Chapter 007: The Lazy Person Picks Peaches

Upon hearing this, Bei Hai smiled and nodded his head

The basket has been secured, but the ladder could not be purchased, as the market only had single ladders made of moso bamboo, and there were no A-frame ladders available. A single ladder is simply unusable; even if one wishes to lean against the tree trunk with all the fruit on it, one must be able to reach it! Therefore, the matter of the ladder must be set aside.

"Is the beef soup good?" A child looked at Bei Hai and said, "There is a place where the beef soup is exceptionally good, much better than in restaurants"

Next, it is naturally time to pick peaches. Today, Bei Hai only plans to pick those that are within reach, leaving the rest to be picked tomorrow

"A small rattan basket, you say it costs five yuan, that's a bit too outrageous, isn't it?" Bu Zheng squatted beside Bei Hai, looking at the old man selling the baskets and said.

He took a peach from the small basket beside him, sat down on the ground, and began to eat it directly. After consuming three peaches in a row, he finally managed to soothe his rumbling stomach a little.

The three children, chattering away, spoke similarly to what Old Master Bu had said, and the former educated youth returning to their hometown somehow ended up raising a dog

Ah, my uncle buys a basket, and I can't help but look for flaws?" Bu Zheng said, speaking like a little adult, while touching the edge of the basket and helping to find imperfections

On this side of the bay, I had just eaten a little less than half a bowl when I heard the young girl say to me: "Uncle Hai, that is the grandson of Master Sun who looks after the mountains." As she spoke, she pointed with the tip of her chopsticks towards the doorway.

Moreover, what is even more despairing is that the peaches are still abundant; I have already picked nearly 15 baskets from one spot, and as far as the eye can see, the peaches are still clustered together.

Fortunately, the boss's tree was not something that Beihai could easily kick. When he stomped down, the peach tree stood firm like Mount Tai, not a single leaf fell. Instead, Beihai felt a bit of pain in his foot.

Now the question arises, even if peaches can be sold for a high price, how can we pick them according to the *illustration*?

At this hour, the only table that can squeeze in some space is the one at Beihai, with three children each occupying one side.

One of the little children immediately asked like a small adult: "If you were to take Tiananmen Square, you could definitely sell it for one hundred each! Since you didn't take it, it's three for one. Who hasn't come to the market before? Look at how my uncle is dressed; he doesn't look like a country person at all!"

No problem! Bei Hai immediately agreed, a bowl of beef soup costs 7 yuan, is there any need to think about it? Bei Hai felt that the people in the mountain village were straightforward.

I will buy a few more, could you give me a discount?" Bei Hai extended his hand and made a gesture for ten, then flipped his hand, indicating twenty. Bei Hai indeed wanted to buy more, but purchasing over a hundred baskets at once would raise suspicion. Moreover, with three children watching, it wouldn't be appropriate to directly store them in space, and there wasn't enough room in the car either

Oh dear! I am truly exhausted. After saying this, Bei Hai turned his head and saw that his nearly one hour of effort had only filled seven or eight small baskets. Looking up at the peach tree again, he noticed that the fruits showed no sign of diminishing at all. Instantly, Bei Hai felt a wave of failure enveloping him.

Upon hearing what Bei Hai said, the old man fell silent

The old gentleman pointed at the beef soup that had just been placed in front of him and said to Bei Haile with a smile

After running for two hours, these children have certainly exerted themselves. Bei Hai decided to treat these little laborers to a meal at noon as a reward for their efforts

The small basket that Bei Hai is interested in is not very large; it resembles the largest trash can used at home, measuring about 40 to 50 centimeters in height and 20 to 30 centimeters in diameter at the opening

This matter is easy to discuss. I happen to have two litters of puppies over here, one litter is nearly two months old, and the other is just one month old

"Master Sun, this is our Uncle Hai. My uncle would like to ask you to hold a few dogs," one of the little kids interjected before Bei Hai could say anything.

"In a couple of days, just come over and hug the dog," said Old Master Sun to Bei Hai as they parted.

The first time I discovered Beihai, picking peaches was indeed more exhausting than carrying a tray. Carrying a tray is done while standing, but picking peaches involves everything from squatting to bending over. It is truly a physically demanding job

Although having many peaches is something that makes the peach growers happy, for those who pick peaches, it can be somewhat despairing. For someone like Bei Hai, who is both a grower and a picker, it is a mix of joy and sorrow

You little brats still call me "Grandpa"; your father calling me "Grandpa" would be more appropriate! Are you kids here to buy a basket? If you’re not buying a basket, why are you making such a fuss!

Sitting on the grass, Bei Hai shifted towards the peach tree, then propped himself up and kicked the tree vigorously, wondering if he could shake the peaches down, thinking it would be much easier if he could just pick them up from under the tree

Old man, let's be clear from the start, the price cannot be too high! Upon hearing that the old man was raising dogs, Bei Hai had already mentally prepared to pay. Since he has so many dogs, it is only natural that he would charge a fee. Now, Bei Hai could only hope in his heart that it wouldn't be too much.

What should I do? Bei Hai looked at the nine trees laden with peaches and suddenly couldn't think of any good ideas. As he gazed at the densely packed peaches on the trees, his original plan to pick them for sale quickly evaporated.

Zheng Wazi said, "Which family in our village can raise that thing? The food it consumes is equivalent to that of an adult." After scolding the little boy who had just spoken, Zheng Wazi turned to Bei Hai and asked, "Uncle Hai, do you want to raise one?"

