Chapter 286 A Surprising Gift!

e Lis up toEveryone was left with a puzzled look on their faces.But some with sharp eyes recognized the guard's origin and said, "This is a guard from the Marquis' Mansion"Li Lao'er nodded and brought...Li Zhensheng and Li Lao'er both nodded, but their hearts were still filled with anxiety.

A burning desire for power, a yearning to stand out from the crowd!

Next door, Li Laosi said a few words to the Lord and went back.

Leaving Jia Yin sitting in her adoptive father's arms, she whispered into his ear, "Father, do you remember that Fu Niu promised to give you a surprise gift"

The Lord chuckled, lowering his voice in response, "Remember, your godfather is still waiting."

Jia Yin giggled and hugged the Duke's neck, pointing outside the door, "Come on, I'll take my godfather to see the surprise."

The big one and the small one went out the door and walked all the way to the east wing.

Dong Mei was sitting in the main hall of the east wing room, doing needlework. When she saw Jia Yin come over, she smiled, "Miss, you're here again."

Having said that, she turned to the Marquis and bowed, "Marquis, Miss has been coming and going for several days, saying that she is preparing a surprise for you, but she hasn't spared any effort."

The Lord nodded and, following Jia Yin's guidance, pushed open the door to enter the south room.

Ye Shan and Dong Mei immediately withdrew from the private room, one guarding the door and the other in the courtyard.

At this moment, the Marquis looked at the strange thing on the kang with Jia Yin, both of them staring wide-eyed and quite puzzled.

On the long kang (traditional Chinese bed), the brand new mattress had been removed.

At the head of the kang, on the far left, was a potato with sprouts. Next to it was a sliced piece of potato, and finally, there were several large flower pots.

The first flower pot was filled with most of the soil, the second had a small sapling, the third had a seedling that was three feet tall and blooming purple flowers, and the fourth pot's seedling was already half wilted...

"Ahem, Fu Niuer, is this the surprise you have for your godfather" The Marquis asked cautiously, afraid of hurting the little girl's filial piety.

Jia Yin raised her chin, looking serious as she started a small lecture on science.

“Father, what I’m giving you are two types of food: potatoes and corn. This is the first one, the potato. Look, such a large potato can be cut into pieces, each with an eye. Just plant one piece in the ground, and in half a month, it will sprout like this. In another half a month, it will bloom, and in three months, it will wither and mature. But do you know where its fruit is”

The lord watched as the young girl's small hand tapped over several flowerpots, and finally her eyes sparkled with delight as she looked over at him.

Even though he had guessed it in his heart, he still nodded cooperatively.

As expected, the little girl was overjoyed, her chubby body wriggling with excitement, just like a happy puppy wagging its tail. "Uncle's so silly! Its name is Potato, of course it's in the ground!"

After saying that, Jiayin was about to pick up the flower pot and empty it. Unfortunately, her face turned bright red with effort, she didn't even manage to lift it, and finally collapsed onto the kang bed, exhausted.

The Lord finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, which made the plump young maid pout with anger!

The lord quickly raised his hand and flipped the flowerpot upside down, spilling a clump of soil, tightly wrapped by roots.

And nestled within the roots, a few potatoes were hidden.

"Hm" The marquis looked quite surprised, and directly reached out to separate the root from the soil. In the end, he got ten or so potatoes of various sizes.

Some were as large as a man's fist, while others were only as big as a duck egg. All together, they weighed about five or six pounds.

Jia Yin saw the Marquis's astonishment and froze. She triumphantly picked up the small piece of potato she had at the beginning and put it aside, forming a clear control group.

As expected, the Lord's eyes widened further, his face flushed red, devoid of the usual coldness and sternness.

"This...this, it actually bore so many"

Jia Yin's voice trembled, her chubby cheeks shaking as she spoke, "Yes, Godfather, isn't this a win-win situation"

The Marquis took a deep breath, as if trying to correct the plump girl's wording, but after much thought, "one book, ten thousand profits" was indeed the most appropriate phrase.

