Chapter 198

Qing Mengzhu muttered, "I also think we should buy the most expensive one. The product details say that this coffee tree, called 'True Essence,' has a rich floral and fruity aroma and tastes very mellow and smooth. It sounds really good."

Ming Chunxi: "Do you sell this kind of coffee as a finished product? Shall we buy some to try?"

Qing Mengzhu checked and said regretfully, "No, only seeds."

Ming Chunxi looked at the product details with him. "How many seeds are in a pack of 66,000?"

Qing Mengzhu: "5000 pills, I feel like buying two packs should be enough."

Ming Chunxi: "Buy it. Although it's a bit pricey, the returns it will bring us in the future should be extraordinary."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "That's what I was thinking too. These coffee seeds are so expensive, do you think we should buy a few more doses of Soil Fertility Restoration Agent?"

Ming Chunxi: "Is the skill book showing up now?"

Qing Mengzhu exited to check the skill books. "Not yet. I'll buy Soil Fertility Restoration Agent first. I still have a lot of goods to sell to the Interstellar Mall this month. I can collect Star Coins later when the skill books become available."

Ming Chunxi: "That works too."

Qing Mengzhu decisively placed the order, and then watched her personal balance rapidly decrease, returning to three digits. Her heart ached. "This money is being spent so fast!"

Ming Chunxi: "Is there a chance to win a prize today?"

Qing Mengzhu glanced at it and said, "Yes, we can draw 18 times. We'll try again next time; I feel like my luck isn't very good today."

Ming Chunxi had no objections.

The coffee seeds bought from the Interstellar Mall cannot be taken out directly, otherwise they will be exposed.

Qing Mengzhu bought several kinds of coffee seeds online. After the express delivery arrived, he secretly burned the coffee seeds and replaced them with seeds he got from the Interstellar Mall.

It's August now, and the hot weather is perfect for coffee cultivation.

After taking out the seeds, Qing Mengzhu carefully counted and checked them to make sure there were no problems, and then began the breeding process.

The coffee seeds from the Interstellar Mall are excellent; each one is round, plump, and full of vitality.

Qing Mengzhu soaked the inspected seeds in 40°C warm water and then let them soak overnight.

After soaking the coffee seeds, he specially found large seedling pots and filled 10,000 seedling pots directly. The soil inside was a carefully prepared fertilizer soil, and the bottom soil was soil treated with Soil Fertility Restoration Agent.

Ten thousand seedling pots were already a lot, and there was no way to put them in the backyard, so he cleared a piece of land in the empty field, put the seedling pots in the field, and even specially called someone to build a temporary shed.

The sun is too strong now. Breeding requires avoiding prolonged direct sunlight, otherwise the coffee seedlings will be scorched to death as soon as they sprout.

Zhao Hexi noticed how meticulously he planted it and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Do you really treasure it like this?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Absolutely. These are coffee seeds we went through a lot of trouble to get. Tell the others not to come near this area. Also, have the technician come over and install a surveillance camera nearby."

Zhao Hexi: "We need to monitor it? Okay, okay, I'll call it right now. And speaking of which, these coffee seeds actually look quite cute."

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, they're especially round and cute."

Qing Mengzhu covered the seedling pots with a thin layer of soil. Just as she was about to water them, she suddenly remembered something and slapped her forehead. "Right, this batch of coffee can't be included in the company's assets. We still need to draft an agreement to separate the rest of the orchard from the company's, or I'll find another orchard."

Zhao Hexi: "Huh? We still need to divide it?"

Qing Mengzhu rubbed her forehead. "This batch of coffee is different from the previous fruit trees."

Qing Mengzhu explained, "If we want to grow a special flavor, we need to spend a lot of fertilizer and effort, and we also need to improve the soil. Only I can do this. Other people in the company can't help, so it's not convenient to put it into the company's business."

If the coffee were just cheap coffee worth a few hundred Star Coins, Qing Mengzhu wouldn't have anything to say.

But this coffee was different; a single packet of coffee seeds cost 66,000 Star Coins, and they bought two packets at once.

