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

Zhao Yan thought for a moment and quickly changed her story.

She said to Shen Yu, "To be honest, Brother Shen, I do have some potatoes left. The one or two thousand catties I mentioned earlier refers to the one or two thousand catties I still have at home. The newly planted ones on the back hill haven't been harvested yet. However, this year we only tried planting one or two acres in the sandy soil, so I'm not sure how much we will harvest in the end."

Anyway, it was Sanlang who found the sandy soil on the back mountain, and only she and Sanlang dug sweet potatoes; no one else knew exactly what they did.

Now that she has explained it this way, Shen Yu has no doubts whatsoever.

He immediately said to Zhao Yan, "Sister Zhao, no matter what the yield is, I want all of these potatoes when they're ripe. Please don't sell them to anyone else."

One or two acres of land can yield at least three or four thousand catties of potatoes, which should be enough to sustain him until the next potato harvest after the New Year.

Zhao Yan smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll have your Brother Yang bring it to you when I receive it."

They kept records of every transaction, so Zhao Yan wasn't worried at all that Shen Yu would renege on his debts.

Speaking of potatoes, Zhao Yan recalled another matter.

She said to Shen Yu, "I've decided to let the villagers of Huaihua Village try planting potatoes next spring, so the three-year agreement we signed earlier can be voided."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu asked in surprise, "Sister Zhao, why make this decision so suddenly?"

To be honest, the three-year agreement was quite beneficial to both of them, and he felt there was no need to cancel it now.

Now, no matter which restaurant it is, only his Shen Family Restaurant can provide potatoes, and he has made a lot of money from it.

If Sister Zhao lets others try planting potatoes next year, and potatoes become as widespread among the people as sweet potatoes, then his advantage will be gone.

Therefore, he couldn't understand why Sister Zhao did this, and he didn't really want to end the three-year agreement early.

Zhao Yan glanced at him and said with a smile, "I know this decision is a bit sudden. How about this, we change the three-year agreement to two years? What do you think? I won't have anyone try planting it next year; I'll wait a year and then have Uncle Zhou and the others try planting it."

The tree catches the wind.

She was mainly worried that someone with ulterior motives might follow the clues and find her, making it difficult for her to explain the origin of the potatoes.

Shen Yu and his group are easy to fool, but some people might not be.

Two years it is.

Shen Yu immediately nodded and said, "Okay, let's change it to two years."

Therefore, Zhao Yan immediately signed a new agreement with Shen Yu, and Yang Sanlang remained silent throughout the process.

He was happy to follow his wife's lead.

After signing the agreement, Zhao Yan and Yang Sanlang left in a carriage.

Zhao Yan made an agreement with Shen Yu that Yang Sanlang would send him a batch of potatoes tomorrow, and then send him another batch when the potatoes in the back mountain were ripe.

Shen Yu thanked the two of them repeatedly.

On the way back, Yang Sanlang finally couldn't hold back and asked Zhao Yan, "Yan'er, why did you bring forward the three-year agreement? Is there some reason behind it?"

Zhao Yan smiled and explained, "You're overthinking it. There's nothing to it. I just think Shen Yu can't possibly only open these two restaurants; he'll definitely open more in the future."

“I’m worried that other people will find us here through him. You know, Potatoes didn’t originally belong here. If people keep asking, I won’t be able to explain.”

"After thinking it over, the best way is to let the people know what potatoes are as soon as possible, and then let them learn to grow them like sweet potatoes. That way, even if someone wants to ask, they won't have anyone to ask."

Because everyone started planting it without really understanding why, they didn't care where it came from.

Yang Sanlang frowned and thought for a moment, then quickly felt relieved.

"oh, I understand now."

Back at the farm, Yang got to work.

He wanted to pack all the remaining potatoes at home into sacks so that he could easily deliver them to Shen Yu at the restaurant in town the next day.

Zhao Yan waited for him to put all the potatoes in the house into sacks, and then quickly put some fresh potatoes out in the corner.

Not much, probably only a couple hundred pounds, enough for them to eat for a month or two.

Another half month passed, and Zhao Yan and Yang Sanlang pretended to go to the back mountain to dig potatoes.

The two wandered around the mountains and encountered many small animals that came out to forage for food along the way.

Zhao Yan felt that it was about time, so she found a secluded spot and began stuffing potatoes into the carriage.

The potatoes were all packed in burlap sacks in advance, with each sack weighing about 100 pounds.

Zhao Yan stuffed no fewer than twenty sacks into the carriage, only stopping when the carriage could hold no more.

Fortunately, they were almost down the mountain, so they weren't worried about tiring the horses.

Yang Sanlang secretly went to Stone Town before dawn the next day.

After finishing all this, the weather gradually turned cooler.

Dou Xingyan will continue to spend the Lunar New Year at the farm this year.

Shen Yu returned to the capital a while ago to settle the Shen Family Restaurant there, and then he returned to the farm to live a quiet life with his wife.

I must say, this kind of life—eating, playing, and sleeping whenever I'm tired—is really pleasant.

During this time, Dou Xingyan's belly gradually grew bigger, like an inflating balloon, changing shape every day.

When Zhao Xiaomi and her friends found out that she was pregnant, they would whisper to the baby in her belly every day.

Listening to their innocent and childlike words, Dou Xingyan felt her mood soar and feel relaxed.

Before the Chinese New Year, Dou Qingran secretly came to the farm again.

This time, he didn't come and go on the same day, but stayed at the farm for two days before leaving.

As he was leaving, he revealed to Zhao Yan and the others that he would be marrying the daughter of the Minister of Revenue the following spring.

This is truly explosive news.

Upon hearing that her brother was about to marry the Empress, Dou Xingyan excitedly buried her face in Shen Yu's chest and cried for a long time.

Her brother is finally getting married. From now on, he will no longer be alone, but will have many children around him.

very nice.

After crying for a while, she stopped on her own, wiped away her tears quickly, and then said to Dou Qingran, "Brother, I'll go back to the capital after the New Year, don't worry."

Zhao Yan continued, "Yes, we'll go to the capital to see your wedding after the New Year. A woman who can catch Brother Dou's eye must have something special about her."

Thinking of that woman who spoke so gently, Dou Qingran's usually cold and hard face suddenly softened.

He didn't mention what the future empress would be like, but simply said to Zhao Yan and the others, "Alright, it's settled. I'll be waiting for you in the capital."

Yang Sanlang reached out and gave him a high five. "Definitely."

……

The New Year passed amidst the chattering and laughter of Zhao Xiaomi, Yuan Tianbao, and others.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhao Yan gathered everyone together and suddenly suggested, "Brother Dou is getting married soon, and we'll have to go to the capital sooner or later. Why don't we go earlier this time? We can spend the Lantern Festival in the capital. What do you all think?"

What can be done?

That's a brilliant idea!

Dou Xingyan was the first to agree.

“I agree. The snow on the road has mostly melted. Let’s travel slowly in the carriage.”