A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 26 Iron Tree Blossoms, Sows Climb Trees

Three days later at noon, Fatty Qian (a nickname Zhang Niu gave himself) and two restaurant owners arrived again in their car, taking many things out of the trunk. They brought them to Zhang Niu's room. This time, "King Kong," who was sleeping by the door, didn't bully Fatty Qian, but just grunted in dissatisfaction.

Zhang Niu was a little surprised. He had thought they wouldn't come for at least a few more days! He hadn't expected them to arrive in just three days, bringing quite a few things. He secretly glanced at the gifts and found them to be quite nice. The house was small, so they brought out a few small wooden chairs and placed them in the front yard for them to sit on. They even went inside to get some chestnuts that they had roasted in coarse sand that morning.

Freshly roasted chestnuts are particularly easy to peel. Before roasting, make a shallow horizontal cut on each chestnut with a knife. After roasting, the cut will automatically split open, revealing the light yellow chestnut meat inside. This saves the trouble of peeling the shell. However, this method is only easy to peel on the day of roasting. The chestnuts will harden the next day, so chestnuts roasted the day before are the best.

The freshly served chestnuts still had a faint, refreshing aroma. For those who eat delicacies every day, chestnuts are different from other delicacies; eating more chestnuts can strengthen the spleen and liver, and improve bone health. For them, who often drink alcohol, this is considered a good thing. When chestnuts are first in season, roasting them in a large iron wok with coarse sand is a good option.

Zhang Niu was peeling chestnuts. He looked at them, who were eating chestnuts, and asked, "The big white duck I bought a few days ago tasted good, didn't it? I wasn't lying to you!"

While eating chestnuts, Boss Zhou answered somewhat indistinctly, "Yes, the white duck they made is absolutely delicious. The roasted duck meat is incredibly crispy. You can easily tear off shreds with just a light bite. The first few ducks received unanimous praise from the customers in the restaurant."

"So you're not planning to buy some more this time, are you? There aren't many ducks left. You didn't sell out all the big white ducks in three days, did you?"

Boss Wang replied, "No, how could that be? We came here specifically to ask if you can sell all the big white ducks from Happy Little Abode to us in the future, and we can even raise the price. We just hope you won't sell them to anyone else."

Zhang Niu figured it out with a little thought. His giant white duck was definitely popular with diners and was gradually becoming a signature dish. But he was worried other restaurants would find out and come after him. These days, money can buy anything, not just a tiny giant white duck. He could even buy what kind of underwear a famous female celebrity would wear at night.

"Well, that's easy to do. Who would turn down money?" he chuckled, then added, "However, we can only sell you a certain number of white ducks each month. You should understand that, right?"

The two bosses exchanged a smile, both understanding the meaning behind the words. Scarcity increases value.

Fatty Qian chimed in, "This place is nice. Aren't you planning to plant some flowers and plants? I've heard that a lot of flower and plant owners have made a fortune these days."

Hearing this, Zhang Niu nodded. He felt this was exactly what he wanted to hear. He had originally wanted to grow some flowers and plants, but then he got busy with other things and forgot about it.

"I've thought about this before, but I don't know what to plant. You guys have good taste, could you help me decide what to plant?" Zhang Niu said helplessly.

Mr. Wang, who was just happy to have finalized the deal, said, "You've come to the right person. I have a friend who does this kind of thing. He's a contractor, and I just visited him a while ago."

Zhang Niu asked somewhat anxiously, "So what are your friends doing now? Let's not talk about anything that's too costly."

Boss Wang readily agreed. "His business model is similar to yours now. However, a while ago, he got a batch of camellias and Buddha's hand citrons to plant. He said the profits are quite good. It's especially suitable for a place like yours."

Zhang Niu, unsure what Buddha's Hand was, asked, "I know about camellias, there are many varieties. The price depends on the variety and the color of the flowers. But I don't know about Buddha's Hand. Could you tell us about it? We'd like to learn more."

Mr. Wang waved his hand, a little embarrassed by these words, "I wouldn't say that. I just travel a lot and that's why I know a little bit."

Don't be fooled by the name "Buddha's Hand" into thinking it's a giant hand left behind by a Buddha. It's actually a small evergreen tree, also known as the Nine-Claw Tree. Its fruit is oblong, splitting into fist-like shapes or opening like fingers when ripe. It's also called Fist Buddha's Hand and Open Buddha's Hand. The most famous variety is Jinhua Buddha's Hand, which has become a nationally renowned flower. This Buddha's Hand has high medicinal value and is suitable for many people. I still have a pot at home; the fruit is just beginning to open. It has a faint, pleasant fragrance, and I feel like there are even fewer mosquitoes at night now. My friend started trying to grow Buddha's Hand because it's easy to care for.

Hearing what he said, Zhang Niu gained some knowledge. Especially since Buddha's Hand citrons are easy to manage. That's good for a lazy person like him. As the saying goes, a lazy person manages lazy things. It's really true. He'll plant some in front of the house, and the rest in his spatial storage.

"Now that you mention it, I'm quite interested. How about you bring some seedlings over sometime?" Chao Wang asked.

"Hmm. It's no big deal. How about I bring you back a couple more cycads? Your front yard looks a bit deserted. Planting cycads will make it less deserted. If you're lucky and the cycads bloom, be sure to call me over to see them; that's a rare sight!"

Fatty Qian found Boss Wang's words somewhat amusing. He asked, "Iron trees blooming? You're dreaming way too much! Nobody in our county has ever heard of iron trees blooming."

When Boss Wang told Fatty Qian what he was saying, he was speechless. After a long while, he finally managed to say, "I was just saying it was possible. You're really strange. He was just saying it, not taking it seriously," which drew a burst of laughter from Zhang Niu and the others.

After chatting for a while, they took away forty more large white ducks, saying that they would make up for the thirty they had taken last time, enough for a month. They would come back to collect them next month. They told Zhang Niu not to sell them to anyone else. Although it was just talk, they were still worried that someone would offer a high price to buy them.

Only after Zhang Niu repeatedly assured them did they return. They even took the mostly-eaten chestnuts to the car, saying they'd be bored on the road and could find some work to do.

After they left, I sat in the rocking chair, thinking about the cycads they had mentioned. I heard that cycads are widely planted and grow very well in Lingnan, much better than in Zhangniu. Most importantly, it's incredibly difficult for a cycad to flower. That's why there's the saying, "If a cycad flowers, even a sow can climb a tree."

Zhang Niu has his own space. If he transplants all the cycads inside and then replants them outside when they're about to bloom, many people will definitely come to buy them. Alternatively, creating a cycad garden for people to admire would also be a good idea.

First update. I had a little to drink at noon and felt dizzy, so I couldn't type. Sorry. Please add to your favorites and recommend. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. I need votes.