Chapter 177: These Aren't Potatoes; These Are Golden Nuggets

"Oh, Second, slow down! You cut it, you cut it!"

"What are you doing, what are you doing? You're stepping on them!"

Watching Old Man Wen's anxious expression—he practically wanted to chase everyone away so he could dig them out one by one, completely ignoring Wen Xiuyi's reassurances that accidentally digging up a damaged one didn't matter because it could still be eaten—the old man simply refused to listen.

Wen Xiuyi had no choice but to give up. He looked at the piles of potatoes and sweet potatoes, wondering if the old man would still treasure them like this in the future when there would be nowhere left to stack them and they could only be used to feed the pigs.

"Why are you all here?" Old Man Wen turned around and saw the Luo sisters accompanied by Wen Yao, standing next to the filled sacks, each holding a potato in her hand.

Madam Luo put down her potato and said, "Yao Yao said they were harvesting potatoes and sweet potatoes in the fields, so we came to take a look."

Younger Madam Luo couldn't bear to put hers down, her face beaming with joy. "Elder Sister, Brother-in-law, can these really be eaten as a meal?"

Old Man Wen had always known how much his wife cherished her younger sister, so he pointed to a nearby sack and said, "Tonight, when Xiuzhu takes you home, put this sack in the cart and take it back to try. Oh, and you'll have to ask Yao Yao how to cook them."

Wen Yao shrugged. "You can cook them any way you want! You can just boil them in water, or stir-fry them, braise them, roast them, or fry them."

Just thinking about it made her mouth water.

Wen Yao sidled up to Old Man Wen and gave a cheeky smile. "Grandpa, how about we build a fire and roast a few to taste?"

Old Man Wen was about to say, *Eat what? We need to save all of them for seed!* But seeing that there was still such a large patch left to harvest while a considerable pile had already accumulated here, he swallowed the words back down and nodded. "With that mouth of yours, there's never a moment when you can stay still."

In the end, he told Lu He to go over to the duck shed and carry back a bundle of firewood.

Right in the middle of a hot summer day, they actually started a bonfire in the fields, and Wen Yao simply tossed a bunch of potatoes of similar size right into the pile of firewood.

"Is that it?" the few people nearby asked, half-convinced.

Wen Yao sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a stick to poke and turn them from time to time, and nodded. "Mhm, just wait and eat."

It wasn't long before they really began to smell the aroma emanating from the firewood pile, though it wasn't very strong yet.

Soon, Wen Yao fished a blackened sphere out of the firewood.

"Uncle Lu Second, hurry! A winnowing basket, bring a winnowing basket!" Wen Yao shouted while raking more out of the fire.

Lu He wasn't afraid of the heat; he picked them up and tossed them right into the winnowing basket, then immediately began sifting continuously according to the method Wen Yao had taught him. In no time, the pitch-black ash faded away, revealing the scorched golden skin underneath.

"Grandma, have a bite first. Ouch, scorching hot, scorching hot!" Wen Yao picked up a prepared one to give to Madam Luo, only to end up tossing it back and forth between her left and right hands because it was too hot.

Madam Luo felt a pang of distress, quickly grabbed it, stuffed it into her younger sister's hand, and then grabbed Wen Yao's hands to inspect them.

"Did you burn yourself, you wretched girl? Those things just came straight out of the fire, and you grabbed them with your bare hands? Just how thick is your skin? Let me see, are you burned? Hurry up and go home to put some medicine on it."

Feeling the old lady's concern, Wen Yao chuckled and shook her hands. "Grandma, it's fine! What's a little heat like this? It won't burn me. Hurry up and try one, they're all done."

Wen Yao had tossed dozens of them in all at once, and by now Lu He had cleaned up every single one, placing them neatly in the winnowing basket.

"Grandpa, we can eat now, they're cooked through!" Wen Yao hurriedly called out to everyone in the field.

Aside from the Wen family members, no one else had ever eaten this stuff, so they all stood watching.

Wen Xiuyi stepped forward, picked one out, and took a bite straight into it. The surface was charred, crispy, and tender, while the inside was soft and fluffy.

"Delicious." The last time he had eaten roasted potatoes like this was when he went to the countryside to teach the villagers how to farm. Taking a bite now truly felt like a lifetime ago.

Madam Luo urged Younger Madam Luo to eat the one Wen Yao had handed her earlier, while she herself picked one up and began to nibble on it. The others looked at Old Man Wen; after all, until Old Man Wen gave the word, none of the remaining people dared to eat.

"Stop looking at me, eat up!" At Old Man Wen's command, the few people working in the field swarmed over in a rush, each picking one up and mimicking their method of eating.

"Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law, these are really good, they're delicious." Second Uncle Wen was the first one to feel his eyes welling up with tears.

Old Wang and the others were the same. After eating just one, they were already half full.

Lu Feng's family also each held one, eating in small, delicate bites. The more they ate, the redder their eyes became.

Old Man Wen sighed, knowing what they were feeling. Their entire family had participated in harvesting these potatoes, and they had all witnessed the yields with their own eyes. Eating them now must have brought back memories of all those past hardships.

Old Man Wen patted Lu Feng's shoulder. "Alright, it's all in the past. From now on, just work hard. Our Wen family won't make any grand promises, but we guarantee we won't let you go hungry following us ever again."

Prompted by these words, Lu Feng let out a loud wail and dropped straight to his knees on the ground. "Old Master, these are tears of joy! Tears of joy! Waa..."

"Oh, look at you, how can you be crying again? Get up quickly, there are so many people watching, get up!" Old Man Wen hurriedly and flusteredly pulled the man back to his feet.

Madam Luo couldn't be bothered to watch a bunch of grown men blubbering and turned to her younger sister. "Are you full? If not, have another one. Yao Yao, get another one for your Little Aunt-Grandmother."

"You got it!"

Younger Madam Luo quickly stopped Wen Yao. "Enough, enough. Just this one is enough to fill me up; I might not even have room for dinner tonight. Sister, this really is a wonderful thing."

It tasted good, filled the stomach, and the crucial part was that the yield was exceptionally high—far higher than wheat.

Seeing that Younger Madam Luo wasn't just flattering her—after all, her own stomach was quite full from just one—Madam Luo knew this stuff truly warded off hunger.

"I've saved these for seed for you. I heard from the Eldest that after the wheat is harvested, we can plant another crop. When the time comes, clear out all the fields at home, and I'll have the Eldest and his brothers come over to help you," Madam Luo said.

Younger Madam Luo felt a wave of gratitude, her eyes turning slightly red as she gripped Madam Luo's hand with emotion. "Sister, it's a blessing that you think of me in everything."

"You're the only sister I've got; if I don't think of you, who will? Alright, you've seen enough and eaten enough, go on back now. I can't bear to look at this sorry bunch any longer." Madam Luo cast a look of disdain at Old Man Wen and the others.

The two women asked Wen Yao if she was coming, but Wen Yao waved her hand. "Grandma, I'm not going back. You guys go on and stay busy, I have other things to do."

The two didn't mind her. They wrapped a couple more in a handkerchief to take back for Jiang Yueniang to try. As for the two daughters-in-law, they could just call them over from the duck shed when they passed by later.

Once the two women left, the rest of the crew, having eaten their fill, threw themselves back into the harvest. Their enthusiasm was even higher than before, and everyone's movements became exceptionally cautious without even needing Old Man Wen to remind them.

These weren't just potatoes; these were practically golden beans!