Chapter 238 - 107: Scattered_2
This made him even more fond of this fruit, and seeing the corrugated boxes soaked in rain and the scattered inedible almonds made him feel more distressed.
After carefully selecting the more attractive looking almonds, Chen Zhou discovered two small sealed plastic bags at the bottom of the pile of "almond-flavored mush."
These two small bags lay flat among the rotten almonds, their surfaces covered with almond paste and rainwater. Through the outer packaging, he could see one contained hazelnuts and the other pine nuts.
"Wow, good stuff!"
Bringing the lantern closer, he wiped away the stains on the plastic bags and carefully observed the hazelnuts and pine nuts inside through the plastic.
Soon after, he sighed.
He had been so excited earlier because he thought that hazelnuts and pine nuts could grow into big trees, thus continuously producing hazelnuts and pine nuts.
Hazelnuts are high in starch, cooked in syrup, are deliciously sweet and rare nuts.
Though pine nuts are not as flavorful as hazelnuts, they are a medicinal herb, with a unique taste, also a decent food.
If he could plant a grove of hazelnut or pine trees, his table would have more delicacies within a few years.
Unfortunately, the hazelnuts and pine nuts in the plastic bags were processed nuts and could only be eaten as snacks, never growing into big trees.
Feeling regretful, Chen Zhou was unaware that even if the pine nuts and hazelnuts were good seeds, during the island's challenges, he could at most eat only one of them.
Hazelnuts take 5-7 years from planting to fruition, and he could enjoy them in his lifetime.
Pine nuts, however, come from the rare fruits of the Korean Pine.
The Korean Pine, unlike the pine trees commonly seen in northern shelterbelts, is a national first-class endangered species, scarce in number, with wild Korean Pines needing fifty years of growth to begin seeding.
Even if he planted pine nuts on the day he arrived on the island, by the time he left, he wouldn't enjoy pine nuts from his own planting.
However, there's a lyric that says "people without dreams don't get sad," translated to Chen Zhou's situation as "those who don't understand plants dare to imagine."
Glancing hastily at the two bags of northern specialty nuts, knowing they had no other use than snacking, he casually stuffed the "free gifts" into his backpack and continued picking up Autumn White Almonds.
Hazelnuts and pine nuts certainly couldn't produce a "second generation," but the pits inside Autumn White Almonds are mature seeds.
All it takes is to extract the pits, carefully pry open the hard outer shell, and place the inner almonds in a moist, clean, and ventilated area to await germination.
An almond tree takes about five years from sprouting to fruiting.
There were at least five to six hundred Autumn White Almonds on the ground, even with a low germination rate, Chen Zhou could have an almond grove.
...
Picking through the Autumn White Almonds on the ground, by lantern light, Chen Zhou squatted down, moving slowly from the reward center to the wooden stone wall's edge.
He collected the almonds with extreme care, even finding those sunk into the gravel, almost blended with the yellow sand.
He even extracted almonds embedded in the gaps between the wooden panels and sandy ground at the wooden stone wall base.
After all, any neglected almond pit could potentially result in a fruitful almond tree in the future; he couldn't be careless.
The more complete almonds filled half a plastic bag, and Chen Zhou planned to eat them tonight upon returning home —
Soaked almonds couldn't be preserved; they wouldn't last 24 hours in the "Nitre Icebox," better eat them early for peace of mind.
Most Autumn White Almonds had turned into "half almonds" or almond paste; since they couldn't be eaten, Chen Zhou didn't hesitate, directly wiping off the remaining flesh from their surface and taking only the pits.
Despite this, the weight of the pits far exceeded the whole almonds, indicating the significant loss of this reward.
...
On his way back to the cave carrying his backpack, Chen Zhou thought of this reward.
Despite some regrets, overall, Chen Zhou felt this reward was satisfactory.
Firstly, the main loss of this reward was the almonds.
Although he often worried about monotonous food on the island, he wouldn't be upset over a few bites of almonds.
Secondly, although the reward was wet from rain, its real value was not destroyed.
The almonds were protected by pits, intact; as long as they sprout later, subsequent sowing and watering without unforeseen incidents, the likelihood of growing almond trees was high.
Within four to six years, he could enjoy unlimited Autumn White Almonds.
As for considering the variety differences due to soil incompatibility like with tangerines and trifoliate oranges, Chen Zhou had thought about it.
But considering the worst result, if these Autumn White Almonds turned out small and sour, at least he could stir-fry almond pits, not entirely wasted.
...
He had spent too much time choosing and picking up almonds on the beach, estimating it was close to midnight or one in the morning when he started heading home.
While returning, a light rain began, reducing visibility further, making the forest path more slippery, lowering his travel speed again.
Fortunately, the backpack's lid and shoulder straps had a waterproof layer, and although the side fabric wasn't waterproof, it had a water-repellent layer, protecting the almonds and nuts inside.
This rain could only slow Chen Zhou's pace, not create more trouble for him.
...
Reaching the forest's edge, walking from the fields to the platform, the embers in the kitchen had long since extinguished.