He Dongdong: "??"
His stomach was still full, but the next second, he was kidnapped by Qi Nianping and Qi Nianan, one on each side.
The three of them ran into the house side by side. Li Yanran, watching from behind, had her eyes shining. "Eat well! Eat as much as you can!"
After resting briefly at the He family's house, the group packed their tools and prepared to head up the mountain. It was the first time Aunt He had ever seen her grandson drink more than half a bowl of egg tea in one go. Overjoyed, he carried a sickle and a basket on his back, walking at the front like a female warrior charging into battle.
What are we going up the mountain for?
"Let's pick jujubes, and see if there are any other dried fruits or anything else on the mountain."
Shen Fenghua nodded and remained silent. When she came, she had seen the lotus pond in the village. Unfortunately, the lotus flowers were in full bloom, which meant that there were no lotus seeds at all.
Her slight disappointment couldn't be hidden from Li Yanran at all. She smiled and said, "Don't just focus on the surface of the water, have you ever thought about what's underwater?"
Underwater?
What could there be?
“There are fish and shrimp,” Li Yanran said with a smile. “Didn’t you notice? The water in the pond is very clear, and the fish and shrimp in it have excellent meat quality. Even your godson, who has such a picky palate, ate half a bowl of fish belly meat last time.”
Shen Fenghua's interest was immediately piqued. "Really?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
"Then let's have lunch..."
The mountain is rich in resources. Aunt He is like a fish in water in the forest. She knows every delicious little berry growing there like the back of her hand.
However, Shen Fenghua, with her sharp eyes, grabbed Li Yanran, who wanted to continue forward, and asked, "Sister Yanran, look, what's that?"
Li Yanran was taken aback. Following the gaze, she saw that the bright red fruit hanging on the tree could only be hawthorns.
"It's hawthorn."
There were fallen hawthorns under the tree. This place was rarely visited, and the angle was tricky. If Shen Fenghua hadn't glanced over here on a whim, she wouldn't have noticed it at all.
The tree was laden with fruit. When Aunt He saw it, she was overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling. "Oh my, this is some good stuff!"
Yes, hawthorn soup is good for clearing heat and relieving summer heat. Remove the pits, skewer them, coat them with syrup, and you have candied hawthorn.
It tastes good and can fill your stomach, making it a rare treat for farmers.
The rest of the trip is over for now; the important thing is to pick all the fruit from this tree.
The group immediately got to work, and the little ones showed off their skills. Qi Nian'an and He Dongdong were too young, so they waited under the tree, while Qi Nianping, like a little monkey, stretched his arms and legs and darted up the tree.
Shen Fenghua was stunned. This kid has some skills.
Judging from how nimbly he climbs the tree, he's definitely a pro.
For an hour and a half, everyone busied themselves working on a single tree. During this time, Shen Fenghua looked at the bright red hawthorns and grew increasingly delighted, especially by their tangy, fruity aroma.
My mouth was watering, and I couldn't resist. I wiped my mouth with the corner of my clothes and took a small, careful bite.
That one bite sent a jolt of sourness through her, making her head spin.
I woke up instantly.
Li Yanran was amused by Shen Fenghua's grinning face, laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up. It was Qi Nian'an, who was standing under the tree, who took out a water bottle from his basket, and Shen Fenghua took two sips before she could recover.
Shen Fenghua was still shaken. "My God, that's way too sour."
"You silly child," Aunt He said, beaming from ear to ear, "Didn't Yanran say you like sour things? This little hawthorn made you sick of the sourness?"
Shen Fenghua was truly terrified of sourness, frowning as she said, "I can tolerate acetic acid, but this kind of natural fruit acid is no good, oh dear, it's killing me!"
This tree's hawthorns filled one and a half baskets.
Aunt He picked it up and weighed it, beaming with joy. "I estimate it weighs about forty pounds. Hawthorns taste best when they're fresh. Clean them, slice them, and dry them. You can still eat them in winter. Fenghua, if you trust your aunt, leave all these things here. I'll clean them up for you. In half a month, when we go to the county town, we'll bring them to you along."
Shen Fenghua hurriedly replied, "Auntie, you're being too polite. We found and cleaned this together, so how can you give it all to me? Besides, asking whether I trust you or not is just embarrassing me. The stuff is right here with you. If you clean it up, I'd be overjoyed if you gave me a pound or two."
Shen Fenghua's words amused Aunt He. The more generous and uncalculating Shen Fenghua was, the less the old woman wanted her to suffer. "You have such a mouth, no wonder Yanran likes you so much."
“That’s just the truth,” Shen Fenghua said with a smile. “Then I’ll take a break and let Qing just sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor.”
"Alright, alright, leave it to your auntie, she'll tidy it up for you."
The group ran down the mountain laughing and joking when, halfway down, Qi Nian'an suddenly shouted, "Brother, there's a bird's nest!"
Qi Nianping was taken aback. He looked up and saw a nest sitting on a tree branch. Aunt He also looked up at the nest and laughed, "It's empty."
A soft but confident voice came from below, "There's an egg."
It is Qi Nianping.
He looked up at Shen Fenghua and said, "Auntie, may I go up and take a look?"
After estimating the height, Shen Fenghua felt a chill run down her spine. "Can you make it up? It looks a bit high to me. Safety first."
Qi Nian'an cheered, "Yes, Auntie, my brother can! He's amazing! He's climbed trees that were taller than this before."
He Jun, seeing the children eager to try, made the final decision: "Go ahead and climb. It's okay, I'll catch you from below."
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