Chapter 29: Tasting

After being badgered by the elderly woman into picking two full sacks of fruits and vegetables—some she had mentioned and some she hadn't—An Songyu and her grandmother were finally allowed to leave.

Struggling under the weight of the goods, An Songyu decided to leave them temporarily by the foundation of the house currently under construction, which had already reached the second floor. She would be passing by this spot again anyway when she headed out from the silkworm house later.

"Your father is really something. Is he honestly planning to build five stories? And not just one building, but four whole buildings?" Seeing the structures her third son was erecting, Shi Youqin couldn't help but ask.

An Songyu smiled and nodded. If it weren't for the village's limit of five stories for residential buildings, her father would likely have wanted to build even higher. Then again, the current foundation wouldn't be able to support anything taller anyway. And if he did go higher, who knew if they could finish before the demolition arrived?

Seeing her granddaughter still smiling, Shi Youqin was rendered speechless. "Tell me, is everyone in your family more ambitious than the next?"

"Our village isn't like the neighboring Lin Village, which is so close to the new district being developed. While there are some five-story buildings in our village, those people are running agrotourism, fishing ponds, and even swimming pools, barbecue pits, and camping sites—they’re doing a thriving business. They have guests all year round! What about your family? You don't even have anyone running a business in the village. If you build all these houses and they end up sitting empty, you won't even recoup your costs. What will you do then?"

"Grandma, don't worry!" An Songyu quickly comforted her, knowing the old woman meant well. However, she couldn't just talk openly about the uncertain prospects of demolition. Even her uncles and aunts were following her father and uncle's lead. As it stood, things seemed to be going quite well. Since An Songlin’s wedding, not only had her eldest uncle and fourth uncle expanded their fruit orchards, but her two aunts had also visited the village more than once. They likely had their own ideas, though it was unclear how long it would take them to make up their minds. Furthermore, seeing the An family's progress, the previously neglected orchards in the village were finally attracting attention. While no one had signed any contracts yet, that could change at any moment. She wondered how many people would take action before the demolition began.

As she thought this, An Songyu observed Shi Youqin’s expression. Seeing her brows still tightly knitted, she quickly added, "Grandma, maybe Dad... he just wants to get everything done at once? Since we’ve built the silkworm house and leased the orchards, I believe he’ll shift his focus to the village in the future. He’s still young and has his job for now, but in eight or ten years, when he retires, he’ll return to the village and run things just like my uncle."

As she spoke, even An Songyu began to believe it. She felt a twinge of guilt, but to her surprise, Shi Youqin’s expression softened. An Songyu breathed a sigh of relief, glad she didn't have to fabricate any more excuses.

That afternoon, before leaving the village, An Songyu called An Jianping’s office. By the time she and An Jianmin had loaded the day's harvest onto the bus and arrived at the station, An Jianping was already waiting. The father and daughter moved the items from the station to the back of his bicycle, and then An Jianping hurried off; he had slipped out of work briefly to meet them.

The bus terminal in Rongdi was not actually far from the First Silk Weaving Factory in Shuncheng, but the buses heading outside the city didn't pass by the factory, and transferring buses to reach the residential area would have taken a long detour. That was why An Jianping had made the trip himself.

An Songyu rode her heavily laden bicycle toward home with considerable difficulty. It wasn't until she reached the residential complex that some acquaintances greeted her and offered to help. With many hands making light work, they managed to move everything into her home in a single trip. An Songyu invited them to sit, but Aunt Chen waved her hand, laughing, "Oh, Songyu, it’s just a small favor, no need to be so formal with us!" The other two aunts also declined warmly. They had been chatting downstairs and had only stepped in because they saw her load looked heavier than she was.

"Aunties, please, don't be so modest!" An Songyu deftly opened the basket hanging from her handlebars and motioned for them to look. "These are the first mulberries of the year from the orchards we leased. I picked half a basket today! I’d love for you all to have a taste."

For the residents of Shuncheng, mulberries were not exactly common. As families of the silk factory workers, they knew that while not rare, they weren't exactly everyday items either. The aunts were no longer in a hurry to leave.

After An Songyu quickly rinsed the mulberries in salt water in the kitchen, Aunt Chen and the others became the first in the residential area to taste the season's harvest.

"These mulberries are so fresh!" Aunt Liu, who lived in the building in front of them, exclaimed after tasting one.

"They really are fresh!" Aunt Chen nodded before she even tasted them. After eating two, she sighed, "It’s been so long since I've had this taste!"

"That’s because it’s been a while for you, but we’ve barely had the chance to eat them at all!"

"True. It's becoming harder and harder to collect local cocoons these days. Who knows how many mulberry trees are even left?"

"Will that affect our factory?"

"If it were going to affect us, it would have happened long ago. How much of the material used in our factory is actually locally sourced anymore?"

"Really? But isn't Shuncheng famous for its sericulture?"

"That’s ancient history!"

Listening to the three of them discuss, An Songyu gained a clearer understanding of the mulberry and silkworm industry in Shuncheng.

That evening, as the family ate the fresh mulberries, An Songxiang said with regret, "I was just there two days ago. Why didn't I see any ripe ones then?"

"You're eating them now, aren't you?" An Songlin teased his sister.

"That's not the point! I wanted to pick them myself!" An Songxiang said, hugging An Songyu’s arm and seeking validation.

An Songyu laughed, "Don't worry, when you go back this weekend, you'll find ripe mulberries in every field." She wasn't exaggerating; when she was picking them today, she noticed nearly every plot had berries beginning to turn red. At their current rate of ripening, there would be plenty by Sunday.

Reminded by An Songyu, An Songlin said his goodbyes to his parents, "Mom, Dad, Ying and I won't stay. We're going to see a classmate of mine to check on something."