Chapter 35: King of Peaches

"I won't say anything unnecessary. Everyone, you should cherish this opportunity to pick your own fruit This is an opportunity that Little Zhou had fought hard for. We have to appreciate it. In two hours' time, we'll gather back here!" exclaimed Huang Fang who was the organizer. After she made that statement in the peach orchard, the group of elderly ladies dispersed. 

"Little Zhou, where are these elderly ladies from?" Old Zhuang asked, feeling a little confused. 

His peach orchard was not a farm that was open to the public. Besides, Zhou Kun was a fruit seller. He wondered how Zhou Kun managed to get to know that many elderly ladies. 

"Previously, I saved an elderly lady who suffered a heatstroke. She's the one who just spoke. She found out later that I run a fruit business and hence, decided to patronize me. This time, I couldn't turn down her suggestion to organize a fruit-picking activity. Hence, I had no choice but to trouble you." 

"Even if that's the case, she doesn't need to bring that many people, does she?" said Old Zhuang who was a little worried that his peach orchard might not be able to fit that many people. The thing that he was most worried about was his peach orchard getting trampled and destroyed before he could even barely sell the peaches. 

Zhou Kun understood what Old Zhuang was thinking. "You can't judge these elderly ladies according to normal situations. Don't worry, your business will definitely not suffer today." 

"Why? Is there a reason?" Old Zhuang asked curiously as he could tell that there was a hidden meaning in Zhou Kun's words. 

"I'll put it to you this way. These old ladies said that they wanted to patronize me, and they were not lying at all. In just three days, they bought all the fruit that I had in my cold storage warehouse. Less than two tons of grapes, and about a ton of dragon fruit, were purchased by them. How many crates of peaches did you put up this morning? I reckon they won't be enough." 

"You must be kidding me. Are these old ladies that impressive?" Old Zhuang was apprehensive about Zhou Kun's words, but before they could continue the conversation, Zhou Kun was dragged away by Huang Fang and the others.

"Little Zhou, I have something to ask you." 

"What is it?"

"I saw plenty of chickens by the peach orchard. Do they belong to the owner of the peach orchard too?" 

"Yes, they are usually reared in the peach orchard. However, you guys are here today, so the owner has gathered them all."

Huang Fang seemed to nod in satisfaction, after which she went back to whisper something to the other ladies of her clique. Zhou Kun's heart sank and he thought, 'Could it be that…'

"Little Zhou..." 

As soon as Huang Fang spoke, Zhou Kun knew that things were going to go awry. 

As he had expected, Huang Fang relayed their intentions to Zhou Kun. "I took a look with the other aunties of the estate just now. We think that these free-range chickens are not bad. Do you think you can discuss it with the owner..." 

Sure enough, the "Flowers of Jinlan" had set their sights on the free-range chickens reared by the owner. Zhou Kun had no choice but to pass on the message for them. 

Old Zhuang was not bothered since he reared plenty of chickens. He felt that it wouldn't matter if he sold a few. Hence, he quoted a price of 150 yuan per chicken. 

"What? Does each one only cost 150 yuan? They're all free-range chickens. Do they really cost the same as chickens sold in the market?" 

To these elderly ladies, the free-range chickens were ridiculously cheap. Old hens were sold at the market for more than 30 yuan per 500 gram, making each hen cost nearly 120 yuan. 

After receiving an affirmative answer from Old Zhuang, the elderly ladies grabbed one chicken each and walked out of the chicken cage, seemingly afraid that Old Zhuang would regret and go back on his word. 

Old Zhuang earned 6000 yuan from the chickens and was left behind with an empty chicken cage. 

While grabbing the chickens and paying for them, two elderly ladies saw plenty of vegetables being grown on Old Zhuang's land. 

"Boss, do you harvest these vegetables for your own consumption?" 

Old Zhuang said proudly, "Yeah, we grow our own vegetables. The bok choy is the most succulent at this time." 

Accordingly, Old Zhuang earned another 300 yuan, which left his vegetable field almost empty. 

At this moment, another bevy of elderly ladies in the peach orchard called everyone over. It turned out that they had discovered a special peach tree. 

"Boss, why did you cordon off the area that this peach tree is planted on?" 

The elderly ladies initially wanted to go to the emptier spots of the orchard to take some scenic photos. Eventually, they discovered the peach tree which had been surrounded by fences on all sides. It looked rather eye-catching in the peach orchard.

"This is the King of Peaches that I prepared this year. You guys can't pick any peaches from it." 

"Old Zhuang, you're growing King of Peaches this year?" 

Zhou Kun was rather surprised. The King of Peaches that Old Zhuang mentioned was not actually a real King of Peaches variety. 

Niushan Town, where Old Zhuang lived, was a well-known peach production area in the country. The peaches harvested there had won a national gold award. Hence, peaches could be considered to be the main crop there.

During that time of the year, each year, there would be an annual 'King of Peaches' competition. The peaches that were sent for competition would have to be judged according to outer appearance, size, taste, and texture. The peach that was the best in all aspects would be crowned as the King of Peaches and would be sent for the national competition. 

Almost every household in Niushan Town would grow peaches. However, not all peaches from every orchard would qualify for being the King of Peaches. 

The production of King of Peaches would depend on the peach tree. Only peach trees that were six or seven years old and had reached their prime fruit-bearing period can bear the King of Peaches. Once there are signs of growth of the King of Peaches on a tree in the orchard, the fruit would be carefully cultivated.

Zhou Kun had never heard of qualifying peach trees in Old Zhuang's orchard before.

"It's also a coincidence. I have cultivated several peach trees before, and all of them have entered the fruit-bearing period this year. Just a while after you came to purchase some peaches previously, one of the peach trees began bearing fruit that obviously looks like the King of Peaches. I'm going to protect it now, and strive to let it earn the title of 'King of Peaches' this year." 

Although Old Zhuang did not realize it, Zhou Kun immediately knew what was going on. He reckoned that the damned Two Thousand must have urinated all over the orchard again. 

"Old Zhuang, you're in luck this year then," said Zhou Kun who had no choice but to congratulate him awkwardly. 

"Boss, does the King of Peaches have any special traits that made you so elated?"

"You guys haven't tried the peaches that won the title of King of Peaches previously. They're all the largest, sweetest and juiciest peaches. There was no flaw in them at all. If my peach tree can bear the King of Peaches this year, my years of hard work will not be wasted." 

"That's all imaginary. Is the King of Peaches variety available for sale elsewhere? What are their prices?" 

Zhou Kun who was at the side, finally discovered that the elderly ladies had shifted their attention onto the King of Peaches. 

Old Zhuang seemed to have failed to understand what the elderly ladies meant. He continued, "Peaches of the 'King of Peaches variety' will not be sold in crates. They're all sold individually. Each can be sold for about 30 yuan. Count how many there are on this tree and calculate how much they would cost."

The more Old Zhuang talked about it, the more enticed the elderly ladies were. Zhou Kun had an ominous feeling. Just as he expected, Huang Fang looked at him with a smile and said, "Little Zhou..."