CHAPTER 385: CHAPTER 93: FAMILIAR-FACED EXPERT

"Honey, come over here and look, look, our sweet potatoes seem to have grown taller, and they’ve even sprouted buds," Zhuo Feng’s recent favorite activity has been squatting by the field, observing the sweet potato sprouts.

After reviving, the sweet potato sprouts in the farm grew as vigorously as newborns, growing day and night. In just a month, by May, the vines had overgrown the entire farm, presenting a midsummer scene already.

Under the brilliant sunlight, the oval-shaped sweet potato leaves spread across the surface. Some of the most thriving ones have already grown white buds, swaying gracefully with the spring breeze.

"Let me see, blooming? Really? If I remember correctly, it’s not the season for sweet potatoes to bloom. If they’re blooming now, doesn’t it mean they could be harvested in a couple of months?" Feng Xing recently started a sideline business. One day when he was collecting river snails by the river, he noticed a deserted area covered only in a circle of weeds.

Yanqing has limited land and many people. After a recent incident at the Milk Feed Factory, several nearby farming households claimed the place was cursed and moved out, leaving even fewer people and more abandoned farmland.

Having observed this, Feng Xing decided to plant something along the riverbank. The river mud was fertile, and it would be a waste not to use it. He went to the city and purchased some taro roots, planting them all the way along the river.

In his hometown, there’s an old saying about excessively growing wild taro. It means that taro does not discriminate against soil and will root wherever it finds dirt, and even a rotting piece thrown into the ground can flourish lushly by the next spring. However, after planting the taro, he had one more daily chore: watering the taro twice a day by the river as the dry Northern weather couldn’t depend on rain.

When Zhuo Feng called out, Feng Xing had just returned from watering for the first time, wearing a straw hat around his neck, holding a long-handled ladle. It had been two months since they moved to the farm, and both had changed.

Darker, thinner, more toned. Feng Xing’s "swimming ring" from sitting in an office had flattened, and Zhuo Feng had stopped mentioning losing weight. The couple’s smiles became even more frequent.

They also mentioned city life less and less. Instead of missing the bright urban lights, they got used to not shopping at supermarkets, eating vegetables grown in their own field, river catches, and occasionally indulging in pork ribs. Life was carefree.

Feng Xing pushed aside the layers of dense sweet potato leaves and spotted a few buds that resembled morning glory, almost ready to bloom.

"It’s really astonishing, could it be that Mr. Bai’s spirit in heaven is blessing us, whatever we plant grows and matures early?" Feng Xing was also thrilled. Only after becoming a farmer did he understand the hardships of farmers and the intricacies involved in timing crops for the market.

Being ten days early to market could increase the price by ten percent; a month early could double it. Looking at the sweet potatoes in their farm growing so well, they were at least two months ahead of others and he could hardly calculate what the price would be by then.

"Yes, indeed, we didn’t use any fertilizers, just the manure left from cattle and sheep that deteriorated the fields, mixed with some river mud. Watching their growth, it’s as if they have been fed hormones," Zhuo Feng said smilingly. Xiao Xian, who recently returned home, would also secretly delight upon seeing the growth of the sweet potatoes.

She was already planning what to do after the sweet potatoes are harvested, like how to sell them and for how much. After all, coarse grains are becoming popular in the cities, and sweet potatoes would definitely be in high demand.

Caught up in her thoughts, Feng Xing heard footsteps outside the farm and quickly stood up to go out.

The couple had been distressed when the police came to question them recently, almost getting into a fight with the people from Milk Feed Factory. They were just farming peacefully in the countryside; who could they possibly offend?

Seeing that it wasn’t the police standing outside the farm but several well-dressed strangers, Feng Xing breathed a sigh of relief. However, observing them peeking frequently into the farm, he felt something was off.

With the ongoing deep development of Yanqing, rural tourism had become popular, but what did this have to do with their small farm? Feng Xing even noticed a foreign-looking face among the crowd, increasing his unease.

"May I help you?" As soon as Feng Xing spoke, a man in his thirties wearing a suit and leather shoes stepped forward.

It was Huang Tengchong. Zhuo Feng had some reluctance when Aisha persuaded him to bring Zhou Ziang over regarding the phosphate matter. Despite his initial hesitation and his vague pointers on the specific application location, mentioning only their plans to buy some rural land overgrown with weeds that they could not effectively clear.