xymnovel Chapter 55 Uncle's Strawberry Garden!
Chapter 55 Uncle's Strawberry Garden!
Chapter 55 Uncle's Strawberry Garden!
Little Sizi slept soundly. The sun outside the window gradually slanted westward, and the warm sunlight shone through the windowpane, falling on the child's soft little face, adding a touch of tranquility.
When she got up, rubbing her sleepy eyes, her aunt was busy clearing the table, while her mother got up and took out a bag of colorful little things from her bag on the cabinet.
The bag was opened, and the first thing revealed was a small embroidered pearl pouch, about the size of a palm.
The bag is made of delicate plain brocade with fine and neat stitches. The front is embroidered with a budding begonia flower, and the edges of the petals are adorned with round and plump little pearls. When the sunlight shines on it, the pearls gleam with a warm and soft light. It is small and exquisite, and looks particularly lovely.
"Sis, come and see, I brought you this little trinket especially for you."
My mother smiled and waved, handing the small bag to my aunt. She then took out other ornaments, including a wooden hairpin carved with orchids, a small necklace pendant, a bamboo fish, and several handkerchiefs embroidered with landscape patterns. Each piece was a carefully selected work of art, showing her heartfelt sincerity.
The aunt took the pearl pouch, her fingertips gently caressing the delicate embroidery. Her eyes were full of surprise, and the smile on her lips never faded. "Wow, the embroidery is so exquisite! Every pearl is so round and lustrous. I can't bear to use it." She held the pouch in her hands, turning it over and over, looking at it with increasing delight.
"I don't need it for anything. Just for everyday use, like holding my phone, SIM cards, ID, and hair tie. It's not worth much, it's just for fun."
Mom took out a few more fluffy hair clips. "Qingqing, these are for you. Wear them with your little sister."
"Thank you, Auntie!" Jingjing quickly ran over.
"Here, let me put it on you." Mom quickly put the little white rabbit headband on Lin Qing's head, and the little girl immediately perked up.
"I'm going to look in the mirror!" Lin Qing covered the little rabbit and ran away.
"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Lin Qing looked at herself from left to right, unable to get enough of it.
Little Sizi was now fully awake. She crawled to her mother's side, her big eyes fixed on the pearl-studded pouch, her little mouth slightly open, her eyes full of curiosity: "Pouch! Stuff! Flowers!"
She reached out her chubby little hand and gently touched the pearl on the bag. The pearl felt smooth and warm to the touch, and her little face turned red with joy.
"Do you like it? You can play with this bag, and you can keep it to store candy." Mom took out an equally beautiful lotus-patterned bag.
"Come here, Sizi, let me put a hair clip on you too. What kind do you want?" The aunt bent down and ruffled the little boy's hair, her voice so gentle it could melt hearts.
"Hmm————" The young man looked at the various check-in forms and was overwhelmed.
"Give the little sister the same one as mine!" Lin Qingteng ran back.
"Sizi, you wear the pink one! I'll wear the white one!" Lin Qing picked out a pink bunny and asked her mother to put it on Sizi.
Above the sky, the people from different eras who were originally debating about food were instantly attracted by these exquisite objects, causing another uproar.
Inside the Tang Dynasty palace, Li Tai had long forgotten the failed attempt at making golden eggplant. His eyes were fixed on the pearl-embroidered pouch on the light screen, burning with fervor: "Such embroidery is simply unparalleled! Our Tang Dynasty's Imperial Wardrobe has countless embroiderers, yet none have been able to create such fine and even patterns. The pearl inlay is perfectly natural, without the slightest imperfection—it's truly a masterpiece!"
He immediately slammed his hand on the table and stood up, sternly ordering his servants, "Summon the head of the Imperial Wardrobe and have all the embroiderers in the manor mobilized to reproduce this embroidery. Anyone who disobeys will be severely punished!"
Inside the Forbidden City, Emperor Qianlong played with the jade thumb ring in his hand, his gaze fixed on the jade bracelet. He raised an eyebrow, full of surprise: "What a clever little rabbit, so lifelike! And that wooden hairpin, the carving is simple yet elegant, a few strokes outlining the orchid's spirit, truly rare."
He immediately ordered the Imperial Household Department to do everything in its power to replicate such plush items and embroidered pieces, determined to find an exact replica of the treasure.
In Bianjing, Su Shi held a book and gazed at the embroidered handkerchief on the screen, his eyes filled with admiration. He immediately picked up his brush and wrote: "Plain silk embroidered with mountains and rivers, adorned with pearls and jade and blooming flowers, this thing should only exist in heaven, rarely seen in the human world!"
