Chapter 19 (continued)

Qing Mengzhu was somewhat relieved. "That's great."

Di Caiyong said, "Don't worry. Your vegetables are really popular. I reckon you could grow more, and I'd still be able to use them all."

Qing Mengzhu waved a hand. "I couldn't keep up if I grew any more."

Di Caiyong offered a suggestion. "You could hire someone. A temporary worker or something, just to help pick the vegetables."

Qing Mengzhu said, "Maybe after a while. I'll see how things go first."

Di Caiyong knew Qing Mengzhu wasn't easily persuaded, so he didn't press him. After buying the vegetables, he loaded them up and headed back.

He still had to hurry and deliver the vegetables to the various branches. There was no time to waste.

Of the Di family's dozen-odd chain restaurants, three served organic vegetables, all in the city center.

Customers there had more spending power and were more receptive to organic vegetables.

Di Caiyong hadn't lied to Qing Mengzhu. There really was a group of regular customers who loved his vegetables.

Qing Guozhi was one of those regulars. Every noon, he went to one of Di Caiyong's restaurants and ordered two organic vegetable dishes and a bowl of plain rice.

That day, Di Caiyong had just returned from delivering vegetables to a branch when Qing Guozhi, who was eating in the dining hall, called out to him. "Caiyong."

Di Caiyong turned around, and a smile appeared on his face when he saw the regular. "Uncle Guozhi, what is it?"

Qing Guozhi beckoned Di Caiyong over to sit down. "Where did these vegetables come from? They taste exactly like the ones I ate as a child."

Di Caiyong was delighted to hear that, and his smile broadened. "You've really got an amazing palate. These vegetables are from Pingkou Village. I reckon they're the same varieties you ate as a child."

Qing Guozhi knew the restaurant had always bought vegetables from Pingkou Village, but these were quite different from the usual ones. "Whose are they? Did they start using a new growing method in Pingkou Village?"

Di Caiyong said, "I don't know anything about growing methods. If you want to know, I'll ask around tomorrow morning."

Qing Guozhi said cheerfully, "Sorry for the trouble, but I'll ask about it myself when I go back."

Qing Mengzhu knew nothing about any of this. He had just woken up from his nap when he heard someone knocking outside. He went out to look and found an unfamiliar elderly man standing at the door, leaving him completely bewildered.

When the old man saw him, he smiled. "You're Guohuai's grandson, aren't you?"

Qing Mengzhu's grandfather was named Qing Guohuai. Hearing the old man say that, he figured they were probably related and said, "Grandpa, come in and have a seat."

The old man asked, "You don't recognize me, do you?"

Qing Mengzhu smiled apologetically. "I've been away too long. I can't remember offhand."

The old man said, "My name is Qing Guozhi. I'm ranked sixteenth in the clan. Your grandfather's grandfather and my grandfather were brothers."

Qing Mengzhu quickly worked out the relationship in his head and realized they were distant relatives. He smiled and addressed him as "Sixteenth Grandpa."

"Right!" Qing Guozhi said. "Your family hasn't been back for years. Every time I came back, your front gate was locked up tight. Have you come back to start a business?"

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "Yes."

Qing Mengzhu assumed Qing Guozhi had come back to the village for a stroll and stopped by for a chat when he reached his house, so he didn't think much of it.

He brewed some of the tea Ming Chunxi had brought and set out some snacks.

After a little small talk, Qing Guozhi asked, "You sell your vegetables to the Di family's restaurants, don't you?"

Qing Mengzhu said, "Word certainly gets around to you fast."

Qing Guozhi laughed. "It's not that word gets around to me fast. It's my tongue that's sharp. As soon as I tasted their vegetables, I thought they were like the ones I ate as a child. Then I asked, and sure enough, they came from my own family. When fate comes calling, there's no stopping it."

Qing Mengzhu hadn't expected that to be how it happened. "Did you come back especially to see me?"

"Of course," Qing Guozhi said. "I wanted to see what kind of immortal could grow vegetables that tasted so good."

Qing Guozhi had come all this way to see him and was a relative besides, so after they had chatted for more than an hour, Qing Mengzhu invited him to stay for dinner.

Qing Guozhi didn't stand on ceremony. Looking at the vegetables in the house, he asked, "Could you stir-fry some sour water spinach stems tonight? Add plenty of minced garlic and chili, a tiny bit of sugar for seasoning, and a big handful of scallions just before taking it out of the pan."

