Chapter 196

Zhao Hexi: "Then let's hold it again in two months?"

Qing Mengzhu leaned against Ming Chunxi: "Let's talk about it later. Or you can go up and speak. If you go up and speak, I won't object to holding it in a short time."

Zhao Hexi shrank back. "Then forget it. I can't handle all the weird questions people ask. I don't have the ability."

Qing Mengzhu rolled her eyes, a rare occurrence for her. "You handle the cleanup, Chunxi and I are going back first."

Ming Chunxi, holding Qing Mengzhu, said to Zhao Hexi, "You've worked hard."

Zhao Hexi said timidly, "I'm not tired, Mengzhu is. You guys get some rest, see you tomorrow."

Chapter 196

Qing Mengzhu's honey hadn't been harvested for over half a month, so he decided to go up the mountain to harvest it that afternoon when he had some free time.

We're almost out of honey at home, so it's time to harvest some fresh honey.

Summer brings abundant flowers and fruits, so the honey the bees collect should be of good quality.

Qing Mengzhu was quite excited and started humming a song as soon as she left the house.

He went to the backyard to get his tricycle. Perhaps because he seemed happy, his two dogs spotted him immediately, trotting over and leaping onto the back seat of the tricycle before he could react. "Woof woof!"

Qing Mengzhu turned around and shooed the two dogs away. "I have important business to attend to today, you two get out of here."

The two dogs wouldn't get off, and the Dharma Protector even placed its front paws on the bucket that Qing Mengzhu had prepared. "Woof!"

Qing Mengzhu: "Put your paws down right now, or I'll beat the dog!"

Dharma Protector: "Woof woof!"

Qing Mengzhu stretched out her arm and lightly patted the Dharma Protector's head. "Have you forgotten howled like a ghost after being stung by bees last time? And you, Guard, your paws got stung too, don't think I didn't know."

The Guard lowered his ear, pretending not to hear.

The two dogs were particularly good at acting cute and charming, Qing Mengzhu ultimately couldn't get them out of the car, so she had no choice but to take them up the mountain with her.

He had already warned them; if the two dogs still got stung, it would just be a lesson they wouldn't learn.

After Qing Mengzhu took the two dogs up the mountain, they indeed remembered the painful lesson of being stung last time, and ran away howling as they approached the beehive.

Watching their figures disappear into the bushes, Qing Mengzhu called out to them, "Don't chase after the cattle! If you get gored again, I won't be responsible!"

The cattle on the mountain have grown a bit bigger and are now beginning to resemble large oxen.

The two bulls in the herd are more aggressive than usual; they will butt the Guard and Dharma Protector when they see them.

Qing Mengzhu had beaten up the dog and the cow several times. Every time the two dogs saw the cow, they would still approach it, and the cow would still try to butt them, maintaining a constant state of fighting.

Seeing the two dogs running into the bamboo forest, Qing Mengzhu wanted to sigh.

The two dogs quickly ran away, leaving only two "woof woof" sounds.

Qing Mengzhu ignored them; their claws were a bit mischievous, but they were really fast runners, so nothing serious should happen.

Qing Mengzhu shook her head, picked up her bucket and knife, and went to harvest honey.

Their bees were Brood-Feeding Honey, resulting in high-quality bees and exceptionally different honey.

I don't know what flower the bees collected pollen from for this batch of honey, but it has a golden-red color, is thick and sweet, and looks especially wonderful.

I couldn't resist eating a small piece when Qing Mengzhu cut it. It had a complex floral aroma, was sweet and soft, and tasted delicious.

Faced with such delicious honey, he restrained himself and cut each beehive in half, leaving the other half as food for the bees.

Both hives are breding more and more, and it's estimated that they can add two more hives before autumn, turning two hives into four hives.

Bees have a wide foraging range, so even with four hives, there should be enough nectar sources nearby to support them.

After harvesting the honey, it was still early, Qing Mengzhu carried a bucket to check on the fruit trees.

There were still a few mulberries on the mulberry tree, but the orange tree was already laden with oranges.

The oranges weren't ripe yet; they were a deep green, appearing lush and vibrant in the sunlight, with a unique sheen. He leaned closer to smell them and could detect the distinctive, fresh scent of oranges.

