Chapter 8: Potatoes and Cherries

Madam Liu comforted her gently, “Don’t worry. As long as you wish, you can stay with us forever. We will always consider you family.”

Yu Jinzhen suddenly broke into a bright smile, her voice cheerful. “Yes, I know. I have no intention of leaving.”

Mu Guhuai and Madam Liu exchanged glances, both speechless.

This child’s mood swings were incredibly swift.

While Madam Liu went to make the bed, Yu Jinzhen opened one of the smaller sacks inside the third large sack, revealing some potatoes.

Mu Guhuai looked at the round, fruit-like objects and asked, “Jinzhen, what are these?”

Yu Jinzhen raised an eyebrow, as if surprised the potatoes were unfamiliar here.

In her previous life’s history of the Huaxia Kingdom, potatoes only appeared around the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty.

“These are called potatoes. They’re very tasty and can be used as a staple food or cooked as a dish.”

Currently, the only food in the household was a few pounds of rice.

Due to the severe drought, at first the village wells and rivers still had water, so people could still plant vegetables and crops.

But as the water dwindled, everyone was reluctant to use what little remained for irrigation, resorting to extreme frugality.

In the city, merchants from other regions regularly transported food in.

Yet even when going to the city, the government, in an effort to crack down on hoarding and profiteering, deliberately drove up prices and disrupted the market.

Purchases were limited, and prices were double the usual rates.

If she hadn’t brought out the potatoes, they would have likely had nothing but porridge all day.

The rice from the Old Mu household was actually bought by Madam He, who, after enduring over a year of drought without rice, planned to keep it for herself to sneak bites.

In the Lanxiao Empire, millet—also known as broomcorn millet—is cheaper than rice.

Most families bought millet to eat.

During famine years, most common folk survived on husks and wild vegetables.

Those with some savings would buy millet or the cheapest rice to mix with husks and greens.

The Old Mu household also had some dried wild vegetables and husks stored.

But Yu Jinzhen simply couldn’t stomach husks, and Mu Guhuai didn’t want to take too much of the Old Mu family’s food and risk damaging their reputation, so they didn’t ask for any.

Still, she didn’t want to drink wild vegetable gruel today—not when conditions allowed for better food—and there was no reason for her family to suffer hardship.

After Madam Liu finished making the bed, she came out and picked up a potato, examining it. “Potatoes? There’s a lot of dirt on them. Do they grow underground?”

Yu Jinzhen nodded casually. “Yes. If grown properly, a single acre can yield up to ten thousand jin.”

“What? Ten thousand jin!”

Madam Liu’s hand trembled suddenly, and the potato slipped from her grasp, rolling several times on the floor.

Mu Guhuai’s pupils constricted in disbelief. “Ten thousand jin? Our usual grain yields about four hundred jin per acre, which is already incredible. If every household planted potatoes like this, we wouldn’t have to fear droughts anymore.”

Yu Jinzhen said, “Yes, potatoes can be stored for a long time. But for now, let’s not think about that. We’ll wait until the drought passes.”

Indeed, without rain, planting anything is futile.

Mu Guhuai calmed down and asked, “How do you eat potatoes?”

Yu Jinzhen replied, “There are many ways: boiled, steamed, fried, or stir-fried.”

Madam Liu nodded. “That sounds quite simple.”

“Then let’s make potato porridge today,” Yu Jinzhen suggested.

“Yes, it’s especially simple.” Unaware of Madam Liu’s thoughts, Yu Jinzhen opened the last sack, revealing cherries inside.

At the sight of the deep red, almost black fruit, everyone in the Mu family’s eyes widened.

According to the terminology from her previous life, these were “four J’s” cherries—each large and plump.

Every single one was purely sweet, without any blemishes, visually tempting.

Anything produced from the space was guaranteed premium, always of this size.

“If anyone gets hungry or thirsty, you can eat these first. Given the current temperature, they should last two or three days.”

She replaced them daily with fresh ones from the space, ensuring the family always had fresh fruit.

After speaking, she handed one to five-year-old Mu Sanyue. “Sanyue, open your mouth.”

The obedient child opened wide, and soon a cherry was placed in his mouth.

After biting down, Mu Sanyue exclaimed with delight, “So sweet!”

The others also tried some.

Madam Liu gasped, “These fruits are crunchy and sweet.”

Mu Guhuai asked, “What kind of fruit is this? It’s unbelievably delicious.”

Mu Yiyue said, “They look a lot like the wild berries we saw on the mountain before, but the color and size are different.”

Mu Eryue, a true foodie, had no time for words and kept eating one after another.

Since the drought began, one of the greatest torments was that even though the household had water, Madam He, to torment them, deliberately withheld it from them.

Yu Jinzhen smiled softly. “These are called cherries, or big cherries.”

Madam Liu exclaimed in surprise, “Cherries? Big cherries? They do look like cherries but are much sweeter than the little wild cherries from the mountain.”

Yu Jinzhen recalled, “The trees on the mountain are wild, unmanaged, and the fruit is often picked before fully ripe, so they’re not tasty. These, however, are cultivated, so naturally they taste better.”

Madam Liu nodded in agreement. “That makes sense.”

Seeing everyone relish the fruit, Yu Jinzhen teasingly asked, “Do you like them?”

All five nodded simultaneously.

Yu Jinzhen continued, “If you like them, eat more. Big cherries are very nutritious—they protect eyesight, beautify the skin, nourish the blood. Especially for women, eating more is good for the body.”

Madam Liu glanced at the sizable quantity of cherries in the sack and instinctively slowed her eating pace. “Jinzhen, cherries have so many benefits. They must be very expensive, right?”

She had originally planned to suggest selling them to buy a few pretty dresses for Yu Jinzhen.

But since Yu Jinzhen had brought them back herself, she wanted to hear her opinion first.

Yu Jinzhen pondered. “If sold, anyone who’s tasted them would want to buy, so they could fetch a high price. But there aren’t many here, and given the current situation in the city, food is the highest priority. Cherries are too conspicuous—if we draw attention, it could bring trouble.”

Madam Liu nodded. “You’re right. Your concerns are valid.”

She had heard stories from elders about the dangers of possessing valuable items without protection. Their family had no powerful backing now; recklessly displaying such precious goods would definitely attract unwanted attention.

Seeing her foster mother’s serious expression, Yu Jinzhen cleared her throat nervously.

Actually, she wanted to find things to sell as well, but she’d only managed to grow one cherry tree, and with so many family members, they hadn’t even eaten enough themselves.

The journey to the city was long, so if she were to sell, she’d need to accumulate enough to make the trip worthwhile, avoiding wasting time and energy.

Besides, the space had preservation functions, so the cherries wouldn’t spoil no matter how long they were stored.

Moreover, she had other uses for the cherries.

After eating over twenty cherries herself, Yu Jinzhen suddenly asked, “Foster mother, if someone wanted to buy your freedom, how much would your master demand?”