Yu Nian took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the specks of dust from the fruit’s skin. Then he handed it back to Tian Yao. He wanted Tian Yao to taste the very first bite himself.
They had never even considered whether the fruit might be poisonous. Because it was left by Little Dad, and Little Dad would never harm them.
Tian Yao blinked and took a large bite.
The moment his teeth pierced the thin skin, a burst of flavor unlike anything he’d ever tasted flooded his mouth – a fresh sweetness. Perhaps “sweet” wasn’t quite the right word. Those translucent, crystal-like bits hidden beneath the skin had a slight tartness, but the aftertaste was pure sweetness.
Beneath the skin was a grainy, slightly mushy pulp. At the very center of that pulp was a sweet and sour filling. His Little Dad must truly have been an immortal, to leave him something so delicious.
Tian Yao held the tomato, from which he’d already taken a bite, up to Yu Nian’s lips. “Yu Nian, try it, quick! It’s really delicious!”
Yu Nian bit into it from his hand, and his eyes lit up. “It really is delicious.”
“Right?! My Little Dad is definitely an immortal!”
After the two shared that one fruit, Tian Yao’s eyes sparkled as he stared at the other fruits that were turning red but weren’t quite there yet. Yu Nian did a quick calculation for him. They had been afraid of wasting seeds, so they hadn’t planted much – only about thirty plants in total. Each plant bore three to five fruits, so this harvest would only yield around a hundred.
Thinking of this, Yu Nian sighed. “I wonder if we can successfully collect the seeds. If we can save the seeds and replant them, we could plant them on a large scale. This should be the reason Little Dad left these things behind. He didn’t give you instant wealth but gave you a path – one that isn’t easy to walk but, if walked well, leads to incredible fortune.”
“Let’s go back inside and check again. Did Little Dad leave any instructions on how to do it?”
So the two of them once again dug out all of Little Dad’s notes. And sure enough, they found the answer. Every step they wanted to take had been perfectly anticipated by Little Dad.
Perhaps Little Dad had known they wouldn’t be able to read his handwriting, so he’d drawn the instructions again.
The plump, round tomatoes were drawn with lifelike detail. The next step was to cut them in half with a knife, use a spoon to scoop out the seed-containing parts, then place them on a piece of cheesecloth. Using hands, they were to rub gently to separate the pulp from the seeds. Finally, they’d rinse with clean water. The resulting seeds were to be spread on a clean cheesecloth to dry in the sun until completely dry, and then stored in a sealed jar.
It didn’t look too difficult.
Every day, Tian Yao went to the vegetable garden to watch the fruits turn from green to red, then carefully picked them. The tomatoes all ripened around the same time. After thinking it over, Tian Yao decided to share this delicious treat with his good friends. It happened that Liu Zhi’s temper during his postpartum confinement had been getting worse and worse lately. Chen Xu had come to their house several times to ask Yu Nian for help, fearing something had gone wrong with Liu Zhi.
Tian Yao selected a few large, round tomatoes, put them in a small basket, and strolled over to Liu Zhi’s house.
From far away, he could hear Liu Zhi yelling at Chen Xu. Chen Xu took the scolding without getting angry and just tried to coax him, only to be kicked out of the room by Liu Zhi. Seeing Tian Yao, Chen Xu looked as if he’d seen his savior. “Go see him, quick! He can’t stand the sight of me right now.”
Tian Yao laughed, lifted the door curtain, and entered.
“You’re here?” Liu Zhi lay in bed, listless, showing none of the energy he had when just scolding Chen Xu.
“I brought you something rare.”
Liu Zhi still seemed out of sorts. He had little appetite for anything lately. Apart from the honey Tian Yao had sent, which he could barely manage to drink, Father Chen, Mother Chen, and Chen Xu were all terribly worried.
“What could be so rare?” Liu Zhi was still listless. “When will this finally end?”
“Soon now, just about half a month left.” Tian Yao came to the bedside. Little Bao was still sleeping. “I’ve never even heard Little Bao cry. He’s such a well-behaved baby.”
Liu Zhi’s expression improved slightly. He gently poked Little Bao’s cheek, then asked, “What did you bring me?”
Only then did Tian Yao take the tomato from the basket and whisper, “I grew it.”
Liu Zhi held the fruit in his hand. It felt cool to the touch. The red of the fruit was beautiful, a shade of red he had never seen before. “What kind of fruit is this?”
“It grew from the seeds my Little Dad left behind. Try it, it’s really delicious.” Tian Yao was like a melon seller now, tirelessly boasting about his own wares.
Liu Zhi looked at it skeptically but raised it to his mouth. “It’s really edible? Just eat it like this?”
Tian Yao nodded vigorously.
Liu Zhi still trusted him and took a small bite. The juice inside burst forth, filling his mouth with a flavor he’d never experienced before.
After that initial hesitation, Liu Zhi ate the rest very quickly. Soon, one fruit was completely finished.
“Really delicious.” Liu Zhi licked the remaining juice from his lips. “It’s not exactly a sweet flavor, but the aftertaste is sweet, and it’s very refreshing.”
“Right, right?” Tian Yao’s eyes were also sparkling. “I just knew the things my Little Dad left behind would be the most delicious.”
Having satisfied his palate, Liu Zhi pondered for a moment. “Have you thought about selling this? It’s novel and delicious; it would definitely sell very well.”
“I have thought about it. In a while, we’ll be going to town for Yu Nian’s leg treatment. So I was thinking, while he’s at the clinic, I could set up a stall to sell food, to help earn money for his treatment.”
“You’re going to town with him?”
Tian Yao nodded. “He’s alone; I wouldn’t feel comfortable.”
“Where will you stay?”
