This is actually quite different from the greenhouse vegetables they grow. Bai Shan and Manbao curiously went up to watch for a moment, then looked at the difference between the melons inside and the melons outside.

The ones outside were a bit larger, but it was clear that most of them were still quite tender.

Manbao asked about the price.

The melons in the field were naturally cheaper, and those working in the melon field at this time weren’t usually the wealthiest or most savvy people.

They wiped their hands on their clothes, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Sir, Miss, pick as you like. You can choose one for twenty wen."

This was much cheaper than the Small Town prices, and they could choose and pick themselves. Manbao and Bai Shan became excited, immediately starting to wander around the melon field, finding ripe and sweet melons with the guidance of the melon farmer.

The melon farmer proudly said, "All the melons here taste good. You should know that if you had melons from our Small Town yesterday."

Bai Shan nodded, "Indeed they are much sweeter than those grown near the capital."

The melon farmer felt proud, "They all say the capital has good soil and water, but our melons here are better."

Manbao said, "Because you get a lot of sunshine here."

The melon farmer was taken aback and asked, "What’s it got to do with sunshine?"

Bai Shan laughed, "With plenty of daylight, fruits and melons are sweeter. Every place has its heavenly gifts."

Manbao saw a melon in the distance, immediately went up and picked it up to show the farmer, "Is this ripe?"

The farmer immediately forgot about Bai Shan’s remark, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, it’s ripe. Miss made a good choice. Look at the pattern, you can tell it’s sweet at first glance."

Manbao picked it.

Daji finally caught up, borrowed a basket from the farmer, and put the melons in, then followed the two around the melon patch.

Although the farmer’s melon patch wasn’t big, many were ripe, and it was clear he hadn’t picked many, so Manbao and the others picked lots of large and nice melons, which looked very sweet.

A single basket could hold about twenty melons, and Manbao and Bai Shan managed to pack in twenty-three; the two of them also held one each, making it a total of twenty-five.

They had silver pieces but no copper coins on them, and clearly, the farmer didn’t have enough change, so Bai Shan said, "You know where we’re staying, right? Come to our yard in the evening for the money and to retrieve the basket."

The melon farmer happily agreed, eagerly offering to help Daji carry the basket, but Daji declined and lifted it himself.

Bai Erlang and the others had already roasted two fish. Their cooking skills were not bad, and they had brought salt on purpose, so the taste couldn’t be too bad.

Besides, something you’ve cooked yourself always tastes good, even if it doesn’t. Seeing Bai Shan and Zhou Man return, a few of them waved immediately, "Come quickly, we’ve saved a piece of fish for you."

Bai Shan, holding a melon in one hand, led Manbao forward. He glanced at the half-charred fish, a bit disdainful, "It’s hot, I don’t feel like eating something too fishy."

Mr. Zhuang had eaten half a fish and was finding it fishy and salty. Seeing the melons in their arms, he beckoned them over.

Manbao happily brought her melon forward, "Sir, there’s a melon patch over there. We bought twenty-five."

Mr. Zhuang asked with a smile, "Why buy so many? Melons are cool, didn’t you say not to eat too many?"

Manbao laughed, "They can keep for a long time. We’ll eat a bit today, some more tomorrow. They’ll be gone in a couple of days."

She added, "I heard it gets cold at night. We can chill the melons in the lake and take them out to eat at noon; they should taste even better."

Mr. Zhuang just shook his head and laughed, "Such effort just for a melon."

But he didn’t object.

Actually, they didn’t need to wait two days; they should be able to finish them by tomorrow.

Bai Shan left a few melons and then sent Daji to share them with the guards.

Bai Shan and the others were moderate, with two or three sharing a melon, but the guards, who were thirsty, could each have one.

Everyone had some snacks, reheated the pancakes made in the morning to eat, and then munched on some melon while sipping tea.

The sun was blazing, and the temperature was rising, but the lakeside was cool, with a gentle breeze, so much of the heat dissipated here.

Not to mention they were under dense shade.

So, after eating and drinking their fill, they started feeling sleepy.

Daji asked, "Sir, shall we return?"

Bai Shan shook his head, "We’ve come so far; haven’t fully enjoyed it yet."

Mr. Zhuang felt the same way.

Hearing this, Daji took the remaining mats tied to the carriage, laid them out for everyone, letting them lie down and rest.

Manbao then took out a small pouch from her sleeve, opened it, and took out a herbal sachet, then poured it into a small incense burner next to her. Soon, a herbal fragrance wafted out, and insects nearby flew away cautiously, while those around also fled.

Mr. Zhuang observed, half-closing his eyes, "The incense I burned earlier was also blended by you, but it wasn’t this effective."

Manbao said, "There are many insects outside, so this is a strengthened version, but it’s not very pleasant-smelling."

Mr. Zhuang sniffed and thought it was fine, just not as gentle as the previous fragrance.

Others found it quite nice, and the herbal aroma seemed to have a calming effect, making them feel even sleepier.

Manbao and Zhou Liru lay down beside each other, yawned, and glanced at the leaves above them and the sunlight filtering through, feeling a calm settle over her heart. She started casually chatting with Keke, "That day when we entered town, you were jingling a lot, seemed like there were many things you could record."

Keke replied with a "yes," telling her, "They’re all around here; you plan to stay for twenty days, so you’ll have a chance to record them."

After speaking, it asked Manbao, "Where are you planning to go tomorrow?"

It didn’t believe she’d stay in Small Town all the time.

Manbao said, "Still around here, but I want to follow the lake’s direction and see where it flows and how it finally disappears into the desert."

This idea really surprised Keke; the host seemed to enjoy exploring such roots.

Keke thought for a moment and didn’t directly tell her the answer, thinking she should go and see; there might be things worth recording.

After finishing the casual conversation, Manbao slowly fell asleep. When she woke up, the sun had started to slant slightly west, suggesting it was past 1 p.m.

Mr. Zhuang had moved to another spot with his fishing rod. He caught quite a few fish, but he was particular: he let go of the small ones, didn’t like the skinny ones, and also the overly fat ones. He didn’t care for the common grass carp either and released them all.

A guard, unable to watch any longer, stated that if the masters didn’t want them, they could eat them.

Only then did Mr. Zhuang keep some plump fish, without throwing all of them back into the lake, even keeping the grass carp.

He was in a good mood and said to Manbao, who was sitting on the mat in a daze after waking up, "There are quite a lot of fish here."