After Marrying a Vegetative Princess, I went crazy with joy! - Chapter 87

Chapter 87

“I just remembered that I still have some of these two things,” Su Li said with a smile.

Li Er was shocked for a moment, then quickly asked, “Where are they? Get them quickly.”

Su Li nodded and gestured for Li Er to look behind him.

“They’re in the flowerpot behind you.”

Su Li took a deep breath, making Li Er feel uneasy. However, he didn’t have time to say anything else and immediately turned to look behind him.

In the darkness of the night, illuminated by the lamplight, Li Er could see the green branches, leaves, and vines. The potatoes weren’t very tall, with leaves scattered casually above the flowerpot, swaying in the breeze. The sweet potato vines were pale. Even though they were planted in a flowerpot, but they looked sparse.

These two things appeared quite ordinary, not much different from the common green leaves seen along the roadside. But to Li Er’s eyes, the flowerpots before him held the most precious treasures in the world. Li Er stood up, walked to the flowerpot, and bent down, gazing intently at what was inside.

He accidentally brushed the French fries and sweet potatoes against his expensive robe as he reached for them. Then, Li Er raised his hand and gently touched the leaves.

Seeing Li Er’s expression, Su Li couldn’t help feeling emotional. Leaving aside everything else, the fact that Li Er cherished these crops so much showed his genuine concern for the people’s hardships.

For this reason alone, Li Er could be considered a good emperor.

At this moment, Li Er’s heart was filled with immense joy. His emotions had been like a rollercoaster ride in just a short moment.

Li Er felt ecstatic to hear about the miraculous crop that yielded a thousand catties per mu (unit of area).

But then, learning that the precious crops had already been eaten, he experienced a profound sense of loss that was hard to bear. As he was preparing to mobilize the entire country’s resources to bring these crops back from abroad, Su Li suddenly mentioned that some seeds were still left.

Su Li breathed heavily, almost giving Li Er a heart attack. However, Li Er didn’t blame Su Li at all!

“These crops have been growing for a while. Considering the time, they should be ready. You can take a look yourself.”

Su Li’s voice came from behind, bringing great joy to Li Er. Li Er plunged his hands into the flowerpot without hesitation, carefully pulling out the soil.

Su Li couldn’t help but find it amusing to see Li Er delicately avoiding the roots as he worked. Although the flowerpot wasn’t large, the soil inside was compact due to being planted with crops.

Reliant solely on Li Er’s hands, it would take forever to dig everything up. Su Li stood up and walked over to Li Er’s side.

He reached down, gently grabbing the exposed roots and applying some pressure.

A bunch of potatoes were pulled out of the soil by Su Li.

“Why so rough!” Li Er glanced at Su Li, dissatisfied.

Next, his attention was captured by what Su Li held in his hand. Li Er simply squatted down, fixated on the pile of differently-sized yellow fruits beneath the roots.

“So these are potatoes?”

He carefully plucked the smallest potato, wiped the soil off with his hands, and gently pinched it. The moist sensation on his fingers filled Li Er with unprecedented satisfaction.

“So, these are potatoes. The fruits can also be used as crops. You can pick a few and estimate their weight.”

Knowing what Li Er cared about most, Su Li kindly suggested. Li Er readily agreed and called Empress Zhangsun over. So, like ordinary peasants, the most prestigious couple in the entire Tang Dynasty started picking potatoes.

Zhangsun found a basket from somewhere and held it, carrying a spoon of water in her other hand. Thus, the most honored couple in the Tang Dynasty found themselves picking potatoes just like common peasants.

Whenever Li Er picked a potato, Zhangsun would wash it clean and carefully place it in the basket. It didn’t take them long to finish their work.

Li Er looked at Zhangsun and asked, “What’s the weight?”

Even with Su Li’s assurance, Li Er felt nervous and wanted to confirm.

Empress Zhangsun weighed the basket, a look of disbelief crossing her eyes.

“Probably more than ten catties? My estimate might not be accurate, but you should try it yourself.”

Li Er became immediately excited. He took the basket and weighed it up and down. The weight, it can’t be less than ten catties… A mere flower pot only a couple of palms wide, capable of producing ten catties of grain. If we were talking about per-acre yield, wow…

Thinking about it, Li Er couldn’t help but take a sharp breath. He immediately calculated that the potato yield per acre might even exceed the one thousand catties Su Li had mentioned!

“Let’s take a look at the sweet potatoes again!” Li Er couldn’t wait.

The couple leaned over the flowerpot with sweet potatoes again, and this time, they didn’t need Su Li’s help. Empress Zhangsun fetched a small shovel while Li Er quickly cleared the soil from the flower pot in a few taps.

Soon, they weighed the sweet potatoes as well. Sweet potatoes were larger, and they produced fewer fruits than potatoes.

But overall, the weight wasn’t any less than that of potatoes, and it might have even exceeded them.

With a heavy burden lifted from his heart, Li Er was surrounded by boundless excitement. Closing his eyes, Li Er imagined a future where potatoes and sweet potatoes were promoted throughout the realm.

At that point, he could proclaim to the world that from then on, under the rule of the Tang Dynasty, no one would starve to death!

With such achievements, even if Li Er achieved nothing else, he would be remembered in history, becoming an emperor praised for eternity by future generations.

“I want to cultivate both potatoes and sweet potatoes across the land of the Tang Dynasty…” Li Er turned to Su Li, speaking slowly.

Su Li was shocked by his words and quickly tried to persuade him.

“While the yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes is high, they have strict storage requirements. Storage complications mean inconvenience in distribution. Large-scale promotion isn’t necessary!”

Li Er’s mind was racing. Even with Su Li’s reassurances, he couldn’t shake his excitement. He felt that he needed to confirm it once again.

Empress Zhangsun brought a small shovel, and Li Er cleared the soil from the flowerpot, revealing the sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes were relatively easier to store than potatoes, but they would only last about a month in normal circumstances. They could be kept for a year at most with a proper storage facility.

As time passes, they might sprout and get moldy, leading to deterioration in quality. Li Er’s current mindset was similar to that of most newly wealthy people. Happiness came so suddenly that one went from one extreme to another.

In a nutshell, his sudden happiness made him swing from one extreme to another, but regardless, planting these two things was not a good idea.