Chapter 22

As Old Madam Zhou fainted, everyone panicked and gathered around her, calling out anxiously.

“Mother, mother, are you okay?”

“Mother, what’s wrong? Quick, get a doctor!”

Fortunately, Old Master Song stayed calm and immediately said, “Your mother is just overwhelmed with joy. Quick, get a needle, heat it with a candle, and prick her philtrum!”

The eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Zhu, hurriedly found a sewing needle, heated it, and pricked Old Madam Zhou’s philtrum.

“Gah!” Old Madam Zhou woke up.

She stared straight at Tianbao, then suddenly clasped her hands together and said, “Little Sweet Treasure Tianbao, from now on, I’m not your grandmother—you’re my grandmother.”

Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao: ???

Everyone looked at the old lady—she seemed deliriously happy. They quickly tried to calm her down and soothe her emotions.

Second Son Song Fucai finally composed himself and asked Fifth Son Song Fuyou, “Fifth brother, how much did you say?”

Song Fuyou replied honestly, “If we sell everything, we can earn nine hundred taels of gold.”

Song Fucai’s eyes rolled back as he almost fainted too. He hurriedly pinched his own philtrum hard—I can’t faint. I mustn’t faint.

Everyone looked at each other, stunned, trying hard to calm down.

Song Futian and his wife Madam Liu’s hearts were pounding as they looked at their youngest daughter Sweet Bao’s sweet smile. It all felt unreal.

A family that had been poor for eight generations, often not having enough to eat—was now about to have nine hundred taels of gold?

That’s gold! What kind of concept is that? Even eight generations combined hadn’t earned that much.

To have a daughter like Sweet Bao and even be able to hear her thoughts—this was a blessing cultivated over ten thousand lifetimes.

Everyone fell silent. After a while, the third daughter-in-law Madam Zou finally spoke, “So… can we talk about it now?”

Second daughter-in-law Madam Zhang waved her hand, “No, wait—I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest.”

After another moment of silence, the Song family finally accepted the fact that they were about to receive nine hundred taels of gold.

“This year, no matter what, we must sell everything. By next year, when everyone sees how well this sells, they’ll all start planting it, and the yield will rise. At that time, prices won’t be this high,” Old Master Song said.

Everyone in the village had seen how much they harvested and knew how much it was selling for. Next year, they’d definitely all start planting it.

Even without Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao’s lucky aura, as long as many people planted, there’d still be a harvest. And once there’s too much, the price would drop.

Old Madam Zhou added, “Your father is right. From now on, every one of us must go sell sweet potatoes. Once we make our fortune, we’ll build each family a big blue-brick house with tiled roofs.”

The daughters-in-law were overjoyed. Though the family was harmonious, living so many people in a small courtyard was inconvenient.

Most village homes were made of earth and wood. Only wealthy families in town could afford blue-brick houses with tiled roofs.

“Alright, Mother, we’ll definitely sell well,” said second daughter-in-law Madam Zhang.

Eldest daughter-in-law Madam Zhu added, “I’m so happy, I don’t even know what to say. With Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao’s lucky blessings, I believe we’ll definitely sell everything.”

Everyone had initially worried about whether the sweet potatoes would sell. After Zhu said that, they felt confident.

Yes—they had Sweet Bao, a child blessed with great fortune. How could they not sell?

Though Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao was just a baby, to the whole family she was a lucky star, a savior. She couldn’t even talk or walk yet, but she was already the most capable one in the household.

Even if all the family elders and boys were bundled together, they couldn’t match Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao.

The family meeting ended, but no one could sleep that night. Each couple whispered about the sweet potato business and dreamed of making big money.

The next day, the word spread across the entire village: Old Song family’s sweet potatoes are sweet and delicious!

Everyone who had helped out yesterday got a taste and brought some home. The taste—indescribable—was even better than the pastries from town bakeries.

In the morning, small groups gathered and gossiped about it.

“Did you try the sweet potatoes? My husband helped the Song family, and Old Man Song gave us a whole bag. I steamed a few this morning—oh my, so good! Sweet, soft, fragrant—never eaten anything like it!”

“I had some too! My father-in-law helped them, and they gave us some. I swear it’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”

“Seriously? Is it really that good? I thought it looked just like a potato.”

“It is that good! Why would we lie to you?”

People talked excitedly, but they weren’t exaggerating. In these hard times, poor folk didn’t get to eat anything delicious.

Sugar and honey were luxuries, rarely accessible to ordinary families. So this sweet potato—maybe not a big deal to nobles—but to commoners, it was heavenly.

“So the Song family struck gold? With that harvest and how good it tastes, they must be making a fortune!”

“Exactly. Who would’ve thought? All thanks to their little granddaughter. When she was born, the sky was full of rosy clouds—clearly an extraordinary child!”

“I’m telling you, she must be a fairy from heaven, bringing great luck to the Song family. That child is so beautiful—like a little fairy!”

“Enough chatting! The Song family is selling sweet potatoes. Let’s buy some for our kids to eat. They’ve even hired ox carts to sell them in other places!”

As people saw others carrying sweet potatoes from the Song house, they knew it was time to act.

Word spread fast. Within a few days, all the nearby villages heard. Many people came on their own to buy.

The Song family had a clear division of labor: Old Madam Zhou and the third son went to promote at restaurants; the other men took carts to nearby villages.

Madams Zhu and Zou took carts to town and the prefectural city; Madams Zhang and Liu stayed home to sell.

Song Tian’er was looked after by her older brothers.

Those mischievous boys, with a soft, sweet little sister around, no longer caused trouble. Instead, they worked hard to behave well.

Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao looked at their innocent faces and thought, I guess I’ll grow up with this wild bunch of boys.

But that was okay—I’ll be even more mischievous than them. Climbing trees and scaling walls? They’re no match for me!

After two full months of hard work, just as others were beginning to harvest, the Song family had sold out all their sweet potatoes.

They sold so quickly because many restaurant and general store owners in the prefectural city bulk-bought to stock up—afraid there’d be none left.

After all, this was a brand-new food. No one else had it. Once it’s gone, you’ll have to wait until next year.

Sweet potatoes became the hottest thing around—restaurants even made it their specialty.

Big restaurants ordered a lot; small ones ordered less. Then there were the villages, towns, and markets. In just two months, the Song family earned nine hundred taels of gold.

When Old Master Song held the banknotes, his hands trembled. A man who had seen many hardships was still overwhelmed by such wealth.