Chapter 93: Sack
It wasn’t hard to guess what Xia Lu Nong’s bold idea was.
With so many bees around and the pepper tree not afraid of getting stung, Xia Lu Nong was probably thinking about sending the pepper tree to collect some honey.
The others exchanged glances, quickly understanding each other’s thoughts.
Yan Xi Nian had only one question. “Will the little pepper tree be willing?”
Xia Lu Nong wasn’t sure. “Let’s talk to it first. Who knows?”
The pepper tree mentioned was quietly sitting in the truck with the other pepper trees.
True to his nature, Xia Lu Nong wasted no time. He opened the door, carefully avoiding the bees as he headed to the back of the truck.
Xia Huo Qu followed behind, keeping an eye on their surroundings to ensure Xia Lu Nong’s safety.
When they reached the truck bed, the pepper tree was nestled quietly among the others, indistinguishable from an ordinary plant.
Xia Lu Nong had to look carefully to spot it.
Gently nudging the pepper tree, he infused it with a bit of his energy in the dimly lit truck bed and squatted down to discuss. “Little Pepper, how about doing me a favor?”
The pepper tree propped itself up with its roots, its canopy shaking as it lifted up to face him, seemingly waiting for him to continue.
Seeing it wasn’t opposed to the idea, Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment and said, “Let’s talk outside.”
Xia Lu Nong pulled back the tarp and called out to Xia Huo Qu, “Brother, can you help me carry the little pepper tree down?”
Xia Huo Qu responded, “You go down first, I’ll slowly move it down.”
Xia Lu Nong, feeling a bit anxious, said, “Okay, be careful.”
The pepper tree was top-heavy and bottom-heavy, with a light middle, making it difficult to maintain balance. Whenever they needed to get it in or out of the truck, Xia Lu Nong and the others had to carry it.
The pepper tree cooperated, and the two brothers lifted it down together.
Xia Lu Nong led the tree to an open area, where the view suddenly became broader.
Pointing to one of the beehives in the peach orchard from a distance, Xia Lu Nong explained, “In a bit, I need you to carry a bucket over there, brush off the bees from the hive, put the whole hive into the bucket, cover it, and then bring the bucket back to us. Can you do that?”
The pepper tree stood there for a long time, its canopy shifting as if the whole tree was confused.
This task was indeed a bit hard to grasp.
Xia Lu Nong looked around, wondering how he could demonstrate it to the tree.
His brother, understanding his intention, handed him a bucket.
Xia Lu Nong picked up the bucket and found a nearby rock. Slowly and carefully, he said, “Look, for example, this rock is the beehive. You put it into the bucket, cover it with the lid, and then bring the bucket over to us. Got it?”
The little pepper tree tilted its canopy and stared for a while.
Uncertain if it understood, Xia Lu Nong repeated the action several times before finally handing the bucket to the tree.
At last, the pepper tree seemed to understand. Two large roots separated from the rest of its root system, grasping the bucket that Xia Lu Nong had handed it, and slowly and steadily, it began hopping toward the hive deep within the peach orchard.
The pepper tree moved slowly, so they couldn’t follow it too closely to the hive. They had to wait from a distance.
Xia Lu Nong plucked a ripe peach from a nearby tree, wiped it haphazardly on his shirt, and took a big bite, savoring the sweet juice. Eating helped ease some of his nervousness.
After watching the pepper tree for a long time, he asked, “Brother, do you think the pepper tree can manage to get the hive down?”
“We’ll see,” Xia Huo Qu said. “If not, we can smoke the bees out with fire. Just be careful, and we should be able to handle it.”
Yan Xi Nian and Kong Zhi got out of the car, closed the doors, and watched as the pepper tree balanced the bucket in front of its trunk, carefully hopping toward the hive.
Watching from behind, Yan Xi Nian muttered, “Watching the little pepper tree like this, it almost feels like we’re exploiting child labor.”
Xia Huo Qu gave him a light kick. “This is no time for jokes.”
The pepper tree slowly approached the peach tree. The hive hanging from its branch was about the size of a basketball, weighing the branch down into an arch.
The pepper tree stood before the peach tree, seemingly sizing up the situation.
