Chapter 409: Can't finish it, simply can't finish it

Red or green?

Gu Xixi thought for a moment and soon understood what Chen Dafu was saying.

She happily said, "Aunt Tao, I'm going to the orchard; let's add two more dishes at noon!"

Lv Jing trotted after her, asking, "What red or green, are they vegetables?"

Mrs. Tao and Wu Niangzi looked at each other.

Who ever heard of stir-frying fruit?

Everyone knows that the crops in the small fruit orchard are exotic goods the boss went to great lengths to obtain, and they're novel.

Besides farming, they have always carefully tended them according to the boss's instructions.

Although they have recently started bearing fruit, no one has thought to try eating them.

After all, even if they knew it was fruit, it's something nobody has ever seen before, and they can't even name it.

First, they don't know if it's edible, tasty, or how to eat it.

Second, rarity makes it precious; without the boss's permission, nobody dares to touch it.

Chen Dafu strode ahead with his head high, chuckling as he listed all the affairs of the manor inside and out that had occurred while Gu Xixi was away.

"Not long after the boss left, one night a strong wind blew up at midnight; fortunately Wu Niangzi was there, and they spent the night covering the boss's reserved felt cloth over the small fruit orchard's trellises."

"The next morning I rushed over with your aunt; luckily, those vines weren't blown down."

"Wu Niangzi and the children didn't sleep all night; I saw those two kids had dark circles under their eyes, yet they didn't complain of hardship or fatigue—this takes after their mother."

"I have to say the boss thought ahead: letting Wu Niangzi live on the manor gives her family a place to stay while also letting them look after the estate—two benefits in one."

"I've been keeping an eye on the eight mu of land near the manor; the two hired hands are diligent, planting exactly as the boss prescribed, and I haven't seen anyone cutting corners."

"This year the wheat in our manor is just as good as last year's village wheat."

"However, with the big plow ox and the boss's unique farming tools, I feel we've saved a lot of effort."

"We only have a few people, yet we're farming far more land than before—this must be what the boss meant by increasing efficiency."

"As for fertilizer and pesticide, the boss had already arranged everything in advance."

"The workshop regularly sends what we need; although they say they don't charge money, the boss keeps his own accounts with them."

"But I still make sure to count everything clearly each time, recording the total received, each person's usage, and what's left."

"I just thought that presenting this to the boss would make everything clear at a glance."

Gu Xixi couldn't help interjecting with praise: "Uncle Dafu handles things steadily and meticulously; I've always felt most at ease with you."

For her, the estate isn't large, and the pesticide and fertilizer are produced by their own workshop.

Even if there are invisible losses in this cost, they are merely negligible.

So she at least for now doesn't plan to devote special attention to these matters.

But Chen Dafu voluntarily took charge of keeping the accounts for this part, filling in the blank.

This avoided waste or embezzlement.

Gu Xixi has always believed that transferring Chen Dafu to the manor as a part-time steward was absolutely the right choice.

At this moment she appreciates him even more.

Chen Dafu, despite being praised, shows no trace of arrogance.

He still chuckles, his tone as usual: "Then comes today's big matter."

"According to the boss's set day, we spray foliar fertilizer."

"The boss's spray pot is handy; I'd like to apply to have a few more made."

"The small fruit orchard, and perhaps also next season's sorghum and millet, could use them."

Gu Xixi recalled the wooden long-handled high-spout spray pot she had someone make in early spring.

She readily agreed, "Sure, the village side also needs more; we should make a batch all at once."

Thus she also told Chen Dafu, "The successor you chose for the village side is excellent."

"Having him lead those brothers in work for you hasn't caused me any worry."

Chen Dafu also felt a sense of accomplishment, laughing sincerely: "At the bottom line, it's just because everyone has followed the boss well."

"We've followed the boss for so long, reaping benefits we never dared to imagine."

"As long as you're not a fool, you know what to do."

Gu Xixi understood and smiled.

Benefiting others and oneself—nothing more than that.

Inside the small fruit orchard, the soil is loose, the ridges are neat, and not a single weed can be seen even when lowering one's head.

The first thing to catch the eye is a row of cucumber trellises.

Lv Jing initially laughed while tilting her head to look, then suddenly spotted something and exclaimed in surprise, "Is this… fruit?"

"They hang down in glossy green strands; at first glance I thought they were snakes!"

"She grew up in the tea garden and has always been terrified of seeing snakes."

"Fortunately, just now she saw that the green, long thing underneath had withered yellow flowers."

"Only then did she confirm it wasn't a living creature."

Gu Xixi said, "This is a cucumber."

"Unfortunately, some have grown too old; they can only be used for soup or left to mature into seeds."

While speaking, she already reached out and twisted off one.

The tip bears spines, fresh and juicy.

Some distance from the irrigation channel, Gu Xixi adopted a bold way of eating, brushing off the dust with her bare hands.

She took a big bite with a crunch.

The voice was clear and crisp, whetting the appetite.

Lv Jing swallowed her saliva and, imitating, went to pick some herself.

Gu Xixi said, "Don't pick this one; the one beside, the one with flowers over there, is more tender and tastier."

She also had Chen Dafu try it.

Both tried cucumber for the first time and found it novel.

It is crisp, but not the same crispness as radish or bamboo shoots.

If you call it a fruit, it's not very sweet.

If you call it a vegetable, it has high water content, a peculiar fresh fragrance and a slight aftersweetness; eating it raw makes the mouth water.

At first bite, it is far less sweet and juicy than sweet apricots or honey peaches.

Yet it is strangely addictive.

Cucumber, i. e., the cucumber of later times.

Planted in the manor, it grows quite well; each vine bears many.

The three of them crunched on cucumbers as they continued walking inward.

Gu Xixi thought, "So many..."

Later I'll prepare a cold dish in a bowl; this afternoon I'll pick two baskets to take away.

It can also be made into soy-sauce cucumber pickles.

Lv Jing chewed like a rabbit and said, "It can also be made into dishes."

So is it a vegetable or a fruit?

Gu Xixi said, "It's both a vegetable and a fruit."

Lv Jing still hadn't figured it out, walked out of the melon trellis, and was again drawn by the conspicuous red ahead.

So it turns out Uncle Dafu said the red one is this!

Chen Dafu turned his head, "Yes, Miss Lv, do you recognize this?"

Lv Jing nodded, "I've seen it before."

She recalled some unpleasant past events, and a gloom rose in her eyes.

At this moment Gu Xixi had already squatted beside a persimmon tree, picked a fully red fruit and brought it to her mouth.

Lv Jing was shocked and pale, not minding her own discomfort, she hurried over in two strides to snatch Gu Xixi's fruit.

Can't eat it!

But it was still half a step too late.

Gu Xixi had already bitten into it; when she lifted her head to look at Lv Jing, her lips were still stained with juice.

Ah?

Lv Jing pressed Gu Xixi's shoulders, shaking her back and forth, "It's poisonous, spit it out quickly!"