The fruit was indeed quite sweet.
Chen Xiaobei finished the fruit quickly. Seeing this, Carpenter Zhang smiled and said, "Mayor Xiaobei, I'll get you a few more."
"No, no, one is enough. This must be very expensive."
Hearing Chen Xiaobei's words, Carpenter Zhang chuckled.
"Expensive? It's worthless. We just picked them from the woods, there are plenty."
Unintentionally spoken, but thoughtfully heard. Wild and so delicious? Chen Xiaobei's heart stirred.
Yes, I must go take a look later.
As they were speaking, Yang Zhi arrived with his men. This time, Yang Zhi had carefully selected eight people and brought many tools, including hammers and axes. Upon seeing so many people, Carpenter Zhang greeted them and quickly retreated into the yard.
It was clear that he still harbored a deep fear of these men.
Yang Zhi, however, was casual. He gestured to the people behind him and asked, "Brother Xiaobei, do you think eight people are enough?"
"Enough, enough. It's just a matter of installing an iron door."
Chen Xiaobei pointed to the iron door on the donkey cart. Four people came forward and each took a corner.
This iron door must weigh over two hundred pounds. Four people lifting it was just right.
Chen Xiaobei led the way, bringing everyone to the cave.
Yang Zhi stood at the cave entrance and looked for a while. He then walked in about ten to twenty feet and shouted into the cave a few times. He then turned back out and asked Chen Xiaobei with concern, "This cave looks quite deep. Are there any other exits?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled and shook his head. "No. I used to go in there often when I was a child. It's only about thirty to forty feet deep. There's a little mountain spring water at the bottom for them to drink. As long as they have some dry rations, they won't starve to death."
Yang Zhi's face finally broke into a smile. "Brother Xiaobei, you're really good at picking a spot. If we put an iron door here and close it, they won't be able to escape even if they had three heads and six arms."
Not to mention, the group Yang Zhi brought were truly professional in their work.
First, they pressed the iron door against the rock wall and adjusted its position.
Then, they marked the spots where iron nails needed to be hammered.
Afterward, they moved the iron door aside, and the eight men surrounded it, beginning their work.
Watching them work with such fervor, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help at all. He felt awkward, unsure whether to stand or sit.
Yang Zhi clearly noticed Chen Xiaobei's state. He smiled and said, "Brother Xiaobei, if you have something to do, go ahead and attend to it. We'll be done before dark."
Chen Xiaobei didn't stand on ceremony. He nodded, turned, and left.
He had gone to the county town in a hurry and hadn't bought anything. He needed to go to the place Carpenter Zhang mentioned to pick some wild fruits to bring back for Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiao'er to taste.
According to Carpenter Zhang, the fruit trees were in the southern part of the woods.
Chen Xiaobei needed to pass through this large patch of woods at the entrance of the village.
In his memory, this stretch of woods extended all the way to the edge of Cui Family Village. Further south was a gully, beyond which the woods ended.
Therefore, the villagers of the two villages used this gully to demarcate their respective activity areas. Villagers from Cui Family Village rarely crossed the gully to come here, and people from Hetou Village naturally wouldn't go over.
In the woods, a faint path could be seen, a trace left by occasional passersby.
Following this path south for about three li, Chen Xiaobei caught a fragrant aroma.
He then saw a patch of bright red ahead, looking delightful under the sunlight.
He had finally found it, and Chen Xiaobei became excited.
As Carpenter Zhang had said, there were indeed several fruit trees here, laden with fruit.
Chen Xiaobei picked one and tasted it. It had the same flavor as the one Carpenter Zhang gave him.
After confirming it was the same fruit, Chen Xiaobei wasn't in a hurry to pick them. Instead, he first looked around the area.
There were four fruit trees, or more accurately, four fruiting trees. Each tree bore dozens to a hundred fruits.
This meant there were a total of about four hundred fruits.
Around these four trees were some smaller saplings, some only as thick as a thumb, and some even just tiny sprouts. These were likely the result of old tree fruits falling to the ground and naturally growing.
This was the original state of the world, where things grew and perished on their own.
But Chen Xiaobei's arrival was destined to change the fate of these trees.
Chen Xiaobei picked over a dozen fruits, put them in his embrace, and turned to head home.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei return, Cui Hongyu looked at him with concern. "Husband, you've worked hard. Please rest for a while."
Chen Xiaobei, however, smiled and took out two fruits from his embrace, giving one to Cui Hongyu and the other to Chen Qiao'er. "Try it, see if it's delicious."
Cui Hongyu took it and examined it carefully, while Chen Qiao'er was already impatient. She took a big bite with a crunch.
The moment she bit into it, Chen Qiao'er's face lit up with excitement. She mumbled, "Delicious, delicious, brother, this fruit is truly delicious."
Cui Hongyu then asked, "Weren't you going to the county town? Did you go into the mountains?"
Chen Xiaobei chuckled. "Indeed, nothing escapes you. You really are a master strategist."
Cui Hongyu smiled calmly. "How could I be so clever? I've seen this kind of fruit in the mountains a couple of years ago."
"Really? There are some in the mountains too?" Chen Xiaobei feigned ignorance. "I didn't go into the mountains, I just found them in the woods at the village entrance."
"I don't know about the ones in the woods. One year, when my father and I went into the mountains to gather herbs, we saw a large patch of these fruits. If we hadn't dug up so many herbs, we would have brought some back down the mountain then."
Chen Xiaobei smiled. Cui Hongyu was also a glutton.
"Did your father tell you what this fruit is called?"
Facing this question, Cui Hongyu thought for a moment and finally shook her head.
"No. Why don't you give it a name, husband?"
Chen Xiaobei was a little surprised to be asked to name the fruit, but then he thought it made sense. It would be inconvenient to refer to it without a name.
Alright, then he would give it a ready-made name.
"Hongyu, I think it should be called 'apple'."
"Apple, apple." Cui Hongyu repeated it, clearly not very satisfied with the name.
Well, then Chen Xiaobei had to bring out his trump card.
"Look, why do I call it an apple? It's because I hope that after eating it, everyone will be safe and sound."
Hearing this, Cui Hongyu's face broke into a smile. "Good, this name is wonderful."
Chen Qiao'er also exclaimed excitedly, "Nice, nice! The name 'apple' sounds really good."
Chen Xiaobei felt a little amused. See? The name itself wasn't important; it was how you explained it.
Chen Xiaobei took out the remaining fruits from his embrace and placed them on the stone table. "There are still some here. If you finish these, I'll go pick more for you."
Cui Hongyu, however, shook her head. "Husband, we won't eat them. You should pick more to sell in the county town. You can earn some silver."
Indeed, she was a thrifty and virtuous wife. Chen Xiaobei felt a blissful dizziness.