Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Fruit Hunter
「March 10th.」
After a cold snap in late February, spring had finally arrived in the Lingnan Land, bringing warm weather and blooming flowers.
Beside the fields of Nanhu Farm, many rice paddies were already planted with seedlings. Over a dozen white cranes pecked through the water, searching for the remains of small insects churned up by tractors.
The farm’s strawberry cultivation had expanded to nearly three acres, with a half-acre plot that had been planted earlier now entering its flowering and fruiting stage, though not yet peak production.
Today, Jiang Miao was once again in his experimental breeding greenhouse.
Suddenly, his secretary, Li Zixuan, walked in. "Boss, Manager Ye says that the Fruit Hunter, Mr. Yang, has arrived at the company."
"Then have Ah Yong go and pick them up."
"Understood."
Jiang Miao put away his notebook and went to the faucet at the greenhouse entrance to wash his hands and face. He then pulled out his phone, using the screen to check his reflection and straighten his clothes.
「A little over ten minutes later.」
Ke Yong drove up to the farm entrance, his car carrying a few unfamiliar faces.
Jiang Miao walked over with a smile. "Mr. Yang, welcome to Hailufeng. I’m Jiang Miao."
"So you’re General Manager Jiang! I’ve heard so much about you," Yang Yang said, also smiling. He then gestured to a cameraman nearby. "You don’t mind being on camera, do you?"
"Not at all. Part of the reason we invited you, Mr. Yang, was for promotion. If you need anything, just let me or my secretary, Zixuan, know."
Li Zixuan quickly pulled out his phone. "Mr. Yang, this is my WeChat..."
"And this is mine..." Yang Yang’s assistant stepped forward as well.
The two of them exchanged WeChat information and phone numbers.
After shaking hands with Yang Yang, Jiang Miao gestured toward the farm’s greenhouses. "Mr. Yang, let me show you inside."
"Sounds good! I’ve been wanting to see your company’s new varieties for myself. After all, seeing is believing."
Li Zixuan went ahead to open the metal gate.
The group entered the strawberry greenhouse. It utilized a semi-vertical cultivation system, but the planting density was kept relatively low, mainly out of concern that the plants wouldn’t survive the high heat of summer.
"Are they already bearing fruit?"
Jiang Miao nodded. "The strawberries in this greenhouse have entered their flowering and fruiting stage. We expect them to hit peak production in April."
Yang Yang glanced at some of the bright red strawberries, noticing they were rather large. It wasn’t just a few of them, either; they were large across the board. "Is this a large-fruit variety? The size is impressive! Does it have Sweet Charlie in its lineage?"
"Yes, Sweet Charlie is one of its parent varieties. Our internal designation is C1102, and its trade name is the Jasmine Strawberry," Jiang Miao explained, using a small pair of scissors to snip off a few ripe ones.
"Jasmine Strawberry? Don’t tell me it has a jasmine fragrance. In that case, I have to try one." Yang Yang’s interest was piqued. He picked up one of the strawberries, rinsed it with bottled water, took a gentle bite, and savored the taste.
Jiang Miao rinsed the rest of the strawberries. "Here, everyone, try one."
"Hmm?" Yang Yang took another bite, an eyebrow raised in surprise. "It does have a faint jasmine fragrance, and a hint of something like cantaloupe. The sweetness is good, too. I’d guess around a 15 on the Brix scale."
As he spoke, he pulled out a refractometer and squeezed a drop of strawberry juice onto the testing plate.
BEEP!
[15.3]
"Haha, Mr. Yang, you really are a human refractometer!" Jiang Miao joked with a laugh.
"This variety has good flavor, sweetness, firmness, and shape. Is it genetically stable?"
"What we’re eating now is from the fifth-generation plants. There haven’t been any significant changes compared to the first generation, so the traits are genetically stable."
Yang Yang ate another one. "This one is also around 15. Mind if I pick a few more at random to test?"
"Of course. Please, help yourself, Mr. Yang."
Soon, Yang Yang had picked a small basket of Jasmine Strawberries and began his review for the camera.
