Chapter 73: Tomatoes are Red and Round
With Jigong Mountain in need of clearing and planning, Shen Zhiyi tried her best to finish what she needed to do first. The piles of lime and wood ash were stacked at the foot of the mountain like two small hills, and anyone who was free in the village would come to help.
“Zhiyi, it hasn’t grown here yet,” Zhao Daya said loudly.
“Zhiyi, we don’t have any here either,” Tang Huaya said.
"It seems the acidity isn't high enough, otherwise the plants wouldn't have failed to sprout," Shen Zhiyi muttered. After several rounds of elimination, she finally determined the ratio of lime and wood ash needed to restore the "acidic soil" on the mountain.
She took the wooden shovel, measured it, and said to Zheng San beside her, "Mix this amount of lime with two shovels of wood ash into the soil."
“Yes, I’ve got it,” Zheng San said solemnly.
"Then, Third Brother, Daya and I will go to Shunshui Village first and come back at 5 PM." Shen Zhiyi said, then looked up and didn't see the village chief and the others. "You can tell Grandpa Village Chief and the others when you arrive."
"I know, go and come back soon," Zheng San said worriedly.
"Mm," Shen Zhiyi replied, leading Zhao Daya toward where the oxcart was parked.
Thinking back to when she first brought the custom-made water pipes into the village, she was driving this oxcart. No one asked how she got the oxcart back the first day, but the next day people found out that it was the oxcart she bought. Then the village chief almost chased her down halfway through the village, saying that she was extravagant with money.
In the end, nothing came of it. After all, it was an oxcart, and even if it seemed wasteful, it had to be taken good care of.
Shen Zhiyi gradually became adept at this kind of expedited action, to the point that she now only had half a tael of silver left to use. But when she counted it all up, she had an oxcart, a new home, and the entire mountain.
If you follow this road down, you'll reach Shunshui Village. This route is half the distance of starting from Xiaba Village.
Several packets of dried lotus leaves were placed in the carriage. These were the provisions prepared by the aunties in Shunshui Village when Shen Zhiyi mentioned yesterday that she would find time to go to Shunshui Village today. Of course, there were also sauerkraut pancakes prepared by Zhao Daya's father.
The oxcart slowly left Jigong Mountain. Zhao Daya sat in the carriage, took a bite of her favorite pickled cabbage pancake, and said slowly, "Next spring, I will get married."
Shen Zhiyi, who was rushing to catch the carriage, was taken aback. Thinking of how happy she had been when she saw Uncle Sanxing recently, she couldn't help but ask, "So soon?"
“No rush. Xuan-ge and I have known each other for four or five months now. By the time we get married, we’ll have known each other for almost a year…” Zhao Daya said seriously. “After all, it’s Xuan-ge marrying into the family. If we don’t agree quickly, my father will get anxious.”
"Marry into the family?" Shen Zhiyi asked in surprise.
“Brother Xuan and Lord Lu didn’t sell themselves into slavery. I stayed by his side to repay his life-saving grace. Next year will fulfill the promise I made back then, and I will be free.” Zhao Daya couldn’t wait to share. “My father originally disagreed with my relationship with Brother Xuan, but when he heard Brother Xuan take the initiative to ‘marry into’ his wife’, he immediately agreed. After all, this means I’ll have another son, and I don’t have to go to any husband’s family.”
"That's great!" Shen Zhiyi said sincerely. "No wonder he's been so happy to see Uncle Sanxing lately."
Zhao Daya didn't mince words about it, saying, "My dad told me to be careful and keep the news a secret, but in less than half a day, Uncle Laohan, Uncle Sanquan, and Uncle Gouzi all knew that I was getting married next year. There's just no way to deal with him."
Shen Zhiyi's mind flashed back to the honest smiles of those uncles, and she replied, "Don't worry, they won't say anything."
“That’s true. My father’s eye for people is just as good as mine, very accurate!” Zhao Daya couldn’t resist boasting, then nudged Shen Zhiyi with her shoulder and asked in a low voice, “Where are you and Lord Lu?”
Having been asked this question countless times, Shen Zhiyi was able to handle it calmly, saying, "There's nothing between me and Lord Lu."
“Those books, those robes that haven’t been returned yet…” Zhao Daya whispered.
"With so many things happening lately, I really did forget," Shen Zhiyi replied absentmindedly.
"Tch, I don't believe it." Zhao Daya retorted immediately, then, as if remembering something, she became earnest, "If you really like him, you have to take the initiative."
"By the way, when will Xuan Yan come to see you next? I'll return all those books and robes then. I'll remember this time," Shen Zhiyi said earnestly.
Zhao Daya glanced at Shen Zhiyi a few more times, then hesitated and asked, "Are you serious?"
"Otherwise, it's still fake, isn't it?" Shen Zhiyi retorted. The seed hidden in her heart showed no strong signs of blossoming, so it was better to bury it now and avoid worrying about it.
Not all feelings of affection have to blossom into something meaningful.
Zhao Daya was speechless now, seemingly afraid that saying more would only make things worse.
Upon arriving at Shunshui Village, Shen Zhiyi drove the oxcart along the village road but did not see any other villagers, which was unusual. So he drove the cart toward the center of the village and suddenly saw a horse-drawn carriage parked by the roadside.
As if by some kind of telepathy, she pulled on the rope first, causing the cow to moo, just in time to meet the figure that had appeared.
