Armed with a machete and a gun, armed with a system, they fled the famine.

"And sweet potatoes, actually I think 'red potatoes' is a more appropriate name. I plan to set aside another piece of land specifically to try growing sweet potatoes."

"Once I've grown the potatoes and sweet potatoes, I'll send some over to you."

Upon hearing this, Dou Xingyan grabbed Zhao Yan's arm and shook it vigorously.

"Sister Zhao, you are so kind. I believe you can do it."

Zhao Yan chuckled and tapped her forehead.

"Alright, I know you're a foodie too, go ahead and eat."

"hey-hey."

Dou Xingyan secretly pursed her lips and winked at Shen Yu opposite her.

She had her own selfish motives too.

Potatoes are so delicious, and this is a novelty too.

Once Sister Zhao has planted the potatoes, she will definitely ask Brother Shen to recommend them to his restaurant.

Once those high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital taste the deliciousness of potatoes, they will surely want to go to restaurants every day.

By then, will the restaurant still have to worry about not having business?

Hey hey hey.

The money will come too easily then.

Zhao Yan caught a glimpse of Dou Xingyan's subtle movement, and her eyes flickered slightly.

She understood Dou Xingyan's plans, but she didn't care.

She tried growing potatoes and sweet potatoes, partly to satisfy her appetite, and partly to ensure that more people would not go hungry because these foods were widely available.

As far as she knows, throughout history, poor people have always struggled to make ends meet.

In many cases, most people have never had a full meal, otherwise there would be no such thing as two meals a day.

Later, due to the widespread availability of sweet potatoes, the lower classes were gradually able to fill their stomachs and avoid starvation.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, Zhao Yan sat with them for a while. Seeing that Xiao Fu Bao and Xiao Fu Niu were so sleepy that their eyes could barely stay open, she quickly told Yang Sanlang and went back to rest with Chen Qingjiao, each carrying one of them.

Zhao Xiaomi was unwilling to go back, so Zhao Yan entrusted her to Yang Sanlang's care.

Yang Sanlang waited until Zhao Xiaomi and Yuan Tianbao were tired before saying goodbye to Yuan Yutang and the others, and carried the sleeping Zhao Xiaomi back to his own courtyard.

When they returned, Zhao Yan had just woken up from a nap. Seeing them come back, she quickly took Xiao Mi and put her on the bed.

After Yang Sanlang quickly washed up, he was about to take Xiao Fubao to his side when Zhao Yan said, "Let him sleep here. You can help keep an eye on him when you get up at night."

The five members of their family now all sleep on one kang (a heated brick bed).

Zhao Xiaomi slept at the very back, next to Xiao Fu Niu, then Zhao Yan, and Xiao Fu Bao slept on the other side of Zhao Yan, while Yang Sanlang slept next to Xiao Fu Bao.

However, Zhao Xiaomi came back late today, so Zhao Yan put Xiao Fu Niu on the innermost side. She slept between Xiao Fu Bao and Xiao Fu Niu, while Zhao Xiaomi slept next to Xiao Fu Bao.

When the house was being built, she specifically instructed that the kang (heated brick bed) and bed inside should be made larger.

Now, this kang (heated brick bed) can comfortably accommodate their entire family of five.

Yang Sanlang hesitated for a moment, then silently nodded.

"it is good."

Zhao Yan tucked the blankets around the three children and was about to lie down to sleep when she heard Yang Sanlang ask in a low voice, "Yan'er, that potato we had today... will it really grow?"

They had encountered sweet potatoes before in the Yulin Mountains, so he knew what they looked like. As for potatoes, this new species, he had never heard of them before.

Zhao Yan yawned and replied, "Yes, if I remember correctly, potatoes can be grown twice a year in some places. I don't know what the situation is like here, so I can only wait until next spring to try planting them."

Yang Sanlang's dark eyes flickered slightly, then he asked, "What about the sweet potatoes..."

"Sweet potatoes depend on the climate and location. In some places, they can only be planted once a year, while in others they can be planted two or three times a year. Sweet potatoes have a high survival rate, don't require much care, and have a large yield. I will try planting them in the spring."

After saying that, Zhao Yan couldn't help but yawn again.

"Oh, go to sleep, it's late..."

Before she finished speaking, she had already closed her eyes and instantly drifted off to sleep.

Yang Sanlang: "..."

What could he say?

All I could do was keep quiet and lie down to sleep.

The next day, Zhao Yan bought some books about sweet potato and potato cultivation from the system store and secretly read them in her room for several days without Yang Sanlang and the others knowing.

She has no choice but to do it.

The Chinese characters in those books are all simplified characters, which are completely different from the traditional characters used in this era.

It's good that Yang Sanlang saw it; I doubt he'd dare to go out and say anything.

But if others see it, even if she's eloquent, she won't be able to explain it.

Therefore, Zhao Yan dared not leave those books outside; she would put them into her spatial storage cabinet after reading them.

After reading those books, she now has a basic understanding of how to grow sweet potatoes and potatoes, and is just waiting to start trial planting next spring.

This year's New Year celebrations were made even more lively and fun by the addition of Dou Xingyan and Shen Yu.

The day before the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Zhao Xiaomi insisted on going to town to take a look.

Zhao Yan thought that they were indeed getting bored staying at home all the time, so she waved her hand and led the group to a more distant county.

Apart from the older Yuan Yutang, Su Yanzhi and Yuan Gang, as well as Tian Xiue and Chen An, everyone else went along.

Tian Xiu'e chose to stay at the farm because she was pregnant and had difficulty getting around.

Chen An was worried about leaving his wife alone at home, so he stayed behind to take care of her.

Zhao Yan and the others drove their carriage excitedly towards Junlai County.

They set off early on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and didn't arrive in the county town until noon.

Junlai County is different from Stone Town; because of the Lunar New Year, both sides of the main street are decorated with red lanterns.

It's daytime now, and there aren't many pedestrians on the street, but it's still more crowded than usual.

Zhao Yan lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside. She then whispered to Yang Sanlang, who was driving the carriage, "Sanlang, let's find an inn to stay in first."

Their original plan was to stay in the county town for two nights and then go back after the Lantern Festival.

"it is good."

Yang Sanlang responded and drove the carriage forward, keeping an eye on the inns on both sides of the road.

Because it was the Lantern Festival these two days, many inns were already full, and Yang Sanlang finally found a small inn in the west of the city.

The superior rooms are all gone; now there is only one medium-sized room and two large dormitory rooms left.

Zhao Yan glanced at their group, remained silent for a moment, and then said to the innkeeper, "Innkeeper, we need two large shared beds."

At that time, the men will share one room and the women will share one room.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu hesitated to speak.

The men can sleep anywhere, but Xingyan and the others... would be better off sleeping in a nicer room.

But before he could speak, Yang Sanlang said, "Yan'er, we can sleep in the large dormitory room. You and Xingyan can take the children and sleep in the medium-sized room."