That such a small piece, less than two ounces, could actually produce five or six pounds of fruit!

And it seems like it's very easy to grow, and doesn't need a lot of space. If planted in large areas, would the yield per mu be around ten or more baskets

No! Maybe twenty carts!

Jia Yin's smile grew wider and wider, she pulled him playfully towards the end of the kang.

This time, first a small bowl held a single kernel of corn, then several large flower pots, from two-leaf seedlings to half-dried corn stalks, topped with a big ear of corn.

"Dad, hug me! I want to husk corn!"

The Lord guessed somewhat, enduring the shock, and quickly lifted the chubby girl over his head.

This cornstalk is actually taller than him by a good bit, and thicker than the sorghum stalks. It should also be good for burning as firewood, right

Jia Yin used all her might to snap the corncob off.

The Lord quickly took it. This time, he didn't need Jia Yin to direct him; he peeled off the corn husk himself, revealing the golden kernels inside.

Jia Yin hugged the corncob and put it directly next to the single kernel of corn.

The immense contrast, the dramatic visual impact, left the Marquis speechless, thousands of words choked in his throat.

This is also “a book worth ten thousand pieces of gold”!

Jia Yin had been busy for quite a while and was getting hungry, so she struggled to get up.

In a corner of the room, there was a small table. On the table sat a small brazier, two sets of bowls and chopsticks, and two small stools beside it.

Jia Yin lifted the lid of the wooden pot, revealing pork ribs, green beans, and potatoes simmering in a small iron pot, along with a few ears of tender corn. A golden-yellow corn cake was stuck to the side of the pot.

" Godfather, come eat with me!"

As she spoke, she grabbed a piece of pork ribs and started gnawing on it.

The lord hurriedly grabbed a cloth and wiped her clean hands. Finally, he hesitated for a moment before picking up a piece of cornbread.

He narrowed his eyes after just one bite, then quickly grabbed another piece of potato!

Jia Yin munched happily, her mouth full of oil, but she didn't forget to continue her mini lecture.

"Father, when corn is young, you can boil it or roast it. When it's old, you can dry it and grind it into flour. It's delicious in pancakes or porridge. Potatoes can be used as food or for cooking. Although they aren't as sweet as yams, they won't upset your stomach if you eat too many. They can last through winter like cabbage and can even be fed to horses. In short, both are good things!"

As she spoke, she brought a piece of tender corn to the marquis's mouth. The marquis took two bites and nodded in agreement, "Not bad!"

Jia Yin smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners, as she ate with even greater delight.

Alas, she was still young. After a little food, her stomach was full, and in the end, she nestled in the Marquis's arms, feeling drowsy.

Even here, she didn't forget to remind him.

"Father, there are still many potato and corn seeds in the north room. If Father plants them all, we can then go to kill the barbarians."

"Very well, sleep," the lord said softly.

After finishing, he slowly ate all the corn cakes and potatoes in the pot, then carried the chubby girl out.

Winter Plum stepped forward, and the Lord whispered, "Take the iron pot and tableware from the south room, and leave everything else untouched. From today onwards, you two will take turns guarding the north and south rooms, and no one is allowed to enter or exit."

"Yes, Master."

Winter Plum hurriedly bowed her head in response, and only then did the Marquis carry the little one back to the main room. He laid out bedding and helped the little one take off her outer garments, wiping her hands and face clean.

Luckily, the little one was sleeping soundly and wasn't woken up. Her little belly rose and fell rhythmically.

The lord rose and gently pushed open the door. In the courtyard, the late autumn breeze was refreshing.

The Lord paced back and forth, until it was deep in the night. Ye Shan, who had been guarding the door of the East Chamber all along, couldn't bear to see it any longer and stepped forward to persuade him, "My Lord, it's too cold out here, and your injury is still healing. Why don't you go back to rest"al physician! This palace has a terrible headache!" The Empress lay directly on the bed, her hands supporting her head, her brows furrowed, looking as if she was enduring unbearable pain.The palace ma...