Chapter 70: Chasing Off the Macaques
After the two of them discussed it, they put up a link in their online shop.
For the locust blossoms, they used the price from a major new-retail platform as reference—9.9 yuan per 100 grams, free shipping, with a discount for buying two or more.
Their previous great blue leaves had sold fairly well, and the bracken, Chinese toon, and other wild vegetables they had sold recently also had good word of mouth. The shop’s rating had always been high.
Ying Kongtu figured there would be customers willing to give them a try.
It did not matter how much they sold anyway. Once someone placed an order, they would go up the mountain to pick the flowers, then ship them out the same day.
If delivery was fast, the customers would receive them the next day.
Even if it was slower, they would still receive them on the third day.
They only sold to customers in a few nearby provinces, not farther away, in order to control the quality.
Perhaps because the quality of their products had always been very good, customers placed orders that very day.
Not many—only thirty-two orders.
Early the next morning, they went up the mountain to pick the freshest locust blossoms, then returned and carefully packed them before shipping them out.
Another day later, customers began leaving reviews.
Their order volume surged to seventy-five orders in a day, then soared again to one hundred and sixty-eight orders in a day.
Over the next few days, their orders rose in a straight line. At the peak, one day even reached seven hundred and twenty-eight orders.
For a large online store, this volume naturally did not count for much. But for a small shop like theirs, it was already very impressive.
Ying Kongtu could not make sense of it. “Why did so many orders suddenly come in?”
“Maybe because of the good reviews in the shop.” Wen Zhongshan showed the comments to Ying Kongtu.
[I was completely stunned. I was too busy eating my last order and forgot to leave a review, so I’m only reviewing now.]
[So fragrant. Even more fragrant than the locust blossoms from my hometown. Mix them with some flour and steam them, then dip them in garlic sauce—ridiculously delicious.]
[Very good and very fresh. I didn’t expect to be able to buy locust blossoms of this quality online. My mom even told me to buy a few more orders and send some to my aunt’s family.]
[This is what locust blossoms are supposed to taste like. Exactly the same as in my memory.]
[This shop’s locust blossoms are very fresh and clean. The grassy bitterness is very faint. They’re delicious even without blanching.]
[I bought locust blossoms from other shops this year too, but after eating this shop’s locust blossoms, there’s no going back. As the ultimate locust blossom lover, I think this shop’s locust blossoms are the best-tasting ones I’ve ever had.]
After reading them, Ying Kongtu still felt something was not quite right. “But someone has to click into the shop before they can see the reviews. Did someone promote us outside?”
Wen Zhongshan switched apps and searched. “Let me check. Yes, someone specifically recommended us, and customers also mentioned us in the comment sections.”
Ying Kongtu leaned over to look at his phone. Seeing all those praises, he felt very satisfied.
Wen Zhongshan said, “There are still many people who know good things when they see them.”
“Of course. Humans are the spirit of all living things. Their tongues are very sensitive,” Ying Kongtu said.
In order to guarantee quality, Ying Kongtu had no choice but to limit purchases. Their shop would sell at most five hundred orders a day, while supplies lasted.
Five hundred orders was still quite a lot for them to handle.
Fortunately, the courier responsible for their area had always been working part-time for their online shop.
With the courier helping with packaging, shipping, and customer service, their daily lives finally would not be delayed.
The locust blossoms on the mountain were blooming brilliantly. Aside from picking them to sell, Ying Kongtu also picked some to make tea.
The fragrance of locust blossoms was a sweet fragrance, somewhat similar to the type of scent commonly found in jasmine flowers used for scenting tea.
Using them to scent tea leaves produced a fresh and pleasant tea.
Most importantly, that elusive, delicate fragrance melted into the tea water, becoming concrete and graspable. The taste was wonderfully beautiful.
When one drank it, it was like tasting the flavor of spring.
The locust blossoms bloomed so brilliantly that not only were they working hard to pick them, the mountain bees were also seizing the chance to gather nectar and make honey.
When Ying Kongtu and the others went up the mountain, it felt as if all the bees had come over.
The mountain was full of buzzing. Everywhere were bees beating their wings.
Since the bees were so diligent, Ying Kongtu pulled Wen Zhongshan along and went to harvest honey again.
They needed to clear out the honeycombs so the bees would have enough space to continue making honey.
In addition, they specially patrolled the mountain and cleared away the bees’ natural enemies.
Last time, they had dealt with the tiger-head hornets quite thoroughly. The new batch of tiger-head hornets had not yet grown up. Meanwhile, the bees had received enough nourishment from pollen and nectar, and their numbers had grown stronger. For the time being, they had no natural enemies.
However, because the bee colonies had too much food, there were signs that they were about to split.
Ying Kongtu estimated that the three colonies of bees would soon split into six colonies.
That was no problem.
They now had seven mountains.
In spring and summer, the mountains were full of flowers, enough to feed the bees.
