How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

The wind in the Taihang Mountains is always exceptionally noisy.

Especially when riding that electric tricycle that makes noise everywhere except for the bell.

The wind wasn't just noisy; it was blowing directly down your neck.

Xu An hunched his neck, his military overcoat collar turned up high.

He gripped the handlebars tightly with both hands.

Because of the bumpy road, the Huawei Extraordinary Master, which was wrapped in tape around the front of the car, was nodding frantically.

It's like he's kowtowing to the viewers in the live stream to wish them a Happy New Year.

"That...that one."

"Family members, please bear with it."

"Although Dean Li has paved this road."

"But the shock absorption of this tricycle mainly relies on the gluteus maximus."

Xu An's voice was broken by the wind.

The number of viewers in the live stream did not decrease despite the violent shaking of the camera.

On the contrary, because of this extremely realistic "first-person perspective off-roading", it soared to 40.

[ID Motion Sickness Pill Tycoon]: Host, my breakfast is about to come out from all the jolting!

[ID Battle Damage Aesthetics]: What brand is this tricycle? I feel like it could shatter my kidney stones.

[ID Want to Go to Xujia Village]: Is this the back mountain? It feels much more desolate than the village.

It is indeed desolate.

The further you go into the back of the mountain, the farther away the sounds of bustling construction become.

All that's left are withered, yellow weeds covering the mountains and fields.

And there are those jujube trees that stubbornly grow in the cracks of rocks.

After about twenty minutes of bumpy driving, an open area appeared ahead.

Rows of fruit trees are neatly arranged on the sunny hillside.

The leaves have long since fallen.

A few scattered red dots hung on the bare branches.

It looked a bit bleak.

There was a makeshift shack under the tree.

It was built of stones and covered with asbestos tiles.

An old man sat at the door, wearing a faded Zhongshan suit and a blue Liberation cap.

He was brushing the fur of a big yellow dog.

Hearing the sound of the tricycle, the old man looked up. His face was like a dried orange peel, full of wrinkles from years of hardship.

But those eyes revealed the clarity of a scholar.

This is Zhao Guodong, the "old educated youth" that Grandpa mentioned.

Everyone in the village calls him Teacher Zhao.

Xu An parked the tricycle, feeling like his backside was no longer his own. He grabbed his phone and jumped off.

The big yellow dog barked and tried to pounce, but Teacher Zhao gently stopped it.

"Big Yellow, sit down."

The dog was very obedient, lying quietly on the ground, its tail wagging like a propeller.

"Teacher Zhao."

Xu An called out, his tone respectful.

This old man is known for his stubbornness in the surrounding area.

When the educated youth returned to the city, he stayed behind because of a promise he made.

He stayed there for fifty years, planting apples his entire life.

Teacher Zhao squinted, and when she saw that it was Xu An, the serious lines on her face softened a little.

"Anwazi."

"What brings you here?"

"I heard that the village is busy with road construction and building a canteen."

Xu An chuckled and scratched his head.

"It's lively, indeed."

"But I just wanted to eat an apple."

"I'm also bringing my online friends to visit you."

Xu An pointed his phone camera at the orchard.

Teacher Zhao's expression suddenly changed, and she subconsciously tried to block it.

"Don't take pictures."

"This fruit... is ugly."

"Don't offend people's eyes."

Xu An was taken aback.

ugly?

He walked past Teacher Zhao and went to a tree.

I reached out and picked an apple that was still hanging on the tree.

It's really ugly.

It's not very big, and it's misshapen.

The skin was not smooth, covered with spots, and even had marks that looked like insect bites.

The color wasn't a bright red either.

Instead, it was a dark, rusty red.

Compared to the waxed, shiny red Fuji apples in supermarkets.

This is practically the "beggar" of the Apple world.

The comments in the live stream were also very genuine.

[ID Aesthetics Enthusiast]: Uh... this Apple is indeed a bit hard to describe.

[ID: Tell the Truth]: Is this really edible? It looks rotten.

[ID Fruit Shop Owner]: This kind of fruit is considered substandard in the market; it's not even good enough to be juiced.

Teacher Zhao looked at the comments on the screen. Although he couldn't see the words clearly, he could feel the disdain in them.

He sighed, and his back looked even more hunched.

"This year there has been little rain, and it's a cold, high-altitude area."

"It won't grow out."

"A fruit collector came a couple of days ago."

"Three cents a pound."

"I didn't sell it."

"Feeding pigs is better than this."

Teacher Zhao's voice carried the arrogance of a scholar.

It also carries a sense of hardship for farmers.

Three cents isn't even enough to cover the cost of fertilizer.

Xu An didn't say anything; he took out a tissue from his pocket.

It was given to him by his fifth aunt that morning, and it had a hint of jasmine fragrance.

He didn't mind and casually wiped the ugly apple.

Then open your mouth wide.

"Click—"

A crisp sound, as clear as a stone breaking the surface of a frozen lake in winter.

Juice splattered everywhere, Xu An's cheeks puffed out, and he chewed twice.

His eyes, which had initially seemed somewhat indifferent.

Suddenly it lit up, and it really lit up.

"I...go!"

Xu An couldn't help but swear.

"Teacher Zhao."

"You call this ugly?"

"Is this supposed to be a 'sweet bun'?"

