Pei Ji stepped forward, picked up a jujube, and examined it carefully. It was indeed unbroken, and he couldn't help but marvel. He never expected that there were so many intricacies hidden in something as simple as picking fruit.

There are no jujube trees in Shitou's hometown, so he was very excited to see these bright red fruits on the ground. He picked them up, rubbed them in his hands a couple of times, and then popped them into his mouth, saying as he chewed, "They're crisp and sweet, so delicious!"

As she spoke, she picked up a few extra-large ones and ran to Min Yueqing's side, whispering, "Master, please try them, they're delicious!"

He still remembered that he couldn't call someone "Master" in front of outsiders. Although he was no longer in the manor, he still retained this habit.

Min Yueqing took the jujubes, wiped them casually with a handkerchief, and popped one into her mouth. She had to admit, she preferred jujubes to persimmons; the sweetness of jujubes was a refreshing, not cloying, and they were crisp and crunchy with a pleasant texture.

Min Yueqing nodded to Shi Tou, "The taste is indeed quite good."

Seeing that his master liked them, Shi Tou thought he should pick more to take back, so he ran back to continue picking jujubes. Jujubes were much easier to collect than persimmons; Da Shu and Er Zhu could easily knock them down a few times, and the group could pick them for quite a while.

A little while later, Pei Ji also came to find Min Yueqing with the jujubes he had carefully selected. Min Yueqing gave him a pat on the head and a compliment, then sat leisurely under the shade of a tree and ate the jujubes.

Min Yueqing chuckled inwardly, thinking to herself, "I must be considered one of those 'date-eating masses' in ancient times."

The children filled all four baskets to the brim before reluctantly stopping. On the way back, Shi Tou couldn't help but ask curiously, "With so much fruit, can you pick it all every year?"

Mao Mao said, "Of course we can't pick them all by ourselves. In a few more days, when most of the fruit is ripe, Grandpa will go to the village and invite many people to come and pick them together."

"There are so many fruits, you can't possibly eat them all. Are you going to sell them?" Stone continued to ask.

Having gone out to sell fruit with his grandfather and father before, Da Shu eagerly answered, "Yes, after picking them, we rush them to the market to sell while they're still fresh, and many people are willing to buy them."

Erzhu added, "It's okay if we can't sell them all. Grandma will make persimmon cakes with Mom and the aunts, and we'll also dry dates. That way, they can be preserved for a long time, and we'll have something to eat until the New Year!"

Mao Mao nodded vigorously, and when he thought of the persimmons and dried dates that his grandmother brought out during the New Year, he couldn't help but drool.

Pei Ji was thinking that this was how persimmon cakes were made, and wondered how they became so flat. He hoped to have a good look at it this time.

The group returned to the carriage amidst laughter and chatter. Sure enough, Li Er had already loaded the persimmons they had picked earlier onto the carriage. The group then put their baskets inside, making the carriage suddenly crowded.

Fortunately, the journey was not long, and we soon returned to the village.

The carriage drove directly into the main courtyard. As soon as it came to a stop, Old Li led his family over. Some helped carry things, while others carried the children out of the carriage.

As soon as Min Yueqing got out of the car, Old Li came up to her and said, "Madam, please take all these fruits inside."

Min Yueqing shook her head and said, "There are only a few of us, we can't finish all of this. Just leave each of us a basket, that will be enough."

She didn't particularly like persimmons, and she could tell the little one wasn't too fond of them either. She mainly kept them for Shi Tou, A Mei, A Zhu, Uncle Zhao, and others to try. As for the dates, a basketful would be enough for them; fruit is meant to be eaten fresh, otherwise it won't taste the same.

Old Li thought it made sense. There weren't many people on the lady's side, and it wouldn't be good if the food went bad. It would be better to leave some and pick fresh food to send over after they finished eating.

After Old Li and the others carried away all the excess fruit, Min Yueqing said to Amei, "These fruits are still quite fresh. You can share some and try them, and also send two plates over to Uncle Zhao."

That evening, as soon as Pei Ji returned to his bedroom, he immediately looked at Min Yueqing and said, "Mother, I haven't forgotten today. Teach us how to whistle."

Stone followed behind, looking at his master with anticipation.

Min Yueqing smiled and said, "Your memory is good this time."

Without refusing, he had them sit down on the tatami mat and then demonstrated, in a slow and deliberate manner, how to use one's hands to help whistle. After the demonstration, he also explained the key points.

Pei Ji and Shi Tou immediately began to learn seriously. This skill was very important. After learning it, they could summon horses remotely like their mother/master. How cool was that?

Actually, the technique of whistling with your fingers is very simple. Just put your thumb and forefinger on your lips and blow gently. But you need to be careful not to let the air come out of the corners of your mouth. The tip of your tongue should be pressed against the tips of your two fingers, and you must blow the air out from the tips of your two fingers.

However, it was clearly quite difficult for Pei Ji and Shi Tou, two beginners; they either couldn't make a sound or their breath would leak out.

Fortunately, the two were patient and had a strong desire to learn. With their persistent attempts, they gradually began to grasp the knack and at least stopped being completely unable to blow a whistle.

Min Yueqing was the one who suffered more, as all the noise from the two practicing filled her ears, and even the miscellaneous books in her hands couldn't block out the cacophony.

Left with no other option, Min Yueqing suggested, "Learning to whistle can't be rushed. You should carefully recall and compare the feeling of your practice with the techniques I've described. It will be more effective to practice again tomorrow."

In terms of teaching, Pei Ji and Shi Tou were absolutely obedient to Min Yueqing. Upon hearing her say this, they immediately stopped practicing.

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