Chapter 283 - 267: Getting Another Wild Fruit

After walking a bit further, a large patch of low, creeping plants appeared on a slope up ahead.

At a glance, they looked somewhat similar to the wild ground melons.

But they clearly weren't wild ground melons. There were many small, purplish-red flowers blooming among the plants.

The flowers of the wild ground melon didn't look like that.

Li You recognized this type of plant. Though it wasn't the wild ground melon, it was still a good find.

"What are those up ahead? They look so much like wild ground melons. Is it another kind of wild fruit? The flowers are quite pretty," Ye Shengge asked.

Li You nodded. "It is indeed a type of wild fruit."

However, Li You didn't say its name right away. Instead, he turned to Lu Yuan and said, "Mr. Lu Yuan, do you recognize it? This fruit should also grow in your home, Xiang Province."

Lu Yuan mulled it over. "I'm sure I've seen it before; it looks vaguely familiar. But I don't have a strong impression. If I saw the fruit, I'd probably remember it better."

Li You said, "The fruiting season for this plant hasn't arrived yet. It won't start bearing fruit until around July."

"Oh, is that so!" Lu Yuan felt a pang of regret.

When it came to wild fruits, he basically only remembered what the fruits themselves looked like. He had almost no memory of the plants or their flowers.

That included the Half Spring from before.

If the Half Spring plants in Li You's wild fruit orchard hadn't already been bearing fruit and had just been plants and flowers, he most likely wouldn't have been able to identify them.

"By the way, Mr. Li You, could you describe what the fruit looks like? Maybe that'll jog my memory," Lu Yuan added.

Li You nodded. "The fruit's appearance is quite unique. It's small, spherical, and ranges from a few millimeters to about a centimeter in diameter. It's greenish-blue when unripe, and a deep purplish-red when ripe, almost looking black. Its entire surface is covered in rough, short hairs, making it feel as if it's covered in spines..."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan's eyes lit up. "I know it! I know it! I know this fruit; I've even eaten it before. We really do have it in Xiang Province. It's a berry, quite juicy and sweet, with a nice texture. It's called... it's called... I forgot the name. But I've definitely eaten it."

"It's called Dinian, right?" Li You said with a smile.

"Dinian?" Lu Yuan pondered. "Maybe, maybe not. I really don't remember the name. But I'm positive I've eaten the fruit."

Li You nodded. "It's normal to forget the name. I've just spent a lot of time in the countryside; otherwise, I probably wouldn't remember it either. It's a type of creeping shrub in the melastome family. It's also called Dini, Diren, Dili, Ground Cover, and Pudan, among other names."

"Ground Cover?" Lu Yuan was suddenly excited. "That's the name! That's what we call it where I'm from. Yes, yes, Ground Cover! I remember now!"

Lu Yuan was genuinely thrilled. He hadn't expected to find a wild fruit that he not only recognized but had also eaten before so soon.

Ground Cover... the name felt so distant.

He hadn't heard it in nearly thirty years.

He thought he had forgotten the name completely. But when he heard the two words "Ground Cover," a long-sealed memory suddenly unlocked, and it all came rushing back.

Lu Yuan was very excited.

His only slight regret was that it was a little too early in the season. They could only see the plants and flowers, as it hadn't borne fruit yet.

If it had fruit, he could have immediately experienced a taste of his youth again.

What a pity.

But it was alright. He could just come back in July after the Ground Cover plants started bearing fruit.

In any case, this would definitely be a place he'd visit often from now on.

His next visit here would be something to look forward to!

Ye Shengge carefully recalled Li You's description of the fruit's appearance but had no memory of it at all.

'I've probably never seen or eaten it before.'

'I've eaten far too few types of wild fruit in my life.'

'But it seems I'll have the chance to encounter a lot more of them now.'

Ye Shengge was in high spirits. "I've never seen or eaten this fruit before," she said. "When they start to ripen, I have to come back and give them a proper try."

Li You smiled. "You won't have to wait too long, two months at most. I used to eat them all the time. The texture isn't as good as the wild ground melons, but it's still decent. Plus, its nutritional value is quite high, especially its calcium content, making it a great natural calcium supplement. Its medicinal value isn't bad either. It can help fight tumors, combat aging, and lower blood sugar and cholesterol, all without toxic side effects on normal cells."

Ye Shengge's eyes lit up. "In that case, I'll have to eat a lot of them."

Li You said, "Of course."

Just then, Lin Xiao spoke up. "I ate them a lot when I was a kid. The taste is pretty good."

Li You chuckled. "You're not that old now."

Lin Xiao muttered, "I'm already old enough. Some of my classmates are already dating."

Lin Xiao's muttering was quiet, but Li You heard her crystal clear. He asked with amusement, "What about you, then? Are you dating anyone?"

"Huh?" Lin Xiao didn't quite process the question at first. After a moment's pause, she said, "Of course not!"

Li You burst out laughing.

Ye Shengge rolled her eyes at Li You. "Xiaoxiao is still just a kid."

After a moment, she added, "So, are we going to transplant some of these wild fruit plants back?"

Li You nodded. "We are. This is good stuff."

Ye Shengge said, "Then we'll do it like we did with the Indian strawberries last time—dig some up and tie them into bundles with rope."

Li You nodded. "Right."

Lu Yuan eagerly volunteered, picking up a hoe. "I'll do the digging."

Li You smiled. "Then we'll have to trouble you, Mr. Lu Yuan."

Lu Yuan waved his hand dismissively, as if to say it was no trouble at all. Then he swung the hoe and started digging.

One plant after another.

Li You took out some rope and began bundling the Ground Cover plants Lu Yuan dug up.

After tying two large bundles, they had about enough.

This type of wild fruit was resilient and grew quickly. Once planted in the wild fruit orchard, it wouldn't take long for it to grow into a large patch.

"Boss, are we heading back now? Or should we keep going and look for another one?" Ye Shengge asked.

Li You said, "That's up to you all. It depends on whether you still feel like walking."

Ye Shengge looked at Lu Yuan. "What do you think, Mr. Lu Yuan?"

Lu Yuan said without hesitation, "Let's keep going, let's keep going. It's still early. Let's walk a bit more and see if we find anything else."

Lu Yuan was on a roll and didn't want to head home just yet.

Ye Shengge actually wanted to continue as well; she was also just getting into the swing of things.

However, she glanced over at Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao said, "Let's keep going! Let's keep going! See if we can find something we can eat right now."

Ye Shengge said happily, "Then let's keep going."

Li You, of course, had no objections.

And so, they set off again.

Li You and Lu Yuan each carried a bundle of the Ground Cover plants.

This was mainly because they were afraid they wouldn't be returning the same way they came.

Otherwise, they could have just left the two bundles here and picked them up on their way back.

But there was a chance they wouldn't retrace their steps, so they had no choice but to carry the bundles.

They weren't heavy, so it wasn't too bad carrying them.

...