Chapter 95 My Apricots Are for You

A luxury car slowly drove into Yanggou Village, and its low-key and luxurious design attracted the attention of many villagers.

Although outsiders often come to Yanggou Village, this is the last time I have seen such a cool luxury car.

"Yes, the car is parked here. Shall we walk over?"

Sitting in the passenger seat was an old acquaintance from Yanggou Village, Ma Xueqing. This old man hadn't been here for a while, but the villagers recognized him as soon as they saw him. Isn't this the old man who cooks delicious food?

The driver was a young man wearing an ankle-length windbreaker. He got out of the car and stood next to Ma Xueqing. He was very tall and had a good-looking face.

Yang Guojun saw someone coming to the office and hurried out to greet him. He recognized Ma Xueqing and went up to greet him, "Hey, Uncle Ma, you're here!"

"Who is this?"

Ma Xueqing cooked several times every time he came. Even Chef Zhang praised his cooking skills and told them privately that this old man was definitely a skilled cook.

Who doesn’t love delicious food in this world? Yang Guojun has tasted the food cooked by Ma Xueqing and still has a deep memory of it.

Ma Xueqing introduced him with a smile, "This is my nephew, also a chef. I brought him here to discuss cooperation with Xiao Wu. Wouldn't it be more sincere to come in person?"

"That's great. You guys came today by chance. Xiao Wu just sent me a message saying that the village is having a barbecue party tonight with lots of food. Do you two want to stay tonight? We can discuss any cooperation later. We in Yanggou Village always welcome guests like us."

Yang Guojun's face was almost crooked with smiles. Ever since Xia Wu came back to take charge of the mountain, life in the village has been getting better and better.

Although I am not familiar with many of the young people who come back now, at least they are there!

Before the holiday, young people in the village didn’t come back because they couldn’t make money.

Now at least we can earn some money every day, and young people dare to come back and have a rest. The village is lively and bustling, which is great.

Ma Xueqing's eyes lit up when he heard that. "Barbecue? Xia girl wants to make it? Then I must stay. Oh, I wonder if you guys are still in need of a cook. Look, I feel embarrassed to eat and drink for free, so why not show you some of my cooking skills!"

That’s great! Isn’t it like someone giving you a pillow when you’re sleepy?

Yang Guojun agreed repeatedly and quickly called Xia Wu.

"Hey, Xiao Wu, Mr. Ma is here. He said he wants to discuss business with you. We don't have a chef for the barbecue party tonight, right? I invited him to stay. Great! Mr. Ma is happy to do it! Okay, I'll arrange accommodation for him, don't worry."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Guojun said cheerfully: "Uncle Ma, I'm counting on you tonight!"

"Okay, then I'll go directly to the top of the mountain to find Xia Yatou and see what needs to be done."

Ma Xueqing was really not a stranger. Coming to Yanggou Village was like returning to his own home. He took Xu Li straight to the small courtyard with the well on the mountain.

"Uncle Master, are we really going to stay here for one night?"

Xu Li looked at the surrounding scenery and felt a little worried. This place looked too primitive, and he could tell with his toes that the accommodation conditions would not be very good.

He is a bit of a germaphobe and doesn't particularly want to stay overnight outside.

I originally thought that I could go back after finishing the business during the day.

"Oh, I told you that if you don't want to come, then ask your master to come with me. Look at this..."

"No, it's not that I don't want to..."

Xu Li quickly explained that if he asked his uncle to go back and say a few words in front of the master, he would probably be scolded.

He could only focus on the surrounding scenery and follow Ma Xueqing up the mountain. Fortunately, the weather was good today, neither cold nor hot. The clouds blocked the sun, giving the clouds a circle of golden edge.

The mountain is busy. Every morning, employees pick fresh vegetables and bring them to the courtyard with the well. They remove the yellow leaves, clean the soil, weigh them, sort them, and pack them in plastic bags. Xia Wu then sends them to the town for express delivery.

These jobs are done by the elderly. Those who are nimble pick the vegetables, and those who are not very mobile pack them. The elderly are careful and although they work a little slower, they are very meticulous.

Even if the delivery is slow, no one will rush.

Ma Xueqing liked the atmosphere of the courtyard with a well. He told Xu Li that just by looking at Xia Wu's attitude towards the elderly in the village, he knew that this person could make friends.

Xu Li muttered, "We're here to buy groceries, not to visit a nursing home."

Ma Xueqing pursed his lips, angry but afraid to speak. "Respecting the elderly and loving the young is a person's most basic virtue. If someone can't even do the most basic things, whether in business or as a person, would you dare to associate with such a person?"

Xu Li could only coax him: "Don't dare, uncle, let's go check out the dishes first."

