However, at that moment, Zheng Qingshu actually saw a pumpkin in Yegou Village that was even bigger than the one the foreigners had shown them, and it was only half-ripe, which was obviously just picked from the vine.
what does that mean?
This meant that someone in Yegou Village had successfully grown pumpkins. How could Zheng Qingshu not be shocked and excited? The seeds that several officials from the prefectural city had racked their brains and spent a lot of money to obtain were actually found in a farmer's house. It was unbelievable.
Seeing the wary expressions on Xingxing and Zhou Erfu's faces, Zheng Qingshu suddenly calmed down. No rush, the pumpkin is in Yegou Village, it can't escape, take it slow.
He strolled back and sat down again, gesturing for the village chief to call Xingxing and Zhou Erfu over to sit down as well, as he had something to say.
The village chief understood and called the two children over, taking the large pumpkin from Erfu's hands. "Xingxing and Erfu, don't be nervous. Sit down first. The magistrate has something very important to discuss with you."
Xingxing and Erfu: "?" The magistrate is just craving their pumpkins.
Zheng Qingshu and the village chief took turns explaining things to the two children, disassembling and crushing the pumpkin to illustrate its importance to the people and the Great Jin Dynasty.
"We dug the pumpkin vines up from the mountain. You can go dig them up from the mountain too," Xingxing said innocently.
"Which hill did you find it on? How did you come up with the idea of digging up the pumpkin vine? You didn't know what a pumpkin was before, did you?" Zheng Qingshu asked tentatively.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Erfu's heart skipped a beat. His mind raced, and before Xingxing could reply, he blurted out, "I discovered it! Everyone knows I love exploring the mountains and trying new fruits and wild vegetables. Last year, I accidentally picked a small pumpkin on the mountain; it was green and as big as a person's head!"
I didn't recognize what it was at the time, but I was really curious, so I picked it. I didn't dare take it home to eat, so I caught a bamboo rat and let it try it. Later, I even caught a bird to try it, and neither of them found anything wrong. So I roasted it over a fire and ate it. I have a big appetite, and I ate the rest.
Nothing happened after we ate it, so we knew it was edible and filling. However, there was only one vine at the time, and it only produced one gourd. This year when we went back, we found more than ten vines, so we dug them up and planted them at home.”
Zheng Qingshu looked at the village chief, who nodded and explained, "Erfu is a brave boy who dares to eat anything. He even found some chestnuts before. He let the small animals try them first, and then he tried them himself. After confirming that they were not poisonous, he picked them and brought them home for his family to eat. This boy has discovered several kinds of mountain products that we didn't know about but can eat."
So Zhou Erfu didn't lie; this is something he's really capable of doing.
Zheng Qingshu was left with only one question: how could there be pumpkins on the mountain? Did the Great Jin Dynasty have pumpkins, but they just hadn't discovered them?
Are there corn and sweet potatoes as well? Why didn't anyone notice them?
“Birds, I’ve seen migratory birds fly back, carrying seeds in their beaks, and then dropping them into the mountains and forests.” Zhou Erfu took all the blame upon himself. In fact, he had never seen it before, let alone knew that it could be done. It was Xingxing who told him and his family.
Xingxing blinked, vaguely knowing that her second brother was protecting her, so she sat quietly to the side, nodding in agreement with every word Zhou Erfu said.
“That makes sense now. In winter, migratory birds cross the ocean to foreign lands, and in spring they fly back to the Great Jin Dynasty from other countries, bringing back seeds that are only found in those lands. Nature is truly amazing.” Zheng Qingshu looked on with longing and admiration, his eyebrows relaxed as if he had suddenly seen the light.
"I once read in a book that migratory birds' droppings may contain seeds, but I have never seen it with my own eyes, so I have always been skeptical. Now it seems that I was just ignorant." Zheng Qingshu breathed a sigh of relief, and the corners of his lips curled up into a deep smile.
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