Chapter 67 Picking Yellow Apricots
Eating indoors was stuffy and hot, so the group decided to squat on the steps to eat.
"Little butterfly, can we pick the apricots now?" The boy slurping his noodles had been eyeing the yellow apricots for a long time.
"Hmm, let's pick them when it's cooler in the afternoon."
"Okay!"
The cold noodles were refreshing, and the large bowl was emptied in no time. Glancing at the boy with a pout, looking at the bottom of the bowl with a wronged expression, he said helplessly, "Big brother, if you're not full, I can make some more."
Having already eaten two bowls, Feng Jingling shook her head, "No, I'll save some room for apricots."
Well, this old man would never allow himself to be wronged.
In the afternoon, the sun was no longer scorching, the sunlight was gentle, and a light evening breeze blew, making it incredibly pleasant.
The husky, in a frenzy of excitement, dragged, pulled, and pulled, using every trick in the book to hold a "picking apricots" activity.
"Little butterfly, do you think it would be easier to pick them if I climbed up?"
Yunxia gently raised her hand and picked a yellow apricot. "Big brother, I am still a small tree and cannot bear your kindness."
“Hey Feng, behave yourself. If you break a tree branch, even if I sold you, I couldn’t afford to pay for it back.”
"Ah Chao, I am the richest man in Jiangcheng."
"Son! It's your parents who are rich, not you."
"Why bring them up for no reason? I'll just pick them properly, okay?"
After saying that, he slung a bamboo basket over his left hand and picked yellow apricots with his right. Seeing that the people behind him were still not moving, he turned around and said, "Hurry up and pick them, we'll make canned apricots for your godmother later."
Every family has its own troubles, and it's best not to pry into other people's family affairs. He nudged Jiang Chao with his elbow and winked at him.
The boy snorted and took a few steps forward, reaching out to pick the yellow apricots from the high branches. Seeing this, Yunxia smiled and joined the apricot-picking army.
An'an was too short to reach, but despite her short stature, she had a great passion for picking apricots. After making a fuss for a while, Jiang Chao simply picked her up and, when she finally picked the apricots, her previously mournful face instantly transformed into a bright smile.
The two little ones, having had a good sleep, quickly climbed to the treetop and curiously watched as people picked apricots. Their pink paws tentatively reached out to touch the yellow apricots.
Snap!
The fallen apricots, their flesh shattered, juice flowing out along the cracks.
"You're just causing trouble. You two won't get any fish tomorrow."
The two little ones were quite clever. They knew who in the house they couldn't mess with and who could protect them. They quickly put on a frightened look, their wet, round eyes staring pitifully at the little girl.
Instantly, Yunxia's heart melted. "Jiang Chao, why are you arguing with the cat? It can't understand what you're saying!"
"Wow! Like master, like pet. They're all little drama queens."
When he looks at the little girl, his eyes are full of grievance; when he looks at himself, his eyes are full of smugness and arrogance!
Yunxia didn't believe a word he said. She gently called out to the two kittens, one black and one white, and coaxed them down.
At first, everything went smoothly. When the little guy was halfway down, he was attracted by a fruit fly and immediately started jumping around and doing crazy parkour.
Smack! Smack!
Several ripe yellow apricots, unable to withstand the shaking of the branches, fell to the ground.
What a waste!
Yun Xia looked pained and roared, "Little Black, Little White, if you don't stop, you won't be able to touch meat for a month!"
Without meat, that's unacceptable! The two little guys decisively gave up chasing the fruit flies, jumped to the ground in a few leaps, raised their tails high, bent their tail tips, and rubbed their heads against her ankles repeatedly, looking incredibly fawning, making it impossible to stay angry.
"Go back inside and play, don't get in the way in the yard."
The tone of their voices immediately dispelled their anger. The two children exchanged a glance and, as if on cue, ran back into the house.
"Kitty, I want a kitty!"
At six years old, an age when cats and dogs dislike him, little Jiang An, who doesn't know his own strength, is not liked by the black and white cats at all.
