Chapter 515: Chapter 266 Corn_1
Second watch, requesting pink powder.
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Shen Qian held in his hand a round object, the plump, neatly arranged golden-yellow kernels on it shone a light even more dazzling than gold in Lian Manman’s eyes.
Seeing Lian Manman’s fondness, Shen Qian also became happy; he was no longer sullen as he had been before.
"Manman, I knew you would definitely like it. This is corn," said Shen Qian as he handed a corn cob to Lian Manman.
As Lian Manman took the corn cob in her hands, they trembled slightly with excitement. Of course, she recognized it was corn. She also knew it wasn’t only called corn but also maize. In her previous life, it was a very common grain, but since she arrived here, this was the first time she had seen it.
"Manman, the corn looks good, doesn’t it?" Shen Qian, thinking she had never seen this novelty before, explained to her. "This is quite the rarity. Sixth Brother said it was brought over from far away by curly-haired, green-eyed foreigners... Auntie gave our family some... Planted in the field, they grew quite easily and looked good..."
Shen Qian’s aunt was the late Empress Shen.
Shen Qian spoke a lot, and Lian Manman only absorbed a small part of it.
Corn had already been introduced from abroad but was rarely planted. Those who did plant corn viewed it as an ornamental plant. And this corn cob was Shen Qian’s toy.
Lian Manman’s attention was more focused on the corn cob in her hand. It was a rather sizable cob with full kernels. Peeled, it might weigh three or four taels, maybe even a half jin. How much land could a half jin of corn cover?
If only she had more corn. Compared to sorghum, millet, and broomcorn millet, corn had a higher yield, lower soil requirements, and was easier to grow. Plus, she really missed the taste of tender corn, cornmeal cakes, and corn porridge.
"It’s beautiful, this corn is truly beautiful," thought Lian Manman as she raised her head. "Shen... uh, do you have more corn? Could you give me a few more cobs? I’ll pay you back double next year, how about that?"
"Manman, you really like corn that much?" asked Shen Qian as he looked at her. "Alright then. I brought three cobs, and there are two left. I’ll give them to you. No need to pay me back; we still have more at home."
Shen Qian then took out two more corn cobs from a brocaded pouch and gave them all to Lian Manman.
"This pouch, I’ll give it to you as well." At last, Shen Qian simply handed the brocaded pouch to Lian Manman, allowing her to carry the corn more conveniently.
"Xiao..." Receiving the corn so unexpectedly, Lian Manman looked at Shen Qian as if he were bathed in golden light. Even his chubby face and his small eyes, squeezed by the flesh on his face, appeared pleasing, even dashing. She had intended to call Shen Qian Fatty in her excitement, but her tongue took a turn. "Xiao Jiu, you’re such a good friend."
These words were not convenient to say in front of Sixth Brother, so Lian Manman spoke her mind without inhibition only after Shen Qian had escorted them out and sent the attendants away.
"Of course," said Shen Qian, his happiness growing as he patted his small chest. "Manman, we still have more corn at home. If you want more, I’ll have someone bring you more when I return."
"Really?" Lian Manman asked excitedly as she grabbed Shen Qian’s hand.
Shen Qian’s hand was also chubby, with little dimples of flesh on the back. Lian Manman thought that perhaps Shen Qian might be younger than Xiao Qi. Yet when she grasped his hand, she realized that the little fatty’s hand was actually a bit larger than hers.
"Really," Shen Qian nodded with a smile, enjoying the intimacy of her gesture.
Lian Manman calmed down from her excitement.
"Xiao Jiu, I would like to have more corn to plant back home. But if it’s inconvenient, never mind. The ones you’ve given me are enough already."
She planned to plant corn on a large scale, so she meant to ask Shen Qian for more cobs. From what Shen Qian had said earlier, even though he could treat the cobs as toys, the origins of the corn were quite special. Shen Qian seemed to be very much favored, but after all, he was just a child. She wondered how the Shen Family would view it.
Although she wanted more corn, Lian Manman did not want Shen Qian to feel awkward or to upset his family elders because of it. Having three corn cobs, she planned to plant them all this year and keep the harvest for seeds. This way, by next year, she could plant a large area with corn.