The old man glanced at the shellfish, then looked again at the illustrated book, his eyes reflecting a hint of curiosity

Could it be that one spends all day alone in a space picking peaches? If life were to be lived like this, what use would it be to have money? There would be no time to spend it!

"How could I not know?" One of the little kids immediately turned to Bei Hai and said, "I've wanted to raise one for a long time, but my dad absolutely won't allow it"

"Four dollars and fifty cents! It can't be any less than that. I can sell this for six dollars each in the county town," the old man said

Hey! In a small place, nothing can be kept. Bei Hai nodded and said to the old man: "Yes, a friend of mine is thinking about getting two dogs to watch the warehouse. I heard you have some, and I was just about to trouble you for that."

In any case, Bei Hai had made plans in his heart, and he did not expect that when he was forced to pick peaches or when a simpler method was not available, he would no longer entertain the idea of picking peaches himself

At the beginning, Bei Hai was working quite energetically, but after less than half an hour, he began to feel a bit of soreness in his waist and legs. As time went on, his pace slowed down even more. After working for about another fifteen minutes, Bei Hai directly sat down under the peach tree, wiping the sweat from his forehead and breathing heavily.

After having dinner, Bei Hai returned home, took a cool shower with well water, and then entered the space of the cave with a basket.

Then you can just ask Master Sun directly; he has so many dogs that it troubles him

A group of little rascals, the old man looked at the few children, laughing without mentioning the price

As soon as the three children heard it, they immediately took the lead. The little one, upon hearing about food, instantly perked up, causing Bei Hai, who was following behind, to unconsciously quicken his pace a bit, just to keep up with these three half-grown children

These children were like slippery loaches in the crowd, easily slipping in and out of the stalls that were surrounded by layers of people. Before long, they found the stall selling wicker baskets with Bei Hai, and not only did they locate the stall, but they also helped Bei Hai negotiate the price.

After bidding farewell to Old Master Sun, Bu Zhengsan and Bei Hai strolled around again until it was nearly time to prepare dinner, at which point they returned to the village

The three young boys chatted with an old man for about five or six minutes, during which Bei Hai hardly interjected. In the end, the last basket was discussed at three yuan and fifty cents. Bei Hai took twenty of them, and after purchasing the baskets, the strength in numbers became evident. Each of the boys carried four or five, and together with Bei Hai, they easily moved the twenty baskets to the trunk of the car

It is not that I want to keep it; rather, it is my two friends who are keeping it to guard the door

As soon as the words fell, the three of them made way, and Old Master Sun smiled and nodded at Bei Hai before taking a seat

Soon, Bei Hai and San Wazi arrived at the beef soup restaurant. Upon entering, they noticed that there were indeed quite a few customers. The only table left in the entire dining area was a square one. As Bei Hai turned his head, he realized that the countryside offered genuine value; the bowls were deep and substantial, the vermicelli was generously served, and the beef was not the thin, paper-like slices found in the city, but rather a hearty pile in the bowl.

"You little sparrow, have you even been to Tiananmen with that little thing you just tucked away in your pants?" Upon hearing the child say this, the old man couldn't help but laugh again

Bei Hai has also worked for half a day today, and the food eaten in the evening has long been completely digested

Old Master Sun immediately waved his hand upon hearing Bei Hai's words and said: "What money are you talking about? If you feel uncomfortable, just help me pay for this bowl of beef soup."

Hearing the little child say this, Bei Hai smiled. In the past, such a large dog was always raised by old hunters; ordinary farmers could not provide so much food. A single meal would require a small basin's worth, and even if it were just fed cornmeal, that would still be quite a concern.

Old Master Sun looked at Bei Hai and said: "Are you from Bu Family Village? I haven't seen you around much before!" The old man thought for a moment and then looked at Bei Hai and said: "You are the one who went to America, right? You went with Lu Yigen, didn't you?

Why?" Bei Hai couldn't help but ask curiously.

Before Bei Hai could ask Zheng Wa what was going on, he saw the old man walking over: "You three kids, move a bit, let this old man sit down too!"

Beihai sat down and ordered four bowls of soup from the shopkeeper, each with an extra serving of beef.

As the soup was served, the old gentleman and Bei Hai began to eat and chat by the seaside. Their conversation mainly revolved around inquiries about Bei Hai's friends, what they do, and how they plan to raise their families. By the end of the meal, Bei Hai had effectively introduced most of the details about Du He and Xu Hui.

Do you know if there are elderly people in Tangjia Wazi who raise mountain goats?" As he walked, Bei Hai asked.

Following the direction of Zheng Wa's finger, Bei Hai looked up and saw an elderly man in his sixties talking to the shopkeeper. Due to the noisy environment of the restaurant, he could not hear clearly what they were saying

As soon as the soup was served, the three children stopped talking and began to slurp it up from their bowls.

In the interest of convenience, Bei Hai did not consider that peaches are not like jujubes; if the juicy peaches were to fall to the ground, one could only imagine the mess they would create, making them unsellable.

The peaches picked are utterly disheartening. After a full two hours, Bei Hai did not even budge from his spot, and yet he still failed to finish picking the peaches from those five or six small branches. It was as if every time you picked one, another would appear in its place.

After resting for about ten minutes, Bei Hai had to motivate himself to stand up and continue picking peaches. This time, he worked for nearly another hour, but Bei Hai truly could not continue any longer

Bei Hai said, "We are truly from the same village"

Who hasn't seen it? It is often shown on television, the little child said

What do you want to eat? Today, Uncle Hai is treating us, so let's go to a restaurant. After preparing the basket of clams, Hai looked at the sky. The sun was already high in the sky, and it was time for lunch.