Chapter 415: I Love to Eat

Chapter 415: I Love to Eat

Unfortunately, when the mother and daughter went out, they did not bring any baskets or similar containers. The cherries were too large, and after Mrs. He picked a few, her hands could no longer hold them.

With no other choice, she had to return to where He Ziran was and let her have a taste first.

He Ziran never adhered to as many ancient rules as others. Seeing her mother approach, she lifted her skirt to form a pouch.

"Mother, just put them here."

At first, Mrs. He was somewhat surprised by her daughter's actions. In the Imperial City, although her daughter did not like learning the skills of well-bred young ladies, she was no less dignified than other young misses.

Now, He Ziran’s action was a world apart from what the original owner would do in the Imperial City.

Mrs. He was momentarily taken aback but quickly found an excuse for her daughter's behavior.

Her daughter must have endured much hardship on the journey, and now living in the countryside, the etiquette and manners she learned were of little use.

Especially during the exile, she might not even have enough to eat; who would care about dignity then?

Thinking of this, Mrs. He felt inexplicably heartbroken. Therefore, she had no intention of reminding He Ziran to mind her manners but instead followed her lead, placing the cherries in her skirt.

Not only that, when Mrs. He returned to pick more cherries, she also imitated He Ziran, using her skirt as a pouch. She continued picking until she had a considerable amount before returning.

"Ranran, do you really like eating these? Look how many Mother has picked."

Seeing her mother so down-to-earth, He Ziran felt compelled to encourage her.

"Thank you, Mother. I love to eat them."

Mrs. He was overjoyed to hear her daughter say this. It had been almost a year, and she could finally do something for her daughter, even if it was just a small favor. For a mother, it was a source of happiness.

With so many cherries picked, the mother and daughter decided to head home together.

Don't underestimate the cherries Mrs. He carried in her skirt; He Ziran estimated there were at least seven or eight pounds.

Although each cherry tree did not yield much, with so many trees, Mrs. He managed to pick this much from just a few nearby ones.

He Ziran calculated that if all the cherry trees were harvested, there would be several hundred pounds in total.

However, she did not plan to sell these hundreds of pounds of cherries immediately.

Apart from the numerous members of the Mo family, many old subordinates had come to seek refuge, along with friends like Meng Huaining and Tang Mingrui. They should share and taste the fresh cherries first.

If they wanted to make money, they could wait for next year's bountiful harvest, which would surely bring in a fortune. There was no need to rush.

But the remaining cherries would not be picked by the mother and daughter alone.

Upon returning home, He Ziran instructed Yu'er to call people to pick the cherries. She had tasted a few and knew they were perfectly ripe and at their best flavor.

The Mo family had plenty of manpower. Within an hour, Lan'er returned with a group of people carrying several baskets of cherries.

He Ziran distributed the cherries while they were still fresh.

Each household of the Mo family’s old subordinates received ten pounds.

Liang Hao and the others, who were currently single, each got five pounds.

Given their large appetites, they would likely finish them in a day.

Though the Mo family had not officially split up, they were all living in their own small families. This delicious fruit naturally needed to be shared among each small family.

He Ziran also sent a basket to the fifth brother and his team working on gunpowder research on the mountain, delivered by Mo Jiuye.

Liang Hao was responsible for delivering ten pounds each to Tang Mingrui and Meng Huaining.

In addition, Nan Rui, Hu Cong, the Fang family, and the Xie family also received some.

Even a few villagers who were close to the Mo family received some cherries sent by Lan'er.

Seeing her daughter distribute so many cherries so generously, Mrs. He felt a twinge of pain. She had attended palace banquets before, and with the cherries' exquisite taste, they would be considered top-notch even at such events.

Yet, her precious daughter had given them all away in just a few words...

He Ziran, unaware of her mother's concern, sat chatting and laughing with everyone, enjoying the cherries.

Suddenly, a series of muffled explosions came from the direction of the mountain.

He Ziran stood up immediately and hurried outside.

She was very familiar with this sound—it was the sound of an explosion.

Her brothers had been researching gunpowder in the mountains for days without returning. Mo Jiuye had been busy with family matters and had not gone up to check on their progress.

However, based on the sound, He Ziran could confirm that the gunpowder had likely been successfully developed, but her brothers had not yet mastered the proper control, leading to the explosions.

More importantly, the gunpowder was extremely powerful, and she was worried whether her brothers had been injured.

The sound was loud, and although Mrs. He did not know its source, she was clearly startled.

She thought He Ziran had suddenly stood up out of fear and, ignoring her own racing heart, hurried to comfort her daughter.

Mrs. He gently patted He Ziran's shoulder. "Ranran, don't be afraid. Mother is here."

He Ziran was not afraid; she was worried. Given her current situation, it was impossible for her to go up the mountain to see what had happened.

Fortunately, Mo Jiuye had just taken a basket of cherries up there. He would likely hear the explosions and go to check as quickly as possible.

Sure enough, Mo Jiuye had just reached halfway up the mountain when he heard a series of loud explosions.

His thoughts likely mirrored those of He Ziran, but his primary concern was for the safety of his elder brothers.

He had personally experienced the power of his wife’s spatial hand grenades; although this explosive was not as potent as a hand grenade, it was still far from negligible.

The more Mo Jiuye thought about it, the more frightened he became, and he pushed his lightness skill to its limits.

After about a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the entrance of the cave where his fifth brother and others were developing gunpowder.

The scene before him left him stunned.

The entrance to the gunpowder-making cave was in utter disarray, with the ground scorched black and dotted with numerous craters of varying sizes.

Mo Jiuye set down the bamboo basket he was carrying and was about to investigate when he heard someone calling out to him from behind.

" Ninth Brother, quickly help pull Fifth Brother up."

The voice sounded weak and somewhat disheveled.

Turning around, Mo Jiuye saw a figure struggling to climb out of a deep pit not far behind him.

Fifth Brother’s hair was a mess, so much so that the term ‘frizzy’ would be an understatement.

His face was pitch black except for his snow-white teeth, which showed when he spoke.

Moreover, Fifth Brother’s clothes were tattered and torn, rivaling the state of Eldest Brother and Second Brother after their ordeal on the Sixth Hill.

Seeing that Mo Jiuye was still in a daze, Fifth Brother grew anxious.

"Ninth Brother, quickly help me up."