Chapter 534: Chapter 275: Sweet Potato Seedling_2
This night, having been asleep until midnight, Lian Manman got up to use the privy, and Lady Zhang, fearing she would be frightened, also got up to keep her company. After Lian Manman relieved herself, her sleepiness somewhat dissipated, and she suddenly had a whimsical idea.
"Mother," Lian Manman said to Lady Zhang, "let’s go take a look at the new house by the temple."
"In the dead of night, just go back and sleep properly. If we want to look, we can do that early tomorrow morning." Lady Zhang said.
"Mother, when you were about to sleep, you were still worrying about Father possibly catching a cold in the new house." Lian Manman didn’t give up, but instead continued to coax Lady Zhang with a smile, "Let’s just take a quick look, it won’t take much effort."
"Then, shall we just take a quick look?" Lady Zhang was persuaded by Lian Manman. She was indeed a bit worried about Lian Shouxin.
"Mhm, let’s go right now." Lian Manman immediately responded.
The mother and daughter returned to their room and dressed properly. Lian Zhizhi had also awakened by this time, and upon hearing Lian Manman mention visiting the shop by the temple, she teased Lian Manman with a laugh.
"My, look at you, always so lively, even in the middle of the night."
Though Lian Zhizhi said this, she also got dressed and went with them.
"The moonlight is so bright, we won’t even need to light a lantern." Upon leaving the Lian Family’s main gate, Lian Manman remarked.
The night sky was exceptionally clear, and although there was only a crescent moon, it was enough to light the way for the trio. It was about the third watch of the night, the village was in complete silence, with only the occasional short bark of a dog from afar, neither sharp nor pitiful. It seemed not like the dog had discovered anything, rather like it was a sound made during a peacefully quiet dream.
The nighttime air was an exceptionally pure and cool coldness. The crescent moon dragged the shadows of the mother and daughters long upon the ground.
"Hehe. " Lian Manman felt an unusually calm and tranquil mood, and for some reason, she chuckled.
"Manman, what are you laughing at?" Lian Zhizhi, holding Lian Manman’s hand, chided her playfully and then she too began to laugh.
"Both of you, stop laughing, in the middle of the night like this." Lady Zhang said.
"When we get there, let’s give Father a little scare." Lian Manman suggested to Lian Zhizhi.
Lian Zhizhi simply laughed without speaking. Lian Manman thought to herself that Lian Zhizhi wouldn’t join her in playing pranks, but if it was Xiao Qi, it would be a different story.
"Don’t be naughty, what if you really frighten your father since he doesn’t know we’re coming, and something goes wrong?" Lady Zhang scolded.
"I was just kidding, hehe. " Lian Manman laughed again.
Lian Manman then fell silent, just looking up at the sky. The unpolluted sky was filled with stars, which seemed especially abundant, and the beauty of the starlight and moonlight was intoxicating.
Upon reaching the temple, across the official road, Lian Manman could see the light of candles inside the new shop and a wisp of light smoke slowly rising into the night sky from the rooftop chimney.
"We’ve come at just the right time, Father must be lighting a fire." Lian Manman remarked.
Lian Manman was correct, Lian Shouxin heard the knocking, put down the firewood in his hands, and opened the door to let them in.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
"Dad, my mom was worried you wouldn’t sleep well here, so she simply had to come check on you," said Lian Manman deliberately.
"This child," Lady Zhang’s face turned slightly red, "it wasn’t your mother who wanted to come, it was you who came up with that excuse."
"What’s there to sleep poorly about?" Lian Shouxin believed it was Lady Zhang who worried about him, which is why she came over in the middle of the night. "The dampness on the kang bed is gone, and lying down at the edge feels just like being at home."
"Well, if that’s the case, then I’m relieved. I was afraid the room was damp and it would hurt your back," whispered Lady Zhang. "Have the cows been fed? If not, I can feed them, and you can take a break."
"I fed the cows first. Once this fire burns out, I’ll be able to sleep till dawn," Lian Shouxin said. "I’m perfectly fine, no need for you to worry unnecessarily."
Leaving Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin to talk by the fire in the outer room, Lian Manman took a candlestick and led Lian Zhizhi into the inner room.
Lian Manman held the candlestick over the seedbed, meticulously inspecting it.
"Ah, they’ve sprouted. The sweet potatoes have sprouted!" Lian Manman exclaimed with joy.
Once, in conversation, Lian Manman called a "sweet potato" a "ground potato." To make her point, she argued that since sweet potatoes looked like melons and grew in the ground, they should be called ground potatoes. In fact, in her previous life, she always referred to sweet potatoes as ground potatoes and hardly ever used their formal name, "sweet potato."
Everyone had no doubts and quickly accepted the term ground potatoes. Because "ground potato" sounded more rustic and suited to their life, it was more in line with their habits.
Lian Zhizhi hurried over and, aided by the candlelight, could indeed see the short sprouts poking through the soil in the seedbed. The sprouts were very tiny, just barely breaking through the surface, and one could easily overlook them if not looked at closely.
"They’ve really sprouted," said Lian Zhizhi.
Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin, hearing this from the outer room, both hurried in. Seeing the sweet potato shoots, they were very happy too.
"We’re just getting started," said Lian Shouxin happily, then added, "This thing is even more demanding than potatoes. We can’t relax until all the seedlings have matured."
"That’s true," Lady Zhang said with a smile, nodding. "Being a farmer isn’t easy."
Lian Manman actually knew this very well. For instance, raising seedlings required patience and skill. Among the tenant farmers, some couldn’t raise good potato seedlings. Every year, when it was time to plant potatoes, there would be seedlings for sale at the big market in Qingyang Town, and they were quite popular.
"Dad, Mom, I’m happy because now that the sweet potatoes have sprouted, doesn’t that mean our method is correct?" Lian Manman said with a smile.
"Yes, Manman is right. We are feeling our way as we cross the river. These past days, I’ve been on edge too. Now that they’ve sprouted, at least we haven’t wasted good resources," said Lian Shouxin.
After the sweet potatoes sprouted, it wasn’t long before leaves started to appear.
That day, after having lunch at the shop, Lian Manman was about to check on the growth of the sweet potato seedlings when she heard the sound of a carriage outside.
"Hey, Steward Zhong, please come inside the house."
***......***
I switched to a mechanical keyboard, and I’m still getting used to it, so the speed of typing remains as slow as a snail’s, and we only have one update today. Once I’m used to the new keyboard, I will strive to update more. Thank you for your continued support. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to cast your recommendation votes or monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
