1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 21 Golden Vegetable

"What!? Have those 500 tons of purple potatoes you mentioned to me before been harvested?!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yang Mo jumped up on the spot as if his anus had been pecked by a goose, completely lacking in his previous nonchalance.

Seeing how shocked and angry this Taiwanese businessman was, Old Man Zhao and others who shamelessly refused to leave in the name of "shareholders of Xialiu Marketing Commune" no longer had any doubts about the purpose of Yang Mo's appearance here, but they were startled... It seems that Old Man Yan has lost even his last straw this time!

Watching Yang Mo's unexpected performance, Yan Laoxi secretly glanced at Sun Jian beside him and found that he was also confused. His eyes quickly swept across Su Yu behind Yang Mo and the square-faced middle-aged man who had been standing there quietly. Yan Laoxi hesitated for a moment, and finally sighed: "Yes, the 500 tons of purple potatoes have been harvested... and are now stored in a temporary warehouse built in Xialiu Village."

Although no one knew what this "foreign aid" Sun Jian found was trying to do, this matter had already been discovered by villagers from other villages, so there was no need to hide it.

Yang Mo's face was filled with sorrow and disbelief. His fingers trembled as he pointed at Old Yan. "You, you, you... Mr. Yan, didn't I tell you last year... notify me as soon as the purple sweet potatoes are expanded. I'll take care of everything. The price will definitely satisfy you... But the premise is that these purple sweet potatoes are absolutely not allowed to be dug out before November... You, why didn't you listen to a word I said!?"

Yan Laoxi, who had no idea how the next scene would unfold, remained silent. However, the old man Zhao beside him was puzzled: "Um... Boss Yang, right?... Isn't it the same whether you dig it a month earlier or a month later? Why is it not okay if you dig it after November?"

Yang Mo glanced at him, then at Yan Laoxi who remained silent, and explained in a venting tone: "I really don't know what you guys are doing... Do you know what variety this is?... This is Shanchuan Purple Sweet Potato! Among the crops that can be grown on a large scale, it has the highest anthocyanin content and is also one of the lowest-cost selenium-rich crops... You ask me why the one dug out in November is not okay? Huh... Huh..."

Seeing Yang Mo almost rolling his eyes in anger, Old Man Zhao, who was still in the dark, asked cautiously: "That... beggar something, what is it?"

Yang Mo stared at him speechlessly for a while, until Old Man Zhao shrank his neck in inferiority, then he sighed heavily and explained listlessly: "Anthocyanins and selenium are important elements for the human body to resist fatigue and aging; anthocyanins are responsible for removing free radicals from the human body, and long-term intake has a more obvious effect of delaying aging and beautifying... The reason why purple sweet potatoes are purple is because they contain a lot of anthocyanins;"

"And selenium is even more amazing. It is called the "king of anti-cancer" by Western society... This element is easily absorbed by the human body and can remain in the serum. It can repair the myocardium, enhance the body's immunity, remove free radicals in the body, inhibit the synthesis of DNA in cancer cells and the division and growth of cancer cells, and prevent the occurrence of cancers such as gastric cancer and liver cancer... In a word, the higher the content of this thing, the more valuable it is!... You don't know how popular selenium-rich foods and high-anthocyanin foods are in Europe, America, East Japan and South Korea!"

Can it cure cancer?
Old Man Zhao and the others shuddered when they heard this, and vaguely understood why Yang Mo insisted on getting purple potatoes dug out after November: "Boss Yang, what do you mean...?"

Yang Mo's face was filled with frustration. "That's right. Although anthocyanins are widely found in nature, they are mainly found in the skin and seeds of plants... Whether it's the skin or the seeds, it's okay to use them for drug extraction, but if they are used to make food, I guess few people would like to eat them."

"The main reason why the Shanchuan Purple Sweet Potato is valued by people in the industry is that it can precipitate a large amount of anthocyanins in the pulp... As long as the anthocyanin content in the pulp is high enough, the food we make can easily meet the entry standards of Europe, America, Japan and South Korea, and sell well there in the form of functional food/drinks or medicinal drinks!"

"But the problem is that if you want to precipitate a sufficient proportion of anthocyanins in the flesh, you need to ensure that the purple sweet potato has a sufficient production cycle... I have asked experts to evaluate it before. Although the geographical location and climate of the North China Plain are not as good as those in southern Yunnan and Hunan and Jiangxi, it is also suitable for large-scale cultivation of high-anthocyanin purple sweet potatoes. However, the premise is that the growth cycle of purple sweet potatoes must not be less than 7 months... According to your habit of burying seedlings during the Grain Rain in North China, it will take at least until early November to precipitate a sufficient amount of anthocyanins."

At the end, Yang Mo shrugged his shoulders and said, "The same is true for selenium enrichment. The longer the growth cycle, the higher the selenium enrichment... Oh, what a pity. I originally wanted to use this cooperation as an opportunity to invest in setting up a production and processing base here after the two companies' planting, processing, storage, and transportation processes have been initially run-in and evaluated. For this purpose, I also sent a letter to the Agricultural Bureau and the Commerce Bureau of your county, but now..."

