Chapter 799: Teaching Potato Planting
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Every family in Su Teng Village excitedly sent representatives to collect potatoes and sweet potatoes from Chief Su.
“So that’s what these two potatoes look like.”
“Chief Su said the yield would be very high. I plan to plant as many as possible this year.”
“These are the ones Miss Su made. She’s so considerate of us.’
“If Miss Su hadn’t grown these, I bet they would have cost a lot more. Instead, she wants us to grow these potatoes so that everyone can enjoy them.”
“We can harvest a lot of them if we plant a few acres of them. We can even sell the extras that we don’t need.’
“Yeah, we can even stir-fry and eat them later. I heard sour and spicy potato pancakes are delicious. I don’t know how to make that, but I can always use the potatoes for something else.”
After handing out the potatoes, Chief Su said, “Binglan will teach you all how to grow the potatoes and sweet potatoes this afternoon. You should watch and learn. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, either.
“Of course, spread the knowledge and don’t hide it. If people from other villages ask about it, teach them.”
The Su Teng villagers knew Chief Su was kind-hearted. One of them expressed their thoughts, “Don’t worry, Chief Su. We’re generous to the other villagers. We wouldn’t have such things at such affordable prices if it weren’t for you and Miss Su. We’ll teach the others everything we know.”
“Yeah, we want to share our privileges with everyone.”
Since every Su Teng Village household had improved, the villagers were more generous than ever. After all, they only wanted people to have enough food. They knew how it felt to starve.
People often starved to death in the past. Since there was more food now, the villagers would work hard to cultivate them and help others.
Chief Su knew his villagers were of good character. Still, he wanted to remind everyone to be kind-hearted. Fortunately, everyone expressed positive stances, making him feel at ease.
After lunch, Su Binglan went to teach the villagers about planting and harvesting the potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Several rows of people stood before her with widened eyes, eagerly waiting to learn from her. She said, “Potatoes aren’t like regular crops that you plant directly into the soil.
“You must put them in a warm place to germinate first. After that, they will look like this. Okay, watch as I cut it into pieces according to the size of the bud.
“Leave two to three buds on each piece. After cutting them open, apply some soil on them,” Su Binglan spoke while demonstrating. She gave specific instructions and ensured everyone could see her actions.
Everyone looked at her methods and understood them. Even if the villagers had found potatoes or sweet potatoes before, they would not know how to plant them if Su Binglan had not taught them about it.
The potatoes would not grow if the villagers simply placed them into the ground. Still, no one doubted Su Binglan’s teaching. They knew only Miss Su knew how to grow these things.
“You can sow the potatoes after processing them. Sowing them is relatively straightforward. Just dig a trench and put them in. You don’t have to water them much, either.
“They will ripen in about three months, and then you can harvest and use them for cooking.”
The villagers could imagine how many potatoes they would yield, making them excited. They even wished the potatoes would grow overnight. Now that they had these things, they would not be greedy.
Every potato and sweet potato was precious to the villagers. They could even produce thousands of them per acre. Su Binglan then brought everyone to the fields and showed them how to plant the potatoes.
Afterward, she allowed the villagers to ask questions. She would then answer every question in detail.
“You don’t have to hurry to plant the sweet potatoes. You can let them germinate first and then plant them after the potatoes.”
Su Binglan had calculated the time and knew the waterwheel would be complete when it was almost time to plant the potatoes and sweet potatoes. The waterwheel would be of great help to the villagers by then.
Upon hearing that, the villagers considered planting their other crops first. Either way, they would leave an empty plot of land for their potatoes.
Su Binglan also told everyone what not to do when planting the potatoes. Later, chiefs from the surrounding villages came to Su Teng Village to look for Chief Su.
He then informed Su Binglan about how many potatoes the other village chiefs needed. She said, “l still have many potatoes and sweet potatoes in the warehouse. You can distribute those to the surrounding villages.”
“You really have that many, Binglan?” Chief Su looked into the warehouse.
The other villages needed plenty of potatoes—everyone who had land wanted to plant them. Since Su Binglan’s status in Su Teng Village was high, everyone believed in her.
Of course, Chief Su knew his grandniece was kind and generous. She would consider everyone when she had things that benefited them.
Su Binglan smiled, saying, “Don’t worry, Granduncle Su. I have enough potatoes and sweet potatoes to go around. You can tell the other village chiefs to send a few villagers here to collect them.”
“All right, Binglan, I’ll do that.” Chief Su was ecstatic, knowing the other village chiefs were waiting for the good news at his house.
He quickly ran home, and Su Binglan could not help but laugh at his nimble movements. She was happy to see him in such good health.
A few people were waiting at the door when Chief Su reached home. The other village chiefs looked at him anxiously. One asked, “How’d it go, Chief Su? Do you have enough for our villages?”
“Yeah, everyone in my village wants to grow potatoes and sweet potatoes.” Chief Su chuckled, saying, ‘Don’t worry. Binglan has enough to go around..”