Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 96. Sweet potato seedlings

"Don’t recognize them?" Following Grandpa’s gaze, Jin’er realized and quickly said, "Grandpa, these are not weeds. You mustn’t pull them out. They’re all delicious, and I planted them here."

"You really planted them?" Old Man Hua was relieved that he didn’t pull them out when he found them, otherwise his granddaughter would surely be upset.

"Yep, yep, I planted them," Jin’er nodded hurriedly, "Hehe... I planted them secretly."

"You! You didn’t even say anything. I almost pulled them out." Old Man Hua pointed at his granddaughter and shook his head.

"Oh dear! Grandpa, I just forgot, okay?" Jin’er hugged Old Man Hua’s arm and pouted.

"You!" Seeing his granddaughter act all cutesy, Old Man Hua looked at Jin’er with helpless doting eyes.

"Can you tell Grandpa what you’ve planted?"

"Grandpa, are baked sweet potatoes tasty?"

"Are you saying you planted sweet potatoes?"

"Yep, not just sweet potatoes, but also potatoes."

"Potatoes?" Old Man Hua knew that his granddaughter had been bringing out sweet potatoes quite often these days.

Sometimes, when the family gathered indoors, they would bake a few or make roasted sweet potato rice, or even candied sweet potatoes. Every flavor was fantastic, and Old Man Hua loved eating them.

Old Man Hua knew these came from the blessed land his granddaughter discovered, but potatoes...

"Exactly, potatoes, Grandpa... like this." As Jin’er spoke, a large, solid object appeared in her hand, much larger than her palm.

Seeing the sudden appearance in his granddaughter’s hand, Old Man Hua’s mouth twitched. Calmly, he took the so-called potato from her, inspecting it carefully.

Old Man Hua was sure his granddaughter wouldn’t bring out something inedible, but he was curious about how to eat it and what it tasted like.

Judging by the sweet potatoes’ taste, it should be quite good.

Otherwise, why would his granddaughter go to the trouble of planting them secretly?

"How do you eat this?"

"Grandpa, there are many ways to eat potatoes. They can be used as food, stir-fried, stewed, or made into salads. There are so many ways to cook them, and I dare say once you try it, you’ll definitely fall in love with the taste."

"Is it really that delicious?" Jin’er made Grandpa’s appetite grow with her words.

"Of course, Grandpa, wait for me to ask Mom to stir-fry some. Today we’ll have vinegar-flavored shredded potatoes; it will definitely keep you wanting more." As she spoke, she magically produced a few more potatoes, ready to run outside with them.

"Wait..." Seeing his granddaughter act so impulsively, Old Man Hua quickly stopped her, though he too was a bit eager to give them a try.

"Don’t rush, I haven’t finished speaking yet."

"Grandpa, what else is there?" Jin’er’s slightly raised eyes blinked.

"How did you plant those sweet potatoes and potatoes? Will they grow properly?" Knowing they were sweet potatoes, Old Man Hua was most concerned about this issue, afraid his granddaughter would waste them along with the potatoes.

In fact, ever since his granddaughter first brought out sweet potatoes, Old Man Hua had thought of planting them. But the timing wasn’t right, so he planned to try in the following spring.

He didn’t expect that before he even started, his granddaughter was even more anxious than he was.

"Grandpa, they should be able to grow. Haven’t they already sprouted?" Jin’er cautiously glanced at her grandpa.

Something about her tone made her sound a little unsure, though!

Jin’er didn’t know much about gardening and was experimenting. She just knew that sweet potatoes should be planted whole. Potatoes with sprouts should be cut into pieces and buried in the soil. In reality, besides a few pots of flowers she had killed, she hadn’t really grown anything else, except for scattering a few easy-to-grow green vegetable seeds and planting some chives and garlic that required minimal effort.

"Should?" Old Man Hua put a big hand to his forehead.

"Jin’er, you don’t really know how to plant them, do you?"

"I do, I do, Grandpa, I know!" Jin’er quickly replied. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

"You just plant the sweet potatoes whole into the soil. You cut the sprouting potatoes into pieces and bury them in the ground. Without any surprises, in a few months, there should be more sweet potatoes and potatoes."

"Grandpa, it’s just that I haven’t planted them before, so I’m not too sure, but the steps are definitely correct. Plus, since they’ve already sprouted, there shouldn’t be a problem with them bearing fruit."

Looking at the lush and vibrant sweet potato and potato vines, Jin’er’s confidence increased a bit.

Old Man Hua also looked at the spreading leaves in the wooden box and felt that his granddaughter had a point. Since they’ve already sprouted, there shouldn’t be any issues.

There shouldn’t be any problem, and even if there is, they know how to plant them now. Worst case, they could try again next spring.

"Also, Grandpa, sweet potato vines are edible too and taste great," Jin’er pointed at the box with the sweet potatoes, then continued, "But potato vines and leaves are best not eaten, as they have mild toxins. If you want to eat them, they should be blanched first."

"It seems sweet potatoes are truly a treasure." Old Man Hua looked at the sweet potatoes in the box like they were precious.

"Yep, yep, Grandpa, please be careful not to pull them out by mistake."

"You think Grandpa is that foolish?" Old Man Hua huffed and glared at Jin’er, though in front of his granddaughter, his grandfatherly authority only lasted a split second. The next moment, afraid of scaring her, his eyes softened again.

"Alright, alright, Grandpa is the best, I was just speaking nonsense. I won’t bother you anymore, or Grandma and Mom’s meal will be ready, and you won’t get to taste the vinegar-flavored shredded potatoes."

Finishing her sentence, she pulled a funny face at her grandpa and ran outside with a smile.

"This child..." Amused by his granddaughter’s liveliness, Old Man Hua shook his head and then crouched back down in front of the wooden box with sweet potatoes, feeling happier the more he looked at it.

At breakfast, the dining table was graced with a large plate of vinegar-flavored shredded potatoes which won the family’s love.

As for the curious questions from the Hua brothers, who had never tasted the dish before, Old Man Hua simply gave them a stern look.

"What’s wrong? Got food and still complain? Your mouths just can’t stop while you eat."

After that, neither brother dared to say anything, but their chopsticks weren’t any slower in reaching for the dish.

And so Jin’er helped the family unlock a new dish, potatoes.

It became one of little four’s favorite dishes, especially potato pancakes and mashed potatoes, which he never got tired of. And the potato fries made by his sister, sprinkled with special seasonings, he found astonishing. If their mother didn’t keep him in check, he’d probably pester his sister to make fries all the time.

Unknowingly, more than half a month passed, and the vegetables in the wooden boxes never failed to supply the Hua family, providing fresh vegetables every day.

From leek dumplings, leek flatbreads, leek and egg stir-fry, plain-fried greens, meat-fried greens, cold salads, green bean stir-fry, to garlic eggplants; they tried cooking them in every way possible. Surplus was stored in Jin’er’s blessed land, ensuring nothing was wasted.

After dinner, the family sat comfortably in the main room.

Life at home now was unimaginable before. Not only did they have three meals a day, but they also cooked different meals every day, never lacking in meat, and everyone visibly gained some weight.

All this was thanks to Jin’er, making the family’s gaze even more doting when looking at her.

Truly, they cherished her like a treasured gem.

...

"Xiu, the weather’s nice these days, and we have plenty of vegetables at home. Why don’t you take some to your parents tomorrow, let them have a taste and improve their meals," Grandma Hua said, shifting her doting gaze from her granddaughter to her daughter-in-law.

The family had delivered vegetables to several familiar homes in the village and even sent some to their daughter a few days ago. Naturally, they couldn’t neglect their in-laws.