Chapter 10

It took two hours for Ye Rongyao to fill six baskets with longan fruits, each weighing at least 120 to 130 pounds. This did not include the many longan fruits he secretly stashed into his Qiankun ring while picking. In total, it amounted to no less than a thousand pounds.

"Honey, there are still quite a few longan fruits on the tree."

Liu Qingqing reminded him as she saw him come down from the tree. There were still at least one or two hundred pounds of longan fruits left on the tree.

"These longan fruits are so delicious, we should leave some for ourselves to eat." Ye Rongyao said with a smile. After all, longan fruits are very beneficial.

Longan fruits have various effects such as tonifying yang, invigorating qi, nourishing the heart and spleen, nourishing blood and calming the mind, and beautifying the skin. They can treat anemia, palpitations, insomnia, forgetfulness, neurasthenia, and postpartum or post-illness weakness. They also have beautifying and longevity-enhancing effects. Additionally, the leaves, flowers, roots, and seeds of the longan tree can all be used as medicine. The wood of the longan tree is hard and has a fine, beautiful texture, making it suitable for making high-quality furniture and carving into various exquisite handicrafts.

In many places in southern China, postpartum women often use dried longan to stew with black chicken to nourish their bodies, which helps prevent postpartum complications and keeps them strong and healthy, with a good appetite.

"But we can't eat so many longan fruits."

Liu Qingqing said. Although the longan fruits were delicious, with just the two of them, they couldn't finish them in half a month. Moreover, once the longan fruits matured, they wouldn't last long on the tree and would fall. After picking, they were also difficult to preserve and would spoil in three to four days if not stored in a refrigerator.

"We can pick some and dry them into dried longan (guiyuan). We can leave a hundred pounds of longan fruits on the two trees and eat them slowly. Even if the villagers see, it won't be a big deal. Few people come to our place, and they won't remember whether our longan trees bloomed or bore fruit. As long as the amount isn't too much, no one will suspect anything." Ye Rongyao said.

Longan fruits can be dried into dried longan, but it's a bit troublesome. They need to be cut into pieces and dried with charcoal. There is a small kiln in the village specifically for drying longan fruits. Drying isn't a problem, but it's a bit troublesome. Dried longan fruits are less likely to mold, go bad, or spoil. If stored properly, they can last for one to two years.

Moreover, dried longan fruits are particularly sweet, like honey, and are very delicious. They can be used to stew chicken, duck, or goose, not only making the dishes taste good but also being very nourishing, making them a rare delicacy.

"But I don't know how to make dried longan."

Liu Qingqing said a bit embarrassedly. She had lived a "young lady" life from childhood and had never done such things. She only learned household chores like washing dishes and cooking after marrying into the Ye family.

"Hehe, it doesn't matter that you don't know. Your husband knows."

Ye Rongyao said happily. When he was young, whenever a family in the village dried longan fruits, he and many other children would gather to watch the adults. After the drying was done, the children could grab a handful to eat. Having seen it countless times, Ye Rongyao was confident he could dry the longan fruits well.

"Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run, right!" Ye Rongyao thought to himself. If he couldn't even dry longan fruits, he wouldn't be able to call himself a villager.

"Honey, you're so great!" Liu Qingqing said happily.

"What did you just say?"

Ye Rongyao asked, a bit unsure. Since Liu Qingqing married him, she had always looked down on him and was unwilling to talk much to him. Now she was praising him, which made him a bit incredulous.

"I said my husband is now great and can do anything." Liu Qingqing looked at Ye Rongyao tenderly and said affirmatively. Although it had only been two days, Liu Qingqing had noticed that her husband had changed a lot, becoming more capable, mysterious, and attractive.

"Hehe, it's just that you didn't pay attention to your husband before. You'll find out that your husband can do a lot of things. Being my wife is a very happy thing."

Ye Rongyao said proudly. Now that he had the "Lazy Man System," it was like having a cheat code, and his future was limitless, hehe...

"Alright, you're getting cocky just because I praised you once."

