Chapter 179: Future Fortune
Wen Yao loaded a sack of potatoes and a sack of sweet potatoes from the storehouse onto the ox cart, joining Wen Jun and the others as they headed into town.
Only after learning that Wen Yao intended to deliver these to Qiu Rongrong did Old Man Wen refrain from stopping her. Otherwise, if anyone dared touch his precious potatoes, he would have fought them to the death.
Wen Xiuzhu dropped Sanxi off at the academy first, then drove the ox cart to deliver Wen Jun and Wen Yao to Jishi Hall. Since it was so early, Wen Yao wasn’t sure if Qiu Rongrong would be awake to see her yet, so she decided to wait at Jishi Hall for a while.
This was also the perfect chance to ask Divine Doctor Jin about that Meng the Unscrupulous.
“Yao’er is here!” Hong Hai was incredibly delighted to see Wen Yao. Noticing she had brought things along, he immediately abandoned his counter-wiping duties and rushed forward to help.
Wen Jun and Hong Hai worked together to haul the two sacks down, after which Wen Xiuzhu drove the ox cart back home, as a mountain of chores was still waiting for him.
“What is this? It’s so heavy! Yao’er, is it something delicious?” Hong Hai’s eyes lit up with intense curiosity.
Wen Yao patted the sacks and nodded. “Hehe, I’ll whip up some for you to taste in a bit.”
“Great, great, great, hehe. Let me help you carry it inside.” He eagerly prepared to lug them all the way into the building, but Wen Yao stopped him.
“Brother Hong Hai, no need to go to all that trouble. These are meant for Sister Qiu at the Xie residence. Just find any spot to leave them for now. I’ll pick out a few to prepare so everyone can give them a taste.” Wen Yao selected a few potatoes and sweet potatoes, then had Hong Hai tie the sacks securely and leave them in a corner by the medical clinic’s entrance, making it easy to cart away later.
Familiar with the layout, she headed to the backyard to light a fire and boil some water.
She had eaten the sweet potatoes before; they were sweet, soft, and fluffy, boasting a top-tier texture. Aside from the fact that eating too many tended to cause flatulence, they practically had no drawbacks.
She threw the potatoes into the same pot to steam, saving herself the extra hassle.
When Divine Doctor Jin and Manager Qiu arrived at the clinic, they found Wen Yao and Hong Hai crouching by the doorway, munching on something in their hands.
“What are you two eating?” Divine Doctor Jin glanced at them and then looked at the items in their hands, filled with curiosity.
He had never seen them before.
“Divine Doctor Jin, Shopkeeper! Yao’er brought these. They’re called sweet potatoes, and they’re incredibly sweet!” Hong Hai held one up so the two could get a clearer look.
The two raised their brows. “Oh? What delicious thing has Yao’er come up with now?”
Wen Yao swallowed her last bite of sweet potato, clapped her hands clean, and stood up with a smile. “Just some coarse grains. I brought them over to ask Sister Qiu if she wants to plant them on her manor. When Brother Hong Hai spotted them, I prepared a couple for him to taste. There are still more in the kitchen. Divine Doctor Jin, Uncle Qiu, would you like some? I’ll fetch them for you.”
“I haven’t had breakfast yet, so I might as well have a taste.” Divine Doctor Jin could already smell the inviting aroma.
Manager Qiu let out a helpless laugh and nodded along. In truth, he had already eaten, given that there were two noble guests at his house, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a taste.
Wen Yao ran back to the kitchen, piled the remaining sweet potatoes and potatoes onto a plate, brought it out, and showed them how to eat.
“I’ve truly never seen this item before. I didn’t expect it to taste quite so nice. Just one of these down my belly and I’m already full. Yao’er, what is this?” Divine Doctor Jin selected a potato.
Manager Qiu also tasted the sweet potato in his hand and nodded. “Indeed. It’s sweet, soft, and starchy. Truly not bad at all, and highly filling.”
“This one is called a potato, and this one is called a sweet potato. My father grew them. Well… I suppose they count as grain staple crops,” Wen Yao said, sounding entirely casual.
The two men froze in their movements simultaneously, exchanging a brief glance.
Very quickly, Divine Doctor Jin composed himself, shared another sweet potato with Hong Hai, and finished his breakfast.
