Persuasion

“The herb gatherer told me how to grow it. Do you see this eye?”

Jian Qingqing picked up a piece of yam and gestured for them to take a look.

“This is called the ‘eye’, which is used to sprout. A seedling will grow out of the eye. From this pile, I can probably grow over 20 of them.”

“And the yield of this is very high. A piece of yam can weigh two to three catties. Even if you don’t sell it, you can eat it for a long time.”

“Are you kidding me? Can this broken stick be eaten?”

Xiao Hu squatted on the ground and stared at the yam on the ground with a face full of disbelief.

“Go away.” Father Jian pushed Xiao Hu’s head away.

“But… But we don’t know how to take care of it. If we don’t plant it well, wouldn’t it be a waste?” He was a little hesitant.

“Let’s try it first. Aren’t the methods of planting things all the same? There are only about 20 of them. We can dig a few holes at the back of the house and take care of them nearby.”

In her previous life, she had seen many videos of this kind of planting of yams. There were a lot of methods such as aerial planting and bamboo planting, but she still preferred the method of planting on the ground.

Old Man Jian thought about it and agreed. He had started doing farm work ever since he could walk. After serving the crops for more than 40 years, he realized that there were only those methods of growing food. If he watered it enough and exposed it to the sun, the harvest would not be a problem. He turned to Father Jian, whose name was Jian Dalang, and said, “Okay, then let’s do as Big Sister says. Dalang, tomorrow, dig a few holes in the back and plant this golden lump.”

In old man Jian’s opinion, the thing that could be used to make medicine and eat was the golden lump.

“Oh right, Dad, don’t touch its juice when you cut it open tomorrow, or your hands will itch.”

“Is it such a strange thing?”

Jian Dalang carefully asked about the details of planting the yam, and Jian Qingqing told him everything she knew.

“Uncle Jian–” Just when the whole family was discussing the planting of the yam, a woman’s voice was heard.

The Jian Family stopped what they were doing and took a look at the person who came.

“Aunt Liu?” Mother Jian exclaimed and walked out to welcome the person.

“Aunt Liu, why are you here?”

Aunt Liu was Jian Rong’s mother. At this moment, her face was red and she seemed to be very embarrassed.

She carefully took out three eggs from the basket and handed them to Mother Jian.

“Aunt Liu, I’m really sorry. My Little Rong is not sensible. I heard that Qingqing found these eggs. That Brat didn’t do anything and just took three eggs. I told him to give you the eggs.”

Mother Jian looked at Jian Qingqing with a puzzled look. “Qingqing, what’s going on?”

Jian Qingqing had no choice but to come out and explain, “Auntie, it’s alright. I gave these eggs to Little Rong. He has helped me a lot. The wild vegetables and mushrooms are all shared by everyone. The same goes for the eggs.”

“How can a few wild vegetables be compared to the eggs? The eggs are so precious. If he didn’t find them, how could he take them?”

Mother Jian also understood what had happened. Although she was moved by her daughter’s generosity, adults should not interfere in children’s matters. Thus, she pushed the egg back.

“Big Sister is right. The things that the three children found when they went out together are naturally divided together. We don’t need to care about the children’s matters. Don’t tell me that they have to be so clear and calculative on anything they find in the future? Wouldn’t that make it a strange relationship?”

Aunt Liu was even more embarrassed. “Although that’s the case, it’s not easy for families these days. How can eggs be shared so easily?”

Jian Qingqing smiled mischievously. “Aunt, you can take the eggs back. I heard from Little Rong that the pickles you made are very delicious. If you feel bad, why don’t you bring some for us to taste your cooking?”

“Sigh, sure! I’ll ask Little Rong to bring some for you guys tomorrow!”

Aunt Liu actually wanted to exchange some things for the eggs. Her mother-in-law’s health was not good and she needed to replenish her body. However, her family was poor and had nothing to offer. How could she not know that Jian Qingqing was trying to ease her heart? Every family had pickles.

Aunt Liu was very touched. Jian Qingqing’s family was a good family that was worth befriending. She wanted to educate her son to be on good terms with the Jian Family when she went back.

“Alright, then I’ll go back first. Qingqing, come to my house more often with Xiao Hu to play with Little Rong in the future.”

After Aunt Liu left, Mother Jian tapped Jian Qingqing’s forehead. “You!”

Jian Qingqing smiled ingratiatingly. “Mom, I’ll pick up more eggs for you to eat tomorrow!”

…

The next day, Jian Qingqing returned with a nest of eggs as usual. This time, she even brought out a few sweet potatoes.

When she returned home, she saw Jian Dalang plowing the land at the back of the house. She quickly ran over.

“Father, can you help me open up this land?”

Jian Qingqing had observed it. The land at the back of the house was about a quarter of its size. It was connected to the back of the hill and the soil was average. It was impossible to grow vegetables. It was still very good to improve it and grow other things.

“What are you going to do with such a large plot of land? You can’t grow anything good.”

“Aiya, Dad, please help me. I’ll use it to grow things.”

If it were not for the fact that there was only one iron hoe in her family and had to take it to the field, she would also want to do it herself.

Father Jian looked at the plot of land. It was not very big, and the soil quality was relatively soft. It was not very difficult to start farming on it. After he finished work, he would come over and hoe it in two days.

“Okay, I will help you dig it out in these two days.”

“That’s great, Father. Thank you!” Jian Qingqing shouted.

Jian Dalang was a little embarrassed. In the past, his daughter was quiet. She would hide whenever she saw him and did not like to talk to him. He did not expect that now not only did she talk more, but her mouth was also becoming sweeter.

“Oh right, do you want Father to help you plant that golden lump? You haven’t even planted anything yet.”

“No need, I can plant it myself!”

She was full of ambition now. This was the foundation of her life in this barren ancient world. She had to personally improve her life.

In the afternoon, Jian Qingqing did not go digging wild vegetables with Xiao Hu and the others. She planned to go to the back of the mountain slope to move some humus leaves to make fertilizer. In fact, the humus soil was the best. However, she did not have the tools to dig, so she could only settle for the second best.

“You must not go deep into the mountains. Just dig around the periphery that we have been looking for these past two days. If you can’t find mushrooms, just dig for wild vegetables. It’s not safe for the two of you to go to a place that you haven’t looked for before.”

At this moment, Jian Qingqing was repeatedly reminding Xiao Hu that she was still worried about the two eight-year-old children going into the mountains alone.

“I know, Sister. Aren’t you just an hour older than me? Why are you being so naggy like a mother?”

Xiao Hu was very impatient. He could not wait to leave his sister and little friend and go into the mountains to have fun.

Jian Qingqing placed her hands on her hips and pretended to be very fierce. “Am I not your Big Sister if I am an hour older than you? Can’t I care about you? Do you believe that I can still beat you up!”

Xiao Hu immediately cowered. “I was wrong, sister. I will definitely not go into the mountains and come back on time.”

“Humph!” Jian Qingqing glared at him. “Go.”

“Okay!”

Xiaohu ran away like a rabbit.