The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Tempting and Delicious Juicy Peach

”Xiao Rui, have your peaches become magical?” Liang Xiaoyu exclaimed, unable to believe her eyes. ”The peaches on the trees near the edge aren’t that big, but the ones inside are huge and red.”

This was, of course, something Han Xiaorui had done on purpose.

Although the Peach Garden had a fence, it wouldn’t stop someone who was determined to sneak in and steal peaches.

Han Xiaoqing came over to help; she was good at farm work, too. ”Sis, some of the peaches are ripe, but others aren’t. We should pick the ripe ones today and leave the rest on the trees.”

Han Xiaorui nodded with a smile. ”Alright!”

Liang Xiaoyu picked a peach easily the size of two fists. Its red blush was like the rosy, shy cheeks of a young girl. ”This one is huge. You try it first.”

Han Xiaorui smiled and picked one for herself. ”Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, you can have that one. I’ll get my own.”

It was covered in a layer of fine fuzz. The ripe peaches had a deep blush, and they would indent with just a slight squeeze.

She gently peeled away the skin, revealing the snowy-white, tender flesh inside. Taking a light bite, the honey-sweet flavor of the peach juice spread through her mouth and up to her nose.

”Delicious,” Han Xiaorui praised. ”I saw from upstairs today that the peaches were turning red and remembered them. If we don’t pick them soon, a lot of the ripe ones will probably fall to the ground.”

Liang Xiaoyu gazed out at the vast number of peach trees. ”Xiao Rui, you have so many peaches! You can’t possibly eat them all yourself. You have to figure out a way to sell them!”

Han Xiaorui blinked, taken aback for a second. ”You’re right. With ten acres of peaches, and them growing so well, my family and all our friends and relatives really can’t eat all of them.”

”I’m not going out to sea for the next few days, so I’ll try to find a way to sell them. Since that’s the case, if you and Granny Cai are free, could you help me keep an eye on the peach forest? Don’t let anyone cause trouble.”

Liang Xiaoyu nodded eagerly. ”Of course. They’re too delicious not to watch over. Your peaches grew so well this year, and they ripened a half-month early. If you can’t find a single buyer for the whole lot, we can pick them in batches, and I’ll help you sell them at the market.”

’Among the wealthy people I know, I think there’s only Boss Zhang.’

’Chen Nanyang isn’t wealthy, but he’s well-connected. He might know people who want to buy honey peaches.’

’Then there’s Ye Feng’s maternal family. His aunt, Xu Yingying, seems to run a pretty big business.’

’But I won’t mention selling peaches to Ye Feng or Xu Yingying.’

’I like Ye Feng, purely for the person he is. I don’t want anyone to think I’m after his money.’

After two hours of work, they had picked all the early-ripening peaches.

A quick estimate put the haul at over a thousand pounds!

Han Xiaorui had Liang Xiaoyu take two baskets for herself and gave one to Xu Hongxia as well.

Han Xiaorui filled a basket with peaches for herself and then grabbed two Big Yellow Fish from the freezer.

”Minmin, I’m going to visit your grandparents. Do you want to come with me?”

Yang Minmin nodded eagerly. ”I’ll go! And so will my little sister!”

And so, Han Xiaorui, one adult, set off for the Wu Family’s home with three children in tow.

The eldest daughter, Wu Cuicui, was at the hospital looking after Zhang Xiufang, and the younger daughter was still working at Han Xiaorui’s shop, so there was no one to look after the elderly Wu couple.

When they arrived at the Wu family’s home, Han Xiaorui heard Uncle Wu’s resonant voice. ’He sounds fine, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.’

”Uncle Wu, you have high blood pressure! The doctor said you’re not allowed to drink, so you should just stop!”

Seeing that guests had arrived, Uncle Wu gave a sheepish smile. ”I spent my early years making a living at sea, so I got into the habit of drinking. Now if I go a day without it, I just don’t feel right.”

Granny Wu glared at her husband. ”I know you worked hard in your early years and that you have a drinking habit you can’t kick. You begged the doctor, asking pitifully if you could drink, and he said you could have a tiny little bit.”

”’You’ve already had one cup just now, you can’t have any more! If you don’t listen to me, I’ll smash your liquor cup, and you can just forget about drinking from now on.’”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Uncle Wu, you should listen to Auntie Wu. Moderation is the key to longevity. A little bit each day will keep you healthy and help you live to a ripe old age.”

