She had originally squeezed into the car window on the side facing Mr. Shen, but when she realized that the people outside were only talking to Zhou Xingxing, she became a little unwilling and immediately squeezed into this side of the car window.
Compared to Sanmao's sweet and gentle voice, Ermao's voice was as fierce as her hair, a fiery and assertive older sister voice that sounded a bit intimidating.
However, to Zheng Xinghe, a cat lover, each cat was adorable in its own way: "There's also a cute little pear blossom cat."
Seeing that he genuinely loved fluffy things, Stephen Chow immediately picked up Si Mao, who was sleeping in, to show him as well, saying, "There aren't just these two cuties; there are several more in the car."
"You're such a good parent! These little cuties are absolutely gorgeous." Zheng Xinghe couldn't help but get out of the car and walk over to pat Er Mao's head, who was closest to him. "They're so smooth."
Seeing this, Sanmao immediately rubbed her head against his.
However, Zheng Xinghe didn't notice, as he was too busy looking at Da Mao and A Shu, whom Zhou Xingxing had introduced to him.
Sanmao, who had failed to get any affection, immediately got angry. She meowed at him in dissatisfaction, then jumped down angrily and lay down on her father's lap.
"..." This display of presence was so powerful that Zheng Xinghe clearly felt it, but he was a little puzzled. "Why do I feel like she seems... a little angry?"
Stephen Chow took a moment to pat Sanmao's head. "Oh, she's angry."
"???Why?"
Stephen Chow: "Because you just touched her sister's head, but not hers."
"..." Zheng Xinghe couldn't help but laugh and said to Shen Wuqiu, "This is too cute! No wonder it's your cat. Even my dad praised your cat for being cute and intelligent."
"You don't need to tell me that." Gu Miaomiao was always annoyed when she saw this person talking to her partner, and she immediately started arguing.
Zheng Xinghe glanced at her, smiled, and didn't chat with them for long before getting back to business. "Seriously, if you really want to watch the dragon boat races, I suggest you rent a motorcycle to take you there. You can't get through that intersection in town."
Uncle Zheng also said, "The dragon boat race isn't anything special, so I think you don't need to squeeze in."
Gu Miaomiao, as if remembering something, suddenly poked her head out and asked Zheng Xinghe, "By the way, what are you doing here?"
Zheng Xinghe: "I came to the countryside to relax during my vacation."
Gu Miaomiao: "Then why didn't you bring your girlfriend?"
"???" Zheng Xinghe was puzzled, but still answered her politely, "I don't have a girlfriend yet."
Gu Miaomiao clicked her tongue a few times, "How pitiful."
"..."
Shen Wuqiu was extremely embarrassed and was about to smooth things over when Gu Miaomiao spoke up again: "So, do you want a girlfriend?"
"???" Zheng Xinghe was both embarrassed and wanted to laugh. Strangely, at that moment, the slight flutter in his heart seemed to calm down instantly. He looked at her openly and generously, "What, are you going to introduce me to someone?"
Gu Miaomiao shrugged, remained silent, and turned to look at her partner.
Shen Wuqiu exchanged a glance with her and instantly understood what she meant, but...
Gu Miaomiao knew what she was thinking, and simply said, "I can smell it."
Shen Wuqiu understood immediately. She stared blankly for a few seconds, looking at Gu Miaomiao in disbelief.
Gu Miaomiao pouted and looked at Zheng Xinghe outside. "I'm not the matchmaker. Besides, as an adult human, it's really pathetic to ask someone for help when it comes to finding a partner."
"..." Zheng Xinghe was speechless.
Shen Wuqiu was extremely apologetic. "I'm so sorry, she just talks like a child. Just take it as innocent childish talk."
Uncle Zheng: "I think Lingyu is right. She's already thirty years old and still can't find a partner. That's really pathetic."
Zheng Xinghe smiled awkwardly, wanting to quickly skip the topic and ask them, "Are you still going to town?"
"I'm not going." Before Shen Wuqiu could speak, Gu Miaomiao spoke first, then looked directly at Zheng Xinghe: "But Zhou Xingxing really wants to go."
Zheng Xinghe hesitated for a few seconds, then looked at Zhou Xingxing and asked very politely, "Why don't you ride with me?"
Stephen Chow's face flushed instantly. "Ah, isn't that a bit inappropriate? No need for that. If it's too congested, then I won't..."
