Chapter 725 - 726: Taste Test

She eyed each stalk, which was as thick as a man’s wrist, and counted the sections below, with at least ten in each stalk and with considerable distance between each section.

Based on the small-scale cultivation in the house in recent years, such sugar canes contain a lot of moisture. However, the sweetness is slightly lower than those with shorter section distances.

However, as long as it’s not the top section of the sugar cane stalk, the sweetness shouldn’t differ significantly.

"Xiu’er, go and chop one down, let’s try it first."

"Ai, alright!" Xiu’er had been in Yang Chuxia’s house for years, and was quite familiar with sugar canes. She got to eat a section every year and liked the taste a lot. Upon hearing Yang Chuxia’s order, she happily went to chop one down.

For Mingcui, this was her first time seeing this thing. No, to be precise, it was her first time seeing how it grew. She had seen it in her previous master’s house in the Capital City, but she hadn’t tasted it.

Xiu’er moved deftly and picked a sturdy one to chop down from its base.

"Madam, should I peel off the skin?"

"No need, eating sugar cane tastes better with the skin unpeeled. If you peel it, you might as well just squeeze the juice out." Although there was no juicer available, they could use a cloth to wrap the chopped sugar cane and squeeze the juice out with other objects. At first, she ate sugar cane this way, but later she found it more flavorful to chew with the skin still on.

Hearing her words, Xiu’er cut off the top of the sugar cane and broke it into two small sections.

"Madam, you eat this one, the middle part is easier to chew." As she said this, Xiu’er handed a section to her.

She took it, split the skin, and tasted it. The juice was sweet and plenty.

"Not bad, it’s already edible, and it’s not much worse than a fully ripe one." Then she added, "Mingcui, take some sections to the young men who’ve been watching here since the sugar cane started to grow. They still don’t know what their prized possession tastes like."

"Yes, Madam." Mingcui picked up a few sections and brought them to the two young men who were guarding the sugar cane. They naturally expressed their gratitude.

Yang Chuxia saw that Mingcui, although young, was quite smart and had a cheerful smile. She beckoned her, "Come, there’s more for you to eat."

Mingcui was observant and saw Xiu’er eating on the side, so she didn’t bother acting polite.

"Thank you, Madam!" Her expression of joy was overflowing.

She was naturally delighted. Back when she was a servant in the Capital City, they could only look at these fine things but never eat them. Even in her master’s house, not everyone could taste them, and there were favorites and non-favorites.

But now, having arrived in the countryside from the Capital City, she could even taste such fine things. How could she not be happy?

"Madam, since we can eat this now, should we have it harvested and brought back?" Xiu’er asked.

"Not yet, let’s wait a bit longer. We’ll harvest them after the Double Ninth Festival in September. The longer they grow, the more it accumulates, perhaps the sweeter it will be." Yang Chuxia loved sugar cane, but she couldn’t eat too much of it.

She had another issue; every time she ate sugar cane, her tongue would get cut and bleed. So, she didn’t dare to eat too much, even though she loved it. This time, she stopped eating after a single section.

"Xiu’er, chop down a few more stalks later. Send some to my mother’s place, as well as to my grandmother’s and the old house. Include my cousin’s place too; let everyone have a taste of the fresh sugar cane."