The fields were full of people, squatting on the ground and digging potatoes. Looking at the series of round potatoes, their eyes lit up and their faces were filled with the joy of a good harvest.
The working people dug out the potatoes, and special people put them in backpacks, then transported them to the roadside and sent them to the warehouse for temporary storage using a cart.
Jiang Ling watched from a distance and spoke to the people beside him.
"Tell the iron shop to speed up and get the tools to cut the potatoes as soon as possible, so that we can dry them and store them while the weather is good."
"And how much an acre of land produces, all of this will be tallied up and will need to be paid into the tax system when the time comes. The rest will be kept by the people themselves, and no one is allowed to impose additional taxes."
"Keep an eye on the government office. Anyone who dares to embezzle will be dealt with immediately after the harvest."
The soldiers said respectfully, "Don't worry, Major General. We have already arranged for people to monitor this matter before the harvest began."
Jiang Ling nodded, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly: "Bring some back to try the potato feast tonight and see what those dishes San'er mentioned taste like."
"Steamed potatoes, shredded potatoes with vinegar, braised pork with potatoes..."
The soldiers were silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered that they hadn't seen the Third Young Master for a long time, so they casually asked, "Major General, I wonder where the Third Young Master has gone. I haven't seen him for a while."
"The bandits outside are quite rampant now, and it's not safe for the Third Young Master to be outside."
Jiang Ling glanced at him and said softly, "It's okay. San'er can't stay at home with his temper. He was bored in the Northern Wilderness before. It's okay for him to go out for a walk now."
"As the eldest brother, I'll take care of the potato harvest. Let San'er go out and play more."
The deputy general echoed, "Yes, Major General."
Jiang Ling watched for a while, then picked up her clothes and went to work. Looking at the fruits growing on the plant below, she finally let go of the worry that had been weighing on her mind.
After all, even if the people didn't say anything, they would still feel uneasy if they gave up growing crops and switched directly to growing potatoes.
I returned to the mansion before dark. I had planted some in the backyard garden and asked someone to dig out a basket of them for cooking. The aroma wafted out from the kitchen.
Dishes were served on the table, and everyone sat down one after another, looking at the dishes in silence. Jiang Qianqian looked at them eagerly and asked softly, "Brother, are these potatoes?"
Jiang Ling hummed, "The potatoes are ripe, so let's try some and see how the food made from them tastes."
"These are all made according to San'er's menu. They're called Vinegar Shredded Potatoes, Fried Potatoes, Potato Stew with Meat, Potato Stew with Beef, and Steamed Potatoes."
Everyone: “……!!”
Jiang Qianqian's mouth twitched: "Brother, we are having a potato feast tonight. Isn't this a staple food, just like rice or noodles? How can it be made into a dish?"
Jiang Ling added, "Not only that, maybe it can be made into powder and stored. I'm still figuring it out."
He greeted them, "Okay, everyone, try it and see how it tastes. I heard it's very soft and sticky, and both the elderly and children can eat it."
"Well, let's give it a try."
The old lady took a piece of beef stewed with potatoes. The aroma of beef and the soft and sticky texture filled her mouth. Her eyes lit up instantly and she exclaimed, "Delicious!"
Seeing that her grandmother said it was delicious, Jiang Qianqian also became interested. She took a piece to taste it and kept praising it, "Wow, it's really delicious. It has a soft and chewy texture."
"It's really delicious for the elderly and children, and it doesn't require any chewing."
Everyone picked up their chopsticks and started eating, praising the food.
Seeing that they liked it, Jiang Ling's smile deepened. She thought about introducing it in the restaurant in the future, so that more people would accept potatoes and be more motivated to grow them.
"Do you know how many potatoes this acre can produce?"
"...If we grow grain, we'll have 300-400 kilograms. The potatoes look heavy, so they should weigh over a thousand kilograms. Big brother, do you think I'm right?"
Jiang Qianqian raised her chin with a confident look on her face.
Jiang Ling smiled and shook her head: "More than that, we started digging and weighing today, and one acre of potatoes yielded 4,000 kilograms. Some fertile land even yielded 5,000 kilograms per acre."
There were a few clanging sounds, which were the sounds made by the spoon falling into the bowl. Everyone looked over, their eyes full of disbelief. What does four thousand kilograms mean?
That's ten times the amount of growing grain, a full ten times.
How many people do we have to feed? Does it matter whether the food is good or not? It doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that they don’t go hungry.
Jiang Baichuan looked surprised. He obviously didn't expect that the yield of this clod of earth could reach such a high level and the taste was also very good. It is conceivable how many people in the Northern Wilderness will not starve to death this year.
Jiang Ling smiled and said, "This is all thanks to San'er. If he hadn't discovered potatoes and insisted on replacing grain with potatoes, it would have been great."
"How are we going to get through this cold winter? It's useless to rely on the imperial court for disaster relief. The imperial court can't even take care of it themselves."
"Huhu, the yield is indeed too high. If the imperial court gets the news, I'm afraid they'll ask us to hand over our potato planting methods and fully implement them in Dagan."
Jiang Baichuan thought of this possibility, and then thought of that person's suspicious nature. He was afraid that he would start to suspect that the people in the Northern Wilderness would rebel after having enough food to eat.
Oh, it’s such a headache.
Jiang Ling's eyes flashed with calculation, and he chuckled softly, "Don't worry about this matter, Dad. San'er also has a way to deal with it. We will report it to the court before the end of the year."
"However, the journey from the Northern Wasteland to the capital is long, so it's perfectly normal for potatoes to sprout along the way. Anyone who eats them will naturally be poisoned."
"Potatoes without sprouts are not poisonous, but those with green sprouts are poisonous. This is quite interesting, and we can use this to our advantage..."
Jiang Baichuan reacted and praised: "Not bad, not bad, San'er has become much more thoughtful now, he is worthy of being a child of my Jiang family."
"Just do as he says. Oh, by the way, he said when he would be back, but he still hasn't come back in two months. Did he have too much fun out there?"
"It's so dangerous out there, and those bandits haven't been dealt with yet."
Jiang Ling smiled and said, "Don't worry, Dad. San'er knows what's going on. He also wrote to say he'll be back before the end of the year and give you a surprise. He can't come back for the time being."
The old lady nodded and glanced at her son: "Alright Baichuan, the child has grown up and has his own ideas, just let him do it, why do you have to trap him in the mansion?"
"People always need to go out and have a walk to broaden their horizons. Look at this potato thing. Isn't it San'er's credit? If he didn't go out and play, would he know that potatoes are so productive?"
"What can you do while trapped in the mansion? Just don't worry about it. It's enough to know that the child is safe and sound."
Jiang Baichuan thought about it and agreed. The third brother was smart. As long as he was careful, nothing serious would happen to him outside. If things got really bad, he still had medical skills. He wouldn't starve to death.
"Okay, I understand. I'll come back for the New Year so we can reunite as a family."
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