It was worth remembering that in the United States, farmland is measured in acres.

An acre is significantly larger than a Chinese *mu*, so even a third of an acre was a sizable plot—equivalent to a full two *mu*.

And an area of two *mu* was nothing to sneeze at.

Then, Feng Mountain walked past the lettuce patch and came to a carrot patch.

He saw rows of carrots standing straight and tall, each one as thick as a person’s wrist.

"You grew these, too?"

"Yep! Ms. Maria carefully tends to these vegetables in the garden every day, weeding the patch whether it’s raining or snowing," Tammy replied cheerfully.

"She’s worked hard."

Feng Mountain looked at the slightly shy Maria, his eyes full of admiration.

’When I brought her back from Kivalina to the Crown Territory, I just wanted to give her a new environment so she wouldn’t have to live in a nightmare.’

’Who knew this girl would give me such a huge surprise.’

Maria shook her head and took Tammy’s hand.

"I don’t have Sister Jenny’s cooking skills, or Erica’s direct personality, and I can’t mix drinks like Demi. I can only do what I’m able to. Besides, I enjoy growing vegetables. Seeing them slowly grow out of the soil and watching everyone enjoy what I’ve grown makes me really happy."

Seeing Maria’s humble expression, Feng Mountain was momentarily at a loss for words.

’Her simple kindness was like pure snowmelt flowing through this complicated world, something that felt exceptionally precious.’

A warm feeling spread through Feng Mountain’s chest. After a moment’s thought, he pulled out his phone and sent a text, deciding to give her a small reward.

The reward might not be expensive, but it represented his approval of Maria.

"Come on, keep showing me your vegetable garden."

"This is the tomato patch. It produces both large and small tomatoes. The restaurant has a higher demand for the smaller ones."

The two girls led Feng Mountain into the tomato patch.

Row after row of trellises were laden with red and yellow tomatoes of all sizes. Under the lights, they looked like countless brilliant gems dotting a sea of green.

A gentle breeze drifted by, carrying a fresh scent mixed with the sweet fragrance of tomatoes.

Maria gently picked a bright red tomato and handed it to Feng Mountain.

"Have a taste. The tomatoes we grow are very sweet." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Taking the tomato, Feng Mountain broke it open with a bit of force.

Instantly, the rich aroma of tomato rushed to his nose—a fragrance that carried the warm scent of the fruit and the richness of the earth.

Juice spurted out, and the thick, mealy pulp, enveloping the smooth, seeded flesh, was enough to make his mouth water.

’Hey, it’s even the mealy kind.’

He hadn’t seen this kind of mealy red tomato in years. Feng Mountain eagerly popped a piece into his mouth.

The sweet flavor exploded on his tongue.

The mealy pulp had a delicate, rich texture, while the smooth flesh carried a slight tartness that perfectly balanced the sweetness, making the tomato’s flavor all the more mellow.

The juice filled his mouth, bringing a cool, satisfying sensation.

The wind blew gently through the patch, the leaves RUSTLING as if applauding the delicious tomato.

Feng Mountain finished the tomato in a few bites. Seeing the expectant looks in Maria and Tammy’s eyes, he gave them a big thumbs-up.

"This is the most delicious tomato I’ve ever eaten. You two are amazing."

Radiant smiles instantly bloomed on Maria and Tammy’s faces, as beautiful and captivating as blossoming flowers.

After a moment, however, Tammy’s smile faded. Her little face scrunched up, and she looked unhappy.

Her brows knitted together and her lips formed a small pout, as if something was troubling her.

Feng Mountain noticed her expression and asked with concern, "What’s wrong, Little Princess of the Crown Territory?"

Tammy glanced at Maria, fell silent for a moment, and then said in a small voice,

"Even though our vegetables are delicious, we can only eat them ourselves or give them to the restaurant. The restaurant doesn’t use very many vegetables each day, and more keep ripening in the garden. It’s a waste if they’re not eaten, but Ms. Maria can’t bear to throw them out."

"I see." Feng Mountain looked at the countless ripe tomatoes hanging from the vines, thought for a moment, and asked, "Have you ever considered making them into tomato sauce?"

Tomato sauce?

Maria and Tammy were completely baffled. After a moment, one of them asked quietly,

Their eyes filled with curiosity and confusion, as if they had just discovered a whole new world.

"Khilla, is tomato sauce made from tomatoes?"

Uh...

Feng Mountain was momentarily speechless and could only look at the two girls with a helpless expression.

’I can’t believe these two don’t know that tomato sauce is made from tomatoes.’ But he quickly understood why.

’Maria is Inuit and grew up in Kivalina. It’s a relatively isolated place, so her exposure to different kinds of food was limited. Add to that the harsh environment of the Far North Tundra—tomato sauce isn’t exactly a staple food there. It’s not surprising she wouldn’t know. As for Tammy, she was confined to a basement by her family as a child, living in total darkness with no opportunity to learn about the outside world.’

