Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn

Chapter 861: Chapter 18: The Miraculous Honey (Part 2)

"I don’t want to bring the matter of the honey into the public eye; I just want to develop this honey and then give it to Yuelai Building. As I said before, Hu Song’s health isn’t great. About five years ago, he handed over the business of Yuelai Building to his son. He was a very robust old man, and passing the baton early wasn’t because he conceded to his age, but because he had an accident. During an outing to purchase supplies, he was in a car accident, and his brain nerves were extensively damaged. He forgot a lot of things, didn’t recognize me, and didn’t even remember his own family." Locke scratched his head, for he regarded his sister Susan as his only relative left in this world.

Having lost his father at an early age, he had already forgotten most memories of his biological father. Hu Song had extended a helping hand during his most difficult times; for Locke, Hu Song was like a father.

"What you see today is Yuelai Building after its decline. Although Hu Song’s son has remarkable skills, he hasn’t been able to make the Empress Dowager Cake, the signature dish of Yuelai Building, reach the standards of Old Hu in the past. A crucial reason lies with the honey." The car accident involving Hu Song came too suddenly, and he forgot everything before he could explain the secrets of the honey clearly.

Yuelai Building used to be a renowned establishment around the Chinatown area, with guests flocking in day after day. But after Hu Song’s accident, the business at the restaurant plummeted due to the taste of the Empress Dowager Cake. Now, the only customers who dine at Yuelai Building are old patrons.

"Do you want to help Master Hu’s son to revive Yuelai Building?" Xiao Xian was surprised at this; it turned out that Professor Locke’s intention was like this.

"Not entirely; you haven’t been with us for long yet, Ziang knows a lot more. He knows that I’m notoriously picky; everything from food, usage, to research results must be the best. I only like to eat the best Empress Dowager Cake. Plus, I’m also thinking, if we had that kind of honey, perhaps Old Hu might be able to regain some memories." Locke carried a hint of longing. He was already over fifty, but because he was a cultivator, he didn’t look old, just slightly weary in his eyes.

At this moment, the longing in his eyes made Xiao Xian faintly see the Jewish boy from many years ago.

"Can I help you?" Xiao Xian suddenly said. She had muddled her way into Locke’s research center, originally just planning to spend these few months and get a good score in the individual competition. But today, after hearing the story of Locke and Old Hu, she changed her mind.

Perhaps she could find a way to help Locke recover the sweet memory belonging to him and the old man.

After learning that Xiao Xian was willing to help, Locke discussed with her about visiting Old Hu in a few days.

Xiao Xian took another close look at the Queen bee in the hive. According to Locke, before Old Hu’s accident, he had a hobby of planting flowers and plants. After coming to the United States, during the spare time of the restaurant business, he even bought a farm in the nearby suburb and raised some bees on the farm.

All the honey from Yuelai Building was derived from the bees raised on this farm, and this hive of queens originated from the bees on the farm.

After getting permission from Old Hu’s son, Locke specially collected some bee larvae and sent them to Quinn, where they hatched this batch of mutant bees.

This batch of queens was just hatched last spring. At the end of the year, they produced a batch of honey, but except for having a richer taste than ordinary honey, there were no special effects from either the taste or therapeutic effectiveness.

"Does honey really cure various diseases?" Xiao Xian thought of the hornets she kept at North Campus. The hornets at North Campus also produced some honey, though she hadn’t paid particular attention to see any difference between this honey and regular honey, as she just knew that the honey produced each time was denser.

The honey at North Campus, due to the small number of hornets, was already limited in production, so it was kept for personal use and family use. Occasionally, if there was a surplus, it was placed in the Agricultural Specialty Store but would be bought out in a day or two by knowledgeable old customers.

As for Old Hu’s love for planting and buying the farm, Xiao Xian wasn’t surprised. Speaking of Hu Song, though he had to abandon his plan to continue his studies at South Gate due to livelihood pressures, he should still have been a person who loved gardening. Buying the farm, including beekeeping, should have been a kind of nostalgia for his life in South Gate where he learned the craft.

This time, even not just to help Locke, just for the sake of the respect for the Master Hu of the same sect from South Gate, she had to figure out the hidden secret in the honey.

After taking a look outside the research center’s hive, Xiao Xian still didn’t see anything conclusive; she decided that, besides visiting her Master Hu with Locke in a few days, she also needed to visit Old Hu’s farm once. Maybe there, she could discover something.

It’s important to know that the quality of honey is not just related to bees; the environment of the farm’s land and even the plants the bees gather from could significantly affect the quality of the honey.

With some doubts and curiosity about the honey incident, Xiao Xian returned to her apartment at Cornell University.

When she got back to the apartment, it was near evening, and the apartment was still empty. Xiao Xian found a note left by Yiyi on the computer desk: "I went out. Don’t wait for me for dinner."

~ Thanks to "Huan Hu Hu Ya" and "Youyou’s Life" for the pink tickets ~ (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian () to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)