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There was more than one kind of freshness: the bright tartness of the tomatoes, the savory goodness of the seafood, and the fresh sweetness of the vegetables came in layers. The tomatoes dried by the sun and wind were the finishing touch, harmoniously bringing all those flavors together.

It really was an excellent soup.

Qing Mengzhu hadn't expected his first attempt at seafood soup to turn out this well. Delighted, he looked up and asked everyone, "What do you think?"

Zhao Hexi was the first to answer. "It's fantastic! The moment I tasted it, all my attention was on the soup. I couldn't remember anything else."

The old man's gaze grew distant. "This soup brings back a lot of memories."

Qing Mengzhu looked at Ming Chunxi, who swallowed his mouthful of soup and said only, "It's delicious. Much better than the seafood soup I've had in Sicily."

Zhao Hexi had already started on the fish in tomato sauce. "Oh my god, this fish is so good too! You all have to try it."

As he spoke, Zhao Hexi stood up. "It's perfect with rice. I have to get myself some."

Zhao Hexi filled a large bowl to the brim with rice and sat back down. He ate the fish with tears of joy in his eyes. "So good!"

The seafood soup was delicious, but the fish in tomato sauce was more to his local taste.

The fish, which had spent several days in clean mountain spring water, had been fried golden on both sides. Its flesh was snowy white and tender, delicious enough on its own, let alone with the sauce reduced with dried and diced tomatoes. The delicate flesh lay in the bright red sauce, thoroughly soaked and exceptionally flavorful.

The green garlic leaves and red chili rings floating in the thick sauce also gave the fish a distinctive hint of spice.

Zhao Hexi picked up the fish with his chopsticks, eating a mouthful of fish and then a mouthful of rice, filling his empty belly with both and soothing his long-waiting stomach.

Satisfying his appetite was simply a tremendous pleasure.

Before Qing Mengzhu could ask again, Zhao Hexi repeated, "So good! So fragrant!"

The old man was too busy eating to speak. He picked some fish into his bowl and used his chopsticks to flake off the flesh, eating slowly with narrowed eyes, his face full of enjoyment.

As for Ming Chunxi, he said nothing, but helped himself to rice twice more, showing how much he liked the meal through his actions.

Qing Mengzhu liked it very much himself. Sure enough, fish kept in mountain spring water tasted better. Even without slices of ginger, it had no fishy smell at all.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, everyone simply took the dishes into the kitchen and washed them. After that, none of them wanted to move.

The summer breeze blew gently as they sat in the courtyard, daydreaming and chatting now and then until they all grew sleepy.

The old man was the first who couldn't stay seated. He soon called a car to pick him up.

Zhao Hexi couldn't hold out either. He went straight inside and flopped onto the sofa for a nap.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi sat chatting in the courtyard.

Ming Chunxi asked, "Something on your mind?"

Qing Mengzhu said, "I'm thinking about the tomatoes. The ones I planted this time turned out really well. Their yield and flavor were excellent, and they were easy to manage. I'm wondering whether to plant more."

He had only planted sixty tomato seedlings at home, yet he was now harvesting two or three hundred jin of tomatoes every day. That was certainly a high yield.

Ming Chunxi asked, "Is there enough time?"

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "We grow spring and autumn tomatoes here. It's already too late for spring tomatoes, but it's about time to start seedlings for the autumn crop."

When Qing Mengzhu had planted tomatoes in April, he had used seedlings someone else had raised.

Judging by their size, whoever raised them must have started them in February.

By his calculation, it was now mid-June, so his seedlings should be ready by late July, just in time for transplanting.

Ming Chunxi also thought Qing Mengzhu's tomatoes had grown very well, in every sense.

He thought for a moment. "Plant them. If you're worried about buyers, I'll help you find some when the time comes."

Qing Mengzhu said, "There's no need. I shouldn't be short of buyers. If all else fails, I'll find a factory to process them into dried or canned tomatoes. I won't have to worry about them not selling."

Ming Chunxi nodded. "What's making you hesitate now?"

