The Whole Village Thrives After Adopting a Lucky Girl

Chapter 493: Chapter 489: Sweet Potato_1
 

In the following days, the couple Yingbao and her husband roamed the world with their daughter, collecting various grains and crops.

The crops yielding the highest volume of grains were potatoes and a type of red-skinned sweet potato, in addition to a type of corn. The corn’s stalks were sweet, and the grains, once ground into flour, could be made into thin pancakes that were incredibly sweet and delicious.

Wei Zhan highly prized this type of corn as its sweet stalks, once chopped down, could serve as excellent fodder for animals.

“We can save a lot of grain with corn as feed,” said Wei Zhan. During winter, cattle and sheep need to eat, and feeding them just regular grass won’t suffice. They ought to eat a combination of beans and laboratory-approved green feed.

This type of corn, once chopped and fermented with wheat bran and rice husks, could also serve as animal feed.

“The sweet potato is also quite good, it’s aromatic and sweet when roasted,” Nuannuan said, handing freshly roasted red-skinned sweet potatoes to her parents. “You both should try it, Wumei roasted these.”

Yingbao took the sweet potato, peeled it, and found that it’s flesh resembled cooked chestnuts. One bite revealed it to be even softer, stickier, and sweeter than chestnuts.

Nuannuan raised her sweet potato and said, “This one I have is yellow-fleshed and way sweeter than the white-fleshed ones. Look, mother, the skin even has a sugary coating.”

Yingbao gave it a look and nodded, “We could probably use this to make syrup. If glutinous rice and malt can be used to make syrup, there’s no reason why these sweet potatoes, being so sweet, couldn’t be. Let’s try boiling a pot when we have time.”

She thought they could merely follow the same procedure used with malt sugar and sugarcane.

“Mother, Wumei found some red fruits that are spicier than the Chinese Cornelian cherry. Go check to see if it can be used as a medicinal herb,” Nuannuan said while eating her sweet potato, pulling her mother toward a nearby plot of vegetables.

Several rows of crops were bearing many fruits, some green, some red.

They picked one and gave it a sniff; it had a strong spicy aroma. They weren’t sure if it was edible.

Wei Zhan leaned in to take a look and said, “I recall people using these fruits as a spice. The locals also use it as seasoning, so it should be non-toxic.” His people also used the Chinese Cornelian cherry as a seasoning, which, when served as a sharp and hot soup with pepper, was very invigorating and could keep the cold away.

Yingbao pulled apart a red fruit and tasted it, instantly feeling a burst of fiery spiciness on her tongue.

She hurriedly rinsed her mouth with water, but her lips still felt like they were on fire.

Seeing this, Wei Zhan scolded her, asking, “Why would you recklessly eat things? Look, your mouth is all red.” He told his daughter to pick all the ripe fruits and let the doctors have a look at them later.

Nuannuan agreed and she and Wumei ran off quickly.

After having a bowl of water, Yingbao said, “Let’s call this thing chili. Once it’s dried, it could be used as a medication for warding off the cold.”

Wei Zhan responded in agreement. He applied the Eternal Spring Technique several times on his wife and carefully examined her lips. Seeing no swelling, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

Unbeknownst to them, it was suddenly August.

Jiang Wu and the princess were getting married. While the Imperial Household Department was in charge of the event, the Jiang family also spent a significant amount of money on wedding supplies, as well as decorating their home and courtyard.

The princess stayed in a new room in the Jiang family home after the wedding, before eventually moving back to her princess residence or remaining with the Jiang family.

On that day, the Jiang family’s home was filled with guests, and several ministers came to offer their congratulations.

The traffic in front of the Jiang family’s home was so congested that it blocked the entire street.

Yingbao was sitting and chatting with the old Mrs. Wu and a few familiar wives in her own room.

At that moment, Madame Wen and sister Wen arrived, along with sister Wen’s daughter and Wen Hengyin’s child.

Yingbao hadn’t seen Madame Wen or sister Wen in many years. Upon their reunion, she saw Madame Wen’s hair had turned white, and she was significantly more hunched over.

After catching up for a while and discussing their health, they all lamented the passage of time and its unforgiving nature.

Yingbao thought for a moment, then secretly applied a technique that she released onto Madame Wen and sister Wen.

She was highly cultivated, and a single ‘Eternal Spring Technique’ could restore a mortal’s youth.

So, Lady Wen’s skin soon became smooth and delicate, her wrinkles gradually disappearing, and her back straightened up.

Although Lady Wen’s hair was still white, the roots had turned black.

Lady Wen also transformed from a lady in her thirties back into a beautiful maiden in her twenties.

Everyone else in the room was stunned.

Old Lady Luo, leaning on her cane, looked at Yingbao with a burning gaze, as if she wanted to speak but stopped.

Yingbao then performed the ‘Eternal Spring Technique’ on everyone else in the room twice over.

She was now at the Mysterious Immortal Realm and existed like a god in this world, with no need to worry about being coveted.

If anyone dared to harm her family, she could annihilate the ten generations of that villain with a snap of her fingers.

Old Lady Luo and Old Lady Wu instantly rejuvenated, overcome with joy. The two old ladies stood in front of the mirror and couldn’t tear their eyes away.

“Oh my, is that really me?” Old Lady Luo touched her face, and then looked at her own hands, overjoyed to the point of tears.

Old Lady Wu was the same, even pinching her own arm to see if she was dreaming.

The most excited in the room was Wu Jiang. She was already in her forties and did not expect to return to her youthful days in a flash. She hugged Yingbao, not knowing how to express her gratitude.

“Yingbao, you are my lucky star.” Wu Jiang suddenly felt lucky that she had married her daughter to Jiang Jie. Without this connection, how could she have encountered such an opportunity?

She suddenly thought of her husband, her aging father-in-law, and her father.

She wanted to ask Yingbao if she could also rejuvenate them, but in the end she was too shy to speak.

After the banquet, the ladies gradually returned home.

After Old Lady Wu returned home with her face covered by her sleeve, she hid in her room trying on clothes, and felt that all the clothes were too old-fashioned.

Finally, she had her maid summon the steward and instructed her to go to the silk store and have the shopkeeper send some brighter materials.

In the evening, with the support of a young boy, Old Mister Wu staggered home.

Entering the room, he suddenly saw a young woman with silver hair sitting on his bed, which left him stunned.

“Who are you? How dare you barge into the master’s bedroom?”

Old Mister Wu, having had a few drinks, felt a little dizzy. Thinking he was seeing things, he leaned in to get a better look – indeed, it was a beautiful maiden.

He took several steps backward, thinking he had encountered the Fox Fairy. Just as he was about to turn and call for someone, he heard the young woman say, “What are you shouting for? Don’t you even recognize me?”

The voice sounded familiar, but old Mister Wu had forgotten where he had heard it before.

Looking puzzled at the young woman, he wondered if his wife had suddenly taken a concubine for him.

Old Lady Wu glared at him irritably, “What are you looking at? Don’t you come over here and see who I am?” She was feeling triumphant and decided to tease her husband a little.

Looking at the young woman who was casting amorous glances at him, old Mister Wu was even more convinced that she was the beautiful concubine his wife had taken for him.

Otherwise, why would she be sitting on his bed late at night, and his wife was not in the room. He guessed she had made room for him.

With that in mind, Old Mister Wu moved forward a few steps, unsteadily sat on the bed, stretched out his foot, and said, “Take off my boots.”