usatvline Chapter 329 Young Master Lin pays the bill, I'll foot the bill.
Chapter 329 Young Master Lin pays the bill, I'll foot the bill.
Chapter 329 Young Master Lin pays the bill, I'll foot the bill.
The four of them strolled around leisurely, their laughter echoing in the air.
Their gazes drifted a little further away, and they all landed on the greenhouse next to the peacock breeding area.
Ji Meng, acting as the temporary tour guide, suddenly changed the subject and introduced in a clear, crisp voice:
"This picking garden should have five or six greenhouses in total. Most of them are used to grow vegetables, but I can confirm that two greenhouses are used to grow fruit, mainly strawberries and cherry tomatoes."
Upon hearing this, Yu Huan asked, "Cherry fruit?"
Ji Meng responded without hesitation: "Yes, apart from these two, which are not bad, the seasonal oranges and tangerines here may not be very tasty, so I don't recommend them."
After a moment's thought, Yu Huan asked, "Ji Meng, are there any limits on the amount of strawberries?"
"I think it was a limited quantity. Each person was given a basket to pick, and it was one of those small baskets. You've already seen it. It's not big, and it can hold at most three or four pounds."
Yu Huan nodded slightly and said, "My colleagues said it's fifteen yuan per jin."
Li Qianqian's voice carried a hint of surprise: "So cheap?"
Ji Meng smiled and continued, "It's always been this price. It's a leisure farm, so we mainly make money from farm-style dishes and guesthouses. The fruit picking garden is just to attract customers. There's the Tongguan Kiln right next to here, and quite a few people still come here for tourism and accommodation."
Tongguan Kiln once enjoyed a glorious period, originating in the early Tang Dynasty. It is the birthplace of underglaze polychrome ceramics and is known as the "Ten-Mile Pottery City".
Even though this place is far from the city, it's perfectly normal for people to come here as tourists.
Yu Huan's thoughts shifted, and she said half-jokingly, "So that's how it is. Then let's not stand on ceremony. Let's each pick a basket full of strawberries, and Mr. Lin will pay for everything."
As soon as he finished speaking, the three women walking side by side were slightly taken aback, and then burst out laughing in unison.
Ji Meng chuckled, turned to the side and said, "Young Master Ji, please pay the bill."
Lin Yourong chuckled softly, turned her head and gave Yu Huan a coquettish glare, then patted Ji Meng's arm and emphasized to her, "Young Master Lin, it's on you."
Yu Huan nodded and smiled in agreement: "That's right, Young Master Lin will pay the bill, I'll pay."
Li Qianqian suddenly stopped, let go of Lin Yourong's hand, and burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.
Breathless, she turned to Yu Huan and said, "Brother Huan, are you always this humorous?"
As Yu Huan brushed past her, he paused slightly before turning around.
A warm smile appeared on his lips: "Life is mostly mundane, so we always need a little humor to spice things up."
After saying that, he quickly started walking.
After all this time, she's finally earned her place as her husband.
“Yu Huan, what you said makes perfect sense,” Ji Meng said with a smile.
Yu Huan grabbed Lin Yourong's small hand, chuckled, and said, "The most important thing is that with such a beautiful and generous young master Lin at home, we definitely need to be a little humorous. What if young master Lin finds life boring?"
Lin Yourong flipped her hand over and intertwined her fingers with his, her eyes full of smiles: "You smooth talker."
"Just tell me, are you buying this or not?" Yu Huan raised her chin slightly.
Ji Meng chimed in, teasingly saying, "Oh dear, you two are so sweet together, don't forget that Xiao Qianqian and I are invisible!"
Li Qianqian quickly walked to Yu Huan's side, nodding vigorously in agreement: "That's right! Are you deliberately showing off your love in front of us?"
Yu Huan laughed and said, "How could it be a deliberate display of affection? My husband and I have a great relationship, don't we?"
Ji Meng leaned forward slightly, glanced at Li Qianqian who was verbally rebuking her but actually had a maternal smile on her face, and shook her head helplessly.
So, she's the only one who's about to become a sour grapes?
As they chatted and laughed, they gradually approached the entrance to the orchard.
The open iron gate has a sign indicating that it is a fruit and vegetable picking garden, and also includes a mobile phone number.
Beside the entrance stands a house with corrugated steel roof.
A whiteboard hangs on the wall, displaying the prices of various fruits and vegetables, all priced by weight.
An elderly man stood in front of the house with his hands on his hips. He was of medium build and slightly hunched over. He was wearing a worn blue work jacket with some mud on the cuffs of his trousers.