"An'an, the cat is right inside the house, how could it possibly disappear? Keep picking it, don't stop!"
When the older brother spoke, the little boy had no choice but to obey, pouting as he diligently picked yellow apricots.
As the sunset painted the sky, all three bamboo baskets were filled with golden apricots.
"Phew, this apricot tree is so productive. After all that work, I've only picked a quarter of it. Little butterfly, I want to eat canned apricots."
"Apricots are already high-yielding fruit trees, this is considered a small amount. Canned goods... wait, I'll start making them after a short break."
"Yunxia, how about we do it tomorrow?" After working for quite a while, the little girl's fair face was already covered with a thin layer of sweat, and Jiang Chao couldn't help but speak up.
"No, it won't be fresh after a day, and the canned goods made from it will be of poor quality."
As he spoke, he sat down on the steps to rest, took the palm-leaf fan that Jiang An handed him, and while fanning himself, he sighed at the sweltering heat of the weather.
After resting enough, I got up and went to the kitchen!
Wash the apricots, remove the skin and pits, add rock sugar to cold water, add the fruit pulp when the water boils, cook for three minutes, remove the firewood, cover the pot and simmer for half an hour.
After cooling, pour it into an oil-free and water-free glass container.
Feng Jingling's eyes lit up as he stared intently at the rows of golden cans, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard.
"Little butterfly, can we eat it now?"
Yunxia: ...You have to be mindful of the timing when you're craving something!
"It's possible, but the apricots aren't flavorful enough yet, so it won't taste very good. Let it sit on the ice for a few days before we try again."
As soon as the weather started to get warm, Feng Jingling spent a fortune to buy a double-door refrigerator, which shocked her neighbors. You have to know that an ordinary worker would have to save up for three years without eating or drinking to afford a refrigerator.
Wu Lifang was so frightened that she kept patting her chest, wishing she could immediately return the ticket. Feng Jingling repeatedly assured her that she would take the refrigerator with her when she left the Jiang family, and only then did she reluctantly accept.
"Tomorrow I'll pick all the fruit from the tree and make them into canned goods. Hehe, I love canned goods the most."
He won't eat fresh food, he insists on eating canned food. I just don't understand his thought process.
Seeing him grinning foolishly, Jiang Chao rolled his eyes at him, "We need to divide the fish tomorrow, there's no time to deal with this."
"Dividing the fish?"
"Oh, the neighborhood committee and the village cooperated by having each village contribute money to buy fish fry, and the fish are distributed three times a year!"
"Wow, the wisdom of the working people is truly amazing!"
After sighing, seeing Jiang Chao's unfriendly gaze, she immediately grabbed the canned food and ran away. Yun Xia shook her head helplessly, put the cans into a bamboo basket, carried them to the main room, and put them into the refrigerator one by one.
In the evening, when Aunt Wu came home from get off work, she had just parked her bicycle when Feng Jingling came over to share the fruits of her labor from the afternoon.
Wu Lifang glanced at the apricot tree in the yard, "That's right, it's time!"
After saying that, he carried the large cloth bag back into the house. When he came out again, he had a faint smile on his face, but upon closer inspection, one could still detect the sorrow hidden behind the smile.
Dinner became Feng Jingling's show, her little mouth chattering non-stop. Jiang Chao, with his brows furrowed, surprisingly didn't scold her. The little girl stopped playing the role of a lapdog and buried her head in her food. Only Aunt Wu occasionally chimed in with a few words.
"What's wrong with you all? You were fine this afternoon!" Even the slow-witted Feng Jingling could sense that something was amiss.
Upon hearing this, Wu Lifang paused in her chopsticks-like movements, her eyes darting around, her expression flustered, and she didn't even realize she had dropped the food.
"Let's eat first. We can talk about it after we finish eating. Aunt Wu, don't worry about anything. Jiang Chao and I are both grown up. We can go to school, cook, earn money, and even beat up kidnappers."
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