Chapter 33 Let the praise come stronger
"Ye Minghai, I think your yard is well maintained. The bayberries are about to be ripe!"
Ye Laogen stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the several juicy red bayberries in front of him. If his old teeth allowed him to eat them, he would have wanted to pick a few to try.
“It’s almost done.”
Dad Ye looked in the direction and was also surprised. The bayberries ripened very quickly. They were still green a few days ago.
Ye Laogen was really tempted by the bayberries in front of him. There were clusters of bayberries that had just turned red, each one was as plump as a ping-pong ball. The fruit tree was not big, but the outstretched branches were all full of bayberries, drooping and falling down.
I walked around the tree and saw a few red ones. I couldn't help but pick them and put them in my hands. Before I ate them, sour juice came out.
Turning around, my eyes were attracted by the plums on the other side. This plum tree is old, with a thick trunk and dense leaves. The yellow plums also indicate the joy of the harvest.
Walking under the tree, Ye Laogen raised his head and squinted his eyes. The fruits looked beautiful and not only attractive, but there were also a few gray squirrels with thin tails jumping on the tree.
Animals are more skilled than humans at picking fruits. Before their owners even know which fruit is ripe, they will get to it first.
Some half-eaten plums fell on the ground, and the culprit squirrel in the tree picked out the big and sweet ones to eat.
These squirrels are not afraid of people. They jump from one to the other, eat one fruit in their mouth and keep their eyes on the other fruit, showing a very fickle attitude!
"Bang" a ripe yellow plum fell, and Ye Laogen hurriedly walked up to pick it up. This was their local yellow crystal plum. When it was ripe, the skin could be peeled off, and the juice was abundant, sweet, and the flesh was light yellow.
Ripe plums are yellow, soft and not sour, and even the elderly with bad teeth can eat a few.
Because it is difficult to transport and is only available in their local area, it cannot be eaten fully ripe in other places, so it can only be picked when it is half green and half yellow, but the taste will be compromised.
Ye Laogen picked up a plum that was bitten a little by a squirrel. When he looked up, he saw a squirrel squatting on a tree branch, holding a big plum. It took a bite and looked at Ye Laogen below.
Ye Laogen was too lazy to pay attention to these little things. He just wiped the plum and put it into his mouth.
Over there, Ye Minghai was arranging to move the large round table out from the living room. Just as he had placed the chairs, he turned around and saw Uncle Lao Gen picking up plums that had been pecked by birds and eating them.
Father Ye: “…Uncle Lao Gen, there are plenty of them on the tree, just pick them!” Don’t pick the ones that have been pecked by birds!
"Fruit that has been eaten by birds is sweet!"
Ye Laogen continued strolling with one hand behind his back and a few plums in the other.
Not bad, not bad, Haizi’s farming skills have not been lost, and the fruits he grows are sweet.
Ye Laogen nodded secretly in praise.
"Uncle Lao Gen, it's time to eat."
Ye Minghai called people over, distributed the bowls and chopsticks, and poured the homemade grain wine. The women drank the beverage, which Ye Zhen had bought a bunch yesterday.
After they sat down, a plate full of dishes was placed on the round table. Dad Ye poured wine for the elders, Grandpa Ye chatted with Lao Gen, and both the host and the guests were having a great time!
The farmhouse only has a few common dishes: Mapo tofu, chicken stewed with vermicelli, braised bamboo shoots, mushroom meatball soup, fried pork with peppers, fried bacon with dried fern, braised pork with pickled mustard greens, cold dishes, and the most difficult dish, grilled fish.
Marinate a large grass carp with onion, ginger, garlic and other seasonings in advance, fry it in some oil until both sides are golden brown, add bean paste, small dried chili peppers, pickled peppers, and fresh millet peppers, stir-fry and stew for about ten minutes, then add potatoes, onions, cabbage, lotus roots, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and other side dishes. When done, pour it on the iron plate and grill over low heat.
