Chapter 434 - 369: A Grand Procession to Find Wild Ground Melons

Chapter 434: Chapter 369: A Grand Procession to Find Wild Ground Melons

While the two men were marveling at the sight, a large party of people was already making their way over from the parking lot.

Li You went into the kitchen, retrieved the soft-shelled turtle Jiang Caidong had purchased from the Spatial Fish Pond, and placed it in a basin with a little water. He then carried it out and set it down by the entrance.

Luo Yunlin and Xie Wanxiang were once again puzzled.

"Younger Brother Li, why did you put a soft-shelled turtle out here?"

Li You smiled and briefly explained the situation.

Luo Yunlin and Xie Wanxiang’s faces lit up with understanding. ’The folks in Changle Village have it good,’ they both thought. ’Catch a turtle and you can just bring it here and have the boss sell it for you.’

’So envious!’

Just then, Jiang Caidong, Liang Heng, Wei Ping, Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and the others walked up.

Li You went to greet them.

Jiang Caidong laughed. "Boss Li, did it give you a start, seeing so many of us show up at once?"

Li You grinned. "It certainly did. Good thing my parking lot is so big, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to fit all your cars."

Jiang Caidong added, "It was very forward-thinking of you to build such a large parking lot, Boss Li. I have a feeling you’ll need to expand it again, though. It’s big enough for now, but it definitely won’t be in the future."

Li You replied, "We’ll see. If it becomes necessary, I can expand it again."

"Oh, it’ll be necessary, alright," Jiang Caidong said.

After that, Li You exchanged pleasantries with Liang Heng, Wei Ping, Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and the rest of the group.

The atmosphere was bustling.

Someone noticed the turtle in the basin outside and said with delight, "Is this the one Boss Jiang bought? Wow, it’s huge! It looks even bigger than in the photo."

"It definitely looks bigger than in the picture. What a beauty!"

"..."

Jiang Caidong, of course, saw it as well and was delighted.

3,000 yuan was certainly not cheap, but getting a turtle like this was well worth the price.

A turtle like this was a rare find, not something you could just go out and look for. Being able to buy it was a stroke of luck.

The group gathered around the turtle, admiring it for a good while.

Afterward, they found the answer to a question that had been on everyone’s mind.

What was the new dish the boss had introduced yesterday?

The boss hadn’t revealed it in the group chat yesterday, but now, everyone could see the answer.

Wensi Tofu!

Some people’s eyes lit up. ’Not bad, not bad at all,’ they thought. ’This is a very special dish.’

Most people, however, just looked confused. The name seemed vaguely familiar, but they couldn’t quite place it.

So they began asking those around them what kind of dish it was.

Just then, Jiang Caidong smiled at Li You and said, "With your knife skills, Boss Li, this dish is sure to be a work of art. I’ll definitely have to order one for lunch to admire it."

Li You smiled back. "I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, Boss Jiang."

"I’m sure of it," Jiang Caidong replied.

By now, those who didn’t know what Wensi Tofu was had heard a simple explanation from the others who did.

Once they understood, they were all amazed.

’So there’s a dish where tofu is shredded into fine threads! This country is so vast, with so many cuisines vying for attention. There are truly some unbelievable dishes out there.’

’It’s a culinary culture to be proud of.’

’I have to try it for lunch today and experience the elegance and flavor of Huaiyang Cuisine for myself.’

Just then, Wei Ping’s two children walked up to Li You. "Uncle Li You," they said, "are the wild ground melons ripe yet? Can we go look for some to eat?"

Li You smiled. "You can! They’ve started to ripen. Do you want to eat some?"

Both children nodded eagerly.

"Then you can go look for them in the wild fruit orchard," Li You added. "But make sure you bring them back here to wash before you eat them, okay?"

"Okay!"

The two children, brimming with excitement, turned and ran toward the wild fruit orchard.

They had been looking forward to the wild ground melons for a long time, and today they could finally eat some.

"Wait! Don’t you know you should thank Uncle Li You?" Wei Ping called out to his children.

"Thank you, Uncle Li You!" Both children stopped, turned back to shout their thanks, and then resumed their sprint toward the wild fruit orchard.

"Those two kids have no manners. I hope you don’t mind, Boss," Wei Ping said apologetically.

Li You waved his hand. "You’re being too hard on them, Master Wei. They’re very polite."

Just then, Xiao Yue spoke up. "Boss, I’d like to go look for some wild ground melons, too. They’re so fragrant and delicious. I haven’t had them in years."

"Me too, Boss! I want some too!" Zhang Rui’Er added.

"Count me in. I haven’t had them in years, either. I really miss that taste."

"I want to join in on the fun, too."

"..."

More and more people chimed in, saying they also wanted to go look for wild ground melons.

Some people weren’t familiar with them. "What are these wild ground melons you’re all talking about?" one asked. "Are they any good?"

"It’s a wild fruit that grows on the ground. They’re really fragrant and delicious. You’ve never had them?"

"Maybe it’s just called something different where I’m from. I’d have to see one to know if I’ve ever had it."

"Around here, everyone calls them wild ground melons, right? I think in other places they’re called ground-fruit, ground-pomegranate, or ground-loquat."

