Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 315 - 194: Making Full Use of Everything_1

Chapter 315: Chapter 194: Making Full Use of Everything_1

That day, after finishing her lessons, Qian Yixiu led Zi Zhu out of Linhe Garden and saw the bustling scene at West Lake.

A few days prior, Su Sanwu had begun leading several workers to harvest the golden lotus roots from the lake.

The horse carriages from the Song family and Wuxi Store were waiting outside Guiyuan, for once the lotus roots were harvested, they must not be dirtied and were sent directly to Wen County Port and the provincial city.

Once the golden lotus roots were available, they were warmly welcomed, with buyers flocking to them like ducks to water. They could be eaten raw as a fruit, the taste even surpassing that of any other fruit. Cooked, they could be stir-fried or used in soup, offering a flavor even more delicious than many other delicacies. Moreover, they were easy to store and transport. Most importantly, rarity determined their value.

The Qian family sold them at twelve wen per jin, and those who bought them would resell them at eighteen to twenty-five wen per jin. Even though the price was higher than meat, the demand still outweighed the supply.

Originally, Fourth Master Song had offered to buy them at eight wen per jin from the Qian family, but Liang Zechong, who had not yet returned to the Capital City, scolded him harshly for suggesting what amounted to robbery. After Old Master Song and Second Old Master Song reluctantly agreed, they needed Liang Zechong’s help to pull some strings and find good positions for them. Once they heard about it, they reprimanded Fourth Master Song fiercely. Finally, they settled on twelve wen per jin.

To prevent the theft of the lotus and roots, the Qian family also hired ten people to take turns guarding the area at night, along with the workers.

When Qian Yixiu returned to Lianxiang Water Pavilion, she saw that the color of the golden honey peach on the table had turned to a gold-tinted red. She picked it up and gently squeezed it, finding it soft—it seemed fully ripe and couldn’t be left any longer.

Last time, she brought back eight peaches that were not fully ripe; some were more red, while a couple had just a hint of red at the tip. The more red ones became soft and ripe in five to ten days, and although not as sweet as the freshly picked ripe peaches from Cave Sky Pool, they were still delicious and much sweeter than nectarines. Yet this least ripe one had been stored for twenty-one days.

The color seemed quite good, besides the base of the peach being somewhat greenish, it got redder and yellower towards the top and turned golden at the tip. The taste, however, was uncertain.

She washed, peeled, and slowly savored the peach. Mmm, it was indeed good; the taste was slightly milder compared to the previous peaches but was still quite sweet and juicy. She didn’t finish it all, leaving a small portion in a bowl for Monkey Sister.

She didn’t know what the history of the past life was like, but in this dynasty, the North could only grow greasy peaches that were not very tasty, while the nectarines grown in the South couldn’t be produced at all. The sweet, juicy nectarines of the South were nothing but a beautiful legend to northerners, unless one could travel south during May or June.

Nectarines were different from longans that can handle being jostled. "A lady laughs from a dust-covered ride, none aware that longans have arrived"—meaning longans from Lingnan could be quickly transported to the Capital City by fast horse.

But nectarines were different; they’d spoil with the slightest knock. Forget riding fast horses—even running with a basket could easily damage them. Picking half-ripe nectarines and storing them for a long time didn’t make them any tastier.

Now things were better; golden honey peaches, even tastier than nectarines, could finally leave Ji’an and be transported to the Capital City via the Green Spring River and Jingxiang Canal, and also sent to Jiangnan through Green Spring River and Qian River.

This was truly a windfall.

The few golden honey peaches that Qian Sangui had previously boasted about were no longer flaunted outwardly; they were shared only among family members and Mr. Yu, with Old man Qian and Old woman Qian being invited to taste one, being told it was a devotional fruit given by Master Beikong.

Old man Qian and Old woman Qian had long idolized the Old Monk, treating him like an Immortal. Having eaten the fruit he sent, they seemed to walk with a spring in their step for several days. Especially Old woman Qian, who reportedly didn’t need her walking stick on the day she ate the "devotional fruit."

Such is the power of the spirit.

Only when she thought of the golden honey peaches that could bring in a large fortune did Qian Yixiu’s face reveal a bit of a smile, and her previously downcast mood somewhat lifted.

It was only on the night she returned that she discovered when Serpent Vine Chrysanthemum and leaves of the Dragon Fragrance Tree were together, only a slight scent of the leaves’ green fragrance could be perceived. However, when the leaves of the Dragon Fragrance Tree were on their own, the scent was fragrant and long-lasting, especially since if you touched the leaves in the morning, the fragrance would linger on your hands into the evening.

The scent of the Serpent Vine Chrysanthemum and Dragon Fragrance Tree suppressed each other; this must be the principle of mutual promotion and restraint.

A few days later, Qian Yixiu gave some pearls of mediocre quality and the dozen or so Dragon Fragrance Tree leaves to Master Jin. Upon seeing the leaves, Master Jin was moved to tears. He said that the Dragon Fragrance Tree was even rarer than ambergris, and even his master had never seen one, yet he had. However, the best parts of the Dragon Fragrance Tree were the bark and branches, the leaves were fine too, but they couldn’t compare to the bark.