Chapter 125 Summer Watermelon
"One, really, just pick one. How about two? We can eat one, then pick another and carry it down the mountain for Xia Wu to eat. That should be okay, right?"
“Woof woof woof!”
"This melon is so delicious. I have to let Xia Wu try it. Don't you think so?"
"Woof woof!"
"You think what I said makes sense, right? Okay, then quickly search the melon field and find two big, good ones."
"Woof!"
Hei Dou ran to a small watermelon and yelled at Jiang Xun, "Come here, human! Let's share this watermelon!"
Jiang Xun walked over and tapped it gently. It sounded ripe, but why was the melon so small?
"No, no, pick a bigger one, how about that one?"
He asked, pointing to a watermelon weighing at least ten kilograms not far away.
Hei Dou looked the same, "Woof woof woof!"
The shouting became much louder.
Damn deceitful human, you agreed to only eat one small one, why did you change your mind!
Cheating the dog again!
Jiang Xun held his forehead with his hand. He really didn't know how Xia Wu raised dogs. They were too human-like. It was as if these two little guys could understand human language.
Hei Dou is not only good at herding chickens and driving away geese, but he is also a brave defender of the orchard.
Xia Wu taught the two puppies many lessons, such as their family depends on the orchards for food, and they can use the money from selling fruits to buy a lot of delicious food. If someone steals fruits frequently, it means destroying their dog food, which is unbearable for the dogs!
Therefore, Hei Dou regarded this mountain as a treasure that he was guarding, and every blade of grass and every tree had to be protected by it.
Humans want to steal and eat watermelons, no way!
Yang Guojun was pulling some bamboos down the mountain. He heard Heidou's barking from a distance. It sounded like he was talking to someone. When he walked over, he saw Jiang Xun squatting in the melon field, talking to Jindou and Heidou.
"Dr. Jiang?" Yang Guojun called out to Jiang Xun. Jiang Xun turned around and saw that it was Xia Wu's father. He stood up as if by accident and called out, "Uncle, are you cutting some bamboo?"
Yang Guojun was smiling. He had a good impression of these learned people, especially Jiang Xun, who looked energetic and could chat with the old people in the village.
"Yeah, isn't the weather getting hot? I was thinking of chopping some bamboo to make a mat for Xiao Wu. Are you busy?"
Yang Guojun had heard Xia Wu talk about what kind of doctoral expert Jiang Xun was, but he couldn't remember, nor did he know what Jiang Xun was researching. He just saw Jiang Xun wandering around the mountains and fields all day long. Some people in the village said that Jiang Xun was researching farming, and Yang Guojun was in awe.
They are all farmers, so naturally they have a favorable impression of these agricultural doctors.
If it weren't for Dr. Agriculture's research on improved varieties, they would still be living a hard life without enough food.
So Jiang Xun is quite popular in the village.
Jiang Xun saw the watermelon rind under his feet and laughed, "No, uncle, I saw some ripe watermelons in the field, so I picked one. I didn't expect it to be quite delicious."
Yang Guojun was a little surprised: "Oh, the watermelon is ripe?"
There are so many edible fruits in the mountains recently that he almost forgot about watermelon.
Jiang Xun asked him to look, "Yes, it's ripe. Look how thin the watermelon skin is!"
Yang Guojun put the bamboo down, walked over and patted the fruits here and there, and finally set his eyes on the watermelon that Hei Dou had picked at the beginning, "This one is definitely ripe."
He took out his keychain and dug out a small triangle on the watermelon rind. Just as Jiang Xun said, the watermelon rind was very thin and the watermelon flesh was crispy and red. As soon as he opened it, he could smell the unique aroma of watermelon.
That's the taste of summer.
Yang Guojun twisted off the stem of the melon and said with satisfaction, "Let's pick a few more to take back down the mountain to eat. The first batch of melons is delicious."
"Okay uncle, come and let me hold you, you choose."
Jiang Xun looked at Hei Dou proudly, look, aren’t they picked?
Hei Dou let out a low howl. He knew that Yang Guojun was his master's family member and also his master. If his master wanted to eat the melon, he would definitely not stop him.
Jiang Xun only made Hei Dou feel depressed for less than two seconds. When Hei Dou thought that he would be able to eat watermelon later, he wagged his tail happily again and came to Yang Guojun and barked twice.
"You're looking for watermelons? Sure, pick two big, ripe ones and give some to you and Jindou later."
Hei Dou and Jin Dou jumped around in the watermelon field, and soon picked out two big watermelons.
Yang Guojun picked some watermelons and asked Jiang Xun to hold two. He held one watermelon in one hand and dragged a bamboo with the other. After arriving at the courtyard with the well, he drew two buckets of well water and soaked the two big watermelons in them.
Wang Yuexia cut the already opened watermelon and distributed it to everyone to taste.
