Chapter 2: Starry Sky Falls into Tomato Vine

For the next three days, Chen Wang completely immersed himself in the backyard.

He scoured online gardening forums, searching for "colored seeds" and "fast-growing seedlings." All that came up were scam ads for "Colorful Calabash Brothers Seeds" or excerpts from science fiction novels. But every day when Grandma Zhang brought him breakfast, she'd glance at them and smack her lips, saying, "These seedlings are growing with vigor and vitality. They're even more vigorous than the fruit trees at Old Lin's west village. Little Man would be amazed to see them."

"Little Xiaoman?" Chen Wang asked casually.

"Grandpa Lin's granddaughter works at the town's agricultural technology station and knows a lot." Grandma Zhang wiped the bamboo basket. "Her grandparents both grew fruit trees. The old orchard in Qingxi Village belonged to her family. Unfortunately, they passed away two years ago, and she only comes back occasionally to look after it."

Chen Wang silently memorized the name and simply moved a bamboo chair into the yard, flipping through his parents' old agricultural notebooks while observing the seedlings. He gradually discovered their peculiarities: when the midday sun was too strong, their leaves would curl up slightly, like a frown; when he watered their roots with diluted rice water, the leaves immediately unfurled, their silver hairs gleaming brighter; and when the wind blew at night, all ten seedlings would lean toward the old locust tree, as if listening to the wind's voice.

On the morning of the fifth day, tiny buds formed on the thickest of the starburst seedlings. Layers of lavender petals formed, resembling miniature morning glories, and delicate dewdrops clung to the calyxes. By evening, all the buds had opened, their delicate fragrance wafting through the backyard, attracting bees to buzz among the flowers and even butterflies, which normally seldom visit, alighting on the petals.

"This speed is too fast..." Chen Wang picked up a piece of wild tomato leaf from the corner of the wall for comparison. The leaves of his own seedlings were twice as thick, and there seemed to be tiny lights hidden in the veins. When looking at it against the sunlight, he could see star-shaped patterns flowing gently.

The accident happened on the seventh day.

That day, he went to town to buy organic fertilizer and stopped by the agricultural technology station to inquire about seeds, but the man on duty said Lin Xiaoman had gone to the countryside. Just after noon, when he returned, he saw Wangfu circling the gate from a distance, whimpering in his throat and scratching at the door with his claws. Chen Wang's heart tightened, and he almost ran into the backyard—

The seedlings had grown into vines half a man's height, swarming along his makeshift bamboo frame. A dozen tiny, emerald-green tomatoes hung from the vines. But those tomatoes weren't round at all; they were angular, star-shaped, with faint dark blue veins etched across their skin, as if the night sky had been kneaded into the flesh. The tomato at the bottom had already turned slightly red, and when the sun shone through, tiny glints of light filtered through the veins, resembling tiny stars, gently swaying among the leaves.

Chen Wang held his breath and reached out to touch the red tomato. Just as his fingertips touched the cold skin, he heard a crisp laugh behind him: "Hey, don't touch it! This variety is very delicate. It won't bear fruit if it's bruised."

He turned sharply and met a pair of sparkling eyes. The girl wore a light blue work vest and a high ponytail. Her hair was blown across her forehead by the wind, the ends stained with grass. She carried a canvas bag with the words "Qingxi Village Agricultural Technical Service" printed on it, the edges worn white. At her feet sat a bamboo basket filled with a small shovel and pruning shears, a pear tree leaf dangling from the edge.

"You are..." Chen Wang stood up, secretly wiped his muddy fingers with his hands behind his back, and suddenly remembered the name Grandma Zhang said, "Lin Xiaoman?"

A hint of surprise flashed in the girl's eyes, and then she smiled, revealing two shallow dimples. "You know me? I came to see the old orchard in the village. Grandma Zhang said you had some rare things growing in your backyard, so I stopped by to take a look." She circled the tomato vines, lightly tapping the star-shaped tomatoes with her fingertips, her movements so gentle that it seemed as if she was afraid of shattering the light. "Chen Wang, right? Grandma Zhang told me about you last year. She said you were doing great things in the city. Why are you back farming?"

Chen Wang's face flushed. His half-baked "returning home to start a business" seemed like playing house in front of professionals. He scratched his head and mumbled a few words about Grandpa Lin sending him seeds, then added, "I don't know what this is either. It looks so weird."

Lin Xiaoman didn't press the issue. Instead, she pulled a small leather-covered notebook from her canvas bag and traced the paper with her pen. Her handwriting was neat and clear. "The leaves are thick, the hairs are reflective, and the fruit-bearing rate is high. It seems to be some kind of mutant, but a star-shaped mutation is too rare." She paused, looked up at Chen Wang, and a smile curved her lips. "The bamboo frame is too fragile to support all these fruits. I'll help you build a more stable one. If the fruits are ripe, you can give me half to enjoy."

Chen Wang looked at the light in her eyes and suddenly forgot to refuse. He only felt that the wind in the backyard became sweet.