Chapter 354 Potatoes and Corn

The old man told Xie Wanniang that they also planted an invasive crop called potato, which tasted bland. Moreover, this spring, a family in the next town was poisoned after eating it, and the whole family had to be sent to see a doctor.

Xie Wanniang immediately perked up upon hearing this; wasn't this the potato she was looking for?

She asked the old man, "How many potatoes do you have? If you're not growing them, can you sell them all to me?"

The old man was somewhat surprised. "Aren't you afraid of getting sick from eating it? That family in the next town, they suffered from vomiting and diarrhea for a long time, and they're still lying at home in bed."

Xie Wanniang's heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "Did they eat a lot?"

The old man nodded. "Nothing else, that's all we can eat. I heard they grow quite a lot, and the potatoes have even sprouted and changed color, but they still haven't finished them."

Upon hearing this, Xie Wanniang said to the old man and his younger relatives with mixed feelings, "If it has sprouted and changed color, it cannot be eaten. Also, never eat it if it is rotten, spoiled, black, or sticky. If you eat it, you will either vomit and have diarrhea at best, or you will lose your life at worst."

After a pause, Xie Wanniang added, "Also, when eating potatoes, you must peel them thoroughly, especially around the eyes. You must dig them out completely, then wash them with clean water and put them in a pot to cook until they are thoroughly cooked."

The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment. The little girl's mother couldn't help but exclaim, "So there are so many things to know about eating potatoes! Sprouted or green potatoes can actually cause poisoning. No wonder the people of Sanshui Village are vomiting and having diarrhea."

Xie Wanniang nodded, "That's right. Anything that has sprouted or turned green is completely inedible. Don't think that cutting off the sprouted or green parts will make it fine."

Of course, Xie Wanniang wasn't sure whether the other party would listen to her.

After all, even in the world she lived in her previous life, there were still people who would eat potatoes that had sprouted or turned green.

Not to mention that the world she lives in now is a cruel world where resources are severely scarce and many people are living below the poverty line.

Many people here subconsciously believe that nothing matters except death, and they are much more reckless than her kind in her previous life.

After all, if people are really starving, they can even eat Guanyin clay and the flesh of their own kind. What are mere toxins that cause vomiting and diarrhea?

Even if excessive amounts can be fatal, does that mean eating Guanyin clay won't?

Thinking of this, Xie Wanniang couldn't help but sigh. To put it bluntly, it was all because of poverty.

She asked the old man, "Do you sell these potatoes?"

The old man thought about it and decided to sell her five bags.

Although the important person had explained to them the reason for the potato poisoning, their psychological trauma from eating potatoes could not be eliminated immediately.

Since their family has already decided to plant more sweet potatoes this year, it doesn't matter if they plant fewer potatoes.

Because of the fact that this stuff had a history of causing physical discomfort, the old man felt embarrassed to continue charging Xie Wanniang five taels a bag.

He charged Xie Wanniang a total of twenty taels for the five bags of potato seeds, which was a significant discount for her.

Of course, this is relative. If he were to sell this to someone else, they wouldn't offer him such a high price.

It was only because Xie Wanniang was someone who seemed foolish and rich to ordinary people that he dared to take advantage of the principle of "rarity makes things valuable" and shamelessly ask her for such a high price.

Xie Wanniang had a different idea. In her opinion, these two items were not yet widely available, and this was the time when they were most valuable. She wanted to seize the opportunity, so it was normal for her to suffer a loss on the price.

The old man and his family were naturally delighted to have sold a few sacks of sweet potatoes and potatoes for thirty taels of silver. However, the other villagers who came to watch the excitement were extremely envious.

One of the elderly women, with a full head of white hair and so many wrinkles and age spots on her face that she was almost unrecognizable, boldly asked Xie Wanniang, "My lord, do you... do you want some corn?"

Xie Wanniang was taken aback, "Coix wheat?"

The old woman nodded. "It's that kind of tall stalk with big leaves, the fruit is wrapped in leaves, and it has long spikes. If you peel back the leaves, you can see grains of wheat-like things, but... but it's a foreign crop that's very difficult to cook."

A little girl nearby exclaimed, "Grandma Liu, are you talking about those strings of things hanging under your eaves?"

The old woman was a little embarrassed. "Yes. My son, when he wasn't working in the fields, he helped people carry bags at the dock. Those foreigners brought things from a long way, but after selling them for a long time, no one bought them, so they just threw them away."

The other party threw it away in a fit of anger, but her son thought it looked nice, so he picked it up and hung it under the eaves.

During a period of food shortage, she tried putting some granules in water and boiling them. But no matter how long she boiled them, they remained hard and unpalatable.

After that, her family never considered taking that thing again. Now, seeing that the people in the same village had earned money from two foreign crops, the old woman, while envious, also thought of the strings of things hanging under the eaves of her own house.

At first, Xie Wanniang didn't know what she was talking about, but after she described it in detail, Xie Wanniang immediately realized what it was.

She suppressed her eagerness and joy, "Could you take me to see it first?"

The old woman nodded repeatedly.

Xie Wanniang then followed her to another courtyard not far away.

The courtyard was much more dilapidated than the previous one, but Xie Wanniang didn't seem to mind at all and walked right in.

The old woman, who had been very nervous, felt her tension ease a little when she saw that Xie Wanniang did not look down on their dilapidated and shabby home.

She eagerly led Xie Wanniang inside, then called her eldest grandson to get a ladder so he and his brothers could take down the corn cobs hanging under the eaves.

Her grandchildren are mostly over ten years old, while the youngest are only seven or eight. Climbing trees and walls is a daily routine for the children. When the old lady asks them to climb ladders to get corn cobs, it's not considered work at all, but rather like playing a game.

When the children presented all the corn cobs to Xie Wanniang, she finally took a closer look.

I discovered that the corn, like sweet potatoes and potatoes, although not as visually appealing as the modern, carefully selected and optimized varieties, was indeed plump and well-preserved.

Putting everything else aside, there shouldn't be any problems using it for seeding.

She asked the old woman, "I'll take this. How much do you think is appropriate for me?"