Chapter 99 Persimmon

Author: Feng Si Niang

Chapter 99 Persimmon

The trip to Wu Gorge that Xue Feibai imagined was not a charming and romantic one. Du Heng was not even willing to talk to him on the way and just remained in a daze.

Then they returned all the way along the path going south. She was just on her way and had no interest in playing. Xue Feibai was miserable.

By the time I left Sichuan, I had even lost three pounds!

This doesn't work!

Xue Feibai refused to continue going north despite all the noise. He insisted on going east, going south along the Yangtze River and passing by the two lakes.

It is said that you need to buy special products on the road, otherwise how can you explain it to your family?

Du Heng looked sideways, but he thought that even if he went north, he would have to go east in the end, so it was better to follow his wishes.

Xue Fei smiled so hard that he couldn't see his teeth, "First stop, Wuchang Mansion, Hanyang Mansion, here we come!"

As soon as he set foot on the border of Wuchang Prefecture, Xue Feibai immediately ran to the downtown to find snacks;

Du Heng wandered aimlessly in the nearby market, looking for things suitable to take back to Beijing as "specialties".

We walked into the flower and bird market. Wouldn’t it be nice to take some live animals back? Du Heng thought to himself.

But she didn't think about it for too long when she was attracted by a large circle of people at the junction of the Flower and Bird Market and the Grain Market not far away.

There, all the men, women and men, old and young, stretched their necks to look at it;

Children who come with adults sit on their adults' necks and watch;

The little devils who had nowhere to ride, some relied on their small bodies to shuttle between the crowds, and some simply lay on the ground and got into the crotches of the adults and reached the center of the circle.

Everyone pointed and pointed while looking at it, and they also made sounds of admiration.

The person in the center of the circle is a seven-foot-tall, bearded, and dusty Northland businessman;

What attracted more attention than his tall stature and rugged appearance were the piles of goods on the carriage behind him that were taller than him.

And the pots of colorful plants in front of him really didn't match his image.

I saw that this plant was about four or five feet tall, with stems like wormwood, leaves like mugwort, and flowers like pomegranates;

An immature branch is about to bear three to five fruits, and the whole plant has about twenty or thirty fruits. The fruits are still small, green and red, and they are really cute.

The fully grown ones in the other pot are each as big as a fist, red in color, and have fallen branches that are bent over.

The latter one seems to have a better meaning than the yellow persimmon, and unlike persimmons, it can be planted in a pot, making it look as nice as it can be placed at home.

Du Heng had seen this plant before. It was an ornamental flower imported from overseas. Because of its blood-red color when mature, the local natives called it "Fox's Fruit" or "Wolf Peach";

Later it was introduced to the Central Plains, and because it was a native flower, the fruit was called Pansimmon, also known as June persimmon.

It is said that he comes from a country called "Flangji".

Because my grandmother likes flowers and plants very much, she cannot let go of this rare and exotic plant.

So I tried every means to find it and put it on a shelf in the back garden. When the fruit was fully ripe, it was bright and beautiful.

This flower was also popular in the aristocratic circles at that time, but because it was too "easy to take care of", it was not as delicate and valuable as orchids and peonies; and it had to be harvested every year after planting, and later it "disappeared into the flowers".

"Yes.

Now if I look for it again, I can always find it in the flower and bird market in the capital; I didn’t expect that this flower would pop up in Wuchang Prefecture.

There was a teacher in the circle who was quite knowledgeable, stroking his beard and said unhurriedly:

"It's just a persimmon, it only lives for one season; although the color is festive, it can't survive the winter, and it can't last as long as raising a clump of bamboo~"

The businessman did not feel any embarrassment at being exposed, and said frankly:

"What this old gentleman said is absolutely true. This thing is not suitable for viewing. It will die after one season -"

"Then why are you trying to show off!" The onlookers around them soon had enough and wanted to disperse...

Just listen to the bearded businessman continue to say unhurriedly:

"I originally didn't use it to sell flowers and plants, but used it to sell fruits and vegetables! Isn't this also a grain market!?"

As soon as these words came out, the whole place fell silent.

Everyone took a closer look at the potted flower... and the fruit.

It is indeed highly productive, and it is easy to live with if you obey, and is easier to take care of than flowers.

It matures faster than soybeans, wheat, rice, etc.; and there is no need to reprocess the soybeans into tofu, wheat into flour, etc...

If planted in batches, it would be a hugely profitable business...

Wait, here comes the key point: is this thing edible? Even if it is edible, is it delicious?

Everyone looked at the big fruit that was redder than the crane's crown, and fell into deep thought for a moment.

Finally, the teacher cleared his throat again and spoke: "Is this really edible? Is it poisonous?"

Du Heng squinted her eyes, and she suddenly remembered that Xiao Zimei had vaguely mentioned that persimmons could be eaten.

But when my grandmother's maid said that my grandmother was just there for viewing, she showed her usual sweet smile.

For someone as monstrous as her, I must be disdainful from the bottom of my heart.

At the same time, the bearded businessman picked a red fruit generously and took a bite without hesitation.

After one sip, the juice exploded, and a lot of watery red juice flowed down his bearded beard, spreading out a mass of different shades of red on his chest.

Although no one could taste it, they all miraculously felt the sweetness of fruits and vegetables sliding down the taste buds on their tongues and into their throats.

"Gulu——" I don't know which child didn't restrain himself, and his saliva dripped to the ground.

"Well, it's so sour and sweet, it's really delicious~" The bearded man said with emotion after eating in a very unruly manner.

He lifted up the remaining half of the persimmon and walked around the field for everyone to see. Inside was a transparent pulp that was as dangling as pig skin jelly. It was red and yellow, making people feel like their index fingers were moving when they looked at it.

The elusive Xue Feibai appeared out of nowhere: "Can I eat cooked food?"

"This young master is really an old man! You can tell he is an expert at first glance, and the cooked ones taste even better!"

I wonder if any of the spectators can contribute some ingredients? I will demonstrate how to fry it and eat it!" The bearded man was eager to try it.

Soon there was a commotion in the crowd, and kitchen knives, iron pots, firewood, eggs, coriander, onions, garlic, ginger, salt, etc. were all put in place...

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" The bearded man quickly waved to stop.

Then he quickly put the pot on the fire and very skillfully peeled and cut the red fruits.

Du Heng looked at Xue Feibai strangely, "Didn't you go to eat?"

Xue Fei said: "How can I not enjoy this excitement?"

At the same time, he picked up a piece of fried dough sticks from the coarse porcelain bowl in his hand and put it into Du Heng's mouth.

He asked: "Isn't it delicious? I'm rushing to the morning market, so of course I need to replenish my physical fitness!"

It’s tomatoes~
Chapter completed!