After a moment, it extended one of its branches and lightly rested it on the hive, clumsily trying to pull it aside.
As the branch pressed against the hive, honey began to trickle down the tree’s trunk.
At the same time, some of the bees were crushed as the hive was squeezed, killing several in the process.
The swarm of bees instantly became enraged, rising into a black cloud and crashing into the pepper tree.
The dense swarm engulfed the tree like a downpour, making a sharp, crackling noise as they attacked.
The sound of the bees stinging and colliding with the tree was so loud that Xia Lu Nong could hear it clearly from dozens of meters away.
Worried, he craned his neck to look, anxious that the little pepper tree might get broken under the assault of the bees.
The pepper tree didn’t seem too bothered, though, continuing to stubbornly pull at the hive.
The more the bees were attacked, the more vicious they became, swarming angrily around the pepper tree.
The sight was both brutal and oddly comical.
“I probably should have sent the pepper tree with a knife,” Xia Lu Nong muttered.
“That would’ve been too much to ask of it,” Xia Huo Qu replied. “Let’s see what happens next.”
The pepper tree paused, seeming to consider its next move as the bees continued their relentless attack.
Then, without warning, the tree’s branches grabbed hold of the peach branch, yanking it forcefully.
In no time, the entire branch came off, along with the beehive still attached.
The pepper tree stuffed the peach branch and hive into the bucket, closed the lid, and then slowly hopped back toward Xia Lu Nong and the others.
“Well done!” Yan Xi Nian shouted from afar, eyes full of admiration.
“Never mind the praise, hurry up and get in the truck!” Xia Huo Qu’s face had turned serious as he noticed the dark cloud of bees approaching. “Xia Nong, Kong Zhi, you too—get in and close the windows!”
They didn’t waste any time, quickly jumping into the truck and tightly closing the doors and windows.
Xia Huo Qu reversed the truck, ready to retreat deeper into the valley if needed.
Xia Lu Nong, feeling anxious, asked, “What do we do now? How do we help the pepper tree?”
“Shout to it, tell it to stop and wait. We’ll wait for the bees to disperse.”
“Got it!”
Xia Lu Nong cracked open the window just enough to shout to the pepper tree, “Little Pepper, stop where you are and don’t move. Wait until the bees are gone before coming over!”
The pepper tree heard him and froze in place.
A moment later, its roots sank back into the soil, making it look like a normal tree again.
Xia Lu Nong shouted, “Did the bees sting you? If not, shake your canopy. If they did, push the bucket away a little.”
The pepper tree shook its canopy.
It wasn’t stung!
“That’s great!” Xia Lu Nong cheered, clenching his fist. “Let’s rest and wait for the bees to clear out.”
The bees were persistent and vengeful, hovering around for over an hour.
Thankfully, the pepper tree held up fine, and since Xia Lu Nong and the others were safe inside the truck, they weren’t affected much by the wait.
Two hours later, only a few stray bees remained around the pepper tree.
Xia Lu Nong breathed a sigh of relief, pushed open the truck door, and ran over to check on the pepper tree.
“Be careful!” Xia Huo Qu called out, chasing after him.
“I’m watching, it’s fine,” Xia Lu Nong replied, running to the tree and immediately checking its leaves and trunk.
After the bee attack, the pepper tree’s trunk and leaves were covered with marks, looking like it had been battered by hail.
Xia Lu Nong, feeling guilty, transferred the last bit of his power to the pepper tree. “I’m sorry, the bees turned out to be more aggressive than we expected.”
The pepper tree’s branch gently wrapped around his hand in response.
Under the influence of Xia Lu Nong’s power, the tree’s leaves and trunk quickly healed.
Relieved, Xia Lu Nong turned to his brother and suggested, “Maybe we should forget about it. We can use smoke to drive them out, it’s slower but much safer.”
Xia Huo Qu looked around. “There are too many beehives in this peach orchard. If we use smoke, the other bees will also think they’re being attacked, and they’ll all come out to sting us.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced at the distant hives with some regret. “So we’re giving up? There are so many supplies out here, more than we can collect anyway, there’s no need to risk the pepper tree.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded. “We’ve already accomplished our main goal. Let’s head back.”
