Chapter 213: Joy
As expected, when Manager Li heard that Deng Shirong was willing to raise the purchase price by one cent, he smiled and said, "Comrade Deng, you're very straightforward. In that case, we'll sell all the longans from our farm this year to you."
Deng Shirong wasn't surprised by this response. In business, it was normal to sell to whoever offered the highest price.
Next, the two parties began signing the longan purchase contract.
In later generations, longans were often more expensive than lychees, but in this era, longans were much cheaper. For example, in the county market, a pound of fresh lychees could sell for 80 or 90 cents, while a pound of fresh longans only fetched 40 or 50 cents—nearly half the price.
The current purchase price offered by the supply and marketing cooperative for longans was 0.28 yuan per catty. Deng Shirong's offer of one cent more brought the price to 0.29 yuan per catty.
After signing the contract, Deng Shirong also paid a deposit of 2,000 yuan.
After all, this was a significant transaction involving tens of thousands of yuan. If Deng Shirong failed to fulfill the contract and the farm hadn't signed a purchase agreement with the supply and marketing cooperative in advance, dozens of tons of longans could rot on the trees. In that case, Manager Li would undoubtedly be held accountable.
Therefore, to avoid such an unpleasant situation, collecting a substantial deposit was necessary.
After finalizing the contract and discussing some details, Deng Shirong left satisfied.
The longans grown at White Duckweed Farm were all high-quality Shixia longans. Known for their thick flesh, small cores, and sweet, refreshing taste, Shixia longans had an edible portion that accounted for 72% of the fruit's total weight. Renowned as the "King of Longans," they could definitely fetch a high price if brought to the capital.
…
March and April of the lunar calendar were the best times to pickle cucumber peels.
At this time, Deng Shirong was at home pickling cucumber peels with his daughter and daughter-in-law.
Bobai cucumber peels were crispy, delicious, refreshing, and appetizing, with a long-lasting aftertaste. They were a must-have pickled vegetable for porridge in every rural household. In the summer, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that one could eat cucumber peels with heat-clearing porridge until fully satisfied.
As the name suggests, cucumber peels were pickles made from cucumbers.
Many people mistook the cucumbers sold in the market for the cucumbers used in this dish. In reality, the two were completely different varieties.
In Bobai, there were two main methods for pickling cucumber peels.
With the First Method being:
1. Wash the cucumbers with clean water.
2. Cut them in half and sun-dry them for half a day until they softened.
3. Place them in a bucket and pickle them with raw salt (50 kilograms of cucumbers to 2 kilograms of salt).
4. Press them down with heavy stones overnight.
5. Sun-dry them for another half day.
This was the simplest way to pickle cucumber peels.
And the second:
1. Blanch the cucumbers in boiling water.
2. Pierce them several times with bamboo sticks.
3. Place them in a jar and pickle them with salt.
4. After the initial pickling, transfer the cucumbers to bags and press them with heavy stones to squeeze out the water.
5. Return the cucumbers to the jar for a second round of pickling. At this stage, the cucumbers would have transformed into melon peels.
6. Sun-dry the melon peels to further enhance their flavor.
This method was more labor-intensive but resulted in a crispier, more flavorful product that could be enjoyed repeatedly.
Some people also dried the cucumber peels directly, resulting in a tougher texture that could be preserved for a year or two without refrigeration. These dried peels could be used to stew pork, creating a unique and flavorful dish commonly found in the Yamaguchi area.
As Deng Shirong pressed the cucumber peels with stones, Zhang Xiuping asked, "Dad, do you think we should serve cucumber peels at our restaurant once it opens?"
Deng Shirong thought for a moment and replied, "We should. Most people in Bobai love cucumber peels. When the time comes, we can stir-fry them with chili peppers. They're not only a great side dish for porridge but also pair well with rice and even as a snack with wine."
Zhang Xiuping sighed regretfully, "It's a pity that, except for the dried ones, cucumber peels don't last long. Otherwise, we could buy some from the village. It would help everyone earn a bit more and reduce our costs. That would be great!"
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "That's a good idea. Once the restaurant opens, we can sell not only cucumber peels but also peanuts, soybeans, pickled cabbage, beans, bean sprouts, potatoes, fried tofu, and the like. If the price difference between the county market and the village is significant, we can purchase these items from the village.
At that point, we can discuss long-term cooperation with Shabei Car. We'll pay a fixed amount monthly and have the driver deliver the necessary items. That should work.
Of course, this is only worth doing if the quantity is large and the price difference is substantial. Otherwise, it's not meaningful."
Zhang Xiuping nodded repeatedly. "Then I'll investigate and see how big the price difference is between the two places."
…
In the blink of an eye, April passed.
The summer solstice fell on the second day of the fifth lunar month.
In later generations, the summer solstice was also the most famous festival in Yulin—the Lychee and Dog Meat Festival.
However, this festival, which was longed for by countless foodies and criticized by many, had not yet gained popularity.
The summer solstice marked the beginning of the ripening season for most lychee varieties in Guangxi, including the Cinnamon Flavor lychees grown by Deng Shirong and Deng Changfu.
At this time, Deng Shirong, along with his sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law, visited their lychee orchard to taste the Cinnamon Flavor lychees, which had appeared in Bobai for the first time.
Deng Yunzhen picked one and tasted it. As she ate, she exclaimed, "Wow, these Cinnamon Flavor lychees are really sweet, and the cores are so small. They taste much better than the lychees from straight-growing trees."
Zhang Xiuping also tried one and nodded in agreement. "Yes, the flesh is sweet, refreshing, and crispy. It's delicious!"
Deng Yuntai chimed in, "I didn't expect the fruit of these Cinnamon Flavor lychees to be so good, even though they're not very big. Dad really made the right choice by growing this variety."
Deng Shirong also tasted the lychees carefully and found that their flavor matched his expectations. He nodded to himself, pleased. It seemed that the land in Bobai County was indeed well-suited for growing various lychee varieties, without the issue of "southern tangerines failing to grow in the north."
He smiled and said, "This is the first harvest, so the taste isn't at its best yet. After a few more years, the flavor will likely improve even more."
Whether it was lychees or longans, the taste of the fruit varied from year to year, even from the same tree. Fruit trees had peak and declining periods, and the fruit produced during their peak naturally tasted the best.
Once a fruit tree entered its decline, the quality of its fruit would gradually deteriorate, eventually becoming bland and unappetizing.
(End of this chapter)