”’If you drink too much, the complications from high blood pressure are very serious—heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease, and so on. To say nothing of others, Pingping and An’an’s grandmother had a stroke, and it was from getting too angry. High blood pressure can cause strokes too! If that happens, you’ll need someone to take care of you. How uncomfortable would your life become then!’”

Wu Chengcai, who had been craning his neck stubbornly, finally put down his liquor cup after hearing this. ”That’s true! Cuicui is busy taking care of Zhang Xiufang, and Lingling has to work. If I had a stroke, I’d just be a burden on them.”

Yang Minmin ran over, shaking her grandpa’s arm. ”Grandpa, what about the good liquor Dad bought for you? Why are you drinking this cheap, unbranded stuff again? Mom told you not to drink it last time!”

”’Since you can’t drink a lot, you should drink a little bit of the good stuff every day. One small cup per meal, two meals a day... a single bottle could last you five days! If you think about it like that, isn’t life wonderful?’”

Uncle Wu patted his granddaughter’s head. ”Yes, Minmin has a point. You study hard, get a good job in the future, and buy your grandpa some good liquor to drink.”

Yang Minmin nodded. ”I’ll buy Grandpa Maotai!”

”Well now, you even know Maotai is the good stuff! My Minmin is so smart!” Wu Chengcai praised. ”And Pingping and An’an are very cute, too!”

Seeing her husband had finally seen reason, Granny Wu let out a long sigh of relief. She had been worried the stubborn old coot would dig in his heels.

”Xiao Rui, your peaches are really growing well. And these Big Yellow Fish... you should keep them to sell.”

Han Xiaorui replied graciously, ”They’re just home-grown peaches, the early ones. I’m giving a few to friends and family. I’ll sell whatever’s left that we can’t eat.”

Granny Wu accepted the peaches and fish. She then found two clean jars and filled them for Han Xiaorui with her homemade red fermented bean curd.

”’This is my specialty, I make it myself! Take it home to have with your morning congee.’”

Han Xiaorui accepted with pleasure. ”If Auntie Wu is giving it to me, then I won’t be shy. Sister Cuicui gave me a jar before. Stirring a piece into thick rice congee... the flavor is just so fragrant.”

Granny Wu was delighted to hear that Han Xiaorui liked it. ”When you run out, just say the word. I’ll have Minmin bring more over to you.”

”Sounds good!” Han Xiaorui had other people to deliver things to, so she added, ”Minmin is staying at my place, so you can rest assured.”

”We are!” Granny Wu nodded. Neither she nor her husband could ride a bicycle anymore, so they were relying on Han Xiaorui to get the children around.

After seeing them to the door, Granny Wu returned inside and sighed, ”That Jianming boy is a fool for letting go of such a good wife.”

Uncle Wu shook his head. ”It’s as they say, a blessed person doesn’t enter the house of the unblessed. Our Cuicui and Lingling are close with Xiao Rui, which makes her like one of our own juniors. If anything comes up, we shouldn’t wait for her to ask. If we can help, we should offer to help!”

”Do you even need to tell me that?” Granny Wu nodded in agreement. ”I know perfectly well who’s good to us! I just feel so bad for our Cuicui. That Zhang Xiufang is so unreasonable. Now that she’s had a stroke, who knows how she’ll torment our girl?”

Uncle Wu sighed. Back then, they had taken a liking to the young man, Yang Jianguo, especially since he was from the same village.

His parents had passed away young, so after their daughter married him, the new couple would naturally be closer to them.

And that’s exactly how it turned out. Their son-in-law, Yang Jianguo, was truly wonderful.

Even though he didn’t have a son, his life was no worse than those who did. His son-in-law was always available at a moment’s notice. Whenever his daughter wanted to come home to visit, she lived so close she was practically next door.

After taking the children home, Han Xiaorui went and delivered two baskets of peaches to Village Chief Liu’s family. She had placed an envelope inside one, stuffed with one thousand yuan.

Village Chief Liu had gone out of his way to help her when she was buying the boat. Otherwise, Wu Guangfu wouldn’t have sold it to her so easily.

Han Xiaorui was grateful for his help.

’I have to know how to play the game, too.’

’This way, the next time something comes up, Village Chief Liu will tell me about it on his own, without anyone needing to prompt him.’

Flashlight in hand, Han Xiaorui arrived at her front door to find someone squatting there, choking back soft sobs.