Chapter 54 (continued)

Xie Juanhan: "Wait, we're not sure yet if it's some kind of species. Let's observe it first."

"No," Telingewei judged. "If there were biological cultivation, they wouldn't be planted so densely."

Xie Juanhan followed the pumpkin vine to investigate and found that it was indeed true.

The roots of these pumpkins all grow in a hollow, but the vines spread out in all directions.

If someone is actually planting them, they should at least leave some spacing between the rows of pumpkin vines to prevent them from competing for fertilizer and water.

After confirming that these pumpkins were all wild, Xie Juanhan took out the bag. "Then let's start picking. Pick two-thirds of the good ones, and leave one-third for the wild animals?"

Telingewei had no objection. "Okay."

The little messenger birds flew around, wanting to eat fresh pumpkin. "Coo-coo!"

Xie Juanhan helped them cut open the pumpkins with cracks so they could enjoy fresh pumpkins.

The Companion Beast and the little Demon Wolf also wanted to eat, and were now staring longingly at Xie Juanhan.

Xie Juanhan then cut two of them for him as well.

The little ones have all gone off to gnaw on pumpkins.

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei selected the best batch of pumpkins to harvest.

These ripe pumpkins, having absorbed the day's sunshine, have warm, golden-red skins that look incredibly tempting.

Xie Juanhan picked up the pumpkins and carefully placed them one by one into the cloth bag.

As Xie Juanhan picked the vines, he noticed a glimmer of gold. "Huh."

He grabbed the golden vine and lifted it upwards.

At first glance, the vines look a bit like gold, but when you hold them in your hand, you realize that the texture is a bit rough, with a very obvious plant-like feel.

Telingewei and his Companion Beast were drawn to the golden vines and looked over.

Xie Juanhan raised the vine high under the gazes of many.

This vine was thinner than the surrounding pumpkin vines, with ordinary green leaves growing at its forked ends, and beneath the leaves, an orange-gold pumpkin was growing.

This pumpkin is a bit smaller than the golden-red pumpkin, but it looks absolutely adorable.

Xie Juanhan reached out and supported it.

The pumpkin felt heavy, with a slightly soft skin, which is normal for a pumpkin.

Xie Juanhan held up the pumpkin to show it to Telingewei.

Telingewei came over and took a look, saying, "The quality is excellent; this pumpkin vine belongs to a magical creature."

Xie Juanhan: "The energy inside is really strong."

The fluffy creatures and the little messenger birds all crowded forward to look:

"Chirp!"

"Coo coo!"

Xie Juanhan turned to look at the other pumpkins and said, "It's possible that this whole patch of pumpkins is a descendant of this one, but the conditions in the wild aren't very good, so these pumpkins have degenerated a bit."

Telingewei: "I think so."

Xie Juanhan, holding up the pumpkin, asked, "Where do you think this pumpkin came from?"

Telingewei thought for a moment, "Legend has it that long ago, the Goddess of the Hunt lived in these mountains. She kept a Golden-Horned Deer that loved to eat pumpkins, and perhaps the Golden Pumpkin was left behind by that Golden-Horned Deer."

Xie Juanhan: "There's such a legend?"

"That happened a long time ago, at least several hundred years ago."

Telingewei looked at the Golden Pumpkin: "I've heard adventurers mention it, but they've never seen a real Golden Pumpkin. This should be it."

Xie Juanhan also looked at the Golden Pumpkin, hesitatingly asking, "Can we eat this pumpkin?"

Telingewei: "Eat it. Centuries have passed. Even if it really was Golden Pumpkin left behind by Golden-Horned Deer, it's now a wild pumpkin."

The Companion Beast responded loudly, "Chirp!"

The little carrier birds, filled with longing, cried out, "Coo-coo!"

The little Demon Wolf belatedly realized what was happening: "Awoo--"

Xie Juanhan chuckled, "If that's how you put it, then let's divide it. You divide it, and everyone can have a taste."

Xie Juanhan a water sphere and washed the Golden Pumpkin clean.

Telingewei used a knife to cut the Golden Pumpkin into dozens of even pieces, just enough for each of the creatures present.

When the Golden Pumpkin was cut open, it indeed contained emerald-colored seeds.

Xie Juanhan carefully put the seeds away.

After Telingewei distributed the pumpkin to the children, he saved the sweetest and softest piece in the center for Xie Juanhan.

The little messenger birds ate the fastest; they would snatch a pumpkin, tilt their heads back, and swallow the pumpkin chunks down their necks.

After they finished eating, they stood nearby, staring intently at the piece of pumpkin in Telingewei's hand, but dared not openly snatch it.

It could only turn its head back and forth, making gurgling sounds in its throat.

Xie Juanhan glanced at the watchful little messenger birds, lowered his head, and casually picked up the pumpkin piece from Telingewei's hand, chewing it.

The sweet juice immediately fills your mouth, carrying a unique pumpkin aroma.

It tastes a bit like raw chestnut or raw sweet potato.

However, it's even sweeter.