As he spoke, he swung his machete, cutting down a few bees flying toward them. Xia Lu Nong noticed with sharp eyes that the bees were sliced clean in half, looking quite brutal.
“Alright, let’s…” Xia Lu Nong began, but before he could finish, the pepper tree’s leaves wrapped around his hand, its canopy shaking in apparent disagreement.
Surprised, Xia Lu Nong looked at the tree and hesitantly asked, “Do you have a better idea?”
The tree’s canopy shook rapidly as if nodding.
Xia Lu Nong tried to guess its thoughts. “You want to keep going after the hives?”
The tree shook its leaves again, confirming his suspicion.
Xia Huo Qu asked, “Is the little pepper tree feeling unwilling to give up?”
Xia Lu Nong paused and asked the tree, “Did the bees bully you, and now you want revenge?”
This question was a bit complex, and Xia Lu Nong wasn’t sure if the tree understood, but it still nodded.
Yan Xi Nian and Kong Zhi got out of the car.
Yan Xi Nian said, “Since the pepper tree can handle the bees and isn’t getting hurt much, why not let it try?”
Xia Lu Nong asked, “Do you want to give it a shot?”
The pepper tree nodded.
“Then let’s try,” Xia Lu Nong said, looking at the bucket on the ground. “But maybe not with the bucket, let’s use a bag instead.”
Yan Xi Nian and the others were a bit surprised. “Will that work?”
Xia Lu Nong replied confidently, “No problem.”
He said to the pepper tree, “When you get to the hive, break or snap off one end of the branch, put the hive into the bag, tighten the bag, and then cut off the other end. That way, fewer bees will be able to attack you.”
This was a common method used by humans to harvest wasp nests.
Fearing the tree wouldn’t understand, Xia Lu Nong demonstrated the process several times.
By the fifth demonstration, the pepper tree had wrapped one of its roots around a sack and another around the machete, eager to head deeper into the orchard.
They had brought extra bags for peach-picking, so the pepper tree had plenty to use. As it hopped forward with the bag in tow, the sack kept slipping off, making the whole scene both clumsy and adorable.
Xia Lu Nong suddenly felt that this idea might not have been the best after all. Sending the pepper tree to collect hives seemed like too much to ask of it.
However, the pepper tree turned out to be far more aggressive than Xia Lu Nong had imagined.
As Xia Lu Nong anxiously clenched his fists, the pepper tree had already reached the hive.
It didn’t even need the machete—its branch twisted around the peach tree’s branch and snapped it off, taking down the beehive in one swift motion.
Then it quickly bagged the hive, tightening the bag before most of the bees even had time to react, capturing the whole hive in one go.
Watching from the side, Yan Xi Nian exclaimed admiringly, “Well done!”
Xia Lu Nong placed a hand over his chest. “It was impressive, sure, but also pretty brutal. No wonder this little guy can fight with sheep.”
After bagging the first hive, the pepper tree didn’t stop to cut the peach branch. Instead, it ran over to another beehive and repeated the process.
In just over 20 minutes, the entire peach orchard’s 17 hives were all neatly bagged.
Inside the bags, the bees buzzed and bumped around, unable to escape.
Xia Lu Nong was stunned by the turn of events. “This little guy is amazing at applying what it learns!”
“Who would’ve thought?” Yan Xi Nian said. “Let’s hurry and help out. We should add another layer of bags to make sure the bees don’t get out.”
With most of the bees trapped, the orchard was much less dangerous.
They carefully tied up their pants and shirts, put on gloves and hats, and wrapped most of their exposed skin with clothes before approaching the hives.
The pepper tree had already done most of the hard work. All they had to do was add another bag over each hive. Even the few stray bees that tried to sting them were quickly cut down with their machetes.
Soon, they had carefully transferred all 17 bags into the truck bed.
The bags were breathable, so the bees inside were still alive, buzzing and banging around, but they couldn’t escape.
Yan Xi Nian sighed, “We’ve collected supplies so many times, but this is the first time it’s felt so easy.”