In addition, in order to grow "Fine Grade+" coffee well, they need to invest a lot in Soil Fertility Restoration Agent, and in the future, they will probably need to invest a lot in fertilizers. It is not appropriate for them to bear all the costs themselves and then attribute the results to the company.

Zhao Hexi had no objections. "Fine, since you're in charge anyway, and the company is yours, you can split it up as you please."

Qing Mengzhu patted him on the shoulder. "Luckily, it's you who's cooperating with us. If it were someone else, they would probably have turned against us and broken off the partnership sooner or later."

Zhao Hexi: "Why bring this up? How much did I earn in a year before you got me involved in starting the company? How much do I earn in a year now?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Same here. Without you starting a company with us, I'd be working myself to the bone all year round. Now that you're here, things are so much easier."

The two looked at each other, both smiling.

Zhao Hexi rubbed his arms. "Let's not mince words. Want to have barbecue tonight? I'll go ask Brother Zhou if he's free. If he is, we can have barbecue together. If not, I'll go to his place and get some barbecue seasoning."

Qing Mengzhu: "Eat! The new batch of geese is ready to eat. How about we roast a goose tonight?"

Zhao Hexi got excited. "I think that's a good idea. I'll go catch a goose right now, have Brother Zhou marinate it, and we'll roast it tonight."

Chapter 198

Tonight, they're going to roast a goose, Zhao Hexi, worried it wouldn't be cooked through, specifically caught a young goose.

He wasn't sure if he could handle it, so after catching it, he made a video call to Qing Mengzhu and asked, "Do you think this goose is okay? If not, I'll get another one."

Qing Mengzhu looked at the goose and fell into deep thought.

Zhao Hexi looked at him, then at the goose, a little panicked. "What's wrong? Is this goose really no good?"

Qing Mengzhu: "I think this goose is a bit small, maybe not enough for us? Me, Chunxi, you, and Brother Zhou, the four of us can all eat a lot, plus Brother Zhou's cooking skills, if we pick a small goose, we might not have enough to eat tonight, right?"

Zhao Hexi was immediately convinced. "That makes sense."

Qing Mengzhu: "You should pick a bigger one. With Brother Zhou here, it won't be undercooked."

Zhao Hexi: "Okay. I'll change it. How about this one?"

Qing Mengzhu saw that he had replaced it with a goose that was noticeably larger than half a circle, and nodded. "It should be about ready now. When you come back later, bring some seasonings with you: ginger, scallions, and garlic. Brother Zhou likes cilantro, so pick some too. Also, pick some green and red peppers; we might need them to make the sauce later."

Zhao Hexi wrote them down one by one, "That's all, right?"

Qing Mengzhu: "How about you pick a few more lotus leaves from my pond? We might need them when roasting the goose."

Zhao Hexi quite liked the taste of lotus leaves and readily agreed, "I'll go pick some in a bit."

When Zhou Yan received the call and heard that they had prepared all the ingredients, he specially rode his electric scooter over around 5 p. m. to deliver the seasoning for the marinated goose.

Zhou Yan also instructed them to massage the goose thoroughly after marinating it, especially inside the cavity, to ensure it was properly massaged. Otherwise, the marinating time would be too short, and the goose meat might not be flavorful enough when roasted that evening.

Seeing that he had taken time out of his busy schedule to come and give them instructions, Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi earnestly agreed.

So, when Zhou Yan arrived after work around 8 o'clock, what he saw was a large goose with a dark brown color and dry skin.

Zhou Yan inspected the goose and said with satisfaction, "It's really good, we can start roasting it now. Mengzhu, make the charcoal burn brighter, we'll roast it over a high flame."

Qing Mengzhu ran to get the charcoal for boiling fresh bamboo sap and also found a large barbecue grill, since the goose was quite big and needed a larger grill.

Ming Chunxi followed behind him, busying herself alongside him.

Soon, they began roasting the goose.

Zhou Yan took matters into his own hands and did not allow anyone to interfere.

He grilled it over a high flame while simultaneously brushing on sauce, turning it as he went.

With each layer of sauce applied, the aroma becomes even more intense.

Qing Mengzhu, and Zhu waited nearby, munching on melon seeds and drinking tea. The aroma was so enticing that their stomachs were rumbling, with only Ming Chunxi managing to resist.