Not to be outdone, Mao Mao quickly chose a tree, nimbly climbed it with her basket on her back.
Pei Ji was stunned, only then realizing that such a method existed. Shi Tou was also adept at climbing trees, and he couldn't help but be tempted, but he restrained himself, planning to help Pei Ji hook a few trees first, and then go climb the trees himself later.
Following the same method, the two quickly hooked two more persimmons, one for each of them, and ran back to Min Yueqing's side.
The persimmons were fairly clean, with only a little dust. Min Yueqing took out her handkerchief and wiped them one by one. The three of them then squatted under the shade of the tree and began to eat the persimmons.
Once the persimmons soften, the skin is very easy to peel. Once the skin is torn open, the rosy flesh is revealed, releasing a sweet aroma. One bite and it's soft and sweet. Min Yueqing, experienced as she is, immediately sucked out a mouthful after taking a bite. Pei Ji and the other two, however, couldn't resist, taking a firm bite. The abundant juice from the persimmon immediately splattered, covering their faces and hands with the sweet, sticky juice.
Pei Ji was a clean child. He rubbed his fingers together and they felt sticky. He immediately felt uncomfortable all over, and the persimmon in his hand didn't smell good anymore. He looked at Min Yueqing with a wronged expression, but Min Yueqing burst out laughing.
Pei Ji felt even more aggrieved.
Previously, this type of fruit was always fed to him by his maid or Min Yueqing with a spoon, so this was the first time he had ever held a whole persimmon and ate it. He never expected to suffer such a setback, and his mother even laughed at him. Pei Ji looked accusing.
Min Yueqing burst into laughter.
As Pei Ji watched, he realized he couldn't stay angry anymore. In his memory, this was the first time his mother had laughed so heartily, completely disregarding her image.
Without thinking twice, Shi Tou wolfed down the persimmons. He didn't understand what was so bad about getting his hands dirty. Besides, they were already dirty, so he might as well finish eating and wash them later.
However, he didn't find Pei Ji strange. Usually, when he encountered this situation, the same thought would come to his mind: children from wealthy families are naturally more particular. Thinking about it this way, he could understand.
Min Yueqing finally managed to stop laughing, and gently pinched the little cub's aggrieved and somewhat accusatory face. "Finish eating first, and then we'll go to the carriage to get the water pouch to wash our hands."
Pei Ji frowned and thought for a moment, then realized that this was the only way, so she continued to gnaw on the persimmon in her hand.
Seeing that he was about to bite down again, Min Yueqing finally spoke up to remind him, "Don't bite, just suck on the flesh, that way it won't splatter."
Upon hearing this, Pei Ji tentatively took a sip and found that the juice was no longer splashing everywhere as before. His eyes lit up, and he finished the persimmon in his hand using the same method.
After finishing the meal, Pei Ji suddenly felt something was wrong and looked at Min Yueqing with a small, accusing tone, "Mother, why didn't you tell us before?"
Min Yueqing felt no guilt whatsoever, thinking to herself, "I told you beforehand, how could I watch the show?" But she couldn't say it aloud, so she simply said, "Mother forgot before."
Pei Ji looked at Min Yueqing with some skepticism, seemingly unconvinced. He had been teased by her quite a few times and had begun to realize that his mother seemed to enjoy teasing him now. However, he eventually accepted the explanation.
What can be done? As long as Mother is happy, I'll just let her tease me a little, Pei Ji thought like a little adult.
Min Yueqing silently broke out in a cold sweat. That's the downside of her son being too smart; his observation skills are too strong, making him harder and harder to amuse.
Min Yueqing led the two children back to the carriage, took out a water jug, poured water for them to wash their hands and faces, and then took out two water pouches. She opened one and shared it with them, and prepared to take the other to Mao Mao and the others.
When the three of them returned after making their rounds, the bamboo baskets on Da Shu, Er Zhu, and Ma Mao's backs were almost full.
"Mao Mao, Da Shu, Er Zhu, are you thirsty? Do you want to come down and have a drink of water?" Shi Tou shouted to the three of them.
Mao Mao and the others were so engrossed in secretly comparing who could pick the most that they hadn't felt thirsty. But when Shi Tou shouted, their throats tightened, and they suddenly felt like their throats were on fire. After all, they hadn't stopped picking and were covered in sweat, all of which had evaporated.
The three of them climbed down from the tree, first emptying the persimmons from their baskets into a large hamster, before heading towards the rock.
Shi Tou handed them a water bag, then quickly grabbed an empty basket, picked a tree that hadn't been picked yet, and climbed up in no time. He was already itching to try it, and seeing how much Mao Mao and the others had picked made him even more impatient.
Pei Ji was surprised to see Shi Tou quickly climb the tree; he had no idea Shi Tou possessed this skill. However, he didn't intend to climb the tree himself, because his arms were still relatively short, and he felt it would be difficult for him to climb up the tree trunk like Shi Tou.
Min Yueqing then looked at Mao Mao and asked, "Didn't we say we were going to pick jujubes?"
Mao Mao immediately replied, "Yes, the jujubes are quite ripe too. The jujube trees are on the other side, but there aren't as many as the persimmon trees. Madam, shall we go over there now?"
Min Yueqing looked down and asked the little one, "Do you want to go see the jujube tree?"
Pei Ji had already picked and tasted the persimmons, and they weren't actually that delicious, plus they were easy to get your hands dirty. So when he heard this question, he quickly replied, "Yes."
Min Yueqing made the decision, "Then we'll go over once the stone comes down."
Stone was only enthusiastic for a short time. After getting used to climbing the tree, he picked half a basketful and came down. When he heard that they were going to move to another place, he said without hesitation, "Let's go then."
Mao Mao then said to Shi Tou, "You should also pour the persimmons into the basket. Uncle Er will carry them onto the cart in a little while. We'll go pick jujubes with empty baskets on our backs."
Shi Tou was relieved and immediately did as he was told.
Mao Mao and the others then led them to the other side of the woods, where a row of jujube trees came into view. Pei Ji couldn't help but purse his lips and chuckle softly, "Although it's called a jujube, it's much smaller than a persimmon."
He had actually eaten jujubes at home before, but he had never seen them hanging on the treetops. Moreover, compared to the persimmons he had just eaten, the jujubes did appear rather small.
Min Yueqing couldn't help but smile slightly upon hearing this, never expecting that the little rascal could also have such a mischievous side.
Da Shu walked in front, chose a tree with a lot of red fruit, stood by the tree, picked up a bamboo pole and hit the branches with ripe jujubes a few times, and the jujubes fell down like rain.
Pei Ji then realized why Mao Mao had said "hitting dates" on the carriage; he really meant it, without exaggeration.
Pei Ji couldn't help but ask, "Why can't we hit the persimmons like this after picking them?"
In his opinion, hitting them a few times like this is much simpler, and so many fruits can fall down at once. Isn't that much more convenient than hooking them one by one?
Da Shu and the others laughed when they heard this, and explained, "The persimmon tree is too tall, and the ripe persimmons are too soft. If you hit them directly with a bamboo pole, they will rot when they fall. The jujube tree is much shorter than the persimmon tree. The jujubes are small and brittle, and they mostly fall with small branches and leaves. With branches and leaves underneath, they are not so easy to break."
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