Xie Jiang ultimately could not escape the midday sweet potato feast.
It was one thing for Xu Hengyan to pull her back and prevent her from leaving, but the officials of the county yamen also blocked her path.
One by one, they wiped away nearly invisible tears and declared that without Young Master Xie, there would be no sweet potato harvest today. Young Master Xie must stay and share in the joy of the harvest!
Xie Jiang felt it was a bit too early to celebrate. The sweet potatoes in the fields hadn't even been harvested yet, and what could a few plants grown in the corner of the yamen walls prove?
And they couldn't prove anything?
Upon hearing Xie Jiang's words, the officials immediately became excited and reported the per-mu yield they had just calculated to her.
They had calculated it with the young lord, and the first time everyone thought they had made a mistake, so they double-checked the calculations twice, confirming that their numbers were correct.
Four thousand two hundred catties!
The yield of sweet potatoes planted in the fields could not possibly be lower than that of those planted in the corners of the yamen courtyard!
This meant that the per-mu yield of sweet potatoes in the fields could very well reach four thousand five hundred catties!
What if it was even more, perhaps five thousand catties?
Who wasn't filled with excitement at this moment!
They couldn't wait to gather people and go to the fields to harvest the sweet potatoes!
They could already imagine the spectacular sight of endless sweet potatoes stretching across the fields and along the roadsides!
Young Master Xie must stay and share this joy with them!
Xie Jiang thanked them, and thanked their entire families.
Tian Kang, worried that his young master wouldn't have a good meal at noon, specifically called his own cook over to prepare a sweet potato feast.
The yamen's cook didn't even know what sweet potatoes tasted like and probably didn't know how to prepare them. He feared that the table would be filled with nothing but steamed and boiled sweet potatoes.
With the two cooks from the Xie residence taking charge, the sweet potato feast was incredibly rich and varied.
Candied sweet potatoes, braised pork with sweet potatoes, crispy sweet potato chips, sweet potato buns, sweet potatoes baked with salted egg yolk, sweet potato pies, sweet potato pancakes, honey-glazed sweet potatoes, fried sweet potatoes, glutinous rice sweet potato cakes, sweet potato balls, sweet potato cakes...
The people from the county yamen stared with wide eyes. The variety was so immense that one table couldn't hold it all.
"Are all of these made from sweet potatoes?"
"Sweet potatoes have so many ways of being prepared?"
"All of them are made from sweet potatoes."
Dongzi, a junior cook, quickly and skillfully introduced them to everyone.
The county yamen officials crowded around the table, eating heartily and marveling. Not a single person sat down.
Because after trying everything on this table, they still had to go and try the dishes on the other table.
Naturally, with the cooks from the Xie residence personally preparing the food, not a single dish could be missed.
"These candied sweet potatoes are delicious, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and sweet!"
"These sweet potato buns are the best, sweet and not greasy..."
"The braised pork with sweet potatoes is so good!"
"The crispy sweet potato chips are so fragrant and delicious, I want to eat sweet potatoes every day from now on..."
"Don't get your hopes up, we'll only get to eat this one meal at most. The rest will likely be saved for propagation next year..."
"Next year, let all the people in Ninghe County plant sweet potatoes in their fields! In a couple of years, we'll be able to eat as many sweet potatoes as we want!"
"But that also requires the culinary skills of the Xie residence's chefs! Otherwise, even if you have sweet potatoes, can you make them like this?"
"Even without fancy skills, they're still delicious! Try this basket of steamed sweet potato chunks. They retain their original flavor when steamed. You just need to wash them, cut them into chunks, and steam them. You don't need a master chef's skills."
The sweet potato feast left the county yamen officials eating with great enthusiasm, their eyes filled with tears.
In the adjacent small hall, Xu Hengyan and Xie Jiang were seated separately.
Xu Hengyan was particularly happy today, his smile never ceasing.