As he spoke, Yang Mo looked at Old Yan and a trace of regret appeared on his face again: "Mr. Yan, don't blame me for saying that... The seedlings and technical patents of Shanchuan Purple Sweet Potato are not only extremely expensive, but the island country is also very strict about this thing... Now that bilateral relations are good, you have finally obtained the qualification for seedling trial planting for technical exchange, why did you waste such a good opportunity in vain!?"

Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood.

I mean, how could a mere 500 tons of purple sweet potatoes attract such a high-profile visit from Taiwanese businessmen? Not only is this thing a rare commodity, but not everyone is qualified to grow it!

Just as Old Man Zhao and the others were looking at each other with a look of regret, as if they were even more regretful than if they had lost 100 million, the square-faced middle-aged man who had been standing next to Su Yu suddenly spoke up: "Boss Yang, is this purple potato really that... good?"

I guess this person initially wanted to ask whether this thing could really make that much money, but due to his status, he couldn't say that word out loud, so he ended up just using the word "yes" instead.

With some surprise, Yang Mo looked at the reinforcement that Su Yu had brought in with his personal connections, and spread his hands: "Is it really that good? Wouldn't your department leaders know if they went abroad to investigate?" "Anyway, ever since American scientists have proven through clinical trials that high-anthocyanin foods containing a large amount of anthocyanins, represented by purple sweet potato drinks, can significantly inhibit the increase of glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and glutamate-pyroglucose transaminase (GTP) in the serum of mice with liver damage caused by carbon tetrachloride, and have a certain inhibitory effect on the increase of thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reactants and oxidized lipoproteins in serum and liver, this stuff has been selling like crazy in developed countries!"

"You know, those foreigners are living a very comfortable life now, and they are much more afraid of death than us... In short, in the past two years, whoever can have a more stable and cost-controlled high-anthocyanin purple potato raw material will be able to make a fortune in the international market!"

"What a pity! Originally, I sincerely wanted to invite Mr. Yan to cooperate with me and work together to enter the international functional beverage market, but it seems that... Mr. Yan still has his hometown in mind and wants to operate independently... What a pity..."

Yang Mo was shaking his head, but the eyes of everyone present lit up. They looked at Yan Laoxi with eyes full of amazement, but also full of regret - they could make a lot of money by exporting to foreign countries, what a pity.

"Well... Mr. Yang, you are knowledgeable, can you give us some advice? It's a pity to pile up so many purple sweet potatoes in the warehouse to feed pigs... Besides, even if the flower has the highest content, it is still useful after all. Didn't you say that this thing is precious? It may have other uses?" Old man Zhao struggled for a while and said with a shameless face.

"Yes. Yes. Mr. Yang is knowledgeable. Please help us think of a solution!"

Once Old Man Zhao took the lead, some of the villagers watching also started shouting.

Although he knew that the current situation was different from the debt collection scenes he had seen in later life, Yang Mo's worldview was still slightly shaken when he heard these creditors unanimously trying to find a way out for Yan Laoxi.

Seeing Yang Mo's eyes staring at him, Yan Laoxi thought he was hinting at something, and his eyes twitched. In the end, he opened his mouth unwillingly: "Mr. Yang, if you can give me some advice, I will be very grateful."

The voice was as cold and hard as a stone, filled with reluctance and a hint of command.

Well, although your facial features show that you are an extremely strong person, but at this point, even when you are acting, you have such a rigid attitude. Isn't it a bit inappropriate?

After silently complaining a few words in his heart, Yang Mo pondered for a while with a tangled look on his face, and then he said: "Actually, it's not that there is no way to make up for it, but if I help you, then our future cooperation...?"

Before Yan Laoxi could say anything, She Shen, who was afraid that his boss would be exposed, immediately said, "As long as Mr. Yang can help us this time, we can sign the contract immediately... From now on, all the purple potatoes in Xialiu Tongxiao Commune will be planted according to your requirements, and you will be given priority!"

Yang Mo heard this, his face showed deep surprise, and he slammed his hand hard: "Okay! Great! It's settled!"

Like a frivolous playboy, Yang Mo stroked his chin proudly and began to give advice: "According to the current situation, although these purple potatoes we dug out are useless except for eating them or feeding them to pigs, but... its stems and leaves are also good things!"

As he spoke, Yang Mo turned his head and looked at She Shen: "Director She, are the stems and leaves of the purple sweet potatoes still in the ground?"

She Shen, who had no idea what this guy was doing, nodded: "They are still in the field... Everyone has been busy recently and has no time to tidy up the fields. In addition, we need to keep some purple potatoes for breeding, so the stems and leaves are still in the field, and most of them are still alive."

Yang Mo nodded with satisfaction: "That's easy... I wonder if Director She has heard of [Golden Vegetable]?"

Golden vegetable?
What it is?
Hearing this completely unfamiliar term, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment...

(End of this chapter)