Although the navel oranges on the mountain this year were not large due to insufficient moisture in the latter half of the year, one picked and tasted was sweeter than ever before.
With ample sunlight, the sugar accumulation was higher.
He mobilized the base personnel to go up the mountain to pick these navel oranges and other fruits, some of which could be made into dried fruit or candied fruit.
Similar to navel oranges, which naturally have a longer shelf life, they can be stored for up to two months in a well-ventilated, dry place.
However, Li Yu felt that this was not long enough, so he had some made into canned fruit and sealed, which could extend their storage life to over a year.
Navel oranges are a specialty of their region.
On the mountain, all the children came, running wild all over the place.
They picked the fruits, placed them in baskets, and transported them to the residential area for his mother and others to process.
The peel of navel oranges actually has many uses.
Navel orange peel can be used to extract essential oil, which can be used to wash hair, making it smooth and soft, or to wash the face, having a skin-whitening effect. After drying, navel orange peel can also be used as a traditional Chinese medicine, promoting digestion, and can also be used in cooking to remove fishy odors or as decoration.
The essential oil in navel orange peel emits a faint orange scent, which has the effect of freshening the air and invigorating the mind.
Its effect is particularly noticeable in enclosed spaces. In winter, windows are opened less frequently indoors, so placing some orange peels can also improve air quality. For those prone to motion sickness, carrying a few orange peels when traveling long distances by car can also prevent motion sickness.
Additionally, navel orange peel can remove stains.
Wiping oily ceramic dishes with orange peel dipped in salt is particularly effective at removing stains. Lighting dried orange peels in an iron box can quickly eliminate odors from the toilet and also repel mosquitoes and flies.
Orange peel is also a natural air freshener, its effectiveness comparable to professional air fresheners, and when placed in cabinets, it can also remove odors and repel insects.
Placing orange peel in the microwave and heating it on low for 1 to 2 minutes will eliminate microwave odors. Placing orange peel in the refrigerator can help freshen its scent.
The aroma of navel oranges is quite unique, and Li Yu has always enjoyed smelling this scent.
“Big Brother, I found a triplet navel orange!” Li Suxin, with pigtails on her head, excitedly called out to Li Yu.
“Good omen! That’s great!” Li Yu smiled as he looked at Li Suxin.
Li Suxin held up the three connected navel oranges, her small face flushed, and the three oranges in her hand, with their orange color and some vibrant green leaves, looked truly delightful.
The harvest season is always a joyous one.
Amidst the laughter and cheer, everyone picked and processed the fruits.
Some of the vegetables planted just last month matured relatively quickly, so they were harvested. Taking advantage of the two sunny days, they were dried to make pickles and preserved vegetables.
Early October, National Day.
That night, Li Yu stood on the observation tower at the top of the mountain, the highest point in the base, from which he could see very far.
Li Yu lit a cigarette, feeling the evening breeze, and his sealed memories flashed before his eyes like fragments.
He remembered that in the year he graduated from university, during the National Day holiday, he had just entered the workforce and was particularly busy.
Everyone else was on vacation, traveling, or spending time with their families.
But he could only bitterly rush to client companies, revising proposals and reports countless times.
He worked very hard, but what impressed him most about that job was that on the second day of National Day that year, a colleague who was on a business trip with him, that morning, did not eat breakfast and collapsed suddenly on the ground while going to a convenience store to buy breakfast, hitting his face and bleeding profusely. He was later sent to the hospital and diagnosed with sudden death.
It was truly terrifying.
It happened right beside him, to someone one year older than him, directly before his eyes, bringing him immense shock.
Thereafter, he went to bed earlier and ate breakfast every day.
However, he still felt bitter inside, the bitterness of being in the workplace. His direct superior always stole credit; everything Li Yu did always became the leader's achievement.
He always took the blame for project failures. What was even more ridiculous was that under such denigration and suppression, when Li Yu worked overtime after work to learn and grow, if his leader found out, she would feel that Li Yu's workload was not enough and directly assign him a pile of tasks outside of work.
Personal tasks.
In the workplace, you work for yourself; what you learn and how you grow are the most important things.
Overtime, if it's meaningful, then it's fine, just do it.
If it's for the sake of, for example, running errands for a superior to buy some trivial thing and then delivering it a long distance, then it's completely unnecessary.
In the workplace, serving tea, pouring water, holding bags, and opening doors are normal. Everyone goes through it.
But the endless suppression, endless oppression, and wage deductions. They would find various ways to deduct from an already meager salary.
If it were just that, it would be fine, but they also pressured him in other areas.
Most people would probably have bowed their heads and resigned long ago.
But Li Yu was unwilling. The company was not the problem; the problem was this woman.
If he didn't vent this anger, he wouldn't feel right.
He was so hardworking, so perceptive, so...
Li Yu's belligerence might have been innate.
The usually gentle Li Yu one day found that female leader.
A woman who flattered her superiors and bullied her subordinates, good-looking but with a vicious heart.
A woman who could say to the cleaning auntie, “You are just wasting food, not worthy of respect.”
And to the big boss, “Dad, I brought you coffee, it’s a bit hot, be careful~”
One day after work, Li Yu called the female leader out.
“Don't push me anymore, don't insult me anymore. I know where your home is. The barefoot aren't afraid of those with shoes. If you push me to a certain point, I don't know what I will do.”
In the courtyard downstairs of the company building, Li Yu said calmly.
He might not be very smart, and he might not think of any schemes or tricks to retaliate, but he could accept the destruction of the world, so what would he not dare to do?
The female superior trembled slightly, forcing a smile and saying, “Xiao Yu, I didn't realize, you're making me so disheartened. I always wanted to cultivate you, and you treat me like this. Ah, I really am...”
She clutched her chest, putting on a hurt expression.
Li Yu's eyes were sharp, like an eagle's, staring directly at the female leader.
He said nothing.
“Heh hahaha, why are you looking at me with that gaze? You're too scary. Hahaha.” The female leader feigned composure, trying to alleviate the tension.
“Don't push me. I have nothing to lose. The barefoot aren't afraid of those with shoes. You think about it yourself.” Li Yu's voice was very soft as he said this.
The female leader was scared.
Then, wanting to ignore Li Yu, she immediately got up and walked out of the company.
“JS Province, XZ City xxxx.” Li Yu stated an address.
The female leader looked at Li Yu with some shock. She hadn't expected Li Yu to actually know where her hometown was.
Suddenly, she felt that Li Yu was serious!
Crazy!
Lunatic!
“Is it really necessary?”
“It is.”
