Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Chapter 81 Cultivating Sweet Potato Seedlings!

Two days later, the weather cleared up.

The people by the pool also got busy.

Wang Shen summoned everyone he could from the three villages.

Xiao Ran paid the wages on time, and there were also flatbreads and other food. The meals were also quite good, so everyone was happy to come.

The key is not to come, but to not cheat or shirk responsibility.

Initially, the people of Kaolao Village were grateful to Xiao Ran for reducing their taxes and working hard.

People from the other two villages arrived one after another, and they were too embarrassed to cheat or shirk their responsibilities.

Because everyone is watching.

Wang Shen noticed that some people were slacking off and reminded them, noting that the progress was much faster than expected.

Xiao Ran initially thought that it would be good if a dozen or twenty people from the village could go, but he didn't expect that more than ninety people would go.

Many families send two or three people.

The millet that Xiao Ran used to find most troublesome is now visibly decreasing.

Despite the increased number of people, the quality of the food did not decline at all.

It's the same as before.

The roasted chestnuts were sold out long ago, and the persimmon cakes were also sold out after the frost was scraped off.

But now Zhang Jialin still has to go to Chang'an City every day to help buy sesame cakes.

And then there's salt and stuff like that.

This meal is for so many people, it needs a lot of salt.

Xiao Ran's fine salt couldn't supply so many people, so they had to eat the coarse salt from the Tang Dynasty.

Everyone was quite satisfied as long as there was enough coarse salt.

Xiao Ran rode his bicycle with San Niang on the back, and Xiao Hei followed behind.

"Hahaha!" Third Sister laughed happily, finding the bicycle fun.

Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya also wanted to give it a try, but they were too embarrassed to say so.

Although she never gave Zhang Jinhe any money, she continued to help him.

Recently, Zhang Mingde has been spending most of his time by the pond, hoping to get a free meal at dusk.

Zhang Mingde couldn't get up for breakfast.

Xiao Ran also needs to consider planting potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Potatoes can be planted directly next year, but sweet potatoes are different.

The main method of propagation for sweet potatoes is asexual reproduction, that is, propagation by vine cuttings rather than by seed sowing.

Its root is an organ for storing nutrients. If it is stored directly until the following spring, it may rot or have a low germination rate due to improper temperature and humidity.

If tubers are planted in autumn, they can quickly grow into vines under suitable conditions. These vines are the "seedlings" for cuttings the following year.

If planted in autumn, the tubers will first sprout new leaves and grow vines. It will take about 1-2 months to cultivate enough sweet potato vines before winter.

At this time, the vines can be cut off and stored, such as in a cellar or kept warm indoors. They can then be directly propagated by cuttings the following spring, with a survival rate far higher than that of direct planting from tubers.

If the tubers are stored directly until spring, they must be kept dry and not rotten in the winter low temperatures. In this era, modern storage equipment is lacking, so the risk is high. In addition, the amount of vines that grow after the tubers sprout in spring is relatively small, which may not be enough for large-scale planting.

Therefore, in autumn, a small number of sweet potato tubers are planted first to cultivate vines as seedlings. The vines are properly preserved in winter and used for cuttings in the following spring.

This approach avoids the loss of tubers during winter and ensures sufficient seedlings for the following year's planting. It aligns with the growth patterns of sweet potatoes, is more suited to ancient planting conditions, and lays the foundation for future widespread cultivation.

In the morning, Xiao Ran brought all the copied sweet potatoes to Zhang Erya's house.

This was something no one had ever seen before, and Xiao Ran wouldn't let anyone else touch it unless he told them.

They've gotten to know each other better over this time, but Zhang Dalang and Zhang Erya have always maintained a strong sense of boundaries.

Third Sister is also one.

Although his family wasn't well-off, Xiao Ran felt they got along very well.

Xiao Ran also grew to like this feeling more and more; being relied on and needed seemed pretty good.

