GBP Chapter 128 Potatoes
Chapter 128 Potatoes
The beggars left the dilapidated temple before dawn, and after stopping and starting, they entered a valley. When they reappeared on the official road, they had transformed into a group of ordinary teenagers, heading towards the capital.
Lu Yun took some time off to return to the hot spring villa, where Lao Ding told her the potatoes were ready to be harvested. Inside the hot spring cabin, under her watchful eye, Lao Ding carefully dug in the soil with a small shovel. Soon, yellow fruits, about the size of a baby's fist, were placed in a bamboo basket.
Lu Yun counted them and found that there were about thirty potatoes. The next step was to think about how to turn these thirty potatoes into more so that they could be planted in the fields in a few days.
Taking out the topographic map of the village, Lu Yun circled an area on it with a pen and handed it to the manager of the village, asking him to assign a few more people to Lao Ding.
Because of his contribution to planting, Lu Yun rewarded Lao Ding with five taels of silver, picked out a few of the largest ones and kept them, and gave the rest to him.
Old Ding held the treasure in his hand and thanked repeatedly. His simple face was full of gratitude, and he carefully carried the basket away.
Cai He walked in from outside, "Master, they are back."
"Let them in."
A group of young boys saluted their master respectfully.
Lu Yun asked them to stand up and answer, "How?"
Liu Qing bowed his head and said, "My Lady, as per your instructions, we have already disclosed to those people the fact that Lord Lu sent his wife back to her hometown."
"Well done," Lu Yun praised, and asked Cai He to distribute the prepared rewards one by one. "While I'm in the mountains, you guys will take turns guarding the farm."
Everyone responded in unison.
Old Ding returned to the hot spring hut, put the bamboo basket away, paused, and then picked out another one from the basket and put it in his arms. Since this was related to the princess, Old Ding was very cautious and planned to take one home to study it carefully.
Until the old man went to the princess to report his merits today, Old Ding's wife was waiting at the door early. Seeing the staggering figure in the distance, she went forward and said, "You are finally back. What did the princess say?"
A smile appeared on Old Ding's face. "The princess praised my farming skills and rewarded me with five taels of silver. This will pay for our son's education."
The old Ding family was overjoyed, and the couple supported each other and returned home. Mr. Ding was studying at home, and when he heard the noise outside, he frowned, and the window was closed from the outside with a "click".
Old Ding's wife showed a trace of guilt and said, "It's my fault. I'm old and forgetful. I forgot that my son is still studying." After that, he drove the old man to the kitchen.
Before going to bed at night, Lao Ding put the lump next to his pillow.
Old Ding's family touched it a few times curiously and said, "This is the treasure that the princess values so much. What can it do?"
Old Ding was immediately stumped by the question. The princess only told him to plant it well and didn't tell him the purpose of this rare plant. "I will do whatever the princess tells me to do. If I plant it well, I will get a reward."
This was the truth. Mrs. Ding remembered the five taels of silver her husband had brought back and agreed with what her husband said.
Unexpectedly, the couple's conversation was overheard by Mr. Ding, who had gotten up at night. The next morning, Mr. Ding found that his precious child was missing, and so was his son, Mr. Ding.
The Ding family was scared to death. They were worried about their son and also worried that their superiors would find out and blame them.
Old Ding calmed his wife down and rushed to the villa to tell the manager about the incident as soon as possible. After hearing it, the manager immediately arranged for people to look for Mr. Ding along the mountain road. They found Mr. Ding at the tea stall at the city gate.
Liu Qing and his men approached, tied his hands, and searched his body for something. Ding Xiucai, proud of his status, had always been arrogant. Now that he was being humiliated, his face flushed and he cursed, "You, you, do you know who I am? How dare you do this to me?"
Liu Qing laughed and said, "I don't care who you are. It's wrong to take our master's things. You're a scholar, after all." After putting the things in his hand, Liu Qing let go and took his men away.
Sensing the strange looks from the people around him, Mr. Ding was so ashamed and angry that he quickly left with his sleeves covering his face. He just wanted to use this thing to exchange for some silver, but he didn't expect to be discovered so quickly.
While walking on the official road, he heard the sound of horse riding coming from behind. Ding Xiucai shrank his shoulders and moved to the side, but the horse stopped beside him.
"Mr. Ding, my master invites you."
Mr. Ding, who disappeared from the official road in a short time, appeared again. He was no longer as dejected as before. He touched his chest with joy. There was a neatly folded silver note of fifty taels of silver. He was going to get rich!
When the old Ding family saw their son coming back, they cried and hit him twice, "Why did you do such a thing? If it weren't for the princess, we two wouldn't be able to support you."
Mr. Ding was already impatient to listen to these words. He pushed his mother away, walked into the house with a cold face, and closed the door with a "clang".
Old Ding's family didn't dare to chase after them. They just covered their mouths and cried quietly. After crying for a while, they went to light the fire and cook.
My son went out early in the morning and hasn't had breakfast yet.
Because of his son's foolish behavior, Old Ding was completely overshadowed by the manager, not to mention the younger brother Liu Qing behind him. Furious, Old Ding rolled up his sleeves and went to settle the score with his son.
He kicked the door open and saw his son, instead of studying, sleeping soundly in bed. Furious, he took off his shoes and threw them at him. He scanned the room, trying to find a tool.
Mr. Ding dreamed that he became a high-ranking official, with a virtuous wife and beautiful concubines, and countless gold and silver. Just as he stretched his neck to reach the wild vegetable and pork meatballs handed to him by his concubine, he was awakened by a slap in the face.
"Dad, Dad." Seeing his father like a big buffalo with red eyes, panting heavily and staring at him intently, Ding Xiucai swallowed his saliva in fear. "Dad, listen to me."
After a while, the Ding family of three sat down in the blue brick hall. In the center of the eight-immortal table was a silver note worth fifty taels of silver.
Old Ding had never seen such a large denomination of banknotes in his life, and hesitantly said, "Son, I'm afraid you've been cheated."
Ding Xiucai said disdainfully, "Mother, this banknote is real. As long as we do what that man said, there will be more money later." Then he looked at his father and said, "Father, you are an expert in farming in the surrounding area. You have been farming the land for the princess for so many years, and you are only rewarded occasionally, and each time you only get a few taels of silver."
Lao Ding looked at him and asked, "What do you mean?
"Let's do as this gentleman says. You tell me how to plant and eat the round lump, and what its uses are. When this is successful, we can use the money to buy a house and land somewhere else, so that you can enjoy a peaceful life. Isn't that good?"
Old Ding thought for a moment, "But our Ding family has lived here for generations. How can we just leave?"
Ding Xiucai didn't care. "People move up the ladder. Even if our ancestors were still alive, they would agree with us doing this."