nucmednet Chapter 344 Melon Thief
Chapter 344 Melon Thief
The sun was blazing.
Lin Jiaojiao yawned and looked at the sun outside. She really didn't want to go out. She wanted to live secretly in the house with a small fan.
Lan Qi braved the scorching sun and fetched two bamboo hats from the utility room in the front yard. He gave one to Lin Jiaojiao and the other to Jiang's mother.
The two of them put on their hats and walked out.
Lan Yi was already waiting outside the door in a carriage. After they got in, he drove the carriage to vegetable garden No. 4.
The carriage drove for a while and arrived at the destination. Lin Jiaojiao lifted the curtain and got off the carriage first. Jiang's mother got off the carriage with the help of the servants.
"Is this corn?"
Jiang's mother looked at the pole that was taller than a person. She could see some green things on it, but they looked a little different from the boiled corn she had eaten this morning.
Lin Jiaojiao walked up and brought a corn, came to Jiang's mother and took off the outer skin of the corn, revealing the yellow fruit inside.
"This is corn. Peel off the outer leaves and you'll see what we ate this morning."
Jiang's mother then felt that this was exactly the same as the corn she had eaten in the morning. This food tasted much better than potatoes if boiled in plain water, and it was not poisonous. It was more suitable for people to grow than potatoes.
She walked to the corn stalks and counted the berries on them. Some stalks had three, some had four, and some had five, but the most on a stalk was about three or four.
“These seeds are just one by one.”
"Yes, this is better than potatoes. One corn has hundreds of seeds, and it is easy to store after drying. It can also be ground into corn flour. Even the corn silk can be used to soak in water and drink. It has the effects of clearing away heat and detoxifying, and relieving dampness and relieving stranguria. These corn cobs and corn stalks can also be used as firewood. It can be said that the whole body is a treasure."
Jiang's mother became more and more satisfied as she looked at it, but she did not ignore the most important issue.
"If this thing is so good, why haven't we seen anyone bring it back before?"
Lin Jiaojiao knew that Jiang's mother was not easy to fool, so she explained.
"I discovered this by accident. It's scattered in the mountains. I saw squirrels and other small animals eating it. I thought it was not poisonous, so I tried it myself. It tasted surprisingly good. The tribes in the story don't know how to farm. They all live by hunting, so naturally no one grows it. They just eat it as a wild fruit."
What she said made sense. Places outside Chaoqi were all unfamiliar to them. They only knew about them from the words of people who had been there and from books.
So even if what she said makes people suspicious, it is difficult to prove that she is lying. After all, the world is so big that all kinds of strange things are possible.
Besides, no matter where this thing came from, it has been truly planted on Chaoqi’s territory. It can benefit the country and the people and bring benefits to Chaoqi’s people, so there is no need to delve into it.
Jiang's mother nodded thoughtfully and didn't ask any more questions. She and Lin Jiaojiao walked along the edge of the field, admiring the lush corn fields along the way, until their view suddenly opened up.
They walked to the vegetable garden No. 3 next door. Lin Jiaojiao didn't hesitate to jump over the fence, picked a few big tomatoes from it and distributed them to everyone present.
"After walking for a while, try our fresh tomatoes."
After she finished speaking, she rubbed the tomato on her body and took a bite. The juice burst out instantly and almost dripped onto her clothes.
The servant following behind Jiang's mother hurriedly wiped the tomato in his hand with a handkerchief before handing it to Jiang's mother.
When the two accompanying guards saw that their master had already started eating, they also took the tomatoes given by Lin Jiaojiao and started to eat them.
Although the fruit is still a little warm when eaten in this hot weather, it is juicy, sweet and sour, and very refreshing.
Lin Jiaojiao did not come out after eating. She stood on the edge of the field inside the fence and continued walking forward with the people outside the fence.
As she walked, she pointed at the tomatoes passing by and introduced them, "This small tomato is eaten as a fruit. The big one we just ate can be eaten raw or cooked. Stepmother, look, this yellow one is also a tomato called Yellow Pearl. Although the color is different, the taste is actually similar."
As she spoke, she reached out and picked a string of yellow pearls and handed it to Jiang's mother. The servant behind her wanted to take it and wipe it, but Jiang's mother raised her hand to signal and then took it herself, looking carefully at the yellow fruits in the sun. They seemed to be crystal clear like real yellow pearls.
She picked one and put it in her mouth to taste it. It tasted a little sweeter than the previous one, and there was really no difference.
She looked at the endless red, yellow and green fruits and asked worriedly.
"If we grow so much and can't sell or eat it all, won't it just rot in the fields?"
Lin Jiaojiao threw a small tomato into her mouth and said with a smile, "We planted them in batches. The first batch of fruits have almost been picked, and the second batch may just turn red. Even if we can't eat them all, we can pick them and dry them into dry fruits."
She ate another tomato and continued, "But I haven't taken these tomatoes to the town to sell yet. They're not as expensive as strawberries, so there should be a lot of people buying them. It's not like we can't sell them all."
Jiang's mother also agreed with what she said. The strawberries she sent last time tasted great. She was invited to visit other people's homes several times and there were always strawberries on the table. She guessed that they were purchased by express horses from Nanshan.
There is no need to worry about not being able to sell out these rare items.
The group walked forward for a distance and saw a watermelon field. Before Lin Jiaojiao could admire the watermelons in the field, she saw two children picking watermelons in the distance.
"Hey! That's too much! You're stealing watermelons again! Be careful or I'll catch you in the next village!"
When Jiang's mother heard Lin Jiaojiao's roar, she also looked over, but unfortunately she only saw two children running very fast.
"Sir, can you please let your subordinates catch these two melon thieves?"
Before Jiang's mother answered, Lin Jiaojiao spoke immediately.
"Forget it, forget it. They are just two little kids, not from our village. The land is too big for anyone to guard it all the time. This is unavoidable."
She didn't want to trouble Jiang's mother and the others. Running in such hot weather would be extremely painful.
The people in this village are still very honest and no one comes to the vegetable garden to steal vegetables. Only many children from nearby villages come here, but fortunately they don't cause any damage or steal too much, otherwise she would have exploded long ago.
She also asked the village head to go to the nearby villages to warn them. It would be fine if the person was caught, but there is nothing that can be done if the person refuses to admit it.
Now that adults no longer come to steal the fruits, they specifically instruct their children to come instead, which gives her a headache.
Jiang's mother didn't think so. "Go ahead, arrest them and send them directly to their village. Give them a good warning. The crops of a seventh-rank official cannot be stolen by anyone."
"Yes, my subordinate will go right away."
Lin Jiaojiao looked at the warriors running under the scorching sun and felt a little sorry for them. They must have worked so hard.
"Thank you, stepmother. You finally came here and I am sorry to bother you."
"It's okay, but Huai'er is disturbing you."
She immediately shook her hand and said, "Don't bother me, don't bother me. My cousin is here so I have someone to talk to. I also want to thank my cousin."
After she said this, the atmosphere suddenly became awkward again. Jiang's mother just looked at her quietly without saying anything, and she didn't know what to say. After all, there are some things that cannot be spoken out loud. Don't speak nonsense. Giving others room is also giving yourself room.
Mother Jiang sighed, "Let's go back. Aren't you guys going to go boating in the lake later?"
Lin Jiaojiao also breathed a sigh of relief, "Yes, is stepmother going?"
Mother Jiang turned around and put her hands behind her back, saying calmly, "I won't go. I have to write memorials when I get back later. But Huai'er likes Lianhua very much."