Chapter 135
Chapter 135
When Jin Bao awoke, the entire valley cheered.
Only today did everyone finally understand that Jin Bao was a true divine maiden, a lucky star bestowed upon the Northern Frontier by Heaven.
From that day onward, every resident in the valley worshipped three times daily. Some even placed clay figures of Jin Bao in their homes and bowed before them each day.
Jin Bao simply felt she had endless strength every day.
Once everyone knew she was unharmed, they returned to the fields with their minds at ease.
Following Jin Bao’s instructions, they dug up all the potatoes from the two hundred mu of land and induced sprouting according to the steps she had described.
Last time, Xiao Che had merely estimated the yield per mu.
This time was different. He and Xie Chengyan sat at the edge of the field with everyone else, personally watching the farmers dig out the potatoes and weigh them on the spot.
He wanted to see precisely how much these potatoes yielded per mu.
Xiao Jingmo recorded the figures nearby.
The villagers grew more excited the longer they dug.
Every potato plant brought up more than twenty round lumps of earth beneath it.
“Good heavens, we’ve struck it rich! We truly have! In all my long life, this is the first time I’ve seen such a high-yielding crop. The divine maiden has truly blessed us.”
“That’s right. We wouldn’t dare dream of such good fortune. We’ll never go hungry again. With so much food, every household can eat three meals a day. We won’t have to spend winter huddled on our heated platforms while every family runs out of food.”
They soon finished digging up one mu. Next came the weighing.
Looking at the potatoes piled into a small mountain, everyone’s heart leaped into their throat.
Xiao Jingmo did not keep them waiting long. The weight of basket after basket was recorded.
The final total showed a yield of seven thousand jin per mu, far exceeding Xiao Che’s previous estimate of one thousand.
Even if part of the harvest resulted from Jin Bao’s power, after discounting that contribution, the normal yield could still exceed three thousand jin per mu.
For the people of the Northern Frontier, their hardships had finally come to an end. Death by starvation would likely become a thing of the past.
They now needed to determine how long potatoes took to grow and whether they were suitable for large-scale cultivation outside the valley.
Once all two hundred mu had been harvested, they had more than 1.4 million jin of potatoes – two hundred thousand jin more than the amount of seed Xiao Jingmo had calculated they needed.
It felt like a waking dream.
Whatever else happened, they finally had enough seed. Jin Bao had also provided a demonstration, allowing everyone to see just how productive potatoes could be.
Everyone now shared the same determination. As long as they tended these potatoes well, not only would they avoid hunger, they would have a surplus.
When properly stored, potatoes could remain unspoiled for three to five months. Not having to worry about food for that long felt unreal to the common people.
With seed available, the next step was inducing sprouts.
Every villager had to learn the process. Since Jin Bao had previously taught everyone how to induce sprouting, she did not concern herself with it again.
However many jin of seed potatoes a household received, it had to return the same weight in potatoes after the harvest.
The villagers had no objection. It was equivalent to the master’s household extending seed to them on credit, to be repaid after the harvest. With potatoes yielding so much per mu, no one worried they would go hungry after repaying the seed.
Several days later, Jin Bao returned to the storehouse and casually picked up a potato. She discovered tiny sprouts beginning to emerge from its eyes.
She hurriedly ran back to call Second Brother.
“Second Brother, they’ve sprouted! They’ve sprouted!”
Jin Bao’s voice rang throughout the courtyard. The women weaving there watched her rush toward the western side room, all smiling with indulgent affection in their eyes.
Jin Bao had already run past them when she suddenly doubled back to offer a greeting.
“Hello, Aunties.”
The women answered with smiles. “Hello, Young Miss.”
Only then did Jin Bao run off again, blushing.
Standing in the doorway, Xiao Jingmo watched Jin Bao approach covered in sweat. He naturally crouched and wiped the perspiration from her forehead.
“Little Sister, why are you running so fast?”
“Second Brother, hurry! They’ve sprouted. We can plant the potatoes now.”
Jin Bao had already grabbed the corner of Xiao Jingmo’s robe and was trudging forward with her head lowered.
She dared not pull too hard, afraid she might tear Second Brother’s clothes.
Hearing this, Xiao Jingmo immediately followed her.
The entire valley was waiting for the potatoes to sprout so they could plant them as soon as possible. After seven days, there was finally news.
Brother and sister reached the storehouses, several of which were completely filled with potatoes.
Xiao Jingmo bent down and picked one up. Sure enough, two tiny sprouts had emerged from the eyes Jin Bao had pointed out.
“Little Sister, can they be planted now?”
Jin Bao shook her head. “No. We still have to cut them into pieces.”
Jin Bao pulled her little dagger from her leather boot.
It was the first weapon forged after the iron mine began production and had been custom-made especially for Jin Bao.
The dagger was so small that it looked like a toy knife in her hands.
She often went to the stream to spear fish with her friends, so the dagger had become her special tool for carving fish spears.
Jin Bao used the dagger to chop a potato into three pieces.
“Second Brother, look. Each piece has two or three eyes. Every piece is one seed.”
Xiao Jingmo seemed to understand. He sent someone to ask the valley residents about their potatoes.
The messenger reported that everyone’s potatoes were also beginning to sprout.
Xiao Jingmo summoned the same hundred or so people as before to learn how to cut seed potatoes.
The task was obvious at a glance, and everyone quickly mastered it.
But they still had to prepare the soil before sowing.
Following what she had seen in her vision, Jin Bao taught everyone how to level the land.
Once the fields were ready, it was time to plant.
After the potatoes were cut, they had to be coated in wood ash.
Although Jin Bao did not understand the reason, she taught everyone every step without omission.
When planting, they also had to scatter a thin layer of wood ash at the bottom of each hole.
When everyone asked why, Jin Bao shook her head. “Baby doesn’t know either. That’s just how it has to be done.”
Half a month later, nearly all three thousand mu had been planted.
Jin Bao once again had nothing to do.
By now, businesses of every kind were quietly emerging throughout the valley.
The valley’s industries, which had originally consisted of cloth, paper, medicine, and furs, were gradually expanding.
Now there were newly opened blacksmith shops, painted-pottery workshops, bamboo-weaving shops, food stalls…
The shops and workshops along both banks of the stream had effectively joined into a continuous district.
The valley presented a scene of thriving prosperity. Herds of cattle and sheep roamed in the distance, reindeer chased Snow Mastiffs, and fields stretched beyond sight as farmers tirelessly weeded and worked the soil all day.
The stream wound between the fields like ribbons.
Occasionally, flocks of birds passed overhead, chirping amid the vibrant spring scenery.
Children played and frolicked carefree throughout the valley every day.
Only two months had passed, yet more than half the women in the valley were already pregnant.
By the end of the year, several hundred babies would be born, and life would continue multiplying without end in this valley.