Fortunately, Zhulan became happy when September arrived, for thanks to effective publicity, everyone knew that Lizhou City had late-ripening watermelons and melons, bringing quite a few fruit merchants to the city.
Zhulan's family had planted fifty acres of watermelons and muskmelons, but unfortunately, due to the variety's issues, the yield of ancient watermelons was not high; it was nothing like modern times where one could expect at least 5,000 pounds per acre. Additionally, because of the land quality and the lack of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, a well-tended acre in Zhulan's farm would yield only about 1,000 pounds. After excluding some that were nibbled on by rabbits and other wildlife, only about 600 pounds could be sold.
Because they were late-ripening watermelons and there were many merchants from foreign clans, the price was a bit higher. The early watermelons sold for twenty coins per pound, and these sold for the same price.
