"Kid, put that down immediately! Don't touch that poisonous thing!" Boss Chen hurried over to Hu Lihua and quickly returned the round object in her hand back into the crate.
"Boss, are you saying you're not planning to sell it?" Hu Lihua asked, a little surprised.
"No, I plan to throw it away!" Boss Chen replied. He then explained, "I got this from a Western trader who came to the port. He called it a potato. I bought a few crates as samples, but unfortunately, none of the farmers on the outskirts of the city dared to plant it."
Hu Lihua nodded at Boss Chen's words. Farmers had to work hard and rely on their fields to support their families for an entire year. No one would dare try something new without knowing its origins or whether it would grow successfully. But she knew better!
"I'll take all the crates!" Hu Lihua said, pointing to the potato-filled crates.
She counted 10 crates in total. One crate could be used to plant about 2 MU of land. With 10 crates, she could plant more than a hectare.
"Kid, I'm not lying! This thing really is poisonous!" Boss Chen looked anxious. He then shared his own experience to warn her, shivering as he spoke, "I felt bad seeing the potatoes sprouting, so I asked my wife to cook them. The result? We ended up with diarrhea and vomiting for three days! My youngest child almost lost his life! No, no! I can't sell this to you. These so-called potatoes are truly dangerous!"
Hearing this, Hu Lihua immediately understood. When potatoes start sprouting, their solanine levels increase, which could lead to poisoning. Since this was a new crop in the Zhang Dynasty, no one knew how to plant or process them properly.
"Boss Chen, don't worry. I know how to plant and prepare them into delicious dishes," Hu Lihua reassured him.
"Really?" Boss Chen looked skeptical.
"Of course! Potatoes are a great crop. If they're planted, they'll yield a lot and help farmers immensely," Hu Lihua answered, trying to convince him.
"How about this? Sell all these potatoes to me. In four months, I'll return with my harvest. I'll teach you how to plant and process them, and we can encourage the farmers to grow them. With me starting, someone will surely follow. How about that?"
Boss Chen thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Alright, let's do it!"
"Great!" Hu Lihua was delighted. She then asked, "How much are you selling them for?"
"I'll give them all to you for free," Boss Chen replied. "After all, if you hadn't come, I would've just thrown them away."
"Really? Then I won't hold back." Hu Lihua's eyes sparkled with joy. But suddenly, she frowned, remembering two small problems. First, she didn't have a field yet. Second, she couldn't bring all the potatoes home without her mother finding out sooner or later.
Seeing Hu Lihua deep in thought, Xixi approached and whispered, "Miss, how about we store everything at my parents' house?"
Hu Lihua turned to Xixi, her eyes shining brightly. "You're right! How could I forget? You're my lucky star!"
Xixi's cheeks flushed red at the praise. As long as she could help Hu Lihua, she felt truly content.
Boss Chen, observing the two young men whispering to each other and one of them suddenly blushing, couldn't help but twitch his mouth. Were these two... involved in some forbidden relationship?
No, no! Not his business!
"Boss Chen, could you lend me a sheet of paper and a brush?" Hu Lihua asked, completely unaware of Boss Chen's wild thoughts.
"Ah, yes, yes! Here!" Boss Chen quickly returned behind the counter and brought out a sheet of paper and a brush.
Xixi helped grind the ink while Hu Lihua wrote down Xixi's parents' address on the paper. Once done, she handed it to Boss Chen and asked, "Boss, could you help deliver the seeds to this address? I'll cover the delivery cost."
"Alright!" Boss Chen agreed as he took the paper. Then he calculated the total price for the other seeds Hu Lihua had bought. The sound of the abacus filled the room until he handed over a receipt. "Young Master, the total is 9 silver taels and 10 cents. Let's round it to 9 silver taels."
"Boss Chen, you're too kind. I already got the potatoes for free. How could I accept a discount too?" Hu Lihua said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Boss Chen waved his hand.
"Alright, thank you then!" Hu Lihua took 9 taels of silver from her chest pocket and handed them to Boss Chen. She added, "Please send everything in about two incense sticks of time." She needed to inform Xixi's family first, after all.
"Leave it to me!" Boss Chen assured her.
"We'll be off then," Hu Lihua said as she turned to leave. Boss Chen escorted them to the door with a big smile.
Meanwhile, outside Chen's Seed Shop, Wang Tianyi and Xinghan had already finished a pot of tea at a nearby stall. Xinghan quickly went to pay the bill before catching up with his master.
"My Lord, why do we have to follow them again?" Xinghan whispered. First Miss Hu hadn't done anything suspicious at all. Why was his master so obsessed with following her?
"Be quiet and stop talking," Wang Tianyi ordered.
"Why not just approach her directly and introduce yourself?" Xinghan suggested. But before he could say more, he bumped into someone in front of him. Bowing quickly, he apologized, "My Lord, forgive me." When he looked up, he met Wang Tianyi's gaze, which seemed to say he was an idiot.
"Why would I do that?" Wang Tianyi asked, rolling his eyes.
Why, indeed? Then why are you sneaking around like a thief?! Of course, Xinghan only thought this in his head. He wouldn't dare say it aloud. His master's pride was far too high!
When they turned to follow Hu Lihua and Xixi again, the two women had already disappeared from sight. Xinghan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Sure enough, when he glanced at Wang Tianyi, his master's face was dark.
"Xinghan, return to the residence and await your punishment!"