After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 841 Potatoes
Hai Xiya did not tell his wife how he handled the matter specifically.

His cousin Xie Wenzai wrote a letter to his good friend Tao Yue in Beijing and borrowed a courier from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. Hai Xiya took a ride and sent a letter to his grandson, saying that he was worried that his children and grandchildren would have less expenses in Beijing and wanted to send a few banknotes.

The people in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion had also heard that the Hai family had bought a house in Beijing, and Hai Jiao was also going to be appointed as an official. Unlike Zhou Yijun and Tang Meng, who both had family backgrounds and connections, and quickly got positions, and were both in the 26 guards of the Shangzhi Qinjun, with bright futures, Hai Jiao's family background was ordinary, and if he wanted to stay in Beijing to work, he had to put in more effort. The Zhou family and the Tu family had said that they would take care of him, and even Tao Ge Lao had the intention of taking care of him. I think this child will not worry about his future, but being in a foreign land, it would be convenient to have more money in hand. The Hai family couple was concerned about their grandson, and it was also human nature to give him more money to support himself.

The Duke of Zhenguo Mansion did not think much about it. The messenger's task was not heavy, and it was not a big deal to carry an extra thin letter. No one knew that Hai Xiya had actually smuggled silver bills when he asked the caravan to deliver letters. Everyone thought that the messenger of the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion must be more reliable than the caravan clerks. If the Hai family wanted to send any valuable bills to their grandson, they should give priority to the former.

The letter was sent out like this. Haitang heard what her cousin, Xie Wenzai, said but didn't pay much attention to it. She also had to help pack the luggage at home and the three elders on Xie Wenzai's side. And the various flowers and plants she had planted over the years, it was impossible to take them all with her. Some of the common species could be given to neighbors, but if she didn't want to take some of the more precious and rare ones with her, she had to find a proper place to store them, otherwise it would be a waste.

The flower turntable she accidentally brought into her system was originally able to draw a prize once a week, but over time, most of the seeds she drew were common varieties, and many were not suitable for growing in the current climate. She gradually lost interest and would only draw when she had time to think about it, and would just throw them aside when she didn't have time. Therefore, over the years, she didn't actually plant many of the seeds she drew, and only planted a hundred or so flower pots and flower troughs of different sizes at home. Now that she was moving, she had to get rid of all these plants.

As for crops like grapes and corn, she had long ago sold them to her grandfather through various methods, allowing him to use them to enrich the assets of the Northwest Frontier Army. As for the spices, vegetables, and fruits that were suitable for growing in Chang'an, she kept them for her own use. It would not matter if she left them for the new owner of the house. The more precious spices could also be taken away. The various flowers could be given as gifts, the ordinary ones to neighbors, and the precious ones she kept for herself and gave the rest to Zhou Yajun and Zhou Huajun. As for some potted plants with medicinal value, she tried to keep a few of the precious and rare ones, and trimmed them a little to make them much smaller so that they could be carried on the carriage more conveniently.

There are two flower beds with different varieties of potatoes, most of which have bloomed now, but are still far from mature. Haitang got these seeds two or three years ago. He planted them once the year before last and last year, and made observation notes from sowing to harvesting, and saved seeds. He could have planted them for another year this year. With three years of notes, he could have reported to his grandfather and seen if he could earn credit for promoting the new grain. It's too late now, but he can't give up halfway.

She handed the notebook to her grandfather, and took him to see the growth of the potatoes in the two flower troughs, saying, "Although the plants we planted this year have not yet reached the harvest time, the records of the previous two years are complete, and I think the results this year will be similar. This plant is easy to grow and suitable for the climate of Chang'an. Even if the soil is poor, it can grow well. The tubers grown are edible and the yield is very high. I only planted a few plants, and I harvested a lot in the past two years. If you plant it in poor land in the mountains where food cannot be grown, even if it is only one or half an acre, you can still get a lot in a year. In a disaster year, this is life-saving food."

Hai Xiya carefully observed the potatoes, dug up the soil to observe their roots, then looked back at the notes made by his granddaughter and asked her: "Where did this come from? What is it called? When can it be harvested?"

Haitang replied, "I bought it by chance from a passing caravan. I heard that it is grown in Southeast Asia, but I don't know where it originated from. The caravan people called it potatoes, and some people in the south also called it potatoes. We also have people in the northwest who grow it, but it seems to be used for flower viewing, so they call it yam. It doesn't matter what others call it. When I dug out its rhizomes, I saw a bunch of round, earthy yellow, and I think calling it potatoes is quite appropriate. This thing can be harvested in August, but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to catch it this year, so I thought of telling you in advance."

Haixiya didn't care what the new species was called. He heard that some people in the local area planted it, but they didn't find that it could be used as food. He couldn't help but sigh: "Good boy, you are really grandpa's lucky star! If it weren't for your habit of collecting all kinds of exotic flowers and plants, grandpa would never be as successful as he is today!" Haitang smiled and said: "I just planted them casually for fun. If I can help grandpa, I can also benefit from it, right?"

Hai Xiya lovingly touched his granddaughter's head and thought for a moment, "I remember that after the weather turned cold last year and the year before, our family had a few new dishes, some shredded, some diced, soft and dense, your grandma and I both liked them very much. But Mr. and Mrs. Cui said that these vegetables cannot be bought in the market outside, and you grow them at home. I guess it must be this... this potato, right?"

Haitang nodded, "It can be used as food or as a vegetable, but its shelf life is short and it cannot be stored for a long time. It will sprout after a long time and become inedible. I was also thinking that it tastes quite powdery. I wonder if it can be made into powder and made into noodles, cakes, etc. like food to make it easier to store? If it weren't too late this year, I would have planned to try it in the fall." She looked at her grandfather, "What do you think? Should we take them to Beijing?"

Hai Xiya smiled and said, "I see that these two flower troughs are large in size and heavy in weight. It would be too troublesome to bring them to the capital. It would be better to leave them in Chang'an and let the Zhenguogong Mansion continue to cultivate them. Although corn has a high yield and can fill the gap in military food, it has not been promoted for a long time. The people in the northwest cannot fully trust this kind of food and dare not easily change the types of crops in their fields. Since potatoes are not picky about the land and can be grown in poor land on the mountainside, let the people try to spread them. Even if they cannot be preserved for a long time, they can be used as food to fill their stomachs during the lean period, or just as a daily vegetable. If someone can test the method of grinding it into powder and preserving it for a long time, it would be even more appropriate."

It seems that my grandfather is not going to fight for this credit. Haitang did not persuade him much, and just said: "Then I will keep some seeds, and send the rest to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. Send the notes and other things as well. The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has many people and land, and they will definitely be able to think of a way to make good use of potatoes."

Hai Xiya nodded, and called the male servant over to do the hard work for Haitang. He changed his clothes, took the visiting card, and went to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion in person.

The granddaughter was very filial and wanted to help him make more achievements. Although he declined, he could not let the child down.

Good things should be cultivated well, and in the future they should stay in the northwest to benefit the people, and even benefit the world, so that the hard work and dedication of the granddaughter over the past two years will not be in vain.

(End of this chapter)