The more they split, and the more honey they gathered, the more it suited Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan’s expectations.
That morning, Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan were patrolling the mountain.
Ying Kongtu suddenly stopped, tilting his head slightly to listen to the movement on the mountain.
Wen Zhongshan asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ying Kongtu hesitated and said, “It seems like Tiaozhu and the others are fighting something. I vaguely sensed a little of it, but I’m not sure.”
Ever since Qianchongcui Mountain had come under Ying Kongtu’s name, his divine power had grown deeper, and his perception of the mountain forest had also become clearer.
He could now sense a little of what was happening on the mountain through his divine power, though not very clearly.
Wen Zhongshan immediately said, “Can you sense where it is? Let’s go take a look.”
“Ai Lake.” Ying Kongtu said with certainty, “Right by Ai Lake.”
Wen Zhongshan pulled Ying Kongtu and began to run.
They quickly went up the mountain.
Before they reached Ai Lake, they heard Xian Niao’s dignified warning from afar.
The wolf howl echoed through the mountain forest, startling countless birds into flight.
Other animals also sensed the threat and were frantically fleeing from the woods.
From far away, Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan saw all kinds of mountain goats, wild deer, small muntjacs, wild rabbits, mountain mice, and more.
Judging by the sound, Xian Niao really was very angry. No wonder the animals in the forest were afraid.
The two of them quickened their pace.
When they were close to Ai Lake, they saw Xian Niao shoot out like an arrow released from a bow. Its long fur flew behind it, making it look like a galloping steed.
And the ones being chased by Xian Niao were a troop of macaques.
The macaques could not escape in time. Very quickly, Xian Niao caught their leader.
Xian Niao seized the macaque king by the back of the neck, dragged it straight back, and threw it into Ai Lake.
The macaque king lowered its head in shame and did not dare resist at all.
Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan saw that several macaques were already soaking in the lake.
Tiaozhu was standing by the lake, looking majestic as it guarded them.
Dart was beside it, calling in a rough voice, “Meow-ao, meow-ao,” using the voice of a golden cat to threaten the macaques. It was quite like “a cat borrowing a cat’s might.”
Jingwei followed behind Xian Niao, chasing the macaques, looking a little excited.
Question marks seemed to appear over Ying Kongtu’s head. He could not quite understand what this troop of macaques had done to make Xian Niao so angry.
Xian Niao’s temper was already considered good.
However, he did not plan to interfere with Tiaozhu and Xian Niao’s actions.
It was already May, and the water in Ai Lake was not that cold. It was fine for the macaques to soak for a while.
Splash—
Xian Niao dragged another macaque over and threw it into the lake.
Jingwei also dragged one over.
In just a few moments, more than a dozen macaques were soaking in the lake. The rest of the macaques had fled far away and could no longer be caught.
Ying Kongtu looked at the majestic Xian Niao standing high on a rock, then at Tiaozhu, who was staring closely at the macaques, and asked, “What happened?”
“Meow-ao—”
“Awooo—”
Tiaozhu and Xian Niao complained together. Ying Kongtu listened carefully for quite a while and roughly understood.
It turned out that this troop of macaques from outside had taken a liking to the pondweed they had planted in Ai Lake and had been coming over to steal it from time to time.
Tiaozhu and Xian Niao had caught them several times and had also warned them.
Unexpectedly, the macaques had not learned their lesson at all. After discovering that there was pondweed here, they became too lazy to look for food and directly treated the pondweed as a buffet.
Today, when Tiaozhu and the others came to patrol the mountain, they once again saw this troop of macaques go into the water, eating and pulling up the pondweed, ruining the pondweed near the lakeshore.
They could no longer tolerate it, so they directly taught the macaques a lesson.
Ying Kongtu carefully examined the pondweed.
Their family’s pondweed had been planted for a while. From its original short sections of around thirty centimeters, it had already grown into long strands more than a meter long.
In the shallower places, the pondweed had even grown above the surface of the water.
The monkeys had been pulling up those pondweed plants to eat, making a complete mess.
Looking at the silt stirred up from the bottom of the lake, Ying Kongtu’s heart also ached.
He still remembered when they had planted this pondweed earlier. He and Wen Zhongshan had gone into the water and planted them one by one. After soaking in the water for so long, their lips had turned black from the cold.
As soon as Wen Zhongshan saw Ying Kongtu’s expression, he knew what he was thinking and reached out to rub his back.
The monkeys soaking in the lake looked pitifully at Ying Kongtu. “Wawu.”
Ying Kongtu said, “Crying is useless. You stay there and soak for now. We’ll talk after we replant the pondweed.”
Pondweed had very strong vitality. Even if it had been pulled up and broken, as long as it was buried back into the silt, it could survive.
Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan took bamboo poles from beside the lake and replanted the pondweed that the monkeys had made a mess of, one by one.
