Fairy Lips
Thanks to the convenience of online shopping nowadays, the process of applying for an online store isn’t difficult. Following the regulations and uploading various documents, the approval can be obtained within one or two hours.
To prove that she genuinely cared about the fairies, Su Mu went through the process in front of them.
“Little Violet, take a look. This is how the flower shop will look initially.” The online shop hadn’t been decorated yet; Su Mu wasn’t familiar with these matters. She had already contacted someone knowledgeable to help with the design, but it would take some time.
Little Violet was clearly excited too. “I’ll go take care of the plants and try to make them bloom sooner!” With that, it flew away.
Normally, Little Orchid would be inseparable from it, but now it didn’t follow. It sat calmly on the leaves of Golden Crystals.
“What’s wrong?” Su Mu knew its temper and initiated the conversation.
“The orchids you bought before have already started blooming,” it said. From the very beginning, it was instructed to notify her when the orchids bloomed.
Su Mu slapped her forehead. She had been so busy lately that she had forgotten about those orchids. She didn’t expect them to bloom so soon.
Several pots of orchids were placed outside her room’s balcony. There were five or six varieties in total. Due to her abilities and the careful attention of the little fairies, the flowering time had surpassed the seasonal restrictions. They were blooming almost simultaneously.
These orchids weren’t valuable varieties; the most expensive one was the butterfly orchid. When she first bought it, it wasn’t in the best condition. Now, it had regained its vitality. If she were to sell this butterfly orchid now, its value would surely increase several times.
The cultivation of new varieties was something Su Mu had done countless times in the interstellar. She was highly skilled in it, but the stability was sometimes lacking, and there could be setbacks.
To reduce the chances of failure, Su Mu sent away the Orchid fairy. She needed a quiet environment for her experiments.
Activating her abilities, she gradually sorted and fused the best genes of these different orchid varieties. Different colors converged in the air, and tiny pollen gradually solidified into substance. At this moment, the entire Su family courtyard was enveloped in the refreshing and cold scent of orchids.
Small beads of sweat formed on Su Mu’s forehead, trickling down her smooth cheeks. She dared not be distracted; her focus was entirely on the suspended droplet in front of her.
Suddenly, the droplet plummeted rapidly, landing in the soil of the pot. Upon touching the soil, it immediately cracked, rooted, and sprouted—all within a split second.
Su Mu stared at it intently. Two flower stalks grew straight up without any side branches. When they reached about thirty centimeters in length, their growth slowed. Then, tiny bumps appeared at their tips. At first, they were the size of mung beans, but they rapidly grew larger at a visible pace. During this process, their colors began to emerge.
One was pale yellowish-white, while the other was a vibrant red.
Su Mu’s heart tightened. This was the critical moment—success or failure would be determined after they bloomed.
The pale yellowish-white flower on the left unfolded its petals first, producing a soft ‘pop’ sound, announcing its arrival to the world. Its shape was beautiful, resembling an elegant champagne glass with around seven to eight layers of petals stacked upon each other, like a veiled beauty from the Western Regions, ready to speak but still hesitant.
The color of this flower was a pure white, with a pale yellow connecting part where it joined the stem, adding a touch of brightness to it.
Su Mu inexplicably felt that it looked somewhat familiar, like the flower pattern of the ‘Crowned Lotus,’ but it seemed to surpass it.
She became excited. Crowned Lotus – this was the Maserati of the orchid world! It had once fetched prices in the tens of millions.
It was time to make a fortune!
At this point, there was movement in the red bud on the right. She focused her gaze on it. Though it hadn’t bloomed yet, its scent was becoming increasingly intense. Its petals slowly unfurled, leaving Su Mu astonished.
It resembled a big red pair of lips!
Four petals were pieced together, adorned with intricate patterns, resembling human lips. The unexpected shape was truly dazzling, even to her, the one who usually spent a lot in games.
If the white flower represented an ethereal beauty, then the red one was a flamboyant older sister, exuding a strong perfume fragrance.
A strange combination indeed – you can be as beautiful as you like, and I’ll be the one being a tsundere.
Su Mu felt a little regretful. Half successful, half not, it would have been better if both flowers were the same. She would definitely fetch a higher price for them.
However, she had no choice. Once a new variety was cultivated, its genetic sequence was fixed. These two flowers were born together, complementing each other. If she were to pursue a high price and cut off the red flower, the white one would also be greatly affected and slowly wither away.
With everything settled, Su Mu tidied up her mood and gave this orchid a name: Fairy Lips, symbolizing both the little fairy and the big red lips.
The pots of orchids used to cultivate Fairy Lips had withered. She uprooted the dead plants and cleaned up the balcony.
The orchid fairy seemed to sense something, flapping its wings and flying to the balcony. The botanical knowledge it possessed was updated with the cultivation details of Fairy Lips.
Softly, it said to Su Mu, “The fragrance of Fairy Lips can stimulate appetite. Master, you should move it to the yard; otherwise, you might get hungry easily. It’s suitable for outdoor cultivation.”
Su Mu didn’t expect it to have this additional function and couldn’t help but ask, “Is it harmful to humans?”
