Chapter 44 Jia Baoyu Wants to Plant Ginseng
"Sister Feng, ginseng is also a plant. I wonder if it can be grown? We can grow tomatoes there, and they can be harvested in a few days. If ginseng can be grown, then you won't have to cry over this little thing."
The successful cultivation of cherry tomatoes filled Jia Baoyu with a sudden sense of pride.
This sense of pride gave him the illusion that he could grow any plant.
"Second brother, you can definitely grow it. Otherwise, we can find some seeds and have Granny Yuan help us cultivate the seedlings. Maybe we can harvest a basket of ginseng in no time."
When Jia Baoyu said this, the first person to cheer was surprisingly Daiyu.
“What you said is right, let’s do it this way. Sister Feng, please ask Second Brother to help us find some ginseng seeds. Once we grow the ginseng, we’ll give you a big box of them. You can then mix them with whatever medicine you want. Even if you just eat them for fun, you don’t have to be stingy.”
Jia Baoyu's peach blossom eyes were filled with excitement, as if he had already grown ginseng.
Lady Wang looked at Baoyu, unsure whether to be happy or worried. She had never imagined that her son, whom she had raised with such pampering, would one day fall in love with planting. She thought that planting tomatoes was just something the children were curious about and wanted to do.
Now they actually have the audacity to say they want to grow ginseng?
Is ginseng something that can be grown?
Lady Wang glanced at Daiyu with anger in her eyes:
It's all because of this girl Lin! If it weren't for her planting tomatoes, which caused all the kids in the family to make a fuss, and now they've gotten addicted to it, what are we going to do?
“Baoyu, you don’t study properly and only think about these playful things. Be careful your father will punish you when he finds out.”
Lady Wang couldn't openly express her dissatisfaction with Baoyu's performance, so she could only bring up Jia Zheng.
Sure enough, when Baoyu heard that his father might punish him for this, he shrank back and dared not say another word.
"Why are you scaring him? I think it's fine." Grandmother Jia rolled her eyes at Madam Wang and said with displeasure.
"Baoyu, go ahead and work with that ginseng. If you can actually grow it, it will be a great thing for the country and the people, no less important than passing the imperial examination!"
Having experienced more, Grandmother Jia naturally had a longer-term perspective than Lady Wang.
She didn't speak at first because she was weighing the pros and cons in her mind. In the end, she concluded that this matter was entirely beneficial and had no drawbacks, and that Baoyu was absolutely capable of doing it.
Even if he ultimately gains nothing, the fact that Baoyu's mind and time are occupied by this matter will prevent him from wasting time on those strange skills and tricks, and perhaps even correct this bad habit he has had since childhood!
Moreover, it's not uncommon for noble young men from prominent families to enjoy gardening, but if they plant ginseng, more people will probably laugh at them.
This is exactly what Grandmother Jia hoped for.
With the support of Grandmother Jia, Baoyu became active again, repeatedly urging Wang Xifeng to have Jia Lian quickly find ginseng seeds.
"Go and find it for him. Now that he's interested, take advantage of this enthusiasm and get it done in one go. Don't keep putting it off. If he loses interest after you've found it, I won't let you off the hook," Grandmother Jia said.
"Grandmother, I'll go and give the order right away. The farmers who sent ginseng from Changbai Mountain yesterday probably haven't left yet, and they might still have it with them! I will definitely find these ginseng seeds for Brother Bao as soon as possible," Wang Xifeng promised with a smile.
If it were the original Wang Xifeng, she certainly wouldn't have said such a thing, since ginseng is something that has never been heard of since ancient times, let alone something that can be grown.
According to people's understanding today, once ginseng has taken shape, it's as if it has become a spirit, able to run and jump; otherwise, there wouldn't be the legend of the ginseng baby.
Ginseng is often associated with a sense of mystery in people's minds.
When Jia Baoyu proposed planting ginseng, it was nothing short of a fantasy, and no one believed it was a good idea.
Although Grandmother Jia verbally expressed her support, she only secretly hoped that Jia Baoyu would change his temperament; Lady Wang, on the other hand, did not support Baoyu putting effort into such matters at all.
Although Wang Xifeng didn't say anything supportive, she was the one who thought most highly of Jia Baoyu.
Because she knew that ginseng in later generations was cultivated on a large scale. Although its effects were much worse than wild ginseng, it was still ginseng!
