Shen Wuqiu: "We business people value integrity above all else."
Mr. Zhang: "Ms. Shen is right. But I still hope that Ms. Shen can reserve more stock for me."
Shen Wuqiu readily agreed: "Based on the recent yield, we can only pick about 500 catties of fully ripe bayberries a day at most. Of course, if you don't have strict requirements on the ripeness, you can pick about 2,000 catties."
After a brief pause on the other end of the phone, Boss Zhang said, "Two thousand catties is a bit too little. Several of my bosses need to take some. As for the ripeness, there aren't any strict requirements, since I also need to set aside a batch for export."
Shen Wuqiu was somewhat surprised: "Export? Exporting bayberries, the cost must be very high?"
Mr. Zhang said casually, "The cost is not low, but the export price is also not low. Overall, if you are not afraid of trouble, you can still make a profit."
Shen Wuqiu: "Isn't it troublesome with customs?"
Mr. Zhang answered enthusiastically: "I didn't know before, but it seems that the country has opened a large number of green channels for fruit exports this year, including bayberries."
Shen Wuqiu pondered for a few seconds: "When do you need it? We've already pre-ordered 800 jin for tomorrow."
Mr. Zhang thought for a moment and asked, "How much bayberry do you have left in your entire bayberry orchard?"
Shen Wuqiu: "I can only give you a rough idea. Based on the recent weather, it can probably last for about another week."
Mr. Zhang: "Alright, I'm not greedy. Just set aside the quantities for tomorrow and the day after."
That was Shen Wuqiu's plan. "Thank you for your understanding and support."
Mr. Zhang: "If I had known this would happen, I should have ordered more the day before yesterday. To be honest, your bayberries are really good. My wife can't stop eating them. She's so old, yet she's still so greedy. Her teeth are sore from eating them, but she still wants more."
Shen Wuqiu chuckled, thinking that this Mrs. Zhang must be a bit of a simpleton, just like a certain cat.
After exchanging a few more words, Shen Wuqiu hung up the phone.
As soon as she hung up the phone, she heard Su Yunzhi say to Shen's father, "Lingyu forgot to bring the dried fish she was supposed to take with her. Since it's nothing else, why don't you take it to her?"
These past few days, Zheng Xinghe has been frequently visiting the Shen family. After checking in, he goes with his father to work in the bayberry orchard, earning a lot of praise from the elders in the family.
Gu Lingyu refused to let him be the only one trying to win people's favor, so as if she were competing with him, she dragged Zhao Jiujiu up the mountain to join in the fun just as dawn was breaking.
Mr. Shen lay on the sofa, unwilling to move. Yesterday, he refused to admit he was getting old and went to help out at the bayberry orchard until evening. Today, his back and legs were sore, and he was not very willing to run errands. "Anyway, I'll be back at noon, so it's the same whether I eat here or not."
Su Yunzhi: "This girl is still growing. She didn't eat any of the egg pancakes I made this morning. She must be hungry after working all morning."
Upon hearing this, Shen Wuqiu took the food container containing dried fish from Su Yunzhi's hand and said, "I'll take it over."
Mr. Shen immediately frowned and said, "How are you going to deliver it to her? She's so heavily pregnant, it's not easy for her to drive."
Shen Wuqiu said, "I'll walk there. It's not far, it won't even take half an hour. Anyway, it's still early and cool, so I'll just take a walk. I can also go over and tell Uncle Zheng about Boss Zhang's order."
Mr. Shen snorted, sat up from the sofa, and snapped at Su Yunzhi, "Since you're going to send food, wash some fruit and send some to Xiao Zheng too. He's been working hard these past few days."
Su Yunzhi didn't argue with him. She took some bananas, washed two bunches of grapes, packed them up, and handed them to Shen Wuqiu.
Mr. Shen brought the things over. His own car had been driven away by Zhao Jiujiu, so he could only pick up the keys to his old tricycle. "Let's go, I'll take you there."
Su Yunzhi winked at Shen Wuqiu, "The older you get, the more awkward you become."
Shen Wuqiu just smiled and followed his father into his dilapidated tricycle.
Along the way, Mr. Shen vividly demonstrated to her what it meant to be like an old ox pulling a broken cart.
What should have been a half-hour walk took Mr. Chen fifteen minutes to drive at a snail's pace.
During the conversation, Shen Wuqiu suggested, "Dad, I'm not that delicate. You can drive a little faster."
Mr. Shen scolded her, "You're not that delicate, but I'm an old man who's delicate."
Shen Wuqiu had nothing to say, so he could only stare at his father driving at a snail's pace.
On the western side of the mountain, Gu Lingyu was determined to compete with Zheng Xinghe. Every time she came down from a tree, she would check to see if the bayberries Zheng Xinghe had picked looked good and if she had as many as him.
