Chapter 723 Delicious Fruits
Inside the General's Mansion, Butler Zheng arranged for servants to take some of the several baskets of fruits that Qiao Ran and the others had brought, wash them, cut them, and serve them on plates.
The Zheng family only now noticed the difference in these fruits.
"Hui Niang, we have never eaten many of these fruits. Did you grow them all yourselves?"
"Yes, mother. These are the seeds and seedlings that Ranran got. Some were collected on the road of fleeing famine, and some were bought from merchants in foreign countries. Every household in our Devil Valley grows these fruits and vegetables. Now is the season when the fruits and vegetables are ripe, so we picked a few baskets and sent them to you to taste."
"There are lychees and honeydew melons! Aren't these only available in Linzhou Prefecture? I remember passing through a small town on the way back to the capital from Qingzhou that produced these two fruits. When I returned to the capital, they were almost out of season, and I finally got someone to buy some in the town. I wanted to bring them back for you to try, but they couldn't be stored for that long. Lychees were inedible after a few days, and honeydew melons lasted a few more days, but they didn't last until I got back to the capital. At the time, I was thinking, how nice it would be if I could buy these fruits in the capital. I didn't expect that you actually grew them in the suburbs of the capital."
Old Madam Zheng looked with delight at a plate of fresh lychees and a plate of sliced honeydew melons. They all looked very fresh, reminding her of the delicious fruits she had eaten on her way back to Beijing.
"Mom, have you forgotten? Ran Ran brought some over during the family recognition banquet."
Zheng Lin reminded.
Madam Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Really? Oh, now I remember. It's true. Look at my memory! There are so many delicious foods that I can't even remember which ones they are."
Zheng Huiniang picked up a lychee and peeled it while saying:
"Mom, please try them. I think these lychees and honeydew melons are better than the ones I bought in Linxuan Town."
"Are these lychees and honeydew melons really grown from the seeds and seedlings you got from Linxuan Town?"
"Yes, at that time, Ranran and her friends went to the town to buy food. Ranran saved a fruit farmer, and his family gave us a lot of lychees and melons. Ranran told us to save the pits and seeds after eating the fruits and dry them for later use. Then, we really grew these two fruits in the Devil's Valley, and they tasted really good. Mom, please try them. Are they better than what you have eaten before?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Zheng took the peeled lychee from her daughter, took a bite of the flesh, and immediately narrowed her eyes and praised:
"Mm, it's delicious! The lychees I ate on the road had big cores and little flesh, and they were sour. This lychee has a small core and lots of flesh. The flesh is plump and juicy, and it's sweet and slightly sour. The taste is just right, not too sweet or too sour. People who can tolerate sour food can eat it."
"Mom, please try this honeydew melon again. This is the first time I've eaten such a sweet melon! It's much more delicious than the one Ranran brought last time!"
Zheng Lin also said this.
After eating the lychees, Mrs. Zheng took a piece of cut melon from her daughter-in-law.
Looking at the golden honeydew melon that seems to be emitting a sweet fragrance, you can see the difference just from the appearance.
Madam Zheng took a bite of the honeydew melon, chewed it carefully, and savored the sweet taste spreading on her tongue.
"Sweet! Really sweet! This honeydew melon is much more delicious than the ones I ate before! The flesh is crispy and soft, so even the elderly can eat it. The juice is really sweet! Honey is a little sour, but this honeydew melon is really sweet! Good! Really good!"
Zheng Lin also said: "It is said that the capital is prosperous, and you can eat specialties from all over the country and even from other places. However, I have been in the capital for so many years, and I have never eaten such delicious fruits."
"There are also lychees and honeydew melons in the capital. Merchants wrap them in ice cubes and quilts and transport them to the capital. The price is many times higher than meat, and the supply is still in short supply. Every time they are transported here, they are divided up by the big restaurants and wealthy families. Ordinary people can't even eat them."
"If your village can grow a large amount of it in the Devil's Valley and sell it in the capital, wouldn't you make a lot of money?"
Qiao Ran smiled and said, "Well, we will increase the scale of planting. We have to open up wasteland and plant crops this year, so we plant a little less fruits and vegetables. After the autumn harvest, when the weather is cooler, I will have them plant some fruit trees, and then plant a large number of fruits and vegetables next spring."
"The terrain in Devil's Valley is excellent, and there is also a magical mountain spring. The fruits and vegetables grown here are better than those grown in other places. By next summer, there will be more fruits and vegetables than we can eat."
