qin Ke speaking with a middle-aged man in a green robe. Seeing that Han Qi was struggling to keep up on his own, Li Nanqiao hurried over to help.
"My lady, you're here!" Qin Ke turned and smiled at her, his eyes full of warmth. He naturally took her hand and introduced the man beside him. "This is Shopkeeper Song from Caiyue Pavilion. He wants to buy our watermelons."
At the mention of Caiyue Pavilion, Lu Youqing immediately formed a plan in her mind.
Caiyue Pavilion was the largest restaurant in their town, catering almost exclusively to high-ranking officials and influential figures. Anyone without at least ten taels of silver in their pocket would not dare step through its doors.
More importantly, Caiyue Pavilion was part of a nationwide chain, with branches in all major cities. Lu Youqing had visited it before with friends while in the capital. As far as she knew, the family behind it bore the surname Gu. The Gu family was immensely wealthy, though she vaguely recalled that they had only one unmarried daughter. She did not know who currently held authority within the family.
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