With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he smiled broadly when he saw the four people coming from the other side of the road. His large, yellow teeth were particularly noticeable in the sunlight: "Handsome guy and beautiful girl, are you going to pick fruits and vegetables? Feel free to wander around here, just don't step on anything."
Seeing that the old man and Ji Meng didn't seem to know each other, Yu Huan smiled and said, "We heard that the strawberries here are especially delicious, so we wanted to come and try them."
The old man gently pinched the cigarette out of his mouth with two fingers, casually flicked off the ash, and said, "Strawberries are fifteen yuan a pound, which is very affordable compared to fruit shops outside. Plus, you can pick them yourself!"
talking.
He turned slightly, pointed to the small baskets piled on the square table under the eaves, and continued, "If you want to pick strawberries, each person can take one of these small baskets, limited quantity, while supplies last. Besides that, we also have—"
"Just pick some strawberries, it's hard to carry too many." Ji Meng said with a smile, stepped forward, and handed over four small stacks of baskets.
Seeing this, the old man nodded and said, "Then come with me."
He slowly took steps to lead the way, walking leisurely ahead.
He glanced back and saw the group of young people following closely behind. He took a puff of his cigarette and said with a smile, "Just now, two girls wandered around here for a while, asking me so many questions that my head was spinning. In the end, they picked two baskets of strawberries and left. You guys must be with them, right?"
Ji Meng, carrying a basket in both hands, walked slowly behind him, changing the subject and saying, "I'm from Tongguan. This is my first time here this year. I've been here many times before. Your son should recognize me."
"Oh! No wonder, my kid stayed up all night playing games and is still asleep." The old man sighed and waved his hand, saying, "The strawberries here have always tasted very good."
"That's right," Ji Meng replied noncommittally.
The group strolled leisurely through a small grove of tangerines, their feet sinking into the soft, carpet-like earth, and arrived at a large plastic greenhouse.
The old man skillfully lifted the curtain, turned to the side, and gestured for them to go in first.
Yu Huan held Lin Yourong's hand, and the two walked at the back.
The moment you step into the greenhouse, a warm and humid atmosphere greets you.
Inside the greenhouse, rows of strawberry plants stand neatly, and the bright red strawberries under the green leaves are very eye-catching.
The aroma of strawberries permeates the air, subtly penetrating people's nostrils, refreshing and sweet, making one's mouth water.
The old man casually flicked his cigarette butt onto his foot, stomped on it, and then lowered the curtain.
He grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from cigarette smoke: "Everyone can have one to try!"
Beside the curtained entrance stood a sign that read, "Please pick strawberries responsibly and do not eat them while picking." Yu Huan looked away from the sign, turned to the old man, and said with a smile, "Grandpa, your strawberries look very tempting, but I still think it's best to wash them before eating them, that way I'll feel more at ease."
The old man took out a packet of fine white sand from his pocket, pulled out a stick, lit it, and took a deep drag.
As wisps of smoke rose, he exhaled them and chuckled, "Haha, young people are so particular. But our strawberries are all organically grown, without pesticides, so you can eat them without worry. But you're right, washing them makes them even cleaner."
Upon hearing this, Yu Huan nodded noncommittally, but in her heart she only thought it was the old man's sales pitch.
He got to the point and asked, "Is there anywhere we can wash the strawberries?"
The old man tilted his head slightly, looked at Yu Huan's sharply defined jawline, and said with a gentle smile, "There's a tap right at the gate. You can go wash your hands after you're done picking them."
Yu Huan glanced at Lin Yourong, who was already squatting down to pick the fruit, and slightly raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a gentle smile.
"Okay, thank you."
After casually agreeing, he walked over to Lin Yourong's side, overhearing Li Qianqian muttering to herself not far away, "This one is a bit small... the shape isn't very good..."
Yu Huan immediately turned her head to take a look.
Li Qianqian squatted on the ground, carefully observing each strawberry. Her focused expression made it seem as if she were appraising some treasure, as if she had a bit of decision-making difficulties.
In contrast, Lin Yourong appeared much more decisive and efficient. With her sparkling manicured nails, she deftly snapped the strawberry off the stem and held it lightly in her palm.
With quick eyes and hands, she picked three or four strawberries in a row and gently placed them in the small red basket at her feet.
These movements were as smooth as flowing water.
Yu Huan pulled his sunglasses up to his head and observed the strawberries she had picked. They were extremely uniform in color and size, and had a bright red hue. He couldn't help but whisper in admiration, "Wife, you're so professional!"
Lin Yourong turned her head, raised her chin, and looked at Yu Huan's face with her clear eyes under the brim of her hat.
