Chapter 178: Off to Make Money
Everyone in the village knew that the few plots of land the Wen family had been treasuring like absolute prizes had yielded a massive harvest. However, as for what exactly had been harvested, no one knew. They could only watch from afar as sack after sack was hauled back to their house.
A few people had harbored thoughts of sneaking out at night to dig around and see what on earth those things were, but they were all scared off by the bizarre devices in the hands of the Wang brothers.
Those things would suddenly emit a blinding light that could project a vast distance. When shone directly into one’s face, it was completely dazzling. Who wouldn’t be terrified by that?
Fortunately, there were plenty of hands available. After digging continuously for three to four days, the potatoes and sweet potatoes were finally all harvested, all of them piled inside the temporary storehouse of Wen Xiuyi’s new house.
“So many.” Day by day, Old Man Wen hadn’t fully realized the scale, but now that the harvest was complete, he discovered there was truly an immense amount. When they initially planted them, it had only amounted to a few sacks. Now, they packed an entire room, totaling several thousand catties.
Once his astonishment faded, Old Man Wen looked toward Wen Xiuyi. “Eldest, did you say that after the wheat is harvested, another crop can be planted?”
Wen Xiuyi nodded. “Yes, it can. I’ve observed the climate in our region. Once the wheat is harvested, planting another round of potatoes and sweet potatoes will definitely be no problem.”
Looking at the mountain of potatoes and sweet potatoes, Old Man Wen gritted his teeth and stomped his foot. “Plant them! Save every single one of these for seed. Once the wheat is harvested, plant all of this. The land being cleared on the barren hills later will also be planted with this.”
The corner of Wen Xiuyi’s mouth twitched. “Father, there’s really no need to go that far.”
“What do you know? We are planting this.” Firm in his stance, Old Man Wen placed his hands behind his back and strolled out. He had originally wanted to caution them against getting greedy and eating them all, but on second thought, the crops were piled high as a mountain now. If they wanted to eat them, so be it—how much could a few mouths possibly consume anyway?
Wen Yao was picking out a few to cook for dinner when she spotted Wen Xiuyi sighing and groaning, prompting her to laugh. “My granddad is quite stubborn. Father, just listen to him. Back in our day, we couldn’t plant too much of this; remember back in our hometown, the excess was all used as pig feed.
“But things are different now. People can’t even fill their bellies here. Just think about how many people starve to death every time a famine hits.
“And look at my granddad—he’s been grinning from ear to ear ever since the harvest day, his eyes are practically squeezed into slits.
“So, just grant the old man’s wish and plant them. Who knows, maybe you’ll become a major potato and sweet potato tycoon in the future, solving the food and clothing security of the entire nation’s people. Then you might even land yourself an official post or something, tsk tsk.”
“Stop talking nonsense. What official post? One mustn’t talk recklessly about such things in this day and age, it can get your head chopped off,” Wen Xiuyi quickly glared at his daughter.
Wen Yao shrugged, and having gathered what she wanted, she prepared to leave.
“Stir-fried potato julienne with green peppers tonight?” Wen Yao cocked an eyebrow at Wen Xiuyi.
Wen Xiuyi’s eyes instantly lit up. “The chili peppers you grew are ready?”
“Mm-hmm.” Wen Yao nodded. “A few of them might have undergone a genetic mutation; I saw they grew quite large, so I plucked them. I’ll let you satisfy your cravings tonight, and let my granddad and grandmother witness my secret weapon as well.”
“Let’s go, let’s go. Father will give you a hand.”
The father and daughter left the storehouse laughing and chatting, not forgetting to padlock the door before they departed.
Come evening, the members of the Wen family also tasted another type of food that stimulated the taste buds besides the cornelian cherry for the very first time.
Wen Yao told them it was called a chili pepper.
With the taste of the cornelian cherry having already laid the groundwork for their palates, the chili pepper wasn’t all that difficult for everyone to accept. They even found its flavor far superior to that of the cornelian cherry.
Only Datou felt a bit peculiar as he ate continuously. This taste… it felt as though he had eaten it before.
