"Let's eat after this acre is harvested,"
"If you're worried about eating too much and affecting the yield calculation later, we can weigh them first and then add back the weight of what we eat. I guarantee not half a tael will be missing, or we can dig up some sweet potatoes from the adjacent rows to eat."
The old men valued the yield too much. They wished every mu of sweet potatoes could gain an extra jin, and losing half a liang felt like cutting out their flesh.
Xie Jiang understood and decided not to touch the sweet potatoes within the demarcated acre. Not a single one.
He stepped forward, took the sweet potato from the hands of the Old Duke of Qin, and tossed it back into the pile. He then pulled the Old Duke of Qin out of the enclosure.
Xie Jiang gave an instruction. Luo Tie and Nie Tong went to dig up another basket of sweet potatoes. They also found some firewood and started a bonfire in a spacious, shady spot at the edge of the field, throwing a few sweet potatoes into it.
The two sat down far from the bonfire.
Although the Old Duke of Qin was frail and sensitive to the cold, even he couldn't bear to be near the fire on such a hot day.
Luo Tie stood behind Xie Jiang, fanning him with a cattail fan and occasionally tossing pieces of wood into the fire.
The Old Duke of Qin asked a few questions about the Xie clan's allegiance to Da Yu, and then with great interest, inquired about the current situation in Lan Yong.
The emperor had sent people dispatched by Yi Yan Geng to investigate Lan Yong. These people had been returning to the capital one after another a few days ago. Could the influential figures not have heard even a single whisper about the state of Lan Yong or the entire South Ocean?
Since the Old Duke of Qin was interested, Xie Jiang accompanied her in a casual chat.
Fragrance gradually wafted from the bonfire. The Old Duke of Qin asked Xie Jiang and Luo Tie expectantly, "Are the sweet potatoes almost ready?"
"They should be about done. I'll go check," Luo Tie said, using a stick to poke around in the bonfire and pulling out a few smaller ones. "The larger ones still need a bit more time to cook."
Luo Tie picked a few leaves, wrapped the sweet potatoes, and handed them to the Old Duke of Qin. "Your Grace, be careful, they're hot. You can eat them after peeling. Would you like me to help you peel them?"
The Old Duke of Qin chuckled and refused. He took the sweet potato and peeled it himself. The rich, sweet aroma of the sweet potato immediately spread. The Old Duke of Qin sniffed it and said, "This smells truly delicious!"
"It smells very fragrant to me too. My appetite has been whetted, and the craving is crawling up my throat. Your Grace has always been kind to us. Perhaps you could bestow this sweet potato upon me, allowing me to taste it on your behalf first?"
The accompanying servant was a little worried. After all, it was something no one had eaten before, and his master's health was not good. What if he got sick from eating it?
The Old Duke of Qin snorted, "Out of all those sweet potatoes, you want the one in my hand? I think you just want to be lazy and avoid peeling it yourself! Dream on!"
The Old Duke of Qin didn't feel the need to be so cautious. His health was not good, but he wasn't on his deathbed. If others could eat it, why couldn't he?
On the road out of Ninghe County town, they had heard from the county office staff.
A few days ago, the sweet potatoes planted in the county office courtyard had been dug up and made into two banquets featuring sweet potatoes.
Everyone vied to describe how delicious they were, making him secretly swallow several times out of craving.
After taking a bite, the Old Duke of Qin nodded continuously, exhaling hot air but not stopping his eating.
"Sweet!"
"There are plenty more, enough for you to eat. Please eat slowly."
Xie Jiang picked out a smaller sweet potato, slowly peeled it, and ate it. Watching the Old Duke of Qin's excited expression, he sighed inwardly.
Unlike noble sons like Ruan Ziji and Xu Hengyi, who were born into wealth, the Old Duke of Qin's generation had experienced hardship and hunger. It was said that the Duke of Zhao and Marquis Yongxin had many relatives who starved to death. Therefore, the older generation valued grain more than anything.
"I never expected these sweet potatoes to be so delicious – fragrant, sweet, and soft. We are old and our teeth are not good, so eating these sweet potatoes is just right," the Old Duke of Qin praised the sweet potatoes profusely.
