They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 32 asks what the merchant said.

As Xu Zhichun spoke, he untied a large burlap sack, took out a sweet potato, and handed it to Aunt Zhu'er: "Here, Aunt Zhu'er, go wash it and see how it tastes."

To be honest, even though she only showed me these twelve sacks, she could add more without making a sound, so she didn't feel bad about eating them.

Let's start tonight with some hot and sour shredded potatoes.

Tomorrow morning, peel and chop the sweet potatoes, stir-fry them briefly in a pot, then add water to make sweet potato soup. Just before serving, add salt and a handful of chopped scallions—that's what makes it fragrant.

Aunt Pearl hurriedly washed it and tasted it, her eyes lighting up: "Crispy, sweet, and delicious. I'm so glad you bought it, otherwise it would have been such a pity to miss out."

Xu Zhichun said smugly, "I also think I'm pretty lucky. Others might not think this thing is anything special, and probably no one would be willing to try it. Otherwise, if they had tasted it, they would definitely buy it, and then it wouldn't be my turn."

Aunt Zhu thought about it and agreed, then smiled and said, "That makes sense. So, this was meant to be yours."

Xu Zhichun was good at cooking, so it was only natural that she would be interested in trying new foods, and Aunt Zhu'er had no doubts at all.

Xu Zhichun continued, "Those two people said that the yields of potatoes and sweet potatoes are quite high, much higher than the peanuts and beans we grow. The fruits can be eaten or used as seeds, so I plan to plant a few acres of each. I'll also think about what delicious dishes I can make from them in my spare time; maybe we'll have something new to sell in the future."

Aunt Zhu'er said happily, "I was just thinking of buying some sweet potatoes from you to take home and eat. Since that's the case, we'll grow some too. Zhichun, sell me everything, sell me everything—by the way, how do you grow potatoes and sweet potatoes?"

This was no challenge for Xu Zhichun. She smiled confidently and said, "I asked those two people. Potatoes can be planted directly in the ground, and so can sweet potatoes. But potatoes are like taro; once they're planted, they're planted. As for sweet potatoes, once they sprout and grow long, you can break off the vine-like sweet potato vines and plant them again. Soon they'll grow into a patch again."

Aunt Pearl was intrigued: "There are things that can be grown like this and grow this long? So sweet potatoes really are a good thing!"

Potatoes are better.

Xu Zhichun didn't use sweet potatoes or potatoes to compete at this moment. Instead, he nodded in agreement with Aunt Zhu'er: "Yeah, who can argue with that? I find it interesting too. If that's really the case, that would be wonderful."

She got so into the role that she pretended to sigh, "I just don't know if what those two said was true or if they were just trying to fool me. Sigh."

Aunt Zhu quickly comforted her, "You'll know once you plant them. Even if they're fake, it doesn't matter. Sweet potatoes planted as seeds will eventually bear fruit. These sweet potatoes are so delicious, it's worth it."

"Yes, that's what I think too."

Not long after, Zeng Xiaoyan and Liang Mingliang also returned.

As soon as Zeng Xiaoyan entered the courtyard, she couldn't wait any longer: "Sister-in-law Zhichun! Sister-in-law Zhichun! What's the deal with those sweet potatoes and potatoes?"

At the market, there were many people and a lot of noise, and besides, everyone was busy selling things, so Liu Caichun didn't go into details, but Zeng Xiaoyan had been holding back for a long time.

Her husband said that all the potatoes and sweet potatoes were packed in big burlap sacks and piled high on the rented oxcart, weighing several hundred kilograms.

It must be something good for Sister Zhichun to buy so much!

Xu Zhichun then smiled and recounted what he had told Aunt Zhu'er earlier, always beginning with, "That's what the two merchants said. I don't know if it's true, but it should be about right."

Zeng Xiaoyan and her husband were also surprised.

"This—is the production really that high? You must be lying! Sister Zhichun, how much money did you get ripped off? Was it expensive?"

Liang Mingliang was more concerned about the money, while Zeng Xiaoyan was more concerned about whether the food tasted good: "Sister-in-law Zhichun, how do these two dishes taste? If they taste good, that would be nice too."

Production volume is another matter.

