Chapter 28

Exiting through the door of Mother Lin’s house, the outside was paved with floor tiles. To the right, there was a fringe tree that Lin Nanzhi had bought and planted. The tree was enormous, requiring three people to encircle it with their arms. It was a nationally protected Class II tree, with blossoms that resembled cotton—pure white and fluffy. From a distance, it looked like a cloud.

This tree symbolized feminism and independence. It bloomed every April, and since it was currently the blooming season, it looked incredibly beautiful.

Such trees were not sold, only their seeds were available. Lin Nanzhi had planted it in her space and irrigated it with spring water, allowing it to grow to this size before transplanting it here. Because of this, its flowering period was extended.

To protect the tree from damage, she specifically enclosed it with an iron fence designed to mimic wood, forming a circular bench around it. During hot days, one could sit beneath the tree, enjoying its shade and the fragrance of its flowers—an experience with a charm of its own.

To the left, there was a stone bridge. To prevent children from falling into the river, iron railings were added along the riverbank. Across the bridge was the orchard—greenhouses in the front and fruit trees in the back.

A fence had been built along the roadside, covered with climbing roses. A small gate near the bridge allowed entry, and the strawberry field was right next to the road.

Walking into a greenhouse, Lin Nanzhi saw lush green strawberry plants. Above the soil, bright red strawberries hung in clusters, while some were still green.

She picked up a basket and began harvesting, choosing only the fully ripened strawberries. In no time, she filled the basket with around seven to eight jin (3.5-4 kg) of fruit before heading home.

Upon arriving home, she changed her shoes, put on slippers, and took the strawberries to the kitchen to wash them thoroughly. After arranging them on a fruit platter, she carried them to the living room.

“Auntie, Aunty, have some strawberries.”

“Thank you!”

Lin Nanzhi simply nodded before returning to the kitchen. She switched her shoes again, grabbed two or three more baskets, and headed to the orchard. There, she noticed Lin Nanxun leading a few people into the strawberry field.

It was probably Father Lin who sent them to pick strawberries.

She only glanced at them briefly before continuing on her way without greeting them. This time, she wasn’t here for strawberries—she wanted to eat cherries and cherries (cherries and sweet cherries are often referred to interchangeably in Chinese).

If she remembered correctly, cherries and sweet cherries matured between May and July. Since it was already April, they should have started bearing fruit. A little bit of her spiritual spring water should speed up the ripening process, right?

She could also water other trees to make them ripen earlier and sell the fruit. Maybe they would even bear fruit a second time.

Arriving at the cherry orchard, she saw that the trees had indeed begun fruiting. She picked a few trees at random and watered them with a small half-cup of spiritual spring water before moving on to the sweet cherry trees.

The sweet cherries had also fruited, but they were still green. She poured some spring water on a few trees, and within minutes, the cherries turned a deep red. She quickly picked a basket full, popped one into her mouth, and relished the burst of sweet and tart juice. Her eyes narrowed in satisfaction.

—-

In the past, she used to dread cherry season. Even though cherries in Wumeng weren’t as outrageously expensive as in other provinces, they still cost up to 38 yuan per jin when expensive, and never dropped below 18 yuan even when cheap.

Every time she bought cherries, she felt heartache. Spending over a hundred yuan only for them to be gone in a few minutes—it was never enough!

But now, she could eat as many cherries as she wanted, and they tasted even better than store-bought ones. Absolute bliss!

Thinking of this, Lin Nanzhi ate another one.

Each cherry was the size of a ping-pong ball, juicy and sweet, requiring two to three bites to finish. As she enjoyed them, she took out her phone and called Lin Nanxun.

“Do you want some cherries? A few trees have ripened. Bring a basket and pick some.”

“Got it.”

After hanging up, she picked another full basket of sweet cherries before heading to the cherry trees she had watered earlier. Looking at the ruby-red cherries, she swallowed her saliva.

These were local cherries, usually the size of marbles. But after being nourished by the spiritual spring, they had grown as large as sweet cherries and had a rich red hue.

She plucked a few to taste before filling her basket.

The fruit trees were large, so to make picking easier, their branches had been weighed down with stones, allowing easy reach. Harvesting wasn’t difficult at all.

After a while, Lin Nanxun arrived, carrying two baskets.

“Do you want cherries or sweet cherries? The sweet cherries are over there, not far.”

Lin Nanxun wanted sweet cherries but also wouldn’t pass up the cherries. He grabbed a handful of cherries to snack on before heading toward the sweet cherries with his basket.

Lin Nanzhi paid him no mind and continued picking until her basket was full. Then she carried it home, washed the fruit, and divided it into portions.

One portion was for Lin Nanxuan, another for Lin Nanye, another for Grandma Lin and Grandpa Lin, and the last portion was for herself.

However, Lin Nanxuan was still asleep, so Lin Nanzhi ended up giving both portions to Lin Nan Ye.

“These are ready to eat already?” Lin Nanye was painting in his room when he saw Lin Nanzhi bring in a plate of fruit, looking a little surprised.

“Some trees ripen earlier. I spotted them and picked a few. They’re pretty sweet—try one.”

“They’re huge!” Lin Nanye picked up a sweet cherry and started eating.

Lin Nanzhi placed the fruit plate down. “Enjoy, big brother! I won’t disturb you.”

She waved and quickly left. Instead of returning to her room, she went to the sunroom, turned on her computer, and started typing while munching on cherries. Now this was the life!

Not long after, Lin Nanxuan seemed to wake up from the scent of cherries. She walked into the sunroom, saw only two left, and asked, “Are there more?”

“There are, in the orchard.”

Lin Nanxuan wanted more, and Lin Nanzhi wasn’t done eating yet either. So, the two of them grabbed baskets and returned to the orchard—only to see a crowd gathered on the mountain.

Lin Nanxuan glanced at them before looking away. “Probably people relocating their ancestral graves.”

The Lin family had contracted the mountain and sold all the land. The ancestral graves on the mountain weren’t within the scope of the Lin family’s control, but those who bought the land had to relocate the graves. This had been discussed earlier.

Some families had already relocated theirs, receiving compensation in return. Others weren’t home at the time and had just returned to move them.

Thinking of this, Lin Nanzhi took out her phone and messaged a contact:
“Have all the graves in the designated area been relocated?”

A reply came quickly:
“One family remains.”

“Where is it?”

“Near the lake.”

“Then get the road and parking lot ready first.”

“Got it, boss.”

Lin Nanzhi planned to turn the lake near the bridge into a tourist area. Father Lin had already bought the land, and she had hired people to negotiate the relocations and start construction. Originally, the plan was to begin work in the summer, but since only one grave remained, they might as well start early.

There was no reason to delay.

“Come on, where is it?”

“Over there,” Lin Nanzhi pointed in a direction and started walking, with Lin Nanxuan following behind.

She had watered three cherry trees, and each was loaded with fruit. Even after she and Lin Nanxun had picked plenty earlier, there were still many lefts.