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Zhou Yan watched their interaction from the side, then turned to look at the large bag of oranges Zhao Hexi had brought over, and said, "The oranges are a bit sour right now, it's hard to finish them on their own. I'll cook them into something else when I have time in a couple of days."

Qing Mengzhu: "What kind of food do you want?"

Zhou Yan: "It depends on what you like. Canned oranges, orange jelly, orange cake, orange roasted chicken, orange-infused red wine... there are quite a few things you can make with oranges. Make whatever you like."

Qing Mengzhu's heart skipped a beat. "Then let's not use this orange, let's use the oranges from our mountain. The oranges from our mountain are of better quality, and the food made from them will taste better. We'll use better ingredients for ourselves."

After saying that, Qing Mengzhu glanced at the bag of oranges in the corner of her eye and added, "As for the oranges picked from the orchard, we can send them to the farm to cook dishes or make juice for the guests; they should be used up."

Zhou Yan: "Okay, I'll go up the mountain with you tomorrow. We'll pick out some perfectly ripe oranges to make some dried tangerine peel, and also make some desserts."

Zhou Yan has always been obsessed with food. He said he wanted to go up the mountain to see the oranges, and he actually came the next day.

Qing Mengzhu led him up the mountain.

When Qing Mengzhu and the others bought orange trees, they bought a total of 500 trees. Of these, 480 were planted in the orchard and 20 were planted on the mountain.

The oranges from the orchard were of "Fine Grade" quality when I bought them, and they still maintain that "Fine Grade" quality.

The oranges grown on the mountain have been upgraded to "Fine Grade+" quality thanks to Soil Fertility Restoration Agent, fermented fertilizers, and Spirit Spring Water.

These oranges are larger, more uniform in size, and look sweeter.

Even before tasting them, Zhou Yan could tell from their appearance that these oranges were of exceptional quality.

Zhou Yan walked into the orange grove, reached out and picked a large, round orange from a sunny branch, and gently peeled it open in the sunlight.

The orange peel still released a burst of oily mist, its flavor refreshing yet slightly spicy and astringent.

He patiently peeled away the white pith from the orange, took out the segments, and gently tasted them.

The orange flesh is sweet and refreshing. Compared to oranges from the orchard, the oranges here are more fragrant and have a more balanced sweet and sour taste. They are a kind of food that is not unpleasant even with a sour taste.

Qing Mengzhu also tasted an orange.

The oranges from the mountain are only one grade higher than those from the orchard, but their taste is significantly better.

The refreshing sweet and sour overall flavor, the juicy pulp with a satisfyingly grainy texture, and the complex aroma of the orange peel—every part of the mountain orange is superior to that of the orchard orange, and together they create a distinct difference.

Qing Mengzhu looked up and saw Zhou Yan looking over, so she smiled and asked, "Brother Zhou, how is it?"

Zhou Yan: "Yesterday I wanted to pick some oranges to make dried tangerine peel, but tasting these oranges today has sparked some other inspiration in me."

Qing Mengzhu immediately asked with interest, "What inspiration?"

Zhou Yan: "Want some orange jelly?"

Qing Mengzhu decisively said, "Eat!"

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Then let's pick some oranges and make orange jelly for you later."

Qing Mengzhu knew how to make jelly, so he assumed making orange jelly would be similar.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yan picked the oranges and took them back, but the steps for making jelly were completely different from his.

Zhou Yan peeled the oranges, washed them clean, put them in a small pot, added sugar and simmered them slowly, and then marinated the orange pulp with honey.

He also put orange pulp into a high-speed blender to crush it, then strained it to get a smooth juice. He then mixed it with gelatin powder and orange peel syrup, stirred it well, and strained it again.

After sieving, he poured the jelly juice into small molds, added honey-marinated orange pulp, arranged them nicely, sealed them with plastic wrap, and then put them in the refrigerator.

Qing Mengzhu watched the whole thing without blinking, not daring to utter a sound.

As expected of the head chef, even the jelly is so exquisite!

Zhou Yan turned around and saw his expression, so he couldn't help but laugh and ask, "What are you doing?"

