In the Shanghai Botanical Garden, there are rare species moved from the wild and newly developed genetically modified fruits from various countries. Ever since humanity began experinting with animal and plant genetics, countries have hastened to develop hybrid and mixed-breed fruits.
The waterlon discussed by the elentary students, aside from its shape differing from the typical round waterlons, also has yellow flesh instead of red, and contains no seeds.
"Hey, big brother, you're not supposed to touch it with your hands," a little boy, wearing two stripes on his arm, saw Zhou Ziang touching the waterlon and protested unhappily.
"Sorry, little buddy," Zhou Ziang laughed, patting the little boy's head. It had been many days since he had laughed so heartily. This laughter made even the lush trees in the garden seem pale in comparison.
It was the beginning of winter in Shanghai, already sowhat chilly, but Zhou Ziang didn't feel it at all.
When he touched the lon labeled "Arican seedless square lon," he felt the long-lost Spiritual Energy. The Spiritual Energy was not inferior even when compared to ancient trees that were hundreds of years old. Though not pure, this energy benefitted Zhou Ziang's space; it replenished so of the Spiritual Energy that had been depleted over the past month.
"Product of the United States, a new genetically hybrid variety, seedless, with honey-like, juicy, refreshing flesh." A na-tag hung next to the waterlon.
"It's amazing that genetically modified plants contain Spiritual Power I can utilize," Zhou Ziang continued walking around the botanical garden, and after confirming this unexpected discovery, he went ho.
Just entering his ho, he saw that the living room table and chairs were covered with a wealth of fruits, so of which Xi Lijuan had never seen, and she was currently fretting over them.
"Ziang, you're back, co help mom see how should we handle these fruits?" After the Agricultural Expo concluded, the Agricultural Bureau, where Zhou Qiang worked and which was the organizing body, distributed so fruits left by exhibitors to everyone.
Xi Lijuan thought about storing so in the refrigerator and giving so away to the elders and friends in the neighborhood.
However, the fruits from the Expo ca from various provinces and even from around the world, so of which Xi Lijuan had never seen in her over forty years of life, such as the most conspicuous one currently sitting on the table.
A green, oval "lon" roughly the size of a winter lon, felt like untanned leather, shiny and green, weighing over thirty pounds.
Zhou Qiang had only sent people to deliver the fruits ho, and he hadn't yet returned himself. Xi Lijuan stood beside it for quite a while, holding a kitchen knife, unsure of where to start cutting horizontally or vertically.
"You can't cut it like that," Zhou Ziang's lips curled up, he picked up a fruit peeling knife from the coffee table and, using his thumb and forefinger, slightly exerted pressure around the outer edge of the fruit skin. A milky white juice flowed out, sticky.
"Oh dear, Ziang, be careful with your hands," Xi Lijuan had doted on her son since he was young, even peeling bananas for him to eat, and seeing him take on such a task today made her worry he might injure himself.
With a "crack," the oval "lon's" outer skin was sliced off by the sharp edge of the knife, revealing rings of corn-yellow flesh inside. The unassuming skin concealed wonders—a layer upon layer of flesh, each slice looking like peeled garlic, wrapped around a white core.
The rich aroma of the fruit perated the living room. With skillful slashes of the fruit knife, dozens of pieces of flesh were cut off.
"This is called jackfruit, a tropical fruit. It has seeds inside the flesh that you need to remove before eating," Zhou Ziang peeled the flesh, deseeded it, and handed it to Xi Lijuan.
Xi Lijuan stuffed the golden-yellow flesh into her mouth, finding it thick and tender, soft on the palate, and the sweetness was not cloying, imdiately filling her mouth with its fragrant taste.
Zhou Ziang went to the kitchen to wash up. Jackfruit is delicious, but its juice is quite botherso. Back when he was at Yunteng Sect, the Sect Leader had brought Pineapple Fruit from Eastern Penglai, and he used the separation technique to peel it, which was much easier than today.
Xi Lijuan, eating the jackfruit, thought about how her son had personally prepared it for her. That made her heart sweet, "My son is truly capable. Zhou Qiang never even cut a fruit for . Just called him to ask about this big guy, how to handle it. He told to cut it like a winter lon."
While eating, Zhou Ziang had finished cleaning up. He opened the refrigerator to check and took out the fruits Xi Lijuan had filled one by one: "Small banana, guava, passion fruit, and other tropical fruits should not be stored in the refrigerator. Keep them in a cool and ventilated place. Also, don't eat too much jackfruit since Shanghai's climate is too moist, not suitable for too much heaty fruit. Once jackfruit is open, it can only last a day, better to share it with neighbors. Avocado and Ginsengfruit are mild and suitable for elderly with poor digestion. As for these pears..." Zhou Ziang explained adeptly, Xi Lijuan nodding repeatedly as she listened.
When he ntioned the pears, Zhou Ziang paused. In these pears, he also sensed a spiritual power, purer than the genetically modified fruits he encountered in the botanical garden, seemingly with decades of essence.
Suddenly, the sound of anxious door opening. Zhou Qiang rushed in without even taking off his shoes: "Did the fruit delivery from work include a few pears? Find them quickly."
Not yet dissipated, the lingering fruit aroma in the living room made Zhou Qiang pause, then he looked towards the perfectly cut "winter lon."
Xi Lijuan couldn't eat the dozen pieces by herself and put the rest in a clear glass dish. The flesh, pitted and peeled, looked like a blooming magnolia.
Zhou Qiang had never eaten that stuff either, took a piece, and after chewing a few bites, gave a thumbs up, "Li Juan, this is great. So from my work took it ho and didn't even know how to cut it. But you peeled it beautifully."
"It wasn't who cut it; it was Ziang. He also said this is called jackfruit. What were you saying about pears?" Xi Lijuan had just selected fruits to give away, picking so rare ones, and the common ones in the market all went into her fridge.
"Those ones, the ones in Ziang's hand. The pears were sent by the British Agricultural Academy for an exhibition, and when the exhibition ended, our staff thought they were ordinary fruit and pulled them out together. When it was ti to distribute the pears, my colleagues heard our son wasn't well, he has a night cough, so they gave them to . But just as I left work, the British Embassy actually called, saying that the pears need to be returned to the UK unhard. Tell , why are these Brits so stingy? A single imported Rolls-Royce could buy many pears," Zhou Qiang, after hearing that, had to rush back ho in a hurry.
"These pears, they are not from the UK, but are a Chinese variety," said Zhou Ziang, holding the few pears, a soil nurtures its fruits, with his discerning eyes, how could he not know? Where exactly did these pears co from?
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