BXBX NOVEL Chapter 451 - 451: Self-Reliance, Unexpected Harvest
When Li Yu saw it, she felt that it looked like the rosemary she had seen in her previous life. Seeing Li Yu staring at the pot of plants, Xing Hua hurriedly picked it up and handed it to Li Yu. “Madam, look, it has a fragrance!”
“Yes! It’s indeed fragrant and pleasant.” She smiled and said to Mr. Wen, “If Sir likes it, we’ll buy two pots and bring them home to raise.”
Mr. Wen smiled and nodded. “Alright, buy two pots for your Old Master. He likes these things. They’re not difficult to raise and can be used to repel mosquitoes.
Li Yu asked Xing Hua to pay and walked into the shop to take a look. The shopkeeper smiled and said, “Madam, if you can’t find any flowers and plants you like in the capital, you can tell me. I can help you search.”
Li Yu smiled and shook her head. Suddenly, she saw a pot of lush plants in the corner of the door of the shop. They seemed to be sweet potato leaves. Li Yu held back her excitement and looked carefully. As expected, they were sweet potato leaves. She turned to look at the shopkeeper and smiled. “What’s this? It’s green and quite good-looking. Is this the only pot?”
The shopkeeper smiled and shook his head. “Madam, I don’t know what this basin is called. The seeds are the size of a fist. They were mixed in with the seeds of flowers and plants when brought them back. I saw that it grew quite well after germinating, so I planted it in the basin.”
Li Yu was not disappointed when she heard that. Although it was a little late to plant the seeds, she thought that as long as there were seeds, this pot would be a good harvest. She smiled and said, “I want it.”
“Alright! I’ll pack it for you now.” The shopkeeper didn’t expect Li Yu to like such an inconspicuous pot of green vines. He happily got someone to put it into a bamboo basket and accepted 200 copper coins from Li Yu.
Li Yu readily asked Xing Hua to pay. She looked at the sweet potatoes in the basket and was filled with joy. She felt that her trip today was not in vain. No matter how much money she earned, this was something that money could not buy.
Han San and Xing Hua carried the bamboo basket and walked toward Old Master Zhou’s shop. Mr. Wen glanced at the happy Li Yu and said with a smile, “Xiaoyu, do you know that thing?”
Li Yu didn’t hide it. She smiled and nodded. “I’m not sure either. I heard my
Master mention it in the past. I’ll tell you in detail when we get back.”
Mr. Wen nodded and the few of them returned to Old Master Zhou’s flower shop. Li Yu looked at the flowers and plants placed at the door and in the shop. There were chrysanthemums, jasmine, orchids, and others she didn’t recognize.
When Old Master Zhou saw Li Yu, he rubbed his hands happily. “You’re here too! Does Jiahe know? Come and take a look. I planted these.”
Li Yu smiled and bowed. ‘You’re very impressive. You’ve taken good care of these flowers and plants. Jiahe also said that you’re very capable now.”
Old Master Zhou smiled proudly. He thought for a moment and said, “You’re still the best. We, men, can’t compare to you. Remember to supervise Jiahe and that kid. Otherwise, when will he become a first-grade official?”
Li Yu didn’t expect him to still be conflicted about Zhou Jia’s lower grade in comparison to hers. She replied readily, “Yes, don’t worry. I’ll definitely supervise his improvement.”
Old Master Zhou nodded in satisfaction. “Alright, it’s not convenient for you. Go back quickly!”
Li Yu asked Han San to put a basin of thyme in Old Master Zhou’s shop. After bidding farewell to him, she got into the carriage with Mr. Wen and returned. In the car, she said to Mr. Wen, “Sir, that thing seems to be a kind of food my Master mentioned. It’s called sweet potato. I’ve only seen the picture. I’m not sure if it’s the kind he mentioned.”
Mr. Wen smiled. “You look happy. Is that thing produced in high quantities?”
