Because both parties were very sincere, the adoption was settled, and neither side mentioned child support. Everyone knew that the so-called child support was just a bargaining chip to force Grandma Camellia to give up.
Jiang Yu didn't really care. Even though his house was dilapidated, he and Shan Yan were both making money at the time.
The money I earn from harvesting honey and collecting herbs in the mountains every year has accumulated to about 200,000 yuan, which is enough to support my three children without much pressure.
Moreover, he and Shanyan had already planned to rent a house in the village and set up beehives at the foot of the mountain to raise bees themselves, which would also help supplement their living expenses.
As for the affairs in the mountains, Shan Yan wasn't worried at all.
After all, there are fewer and fewer experienced craftsmen willing to go into the mountains to find rock honey these days. No one is willing to risk their life for a few thousand yuan. The rock honey is just hanging there; it's not going to grow legs and run away on its own.
At worst, he can just work a little harder and take his apprentices into the mountains to stay for a while when harvesting honey. It won't matter if Jiang Yu is missing one person.
"Leave the house rental to me! I'll call you later to ask around. You can go down the mountain and check; there are quite a few houses in the village that are willing to rent out now." Jiang Xiaoman took the initiative to take on the task.
He was also planning to rent a house in the village to set up a courier pickup and delivery point.
Now he has more and more fans on several platforms, and many fans are advising him to take advantage of his popularity and quickly start his own local specialty product business.
Fans are constantly worried that their beloved Xiaoman will run away to work to pay off debts from building a house. They now rely on Jiang Xiaoman's videos to watch while eating, so please, please don't stop updating!
The next morning, after breakfast, Aunt Chen was going home because she had two children at home who needed someone to take care of them.
However, Jiang Xiaoman promised her that she would help her take the three children down there in a couple of days.
Last night, after discussing it, we decided that since the children might not be able to adapt to going into the mountains all at once, we should rent a house in the village now and leave the children here in Langshan Village to get used to it. That way, Shancha can come and visit her two younger sisters from time to time.
Jiang Xiaoman stayed mainly because she wanted to go into the mountains with Shan Yan and the others to shoot some more footage.
Since the three videos of him harvesting honey in the mountains were released last time, fans have been asking him in the comments when he will go into the mountains again, and quite a few people actually want to buy rock honey from Shanyan's family.
Jiang Xiaoman came here for two reasons. One was to accompany Aunt Chen to send her three children to their new home to experience life there. The other main reason was to pick up some rock honey and take some more footage back with her.
When Camellia saw that Jiang Xiaoman hadn't left, her tense mood gradually relaxed.
Actually, she didn't have much contact with her aunt. On the contrary, she often ran into Jiang Xiaoman at school. Jiang Xiaoman especially liked to buy things for them to eat, so the children at school all liked this principal's nephew.
"Brother Xiaoyu, what are we doing today?" Jiang Xiaoman couldn't help but ask after seeing Aunt Chen off.
"Hehe~ I'll take you into the mountains to pick wild strawberries! There are also hairy winter melons and wild persimmons. Pick a lot and bring some back for your dad." Jiang Yu took out several small baskets, divided them among them, and then carried the smallest one, Shanhua Meizi, on his back.
Little Shanhua doesn't understand anything yet, but the little one probably senses Jiang Yu's affection for her. She lies comfortably on his back, holding the lollipop Jiang Yu gave her, sucking on it until her saliva is flowing.
Jiang Xiaoman thought Jiang Yu was going to take them to pick a kind of wild strawberry that ripens in autumn, but unexpectedly Shan Yan and Jiang Yu led them to climb a mountain and run to the roadside on this side of the mountain. On this gentle slope, there was actually a large patch of wild strawberries!
Chapter 105
As autumn arrives, many plants and trees in the mountains begin to wither, but this is the perfect time to eat wild strawberries.
These wild strawberries look almost the same as cultivated strawberries, just a bit smaller. But the taste of naturally ripened ones is just as good as those artificially ripened ones sold in supermarkets. Some of the overripe wild strawberries had even fallen to the ground and rotted, which broke Jiang Xiaoman's heart.
Because it was close to the road and we were worried about safety, Shan Yan led the way, and the group went down the slope to the bottom of the ditch. Unexpectedly, there were even more wild strawberries down there!
And probably because they're far from the road, the strawberries don't look dirty at all; you can pick them and eat them right away.
We found a relatively clean rocky beach by the river, spread out the tarpaulin we had brought, put down the smallest wildflowers first, picked a handful of wild strawberries for her to eat slowly, and when we turned around, the others had already started picking strawberries.
Jiang Xiaoman also found an open space, set up her equipment, and started filming a video.
"Hi everyone, this is Brother Xiaoman. I'm here again to take advantage of Brother Shanyan's farm today. Look at this huge patch of wild strawberries! They're all ours today!"
As she spoke, Jiang Xiaoman turned the tripod and took a panoramic photo of the hillside covered with wild strawberries.
