In the era before sugar beets and sugarcane were officially introduced to China, people found it far more difficult to consume sugar than they imagined!
Ordinary people can only access maltose and honey. In the face of years of natural disasters, there is not enough food to eat, so who can afford to be so extravagant as to eat sugar?
So when sweet potatoes are heated, the amylase they contain is activated, releasing a sweet aroma that no one can resist!
Song Yuxi sniffed and exclaimed in surprise, "Husband, is this the sweet smell of sweet potatoes?"
Lu Tu took out the roasted sweet potatoes from the fire: "That's right! Yu Xi, you two eat them."
Nangong Huiyu couldn't help but swallow, her eyes never leaving the sweet potato: "Husband, aren't you going to eat some?"
"I don't like it," Lu Tu said, using this excuse like most men would.
As he spoke, he casually broke the sweet potato in half and gave it to the two of them. The two of them carefully held the roasted sweet potato in their palms, sniffing and greedily sucking in its strange sweetness.
Looking at the golden sweet potato flesh, my mouth watered uncontrollably.
"Eat up, you guys."
Song Yuxi was eating food meant for two, so she lowered her head and took a small bite, savoring it slowly.
As she chewed, her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed with delight, "Husband, it's so sweet! You should try some too."
The food was brought to Lu Tu's lips, and he couldn't refuse any longer. After taking a small bite, he exclaimed, "If wild ones are this delicious, then if they are carefully cultivated in the future, they will surely take off!"
Nangong Huiyu also handed Lü Tu a small piece, and the three of them ate it together at home, taking turns and enjoying themselves immensely.
The two women were not greedy people, and after tasting the sweet potatoes, they realized even more how precious they were.
"Husband, shall we plant this after spring?"
"Yes! Tomorrow is the beginning of spring. Before long, the ground will thaw, and the Wuhuan people will migrate with the grass. This period is a good opportunity for development."
Nangong Huiyu asked the crucial question: "Husband, how do you know about sweet potatoes? I've traveled all over the country with my master since I was a child and I've never seen one before."
Lu Tu casually laughed it off, saying, "My ancestor was a barefoot doctor. He once met an old Taoist priest who traveled all over the world. The old priest gave my ancestor a medical book, which recorded many plants and strange and wonderful techniques."
As long as it makes sense, that's fine. I'll take this opportunity to give them a heads-up so I won't have to explain it to them later if I make any other discoveries.
Song Yuxi suddenly realized: "No wonder you can refine divine medicine, husband. It turns out it was a gift from the old Taoist priest. It seems there are still great people in this world."
Lu Tu found it amusing. If there really was such a master, why wouldn't he come out to save the people?
He then went outside and brought back a basin of water, placing it next to the sweet potatoes. The northern region was already quite dry, and with a stove heating the house, it would be a huge loss if the sweet potatoes dried out during this time.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Lü Tu finally resumed his physical exercise, which he hadn't done for many days. His rest and recuperation over the past few days had also restored his physical condition to its best.
Just as he finished a set of radio calisthenics, Nie Yun rushed over in a panic, his expression grave, and shouted, "Big brother, something bad has happened! Someone's here to collect taxes!"
"Tax collection?"
He then remembered that today was the beginning of spring, and every year at this time, Wuchuan Prefecture would send people to collect taxes from every household.
Although the heavy taxes and levies on ordinary days have already made people suffer, the day of Lichun (the beginning of spring) is the day that people fear the most.
In the Great Yu Dynasty, this was also called agricultural tax, which was collected per capita. Each person was required to pay 1 dou of grain, which is 30 jin of grain. If the payment was insufficient, the person would be demoted to a military slave.
At this time, the villagers also knew that the Wuchuan government had come to collect taxes, and a large number of people spontaneously flocked towards Lü Tu's side.
During this period of time, Lu Tu had become their savior. If it weren't for Lu Tu's work-for-relief program, most of them probably wouldn't have survived the winter.
"Lord Lü, the tax collectors are at the village entrance. My family consists of three people, and that's only three bushels of grain. Where are we going to get so much grain?"
Neighbor Chen Huahua also ran over and grabbed Lü Tu's sleeve: "Brother Lü Tu, Grandma said that the grain at home is only enough to pay my taxes. Can you please not let Grandma and Mother become military slaves?"
The villagers voiced their demands all at once, and Lu Tu saw it all, but there was nothing he could do at the moment.
The border war was intense, and the pressure fell entirely on ordinary people. Corruption was rampant in the border army and government. Even a lowly officer like Zhou Taishan dared to use the people's hard-earned money to make a fortune by trading with the Wuhuan people.
Just as he was pondering a solution, a sharp male voice rang out: "Whose jurisdiction is this? It turns out to be Lu Tu, the great hero of our border army!"
Lu Tu looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was Yun Ao, the son of the Commandant. It seemed that Yun Tian had really kicked him hard that day in anger, almost turning Yun Ao into a eunuch.
Thinking of this, Lü Tu couldn't help but laugh, and his eyes unconsciously drifted towards Yun Ao's crotch.
Yun Ao seemed to sense Lü Tu's thoughts and instantly flew into a rage, shouting, "Where are you looking!"
Lu Tu suppressed his smile and said with a sneer, "Young Master Yun, I'm afraid you can't tell me where I'm looking, can you?"
Yun Ao knew that Lü Tu was extremely skilled and did not want to have a direct conflict with him. He snorted coldly and took out a document from his pocket, saying, "I am here on the orders of the Commandant to collect the agricultural tax for this year's Spring Equinox. Except for the military slaves, each person in Kuishan Village shall receive one dou of grain!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of wails erupted from the surrounding area. The villagers knelt down, pleading, "Your Excellency, have mercy! Last year, the Wuhuan people attacked, causing us to miss the planting season. We had a complete crop failure last year, and we simply don't have any extra grain to pay taxes!"
Yun Ao sneered, "Enough with the nonsense! Since you can't pay your taxes, take them all away. The men will be military slaves, and the women will be military prostitutes."
At Yun Ao's shout, his dozens of soldiers drew their swords and strode quickly toward the crowd with frosty expressions.
The soldiers roughly grabbed the kneeling villagers and groped their chests with their hands. Even though the husbands of these women were present, they dared not speak out.
After all, these people were government soldiers. If they dared to rebel, they would not be as simple as military slaves. It could lead to the killing of their entire families, and even their neighbors would be punished. They could only curse these beasts in their hearts.
In an instant, the entire village of Kuishan was filled with wails of grief.
"Stop it right now!"
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