He didn't speak, but stood in front of the cow, looking over with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Lord Lu, what are you doing here?" Zhao Daya exclaimed in surprise, and looked behind him. When she saw Xuan Yan, her eyes seemed to light up. She wanted to call out "Brother Xuan" but could only hold back for the moment, and quickly got out of the car and walked in that direction.
Instead, Shen Zhiyi and Lu Jingbai were left looking at each other. To break the awkwardness, she got off the carriage, pulled the cow rope to the roadside, and said, "I thought the tomatoes were almost ready, so I came to check on them."
"Well, I still need to go to Peach Blossom Village to check on the terraced fields," Lu Jingbai said slowly. He turned to look at Xuan Yan and the others who were already whispering to each other, and couldn't help but cough lightly. "Xuan Yan, let's go."
"Wait a minute!" Shen Zhiyi hurriedly said, turning around and coming face to face with the scent of ink. Only then did she notice that Lu Jingbai had just walked behind her. She looked away and looked towards Xuan Yan, "Brother Xuan Yan, I borrowed three taels of silver from you last time..."
"Oh, about that?" Xuan Yan had an amazing memory and immediately said, "The IOU is with you, young master."
After Xuan Yan finished speaking, he pulled Zhao Daya back a few steps, seemingly not intending to get involved.
“Lord Lu, here is three taels of silver.” Shen Zhiyi paused as if to indicate that this was the amount.
"I don't have Miss Shen's IOU with me," Lu Jingbai said indifferently. He didn't know why his mood had changed so quickly, and he felt a strange sense of unease.
"Then next time," Shen Zhiyi said gently, feeling inexplicably relieved.
Those four simple words stirred ripples in Lu Jingbai's heart. Was she also looking forward to their next meeting?
"Lord Lu, we'll be leaving now," Shen Zhiyi said slowly. Without waiting for Lu Jingbai's response, she led Zhao Daya toward Village Chief Chen.
Although Xuan Yan was reluctant to end his chat with Zhao Daya, he had to reluctantly turn his gaze away, walk to Lu Jingbai's side, and whisper, "Young Master, we should go too."
"Huh?" Lu Jingbai came to his senses, but Shen Zhiyi was nowhere to be seen. He felt a sense of loss. "Let's go."
Shen Zhiyi, who had left with Zhao Daya, stood in a mountain hollow with a view of a distance. She continued walking only after the carriage had left.
"Those persimmons turned red three days ago, but I didn't dare to pick them easily. I waited and waited, and finally the girl came!" Village Chief Chen said repeatedly, feeling very pleased to see the little red things hanging there!
"You can tell that Village Chief Chen is taking very good care of them," Shen Zhiyi exclaimed. These tomatoes, each bigger than a fist, looked delicious.
However, the best ones should naturally be used for seeding.
"Is the village chief planning to fertilize these five acres of tomatoes in anticipation of future crop yields, or is he planning to expand the planting area?" Shen Zhiyi asked patiently.
"This..." Village Chief Chen came to his senses and said carefully, "Let's apply fertilizer first and wait for the second crop. If it sells well, we can expand the planting area. What do you think, Miss Shen?"
“This is the safest way,” Shen Zhiyi said while instructing Zhao Daya on how to pick tomatoes. “Since we’re going to fertilize, we not only need to fertilize, but also remove the old leaves, and it’s best to water in the morning…”
Village Chief Chen listened attentively from the side.
After the precautions were explained, Zhao Daya had already picked half a large basket of fruit. Knowing that these little things were fragile and afraid that she might accidentally damage them and affect the sale, she carried them to the oxcart first.
Shen Zhiyi and Village Chief Chen quickly finished picking the remaining tomatoes. She didn't leave then, but drove the oxcart to take people back, and also used the eggs she had brought to stir-fry a dish with the tomatoes.
In short, they praised it highly. Did Shen Zhi's reaction make her wonder if it was really that delicious? Even though she didn't have all the seasonings, it still managed to recreate the taste of tomatoes, and it was even better than she remembered.
Before leaving, Shen Zhiyi said to Village Chief Chen, "I opened a vegetable shop not far from the road to town. If you need seedlings in the future, go there first."
"I'll definitely go see it when I have the chance in the future," Village Chief Chen promised verbally.
Although she didn't know whether what the other party said was true or false, Shen Zhiyi still responded enthusiastically. It would be even better if she could take this opportunity to spread the word!
Bathed in the setting sun, they slowly drove the oxcart back home. Suddenly, Zhao Daya said, "Zhiyi, tomatoes might sell better than chili peppers."
"Hmm, why?" Shen Zhiyi asked.
"Chili peppers don't have the same sweet and sour taste as tomatoes; they taste sweet and sour. People who can't eat spicy food will definitely like them. Also, chili peppers don't taste as good as raw tomatoes; if you pickle them, the flavor will definitely be stronger than chili peppers," Zhao Daya analyzed earnestly.
"The tomatoes don't need to be pickled. Putting them in a sealed jar will just make them last longer," Shen Zhiyi explained. "As for the taste... we'll know once we make it and try it."
If the product were to be canned, Shen Zhiyi would naturally want to preserve all the seeds inside.
Clearly, the samples weren't just canned goods, so the responsibility of how to market them fell on Zheng San's shoulders. The other party was already a seasoned "salesperson," so she didn't need to do it herself.
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