Chapter 315 - 194: Making Full Use of Everything_1
That day, after finishing her lessons, Qian Yixiu led Zi Zhu out of Linhe Garden and saw the bustling scene at West Lake.
A few days prior, Su Sanwu had begun leading several workers to harvest the golden lotus roots from the lake.
The horse carriages from the Song family and Wuxi Store were waiting outside Guiyuan, for once the lotus roots were harvested, they must not be dirtied and were sent directly to Wen County Port and the provincial city.
Once the golden lotus roots were available, they were warmly welcomed, with buyers flocking to them like ducks to water. They could be eaten raw as a fruit, the taste even surpassing that of any other fruit. Cooked, they could be stir-fried or used in soup, offering a flavor even more delicious than many other delicacies. Moreover, they were easy to store and transport. Most importantly, rarity determined their value.
The Qian family sold them at twelve wen per jin, and those who bought them would resell them at eighteen to twenty-five wen per jin. Even though the price was higher than meat, the demand still outweighed the supply.
Originally, Fourth Master Song had offered to buy them at eight wen per jin from the Qian family, but Liang Zechong, who had not yet returned to the Capital City, scolded him harshly for suggesting what amounted to robbery. After Old Master Song and Second Old Master Song reluctantly agreed, they needed Liang Zechong’s help to pull some strings and find good positions for them. Once they heard about it, they reprimanded Fourth Master Song fiercely. Finally, they settled on twelve wen per jin.
To prevent the theft of the lotus and roots, the Qian family also hired ten people to take turns guarding the area at night, along with the workers.
When Qian Yixiu returned to Lianxiang Water Pavilion, she saw that the color of the golden honey peach on the table had turned to a gold-tinted red. She picked it up and gently squeezed it, finding it soft—it seemed fully ripe and couldn’t be left any longer.
Last time, she brought back eight peaches that were not fully ripe; some were more red, while a couple had just a hint of red at the tip. The more red ones became soft and ripe in five to ten days, and although not as sweet as the freshly picked ripe peaches from Cave Sky Pool, they were still delicious and much sweeter than nectarines. Yet this least ripe one had been stored for twenty-one days.
The color seemed quite good, besides the base of the peach being somewhat greenish, it got redder and yellower towards the top and turned golden at the tip. The taste, however, was uncertain.
She washed, peeled, and slowly savored the peach. Mmm, it was indeed good; the taste was slightly milder compared to the previous peaches but was still quite sweet and juicy. She didn’t finish it all, leaving a small portion in a bowl for Monkey Sister.