"Mom, godmother, the beehives have arrived. Call a few people to come with me to set them up."
Wang Shuo shouted, as the truck behind him was loaded with stacks of beehives.
"Alright, alright, we're coming."
Yang Yufen went to gather help.
The rain shelters for the bees were already built, and the smoked beehives were arranged in staggered rows, waiting for the beekeeper to guide the bees inside.
"The professor sent me to help. Since this is the first year, we need to control the density of the beehives. The first harvest shouldn’t be too abundant—we need to nurture the trees first so they can bear more fruit in the future."
The one Wang Shuo brought along was Wu Li, the bright student he highly valued.
"He’s working on a new project this year. He’s familiar with beekeeping—does a good job at it—and understands fruit tree growth well. So, he’s here to help this year."
Instead of applying for land from the college, Wang Shuo used his connections to bring the student to the family’s contracted orchard, giving him more room for experimentation.
In truth, Deputy Director Zhao and Director Zhou also sent quite a few students over every year. The young ones were full of ideas and bold in action, and Yang Yufen and Aunt Wang never turned them away.
If any losses occurred, the school would cover half, easing the students’ burden while ensuring Yang Yufen and Aunt Wang wouldn’t suffer too much.
It was a win-win.
"Once these mountains of fruit trees bloom, the sea of pink and white will draw crowds."
Aunt Wang gazed at the flower buds covering the hills, just days away from blossoming.
"We’ll need to keep an eye out. There are student projects in the fields below—if they’re damaged, it’ll be a disaster. We should leave just one path open for visitors."
Yang Yufen recalled a student last year who had cried his heart out after someone stole his melons. She felt sorry for him but couldn’t help chuckling. This year, the same student had replanted, even fencing off a new plot and putting up warning signs.
"The students in the college know the rules, but we’ll need to remind the nearby villagers. There’s more than one path up the mountain—unless we fence everything off, and that’s no easy task."
Aunt Wang surveyed their vast stretch of land. It wasn’t just a small patch—it was enormous.
"It’s a real challenge, but we should still fence what we can. Once the fruit ripens, some might get greedy. A few stolen pieces are one thing, but we can’t risk harm to the trees."
Better safe than sorry.
"True. Let’s figure out the best way to fence it. These hills are all connected—walling each one separately would waste materials. Why not enclose them all together?"
"Sounds good. Should we use bricks or a wooden fence?"
The two elderly women debated for a while.
"The fencing costs so much! Maybe we’re better off building a few guard huts instead—they can double as storage. A fence won’t stop troublemakers, but planting thorny bushes might help."
"That works. No matter how sturdy the fence, it won’t stop the truly determined. A simple deterrent is enough. Once we spray pesticides, we’ll hang more signs to warn kids not to pick anything."
"Deal."
With the bees pollinating, the fruit set was abundant. But to maintain quality and tree health, they had to thin the fruit.
When the trees bloomed, the pink-and-white spectacle indeed drew crowds. Word spread, and soon everyone knew about this sprawling orchard on the outskirts.
As the fruit grew, more and more people began lurking around the orchard.
"These fruits are impressive—still green but already so big. By the time they ripen, each one’ll weigh nearly half a kilo!"
After waiting so long for the trees to bear fruit, Yang Yufen couldn’t resist visiting the orchard daily.
"We’ve had to chase off groups of kids and some idle troublemakers. They pick the unripe fruit shamelessly—won’t listen no matter how much we scold."
"Picking unripe fruit is just wasteful. And the pest problem seems bad lately—we need to spray soon. Let’s put up signs to keep kids from eating anything harmful."
"Got it. Are we spraying today?"
"Yes, it’s scheduled. After spraying, we’ll need extra patrols for a week."
Yang Yufen finished speaking and moved on.
"Wu Li, cleaning the beehives? Look at all that honey!"
She ran into Wu Li.
"Granny Yang, since we’re spraying for pests, I’m hurrying to clear the hives and relocate them. The flowers were plentiful this year, so the honey yield is high. Perfect time to split the colonies—I’ll move them to a new spot."
"Good, good. You handle it. The pesticide team’s coming today—can you manage alone?"
"No problem, don’t worry."
Yang Yufen strolled downhill when her phone suddenly rang. She dug it out of her pocket, unwrapping layer after layer of plastic bags before finally retrieving it.
The phone was handy, sure, but it couldn’t get wet. Yang Yufen treasured it, swaddling it in multiple protective layers. She never made calls—only answered them.
The phone rang again. She pressed accept.
"Grandma! I won the swimming championship! A gold medal! Am I amazing? I’ll be back the day after tomorrow—flying home. Grandma, don’t forget to pick me up!"
"Of course, of course, I’ll remember."
Yang Yufen beamed, but the call ended quickly—international roaming was expensive.
Still, the child had been too excited not to share the news with his dearest family first.
Thrilled, Yang Yufen checked the time and immediately decided to fetch a chicken from the coop. Her grandson deserved a feast.
It was rare for Yang Yufen to make a call, so Qin Nian was startled when her phone rang. She answered instantly.
"Mom."
"Yes, Nian. Li Wu just called—he won a gold medal in his competition! When you get the chance, call and praise him. I won’t keep you from work—take care of yourselves!"
"Alright."
Qin Nian agreed, and the line went dead.
The call left Qin Nian in high spirits all day.
After hanging up, Li Wu went back to resting, only to be dragged out of bed early the next morning by his coach—another call awaited.
Hearing his mother’s praise made Li Wu ecstatic.
Calling Grandma first had been the right move!
Working around the time difference, Qin Nian couldn’t return to celebrate, but she transferred a reward for Li Wu to spend as he pleased.
"That’s my boy."
Shen Xianjun swelled with pride. His child’s success delighted him more than any promotion.
The couple celebrated for once.
"If not for the one-child policy, our stellar genes should’ve contributed more children to the nation."
Shen Xianjun sighed—only to get pinched.
"Both kids were raised by Mom and your teacher’s wife. Without them, we’d never have managed."
In her younger days, Qin Nian would’ve hesitated to ask for help, afraid of burdening others.