Liu Qingqing said with a smile, but she was starting to like such a man. She didn't have high expectations for her husband; if he could remain funny, humorous, and responsible, that would be great.

"Hehe."

Ye Rongyao looked at Liu Qingqing and smiled foolishly. She looked so beautiful now.

"Honey, what are you staring at?"

Liu Qingqing asked, a bit puzzled, touching her face. Was there something dirty on her face?

"Wife, you're really beautiful." Ye Rongyao said sincerely.

"Annoying."

Liu Qingqing rolled her eyes and pouted, feeling particularly sweet inside. She didn't know why, but hearing her husband say she was beautiful made her heart melt.

"Wife, I'm going to borrow Grandpa Wu's electric tricycle and drive to the county town after breakfast." Ye Rongyao said.

The "Grandpa Wu" Ye Rongyao referred to was his grandfather's younger brother, named Ye Xianglai. Ye Rongyao's grandfather had seven brothers and two sisters, and he was the fifth in the generation.

Ye Xianglai, now 65 years old, made a living by raising chickens and ducks. To make it easier to go to town for buying and selling, he bought an electric tricycle for about 4,000 RMB two years ago.

Actually, such electric tricycles are very practical in rural areas. Not only are they cheap and affordable for many villagers, but the roads in rural areas are often poor, and cars can't drive into many places. However, these tricycles can easily navigate these areas.

Moreover, these electric tricycles don't require fuel. As long as they are fully charged, they can carry a load of about a thousand pounds and travel continuously for four to five hours without any problems.

Grandpa Wu's home was in the northern part of Taoyuan Village, which was also the most populous area of the village, with about 70 to 80 households. However, most of the people left in the village were the elderly and children, as the middle-aged and young adults mostly went out to work.

When Ye Rongyao arrived at Grandpa Wu's house, he found Grandpa Wu squatting in the yard eating breakfast.

"Hmm, why is Qiwawa here so early today?"

Ye Xianglai looked at Ye Rongyao in surprise. He knew very well that this grandson of his was a lazybones and had never gotten up so early before.

When his parents were alive, things were a bit better, but after they passed away, his beautiful wife couldn't control him at all. He was always sleeping during the day and fooling around at night.

"Good morning, Grandpa Wu. I came to ask you for something."

Ye Rongyao said respectfully. In the countryside, people pay great attention to seniority and etiquette. Even when he was a troublemaker, Ye Rongyao had to greet his elders respectfully, or he would be scolded to death by the old folks.

"You're coming to see your Grandpa Wu so early, it must be something bad. Did you get into trouble and want me to help you out?"

Ye Xianglai asked helplessly. His older brother's family now had only this one descendant. If anything happened to him, he wouldn't be able to face his older brother in the afterlife, and he would feel guilty to the child's parents. So since Ye Rongyao's parents passed away, Ye Xianglai had been the most concerned about him and was very disappointed in his behavior.

"Grandpa Wu, you know, everyone has a time when they're young and foolish. I've changed now, I won't get into trouble anymore." Ye Rongyao said quickly.

"You've changed?"

Ye Xianglai asked, not quite believing it. He had heard just yesterday that this boy was drunk and lying on the road, and his wife had to ask for help to carry him home. Now he was telling him he had reformed, which Ye Xianglai found hard to believe.

"Really, Grandpa Wu, you have to believe me." Ye Rongyao said firmly.

"Alright, I'll believe you. What do you need so early?"

Ye Xianglai clearly didn't believe Ye Rongyao, but he didn't press the issue. As long as it wasn't something serious like drinking or gambling, he could only say a few words and couldn't do much more.

"Grandpa Wu, I want to borrow your electric tricycle."

Ye Rongyao explained his purpose.

"What? You want to borrow my electric tricycle? Brat, did you lose money gambling and are thinking of selling my tricycle to pay off your debts?"

Ye Xianglai asked angrily. In his view, Ye Rongyao must have lost money gambling and was now trying to sell his tricycle to pay off his debts.