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

Chapter 82 Roasted Sweet Potatoes!
Xiao Ran also needs these things; they'll come in handy anyway.

Xiao Ran had previously considered buying a house in Chang'an City in the future.

Before transmigrating, buying a house in the capital was unrealistic, but this time I can give it a try.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!" Xiao Ran knew that Empress Zhangsun still needed medicine, so he would give her some more to take back later.

Xiao Ran has accumulated a whole medicine kit every day, and now he has more than he can use by himself.

"Fifth Sister, do you know about hereditary diseases?" Xiao Ran suddenly thought of this question.

"A hereditary disease?" Li Lizhi frowned and shook her head. "I've never heard of it."

Princess Yuzhang had never heard of such a thing before; there was no such saying in that era.

"That's right. Some diseases can be inherited by children. This particular disease is quite special; if the parents have it, their children will most likely also have it, but it's also possible they won't."

Xiao Ran gave a brief explanation.

"I see. I've never heard of such a thing as a hereditary disease before." Li Lizhi looked at Xiao Ran. "Why do you say that, young master?"

"I don't know anything about medicine, but I heard this saying before when I was in the Western Regions."

Princess Yuzhang suddenly looked up. "Young master, do you mean that Mother's illness can be passed down to us?"

Xiao Ran nodded. "That's what I mean!"

Xiao Ran was unaware that Princess Yuzhang was not born to Empress Zhangsun.

However, Xiao Ran knew that Li Shimin suffered from both wind-related ailments and qi-related ailments, both of which could be hereditary.

Empress Zhangsun suffered from a qi-related illness, and Li Lizhi died from it.

The little princess might be one too.

Li Zhi's illness was very serious.

The health of this family members was not very good, and the longest-lived was actually Li Yuan.

However, Li Yuan also suffered from wind-related illnesses.

Li Lizhi looked at her two younger sisters with a worried expression.

"Fifth Sister, it's just a possibility, don't overthink it." Xiao Ran just wanted to remind Li Lizhi.

Empress Zhangsun was suffering greatly from a qi ailment, as witnessed by Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang.

This disease won't kill you outright, but it will torment you constantly.

Xiao Ran handed the house deed to Zhang Erya, "Second Aunt, please keep this. Fifth Aunt gave us a house, and it's in Chang'an City."

Zhang Erya was both surprised and delighted, and quickly accepted the house; she had never dared to dream of such a house before.

Li Lizhi was somewhat worried about her hereditary disease.

My main concern is for my two younger sisters.

Xiao Ran took out the sweet potatoes from before.

Third Sister and the two little princesses came running over excitedly.

Staring at the sweet potato on the ground, the little princess asked curiously, "Little Panda~ what's this?"

I've never seen it before; it looks like food.

“These are sweet potatoes!” Xiao Ran said, holding up the potato. “Let’s go plant them.”

Princess Yuzhang also wanted to help, so she walked over and said, "Young master, shall we plant it?"

"Ok!"

Princess Yuzhang picked up the sweet potato and looked at it. "But it's autumn now! It's not the time to plant it!"

"This is something we prepared in advance. We need to plant them now and wait for the sweet potatoes to sprout." Xiao Ran didn't say much, because the others didn't understand either. They had never seen such a thing before, or even heard of it.

But she still followed Xiao Ran into the vegetable garden.

Xiao Ran dug a pit, and San Niang and the two little princesses put the sweet potatoes in the pit as Xiao Ran instructed.

I don't know if this tastes good, but I think it's a lot of fun to follow Xiao Ran like this.

The vegetable garden wasn't big, but there was still quite a bit left.

Once the seedlings grow next year, we should be able to plant quite a few.

Xiao Ran didn't know how much yield per acre would be in this era without chemical fertilizers.

For the time being, Xiao Ran will not tell Li Lizhi and the others the yield per mu of sweet potatoes and potatoes. As for corn, Xiao Ran does not know whether it can be planted yet.

The corn we had earlier was too young.

"Alright, let's go back!" Xiao Ran was a little excited.

The yield per acre of sweet potatoes far exceeds that of traditional crops such as millet and wheat.

Based on the fact that "a bushel of rice cost no more than three or four coins" during the Zhenguan era, the promotion of sweet potatoes will lead to a surge in grain reserves in core production areas such as Guanzhong and Hedong.

Taking Chang'an as an example, if sweet potatoes are promoted in the suburbs, they can meet the food needs of hundreds of thousands of people in the city for three months, greatly alleviating the price fluctuations caused by floods and droughts.

More importantly, sweet potato tubers can be stored in cellars for more than six months, which, combined with the existing public granary system of the time, can build a more solid famine preparedness system.

Sweet potatoes have very low soil requirements and can be grown in sandy wasteland and mountainous areas.

This will drive the transformation of Tang Dynasty agriculture towards "three-dimensional development": millet and wheat will continue to be planted in plains areas, while sweet potatoes will be promoted in hilly areas, forming a multi-layered planting structure.

According to the "Tang Liudian", during the Zhenguan period, there were about 8 million mu of cultivated land in the country. If 10% of it were converted to sweet potato, the yield would be astonishing, and could even double the total grain output.