Having received Wang Xifeng's promise, Jia Baoyu was not in a hurry to consult ancient books to see how ginseng should be cultivated.
In his view, growing ginseng is no different from growing any other plant.
Moreover, as Lin Daiyu just mentioned, she still wants Granny Yuan to cultivate the seedlings so they can plant them directly later.
As for how to plant them, Granny Yuan will naturally come and teach them when the time comes.
Wang Xifeng excused herself and went to find someone to handle the matter, while Madam Wang also made an excuse that she had some things to do in the room and went back with her.
As soon as they came out of Rongqing Hall, Madam Wang called out to Wang Xifeng, who was standing in front of them.
"Feng'er, you're getting more and more opinionated these days. What kind of status does our Baoyu have? Can he do the work of a farmer?"
Madam Wang was outwardly fierce but inwardly weak, and was very angry.
She only had two sons. Jia Zhu died young, leaving only Bao Yu. Naturally, she hoped that Bao Yu could study hard and achieve great things in the future, so that she would also be proud.
"Aunt, Bao-xiong is just a child; he's only interested in novelty. He'll forget about it completely in three days at most," Wang Xifeng quickly said, then she looked at Madam Wang meaningfully.
"Besides, do you think it's better for him to make rouge and lipstick for his sisters, or for him to grow ginseng for fun?"
Madam Wang nodded thoughtfully.
"Go find him some ginseng seeds! This madman is really going to drive his family crazy!"
She said it harshly, then turned and left.
Inside Rongqing Hall, Jia Baoyu and Daiyu were playing with the little Persian cat.
The kitten was pure white, without a single stray hair. From a distance, its snow-white fur looked like a blooming cotton flower, and it felt just as soft and smooth to the touch.
The kitten was only a month old, tiny and its meows were so sweet and innocent. When Daiyu heard the kitten's meows, she felt her heart melt.
Before they knew it, the two had spent half a day in Rongqing Hall, even having lunch there.
Bao and Dai made an appointment to visit Granny Yuan together in the afternoon to ask her to cultivate ginseng seedlings.
Inside Rongyue Courtyard, Yuan Hongqu was tidying up the ginseng, bird's nest, and snow frog that had been sent by Grandmother Jia.
This ginseng is 500 years old. Although it doesn't look like it's 500 years old, the fact that Grandmother Jia took it out for her granddaughter to stew and eat to nourish her body shows that it's not one of those cheap ones.
Wang Xifeng just came over and told her about what happened in Rongqing Hall.
Yuan Hongqu was also quite interested.
She also wanted to try growing ginseng in the space.
With the support of space, it's possible for this ginseng to grow to a thousand years old.
Her interest in growing ginseng was no less than Jia Baoyu's.
To Yuan Hongqu's utter surprise, Jia Baoyu took the matter so seriously and came to ask her for advice.
She instructed Jia Baoyu to spend his free time learning from the family gardener how to make fertilizer and how to hoe the soil, taking it slowly.
Unexpectedly, Baoyu actually did them all.
Yuan Hongqu felt that the child was not useless and could still be saved.
It's rare for Jia Baoyu to have such ambition and perseverance; it's a good thing.
The rumor that he was born with a jade in his mouth was already a major taboo, yet the Rongguo Mansion still spread it so widely that everyone knew it.
If it weren't for Jia Baoyu's famous childhood tradition of picking a rouge-covered object during his first birthday celebration, and his reputation for mingling with girls from a young age, it would be difficult for the Rongguo Mansion to have remained peaceful until now.
Now he's researching ginseng cultivation, which, in the eyes of those powerful families, is even less valuable than making rouge for girls.
To outsiders, it seems that the second young master of the Rongguo Mansion has been spoiled rotten. He doesn't want to be a proper young nobleman and insists on going to farm!
Less than two days later, Jia Lian returned with a small cloth bag.
Aside from the ginseng seeds, there were only a few small ginseng plants.
Although they are covered in moss, bark, and soil, they are now half-dry.
These few small ginseng roots were dug up by the farmers. Because they were so small, they were embarrassed to offer them to their master. They thought that prices in the capital were high, so they would sell these few ginseng roots after they finished their work and exchange them for some practical things to take home.
Unexpectedly, Jia Lian saw these small ginseng roots and bought them all without a second thought.
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