“Where can’t we make do for a bit? The worst case is, I go set up the stall during the day and come back home to sleep at night. It’s not that big a problem.”
Liu Zhi frowned, unable to think of a better solution. “That’ll be so exhausting and hard.”
“Can’t be helped. We just need to get through this period.”
“If you’re short on silver, just tell me.”
After chatting with him for a good while, Tian Yao left the remaining tomatoes for him. “If you think they’re not sweet enough, try mixing them with honey. It tastes even better then.”
Liu Zhi walked him to the door.
After returning home, Tian Yao divided the picked fruits into several portions again, giving them to Aunt Shun, the Village Chief, and Shen Qiao’s house.
Shen Qiao was doing laundry in the courtyard. Tian Yao glanced around; there was no sign of Song Yao. “Brother Qiao.”
Shen Qiao’s injuries had largely healed. He stood up. “Yao Ge’er, what brings you by?”
Seeing the ever-present gentle smile on Shen Qiao’s face made Tian Yao’s heart clench. Brother Qiao was so good; how could that bastard Song Yao hit him?!
“I brought you some things.” Tian Yao handed him the basket. “Where is he?”
Shen Qiao’s smile dimmed a little. “He took a job a few days ago and went out. Probably won’t be back for half a month.”
Tian Yao made an “mm” sound, secretly wishing Song Yao would just die out there.
“This is a new fruit I grew. For you to try something new.”
Shen Qiao looked and saw it indeed looked very precious. He quickly tried to refuse. “No, no, this is too good for me. Giving me this would be a waste.”
Tian Yao was unhappy and put on a stern face. “I gave some to Liu Zhi too. If you don’t eat it, you don’t consider me a friend.”
Shen Qiao had no choice but to accept.
Tian Yao added, “You have to finish them yourself. I don’t want my things eaten by him.”
Shen Qiao nodded. “I understand.”
Tian Yao sat down on a small stool beside him. “Brother Qiao, have you really never considered not staying with him anymore?”
Shen Qiao just sighed. “If not with him, then who? Can I really rely on my maiden family?”
Tian Yao was a little bewildered. “But you could rely on yourself.”
Shen Qiao shook his head. “Yao Ge’er, I’m not like you. I don’t have a trade to earn a meal from. I can’t do anything. Without him, I wouldn’t even survive.”
Tian Yao looked at him. “But you know how to make clothes. You know how to cook. You know how to do so many things.”
“Those things won’t earn me food.” Shen Qiao said. “Embroidery on a handkerchief sells for three wen, and it takes an entire night. At the market, the cheapest coarse rice also costs ten wen per catty.”
Tian Yao’s mood sank. “But staying with him means being beaten. It could mean losing your life.”
“He wouldn’t dare beat me to death.”
Tian Yao felt angry, angry that Shen Qiao didn’t know how to protect himself.
After a few more words, Tian Yao left Shen Qiao’s house. Back home, he told Yu Nian about it.
“What he says isn’t without reason. The condition for him to leave that man is having the ability to live independently. You can’t help him for his entire life, right?”
Tian Yao pouted. “It’s just… I think a good person like him shouldn’t have to live that kind of life.”
“I’ll say the same thing again, Yao Ge’er. I believe that when he needs your help, he will come to find you.”
Tian Yao felt helpless, only able to take things one step at a time and see how they developed. The good thing was, this Song Yao wouldn’t be back for at least half a month.
They had harvested all the fruits that were ready. Now they selected a few of the biggest, reddest, and roundest ones to follow Little Dad’s drawn method for saving seeds. After that, they also took out the previous seeds, preparing to plant another crop.
They didn’t know if planting out of season would be successful. But if they didn’t plant now, winter would be here, and then nothing could be planted at all. Because Tian Yao was illiterate and Yu Nian only half-understood Little Dad’s handwriting, they hadn’t realized that beneath this drawing, Little Dad had written the words: “Can be cultivated in all four seasons.”
Tian Yao needed to make a trip to town in the next couple of days. One reason was to bring some fruit to Old Zhou as well. The other was to discuss with him the specifics of treating Yu Nian’s legs.
Knowing he was going to town, Aunt Shun called out to Tian Yao again, asking him to help bring some things to Tian Yusheng and his wife. Tian Yao naturally agreed; after all, Tian Yusheng and his wife had also taken special care of him.
Yu Nian didn’t go with him. With the autumn harvest season fast approaching, the more he could teach the children now, the better.
Tian Yao still walked to town. The sun was scorching, and soon, sweat was pouring down his forehead. By the time he reached town, his handkerchief was already soaked through with sweat.
He had to go to Squire Liu’s residence first to deliver the things for Tian Yusheng. At the gatehouse, he asked someone to call Tian Yusheng for him. The gate staff were quite amiable and told him to wait in the shade. Tian Yao stood waiting with his bamboo basket on his back, listening to the gatekeepers chat.
“The Young Madam is pregnant, such wonderful news.”
“But now, the Young Madam vomits whatever she eats. The doctor says if she still can’t keep food down, it will really be dangerous.”
“The Young Master has been so worried he’s broken out in a huge circle of fever blisters around his mouth. Still has no idea what to do.”
Tian Yao clutched the straps of his basket and swallowed nervously.
Just then, Sister-in-law Zhang came to pick him up. “Mother asked you to bring things over?”
Tian Yao nodded and handed her the bundle Aunt Shun had prepared. Sister-in-law Zhang noticed he seemed to want to say something else and asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something else?”
“Sister-in-law, I heard the Young Madam is pregnant?”
Sister-in-law Zhang looked at him. “Why?”
“Just now, I heard them saying the Young Madam can’t keep food down. I was thinking, I might have something that could help her eat.”
