Is a kilogram of potatoes worth around 30 copper...?
In the late hours of the night, I pondered. One potato plant yields about 10 kilograms, and one plot of land with 250 kilograms is equivalent to 75 silver. This can be harvested in just 5 days, earning approximately 15 silver per day.
"So little..."
"You find it insufficient?!" Weng Ling scoffed.
"The normal price for a kilogram of meat is only around 60 to 70 copper, while these potatoes, being a staple, can fetch 30 copper. Mind you, even finely ground wheat flour is only 20 copper. You're making a fortune, my dear landlord!"
The actual control of the Loran territory has now fallen into the hands of Night Sangeng, so calling him the landlord is not inappropriate.
Night Sangeng awkwardly smiled and pointed to the chili peppers, asking, "And what about these? How much can one kilogram sell for?"
"Chili peppers, being a seasoning and not a staple, are usually not sold by weight but by quantity," corrected Weng Ling.
"As for the price, it's 1 copper coin per piece."
Night Sangeng raised his eyebrows in surprise. A tiny chili pepper is worth 1 copper coin!
Seemingly scarce, but considering the small quantity, and thinking about others' monotonous diets, he accepted it.
Unfortunately, his chili pepper tree can only produce about a hundred peppers at a time, and unlike normal peppers, they cannot be harvested repeatedly. Once picked, the plant automatically withers. In that case...
Night Sangeng bent down and started writing and drawing with a wooden stick, murmuring to himself:
"A chili pepper plant produces about 100 peppers, takes two and a half days to grow, and can be sold for 25 silver coins. Potatoes, just calculated, are 75 silver coins, and wheat..."
Night Sangeng looked up, scratching his head, and pointed to the wheat field being harvested.
Weng Ling seemed to know what he was thinking and walked over, picking up a bundle of wheat, feeling it.
"Good quality, decent yield. This wheat field should have over 1,250 kilograms."
Night Sangeng widened his eyes, "Just based on this, you can estimate? And so accurately?"
"Of course, I am a farmer's daughter!"
Weng Ling proudly straightened her back, but then her eyes dimmed.
"When I was studying at the Holy Silver Church, I often went to the fields outside to work with the farmers, so I learned a lot. Estimating yields is a simple matter."
The fields around the Holy Silver Church have the most fertile soil and experienced farmers, but Weng Ling chose to learn farming instead of Holy Light Arts, making her quite unique.
"Well..." Night Sangeng scratched his head, "How should I plant here?"
"How would I know how you want to plant? Your situation is different from what I've seen!" Weng Ling scoffed.
After some thought, Night Sangeng realized the Necrotic Farm could accelerate planting without considering weather and soil conditions. Many of Weng Ling's experiences would not be applicable. However...
"How do you thresh this wheat? Do we pick grain by grain, or do two people hold the wheat ears and beat them against each other?"
Pfft!
Bed suddenly burst into laughter in the distance, and Night Sangeng looked at her strangely, only to see that she had already turned away.
"You! You eat bread so quickly, but you don't understand farming?" Weng Ling sighed and, seeing that the goblins had finished harvesting the wheat, pointed to the bundles on the ground.
"Have them collect the wheat ears and load them onto carts. I'll teach you!"
"Oh..."
...
Under the guidance of Weng Ling, an expert, Night Sangeng once again broadened his horizons.
It turns out this is how wheat is threshed.
Weng Ling first had Night Sangeng instruct the goblins to transport all the wheat ears to an open space near the west gate of Loran City, then dumped them on the ground paved with clean white bricks.
After demonstrating by spreading a small pile of wheat ears with a pitchfork, Weng Ling somehow brought over a large wooden ball about the height of a person and rolled it over the wheat on the ground.
With continuous rolling and turning of the wheat ears, individual grains of wheat were rolled out. Then, the separated straw was removed, leaving behind a pile of wheat mixed with husks and grains on the ground.
But that wasn't the end. Weng Ling had the goblins use shovels to continuously toss the wheat into the air. With the breeze from the city wall, the light husks and broken stems were blown to the side, leaving behind the golden wheat grains on the ground.
"That's roughly it. However, I suggest you let the wheat dry for a while before threshing again. It will waste less that way."
"As for these straw..." Weng Ling pointed to the pile of finely crushed straw, "You can use them as firewood or feed for cows."
"And those chili peppers, I also suggest you dry them as soon as possible. As for potatoes..."
Night Sangeng raised his hand to interrupt Weng Ling, "I understand. Plant them first, and store the rest in a cool place."
"I didn't mean that..." Weng Ling rolled her eyes at him, then licked her lips, her eyes full of anticipation as she rubbed her hands together.
"What I mean is, shouldn't we taste these things first?"
Night Sangeng:...
As it turns out, Night Sangeng underestimated Weng Ling's culinary skills.
Using their meager ingredients, Weng Ling actually prepared five full dishes:
First was the morning wheat bun, with a robust texture and a hint of wheat fragrance. Occasionally chewing on the slightly tough wheat skin added a subtle aftertaste.
Next was the crispy outside, tender inside, roasted potatoes that emitted a rich starch aroma when torn open. Just sprinkle a bit of crunchy ground chili powder on top, and even Night Sangeng almost bit off his own tongue.
Then there was the shiny and succulent spicy stir-fried smoked meat, balanced in fat and lean, paired with the soft and glutinous wheat porridge. Even image-conscious Bed couldn't help but make slurping sounds while enjoying it.
The most eye-catching was the final dish – smoked meat cubes mixed with mashed potatoes. The powdery and sweet mashed potatoes were interspersed with crispy smoked meat cubes, providing a different sensation with each bite.
Whether there was more meat for a crispy texture or less meat for a full fragrance, it brought a sense of adventure to the dining experience.
"Good! Delicious!"
Although Night Sangeng's taste buds had dulled, compared to the tasteless wax-like food before, he could still distinguish this.
Bed was even more exaggerated. While eating, she suddenly teared up, quickly scraped most of the spicy stir-fried smoked meat into her bowl, and then carried the bowl somewhere in a hurry.
As for Lao Gu and Dong Chenxiu, these three were squatting on the side, eating the wheat bun as hinted by Night Sangeng...
"Why are they only eating the bun?" Weng Ling was puzzled.
She could understand goblins not eating, maybe Night Sangeng had some unique way of dealing with it, but what about Lao Gu and the others?
Even she had overcome her aversion to rat meat. There
was no reason for them not to touch any meat.
"Could it be that they find my cooking not tasty?"
"No, no, no, you've misunderstood."
Night Sangeng quickly scraped the remaining spicy stir-fried smoked meat into his mouth, mumbling unclearly:
"They are just cultivating, and their cultivation is called:"
"Abstinence..."