“Thanks to the pepper tree,” Xia Huo Qu said, gently patting its trunk. “When Xia Nong’s power recovers, we’ll make sure to use it to feed you.”
The pepper tree seemed to understand and lifted its canopy, gently brushing one of its branches against Xia Huo Qu’s wrist.
Looking at the orchard full of peaches and oranges, Xia Lu Nong swallowed and asked, “Now that the bees are dealt with, can we start picking these fruits?”
“Yes,” Xia Huo Qu said, scanning the orchard. “Let’s pick some to take back now, and we can come back for more once we’ve returned to base.”
“No problem,” Xia Lu Nong replied, casting a wary glance at the bees in the truck bed. “Should we take these bees back to base and study them? If everything looks good, we can release some of them and have fresh honey next year.”
“That’s no problem. We’ll just take a few hives back to the base,” Yan Xi Nian said. “As for the rest—after we finish picking the peaches and oranges, we can open the bags. The bees will be startled and fly away on their own, and then we can just take the hives with us.”
Xia Lu Nong thought that made sense.
The peach and orange trees in the orchard were so full of fruit that their branches bent under the weight.
Even though they had enough hands, it still took them most of the day to pick all the peaches and oranges.
By the time the sun was about to set in the afternoon, they had picked all the edible fruit, leaving only a few that had been pecked by birds or insects still on the branches.
They moved most of the bags deeper into the orchard, and let the little pepper tree undo the bags after they had walked far enough away, allowing the bees to escape. Since they were far from the base, the bees wouldn’t head that way, and releasing a few hives was no big deal.
In the end, Xia Huo Qu and the others only took three large hives back with them. They planned to build a glass enclosure and have the researchers at the White Tower study the bees in a remote area. Naturally, the research findings would be shared among the four of them.
Looking at the sky, Xia Huo Qu said, “Yan Xi Nian and I will take the peaches and oranges back to the base. Xia Nong, you stay here and keep an eye on the peaches and honey. We’ll be back soon.”
Xia Lu Nong quickly nodded.
“If you encounter any danger, don’t try to fight. Just run,” Xia Huo Qu reminded them.
“Got it, come back soon, brother.”
Feeling confident in Kong Zhi’s presence, Xia Huo Qu didn’t say much more and soon drove back to the base.
Xia Lu Nong, Kong Zhi, and the little pepper tree stayed behind, watching over the peaches and oranges they had picked.
Being far from the base, they didn’t have much to do while waiting.
Xia Lu Nong looked off at the distant mountains and pointed. “You know, if it were possible, we could rebuild that collapsed house over there and come back here to tend the orchard. This year’s peaches and oranges weren’t as sweet or as big, probably because they didn’t get enough fertilizer.”
“It’s too far from the base, and it wouldn’t be safe to live here.”
“Right now, it’s not. But as we gradually clear the surrounding area, it could become safe eventually.” Xia Lu Nong glanced at the peach trees around them. “It’d be a shame to let these beautiful trees turn wild.”
Kong Zhi replied, “If you want to come back, I’ll come with you next spring to take a look.”
“Deal! We’ll come back in the spring. We can also check if the bees return, and maybe harvest more honey next year.”
The two of them continued chatting idly.
The little pepper tree, swaying its branches, squeezed in between them, as if insisting on being included in the conversation.
Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu hurried back after about an hour.
The four of them quickly loaded the peaches and oranges into the truck.
The peaches were mostly of the juicy white-flesh variety, and some were so ripe that they burst and dripped juice when pressed.
Xia Lu Nong looked at the peaches regretfully. “If only we had discovered this orchard before the peaches got so ripe.”
Xia Huo Qu reassured him, “They’re still great at this level of ripeness. Once we get back, we’ll trade some with people at the base, and turn the rest into jams and dried fruit. We’ll use it all up.”
Yan Xi Nian urged them, “Let’s discuss that later. We need the pepper tree to check on the bees in the bags. If they’re all gone, we should quickly collect the bags and head back.”
It was already getting dark. By the time they drove halfway, it might be fully night.
They hadn’t planned to stay overnight, so they needed to make the most of their time.
The pepper tree quickly brought back a bag that had most of the bees already flown away.