“I’m full, time to get to work.” Divine Doctor Jin strolled away with his hands tucked behind his back.
Manager Qiu, however, kept studying the item in his hand.
“This item actually reminds me of something.
“I remember reading a book that resembled a travelogue, which described some foreign lands. It mentioned a type of fruit that looked like a melon or gourd yet could stave off hunger. Thinking about it now, it bears quite a resemblance to what I hold in my hand.”
Manager Qiu’s words caused Wen Yao’s heart to skip a beat. Playing dumb, she let out a silly laugh. “Ah? Really? What book is that? Could Uncle Qiu lend it to me to read?”
Manager Qiu shook his head. “It’s been too long, I can’t recall clearly either. The book was written by someone who crossed the vast oceans by a twist of fate. It contained many descriptions of the outside world. However, no one knew if it was true or false, nor was there any way to verify it. Everyone just treated him as a madman. After all, no one else had ever been there, right?
“Looking at it now, this item does bear a resemblance to the food crops of those foreign nations he recorded.”
Wen Yao thought to herself, Well, of course it does.
Foreign tubers, foreign tubers—that’s exactly where they came from.
“Ahem, it’s probably just a coincidence.” Wen Yao offered a awkward smile. Facing Manager Qiu, who was looking at her with a calm and composed expression, she suddenly felt a bit guilty. These smart people were truly far too difficult to fool.
“Well, Uncle Qiu, I still need to go find Sister Qiu, so I won’t disrupt your work here any longer.” Out of the thirty-six stratagems, retreating was the best option.
Manager Qiu gave an affirmative grunt, set the potato down, and called out to Hong Hai, telling him to go next door to borrow a carriage to deliver Wen Yao to the Xie residence.
Wen Yao bade everyone farewell and slipped away immediately, hauling her two sacks of potatoes along.
Once Wen Yao was sent off, Manager Qiu returned to the clinic, standing by the table and staring blankly at the remaining sweet potatoes and potatoes left on the surface.
“What are you thinking about?” Divine Doctor Jin appeared at his side and asked.
Manager Qiu picked up a potato and spoke: “This Wen family truly harbors a vast number of secrets.”
Divine Doctor Jin cast a glance at him, suddenly feeling a bit guilty himself.
“Ahem, didn’t we already guess as much when we first met them? Since we’ve agreed to treat each other as family now, don’t go getting all suspicious. With Datou being such a wonderful godson, if you don’t want him, I’ll gladly snatch him up to be my grandson.” Divine Doctor Jin teased as he usually did. His decades of experience ensured that Manager Qiu couldn’t detect a shred of his inner guilt.
Ah, my precious disciple is still the best. Hehe, he thinks of me in everything.
Manager Qiu set the potato back down, shot him a glance, and snorted. “Did I say anything? Is having Wen Jun not enough for you? Don’t be too greedy.”
Divine Doctor Jin nearly choked on his own saliva and hurriedly changed the subject. “Why did you bring this up out of the blue? Do you actually recognize these two items?”
Manager Qiu shook his head. “I can’t be certain if they are the same. However, if this item truly is what was recorded in that travelogue I read back then, then the Wen family’s future fortune… will likely be immense.”
“How immense could it be?” Divine Doctor Jin asked.
Manager Qiu said nothing, merely pointing a finger toward the heavens before uttering a single sentence: “At the very least, it will draw the attention of the High Authorities.”
Divine Doctor Jin drew in a sharp breath. “That powerful?”
Manager Qiu didn’t elaborate further, only saying, “It’s been a long time since we went to find Brother Wen for a drink.”
Their years of tacit understanding allowed Divine Doctor Jin to grasp his meaning instantly. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Then what about the two guests at your house? Are you just going to leave them at home?”
Manager Qiu wore a thoroughly indifferent expression. “They didn’t come to look for me anyway. That particular individual is driven purely by an appetite for food. Once he’s eaten his fill and played enough, he will naturally head back. It matters not.”
Recalling that person’s specific obsession, Divine Doctor Jin also let out a chuckle. “Ha, if we’re talking about the absolute most delicious foods in Yunwu Town, they are all to be found at the Wen family. With that girl Yao’er around, what can’t be created? Even that roast duck they traveled all this way to eat was originally made by her.”
Manager Qiu also smiled. Indeed, weren’t the most delicious things all to be found at the Wen family?