Normally, Xu Hengyan's smile was like a gentle spring breeze caressing one's cheek, but today he was exceptionally different.
Although many girls liked Xu Hengyan, and countless girls vowed never to marry anyone but him,
If those girls had seen Xu Hengyan at this moment, they probably wouldn't have fallen in love with anyone else in their lives.
Xie Jiang felt like lifting the cups and plates from the table and dismantling Xu Hengyan to eat him for lunch.
Xu Hengyan felt a little overwhelmed by her gaze. "Why... why are you looking at me like that?"
Xie Jiang's eyes were full of his smile, and wicked thoughts arose in her heart. "I'm hungry..."
Her trailing voice was entwined with a magical quality. Xu Hengyan lowered his gaze and pushed a sweet potato pie towards Xie Jiang.
"Try this sweet potato pie. It has the sweetness of sweet potatoes, but it doesn't feel greasy to eat."
"I'm so hungry I can't lift my arm, feed me..."
Xu Hengyan quickly picked up a sweet potato pie and shoved it into her mouth.
To stop her from causing trouble.
She's not behaving even while eating!
Xie Jiang wanted to bite off his hand! Who feeds someone like that!
It was almost stuffed down her throat! Why not directly into her stomach!
"I remember you said at the time that the per-mu yield of sweet potatoes was three to four thousand catties. Now it seems to be much more. You were being conservative, weren't you?"
Xu Hengyan scooped a small bowl of sweet potato porridge and placed it in front of her.
Xie Jiang glared at Xu Hengyan with murderous intent, slowly swallowing the sweet potato pie in her mouth. "I said at least three to four thousand catties."
Seeing her eyes roll back as she choked, Xu Hengyan suppressed a smile. "Were you afraid we wouldn't believe you if you said too much?"
Xie Jiang glanced at Xu Hengyan unhappily. "Seeing is believing. You all looked so unworldly, I was afraid of scaring you."
Xu Hengyan said, "It seems the per-mu yield of sweet potatoes should be around five thousand catties?"
Xie Jiang nodded. "If the conditions are good, it's about that much."
Xu Hengyan tasted a piece of sweet potato pancake, which was fragrant and crispy, becoming more flavorful as he chewed. "In your Lan Yong region, what is the approximate per-mu yield when it's high?"
Xie Jiang looked at him.
Xu Hengyan said, "I believe everything you say."
Xie Jiang picked up the small bowl and said while eating porridge, "It's said that the high yields can reach ten thousand catties."
Xu Hengyan did not hide his shock, but simply looked at Xie Jiang for a long time without speaking.
Xie Jiang added, "Ten thousand catties is rare; most are around six to seven thousand catties."
Xu Hengyan lowered his head and carefully tasted every dish on the table made from sweet potatoes.
Xie Jiang knew he was remembering those who starved to death and the children who were eaten.
Xie Jiang watched him for a while, finished the sweet potato porridge he had served, and waited for him to finish eating and put down his chopsticks.
"The common people are born with diligent hands. With someone like you, who is in a high position and concerned about the people's sustenance, the people's lives will only get better."
"Little Xie, thank you for bringing sweet potatoes to Da Yu."
"My roots are planted in this yellow earth. Of course, I hope this land can become better, and the people on this land can live better."
Xu Hengyan looked at her and smiled, the deep tenderness in his eyes making one unwilling to disappoint.
Xie Jiang also smiled at him. "You will have many more opportunities to thank me in the future. But if, just in case, I mean hypothetically, if I do something that makes you sad, will you forgive me?"
Xu Hengyan smiled and asked her, "What do you want to do?"
Xie Jiang emphasized, "I'm saying hypothetically."
Xu Hengyan thought for a moment. "I suppose I would forgive you."
At that moment, he made the worst possible assumption in his heart. He realized that no matter how rebellious or wicked she might be, he couldn't truly stand against her.
Xie Jiang's smile became even brighter and more radiant. "Xu Hengyan, you must remember what you said."