In the sixteenth year of Great Liang Dezheng, the February wind, carrying a biting chill, swept over the low thatched roofs of the Wu Family.
The icicles hanging under the eaves began to melt, dripping onto the ground, as if counting the moments of hunger.
Wu Guohua squatted on the edge of his Family's field, gently pushing aside the soil at the base of a potato seedling with his fingers.
The tuber his fingertips touched was only the size of a thumb, shriveled like an old person's skin.
He sighed, looking up at the Zhao Family's fields in the distance—there, the wheat seedlings were already a lustrous green, while the winter wheat in his own field was like sick children, huddled together, droopy and lifeless.
"Everyone, come over." Grandfather Wu Jiulong's hoarse voice echoed from the main hall.
Wu Guohua clapped the dirt from his hands and hurried back into the house.
The entire Family was already seated around the rickety wooden table, each person's face covered in a dull shadow.
Grandfather Wu Jiulong's finger tapped on the tabletop, the calluses on his knuckles making a dull sound against the wood.
"The grain jar is empty," he said bluntly, his voice like sandpaper, "From today on, we'll only eat one meal a day."
Gasps immediately rose and fell throughout the room.
Third Aunt Cai Liuer held the youngest, Guoyan, in her arms; the child was too hungry even to cry, merely unconsciously sucking at her mother's shriveled breast.
"Father, if this continues..." Father Wu Wenbin hesitated, his rough, large hand unconsciously caressing an empty bowl.
"I know!" Grandfather Wu Jiulong suddenly raised his voice, then slumped, like a deflated ball, "But the potatoes still need another month, and the wheat needs two and a half months more..."
Wu Guohua lowered his head, his fingernails digging deep into his palm.
He secretly glanced at Grandmother He Xiaoqin—the old woman was using trembling hands to pour the last handful of wheat bran into the pot, turbid tears sliding down her heavily wrinkled cheeks.
"I'll go find some wild vegetables." Wu Guohua suddenly stood up, his voice louder than he expected.
Grandfather Wu Jiulong raised his bloodshot eyes and looked at him, nodding almost imperceptibly.
The sunlight outside stung Wu Guohua's eyes.
He quickly walked towards the barren slope behind the house, his heart pounding like a drum.
Passing through the sparse bushes, the sight before him made him involuntarily hold his breath—
Clumps of shepherd's purse were vibrantly green, with glistening dew drops still clinging to their serrated leaves; dandelions spread their thick leaves, and golden-yellow flowers swayed gently in the wind.
These were the treasures in his carefully tended "secret garden."
【Harvest Shepherd's Purse, Experience +5】
【Harvest Dandelion, Experience +5】
Wu Guohua squatted down, his fingers deftly pinching at the base of the plants, and tender wild vegetables fell into his palm.
He harvested very carefully, taking only the outermost leaves so they could continue to grow.
Soon, he had a large bundle of wild vegetables in his arms, and this was only one-fifth of what was available.
When he returned to the kitchen, Mother Zhang Chunfang was adding water to the pot.
Seeing the fresh wild vegetables in her son's arms, her eyes lit up, "Where did you find so many wild vegetables? With these, we can have an extra meal today."
"Tomorrow, I'll go to the back mountain again to look for wild vegetables," Wu Guohua said softly, watching his mother wash and chop the wild vegetables, mixing them into the pitifully thin wheat bran porridge.
The verdant vegetable leaves were particularly conspicuous in the grayish-brown gruel, like a faint glimmer of hope.
That evening, the entire Family sat around the stove, silently sharing the wild vegetable gruel.
Wu Guohua noticed that Grandfather Wu Jiulong only took two sips before handing his bowl to the youngest, Guoyan, while Father Wu Wenbin and his second and third uncles secretly gave their portions to the children who were growing.
Late at night, Wu Guohua tossed and turned on the heated brick bed.
Guoqiang and Guofen beside him were already asleep, their ribs clearly visible on their thin bodies.
He quietly got up and, guided by the moonlight, made his way to the barren slope behind the house.
