343 Fruit
“Thank you for your troubles.” Zhao Zhan said in a gentle tone. “I’ll be busy these days. I’ll pick a few people to be in charge of the seedlings.”
It just so happened that he had two attendants at home.
The workshop was now in good order, and Yang Dashan and Yang Maozhang would take all the help they could get.
“Four people should be enough. Everyone in our village is experienced now,” Zhao Zhan suggested to Yang Lizheng.
“You’re familiar with the workshop people. You can form a team of soybean planting experts and go to other villages to help.
“If they’re willing to learn, you can pay them two copper coins each. If you can’t afford it, you can wait until the soybeans are harvested and change them into silver.
“This way, not only will we have another way to earn money, but you also won’t have to worry about the requests from other villages.”
Yang Lizheng’s eyes were getting brighter and brighter as Zhao Zhan spoke. He choked on the cigarette in his mouth before he could react. “You’re right. This way, after this busy farming season is over, our Willow Village will become the biggest village in Wangshan Town.”
He thought about what Willow Village used to be like and looked at it now.
Yang Lizheng knew that all of this was due to Zhao Zhan’s credit. He also understood that he was the one who had taken the lead in all of this.
“I’ll go back and come up with a plan and then come back to discuss it with you again.” Yang Lizheng stood up impatiently. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Lizheng, slow down.”
Zhao Zhan walked Yang Lizheng out and went to Yang Dashan’s house. “Dashan, are you home?”
Since he had a child, Yang Dashan would go home for half an hour at noon every day. He had just coaxed the two children to sleep when he heard Zhao Zhan’s voice and rushed out.
“I am, do you need anything?”
“Are you going to Huai County to deliver the goods tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“I need you to send a letter. Help me deliver it to the shopkeeper,” Zhao Zhan explained in detail. “After you’ve delivered the goods, could you wait for a while at the shop and help me bring something back?”
“That’s a small matter. Don’t worry.” Yang Dashan promised, “I will definitely bring it back to you in good condition.”
Zhao Zhan nodded.
“Thank you, I’ll pass you the letter later.”
After giving instructions to Yang Dashan, Zhao Zhan returned home. He went into the study and thought carefully for a moment. Then, he wrote a long letter.
The sun outside was no longer as hot. Zhao Zhan walked to the bed and coaxed her softly, “Jiaojiao.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and held Yue Jiaojiao’s hand, calling out softly, “Do you want to get out of bed first?”
The blanket was messily piled up in a corner.
Yue Jiaojiao’s forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Zhao Zhan went to wring a warm handkerchief and came back to wipe her. He half-layed on the bed and found the book that his lover had been reading for the past two days. He opened it and continued to read it in a gentle voice.
Yue Jiaojiao had woken up, but she was too lazy to speak or move.
When she heard Zhao Zhan reading the book, she lay down on her side and hugged Zhao Zhan’s waist.
Zhao Zhan obediently placed his hand on her back as he continued reading.
“Zhao Zhan.” After listening for a while, Yue Jiaojiao’s sleepiness was mostly gone. She then lazily said, “I want to eat some cold red bean milk.”
She wanted to eat iced watermelon instead. Unfortunately, there was no such thing as a watermelon in this dynasty.
“I’ve already prepared ice in the well,” Zhao Zhan said, putting the book aside. “I’ll bring it over to you now, okay? After you finish eating, I’ll accompany you for a walk in the courtyard.”
“I can’t eat in bed.” Yue Jiaojiao had not felt so comfortable in a long time. She was like a cat stretching its back after a long day of prowling. “But I don’t want to leave this bed either.”
Zhao Zhan lowered his gaze and saw her conflicted expression. He could not help but laugh.
“Why don’t you lie on the bed and I feed you? I can promise you that I won’t spill anything on the bed.”
“That won’t do.” His lover was delicate when she spoke. “I feel less happy when I’m being fed.”
“Then I’ll hold it for you. You just need to use a spoon,” Zhao Zhan said in a good-tempered manner.
“I can’t.” Yue Jiaojiao looked up at him and smiled shyly. “I might not be able to hold the spoon steadily and spill it on the bed.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Zhao Zhan was very patient. “I’ll change all the bedding later. That way, you won’t have stains.”
Yue Jiaojiao thought about it for a long time, and her heart was shamelessly moved.
Zhao Zhan knew what she was thinking with just one look. He asked gently, “Shall I bring the things over?”
His lover nodded slowly.
Zhao Zhan quietly got up from the bed.
He moved a small table to the side of the bed and put the things in his arms on it.
Yue Jiaojiao pointed at the red thing on the table and asked curiously, “What’s this?”
“It’s a wild fruit from the mountain. It’s very sweet.”
When Zhao Zhan was on the mountain, he would pick these wild fruits during this season.
“Do you want to try it?”
After washing his hands, he came over to peel the fruit and brought it to Yue Jiaojiao’s lips. “If you like it, I’ll go to the mountains to pick some more in the future. There’s a forest on the mountain that grows these wild fruits.”
Yue Jiaojiao put the fruit in her mouth. Her cheeks puffed up and she squinted her eyes in satisfaction. It tasted a little like grapes but it smelled like strawberries.
“It’s delicious.”
Yue Jiaojiao had been craving fruit for a long time.
This time, she finally found something she enjoyed. The red bean dessert was put aside in her mind.
“Is there a lot of this?”
“There are.” Zhao Zhan told her about the situation in the fruit forest. “It’s enough for you to eat for a long time.”
“When they ripen, they will fall to the ground, right?”
Zhao Zhan recalled the situation in the fruit forest. “It should be. When I went there, there were already many fruits on the ground, but some were pecked off by birds.”
“Zhao Zhan, let’s go pick some to make jam. Otherwise, it’ll be a waste if they all fall to the ground and rot.”
Although Zhao Zhan didn’t know what jam was, he nodded his head. “Okay, I’ll go up and pick more from time to time. Tell me what to do when the time comes.”
“You need to prepare a lot of sugar.”
Zhao Zhan’s fingers continued to peel the skin, then he placed it in the bowl in front of Yue Jiaojiao. He was very satisfied with her happiness. “Okay, I’ll go to town tomorrow and buy more sugar.”
The two of them looked at each other and smiled.
Zhao Zhan used a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth. “I’ll go up the mountain in two days to see if there are any other fruits. I’ll pick more different ones for you to try.”