Sweet potato vine cutting propagation is a simple and easy-to-learn technique that farmers in this era can master without complicated training.

This will accelerate the spread of agricultural technology and may even, conversely, promote the improvement of traditional crop cultivation.

Farmers may learn from the ridge planting technique used in sweet potatoes to optimize wheat cultivation and increase overall yield per acre.

At the same time, vines, as a high-quality feed, will promote the development of the livestock industry and form a virtuous cycle of "grain-livestock".

The widespread use of sweet potatoes may have brought forward the peak population of the Tang Dynasty.

According to the Tongdian, the population of the Tang Dynasty was about 5300 million in the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era. If sweet potatoes had become widespread earlier, the population could have exceeded 6000 million during the Kaiyuan era.

The surplus grain from high-yield crops can be converted into marketable grain, giving rise to more small and medium-sized landowners and wealthy farmers.

These newly wealthy individuals may enter officialdom through the imperial examinations, donations, and other means, thus challenging the power of traditional aristocratic families.

The commoner bureaucratic class that emerged during Wu Zetian's reign may have gained momentum earlier than expected due to the sweet potato economy.

This is truly a catalyst for the times!
It might even bring forward the arrival of the Tang Dynasty's golden age.

The remaining sweet potatoes were naturally intended for eating.

Let a few people try it too.

Others may not know, but the three little girls definitely love it.

Because it's very sweet, kids will definitely love it the first time they try it.

Xiao Ran didn't invite anyone else; he grilled it himself.

Zhang Erya and Zhang Jinhe are actually quite good at their work, both being quite efficient, but they don't know how to roast sweet potatoes.

The little princess knows she can eat soon and is very excited.

The three little girls sat by the fire waiting.

"Little Nangjun~ are you alright~" the little princess asked.

"Not bad, let's see if it tastes good in a bit."

"Mmm, mmm~" The little princess has never been disappointed by anything Xiao Ran gives her.

Now, I subconsciously feel that anything given by Xiao Ran tastes good.

It wasn't just the little princess; the Chengyang little princess, the third sister, and even Li Lizhi and Zhang Erya all shared this idea.

The food Xiao Ran brought out was delicious, and his cooking skills were amazing.

When they were almost done roasting, Xiao Ran put them all into the baking basket, gently shook them a few times to remove the ash.

Xiao Ran placed the sweet potatoes on the table. "These are sweet potatoes. They taste good. Try them all."

It looks rather ordinary, not very appealing.

Xiao Ran picked one up. "Sizi Fanyin Sanniang, wait a minute, it's very hot right now."

"Mmm, mmm~" The little princess swallowed.

"I think I smell something fragrant!" Princess Yuzhang leaned closer.

“This tastes very unique,” ​​Cheng Tiehuan also said.

Xiao Ran gently peeled one open, and the others saw the pale yellow sweet potato inside.

Wow~ It smells so good~

When you encounter a foodie princess, it's not an exaggeration; you feel a lot of emotional value in it.

It was still a little hot, so none of them moved and watched Xiao Ran peel the skin.

After peeling it almost completely, Xiao Ran gently blew on it to make sure it wasn't too hot. "Si Zi, try it first." The reason for giving it to the little princess first wasn't just because she was the cutest, but also because she was the youngest.

"Hehe~ Yeah yeah~"

"Be careful, it'll burn you!" Xiao Ran said.

"Whoosh~ Whoosh~" The little princess blew gently.

When it felt cool enough, I took a small bite, and my eyes lit up with excitement.

"So sweet~ So nice~"

The little princess was so excited she wanted to jump up and down.

Seeing the little princess's reaction, Princess Chengyang and Third Sister next to her also felt envious.

Li Lizhi knew it wouldn't be bad and trusted her younger sister's choice.

The little princess would never eat something that doesn't taste good.

"San Niang, you should try some too!"

"It's so soft and sweet!" said Princess Chengyang.

"Fifth Sister, Sixth Sister, please try some. There aren't any extra, but there's one for each of you," Xiao Ran said.

Actually, there weren't enough to go around, but Xiao Ran broke off the larger, longer ones.

That way, everyone has one.

Li Lizhi picked up a slightly cooled sweet potato. Her fingertips touched the rough skin, and when she gently peeled it open, the pale yellow flesh, still warm, released a sweet aroma. It was different from the richness of millet and the intensity of honey; it was a refreshing sweetness with an earthy scent.

She took a small bite, and the soft, glutinous fruit melted on her tongue. The sweetness wasn't cloying; instead, it had a slightly moist, pleasant sweetness that soothed her throat as she swallowed.

“This taste… is quite novel.” Li Lizhi looked up at Xiao Ran with a gentle smile. “It’s more creamy than steamed yam, and the sweetness is natural. It’s as if the autumn sunshine is wrapped inside. It would be excellent if used to make porridge or mixed with flour to make pancakes.”

"Fifth Sister is right, it's a pity there's so little of it now. It would be good for making porridge," Xiao Ran said with a smile.

The three little girls each held a snack and ate it with great relish.