"Let's make it clear first. I'll decide whether or not to buy groceries from her. Even if she's a nice person, I can't buy from her if the food isn't up to standard. Business is business, and personal relationships are personal relationships."

Ma Xueqing shook his head helplessly.

"It's your decision, I won't interfere. Sigh," he sighed softly without saying what was in his heart.

Why has he been opening restaurants in old residential areas for so many years? No matter how prosperous the business is, he just keeps doing it. Unlike some of his senior brothers, they have opened more and more high-end restaurants, opened more and more chain stores, and earned more and more money, but they always feel that some aspects have lost a little flavor.

Just as food tastes good only when it has flavor, isn't it the same with life? Can one truly be happy if one only focuses on cold, hard numbers and puts money first?

Maybe Ma Xueqing is too rigid and doesn't understand the thoughts of young people, but he really thinks that Xia Wu is quite to his liking.

Otherwise, he wouldn't come here every few days, thinking of negotiating some big deals for her.

Ma Xueqing's restaurant takes a commoner approach. He does not seek to become rich, but he also wants to ensure that his employees have food to eat and can support their families.

The cost of buying fresh vegetables from Xia Wu and transporting them back is affordable for one or two trips, but if you do this every day, it will be uneconomical.

If the quality of the dishes served in a restaurant varies greatly, it will be even worse for the restaurant's reputation. Some gourmets are really picky and can tell the difference in taste.

Ma Xueqing's senior brothers don't have to worry about him so much. If the dishes here in Xia Wu are really as stable as he said, they can replace some of the dishes supplied from abroad with dishes from Xia Wu Mountain.

Private restaurants do not require a large supply of ingredients, and they focus more on quality and take a high-end approach.

Xu Li became a disciple of Ma Xueqing's senior brother and also went abroad for further studies for several years. He is a leader among his peers. He became the head chef of a star-rated private restaurant when he was only in his twenties. Just look at the car he drives and you will know that this guy has made a lot of money over the years.

He is very picky, even more picky than Ma Xueqing's apprentices. If anything comes through his mouth, it is either okay or no, there is no middle ground.

The two entered the yard. Everyone inside was busy. Occasionally, they saw a few old men and women leaning against the wall to rest in the sun, squinting their eyes. When they heard someone coming, they opened their eyes, but closed them again when they saw that they didn't recognize them.

They were going to have a barbecue in the evening, so Ma Fangzhou and his friends drove to the town to buy meat. They were afraid of buying frozen food, so they specifically asked around and found out which family was slaughtering pigs and chickens and went to buy some from them. After they got the meat back, they gave it to Wang Yuexia and the others to clean up. They had just finished cutting it and were preparing to marinate it, and would put it on bamboo skewers later.

Ma Xueqing was just like returning home, with work in his eyes. After being greeted, he got to work and took on the job of pickling the meat.

Xia Wu was not in the yard. He had gone to the town to deliver a parcel. Zhao Jing moved a stool for Xu Li and asked him to sit down and wait for a while.

"Xiao Wu should be back soon, just sit and wait."

After arranging the people, Zhao Jing continued to sit back by the well and brush crayfish.

Yang Shuhua woke up early, listening to him, and went lobster fishing at four or five in the morning. Lobsters lay on the water plants to absorb oxygen in the early morning. He picked up a few snails, took the meat and hung it on the fishing rod. He always caught one.

Because lobster fishing was too slow, Yang Shuhua also prepared a landing net. In two or three hours, he caught a large basin of crayfish, at least several dozen kilograms.

There are few young people in the village, and these wild animals are rampant. No one comes to catch them. The elderly think they have no meat, and the children catch them but no one cooks them. But Yang Shuhua really enjoys it.

"Are crayfish farmed?" Xu Li was sitting there alone and felt quite bored, so he took the initiative to talk to Zhao Jing.

"No, I caught it in a wild pond nearby."

"No wonder it looks so small, but it's quite clean."

Crayfish are very picky about water quality. If they are raised in clean water, they will grow relatively clean. If they are raised in sewage, they will become very dirty, and the dirt will be impossible to wash off.

Zhao Jing smiled and said, "Handsome, we have beautiful mountains and clear waters here, so of course the crayfish are clean. I see you came here with Mr. Ma. Do you want to stay for dinner tonight? We're planning to have a barbecue."

Xu Li nodded, "Yes, I came with him."

"Are you a chef? Or something?"

"chef."

"It doesn't look like it. I didn't know there was a chef as young and handsome as you."

Even the coldest man would smile when sincerely praised in person. Xu Li's smile was a little more genuine. "I heard from my uncle that the vegetables grown in your village are quite good. I just opened a private restaurant and wanted to choose some from you, so I came to take a look."

