Shen Yunfang walked along the path from the backyard to the hillside, pausing every few steps to part the grass, revealing the sweet potato vines hidden within.
She reached in to pinch a handful of tender shoots and tossed them into her space before continuing on her way. With this stop-and-go progress, by the time she reached the foot of the hill, she had collected quite a bit.
The leftover sweet potato vines, which she hadn't wanted to waste, were planted in grass husks by Yunfang without much expectation for a fall harvest. At first, the sweet potatoes seemed to grow well, but as time went by, they became more and more ruined. Their nutrition was taken by weeds, their sunlight blocked by the same. What was left for them to thrive on, it would be odd if they grew well.
So when Yunfang realized something was wrong, she would pinch off a handful of the tender leaves every time she passed by, contributing a bit more to the country's construction.