Xu Zhichun had already thought it through, and said with a smile, "These cost a little over one tael of silver in total."

She had just come out of the Lotus Restaurant with a delivery, and only had a little over one tael of silver on her, so the story would keep up and wouldn't give her away.

"By the way, these sweet potatoes can be eaten raw, you guys should try them."

“Okay.” Zeng Xiaoyan and her husband then opened a burlap sack and grabbed a sweet potato.

Wash it clean, break it in half, and eat it directly.

"It's so sweet, sweet and crunchy, and so juicy."

"It looks good too. Look at this fruit, it's translucent."

translucent?

Aunt Pearl rushed over to take a look and exclaimed in surprise, "It really is semi-transparent, it looks beautiful. How come it's different from the one I tasted? Mine wasn't like this!"

Zeng Xiaoyan then went to the kitchen, cut two pieces, and generously shared them with Aunt Zhu'er and Xu Zhichun.

Aunt Pearl took a bite and her eyes widened: "It's sweeter than that one, crisper than that one, and juicier too. But both are delicious."

Xu Zhichun also expressed his surprise: "Yes, yes, even though they look the same, they taste completely different! The merchant said that there are many kinds of sweet potatoes, so it seems that's true."

Of course it's sweeter, crisper, and juicier; this is snow lotus fruit.

Aunt Zhu'er laughed and said, "It seems that the merchant is quite reliable. Maybe what he said is true and he didn't deceive Zhichun."

Zeng Xiaoyan and her husband both thought it was probably true. She asked curiously, "Since the merchant said there are many kinds, there must be more than just these two. Sister Zhichun, if you find any different kinds later, let us try them."

Xu Zhichun readily agreed.

Since it's a reliable method, and Xu Zhichun is going to plant it, their two families will naturally want to plant it too.

But there's no rush, let's wait until everything is sorted out.

After a while of novelty, we still had to divide the money first, then dig up konjac, and make konjac tofu.

The most exciting part of the day was counting and distributing the money. Liang Mingliang deliberately avoided getting involved, while the three women's eyes lit up, and their cheerful laughter and conversation created a wonderful atmosphere.

Today she earned a total of three thousand four hundred and a half coins. After deducting the rent for the oxcart and the wages for Liang Mingliang, Xu Zhichun received two thousand and seventy coins. She paid one thousand four hundred coins to the "merchant" and then generously treated him to meat sauce noodles, spending forty-four coins, which she deducted from the earnings, leaving her with more than six hundred coins.

In reality, the so-called merchants did not exist. She earned a full two taels of silver and several dozen coins today, and successfully sold nearly 1,500 catties of potatoes and sweet potatoes, oh, and delicious snow lotus fruit.

While waiting for the seeds to be planted, they can also take more from the harbor warehouse to confuse the public. In short, there's plenty to go around.

Aunt Zhu'er and Zeng Xiaoyan each received seven hundred, overjoyed, and filled a heavy money bag.

After everyone collected their share of money, Zeng Xiaoyan laughed and said, "We don't need to pick lantern fruits anymore. Konjac is easy to dig, we can go. Sister-in-law Zhichun, why don't you stay home and tidy up these potatoes and sweet potatoes? You don't need to go."

Aunt Zhu'er also said, "Xiao Yan is right. You have to change the water for the konjac tofu every night and make ice jelly every morning. It's really hard work. Don't go today."

Xu Zhichun thought for a moment and agreed, "Then I'll wait for you at home."

These sweet potatoes and potatoes definitely need to be sorted out.

Potatoes were easy to find, but she prepared five varieties of sweet potatoes, including snow lotus fruit, with one each of red, yellow, white, and purple flesh. She selected those that were hardy, easy to grow, and had high yields.

Whether it's sweet potatoes or potatoes, there are countless ways to cook them—stir-frying, deep-frying, boiling, steaming, braising, roasting, and so on—as well as countless derivative products. The list goes on and on.

The meals of the common people in the Great Ming Dynasty suddenly became much more abundant and splendid. Thinking that this was all thanks to him, Xu Zhichun felt even happier.

Yes, credit. She couldn't let all her hard work go to waste; she had to find a way to earn some recognition.

(End of this chapter)