The village chief, Li Yong, Liu Biaotou, and Uncle Zhao and a few others who had just returned from the Hundred Flowers Garden all ate dinner at Li's house.
Tao Hongying also made an extra dish of minced meat and mashed potatoes.
Potatoes are sliced, steamed, mashed, and piled into a volcano shape in a large porcelain bowl.
Stir-fry the minced meat until cooked, add broth, and season with minced scallions and ginger, soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Thicken with cornstarch water, then pour it over the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with chopped green and red peppers for color.
Scoop a generous spoonful, mix it with rice, and take a bite—the aroma is simply indescribable.
The old men each ate two large bowls of rice before they could even speak.
The village chief laughed and said, "Even when we're old and toothless, we won't starve to death. These potatoes are absolutely delicious!"
"Yes, especially when mixed with rice, I can eat a whole bowl! It's very filling and keeps you full!" Uncle Zhao said, scooping up another large spoonful of mashed potatoes.
Li Lao Er said, "We've harvested so much from the field, a few more won't make a difference. If the uncles like them, we'll make more for them later."
"That won't do!" The village chief and Uncle Zhao and the others all objected in unison.
The village chief put down his rice bowl and said, "These are for seed. We can plant more next year and eat them as we please. But not this year! Everyone can have one meal to satisfy their cravings, but the rest must be stored away. No one is allowed to eat any more."
Having no other choice, Li Lao Er quickly nodded in agreement, "Okay, okay, I definitely won't eat them, I'll save them all for breeding."
The village chief was troubled again and asked, "Uncle, where are we going to store all these potatoes? They're not good if they get too cold or too hot. If they rot, it'll be such a waste!"
Li Lao Er had already discussed this matter with his little niece, and he said, "Uncle, Zhengjiazhuang has also planted quite a lot. Originally, Fu Niu'er was going to send a batch to Xiankelai, but now let's send ours from our village instead!"
"Firstly, we are closer to the city, and secondly, there are large cellars in Zhengjiazhuang, which are convenient for storing potatoes. Next spring, we can get potatoes from there to plant."
"Great idea! It's just a lot of trouble for them!" The village chief was pleased to hear this and added, "We live too far away. They always help us, but we never get a chance to lend them a hand."
Li Lao Er said with a smile, "No rush, Uncle, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Everyone chatted and laughed, and after eating and drinking their fill, they dispersed.
The next morning, several vehicles from the village delivered all the potatoes from the village to Cyclamen in three separate trips.
Jia Huan has been running the restaurant independently for a long time, and has become quite shrewd.
He received the potatoes with great fanfare, and had them carried directly from the front hall to the backyard.
When the diners saw this, they naturally asked questions.
"Young Master Li, what good stuff has Broken Gold Beach produced this time?"
"Yes, Mr. Li, you can't keep good stuff to yourself. We're all regular customers."
Jia Huan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "To be honest, these are potatoes grown in the village, and we brought them here right after the harvest."
"Tomorrow we will be launching several new dishes in our building, all made with these potatoes. If you have some free time, please come and try them out."
"Oh my, can we harvest potatoes already? We planted some too, but we thought we'd have to wait another month!"
"My family grows them too!"
"My family didn't manage to get any seeds, so we didn't plant them."
Everyone was talking at once, creating a lively atmosphere, but without exception, they were all eager to try Cyclamen's new dishes and curious about how Cyclamen could make potatoes into something special!
Because, no matter how many families planted potatoes, the first batch of potatoes was transported back from the south by the Li family and planted in partnership with the Liu family.
When it comes to how to eat, no one knows better than the Li family.
As a result of these dozen or so truckloads of potatoes, a potato craze swept through Xindu, and cyclamen became incredibly popular once again!
The villagers sent the potatoes to the city. In the afternoon, when the women had nothing to do, they would carry hoes and baskets and flock into the potato fields in groups to continue... harvesting potatoes.
Some potatoes are just shy and prefer to hide deeper in the soil.
Some prefer to live in seclusion, residing just a few feet from the edge of the rice seedlings.
The women couldn't bear to see them frozen into ice balls by the approaching late autumn and cold winter because of a momentary lapse in judgment.
So they decided to find the naughty potatoes, bring them home, and then put them in the pot to warm them up thoroughly...
In the cornfield not far away, the corn stalks have already turned a deep green, just waiting for the autumn wind to blow so they can change into yellow.
Occasionally, a mischievous and shameless corn cob will break free of its leaves and emerge naked to bask in the sun, swaying its long tassels and curiously observing this new and wondrous world.
The mischievous boys from the school were dismissed from school. When they couldn't find their mothers at home, they threw down their schoolbags and ran to the fields to join in the fun.
Every now and then, the naughty boys would cheer loudly when they found a potato.
When the Marquis arrived with his personal guards, escorting more than a dozen carriages and bringing over a hundred wounded soldiers, he couldn't help but laugh when he saw the lively scene in the fields from afar.
The Marquis said to the wounded soldiers, "You are really lucky. The village is harvesting potatoes, so you'll have potatoes to eat tonight!"
A young wounded soldier asked, "My lord, is the potato the auspicious grain that brings high yields?"
"Yes!" the Marquis nodded. "This stuff can be used as both grain and vegetables. It's been planted everywhere this year. In another two years, no one in Tianwu will go hungry."
Everyone found it novel and craned their necks to look even further.
The Marquis tapped the carriage shaft with his riding whip, then pointed to the Second Village not far away and said, "Let's take a look there first. The villagers are building houses for you."
"Houses?! They're really building houses for us?!" one wounded soldier exclaimed. The others also became excited, even ignoring their injuries, and stood up to get a better look.
They originally thought it was a well-intentioned lie told by the Marquis to keep them from becoming despondent, but little did they know it was actually true!
Soon, the convoy drew closer, turned off the main road, and before they even reached the archway, the village chief and the villagers came forward to greet them.
Even the women and children in the fields rushed over.
The lord dismounted, cupped his hands to the village chief, and said, "Uncle, I've brought all the injured brothers here. I'm entrusting them to you from now on!"
The village chief quickly helped the lord up, saying repeatedly, "Your Excellency, you mustn't do this! These young men are heroes who protect our peaceful lives. Now that they are injured and their lives are in danger, isn't it only right that we lend a hand? Please don't say that, it's too formal!"
"Yes, my lord, we are all family."
"The village will be so lively from now on, we'll be overjoyed."
The villagers responded enthusiastically, their warm smiles genuine, which almost brought tears to the eyes of the wounded soldiers.
They are disabled, and their families dislike them and don't want them to go back.
Unexpectedly, in this unfamiliar place, I received a long-lost warmth from these unfamiliar villagers.
If the villagers they risked their lives to protect were like these, then their sacrifice seems... worthwhile!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com