Gu Miaomiao: "Didn't you say you'd never seen a dragon boat race before and were curious? It's only once a year; if you miss it this year, you'll have to wait until next year."
Even the straightforward Uncle Zheng realized what was going on and slapped Zheng Xinghe on the back. "Since you're free anyway, why don't you take him to see someone?"
Zheng Xinghe was confused by his father's pat, but he still said enthusiastically, "Anyway, I'm just out for some fresh air. It's okay, I'll take you there."
Zhou Xingxing looked at him, then at Shen Wuqiu, and said nothing.
Looking at her slightly flushed face, Shen Wuqiu felt a mix of emotions. After hesitating for a few seconds, he asked, "Do you want to go?"
Zhou Xingxing bit her lip. "If you're not going, then I won't go either..."
Gu Miaomiao rolled her eyes. "Then let's not go. Let's go home."
Stephen Chow: "Can I bring a baby with me?"
Upon hearing this, Er Mao and San Mao immediately perked up their ears at the same time.
Shen Wuqiu's feelings became even more complicated. "Which child do you want to take?"
Looking at the kittens, Zhou Xingxing was torn between his thoughts and his own. "Four-hair cat, perhaps?"
Shen Wuqiu thought for a moment, then said, "Alright."
So, Shen Wuqiu personally opened the car door for her, dismissed her child, and then watched her get on Zheng Xinghe's motorcycle before seeing the two of them off.
Uncle Zheng: "My dear niece, your college roommate doesn't have a boyfriend, right?"
Su Yunzhi: "That's all. To be honest, I feel that stars and the Milky Way are quite a good match."
Gu Miaomiao: "Stars are meant to fall into the Milky Way."
"...Oh dear, why didn't I think of this before?"
Inside the car, Er Mao and San Mao kept cursing and swearing.
Er Mao: "Meow~" [I'm done loving you.]
Sanmao: "Meow~" [Ignoring her.]
The two sisters grumbled and cursed for a while, but finally, Big Fur, unable to bear it any longer, yelled at them, and they quieted down.
Chapter 157
It's still quite a distance from the three-way intersection to the Yangmei Garden in Xishan.
Shen Wuqiu hadn't been to the bayberry orchard for a few days, so she let Uncle Zheng get in the car and they went to the bayberry orchard together.
It's the season for bayberries to ripen, and the orchard needs to be manned. Uncle Zheng and Duan Guodong take turns guarding it. When they arrived, Duan Guodong was sitting in the shed making scarecrows.
"Oh, boss, you've come to inspect our work today." Duan Guodong greeted them as they approached without getting up, continuing his work as he spoke.
Shen Wuqiu knew what kind of person he was, so she didn't pay attention to his teasing. She picked up Er Mao and prepared to go inside for a walk, but Er Mao struggled to get down from her arms. After thinking for a moment, she put her down and said, "Don't run around."
As soon as Er Mao went down, he set his sights on the two scarecrows that Duan Guodong had already set up. Thinking they were some kind of novel toy, he grabbed one of the scarecrows and started scratching it.
With one swipe of her paw, she pulled several straws off the scarecrow.
"Oh dear, you little rascal, you can't play with that." Duan Guodong was heartbroken and quickly waved her away, preventing her from getting closer.
With his mother, grandma, and maternal grandparents all there, Er Mao wasn't afraid anymore. He stood there, tilting his head and staring at Duan Guodong.
Duan Guodong knew these were the Shen family's little darlings, so he didn't sternly drive them away. Instead, he asked Shen Wuqiu for help, "Boss, please take your little darlings away quickly. I can't let all the effort I put into this morning go to waste."
"Baby, come here." Only then did Shen Wuqiu notice the several scarecrows placed around her, and couldn't help but wonder, "Why did you make so many scarecrows?"
Duan Guodong feigned a sigh, "It's all because the bayberries you grow are so delicious, boss. They've attracted all the birds in the sky. They're almost ripe, and if I don't scare these little creatures away, they'll ruin them."
Shen Wuqiu raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun and looked up at the top of the bayberry trees in the garden. She saw several birds flying around on them.
"Will this work?"
"Whether it works or not, let's give it a try." Uncle Zheng picked up a long bamboo pole from the ground and chased the bird down from the bayberry tree where Father Chen was standing. "Ho ho ho..."
Seeing the thing flapping its wings on the tree, Sanmao, who was in her father's arms, became restless. In a flash, she kicked off her father's shoulder and leaped up the bayberry tree. It's no exaggeration to say that she really flew.