Her voice, tinged with laughter, came through her mask: "Of course, I'm very good at picking strawberries. When I was little, my grandma often took me strawberry picking."
As soon as she finished speaking, she lowered her head and separated the two small baskets that were stacked together.
The basket, whose bottom was already covered with a layer of strawberries, was then placed at Yu Huan's feet.
Yu Huan smiled and half-squatted down, her gaze falling on a bright red strawberry. She then imitated the strawberry by gently pinching off the stem with her fingernails.
This is my first time picking strawberries.
Hearing this, Lin Yourong kept busy with her hands and said softly, "Don't pick those that look big or deformed. They're probably not that tasty and might even be hollow. Try to pick strawberries that are evenly colored and have a high gloss."
"Oh." Yu Huan nodded knowingly.
“Pinching by hand isn’t very convenient. If you’re picking a lot, it would be better to use scissors.” Lin Yourong’s movements were skillful as she picked the fruit and slowly moved forward.
Before long, the strawberries in the small basket were overflowing, forming a small hill.
She clapped her hands, turned around and looked at the basket at Yu Huan's feet not far away, which was only half full.
Smiling, she stood up and looked around the area. She saw Ji Meng in the innermost corner of the greenhouse, while Li Qianqian was a little further behind. Both of them were squatting down, heads down, picking strawberries.
Without hesitation, Lin Yourong took a step toward Yu Huan.
She had just approached and half-squatted down when Yu Huan, hearing the sound, turned around. Seeing it was her, she smiled and said, "So fast? Your basket is already full?"
"Yes, let me help you speed things up." Lin Yourong smiled and deftly picked three strawberries, placing them in the basket.
She glanced at the old man playing on his phone in the distance, raised her hand to smell the fresh strawberry scent on her fingers, then leaned close to Yu Huan's ear and whispered, "Hurry up and finish picking the strawberries to wash them, my mouth is watering!"
Yu Huan smiled broadly and quickened her pace, replying, "I'm already drooling."
With the help of the strawberry-picking expert, the basket was quickly filled to the brim.
The couple walked hand in hand across three rows of strawberry plants, then went to help Li Qianqian pick the strawberries.
Yu Huan glanced at the basket at Li Qianqian's feet, which was only half full of strawberries, and teased, "Qianqian, if you keep picking like this, you won't have time for lunch."
Li Qianqian looked up at the brother and sister, and all her unspoken words turned into a silly "hehe" laugh.
She played with her boss and Lin Su, and the two of them even helped her pick strawberries. If you told those girls in the dorm about this, who would believe it?
The three of them had just started working together when Ji Meng, carrying a basket full of strawberries, came over and joined the fray.
Many hands make light work, and in no time, Li Qianqian's basket was filled to the brim.
As the group filed to the door curtain, the old man put his phone back in his pocket and looked at the four young people's baskets, which were piled high, especially the one in Yu Huan's hand, which was like a small hill.
They seemed to have come prepared.
The old man gently lifted the curtain, squinted, revealing a set of yellow teeth, and said with a smile, "You young people are really quick and efficient. You picked so many in just fifteen minutes."
Yu Huan pulled her sunglasses up to her nose and put them on. She bent slightly as she passed under the curtain and said with a smile, "The main thing is that we have a professional strawberry picker."
The old man turned to look at Lin Yourong, nodded, and said, "Your girlfriend is indeed quite diligent."
After taking a few steps, Yu Huan stopped, turned around, smiled brightly, and emphasized, "This is my wife."
Although the old man couldn't see Lin Yourong's face, he jokingly replied, "That's right, a handsome guy with a beautiful girl."
Everyone burst into laughter.
On the way back to the entrance of the orchard, despite the old man's patient persuasion and enthusiastic recommendations, Yu Huan dodged the question and the group soon arrived at the corrugated steel tile house.
At that moment, an older woman sat at a square table under the eaves, holding a tangerine peel in her hand, her cheeks slightly puffed out.
Seeing the old man leading Yu Huan and her group slowly approaching, she slowly swallowed the fruit in her mouth, casually threw the peel on the ground, stood up, and greeted them with a smile as she weighed the fruit for them.
Ji Meng picked a basket of strawberries, which barely weighed three pounds, the smallest quantity available.
The largest basket of strawberries picked by Lin Yourong weighed a full four pounds and six ounces, but it was carried by Yu Huan.
The total came to 223 yuan, but the old man generously rounded it down to 220.
Subsequently.
Yu Huan battles Ji Meng and Li Qianqian, vying to pay the bill.
With Lin Yourong's help in holding Ji Meng back, Yu Huan finally managed to slip three bills into the old lady's hand.
(End of this chapter)