The short video shows the ancient times, and the emperors cried with envy!

Chapter 658: The luxurious freedom to eat melons, the envy from melon-eaters all over the world, Cao Rui: Who doesn’t want to eat melons!

[Every July and August, there is always a reserved activity in the world, that is, bring your Koreans and your friends to the market to treat them to melons. ]

[Usually, these people would show a look of surprise on their faces, because for them, this is the most luxurious dinner.]

[In fact, if we simply compare the watermelon prices in different countries, we can find that the price of watermelons in China is much lower than that in surrounding countries.]

[Also, melons from other countries are very unpalatable, unlike the melons from our great China, which are juicy and sweet, and are most suitable for entertaining.]

"Watermelon, isn't this just cucumber? Can you eat that thing?"

The future Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, did not yet have fatal diabetes at this moment.

But his love for sweets has already begun to show. Looking at the watermelon flowing on the screen, he couldn't help swallowing.

For him, the greatest luxury is to drink a glass of chilled wine and eat grapes and melons continuously.

But he had never been so eager and demanding as he was today.

"Someone, come here! Go to the Western Regions to find this melon for me. I must eat it!"

In the sweet race, he must be the first to leave the others far behind and definitely get it!
Who doesn’t love looking at the juicy and beautiful watermelon on the screen?
However, as an emperor, the food he wanted to eat was a luxury for the people under his rule.

This contrast became even more striking when there were still countless serfs farming in Cao Wei.

Cao Rui was not a particularly cruel king, but compared to others, he was already very extravagant.

For example, Sima Yi, who is burying his head below, is one of them.

On the other side, the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Di took a plate of watermelon, took a little bit of it, and put it in his mouth. It tasted sweet, but the appearance of this watermelon was not as good as the ordinary watermelons sold in the streets above the sky.

This was a tribute sent by Hami at full speed. Zhu Di was a little depressed by this realization. After all, the gap was too big.

However, this understanding was not conveyed to the brothers on the side.

Zhu Gaoxu quietly took a watermelon and ate it with gusto, satisfying his craving.

He did not forget to mock the elder brother next to him and said:
"Your Majesty, my brother's health is getting worse day by day. His size is almost twice as big as mine. And he still dares to eat sweets. Are you trying to save your life?"

As he said this, he opened his mouth and took another bite, and water flowed out.

Zhu Gaochi swallowed and finally restrained himself. After all, what his second brother said was not wrong.

He really should control himself. If he doesn't, he might not be able to stand up next time.

[Just looking at the current data, China accounts for 60% of the world's watermelon production. What does this mean? ]

[Even if the total watermelon production of the entire world is added together, it is still not as much as that of China. The watermelons produced in China are enough to support the entire world. ]

“What is productivity?”

“This is the miracle of our great country!”

People in the comment section began to express pride, and what they said was indeed true. Not every country has the ability to maintain fruit freedom.

In particular, China was not yet suitable for farming. The current achievements are entirely due to the hard work of our ancestors.

[In fact, in the 1970s and 1980s, it was still very difficult to eat watermelon. ] [Even in Shanghai, known as the Magic City of the East, if you want to eat a bite of watermelon in the hot summer, you have to pretend to have a high fever in order to enjoy a bite of cool and sweet watermelon. ]

[Many people can only go to the watermelon stalls and eat the watermelons directly there. After eating, they have to collect the watermelon seeds and give them to the salesperson, because these seeds need to be planted again.]

[Why has the price of watermelon changed so dramatically in just over 40 years? Let’s start with its history.]

"Even so, it's still very cheap. Ordinary people can afford it. Our bannermen grandfather can't even eat it once a year."

I understand, Emperor Qianlong sighed, he has achieved the freedom to eat melons to some extent, and is much happier than Emperor Cao Wei.

However, looking at the watermelon stalls that will be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys in the future, I couldn't help but shake my head.

Emperor Qianlong would not feel sorry for the 400 million Han people under his rule; he would only feel sorry for the hundreds of thousands of bannermen in the capital.

After all, he was still a barbarian emperor who only cared about one and a half acres of land.

[Historically, watermelon originated in Africa, a land rented by humans. As a plant cultivated by black uncles, this thing was also spread as a melon that can be cooked. 】

[Many sailors used this thing to quench their thirst, and thus the juicy melon seeds were brought to all parts of the world.]

[In the 16th century during the Age of Discovery, large-scale cultivation began in Khwarezm, which is now Central Asia. ]

"Yes! That's right! The tribute melons to our Ming Dynasty were sent by Khwarezm."

Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said as he invited the whole family to eat melon.

But looking at the light red cucumber in his hand that didn't look appetizing at all, he was still a little dissatisfied.

These Khwarazm people are just too lazy. They don’t even bother to improve the variety. Even if it can’t reach the level of the one on the sky curtain, it should at least be a little sweeter!
What he tasted was probably only slightly sweeter than maltose.

What a bummer! No wonder he didn't want to eat before!
Perhaps watermelons from overseas taste better? Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his chin and decided to send some merchants to buy some to see for himself.

On the other hand, Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping, disagreed. He still thought that the watermelons in Middle-earth were delicious.

The watermelons sent from Luzon Island did have a lot of juice, but they were damn bland.

Watermelons from different places are different, but those from Shanghai pay more attention to the amount of water.

[In the 17th century, during the reign of the Qing Dynasty, watermelon began to be planted on a large scale, sweeping across the entire Western Regions.]

[This was also the time when watermelons officially entered thousands of households, but soon, watermelon farmers encountered the most difficult problem, which was that the probability of this thing being delicious was too low. ]

[Even after hundreds of years of selection, the probability of finding a melon that is sweet and juicy is still very low. Such melons are usually offered to the palace.]

【So, since it was already left over, the people had no desire to consume it. 】

[It was also during this time that watermelon varieties spread to neighboring countries, such as Bangzi and Xiaorizi.]

"Indeed, it is a fruit. If it is not sweet, who would buy it?"

Liangshan, Zhang Heng, who had been involved in similar business, jumped out and said with disdain on his face.

The life of the poor is miserable, and their pursuit for the New Year is very simple, that is, sweet and spicy. The stronger the taste, the more it can numb their nerves.

Happiness is sweet to the people!

Obviously, each generation of watermelon breeders has also realized this problem. Watermelons need to change themselves!
(End of this chapter)