Qing Mengzhu held out his fist to compare; the orange wasn't much smaller than his fist, so it probably wouldn't grow any bigger.

Thinking this, Qing Mengzhu felt a little hungry, so she reached out and picked an orange.

When he peeled the orange, the rich oils inside the peel created a small mist of essential oil in the air, making it smell even fresher.

The oranges inside weren't yellow yet; the flesh had a peculiar greenish tinge.

He peeled one half and put it in his mouth to taste. It was as if a concentrated sour taste exploded in his mouth, making him shudder and get goosebumps.

It was so sour! He hadn't tasted such a sour orange in all his years.

However, the sour and tangy flavor is quite refreshing; I've never tasted such a clean flavor in other fruits before.

After he finished that segment of orange, he peeled another segment and put it in his mouth, tasting it again, and then got goosebumps from the sourness again.

The remaining oranges were no longer edible, so he looked at them and reluctantly threw them under the tree.

When Qing Mengzhu came down the mountain, the two dogs heard the noise and followed, skillfully jumping into the back of the tricycle.

Seeing them sticking out their tongues, Qing Mengzhu was a little worried, so he stretched out his arm, lifted the bucket of honey, and placed it at his feet.

The Guard licked his lips and lay motionless in the back of the tricycle.

The Dharma Protector, Chao Qing Mengzhu, barked loudly, clearly dissatisfied.

Qing Mengzhu glanced at them. Even if they were unwilling, Qing Mengzhu would not leave the honey for them. If she used honey to lure the dogs, the honey would definitely be eaten.

When Qing Mengzhu drove his tricycle home, Zhao Hexi was waiting for him at the door.

He slammed on the brakes. "Why didn't you call me?"

Zhao Hexi sat on the steps in front of his house. "Too lazy to call, I'll just sit here, enjoy the breeze, and admire the scenery."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then what are you carrying in your hand?"

"This?" Zhao Hexi held up the bag she was carrying and handed it to him. "These are late-ripening peaches I brought for you. They're quite sweet. Try them."

Qing Mengzhu glanced down at it; the peach was covered with a thin, even layer of pink, and its lips were deep red, making it look quite tempting.

Qing Mengzhu: "We'll eat it as fruit after the meal."

Zhao Hexi took one out and handed it to him. "Won't you try it now? You can eat it after tearing off the skin."

Qing Mengzhu looked at Zhao Hexi's enthusiastic face, took the peach, opened the door, let Zhao Hexi and the two dogs into the house first, and then peeled off the skin of the peach and took a bite.

With that bite, Qing Mengzhu's face once again revealed a mask of pain.

Zhao Hexi was surprised. "Sour? That shouldn't be the case. I tasted it, it's quite sweet."

Qing Mengzhu her hand. "It's not the peach's fault, it's my fault. I ate oranges on the mountain this afternoon, and they made my teeth so sensitive that I can't eat anything now."

Zhao Hexi had just visited the orchard two days ago. "The oranges in the orchard aren't ripe yet, but the ones on the mountain are already ripe?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Once it's ripe, it won't make my teeth hurt from the sourness."

Zhao Hexi chuckled, "It's not ripe, why are you eating an orange?"

Qing Mengzhu: "The sun was shining brightly this afternoon, and the oranges swayed gently in the sunlight, looking especially tempting. I tasted one to see how far it was from ripe. Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

Qing Mengzhu changed the subject. "Actually, the peaches you brought aren't very ripe. They're not very fragrant and not soft enough."

Zhao Hexi shrugged. "There's no way around it. If it's really ripe, it'll be too soft to transport. Forget about other people's peaches, even our own fruits and vegetables can't always be picked at their ripest."

Qing Mengzhu: "It should still be okay, right? I think we should just pick the best tomatoes and other perks to send."

Zhao Hexi: "That's because tomatoes aren't too fragile now. Even when fully ripe, they won't burst with juice at the slightest touch. The mulberries from before were a different story; if you sent the ripest ones, they'd be soaking wet when the customer received them. I guess the persimmons from now on won't be any better either, they're too delicate."