Chef Hua

The tomatoes Song Jingxi brought could at most make just one dish, but if Hua Xiaomai could resist the temptation to eat them and sowed them all in the field, by the next year she would have a rare and unique vegetable in her hands, a new source of income clearly dropping into her pocket.

She knew that Song Jingxi had brought these tomatoes especially for her. Not wanting to feel indebted, she had the tomatoes cooked that very night at Daoxiang Garden, making an extra three or five delicate dishes to accompany Song Jingxi as they chatted idly by the fish pond.

It might seem a bit of a waste; however, she wasn’t bragging when she said that, with her current finances, getting a couple of tomatoes wasn’t a big deal at all. There were plenty of Escort Masters in the Lianshun Escort Agency who traveled all over the place all year round, able to go to any corner of the land. Whatever she wanted, she just had to mention it to Meng Yuhuai, and it would surely be found for her.

So why should she owe Song Jingxi a favor just for a few tomatoes?

The tomatoes of that era didn’t actually look very good; they weren’t the bright red color but slightly tinged with green and not very large in size. Hua Xiaomai peeled them, cut them into small pieces, and stir-fried them quickly with peeled shrimps, just adding a bit of salt for flavor and scattering a bunch of green onion on top before serving it up to Song Jingxi.

"This thing, I originally didn’t know how it should be cooked."

She said to Song Jingxi, smiling, "It was only after peeling it did I discover that it really, as you said, had a sour and sweet aroma, seeming very appetizing, so I boldly tried stir-frying it with shrimp. I just don’t know if it suits your taste."

Song Jingxi was a bit surprised, looking again and again at the dish with its fresh red and green colors, and in the end couldn’t resist, saying with a restrained smile, "I was thinking that since you live in the village, you must have some fields, and if you could plant these tomatoes, you would have another harvest next year..."

Hua Xiaomai looked somewhat embarrassed, lowering her head and pursing her lips, "To be honest with you, this is the first time I’ve seen this fruit. I asked everyone in the kitchen earlier, and none of them have heard of it either. No one in the village has ever grown it, and if something goes wrong, I wouldn’t know who to ask for help. Wouldn’t that just be a waste? It’s better to just make it into a dish and try something new—don’t laugh at me for not being worldly."

Song Jingxi understood in her heart, but it wasn’t appropriate to point it out. She picked up a shrimp and tasted it, immediately praising, "I always say, Xiaomai, you have the greatest talent in cooking, and now it seems I was right! The flavors of the tomato and shrimp complement each other perfectly. Now that the weather is getting warmer, eating a mouthful of this dish is truly refreshing. You had never seen tomatoes before; it must have been tough. How did you come up with this idea?"