Chapter 41.1

There is an old saying that goes, "Jujubes in July, Pears in August, and Persimmons in September at the market," which proves that as summer comes to an end, it is the season for various fruits to ripen. However, peaches ripen even earlier than Jujubes.

In Song Dingxiang's home, there were two types of peach trees planted. One ripened around June, with a soft, sweet flesh and plenty of juice, making it especially suitable for the elderly and children.

However, these peaches couldn't be kept for long. Every day, they had to go to the garden to pick the ripe peaches quickly and either sell them in town or directly to the peddlers who came to the garden.

However, a few years ago, the Sixth Granduncle had someone bring in over two hundred yellow peach trees from the south and gave half of them to Song Dingxiang's family.

At first, the young trees hadn't grown well, and the peaches they bore were small, and pale in comparison to the same period's honey peaches. But due to their affordable price, they could still be sold.

After several years, these yellow peaches began to bear more fruit each year, but their prices continued to drop, and by the end, they would become too soft to sell, ending up being cut open and dried. Dried fruits naturally couldn't fetch the same price as fresh fruits, only selling for a few cents per pound, and it was also laborious.

Sixth Granduncle had once considered cutting down or grafting other types of peaches onto the yellow peach trees, but due to being too busy, he had never done so. Now that the peaches were laden with fruit again, looking extremely festive, they were even more reluctant to part with them.

Though it was called a garden, it was a purchased half-hillside, adorned slightly with a fence to indicate that it was cultivated land and not wild.

The villagers are very clear about the distinction between wild and cultivated fruits. Wild fruits can be picked freely, and whoever picks them, owns them.

However one cannot just pick cultivated fruits without permission from the owner, and wasting is not allowed. Ancient foods were scarce, and the villagers understood the concept of "every grain is hard-earned."

Even a sour apple, the core must be gnawed clean before being thrown away.

Song Dingxiang arrived at the foot of the mountain, where several mule carts were parked. A young boy was helping to watch the carts, and when he saw Song Dingxiang, he greeted her, "Aunt Dingxiang."

"Shengzi, are you the only one here?" Song Dingxiang walked over with a smile, "Where is your brother?"

Shengzi was his nickname, commonly given to children in the countryside because it was believed to be easier to raise them. He was seven years old, with a ten-year-old brother named Zuozuo.

It was said that Shengzi had a rough start in life, and his family sought an old monk’s help in the temple to give him this name. After surviving the first year, he grew up smoothly and strong like a little calf.

Shengzi chuckled, covering his mouth as he spoke, "He's up there helping to pick fruits. Seventh Uncle said he would give our family a bag of peaches to eat."

He was in the middle of losing teeth and had a shy demeanor, often covering his mouth when speaking to hide his appearance, which was quite amusing.

The Seventh Uncle he mentioned was Song Dingxiang's paternal uncle, the seventh eldest in the entire generation of the Song family.

"Then Auntie will go up and take a look. Don't run around below, you know?" Song Dingxiang playfully placed a flower behind Shengzi's ear and patted the little boy's sunburned face before heading up the mountain, advising him not to wander and stay with the carts.

Near the foot of the mountain, the trees are planted with pears and persimmons. As you go up, you'll find pomegranates, dates, and dozens of bay laurel trees. In the mountain ditch, grapes are grown, and above the ditch, there is a large area of peaches and apples.

On the edge of Song Dingxiang's lotus pond, there are all crisp peaches planted, which bloom late and ripen late. This is the season when peaches and nectarines start to mature gradually.

Uncle Song Zhicheng, with his two sons and several vendors, was busy picking the ripe peaches from the trees. They separated the peaches into a basket of nectarines and a basket of yellow peaches.

Zuozuo, who was ten years old, climbed up the treetops to pick the peaches carefully and put them into a small basket, filling it up before lowering it down with a rope.

Sixth Granduncle was also there to help. He had more fruit trees, but since it wasn't the peak fruiting season for his trees, he finished picking from his orchard and came over to help pick the peaches.

"Oh, Dingxiang, why are you here?" Sixth Granduncle was stuffing peaches into baskets, layering them with dried grass to prevent the peaches from getting bruised.

"I was craving peaches, so I came to see," Song Dingxiang said with a smile.

Sixth Granduncle chuckled, "You little rascal, I'd believe you if you said you were craving meat, but peaches? I don't think so. Oh, don't touch them, the peaches have fuzz on them, and it'll make you itch."

Song Dingxiang smiled and then stood still on the side.

She looked around and saw fruit trees everywhere on the mountain, with a strong fruity scent in the air. At the foot of the mountain, vast fields were stretching as far as the eye could see, dotted with villages.

Her crescent-shaped lotus pond was also quite conspicuous.

The wheat field had started to turn yellow, indicating that it would soon be time for the harvest. When the time came, the whole family would have to come down to the fields to prevent any delays in harvesting.

Song Zhicheng came over carrying a basket of peaches. When he saw Song Dingxiang, he smiled and said, "Why have you come here, Dingxiang? The mountain path is difficult to walk on, be careful not to ruin your shoes."

When climbing the mountain, they would wear grass shoes over their cloth shoes to prevent slipping and protect their shoes and feet. However, Song Dingxiang had come up in her own shoes, with burrs stuck all over them.