"So you're here to buy vegetables? Let me tell you, the vegetables grown in our village will absolutely satisfy you. They're all organic, pesticide-free and additive-free, and there aren't many bugs. Everyone who's tried them says they're very satisfied," Zhao Jing proudly introduced the vegetables grown in the mountains. "The vegetables I've eaten outside before weren't as good as the ones in our village. When I'm done with my work, I'll take you there and you'll see."

Zhao Jing said, simply putting down the work in her hands, "I'm almost done with brushing. Let's soak it in baking soda for a while. I'll take you to the mountains first. Xiao Wu should be back soon."

Xu Li agreed.

If Ma Xueqing doesn't want to go, just let him go by himself.

There was no car, so Zhao Jing took Xu Li there on foot. Although she looked cool in her long windbreaker, it was actually a bit hot. When the sun came out, Xu Li took off his windbreaker and held it in his arms. The small courtyard with a well was built halfway up the hill, and there was an orchard diagonally opposite. Xu Li could smell the fragrance of apricots from a long distance away. When he looked over, he saw two puppies jumping over the canal and into the apricot forest.

"What's growing over there?"

"It's an orchard. They grow many kinds of fruit, including the common peaches, apricots, pears, and plums. The apricots are ripe now. The two puppies you saw just now were raised by Xiao Wu. They must have smelled some fallen apricots."

"Can a dog smell this?" Xu Li was a little surprised.

Zhao Jing laughed heartily. "Of course. You haven't seen Xiao Wu's pets. They're all amazing. She has a yellow rabbit that almost knows how to pound medicine."

Xu Li: “?” I don’t understand. Is this still human language?

"Handsome guy, I forgot to ask your name. Do you want to try an apricot? I'll take you to pick one, but you can't eat too many. Each person can only pick one at most, otherwise Black Bean will keep yelling."

The apricot smell was so fragrant that it made people drool. Xu Li nodded and said, "How about trying one?"

As they approached the apricot grove, they saw Jindou and Heidou circling around the golden apricots that had fallen on the grass, wagging their tails and drooling with joy.

The next second, a hand reached out and picked up the apricot.

Seeing the delicious food about to disappear from his mouth, Jindou screamed wildly. He looked up and saw that it was Zhao Jing, and he turned off the engine again.

Zhao Jing checked the fallen apricots. They looked intact on the outside, so they probably fell because they were too ripe.

She broke the apricots and gave half to each of the two puppies, patting their heads and saying, "Eat, eat. I'm not trying to steal from you. Look, this is a guest who wants to talk business with your master and give us some money. I'll pick two apricots for him to try."

Hei Dou: "Woof woof woof? (Why pick two?)"

It looked at Xu Li in confusion. Isn't this just one guest?

Zhao Jing said unhappily, "I'll have one too. I'll use up my quota for today, okay?"

"Woof! (The black bean agreed.)"

Xu Li: "...Can it understand human language?"

Zhao Jing discussed with the dog and went into the woods to look for ripe apricots. Hei Dou even followed her and picked a few for her.

"Don't underestimate it because it's just a dog. It's very clever. The day before yesterday, a village kid came to steal apricots and was caught by it. Before Xiao Wu came, it had been biting the kid's trouser leg and refused to let go. It insisted that the kid hand over the apricots and repeatedly promised not to steal them. Only then would it let go."

This matter was quite embarrassing, so Xiao Wu made a rule for the two bodyguards that from now on, each acquaintance could pick at most one, and unless there was an order from Xia Wu, and they picked and sold the fruits for a small amount of money, they could not pick them on a large scale, otherwise Hei Dou could exercise jurisdiction.

When Xu Li heard this, he thought it was amazing. How could these two little things with noses be so smart?

Zhao Jing picked two apricots. The apricots were very big and almost filled her hand. She asked Hei Dou to look at them and make sure the number was right. Only then was Hei Dou satisfied and went to eat his half of the apricot with peace of mind.

The more Xu Li watched, the more he found it amazing. He squatted down and stretched out his hand, saying, "Hey, come here, little puppy."

Hei Dou didn't even bother to look at him.

"Why is it ignoring me?"

"It doesn't want to bother with you. It likes to eat apricots. Here, you give it to me," Zhao Jing handed the apricots washed in the canal to Xu Li.

Xu Li's mysophobia is acting up. Is this water clean?

He didn't dare ask.

The ripe apricots were easy to break. He broke off a small half, put it in his hand, and started sucking on it again. This time Jindou was very considerate and came over wagging his tail.

Hei Dou looked at the strange man in front of him warily. The smell and voice were strange. Maybe he was the bad guy the owner mentioned, who specifically fed the puppies and wanted to take them away!

No! Jindou is in danger! Heidou quickly ran over and bit his sister's tail and pulled it back.

"Here are my apricots for you to eat. Don't let the bad guys catch you!"