Volume One, Chapter Four: The Great Transformation of Peach Garden

Early the next morning, Guo Dong prepared breakfast for his grandfather and checked his injuries.

“Grandpa, it’s nothing serious now. I’m going to the fields to take a look. I have to go to the county seat around noon,” Guo Dong said.

Guo An nodded as he ate his steamed bun. “Go ahead. I’m fine here, no need to worry. Just remember to sell that gourd!”

“Got it!” Guo Dong replied absentmindedly, his mind already on the peaches in the orchard.

If the pesticide spray from yesterday had worked, there should be results today.

Anxious, he grabbed the medicine bucket and hurried with Heizi toward the orchard.

At this moment, there was an unexpected visitor in the orchard—Meng Xiaohan.

The village official had come to Guo Dong’s orchard early in the morning.

Standing beneath the peach tree, she marveled at the fruit hanging from the branches.

Several times she almost couldn’t resist picking one to taste, but the thought of Guo Dong spraying pesticides yesterday stopped her.

When Guo Dong arrived carrying the medicine bucket, Heizi’s barking caught Meng Xiaohan’s attention.

She turned to see Guo Dong, originally planning to leave.

“Xiaohan? What are you doing here?”

Guo Dong wasn’t sure what to make of Meng Xiaohan. They had grown up together, even attending the same class.

She had always been the top student, while he was mediocre, with nothing outstanding.

After high school, he dropped out, while she went on to university. Their paths diverged sharply.

What surprised him was that Meng Xiaohan chose to return to the village, leveraging family connections to become a village official.

This caused quite a stir in the village. It was rare to have a university graduate here, and instead of seeking high-paying jobs in the city, she returned to this poor place to develop her career.

No future, they said.

Meng Xiaohan blushed and smiled awkwardly, hands behind her back. She hadn’t meant to intrude without notice and didn’t want to cause a bad impression.

“I just came to check on your peaches. How did they grow so well in just one day?”

She tugged at her long ponytail, straightened her posture, and spoke with a hint of bashfulness.

“My peaches have always grown well,” Guo Dong said, looking at the fruit hanging on the tree. His heart finally settled.

He plucked one, wiped it on his clothes, and was about to take a bite.

“Guo Dong, are you crazy?”

The familiar scolding came again.

Meng Xiaohan snatched the peach from his hand, frowning sharply. “You sprayed pesticides yesterday and want to eat the fruit today? Aren’t you afraid of poisoning yourself?”

Guo Dong stared at her, puzzled. “How did you know I sprayed pesticides yesterday?”

Meng Xiaohan blushed and quickly returned the peach to him.

“I... I passed by here yesterday and saw it. What’s wrong with that?”

Suddenly, Guo Dong laughed. “I’ve never sprayed pesticides on my peaches since I planted them. Yesterday, I was just watering them because I plan to pick some to sell in the city today. How could I not water them?”

Meng Xiaohan knew little about peach cultivation and wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth.

She looked at him with wide eyes. “Really?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

With that, he took a big bite.

The sensation was delightful—thin skin, thick flesh, juicy to the core. It was so delicious that Guo Dong wondered if he was dreaming.

He instinctively bit into it again.

Watching him eat, Meng Xiaohan’s mouth watered.

He then picked another peach from the tree and handed it to her.

“Try it. The taste is good. We should be able to get a good price.”

Heizi grew even more anxious, barking and darting about.

With a sudden leap, the dog snatched a peach and ran off.

“You mutt! These peaches are for selling!” Guo Dong shouted, chasing after Heizi in frustration.

But the dog was faster and vanished in the blink of an eye. Who knew where it had gone to steal a snack?

Meng Xiaohan chuckled, covering her mouth, holding a peach but not rushing to eat it.

Her smile stunned Guo Dong.

Today, she seemed to have dressed up a bit. Though conservative, she had unbuttoned one button at the collar.

To avoid embarrassment, Guo Dong turned his head aside.

“How do you plan to sell the peaches?” Meng Xiaohan asked, wiping the peach on her clothes.

“I’ll take them to the city. There’s too many to keep here, so I’ll see if a supermarket or fruit dealer wants to buy. If so, I’ll sell to them, even at a lower price, as long as they sell fast.”

Guo Dong kept it simple—sell this batch quickly, and if it could help solve his debt crisis, all the better.

Meng Xiaohan took a small bite, though she wasn’t particularly fond of peaches.

Her mind was consumed with her own affairs.

“I’m heading to the county seat today too, so I can give you a ride. I’ll take my tricycle and haul a load over. That way, you don’t have to find transport.”

“You’re going to the county seat too?”

Guo Dong was baffled, unable to grasp her intentions.

“Yes, to buy some things in the city. If you’re not in a hurry, we can go together and save on the fare.”

Of course, he had time. If he didn’t seize this chance now, he’d be foolish.

Getting to the county seat alone was cheap, but hauling peaches was another matter. Hiring a vehicle would mean filling up gas, which wasn’t economical.

“When are you leaving? Can the tricycle get into the city?”

Guo Dong felt a bit embarrassed, not wanting to mooch off a girl’s ride.

“Around nine in the morning. Don’t worry. I went to the city a few days ago, no problem at all,” Meng Xiaohan said between bites, barely noticing that all that remained of her peach was a single pit.

Glancing at the clock, it was only a bit past seven—still over an hour until nine.

“All right, I’ll come find you at nine,” Guo Dong said.

He needed to hurry—not only to pick two baskets of peaches but also to finish spraying the magical water today.

Watching Meng Xiaohan walk away, Guo Dong felt energized.

“Heizi, go get two baskets!”

After some gestures to make Heizi understand, the dog set off on the peach-picking mission.

They selected only the largest and finest-looking peaches.

After all, they were going to negotiate business in the city. Poor-quality fruit wouldn’t fetch a good price.

Soon, as Guo Dong gathered a pile of peaches, Heizi returned with a basket hanging from his neck.

Trailing behind was a figure—the same man who had come to collect debts at Guo Dong’s house yesterday, Li Tianhu.

From a distance, Li Tianhu spotted Guo Dong in the orchard and immediately shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Guo Dong, got a moment? If so, the two of us need to have a talk!”