Zhao Xiangxiu's reaction was as expected. Cheng Yue smiled and handed her the bowl, "There's rice, vegetables and snacks here. I'll give you a few raw potatoes later. You can steam or stir-fry them when you get home. There are many ways to cook them!"
If you think it tastes good, you can grow some yourself. I still have seeds here; you can just come and get them.
Anyone who has ever eaten potatoes will find it hard not to fall in love with them.
Looking at the golden-yellow vegetables in the bowl, Zhao Xiangxiu was filled with the aroma and was so tempted. Who wouldn't want the seeds of such good food?
He hadn't expected Cheng Yue to offer it for free, so he immediately waved his hand and said, "No way! There's no such thing as a free lunch."
I've never even heard of this potato before, and it's not grown around here. Buying the seeds must have cost a lot of money!
We'll buy it at the original price, whatever it is, we'll pay. If that doesn't work, we'll buy a small amount first and try planting it!
They are no longer among the poorest households in Houshui Village. She and Cuicui receive wages, and Zhuzi also goes to collect medicinal herbs. Their income is now considered high in the village.
If potatoes are too expensive, she'll just buy a little and not plant too many.
Zhao Xiangxiu's attitude was firm, and Cheng Yue didn't know what to say. Her potatoes were practically free, so how could she accept Zhao Xiangxiu's money?
But Zhao Xiangxiu is an honest person, and it would be unreasonable to say that she would give it away for free. After thinking for a while, Cheng Yue could only say, "Sister-in-law Xiangxiu, how about this?"
I'm planning to plant more potatoes next time. There aren't many people in my family, and we don't have enough manpower, so I'll ask Zhuzi to help out. I won't pay him; I'll just give him potato seeds, how about that?
She was also thinking of getting everyone in the village to grow potatoes, probably in a similar situation to Zhao Xiangxiu. Charging money wouldn't be appropriate, so she suggested a work-for-planting arrangement!
Zhao Xiangxiu's eyes lit up after hearing this, "That's great! Let's do it that way! Just call Zhuzi whenever you want to plant them!"
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "Okay, I'll tell you when it's time to plant. It's still early, you guys go home and have dinner first!"
They really trusted her, never asking when to plant. Although Zhao Xiangxiu's family didn't have much land, they only had Zhuzi as their laborer. Zhao Xiangxiu didn't even consider whether Zhuzi could handle the workload.
Fortunately, she had a plan. Potatoes are planted twice a year, and the next planting will be around August, which is just before the corn harvest, so there is no conflict.
"Alright, alright! Then we'll head back first!"
Zhao Xiangxiu looked delighted and, after speaking, went down the mountain with Cuicui.
As soon as everyone left, Cheng Yue and the others started eating lunch.
After the meal, Cheng Yue said to Chen An, "I'm going to see Uncle Village Head in a bit. He came to visit when we were planting potatoes last time."
Now that the potatoes are ripe, I'll give them some to try and then talk about growing potatoes.
"Go and teach the children about woodworking first, then we'll go dig potatoes together when I get back."
Chen An nodded, "Okay!"
I went out in the morning, and I still have to dig potatoes in the afternoon. I took advantage of the lunch break to say a few words to the children.
When Chen Tong and Chen Ning heard that the two were going to dig potatoes, they immediately said they wanted to go too, and that they would postpone the herb gathering for now.
Anyway, all the ripe goji berries were picked in the morning, and they won't grow any more in the afternoon. I'm not worried about delaying the other medicinal herbs.
Cheng Yue knew that her two daughters found it strange and wanted to go together, so she went along with them.
After speaking, Chen Tong and Chen Ning cleared away the dishes, and Cheng Yue went down the mountain alone to the village head's house.
She was afraid that if she arrived too late, everyone would already be up the mountain.
The village head's family had just finished lunch. Now that conditions are better, they naturally need to eat three meals a day. After all, they have to go out to collect medicinal herbs all day long. Going up the mountain is not an easy task. If they are not full, they will not be able to work!
Qian Yulan was turning over the medicinal herbs drying on the courtyard wall when she looked up and saw Cheng Yue approaching, carrying something in her hand. She quickly went out and stopped her.
"Cheng Yue, why are you bringing things again? We just finished eating, you should take them back!"
They felt embarrassed, so while cooking at Cheng Yue's house, they would occasionally bring food home. Because the food was so oily, their faces became rounder.
Cheng Yue shook her head and sighed, "Sister-in-law Yulan, how can you do this? You're kicking me out before I've even stepped inside?"
Upon hearing this, Qian Yulan shook her head and waved her hands anxiously, saying, "Oh dear! That's not what I meant..."
"Hahaha! I was just kidding!"
Cheng Yue couldn't help but laugh a few times; sometimes teasing others was quite amusing.
It must be because he doesn't have a phone to play with that he developed this funny hobby!
Qian Yulan scolded playfully, "I thought you were really angry, you scared me!"
Cheng Yue laughed and said, "Who told you to kick me out? I came here today to talk to you about something important, not just to bring you food."
"I wasn't trying to chase you away, but you're just saying that on purpose. If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you always bringing things? Oh well, let's not talk about this! Come on in!"
Upon hearing Cheng Yue say that she had something important to discuss, Qian Yulan became curious and excited at the same time, and had no interest in talking about anything else.
After all, when Cheng Yue talked about serious matters, she meant good things. The first time she talked about serious matters, she helped Shao Wen. Later, when she talked about serious matters, she talked about building houses and collecting medicinal herbs.
As Cheng Yue walked inside, she showed her the basket of potatoes, saying, "This is what I'm talking about. I can't explain it clearly without you showing it to me."
"Huh? What's this round thing? Is it something to eat?" Qian Yulan asked curiously, glancing at the contents of the bowl again. "Is this something you made from?"
It smells delicious and looks appetizing, but what exactly is this thing?
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "Yes, this is called a potato, and it's made from this."
"Cheng Yue is here! What are you talking about, Dou Dou?"
The two entered the courtyard as they were talking. The village head overheard them but didn't quite catch what they said, so he asked a question.
Cheng Yue put the bowl and basket on the table. "Uncle Village Head, these are potatoes, the ones I planted in the dry land next to the house. You asked me what they were, and said that if they were edible, you should plant some too."
"They're cooked now, so I brought you some. This bowl is made with potatoes; please try it and see if you like it."
Upon hearing this, the village head remembered, but was still a little surprised. "Isn't this a seed? I remember it being in pieces, how come it grew like this after being planted?"
He remembered Cheng Yue saying that this was grain, and he thought it would grow into stalks like corn, but it turned out to be round. He didn't know how it grew.
"Potatoes, like sweet potatoes, grow underground. They can be used as food or as vegetables, and they are very filling."
Moreover, potatoes taste better, can be prepared in more ways, and most importantly, can be grown twice a year, with a higher yield than sweet potatoes.
Cheng Yue didn't hold back and directly pointed out all the advantages of potatoes.
Upon hearing that potatoes could be planted twice a year with higher yields, the family was utterly shocked. "Potatoes can be planted twice a year?!"
The village head had heard that the south was warmer and crops could be grown twice a year, but in their area, crops could only be grown twice a year.
No wonder they say the yield is high; just by planting more crops, how much can you harvest?
The village head racked his brains. It seemed that Cheng Yue had planted the crops in April, and now it was the end of June—only two months later, and the grain was already ripe? This was truly unbelievable…
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