"Actually, there are many kinds of wild strawberries in our mountains. They are all called wild strawberries. The ones that ripen in May are called prickly strawberries or raspberries. The ones that ripen in autumn are smaller and have more thorns, and they are also called prickly strawberries. This one is not the same. Let me pick one for you to see."
Jiang Xiaoman picked a ripe wild strawberry and handed it to the camera for a close-up shot. "Look, isn't this exactly the same as the strawberries we usually buy in the supermarket? It's just a little smaller, but it tastes really good."
As she spoke, Jiang Xiaoman didn't care whether fans would criticize her for only caring about eating after watching this segment. She squatted down and started picking and eating, enjoying her meal immensely.
They don't have these wild strawberries that grow on the ground where they live. As Jiang Xiaoman ate, she thought to herself that she must come here next spring to dig up some strawberry seedlings to take back and plant herself.
Anyway, there's still a lot of empty space in his tea garden. They can plant some tea there, no matter how little, it will be enough for their own consumption.
Furthermore, he plans to renovate the guesthouse rooms next year so that when tourists come to visit, he can take them to pick wild strawberries.
Camellia and her younger sister, Shanguo, were also picking and eating strawberries nearby. Shanyan silently followed behind the two little girls, picking strawberries while keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn't fall down the slope.
Jiang Yu picked wild strawberries for a while and then went to take care of Shan Hua. Shan Hua was a very well-behaved child. Perhaps because no one had taken care of her since she was little, she didn't cry even when she was left there. When she saw Jiang Yu bring her a big bunch of bright red wild strawberries, she raised her little face and showed a big smile, which almost melted Jiang Yu's heart.
He just couldn't understand why anyone would dislike such a well-behaved and adorable little girl.
Look at their wildflowers, how beautiful they are! And how lovely their smiles are!
He's simply the most handsome boy in the whole area!
It's quite a coincidence that these three children are related to his family, as they all share the surname Shan. His family member, Shan Yan, also has the surname Shan, so they don't even need to change their surnames.
In a few years, when they've raised him to be plump and healthy, and then take him out, everyone will say that he's their child.
The group spent the morning picking four full baskets of wild strawberries. Everyone ate until their bellies were round, and the three little ones were even burping from the food.
Jiang Yu even deliberately left the unripe strawberries aside so that Jiang Xiaoman and the others could take them back and eat them when they came down the mountain the next day.
In the afternoon, Shanyan led a few people to the back mountain to pick wild persimmons and hairy winter melons. The wild persimmons in the mountains are not big and have many seeds, but they are very sweet when ripe.
Hairy winter melon, also known as wild kiwi, is actually not very big. It has a thick layer of fuzz on the outside, which makes it look unappetizing, but it is actually quite sweet once it is picked and ripened.
The three little ones were having so much fun that they almost didn't want to leave the mountain.
Actually, they have these things too in Langshan, but villagers usually go up the mountain to work. Even if they bring their children, they just leave them at the edge of the field and go to work. They don't do what Shanyan and his family do, bringing their children into the mountains to pick fruit and play.
Camellia has grown this big, and the only time I've been here is during summer vacation when I go to the nearby mountains with the village kids to find some wild fruits. I've never been to such deep mountains before, and everything looks so strange to me.
Jiang Xiaoman teased her, saying that she could write a diary entry when she got back, and he had even thought of a title for her: "An Unforgettable Day".
The little girl immediately made a face and pouted.
Jiang Xiaoman laughed out loud, but Jiang Yu, who overheard her, slapped her away: "Go away! It's a rare weekend for the child to relax, why write a diary?"
On Sunday, when they went down the mountain, Shan Yan and Jiang Yu practically carried Jiang Xiaoman and her three children all the way to the village, their baskets almost bursting from the weight of their bags.
When acquaintances who happened to be passing by saw it, they heard that Shan Yan was going to adopt two girls from Langshan Village who were almost sold by their biological fathers, and they all praised them for "doing a good deed".
People in the mountains don't know much about the law; they only know that as long as there's still food in the house, a normal person wouldn't sell their children.
The Camellia Sisters' plight is truly pitiful!
Everyone knows Shan Yan and Jiang Yu's character. The fact that they were adopted by these two sworn brothers has led to the unanimous opinion in the local community that "the three Camellia sisters are finally going to have a happy ending after all their hardships."
Isn't this a case of hardship finally giving way to happiness?
In less than half a month, Jiang Xiaoman helped Jiang Yu find a house in the village, talked to several homeowners by phone, and finally chose the house next to the village chief.
Although their house is not big, their yard and vegetable garden are quite large, and they can even draw water from a spring on the mountain in the backyard, which makes water use very convenient.
Jiang Yu heard that his family also had to rent land in the village, so he simply rented the land as well.
Including the house and land, it costs four thousand yuan a year, which is definitely a considerable expense in the eyes of the villagers.
It is clear that Jiang Yu genuinely wanted to raise these three children well. To make it easier for them to go to school, she even went down the mountain and spent money to rent a house.
In most families, even if it were their own child, they wouldn't be willing to spend that money.
Chen Sao was very moved when she heard this. She brought a lot of vegetable and fruit seeds that she had saved from home. She and Jiang Yu also planned to buy two piglets. Since there was a pigsty in the rented house, they could raise them this year and slaughter them for meat next spring.