Qing Mengzhu said, "Of course."

Qing Guozhi asked, "And could you stir-fry some sweet potato leaves?"

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "Sure. What else would you like?"

Qing Guozhi said, "Can you make oil-braised eggplant? I'd like some of that too."

Qing Mengzhu smiled. "Sure."

That evening, besides the three dishes Qing Guozhi had requested, Qing Mengzhu also made a dish of red-braised pork.

Qing Guozhi helped set the table. Once the dishes were served, he sat opposite Qing Mengzhu and focused on eating.

Qing Guozhi didn't speak, and Qing Mengzhu wasn't much in the mood to talk either.

The two ate quietly and finished most of the food.

Afterward, Qing Guozhi remarked, "These vegetables really do taste like the ones I ate as a child."

Qing Mengzhu said, "They're all from the same village, after all."

Qing Guozhi said, "They're really not the same. When I came back to eat before, the vegetables were from the village too, but they didn't taste this good. Yours are simply delicious. They take me right back to my childhood."

Qing Mengzhu invited him, "If you like them, you can come over for meals whenever you want."

Qing Guozhi said, "How could I impose like that? Why don't you sell me some vegetables too?"

Qing Mengzhu declined tactfully. "You can't eat that much on your own. If you want some, just come and get them."

Qing Guozhi waved a hand. "You're underestimating me. I won't be eating them alone. I want to take them home. I have several brothers, and there are so many youngsters in the family. We need a lot of vegetables."

Qing Mengzhu asked, "How much do you want?"

Qing Guozhi said, "How much do you have? Could you get me a few hundred jin? Or why don't you take me to the fields to pick some?"

Seeing how eager he was, Qing Mengzhu said, "There isn't that much. I reckon there might be several dozen to a hundred jin. If you're interested, I'll take you there now."

Qing Guozhi picked up a bag. "That works too. I'll call my son to pick me up, and we can stop by Changhong's place to buy a few chickens."

Qing Mengzhu finally understood. The old man had no other purpose; he really had come back to the village to buy vegetables. Maybe he had never forgotten the taste.

He didn't put on any airs either and took the old man straight to the vegetable plot to pick vegetables.

It had been a while since he had applied the fermented fertilizer, and Qing Mengzhu's vegetables were growing exceptionally well. Fruits and vegetables covered the ground.

At the sight of the plot, Qing Guozhi couldn't contain his delight. "Hey, this is exactly the kind of vegetable plot I want. Your vegetables are growing so well, and the whole place is filled with the fragrance of fruits and vegetables!"

Qing Mengzhu said, "They're all right. See what you'd like and pick it yourself. These vegetables haven't been sprayed for nearly half a month, so you can eat them straight off the plants."

Qing Guozhi asked, "Don't the bugs eat them, then?"

Qing Mengzhu said, "They do, but you can't see the damage from a distance. Come closer and you'll see the holes. There aren't that many bugs, though. I kept them under control pretty well before."

Qing Guozhi took a close look. "You're right."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and picked a big, sandy-fleshed tomato, then gave half to Qing Guozhi. "Would you like to try it?"

Qing Guozhi took it and bit off a big mouthful. His eyes lit up instantly. "Delicious!"

Qing Mengzhu took Qing Guozhi around the plot to pick vegetables.

After finishing the tomato, the old man ate a cucumber. He couldn't stop praising Qing Mengzhu's vegetables and wanted some of everything.

In the end, the two really did pick over a hundred jin of vegetables. Once they were weighed, the total came to just under a thousand yuan.

The old man didn't care about that small sum at all. He only asked Qing Mengzhu eagerly, "Mengzhu, could you give me some of your sour water spinach stems?"

Qing Mengzhu said, "I'll put some in a sealed bag for you."

The old man was satisfied. "That's what I love about your cooking."

Not long afterward, Qing Guozhi's son drove over to pick him up. Qing Mengzhu glanced at the car's badge and license plate and felt that the old man's background was probably not ordinary.

But Qing Mengzhu now had the Interstellar Mall, and there was nothing he needed to ask anyone for.

Even after seeing them, he remained perfectly calm.

After Qing Guozhi left, however, Tan Wenlei dropped by. "Why did Sixteenth Uncle come looking for you?"

Tan Wenlei's ancestors had all lived in the village, so he addressed people according to their generation in the village.

Qing Mengzhu told him the whole story.