Chapter 62

Cen Zhiming asked, "Brother Mengzhu, your lotus is so good, why don't you try to commercialize it yourself?"

Qing Mengzhu: "I don't have that much energy. Let's leave it to the country. It would be great if it could be developed and benefit the people. Besides, it's not necessarily because the lotus seed is good; it might also be related to the excessive amount of fertilizer I used."

Besides the fertilizer produced by the fertilizer fermentation powder, there is also Spirit Pearl Dregs. Qing Mengzhu is really not sure if removing these would make the lotus obtained from the Interstellar Mall superior to the local lotus.

Therefore, it's best to leave this lotus to the government for research. Anyway, it was tested before, and there's nothing special about it; it won't expose the existence of the Interstellar Mall.

Cen Zhiming enthusiastically said, "I'll text Senior Sister right now, Brother Mengzhu, can I take pictures of your lotus pond?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Go ahead and take the photos. If they're interested, they can come and visit."

Chapter 62

Qing Mengzhu led Cen Zhiming and the other two on a stroll around the lotus pond, and then they went to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables, preparing to take them back for dinner.

Qing Mengzhu told the three of them to pick whatever they liked to eat, and to cook several home-style dishes for dinner.

Moved to tears, the three wished they could immediately recognize him as their godfather.

It was the peak season for vegetables, Qing Mengzhu's vegetable garden was full of fresh and tender vegetables, with a wider variety than that of a typical small supermarket.

The three of them wandered around the field, each choosing a dish with great discretion.

Jin Chongshan wanted to eat scrambled eggs with tomatoes, Cen Zhiming wanted to eat tiger-skin green peppers, and Niu Jinhao wanted to eat braised winter melon with dried shrimp.

Qing Mengzhu agreed to all of them, saying that adding two more stir-fried dishes and a dessert that evening would be enough.

When they returned, Ming Chunxi was already home.

Ming Chunxi opened the courtyard gate. Jin Chongshan and the other two looked at him, feeling somewhat unfamiliar, and for a moment they didn't know how to address him.

Qing Mengzhu took the initiative to introduce Jin Chongshan and the other two, saying, "This is my boyfriend, Ming Chunxi. You can just Brother Chunxi."

Ming Chunxi greeted them, "Hello."

Jin Chongshan and the other two bowed in unison. "Hello, Brother Chunxi."

After finishing speaking, Niu Jinhao said, "Sorry to bother you today."

Ming Chunxi: "No problem, please come more often, it'll make the house more lively."

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi entered the house side by side.

It was only then that Jin Chongshan and the other two realized that their sexual orientations were different.

The three of them looked at each other, their eyes filled with amazement, mixed with a hint of excitement.

Seeing two exceptionally good-looking adult men together, even though all three of them were straight, they couldn't help but feel curious, and also felt that they had a unique coolness about them, which was quite different from the adult world that the three of them had imagined.

This wasn't the first time Jin Chongshan and his two companions had eaten at Qing Mengzhu's house.

This time, the three of them again volunteered to assist.

Qing Mengzhu stir-fried the dishes, Ming Chunxi first cooked the white fungus and lotus seed soup, so it could be served as a dessert later.

They worked together, and the atmosphere in the kitchen looked particularly harmonious.

Niu Jinhao, picking at the chili peppers, asked, "Brother Mengzhu, do you guys usually cook together?"

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Yes, it's faster to cook together. But we usually don't make anything too complicated; we just eat simple meals."

Niu Jinhao: "That's great. I hope I can find someone to cook with after I graduate."

Jin Chongshan: "I don't need to find someone to cook with, just finding someone to eat with would be great."

Qing Mengzhu: "You'll have them all; remember to actively seek them out."

When everyone cooks together, the cooking process is much faster.

When the dishes were served, Ming Chunxi saw that the lotus seed and white fungus soup was also ready, so she ladled it out in advance and put it in ice water to chill, making it easier to eat after the meal.

University students eat quickly to begin with, and since the food was so delicious today, they ate even faster.

Fortunately, they were quite well-behaved, and there was no fighting over food at the table.

After everyone finished eating, Qing Mengzhu brought out a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup for them to eat.

