Ch 48: Daily Farm Life After Returning from Interstellar

Ripe

Glutinous rice dumplings and lychees usually mature and come to market in late June. Previously, Su’s lychees followed the same schedule. However, this year, thanks to Su Mu’s special ability, they matured a month early.

With the lychees ripe, she put the matter she had discussed with Fu Da on the agenda. Two days in advance, she gave him a call, and Fu Da said he would come over during the weekend.

Father Su was worried about the taste of the lychees, fearing that Fu Da would make a wasted trip. So, he went up the hill and picked a couple of clusters to taste.

With large red shells and extremely thin skin, he gently tore it apart, and the skin easily came off, revealing the white, semi-transparent flesh inside.

A look at the appearance confirmed their quality. Father Su gained some confidence, and he tried the fruit. The flesh was extremely sweet and tender. With a gentle bite, the abundant juice burst forth. It was sweet, but not cloyingly so; it had a very gentle sweetness.

He ate several in a row, and they were truly delicious. He had never tasted lychees this flavorful before.

On his way down the hill, he picked several more clusters to bring back home for everyone to try.

Back at home, they were indeed met with unanimous approval.

Mother Su widened her eyes, “I’ve only been away for a few days, and the lychees have grown so big?”

She was right. Each lychee that Father Su brought home was only slightly smaller than a chicken egg. Once peeled, there was almost all flesh with tiny pits.

“Yes, I’ve seen them. Most of them are of this quality. It’s been a great harvest this year.” Father Su had a satisfied smile on his face. For him, a branch laden with fruit was the best reward for his hard work.

Gu Shi and the others were slowly peeling the lychees, savoring them.

“Better than the hanging green ones.”

“So sweet, like honey.”

He Fu watched the two who were already physically weak. Lychees were delicious, but they were heaty and could lead to excessive internal heat if consumed too much. After each had eaten two or three, he stopped them from eating more. Gu Shi and Tang Hui looked at the juicy lychees with regret in their eyes.

However, Su Mu didn’t have this issue. She happily enjoyed one after another. She even put some lychees in the freezer’s cold storage section; frozen lychees were as delicious as ice cream.

Then, she peeled a small bowl of lychee flesh, mixed it with yogurt, and made a delightful sweet treat—lychee yogurt.

On a scorching summer day, it was best to enjoy them after they were frozen.

Her action earned disapproving glances from Gu Shi and Tang Hui, making her the target of their envy.

Su Mu confidently retorted, “Who told you that your health isn’t fully recovered yet?!”

Gu Shi and Tang Hui were utterly defeated, deciding that they wouldn’t disregard nourishing soups in the future.

When the weekend came, Fu Da arrived as promised. However, this time he couldn’t stay for long, so he didn’t bring his father along.

He had already informed Su Mu in advance. After a brief visit at Su’s house, they all headed up the hill.

Father Su and Su Mu mainly played host, while Gu Shi and Tang Hui were there just to join in the fun.

Compared to a month ago, the lychee orchard had undergone a tremendous transformation. Every lychee hung heavily on the branches, and from a distance, it appeared to be a sea of red, truly eye-catching.

After walking around the lychee orchard, Fu Da found that the quality of the lychees was nearly identical, all of them being top-grade. The flavor was astounding, so he immediately decided to buy them all.

This partnership was sealed.

Before coming, he had prepared a contract and brought it along. Thus, they signed the contract on the spot, making it effective.

“Tomorrow, I’ll send people to pick up the lychees. Uncle Su, could you arrange for a few villagers to pick some in advance? Let’s start with five hundred catties (approximately 250 kilograms), and I’ll see how the market responds first.” As is well-known, lychees have a short shelf life. Lychees purchased one day could deteriorate and spoil by the next.

This is why lychees were so precious in ancient times.

Father Su nodded, “Will you come to pick them up in the morning? I’ll have them picked in advance.”

