"What do you think of this one?" Lu Wanqing picked a very yellow one and asked, looking up.
She explained, "I want it ripe!"
"That one isn't fully ripe yet," Yu Nong said.
Lu Wanqing: "..."
Yu Nong walked over, took a few glances, picked out a few pineapples, and then said to Lu Wanqing, "These ones are ripe."
Lu Wanqing picked three and put them into her space-ring. After storing them, she couldn't help but ask, "Where do I pay?"
"No need," Yu Nong said.
Little Yu Shu also explained seriously, "Mommy, the fruits and vegetables cultivated by the Academy of Sciences are free for us~"
Lu Wanqing was shocked. Was the treatment too good? All free, did that mean she could eat as much as she wanted?
"Then can we sell them..." Lu Wanqing couldn't help but blurt out.
"You can't sell them," Yu Nong mumbled.
Lu Wanqing: "...Alright, I was just speaking hypothetically."
Fruits and vegetables from non-mutated genes in the interstellar era were quite expensive. She had bought a lot when she was with the Mu and Zhongli families, which was very costly. She had initially thought of selling them secretly to earn some money for rice!
"Were the ingredients previously ordered by the Mu and Zhongli families also cultivated by the Academy of Sciences?" Lu Wanqing asked, thinking about it.
"Mm," Yu Nong nodded.
Lu Wanqing: "!!!"
"Then isn't your Academy of Sciences making a fortune? With so many people in the entire galaxy, if you supply all the ingredients, that's a lot of money!" Lu Wanqing couldn't help but get excited, feeling inexplicably thrilled and a little envious.
"Mommy, it's not the entire galaxy. The Academy of Sciences' ingredients only supply high-ranking officials in the Federation. The Academy doesn't manage ingredients for others," Little Yu Shu said with some helplessness, reminding her mother.
"Ah?" Lu Wanqing was stunned and looked down at her mother, "You don't supply all of them?"
They got into the aircraft and set off for home. On the way, Lu Wanqing listened to Yu Nong's explanation and finally understood the situation of ingredient management in the interstellar era.
In their era, although technology was very advanced and agriculture was almost fully automated, biological gene mutations were too severe. Most cultivated seedlings were unqualified. Only a very small number of plants with extremely minor mutations could be grown, processed into ingredients, and served on the dining table.
The scarcity of plant seedlings restricted the development of ingredients from the source, which directly led to most people in the galaxy being unable to afford vegetables and having to live on nutrient solution.
However, even though plant seedlings were very precious and rare, the interstellar ingredient market was not monopolized by the Academy of Sciences. There were still many private farms that grew edible fruits and vegetables. These fruits and vegetables were regularly tested by professionals, and as long as they met the federal standards for ingredients, they could be put on the market.
Of course, among all the ingredients in the market, those from the Academy of Sciences were the most expensive because they were the safest.
"What would happen if someone ate ingredients with sub-standard mutations?" Lu Wanqing asked, thinking.
Yu Nong looked at Lu Wanqing.
Lu Wanqing also looked at Yu Nong, very curious.
"Mommy, mutated plants taste very bad," Little Yu Shu said in a clear voice.
Lu Wanqing's mouth twitched, and then she was speechless, "Alright."
She and Xiao Yi had also eaten some mutated animal meat when they were on Twilight Star. The taste was indeed not very good.
The time spent picking vegetables exceeded Lu Wanqing's expectations, so when she returned home, she had to rush to start cooking immediately.
While Lu Wanqing was busy, Little Yu Shu did not leave. The child was truly like her mommy's shadow, always following her, and occasionally lending a hand.
Little Yu Shu was six years old this year, not a very very young child anymore, so when convenient, Lu Wanqing would ask her to do some chores, like washing dishes, to exercise the child's hands-on ability.
Having a well-behaved daughter by her side, even if it was a little tiring, made Lu Wanqing feel very happy when she was busy.
Especially when the child's gaze was always on her, it gave her a feeling of being the child's faith, making her want to do more for her child.
In addition to the two dishes Little Yu Shu liked, Lu Wanqing also discreetly asked Aunt Zhang about Madam Yu and Yu Nong's tastes. So, she added one more dish and one soup. The dish was light-flavored, as Madam Yu didn't like strong flavors. The soup was also what Madam Yu liked; she had to have a bowl of soup with every meal. As for Yu Nong, Aunt Zhang said he didn't have any particular preferences and would eat anything, so Lu Wanqing didn't prepare any special dishes for him.
Three dishes and one soup, plus rice. It wasn't extremely difficult, nor was it simple. Lu Wanqing spent nearly an hour preparing dinner.
When the food was served, Aunt Zhang specially checked for food safety, and only after confirming there were no problems did she invite everyone to eat.
Madam Yu still had a cold expression, looking unhappy. She went upstairs directly after eating.
Lu Wanqing also didn't want to get too involved in Madam Yu's affairs. Although she knew Madam Yu was innocent, her innocence had little to do with her. She just needed to take good care of Little Shu Shu.
A domestic robot came to clear the dishes. Lu Wanqing used a tissue to wipe the sweet and sour sauce from Little Yu Shu's lips, then took the child upstairs.
However, before entering the room, she casually asked Yu Nong a question.
"By the way, Yu Nong, can I read the books in Little Shu Shu's room?" Lu Wanqing asked.
Although she had already asked Little Yu Shu for her opinion, Shu Shu was young, and those books didn't seem simple. It was more appropriate to ask Yu Nong.
Yu Nong was stunned by the question. After reacting, he nodded, "Mm, you can."
Lu Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled, "Thank you. I will study hard."
She was very interested in those books, and now that she had a suitable opportunity, she might as well seize it and learn properly.
"Mm," Yu Nong nodded.
Yu Nong's personality was truly very quiet and his speech was slow, yet he had raised Shu Shu so well. The child's eyes shone with light, which Lu Wanqing found somewhat miraculous.
After all, compared to Mu Sijie and Zhongli Feiyu, Yu Nong seemed too unusual.
A man who appeared unusual had raised a child with shining eyes, while those two seemingly normal men had raised their children to lose the vitality and energy that children should have, creating an inexplicable sense of contrast.
Lu Wanqing thought about it, then bid farewell to Yu Nong and took Little Shu Shu back to the room.
"Oh, right, from today onwards, I want to sleep with Little Shu Shu. That is... when I am here, let Little Shu Shu sleep with me, and she will temporarily stay in my room, is that okay?" Lu Wanqing remembered and suddenly turned back to say to Yu Nong.
Yu Nong was about to enter the room. Hearing Lu Wanqing's words, he turned back and looked at Little Yu Shu.
Little Yu Shu looked at her father and said happily, "Daddy, I want to sleep with Mommy."
"Okay," Yu Nong replied in his slow tone.
Lu Wanqing inexplicably seemed to understand the difference in how these three men raised children.
Mu Sijie and Zhongli Feiyu had not treated their children as independent, complete individuals. They naturally stood from an adult's perspective, planned their children's lives, and dictated what they should do and how they should do it every day.
But Yu Nong was different. For such a small matter, Yu Nong did not directly agree but first sought the child's opinion. Little Yu Shu liked it, so he agreed!