Chapter 105 Persimmons and Osmanthus

I've been getting busier and busier since autumn started.

The harvested sweet potatoes and taro filled a corner of the room.

As the weather gets colder, the chili peppers begin to turn yellow one by one. The dried-out peppers droop from the branches, and they are about to wither and turn to the soil along with the stems.

They haven't had time to collect them yet.

Immediately afterwards, the persimmons on the branches of the persimmon trees by the pond turned yellow one after another.

The row of persimmon trees planted along the pond had long since lost all their yellowing leaves.

The tree trunk was bare, with small red and yellow lanterns hanging from it.

Every day, new birds fly in, eager to peck at the ripe persimmons, making Little Feather very anxious.

That day, when I woke up early, the sky was cloudless, and it looked like a bright and sunny day.

Take advantage of the fact that the sun has just risen.

The three of them carried baskets to the tree, ready to harvest persimmons.

Taking advantage of the good weather today, Su Yun decided to harvest the persimmons and make persimmon cakes.

"Choose firmer persimmons; if they're too soft, they won't dry properly."

Hearing that it was finally time to harvest the persimmons, Little Feather was overjoyed and happily shook her curly hair, agreeing, "Okay! I'll definitely pick them well!"

Night Breeze, as always, was very serious: "You can catch it down here, no need to come up, I'll pick it for you." He had large hands and feet, and sharp claws, and climbed up the tree without saying a word.

Little Feather held the basket in one hand and just began to habitually flap its wings.

Then he felt the restraint on his wings, and turning around, he remembered that his wings weren't fully healed yet. He looked helplessly at the tall persimmon tree, then at the azure sky, and sighed softly...

Finally, imitating Ye Feng's movements, he hooked his feet onto the tree trunk and climbed up, lamenting, "Sigh, I never thought I'd be climbing a tree. Usually at times like this, I could fly to the top and pick fruit. To think I've fallen to this state... Waaah, I'm so pathetic..."

Su Yun ignored him: "Enough nonsense, hurry up and pick the fruit. If it rains in a couple of days, it will be hard to make persimmon cakes, and then there will be no fruit to eat in winter!"

Little Feather was easily led astray, and naturally picked up the conversation again: "Ah, winter is awful. I hate winter the most. It's so cold, and there's hardly anything to eat... That's why I want to go to Coconut Island. I heard that the weather there is summer all year round, and there are lots of fruits... I wonder if they have persimmons there..."

Little Feather has started her talkative mode again.

They can talk and climb trees at the same time.

Taking advantage of his bird-like natural ability, he leaped incredibly high. Being relatively short and light, he quickly reached the top, causing the branches to sway under his weight, which made Su Yun's heart tremble slightly.

"Little Feather, don't climb so high, be careful not to fall, I can't catch you." Su Yun looked up at the brown figure swaying on the branch.

"No, I can fly!" Little Feather proudly flapped its intact wing. Actually, orcs generally have good regenerative abilities; after a few weeks, its wing should be almost fully healed. However, Little Feather was a troublesome creature, always unconsciously wanting to move its wing, making wound healing extremely difficult...

so......

"You can't! Your wings aren't fully healed yet, don't get hurt again!" Su Yun warned seriously. "They're almost healed, you have to bear with it! If you fall, land face down first, don't touch your wings again!"

"What?! Face first?! How could that be?!" Little Feather looked down in astonishment...

Su Yun, looking extremely serious, added, "Otherwise, I won't have any money for medical expenses..."

Upon hearing this, Little Feather immediately shrank its neck and obediently slid down...

"Okay... I'll be careful..."

"Seeing that the other party finally compromised."

Su Yun then let him go and began to sort through the persimmons she had picked. The persimmons were still quite hard, with a slightly greenish-yellow color, and they were smooth and felt like hard little stones to the touch.

At this time of year, dried persimmons are still slightly astringent, but they are perfect for making persimmon cakes.

Soft persimmons have too much water content and can't be dried properly to make persimmon cakes, so they're perfect like this...

I'm so great, I timed it perfectly...