“Yes, in the morning. I’ll have them loaded onto the vegetable truck to be transported together.”

After these arrangements were settled, Fu Da hurriedly left with a small box of lychees.

Gu Shi and the others also picked a considerable amount. They had their assistant rush back to the capital at full speed to bring the taste of summer to their families.

News of ripe lychees at Su’s house spread throughout the village. The villagers were envious; early ripening meant that they could seize this still unoccupied market, and naturally, they could set their own prices.

Thankfully, the price of lychees was kept strictly confidential. Otherwise, the villagers might have turned sour like lemons due to the high prices.

The next day, Father Su got up early. Mother Su wanted to wake up as well but was pacified by Father Su, who told her to sleep a bit longer.

He put on a thin long-sleeved shirt. There were a lot of mosquitoes in the mountains, so he needed to protect himself, or else he would be covered in bites.

The faint morning light gradually illuminated the surroundings. Father Su went up the hill alone. Five hundred catties of lychees weren’t much, and he could easily meet the requirement in less than an hour. Besides, the lychee trees were relatively short, making picking effortless.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

He had woven the basket to carry the lychees himself. Lychees were delicate, so he placed a thick layer of straw inside to prevent them from getting bruised or damaged.

Su Mu followed her father and left the house. She arrived at the village entrance where people were already busy in the vegetable garden. It was Grandma Li and Grandma Chen, five people in total, working smoothly and efficiently.

Grandma Li spotted her and smiled, “Mu Mu, why are you here today?” It used to be Father Su who came.

Su Mu replied with a smile, “My dad went up the hill to pick lychees. The driver doesn’t know the way, so I’m here to guide him.”

“I see, your family’s lychees are ripe earlier this year.”

At that moment, a familiar truck slowly drove into the village path. Seeing it, Su Mu smiled and said to Grandma Li, “Grandma Li, you all carry on. I’ll go find the driver.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Grandma Li waved her hand. After a month of working in the vegetable garden, they had become quite proficient.

Their monthly salary was three thousand yuan, mainly responsible for picking vegetables and weeding. Su Mu had indicated that she intended to entrust two of them with the task of watering, which would come with an additional two hundred yuan.

Several old ladies immediately developed a sense of competition. They all wanted to impress Su Mu and earn that extra two hundred yuan. Therefore, they became even more diligent in their work.

The lady employee got out of the car and started picking vegetables in the field. Su Mu sat in the passenger seat and guided the driver.

“Hello uncle, Mr. Fu talked to you about the lychee situation, right?”

The driver nodded, “Yes, Miss Su, you just need to guide me.”

“Okay, go straight and then turn left.”

The road leading downhill was well-maintained by Father Su and wasn’t bumpy. It was smooth all the way, and the truck soon stopped at the foot of the mountain.

Su Mu and the driver climbed up the hill together. By the time they arrived, Father Su had already picked most of the lychees.

Su Mu couldn’t really help with the heavy lifting, so Father Su and the driver worked together to carry the lychee baskets down the hill.

The slope where the lychees were grown was relatively gentle, not difficult to traverse. After a few trips, they had transported all the lychees.

Xiao Chen had been in the car the whole time. After unloading the lychees, they were weighed one by one. The first batch of lychees totaled over five hundred and eighty catties, minus the weight of the baskets, it was just slightly over five hundred catties, meeting Fu Da’s requirements precisely.

“I’ll be leaving now.”

“Sure, thank you, sir.”

After the driver drove the truck away, the father and daughter slowly walked back towards home.

“This year’s lychee harvest is really impressive. We didn’t even pick all the lychees from one tree, and we already have over five hundred catties.”

Su Mu chuckled, “Indeed, we had a good harvest this year. Heaven has blessed us. Dad, how do you plan to spend the money once it’s in?”

Father Su glanced at her and said with a cheerful smile, “What else can I do? I’ll save it for your dowry.”

♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎

Thingyan: Don’t worry Father Su, your daughter is very rich lol