It's packed with energy, and after eating it, you can clearly feel the pleasant sensation your body is giving you.

Xie Juanhan narrowed his eyes. "It tastes really good. We'll get some seeds and plant some next year."

Telingewei's hand holding the pumpkin hung loosely at his side, his fingers slightly curled.

Hearing Xie Juanhan speak, he hummed in response.

Xie Juanhan looked down at the pumpkin vines. "Speaking of which, pumpkins can be propagated by cuttings, why don't I cut a couple of vines to take back?"

It's a bit much to just dig up such a good pumpkin vine.

However, cutting just two side branches shouldn't cause any problems.

These vines are so long; autumn is almost here again.

After pruning the side branches, it will definitely grow new ones next spring.

Xie Juanhan made up his mind and began searching along the golden vines.

He quickly selected two tender side branches that had not yet lignified, cut them off, and used Dragon Power Nutrient for cultivation, intending to take them back to plant.

While cutting the vines, he also made a point of looking around to see if the pumpkins that the Golden Pumpkin had produced last year were still there.

If it's still there, it's probably dried out.

They could probably eat it like dried pumpkin, which would be fine too.

Unfortunately, Xie Juanhan's plan failed.

There's no sign of last year's Golden Pumpkin around; they probably rotted in the fall and winter, and the seeds fell out, which is why so many pumpkin vines grew.

Xie Juanhan withdrew his gaze.

The little ones all looked away.

Harper let out a wistful sigh, "Chirp."

Xie Juanhan cheered. "It's alright, once we plant pumpkins next year, we can eat as many as we want."

Harper rubbed her fluffy head against his leg. "Chirp."

There was only one orange-gold pumpkin, but there were many more golden-red pumpkins in the valley.

Even after leaving a third for wild animals, Xie Juanhan and his team still managed to collect seven bags of wild animals.

Telingewei transformed into a dragon.

Xie Juanhan neatly carried the bag onto his back.

As night fell, they returned home laden with their spoils.

The first thing Xie Juanhan did upon returning home was to plant the two pumpkin branches he had cut in the field, regardless of the darkness.

Pumpkin vines are very resilient; barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will quickly take root and sprout, remain dormant through autumn and winter, and grow normally next spring.

After planting the pumpkins, Xie Juanhan dried the seeds of the Golden Pumpkin and stored them in the attic at a low temperature.

He will plant these seeds next spring.

They harvested more than two hundred seeds.

Next year, we can plant one acre of pumpkins and harvest at least five or six hundred.

There will be no shortage of pumpkins to eat then.

Xie Juanhan had been busy for several days, and on this day he invited Telingewei to dinner.

Telingewei brought a bottle of gin.

Before even reaching Xie Juanhan's house, one could see from afar that his silvery-white roof was covered with a roof of golden-red dried pumpkins drying in the sun.

No wild animal dared to steal the silver dragon's dried pumpkin.

These pumpkins are dried perfectly and are now emitting a rich pumpkin aroma.

Telingewei stopped in front of the courtyard and took another look.

Xie Juanhan poked his head out of the window. "Telingewei? Come in quickly."

Telingewei: "These pumpkins are dried really well."

"Right?" Xie Juanhan said, "These past two days I've been extracting pumpkin seeds to extract pumpkin seed oil. The remaining pumpkins don't store well, so I simply dried them into pumpkin chips."

"When I have some free time in a couple of days, I'll process these soft and chewy dried pumpkins a bit more and turn them into snacks."

What flavor of snacks?

"Sweet or spicy is fine, sweet and spicy dried pumpkin is also delicious."

Xie Juanhan smiled at Telingewei through the window, "The pumpkin seed oil has already been extracted, and I'd like you to try some."

"So fast?"

"Fortunately, I just collected the pumpkin seeds and took them to the mill in town. The miller extracted them for me first thing in the morning."

The local mills are mainly water-powered and usually grind wheat flour and press oil for people.

Seeing that they were quite skilled at their work, Xie Juanhan sent them over with some dried pumpkin seeds.

The other party did indeed drain their resources very quickly.

The millers used a rattan basket for pressing oil to put pumpkin seeds into a large stone mortar and press them, finishing the pressing process in a few hours.

The resulting cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil was of very good quality, with a good oil yield.

Xie Juanhan brought back the emerald-colored pumpkin seed oil, stored it at a low temperature, and it would last for at least half a year.

He didn't waste the pumpkin seed residue either; he froze it to use as a treat for the little messenger birds when they came.

They can entertain guests for a long time.

Xie Juanhan invited Telingewei to sit down at the table. "Today I mainly used pumpkin seed oil to make a thick soup and a salad. Try it and see if you like it?"

Telingewei turned his head to listen to the sounds around him.

Xie Juanhan guessed what he was thinking and couldn't help but chuckle, "The little ones were watching over me while I was cooking, and now they've finished eating and gone to patrol the fields."

Telingewei: "No wonder we can't hear them."

Xie Juanhan: "If they were here, they would definitely swarm around. You should try the salad first; I think pumpkin seed oil is especially suitable for dressing salads."