Xia Lu Nong took a glance and said, “Looks good, let’s collect the bags.”
A few minutes later, everything was packed, and they drove back to the base.
Xia Lu Nong, exhausted, sleepy, and a little hungry, squeezed into the truck’s cab, barely able to keep his eyes open.
He quickly shifted back into his animal form, curling up on his brother’s lap to sleep.
Kong Zhi leaned against the window with his eyes closed, resting, while Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian quietly discussed matters related to the base.
Amidst this background noise, Xia Lu Nong quickly fell asleep.
By the time they reached the base and parked in front of their house, Xia the Cat was still fast asleep.
Xia Huo Qu and the others unloaded the peaches, oranges, honey, and other supplies from the truck, soon filling the yard with produce.
The little pepper tree also jumped down and stood in the yard, looking a bit confused.
It hopped around the yard a couple of times before knocking on the window of the truck.
“Are we home?” Xia the Cat woke up, quickly shifting back into human form and getting out of the truck. As he dressed, he spoke to the pepper tree, “If you don’t mind, you can stay here with us. I’ll regularly give you energy, and if you need anything, we’ll help you find it.”
The pepper tree shook its leaves in agreement.
Xia Lu Nong gently patted its trunk, yawning as he went to help unload the rest of the fruit from the truck.
Xia Huo Qu nudged him and said, “Go play with the little pepper tree. It’s the hero of the day and might feel uneasy in its new home. Keep it company.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded, yawned again, and led the pepper tree around the yard.
Their yard was well-maintained, with various fruits growing everywhere.
Xia Lu Nong showed the pepper tree around. “These are grapes, these are tomatoes, and over here we have watermelon, strawberries, loquats…”
The little pepper tree didn’t seem to understand what he was saying, but it followed him closely, shaking its crown excitedly.
When they reached the watermelon patch, Xia Lu Nong pointed out, “We planted 50 watermelon vines this year, but only 34 are still alive and bearing fruit. The vines are spreading all over the yard.”
Xia Lu Nong tapped on the watermelons as he went, explaining to the pepper tree, “Watermelons are full of water and very sweet. When they’re ripe, we’ll all share them together.”
Yan Xi Nian unloaded the honey from the bag and, hearing the conversation, couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m afraid the little pepper tree can’t join us in eating watermelon.”
Without looking up, Xia Lu Nong retorted, “Why not? When the time comes, we can just bury a piece of watermelon near where the little pepper tree is growing. After all, it can absorb the trace elements in the watermelon.”
Yan Xi Nian paused for a moment. “You’re right.”
Xia Huo Qu had just finished unloading the last peach into the basket. He straightened up and stretched his back. “Everyone’s tired today, and no one’s really in the mood to cook. Let’s just order some stir-fry from the canteen.”
Yan Xi Nian added, “I’ve already arranged for it. They’re using the lamb we sent to make stir-fried lamb and roasted lamb ribs, and they’ll whip up a few side dishes. It should be delivered soon.”
Xia Huo Qu asked, “What about Liao Cheng? Go check on him and have him join us for dinner.”
Kong Zhi offered, “I’ll go find him. Is he still at the small square?”
“Yes, he’s there, helping trade the peaches and oranges for us,” Xia Huo Qu replied. “See how much is left. If it’s just a little, offer a discount. If it’s a lot, bring it all back.”
Kong Zhi nodded. “Got it.”
As he walked toward the small square, Kong Zhi turned back to glance at the yard.
Behind him, Xia Lu Nong was still happily showing the pepper tree around the yard, identifying the various plants. The pair seemed to be having a great time, completely oblivious to Kong Zhi’s departure.
With a slight smile, Kong Zhi looked away and continued on his way.
It wasn’t long before Kong Zhi returned with Liao Cheng, who was pushing a cart piled high with various items, mostly bags of white rice and soybeans.
As soon as Liao Cheng saw Xia Huo Qu, he exclaimed, “Brother Xia, you’ll never guess how much I traded for that cartload of peaches and oranges! It’s a massive haul!”
Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Liao Cheng, and then at the cart behind him.
Thanks for the chapter!