Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 882 - 880_1

Chapter 882: Chapter 880_1

Huzi’s father led a few people around the orchard, passing by a number of fruit trees and picking off any ripe fruit they came across, before eventually arriving at the foot of a hill on the other side.

There was a pond here, next to which a few pink banana trees were planted.

A few ripe pink bananas were hanging from one of the trees.

Pointing at a bunch of pink bananas on the tree, Huzi’s father said, "These are pink bananas. They can be cut down now. Given the heat of the weather lately, they’ll be ready to eat in a couple of days."

Xiao’er glanced at the pink bananas hanging from the tree. Apparently, these were the ’’small millet bananas’’, likely referred to differently in each locale.

"While pink bananas aren’t as sweet and aromatic as regular bananas, their fruit is rather crisp and smells subtly sweet, tasting sweet without being greasy and lacking the cold nature of regular bananas. I got the seed for this tree from a man in Nangong Country. Except for my home, no one else around here has pink bananas. Unfortunately, there aren’t any ripe ones at home right now, otherwise you could give them a try right away.

No worries, you can take this bunch of pink bananas home with you! Eat them once they’re ripe.’’ After saying this, he grabbed a machete from a pile of weeds next to the pink banana tree and cut down the entire tree.

These pink bananas are unique to his home, and every time they are ripened and sold in the county, many people scramble to buy them.

A bunch of pink bananas usually comes in seven or eight layers, up to fourteen pounds for each bunch, and each pound could be sold for ten coins.

He’s planning to plant a row of banana trees all around the pond. If two or three trees bore fruit each month, he could easily earn a tael of silver.

"Uncle, why did you cut down the whole banana tree?!" Zhao Yong, seeing his actions, was confused.

"There’s no point in not cutting it down. A banana tree only bears fruit once, and each time it only produces one bunch," Huzi’s father explained.

"Isn’t it a pity to only get one yield out of such a big tree?!" Zhao Yong frowned.

"Not really, planting pink bananas is relatively easy. All it needs is some fertilizer. Moreover, pink banana trees grow pretty fast. Look, there are several young pink banana plants growing next to this big one. Once they grow big, they can bear fruit as well. People in the village didn’t use to be able to grow bananas well. It was only after the Government Office put up a notice that I learned that banana trees grow better near the water. Despite the current hot weather, look at how energetic these banana trees are!"

"Because bananas like a humid and hot climate, they thrive in deep, loose soil with good drainage. The dirt by the pond and river is rich in water. Even if the weather is dry, as long as there’s water in the pond, there’s no need for irrigation. How convenient!" Xiao’er briefly explained.

The real reason, though, is that no matter the type of banana – whether it’s the standard banana, the big banana, or the pink banana – their leaves are all very wide. The wider the leaf, the stronger the evaporation role it plays, and banana tree roots are shallow, and weak in pulling up water. If the weather is good and sunny, and the dirt lacks sufficient water, the banana tree will wither.

The nature of the banana tree decides that it prefers moistness and avoids dryness. The banana family has a high water requirement during the growth phase, thus planting it by the river or fish pond is the most effortless!

If a massive growth is planted far from the water source and there’s no water pump for irrigation, relying on manual water carrying would not necessarily guarantee a good harvest!

Huzi’s father, carrying a large basket of fruit with one hand and holding the bunch of pink bananas with the other, continued to walk forward.

Seeing this, Zhao Yong took the initiative to pick up the bunch of pink bananas for him.

As they all headed towards Huzi’s home, Little could Xiao’er expect to see a patch of strawberries at the foot of the hill on this side!

No wonder Huzi said his father was good at growing fruit. He seemed poised to plant every possible type of fruit!

Huzi’s father stopped again and handpicked all the ripe strawberries.

However, he didn’t grow many, and altogether he picked just over twenty strawberries.

After firsthand observation, Xiao’er was quite satisfied with Huzi’s father. Considering how well-managed the orchard was, and how every possible piece of land was utilized, it was commendable.

"Uncle, actually I came to see you because Huzi told me that you’re good at growing fruit trees." Xiao’er said.

"What’s the matter? Do you want to grow fruit trees too? What kind of fruit do you want to grow? I’ll teach you everything I know."

He was more than willing to repay their kindness for saving Huzi’s life; They were his family’s benefactors. If they wanted to learn to grow fruit, he would definitely teach them everything he knew.

"No, I have a type of fruit that comes from overseas. I want to find someone to grow it on a large scale."

"What fruit?"

"Yellow dragon fruit."

Huzi’s father was about to ask for more details when Huzi hurriedly ran over: "Dad! Quick! Hurry home! Baozi has brought grandpa and grandma to our home to steal our stuff!"

"What! They’re back again!" Upon hearing this, Huzi’s father became anxious. He quickly picked up the basket and strode forward: He absolutely can’t let his parents take away everything. Those things were brought by benefactors, and if they were all taken away, what would they use to entertain their guests!

Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi exchanged a glance, then followed him.

The path was uneven, and given Huzi’s father’s infirmity, he fell when he moved too quickly. His injured leg landed on a sharp stone, which caused him to gasp in pain.

The fruits in the basket rolled out onto the floor.

Jingrui quickly helped him up: "Uncle, take it easy, Don’t rush. Yang Mei and Yang Liu are home, they will be fine."

"Zhao Yong, you hurry back to check what’s happening!" Xiao’er instructed before squatting down with Shangguan Xuanyi to pick up the scattered fruit.

After Jingrui helped Huzi’s father get up, he grabbed his injured leg with both hands, his face convulsing with pain.

"Dad, are you okay? Are you in pain?" Seeing his father clutching his knee and wincing in pain, Huzi couldn’t help but be worried.

After tripping, Huzi’s father’s lame leg was in even more pain. He was now unable to walk a step.

Seeing this, Jingrui said, "Let me carry you back, Uncle."

Huzi’s father nodded, not putting on a brave face. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t walk. If he insisted on moving, it could aggravate his injury. "Thank you, brother Shen."

Even though Jingrui was dressed like a scholar, he practiced martial arts year-round and didn’t appear weak. He had been able to save his son from a raging river, so Huzi’s father had no doubts about Jingrui’s ability to carry him.

He got on Jingrui’s back, who then easily lifted him and walked steadily towards his home.

Shangguan Xuanyi carried the basket of fruit in one hand and held onto Xiao’er with the other, reminding him to watch his step as they walked back.

"Shen brother, you’ve practiced martial arts, haven’t you!" Huzi’s father enviously asked. When he was young, he also wanted to learn martial arts and dreamed of becoming a great general when he grew up.

However, contrary to his dreams, he had gone to be a soldier and been injured on the battlefield. When he returned home with his injury, his parents took all his compensation silver, criticized his family for not contributing, despite eating plenty, then expelled them from home, leaving them with nothing.

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