As Su Yun was arranging the persimmons while thinking, a bright yellow and red persimmon appeared before her eyes.

"Hey, where did these red persimmons come from?"

"I just picked these. They're already red, they must be very sweet." The boy's clear voice rang in her ear.

Su Yun looked up and saw Ye Feng smiling at her with his eyebrows curved, holding a bright red persimmon in his hand.

"Try it! This must be very sweet." Night Breeze glanced at the children still diligently picking fruit from the tree, lowered his voice, and looked at them with expectant eyes, as if he were anticipating something...

Su Yun turned her head with the help of the night breeze and saw the little bird busily working in the tree, completely unaware of what was happening. She winked knowingly, pulled down the bird's collar, gave it a light peck, and whispered, "Thank you~"

The weather is a bit dry.

The boy's lips were slightly dry and cold.

The feeling of carrying his companion on his back was slightly exciting and taboo. Ye Feng stuck out his tongue and licked his dry lips, savoring the slight sweetness, still feeling a little unsatisfied.

I turned my head slightly, and saw my companions in the tree humming songs, busy with their own things, seemingly unaware of the commotion here.

Whether he was still eager for more or had ulterior motives, he smiled and replied, "You're welcome."

He lowered his head slightly again, deepening the kiss.

......

On the other side of the tree, Little Feather had just picked a big, red persimmon and was about to show it to her two companions when she suddenly saw this scene...

Critical hit! Critical hit!

For someone who has just broken up with their boyfriend, what they are seeing is undoubtedly a devastating blow.

I was bombarded with PDA this morning, and it really made me feel awful...

Waaaaah, being single is so hard...

Waaaaah, where are you, fairy goddess...?

......

As a result, on the last morning, Xiao Yu turned her grief and anger into appetite and ate a lot of persimmons until her stomach was full.

Su Yun looked at his round belly with concern and asked worriedly, "Are you really okay eating so much?"

Little Feather: "It's okay, it's okay. Once, I flew with a flock of birds to a persimmon grove. The persimmons there were all ripe and ready to go bad if we didn't eat them soon. I ate them for a whole week! Ah, so wonderful..."

Seeing Xiao Yu's lingering expression, Su Yun was speechless. "Alright, alright, it seems nothing's wrong. Let's hurry up and make the persimmons."

Making dried persimmons is actually very convenient. After peeling them, scald them with hot water to sterilize them, then tie them with clean cotton thread and hang them to dry in the yard.

The persimmons, which had been scalded with hot water, were tied into strings of small lanterns and lined up neatly in the yard, creating a spectacular sight. They looked like lanterns during the Chinese New Year, with their bright yellow and red hues, giving them a particularly festive appearance.

Little Feather: "It looks delicious!"

Su Yun: "Hanging it up isn't for your convenience to eat now; it's to dry it and save it for winter."

Little Feather was disappointed: "Are we going to have to wait until winter? That's so long..."

Su Yun: "It won't be long before the weather gets cold, and winter will come all at once. There's so much food in the mountains now, even if we don't eat persimmons, there's plenty to eat."

The persimmon trees in the pond have been almost completely plucked, leaving only a few green ones, which will be left for Little Feather to feed the chickens later.

"Is that wild chestnut you mentioned last time far away? Shall we go and get some?" Su Yun suddenly remembered the wild chestnuts that Xiao Yu Mao had brought back not long ago. They were crisp, tender, juicy, and very sweet. After working on them all morning and into the afternoon, Su Yun suddenly wanted to eat chestnuts.

Little Feather slapped her forehead. "Oh no, how could I forget about this? It looks about ready to eat! I'll go pick some, you wait here..."

"Hey! Let's go together!" Su Yun thought it best to pick them all at once, but Little Feather had already disappeared in a flash, not even hearing her voice.

Night Breeze looked up at her and said, "I know where that place is. It's in a ravine over there on the other side of the mountain. If you want to go, I can take you with me."

Su Yun looked at the sky; the sun was already starting to darken. Autumn nights always come earlier. Looking at the chilly mountains and forests, she shook her head and said, "Never mind, let's go next time. But while it's still dark, we can pick some osmanthus flowers."

