Chapter 173

Zhao Hexi squatted down beside him. "So, are you going to plant some kind of algae? I think you planted some in your pond last year."

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, we need to plant a batch of Hydrilla verticillata in the ditch, but not too much, as it reproduces very quickly. Hydrilla verticillata can supplement the shrimp's diet."

The meandering ditch is a deep ditch dug around the rice paddies and water chestnut fields. It is used to help shrimp hide from predators and also to provide them with shelter from the heat.

It's not yet the height of summer, and the temperature in the fields isn't too high, so the shrimp can swim freely in the shallow water.

In the height of summer, the highest temperature can even reach 40℃. At that time, deep ditches will definitely be needed, otherwise the water volume will not be enough and the water temperature will rise rapidly, which may even slow-cook the shrimp at a low temperature until they are cooked.

Qing Mengzhu planted the watermelon seeds and then took a bucket to the well to fetch water.

He pressed the electric button, and the water pump drew up cool, sweet well water.

Zhao Hexi followed him in and out, always staying behind him.

Seeing him draw water from the well, Zhao Hexi peeked out and asked, "Are you just watering the watermelon seeds with well water? Won't the temperature be a bit too low?"

Well water is warm in winter and cool in summer; now it's time for it to cool down.

Qing Mengzhu: "It's alright, I'll let it sit for a bit before watering."

Zhao Hexi: "Oh, that's fine too. Let's get back to the shrimp. If you're only moving the shrimp to the fields this weekend, are you free these next couple of days? And about the persimmon trees I mentioned before, let's go pick some now."

Qing Mengzhu was so busy that she completely forgot about the persimmon trees. "Have you looked at a few potential orchards?"

Zhao Hexi: "We originally contacted three suppliers, and recently we contacted two more, namely soft persimmons, crisp persimmons, and fire crystal persimmons. I also sent out questionnaires, and members chose fire crystal persimmons the most. Fire crystal persimmons are also more expensive in the market."

Upon hearing this, Qing Mengzhu said, "Then let's choose the Fire Crystal Persimmon."

Zhao Hexi: "It's not that easy. Fire crystal persimmons are quite expensive, and so are the seedlings. Plus, the quality of seedlings on the market varies greatly, and I can't tell the difference. I'll have to rely on you."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Alright, I'll make the trip."

Chapter 173

The Huojing persimmon originated in Northwest China. In recent years, this variety of persimmon has become very popular, and many have been introduced here. There are several orchards growing Huojing persimmons around Vine City.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi drove to inspect the orchards. They visited several orchards, and the persimmon trees were all of "Good Grade quality," far from "Good Grade+," let alone "Fine Grade." The only advantage of these orchards was their relatively low prices.

Qing Mengzhu was not satisfied with the persimmon trees they had seen that morning, and Zhao Hexi had no choice but to say, "If you don't like any of these fruit trees, we'll just have to go to the mountains this afternoon."

Qing Mengzhu: "Are there many people growing persimmon trees in the mountains?"

Zhao Hexi nodded. "Yes, almost every village has an orchard. Persimmon trees are naturally suited to being planted at higher altitudes, Vine City is located on a plain near the city, which is not suitable for growing persimmons."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then let's take a look first. I'll let Chunxi know first."

As Zhao Hexi drove, he muttered, "Reporting immediately? You guys are really clingy."

Qing Mengzhu ignored his mockery, and after reporting the situation, she checked the map again. "Let's eat in the small county town in the mountains, we'll eat by the roadside."

Zhao Hexi: "I'm fine with either, I'm not picky."

Qing Mengzhu reset the navigation destination, intending to go have lunch first.

Halfway through the drive, Qing Mengzhu saw a persimmon tree in a yard by the roadside and suddenly said, "Stop the car, the persimmon tree by the roadside looks quite nice."

Their car was driving on a country road, where they could stop whenever they wanted.

Zhao Hexi stopped in a slightly more spacious spot. "Whose house is this?"

Qing Mengzhu pointed diagonally behind her. "There's one over there. I saw it from the car, but I'm not sure if I was mistaken. Let's go over and take a look."

Zhao Hexi chuckled twice, "Now it's convenient for you to find fruit trees."

