The autumn wind, carrying a frosty chill, swept across the mud-brick walls of the Hongqi Production Brigade, but it couldn't dispel the warmth in Lin Wanqiu's courtyard. Lin Wanqiu, who had just picked tomatoes from her spatial storage, still had the unique sweet scent of fruits and vegetables on her fingertips. Turning around, she saw Shen Tingzhou pushing a wheelbarrow into the yard. The empty bamboo basket in the basket still bore a few bright red marks from the tomatoes—these were the leftovers from delivering them to the commune canteen and the town restaurant that day. The dew clinging to the rim of the basket hadn't completely dried, and reflected the morning light like scattered diamonds.

"Have you settled all the money for today?" Lin Wanqiu went up to him, helping him steady the handlebars, her gaze falling on the bulging cloth bag at his waist. Shen Tingzhou nodded, taking out a stack of small bills and coins tied with a rubber band from the bag, his fingertips lightly twirling them, making a crisp sound: "The canteen paid 7.5 yuan for fifty jin, the three restaurants paid 6.2 yuan for thirty jin, and Zhang's Restaurant ordered an extra twenty jin for tomorrow, so they paid a 2 yuan deposit." He handed over the money, a smile hidden in his eyes, "Including the surplus from selling fermented bean curd, the money for the timber to build the new house is almost enough."

Lin Wanqiu took the money, her fingertips touching the warm bills, and her heart warmed. She spread the money on the octagonal table in the main room, smoothing it out one by one—a thick stack of one-cent bills, a small hill of five-cent and two-cent coins, and a few creased one-yuan bills—her most substantial harvest during this period. Shen Nian'an came closer, pointing at the coins with her little finger and counting curiously: "One, two, three... Mom, are we rich now?"

Lin Wanqiu smiled and pulled him onto her lap, pinching his soft cheeks: "It's money earned by our whole family working together. From now on, Nian'an can eat tomatoes every day and live in a new tiled house." Shen Nian'an's eyes shone like stars in the night sky. He hugged her neck and replied crisply, "I'll also help Mom water the plants and help Dad push the cart, so that bad people won't bully us!"

Just then, Aunt Li's cheerful voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Wanqiu, are you home? I brought you some freshly steamed sweet potatoes!" Lin Wanqiu quickly got up to greet her. She saw Aunt Li carrying a cloth bag filled with several steaming sweet potatoes, their skins charred and fragrant, still emitting white steam. "Thanks to your tomatoes these past few days, my Tiger has finally started eating more. Yesterday he even said he wanted to help Nian'an look after the greenhouse." As Aunt Li spoke, she glanced into the yard and, seeing the greenhouse frame erected in the corner, couldn't help but admire it. "You've built this frame so neatly, and the plastic sheeting is new too. You can tell it will grow good stuff."

Lin Wanqiu ushered Aunt Li into the house and took out two freshly picked tomatoes from her spatial storage, handing them to her: "Try these, they're sweeter than the ones outside." Aunt Li took them; the tomatoes were bright red, their skin so smooth it reflected her image. One bite, and the sweet and sour juice burst in her mouth, carrying a refreshing fruity aroma. "Oh my, these are so delicious! Even better than the ones I ate in the south when I was young!" Aunt Li's eyes lit up. "Yesterday I went to town to sell radishes, and the people at the supply and marketing cooperative told me that the commune cadres ate your tomatoes and praised your skills; they might even come looking for you."

Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat—she had been thinking that once the tomato sales were stable, she would bring up the matter of promoting planting with the commune, but she didn't expect the news to spread so quickly. Just then, Shen Tingzhou returned from outside, holding a note in his hand: "I just came back from the brigade headquarters. The commune's messenger brought this. He said that Secretary Zhou will be coming to inspect tomorrow, and he asked if we could prepare some tomatoes for the cadres to try."

Lin Wanqiu was completely relieved and quickly discussed with Shen Tingzhou: "Tomorrow we need to prepare properly, arrange the tomatoes in the greenhouse neatly, and talk to Secretary Zhou about the idea of ​​promoting it. If we can get the villagers to grow off-season vegetables, we can help our neighbors and also make our own business more discreet, killing two birds with one stone." Shen Tingzhou nodded, took out paper and pen from the house, and started planning with her—which parts of the greenhouse needed to be reinforced, how to introduce the planting techniques to the cadres, and even what size tomatoes to choose for the cadres, all were written down on paper.

The next morning, before dawn, Lin Wanqiu went into her spatial dimension to pick tomatoes. The second batch of tomatoes had already ripened, their bright red fruit hanging heavily on the branches, filling the air with a sweet aroma. She carefully selected some that were uniform in size and brightly colored, placing them in a bamboo basket lined with oil paper, layering tomatoes with oil paper, afraid of damaging them. Shen Nian'an also got up early to help carry the basket to the yard, even putting up a small sign next to it with the three crookedly written words "Tomatoes," which made Lin Wanqiu laugh.

Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the commune's jeep pulled up at the gate. Secretary Zhou, dressed in a grey Zhongshan suit, entered with Station Chief Wang from the agricultural station and two cadres, beaming. "Comrade Wanqiu, I've heard so much about you!" Secretary Zhou shook Lin Wanqiu's hand as soon as he entered, his gaze falling on the greenhouse in the yard. "I've heard you've successfully grown off-season tomatoes, and I came specifically to see for myself. Indeed, your reputation is well-deserved!"

Lin Wanqiu quickly invited them into the greenhouse. Inside, the plastic sheeting shone brightly in the sunlight. Several rows of wooden racks held freshly picked tomatoes, along with a few specially preserved tomato seedlings, their foliage lush and laden with green fruit. "Secretary Zhou, look," Lin Wanqiu explained, handing them a tomato. "These are off-season tomatoes we cultivated in the greenhouse using seeds from the south. They only take seven days from planting to maturity, and their taste and nutritional value are much better than regular tomatoes." She added, "Please try one; it was just picked this morning."

Secretary Zhou took the tomato, took a bite, and his eyes lit up immediately: "Great! Great taste! Perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, and very juicy. It's much better than the cabbages and radishes stored in the cellar during winter!" Wang, the head of the agricultural station, also came over to try one, taking notes in his notebook: "Judging from its appearance, the fruit is plump and evenly colored; judging from its taste, it has a high soluble sugar content and low fiber content, making it a truly high-quality variety. If it could be promoted in the commune, it would not only improve the meals of cadres and the masses but also increase everyone's income."

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