Zhang Jinhe, Cheng Tiehuan, and the others ate slowly, praising the sweet potatoes as they ate.

Because everyone knows that there's only one per person, and once it's gone, there won't be any left, so it's a little hard to part with it.

The three little girls ate quickly, without thinking about these things.

After the little princess finished eating her own food, she looked at the others and saw that Li Lizhi had the most.

The little princess ran up to Li Lizhi and stared intently at her.

"Sizi, what are you doing!" Li Lizhi took a small bite.

"No duck~ I'm here to see my sister~" the little princess said in a serious tone.

This amused Li Lizhi and the others; she was a little glutton.

"Alright, you see! Sister, eat slowly!" Li Lizhi teased the little princess on purpose.

"Sister~ Isn't it sweet~"

Li Lizhi thought for a moment and deliberately said, "It's not sweet. Mine isn't sweet at all."

"I don't believe it~ I'll try it~"

Everything else is just setup; the core message is just three words: 'Let's give it a try!'

"You little rascal, mine is very sweet!" Li Lizhi changed her tune.

"I'll try some too~ Hehe~"

Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang felt embarrassed to eat any more, so they gave the rest to their two younger sisters and their third sister.

It's soft, chewy, and sweet; the three little girls absolutely adore it.

Princess Yuzhang found the taste unforgettable, exclaiming, "So delicious! Will my young master have even more next year?"

"Theoretically, that's how it is. If nothing unexpected happens, there should be more, but I haven't planted it here before, so I don't know what the yield will be like."

"It's delicious, young master. This should be good cooked too!" Zhang Jinhe asked.

"Roasted ones have a stronger aroma, at least that's how I feel, but boiling or steaming them is also good. Fifth Aunt also mentioned cooking them as porridge. There are many ways to eat them."

“Plant all the plants that we don’t eat, and we’ll have even more next year!” Princess Yuzhang said.

"It's alright, we've planted quite a lot before."

Princess Yuzhang, unaware that the garden was for planting rice seedlings, assumed that the vegetable garden was small and there shouldn't be many plants.

When the three little girls got tired of playing, they would take sticks and write numbers on the ground.

Now both little princesses can write 100 words.

It was all taught by Third Sister.

I think it's fun, so I'll start writing it down.

I enjoy searching for eggs in the neighborhood, and I get excited every time I find one.

In the afternoon, Xiao Ran took the three little ones for a stroll in the mountain valley.

The warehouse was at the back, and it had already been covered with tiles. Xiao Ran made an excuse to go in and take a look, and took out quite a few items from the cave.

It's the same as before.

In the afternoon, Li Lizhi and the others were about to return home. Xiao Ran handed the prepared medicine to Li Lizhi, saying, "Fifth Sister, take these back with you."

Li Lizhi was shocked to see that it was the same medicine as before.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ran gave it to him again, even more than before.

"Young master, there's so much," Li Lizhi said, a little embarrassed.

"Madam should recover by taking all these medicines."

Li Lizhi looked grateful and said, "Thank you so much, young man!"

The main reason is that Li Lizhi gave too much.

A house in Chang'an, plus shops.

In later times, even without comparing it to the capital, Chang'an would be worth tens of millions.

Without some medicine, Xiao Ran would feel embarrassed to accept the house.

Xiao Ran should go and check out the house when he has time.

Before leaving, Third Sister gave the two sweet potatoes that Xiao Ran had prepared to the two little princesses.

This was specially saved beforehand.

The three girls exchanged gifts, which helped to strengthen their bond.

Li Lizhi, Empress Zhangsun, and others knew that these things belonged to Xiao Ran, but the two little princesses mostly felt that they were given to them by their third aunt.

It was given to me by my best friend.

Take it back for Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun to try.

Right now, only the taste has amazed them; Xiao Ran believes the production volume will be even more astonishing.

The yield per mu in this era was really low, about 1-2 shi. Anything over 2 shi was considered a high yield.

According to current calculations, sweet potatoes would yield 30 shi per mu in later generations.

In this day and age, no one would believe it if I said it.

Xiao Ran wasn't sure either; he'd see how things went next year.

The sisters were all very happy this time.

These medicines were very useful to Empress Zhangsun, and the two little princesses each held a sweet potato, looking quite pleased with themselves.

Back at the Lizheng Palace, after getting off the carriage, the little princess excitedly ran to find Empress Zhangsun, clutching a sweet potato.

The little princess wanted to share this wonderful thing with her elderly mother.

"Aniang~"

"Hee hee~"

Hearing the little princess's laughter made Empress Zhangsun happy; her voice was very soothing.

"What makes you so happy?" Li Shimin also returned early, wanting to check on Empress Zhangsun's condition.

“It’s so good!” the little princess said, holding a sweet potato.

Li Shimin stared at it for a moment, then realized he had never seen it before. "Is this another delicious one?"

"Mmm, mmm~ So sweet~ So good~"

"Father, it's soft and sticky, and smells delicious," Princess Chengyang said as she came over.

[Both posts are combined, with the same number of characters, and will be sent together!]

(End of this chapter)