Qing Mengzhu got out of the carriage. "Let's go ask. It won't hurt us. If it works, great; if not, forget it."

The two got out of the car and walked toward the courtyard that Qing Mengzhu had mentioned.

Before they even reached their destination, the guard dog in the yard started barking loudly.

An old man came out of the courtyard. "Who is it?"

Zhao Hexi said with a smile, "We came from out of town to buy fruit seedlings. Your persimmon trees look good, so we came to take a look."

The old man immediately became proud. "Hey, you really know how to find a good spot. Our persimmon tree is the best in the surrounding area. When the persimmons are ripe, people come from far and wide to take pictures."

Zhao Hexi seized the opportunity to make a request. "Your persimmon tree is really beautiful, may we come in and take a look?"

The old man opened the large iron gate. "Come in. A Wang, don't bark. Our A Wang is tied up, don't be afraid."

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi entered the courtyard.

This is an ordinary farmhouse courtyard, but it is very clean and tidy, with no weeds or debris in sight.

A yellow-haired mixed-breed dog was tied up in a corner of the yard. The dog was quite good-looking, with round, bright eyes that looked very intelligent.

Qing Mengzhu looked at the puppy, his hands itching a little, but he managed to restrain himself. First, it was impolite to touch a strange dog and he might get bitten. Second, if he touched a strange dog, he would definitely get barked at by the Guard and Dharma Protector when he got home that night, and the two little guys would even turn their backs to him.

Qing Mengzhu went to look at the large persimmon tree in the corner of the courtyard.

They were used to seeing dwarf fruit trees and rarely saw persimmon trees that were over ten meters tall; to see a persimmon tree, you had to look up.

Looking at the persimmon tree full of leaves, Qing Mengzhu asked, "Grandpa, how many years have you had this persimmon tree?"

The old man said, "It's been about fifty years. My wife planted it when we first got married."

Qing Mengzhu touched the bark of the persimmon tree. "That's quite a long time. You must have taken great care of this persimmon tree over the years, right?"

The old man said, "Yes, my wife takes care of it all—pruning, fertilizing, and watering. Years ago, when we were still able to walk, we had to use a ladder to climb up the tree and cut off the excess branches, but we can't do that now."

They even have a habit of pruning? Qing Mengzhu's heart skipped a beat, and she wondered if she could buy those branches.

As they were talking, a tall, slender old woman entered from outside the courtyard.

The old lady had a full head of white hair, but surprisingly, she didn't have a hunched or slow posture at all; her shoulders and back were still straight, and her legs and feet were very nimble.

The old lady asked as soon as she entered, "Whose guest are you?"

The old man chuckled and said, "I'm not a guest of any family, just passing by. I saw our persimmon tree looked nice and came in to take a look."

Zhao Hexi quickly stepped forward and reintroduced himself, and the old lady nodded in agreement.

Qing Mengzhu could tell at a glance that the old lady was in charge of the household, and asked, "Grandma, is this persimmon tree in your yard a fire crystal persimmon?"

The old lady stopped and said, "Yes, it's a fire crystal persimmon, but it's an older variety, a bit different from the current ones."

Qing Mengzhu: "Older varieties are better; they are more disease-resistant, easier to manage, and definitely taste better too."

The old lady smiled and said, "You promised to take care of it, and this persimmon tree is really easy to care for. It doesn't require much effort all year round, and it still produces a tree full of bright red persimmons for us."

Qing Mengzhu: "Do you have any other persimmon trees at home? Do you have an orchard or anything like that?"

The old lady shook her head. "If you had come more than ten years ago, you would have had some. Now we are old, and our children are away, so the orchard has long been abandoned."

Zhao Hexi blurted out, "What a pity! We thought you had other persimmon trees and were thinking of buying some from you."

The old lady flatly refused. "No, my granddaughter loves these persimmons. I won't sell them, no matter how much money you offer."

Qing Mengzhu: "This persimmon tree is so beautiful; you've clearly put a lot of love into it. I guess you wouldn't sell it. But I wonder if you could sell us some branches so we can take them home for cuttings? I heard you prune branches regularly. Aren't the pruned branches useless?"