Chapter 183: It Would Be a Pity Not to Pursue an Official Career

Seeing the conversation gradually drift in this direction, Wen Xiuyi immediately understood the true purpose of these two men's visit today.

"Oh, that girl Yaoyao, she mentioned last time that she wanted to bring her harvest for Madam Xie to see, but I never expected you two to catch wind of it as well." Wen Xiuyi put on a mildly reproachful expression, yet the corners of his mouth carried a smile, making it impossible to tell if he was being serious or not.

Manager Qiu asked a question, "Show the harvest to Madam Xie? What does that mean?"

"Ah? Didn't Yaoyao tell you? Those seeds were originally found by Madam Xie, but since no one on her estate knew how to farm them, she had Yaoyao take them back." Wen Xiuyi felt immensely relieved at that moment that they had coordinated their story with Qiu Rongrong in advance; otherwise, he would have sounded rather lacking in confidence while spinning this lie.

Manager Qiu and Dr.的金 exchanged a glance.

"Come to think of it, it's quite a coincidence. The Qiu family is in business, and traveling far and wide makes it inevitable to come across rare and unusual things. Since Madam Xie is the only daughter of the Qiu family, whenever she finds something peculiar, she naturally thinks of sending some her way. That time Yaoyao went to play on her estate, she happened to see them and managed to bring them back." Wen Xiuyi rubbed his hands together as he offered the explanation to the two men.

Out of the corner of his eye, however, he kept glancing at Li Fu, who had been sitting quietly nearby without saying much. Although this man seemed not to have chimed in, his ears had been tuned in the entire time.

Who was Wen Xiuyi? He was a shrewd veteran of two lifetimes. The background of this man was definitely not small, and he could only hope these pretexts were enough to fool him.

Having heard his explanation, Manager Qiu and Dr. Jin understood the situation, and the parts that Manager Qiu had previously failed to figure out suddenly seemed to make sense.

"No wonder. To be frank with you, Brother Wen, I happened to see a description of this item in a travelogue in my earlier years. The day I saw Yaoyao carrying them away, I thought they looked identical to what was written in that book, which is why I decided to come and ask you about it." Manager Qiu cupped his fists at Wen Xiuyi, apologizing for his presumptuousness.

Wen Xiuyi burst into a hearty laugh and patted him on the shoulder. "What's between you and me? You should have said so earlier! Come, I'll take you both to take a look. Let me tell you, the yield is truly massive. My old man has farmed his entire life and never imagined any crop could yield this much—several thousand catties per mu. It's truly terrifyingly high."

With that, he led the two men—with the tail-like shadow of Li Fu trailing right behind them—toward the storeroom.

Wen Xiuyi didn't say anything about Li Fu following along; since Dr. Jin and Manager Qiu had been able to bring this person here, it meant both of them trusted the man's character, leaving no need for concealment.

"Take a look, they're all right here." Wen Xiuyi pushed open the heavy doors of the storeroom, and instantly, a wave of earthy fragrance rushed toward their faces. Yet all three of them ignored it completely, staring in shock at the potatoes and sweet potatoes piled high across the room. Still blanketed in fresh soil, each tuber was larger than an adult's fist—a truly magnificent and staggering sight.

"This..."

Wen Xiuyi introduced the crop to the three men: "This is the harvest from a single mu of land. Because we started with very few seedlings, my father and I split a single mu to plant both varieties. When we harvested them separately and weighed them, the potatoes yielded about 3,500 catties per mu under normal conditions, while the sweet potatoes had an even higher yield, roughly between 4,000 and 5,000 catties per mu."

The pupils of the three men constricted sharply. The hand Li Fu had hidden inside his sleeve suddenly clenched tight, his burning gaze fixed intently on the piles of potatoes and sweet potatoes as his mind raced with thoughts.

Manager Qiu slowly stepped forward, unconcerned with the dirt on the floor or the mud clinging to the tubers, and picked one up with his bare hands.

"If this crop can be popularized, it will be a blessing for all common people," Manager Qiu murmured.

His voice wasn't low, and everyone in the room heard it.

Wen Xiuyi rubbed his nose. Of course he wanted to popularize it, but how should it be promoted, and who should drive it? That required careful, step-by-step deliberation. They couldn't just walk out carrying a few sweet potatoes, toss them to strangers, and command, "Plant these for me."

Anyone who did that would likely be beaten to death.

Yet Manager Qiu was right; it would be an absolute pity if such a miraculous crop could not be spread far and wide to benefit countless more people.

Not only that, but they also had to find ways to fundamentally transform grain yields. After all, these crops could only serve as short-term substitutes to stave off famine in emergencies; what truly needed changing was the base yield of staple grains. Only when grain productivity rose could everyone eat their fill and no longer live in fear of starvation.

Only when the people prosper can the country grow strong.

Knowing what was on Manager Qiu's mind, Wen Xiuyi stepped forward and patted his shoulder. "Matters like this cannot be rushed. As you can see, we've only grown one crop so far and managed to gather just this much. Let's take it step by step. Once the wheat is harvested, we can plant another crop. Next spring—well, I can't guarantee other places, but at least we can mobilize the people in our surrounding area first. One day, your vision will become a reality."

Manager Qiu reined in his thoughts, cupped his fists, and said, "Brother Wen, I have been enlightened."

"I wouldn't dare claim such praise, but there is a saying I find rather fitting: a giant cannot be built in a single day, and a single bite cannot make one fat. If we want prosperity and strength, we must walk steadily, step by step, with our feet firmly on the ground. Once the foundation is solid, no wind or storm in the future can shake our roots. That is the most crucial thing of all."

People's livelihood is the foundation of a nation, and for the people to thrive, they must first be fed.

That was the very root of everything.

Wen Xiuyi's words plunged all three men into deep contemplation. Li Fu glanced at Wen Xiuyi from time to time and suddenly asked, "I have a doubt in my mind. May I ask, Brother Wen, given such remarkable talent, why have you not pursued an official career to serve our Annan Kingdom?"

"Haha," Wen Xiuyi smiled self-consciously. He certainly couldn't admit that he was simply too lazy to study classical essays, so he made up an excuse: "Brother Li flatters me. It's not that I don't want to, but I simply lack the capability. I stalled out at the level of a scholar Xiucai; otherwise, I wouldn't have failed the imperial examinations for so many years. Right now, farming the land at home with my father suits me quite well."

"The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease; the child wishes to support his parents, but they are no longer here. At this point in my life, I only wish to stay by my parents' side, tend to this tiny patch of land, raise my three children to adulthood, and see them settled with families and careers. That is more than enough—truly enough."

Even though being a government official carried prestige in this era, wouldn't one still have to grovel and kowtow upon meeting higher-ranking officials? Frankly, being a humble farmer was far more carefree and liberating.

"What a profound sentiment—'the tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease; the child wishes to support his parents, but they are no longer here.' It was presumptuous of me to ask." Li Fu cupped his fists, apologizing for his earlier abrupt inquiry.

"Brother Li must not shower me with any more praise, or this old face of mine won't be able to hold itself together anymore. Now that the tour is over, shall we head outside and find a place to sit? There's no furniture to rest on in here, is there?" Wen Xiuyi spread his hands in a helpless gesture.

Only then did Manager Qiu toss the potato in his hand back onto the pile. Unfortunately, it bumped against the ones beneath it, causing the potatoes on top to start rumbling and rolling down in an avalanche. Startled, all four of them scrambled out of the storeroom in a panicked rush and quickly slammed the door shut.

Once they regained their footing, they could still hear the muffled shifting sounds from inside the room. The four of them looked at each other, and suddenly, they all burst into hearty, uproarious laughter.