In the end, Chu Youmeng followed her grandmother to the fields to farm.
Meanwhile, Chu Youwei took Mu An to stroll around the mountain top. Looking at the vast fields of grapevines and the many rotten fruits on the ground, Mu An couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
If these fruits were sold in the market outside, they would probably be worth quite a bit. But here in the mountains, they might not be worth much at all!
"Usually, there are people who come to collect these grapes," she said.
"But this year, it seems that for some reason, not many people are willing to come and collect them."
"Plus, the quality of the fruits this year isn't very good, so even fewer people are willing to collect them!"
"Many uncles in the village have lost quite a bit! But there's nothing they can do, they can't sell them, so they can only let the fruits rot on the ground!" Chu Youwei explained softly.
The girl was still wearing a blue and white outfit. This was already the best piece of clothing she had without any patches.
She had even changed into it specifically before going out!
Coupled with her delicate little face, it truly evoked a wave of first love nostalgia. Slightly naive, yet so pure and beautiful!
"If the distributors won't collect them, can't the villagers take them to the town to sell?" Mu An asked, one hand supporting a nearly withered grapevine while casually brushing aside the wild grass that had begun to grow wildly.
But he quickly realized that his question was a bit foolish. If the problem were that easy to solve, the villagers would have already done it themselves!
Sure enough, Chu Youwei shook her head slightly.
"No, the road to the town is too far, and it's not easy to walk."
"Grapes are delicate fruits; once picked, they can't be stored for long, and they can easily get damaged on the bumpy road."
"Most importantly, the price of grapes here is very low. Even if you take a truckload out to sell, it wouldn't be worth much!"
"If they don't sell out, they can't bring them back; otherwise, a round trip might not even cover the gas money."
"Over time, no one in the village is willing to take them out to sell! Usually, they just let the collectors buy them at a low price."
As she spoke, the girl looked at the fruits scattered on the ground with a hint of regret on her face.
"If the grapes don't sell, doesn't that mean our family will lose a lot of money?"
"Actually, it doesn't lose much. Years ago, most of the land in our family was sold off..."
As for who sold it... isn't that answer obvious?
Mu An gently rubbed the girl's head, but he quickly realized that such an action was a bit presumptuous.
"Sorry, I got a bit carried away!"
The man awkwardly withdrew his hand.
"It's, it's okay!"
Chu Youwei lowered her head, her porcelain-like delicate face slightly flushed, and she murmured softly.
'An Ge is unconsciously treating himself as an older brother, right?'
'But to be fair, his big hand is really warm!'
'He's so handsome, so rich, and so gentle...'
'He's just like the prince charming from a fairy tale!'
She suddenly felt a bit envious of her sister!
[From Chu Youwei's shy emotional fluctuation +15, congratulations, you have received the reward [New Variety of Chinese Grape Cultivation Liquid]!]
[From Chu Youwei's frustrated emotional fluctuation +20, congratulations, you have received the reward [Cultivation Years +3 Years]!]
—————
[New Variety of Chinese Grape Cultivation Liquid]: After using the cultivation liquid on ordinary grapevines, you will obtain the highest quality grapevines in the world!
Characteristics of Chinese grapes: Large! Sweet! Short growth cycle! Extremely high yield! Can grow in most soils!
—————
New grapes?
I didn't expect to get such a reward!
Mu An pondered seriously, feeling a bit tempted.
Why not find an opportunity to develop this village?
After all, this is the hometown of Chu Youwei and Chu Youmeng!
At that time, he could arrange for someone to fix the roads and use the Tianmu Group's reputation to boost visibility.
This would naturally open up sales channels for Chinese grapes!
In the end, he could help the entire village escape poverty and achieve prosperity!
Not to mention anything else, at least he would earn enough money for rural kids like Chu Youwei to afford college!
"An Ge...?"
Chu Youwei adjusted her clothes and the few strands of hair that fell by her temples, feeling a bit anxious as she tucked her hands behind her back.
Her delicate, fair fingers intertwined, seemingly competing with each other.
"Oh, it's nothing, I just suddenly thought of something."
Called out by her, Mu An came back to his senses and smiled apologetically at the girl.
'So warm!'
'So good-looking!'
Chu Youwei was instantly warmed by that healing, sunny smile.
For a moment, she was a bit dazed.
[From Chu Youwei's complex emotional fluctuation +20, congratulations, you have received the reward [Proficiency +3000]!]
Bang!
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out in the mountains!
Mu An, knowing that a plot was about to unfold, was mentally prepared and naturally wasn't startled.
But Chu Youwei was completely unaware.
She was like a frightened little rabbit, instinctively hiding behind the man.
"Don't worry, I'm here, it's fine!"
Mu An smiled and comforted her, picking up a few stones from the ground.
"Mm!"
The girl nodded gently, feeling inexplicably safe.
On the other side, Liu Ziqian and others were still in hot pursuit of the fugitive.
The other party was too familiar with the terrain here.
If it weren't for their high level of criminal investigation skills, they might have really let the person escape!
"Like a rabid dog, damn it, you bastard!"
The fugitive, with blood-red eyes, was also getting angry.
At this moment, he had only a few bullets left in his handgun, just two or three.
So, he was also prepared to fight back!
Even if he couldn't escape today, he wanted to take down that damn female officer chasing him!
But before he could draw his gun and prepare to shoot...
A stone that flew out of nowhere instantly pierced through his wrist! The handgun also fell to the ground!
Not only that, just as the intense pain in his wrist was registered by his brain, he realized that all four of his limbs were simultaneously struck hard.
The fugitive's vision went black, and a strong sense of dizziness followed. He still didn't know what had happened when he collapsed to the ground, unconscious!
"Don't move!" Liu Ziqian immediately kicked away the handgun that had fallen to the ground while aiming her gun at the unconscious fugitive. The other officers quickly surrounded them, all pointing their guns at the unfortunate guy on the ground.