Qing Mengzhu said, "I'm wondering what variety to plant for the next batch. Different varieties taste quite different, and their fruit set rates and growing requirements aren't the same either."

Ming Chunxi asked, "Want me to ask around for you?"

Qing Mengzhu said, "I'll first decide whether to plant them at all, and how many. If I need help, I'll come to you."

About eight mu of Qing Mengzhu's family land still lay unused. Six mu of it was good farmland, close to both water and the road, with level ground and fertile soil.

He had asked Tan Wenlei, and the family who had previously rented his land hadn't grown any nightshade crops on it in recent years.

Going by experience, land like that was well suited to growing tomatoes.

Qing Mengzhu was mainly torn over which variety to choose. He had his eye on several, all suitable for planting in summer and autumn.

While Qing Mengzhu was carefully comparing them, Cen Zhiming, the agriculture student, messaged him on WeChat with a question about lotuses.

Qing Mengzhu's lotuses hadn't bloomed yet, but he knew more about growing them than Cen Zhiming did, and Cen Zhiming often talked to him about them.

Qing Mengzhu answered Cen Zhiming's question in a few words, then asked: [Zhiming, do you know much about tomatoes?]

Cen Zhiming: [A fair bit. Why do you ask, Brother Mengzhu?]

Qing Mengzhu: [I want to plant autumn tomatoes. Do you have any suggestions?]

Cen Zhiming replied swiftly: [The tomatoes you're growing now are already a locally favored variety. Their fruit set rate and flavor are both very good, so you can just keep planting those.]

Qing Mengzhu: [Do people plant the same variety for spring and autumn tomatoes?]

Cen Zhiming: [The local farmers seem to plant the same variety. If you're not sure, I can ask my teacher?]

Qing Mengzhu really wasn't sure: [If you can, I'd appreciate it if you asked.]

Cen Zhiming sent an "OK" sticker: [I'll go ask in a bit!]

Qing Mengzhu didn't rely entirely on Cen Zhiming for an answer. He also asked Tan Wenlei and Di Caiyong.

Both said that local spring and autumn tomatoes were indeed the same varieties. Unless someone had a particular need, people planted the same few varieties over and over.

Cen Zhiming soon asked his teacher and messaged Qing Mengzhu: [I've checked. The variety you're growing now is a locally favored one, and you can plant it for autumn tomatoes too.]

Cen Zhiming also reminded him: [Brother Mengzhu, your spring tomatoes have done very well. Besides buying seeds and seedlings, you could also try using this batch of tomatoes to raise the next crop. The results should be good.]

Qing Mengzhu: [Won't they degenerate?]

Cen Zhiming: [Not likely in the first or second generation, though it's not certain. When it comes to probability, you still have to take your chances.]

After sending that message, Cen Zhiming quickly added: [I just think your spring tomatoes have done very well, so you could save their seeds. I've seen local farmers use seeds they saved themselves to grow the next generation. But I'm still learning and I'm not really a professional. Brother Mengzhu, if you have any doubts, you can ask someone else.]

Qing Mengzhu knew Cen Zhiming only said that because he considered him a friend, so he had no intention of placing the responsibility on him: [Thanks for the reminder. I'll ask around some more.]

Cen Zhiming: [You're welcome. If there's anything else you need me for, just ask.]

After sending that, Cen Zhiming sent another sticker: [Cat making a heart.JPG]

Following Cen Zhiming's reminder, Qing Mengzhu went online and paid to consult an expert.

The expert said he could indeed save his own seeds, though tomatoes grown from professional seeds might perform more consistently.

After comparing his options several times, Qing Mengzhu also searched the Interstellar Mall for tomato seeds or seedlings.

Unfortunately, the Interstellar Mall had no such products.

After weighing all the factors, Qing Mengzhu decided to save seeds from his own spring tomatoes.

His spring tomatoes had done very well. Both their fruit set rate and disease resistance were better than those of the other villagers' tomatoes. Their flavor was especially distinctive: they were large and sweet, with a very rich tomato taste.

Perhaps because he had used his exclusive fermented fertilizer, seeds from these tomatoes should produce a good autumn crop.