Chapter 14

Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao said, “Grandpa is an old hand at farming—whatever he plants will surely grow. Everyone here plants corn and sorghum, but maybe we should ask the southern peddler if there’s something special we can try growing. I heard of something called a sweet potato. It yields a lot, tastes good, is drought-resistant, and especially thrives in sandy soil.”

The room fell silent. Ever since Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao had helped the Song family earn money, they had grown to completely trust her advice and follow it without question.

Old Master Song and Granny Zhou exchanged glances. Since Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao suggested it, they would go ahead with it. Even if it failed, the money and blessings she brought would last them years.

Besides, how could anything Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao suggested fail? But none of them had ever heard of this “sweet potato” before.

Naturally, Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao had her clone, posing as the southern peddler, handle the matter. On the first day he visited, Granny Zhou asked him about sweet potatoes.

The next day, the peddler brought some sweet potatoes for them to try. If the Song family liked them, he could deliver a cartload of seedlings the following day.

Unlike potatoes, sweet potatoes required nursery seedlings. But in Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao’s space, using spiritual spring water to nurture them, every sprout would survive and yield an abundant harvest.

Old Master Song, being decisive, didn’t even wait for the peddler to persuade him. He outright ordered enough seedlings for ten mu (approx. 1.6 acres).

The Song family’s total land—mountains, forests, and irrigated fields—amounted to about twenty mu. Dedicating ten mu to sweet potatoes was a clear sign of his full trust in Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao.

She was their lucky star. Of course he believed her. Still, with so many mouths to feed, they needed plenty of food to get through the year.

Not knowing the market value of sweet potatoes, Old Master Song decided to plant half the land with grain for their own use and half with sweet potatoes.

Second daughter-in-law Zhang looked at the sweet potatoes they’d bought, unsure how to start. “Mother, how do we cook these? They kinda look like potatoes.”

Third daughter-in-law Zou said, “Maybe slice them with some meat and stew it? Potatoes taste better stewed.”

Granny Zhou shook her head. “No need. I asked the peddler—he said just steam them.”

Zhang nodded. Farmers often steamed potatoes too. This should taste similar, though these were clearly much bigger.

Zhang quickly washed the sweet potatoes, added water to the pot, and steamed them. She also prepared some cornmeal and wild vegetable porridge.

Granny Zhou said, “No need to heat any grain for dinner. The peddler said these can be eaten like staple food—they’re filling. Let’s try it.”

Everyone was a little excited. Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao had advised this purchase, and anything she recommended had to be good.

Soon, a whole pot of sweet potatoes was done. Zhang lifted the lid and fragrant steam wafted out.

“Oh wow, they look pretty good,” Zhang said softly.

These were genuine golden-fleshed sweet potatoes. Even though they weren’t roasted, they still glistened with natural oils. Zhang split one with her chopsticks and saw the rich, sticky yellow flesh inside.

“Oh! This stuff’s yellow. Not floury like potatoes, and it’s oily too—it must be tasty.”

Third daughter-in-law Zou also came to look. “Really does look good,” she agreed.

Liu, having finished her postpartum confinement, was still resting per Granny Zhou’s orders while caring for Sweet Bao. Zhang brought her food and included a sweet potato.

The rest were served at the table. The children didn’t usually like steamed potatoes, and seeing the sweet potatoes, they assumed the taste would be similar.

Second son Song Fucai picked one up with a grin. “I’ll try it first.”

He peeled it easily—skin and flesh separated cleanly—and sniffed. It smelled really nice.

He blew on it and took a bite. The flavor was dense, fragrant, and sweet—not a meaty kind of aroma, but a unique natural sweetness.

“Wow! I feel like I’m eating honey—how’s it this sweet?” Fucai exclaimed while nodding.

Sweet? That surprised everyone. They’d imagined many possible flavors but never considered this would be sweet.

Hearing that, the kids couldn’t wait. They grabbed some, peeled, and dug in.

Seeing the kids devour them eagerly, everyone knew these were delicious. Zhang grabbed one too.

After one bite, she praised, “Even the candy we eat during New Year’s isn’t this good. This is sweeter than those fresh pastries. Where has this stuff been all our lives?”

Eldest daughter-in-law Zhu also tried one and smiled. “It’s from the southern regions. We never had it here before. Luckily, we listened to Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao—otherwise we’d never know such good stuff even existed.”

In truth, sweet potatoes hadn’t yet reached the Central Plains during this era. Even the south didn’t have them—these came from Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao’s magical space.

Old Master Song and Granny Zhou also nodded as they ate. This wasn’t something commoners got to eat—probably not even available in the royal palace.

They felt deep gratitude in their hearts. Their little goddess had truly blessed them. In farming families that believed in spirits, Little Sweet Treasure Xiao Tianbao’s extraordinary qualities only made them treasure her more.

She was their little divine girl, the most cherished one, their beloved grandchild who brought sweetness straight to their hearts.

The sweet potatoes were wonderfully fragrant and sweet—better than any New Year’s treat. Even the sugar from festivities wasn’t this sweet.

As the family ate and praised, their confidence in planting sweet potatoes grew.

The Song family used to just farm and fish like everyone else. But now, with Little Sweet treasure Xiao Tianbao’s guidance and successful experience selling prescriptions, they were confident—no longer afraid to stand out from the village.

Second son Song Fucai said, “Dad, this stuff is so good—it’ll definitely sell well. Restaurants would want it for sure. Even if not, we can hawk it in the markets and alleys. It’s like potatoes—keeps well. Maybe we should plant only sweet potatoes?”

Third son Song Fugui agreed, “Yeah! It’s tasty and probably more valuable than corn. We can sell it and buy grain later.”

Old Master Song thought it over and said, “Let’s still grow some grain. If something goes wrong, we need food on hand. We’ll do five mu of corn and fifteen mu of sweet potatoes.”