Chapter 290 Two Melons, How to Divide
Gu Xixi took it, looked down at the envelope with an unfathomable expression, and seemed a little dazed.
After a moment, she remembered something and asked Master Liu, "Is Mr. Liu going to ride a horse or a car?"
Mr. Liu said, "Take the bus. I have some books in the county that I want to take with me."
"But I don't have much other luggage. If Boss Gu needs anything, just give it to me."
Gu Xixi said happily, "That's great, please wait a moment, I'll be back soon."
Master Liu looked at her back as she trotted away, a look of relief evident in his expression.
Maybe I won’t have to see Mu Nanzhao’s ugly face this time when I go to Beijing.
Originally, Mu Nanzhao wanted to go back to Huachidu Village by himself, but unfortunately he was delayed by urgent matters before leaving, which led to the letter brought by Master Liu.
Master Liu waited for a while and saw Gu Xixi and Shitou come out.
Each of them was holding a big round bag in his arms.
Shitou was struggling to walk and could hardly hold on to the baby anymore. “Hurry, hurry, Mr. Liu, help me catch it!”
Master Liu didn't have time to think. When he caught the bag, his arms sank down sharply. He realized that the bag was much heavier than he thought, and hurriedly held it with both arms.
"What is so heavy?"
Shitou said with a smile, "Han melon! Fruits from the Western Regions are so delicious!"
Master Liu certainly knew about the winter melon. Mu Nanzhao played his cousin and displayed seeds in the land temple, among which the winter melon was mentioned.
He weighed the bag and asked, "Is it this big just for one?"
“Is this a relative of the winter melon we eat in summer?”
Gu Xixi said, "Although we are not from the same family, we are somewhat related."
"These things are afraid of bumps and scratches, and the journey to the capital is long, so I wrapped them in cotton pads and tied them up with bundles."
Master Liu nodded, "Okay, I will be careful on the way."
Shitou also told how to eat it, "Use a big knife, like this, and like this..."
He demonstrated the techniques of cutting a melon, which he learned from watching Gu Xixi cutting melons.
"Then I ate the red flesh. Oh, there were black seeds mixed in the flesh. Sister Xixi said the seeds were edible, but the taste was not good if eaten directly, so it was better to eat and spit out at the same time."
Master Liu was thoughtful, "I do understand cutting and eating melons, just like cantaloupe and musk melon."
"I've never seen melon seeds mixed in with the meat. It's hard to imagine."
Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Eating is something that humans cannot do. Once you take a bite, you will know what is going on."
As she spoke, she handed over the melon in her hand.
"This is the first year I planted winter melons. These two are the sweetest varieties and are still presentable. Please help me bring the big ones to He Jinglan. No need to leave any message. She will know what I want to say when she receives them."
"This is a little smaller, Master Liu, you can take it back as a local specialty and share it with your family and friends during the New Year. It's also a fun thing."
Master Liu listened and nodded with a smile, but when he heard the end, his face froze and he could no longer laugh.
He asked unsurely, "One is for Miss He, and the other one... is for me?"
Gu Xixi nodded, "Yes."
Master Liu confirmed again, "Just like that... it's gone?"
How could Gu Xixi not know what he was thinking? She smiled and said, "Yes, that's it."
Shitou frowned and said, "Mr. Liu, although there are only two, Sister Xixi only harvested about twenty winter melons in total."
"In addition to the red-fleshed ones, there are also yellow-fleshed and white-fleshed ones. We have tried them all, and the red-fleshed ones are the sweetest and tastiest."
"There's only one red one left at home, waiting to be eaten on New Year's Eve, and it's not even as big as these two!"
Master Liu was helpless, "Minglei, I'm not greedy, I just..."
He glanced at Gu Xixi and had to stop talking. "Boss Gu gave me such precious fruits. Not to mention entertaining guests during the New Year, even if I use it to start a poetry club, it will be enough to make the host proud."
"Thank you very much."
Gu Xixi smiled lightly, "It's quite heavy. Master Liu has to travel tomorrow morning, so go back early."
Master Liu left with two big melons in his arms.
When he received this gift, he was genuinely happy, but also genuinely worried.
Boss Gu delivered melons, but that person was the only one missing, which means it was arranged this way on purpose.
Master Liu thought, if it was just to avoid embarrassment when he met Mu Nanzhao, he could ask Boss Gu for one.
Not to mention whether Boss Gu will refuse.
Forcing others to do something is not what a gentleman does.
Master Liu sighed to the sky under the moon.
Forget it, I'll take the melon back first and think about what to do on the way.
On New Year's Eve, Gu Xixi heard the sound of wind and snow outside before dawn. When she woke up from a nap, the world outside was already pure white.
Aunt Zhang and Shitou were sweeping the snow. They had swept out several paths in the snow in the yard, leading to several rooms and the backyard.
Gu Xixi said with a smile, "You got up so early, why didn't you call me to sweep the snow?"
As she was about to get the broom, Aunt Zhang said, "It's already been swept, so don't get involved."
There was a pile of pre-chopped dry wheat straw under the eaves.
The stones were brought over and evenly scattered on the swept path.
This is the method that Gu Xixi taught me before, for anti-slip purposes.
In fact, it is snowing so heavily that we don’t know when it will stop. Even if we sweep the snow, it will continue to accumulate after a while. There is no need to waste effort.
But there was an old doctor at home, and he was used to going in and out by himself.
It’s not a big deal at normal times, but on a snowy day like this, I’m afraid he won’t be able to see and might slip.
After the straw residue was scattered, Gu Xixi and Aunt Zhang were so cold that they wanted to go back into the house.
Shitou was very energetic, "Grandma Zhang, Sister Xixi, I'm going to look for Brother Gou Wa!"
Aunt Zhang frowned in the cold, "It's so cold, who would want to go out and play with you?"
Shitou said excitedly, "There are so many people here. Brother Gou Wa, Heidan and the others have been preparing for a snowball fight for a long time. It's snowing so heavily today. I'll go call them and they'll all come out!"
As he said this, he opened the gate of the courtyard and just as he ran out, he heard a voice, "Eh?"
Gu Xixi and Aunt Zhang walked to the door of the main room and looked back when they heard the voice.
Shitou poked half of his body in, "Brother An is here!"
Anyway, we are not outsiders, Shi Tou said and ran away.
Gu Xixi and Aunt Zhang looked at each other. It was New Year's Day, why was An Qinghe running here instead of going back home?
While I was wondering, I heard the sound of horse hooves approaching.
Then a man wrapped in a black long-haired cloak appeared. His head was covered tightly with a hood, so his face could not be seen. His body and head were covered with snow.
This man didn't treat himself as an outsider at all. He led the horse into the yard familiarly.
"Xiao An," Aunt Zhang called out, "Is that you?"
The black fur cloak raised his head, revealing a pair of deep blue eyes.
Even though it was freezing cold, it did not dampen the warm smile in those eyes.
"Aunt! Xixi! It's me! I'm back!"
An Qinghe opened the stable next to Lai Fu's and put his horse in.
He strode across the snow, taking off his hood, revealing a handsome face like a Western sculpture.
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