Picking fruits
The next day, Lu Chang, who rarely had time, took Jingwan out of the city. Outside Jinning City, there were large groves of lychee trees.
On the way, she saw lychee trees on both sides, laden with fruit. She swallowed her saliva several times, and each time she swallowed, she would ask Lu Chang if they had arrived yet.
After getting off the carriage, a dark-skinned young man greeted them and the others. He must have spent many years in this lychee orchard, as his face was dark and shiny, but he was full of energy. When he smiled, he revealed a row of neat white teeth. He was also very warm and friendly. As soon as he arrived, everyone felt that the place was very lively. He kept introducing the various things in the orchard to everyone. Lu Chang called him Amo, and Jingwan remembered it in her heart. She listened with great interest to him talking about the local customs and culture of this foreign land.
Fruit farmers were picking lychees. They made their own wooden ladders, which they used to traverse the forest, moving nimbly between the trees.
Jingwan was so tempted by the abundant harvest that she slowed her pace, looking here and there. She had been complaining to Lu Chang about the heat earlier, but now she didn't say a word. She seemed oblivious to the streams of sweat streaming down her face. Fangjuan followed behind her, wiping her sweat from time to time.
Lu Chang turned around and laughed when he saw her greedy look. He was mischievous and didn't intend to ask her to pick a couple to satisfy her craving. He let her stare at the red lychees while he and Amo walked ahead, listening to him talk about this year's lychee orchard harvest.
The maids followed behind Jingwan, watching her raise her head and circle around the lychees. Jingwan, meanwhile, swallowed hard, looking at the lychees within easy reach, unsure which one to pick. She had heard from Amo that the lychees in this grove were named "Guiwei" because of their osmanthus fragrance, and that their bright red peels with a stripe down the middle made them so delicious that once you tasted one, you wouldn't want to eat any other variety.
She was itching to pick a couple of fruits right away, but she wasn't sure if she was allowed to pick them. But her cousin had brought her here, so surely he couldn't just take a quick look and leave. She should be allowed to pick them.
She waited for her master, Amo, to speak, but instead saw him standing next to her cousin, talking incessantly. Why was he talking so much? Was he trying to teach her cousin how to grow lychees?
Fangjuan was also a little puzzled. Judging from her expression, she must be extremely hungry. It was just a few lychees, why was she just looking at them and not picking them?
She glanced at Lu Chang and stepped forward, saying, "Miss, pick a couple to try. If you don't like the taste, there are other varieties further in."
Afraid that her master would hear her words, Jingwan looked at Amo in front of her and whispered to Fangjuan, "The owner of this forest hasn't said anything yet. If I pick it rashly, will the owner think I'm being impolite?"
Fangjuan finally understood why she only looked at the lychees without picking them, and chuckled: "Miss, the owner of this grove is the young master. Amo is a local farmer who is good at growing lychees, so the young master invited him to manage this lychee grove."
ah!
Jingwan looked at Lu Chang again, and he was just smiling at her. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was handsome, but she had no interest in appreciating him. She only felt that he was teasing her. He could see that she was already so eager, but he deliberately didn't say anything and just teased her.
She immediately went up and threw a small punch at Lu Chang from behind. Lu Chang didn't budge, but just smiled and grabbed the wicked hand behind his back with his left hand. He didn't let go, and just like that, he naturally took Jingwan's hand and led her into the woods: "We're not familiar enough with the ones outside. Come on, I'll take you inside. The ones there are the sweetest."
That bit of resentment vanished instantly, and he happily followed Lu Chang inside.
The garden was very large, and there were wooden houses built inside to facilitate the rest and guarding of the fruit farmers. Amo led them to a lychee tree and told Jingwan that the lychee tree had been planted for a hundred years.
With its old, gnarled branches and abundant fruit, a century of time has not diminished its charm in the slightest.
A fruit farmer brought over a bucket of water with ice floating in it. Lu Chang then let go of Jingwan's hand so she could pick the lychees: "Put the picked lychees in the bucket to chill for a while, and they'll taste even better when you take them out."
He instructed Fangjuan to take good care of her before going into the small house, leaving Jingwan to do her own thing outside.
Amo followed behind, and after entering, he handed over all the account books from the past few years to Lu Chang for review.
Without Jingwan by his side, Lu Chang's expression turned colder. Amo felt that this was the real young master of his; the gentle and tender cousin from before had made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Lu Chang put down the account book without showing any displeasure, and instead expressed even more approval towards Amo. Amo smiled and said, "If it weren't for Madam, I would still be a bandit in the mountains! Now I'm living a peaceful life, with a wife and children, and I have to thank Madam and Young Master for that!"
Lu Chang nodded. Amo was intelligent and a local, so it was most convenient for him to handle many things. He simply asked him to continue taking care of the garden, especially to take good care of the farmers in the garden.
“Although they were once bandits, they were forced to make a living. Now they work in the garden and it is not difficult for them to support themselves and their families. Please treat them well.”
Amo respectfully agreed, but then, remembering that the government officials had come to the garden to investigate people a few days ago, he told Lu Chang about it.
“We used to check the population once a year, but in the last six months we’ve done it five times. I’m worried they might have noticed something’s wrong.”
"Hmph," Lu Chang said casually, clearly unconcerned by Amo's words, "Let them investigate, and don't worry about the rest!"
Amo dared not say more and respectfully agreed.
