I Awakened to a Farming TALENT

## Chapter 32: The Green Peppers Mutated

As soon as Lin Dajiang walked into the dining hall, the rich smell of meat made his mouth water.

He glanced at the menu. The price for the grilled pork belly was just a little high, but the vegetable platter was way more expensive than market price. Normally, weren't veggies supposed to be free?

But hey, this was near a tourist spot. A slightly higher price was acceptable. Eating grilled meat without any veggies would be way too greasy anyway.

"Excuse me, I'll have one order of grilled pork belly and one vegetable platter." Lin Dajiang didn't hesitate and ordered straight away.

With such an amazing smell, price didn't matter. The only important thing was getting it into his mouth as fast as possible.

Jiang Tingyun told Zhu Lili to go pick some more lettuce and green peppers from the garden, while she herself went into the kitchen to start grilling the meat.

Lin Dajiang watched as the waitress picked the vegetables right there, then washed them carefully in water before bringing them to him. He was surprised. "No wonder your veggies are so expensive—this is incredibly fresh!"

Soon, the grilled pork belly arrived.

The pork belly had already been cut into small pieces—just the right fat-to-lean ratio, evenly thick and thin, grilled golden brown on both sides with a slight char. And man, the portions were huge.

The vegetable platter came with lettuce and green peppers. They were bright and vibrant, looking incredibly crisp and fresh.

Lin Dajiang couldn't wait any longer. He picked up a piece of meat, dipped it into the restaurant's sauce, and popped it into his mouth.

He'd thought that with such simple decor and a basic menu, maybe the food would smell better than it tasted.

But the pork belly was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, juicy, and the dipping sauce was super flavorful.

And most importantly, the meat was incredibly fresh!

He grabbed a crisp piece of lettuce, put a sauce-covered piece of pork belly on it, wrapped it up, and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.

If the grilled pork belly alone was only above average, then adding the lettuce—whose freshness balanced out the grease—gave the dish a whole new level of soul.

To be fair, eating pork belly wrapped in lettuce was something every BBQ joint did. But the lettuce at this place was especially fresh and crunchy. No wonder—it had just been picked from the garden.

He went back and forth between meat and veggies, and before he knew it, he had finished all the pork belly.

Only some green peppers remained on the table. Lin Dajiang picked one up and looked at it. The pepper was a vibrant green, plump and round, cut in half.

Having studied agriculture, he recognized it as an old local variety. Eating it raw was bitter and astringent, and even cooked, it didn't taste very good.

Why would the restaurant serve this?

With that question in mind, he bit directly into the thick green pepper. *Crunch.* A sweet, crisp, refreshing juice filled his mouth. The fresh, vibrant flavor shot straight to the top of his head.

"Damn! Is this a vegetable or a fruit? How can a green pepper taste like this?" Lin Dajiang started questioning reality.

He chewed a couple more times, not believing it. The flesh was crisp and plump, bursting with juice—way better than the imported thick-skinned bell peppers.

Lin Dajiang couldn't sit still anymore. Seeing that the restaurant wasn't busy, he went up to the counter to chat with Jiang Tingyun.

"Boss, did you grow these green peppers yourself? Isn't this an old variety? How can it taste this good?" he asked curiously.

Jiang Tingyun was actually a bit puzzled herself.

To be honest, the green pepper variety wasn't good—it was an old local kind that was almost obsolete. She had bought the seeds without paying much attention at the time. She had no idea what she had done when planting them, but a few of the plants had mutated. The fruit they bore was big and perfect—large and incredibly good—and the flavor had jumped up several levels.

They were sweet and full of moisture, with that special green pepper aroma, thick flesh, and not a hint of bitterness.

Jiang Tingyun told him the truth directly. "I grew them myself, and yes, the seeds are the old variety."

"But I don't know what happened. Two of the plants produce fruit that's especially good."

Lin Dajiang's eyes lit up. "Boss! Could you sell me some green peppers and some seedlings? I work at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Our unit recently set up a Vegetable Improvement Center, and a friend of mine works there, specifically on green pepper variety improvement."

Jiang Tingyun was a bit surprised, but she didn't hesitate. She turned and headed to the backyard.

"Follow me."

Lin Dajiang followed her into the backyard and saw that it wasn't really a yard—it was a large patch of private land fenced in with some wicker. The owner had planted vegetables all over it.

Besides green peppers, all kinds of common vegetables and fruits were growing there. It looked lush and thriving. A few plots were covered with plastic mulch, so it was hard to tell what was growing there.

Lin Dajiang couldn't help but admire it. "Boss, you're really good at growing vegetables."

Jiang Tingyun smiled and led him forward for a bit, then pointed to a vegetable plot. "See those two plants in the middle? Wait a moment."

She walked over, dug up the two green pepper seedlings that were different from the others, and carefully handed them to Lin Dajiang.

"Just these two. I'll give them to you for free. Take them back and have your friend study them. If he can really improve the variety, then I guess I've done my bit for the country."

Her gut told Jiang Tingyun that she didn't need to worry about these green peppers testing for any weird ingredients that would expose her talent.

Because these two seedlings were just naturally mutated. Handing them over to the state could actually help improve the variety.

Lin Dajiang hurriedly thanked her.

Overjoyed, he tucked the green peppers into his bag, carefully protected the two seedlings, and got back into his car. He rushed back to the Academy of Agricultural Sciences practically nonstop.

His friend Zhao Lei was at the National Vegetable Improvement Center, specifically in charge of green pepper variety improvement.

"Lei Da! Lei Da! Come take a look!" Lin Dajiang burst into the office.

Zhao Lei was in the middle of filling out comparative trial results for several previous varieties.

Seeing his good friend barging in so urgently, he shook his head helplessly. "I'm busy here. What's got you so worked up?"

"Look at these two seedlings, and these green peppers." Lin Dajiang didn't say much else. He just carefully placed what he was carrying on the desk.

Zhao Lei glanced at them. "This is an old green pepper variety? Didn't it get phased out? Old varieties have high fruit yield and strong disease and stress resistance—they're actually excellent in that regard. But the flavor isn't good. They're bitter and astringent. Not popular in the market."

"Wait. These leaves look a little different."

Lin Dajiang said mysteriously, "The seeds are from the old variety, but they grew differently. And try this green pepper."

He pulled half a green pepper out of a plastic bag. It was leftover from the vegetable platter earlier—he had packed it and brought it back.

Zhao Lei didn't mind. He picked up the half and took a bite.

Sweet, refreshing juice flowed straight out of his mouth. His face was a mess, but he didn't bother wiping it. He chewed carefully, feeling the crisp aroma filling his mouth, the aftertaste lingering endlessly.

"This tastes amazing! Did these seedlings really bear this fruit?" Zhao Lei could hardly believe it.

Lin Dajiang said seriously, "Absolutely true. I watched her pick them. There are more on the plant. Want to pick one and try?"

Zhao Lei's face suddenly became excited. He examined the two seedlings carefully. "I never expected this. An old variety actually produced a mutation like this—and a natural mutation at that! Look at these seedlings—high fruit yield, strong growth too!"

He paced back and forth a couple of times, then said, "Find some people and call a meeting right away. We don't know if the traits of this fruit are stable or if it's just a random mutation. We need to set up experiments immediately!"