Chapter 130

With the village head leading the way in planting potatoes, a few more families gradually joined in.

Not many, just four or five households.

Shuiqing and Fan Jin welcomed everyone.

Firstly, the villagers were earning through their own labor. Reclaiming wasteland was particularly exhausting farm work, and currently, no one in their family could manage it. The vast area connecting the three mountain tops couldn’t be left fallow forever.

Once the land was reclaimed, they could plant potatoes, sugarcane, red beans, green beans, yellow beans, and even cotton.

Secondly, potatoes were cheap. While they said they were digging them up, in reality, they were buying them. It cost little, didn’t require much labor, benefitted others, and didn’t harm themselves—a win-win situation.

Thirdly, and most importantly, regardless of floods or wars, having ample food supplies in the village was advantageous for their family.

Shuiqing checked the marketplace: ten jin of floury potatoes for fifteen yuan—truly cheap!

Yes, let’s set a high goal for everyone each day.

A mu of land needed 150 to 200 jin of seed potatoes. They should aim to earn enough to plant five to ten mu of potatoes.

Since they claimed the potatoes came from a small woodland without cost, giving more away was fine.

Shuiqing didn’t anticipate that this act of generosity would later greatly benefit her children!

During the first month of the lunar year, while people outside were still immersed in New Year’s celebrations, most of the villagers of Shanshui Village were busy again.

Some were building houses or stockpiling firewood, while others were now helping Fan Jin’s family reclaim land in exchange for potatoes and also preparing their fields for planting potatoes.

While some diligently followed the rules, others looked for shortcuts.

“Dad, are you sure this is the right place?” Fan Dazhu asked, carrying a hoe, standing amidst dried grass and fallen leaves, looking reluctant.

Behind him, Fan Erzhu also appeared displeased, complaining, “Let them plant if they want to. What’s it got to do with us? We have enough to eat without planting.”

Having walked all morning, Fan Sanzhu’s feet ached, and his discontent peaked as he grumbled, “Second Brother is right. We have eighteen mu of good land and dozens of other land. Why worry about not having enough to eat?

Dad, that thing dug out from the ground is black and ugly. It doesn’t look tasty! Besides, what if the yield isn’t good?”

“Yeah, why don’t we wait until others in the village have planted, see how it grows, how much it yields, and if it’s tasty before we decide?” Fan Sizhu echoed.

Fan Qian, leading his four eldest sons all morning, was already fuming. Hearing their complaints, his anger flared further.

He scolded, “You can’t even keep up with eating hot food! You’ve all grown a year older, but have you grown any brains?

Even if we don’t plant, once we find where your second uncle is digging the potatoes, we can dig them up and eat them ourselves. Even if they’re not tasty, they’re still food!”

Fan Dazhu and his brothers grumbled but didn’t argue back.

Taste didn’t matter; as long as it was edible, it was fine.

Especially since they wouldn’t have to plant them themselves, picking the ready ones was much more enjoyable.

Fan Qian sneered, “Your second uncle and second aunt live in a big house now, and they can still eat them. Can’t you?”

The four nodded in agreement.

“As long as we find and dig them up, your second uncle’s family won’t have them, and those men won’t trade their labor for reclaiming his land!” Fan Qian was irritated at the thought of his brother’s land surpassing his own.

He was the eldest, and if his life was worse than his younger brother’s, what would the villagers think?

What would relatives and friends think?

They would see him as incompetent, not as good as his brother!

“Then let’s hurry and keep looking. We shouldn’t waste time,” Fan Dazhu said eagerly, wanting to find the potatoes immediately and dig them all up.

Fan Sizhu hesitated, asking, “But Dad, are you sure it’s here? We’ve been searching all morning and haven’t found anything.”

Fan Qian waved his hand confidently, “That day, your second aunt came back from this direction, saying it was from a small woodland outside. It must be this way!”

Fan Erzhu raised an objection, “But what if second aunt dug it up earlier and intentionally passed that way to mislead us?”

“No way, she’s too dumb for such tricks,” Fan Qian sneered coldly.

He added, “That stuff grows underground. It’s normal for it to be hard to find. Keep your heads down and look carefully!”

“Okay!”

“Got it!”

Meanwhile, Shuiqing and Fan Jin were relaxing at home, enjoying tea, pastries, and reading.

Since they outsourced the physical labor, Fan Jin took over most of the kitchen chores, leaving Shuiqing feeling particularly relaxed and at ease.

“How many people are working today, and how many jin of potatoes do we need to buy?” Shuiqing asked casually while lying on the couch, nibbling on a crumbly jujube pastry and sipping floral tea to cut the sweetness.

Fan Jin, sitting properly in a circle chair by the window, looked up from his book and gave a number.

Then, he furrowed his brow and added, “This morning, I saw my elder brother taking Dazhu and the others out with hoes.”

Shuiqing, who was half-reclining comfortably, became interested. She sat up and asked, “They wouldn’t be working in the fields, would they?”

From her limited memory, these men were known for laziness and shirking responsibilities. They had no skills but had enormous tempers.

Fan Jin shook his head. “No, I think they are looking for potatoes.”

Shuiqing laughed, “Perfect.”

Their potatoes weren’t from the wild woodland at all, so they could search all they wanted.

“Shuiqing, my elder brother,” Fan Jin hesitated.

Shuiqing waved off the crumbs from her hands and said boldly, “There’s nothing we can’t talk about.”

Fan Jin pressed his lips together, hesitating before saying, “My elder brother isn’t very upright. If he keeps failing to find any, he might start thinking of other ways.”

“You mean he might target our potatoes?” Shuiqing quickly summarized.

Fan Jin nodded.

After a moment of silent eye contact, Shuiqing broke the tension, “It’s fine. We’ll handle whatever comes our way. Let’s see what he tries next.”

“Okay.”

Their courtyard walls were high, built with adobe bricks, heavy and thick. The top was densely embedded with iron nails and bamboo spikes. Fan Qian couldn’t steal from their courtyard even if he wanted to.

His only option would be the potatoes planted in their fields. They’d just have to catch him in the act.

Over the next ten days, Fan Qian and his sons found nothing despite their efforts. Their patience was wearing thin.

“Dad, if we keep looking, we’ll delay working our own fields.”

They needed to start plowing for rice planting in March and April. It was already early February, and soon they’d have to begin preparing the fields. Unlike his second uncle, they didn’t have oxen or donkeys to make the work easier. If they didn’t conserve their energy, they’d struggle to dig the fields.

“Hey, Dad, why don’t we just dig up some potatoes from Second Uncle’s fields to take home?”

“That’s a great idea. We could save our own food!”

“After all, Second Uncle has planted a lot. We’re his closest family. He wouldn’t be that stingy.”