Xu An held the half-eaten apple up to the camera.

Under the high-definition lens, the center of the pale yellow fruit is clearly visible.

It surprisingly had a transparent, amber-like color resembling rock candy.

This is the legendary "rock candy heart".

The sugar in the core accumulates due to the large temperature difference between day and night.

This resulted in the formation of these translucent crystals.

It looks so sweet, so sweet it makes your heart flutter.

The atmosphere in the live stream instantly reversed.

[ID: Fruit Hunter]: Holy crap! Full of sugar! This is top-quality!

[ID Foodie Collection]: This isn't an ugly apple! It's the hidden master among apples!

[Where's that fruit shop owner from earlier?]: Hey boss, don't go! These fruits are three cents? Give me ten tons!

[ID: Drooling]: Watching the streamer eat makes my teeth ache! It's so crunchy!

Xu An finished the apple in a few bites, not even leaving the core behind, leaving it completely clean.

"Um... family members."

"I take back what I just said, this apple isn't ugly."

"It's just a bit... unkempt."

"Just like the people in our village."

"His face was covered in dirt, and his hands were calloused."

"But in my heart."

"It's sweet."

Xu An's words weren't sentimental; as he spoke, he picked another one.

This time, instead of wiping, I just rubbed it on the military overcoat twice and then bit it again.

That sense of satisfaction is palpable, even through the screen.

Teacher Zhao was stunned as he stared at the young man who was eating with great relish.

I glanced again at the strange phone screen, at the text scrolling wildly.

"Really...is someone really interested?"

The old man's hands trembled slightly; these thousands of kilograms of fruit represented his hard work throughout the year.

It was also the money he had prepared to donate coal briquettes to the village primary school. Xu An swallowed the fruit in his mouth.

I gave Teacher Zhao a thumbs up.

"Teacher Zhao."

"You should prepare the burlap sacks."

"These weigh several thousand kilograms."

"Not even enough to fill the teeth of these hungry wolves."

As soon as he finished speaking, a golden, glittering special effect suddenly appeared on the public screen of the live stream.

[ID Huixian Culture and Tourism is giving away 10 Carnival Gifts]

Then, that familiar official account spoke up.

[ID Huixian Culture & Tourism]: @Xu An, don't worry about logistics. SF Express, JD.com, and China Post delivery trucks are already on their way. The county will cover the shipping costs! This apple is a signature product of Huixian; I've even thought of a name for it: "Educated Youth Sugar Heart Fruit"!

Director Wang is spying on the live stream again!

And they came with real gold and silver!

"That sixth brother..."

Xu An muttered something under his breath, but his heart was filled with warmth.

"Alright."

"Since the leader has spoken..."

"Um... type 1 if you want some."

"Let me count how many people there are."

"We don't engage in scarcity marketing."

"Sell as much as you have."

"Sold out, please don't rush us anymore."

"After all, Teacher Zhao is getting old."

Planting trees is not easy.

On the screen, the densely packed "1"s looked like a blizzard.

It instantly engulfed Xu An's face; how could thousands of kilograms of apples possibly stop it?

Those were hundreds of thousands of open mouths.

Xu An looked at Teacher Zhao.

"Master."

"Your business of selling things for three cents a pound is doomed."

"As netizens have said."

"This apple."

"They have to be sold individually."

"One, not just a sweet talker."

"Sweetheart back."

Teacher Zhao looked at Xu An, her eyes slightly moist.

He took off his hat, the Liberation Cap he had worn for decades.

With his full head of white hair exposed, he bowed deeply to the phone camera.

He didn't speak.

The wind blew through the orchard, through the bare branches, making a whooshing sound.

It's as if it's saying "thank you" on behalf of these silent mountains, fifty years overdue.

Xu An quickly helped the old man up; this gift was too much for him to accept, and neither could the netizens.

"No, please!"

"What are you doing!"

"It will shorten your lifespan!"

Xu An was in a flurry of activity in the live stream.

[ID Tears]: I was moved to tears by the old man's bow.

[ID Must Buy]: I have to buy two boxes just for this bow!

[ID Inheritance]: This is the backbone of the older generation.

Just then, Xu An's phone vibrated.

It was a private message from that user, 【Walking Mountains and Rivers】.

Just a short sentence:

"The apples are sweet. Those letters from back then were sweet too. Xu An, there are some roads you should walk."

Xu An's heart skipped a beat.

letter?

What letter?

He looked up at Teacher Zhao.

The old man's eyes seemed to hold a bottomless lake.

Teacher Zhao looked at Xu An and suddenly smiled.

There was a sense of relief in that smile.

"An Wazi."

"Wait until all the fruit is sold."

"Come sit in my shack."

"Some old things."

"It's time to see the sun."

Xu An tightened his grip on his phone.

He had a premonition about the mystery that had been troubling him.

Perhaps the answer can be found in this shack filled with the aroma of apples, on that blurry remittance slip.

But now is not the time to explore, because a cloud of yellow dust has already been kicked up on the road at the foot of the mountain.

Those were the courier teams that Director Wang had summoned, messengers tasked with delivering this "ugly apple" to all parts of the country.

"that……"

"Family members."

Stop spamming.

"Get ready to test your speed!"

"Three, two, one!"

"Available for purchase!"