Unlike before when I wandered around alone.

each has its own Hobby.

There's no need to haul stones anymore, because we've reached the stage of building the roof.

Start preparing the tiles and such. Again, Xiao Ran doesn't need to worry about it; Wang Shen will handle everything.

Xiao Ran just needs to pay.

To build the house, a lot of cloth was sold.

There's so much cloth that we can't use it all.

Xiao Ran doesn't need clothes; he always has them, and the Zhang siblings also have theirs.

Xiao Ran ran into the ravine, took a look, and took the hoe with him.

We plan to plant sweet potatoes in the small vegetable garden next to Zhang Erya's house.

Xiao Ran said he needed it, and Zhang Erya and Zhang Dalang had already prepared the land well in advance.

The vegetable garden wasn't big, so it didn't need oxen to plow it, and Zhang Dalang finished it in no time.

The vegetables inside have long been sold out, and now we have to buy them from other villagers every day.

The price is fair, and the villagers are happy to accept it; some even bring it to them voluntarily.

That saved a lot of trouble.

Before we even reached the gate, we could see the carriage and horses from a great distance.

They knew it was Li Lizhi and her group.

The carriage looked familiar.

The medicine was sent away a couple of days ago, and there has been no news since. Xiao Ran also wants to ask about it.

But since I couldn't find anyone to ask, I simply stopped worrying about it.

Li Lizhi can contact Xiao Ran, but Xiao Ran cannot contact Li Lizhi.

To find Li Shimin, Li Lizhi, and Xiao Ran, one must go through the Duke of Su's mansion and ask Cheng Yaojin and Cheng Tiehuan for help.

“Little Princess~” The little princess stood outside, watching Xiao Ran ride his bicycle back.

“Sizi!” Third Sister called out.

Two little princesses, along with Princess Li Lizhi, Princess Yuzhang, Cheng Tiehuan, and Li Wu, came out of the courtyard.

"Good morning, Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister!" Xiao Ran held a hoe in one hand and rode a bicycle with the other.

Seeing Xiao Ran stop, Princess Yuzhang helped the Third Sister down from behind.

"Little Nangjun wants to play too~" The little princess pointed to the bicycle.

"Okay, okay!" Xiao Ran really couldn't refuse this little girl; he felt guilty about refusing the little princess.

So I took the two little princesses for a stroll.

Then they returned to the courtyard and stopped.

After sitting down in the courtyard, Zhang Erya brought over some pastries, all brought by Princess Yuzhang, Li Lizhi.

I brought it again this time.

I can’t finish it, I can’t finish it at all!
"Fifth Sister, how is Madam's condition?" Xiao Ran picked up a sesame cake and took a bite.

Li Lizhi's face was beaming with a genuine smile, her eyes and brows showing relief, though her heart was still troubled: "Young master is a great benefactor to our family!"

"The night my mother took the medicine, her cough and wheezing were much better, and she was able to sleep soundly for two hours—something that had never happened before since she fell ill."

"Although he was still weak when he woke up in the morning, he was already able to sit up and talk. The doctors who came to see him all said it was a miracle."

“My father wanted to come and thank you in person, but he was too busy to come, so he specifically asked me to make sure to convey his gratitude.”

"We will remember this kindness. If you ever need anything in the future, young master, just ask. We will never refuse."

After saying that, Li Lizhi took out an envelope containing a prepared house deed. "Young man, you must accept this!"

"Fifth Sister, what's this?"

"A little thought."

Xiao Ran didn't think much of it, took the envelope, and wondered: Is it a silver note?
This speculation was quickly dispelled; there were no banknotes in this era.

Xiao Ran was also shocked when he saw the house deed.

I don't understand the others, but I recognize the property deed at the top.

"Fifth Sister, this is far too valuable!" Xiao Ran noticed that there were shops, one in the West Market and one in the East Market.

"Compared to the medicine the young master gave me, these are nothing."

(End of this chapter)