Households relocated in the 1990s

Chapter 28 Mulberry
"Hey, there are ripe mulberries!" An Songyu widened his eyes in surprise.

She pulled aside the mulberry leaves that blocked her view and found that most of the mulberries were still green or half red.

There are indeed a few deep reds, and one or two blacks.

An Songyu carefully picked them off, took out a large black mulberry fruit about half the length of a thumb, and handed it to Shi Youqin:
"Grandma, this one is ripe enough, try it."

"I don't want it, you eat it yourself!" Shi Youqin shook her head without hesitation.

Seeing that An Songyu still insisted, she quickly explained: "I already ate last night."

"The people who picked the mulberry leaves found some that were ripe early, so they picked them and brought them back."

"But there are many more than the ones you have now."

"Yesterday's is yesterday's, and today's is today's. What's more, today's mulberries are the first batch your granddaughter picked this year!"

An Songyu didn't listen at all. He took the mulberry fruit and insisted that Shi Youqin eat it before he would be satisfied.

Shi Youqin had no choice but to eat the ripe mulberry from her granddaughter's hand: "It's quite sweet."

"Mulberry fruit actually tastes pretty good and produces quite a few fruits."

"It's just that it's hard to know when to pick the fruits."

“And it’s not easy to preserve.”

"Otherwise, with so many mulberry fields in our village, there would be people who want to contract them." As he said this, Shi Youqin couldn't help but sigh.

She has been married into Jiangcun for several decades.

But I still remember it clearly.

When he was young, most of Jiangcun's income came from the snow-white silk cocoons raised in the mulberry forests.

It’s a pity that the village has changed again and again over the years.

These mulberry fields are becoming less and less popular.

"Once we're done, there will definitely be someone who wants to take over the contract." An Songyu picked a red mulberry and ate it.

Her whole face wrinkled with sourness.

It also happened to cover up the guilty look on her face.

Her father has indeed made up his mind to do a good job in mulberry cultivation and silkworm breeding.

Even the mulberry fields in Jiang Village no longer exist.

However, her grandmother doesn't have to worry about these delicious mulberries being wasted in the mulberry forest.

In a few years, as Shuncheng develops further outward, the mulberry fields left around the city will become fewer and fewer.

At that time, whenever the mulberries were ripe, you could pick them by yourself.

Whether they are packed into small boxes, mulberries are loved by many people.

Shi Youqin told An Songyu again: "Ayu, you don't have to work with me today."

"The May Day holiday in the village has just ended, and some people want to come and earn some pocket money, so the silkworm farm isn't really short of people."

Speaking of this, Shi Youqin wanted to sigh again.

Most of the women in Jiangcun are actually quite hardworking.

But with the rise of farmhouses in the village, the money they can use flexibly is getting less and less.

But the work I do every day is not less.

It’s not that their family members are harsh on them.

There is no shortage of food or clothes, and no one has to hesitate when buying anything.

That is... as the next generation grows up, they are no longer the ones in charge of the family.

Naturally, the opportunities to hold money in your hands will become fewer and fewer.

So, after their silkworm house was rebuilt, men, women, and children in their fifties and sixties from both inside and outside the village liked to do odd jobs for them.

After all, the mulberry leaves are harvested every day.

These people are not particularly young, although their work is not much worse than that of young people.

But when the weather gets hot, they don't dare let these people work more.

An Songyu rarely returned to the village and was not aware of this situation.

After she made sure that her grandmother was sincere in asking her not to help today.

She went to the silkworm house, got a basket, and began searching the mulberry fields. By lunchtime, her basket was half full of mulberries.

This is because she deliberately selected only the most mature and best quality ones.

Mulberries are small things that are difficult to preserve and transport.

It also attracts insects.

Mulberry gardens like theirs used for raising silkworms basically do not spray pesticides.

If you want to eat good mulberries, you really need a sharp eye.

Especially now, the mulberries are just ripening.

Seeing An Songyu's harvest, not only Anshun and the couple, but also the other people who worked with him, all laughed out loud with joy.

He really is a kid who grew up in the city.

Even though he has been going in and out for the past month or so, he seems quite calm.

Seeing these small fruits ripening in the countryside, their true colors are revealed.

An Songyu felt a little embarrassed by the laughter, and she quickly explained:

"These are the first batch of ripe mulberries today. I picked a few extra and plan to take them home to enjoy with my family."

Also, the mulberry wine her brother mentioned last time.

An Songyu also thought that she could take some mulberries and ask her brother.

But we still don’t know what the outcome of this matter will be.

An Songyu didn't say it directly in front of so many people.

When the other people in the village heard An Songyu's words, they were even happier.

Fortunately, there were some kind people who directly invited An Songyu:

"Then Ayu can come to my house when you leave later."

"My family tried to plant a small patch of pineapples this year, and now is the perfect time to eat them."

"Yes, yes, yes. Come to my house too. It's the perfect time to pick guavas there."

An Songyu had never faced such enthusiasm before.

Some of them looked at their grandparents for help, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Shi Youqin received her granddaughter's pleading gaze and said, "If you want to eat, follow me and pick some!"

Then he turned to look at the two people talking in the village and said:

"Your fruits are all grown in the picking garden and sold. Just give her a fair price when the time comes."

"What are you talking about, old sister!" The woman who was also a daughter-in-law of the An family rolled her eyes at Shi Youqin, then turned to look at An Songyu:
"Ayu, don't listen to your grandma's nonsense."

"Things like pineapples are not meant to be picked for guests."

"I just grow some myself and sell some to customers occasionally."

"If it's as lively as the festivals we had a while ago, we'll cut some out and soak them in salt water, and either give them directly to customers or sell them piecemeal."

"Other things, or just occasionally use it when cooking."

"Or we can give it to our neighbors in the village. After all, this is our first trial planting this year, and we haven't grown much."

"If the feedback from our customers is good, next year we can also contract more land in the village and plant more crops, just like your family did."

As she spoke, she remembered something: "Oh, I've been growing cantaloupes and watermelons in the vegetable garden for quite a few years."

"Now is the right time to ripen, so remember to take some back when the time comes."

"There are also some white melons, cucumbers and the like."

This time, Shi Youqin didn't need to say anything, An Songyu was so anxious that he kept waving his hands to refuse.

What surprised An Songyu was that after chatting for a few minutes, her grandmother actually agreed.

Full of confusion, An Songyu followed Shi Youqin to the home of this enthusiastic grandma.

This grandmother is much younger than Shi Youqin, she is just older in generation.

After entering the grandma's vegetable garden, An Songyu vaguely understood the reason.

(End of this chapter)