Jiang Yu's coming down the mountain to live in the village has been a great help to Jiang Xiaoman!
Over the years, he has gone into the mountains with Shan Yan to harvest honey, and he is very familiar with the habits of local native bees. He also knows how to distinguish between different qualities of native honey. Seeing that he was not busy, Jiang Xiaoman simply invited him to go with her to collect native honey from nearby villagers.
Last time, he sold all of the more than 100 kilograms of rock honey he brought from the mountain. The feedback was also very pleasantly surprising. Almost all the fans who tried it said that if he could maintain this quality and price, they would buy honey from him for their families in the future.
However, some fans expressed that the price of wild rock honey is too high and they urgently hope that Jiang Xiaoman can find some more affordable wild honey for them. They don't mind if it's honey raised by local people, as long as it's real honey.
Just as the autumn honey harvest was about to begin, Jiang Xiaoman ordered a batch of honey packaging online and made a trip to the county to register the trademark, using his original ID, "Rural Xiaoman Brother".
He plans to gradually develop this brand into a series, including local honey, tea, dried bamboo shoots, pickles, and other local specialties.
However, all of this takes time. His most important task right now is to purchase the first batch of local honey to be put on the shelves.
He was worried that strangers might try to scam him or give him inferior products, but with Jiangyu joining the company, things are much better now!
The most famous rock honey connoisseur in the entire Langshan area (and his family) personally came to the event. Which beekeeper hasn't heard of the reputation of the mountain rocks?
Who would dare to show off in front of Jiang Yu? Even if they could temporarily deceive Jiang Yu, weren't they afraid of being attacked by Shan Yan and his disciples later?
The prices offered were all normal purchase prices—after all, Jiang Yu's family sells honey, and he knows the industry standards and pricing methods very well.
"Brother Xiaoyu, you're truly my benefactor! I must treat you to a couple of drinks tonight!"
After harvesting the last batch of wild honey, Jiang Xiaoman looked noticeably thinner and darker, but her spirits were high.
Jiang Yu told him that the quality of their autumn honey this year was very good. Even if they couldn't sell all the honey online, they could still make a small profit by reselling it to honey dealers. In any case, they definitely wouldn't lose money.
If you can stock up until around the Lunar New Year, coinciding with the peak gift-giving season, the price can rise even more.
Jiang Xiaoman called his father and asked Jiang Youliang to bring down the ingredients he wanted from his home. Jiang Xiaoman then went to the fisherman's house and bought two fish and a small bucket of snails. He planned to borrow Jiang Yu's kitchen to cook something nice for everyone to celebrate. It just so happened that Shan Yan was also there today.
Shan Yan is now running back and forth between the two places. Although it's tiring, he's full of energy now that he has three lovely daughters.
He came down the mountain this time to deliver rock honey to Jiang Xiaoman. Many fans who bought rock honey last time have been messaging him in the background, wanting to buy more. Some are gifts, and some are for their elders. Jiang Xiaoman did a count and simply asked the mountain rocks to send down another batch.
Even Jiang Xiaoman herself didn't expect that so many people would actually buy the pure wild rock honey priced at 150 yuan per catty!
What he didn't know was that it was now almost impossible to buy genuine wild rock honey on the market.
The main reason is that I was scammed a few years ago and I'm still afraid of being scammed. There are many people online like Jiang Xiaoman who follow people to harvest rock honey, only to find out the production location when they buy it and think, "Holy crap! It's not exactly the same as the place in the blogger's video, it's completely different!"
In contrast, Jiang Xiaoman's honey clearly originated from a rural post office collection point and was delivered to her via express delivery after many bumps and bruises. The shipping location was also local rock honey from Langshan, and the price was almost the same as the fake. Why not take advantage of the blogger's lack of counterfeit products and buy it now?
Netizens all thought that once Jiang Xiaoman's business grew bigger, she would definitely adulterate the honey to increase sales, such as passing off wild honey as rock honey.
However, Jiang Xiaoman never thought that way. He had no intention of opening a factory or a company. He just sold whatever the village had. Shan Yan gave him 200 jin of rock honey, so he put it on the shelves in 200 jin quantities, and once it was sold out, that was it...
He's very laid-back, which puts his longtime fans at ease.
Having shopped online for so many years, everyone can see through any tricks a store might be playing. Those so-called "authentic wild rock honey" stores that sell tens of thousands of units—you don't even need to buy them to verify they're fake; they're definitely fake.
Tens of thousands of kilograms of rock honey?
We'd have to destroy all the beehives in the mountains of our motherland to collect them all, right?
On the other hand, regarding Jiang Xiaoman, everyone initially thought that his statement "once sold out, that's it" was just another example of the blogger's usual scarcity marketing tactic. However, they were surprised to find that the kid was actually quite honest. If he said it was gone, then it really was gone. Want more? Sorry, dear~ We're currently working hard to find the next batch of fans.
Good heavens! It really is wild rock honey that was painstakingly extracted from deep within the mountains?