Chapter 129

Only then did someone come out of the hut in the orchard. "Who is it?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Excuse me, boss, can I buy some oranges?"

A middle-aged man in a jacket came out with his phone in his hand and stood at the end of the road, saying, "Come in, just open the door yourselves."

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi went inside.

The shopkeeper asked, "How many oranges do you want?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Can we try it before we decide?"

Boss: "Sure, pick them yourself."

Qing Mengzhu reached out and picked a sunny orange, peeled it, and tried to Ming Chunxi.

He pinched the orange, and the oil from its peel splattered all over his hand.

He paused for a moment, noticing that the orange peel oil had a fresh yet strong aroma, somewhat different from ordinary orange peel.

After cutting the orange in half, he gave one half to Ming Chunxi and tasted the other half himself.

I don't know if it's because it's been hanging on the tree for a particularly long time, but this orange is exceptionally sweet, with no sourness at all, and instead has a strong orange aroma.

The orange segments are also very special, each segment is distinct, and the texture when you bite into them is very unique, somewhat like an ugly orange, but with a stronger orange flavor.

A look of amazement flashed in Qing Mengzhu's eyes. After exchanging a glance with Ming Chunxi, she asked the shopkeeper, "How much are these oranges?"

Shopkeeper: "Three yuan per jin."

Qing Mengzhu: "Give me one hundred catties."

The shop owner was surprised. "You want so many? Then wait a moment, I'll get a bag and pick them."

Qing Mengzhu: "Are all oranges this sweet?"

Boss: "Yes! They're all sweet! You can pick them yourselves, pick whichever you like."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Then let's do it together, and hurry up."

While picking oranges, Qing Mengzhu chatted with the shop owner. "Boss, when did your oranges ripen? Why haven't you picked them yet?"

The owner said, "My oranges ripen late, in November."

Qing Mengzhu: "That was indeed a bit late. Weren't any sold at that time?"

The owner said, "I have two other orchards, and I've sold a batch of fruit from one of them. I haven't sold the oranges from this orchard yet; I plan to sell them around the Lunar New Year."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then why weren't they picked and stored?"

The owner said, "They rot easily if picked, and even if they don't rot, they'll have an unfresh taste. It's better to leave them on the tree; they actually taste better that way. Did you notice when you ate them just now? The fruit hanging on the tree like this is especially fresh and tastes particularly good."

Qing Mengzhu nodded in agreement. "It certainly doesn't have that musty smell. But keeping it hanging on the tree all the time seems to deplete the tree's nutrients and shorten its lifespan?"

The shop owner glanced at Qing Mengzhu and asked knowingly, "Brother, your family also runs an orchard, right?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Boss has a good eye."

The owner explained, "Hanging oranges on the tree for too long will shorten its lifespan. However, orange trees naturally produce less fruit and lower quality as they age. Even if the tree still has a long lifespan, it will eventually have to be replaced. Hanging them longer this way, allowing them to be exposed to frost, makes the oranges taste better and fetches a higher price."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "I understand. Boss, do you have any well-cultivated orange seedlings?"

Boss: "Yes, sometimes we sell a little out. Why, do you want to buy some?"

Qing Mengzhu: "That depends on what kind of orange seedlings you're cultivating. We'll buy them if they're suitable. We have an orchard that's not fully planted yet."

Qing Mengzhu and the boss chatted, the boss, seeing that they weren't joking, actually intended to take them to see the fruit seedlings. "I have an orchard on the next mountain. If you want to see it, I can take you there by bike; it only takes a few minutes."

Qing Mengzhu: "Look, our car is down there too."

The boss said happily, "Alright, come with me."

The boss's motorcycle is parked by the roadside; you can get off, hop on, and leave.

Qing Mengzhu and the others followed the boss to see, and sure enough, they arrived at another of the boss's orchards after riding for five minutes.

Qing Mengzhu originally thought that this orchard would be used specifically for cultivating fruit seedlings, but when she came to take a look, she found that the fruit trees in the orchard had been planted for at least three years.

It seems this is an orchard where fruit trees have already been planted. When conditions are right, the owner will sell some of the fruit trees as well.

The owner said, "This orchard also grows orange trees. We grow a lot of oranges; come and take a look."

Qing Mengzhu looked around and said, "Your orange trees are really well grown."

Many of these orange trees are of "Fine Grade" quality, which is quite rare for ordinary growers.

Qing Mengzhu: "These orange trees will be bearing fruit soon, right? If you sell them to us, won't you lose money?"

Although the mulberry trees that Qing Mengzhu and the others bought before were two years old, they were dwarf mulberry trees, and the trees looked small.

These three-year-old orange trees are actually large trees, and when planted in the ground, they look like open umbrellas.

Boss: "It depends on how much you're offering. If it's too cheap, I won't sell it."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Boss, name your price."

Shop owner. "Two hundred per tree. These orange trees aren't the common varieties you find elsewhere; they're cultivated by my family. You've already tasted them; if you provide enough fertilizer and water, the oranges will taste exceptionally good."

Qing Mengzhu nodded in agreement. "Indeed."

The shopkeeper was even happier to see that he didn't haggle. "Right? My family has been growing these oranges for generations, I don't lie. How many trees do you want? If you buy too many, I'll give you a few more for free."

Qing Mengzhu: "How many trees do you have to sell?"

The owner said, "This orchard has 236 trees. If you want, I have another orchard with 347 trees. I also have some one-year-old orange trees that I can sell to you."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Then let's start with five hundred trees."

Author's Note:

The bonus chapter for the 75,000 units of nutrient solution will be added tomorrow. Thank you everyone for the nutrient solution, see you tomorrow!

Chapter 129

Judging from Qing Mengzhu's attire, the shopkeeper knew they must be quite wealthy; however, he was still somewhat surprised that they asked for five hundred orange trees.

The shopkeeper looked at them and said, "Two hundred per tree."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "No problem, it would be even better if I could choose for myself."

The owner was surprised that he actually sold so many orange trees, and generously waved his hand. "Take your pick, pick whatever you like."

Qing Mengzhu: "It's a bit late today. I'll come back tomorrow to choose, and then we can dig it up right away?"

The boss confirmed. "You're digging?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, let's come and dig."

Qing Mengzhu confirmed the purchase of the orange trees with the shop owner and paid a deposit.

Ming Chunxi then amended the contract on the spot, and both parties signed the purchase agreement.

After signing the contract, Ming Chunxi got back to his car and drove off, while Qing Mengzhu Zhao Hexi to come over for dinner and to discuss the matter of digging up the fruit trees.

They didn't eat dinner until after 7 p. m. At the dinner table, Zhao Hexi asked in bewilderment, "This orchard is so remote, how did you find it?"

Qing Mengzhu: "We saw it while driving by, went over and tried some. The oranges from that orchard really tasted great, so we bought some."

Zhao Hexi had just eaten the oranges they brought back. "They taste really good. I even asked Professor Nian to contact us about fruit trees, and I was planning to show them to you after I've taken a look."

Qing Mengzhu became interested. "Have you found suitable fruit trees?"

Zhao Hexi: "Not yet. I looked for several kinds, such as blueberries, persimmons, peaches, and apricots, but some weren't suitable for our environment, and some didn't taste good enough, so I didn't tell you."

Qing Mengzhu: "No rush, take your time searching."

They agreed to go to the orchard tomorrow to dig up fruit trees. Qing Mengzhu packed a large bag of oranges and asked Zhao Hexi to take them back and eat them slowly.

Oranges are relatively easy to store; they can last for ten days to two weeks even without refrigeration.