"Are the watermelons on the mountain ripe?"
"That's right. This year the weather is hot and there isn't much rain, so the fruits are ripe earlier than in previous years."
Wang Yuexia washed the kitchen knife, cut off the melon stem and wiped the blade, then pressed down. With a click, the watermelon cracked, revealing the sandy red flesh inside.
A good watermelon doesn't have a deep red flesh, which would indicate it's overripe and tastes bad. A watermelon with a naturally sandy red flesh is a truly delicious watermelon, crisp and juicy. There's also a type of watermelon with a slightly white flesh that's still crispy and has a good taste.
There were many people in the courtyard, so Wang Yuexia cut a small watermelon weighing five or six kilograms into many small portions, enough for each person to have a bite at most. "Let's taste it first, and then open a big watermelon at noon."
This watermelon is indeed delicious. "It tastes better than the one I grew last year," said Yang Guojun.
The old people in the courtyard nodded in agreement and finished the watermelon in just a few bites.
Yang Guojun didn't forget what he promised Hei Dou, so he gave them a small piece of watermelon and said, "I'll share some with you two when the big one opens at noon."
Hei Dou and Jin Dou were so happy that they circled around Yang Guojun.
Eating watermelon in summer is a kind of enjoyment, especially when the weather outside is hot and the heat wave is scorching, the air conditioner is on in the house, the temperature is just right, and the cicadas are chirping outside the window. The summer vacation is long and boring, and you have nothing to do but hold half a chilled watermelon and eat it with an iron spoon in big mouthfuls, while looking at the computer and playing with the mobile phone. It is really a heavenly enjoyment.
Being an emperor cannot bring such happiness.
After eating a small piece of watermelon, everyone was looking forward to having lunch quickly and enjoying the watermelon again.
When Jiang Xun heard that there would be watermelon to eat after lunch, he didn't leave and stayed in the courtyard to chat with Yang Guojun.
Yang Guojun split the bamboo clean, cut it into thin slices of uniform width, polished it carefully, and then tightened it with a mahjong rope through the holes.
The bamboo near the springs on the mountain is also called cold bamboo. Even in the hottest summer, it is unusually cool near the springs. The bamboo growing there absorbs the cold air, and the bamboo mats made from it are much cooler than those bought online.
The old people in the village dare not use such bamboo mats because they are too cold. They prefer to use straw mats woven from reeds because they are not too cold.
Only young people can afford bamboo mats that have such a good cooling effect.
Xia Wu drove a cart of fruits and vegetables to Tong City again. Long-distance transportation was inconvenient, but short-distance transportation was better. Instead of selling the fruits from the mountains at a low price to fruit wholesalers, it would be better to make the trip himself to avoid letting them make the difference in the middle.
Xia Wu quite enjoyed going to Tong City every few days. She would occasionally wander around the city and take her brother to eat some Kenta Mak. Her brother was happy and she also found it fun.
Before ten o'clock, Xia Wu had sold a whole cart of goods and was packing up his stall to go home. He found that there were people driving cars to set up stalls on the streets of Tong City to sell watermelons. The weather was hot this year, and the price of watermelons was cheap. Logically, the first batch of watermelons should be more expensive, but when he looked at the paper sign above, it said two yuan per catty.
Xia Wu thought of the watermelons on his own mountain, so he bought a 12-jin first-harvest watermelon for 24 yuan. He bought some food in Tong City and took it to the car. He returned without staying with the other two for long.
When they returned to the mountain, everyone in the courtyard by the well had just finished lunch. Wang Yuexia was sharpening her knife and was about to cut a watermelon when she heard the roar of Xia Wu's bucket cart.
"It's better to arrive early than to arrive at the right time. I arrived just in time for the watermelon season!"
After hearing this, Xia Wu raised the watermelon in the plastic bag in her hand in surprise and said, "What a coincidence! I saw someone selling watermelons in the city and bought one too."
"Are the watermelons on our mountain ripe?"
"They're ripe. They should be ripe today. I just came back from cutting bamboo and saw Dr. Jiang squatting in the melon field talking to Jindou and Heidou. They must have picked up the scent of watermelon again."
It is said that dogs have sensitive noses. They are like fruit ripeness detectors. They are always the first to discover that the fruit is ripe.
Xia Wu smiled and soaked the watermelons she bought in the well water. "Let's eat them all. It's a good opportunity to see which tastes better, the watermelons sold outside or the ones we grow ourselves."
The freshly drawn well water was ice-cold, and it took about ten minutes to soak. Xia Wu took the opportunity to wash his face. It was really hot outside, and it was cooler in their village.
The large dining table was brought out and cleaned. Two watermelons were brought out and placed on the table. Wang Yuexia washed the kitchen knife and wiped the blade with the watermelon rind.