Of course, the mortal Zheng Xinghe is no match for the cat-man Gu Lingyu.
Right now, Gu Lingyu's basket was already full, while Zheng Xinghe's was only half full. So, as if on purpose, she climbed the tree where Zheng Xinghe was and snatched the big, red fruits from the branches he had hooked over, acting all innocent after getting the better deal.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you pretty boy are really not good at working. You're too clumsy. Look at this, it's been so long, my basket is full, and you've only picked a little bit. And the bayberries you picked don't look good either."
Zheng Xinghe, like a good-natured gentleman, simply smiled and picked the few remaining fruits from the branch into his basket. "Indeed, Miss Gu is more capable."
Gu Lingyu nimbly leaped to the tip of the branch he was standing on, and deliberately bounced around, which was like adding insult to injury for the already thin branch, causing it to sway uncontrollably.
"..." Zheng Xinghe, who usually sits in an office, was not frightened by this. He instinctively dropped the hook in his hand and hugged the thick trunk tightly, but he still couldn't help but worry about the person who was up to no good: "Miss Gu, be careful."
Gu Lingyu, having succeeded in her prank, made a face at him and said, "Hehehe, you coward."
"..." Zheng Xinghe looked at her standing on the treetop, not holding onto anything, as if she were floating on the treetop. This made him tremble with fear, and he didn't dare to speak loudly. "Come here first. If you want to pick the ones over there, I can hook them over for you."
Gu Lingyu pouted, "Who asked you to help? I'm not as all bark and no bite as you."
Zheng Xinghe wanted to coax her to a safe place before talking, saying, "Whatever you say, this tree is yours, I'll find another one."
You throw a powerful punch, but the other party's reaction is like hitting cotton – it's powerless.
Gu Lingyu casually picked a bayberry, popped it into her mouth, rolled her eyes at him, and then jumped down right in front of him.
“…Miss Gu…” Zheng Xinghe’s heart was in his throat, but the dense branches blocked his view. He didn’t even care about the basket of bayberries and quickly climbed down the tree along the trunk.
As soon as he got off the tree, he saw her hopping quickly to the tricycle. Following her gaze, he realized that it was Shen Wuqiu who got off the tricycle.
As if sensing something, Shen Wuqiu looked over at him, paused, and then said casually, "Perfect timing, I brought some fruit for everyone, let's take a rest."
Zheng Xinghe smiled at her before walking towards them. Once he was in front of her, he looked Gu Lingyu up and down. "It's good that Miss Gu is alright."
Gu Lingyu saw her beloved dried fish and didn't even bother to pay attention to him. She didn't even bother to wash her hands before impatiently opening the food container.
Shen Wuqiu glanced at her and handed her a bottle of water. "Wash your hands before you eat." Then she looked at Zheng Xinghe. "Hmm? What's wrong?"
Zheng Xinghe lowered his head and thought for a moment, "Actually, it's nothing."
Shen Wuqiu felt inexplicably uncomfortable and looked at Gu Lingyu, "What did you just do?"
"I've been trying to pick bayberries all along." Gu Lingyu tried to get away with it, but when she saw Shen Wuqiu's expression, she changed her tune: "Okay, I didn't know the pretty boy was so timid, I gave him such a little fright."
Zheng Xinghe looked at her and smiled, "I think Miss Gu should call me Little Black Face now. I've been in the sun for two days and I'm not as fair as I used to be."
Chapter 61 Good People
"..." Gu Lingyu rolled her eyes speechlessly, washed her hands hastily, and reached for the dried fish.
Shen Wuqiu slapped her hand, "Wash it before you eat."
Gu Lingyu was somewhat reluctant, "I'll wash them. My hands are covered in tree moss from climbing the tree, and it won't get clean in a moment."
Shen Wuqiu coldly took the food container from her hand: "Then wash it a few more times." As she spoke, she looked at Zheng Xinghe and smiled apologetically: "She's just a child, Mr. Zheng, don't take it to heart."
Reluctantly washing her hands, Gu Lingyu emphasized, "I'm not a child anymore. I'm about to become a mother."
"..." Shen Wuqiu glared at her, then casually took a small dried fish from the food container and stuffed it into her mouth.
Gu Lingyu immediately shut up obediently.
Zheng Xinghe looked at her for a few seconds before turning his head to look at Shen Wuqiu, shaking his head, and saying with a smile, "Miss Gu is very interesting." As he spoke, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that it was inconvenient for her to wash her hands with one hand, so he offered to help her take the mineral water bottle in her other hand, "Let me pour you some water, you still need to scrub the moss on your hands to get them clean."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Wuqiu naturally reached out and rubbed Gu Lingyu's hands, which were washing, and then smiled politely at him, "Mr. Zheng, please wash your hands and have some fruit too."