"Really? I’m not sure, then. I’ll have to see one to know for sure."

"..."

With so many people wanting to look for wild ground melons, the orchard would be too crowded. After a moment’s thought, Li You said, "Since everyone wants to go, why don’t I take you all to a spot on the mountain? It’s not too far, and there are lots of wild ground melon vines there."

The customers’ eyes lit up when they heard this.

’That’s a great idea!’

Besides, the sun wasn’t too strong today, and a cool breeze was blowing, making it perfect for a trip up the mountain.

"Going up the mountain would be even better, and more fun! Thanks, Boss!"

"Let’s go, Boss! Let’s go!"

Many people were eager to get going.

Even some of the people who hadn’t planned on going were now tempted. "Maybe we should tag along and see?"

’We can just treat it like a weekend hike and get some exercise.’

’A person needs to get regular exercise, after all.’

"Let’s go, let’s go! We’ll tag along. It’s not just for the exercise; we can try to find a couple of those wild ground melons, too."

Even Jiang Caidong turned to Liang Heng. "Master Liang, what do you say we go check it out, too?"

Liang Heng smiled and nodded. "I was just thinking the same thing. The taste of wild ground melons is really something special. I’m actually craving them again."

Jiang Caidong grinned. "Alright, then. Let’s go find a few for ourselves."

Gradually, almost everyone was on board with the idea.

Li You said to Wei Ping, "Master Wei, why don’t you call Yu and Xiaoxi back? We can all go look on the mountain together."

Wei Ping smiled and nodded. "Alright, I’ll go get them now."

With that, he headed toward the wild fruit orchard.

Li You then turned to Xie Wanxiang and Luo Yunlin. "Elder Xie, Brother Luo, will you two rest here, or join us for a walk?"

Luo Yunlin looked to Xie Wanxiang.

Xie Wanxiang said, "Let’s go! We’ll go together. It’s not every day something this lively happens. We have to join in on the fun."

Luo Yunlin smiled. "Alright, then we’ll join the fun, too."

Li You nodded. "Together it is."

Soon, Wei Ping returned with the two little ones, Wei Yu and Wei Yuxi.

The two children were holding something in their hands; it looked like their search had been successful.

And indeed it had.

They both ran up to Li You, showing him their findings. "Look, Uncle Li You! We found some!"

Each of them held two. They were quite large and a deep, ripe red, looking very tempting.

As they got a little closer, you could even smell their sweet fragrance.

"So that’s a wild ground melon? Ah, I have seen those before. I’ve never eaten one, though," said one of the customers who hadn’t recognized the name.

"I’ve never had one either. They look pretty good."

"I think I can smell a fruity aroma. Can the scent of these things really carry that far?"

"Just looking at them makes me want to try one."

"..."

There were quite a few people who had never tried wild ground melons before.

This was perfectly normal, of course.

Unless you grew up in the countryside, you’d most likely never have eaten one.

"For those of you who’ve never had one, you’re in for a treat today. Never eating a wild fruit this delicious would be a real shame," one customer said.

Those who had never tried them before all nodded slowly. They were indeed planning to give them a proper taste.

’A shame?’

’Perhaps.’

’Well, today was the perfect chance to remedy that.’

Li You then said to Wei Yu and Wei Xiaoxi, "You two did a great job. Go wash and eat them. Then we’ll go find more on the mountain."

"Okay!"

Hearing that they were going to look for more on the mountain made the two little ones even more excited.

They ran to the faucet and washed the wild ground melons. Then, Wei Yu tried to give one to Li You.

Li You laughed, telling Yu he was a good boy, but that he should eat it himself. He said he’d eat one later after they found more on the mountain.

"Oh, by the way," Li You added, "break them open to check the inside before you eat them. There’s a kind you can’t eat, you know?"

There’s a type of wild ground melon that looks almost identical to the edible kind from the outside.

But when you break them open, the difference is obvious.

When you break that kind open, the inside is dark and black, with no juice or fragrance.

Often, there are even bugs crawling inside.

"Here in Changxi County, this kind is called ’old sow ground melon,’ and it’s not edible."

Wei Yu and Wei Xiaoxi both nodded, saying they knew.

Li You nodded. As long as they knew, it was fine.

"So not all of them are edible?" asked a customer who’d never had one before.

"That’s right. There’s an inedible kind called the ’old sow ground melon.’ The inside is pitch-black, like a spoiled, expired product. Not only does it kill your appetite, it can make you feel nauseous. So you have to be careful. It’s best to break each one open and check before you eat it."

"But the ’old sow’ ones are rare. You might not even find one in ten."

A few of the knowledgeable customers explained.

The customers who’d never eaten them before nodded. "Okay, we understand. We’ll be careful when we try them. Thanks!"

"Don’t mention it."

Next, with Li You in the lead, the whole procession set off.

Every single person went along.

There had been a few people who originally planned to stay behind, rest at the restaurant, and wait for the others to return.

But once everyone else had left, the once-bustling area suddenly felt quiet and deserted.

The sudden quiet felt a bit lonely, and they weren’t used to it. They quickly hurried to catch up with the main party.

’Oh, what the heck, might as well go with them.’

And just like that, everyone set off.

It was quite a procession.

...