Dishes with mushrooms and bamboo shoots were extremely popular. Ye Dajun and Ye Xiaoying were about to swallow their tongues, and even Ye Laogen kept nodding his head.
What does this mean? Xu Mei's cooking skills have improved greatly!
Mother Ye was very happy. It was quite a relief to receive praise from Chef Ye Laogen.
Ye Zhen: The spiritual energy was not given in vain. The usual home-cooked dishes are just trivial and do not fully show the deliciousness of these dishes.
Mother Ye put in all her effort today, and with the addition of mushrooms and bamboo shoots grown with spiritual energy, the table was a great success.
Everyone at the table was only concerned with picking up those few dishes, and the grilled fish had a lot of side dishes, so they were consumed even faster.
The fish is tender and tasty, and the other side dishes are salty, spicy and crispy, especially the bamboo shoots and mushrooms. You can’t stop eating them.
A group of people ate with their bellies wide open, their trouser buttons were about to pop, and the steamed rice was almost gone!
When we have dinner together, all the men in the village drink and chat.
That was after everyone else had left the table, but a few men were still able to eat peanuts, drink wine, and brag for a while.
I don’t have time to care about that now. I don’t even want to drink anymore. If I drink more, the food will be almost gone!
Dad Ye greeted everyone warmly, urged them to drink and eat, and when everyone had almost finished eating, the topic naturally started to talk.
"Ye Minghai, your grapes will have a bumper harvest this year!"
"I see more than that. I see the plums and bayberries over there are almost ripe."
Ye Dajun looked up at the grapes on the vines above his head, then turned around and said to his father, "I see your plums are ripe, would you like to pick some later?"
Father Ye waved his hands and said nonchalantly, "Pick them. Whoever wants can pick some later. I don't know why the tree has grown so many this year."
Ye Zhen quietly watched his father being generous. How could it not be generous? The spiritual energy was scattered around the Ye family's house every day. Aren't the fruit trees in the yard growing rapidly?
Ye Zhen withdrew his thoughts and continued to greet Ye Xiaoying beside him.
Today we have not only good wine but also good food.
Ye Laogen was so happy that he ate two bowls of rice for the first time in his life. Since he retired, he had not had a dish that satisfied him.
Ye Zhen just drank a little wine for the sake of courtesy. Ye's mother and Ye's grandmother were chatting with people they knew, and the conversation turned to Ye Zhen.
Ye Xiaoying couldn't stop praising: "Sister Mei, Ye is really capable. She has sold all the vegetables and fruits in our village. My family makes a lot of money from them."
Mother Ye smiled happily and said politely, "She is so smart, otherwise who in the village would have thought of it? She brought these strawberry seedlings back herself."
Ye Xiaoying was extremely envious, but she was even happier when she thought of the strawberry seedlings. "I've cleared the land this year and am just waiting to plant strawberries."
"I've seen the big strawberries in your garden. They are growing so well! It will definitely be the right thing to plant them!" Ye Dajun praised, patting his thigh.
"That's right. Haizi's family has experience. We should be thick-skinned and ask them in the future. If there is something wrong, we will need Haizi and Ye Zi's help to check it out."
Father Ye’s face flushed. “Oh! This is all thanks to Ye’s ability. I don’t know much about strawberries, but she knows a lot from studying abroad. She wanted to come back to the village to plant strawberries and help everyone.”
"It's really worth raising Ye Zi. From what I've seen, Ye Zi is the most promising child in our village. He has been smart since he was young. Just wait and see. The ancestral graves of our old Ye family will be filled with smoke!"
"Yes, otherwise she would be the only one who got into college? All the intelligence of the Ye family lies in her." The other uncles also agreed very much. Didn't they see that Ye Zhen bought a car on his own?
None of the boys in the village are half as promising as her!
Ye Laogen drank and kept praising Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen sat there calmly, listening to the compliments with great satisfaction. Come on, she could handle more praise!
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