He smiled, stood up, and waved, "Er Yong, where are you going?"
Wu Eryong parked the carriage well and jumped down from the shaft with a big smile on his face as he walked over along the ridge of the field, "I went to the inn to look for you, and the shopkeeper said you were over here... What are you busy with?"
Yang Ge pointed at the chili seedlings by his feet, "What else could I be doing?"
Wu Eryong said with a laugh and a cry, "How could you do this? If there’s anything to plant, just give us a shout, and we’ll handle it!"
Yang Ge said with a cheerful laugh, "Why can’t I do this? Don’t doubt it, you’re definitely a bit worse than me in martial arts, and you’re definitely a bit worse in farming too!"
Wu Eryong thought for a moment and replied, "Then you definitely can’t beat me in fishing, since my family has been doing it for generations..."
Yang Ge:"Is that so? We should have a competition one of these days... By the way, what did you want to see me about?"
Wu Eryong turned his head, looking towards the carriage.
Just then, a lean middle-aged scholar in blue robe had emerged from the carriage, holding a lush green plant and curiously inspecting the field of chili seedlings at Yang Ge’s.
Wu Eryong waved to the blue-robed scholar, "Chen, come over here quickly..."
Yang Ge glanced at the blue-robed scholar, confirming that he did not know him, "Who is he?"
Wu Eryong, "Sir, remember the booklet you gave Old Wang earlier this year, asking him to keep an eye out for the crops listed in it? Old Wang and Xiang went to Fuzhou to prepare a ship, and they heard from locals about a scholar surnamed Chen who had brought back a crop called ’sweet potato’ from overseas Luzon Island."
"Old Wang thought this crop looked very similar to the ’red potato’ noted in your booklet, so he sent the man and the crop to us, asking us to bring them over for your inspection..."
"Sweet potato?"
Yang Ge was startled, threw down his hand hoe, and in three steps made his way to the ridge.
Just then, the blue-robed scholar also reached the ridge, his eyes wild with excitement and a hint of disbelief as he stammered, "Is... is it really you, ’Manifested True Lord’ Yang Ge?"
Yang Erlang’s name was well-known throughout the southeastern coast!
He had even visited the Erlang Temple to offer incense to this lord...
It was also this navy admiral, who looked more like a pirate than an official, who had mentioned Yang Erlang’s name and shown him the booklet personally written by Yang Erlang, which convinced him to bring the sweet potatoes all this way.
But upon meeting him today... he couldn’t quite describe his feelings.
There was a bit of disappointment in the sense that seeing is not as good as hearing.
Yet, there was also some amazement that hearing is not as good as seeing.
In short: this Yang Ge was not at all like what he had imagined... very different!
Yang Ge also stared straight at the lush vine-like plant with heart-shaped leaves in his arms...
From a distance, he had not recognized it.
Now up close, he recognized it in an instant; this damn thing was a red potato!
As a child, he rarely went with his grandparents to collect red potatoes from the field, and on his way to school, he would stealthily sneak into others’ fields to dig up red potatoes to satisfy his hunger and cravings...
"I am unworthy."
He looked solemnly at the lean blue-robed scholar, clasping his hands in a traditional gesture and asked, "May I ask the honorable scholar, what is your name?"
The scholar in blue robes, seeing him pay his respects, fumbled to place the sweet potato from his bosom on the ground, clasped his hands in a salute in return, babbling excitedly, "unworthy of such courtesy from Yang Ge, I am Chen Zhenlong, of the eastern Chen lineage, from Huzhou, Xiping, who became a scholar in the third year..."
"Mr. Chen is most deserving, absolutely so!"
Yang Ge smiled, helped him to his feet with both hands, then squatted down and gently stroked the sweet potato leaves, his heart too was overwhelmed with excitement... With this crop, wouldn’t all the people of the world finally have enough to eat?
"May I ask Mr. Chen, where did this sweet potato come from?"
Chen Zhenlong, watching his tender gesture as if caressing his own child, was deeply moved, "With his reputation and wealth, if he weren’t thinking of the world, why would he go so far?"
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his excited emotions, and while recalling, he responded, "Yang Ge, I was originally dedicated solely to my studies, hoping to serve the court, but unfortunately, I continuously failed the imperial examinations, feeling disheartened I traveled abroad with a friend to broaden my horizons... "
At this point, he glanced at Yang Ge involuntarily, his words becoming hesitant, for it was known that Wei had strictly prohibited sea travel in earlier years, and no matter under what pretext he went to sea, he could not avoid violating this prohibition.
