Font Size:
This morning, someone from the village went to the river to catch fish.
After finishing, they brought two large fish to Zuo Mingyan.
Ever since Jiang Tiantian started cooking at home a few times, Zuo Mingyan had developed an immense passion for culinary arts.
Before, she only cared about making food edible and not bland. But now, she pursued complex layers of flavors.
She carefully prepared a grilled fish dinner following the method Jiang Tiantian had previously described.
—-
Cha Chengye took a big bite of fish. After just a couple of chews, he frowned and sincerely gave his wife feedback:
“It’s too salty!”
The underlying message: There’s still room for improvement—keep going, wife!
Since his wife had finally asked for his opinion on a new dish, he had to be honest and take it seriously.
Zuo Mingyan’s smiling face slowly fell.
She turned to the others at the table with a questioning look.
Cha Jizu took a bite. It was indeed salty, but his daughter-in-law was so enthusiastic, spending the entire afternoon grilling and stewing. Could he really tell the truth and hurt her feelings?
As an experienced elder, of course not!
So, he kept a straight face, stayed silent, and turned to look at Jiang Tiantian.
Jiang Tiantian also took a bite. Yes, it was salty, but honestly, for a first attempt at such a complicated dish, it was already impressive.
Should she tell the truth?
Forget it…
She wasn’t foolish enough to get involved in this!
So, she also stayed silent and curiously turned to Cha Jiuzhang to see how he would handle it.
Cha Jiuzhang slowly picked a fatty piece from the fish’s belly, chewed it carefully, then smiled and said, “It’s a bit spicy.”
Zuo Mingyan’s frown instantly disappeared.
“I thought, since the weather is hot, adding some spice would make it more appetizing.”
“Then next time, Mom, use less chili.”
With that, she shot Cha Chengye a glare.
Cha Chengye:?!
What? He told the truth, and he’s the one in trouble?!
Jiang Tiantian buried her head in her bowl, suppressing her laughter. Her small shoulders shook as she trembled with amusement.
This family was too funny!
“Mom, the bok choy you picked today looks so fresh. Just looking at it makes me want to eat it.”
Cha Jiuzhang picked up a large portion of bok choy and put it into the grilled fish broth.
“Hey! Tiantian said we should eat the fish first and then cook the vegetables.”
Zuo Mingyan was about to stop him, but since the bok choy was already in the pot, she relented: “Alright, we can eat both together.”
Jiang Tiantian glanced at Cha Jiuzhang from the corner of her eye. This man was cunning!
—-
Jiang Tiantian sneaked into Cha Jizu’s small pharmacy.
After looking around, she crouched beside Cha Jizu, who was grinding herbs, and asked, “Grandpa, if you could mass-produce any medicinal herb, which one would you choose?”
Cha Jizu paused, straightened up, thought for a moment, and then replied:
“If I had to choose just one, I’d pick saffron.”
“Saffron is an essential ingredient in our family’s traditional bruise-relief ointment.”
“It has excellent blood circulation and anti-inflammatory effects. It can be used both externally and internally. It’s an incredible medicinal herb in many prescriptions.”
“Unfortunately, its yield is very low, and we have to import it from the Western Regions, making it extremely expensive and unsuitable for large-scale use.”
“Oh, saffron?” Jiang Tiantian nodded thoughtfully.
She knew about saffron—she had received some as a gift before. When added to water, it turned a golden hue with a unique fragrance. It was a highly valuable medicinal herb.
Originally from Persia, saffron was introduced to China during the Ming Dynasty and was known as “gold among flowers.” Internationally, it was priced per gram.
Although called “Tibetan saffron,” it didn’t actually come from Tibet. The name originated because Persian saffron was transported to China via India and Tibet, leading to the misconception that it was grown in Tibet.
Currently, China lacked the conditions to cultivate it.
Low yield, high price, wide applications.
It was indeed a good choice.
Jiang Tiantian’s eyes sparkled as she grinned and asked Cha Jizu:
“Grandpa, do you have any saffron bulbs?”
Cha Jizu looked at her curiously:
“How do you know I have saffron bulbs?”
“I just had a batch imported last month. I was planning to plant them soon.”
“Hehe… Grandpa, I heard saffron flowers are beautiful. Can you give me a few bulbs to grow myself?”
Cha Jizu frowned in disapproval. “Nonsense! I don’t have many, and you want to waste them?”
“Oh, Grandpa, just give me a couple!”
Jiang Tiantian clung to his knee and whined, “Just one or two, please?”
Cha Jizu, helpless against her pleading, sighed. “Fine, fine. Two—no more!”
Jiang Tiantian, triumphant, followed Cha Jizu into his herb garden for the first time.
Upon entering, she was surprised by its size.
Following Cha Jizu through the garden, they entered a well-ventilated greenhouse. In one corner, several large wooden crates were stacked.
Jiang Tiantian took one look and immediately protested:
“Grandpa, you lied! You said you didn’t have many, but there are crates full of bulbs!”
Cha Jizu shot her an exasperated glare. “You don’t understand! Getting these bulbs wasn’t easy.”
“To me, each one is worth a fortune.”
“Oh, alright.” Jiang Tiantian pouted and shrugged. “Then just give me two.”
—-
Jiang Tiantian instructed Xiao Qi to edit and upload the latest episode of “A Day in the Life of Mop.”
She checked the current stats—her fan count had reached 3.63 million, and she had 3.05 million gold coins.
The numbers were solid and steadily growing.
Thinking about going swimming the next day, she promptly ordered a slightly conservative white one-piece swimsuit online.
Then she picked out a pair of swim trunks for Cha Jiuzhang.
Although the era was still relatively conservative, they were already a couple—there was no need to be overly reserved.
As a woman with a 30-something soul trapped in an 18-year-old body, pretending to be a shy young girl felt unnatural.
Better to just be herself.
This time, the system wasn’t too cruel—the purchase cost her just under 50,000 gold coins.
Her 200-million-fan reward had already been approved by Xiao Qi: a plant improvement serum. She could use it at any time.
Holding the two saffron bulbs, she examined them closely.
“Xiao Qi, can the system’s serum improve these?”
“Theoretically, yes.”
“I want the improved bulbs to be easy to grow, high-yielding, and high-quality. Can all of this be achieved?”
“Based on system analysis, saffron is an autumn-planted bulb flower that thrives at an altitude of about 1,200 meters in dry, sandy soil. In such conditions, its quality is optimal.”
“Cha Family Village is in a valley at around 1,000 meters above sea level, with a warm, humid climate and fertile soil.”
“Technically, it can be grown here, but its quality won’t match that of its native habitat.”
Jiang Tiantian nodded. “That’s exactly why I need improvement!”
Xiao Qi confirmed: “Everything you want can be achieved.”
“But for high yields, each bulb must produce more flowers and daughter bulbs; otherwise, it won’t meet your expectations.”
**”Currently, each bulb blooms 1-2 flowers, sometimes 3-4. After modification, they’ll produce over **10 flowers each.”
**”Additionally, saffron normally propagates at a rate of 2x per year. But after modification, each bulb will generate *20-30 new bulbs*, expanding cultivation by **20-30 times next year.“
“Have you figured out how to explain this yet?”