In the blink of an eye, everyone saw a white shadow floating around on the bayberry tree. By the time everyone realized what was happening, Sanmao had already landed on the ground with the little bird in his mouth.
"..." The Shen family, who knew the true nature of their offspring, a divine beast, were not surprised, but Uncle Zheng and Duan Guodong were a little frightened. "How...how did she catch her?"
"Meow~" [That's how you catch it~]
Sanmao put the little bird down. The bird was still alive, but Sanmao used one foot to hold down one of its wings, so it couldn't fly no matter how hard it flapped. Sanmao looked up with a proud expression, waiting for everyone's praise.
Gu Miaomiao jumped up and picked a bunch of bayberries. Without washing them, she stuffed two into her mouth. Seeing their horrified expressions, she grumbled, "What's so strange about this? Don't you even know whose child this is..."
"...Haha, our little darlings are all quite agile." Shen Wuqiu quickly changed the subject, afraid that she was talking nonsense. "The weather has been good lately, so I guess we can start picking in large quantities in another three days, right?"
"Not even three days," Uncle Duan waved his hand repeatedly. "In two days at most, we'll start harvesting in bulk. I was just about to come and discuss this with you today. Have you finalized the deals with the buyers?"
“I’ve already contacted several suppliers, and they can deliver anytime.” Shen Wuqiu nodded. Although last year’s bayberry yield wasn’t high, the quality was excellent. When the bayberries were just starting to develop their patina this year, the buyers from last year started discussing purchasing them with her one after another. However, this year’s quantity is more than double that of last year. If we buy according to last year’s quantity, it probably won’t be enough.
"That's good." Uncle Duan seemed to remember something. "Have you discussed the price with them? My dear niece, I'm not saying this to be mean, but this year's batch of bayberries is really amazing. I think they can be sold as high-end fruit. I bet you can't find bayberries on the market that taste the same as ours."
Duan Guodong: "Yes, yes, yes. I picked some and brought them home for my family to try these past two days. My dad said that eating these bayberries might make you an immortal. He's never eaten such delicious bayberries in his life."
"Is it really that exaggerated?" Shen Wuqiu was amused by him. "As for the price, we haven't discussed it yet. It will most likely be based on last year's price."
"We'll have to talk about that then." Uncle Duan looked at the garden full of bayberries with great satisfaction. "I think you should be able to make a fortune from this batch of bayberries this year."
Shen Wuqiu just smiled, but out of the corner of her eye she saw that a certain cat was actually ordering Ah Shu to climb a tree to pick bayberries for her, and she was speechless, "These bayberries haven't been washed yet, so eat less of them."
"It's alright, a little dirt won't hurt. But I'm just worried that if you eat too much, your teeth will hurt again." Uncle Duan smiled and took out a few baskets from the shed. "It's not hot yet. Since you're already here, go and pick some to take home."
Shen Wuqiu wasn't very interested in this, but Gu Miaomiao was very interested. She immediately grabbed two baskets, and Sanmao and Ermao, seeing this, also gathered around, staring longingly at the red plastic baskets in Uncle Duan's hands, meowing.
I want one too!
Even Uncle Duan noticed their thoughts when they saw how lively and friendly they were, and said to Chen Wuqiu with a smile, "Your cats are practically sentient, aren't they? Are they asking me for a basket too?"
Shen Wuqiu looked at his little one with a mixture of doting and helplessness, and asked him, "I remember there were those small baskets last year, do you have them this year? Let's hang one around each of their necks."
"Tsk tsk tsk, boss, you really spoil your cats. But your cats are really more intelligent than other people's cats, they're just short of speaking human language."
"It's not that I can't speak human language, it's just that I'm afraid of scaring you."
"Haha, I didn't expect the proprietress to be such a humorous person."
"Hehe..." Shen Wuqiu chuckled and urged Gu Miaomiao to hurry up and pick bayberries. Fortunately, others would only take the cat's serious truth as a joke.
Mr. Shen and Su Yunzhi also wanted to pick some, but most of the bayberry trees were tall, and the first batch of ripe ones were all at the top of the tree, so they would have to climb the tree. Shen Wuqiu was worried that the two elders were too old, so she didn't let them help. Instead, she sat with them in the shed and chatted while Gu Miaomiao took the four kittens to pick some.
Of course, the four kittens couldn't pick many bayberries; it was just to satisfy their curiosity.