mtl008 Chapter 176 Who exactly are you?
Chapter 176 Who exactly are you?
"Ling thought, on behalf of these soldiers, I should ask Miss Tian for potato and sweet potato seeds and seedlings..."
Ling Yao bowed respectfully, "Please... grant my request, young lady!"
Tian Tian sat there, leisurely observing him...
Ling Yao looked up in confusion when he saw that she hadn't spoken for a long time.
Tian Tian still sized him up...
Ling Yao subconsciously looked down at himself, wondering if there was something wrong with him.
At this moment, Tian Tian spoke up.
"Young Master Ling, who exactly are you?"
Ling Yao's heart tightened, and he slowly raised his head. "I..."
He didn't know how to tell her.
"You..." Tian Tian seemed to have no expectation of an answer from him, tapping her finger lightly on the table, "Does someone in your family serve in the border region?"
Ling Yao raised an eyebrow slightly. "Uh, yes."
Tian Tian continued to tap lightly, "So that's how it is. No wonder Young Master Ling always speaks up for the people and the soldiers on the border."
She slowly stood up. "Potato seeds... I might not be able to give you much right now, but sweet potato seedlings..."
"I can teach you a way to grow sweet potato seedlings yourself."
Ling Yao looked surprised. She... was willing to teach him how to cultivate sweet potato seedlings?
Isn't this equivalent to giving him the sweet potato seedlings for free?!
"Miss Tian Er... such a great kindness, I, Ling, have no way to repay it..."
Ling Yao made a move to kneel down...
As the crown prince of the country, he knelt down to express his deepest gratitude to Tian Tian.
Tian Tian supported his arm with one hand, "Young Master Ling, it is my honor to ensure that the soldiers guarding the border and the people of Daqi are well-fed."
Ling Yao stared at her intently.
Tian Tian noticed his gaze, was momentarily taken aback, and then instinctively looked away...
“Um…Young Master Ling, let me teach you how to cultivate sweet potato seedlings first. When spring comes, you can take the sweet potatoes to the border.”
Ling Yao cleared his throat. "Okay, thank you, young lady."
Tian Tian tugged at her clothes, "Well... it's getting late, you should go home soon."
Ling Yao nodded. "Alright, then I'll take my leave now."
He hurriedly went downstairs and came to the door, where he saw Qian Fulai leaning against the door.
Upon seeing Ling Yao, Qian Fulai scoffed indignantly.
Ling Yao glanced at him and left in a hurry.
Tian Tian went to the backyard and called Lu Tao and the others to go home.
Upon arriving at the door, I saw Qian Fulai...
"Big brother," Tian Tian called him over.
Qian Fulai approached reluctantly and hesitantly, asking, "What are you doing?"
"Once all the sweet potatoes have been harvested, have the people from the village go and cut down as much bamboo as possible," Tian Tian said. "The more, the better."
Qian Fulai didn't know what she was going to do. "Why are you cutting bamboo?"
Tian Tian lowered the carriage curtain. "I hope your restaurant business will remain this good even in winter. Just do as I say."
After winter sets in, many vegetables cannot be grown and must be grown in greenhouses.
The bamboo is cut down to build the frame of the greenhouse. As for the greenhouse film... it's available for purchase through the system.
Qian Fulai stood there, stunned. In winter... without these fresh vegetables, business would indeed be a little worse.
So... would cutting down bamboo change this situation?
He didn't understand, but... he had to do it.
*
Tian Tian called Ling Yao and they went to Qianjiazhuang.
Qian Fulai rushed over after receiving the news.
Tian Tian hired several women to pluck the tender leaves from the tops of the sweet potato leaves that hadn't withered.
These tender leaves can also be supplied to restaurants.
Those that cannot be supplied to restaurants in time can be dried or pickled.
In short, we cannot waste anything.
She tore off a section of sweet potato seedling and showed it to Ling Yao.
The sweet potato leaves are growing very vigorously, with a bud at the fork of each leaf stem.
"These buds... are the adventitious roots of the sweet potato."
"If these roots touch the soil, they will take root in the ground, and the roots will grow longer and longer..."
Ling Yao nodded...
"If the roots and leaves grow better and better, the sweet potatoes in the field won't grow big."
"So when we plant sweet potatoes, we often have to turn the vines over and constantly prune the tops to control their growth so that the sweet potatoes below can grow bigger."
Ling Yao took out a charcoal pencil and quickly wrote down the contents.
"But these adventitious roots have another use."
"It can be propagated by cuttings."
Tian Tian gestured on the sweet potato sprout, indicating it was about 25 to 30 centimeters long, "Cut it to this length..."
"Just like before, insert it horizontally into the soil..."
In theory, as long as the temperature is suitable, sweet potatoes can be propagated by cuttings indefinitely.
She didn't take cuttings this season because there wasn't enough space.
Ling Yao kept gesturing, writing down everything Tian Tian said.
After writing it down, he read it several more times...
"How can it survive like this? And how can it grow so many sweet potatoes?"
He had never seen such a planting method before.
Tian Tian nodded, "Yes, you can."
"I'll give you some potato sprouts next spring."
“You should plant it according to…” Tian Tian glanced at the booklet in his hand, “the methods recorded in the booklet…”
"Once the seedlings have grown to a sufficient length, they can be cut and propagated by cuttings."
Ling Yao put away the booklet and stared at her intently.
She gave him the sweet potato seedlings, but he wasn't comfortable entrusting them to anyone else...
Therefore, he definitely needs to go to the border in person.
This means... he will be away for a year.
a year...
Ling Yao glanced at Qian Fulai again, feeling downcast.
*
As various varieties of sweet potatoes were dug up, Baishi Teahouse added different pastries made from sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, and other ingredients.
Fifteen more stalls appeared on the streets of Baishi County.
These stalls are all made of a large iron barrel.
The metal bucket had a round opening at the top. The vendor would put the washed sweet potatoes in through the opening and then put the lid on...
As the baking time increased, a rich, sweet aroma wafted from the iron drum.
One passerby couldn't resist and went over to grill some, asking, "How much is it?"
"These are roasted sweet potatoes, twelve coins a pound," the vendor said with a beaming smile.
Just as Tian Tian had predicted, the aroma of the sweet potatoes was so tempting that business has been booming ever since these stalls were set up on the street.
A single iron drum can roast about 50 kilograms of sweet potatoes at a time.
The vendors replenish their stock as they sell, and each person can sell 100 jin (50 kg) in a day.
The purchase price of a pound of sweet potatoes is five coins. After being roasted, a pound of sweet potatoes shrinks to eight ounces, which translates to about nine coins and six mace.
Selling 100 jin means earning 460 wen.
Four hundred and sixty coins a day, which is nearly fourteen taels of silver a month.
The fifteen families that Li Huaiyuan selected were all from families with relatively poor circumstances.
For example... if there is only one able-bodied person in the family, and he is lame, he can sit next to the iron bucket and do business.
There are also single mothers raising several children, and the children occasionally help their mothers.
There are also those who have lost both parents and only have an older brother or sister.
With the business of selling roasted sweet potatoes, the family's situation immediately improved.