"General Gu, please forgive me. I just miss my late husband so much that I often mention him."
"Shen Ningsi, you did this on purpose, didn't you?!"
Shen Ningsi smiled and said nothing, and finally Gu Hong took a step back first.
"I admit defeat. You can keep nagging as much as you want." For the first time, Gu Hong felt helpless.
He poked the rice and said, "I thought the potatoes tasted good, so you left some for the kids, so I asked San Yazi to find more."
A few days ago, they dug out less than five loads of potatoes from Tuer Mountain and returned. Shen Ningsi took out one or two for everyone to try, and put the rest in a dark and humid large jar, saying that he was waiting for the potatoes to sprout.
Gu Hong took a look this morning and found that some of the potatoes had already turned green. They would probably be a few days away from sprouting, so they were definitely not edible.
"There is also the issue you are worried about." Gu Hong rarely looked serious.
He had a handsome and upright appearance, and his non-playful look was indeed intimidating, and even Shen Ningsi straightened his back slightly.
"I've already told them to spread the word that I live here to protect important crops. The villagers are not ignorant, not to mention that I'm protecting what keeps them alive. Don't worry, no one will dare to ruin your reputation."
"Thank you, General Gu." Shen Ningsi immediately stood up and thanked him.
But she still couldn't understand. Instead of asking Gu Jiajun's people to explain to the villagers, wouldn't it be the easiest way for him not to live here?
"Call me brother."
"ah?"
Shen Ningsi asked tentatively: “Brother Gu?”
"Yeah!" Gu Hong answered readily.
Shen Ningsi didn't take this episode to heart. She was thinking about what to do with the extra potatoes that Sanyazi found.
Gu Jiajun was even more capable than she had imagined. In just two or three days, he had dug out over thirty loads of potatoes from Rabbit Mountain. They certainly couldn't eat them all. With the increase in potato production, every household would have enough to eat.
But if you eat it now, there will be no later.
Some of these potatoes were stored together, and some were kept for seeds. Shen Ningsi took care of them carefully every day.
Just when Shen Ningsi had been worrying about this for more than half a month, Fan Xing arrived. His first question was whether the production could be guaranteed.
"Master Fan, since I promised to provide you with sufficient production within two months, I will definitely do it."
"I understand Master Fan's feelings. It's normal for you to doubt the production of a food that has never appeared before, but I can really guarantee the production."
Fan Xing said, "Madam Gu, it's not that I don't trust you, but it's better to prepare for a rainy day."
Shen Ningsi understood that if he couldn't make Fan Xing feel at ease, he would probably have to spend a lot of money and resources to find other food. For Wanning Village now, any manpower and material resources would be more than worth the cost.
She touched the rhizomes of the tender green buds on the jar. She had already processed these rhizomes and placed them in the jar to keep them moist, which would maximize the germination rate.
The potato seedlings had already grown. To be on the safe side, she looked at Fan Xing and said, "Let me be clear, it takes a month for potatoes to sprout, and about two months for them to fully mature."
Shen Ningsi sighed, "In fact, the potatoes we found are already early-maturing varieties. The other varieties may take more than three months to plant. Why is Master Fan so anxious?"
She naturally knew Fan Xing's worries, so she no longer hesitated and poured out the seedlings in the jar.
The seedlings are tender and green, very pleasing to the eye.
After seeing the fresh seedlings, Fan Xing finally had an idea in his mind. The growth cycle of potatoes is shorter than that of grains, and they do not require much water and fertilizer, so they are indeed suitable for promotion now.
The seedlings were ready. Shen Ningsi knew Fan Xing's worries and said, "Don't worry, sir. This time, there are only enough potato seedlings to plant two acres. First, to reassure the villagers and sir, and second, to facilitate practice and promotion."
"These two acres will be handed over to the officers and soldiers for cultivation, which will also reduce the losses of the villagers. What do you think, General?"
After Shen Ningsi finished speaking, he glanced at Gu Hong, feeling a little nervous, afraid that he would not agree.
"Master has made the annotation." Gu Hong responded cheerfully, which was rare for him.
Shen Ningsi breathed a sigh of relief. The officers and soldiers received the order and began to busy themselves with planting potatoes.
In a blink of an eye, it’s been more than two months.
Due to the suitable environment, the potatoes grew very fast. The two acres of experimental fields were extremely green, and the earth seemed to be full of vitality.
Everyone stood by the potato field. They had seen the withered and yellow color too many times during this period. It was clearly the season for rice to mature, but it had not rained for a long time. The rice straw was sun-dried to death, and the villagers had no harvest.
Shen Ningsi handed the shovel to Fan Xing, "Master Fan, you should come. The previous head of the village collected the last bit of water and food in Wanning Village and ran away. Now that Wanning Village has no head of the village, you are the highest official. You should come and witness the fruits of the potato harvest!"
Logically speaking, Shen Ningsi should not be unconfident, after all, she is a professional in growing food, but whenever she thinks of the pale and thin people she has seen during this period, Shen Ningsi feels a little nervous.
For the first time, she felt panicky, worried that she couldn't save so many people.
Just as Fan Xing's hand was about to touch the shovel, Shen Ningsi felt the back of his hand being covered by a warm and dry palm.
Gu Hong said: "Don't be afraid."
Shen Ningsi's heart really settled down. She closed her eyes and let Gu Hong lead her hand to dig down hard.
At this time, whether it was the young and clean-loving Gu Yun'er, Lord Fan from the capital, or even Gu Xiuwen and others, they all squatted on the ground to dig the soil.
Fan Xing grabbed a potato vine and stared at the potatoes covered in mud with wide eyes. When he finished digging and found that there were a hundred loads of potatoes, he was speechless.
Finally it succeeded, and Fan Xing felt a little relieved.
The big stone in Shen Ningsi's heart also fell, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"So you get nervous too." Gu Hong said sideways.
"When people are free from worries, they are not afraid of anything. I was worried that the people in Wanning Village would have nothing to eat, so I became afraid and lost my confidence."
Shen Ningsi turned around and smiled: "It's like a general on the battlefield. If he is worried about his family, he will be afraid of death, dare not rush forward, and will not be able to achieve success."
"Only those who are free from all worries can fearlessly throw themselves into the battlefield. Being afraid is a normal thing."
Shen Ningsi never hides his weaknesses.
Gu Hong was slightly stunned. "No, people who are concerned will also rush forward."
"Although I'm scared, I want to be alive and see them as soon as possible." Gu Hong said this while staring at Shen Ningsi.
Shen Ningsi didn't notice anything. She just looked at Fan Xing who was still silent and sighed, "Master Fan, don't blame yourself. It's normal for you to have doubts."
She clutched a potato covered in dirt and said, "I'll take the potatoes to the market and cook a few dishes so everyone can try this kind of food. When everyone knows it can fill their stomachs and has a high yield, they'll be more willing to plant it."
Fan Xing knew that she should give Shen Ningsi more trust, and said apologetically, “It is this official who has caused trouble for Madam Gu.”
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