During this time, Tiaozhu, Xian Niao, and the others stood high on the lakeshore, staring fixedly at the monkeys, looking as if they would beat them up if they dared to resist.
The monkeys stayed obediently in the water, not daring to move. Only now and then did their throats let out pitiful “wawu” sounds.
After the two finished replanting the pondweed, they came over carrying the bamboo poles.
Ying Kongtu discussed it with Tiaozhu and Xian Niao. “They’ve learned their lesson. Let them come up?”
Tiaozhu stared at the monkeys, then turned and walked away, making room.
Xian Niao also walked a few steps to the side, making room.
Receiving the signal, the monkeys scrambled out of the lake, half swimming and half running. They squeaked as they fled, running up to higher ground to sun themselves while turning back to look at them in lingering fear.
“Meow-ao!” Tiaozhu roared at the monkeys.
The monkeys were startled and ran even farther away.
Looking at them, Ying Kongtu estimated that they would not dare come over and invade again in the short term.
When the mountain’s ecology improved, this kind of thing happened.
There were more species, and there were also more conflicts.
He could not reject the visits of other animals everywhere, either. After all, while the mountain forest was his territory, it was also the animals’ living ground.
Ying Kongtu stroked Tiaozhu’s head and rubbed Xian Niao’s neck. “Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. They probably won’t dare come again for a while.”
Tiaozhu raised its head and complained in dissatisfaction, “Meow-ao!”
Ying Kongtu said, “After more time passes, the Ai fish will grow up. By then, it’ll be hard to say who the prey is.”
Just now, Ying Kongtu had already checked. The Ai fish in the lake were growing very well.
The fry born this year had already grown to two fingers wide and half a palm long. Their figures were very obvious as they swam around the lake.
After some more time, they would probably be able to catch birds.
As for the large Ai fish hiding deep in the lake, they probably already had the ability to catch medium-sized prey such as monkeys.
If the macaque troop came too often, it really would be hard to say who would become prey.
The Ai fish were not vegetarian.
Tiaozhu stood in place and tilted its head, seriously thinking about it for a moment before accepting this explanation.
Seeing that it had been coaxed, Ying Kongtu rubbed its head. “You worked hard today. When we go back, I’ll make meatballs for you.”
The Ai fish jerky from last time had not been finished yet. Later, they could grind it into powder and mix it with other meat to make big meatballs. That was one of Tiaozhu and the others’ favorite dishes.
Hearing this news, Tiaozhu became a little happier.
Seeing that there was nothing else here, Ying Kongtu originally wanted to pull Wen Zhongshan back home.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the pondweed in the lake and suddenly remembered something. “Why don’t we pick some pondweed to eat?”
Wen Zhongshan also remembered. “Let’s try it.”
The two dragged out the boat and rowed toward the lake, looking for pondweed that had grown well and picking the tender leaves at the top.
Tiaozhu and the others stood by the lake, looking curious.
None of them had eaten pondweed before. But since its name contained the word “vegetable,” it should taste pretty good.
If it really did not taste good, then it should have been called pond grass instead.
“All right. Today’s lunch vegetable will be this,” Ying Kongtu announced.
Now was precisely the season when old vegetables had ended and new ones had not yet arrived.
The winter and spring vegetables had long since been eaten, while the summer vegetables had only just been planted and had not yet flowered or borne fruit.
They had been eating pumpkin vines, sweet potato vines, and pea shoots in rotation every day, and they were a little tired of them. Now was just the right time to try a new vegetable.
At noon, Ying Kongtu made locust blossom omelet, steamed pork ribs, and pondweed in chicken soup.
They were all dishes that both humans and the furry ones at home could eat.
In addition, the two kept their promise and made meatballs for Tiaozhu and the others.
Pondweed tasted slightly bitter, but after being cooked in chicken soup, that slight bitterness disappeared. It became extremely crisp, tender, and smooth, with a special clear fragrance that made it especially refreshing.
Even when vegetables were still abundant, its flavor would have been excellent, let alone now, when vegetables were scarce and their household often ate the same few vegetables over and over.
“It tastes pretty good.” Ying Kongtu was a little surprised. “No wonder the monkeys kept coming to steal it.”
“Now we have another vegetable to eat.”
“I think so too.” Ying Kongtu thought about it, then said with great interest, “It should taste good stir-fried with minced garlic too. Let’s try it tonight.”
Author’s Note:
Dart wanted to secretly play with Jingwei’s Beibei (stuffed wolf toy) again.
Jingwei watched it very closely, so after several attempts, Dart still could not find a chance to put its paws on it.
One day, while Jingwei was asleep, Dart stealthily stretched out a paw to dig it out.
Jingwei turned over, and its big furry wolf leg pinned Dart down.
Dart struggled desperately but could not get out no matter what.
It could only let out a cat-like sigh, curl up under Jingwei’s leg, and fall asleep too.
