OBS Chapter 114 Sweet Potato
Chapter 114 Sweet Potato
That night, a light spring rain began to fall in the mountains. It was exactly what I wished for.
The spring rain fell all night. When I woke up in the morning, the fresh air made me feel refreshed. The mountains in the distance were shrouded in mist. Standing at the entrance of the cave, it was like being in a fairyland, making Lin Yue feel as if she was in another world.
"Old Patriarch, what should we plant on this wasteland?"
Some elderly people have started to get anxious. They didn't bring much seeds with them, and even if all the households came together, they could only plant a small area.
"I was so busy fleeing! Why didn't I think of this during the spring planting down the mountain?"
"I should have left some seeds behind!"
"My family brought half a bag of wheat!"
"I have some millet at home."
Everyone knew that the village chief and the old patriarch were worried about reclaiming wasteland for farming, so they all took inventory of the things they had brought with them and reported them one by one.
"How about we gather the grain from each household and see what everyone has brought? Clearing the land and growing crops is a big deal, so we should all work together. When the autumn harvest comes, we'll distribute the grain according to the number of people in each household to ensure that every family has enough to eat. Otherwise, if we don't have enough to eat in this deep mountain, we'll just become food for wild beasts."
Some people suggested that the grain seeds brought by each family be collected and processed together.
"It can only be the!"
When the grain seeds from each household were harvested, the old patriarch frowned even more tightly.
The village chief stepped forward to take a look.
“These grains are terrible!”
Each family's grain seeds have been planted at the foot of the mountain, and the ones brought into the mountain are the leftovers. At that time, I just felt reluctant to leave the land at the foot of the mountain idle, but I didn't expect that there would not be much left after the harvest in the mountain.
"The land in this mountain isn't as good as the fertile fields at the foot of the mountain. If we plant crops, the harvest will be half as much. If the situation improves by then, maybe we can quietly go down the mountain and harvest the crops in the fields?"
Some families still held out hope for the crops down the mountain, but Lin Yue didn't think so. If the crops they planted were left unattended for a long time, how good would they be? If the situation didn't improve, it would be impossible for them to harvest the crops down the mountain!
Instead of holding on to hope, it’s better to find a way to survive in the mountains.
In fact, if there are no good seeds, they can still plant the grain they have stored, but the quality will be uneven, which will affect the yield.
She glanced at Qin Fang, who immediately stepped forward and spoke to the old patriarch.
"My family still has two bags of grain seeds. We brought them back when we came back from outside. We didn't want to plant them in the fields down the mountain. We thought if we couldn't harvest them, wouldn't it be a bargain for others? So we brought them to the mountains!"
The old patriarch was overjoyed when he heard this, and when he and the village chief saw the grain seeds that Qin Fang brought, their eyes widened!
"This...seed is too good! I've never seen such good grain in my life! Where did you buy this seed from?"
The old patriarch picked up a handful with trembling hands, looked at it carefully, and finally put it in his mouth to taste it, but he did not forget to ask Qin Fang about the source of the grain seeds.
But Qin Fang did not give a direct answer and changed the subject.
"We're saved! With such good seeds, we can grow good crops on the barren land in the mountains!"
"But, Qin Fang! We can't let you give away these grain seeds in vain. Everyone, listen up! The high-quality grain seeds that the Qin family gave us are our hope for survival. Only when we grow grain can we feel at ease. Otherwise, we won't be able to survive for more than a few months just by relying on the grain hidden in the mountains!"
"The Qin family has worked so hard to obtain these precious grain seeds and is willing to share them with everyone. We can't let them down. Right now, we are planting the first crop of grain. From now on, the Qin family will get an extra 10% of the grain produced from these seeds. Is that okay with everyone?"
"No problem! No problem!"
"Such excellent grain seeds! The Qin family is willing to plant them for us! We must repay their kindness!"
In order to respond to everyone's call to grow crops, Lin Yue also stepped forward.
"Village chief, old patriarch, I have a kind of food here. The young master of Sifanglou gave it to me. He said he got it from traveling merchants in the south. It looks quite rare. I tried to grow it and found that the seeds are very similar to the edible medicinal herb called sweet potato that I saw in medical books before. If we grow that in the mountains, I believe we will never have to worry about food!"
When everyone heard Lin Yue say this, they became interested.
Lin Yue rummaged through the bamboo basket she brought with her and pulled out a herb with branches and leaves. There was a green vine with two leaves and a rhizome underneath. On the rhizome were several red-skinned fruits, some long, some round, and of different sizes.
"How could this tree have so many fruits?"
The old patriarch looked at it carefully in surprise, and was a little curious about the medicinal herb that had so many fruits growing on its rhizome.
"This is just a test crop I planted. It's not mature yet. Looking at these tiny, long roots, they should all grow into fruit. The yield will be quite high! And it tastes amazing."
The old patriarch simply squatted down and took a closer look. Some of those tiny roots had a small bulge, which looked like small sweet potatoes. Those that grew up were also very pleasing to the eye!
Lin Yue was right. This thing…something called sweet potato, if it were planted in the mountains, everyone would have no worries about not having enough to eat! One tree yielded so much, what a huge yield! Amazing!
"Ayue, how do you eat this?"
Lin Yue left one behind, peeled it with a knife, and handed it to the old patriarch.
"I've tried it. It's delicious raw, too. Sweet and juicy, so it's also called sweet potato. I remember reading about it, saying it has the benefits of replenishing qi, strengthening the spleen and stomach, and moistening the intestines and facilitating bowel movements. It should be good to eat it boiled or steamed. It's a bit like yam, sweet, powdery, and sticky, but it has a downside..."
The old patriarch's attention was all on the sweet potato. He took a bite and nodded continuously while chewing.
"Hmm... delicious! It's a good thing!"
The village chief heard the last sentence and couldn't help asking, "What's the harm?"
Lin Yue chuckled, "It is said that eating too much can help with gas!"
"Hahaha……"
The old patriarch couldn't help laughing, and handed the sweet potato in his hand to the village chief, asking everyone to have a taste. Everyone praised the sweet potato, saying that it was sweet and mouth-watering, and the more you eat, the more you want to eat. It seems that it will taste even better if it is steamed or boiled!
"What's the harm in that?"
Everyone laughed. "To ventilate! That's just farting!" Hahahaha...
Who doesn’t fart when eating whole grains? Farting more is good for your stomach!
Hahaha……
"That's right, this is a medicinal herb. Can I take it often?"
Some people worry that medicinal herbs cannot be eaten frequently like food ingredients.
Cheng Yi gave a more authoritative answer to this point.
"That's okay. This plant is an edible medicinal herb. In fact, all the food we eat can be used as medicine. This is what they call the common origin of medicine and food!"
Since the two doctors in the village who knew medicine said so, everyone no longer had any concerns.
As they chatted and laughed, everyone seemed to have deeper hope for life in the mountains.