In late autumn, the azure sky was spotless and crystal clear. The morning glow spread across the ground, cloaking the earth in a crimson ro...
In late autumn, the azure sky was spotless and crystal clear. The morning glow spread across the ground, cloaking the earth in a crimson robe.
Yun Qing held Zaozao in his arms as he leaned against the carriage and asked, "Did we come out a little too early?" Zaozao had been extremely excited ever since they left the house, wanting to look at the cows one moment and the birds the next. She fussed and bustled about endlessly, never resting for a moment.
Yuxi, who was holding the sleeping Liu-er, replied, "If we come out earlier, we can also go back earlier." Liu-er began catching up on sleep as soon as she got into the carriage. Even with Zaozao's loud voice, it didn't affect her sleep quality, which even made Yuxi marvel.
The couple had received word from Han Ji that the first crop of potatoes planted on the estate needed to be harvested within the next two days. So they chose today to go over and see how many potatoes one plot of land could produce.
Zaozao found staying in the carriage very boring. Hugging Yun Qing's neck, she said, "Dad, the horse—I want to ride the horse." It was too stuffy inside the carriage; riding a horse would be much more fun. Seeing Yun Qing look at her, Yuxi smiled and said, "If you want to take her riding, then go ahead!" Zaozao wouldn't be the only one learning to ride horses in the future — even Liu'er would, too.
Yuxi put Liu-er down, then lay beside her. Qiu Shi had ridden in carriages too much recently, so she was unwilling to accompany Yuxi to the estate this time.
After travelling for more than half a shichen1, the group finally arrived at the estate. Yuxi asked Momo Quan to take Zaozao and Liu-er to play in the courtyard, while she and Yun Qing went to personally harvest the potatoes from that plot of land.
By this time, Uncle An was already in the fields, tending to the plot that had been planted with potatoes in the tenth month. When he saw Yun Qing and Yuxi, he knelt and knocked his head on the ground three times, despite the mud.
Yuxi smiled and said, "Please get up quickly. Today, we'll be troubling you to teach us how to harvest potatoes!" This was Yuxi's first time working in the fields in either her past or present life.
Han Ji stood at the couple's side, acting as a translator.
Uncle An was somewhat surprised and also a little frightened when he heard this. After Han Ji had reassured him, Uncle An picked up a hoe and spoke rapidly in his dialect, then gave a demonstration. Han Ji explained, "General, Madam, you need to dig with a hoe. When digging, you must aim carefully. If the potatoes are damaged while digging, they won't store well and will spoil easily."
Yuxi listened very carefully. After listening, she raised the hoe and began digging into the soil, extracting seven or eight potatoes, though two were damaged. Putting down the hoe, Yuxi personally picked up the potatoes from the soil one by one and placed them into a basket. Each potato was about the size of an egg, and Yuxi could hold them all in one hand.
Once she had finished, Yuxi said to Yun Qing, who was standing beside her, "One plant already yields more than half a jin2. From these two fen3 of land, we should be able to harvest about three hundred jin2." Even with favourable weather and good conditions, one mu4 of low-quality wheat field would yield no more than three or four hundred jin2.
Yun Qing said with a smile, "Once everything has been harvested, let's weigh it all up and see how much there is." If they could promote this plant in the northwest, it would be a great joyous event that would benefit both the country and its people.
Two fen3 of land were harvested in the blink of an eye. When weighed, the total was 312 jin2. This amount meant that one mu of land could yield over a thousand jin2 of potatoes. And only forty to fifty jin2 of seed potatoes were required to plant one mu. Calculating it this way, Yuxi's eyes lit up as if they were glowing.
Yun Qing was also beaming as he suggested, "Then let's taste it at noon and see what they taste like." In truth, even if it tasted bad, it must still be promoted. If a famine came, even something unpalatable could still save lives.
Yuxi found it a bit amusing and asked, "Haven't you eaten it before? How could you forget?" She remembered the taste of potatoes very clearly.
Yun Qing really had forgotten.
As it was still early before lunch, the couple didn't return to the courtyard immediately, but took a walk around the farm instead. The estate was home to many animals, including chickens, ducks, fish, cattle and sheep.
They walked to the pond and watched the fish swim leisurely. Suddenly, one of the fish leapt out of the water and fell back in, creating ripples that spread outwards.
Yuxi couldn't help but suggest, "He Rui, when we have time, let's come stay at the farm for a few days!" It would be nice to fish and enjoy the scenery.
Yun Qing smiled and nodded. "We could stay here today."
Yuxi shook her head. "Not today—Mom, Dasao and the other are still at the residence!" Besides, there was a lot of work to handle at the mansion, so she couldn't leave.
Han Ji said, "Madam, I plan to plant lotus roots in this pond after spring begins." Using the pond only for fish felt like a waste.
Yuxi nodded in satisfaction. "Planting lotus roots is a good idea." Once they had been planted, not only could they eat the roots, but they could also use the leaves, stems and seeds.
Han Ji quickly responded, "As long as Madam likes it, that's good." He had deliberately expanded the pond to twice its original size because he knew Yuxi would like the idea; otherwise, they would have planted the lotus a long time ago.
After walking around, the couple returned to the estate courtyard, where they saw Zaozao holding a little rooster and playing happily.
Looking at Zaozao, whose hair was as messy as a bird's nest and whose clothes were stained with chicken droppings, Yuxi told Yun Qing, "Go change her clothes."