The more he looked at it, the more it itched to try it himself. Meanwhile, Shen Kuo stared at the stitches of the embroidery, carefully studying the secrets of such exquisite craftsmanship, and wrote down the patterns and stitches on paper.
Inside Yingtian Prefecture, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at these ornaments and, unusually, did not rebuke them for their extravagance. Instead, he looked at Empress Ma and softened his tone: "The craftsmanship of modern women is indeed exquisite. With just a small piece of cloth and a few beads, they can make such beautiful objects. If ordinary people could learn this craft, they could have an extra source of income."
Empress Ma smiled and nodded, her gaze gently falling on the pearl pouch: "Yes, it's exquisitely crafted and practical; it truly shows great care."
In the Xianyang Palace of the Qin Dynasty, Meng Tian set aside his usual tactical thoughts and gazed at the embroidered handkerchief depicting mountains and rivers, his eyes filled with amazement:
On a thin piece of silk, the outline of a vast landscape can be embroidered, with flowing lines and a profound artistic conception. Such skill is truly unparalleled in the world.
Zhao Gao stared at the jade bracelets and silver ornaments with greed in his eyes, secretly calculating that if he could take these treasures for himself, he would have no regrets in this life.
Here, the family chatted and laughed, preparing to set off for Grandma's house.
My aunt and uncle were very enthusiastic, carrying bags and packages of things, insisting on putting them into the car.
"Oh, sis, we come here every day, why are you always bringing us so much stuff?" Mom was embarrassed.
"These are all for the children. Your family doesn't make them, so I made extra on purpose." The aunt stuffed the packets into the food.
"Goodbye, Auntie~" The little guy got into the car and quickly waved to his aunt.
"Come again tomorrow!" Auntie waved with a smile.
"Hmm~~" The little ox's little feet tumbled back and forth happily, humming an off-key nursery rhyme, entertaining itself.
On the way, Mom called Grandma to tell her that they were back.
"What? You're almost home? Why didn't you tell me beforehand! Li Dongxing, hurry up and buy some food for the kids!" Grandma instructed from the other end of the line.
"Oh, Mom, no need to buy food, we brought some." Mom was worried that Grandma and Grandpa would prepare too much.
"How can you not buy it? Go quickly!" Grandma urged.
"Sigh, that's just how my grandparents are, they won't listen to anything I say." Lu Chen was used to it.
Soon, a spacious farmhouse came into view, with white tiled walls and a gate leading to five white tiled flat-roofed houses.
Two lush persimmon trees stand at the entrance of the courtyard, their branches and leaves abundant, exuding a strong sense of home life.
Before I even got close, Grandma came out to greet me.
Although Grandma's hair was white, her spirit was not diminished, and her legs and feet were no worse than those of a young person.
"Oh my, look where my niece is!" Grandma's wrinkles blossomed.
Click! The car door opens.
"Baby! I'm here!" Little Sizi broke free from her mother's hand, ran to her grandmother with her short legs, looked up at her with her little face and called out sweetly. Her soft and cute voice melted everyone's heart.
Grandma looked down and instantly burst into laughter. She bent down and scooped Xiao Sizi into her arms, kissing her soft little face repeatedly. "Oh my, my little darling, you're so beautiful! Let Grandma take a good look at you!" Grandma held Xiao Sizi, unable to put her down, her eyes full of doting affection.
Whoosh! A six-year-old boy ran out of the house, his short legs moving quickly backwards. His eyes were bright and clear, revealing a cleverness. It was Li Han, Xiao Sizi's cousin.
"Little sister!" Little Li Han was beaming with joy, each of her dimples appearing on her cheeks.
The little guy came running up, panting, clutching a piece of candy in his tiny hand, and handed it to Xiao Sizi: "Little sister, here's some candy. I'll take you to play in the yard; I have lots of other toys!"
"Thank you, little pot~" Little Sizi said sweetly as she took the candy.
"Shall we go, little sister?" Li Han stretched out her chubby little hand.
The two little ones quickly became acquainted, and Xiao Sizi turned to look at his mother.
"Go ahead, you two run slowly," Mom said with a smile and a nod.
"Hmm~~" The two little ones ran off immediately.
"I'll go keep an eye on things," Lu Chen said, chasing after him.
"Why aren't you coming inside? Come on, come on, go back inside." Grandpa came back, carrying a big bag.
"Come on, let's go inside."
The family climbed the large steps and went inside.
People outside the canopy were amazed by the new look of the modern countryside.
"What? Are modern farmers living this well? Even the walls are covered in white paint? What kind of stone are those bricks made of?"
How come it looks just like fine porcelain?
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened.
"This wall is even more beautiful than my imperial palace!"
"Modern people are rolling in money! They're sticking shards of porcelain and iron to their faces! They'd be better off eating with that kind of money!" Zhu Yuanzhang lamented again.
