Chapter 154: The Emotional Dawn of a Hunger-Free Future
Wen Yao took the small hand rake from Wang Yong and grabbed a small basket. Squatting on the ground, she began to dig, specifically picking the plants that were growing the best.
Before long, the basket held by the grandfather and granddaughter was filled with potatoes about the size of Datou’s fist.
“Stop digging, stop digging, that’s enough! We’ll just have a little taste of this precious commodity. If your dad finds out later, he’ll give you a proper scolding.” Old Madam Luo was filled with heartache—especially after Wen Yao told her that these things called potatoes would keep growing until they were bigger than an adult’s fist. Her heart truly began to ache.
They absolutely could not dig up any more.
Wen Yao had wanted to dig up a few more to make braised new potatoes for dinner. However, looking at Old Madam Luo’s expression, which looked as though she might sink into the earth from sheer distress, Wen Yao stayed her hand.
“We’ll only dig this many today. Little potatoes, I’ll come see you again tomorrow,” Wen Yao said, hoisting the small rake and waving it toward the seedlings in the field.
This earned her a sharp smack from Old Madam Luo. “Come see them? You stay far away from your dad’s precious crops! Eating this many just to try something fresh is one thing, but you want to come back every day? Careful your grandpappy doesn’t turn on you when he finds out.”
The old lady carried the basket while Wen Yao linked arms with her, laughing merrily. “Don’t worry, Grandma. I guarantee that once Grandpappy tastes it, he won’t have the heart to turn on me.”
Old Madam Luo let out a cold snort. As if she didn’t know her old man? No matter how much he craved a good meal, once he knew these things could grow even larger, he would treasure these few plots of land even more fiercely than his eldest son did.
The two found Wang Yong, returned the rake, and headed home carrying the basket of new potatoes.
Wen Yao rolled up her sleeves, itching to make spicy braised new potatoes. But since the chili peppers in the backyard were still nowhere to be seen, she had to suppress her love for spice and settled on making salt-and-pepper crispy baby potatoes instead.
When Wen Xiuyi and Old Man Wen returned from their evening chores, they saw the basket of small potatoes Wen Yao had dug up. The former’s eyes lit up instantly. “They’re already edible?”
The latter asked, “What on earth is this?”
Old Madam Luo had no choice but to explain it to Old Man Wen. The moment she mentioned that these things could grow even larger—reaching a size bigger than an adult’s fist—Old Man Wen’s eyebrows shot up.
“What? They can grow even bigger?” With that, he directed a look toward Wen Yao that seemed ready to mete out a beating.
The moment Wen Yao heard her grandfather’s tone, she knew trouble was brewing. She quickly grabbed the basket and slipped away.
“You girl…” Old Man Wen took a couple of steps, intending to catch up and properly lecture his granddaughter. But before he could take a third step, Wen Xiuyi blocked his path. “Dad, there’s no need, really. She only dug up a few. Besides, these potatoes can be eaten at any size. They actually taste the best when they’re this small!”
“No…” Old Man Wen wanted to say he didn’t actually want to beat the girl; he just wanted to give her a piece of his mind. She should have let them grow bigger.
“Dad, Yaoyao didn’t do it on purpose. The child was just craving a treat. Please be understanding, and whatever you do, don’t let yourself get sick with anger,” Wen Xiuyi continued to persuade him.
Old Man Wen: “…”
Seeing him like this, Old Madam Luo glared at him too. “They’ve already been dug up. What’s the point of talking about it now? If you’re so principled, don’t eat any later.”
Old Man Wen: “…”
There was no staying in this house anymore. Not even for a day.
When Wen Yao brought a large basin of salt-and-pepper baby potatoes to the table, Old Man Wen’s mouth watered just from the aroma.
Everyone rolled up their sleeves, but they all looked toward Old Man Wen.
Caught by their stares, Old Man Wen looked bewildered. “What are you all looking at me for? Eat!”
As he spoke, he was the first to pick one up with his chopsticks and take a bite. He didn’t know how Wen Yao had prepared it, but the skin was wonderfully crispy, yielding to a soft, fluffy interior. The savory kick of the salt and pepper stimulated his taste buds, causing him to automatically take another bite.
Mmm, truly delicious.
However, after eating several in a row, Old Man Wen noticed something. He picked one up with his chopsticks, staring at it for a long while without taking a bite.