Qing Mengzhu: "To learn from others."

Zhou Yan: "There are recipes online, and it doesn't require any special skills, so there's no need to learn from them. Just make it as neat as possible. Okay, put it in the refrigerator to chill and set, and it'll be ready to eat when we get home tonight."

Qing Mengzhu stared at the jelly in the refrigerator. "Okay, I definitely won't touch it. Why don't you guys leave work early tonight and come over for dinner?"

Zhou Yan: "No problem, I'll try to leave work at seven."

Qing Mengzhu specifically told Ming Chunxi to come home early from work and eat jelly.

Zhao Hexi and Qing Mengzhu also asked him to come over this afternoon.

Everyone was very curious about the jelly and responded very enthusiastically.

Around 6 PM, everyone Qing Mengzhu's house, ready to try the jelly.

Qing Mengzhu specially brought out his pretty little plate and asked Zhou Yan to put the jelly on it.

Zhao Hexi muttered to herself that they were quite girlish, but they didn't pay any attention.

The finished jelly is a beautiful orange-yellow color, crystal clear, and you can see the fruit pieces inside. It looks very tempting when placed on a snow-white plate.

Qing Mengzhu sat under the eaves, scooped out a small piece of jelly with a spoon, and put it in her mouth to taste.

Their freshly made orange jelly has a very rich orange flavor, which is completely different from the orange flavoring on the market. It is fresh, sweet and has a very complex fruity aroma.

Humans have a keen sense of taste that allows them to distinguish between layers of fruit flavors and the difference between citrus flavoring.

Qing Mengzhu happily scooped out another large piece of orange jelly and put it in his mouth. This time, he found the orange pulp inside.

The orange pulp is marinated in honey, which slightly dehydrates it, making it sweeter and giving it a more pronounced fruity texture. Hidden within the smooth jelly, each bite bursts with juice, making it a unique and delicious treat.

Qing Mengzhu ate jelly, enjoying the warm summer breeze, and gazed into the distance.

At this moment, he felt as if he had returned to his childhood, when he also sat under the eaves eating jelly. It was a hot summer day, with the same hot wind and the same unique flavor of the village.

He scooped out the fruit pieces from the jelly, as if it wasn't just fruit pieces, but rather a return to that carefree summer, experiencing the simple joy of scooping out fruit pieces from the jelly.

Qing Mengzhu ate, a smile appeared in her eyes.

No one else noticed Qing Mengzhu's expression; only Ming Chunxi gently patted him on the back.

Qing Mengzhu turned around and mouthed that she was alright.

Zhou Yan's jelly was delicious, and the orange-scented roasted chicken he made last night was also very tasty.

He simply moved these dishes to the farm, using oranges from the orchard to develop a series of seasonal limited-edition recipes such as orange jelly, orange cake, candied oranges, orange-scented roasted chicken, and orange-juice yam puree.

These dishes were immediately and warmly received by everyone.

Women and children, in particular, pushed orange-flavored roasted chicken and orange jelly into the top 10 most popular dishes in August, and it is estimated that these dishes will continue to dominate the list in September.

The oranges were almost ripe, so Zhao Hexi had his subordinates add an orange option to the vegetable pack. He specifically noted that these were 80% ripe oranges, which would be great for coloring, aromatherapy, and as ingredients. They would also be sweet and sour if eaten directly.

Members were very curious about the new fruit, and many chose oranges.

Yin Junning's family was one of the customers who chose oranges.

The members' vegetable packages were delivered on Monday.

When she got off work in the afternoon, she picked up the vegetable package from the delivery box. Opening the neatly packaged contents, she found a paper-wrapped pack of vegetables, including a box of oranges.

Upon opening the package, she found only four oranges inside. The packaging indicated that it was a pound (approximately 500 grams) package.

She casually grabbed a scale from the kitchen and found that it weighed over 500 grams, with each orange weighing over 100 grams.

The oranges were big and heavy, looking plump and tempting. Looking at them from the side, you could see a hint of yellow on the belly, making them look quite delicious.

Yin Junning muttered to himself, peeled the orange, and tasted a segment.