"Let people put it on if they want to! It looks nice and makes people feel comfortable."
97
"Damn it! How many bowls could we make with these porcelain shards! What a waste!"
Ying Zheng, however, remained unusually calm.
If only my Great Wall could be covered with these shiny, colorful bricks!
From afar, it resembles a white dragon lying on a hillside, unafraid of wind, rain, ice, and frost! It will last for ten thousand years!
Ying Zheng couldn't help but crack his knuckles.
Li Shimin's eyes lit up as well.
"Are ordinary people in modern times so extravagant? It's one thing to cover the outside of the house with silver bricks, but even the courtyard wall has to be covered with gold?"
Even my palace walls aren't like this.
"Are modern walls indestructible? What are those white bricks made of?" Liu Che squinted.
"Oh, this is Xiao Sizi's maternal grandparents' house? It looks like a wealthy family! Her aunt's house is just as nice!" Li Tai stared intently, wishing he could crawl into the courtyard.
The family was chatting happily inside the house.
My cousin pulled Xiao Sizi into his room.
Li Han brought out all his vehicles—big truck, small car, bulldozer, toy train—to entertain Xiao Sizi.
"Wow! So many little cars!" Little Sizi's eyes lit up.
People outside the canopy were even more shocked.
"Does Hyundai even have cars this small?"
"How was this done?"
"Truly a masterpiece!"
Lu Ban stared wide-eyed, and stopped working with the beans in his hand.
Emperor Zhu Youxiao, the carpenter, chuckled foolishly: "Fun! Fun!"
Over here, Mom is showing Grandma the handicrafts she bought.
Grandma asked absentmindedly, "Was this little Si really unwanted? How could they abandon such a good child?"
"I heard it's because he had an illness when he was little, congenital asthma," Mom said softly. "But he's all better now. We went to the hospital for a checkup. Apart from being a little deficient in zinc and calcium, everything else is fine."
"Oh. Asthma isn't a big deal these days." Grandma was relieved.
"You two come and eat something! Stop playing for now!" Grandpa called out.
"Um!"
"Brother, shall we take the toy car?" Little Sizi grabbed a small motorcycle about the size of a tooth.
"Let's go." Li Han came carrying the toy train.
"You don't forget to play even while eating," Grandpa said, feigning annoyance.
"Hey, what's this, sir?"
"What is that?"
Little Sizi kept asking questions.
"Mom, let's take the kids to see their uncle," Mom suggested.
"Let's go take a look at the greenhouse."
"You two little ones, shall we go out with you? To see your uncle?" Lu Chen asked.
"Where is Uncle?" Little Sizi looked up.
"Uncle is in the vegetable garden, there are vegetables and strawberries there! Do you want to go?" Lu Chen definitely wanted to go, he hadn't seen his uncle in a long time.
"Let's go!" Little Sizi got up.
"Okay, I'll take you there! It's not far from here at all!" Xiao Lihan's enthusiasm returned.
The family members came out of the house one after another.
The two little ones led the way, like two little butterflies.
Little Sizi, with her short legs, followed closely behind her cousin Li Han, still clutching the candy in her little hand, her eyes sparkling as she looked around.
Like a seasoned little tour guide, Li Han pointed to a gravel path outside the yard and excitedly said, "Little sister, look! This path leads straight to Daddy's strawberry garden, it's so close! Last time I even picked a strawberry bigger than my fist!"
"Zither field? Do they have strawberries that big?" Little Sizi's eyes widened.
"Yes! Lots! And they're so sweet!"
A warm breeze gently blows by, carrying the fresh scent of earth and grass.
On both sides of the path were vegetable plots planted by my grandmother's family, with lush green chives and bok choy arranged neatly, and several butterflies fluttering among the leaves.
The little ox was intrigued and crouched down to grab it, but Lu Chen laughed and pulled it up: "Ox, stop playing around, there are more fun things in the strawberry garden!"
My mom, grandma, and grandpa followed behind, chatting as they walked.
Grandma, arm in arm with Mom, said, "Your uncle's strawberries are growing exceptionally well this year. He's using a greenhouse! He can control the temperature himself."
Before long, a spacious garden came into view.
The garden, covered by a semi-transparent plastic greenhouse, gleamed softly in the setting sun; this was my uncle's strawberry garden.
Before we even got close, a sweet, fruity aroma wafted over. Little Sizi sniffed and exclaimed in her childish voice, "Sweet! Fragrant!"
Li Han couldn't wait any longer and grabbed her little hand, running towards the entrance of the greenhouse.
There was my uncle—a middle-aged man with dark skin, dressed in neat overalls—squatting at the edge of the field tending the seedlings. Hearing the noise, he looked up, a surprised smile spreading across his face: "Hey? Sis! Brother-in-law! What brings you back? Didn't you get to stay longer? Come on in! The strawberries are ripe!"