A look of pity flickered in his eyes, and he spoke in a gentle voice.

"That’s right, tomato sauce is made from tomatoes. When you process them into sauce, they can be preserved for a much longer time. The flavor is unique, too, and you can pair it with all sorts of other foods."

"Really? You can make them into tomato sauce? Then we won’t have to worry about them rotting!" Tammy exclaimed happily.

Maria also broke into a happy smile.

"Any other problems? I’ll take care of them!" Feng Mountain said, a wave of warmth spreading through him as he saw the girls’ smiles.

"There are lots of cucumbers, long beans, chili peppers, cilantro, napa cabbage, and radishes... The restaurant can’t use them all, and there are so many in the garden," Tammy said with a pout. "So Ms. Maria was planning to clear a new patch of land to plant strawberries instead."

’The restaurant can’t use that much?’

’These vegetables are so fresh. How could they not get eaten?’

Feng Mountain frowned. Then again, he remembered that Jenny was a chef specializing in Western cuisine, so her use for some of these vegetables would indeed be limited.

’So what if we can’t eat it all? That’s an easy fix. Tomatoes can be made into sauce, cucumbers can be pickled, long beans can be pickled or dried, napa cabbage, radishes, and peppers can be preserved, and cilantro can be made into a paste. In the past, I used to make batches of pickles and vegetable pastes at my restaurant every year during the big harvest.’

With that thought, Feng Mountain took out his walkie-talkie.

"Feng Jun, Feng Jun, bring a few people to the vegetable garden."

"On my way!"

A short while later, Feng Jun arrived at the vegetable garden with a few female employees in tow. They found Feng Mountain sitting on the grass, eating a cucumber.

"Brother Feng, we’re here. What do you need?"

Feng Mountain finished his cucumber and pointed to the patch next to him. "Fengzi, tell me, are these foreigners clueless or what? Letting perfectly good vegetables go to waste in the field like this."

"They don’t know jack shit about food. All they eat is meat, potatoes, onions, and wilted greens." Feng Jun glanced guiltily over his shoulder at the chatting girls, his face filled with disdain. He was clearly unimpressed with foreign eating habits.

Feng Mountain nodded. "You know how to make tomato paste? And pickles?"

Hearing this, Feng Jun pounded his chest. THUMP. THUMP.

"Is that even a question? Back home, during the autumn harvest every year, we’d have so many vegetables we couldn’t eat them all. I always had to help my mom make pickles, tomato paste, pickled cucumbers, and preserved greens."

"You sure you can do it?"

"Positive."

’With Feng Jun helping, I can save myself a lot of work.’

Feng Mountain immediately rallied everyone to start harvesting, beginning with the tomatoes. Once picked, they were all brought down to the riverbank.

They then set up a barrier with wooden poles across a section of the Ice River and tossed the tomatoes in to wash off the dust and dirt.

Meanwhile, Feng Jun returned to the camp warehouse. He found two tall stockpots, dragged them to the riverbank where the tomatoes were being washed, built two simple stoves out of rocks, and started fires to boil water.

Once the water boiled, they blanched the tomatoes one by one in the boiling water. It didn’t take long—only about ten seconds for each batch.

The blanched tomatoes were then quickly moved into cold water, which made the skins easier to peel.

The commotion Feng Mountain started in the garden soon attracted the attention of the other camp staff.

Jenny arrived with a few other staff members, and upon learning they were making tomato sauce, everyone eagerly joined the effort.

Many hands made light work.

One group picked tomatoes, another washed and blanched them, and a third was in charge of peeling.

Feng Mountain, for his part, found a clean shovel, stuck it into the bucket of peeled tomatoes, and began chopping them up with a series of furious hacks.

This was the stage where you could decide the chunkiness of the sauce based on personal preference. For a smoother sauce, you’d want to chop them more finely.

Once the tomatoes were chopped, it was time for the final step.

Simmering the sauce.

The tall stockpot was set on the makeshift stove, and Feng Jun took charge of controlling the heat. The sauce needed to be simmered slowly over a low flame.

Throughout the simmering process, it needed to be stirred constantly to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

A bit of sugar could also be added to enhance the taste.

Before long, the rich aroma of tomato sauce began to waft from the stockpot.

The fragrance seemed to have a life of its own, spreading wantonly through the air.

Closer to the pot, the aroma grew even richer, making one want to take a deep, intoxicating breath.

The bright red sauce churned in the pot, sending up little bubbles, each pop releasing another wave of fragrance.

Feng Mountain, Maria, Tammy, Feng Jun, and the others gathered around the pot, their faces lit with joyful smiles.

...