Chapter 185 (continued)

Shi Wen, "Then let's start picking."

Lin Chengqian: "We've already picked them and are even eating them! These apricots are really sweet and sour!"

Shi Wen: "Really?"

Shi Wen said, reaching out to pluck a round apricot from the branch.

Their apricots were quite good-looking; they were about half the size of his fist, even comparable to smaller peaches.

The apricot is entirely yellow, with only the tip tinged with red. Shi Wen easily peels off the skin, revealing soft flesh inside.

He took a small bite, and instantly the sweet and sour taste spread throughout his mouth.

Shi Wen, "It does seem a bit sour."

Yan Kexing: "The apricot you picked is a bit too low; you should pick the ones at the top of the tree where the sun is."

As he spoke, Yan Kexing picked an apricot, peeled off its skin, and handed it to him. "Try this."

Shi Wen didn't take it, but instead took a bite from his hand. Instantly, the sweet taste spread in her mouth, and combined with the sweet and sour apricot, it was a different flavor altogether.

Shi Wen's eyes lit up. "These apricots are delicious! They're fragrant, sweet, soft, and so juicy! You should try some!"

Yan Kexing also took a bite. "It's really delicious."

Shi Wen held up the apricot in her hand. "Would you like to try this one?"

Yan Kexing looked at him and said, "Eating something sweet followed by something sour will make it taste even more sour."

Shi Wen didn't want to eat it anymore, but she didn't want to throw away the apricot in her hand.

Just then, the White Tiger was circling around nearby, its head lowered as it sniffed the air intently.

Shi Wen this, Shi Wen called it over, "Changfeng, come and try this apricot."

The silly White Tiger, completely unprepared, came over and ate the entire apricot in one big bite.

Immediately afterwards, it frowned, the entire White Tiger shuddered, and saliva "whooshed" down its throat.

Shi Wen loudly and took the apricot pit from its mouth. "You can't eat so fast, you have to be polite, understand?"

As the White Tiger scratched at the Shi Wen with its paw, it protested, "Roar."

Shi Wen casually handed it an apricot, saying, "Try this."

Shi Wen they continued picking apricots, it became clear that even from the same tree, some apricots were sour while others were sweet, resulting in a very inconsistent taste.

What's even more terrifying is that before you peel off the skin and bite into the flesh, no one can tell whether the apricot in your hand is sour or sweet. All you can see is that it's big and round, looks exceptionally tempting, and looks delicious.

They picked the apricots that were already soft to the touch and put them in baskets, then had the little ones carry them down.

Although apricots are sweet and sour, and taste a bit sour when eaten plain, they would taste quite good if made into dried fruit or something similar.

This was their first year harvesting apricots, and their apricot yield wasn't particularly high.

In the end, they picked a total of twenty baskets of apricots from the thirty-four apricot trees and took them home.

They didn't pick all the apricots; some that weren't quite ripe remained on the branches, so they could pick them again later.

The sunset clouds were magnificent, and they were too tired from the day to move.

Shi Wen filled a basket with apricots and sat down in the yard, then called the children over to eat them.

Most of the little ones in their family are a bit greedy. Even though they ate some apricots during the day, they still came over Shi Wen they were going to have some peeled.

The sweetness and tartness of apricots are not reflected in their appearance at all. Shi Wen hold an apricot, I can't tell whether it's more sour or sweet.

He called to the children, "Line up! Take turns eating. Whether you get sour or sweet apricots depends on your luck."

The little ones all called out in response.

Shi Wen casually picked up an apricot. "Let's begin. Don't get angry if you eat a sour apricot; it's just your bad luck, understand?"

The little ones started chattering away again.

Shi Wen's knife skills are excellent; with a gentle slice and a tear, half an apricot is cleaned up.

Yan Kexing and Gong Jiang were both watching from the sidelines.

Shi Wen them remove the pits from each apricot and then give them to the little ones to eat.

An Wa was the first one to line up.

An Wa bravely opened her mouth wide and bit into the apricot, mashing the flesh into a puree with a soft smack.

Everyone looked at it, trying to figure out whether the apricot was sweet or sour.

An Wa, being a relatively patient and intelligent dog, didn't want others to notice, so she kept her brows down and continued chewing.

Everyone craned their necks, watching its condition intently for a long time, but they still couldn't tell whether the apricot in its mouth was sour or not.

Seeing that it didn't react, everyone was a little disappointed.

Just as everyone was about to turn away, An Wa suddenly opened her mouth, her entire dog face scrunched up, and drool dripped onto the ground.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Shi Wen laughed uncontrollably, "How can you act so well?"

An Wa: "Woof woof!"

An Wa took the apricot flesh and went to eat it in the back, while Fu Wa went forward to wait for the next apricot.

Shi Wen peeled another apricot for Fu Wa. Fu Wa seemed to be lucky; the apricot it ate must have been a sweet one. It chewed the apricot with a happy expression and swallowed it.

The little ones took turns coming up to eat the apricots.

Some apricots are sour, and some are sweet. The little ones who eat sweet apricots are all smiles, while the little ones who eat sour apricots scrunch up. Not only do they spit out the apricots, but they also scratch the ground with their paws to relieve the sourness.

Ge Yue asked from the side, "Why do I feel like there's a lot of sour apricots here? Is it because this year's harvest was bad?"

Shi Wen, "I don't think so. It's probably because it's the first year of planting, and the sweetness hasn't accumulated well yet. It'll be about right in a couple of years."

Ge Yue: "I was about to ask if there wasn't enough sunlight?"

Shi Wen, "It's possible that because there were so many apricots, I didn't prune the branches in time. I'll prune the branches for the next batch of fruit."