The moonlight, like water, spilled over the secretly planted potato field.
Wu Guohua squatted down, his trembling fingers pushing aside the soil at the base of a potato seedling.
Beneath the soft sandy soil, more than ten plump tubers nestled together, each the size of an adult's fist!
【Harvest Potato, Experience +10】
He carefully dug out more than ten potatoes, cradling them in his clothes, his heart pounding so fast it almost burst from his chest.
These potatoes were heavy, with smooth skins, emitting the fresh scent of earth.
They were enough for the whole Family to eat for a day!
Good news came at the same time: after several months of effort, Wu Guohua's Farming talent had leveled up to Level Three.
Name: Wu Guohua
Talent: Farming
Level Three Talent (1/10000): Crop survival rate increased by 300%, growth speed increased by 40%, mutation and evolution chance 20%
After the talent upgrade, the crops Wu Guohua planted had the possibility of mutation and evolution.
The next day, when Wu Guohua appeared in the kitchen with these potatoes, Grandmother He Xiaoqin, who was starting the fire, was so startled she almost knocked over the water dipper.
"Guohua, these potatoes... where did they come from?"
"Grandma, I found them in a deep gully in the back mountain," Wu Guohua lied, his throat tight, "They might be wild ones."
Grandmother He Xiaoqin's rough fingers caressed the smooth skin of the potatoes, and tears welled up in her turbid eyes.
"Heaven has opened its eyes..." she murmured, then quickly started the fire and began to boil the potatoes.
That day, the entire Family ate a long-awaited full meal.
The cooked potatoes emitted an enticing aroma, and the children, reluctant even to peel them, wolfed them down.
Wu Guohua watched this scene, his chest aching and swelling, as if something was about to overflow.
"Guohua, are there any more wild potatoes around that deep gully?" Grandfather Wu Jiulong suddenly said, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce through his lie.
A layer of cold sweat broke out on Wu Guohua's back.
"No, this is all there was in that spot. But I don't know if there are any in other parts of the back mountain; I'll go look again later," he stammered, his mind racing.
"Good, then I'll trouble you. Go look carefully, and watch out for the jackals in the back mountain." Grandfather Wu Jiulong didn't press further, as people from the Zhao Family happened to arrive, calling them to repair the granary.
In the following days, Wu Guohua would bring back some wild vegetables or "find" some potatoes every few days.
Although the whole Family was puzzled, in the face of hunger, no one delved deeper.
One rainy afternoon, Wu Guohua went to tend to his secret garden as usual.
The rain hit the leaves, making a rustling sound.
He squatted in front of the last special potato plant—this potato's stem was much thicker than the others, and its leaves were an unusual purplish-red.
【Discovered Mutated Potato, Experience +20】
【Mutated Potato Characteristics: Cold and heat resistant, high yield, four-month growth period】
Wu Guohua's heart skipped a beat.
He carefully dug around the roots and immediately widened his eyes—there were more than twenty enormous potatoes growing beneath.
Each was the size of two adult fists, with beautiful purplish-red skin, gleaming like pearls under the washing rain.
"Mutated potatoes..." he whispered, his fingers gently caressing the strange tubers.
Wu Guohua's vision suddenly blurred.
He wiped his face, unable to distinguish between rain and tears.
These miraculous potatoes might just be the key to changing the Family's destiny!
In the following days, while his Family was out working, he planted two-thirds of the barren slope with these purple potatoes, a total of over two hundred plants.
Each seedling carried his hope, swaying gently in the spring breeze.
When the last potato was planted, Wu Guohua sat on the damp soil, looking at this vibrant garden.
【Plant Mutated Potato, Experience +20】
【Watering, Experience +1】
In the distance, wisps of cooking smoke rose from the village; nearby, the newly planted potato seedlings cast long, slender shadows in the setting sun.
"Just a little longer..." he whispered to himself, "In just four months, everyone will never be hungry again."
The lingering glow of the setting sun fell on his slender figure, stretching his shadow very long.
That shadow fell on the barren slope, like a small tree growing vigorously, destined one day to be lush and leafy.