The white fungus and lotus seed soup contains honey, which is different from the usual lotus seed soup with sugar. It tastes cool and refreshing with a sweet flavor. The white fungus has a very smooth texture, and the lotus seeds are a bit mealy. Paired with the thick sugar syrup, it is very satisfying to the palate.

Everyone said they really liked the dessert, especially Cen Zhiming, who had eaten too many tiger-skin green peppers.

With his lips swollen, Cen Zhiming said, "It feels so good. I think I can taste the aroma of honey and lotus seeds?"

Qing Mengzhu: "There will be a little bit. Our lotus seeds are more intact, so the aroma is stronger. As for the honey, this is wildflower honey, which is naturally very fragrant. You can taste it even if you only add a little bit."

Jin Chongshan: "I was just about to say this, Brother Mengzhu, the quality of your lotus is really good. Whether it's the lotus flower, the lotus seedpod, or the lotus root, they're quite different from those on the market."

Qing Mengzhu: "That's why I said I wanted to hand it over to the germplasm bank."

Cen Zhiming: "Don't worry, Brother Mengzhu, we've already contacted our senior brothers and sisters and they said they'll report it tonight. We'll let you know when we have more news."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then I'll wait."

Qing Mengzhu guessed that contacting their germplasm bank through agricultural university students would be faster than contacting them through social means.

To his surprise, someone called him the very next day.

The person who called Qing Mengzhu introduced himself as "Ji Qinglin," a professor at the Agricultural University and deputy director of the germplasm bank. He said that after reviewing the materials, he was very interested in the lotus flowers at Qing Mengzhu's home and wanted to come and see them in person.

Qing Mengzhu readily agreed, saying she was free for the next two days and could come anytime.

Ji Qinglin, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, "Yesterday, Director Wu Tianqing of the Huiyang District Lotus Root Science Research Institute was also very interested in your lotus and would like to come and take a look. I wonder if it's convenient for you?"

Qing Mengzhu hadn't expected there to be a lotus root research institute nearby. Upon hearing this, she immediately replied, "Sure, you're welcome to come anytime."

Ji Qinglin: "We'll be arriving this afternoon. If it's convenient, could you please send us your location?"

Qing Mengzhu: "You can add me on WeChat directly; this is my number."

Ji Qinglin: "That's great! I'd been wanting to add you for a while, but I was worried it might bother you. Let's chat on WeChat then."

After hanging up the phone, Qing Mengzhu received two WeChat friend requests. One was from Ji Qinglin, and the other was from Director Wu Tianqing, whom Ji Qinglin had mentioned.

Qing Mengzhu guessed that they were together when they called each other. After readily accepting the friend request, Qing Mengzhu simply created a small group chat for the three of them, posted their location in the group, and arranged a time to visit in the afternoon.

In the afternoon, the two arrived as agreed.

Both of them were very low-key, arriving directly by car without any students or assistants.

Ji Qinglin was short and thin, while Wu Tianqing was tall, thin, and bald. Both of them had dark skin and looked unremarkable. Apart from wearing glasses, they were no different from the old farmers in the village.

After the three met and exchanged pleasantries, Qing Mengzhu led them to the pond.

Qing Mengzhu said, "I've observed that the lotus from my family is better than the lotus from other villages in terms of both quality and yield. I feel that its variety must be superior, so I'm thinking of submitting it to the germplasm bank, hoping it can provide some help for the cultivation and research of lotus in China."

Ji Qinglin asked with interest, "What variety of lotus do you have? Is it the variety from our agricultural university?"

Qing Mengzhu shook her head. "These are old seeds left by my grandparents. They've passed away, so I don't know which lotus seed they are."

Wu Tianqing was more concerned about the planting. "You said you planted the lotus seeds in the spring, and they've already grown this much. Your lotuses are growing very fast!"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, that's a bit surprising, and that's what surprised me the most."

Wu Tianqing: "I wonder how many lotus seeds you planted in total?"

Qing Mengzhu dared not be too specific. "Four or five hundred? When we first planted them, there weren't many of them, but later they filled the pond."

Ji Qinglin and Wu Tianqing began to look around the pond. The geese lived by the pond, and when they saw strangers coming, they spread their wings and honked as if they wanted to chase after them.