As Yun Qing approached, Zaozao handed him the little rooster and said cheerfully, "Dad, the little rooster—let's stew and eat it."
Yuxi ignored the interaction between father and daughter and went straight inside. Seeing Liu-er lying silently on the bed, she walked over, picked her up, and asked Momo Quan, "When did she last feed?" Zaozao had been weaned at ten months, but Liu-er was still being breastfed. The decision about when to wean her had not yet been made.
Momo Quan replied with a smile, "She just ate half an hour ago. Second Miss has a good appetite; even the wet nurse's milk isn't enough, so I've asked the cook to prepare a steamed egg custard for her." Liu-er had started eating supplementary foods at four months old, over a month earlier than Zaozao.
At that moment, Yuxi could hear Zaozao's cries coming from outside the room. She smiled and shook her head. "I'm worried that she'll turn into a tomboy when she grows up."
Momo Quan didn't like hearing that and said, "Once Zaozao turns five, she must start learning proper etiquette. The manners of a well-bred young lady are essential."
Yuxi had the same idea, but she was worried she wouldn't be able to control the girl later on. "Zaozao is protected by Uncle Huo and He Rui. I'm afraid she won't listen to me when the time comes."
However, Momo Quan wasn't worried. "As long as Huo Changqing and the General truly care for Zaozao, they won't interfere." Martial arts and archery could be learned as survival skills, but basic etiquette was also indispensable.
Yuxi smiled and didn't argue with Momo Quan. In a couple of years, she would realise how difficult this would be. Once a child's heart had run wild5, how could you possibly tie her down? Of course, deep down, Yuxi didn't really want Zaozao to be bound by all kinds of rules like she was.
At lunchtime, besides a table full of country dishes that were excellent in colour, aroma, and taste, there was also a large plate of steamed potatoes. That day, potatoes were served as the staple food.
Yun Qing picked one up and was about to put it in his mouth. Han Ji hurriedly reminded him from the side, "General, this potato needs to be peeled before eating."
After peeling it, Yun Qing popped the whole potato in his mouth and chewed slowly. After swallowing, he nodded to Yuxi. "The taste is not bad. It's powdery with a slight sweetness."
Yuxi usually followed the rule of not speaking while eating or sleeping, but today was an exception. She asked Han Ji, "Are there other ways to cook it besides steaming?"
Han Ji pointed to a dish on the table and replied, "Madam, potatoes can be cooked in many ways, not just steamed. This plate of hot and sour shredded potato is a good example."
Yuxi took a bite and nodded. "Mm, eating this dish in summer really stimulates the appetite…" Before she could finish speaking, she saw Yun Qing's brows furrow so tightly they seemed tied in knots.
Yun Qing didn't like sour food, but he valued food and didn't want to waste it, so he forced himself to swallow it. However, the painful expression on his face made it seem as if he were eating poison!
Yuxi saw this, but said nothing, only smiling with pursed lips.
After lunch, Yun Qing and Yuxi returned to the city. On the way, Yun Qing said, "We can plant these potatoes on a large scale next year."
Yuxi shook her head. "There are too few seeds, so large-scale planting isn't possible. I plan to send Tian Yang back to Fujian. Now that we've confirmed they can be grown, we should naturally purchase them in bulk."
Yun Qing proposed, "Have Shang Da bring some men to accompany Tian Yang." Previously, Yun Qing had not taken this crop seriously because he thought it couldn't be grown in the northwest. Now he knew that it could and had such high yields, he realised it had to be treated as an important matter.
Yuxi nodded. "All right. I hope they can bring the seeds back smoothly this time." Fujian and Jiangxi were currently overrun with bandits and thieves, much worse than the situation in the northwest had been, so travelling merchants faced great danger.
That evening, Qiu Shi told Yuxi that she wanted to move out. Seeing that Yuxi disagreed, Qiu Shi smiled and reasoned, "The place we live is only about fifteen minutes from the Yun residence, not far at all. If we want to see you, we can just come over." The residence that Yuxi had arranged for the Han family was not only good, but also conveniently close.
Qiu Shi wanted to move out because she felt that Yuxi was too busy. Having their group stay at the Yun residence was only adding to Yuxi's workload, so Qiu Shi insisted on moving out.
Yuxi could not argue against Qiu Shi, so she had no choice but to agree. "Mom, I'm sorry. You've been here for so long, and I haven't had a chance to spend any quality time with you."
Qiu Shi gently stroked Yuxi's hair and said with a smile, "What's there to apologise for? You're talking nonsense. I know you've never been able to stay idle since you were young, and that's a good thing." When Yuxi had nothing to do, she would become listless. However, when she had things to do, she would be full of energy and vitality. Just like now, though she was a bit busy, her overall spirit was excellent.
Yuxi asked, "Mom, for Dasao's medicinal cuisine, should we have Momo Quan prepare it and send it to the Han residence, or should we send the ingredients for them to cook themselves?"
Even with the same medicinal ingredients, the results could differ vastly depending on who prepared them—Qiu Shi understood this well. She answered, "It's better to have Momo Quan prepare it and send it to the Yun residence."
Yuxi nodded.
Footnotes Full List
- 时辰 (shíchén): A traditional Chinese unit of time equal to about two hours.
- 斤 (jīn): 500 grams (about 1.1 pounds)
- 分 (fēn): a small land unit, 1/10 of a mu.
- 亩 (mǔ): 666.7 square meters (about 1/6 acre)
- 心放野了 (xīn fàng yě le): Becoming unruly, or hard to control.
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