Night Breeze nodded. "Okay."

The osmanthus trees in late autumn have already blossomed, their golden flowers covering the entire tree.

Walking through the village, you can smell the refreshing fragrance of osmanthus blossoms from afar. Accompanied by the crisp autumn air, it gives you a sense of peace and tranquility.

This reminded Su Yun of the osmanthus trees on campus during her university years. Every evening after self-study, the road was filled with the pleasant fragrance of the flowers, which, along with the coolness of late autumn, brought the breath of autumn in waves.

It's the same now; a gentle breeze carries the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms, and the sunlight feels warm on my skin.

Looking up at the autumn sky, it's so blue, like a pure sapphire, appearing distant and beautiful.

It has the feel of autumn.

The air is filled with the scent of autumn, a similar fragrance yet not quite the same. Here, the air is also mixed with the aroma of grass and trees, the dampness of the pond, and the weight of the earth...

"It smells wonderful, and it smells delicious." Cats have a more sensitive sense of smell, and Ye Feng really liked the osmanthus fragrance, constantly tilting her head back to sniff the air.

The fragrance of osmanthus is rich yet not cloying, which is the scent he likes.

"Yes, we used to have a special kind of osmanthus honey where we lived, it tasted so good!"

"Osmanthus honey?"

"It's honey made by bees specifically collecting osmanthus blossoms..."

"So, are we going to make osmanthus honey now?"

Su Yun chuckled: "Of course not, I don't have that ability. The bees here are not to be trifled with. What if they're mutated? That would be troublesome. Forget it, I'd better just be honest... It might be more convenient to buy them in the city. I don't even know if they sell them there."

"So, shall we pick these osmanthus flowers now?"

"I don't have honey, but I can still make tea with it. Don't you think it smells really nice? Just add a handful when you drink tea, and the tea will have this aroma."

Throughout the summer, Su Yun basically spent her time either brewing tea or making tea with peach blossoms and rose petals... Tea had become an indispensable part of her home.

Even the night breeze has fallen in love with drinking tea.

Everyone became very enthusiastic when they heard that it was about making tea drinks...

only--

The kitten was carrying a large bunch of osmanthus branches in its arms, and the fragrance wafted over.

He couldn't resist taking another deep sniff. The intense fragrance overwhelmed him, and then his nose suddenly itched. Unable to hold it in, he let out a loud sneeze...

Even Su Yun, who was picking osmanthus flowers, was startled. She stopped what she was doing, turned around, and asked, "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Just as Ye Feng was about to open his mouth to say that he was fine, Ye Feng said that he was alright.

Before I could even speak, the itchy feeling returned, followed by another loud sneeze...

Then came the second, the third...

A series of sneezes came suddenly... and seemed unstoppable...

The kitten was completely bewildered, its golden round eyes wide open.

Su Yun quickly removed the osmanthus flowers from his hand. "Oh dear, are you allergic to pollen? You should stay away from here. Kittens usually have a very sensitive sense of smell, so you've probably been irritated."

"I'm fine... I can help you pick them..." Night Breeze wanted to continue helping, but then he sneezed again.

"Oh, there's nothing else here, I can do it myself." Su Yun moved the winnowing basket containing the osmanthus flowers a little further away.

"But..." Ye Feng couldn't bear to see her working so hard and wanted to continue helping.

Su Yun quickly found something to distract him, "I remember there's a jujube tree growing in that yard over there, go check if they're ripe~ If they are, pick some, so we'll have fruit tonight!"

"Ah? Jujube, that's fine too... Then, Osmanthus... Be careful over here, and call me loudly if anything happens, so I can hear you." With a new task in mind, Ye Feng reluctantly left.

"I know, it's not far, don't worry!" Su Yun replied with a smile.

The village is small, and the three of them often wander around it, picking fruit at one house today and watering the plants at another tomorrow. Everyone seems to have gotten used to living here.

Su Yun really likes the pace of life here. Every day, she works hard to provide for her basic needs, and she settles down peacefully and steadily on this newly established land.

Although the work is sometimes tiring, I feel incredibly at ease and secure inside.