Although Qing Shan's voice carried no discernible joy or sorrow, Fu Xin Ci could clearly sense his indignant frustration.
Indeed, while the ancients upheld a distinction between those born of the main wife and those of concubines. She possessed the original body's memories and had witnessed firsthand how excessively the two madams of the Duke's mansion had behaved throughout their journey.
Thinking of how they dared to blatantly exploit Meng Xiao He under the watchful eyes of many, Fu Xin Ci couldn't help but wonder how much more unrestrained they were in the unseen corners of the Duke's mansion.
The thought of the mother and daughter-in-law's sharp and harsh countenances made Fu Xin Ci once again suppress the urge to roll her eyes heavenward.
She also once again lamented Meng Xiao He's weakness. What would happen if she had resisted? As for her reputation, the Meng family was already facing exile, what reputation could they possibly have left?
While Fu Xin Ci felt it was unfair to Meng Xiao He, Qi He, like a curious child, gazed at Qing Shan with an envious expression, asking enthusiastically, "Qing Shan, what are potatoes? From your words, they sound quite precious."
"Precious or not, I don't know. I only heard from my classmates that this is a new crop discovered in the last two years, and the court has ordered it to be tested for cultivation."
"Test cultivation phase?" Fu Xin Ci knitted her small brows, asking Qing Shan with some confusion.
"Yes. However, my classmate mentioned that the trial planting didn't seem to be going well."
"What? The trial planting of potatoes isn't going well?" Fu Xin Ci looked at her uncle with surprise. If she were not afraid of scaring these ancients away, she would have exclaimed, "Brother, are you kidding me? Potatoes are the easiest things to grow, not only easy but also high-yielding!"
Before she could speak, Qi He interjected, "Sister Fu, what does that potato you mentioned look like? Is it edible?" While speaking, Qi He's eyes kept darting to the lush green plant.
"Of course, it's edible, and it's delicious, too." Thinking of potatoes that could be boiled, stewed, fried, steamed, roasted, deep-fried, or cooked in a hot pot, Fu Xin Ci couldn't help but rub her belly. She was eager to dig up these potatoes quickly.
"Really?" Hearing Sister Fu say potatoes were delicious, Qi He's eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. His mind was filled with nothing else, so he immediately handed the large radish he was holding to Qing Shan and, without another word, crouched down to start pulling.
Fu Xin Ci hadn't expected Qi He to be so enthusiastic, acting as soon as he thought of it.
The three of them watched as Qi He, with one powerful tug, uprooted the potato plant. He didn't care that the wet haulm clung to his clothes, and he laughed with such uninhibited joy that even the sunshine on a clear day couldn't rival his radiant smile.
However, he seemed to overlook the few potatoes that came out from under the haulm. Fu Xin Ci really wanted to say, "Brother, you've misunderstood something."
Fortunately, due to their weight, Qi He finally discovered what was dangling beneath the haulm he was holding, and it wasn't just one.
As he curiously lowered his head to examine, his eyes widened upon seeing three oval-shaped objects suspended beneath the plant.
"This is...?" Qi He was very intelligent. At this moment, he didn't need Fu Xin Ci's guidance; he already understood.
"Sister Fu..." Qi He stammered, a suspicious blush on his face.
Although Fu Xin Ci felt like laughing inwardly, she held back. If she burst out laughing at this moment, she didn't know if their little boat of friendship would be stranded.
In any case, it would be difficult to sail the seas together again.
Therefore, our Miss Fu, feigning indifference, urged them with an expectant tone, "Brother Qi, this potato plant has grown so well. There should be more potatoes underneath. We must dig them up quickly, or it would be such a waste."
"More potatoes underneath?" Qing Shan, standing nearby, caught the drift and immediately asked his grandniece.
"Yes. A single potato plant yields several potatoes of varying sizes. As for how many potatoes this specific plant we found has yielded, it all depends on our luck."
After saying this, Fu Xin Ci silently added to herself: My luck has always been very good.
How could it not be good? She was originally harmed by that born scoundrel and thought she would report to the King of Hell.
Who knew that in a blink of an eye, she had traversed through time and space, arriving in this era, which differed slightly from history, to fill a vacancy.
Thinking about it, she was grateful to the "one" who had sent her here. Compared to the squalid living conditions of the apocalypse, this pure and pristine era was simply paradise.
Even if the living conditions here were harsh, and they were on the path of exile, she was content. What else could she do? Fresh air was an addiction she could never kick.
Upon hearing Sister Fu say it all depended on luck, Qi He immediately brightened up. "Sister Fu, you are the luckiest girl I've ever met."
"Of course, I'm bursting with luck." Fu Xin Ci, not paying attention, blurted out words that didn't belong to this era.
Fortunately, Qi He and the others were so focused on the potatoes that no one noticed the two words after "luck."
At this moment, not only Qi He's interest surged, but Qing Shan also couldn't resist. He crouched down and began digging with his bare hands alongside Qi He.
"Haha, I found one, and it's a big one!" Qi He had experience working in the fields, so even though it was his first time digging potatoes, his movements were precise.
"I, I found one too!" This was the first time doing something like this, and Qing Shan's excitement was beyond words.
Seeing both of them holding a large potato, Qi Tian also grew anxious. He wanted to dig too. However, he glanced at his grandniece standing opposite him and withdrew the large radish he was about to offer.
It was certain that his grandniece's small frame couldn't carry such a large radish. Alright, he would endure and watch his brother and Qi He dig.
As the joyous exclamations of the two grew louder, someone from inside the dilapidated temple, who was idly doing nothing, was drawn by the noise. Through a hole in the wall, he shouted, "Qi He, what are you guys doing? Why are you so happy?"
"Haha, Nian Zi Ge, we, no, Sister Fu found potatoes, and Qing Shan and I are digging for them." After speaking, Qi He, disregarding the mud and water on his face, continued digging energetically.
"Potatoes? Are potatoes edible?" Nian Zi wasn't foolish; the only thing that could make Qi He and the others act so enthusiastically in the heavy rain was food.
He also wanted to go see what was happening, as his stomach was also not full.
"Mm... mm..." Nian Zi scratched his head. The curious fellow within him kept urging him to go out and see. Ultimately, the allure of the food called "potatoes" prevailed, tugging at his boredom, and he strode out of the temple gate.
Watching Nian Zi dash out of the temple like a bolt, Jiang Tou'er frowned and asked impatiently, "What's going on? Why did that brat run out like a wild donkey?"