Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 892 - 890_1

Chapter 892: Chapter 890_1

Jicama is another name for Sha Gua; they are one and the same. Villagers tend to call it Jicama."

Jingrui managed to resist the urge to scratch his ears, "How much can each acre of this Jicama yield?"

Jingrui couldn’t possibly imagine that there could be a crop other than sweet potatoes, like Sha Gua, that could yield thousands or even tens of thousands of pounds per acre. This is definitely a blessing for the impoverished.

Today, although the grain yield has increased, there are still people who cannot afford enough grains to eat. Those people rely on sweet potatoes to curb their hunger. Although sweet potatoes yield a lot, they cannot be eaten on an empty stomach because they cause heartburn.

Consuming sweet potatoes on a regular basis can often result in burping.

Now that Jicama can also yield tens of thousands of pounds per acre, those who only have wastelands can also plant some Jicama to eat.

"Big brother didn’t mishear, it is indeed able to produce in thousands of pounds and could even reach tens of thousands of pounds. This Jicama is a good crop; it can be eaten raw and cooked. It’s very sweet and juicy. When eaten raw, it’s like eating fruit, and when cooked, it becomes a delicious dish. Jicama roots are good for storage and can supplement the vegetable supply in winter.

On top of that, since the mature Jicama roots have high starch content, it can be processed into Jicama flour. Jicama flour lasts a relatively long time in storage and can be used as staple food. When eaten with sweet potatoes, there’s no need to worry about heartburn."

"Is it easy to make Jicama flour?" If it’s easy to make, he will publish the method to the people, so they can grow their own Jicama and make their own Jicama flour.

In the past, the Imperial Court had publicized the method of making sweet potato flour. Now, many grocery stores and noodle shops sell sweet potato vermicelli and sweet potato flour. Though not expensive, a lot of people love to buy and eat them. In the winter, a bowl of hot and sour potato noodles can warm up the whole body.

"Making it is not difficult, it’s very similar to sweet potato flour. Unlike sweet potatoes though, Jicama is more succulent, resulting in less flour yield." Xiao’er shakes her head. The method of making noodles is generally uniform.

Jingrui nodded after hearing this: "That is inevitable. Even so, many commoners reluctantly use it to make flour."

Commoners especially cherish their grains; they are always hoping for quantity over quality.

"Even if they are reluctant, they will have to accept it. Being able to store it doesn’t mean it won’t spoil. It’s better to turn it into flour than to let it rot." Shangguan Xuanyi said indifferently.

"That’s true." Knowing that Jicama can yield almost ten thousand pounds per acre, Jingrui instantly felt relieved. Now, they just need to figure out how to plant Jicama so that it can produce in such quantities, then publish this method for the people to follow.

"Big brother, you must take me to have a good meal at the inn. After all, I have discovered such a great political achievement for you."

Xiao’er believed that as long as they planted Jicama and opened a Jicama flour workshop, it would provide many employment opportunities for the commoners. Even some could earn silver by selling Jicama. Assuming the price was one coin for two pounds, if one acre could yield 10,000 pounds, then one acre could earn five taels of silver. The best time to harvest Jicama is after five months of planting. Harvesting too early will affect the yield, and late harvesting isn’t good either. With two harvests possible in a year, if a family has one acre of dry land, they could earn ten taels of silver a year by planting Jicama.

Moreover, after planting Jicama, it only needs to be taken care of regularly, such as watering, fertilizing, weeding, pruning, trellising, and topping. These are tasks that could be done in the morning and evening without interfering with regular work. As long as a family is diligent, they can certainly improve their lives.

Many poor commoners sell sweet potatoes to the sweet potato workshops, and then work in those workshops to make a living.

However, with more and more people planting sweet potatoes in large quantities, supply has exceeded demand, resulting in the price dropping each year. Consequently, income from growing sweet potatoes has also decreased in the past two years.

Some clever commoners have figured out that they could prepare foods like sweet potato cakes, candied sweet potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, and dried sweet potatoes, and sell them on the streets of the city. They also earn a fair amount of silver from this.

In short, as long as you are willing to think and work hard, you will not starve.

Some people in this world plant potatoes and make a bit of money by selling them.

Some people plant potatoes and then process them into fries and potato chips to make even more money.

What does this tell us? It tells us that: Income = Labor + Technology + Intelligence

Effective labor, advanced technology, and smart intelligence are three key things. The more you put into them, the more income you will have.

"What’s so difficult about that! If you’re willing, big brother will take you to the inn every day until you’re too old to walk."

"No need." Hearing this, Shangguan Xuanyi immediately refused. Since when did his woman need him to provide for her? Taking her to the inn every day until she’s too old to walk should be his duty!

Xiao’er gave a sidelong glance at this man who was slowing her down, "Big brother is willing to spend silver to take me to the inn, why are you refusing?! This way we could save some food money at home!"

Shangguan Xuanyi: "..."

Hearing this, Jingrui pretended to look at Xiao’er sorrowfully, "Girls are indeed more outgoing!"

Not happy to hear this, Shangguan Xuanyi retorted, "It’s not about being outgoing, it’s about being one as a couple! You better marry a wife soon and stop being unaware of everything! Your closest kin in this world should be your spouse, understand?"

Before getting married he always interfered with their couple’s relationship. After getting married, he even wanted to help feed his wife. Hmph, it’s not like he couldn’t afford it!

Upon hearing this, Jingrui was also displeased, "Spouses are the closest and most distant. You missed two words! Besides, even if Xiao’er marries you, she’s still my little sister, with the same blood running in her veins as mine. Of course, I, as the elder brother, am closer!"

"There’s no distance, only closeness! A married daughter is like a splash of water, once out of her parental home, she becomes a stranger!"

Watching the two childish men arguing about who she was "closer" to, Xiao’er couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She was too lazy to deal with them anymore and let them argue on their own.

Xiao’er stood up and walked out.

Seeing Xiao’er stand up, Shangguan Xuanyi quickly stood up too, "Where are you going, darling?"

"You two are making too much noise, I’m going somewhere quiet!" Xiao’er replied curtly.

Hearing this, Jingrui glared at Shangguan Xuanyi, "It’s all your fault! So petty!" Xiao’er even thought he was noisy.

Shangguan Xuanyi didn’t even spare him a glance, and instead confirmed who the closest kin was by his actions, "Darling, let’s go back to our room. We’ve been busy all day, let’s go to bed early tonight."

Xiao’er, of course, saw through Shangguan Xuanyi’s little trick. How childish to ignore him and turn back to Jingrui, "Big brother, you saved someone from drowning today and have been busy all day. You should also go to bed early."

"Alright, you should also rest early." Jingrui, beaming, agreed, then glared provocatively at Shangguan Xuanyi before standing up and going back to his room full of satisfaction.

His little sister still cares about her big brother!

"Childish!" Shangguan Xuanyi muttered under his breath.

"Aren’t you the same!" Xiao’er gave him a sidelong glance.

Shangguan Xuanyi could only rub his nose in response.

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