Li Zhensheng and Li Lao Er both nodded, but they were still somewhat anxious.
A burning desire for power and to rise above others!
In the neighboring courtyard, Li Laosi exchanged a few words with the Marquis and then went back.
Jiayin sat in her godfather's lap and whispered in his ear, "Godfather, do you remember that Fu Niu has a surprise gift for you?"
The Marquis couldn't help but laugh, and replied in a low voice, "I remember, my godfather is still waiting."
Jiayin hugged the Marquis's neck with a grin and pointed outside, "Come on, I'll take my godfather to see the surprise."
The two, one big and one small, went out the door and made their way to the east wing.
Dongmei was doing needlework in the main room of the east wing when she saw Jiayin coming over. She smiled and said, "Miss is here again."
After saying that, she turned to the Marquis and bowed, "My lord, the young lady has been coming and going for several days now, saying she's preparing a surprise for you. She's gone to great lengths."
The Marquis nodded and, following Jiayin's directions, pushed open the door and entered the south room.
Ye Shan and Dong Mei immediately left the room, one guarding the door and the other guarding the courtyard.
At this moment, the Marquis stared at the strange-looking things on the kang (heated brick bed), looking at Jiayin with wide eyes, quite puzzled.
On the long, kang (heated brick bed), the original new kang mat had been removed.
At the head of the kang (heated brick bed), on the far left, there was a potato with a sprout, next to it was a chopped potato, and finally several large flower pots.
The first flowerpot was filled with soil, the second flowerpot contained a small seedling, the third flowerpot contained a three-foot-tall seedling with small purple flowers, and the seedling in the fourth flowerpot was already half withered...
"Ahem, Fu Niu'er, is this the surprise you gave your godfather?" The Marquis asked cautiously, afraid of hurting the little girl's filial piety.
Jiayin nodded emphatically, raised her chin, and began her science lesson in a serious manner.
“Godfather, I’m going to give you two kinds of food, potatoes and corn. This is the first one, potatoes. Look, this is a big potato, which can be cut into pieces, and each piece has an eye. As long as you plant one piece in the ground, it will sprout like this in half a month, flower in a month and a half, and wither and ripen in three months. But do you know where its fruit is?”
The Marquis watched as the little girl's tiny hand touched several flowerpots one after another, and finally her eyes sparkled as she looked over with a smug expression.
Even though he had already guessed it in his heart, he still shook his head in agreement.
Sure enough, the little girl was overjoyed, her chubby little body wiggling back and forth like a happy little dog wagging its tail. "Godfather is so silly, it's called a potato, of course it's in the ground!"
After saying that, Jiayin tried to pick up the flowerpot and empty it, but her face turned red from holding it in, and she couldn't manage to pick it up. In the end, she was so tired that she sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed).
The Marquis could no longer contain himself and burst into laughter, which made the chubby girl pout in anger!
The Marquis quickly raised his hand and turned the flowerpot upside down, causing a clump of soil to fall out, which was tightly wrapped by the roots.
Hidden among the roots were a few potatoes.
"Hmm?" The Marquis looked on with some surprise. He immediately separated the roots from the soil and finally got more than a dozen potatoes of different sizes.
The large ones are as big as a man's fist, and the small ones are as big as a duck egg; together they weigh about five or six pounds.
Seeing that the Marquis was stunned, Jiayin proudly picked up the small piece of potato from the beginning and put it aside, forming a clear control group.
Sure enough, the Marquis's eyes widened even more, and his face turned red, completely losing his usual strong, cold, and serious demeanor.
"This...this, there are actually so many?"
Jiayin nodded emphatically, her chubby cheeks trembling. "Yes, Godfather, isn't it incredibly profitable?"
The Marquis took a deep breath, seemingly wanting to correct the chubby girl's misuse of words, but after thinking it over, he realized that the phrase "a small investment yields huge profits" was indeed the most appropriate.
Such a small piece, less than two ounces, can actually produce five or six pounds of fruit!
Moreover, it seems to be very easy to plant and does not require a large area. If planted in large areas, will the yield per mu be more than ten dan?
No! Maybe it's twenty loads!
Jiayin laughed even more smugly, and pulled him to the end of the kang (a heated brick bed).
This time, first there was a small bowl with a single kernel of corn, then several large flowerpots, from a seedling with two leaves all the way to a half-dried corn stalk with a large corn cob attached.
"Godfather, hug me! I want to pick corn!"
The Marquis had a vague idea of what was going on, and suppressing his shock, he quickly lifted the chubby girl above his head.
The corn stalks looked taller than him and thicker than sorghum stalks; they should be good for firewood, right?
Jiayin used all her strength to break the corn cob off the cob.
The Marquis quickly took it, and this time, without Jia Yin's instruction, he peeled off the corn husks, revealing the golden kernels inside.
Jiayin picked up the corn cob and placed it directly next to the kernel.
The stark contrast and intense visual impact left the Marquis speechless, unable to utter a single word.
This is also a "highly profitable" opportunity!
Jiayin was busy for a while and got a little hungry, so she struggled to get down.
In the corner of the room, there was a small table with a small charcoal brazier, two sets of bowls and chopsticks, and two small stools beside it.
Jiayin lifted the wooden pot lid, revealing pork ribs, green beans, potatoes, and a few pieces of tender corn in the small iron pot, with golden corn cakes stuck to the side of the pot.
"Godfather, come and eat with us!"
As she spoke, she grabbed a piece of pork rib and started gnawing on it.
The Marquis quickly took a cloth and wiped her hands clean. After hesitating for a moment, he picked up a cornbread.
He took only one bite, then squinted his eyes and quickly picked up another piece of potato!
Even with his mouth full of grease, Jiayin didn't forget to continue his science lesson.
"Godfather, when corn is young, you can boil or roast it. When it's old, you can dry it, grind it into powder, and use it to make pancakes or porridge. Potatoes can be used as grain or as a vegetable. Although they're not as sweet as sweet potatoes, they won't give you heartburn if you eat a lot. They can be stored all winter like cabbage. You can even feed them to horses. In short, they're all good things!"
As she spoke, she offered a piece of tender corn to the Marquis's lips. He took two bites and nodded in agreement, "Not bad!"
Jiayin smiled so hard her eyes narrowed, and she ate with even more gusto.
Unfortunately, she was still young, and after eating only a little, she felt full and eventually nestled in the Marquis's arms, becoming somewhat drowsy.
Even here, she didn't forget to give instructions.
"Father, there are still many potatoes and corn seeds in the north room. If you plant them all, you can go and kill the barbarians."
The Marquis responded softly, "Alright, go to sleep."
After saying that, he slowly finished eating all the cornbread and potatoes in the pot before carrying the chubby girl out the door.
Dongmei stepped forward, and the Marquis whispered his instructions, "Clean up the iron pot and bowls in the south room, and don't touch anything else. From today onwards, you and your husband will take turns guarding the north and south rooms, and no one is allowed to enter or leave."
"Yes, my lord."
Dongmei quickly lowered her head in agreement. Only then did the Marquis carry the chubby girl back to the main room, lay out the bedding, help the chubby girl take off her outer clothes, and wipe her hands and face clean.
Fortunately, the chubby girl slept soundly and wasn't woken up. Her little belly rose and fell rhythmically.
The Marquis rose and gently pushed open the door. In the courtyard, the late autumn evening breeze was refreshingly cool.
The Marquis walked around and around until late at night. Ye Shan, who was guarding the door of the east wing, couldn't bear to watch any longer and stepped forward to advise him, "My lord, it's too cold. Your injury has just healed. You should go back and rest."
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