"I forgot, I'll pick them up on the way back. Uncle, Grandma said to bring back a basket of these yellow peaches today," Song Dingxiang said.

Song Zhicheng nodded and said, "Alright, there aren't too many... Sell these directly, and later I'll have your brother pick another basket."

He was a practical man and without further questioning, he readily agreed when his mother said she wanted a basket of peaches.

The vendors finished picking the peaches and went down the mountain. Song Zhicheng left a basket of large yellow peaches and a few nectarines for Zuozuo to pick.

He also gave him five copper coins: "Take them, go buy some sweets with your brother."

Without hesitation, he accepted the basket and coins, saying, "Thank you, Seventh Uncle, thank you, Sixth Granduncle, goodbye Aunt Dingxiang," before happily bouncing down the mountain.

"Be careful, don't fall!" Song Dingxiang called out from behind.

He shouted back loudly, "I won't fall!" and then quickly disappeared.

"Finally done for the day..." Sixth Granduncle stretched lazily, carrying a few empty baskets, and leisurely walked down alongside Song Zhicheng. As for Song Zhicheng's two sons, they had already quickly descended the mountain carrying their baskets.

Song Zhicheng chuckled and said, "Once we're done today, there's tomorrow, and once we're done tomorrow, there's the day after that. In a few days, we'll have to start harvesting again, picking peaches, and hiring people."

Sixth Granduncle Song Xingzhi stretched lazily and said, "Year after year, only in winter can we rest properly. But your family is busy even in winter, but it's good to be busy and make money. Your aunt has been busy lately, and although it worries me, she looks better than usual. As long as she's not too tired, let her be busy."

As they reached the foot of the mountain, the two boys had long since disappeared from sight, and only the backs of Song Junli remained. Song Dingxiang pondered for a moment and asked, "Uncle, Sixth Granduncle, who do you usually hire to pick peaches during the busy farming season?"

"We hire people from the village who don't have land or those who work odd jobs in town. But at that time, the peaches have not reached their peak yet, and if we can't pick them ourselves, those people start demanding higher pay, which is quite a hassle," Sixth Granduncle looked down on those who made a living this way.

Song Dingxiang thought for a moment and said, "Since it's not the peak fruiting season anyway, why don't I call a few of my sisters to come and help? Although they may not be as strong as men, they are all very careful and won't damage the fruits. And then we can hire a couple of young boys to help carry the baskets, it shouldn't cost much."

During the busy farming season, while the whole family had to pitch in, the first couple of days of harvesting mainly required physical strength, even the younger members of the household found their roles to play. Girls and young boys around seven or eight years old would follow along and help with tasks like picking wheat grains.

But picking wheat grains was not urgent, as fruits could be picked in the morning and grains could be harvested in the afternoon.

A gleam of excitement ignited in Sixth Granduncle’s eyes as he asked, "If we could do it this way, we could probably save half of the labor costs. Why don't you go and ask around to see who would be willing to come? Although we have many fruit trees at home, ten or so people should be enough for now, and the fruit vendors who come to collect fruits will also help. But they are all just young girls, would their families agree?"

Song Dingxiang replied, "If it's a job that can earn money, why wouldn't they be willing? If they are worried about anything happening, we can have the two old aunts help pack the peaches and make sure the children don't cause trouble. Let's make a deal with them, as long as they don't damage the fruits, we'll hire them for these kinds of tasks in the future."

Sixth Granduncle nodded repeatedly, "Alright, you go and ask around quickly, get the people lined up first so that we don't end up in a mess when the time comes."

Song Dingxiang agreed, and after sending Sixth Granduncle home with Song Zhicheng, they hurried back to their own house.

In the courtyard, a basket of yellow peaches was placed, and Fang Shi picked one, peeled it, and slowly crushed it for her youngest son to eat and play with, his face covered in yellow, leaving Song Dingxiang both amused and exasperated.

"You're back, tell me how to prepare this thing." Fang Shi, seeing her daughter back, handed over the task of feeding peaches to her son to Song Zijin.

Song Zijin skillfully took the heavy younger brother, sat on the steps, and continued feeding him.

"No need to rush, Zijin, I have something to discuss with you," Song Dingxiang said with a smile as she walked over and explained things to Song Zijin.

"So they should be around seven or eight years old?" Song Zijin wiped her brother's mouth, placed the peach aside, and didn't give it to him to eat.

The chubby little boy, without anything to eat, didn't make a fuss and started yawning. This little guy was almost two years old, and he did everything slowly, speaking slowly as well.

But he was a clever little one, despite his young age, he was particularly good at reading people's expressions, and he would laugh at anyone's jokes, very adorable.

Song Dingxiang took over and picked up her brother, saying, "Yes, they should be around seven or eight years old, the little ones can't do much work, but the older ones can basically go into the fields. We don't need them to do heavy work, just pick some peaches. The peach trees aren't tall, so no one will get hurt if they fall."

"Alright, I'll go ask then." Song Zijin brushed the dirt off her pants and was about to leave.

"Hey, find someone diligent, and easy to talk to at home, don't end up picking peaches and getting into a fight later." Song Dingxiang reminded.

Song Zijin smiled, "I know, sis, I've got it all figured out."l