Yang Ge laughed and said, "Mr. Chen need not worry. Who hasn’t traveled overseas? Have I not been to Dongying myself?"
Chen Zhenlong smiled knowingly, his voice gradually steadying, "Under the protection of Mazu, on Luzon Island, I saw crops that are drought-resistant, easy to grow, and edible both raw and cooked. This crop is commonplace on Luzon Island, it thrives without meticulous care, yields bountifully, and tastes sweet and refreshing, truly as beneficial as the staple grains!"
"After learning this, I thought of our homeland where the people suffer from famine year after year, hungry and inadequately clothed. I thought if I could bring this crop back to our motherland, to help our twenty million Wei countrymen never again suffer from famine and all be well-fed and clothed... How wonderful would that be?"
"At that time, I set my heart to covertly learn the techniques of planting this crop. However, the Luzon Island government regarded this crop as a ’national treasure’, strictly forbidding foreigners from carrying it out of the region under threat of execution for violators..."
"Eventually, I inadvertently discovered that the crop doesn’t require seeds, but can survive and bear fruit by vine cutting alone, so I stealthily wove the sweet potato vines into a vine basket. Unexpectedly, I was still discovered by the Luzon Island authorities and nearly executed on the spot, but luckily, through the mediation of a friend and because I was a foreigner and a first-time offender, I narrowly escaped that disaster."
"After that ordeal, I fretted over it for a long time, and finally, struck by inspiration, I took a risk again and wove the sweet potato vines into the ship’s anchor ropes and covered them with mud, and boldly passed through customs."
"Thanks to Mazu’s blessing, this time I finally managed to deceive the eyes of the Luzon Island custom officers and successfully brought that strand of sweet potato vine back to Wei, fortunate enough that it thrived..."
"Blessed by Mazu, God bless Wei!"
As a learned man, he spoke very eloquently.
An already thrilling journey, as narrated by him, took on even more dramatic ups and downs.
Wu Eryong, listening by the side, unconsciously clenched his fists, and as soon as Chen Zhenlong finished speaking, he bowed and clasped his fists, earnestly saying, "Mr. Chen’s selflessness!"
He had escorted Chen Zhenlong along the way, yet he hadn’t known the origin of this crop, those twists and turns, or his broad selfless spirit.
Yang Ge also got up and bowed, "Mr. Chen’s selflessness!"
Chen Zhenlong, his eyes shining with excitement, continuously returned the gesture, "undeserving, truly undeserving, Yang Ge flatters me, my modest contribution is like a firefly to the moon compared to yours!"
"Mr. Chen, you need not be modest, right and wrong, merits and demerits, posterity will judge!"
Yang Ge solemnly said, "Mr. Chen’s heart for saving the world and benefiting the present age will make an exceptional impact lasting through the ages, exceeding Erlang by hundreds, thousands of times... Let’s not talk here anymore, come, come, follow me back to the inn, where I wish to personally host you."
He grabbed the sweet potato vines from the ground with one hand and Chen Zhenlong’s arm with the other, and barefooted, walked briskly towards the carriage.
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Chen Zhenlong, overwhelmed by the honor, asked as they walked, "Yang Ge, your crops are still in the field..."
Yang Ge, "No matter, I will return later to continue planting. Mr. Chen, just rest easy in my inn today. Tomorrow morning, I will send someone to escort you to the capital... Your contribution deserves a title!"
Chen Zhenlong was taken aback, waving his hands hastily, "undeserving, truly undeserving, being able to do a bit for the folks back home already fills my heart, how could I covet such unparalleled honor? Though I brought the sweet potatoes back to Wei, it was you, Yang Ge, who unearthed and promoted it. Without your discerning eye, who knows how many years this crop would have remained buried in our local villages. If anyone should be ennobled, it should be you!"
"Mr. Chen need not worry!"
Yang Ge pulled him back to the carriage, and assertively replied as he pushed him into the carriage, "For some, being ennobled is their fortune, but for others, ennobling them is the court’s honor. For Wei to bestow a title on Mr. Chen is Wei’s honor... you are truly deserving!"