"Which one should I cut first?"
"Let's cut this one we bought first."
Jiang Xundao.
He also wanted to see if there was any magic in Xiawu Mountain, and whether the food grown there was always tastier than what was grown outside.
"Okay," Wang Yuexia listened to the advice and cut the watermelon in half. The cut was clean, without the skin splitting apart as soon as the knife touched it. "Not so good."
What's wrong? Everyone looked over and saw that the edges of the watermelon Xia Wu had bought had turned deep red. They didn't know if it was because of the heat or because it was overripe.
"Since we've already bought it, we can't waste it. Let's cut it up and eat it." said the thrifty Yang Guojun.
Wang Yuexia cut the watermelon into as even pieces as possible. Xia Wu took a bite and said, "Not bad. It's not as good as it used to be. It should taste better if it cools down a little longer."
Jiang Xun picked up a piece, took a bite, and then his chewing speed slowed down.
If he had not eaten the watermelons grown on the mountain first, he would have come to the same conclusion as Xia Wu.
But with such a pearl in front of him, he has already left nothing behind!
Yang Guojun scratched his head. "This doesn't taste good at all. Let's just cut the melon open and eat it."
Wang Yuexia nodded in agreement and said to Xia Wu, "The melons from our mountain are still the best. I'll cut you a piece and let you try it. We just had a small watermelon and it was delicious!"
As she said that, she gave the cut watermelon to Xia Wu.
The watermelon picked from the mountain is already frozen. It feels icy cold when you bite it, but not as cold as the one taken out of the refrigerator. It has a natural and refreshing feeling.
After taking a bite, Xia Wu immediately made a decision: "Why not feed the watermelon we bought to the geese?"
It turns out that the food grown at home is still delicious!
Just like that, twenty-four dollars were wasted, and Hei Dou was unwilling to eat it even if it was thrown to him.
There were not many ripe watermelons in the melon field. After eating one, Xia Wu was keen to take the two little ones to patrol the melon field every day. Several acres of watermelon fields swayed in front of her eyes, making her dream of the delicious taste of watermelon.
There were not many melons in the first batch, and Xia Wu had no plans to sell them. He would keep them for his family to eat first, and consider selling them when there were more ripe ones.
Early in the morning every day, she would first milk the buffaloes, and then take Jindou and Heidou to graze the chickens, ducks and geese. The chickens that had grown wings and could fly could not be caged at all, but the habits they had developed since childhood still made them accustomed to staying in the chicken coop.
The ducks and geese dived into the pond without anyone watching.
Then Xia Wu asked the two little ones to ride a tricycle to the melon field to look for melons. She patted the watermelons but it was not as good as Hei Dou's smell. Every time Hei Dou stopped in front of a watermelon and barked twice, Xia Wu didn't even need to pat it, she knew it was safe.
The watermelons on the mountain don't ripen as quickly as those outside. Jiang Xun told Xia Wu that the ones outside might be early-ripening watermelons, or greenhouse watermelons. Although they ripen earlier, they may not taste as good as the watermelons that grow naturally and ripen according to the season.
There is another possibility. In order to increase the weight and sweetness of watermelons, some unscrupulous businessmen will inject water into the watermelons. There will be no problem on the outside, but once opened, it will look overripe and will definitely not taste good.
After finding two or three melons, Xia Wu told the two little ones to stop, because they couldn’t eat good things every day!
There were three melons, two of which were eaten by the staff of the villa, and one was cut and taken to Haotang B&B to help the workers there cool down.
Everyone who has eaten watermelon from the mountains praises it highly. The watermelon tempered with well water tastes extremely refreshing. Although you can still hear the shrill chirping of cicadas, summer has already arrived the moment you eat the watermelon.
After Yang Guofeng consulted Xia Wu and Xia Wu gave her some advice, Yang Dajun's daughter Yang Mei decided to buy a small cart to make some cool drinks suitable for summer, including milk tea and fruit drinks.
The girl had experience in shaking milk tea, and she went online for advice. After some thought, she made a small cart with five or six beverage barrels on it. The cups were divided into medium and large cups, and there was also a film sealing machine. Everything was ready, and Yangmei started to set up her stall near Yang Guoen's barbecue stall.
Yang Guoen's barbecue stall sells beverages, including wholesale sour plum soup and mung bean soup, some common mineral water and carbonated drinks. After Yangmei's homemade beverage cart was put on the stall, it quickly attracted a group of customers who came to eat barbecue.
After all, compared with finished wholesale beverages, Yangmei specializes in homemade milk tea and fruit drinks. The ingredients used are fruits, honey and jam produced by Taoyuan Villa, and the prices are not high. Compared with the expensive milk tea in big cities, the fruit drinks she makes are very cost-effective.
In this way, Yanggou Village had another stall.
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