The Zhao family's old residence was quite a large courtyard within the village. Although the houses were old, with moss growing on the blue bricks and tiles, the rooms inside were neatly arranged. There were two main houses, with four smaller ear-rooms corresponding on either side, and four wing-rooms outside, plus storage rooms and the kitchen.
The Zhao family originally had four brothers. The eldest and second eldest had already married and had children. The third son, Zhao Wutang, had disappeared without a trace, and the fourth son, Zhao Liushun, had not returned from Mianzhou City. The remaining two branches of the Zhao family, excluding the two main houses, divided the vast courtyard in half, sharing the courtyard. With the old scholar Zhao Ci present, and the houses being spacious, the family was still relatively harmonious.
“How are we going to collect it?” Zhao Erhu asked with a chuckle. “Last time we collected two or three wen, but they charged ten wen.”
Su Xiaoqi looked at Zhao Erhu and squinted, asking, “So, Uncle Er sold the buckwheat to them?”
Zhao Erhu shook his head and said no, he was waiting for his niece-in-law. One was an outsider, and the other was a relative; he knew the difference between closeness and distance. Su Xiaoqi smiled as she heard this, but she understood perfectly. Shen Yun’s second uncle was not easy to deal with. He lived up to his name, Erhu, with a foxy nature. He was usually quiet and unassuming but loved to take advantage. He hadn't sold to the He family temporarily not because he was as trustworthy and righteous as Zhao Houzi, but because he was observing. He was extremely shrewd, knowing that Su Xiaoqi would not shortchange them, so he quietly watched as the villagers, incited by the He family, sold their buckwheat. He was waiting for Su Xiaoqi’s offer. If her offer was high, he would naturally sell to her. If her offer was low, then he was sorry.
Su Xiaoqi saw through Zhao Erhu’s intentions and said nothing. After a while, she said, “I have already commissioned Zhao family’s eldest brother to collect it for me.”
“What? You asked Zhao Houzi to help you? Why didn’t you ask us? Oh my, we are your maternal uncles. You don’t know the difference between close and distant relatives?” Zhao Erhu knew that with Su Xiaoqi’s character, helping her would undoubtedly bring benefits, so he eagerly recommended himself. Su Xiaoqi spread her hands, saying the matter was settled and it would have to be next time. Zhao Erhu expressed immense regret and repeatedly emphasized that she must find him next time. He guaranteed he would handle the matter perfectly for her. Su Xiaoqi agreed, unable to refuse.
As she walked out of the Zhao family’s house, she was smiling, but her stiff body revealed her true thoughts. Although they hadn’t interacted much, she couldn’t trust Zhao Erhu. Even if she needed someone’s help, she would only ask Zhao Dashan. In her opinion, Shen Yun’s eldest uncle was far more reliable than his second uncle. She had this thought because when the Shen family was renovating their house last time, Su Xiaoqi discovered that Zhao Erhu, who was responsible for purchasing some of the building materials, had falsified the accounts, costing her quite a bit of money. Zhao Dashan would never do such a thing!
The following matters proceeded smoothly. As soon as Zhao Houzi announced Su Xiaoqi’s purchase price, it immediately attracted the attention of the villagers. Whether they had sold to the He family or not, they all scrambled to sell their household inventory to Su Xiaoqi. Su Xiaoqi did not concern herself with past grievances; she only looked at the results. Zhao Houzi had properly completed the task she assigned him, and she generously gave him five hundred wen as wages. Having said that, Zhao Houzi was not one to be coy; he bowed his head and accepted the money. However, those who had sold all their buckwheat early deeply regretted it.
But soon, another matter diverted their attention. Following the buckwheat, it was time for corn and potatoes, as they had reached the harvest season. The entire Zhao family village, and indeed the entire Mianzhou City, was immersed in the joy of harvest. Su Xiaoqi went to the sandy land behind Furong Manor and accompanied Manager Li to see what the potatoes planted for the first time in real land looked like. The previously lush potato sprouts had wilted, some even dried up, but the sprawling vines were quite thick.
Under Su Xiaoqi’s guidance, Manager Li dug with a hoe at the base of the vines. Su Xiaoqi saw that he was too close to the roots of the vines and quickly instructed, “Dig wider, in case it’s a big potato.” If he dug too close, the hoe would damage the potato. Manager Li quickly expanded the area, digging a large pit. This pit was as big as a head; ordinary potatoes were not this large. Su Xiaoqi smiled and did not stop him. Manager Li unearthed a mud-colored object in a few strokes.
“Potato, master, this is a potato. It has grown, and it has grown very well, about the size of my fist,” Manager Li said, his face flushed with excitement. Su Xiaoqi squatted down, picked up the soil-covered potato, and felt extremely happy herself. However, the size of this potato was indeed not small. It showed that the land was very fertile. Moreover, Mianzhou City, being located in the south, meant that even though it was the end of October, it was not yet too cold. The temperature here was also suitable for potato cultivation. Coupled with the diligent work of the manor servants in tending the crops, they were able to grow such large potatoes.
Su Xiaoqi was very pleased and asked Manager Li to arrange for everyone to start digging. For farmers, there was nothing more satisfying than a harvest. Manager Li was not one to procrastinate; he quickly gathered all the manor servants, and they divided their tasks, soon delving into the potato field. Before this, without Su Xiaoqi’s instructions, Manager Li had already taught them the secret to digging potatoes, which was to always dig a larger hole, otherwise, the potatoes would be damaged.
As they were talking, an impatient person dug down with a hoe and split a large potato in two. “Oh dear, I told you not to rush, not to rush. What were you thinking?” Manager Li stomped his feet in anger. The child who had damaged the potato was about eleven or twelve years old. Scolded by Manager Li, he froze on the spot, not knowing what to do. Su Xiaoqi comforted him, “It’s alright. You’re just digging, you haven’t mastered the knack yet. Damaging one or two is nothing; just be careful next time.” She then asked the young man to pick up the damaged potato and place it in a separate basket, telling them that digging potatoes was actually similar to digging sweet potatoes. If they were damaged, they could just eat them themselves.
After five days of diligent work, all fifty mu of potatoes planted in Furong Manor were dug up. When weighed, the yield was one thousand catties per mu. The fifty mu of land totaled over fifty thousand catties. Su Xiaoqi had the potatoes dried, then distributed three-tenths to them, and the remaining over thirty thousand catties were stored in the well-dug cellars. There were a total of five households in the manor. Three-tenths, over sixteen thousand catties, was divided into five portions, with each family receiving over three thousand catties of potatoes. Everyone was so happy that their eyes couldn’t be seen. It was astonishing.
“Good heavens, so many potatoes!”
“Now we can eat them as much as we want, however we want.”
“Hahaha, I want to eat them braised. I want to eat them in a cold salad.”
“I like potato shreds.”
The manor servants below, each with their share of potatoes, gathered around and shouted excitedly. Such scenes were not only happening in Furong Manor but also throughout Zhao family village, where happy laughter could be heard everywhere.