After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, Shen Tingzhou went to the blacksmith's shop. The iron bars he had ordered earlier were ready, and he also ordered a few iron frames—Lin Wanqiu wanted to build a simple greenhouse in the yard, cover it with plastic sheeting, and pretend that the tomatoes were grown inside. That way, if anyone asked, they would have an explanation. Master Zhang at the blacksmith's shop smiled and said, "You're going to get into farming? Your family is doing really well in the village now. You'll have to teach us a thing or two." Shen Tingzhou smiled and agreed, but in his heart, he was thinking that once the tomatoes sold, he would discuss with Wanqiu teaching the villagers how to grow off-season vegetables. This would not only benefit the neighbors but also make his business more discreet.

It was already afternoon when they returned to the village. Lin Wanqiu was setting up the greenhouse frame in the yard, and Aunt Li and several neighbors had come to help, some handing over nails, others holding up the frame—it was quite a lively scene. Seeing Shen Tingzhou return, Aunt Li immediately went to greet him: "Tingzhou, what did Uncle Zhou say?" Shen Tingzhou shared the good news, and everyone was overjoyed: "That's wonderful! From now on, our village can grow off-season vegetables too, and we won't have to eat only radishes and cabbage in winter anymore!"

Lin Wanqiu took out some fruit candies from her spatial storage and distributed them to the neighbor's children who were helping out. She then invited Aunt Li to stay for dinner. At the dinner table, she chatted with Aunt Li about the details of growing off-season vegetables. Aunt Li said, "You have to be careful to keep them warm in the greenhouse. You need to cover them with straw mats at night and ventilate them during the day, otherwise the vegetables will easily get sick. Also, there are some tricks to watering them; you can't water them too much or too little." Lin Wanqiu took careful notes and even took out a modern vegetable growing manual from her spatial storage, pretending that she had gotten it from a relative, and asked Aunt Li to help her with the reference.

For the next few days, Lin Wanqiu spent almost every day in her space tending to the tomatoes. Shen Nian'an was also very sensible; every day after school, he would go into the space to help his mother water the tomatoes and weed, and he would talk to the seedlings: "Little seedling, little seedling, grow up quickly, and when you grow up I'll sing you a song." Seeing her son's earnest look, Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart—this child had suffered so much in the past, and now he could finally live a peaceful life; she was determined to protect this happiness.

On the morning of the third day, the tomatoes in the space indeed blossomed. Pale yellow flowers dotted the green leaves like tiny stars, and a faint fragrance wafted in the breeze. Lin Wanqiu quickly pollinated the flowers and sprinkled some fruit-setting agent—according to the instructions in the space, this would increase the fruit set rate, resulting in larger and sweeter tomatoes. Seeing the blossoming tomatoes, Shen Tingzhou couldn't help but exclaim, "It's truly amazing! Outside, it would take at least half a month for them to blossom!"

On the fifth day, the tomatoes began to bear fruit. The small green fruits hung on the branches like strings of green agate; although not yet ripe, their plump shape was already evident. Lin Wanqiu would pick a few green fruits every day and use the testing equipment in her space to measure their sugar and nutritional content—the results showed that these tomatoes had 20% more sugar than ordinary tomatoes, and also a much higher vitamin C content, ensuring a better taste.

On the morning of the seventh day, as the first rays of sunlight streamed into the space, Lin Wanqiu was delighted to find that the tomatoes were ripe! The bright red fruits hung from the branches like little lanterns, standing out vividly against the green leaves. She carefully picked one, washed it with clean water, and took a bite—sweet and juicy, with a delicate texture, even better than tomatoes sold in modern supermarkets. Shen Nian'an also eagerly took a bite, her little face full of satisfaction: "Mom, it's so sweet! Sweeter than candy!"

Looking at the profusion of tomatoes on the branches, Shen Tingzhou was overjoyed. He counted them; there were over eighty jin (40 kg) in total. Selling them to the commune canteen at 15 cents a jin would fetch twelve yuan. If he sold some to restaurants as well, he could earn at least fifteen yuan—a considerable sum at the time, enough to cover the construction costs. He immediately pushed his wheelbarrow, loaded it with twenty jin of tomatoes, and headed to the town's supply and marketing cooperative—he needed to let Uncle Zhou and the commune canteen staff taste the tomatoes and confirm the orders.

When they arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, Uncle Zhou's eyes widened at the sight of the bright red tomatoes: "They're ripe so quickly? And so fresh!" He immediately picked one up, took a bite, and exclaimed, "They're so delicious! Sweeter than the ones I had in Guangzhou! I'll take you to the commune canteen right now; Director Wang will definitely be satisfied!"

The two pushed their cart to the commune canteen. Director Wang was inspecting the food when he saw the tomatoes and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "It's late autumn already, where did you get these fresh tomatoes?" Uncle Zhou handed him a tomato, and Director Wang took a bite and immediately approved, "Great! From now on, our canteen will supply all the tomatoes from your family! Just name your price per pound!" Shen Tingzhou quickly replied, "Fifteen cents a pound, and if it's a large quantity, we can give you a discount." Director Wang immediately nodded, "No problem! Send fifty pounds over tomorrow, and then twice a week, fifty pounds each time, how about that?"

Shen Tingzhou readily agreed, finally feeling relieved. After leaving the commune, Uncle Zhou took him to several restaurants in town. After tasting the tomatoes, the restaurant owners placed orders, some ordering ten jin, some fifteen jin, and more than thirty jin were sold out in one go.

It was already dark when they returned to the village. Lin Wanqiu saw Shen Tingzhou come back and rushed to greet him: "How did it go? Did you close the deal?" Shen Tingzhou shared the good news, and Lin Wanqiu jumped up with joy, hugging and kissing him: "That's wonderful! We won't have to worry about money anymore!" Shen Nian'an also ran over, hugging his parents' legs, and said with a smile, "I want to help Mom and Dad sell tomatoes too! I want to be their little helper!"

The family's laughter echoed in the courtyard, and moonlight shone on the newly built greenhouse, the plastic sheeting reflecting a soft glow. Lin Wanqiu looked at her husband and son beside her, and thought of the tomato plants laden with fruit in the greenhouse, her heart filled with hope—she knew this was just the beginning, and that things would get better and better from now on. She was certain that her family would live a splendid life in the 1960s.

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