Raising his head to look at his father, brother, and sister, Datou ultimately chose to silently swallow his doubts back into his stomach.
After dinner, Datou was reciting his texts while nestled in Wen Xiuyi’s embrace. Even though he was attending school now, Datou still liked to cling to Wen Xiuyi.
Wen Xiuyi was also more than happy to hold his son whenever he had a spare moment.
“Father, tomorrow we can’t wait for Big Brother. Have Second Uncle come fetch us a bit earlier, right after school finishes,” Datou said.
Wen Xiuyi looked puzzled. After all, Datou and the other two usually went straight to the Jishi Hall after school to study under Manager Qiu for another two hours before heading home together with Wen Jun.
“What’s wrong? Is your godfather not home?”
Datou answered honestly, “Godfather has guests. He told us we don’t need to go over for the next few days. If he needs us to go, he’ll send someone to fetch me.”
Wen Xiuyi stroked his son’s head and nodded. “Mm, alright. I’ll mention it to your second uncle in a bit and have him pick you up early tomorrow.”
Once Datou and Sanxi returned to their room, Wen Yao sidled over and lowered her voice. “This Manager Qiu’s background… his guests, could they perhaps be from the capital?”
Wen Xiuyi nodded. “Most likely.”
Wen Yao rubbed her chin, lost in thought.
“What are you thinking about?” Wen Xiuyi asked.
Wen Yao glanced left and right, and seeing no one else around, she lowered her voice even further. “Father, do you think we can look into that man surnamed Meng? There are only six months left until the date in the original book plot when they’re supposed to come and take Datou away.”
If Wen Yao hadn’t brought this up, Wen Xiuyi would have completely forgotten about the matter. Life at home had been far too comfortable recently, making him almost forget that such an ex-wife and a Meng the Unscrupulous even existed.
Wen Xiuyi slapped his forehead. “I nearly forgot all about this.”
Wen Yao arched an eyebrow, giving him a reassuring look, before making a series of squeaking mouse noises toward Wen Jun.
Wen Jun walked over, gave her a light flick on the forehead, and looked at Wen Xiuyi. “Father, what’s wrong?”
“Jun’er, it’s a major matter.”
Wen Jun squatted down on the other side of Wen Xiuyi. The family of three squatted together on the steps by the doorway just like that, arranged from shortest to tallest, looking like an incomplete signal bar.
After listening to the two of them finish, Wen Jun’s expression remained unusually calm.
“Two people did arrive, a father and son. Master didn’t say who they are, but they are very polite. He only told me that if I run into them normally, I should just do what I’m supposed to do. There’s no need to be too impolite, nor too constrained. As for anything else, he didn’t elaborate.
“Oh, right, that young master calls Manager Qiu ‘Mister,’ as if he was Manager Qiu’s former student. I heard Master say that they traveled all the way from the capital specifically to eat roast duck here.”
As he finished the last sentence, Wen Jun cast a glance at Wen Yao.
“To eat roast duck? Traveling all the way from the capital just to eat roast duck here? My goodness, is our Yunwu Roast Duck that famous now?” Wen Yao’s eyes sparkled as she rubbed her hands together, suddenly looking forward immensely to the day she would audit the accounts with Sister Qiu!!
Wen Jun replied, “That’s what they said.”
Wen Xiuyi poked Wen Yao. “Your drool is about to fall, wipe it.” He then looked back at Wen Jun, instructing, “When you have a moment, ask your master about Meng the Unscrupulous. If your master asks you why, there’s no need to hide it. No matter what, he is an official of some standing now, so we still need to make some preparations beforehand.”
In any case, Wen Xiuyi had already made up his mind. No matter who it was, no one should think of taking his good son Datou away, not even his mother.
“Alright, I understand,” Wen Jun assented.
Wen Yao stretched and let out a yawn. “Brother, tomorrow I’ll go with you. I need to go find Sister Qiu.”
“What for?” Wen Xiuyi looked at her.
Wen Yao pointed in the direction of the storehouse. “To go make money.”
