Chapter 284 - 268: Stop by My Shop Tomorrow

After walking a short distance, all four of them suddenly lit up.

They had made another discovery.

And it was a very pleasant surprise.

The wild fruit they found was currently bearing fruit, and the fruit was delicious.

It was a cluster of shrubs, over a meter tall.

The branches had thorns. The fruits were ovoid, red, about a centimeter in diameter, and there were a lot of them.

All four of them recognized this fruit. It was one of the most famous and delicious wild fruits found in the countryside.

Raspberries!

It was also known by many names, such as tree-berry, mountain-toss, March-bubble, April-bubble, and mountain-bubble.

It is an aggregate fruit, composed of many small drupelets. The surface is covered in fine hairs, and the pits are wrinkled. They look a bit like miniature strawberries.

The taste was sweet and fragrant, with just a hint of tartness, making them incredibly delicious.

Ye Shengge said with delight, "Those are raspberries! I've had them before—they're delicious. I can't believe there are so many of them here."

Lu Yuan was also very pleased. He smiled and said, "They're definitely raspberries. I remember this fruit very well. I didn't just eat them in the countryside as a kid; I've had them in recent years, too. In fact, they're the only wild fruit I've eaten lately. Hmm, no, that's not right. There's also mulberries. I've had mulberries recently, too."

Lin Xiao said, "Let's hurry over and eat! There are so many, we can eat our fill."

"Okay!"

Li You, Ye Shengge, and Lu Yuan replied in unison.

The four of them walked closer.

Up close, the berries looked even more beautiful. They were one of the prettiest wild fruits in the countryside, truly a lovely sight.

Then, the four of them began picking and eating the berries together.

They were incredibly sweet and fragrant, and the slight tartness didn't detract from the sweetness at all; in fact, it made the flavor even more delicious.

Ye Shengge picked a few berries in a row and popped them all into her mouth at once.

It was incredibly satisfying.

After she finished eating, Ye Shengge said, "I think these are better than a lot of other fruits."

Li You nodded. "I agree. They're also said to help sober you up, quench your thirst, clear phlegm, and act as a detoxifier. I've also heard they can... well, strengthen the kidneys and boost male vitality."

Ye Shengge gave Li You a strange look and asked, "Does it really do that?"

Li You said, "I don't know, it's just something I heard. Besides, it's not like I need that kind of help."

Ye Shengge's expression grew even stranger. Lu Yuan, however, was trying to hide a smile. Only Lin Xiao was still focused on eating raspberries, seemingly oblivious to the hidden meaning in Li You's words.

Or so it seemed.

"By the way, I've always had a question I couldn't figure out," Ye Shengge said. "Are these wild raspberries also what they call 'medicinal raspberries'? Are they the same fruit? Some people say they are, some people say they're not. I'm completely lost."

Li You said, "To be honest, I'm not entirely clear on that myself. I've heard one theory that says they're the same fruit, just with different names depending on their maturity. When unripe, they're called medicinal raspberries and are used primarily for medicine. Once ripe, they're called wild raspberries and are eaten as fruit."

"There's a theory like that?" Ye Shengge said. "That can't be true, right? It sounds pretty far-fetched."

Li You laughed. "I think it's far-fetched, too. However, it is true that medicinal raspberries are used mainly for medicine, and they are indeed used when they're not fully ripe. And wild raspberries are definitely eaten as fruit after they ripen."

"Really?" Ye Shengge asked again. "So in that case, they really are two different kinds of wild fruit?"

Li You nodded. "I think so. To be precise, they're probably in the same family and genus, but are different species. They both belong to the family Rosaceae, genus *Rubus*. But they're different species."

Ye Shengge said, "Alright. I've looked at pictures of wild raspberries and medicinal raspberries before, and I did feel that while they look very similar, there are some subtle differences."

Li You said, "That's true. Wild raspberries are ovoid, while medicinal raspberries are nearly spherical. In other words, the medicinal ones look a bit rounder."

"I think you're right," said Ye Shengge.

Li You then turned to Lu Yuan. "Mr. Lu, have you studied this topic?"

Lu Yuan shook his head and laughed. "Not at all. When I see any fruit that looks like this, I just call them all wild raspberries."

Li You burst out laughing. "I see nothing wrong with that!"

The four of them went back to eating.

They didn't stop until they had eaten a great many.

"I've eaten my fill," Ye Shengge said with satisfaction.

Li You, Lu Yuan, and Lin Xiao had also eaten their fill.

Now, it was time to get to work. They had to dig up this clump of raspberry bushes.

Once they dug it up, they could head back.

Because the thorny branches were spread out so wide, digging it up wasn't going to be easy.

Li You found a stick and used it to press the sprawling raspberry branches to one side. Then, working with Lu Yuan, it took a great deal of effort before they finally managed to dig up the entire clump of bushes.

Time to head back.

They used their usual method. Li You cut down a bamboo pole nearby, tied the raspberry bushes to it, and then he and Lu Yuan carried it between them.

They put the two bundles of rose myrtle with it as well.

They slowly made their way back to the restaurant and into the wild fruit orchard.

After choosing a good spot, they planted both types of wild fruit.

At this point, the wild fruit orchard had six types of fruit: wild ground melon, chestnut rose, snake fruit, akebia, and the newly planted rose myrtle and raspberries.

It was becoming more and more diverse.

Lu Yuan smiled at this. "Now I can say I've had a hand in planting some of the fruit in here."

Li You said, "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Lu. I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

Lu Yuan waved his hands dismissively. "Boss Li, you're too kind. I just wanted to tag along for the fun of it. It's not like you asked me to come help. No need for dinner. No, wait, I am eating here tonight. But I'll be paying my own way."

Li You said, "Mr. Lu, you're the one being too polite. Regardless, you really did help out, so it's only right that I treat you to a meal. Besides, I've been wanting to have a drink with you for a while now. Tonight's my last chance."

"Well..." Lu Yuan hesitated for a moment before smiling. "In that case, thank you, Boss Li."

Li You was very happy and told Lu Yuan not to stand on ceremony. Then he turned to Lin Xiao and said, "Xiaoxiao, you should eat here too. I'll take you home after dinner."

Lin Xiao shook her head. "No, thank you, Boss Li. As much as I'd love to eat here, I have to go back to school tomorrow. I should go home and have dinner with my grandparents tonight."

Lin Xiao's words earned her no small amount of praise from Li You, Ye Shengge, and Lu Yuan.

She was such a good kid.

In that case, Li You naturally didn't insist. He said, "Then I'll take you home right now."

"Okay. Thank you, Boss Li!"

They went back to the front of the restaurant.

Li You straddled the motorcycle and started the engine. Lin Xiao got on behind him.

And they were off.

On the way, Li You asked Lin Xiao, "By the way, what time are you heading out tomorrow?"

Lin Xiao replied, "After lunch. I'm going to town to catch the two o'clock bus to the county seat."

Li You added, "Your grandpa's taking you, right? When you pass by my restaurant, stop in for a minute."

Lin Xiao didn't know why Li You wanted her to stop by the restaurant, but she agreed anyway. "Okay!"

"Don't forget, now."

"Okay!"

...