Chapter 81: Picking Fruits

Gu Cheng held his son in his arms and smiled as he introduced, “This is my wife and son. Since we had some free time today, I brought them here to have some fun.”

Zhao Jianguo, who spent his days working on the mountain, was deeply tanned, making his bright white teeth stand out even more.

Zhao Jianguo was older than Gu Cheng.

Liu Yinyin greeted him with a smile, “Brother Zhao.”

“No need to be so polite, sister-in-law,” Zhao Jianguo waved his hand. When Gu Cheng had retired from the military, his rank had been higher than Zhao Jianguo’s, so being called “big brother” made him feel undeserving.

Seeing Gu Cheng holding his chubby son, Zhao Jianguo couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch the baby’s plump cheeks, complimenting, “You’ve raised your son really well.”

The child’s face was fair and tender, with big round eyes that resembled black grapes—adorable beyond words.

He couldn’t help but wonder how Gu Cheng and Liu Yinyin managed to raise their child so well.

At that moment, Gu Yanyan was staring intently at Zhao Jianguo, his big eyes wide with curiosity. This was a stranger he had never seen before, and anything unfamiliar always deserved an extra glance.

When Zhao Jianguo reached out to touch him, Gu Yanyan turned his little face away and pouted in displeasure, spitting out a tiny bubble of saliva.

Zhao Jianguo burst into laughter and picked a large apple from the fruit platter on the table, handing it to him.

Upon seeing the big apple, Gu Yanyan’s eyes instantly lit up. His chubby little hands immediately grabbed it and brought it to his mouth to take a bite.

Unfortunately, his tiny baby teeth weren’t strong enough to bite through the apple, leaving only a trail of drool behind.

Gu Cheng spoke up, “Old Zhao, let’s head up the mountain to pick some fruit first.”

Otherwise, it would get even hotter later.

“Alright, let’s go.” Zhao Jianguo grabbed a few large baskets for collecting fruit and led the group up the mountain.

Liu Yinyin, worried that Gu Yanyan might drop the apple, tried to help him hold it, but to her surprise, the little one clutched it tightly and looked at her warily, as if afraid she might steal his precious apple.

Liu Yinyin: “…”

She sighed and gave his little bottom a light pat, whispering, “Don’t come crying to me when you get hungry later.”

The little one had his milk around five o’clock. By now, he would be getting hungry again soon.

As they walked, Zhao Jianguo chatted with them. “You guys came at just the right time. Right now, the watermelons, peaches, grapes, red dates, fragrant pears, and apples are all ripe.”

Liu Yinyin looked around curiously. The fruit trees on the mountain appeared to be thriving, and many farmers were busy harvesting.

As soon as the fruits were picked, they were loaded onto large trucks and transported to the county and city department stores for sale.

Some of the more durable fruits were even shipped to other provinces.

Zhao Jianguo sighed, “Unfortunately, the weather hasn’t been great this year, so the fruit yield isn’t as high as last year’s.”

This land was very suitable for growing fruit trees. In previous years, during this season, the orchard would be overflowing with fruit. Every tree would be laden with heavy fruit, its branches bending under the weight, promising a bountiful harvest.

But this year, due to the prolonged drought and constant scorching sun, many leaves and branches had suffered different degrees of sun damage.

As a result, there weren’t as many fruits as in previous years, and the ones that did grow were slightly smaller.

Luckily, they had access to water from a nearby reservoir for irrigation, so the losses weren’t too severe.

Gu Cheng sighed as well. “You guys are still better off than other places. In some areas, the crops in the fields have completely withered. This year’s harvest is going to be miserable.”

“Ah!” Zhao Jianguo’s face grew solemn. “It’s been a tough year for everyone, but it’s even harder for the farmers.”

People with stable jobs were still somewhat secure since they received government-provided food rations every month.

But for rural folks, their livelihood depended entirely on the weather. If a natural disaster hit, not only would they end up working for nothing all year, but they wouldn’t even have grain for the following year.

Gu Cheng patted him on the shoulder. “Natural disasters and misfortunes—there’s nothing we can do about them.”

Zhao Jianguo suddenly thought of something and asked, “To be honest, given the current situation, don’t you think we should stockpile some grain?”

Even though they were factory workers who received food rations, the world was unpredictable—no one could say what the future would hold.

In times of famine, nothing was more valuable than food. Only the grain you had in hand could give you real security.

Gu Cheng nodded slightly. “Try to stock up as much as you can.”

Both of them had grown up as farmers. Even though they now had stable jobs, they couldn’t just ignore their families if things got worse.

Zhao Jianguo then asked, “Aren’t your parents still living in the countryside? Can’t they manage to get some grain?”

Zhao Jianguo’s situation was different from Gu Cheng’s. Gu Cheng had been transferred back to his hometown after leaving the military, but Zhao Jianguo’s hometown wasn’t in Chongyang County—he had been reassigned to his wife’s hometown instead.

His wife was from the city.

Gu Cheng said, “The countryside is all about communal farming now. Where would anyone get extra grain?”

Even if there was grain, in times like these, no one would be willing to sell it.

Zhao Jianguo thought for a moment before lowering his voice. “I heard that in some remote mountain villages, because they’re so secluded, they aren’t as affected by the government policies. Families there still farm and raise chickens without restrictions, so they probably have a good stock of grain.

I’ll ask around—do you want some?”

Gu Cheng glanced at him without responding, but the two had clearly reached an unspoken agreement.

Liu Yinyin: “……”

Alright, she might as well be invisible.

Zhao Jianguo led the couple up to the top of the mountain and said with a smile, “The fruit that grows higher up is even sweeter. Pick whatever you like.”

Gu Cheng asked, “Put it on your tab?”

Zhao Jianguo was momentarily stunned. “…That won’t work. The best I can do is give you the lowest price.”

Fruit wasn’t cheap, and if the couple ended up picking over a hundred pounds, he couldn’t afford to cover the cost.

Gu Cheng was just joking with him and turned to ask Liu Yinyin, “What do you want to pick?”

This orchard had apples, red dates, and grapes.

Liu Yinyin was tempted by all of them. “Let’s pick some of each.”

So, Gu Cheng held the child while picking fruit with her.

Zhao Jianguo offered to hold the baby for him, but as soon as he reached out, Gu Yanyan turned his head away proudly, showing him only the back of his head.

Being in an unfamiliar place, Gu Yanyan felt a little scared and clung tightly to Gu Cheng, refusing to let go.

There was no way he would let a stranger hold him.

Liu Yinyin apologized, “Sorry, Brother Zhao, he’s just shy around new people.”

Zhao Jianguo didn’t mind at all. “No worries, all kids are like that. I have two sons and a daughter myself. Next time you come, let me know in advance, and I’ll bring them along to play together.”

The apple trees were tall, so they needed tools to pick the fruit. Zhao Jianguo showed them how to do it.

Liu Yinyin wasn’t particularly greedy for fruit—what she truly enjoyed was the process of picking it. She found it very satisfying.

They picked half a basket each of apples, red dates, and grapes.

Before leaving, they went to another orchard and picked a basket of peaches and two large watermelons. Since they had come all this way, they wanted to take as much fruit home as possible.

Liu Yinyin still wasn’t completely satisfied, but they already had plenty of fruit. Any more, and they wouldn’t be able to carry it all back.

Zhao Jianguo, ever generous, said, “Pick as much as you want. There’s a truck heading to the city this afternoon for deliveries—you can hitch a ride back.”

The route from Chongyang County to the city passed right through Xin’an County, making it a convenient option for them.