Chapter 6 Ji Yunzhou

"Are you awake?"

On an autumn afternoon, Xia Wu opened his eyes to see yellowed beams. Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting shadows from branches on the ground, swaying in the wind.

There was a special fragrance in the room, like the green scent of grass and trees after the rain, with a bitter taste.

Xia Wu propped herself up with her arms and sat up. She was lying on a bamboo single bed. The room was decorated in a log style. A man was sitting at a desk not far away.

The man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with fair skin, soft features, well-defined brow bones, and warm, bright eyes that were full of kindness and gentleness. His thin lips were slightly pursed under his straight nose.

Without waiting for Xia Wu's answer, he pushed the wheelchair outside and called out, "Grandpa Yang, she's awake."

Soon, a figure rushed in and shouted, "Sister!"

Yang Hongwen changed his clothes, wrapping himself up tightly from head to toe. Xia Wu got up from the bed and confirmed it was him through the veil. She squinted her eyes in a good mood and said, "Brother, why are you dressed like this?"

"Bees, bees are afraid of being stung." Yang Hongwen tried to pull off the mask, but he was clumsy, so Xia Wu helped him take it off.

The handsome man said, "My beehive is full, so I asked Xiaowen to help me get some honey. You are Grandpa Yang's granddaughter, right? My name is Ji Yunzhou."

Ji Yunzhou stretched out his hand, his joints distinct like green bamboo, his nails trimmed neatly, a pair of hands that had never been worked.

Xia Wu didn't hesitate and shook his hand. "Are you the beekeeping friend that Grandpa mentioned?"

She looked puzzled, as if wondering how Ji Yunzhou, who was not that old, could become their old friend.

Ji Yunzhou couldn't help but curl his lips: "Grandpa Yang should be talking about Grandpa Pu. He is a good friend of my grandfather. He likes beekeeping. I raised some bees with him and I would go up the mountain to have a look when I have nothing to do."

"So that's how it is. My name is Xia Wu. I just came back not long ago. Nice to meet you."

"Grandpa Yang is making medicine for you. He said that you are deficient in qi and blood, and you fainted while worshiping the Mother Goddess. How do you feel now?" Ji Yunzhou asked gently.

He sat upright in his wheelchair, a blanket covering his legs, as relaxed as if he were sitting in his own living room.

Although Xia Wu was a little curious about what was wrong with his leg, she didn't look at it too much out of politeness. When she heard his question, something suddenly came to her mind and her heart beat faster.

Xia Wu pursed her lips and said, "I feel great now, incredibly good!"

She clenched her fist, as if to prove herself.

Ji Yunzhou smiled again, "That's good. I'm free anyway, why don't I go out and take a look?"

"OK!"

Ji Yunzhou rowed the wheelchair. The house was equipped with convenient facilities, allowing him to move freely. Xia Wu and his brother followed behind him.

After leaving the house, it feels like walking into a fairy tale world. There is a dense jungle not far away. Many birds are perched on the tall trees, chirping and jumping in the woods. There is a large open space in front of you, with a gentle slope downwards.

"Mr. Pu likes beekeeping, and these flowers are for the bees. There is an adequate supply of nectar all year round." Ji Yunzhou explained as he walked. It is autumn and winter now, and there are not many flowers in bloom. Apart from a few acres of osmanthus flowers on the hillside, there is only the large white flower field in front of him.

"What kind of flower is this? It smells like you."

Xia Wu squatted down curiously and leaned over to smell the flowers.

"This is a wild basil, usually grown at high altitudes. It blooms from September to December, just enough to fill the gap between autumn and winter."

"Yebazi... I've never heard of it. If the honey collected by bees is different, will it taste different?" Xia Wu was like a curious baby.

"Of course, come here and I'll make some wild honey for you to try."

There was a resting pavilion in the middle of the flower field. Ji Yunzhou took her into the pavilion. There were many honey pots that had been picked and sealed on the table, and there was a stove next to it for boiling water and making tea.

Ji Yunzhou's movements were as smooth as flowing water. He took the cup, rinsed it with hot water, added two spoonfuls of wild dam honey, poured in warm water and stirred it to dissolve, then handed it to Xia Wu, "Try it."

He made a cup for Yang Hongwen in the same way and handed it to him.

The brother and sister sat at the table in the same manner, sipping their teacups.

That look made Ji Yunzhou curl his lips again.

"It's delicious!" Xia Wu said in surprise. She smacked her lips and carefully selected her words to describe it. "It's different from any honey I've ever tasted. It has a special fragrance, mixed with a hint of sweetness and a slight sourness. It's delicious!"

Yang Hongwen looked at his sister and nodded repeatedly, as if agreeing with her.

Ji Yunzhou smiled and said, "Different flowers produce different honeys. Would you like to try some osmanthus honey?"

Of course!

Ji Yunzhou made two more cups of honey water. Xia Wu drank the Yebazi honey water, rinsed his mouth with clean water, and tasted the osmanthus honey.

The taste of osmanthus honey has the flavor of osmanthus, the color is different from that of wild bazi honey, and it tastes sweeter.

Xia Wu was savoring the food and expressing her feelings. Suddenly, a few bees flew into the pavilion and staggered towards her.

"Wow, what a cute little bee!" Xia Wu exclaimed in surprise and stretched out her hand to welcome the bee to land on her palm.

"Be careful!" Ji Yunzhou reminded hurriedly, but it was too late.

The bee that had collected a lot of honey had already landed on Xia Wu's palm, making him sweat.

Uncle Park raises native bees. They are not big in size, but they are very powerful. If you get stung, you will inevitably feel red, swollen and painful for a long time. Otherwise, Yang Hongwen would not have wrapped himself so tightly to collect honey.

Unexpectedly, the bee did not attack Xia Wu. Instead, it rubbed its two front antennae and kept sending the light yellow nectar on them into Xia Wu's palm. After a while, a honey ball the size of an osmanthus grain appeared.

The little bee felt light without honey, and did not shake when it took off again. It circled around Xia Wu twice, flapped its wings happily and flew away to continue collecting honey.

Xia Wu was left confused: "?"

"What does this mean?"

Ji Yunzhou has been raising bees for quite a long time, but he has never seen such a phenomenon...before.

Native bees often create new homes when conditions are unfavorable. Could the hive be full? Or perhaps it's infested with wax moths?

But it shouldn't be like that.

Ji Yunzhou didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I don't know either, I guess they think you're the queen bee."

"Okay," Xia Wu actually had some ideas in mind, but she kept silent. She changed the subject and asked, "Can this honey ball be eaten?"

Finally, the little dumpling fell into Xia Wu's mouth, and her mouth was filled with sweet saliva.

"The little girl is awake, Old Yang, I told you she's alright!"

A hearty voice sounded, and next to Mr. Yang stood an old man with white hair and beard, who looked like Zhou Botong in The Return of the Condor Heroes.

"Xiao Wu, are you still feeling uncomfortable?"

"No, I guess I didn't sleep well last night and have a little hypoglycemia. I'm sorry, Grandpa, for making you worry." Xia Wu felt a little embarrassed.

But in fact, during the time when Xia Wu fainted and left, she got something amazing.