Zhong Ling'er followed Li Xi and Meng Zhelan on their journey to the bustling capital city.
When she first arrived, she felt a little lost in this unfamiliar city, but as time went by, she gradually adapted to the completely different pace of life here.
Coincidentally, Zhong Ling'er has had an extraordinary sensitivity and unique talent for food since childhood.
Whether it's a street food stall or a gourmet meal in a high-end restaurant, she can tell the difference in quality of ingredients, seasonings, and cooking methods just by tasting them.
Now her catering business has also gained a foothold in Beijing.
But she still researches new recipes, striving to perfect every dish.
That day, I heard that a few foreigners had come to the West Market and opened a unique shop there, selling some novelties.
Curious, Zhong Ling'er decided to go to the West Market to find out.
When she arrived at the West Market, she saw a bustling crowd. Following the flow of people, she came to a specialty shop. Inside, the shop was filled with all sorts of novel and interesting items.
There were colorful fabrics, uniquely shaped ornaments, and ingredients and seasonings she had never seen before.
Zhong Ling'er's eyes lit up, and she immediately went into the store.
She was greeted by a young man with blue eyes and a high nose. When he saw Zhong Ling'er come in, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He said in accented but fairly fluent Chinese, "Beautiful lady, welcome to our shop."
Zhong Ling'er nodded slightly, but her gaze was drawn to a purple spice on a shelf to the side.
Seeing this, the man smiled and took out the spices and handed them to her, saying, "This is a unique purple star fragrance from our hometown. Adding it to food will give it a special aroma."
She brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply; a strange and captivating fragrance filled her lungs. She just didn't know how to use it yet; she'd have to ask Lan'er when she got back.
Then her attention was drawn to the rows of potted plants hanging with bright red fruit in front of the window.
The fruit was round and plump, with an extremely tempting color.
She couldn't resist reaching out and gently touching it, feeling the smooth and delicate skin of the fruit.
Upon seeing this, the young man quickly came over and introduced it: "This is the Crimson Flame Fruit. It tastes sweet and sour and also has certain nourishing effects on the body."
Ling'er's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't this the same tomato that Xi'er had drawn in her sketchbook?
"Shopkeeper, where did all of this come from? Are there any seeds?" she asked the man eagerly.
The young man smiled and said, "We found this on another continent. We do have the seeds, but cultivating them is quite troublesome, I'm afraid..."
Ling'er couldn't wait to show Xi'er and the others the tomatoes, and said anxiously, "It's alright, how many do you have? I've already bought all these potted plants and seeds."
Back home, she excitedly showed the Crimson Flame Fruit to Li Xi and Meng Zhelan.
Li Xi and Meng Zhelan were both surprised: "This really is a tomato. I didn't expect to see the real thing here."
Meng Zhelan couldn't wait to pick one up and take a bite. The juice instantly burst in her mouth, and the sweet and sour taste left her wanting more. "It's truly unforgettable!"
The three of them gathered together to study the recipes, and then took them to the Qiyang Chamber of Commerce to see Chairman Wang.
As postmodern individuals, Li Xi and Meng Zhelan are very familiar with tomatoes and can easily find recipes to cook with.
However, the problem they faced was that the limited quantity of tomatoes they had was far from meeting the needs of large-scale promotion.
Before long, Wang Lianyi found several experienced farmers.
These farmers have spent their entire lives working the land, and they have extremely profound experience and unique insights into crop planting, maintenance, and yield improvement.
In the following months, Ling'er spent her time either in the restaurant or in the greenhouse, eagerly anticipating the day when the tomatoes would be available on the market.
That day, she was coming out of the greenhouse, anxiously preparing to rush back to the restaurant to handle some business.
Anxious, she hurried along and accidentally bumped into a figure walking towards her.
A cry of "Ouch!" rang out, and the person who was hit staggered a few steps before falling to the ground unconscious.
Ling'er was startled and quickly stopped, hurriedly helping the person who had fallen to the ground to their feet. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the person's face was unfamiliar and did not seem to be a familiar face from the restaurant or the shed.
"What should I do..." Ling'er thought anxiously.
She quickly and gently patted the man's cheek, trying to wake him up: "Hey, wake up, are you alright?"
However, the man remained unresponsive and unconscious. Ling'er grew even more panicked and quickly called the coachman to lift him into the carriage.
When Tang Luoheng woke up, he found himself lying in a clinic.
"Young master, you're finally awake." Ling'er breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him wake up.
She led the driver to the nearest clinic. Fortunately, the man had only fainted from hunger and had not injured himself.
Just as Tang Luoheng was about to struggle to sit up in bed, Ling'er quickly stopped him, saying, "Young Master, don't rush to get out of bed. Have some porridge first. The doctor said you're just a little weak and need to rest and recuperate."
As she spoke, Ling'er picked up the porridge that was placed to the side and handed it to him.
He blushed as he recalled what had happened before he fainted. He hadn't expected to be so rude to the young lady, and he quickly apologized, "Miss, it was my fault for being so presumptuous."
He was originally traveling to the capital with his servants, but unexpectedly encountered bandits on the way.
In the chaos, he became separated from his servants, penniless, hungry, and thirsty, which is why he accidentally fainted by the roadside.
Seeing that the man had nothing and was dressed in rags, Ling'er guessed that he might have encountered some difficulties. "Young master must have some unspeakable troubles. If you don't mind, please come back with me. The restaurant is short of an accountant."
Upon hearing this, Tang Luoheng's eyes flashed with surprise, which quickly turned into gratitude.
Now that he was penniless and had nowhere to go, these words were undoubtedly a timely help.
"Thank you for your kindness, young lady, but I'm afraid my current appearance will cause you trouble." Although he was extremely grateful, he didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for others.
Ling'er shook her head and said, "Young master, you're too kind. The restaurant is short-staffed. If you're willing, you can stay and help me. You can leave later when you find your family or a better place to go."
Upon hearing this, Tang Luoheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
His gaze toward Ling'er held a newfound firmness and gratitude: "Then I shall respectfully accept your offer. I will certainly work hard in the future to repay your kindness, young lady."
"Alright, let's go back now. There are still some things waiting for me to take care of at the restaurant."
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