"Your brother-in-law can't stay outside any longer."
"Little Sizi, is Uncle here nice?" The uncle looked at the little girl affectionately. He didn't have a daughter himself, and he liked this cute little dumpling even more.
"Okay~~" The little guy couldn't take it all in.
The greenhouse is warm and humid, with rows of lush green strawberry seedlings spread out, and bright red fruits hanging like little lanterns among the leaves, some still covered with glistening dewdrops.
Little Sizi opened her mouth wide with a "Wow!", let go of Li Han's hand, and stumbled to the nearest row of strawberries, reaching out her chubby little hand to gently touch one: "Red fruit! Bright!"
The uncle quickly handed over two small baskets, smiling as he said, "Pick carefully, don't trample the seedlings. Qingqing's mom, pick the ripe ones for the kids to eat directly, they haven't been sprayed with pesticides!"
Mom responded by squatting down and showing the little ox how to pinch the stem and gently twist it.
The little girl imitated him perfectly, picking one and popping it into her mouth. She immediately squinted, her little face puffed out as she chewed, juice dripping from the corner of her mouth: "Sweet! So delicious!"
Not to be outdone, Li Han picked a whole bunch and presented them to Xiao Sizi like a treasure: "Little sister, these are all for you!"
Lu Chen and his grandfather helped his uncle check the seedlings, while his grandmother stood aside, watching the children frolicking, her eyes full of love: "These two little devils are sweeter than strawberries."
Mom took out her phone to take a picture. As soon as the flash went off, Xiao Sizi curiously came over and pointed at the screen: "Bag! Flowers!" — She was still thinking about that little pearl bag.
Meanwhile, outside the sky, this scene once again stirred up waves.
In the Tang Dynasty palace, Li Shimin pointed at the bright red strawberries displayed on the screen, his expression one of astonishment and doubt: "What is this? It resembles a fruit but is not, its color like blood jade, yet it can grow in a greenhouse in winter? If my imperial garden had this skill, we would never have to worry about lacking fresh produce all year round!"
Li Tai had long since abandoned the embroidery and stared at the greenhouse structure, muttering, "How amazing! This transparent dome can actually retain heat. If it were used for military provisions, wouldn't that be a godsend?" He urgently summoned officials from the Ministry of Works and ordered them to replicate this "greenhouse method."
Inside the Forbidden City, Emperor Qianlong, clutching a jade thumb ring, gazed intently: "Strawberry? A charming name, shaped like agate. Quickly, summon the Imperial Kitchen! I want to taste this divine fruit!"
Heshen, standing beside him, muttered to himself, "This farmer's son is lucky. A few fruits are enough to please the emperor. I'll set up a strawberry farm myself and offer it as tribute tomorrow."
In Bianjing (Kaifeng), Su Shi discarded his books and wrote wildly: "Red pearls hidden in green leaves, spring and autumn nurtured in a warm room! Wonderful! This thing should accompany new wine, and I'll compose a hundred poems in my drunken state!"
Shen Kuo squatted down and began sketching a greenhouse, muttering about "the principle of light refraction".
Inside Yingtian Prefecture, Zhu Yuanzhang felt both heartache and envy: "What a waste! Building a shed to grow fruit? It would be so much better to use that time to plant two more acres of wheat!"
Empress Ma smiled and scolded, "What do you know? Look how happily the children are eating; this is true joy in life."
In the Xianyang Palace of the Qin Dynasty, Ying Zheng stood silently for a long time, then suddenly slammed his fist on the table: "If this skill were applied to the soldiers guarding the Great Wall, they would have vegetables even in the dead of winter. What fear would the Qin warriors have of hunger? Meng Tian, go and study it immediately!"
Zhao Gao stole glances at the strawberries, swallowed hard, and thought to himself, "So red as blood, they must be a rare treasure. If only I could present them to His Majesty—"
""
Laughter filled the strawberry patch. Little Sizi, her hands smeared with red juice from eating, picked a large strawberry, toddled over to her uncle, and held it up on tiptoe: "Chirp! A little fruit!"
Her uncle's heart melted, and he bent down to pick her up: "Oh, Sisi is such a good girl! Uncle's strawberries are plentiful!"
As the sun sets, warm light shines through the greenhouse onto the family, making even the air feel sweet.
Mom looked at the sky and suggested, "Why don't we pick some and take them back? Qingqing is coming tomorrow, so let her have a taste."
Grandma nodded: "Pick more! Your uncle would love to see that."
Upon hearing this, the two little ones worked even harder to stuff strawberries into the basket, like two busy little bees.