“Grandpappy, what are you looking at?” Wen Fa asked curiously. This stuff was so delicious; if his grandfather wasn’t going to eat it, he would gladly take it.
Old Man Wen sat frozen for a moment before looking up at everyone. He asked, “Are you all full?”
Everyone blanked for a second. The children looked completely bewildered, having no idea what he meant by the question, but the adults suddenly snapped out of it.
Wen Yao smirked. The old man had finally clued in.
It was fine before Old Man Wen pointed it out, but once he did, everyone realized that only a single basin of salt-and-pepper potatoes had been set on the table today without any other dishes. Yet, they actually felt quite full. While they weren’t stuffed to the brim, every single one of them felt satisfied and satiated.
Old Man Wen sat stunned for a long while. Finally, he placed the salt-and-pepper potato from his chopsticks into his mouth. But as he chewed, his eyes grew red without his realizing it. As he kept eating, he began to choke up with tears.
The younger children were startled. They put down their chopsticks one after another, feeling utterly helpless, not knowing what had brought their grandfather to tears. Only Old Madam Luo, her own eyes rimmed with red, wiped the corners of her eyes. She, along with the other adults, understood exactly why Old Man Wen was crying.
“Just eat your food. What are you crying for?” Old Madam Luo scolded, feigning anger, but even Wen Yao could detect the tremor in her voice.
Infected by the heavy emotion in the room, Wen Yao felt a sour pang in her nose. She wasn’t truly a ten-year-old child; inside was the soul of an adult in her twenties.
Even though the era she grew up in had never suffered through such hardships, Professor Wen had told her and her brother since they were young that there was a time when people truly couldn’t afford to eat. The desperation and helplessness of that bygone era were things they had been steeped in since childhood.
Furthermore, with the advancement of technology and the prevalence of historical dramas, Wen Yao could deeply empathize with their feelings even without having experienced it firsthand.
“Grandpappy, are you happy?” Wen Yao asked softly.
Choking back his tears, Old Man Wen nodded vigorously, each nod heavier than the last.
Happy. How could he not be happy? Originally, he had thought his eldest son was just fooling around. He never expected that everything the boy said was the absolute truth. These things were truly precious darlings; they were truly capable of saving countless lives!
After his wave of emotion passed, Old Man Wen wiped away his tears. “Eldest, this thing called a potato—how many catties did you say it could yield per mu again?”
Wen Xiuyi sat up straight and said solemnly, “If the farming methods are correct, a single mu can yield at least three thousand catties. If tended to exceptionally well, five thousand isn’t out of the question.”
Old Man Wen’s hands began to shake violently.
“Then what about the other two kinds you mentioned? The same?” Old Man Wen’s voice trembled with intense excitement. He was referring to the corn and sweet potatoes.
“The yield of sweet potatoes is roughly the same as potatoes. As for corn, the yield will be a bit lower, but it can still produce at least a thousand catties per mu,” Wen Xiuyi answered honestly. As for the corn yield, he had actually understated the numbers. If he said too much, he was afraid he would give the old man a heart attack.
Old Man Wen’s eyes turned crimson once more. “Good. Good. Wonderful!”
At this very moment, Old Man Wen no longer questioned where these seeds had come from, nor did he ask how Wen Xiuyi knew all of this. He had known for a while now that his eldest son had changed.
Wiping his tears completely clean, Old Man Wen looked solemnly at his other two sons. “Starting tomorrow, the two of you will help brothers Wang Yong and Wang Yuan guard those two mu of land.”
“Dad…” Wen Xiuyi blanked for a moment and quickly spoke up. Why bring this up out of nowhere? Hadn’t they already hired people to watch the fields? Why do this now?
Old Man Wen raised a hand, cutting off his protest. He continued, “Until the day these crops ripen and drop from their vines, absolutely no mistakes will be tolerated.” At this point, Old Man Wen suddenly shot a glare at Wen Yao. “And no more eating them either!”
Wen Yao shrunk her neck back and playfully stuck out her tongue. She wouldn’t eat them. She wouldn’t eat them, alright? As long as the old man was happy.
That night, Old Man Wen lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. The others might not understand, but he knew all too well what it felt like to starve—to watch the people around him eat nothing but white clay just to fill their bellies, and to even see desperate families swap their children to eat.
Those memories from his youth were things he dreaded recalling, yet they were things he could never, ever forget.
