Chapter 45 The Tomatoes Are Ripe
Jia Lian didn't know anything about planting, but he knew how powerful the original red lotus was.
These little ginsengs might even be able to grow again after being cultivated by the original red lotus!
Because of Wang Xifeng's inexplicable trust in Yuan Hongqu, Jia Lian also felt the same way.
Moreover, the first batch of cherry tomatoes he planted on his farm has already been harvested.
Ever since the cherry tomatoes started bearing their first fruit, Jia Lian has been going to the manor on the outskirts of the city every day, and all his trusted confidants have also been sent there.
They take turns guarding that field of one hundred tomato plants every day, counting them once in the morning and once again in the evening, and keeping a clear record of everything.
Because new tomatoes grow every day, the number can only be more, not less. Even if a single tomato falls off, it must be picked up.
This job made life miserable for the servants who followed Jia Lian. In the past, when they followed Master Lian, they ate and drank well and went to places that ordinary people could hardly reach. Ordinary officials would have to smile and fawn over the servants of the Rongguo Mansion.
Those are the good days!
Nowadays, they toil in the fields every day, their backs to the sky, their buttocks sticking out as they lie on the ground, counting how many tomatoes are hidden under the leaves. They have to report the results truthfully every day, and if they are even slightly negligent, they will inevitably get a beating.
Strange things happen every year, but this year there seem to be more than usual.
Master Lian, a titan among纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families who indulge in debauchery).
He stopped indulging in pleasure and stopped cockfighting and horse racing, and devoted himself entirely to farming.
This is quite a strange story in Beijing this year.
Jia Lian was completely oblivious to all of this; all he could think about now was growing good tomatoes so that Wang Xifeng could change her opinion of him.
Previously, Wang Xifeng was arrogant and domineering, like a tigress, and Jia Lian feared her more than he loved her.
Since their child was born, Feng'er's personality seemed to have changed. He had almost never seen Feng'er act like a tigress again. On the contrary, he had secretly seen Feng'er several times, looking as innocent and naive as she did when she was still a young lady in her boudoir.
This suddenly gave Jia Lian a surge of masculine pride, making him feel that he needed to have real skills to protect this little woman.
However, over the past six months, Wang Xifeng has become increasingly indifferent to him, even bringing up the idea of divorce.
Jia Lian sensed a deep crisis and was worried about how to win Feng'er back.
Coincidentally, Yuan Hongqu brought Feng'er cherry tomatoes.
He keenly sensed that Feng'er seemed to really like these cherry tomatoes. These weren't available on the market yet. If he could grow them himself, he could not only win Feng'er's favor, but also make a fortune using this unique product!
Jia Lian was well aware of the Rongguo Mansion's financial situation, but he hadn't taken it seriously at all.
In the last six months, Wang Xifeng told him several times that she didn't want to take care of the family anymore, saying that she had spent a lot of her dowry.
Jia Lian then took the matter to heart. He secretly checked the accounts outside and discovered that the Rongguo Mansion was in serious debt.
His father wanted to buy a pair of beautiful maids and withdrew eight hundred taels of silver from the account. Where did this silver come from?
It was a pair of Yuan Dynasty underglaze red porcelain vases from Wang Xifeng's dowry, which she pawned for two thousand taels of silver and put in the account.
It's so embarrassing to tell anyone: the father-in-law bought a maid using his daughter-in-law's dowry!
In the past, Jia Lian thought he could spend any money he had, regardless of where it came from. Now, thinking about where the money came from, he was so ashamed that he wished there was a crack in the ground he could crawl into.
He realized he had to make changes; he couldn't let his wife suffer like this anymore.
Before Yuan Hongqu arrived at the Rongguo Mansion, Jia Lian had tried many ways to get the money, but he couldn't bring himself to do it because the money was too dirty.
Yuan Hongqu gave him these hundred tomato seedlings, which opened up his mind.
This was the first time in Jia Lian's life that he had devoted himself so wholeheartedly to something, and he actually managed to accomplish it.
Jia Lian carefully selected the top few bunches of the first batch of ripe cherry tomatoes, packed them in a crystal box, and asked someone to deliver them to Prince Xian's residence.
The Prince Xian and the current Emperor are sworn brothers. Whenever the Prince Xian acquires something new or interesting, he always brings it to the palace to show off to the Emperor. I heard that not long ago he sent the palace some fruit from the South China Sea, something called coconut.
The Prince Xian's mansion had a purchasing team that specialized in finding all sorts of novel and unusual items. Jia Lian had already established good relations with the people inside, which is how he got this opportunity.
Three days have passed since the cherry tomatoes were delivered to Prince Xian's residence, but there has been no sign of any activity from inside.
Jia Lian couldn't help but get anxious. Could it be that this thing hadn't impressed the nobles in the Prince Xian's mansion?
So, whose connections are left to use now?
The cherry tomatoes in the field are starting to ripen slowly, so there's no need to pick them all right away. But if there's still no response from the Prince Xian's residence, I'll have to think of other ways.
Just as Jia Lian returned to his room, a servant from the inner courtyard came to deliver a message.
"Second Master, Second Madam is looking for you. She has sent people to search for you for a long time. If you don't come back soon, Second Madam is afraid she will send people to the estate to look for you."
Jia Lian didn't even have time to change his clothes before he hurriedly went to the inner courtyard.
Inside Rongqing Hall, Wang Xifeng was talking to Grandmother Jia.
"I heard they've grown them and they're doing quite well. But I haven't seen a single one yet. What we're eating today are the ones that Brother Bao and the others grew at Rongyue Courtyard."
"Second Grandma is making fun of me again, but I brought her back here, didn't I?"
Jia Lian held a bamboo basket in his hands, which was filled with large mulberry leaves. On the leaves were cherry tomatoes, as red as rubies, crystal clear and temptingly red.
He first placed the bamboo basket aside, then bowed to Grandmother Jia above.
"Grandma, your grandson has finally accomplished something. He has successfully grown these cherry tomatoes. I personally selected the best ones and brought them back for you to taste."
Grandmother Jia had previously tasted the cherry tomatoes grown by Jia Baoyu and his family and thought they were quite good, but they only had a few plants, so the number of ripe tomatoes was limited.
Jia Baoyu eagerly brought them over, and each person got one to try.
Although we had eaten dishes made with tomatoes by Yuan Hongqu before, the children said that the taste was only similar and not as good as these cherry tomatoes.
Now that Jia Lian has sent over this full basket, they can eat to their heart's content.
But there's no rush to eat; there's something else I need to figure out.
"Lian'er, just now Eunuch Xia said that Prince Xian presented a fruit, which His Majesty found delicious and named Linglong Fruit, intending to use it as an imperial fruit. He asked about the yield and whether transportation was convenient. Prince Xian said that you found it. Could it be this cherry tomato?"
Upon hearing this, Jia Lian nearly jumped for joy. The deal was done!
Isn't this exactly what he wanted?
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