bestfiction Chapter 42 Potatoes
Chapter 42 Potatoes
"Girl, come help your grandpa," Shen Junru said, trying to get out of bed.
"You're not my grandfather," Xiao Siyue said, but still stepped forward to help Shen Junru up.
"Oh? Then why did the doctor just say you're my little granddaughter?" Shen Junru's voice carried a hint of teasing, as if he was deliberately teasing the little girl in front of him.
Xiao Siyue was momentarily speechless when asked the question: "..."
"Grandpa Shen, where are you going? Do you need me to take you?" Xiao Siyue asked worriedly. He had just woken up; she was afraid something might have happened to him.
"Yue'er"
As soon as Xiao Siyue finished speaking, she heard her mother's voice. Turning her head, she saw Xiao Qinian and Lin Qin walking into the clinic.
"Father, Mother, you're here!" Xiao Siyue exclaimed happily, feeling a huge weight lifted from her heart. Just moments ago, she had been worried about how to send Shen Junru back.
"No need, thank you, little girl. My guards will be here soon." Just as he finished speaking, a young man dressed in a tight-fitting outfit walked in through the door.
"Master, how are you?" The guard rushed to Shen Junru's side anxiously, like an ant on a hot pan.
"Li Han, I'm fine. I owe it all to this young lady who saved me," Shen Junru said kindly. Thinking back on what happened today, he felt a little scared; he almost lost his life.
"Thank you so much for saving my master, young lady." Li Han clasped his hands in thanks to Xiao Siyue, his eyes overflowing with gratitude.
"You're welcome," Xiao Siyue said casually.
"Then we'll take our leave now. Thank you so much for saving my life, young lady. I will repay your kindness tenfold!" Shen Junru bowed to Xiao Siyue and said, "But I'm not feeling well today, and I don't know where you live. I'll visit you tomorrow when I'm feeling better." He then bowed deeply again.
"There's really no need to repay me. It was just a small favor, I didn't do much..." Xiao Siyue was startled by his actions and hurriedly reached out to stop him, saying somewhat awkwardly, "I just called a doctor for you, it's nothing serious."
“Even so, I will remember this kindness. Girl, you don’t need to refuse.” Shen Junru said earnestly.
However, Xiao Siyue still refused.
"Alright, in that case, we'll meet again tomorrow." Shen Junru didn't say anything more, but he was thinking to himself that as long as he knew they were still in Qinzhou, he would always find a chance to repay them.
After Shen Junru left, Xiao Siyue breathed a sigh of relief and then returned to the inn with her parents.
As soon as Xiao Siyue returned to her room, she heard the system voice.
"Congratulations, host, for completing the hidden mission and rescuing Shen Junru. You have earned 50 merit points and received 100 jin of potato seeds as a reward."
Xiao Siyue was stunned to find a hidden quest. What was going on?
"System, there are hidden missions? Why didn't you mention this before?" Xiao Siyue asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Hidden missions will only be triggered and known after the host completes them, so I am not aware of their existence before then," the system explained.
"Oh, I see. So the reason why I have so many more merit points than before is because of this hidden quest?" Xiao Siyue asked curiously.
"Yes, it is precisely because you completed this hidden quest that your merit points have increased so much," the system replied.
However, the reward this time is potatoes, which are extremely important in this day and age. We should make good use of them. It's August now, but potatoes are planted in March, so they probably won't be ready to be planted until next year. Fortunately, potatoes have a high yield, so they should be able to be planted on a large scale in a few years.
Xiao Siyue was very happy to tell Xiao Qinian and Lin Qin the good news.
Xiao Qinian and Lin Qin were very happy that their daughter had gained merit points again, but what was this potato that was the reward?
Lin Qin asked, "Yue'er, what kind of potato are you talking about?"
"Potatoes are such a wonderful thing! They can be eaten as a staple food or a side dish, and they're very filling—one potato can make you feel quite full. Besides, potatoes can be made into all sorts of delicious dishes, making them truly irresistible! More importantly, the yield of potatoes per acre is astonishing, reaching over three thousand catties!" Xiao Siyue said excitedly, as she also loves potatoes very much.
"Yue'er, is what you said true? Can potatoes really yield 3000 jin per mu?" Xiao Qinian was somewhat incredulous. You know, wheat only yields about 100 jin per mu now. Potatoes can actually produce such a high yield. If that's really the case, then the people won't have to go hungry.
"Yes, yes, it's true. And if managed properly, the yield per mu can reach more than 5000 jin." Xiao Siyue wasn't exaggerating; it was a fact. In modern times, some areas could reach more than 8000 jin, but modern farming uses chemical fertilizers and other technological methods.
Even so, she was confident, after all, the seeds were produced by the system and were guaranteed for quality, so she wasn't worried about low potato yields.
"This...this, Yue'er, can I see what a potato looks like?" Xiao Qinian was already getting impatient and really wanted to see the seed of this magical artifact.
“Look, this is a potato,” Xiao Siyue said, taking out a round object with a yellowish-brown skin from the system space. It was larger than an adult’s fist.
"This is a potato. It's this big; it's definitely enough to feed one person." Xiao Qinian took the potato and couldn't help but sigh.
"Yue'er, how do we eat this?" Lin Qin asked curiously.
"Mom, potatoes can be steamed, baked, or boiled. They can be eaten any way you like. Cooking is very simple." As Xiao Siyue spoke, she felt a little hungry for baked potatoes, but she resisted the urge. These were meant to be saved for seeds.
“Dad, Mom, potatoes aren’t picky about soil. They can be grown even in low-quality fields. The yield might be a little lower, but it won’t be too serious. They can be grown in both the north and south. In some areas, they can be planted twice a year.” Xiao Siyue’s words were like another bomb hitting Xiao Qinian’s heart.
"The best time to plant potatoes here is February or March, but we can't plant them this year. Besides, the system only gave us 100 jin of seeds, so we can't plant many." Xiao Siyue said with some regret that she wouldn't be able to eat potatoes this year.
"It's alright, keep it safe for now, we'll plant more next year." Xiao Qinian comforted his daughter. Having 100 jin of seeds was already very good. With such a high yield, they could plant a lot more in just a few years.
"Yes, that's true. 100 catties of seeds can plant about half an acre of land, and we can harvest one or two thousand catties. In two years, everyone in the village can plant it." Thinking this, Xiao Siyue felt much better.
The family spent the night in excitement.