"These fruits are huge, almost the size of a duck’s egg."
Li Zixuan quickly handed him a basket of duck eggs for comparison.
The comparison made the size of the Jasmine Strawberries even more visually striking.
"Well, since we’re here, let’s test a few more at random!" Yang Yang then picked out five strawberries and tested them with his refractometer. The sweetness levels were consistently between 15 and 16.
After touring the Jasmine Strawberry greenhouse, they moved on to the Vanilla Strawberry greenhouse next door.
The moment he stepped into this greenhouse, Yang Yang couldn’t help but sniff the air. "So fragrant! The smell is something like passion fruit and vanilla."
He leaned in, bringing his nose close to a ripe Vanilla Strawberry, and the aroma became even more pronounced.
"General Manager Jiang, if you don’t mind my asking, what are the parent varieties for this one?"
Jiang Miao nodded. "The parent varieties of the Vanilla Strawberry are the Fengxiang and Xuelixiang strawberries. This one came from a mutation I discovered during crossbreeding a few years ago. After several generations of cultivation and further hybridization, I was finally able to stabilize its traits."
"That’s quite an accomplishment! I feel this variety has a lot of potential. How does it perform in other areas?" Yang Yang asked.
"The Vanilla Strawberry is relatively high-yielding and has good disease resistance. It produces medium-sized fruit with a sweetness level of around 21 to 22. The flesh is firm, making it durable for storage and transport. Its only drawback is that it stops flowering when temperatures exceed 35 degrees Celsius, so production might cease during southern summers."
"That’s not a major drawback; it can be grown in the North." Yang Yang didn’t see it as a serious flaw, since this was a common issue for many strawberry varieties.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, he turned his head and asked, "Does the Jasmine Strawberry also stop flowering above 35 degrees Celsius?"
Jiang Miao shook his head. "No, the Jasmine Strawberry and the Cheese Strawberry are heat-resistant varieties. As long as the temperature stays below 40 degrees Celsius, they can flower and produce fruit without issue."
Yang Yang couldn’t help but marvel, "In that case, the Jasmine Strawberry and Cheese Strawberry have huge potential for the summer market!"
"Why don’t you try the Vanilla Strawberry first?"
Just like before, they picked a small basket, rinsed the fruit, and gave them a taste.
"Wow! The flavor is so rich, and it’s incredibly sweet—around a 22, I’d say."
He squeezed a drop of juice onto the refractometer’s testing plate.
BEEP!
[22.2]
"This variety is unbelievably sweet and fragrant. More fragrant than any strawberry I’ve ever had. The aroma is a composite of traditional strawberry, passion fruit, and vanilla. The taste just lingers on your palate. This one is definitely worth recommending."
He then turned back to Jiang Miao. "General Manager Jiang, when will your strawberries be available? I’m sure many of my viewers are already eager to try them."
"We start shipping on March 20th and are accepting pre-orders now."
Yang Yang quickly followed up, "And what about the price? I’d like to see if I can get a discount for my followers."
"The Jasmine Strawberry is 88 yuan per kilogram, while the Vanilla Strawberry and Cheese Strawberry are 99 yuan per kilogram," Jiang Miao said with a smile. "But for Mr. Yang’s followers, I can authorize a 50-yuan coupon for everyone. And this coupon can be stacked with any other promotions in our store."
"General Manager Jiang, you’re too generous! A man with a grand vision, destined for big things!"
The two started trading business compliments.
Still, Yang Yang wasn’t wrong—the quality of Hailufeng Company’s strawberries was truly top-notch.
After that, they moved on to the greenhouse containing the third variety.
The Cheese Strawberry amazed Yang Yang just as much. This variety was incredibly easy to identify, as its fruit was white.
After they finished filming the promotional video, Jiang Miao treated Yang Yang to a meal in the company cafeteria. Before he left, Jiang Miao also sent him off with several cases of canned eel.
Back at the company, both the e-commerce department and Nanhu Farm started working at full capacity, preparing for the official strawberry launch.