Xie Jiang smiled and said, "Sweet potatoes have good nutritional value, but it's not advisable to eat too many."
The Old Duke of Qin said solemnly, "Why?"
The accompanying servant immediately became nervous upon hearing this.
Xie Jiang said, "Sweet potatoes contain a large amount of starch and are quite filling. Eating too many can cause bloating. Sweet potatoes also have a very high sugar content. If someone has poor digestion, eating them can cause belching and flatulence..."
The Old Duke of Qin listened attentively. "Is that all?"
Xie Jiang nodded. "For people like Your Grace, who don't lack food and drink, it's not advisable to eat too many. However, for ordinary commoners, they are a good thing."
The Old Duke of Qin thought to himself, of course, they are a good thing – a life-saving grain.
Suddenly, a wailing sound came from the field.
Xie Jiang and the Old Duke of Qin both stood up to look.
"It seems to be the Duke of Zhao," Xie Jiang said. "The Marquis of Yongxin has joined in."
The two of them, clutching a pile of sweet potatoes, were crying heartbrokenly, as if the world was ending.
The Duke of Qian leaned on his hoe and stopped to wipe his tears. The other old marquises also had red eyes.
The Old Duke of Qin sighed and sat down. "Old Gao's parents and four siblings all starved to death. Old He's family situation is similar. So many people starved to death back then..."
Old Gao was the Duke of Zhao, and Old He was the Marquis of Yongxin.
Unlike ancient aristocratic families like the Duke of Wei's and the Duke of Qin's, which had stood for a hundred years, the Duke of Zhao and the Marquis of Yongxin both came from humble backgrounds. They had followed the late emperor on campaigns, achieving countless merits before reaching their current status.
"You children wouldn't understand. You were born into..."
Before he could finish speaking, he remembered that the sweet potatoes were brought from Lan Yong to Da Yu by Xie Jiang.
The Old Duke of Qin looked at Xie Jiang with affectionate and gratified eyes.
"You have brought sweet potatoes to Da Yu. This is a deed of immeasurable merit and will benefit the country for generations to come. You are a great benefactor of Da Yu."
"Your Grace is too kind. Although the Xie clan was scattered overseas for generations and has established a decent business in Lan Yong, the roots of the Xie clan have always remained in Da Yu. Only when Da Yu prospers can the Xie clan prosper. This is what I should do."
The Old Duke of Qin's gaze towards Xie Jiang changed. He had reason to suspect that Xie Jiang was showing off his wealth. Could the Xie clan's status in Lan Yong be described as merely a "decent business"?
"Although you are a bit unruly, you are not foolish."
Xie Jiang did not agree with the Old Duke of Qin's praise. "Am I unruly? Are any of my actions not good deeds done on behalf of heaven?"
The Old Duke of Qin was speechless for a long time, perhaps choked by the sweet potato, or perhaps by this rascal.
The Duke of Zhao and the Marquis of Yongxin were crying more miserably than each other.
About half of the demarcated acre had been dug up. The county office clerks were leading people to weigh and record the sweet potatoes piled in the field one by one.
With half dug up, the per-mu yield could be calculated, and it was likely far exceeding the expectations of the old gentlemen.
The Old Duke of Qin held a sweet potato, eating and sighing. "Actually, there's no need to calculate. Looking at the piles in the field, like small mountains, you can tell how much there is."
After a few bites, he couldn't help but exclaim, "A bountiful harvest, it's truly wonderful!"
Xie Jiang had not eaten many of the sweet potatoes in his hand. "From Xu Hengyan downwards, everyone has taken great care of these sweet potatoes. The old farmers specially hired by the county office would visit the field every day, regardless of the wind or rain, taking better care of the sweet potatoes than their own children. This bountiful harvest today is a fitting reward for their efforts."
The Old Duke of Qin finished one sweet potato, while the Duke of Zhao and the Marquis of Yongxin were still crying. The Old Duke of Qin, unable to sit still listening to the crying, threw away the sweet potato peel and stood up.