Chapter 148: A Lucky Harvest
The rapid collision and friction between the tree trunks and leaves made a rustling sound.
This time he hit the right spot, and a branch full of oranges fell down and hit the ground with a dull thud.
Seeing that this trick was indeed effective, Sang Yu followed suit and soon knocked down several branches with oranges hanging on them.
Avoid the green, unripe oranges and pick out the yellow ones that have not been bumped or rubbed and pack them.
After filling and sealing the two straw baskets, Sang Yu kept one for himself and handed one to Sang Yongjing, saying, "Dad, even if you don't meet anyone on the way back, you have to pretend that you didn't hold the bag of oranges firmly and drop it on the ground."
"Ah? I spent so much time picking these fruits, and they are all good ones. It would be a pity if they fell to the ground and broke." Sang Yongjing felt very distressed. Why would he throw such good fruits?
"I didn't seal the opening of your bag tightly enough. If it falls to the ground, the tangerines inside will roll out. Dad, you must always be on guard against others." Sang Yu patiently explained to him.
This wetland in the mountains is an unowned land. It is not their family's private property. Anyone who finds it can come here at will.
By then, it will not be so easy to get such a rich harvest again.
Although there is no guarantee that this place will always be their exclusive domain in the future, every day counts, and it is always a good idea to take precautions.
It’s easy to bring back a bunch of cattails, as they grow everywhere by the water. But if we bring back a bunch of snails, how can we explain to others that we just happened to see them by the water and picked them up?
Which waterside? Where exactly?
Can you not answer when someone asks you something? Do you still want to have a good relationship with the villagers?
Therefore, in order to prevent possible problems, the best option is to prepare another plan in advance.
When the three of them returned to the forest farm, the sun was already setting. They estimated that it would not be long before they would finish their logging work and go home.
The three of them were very eye-catching with several bulging bags of reed catkins and yams. As they walked through the market, many people's eyes were on them.
When I entered the canyon and walked home, I received more and more attention from people who passed by with their doors open, preparing vegetables or chatting in the yard.
Sang Yu glanced at the road ahead and didn't see any familiar figures.
When she walked to the middle millstone, she saw several people queuing up to grind rice, and she knew the time was almost right.
His left hand inconspicuously tugged at the sleeve of Sang Yongjing next to him, and he reacted instantly.
First, transfer the snail rice dumplings in your left hand to your right hand, separate the prepared orange rice dumplings, and then find a small stone on the side of the road.
With a cry of "Ouch", he seemed to have tripped accidentally, and the thing in his right hand fell to the ground.
The straw basket broke due to inertia, and the oranges inside rolled all over the ground.
Hearing someone's voice, several ladies in the queue turned their heads and saw the oranges rolling out from a long distance.
They were quite enthusiastic and put down their rice bags to help pick up the scattered oranges.
One of them saw that they were carrying many similar straw baskets and asked, "Why did you pick so many tangerine peels? You can't eat too many of them."
Sang Yu took the tangerine peel she handed him and replied with a smile, "Thank you, Auntie. When we were picking reed flowers, we saw some ripe tangerine peels nearby, so we thought of picking some and pickling them to eat as a side dish."
These days, no one wants to waste anything edible, so what she said makes sense.
The lady nodded and said, "It's better to pickle it. It can be stored longer and has more flavor in winter. Take it quickly and don't let it break."
With the help of several people, the oranges that had rolled on the ground were quickly picked up and handed to Sang Yu.
While thanking them, she asked, "Thank you ladies, would you like to take some home? We picked a lot."
"No, no, there are plenty of tangerine peels, everywhere."
"Yeah, if we want to eat it, we can just pick it ourselves."
…
After some more pleasantries, Sang Yu carried the newly fallen oranges in her arms and walked back home.
Sang Yu almost couldn't stand the simple courtesy just now.
The ladies asked why they had never seen her before and asked if she had just moved in.
When they learned that they were the family living next to the mountain wall, they suddenly realized it. They said that they had seen them building a house before but had never seen anyone there, and it turned out that they had already moved in, and so on.
Sang Yu could handle it at first, but as their conversation got deeper and deeper, she could only smile.
But she didn't think there was anything wrong with performing in front of these aunts.
Never underestimate the aunties in the village, they are the ones who are best informed.
In just a few words, one can find out a person's background and identity, and spread a story even more quickly.
They had brought back oranges, and with little effort on her part, the news would soon become known to everyone.
Even if someone really has bad intentions, after hearing the news, they probably won't be interested in the oranges they brought back.
As soon as she returned home, Sang Yu quickly placed the oranges on the table in the pavilion, which scared Xie Qiujin and Old Lady Shi who were busy sewing bedding.
Sang Xinghao, who was so bored that he could only lie at the table in a daze, was immediately delighted when he saw these fruits. He took one, wiped it on his clothes, and took a bite.
The next second, his little face instantly wrinkled into a ball.
"Hmm - what is that? Pah, pah, pah, sour and bitter." He quickly spat out the crushed fruit pulp. This thing was even more disgusting than the dandelions he had eaten raw before.
Sang Yu watched him bite it quietly the whole time. When he frowned, she smiled and said, "This is good stuff. It's called oil orange. It tastes a bit sour at first, but if you savor it carefully, you can taste the sweetness after that. It's quite sweet."
Sang Xinghao took another bite doubtfully, and then frowned at the sour taste again.
I resisted the urge to spit it out and chewed it for a while. My face gradually relaxed and it seemed... it was really sweet.
After amusing the child, Sang Yu directed the two to pack up the things, whether it was snails, reed catkins or wild ducks, they had to be taken out quickly.
Seeing them taking out wild ducks from the bamboo basket like magic, Xie Qiujin and Old Mrs. Shi, who were originally busy, gradually stopped what they were doing and watched carefully.
Soon the things were neatly stacked, with two huge yams placed aside.
There were six wild ducks in total. Although two of them broke free from the grass stems in their beaks, fortunately they did not peck through the leaves used for concealment.
One by one, the straw baskets were opened and the snails inside were poured out, and the reed flowers in the bags were also gently taken out and placed on the ground.
"My God, where did you get all these things? Aren't you going to pick reed flowers?"
Xie Qiujin covered her mouth in surprise. Not to mention other things, the six ducks alone must be worth five or six hundred coins.
"We're lucky today. We'll talk about it in detail when we have dinner tonight."
Sang Yu gave a simple answer and began to give orders in an orderly manner.
"Keep the wild ducks tied up and toss them in the cellar. Soak the snails in water. Put the oranges and yams aside for later. As for these reed flowers, quickly tie them up and hang them upside down to dry in the shade."
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