Farming? I'm making a killing with my fairytale vegetables!

Chapter 21 The Allure of Tomatoes

Xia Shiyu rode her bike home slowly. Because of the price of tomatoes, customers were still somewhat restrained in buying them today, so it took a little longer than usual.

When she came back, Yu Juan said a few words to her, "You didn't even eat in the city before coming back. It's almost one o'clock, you must be hungry. Go eat first, I've saved some for you."

Faced with his mother's lecture, Xia Shiyu quickly bowed with both hands and begged for forgiveness, saying, "Mom, I'm not that hungry. I ate a tomato on the way here. It was so big that I was full after eating it."

Yu Juan glared at her lightly, "How can that be the same? These tomatoes are mainly high in water content, and you'll feel hungry again soon. But since sales weren't going well today, do you still have any left over?"

She was still a little worried. After all, there was basically nothing left after selling water spinach and bok choy. This time, she had a base of vegetables but still hadn't sold them all. How could she not be worried?

Faced with her mother's worries, Xia Shiyu patiently comforted her, "Mom, it's okay. The main thing is that the price of tomatoes is what it is, and before, a pound of vegetables was quite a lot, but now it's probably just one a day, so everyone is taking less. It's not a big deal, and the sales are actually going quite smoothly."

After hearing this, Yu Juan was no longer so worried. "It's good that you can sell them, but you should also be careful. The weather is quite hot, so don't sell vegetables outside at noon."

"Okay, Mom, don't worry." After saying that, Xia Shiyu went to eat with peace of mind.

Meanwhile, those who bought Xia Shiyu tomatoes today have returned home to cook.

After Menglian brought the tomatoes back, she felt more and more heartbroken as she looked at them. She felt that people shouldn't get involved in other people's business, and now she had lost 20 yuan.

She sighed, deciding to stop thinking about it and instead use the tomatoes to make basa fish, a meat dish for her family.

She took out a tomato, washed it, and cut it into pieces. Looking at the tomato in front of her, she had to admit that it looked very appetizing. She even felt a little hungry as she looked at it.

But Meng Lian shook his head, banishing the strange thought from his mind, and patiently continued making the soup.

After a while, the tomato basa fish was almost ready. The aroma of tomatoes filled the entire kitchen, making Meng Lian glance at it again and again.

She then picked up a spoon to taste the saltiness, scooped half a spoonful from the soup, blew on it to cool it down, and put it in her mouth.

In an instant, the sweet and sour taste of the tomatoes and the tenderness of the fish blended together perfectly, making it absolutely delicious!

Meng Lian took a sip and her eyes lit up. "These tomatoes are really good. It's worth the money."

She then resisted the urge to have another bite and waited for her husband and child to come home for dinner.

Because of that spoonful of soup, Meng Lian is now having trouble concentrating on watching short videos on her phone; her gaze keeps drifting to the soup in front of her.

Fortunately, after a while, there was a noise at the door, and the family members came home.

Meng Lian quickly got up and greeted him, "You're back, come in quickly."

Xiang Junhua took his son to sit down. They had come back together, but as soon as they sat down, their son started making a fuss.

"Mom, why is the food so simple today? I'd rather eat at the cafeteria."

Xiang Chen was a little unhappy. He already had a lot of things to do in high school, and he finally came back home and wanted to eat something good. But his mother only made a fish soup and two vegetable dishes today. He didn't like fish at all; he wanted to eat meat.

After hearing this, Meng Lian comforted her, saying, "Mom will buy you meat tomorrow. This fish looks good today; I saw it was on sale at the supermarket. Try it."

Xiang Junhua said helplessly, "The family isn't short of money. Just make what the kids like to eat tomorrow."

"I know I was just passing by the market today when I saw so many people buying tomatoes, so I went up to pick out a couple, but they were nine yuan a pound, so I bought them and came back."

The other two were shocked when they heard Meng Lian say this. Xiang Chen was speechless. Even though he was lazy and knew nothing about farming, he knew that the price was expensive. "Mom, you haven't been ripped off, have you? This is ripping people off."

Xiang Junhua didn't know what to say. Because of the mortgage and car loan payments, the family was under a lot of pressure. His wife was usually very frugal, so it was strange that she had been tricked into buying such expensive tomatoes.

Meng Lian, hearing the implication in their words that she had been tricked, didn't want to say anything more. She simply ladled a bowl of fish soup for each of them, letting them experience it for themselves.

"You two have a taste." After saying that, she scooped a spoonful into her bowl and took a sip. The delicious taste immediately lingered on her tongue. She ignored the two bastards and began to enjoy the food herself.

Seeing his wife/mother enjoying it so much, the Xiang father and son didn't know what to say, and took a sip of the fish soup with some skepticism.

Xiang Chen was amazed the moment he took a sip. He didn't particularly like tomatoes and fish, so he planned to just drink some soup and eat the fish. But to his surprise, the moment the soup entered his mouth, the sweet, sour and delicious flavor rushed into his taste buds.

He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Wow, this soup is so delicious!"

Xiang Junhua, who was standing next to him, was also very shocked. He picked up a piece of tomato and ate it. The tomato made him feel like he was back in his childhood, eating the tomatoes his parents grew in his hometown.

Back then, my family was poor and didn't have much to eat, so we grew some tomatoes, which we considered fruit. They were half-grown and red, and he would pick them as snacks whenever they ripened. He rarely tasted that delicious flavor again, but today he unexpectedly tasted it again, and it tasted even better.

Seeing the reactions of the father and son, Meng Lian understood everything. He had long forgotten his regret about buying those two tomatoes and was now filled with pride.

"Looking at the two of you, I knew it was delicious. The owner is really skilled; otherwise, why would so many people be scrambling to buy it when it was only nine yuan a pound?"

"Mmm, it's so delicious, Mom." Xiang Chen didn't care about being embarrassed anymore. He grabbed the soup spoon and scooped out another big bowl. He even mixed rice into it. Even the fish, which he didn't usually like, became exceptionally delicious with the addition of tomatoes.

Meng Lian smiled as she watched her son eat eagerly, "It's alright, it's a big bowl, take your time."

However, after a while, she realized something was wrong: the soup was gone so quickly.

As she took the soup spoon, her other hand reached out as well. She glanced to the side and saw Xiang Junhua. At that moment, Xiang Chen finished another bowl of rice and looked up, staring intently at the spoon in her hand.

"Hehe, wife."

"Mother."

Finally, Meng Lian snorted at the eager looks in their eyes, and left only half a bowl for the father and son.

Watching the two of them devour their food like hungry dogs, I couldn't help but say, "Now you can't say I got ripped off, can you?"

"No, no, Mom/Wife, you absolutely have to bring groceries home next time! They're so delicious!"

Meng Lian smiled, glad she had bought the vegetables.