Xu Hengyan had been thinking about it, so as soon as Xu Hengyi returned to the Duke of Wei's mansion, he went straight to Xu Hengyan's study.
"Second Brother, come quickly and see what this is!"
Xu Hengyi pointed to a basket placed on the ground, his face beaming with excitement.
Xu Hengyan looked up from his desk. Seeing his smug expression, his heart stirred, and he quickly put down his brush and stepped forward.
Inside the basket were half-filled with tubers of various sizes, oddly shaped, and still covered in dirt.
Because of their red skin, Xu Hengyan had a guess, "Could this be sweet potato?"
Xu Hengyi nodded, "That's right. Young Master Xie said that the dried sweet potato we eat is made from this."
Xu Hengyan eagerly poured out all the sweet potatoes from the basket.
Then, ignoring the dirt still clinging to them, he picked them up one by one to examine them closely.
The sweet potatoes scattered on the ground varied in size, some as small as duck eggs, others weighing nearly half a pound.
Seeing Xu Hengyi looking intently, Xu Hengyi also squatted down, finding them ugly no matter how many times he looked.
"Young Master Xie said this can be eaten raw or cooked, but it's best cooked, and roasted is the best. It can also be made into pastries. Second Brother, should we boil a few to try?"
Xu Hengyi was purely curious. He hadn't expected that the sweet potato jerky, which tasted quite good, was made from such an ugly thing.
Xu Hengyan picked one up and sniffed it. Indeed, it should be edible raw.
He called for his attendant, Guang Bai, handed him seven or eight, and said, "Personally supervise the kitchen to cook them, and wash two raw ones."
Guang Bai cupped the sweet potatoes in the hem of his robe and responded, about to leave, when Xu Hengyan continued, "I'll go to the kitchen myself to watch them cook."
Saying this, he followed Guang Bai to the small kitchen in his courtyard.
Knowing his second brother was concerned about the sweet potatoes, Xu Hengyi was somewhat curious why he was so attentive. Could this ugly thing be something good?
So he also followed them to the small kitchen.
Guang Bai first brought over the washed and sliced sweet potatoes.
Xu Hengyan picked up a slice, looked at it, and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly.
Xu Hengyi also picked up a slice and tasted it. "It's a little sweet, it really is edible."
The cook had never seen sweet potatoes before and didn't know how long they needed to be cooked. Estimating they were almost done, he poked one with a chopstick. Seeing that the center was cooked through, he plated them and handed them to Guang Bai.
Guang Bai brought them directly to Xu Hengyan.
"It smells so good," Xu Hengyi leaned in to sniff. A sweet fragrance wafted towards him. "It looks quite good."
Xu Hengyan took the chopsticks, peeled back the skin of the cooked sweet potato, revealing a golden interior. He took a piece and put it in his mouth. It was sweet, soft, and glutinous, surprisingly delicious.
Xu Hengyan was shaken.
Not only was this sweet potato delicious, but it could also fill one's stomach.
He just didn't know about its yield, and its requirements for land and climate.
"Huh? I didn't expect it to look ugly but taste quite good." Xu Hengyi took a bite and couldn't help but take another.
Xu Hengyan wanted to go find Xie Jiang to talk immediately. "Is Young Master Xie still staying at the Prince of Yu's heir's mansion?"
"Yes."
Xu Hengyi didn't know why his second brother seemed a little anxious, but he knew it was definitely because of the sweet potato in front of them. "However, Madam Zhou's condition has greatly improved. Young Master Xie said he doesn't need to go every day anymore. If Second Brother wants to find Young Master Xie, waiting at the mansion tomorrow should be fine."
Only then did Xu Hengyan suppress the urge to go to the Prince of Yu's heir's mansion to find Xie Jiang.
Xu Hengyan ate the remaining half of the sweet potato and then asked Guang Bai, Yishan, and the two cooks to each take a cooked sweet potato to taste.
Everyone who ate it said it was delicious.
If the yield was also good, then there would be another staple grain in the bowls of the common people.