Li Yu smiled and nodded. “Yes, if it’s indeed the sweet potato plant he mentioned, the yield is very high.”
Mr. Wen thought for a moment and instructed Li Yu, “Xiaoyu, don’t reveal it yet, lest it causes unnecessary trouble.”
Li Yu smiled and said, “I understand, sir. I’ll be careful.”
When she returned home, Li Yu was in a hurry to go back to the Wang Family
Village to plant those sweet potatoes. She called Ji Xiang over and said to him, “Go to the government office and call Master out to tell him that I found a new crop and am rushing to plant it while the weather is good. Remember, you can’t tell anyone else.”
“Got it, Madam. Why don’t you wait for me to come back and send you back?” Ji Xiang said worriedly.
Li Yu shook her head. “It’s fine. Sir is with me. Let Han San drive the carriage. It’ll be fine.”
After Ji Xiang agreed, he went to the Ministry of Revenue. Li Yu and Mr. Wen packed up and rushed to the Wang Family Village.
When they arrived at the Wang Family Village, the sun had already set. They found a piece of land with loose soil in the courtyard and asked Xing Hua to pluck some of the small rapeseed. They asked Old Madam Lin, Xing Hua, and the others to dig deep into the ground. Aunt Zhang went to the fertilizer pit in the bamboo forest at the back and picked up a load of fertilizer. She scattered it in and covered it carefully.
After Li Yu removed the thin bamboo pole from the flower pot where the sweet potatoes were planted, she used a pair of scissors to grow the sprouts. She cut the sweet potato vines into lengths less than a foot long and carefully removed the roots on the sprouts. She cut 80 to 90 segments of the seedlings in a large basin of sweet potato vines and carried the dustpan to the raised ridge.
Li Yu bent down and inserted the end of the sweet potato seedling into the soil. She covered it with a few leaves and a sweet potato seedling was planted. At this moment, the child kicked her hard. Li Yu stood up in pain. Granny Chen asked worriedly, “Madam, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“It’s fine.” Li Yu smiled. “The naught child. He thought that I was squeezing them and kicked me when he was unhappy.”
Granny Chen was relieved. Aunt Zhang smiled and said, “Young Master is good-looking and has strong feet.”
Xing Hua picked up a section of sweet potato seedlings. “Madam, let us do it! It doesn’t look difficult.”
“Okay, I’ll teach you. You plant it.”
Li Yu instructed Xing Hua and Old Madam Lin to plant the sweet potatoes. The dozens of sweet potato seedlings were all planted in less than half an hour.
Seeing that Li Yu didn’t say what she was planting, Aunt Zhang, Old Madam Lin, and the others didn’t ask. After planting it, Li Yu asked them to scatter some water and insert bamboo pieces around the sweet potato seedlings to prevent Xiaobai from causing trouble.
When she returned to the backyard, Li Yu placed the sweet potato in the flower pot on the flowerbed and waited for it to germinate again.
Mr. Wen watched as Li Yu finished her work and said with a smile, “From the looks of it, you should have a good harvest.”
Li Yu nodded happily. “It’s still a little late. If I had discovered it two months earlier, I would have been able to collect it in a few months.”
Mr. Wen thought for a moment. “From what you said, it will take four to five months to harvest.”
Li Yu nodded. “That’s right! I’m worried that the cold will affect its growth, so I still have to think of a way to keep it warm.”
“It seems that there’s something wrong with the season we encountered. Go and rest for a while. I’ll go to the lotus pond and watch Han San and the others pick the lotus seeds.” Mr. Wen smiled.
“Alright.” Li Yu smiled and nodded. She thought about how to keep the sweet potatoes warm when the weather turned cold. After thinking for a long time, she decided to use the straw curtain to build a greenhouse. When the sweet potatoes in the flower pot sprouted again, she would plant them in the wooden basket. It would also be convenient to move them in and out when the weather turned cold..