Chapter 249 - 244: More and More Outrageous

Chapter 249: Chapter 244: More and More Outrageous

Afterwards, the three of them walked toward the cluster of prickly pear trees.

Since they had come across prickly pear trees, they naturally had to transplant them to the wild fruit orchard.

Although prickly pears were a wild fruit with a rather sour and astringent taste, making them not particularly delicious.

However, their nutritional value was exceptionally high, earning them the reputation of "King of Vitamin C." They could also be processed into fruit wine, juice, and more.

Besides, while their taste was sour and astringent, their flavor was very unique. They weren’t great to eat, but you couldn’t help but want to eat them anyway.

It was quite magical.

A wild fruit like this was a gem among its kind and absolutely had to have a home in the wild fruit orchard.

As they approached the thicket of prickly pear trees, they saw that the entire cluster was in full, vibrant bloom.

The flowers were large and pink. Despite having single-layered petals, they were very beautiful.

Ye Shengge said, "This is the first time I’ve ever seen a prickly pear flower. I didn’t expect that for a fruit so small, the flower would be so large and beautiful. Boss, does this flower have a name?"

Li You said, "It does. It’s called the Saosi flower. To be precise, it’s the single-petaled Saosi flower, a variant of the Saosi species."

Ling Xiaoru added, "The Saosi flower is a plant of the genus Rosa in the family Rosaceae. It’s even more beautiful than this single-petaled version. It has many layers of petals, somewhat like a rose."

Li You said, "That’s right. That’s why when many people say the prickly pear is the fruit of the Saosi flower, it’s not entirely accurate. It’s the fruit of the *single-petaled* Saosi flower. The single-petaled Saosi and the regular Saosi flower are different."

’So that’s how it is.’

Ye Shengge nodded, showing that she understood.

Next, it was time to dig up the cluster of prickly pear trees.

The thorns on the branches made it a difficult task.

But it had to be done.

Li You found a thick branch and had Ye Shengge and Ling Xiaoru use it to press the thorny branches to one side while he started digging with a hoe.

After a bit of work, he finally managed to dig up the entire thicket.

The next step was to figure out how to get it back.

Because of the thorns, one person couldn’t just carry it on their shoulder.

So, the only way was to find a long pole, tie the plant to it with rope, and have two people carry it.

Li You scanned the surroundings and spotted a small bamboo grove not far away.

His eyes lit up. ’There’s our long pole.’

"You two wait here. I’m going to go cut a bamboo stalk."

"Okay!"

Li You walked toward the bamboo grove, hatchet in hand.

Small groves like this were usually wild, so cutting down bamboo was permissible. As long as you didn’t overdo it or cause malicious damage.

Upon entering the grove, Li You discovered it was a patch of Ying Tou Huang bamboo.

Ying Tou Huang is a type of bamboo. It’s not very thick, with a diameter usually no more than seven or eight centimeters.

However, this bamboo is thick, solid, extremely hard, and very straight.

In the countryside, if you needed a bamboo pole for drying things, Ying Tou Huang was the most popular choice.

For Li You, who needed to carry something, Ying Tou Huang was of course the best option as well.

Thus, Li You was delighted. ’My luck is great today, to stumble upon a patch of Ying Tou Huang bamboo.’

You have to understand, Ying Tou Huang wasn’t common in this area, nowhere near as plentiful as Moso or Nan bamboo.

Quickly, Li You selected a stalk about five centimeters in diameter and cut it down with his hatchet.

Because of its hardness, it felt like he was chopping down a small tree.

After felling it, he measured and cut a section about four meters long from the base.

After trimming all the small branches off the four-meter pole, he shouldered the bamboo and returned to where the others were waiting.

When Ling Xiaoru saw it, she said happily, "It’s even a Ying Tou Huang stalk. This type of bamboo is very hard, perfect for carrying things."

Ye Shengge didn’t recognize Ying Tou Huang bamboo, but she could tell just by looking at it that this pole was sturdy—far sturdier than other types of bamboo.

’The name "Ying Tou Huang," or "Hard Head Yellow," is quite fitting.’

Li You said, "We got lucky. That whole patch is Ying Tou Huang."

Then, Li You used the rope he’d brought to tie up the prickly pear bush and threaded the bamboo pole through the ropes.

It was ready to be carried.

Li You would definitely carry one end. For the other end, both Ye Shengge and Ling Xiaoru vied for the spot.

Li You had them take turns.

The cluster of prickly pear trees wasn’t particularly heavy, but carrying it for a long time would still be exhausting for the two women.

Having them take turns was the perfect solution.

Ye Shengge and Ling Xiaoru both nodded. Ye Shengge would go first.

They lifted it and set off, heading back to the restaurant.

They would deal with other things after getting this cluster of prickly pear trees back and planted.

「...」

「The Provincial Capital.」

「Jincheng Hotel.」

After returning to the hotel, Chen Wen went to the room where Yu Hong was staying.

Yu Hong chuckled and said, "Master Chen, you’re back. Seeing that smile on your face, you must have found a helper, have you?"

Chen Wen smiled back and said, "Indeed, I have. Master Yu, are you finding your accommodations here suitable?"

Yu Hong said, "The conditions here are excellent. I’m very comfortable. Thank you for your hospitality, Master Chen."

Chen Wen said, "Master Yu, you’ve come from afar as our guest. It’s only right."

Yu Hong said, "I appreciate it, Master Chen. I wonder, who is this helper you’ve found? Might it be someone I know?"

Yu Hong wasn’t the least bit worried about Chen Wen finding a helper.

Chen Wen’s own skill with Mapo Tofu was already top-tier. No matter how formidable a helper he found, their skill would be on par with his own at best, or perhaps just a fraction better.

And even if they were a fraction better, Yu Hong was confident he could still win.

If Chen Wen wanted to win, there was only one possibility.

He would have to find a Special Chef specializing in Sichuan cuisine to step in.

And that was almost certainly impossible.

The total number of Special Chefs in the entire country could be counted on two hands, and among them, only two specialized in Sichuan cuisine.