Completely unaware of what had happened, Gu Lingyu looked at her hands, then at Zheng Xinghe, and blinked. She felt that the atmosphere between her sister and this man was a little strange.
Just as she was wondering, Shen Wuqiu released her hand, and even her tone of voice became much gentler: "Alright, use this hand to eat."
"..." Gu Lingyu was still a little uncomfortable. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, and then she realized something, and her face instantly turned ugly. Her sister was suddenly being so nice to her, she must be trying to show off her gentleness and virtue in front of the pretty boy. Well, she admitted that apart from liking her partner and trying to steal her away, which made her hate this pretty boy, he wasn't that annoying in other ways.
The dried fish in my hand suddenly didn't taste so good anymore.
So she withdrew her hand from the dried fish and went into the bayberry orchard with an empty basket.
"..." Shen Wuqiu stood there stunned for two seconds. "Where are you going?"
Gu Lingyu didn't turn her head, and said in a muffled voice, "Pick bayberries."
What's gotten into this kitten all of a sudden? It's so inexplicable.
Zheng Xinghe glanced at Shen Wuqiu and said, "While the weather is still cool, I'll continue picking bayberries."
Without waiting for Shen Wuqiu to say anything more, he quickly followed Gu Lingyu away.
As Shen Wuqiu watched their figures disappear into the depths of the bayberry grove, she glanced down at the food storage box in her hand, inexplicably feeling a surge of anger. Just as she was about to vent her frustration on the dried fish, Zhao Jiujiu and Daiying arrived carrying half a basket of bayberries.
"Qiuqiu, did you say something about Lingyu again? I think this little girl has such a sullen face despite her fair complexion." Zhao Jiujiu bumped into the two of them as she came over.
"I didn't say anything." Shen Wuqiu saw Daiying there, gave them a forced smile, and invited them to eat fruit. "There aren't many other fruits at home, just some bananas and grapes."
Zhao Jiujiu was extremely thirsty, and upon seeing the juicy grapes, she didn't even bother to wash her hands before picking two and popping them into her mouth.
Daiying laughed at her from the side, "Tsk, you're disgusted by a little bit of grass pulp on your clothes, but you don't mind eating with your hands black now."
Zhao Jiujiu rolled her eyes at her, "I was thirsty, didn't I? Don't think I didn't see you hiding in the tree eating bayberries. They weren't washed, and you ate quite a few."
"These fruits growing on the tree are imbued with the essence of the sun and moon." Daiying shrugged, and as she spoke, she took a bottle of water from the mineral water tank next to her, unscrewed it, and handed it to her.
"Nonsense." Zhao Jiujiu snorted, but still took the water she was offered, tilted her head back and drank half the bottle in one gulp, then continued to Shen Wuqiu: "I thought Xiao Zheng couldn't do this kind of work, but I didn't expect him to be so hardworking. Qiuqiu, I think he must have some feelings for you, and he just came to us to show off."
It's a performance, but it's unclear in front of anyone.
Shen Wuqiu lowered her eyes, "Lingyu is quite hardworking too."
“Lingyu has really impressed me lately.” Zhao Jiujiu glanced at Daiying. “Don’t let her usual carefree and childlike behavior fool you. These past few days in the Yangmei Garden, she’s been quite capable, even more so than her mother.”
Daiying automatically muted her last sentence and casually replied, "I wonder who our Ayu is putting on an act for."
"..." Zhao Jiujiu was stunned. She looked at her, her mind seemingly wandering. She stared blankly into the depths of the bayberry garden, a look of disbelief flashing in her eyes. Then her brows furrowed deeply. "My goodness, could it be that Lingyu, this little girl, has fallen in love for the first time?"
"..." Daiying hadn't expected her to have such a rich imagination.
Shen Wuqiu was also stunned. After realizing what was happening, she glanced at Daiying and quickly said, "Aunt, what are you talking about?"
Daiying was also afraid that Zhao Jiujiu's idea was deeply ingrained and that she thought her daughter was a fickle cat, so she quickly tried to defend her: "Aunt Wuqiu is really joking. Look at Ayu, when does she ever not speak to people in a fierce tone?"
Zhao Jiujiu, however, thought about it more and more and felt that this was indeed the case: "You just don't understand, do you? Teenage girls are all like this, always saying one thing and meaning another to seek attention. Besides, before Xiao Zheng came, when was she not always following Qiuqiu around? Look at her now."
She spoke very logically and persuasively.
Shen Wuqiu swallowed hard, hesitating slightly.
Dai Ying wanted to say a few words in defense of her cat, but when she noticed Shen Wuqiu's expression out of the corner of her eye, she hesitated for a moment and swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Seeing that they were all silent, Zhao Jiujiu felt even more certain that she was right.