Little Orchid shook its head. “No, and its stimulating effect is limited. People who smell its fragrance will just have a better appetite. It’s a great supplemental food plant.”
Su Mu couldn’t help but reassess its value. A plant that could stimulate appetite must be quite sought after by certain individuals.
She moved the flower to a spot in the yard where it could receive sunlight while still being shaded.
The fragrance of the flower hadn’t completely dissipated when her stomach rumbled. It truly could stimulate the appetite; she was hungry.
Su Mu had an apple to tide her over and then headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Today was the last day of planting rice seedlings. After getting through today, her parents could finally rest for a while.
As the saying goes, eat radishes in winter and eat ginger in summer. She planned to make a dish of ginger duck, stir-fry some greens, toss a cucumber salad, and cook winter melon and pork rib soup to replenish her parents’ energy and blood.
Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.
For making ginger duck, the best choice would be a Muscovy duck, but they didn’t have any at home, only regular white ducks. She remembered that Granny Li had Muscovy ducks, so she locked the door and headed out.
Grandma Li was home, and when Su Mu arrived, she was helping Grandpa Li make tofu.
Upon seeing Su Mu, Grandma Li quickly greeted, “Mu Mu, come in and have a seat.”
Su Mu smiled, “Grandma Li, are you busy right now?”
Grandma Li brought over a wooden stool for her to sit on and said with a beaming smile, “I’m done with my tasks. Just finishing up. If you’re here to buy tofu, you’ll have to wait a bit.”
“No, I’m not buying tofu today. I came to ask if you’re selling Muscovy ducks.”
Grandma Li suddenly understood. So, she was here to buy ducks. If it wasn’t Su Mu, she wouldn’t sell them. She had planned to keep these ducks until Chinese New Year when her children and grandchildren returned home to feast. However, Su Mu had grown up under her care and even helped her by hiring her. She had to give her face.
“What do you mean selling? If you want them, just catch them.”
Su Mu quickly waved her hand and said, “No, I want to pay. Grandma Li, if you don’t accept payment, I’ll buy from someone else.”
Grandma Li sighed, “Fine, fine. You’re just as polite as your mother.”
Leading Su Mu to the pond, Grandma Li said, “Wait here, it’s a bit dirty inside. I’ll catch one for you.”
Grandma Li took a handful of corn and tossed it into the enclosure in front of the Muscovy ducks.
Not actively eating, something was wrong. Several Muscovy ducks rushed into the enclosure, eagerly pecking at the corn.
Unexpectedly, a large net suddenly appeared, and one Muscovy duck struggled desperately after getting caught in it.
Grandma Li returned holding the duck’s feet steadily and asked with a smile, “How about this one?”
“Grandma Li, the ducks you raise are all good. Could you trouble Grandpa Li to help me process it a bit? My parents are planting rice seedlings in the field now, and I’ve never slaughtered a duck.” Before leaving home, she had brought two hundred yuan with her, and this was her plan. She could manage to clean fish, but slaughtering chickens and ducks was beyond her skills.
“No problem. Your Grandpa Li has nothing else to do anyway. It’s better if he helps you slaughter and chop it up. Then you can take it home and cook it right away.”
The Muscovy duck’s feathers had been changed, and with the skilled handling, it took less than half an hour for a duck to be completely cleaned, including its innards, which Grandpa Li had helped with.
Grandma Li put the duck meat in a bag and handed it to her. After Su Mu obediently expressed her gratitude, she quickly stuffed the money into Grandma Li’s hand and hurriedly left.
Otherwise, Grandma Li definitely wouldn’t have accepted so much money.
The process of making ginger duck was complex. By the time Su Mu had completed all the steps and started stewing the duck, an hour had already passed. Fortunately, the following dishes were relatively simple, or she would have been utterly baffled.
As the evening grew darker, Father and Mother Su returned home while the sunset still painted the sky. The faint floral scent revitalized their spirits, but they were soon entranced by the rich aroma of the food, and their stomachs growled in unison.
The small pot of ginger duck made a gurgling sound as the ingredients simmered inside. It was a rich assortment: duck meat, duck innards, ginger slices, and on top of that, there were dried bamboo shoots, mushrooms, rehydrated tofu skin, Chinese cabbage, and glass noodles. The ingredients were incredibly diverse.
Seeing that her parents were back, Su Mu promptly said, “Mom, Dad, wash your hands quickly. It’s time for dinner.”
She turned around and went back to the kitchen, ladling out rice and arranging utensils.
Perhaps due to hunger or the appetite-boosting effect of the “Fairy Lips,” everyone had hearty appetites. They took several bites in a row before having time for small talk.
“The duck meat is delicious and tender.”
“Mu Mu’s cooking skills have improved quite a bit.”
“It’s all learned from Mom.”
…
To their surprise, the dishes on the table were all cleared by the end of the meal. Both Father and Mother Su felt that their appetites were unusually good tonight – everything was exceptionally delicious.
The last day of April ended like this. The May Day holiday was a great time for travelers to return home and friends to gather.
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