The soft pear is nearly round in shape,looks yellow-green and has a thick pericarp and hard pulp.In winter,the soft pear would be frozen to become an icy ball,and later melts at the weak part,a cycle that would repeat several times before the matters contained in soft pears finally transform,by which time the pear would taste much sweeter and turn into brown from the earlier yellow-green color.
Regarding to this palatable fruit,there is a story.It is said that during the South Song Dynasty,when an eminent monk who was on his tour for begging for alms stopped by a farmer’s house in an attempt to ask for some water to drink.Ihe farmer gave some brown and soft pears to the monk.Having not seen such pears before,the monk asked the farmer what kind of pears these were.The farmer replied that a bite would answer his question.While the eminent .monk tried some bites,he gave his acclaim for the pears:”Although the pears look brown and ugly,it tastes so sweet and refreshing.It is indeed delicious.”
In spite of a poor look yet good taste,the soft pears really enjoy an advantage of practical value that the pears are highly nutritious,capable of clearing away heat and toxic materials and promoting the secretion of saliva or body fluid while removing the phlegm.In the memory of most Lanzhou locals,the soft pears to them was cough syrup to the patients.Today while we are now subject to the harms by haze, it is worth our consideration whether to value the soft pears as the natural cure for bodies against the negative consequences from haze.
