Chapter 186 Lemons are really sour

The snow started falling in the afternoon.

The wind stopped at dusk.

The wind stopped, but the snow continued to fall.

This snowfall wasn't as heavy as the one before the New Year. First, fine snowflakes fell for half a day, like a layer of fine salt on the ground, and then snowflakes began to fall in the evening.

The snowflakes weren't big; they looked as if they had been torn apart by the previous wind, fine and dense.

Daiyu spent half the afternoon playing in the Star Gazing Pavilion, watching the snow in the sky through the star-gazing mirror.

When we went outside, I picked a ripe lemon from the bonsai lemon tree.

The scent of lemon is refreshing and pleasant. Daiyu felt that even the air she breathed smelled of lemon, cool and refreshing.

But the old woman said it was extremely sour. Even when it was ripe, it looked yellowish-brown, like the color of an orange, but it still tasted sour.

Daiyu, however, did not believe it.

It smells so refreshing, how could it possibly taste sour?

Moreover, her nanny used to make her lemon-flavored desserts, which were delicious.

So how could a lemon be sour?

She wanted to try it while the nanny wasn't around.

However, the peel of this lemon is very rough and looks very thick, so it probably needs to be cut with a knife like an orange.

"Xueyan, go and get a small knife." Daiyu placed the lemons on a plate.

Xueyan brought over a small knife, the kind the girl used when learning to cook. Because this type was most suitable for cutting fruit, the girl asked for several more to be made.

Daiyu cut the lemon into small pieces just like she would an orange.

Once cut open, the lemon's fresh aroma became even stronger, making her mouth water.

The lemon slices are crescent-shaped, and the flesh is the same as that of an orange, only with more juice.

Without hesitation, Daiyu picked up a piece and took a small bite.

Instantly, an incredibly tangy sensation filled her entire mouth.

"Miss, is it very sour? Rinse your mouth quickly." Zijuan brought over mouthwash and, seeing Daiyu's strange expression, hurriedly handed her the water.

"You should try some too, it's quite delicious." Daiyu pushed aside the water glass and invited everyone to try the lemons.

Zijuan, Xueyan, and the others were skeptical, but each took a piece...

"Ah, hiss~"

"Ouch, my tooth is about to fall out..."

"Girl, you're just trying to fool us again!"

"Lan Su hasn't tried it yet, let's save it for her to try..."

Daiyu laughed heartily.

"Yes, we'll eat the sweet together, and of course we'll taste the sour together too."

"Girl, did you already know that lemons are sour, and that's why you're playing a prank on us?" Tingyue wondered how the girl could possibly endure the sourness and still manage to tease them so subtly.

"If I had known it was so sour, I wouldn't have tasted it!" Daiyu laughed. "It's precisely because I've tasted its sourness that I want you all to try it too! It's only fair if everyone experiences the sourness together."

“If the girl doesn’t behave well, we’re going to tell Granny Yuan.” Xueyan pouted. She took the biggest bite, almost swallowing the whole lemon, so she was the one who felt it the most.

"No, Xueyan, good Xueyan, I promise I won't tease you with lemons again, please don't tell Granny," Daiyu said, shaking Xueyan's arm.

"I genuinely didn't know lemons were so sour; I was just trying to play a joke on you guys. The lemon looked like a big orange, bright yellow, and smelled wonderful, so I thought it would taste delicious. I never imagined it would be a million times sourer than an orange!"

Daiyu spoke with great conviction.

"I was fooled by this lemon too..."

Just then, Lan Su walked in, saw the lemons in the plate, which gave off a refreshing smell, and reached out to take one.

"What kind of fruit is this? I'd like to try some."

"You can't eat it..." Before Zijuan could finish speaking, Lansu had already chewed a piece of lemon and swallowed it.

"Why can't I eat it? It's delicious. Is it too expensive for me to eat?" Lan Su joked as she picked up another piece.

Daiyu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Sister Lan Su, don't you think lemons taste sour?"

"It's not sour, it tastes pretty good." Lan Su was puzzled, and swallowed the second piece of lemon.

This gave the group a sudden illusion that lemons weren't actually sour.

"Girl, are there any more of these fruits? I found them very refreshing, I wish I could eat a few more!" Lan Su finished the lemons on the plate and felt she hadn't had enough.

Daiyu hesitated and shook her head, then continued,

"We all found it extremely sour and couldn't stand the sour taste at all. How did you manage not to find it sour, sister?"

"It tastes very sweet to me, not sour at all." Lan Su was also puzzled. The lemon fruit was clearly not sour at all, so why were the girl and Zijuan looking at her so strangely, as if they were looking at an alien?

Yuan Hongqu had been watching from the doorway for a while before finally coming over.

"It varies from person to person. Most people will find it sour, but only a small number of people will not find it sour."

"You can't infer other people's feelings based on your own; that's inaccurate and unfair. Because you are inherently different."

"Moreover, the same thing may be different at different times and in different contexts."

Yuan Hongqu's teaching of Daiyu was completely integrated into their daily lives. They had no classrooms or books, but everywhere was a classroom and everything was a book.

“Granny, I understand!” Daiyu said happily. “And the taste of lemons changes under different circumstances. Like the lemon desserts you used to make, they didn’t have any sourness at all.”

Yuan Hongqu nodded. Whether the students understood or not, she wouldn't emphasize it; they could grasp as much as they could. What she taught was already quite advanced, so there was no need for the students to understand everything.

It was still early for bed, so Xiangtao led Daiyu and several maids to the kitchen to make snacks and desserts.

Yuan Hongqu was listening to Lan Su's report.

"That idiot Xue broke his leg again. I don't think he'll be able to get out of bed for at least six months."

"The doctor's treatment yesterday wasn't wrong, but his medical skills weren't up to par before this serious illness occurred. The Xue family hasn't reacted yet, but once they do, they'll definitely come after that doctor. Tomorrow, tell that doctor to be careful and to run away if necessary."

"We don't need to remind him, I think that doctor is very clever. I even saw him taking his family out of town today, they're probably already in the same county by now."

"He's really a vigilant one!" Yuan Hongqu exclaimed. "Our estate is short of a doctor. If there's an opportunity, it would be good to have him practice medicine there."

"I'm afraid that once Xue Da Shazi recovers, he'll seek revenge and find him again to take his life," Lan Su kindly reminded him.

Yuan Hongqu glanced at Lan Su with a half-smile.

"Do you think Xue the Fool's leg will ever get better?"