Bai Lu took the large tangerine from the big boss with a blank expression and asked curiously, "Do you carry this with you when you go out?"
Xiao Cheng casually replied, "Offerings."
The white dew startled so much that even the tangerines had their peels pricked open.
The ancestors haven't even eaten yet, and you're already giving it to her? Is that... not a good idea?
Should she be flattered?
My heart was pounding wildly.
Bai Lu patted her chest seemingly unintentionally, her smile perfectly normal: "Xiao Wei is hungry too."
Xiao Wei was standing there pretending to be invisible when he was called out again. He really wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
He's not hungry! Not hungry! Not hungry!
Xiao Cheng then took out a tangerine from another pocket, half the size of the one Bai Lu was holding, and gave it to Bai Lu.
Bai Lu immediately handed it to Xiao Wei.
Xiao Wei: "..."
Okay, he's hungry.
Bai Lu peeled the already cracked tangerine peel, divided it in half, gave one half to Xiao Cheng, and kept the other half for herself.
Xiao Cheng glanced down at the citrus pulp in his hand, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, then relaxed, his thin lips curving slightly upwards as he tasted each segment of the fruit, leaving a sweet aftertaste.
The more Bailu ate, the sweeter the tangerines tasted, even more so than the ones her fifth aunt sold, probably because they were offerings.
Just as I finished eating the last piece, my big straw hat suddenly made a "smack" sound, as if something had hit it.
Moreover, nothing fell to the ground.
Oops!
Could it be excrement from heaven?
The mountain is covered with lush trees, creating a peaceful and pristine natural environment, making it the perfect place for birds to build their nests.
The terrifying thought had barely formed when a long, slender hand with distinct knuckles reached out and picked up a dark red, almost black object from Bai Lu's large straw hat.
It's something you can just throw away.
"Wait a moment!"
Bai Lu grabbed Xiao Cheng's hand, took the dark red object off, and smelled it.
The fragrance was indeed overpowering; it was too close.
"Isn't this star anise?" Bai Lu held the star anise in her hand and looked up. The tree was too tall, and all she could see were the lush green leaves and a few small, blackish things hanging on the branches.
Star anise, also known as fennel, can be used to make spices, braising spices, hot pot base, etc., and also has considerable medicinal value.
“It’s star anise,” Xiao Cheng confirmed her answer.
Bai Lu was surprised and puzzled: "Isn't the ripening season for star anise around the same time as chestnuts? They both ripen in July and August, so why are there still star anise falling down now?"
"Because no one picks them when they are ripe, the star anise just hangs on the tree and falls off when the wind blows."
A thin, white-haired old woman with a ruddy complexion slowly walked out from behind the big tree.
After answering Bai Lu's question, the old woman turned to Xiao Cheng and gave him a kind smile: "Young man, thank you for the tangerines. They're so sweet they've almost made my teeth fall out."
"It was given to me by Xiao Dazhuang," Xiao Cheng said honestly.
They won't even accept a thank you if it wasn't their own achievement.
The old woman took a liking to the fruit offerings and asked Xiao Dazhuang to take them, but Xiao Dazhuang was hesitant. The old woman insisted.
Xiao Dazhuang went to ask Xiao Cheng, but Xiao Cheng didn't say anything, so Xiao Dazhuang assumed that Xiao Cheng had tacitly agreed as usual.
I secretly took a tangerine and gave it to the old lady.
Turning around, she discovered that Xiao Cheng had also taken two oranges. This scene was witnessed by the old woman, who concluded that the oranges were given by Xiao Cheng to Xiao Dazhuang, and then given to her by Xiao Dazhuang.
"oh……"
After hearing Xiao Cheng's explanation, the old woman nodded: "So your name is Xiao Dazhuang. I'll remember that."
Xiao Cheng: "..."
Xiao Wei pursed her lips tightly to suppress a laugh.
Bai Lu was laughing so hard she could barely stand, leaning against Xiao Cheng's shoulder.
Seeing that he was about to retort, she quickly tugged at the clothes on his arm and shook her head, barely managing not to laugh.
After a while, I changed the subject for him: "Grandma, can't star anise be sold for money? Why don't you pick it? It's been left on the tree for so long and it's been ruined by the rain."
Grandma was in a good mood after eating the tangerines Dazhuang gave her. She smiled and replied, "Star anise is worthless, so nobody picks it. If anyone does, they just pick a little bit to add to the braised pork belly for the New Year."
"How much is the purchase price?" Bai Lu asked.
The old woman shook her head and sighed, "Eight cents."
"Such a low price!" Bai Lu exclaimed incredulously.
The old woman explained, "People from outside the mountains drive in to buy star anise. Every time they come, they say our star anise is no good, no good, the size and color are not uniform, and the aroma is not as strong as the ones from outside. They also say things like 'misshapen melons and cracked dates,' and that eight cents is already the highest purchase price in the area."
“The children have to climb high up the trees to pick star anise, which is hard and dangerous. They don’t even earn a few dollars a day. It’s harder than farming, so we’ll stop picking it. Let it stay on the tree. The birds can eat it if they want, or leave it if they don’t.”
"Anyway, they were planted during the production team era. Star anise was planted on this hillside, fir trees on that hillside, chestnuts, lychees, pomelos... all kinds of trees were planted. Later, during the land reform, the hillsides were distributed to the villagers, and since they didn't need to fertilize or take care of them, everyone became too lazy to manage them."
If it weren't for the oranges Da Zhuang gave her, the old woman wouldn't have explained things in such detail. She's usually very quiet, and after she finished speaking, she gave Xiao Cheng a kind smile again.
Dazhuang is such a filial and good child.
Xiao Cheng: "..."
He wanted to leave, but Bai Lu held him back.
Bai Lu recalled that although the price of star anise had fluctuated greatly in later generations, the market demand was large and the purchase price would never be so ridiculously low.
Moreover, this province is the origin of star anise, accounting for as much as 90% of the domestic star anise exports.
There are star anise processing plants in many parts of the province, but their processing technology is not mature enough to ensure the quality and taste of the products, which is why the price has not been able to rise.
From the 1990s to the 21st century, the price of star anise experienced several major ups and downs before finally reaching its highest point.
Even now, prices won't be too low, and buyers are still picky, mostly because they're being pressured by the city.
Those few powerful figures in Nanshi, with their absolute power, have joined forces to suppress certain industries and monopolize market prices.
Out-of-town merchants who want to come in and buy star anise have to pay a high price, making it difficult for the mountain people to raise the price of star anise.
Bai Lu looked up and saw star anise trees covering the mountains and fields. She smiled slightly. Star anise...
Another way to make money!
If we can open up sales channels in other regions, making a fortune will be a given.
The Xiao family patriarch was really good to Xiao Cheng. He didn't blame him when he didn't come, but as soon as he did, he gave him a big gift package to make him rich.
Moreover, these continuous mountain peaks not only have chestnut and star anise trees, but also so many fruit trees, all of which are private land allocated to the Xiao family villagers.
If they can open up the market and sell to other places in the same season, the big shots will become rich many years ahead of schedule.
Bai Lu was so excited that she couldn't help shaking Xiao Cheng's arm, leaving Xiao Cheng completely bewildered and unable to understand.
"Children, hurry up and pay respects to your ancestors, and ask them to bless you with good health and success in your careers."
When the old woman heard Xiao Guofu and Li Hongying calling out, she quickly reminded Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu, as well as the little boy who had been standing quietly beside them.
After giving the reminder, he ran ahead on his own.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com