Before anyone even entered, Jingwan's cheers could be heard. Even Amo glanced at the door. Lu Chang waved his hand and said, "You can go down now. You don't need to come over."
After Amo left, Jingwan ran in, followed by a fruit farmer carrying a bucket of ice water containing a lot of lychees.
She had already sneaked some, not caring whether to put them in ice water or not. While picking them, she couldn't resist sneaking a couple, her hands covered in sticky juice. She didn't care, scooped up the lychees from the ice bucket, skillfully cracked open the shells, and handed the first fruit to Lu Chang, expressing her gratitude for the garden owner's gift.
After handing it over, he didn't care anymore and started eating the second one, the third one... He even spitting out the pit was incredibly skillful.
Lu Chang didn't eat any more; he didn't like things that were too sweet, except for her. Just watching Jing Wan eat made him feel content.
Jingwan ate a lot before remembering Lu Chang. Seeing that he was staring at her, she asked him why he wasn't eating. As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Chang took out two lychees and placed them in front of her, then told the fruit farmer to carry the buckets away.
There were still many fresh fruits inside. She kept saying "Ai ai ai" as if she was reluctant to leave. Lu Chang didn't want her to eat any more, so he pulled her out of the hut and scooped up some well water for Jingwan to wash her sticky little hands.
"We'll go back after walking for a while." He wiped Jingwan's hands, making sure to clean between each finger so as not to make her uncomfortable.
Upon hearing that she was leaving, Jingwan started humming again, muttering in Lu Chang's ear about not having had enough fun yet.
Lu Chang had his own way of dealing with her: "Shall we go back now?"
"No way!" She nearly jumped up, as if a cat's fur had been ruffled, and immediately grabbed her cousin's arm, dragging him forward: "Let's listen to you and walk a little longer!"
Lingnan is mountainous, and Chaozhou is no exception. Lychees grow on the hills, with vast fields stretching as far as the eye can see. Although there are many small dirt paths worn out by fruit farmers, they are so intricate that it is easy to go the wrong way if you are not careful.
Ahead lay an endless forest, as did behind them. Lu Chang dared not lead her any further. Turning around, he saw Jing Wan looking at him with displeasure, her eyes filled with the words, "We've only walked a few steps, why are you going back and breaking your promise?" He couldn't very well say that he was afraid of getting lost, so he just sternly scolded her for eating lychees the whole way, saying she'd get mouth ulcers tomorrow. Using this excuse, he pulled her along.
Jingwan whined and didn't want to leave, so Lu Chang had to use some brute force to pull her a few steps. Jingwan then broke free and ran off on her own.
Lu Chang called out from behind, "Don't run around, or you won't be able to get out!"
She turned around, made a face at Lu Chang, and ran away.
Now it was the man's turn to stride behind. Because he had to keep an eye on Jingwan and carefully check if they had taken the wrong path, Lu Chang walked slower. Jingwan would occasionally glance back at him, and only when she saw him would she run forward.
Halfway there, Lu Chang realized that the person in front of him knew the way and was actually leading him out.
He remembered the route so carefully, but she knew the way after just one walk. One walked cautiously, while the other walked carefree. When they came out of the woods, they were both covered in sweat.
Jingwan stood unhappily beside Fangjuan as she had her sweat wiped away. She didn't say a word to Lu Chang. As soon as he came over, she turned her back to him.
She was young then and didn't know what it meant to be spoiled and arrogant, but she had already enjoyed it with her lover.
Lu Chang straightened his clothes, cleared his throat, and deliberately raised his voice: "Pick a basket of lychees, big and sweet ones, and take them home chilled."
Jingwan hummed a tune and walked out of the woods on her own. She was in a pleasant mood and, after getting into the carriage, she was as attentive to her cousin as she had been on the way there.
After going out, Jingwan was covered in sweat. When she returned to the small building, she didn't forget to ask Fangjuan to wash some lychees so she could eat them while taking a bath!
Lu Chang was furious, but fearing she would get even angrier, he could only ask Fang Juan to take two of them to her, and distribute the rest to the servants in the house.
Unexpectedly, the consequences came the next day. She had been thirsty all night and drank a lot of water. At the time, she thought it was because she had sweated too much during the day. The next morning, her throat started to hurt and she couldn't speak. Lu Chang recited the old saying "one lychee is like three fires" while feeding her mung bean soup to cool her down.
She could only drink in small sips; she had a large sore in her mouth that would make her wince in pain if touched.
Seeing how pitiful they were, Lu Chang dared not utter a single harsh word, and coaxed them to finish the soup.
Ten days later, her throat pain subsided, and the ulcers in her mouth healed. She started talking about how good the lychees were again, but Lu Chang pretended not to hear her and had someone bring her mung bean soup to drink.
But unexpectedly, she was someone who never learned her lesson. When Fangjuan came back, she told him that as soon as she left the mansion, the girl would go to the lychee stall twice and eat until she was licking her lips before she would go home.
At that time, Lu Chang had already taken office as the Prefect of Chaozhou and was busy with official duties. He had no time to supervise her. Hearing Fangjuan say this, he could only tell her to take the girl to the market again in a few days.
The house was large enough for her to pass the time, especially since Tuoji was still by her side. That day was a public holiday, and Lu Chang was teaching her painting in the Jade Room when the steward came to report that guests had arrived.
Lu Chang opened the name card, and the three characters "Cui Dongchi" came into view.
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