A layer of autumn rain and a layer of cool, fine and dense light rain, winter is quietly coming.

Xuzhou Mansion is located in Shuzhong, and the same as the south of the Yangtze River rarely snows in winter, there are Qinling Mountains in the north to block the cold wind in the south, the climate is not as dry and cold as the capital, but it adds a layer of "yin" on the basis of the wet and cold in the south of the Yangtze River.

Most of the central part of Shu is located in the Sichuan Basin, and the number of sunshine days in winter is very small, and the sun occasionally comes out once, which is the point where the people of the entire Xuzhou Mansion have to go out to bathe in the winter sun. Most of the time it was cloudy, cold outside, and even colder when you entered the house, freezing your limbs.

Gu Yunji's family is not very accustomed to this kind of climate, especially Gu Zhaoxi, who was born in the capital, as soon as the winter comes, the whole person is honest, and Cheng Den is reluctant to go out in a house with a dragon, and he is no longer like he used to run around and play crazy.

There is a dragon at home, but there is no one in the government, Gu Yunji was still a person who lived in the southwest in his previous life, and now he is inevitably frozen and doubts about his life, and he has to rely on trotting and stomping his feet every day to warm his body.

The formation of a food culture will be affected by geographical factors to a large extent, in the previous life of the Sichuan region of the climate was cloudy and humid, giving birth to Sichuan cuisine with spicy as the main feature, which can remove moisture and warm the body.

In this era, chili peppers have not yet been introduced, and most of the spicy raw materials of the people of Shu are dogwood, mustard and the like, although they can also get spicy stimulation in taste, but they are still incomparable with real chili peppers. Gu Yunji was extremely nostalgic for all kinds of spicy Sichuan dishes in his previous life, and looked forward to the news that Fan Li could bring chili seeds as soon as possible.

Finally managed to reach the beginning of spring, in February, Gu Yunji really waited for the news that Fan Li brought back, but it was not a pepper seed, but another crop.

"Potatoes?!"

Gu Yunji looked at the two large boxes of earthy yellow, different sizes, flat or oval things in front of him, what were they if they weren't potatoes?

Fan Li scratched his head: "So this is a potato?" I heard from the crew of the delivery that the Franc machine called this thing 'broken stepping', and I don't know if it was something you were looking for, but it looked very similar to what you drew on the picture, so I brought some to show you. ”

"Yes, that's what I want!" Gu Yunji was overjoyed, picked up the potatoes and looked at them again, "How did you find it?" ”

Fan Li said: "We asked all the Western merchants we could contact along the coast, and it happened that there was a fleet of Francophiles who had just come from America, and they had a 'broken stampede' on their ship that was very similar to the one in your picture, which they kept as food for the crew, and there were still two boxes that I hadn't eaten by the time I was in the summer." ”

"We had a silk business with the Franc fleet, and when they saw that we were interested, they gave us these two boxes, and said that if we still wanted them, they could bring some more."

These potatoes are native to the Americas, they have not been systematically bred and selected, they are much smaller than the potatoes in the previous life, and the shape is also very irregular, and the largest is about the same size as Gu Yunji's fist.

But it doesn't matter, how it looks is only secondary, as long as it can have the same yield as in its previous life. In the previous life, the normal yield of potatoes per mu could reach 3,000 to 5,000 catties, and individual high-yield varieties could even reach 8,000 catties.

What's more, potatoes are suitable for growing in mountainous areas, and in previous lives, they were widely cultivated throughout the southwest, and no matter how poor and miserable the place was, as long as potatoes could be grown, the local people would not starve to death.

Potatoes are high in starch and have a strong sense of satiety, and have the same status as pasta and rice as a staple food in some food-scarce areas. And its growth cycle is short, it can be harvested in two or three months, judging from the time and geographical location where Gu Yunji is now, potatoes are the most suitable for many American crops to be introduced and planted, and it can be said that God is helping him.

Gu Yunji didn't expect to find potatoes so easily, he was so happy that he didn't know what to say, but he wasn't overjoyed, although potatoes were good, they still needed to be tested and verified for large-scale introduction, and it wouldn't take much in a short time.

Maybe it's not very well preserved, some of the potatoes have already sprouted, Gu Yunji picked them out and said to Fan Li: "These are enough for the time being, keep in touch with that group of Francophone merchants, I will buy them again after a while." ”

Seeing his movements, Fan Li hurriedly reminded: "Master Gu, the Buddha Lang Jiren said that the sprouted ones can't be eaten and are poisonous." ”

Gu Yunji said: "I know, the germinated ones can't be eaten but can be planted, I picked these out and prepared to find a piece of land to plant first." In other words, it takes two or three months just to take a boat from Xuzhou Mansion to Songjiang Prefecture, and the return journey takes longer, so you actually found the potatoes so quickly and brought them over? ”

Fan Li said with a smile: "As soon as I received your commission last year, I sent the drawings to the coastal merchants, so that they could find them and bring them back with the cargo ship." As for myself, I have been staying in Xuzhou Mansion for the past few months and have not left, just to prepare for what else you have to order, my lord. ”

Gu Yunji knew that Fan Li was bothered, but he also understood that a big businessman like him didn't care about a little money, and was more willing to fight for a good reputation.

Gu Yunji patted him on the shoulder and said, "Thank you for your hard work this time, potatoes are a good thing, if you can really grow them in Xuzhou Mansion, I will definitely remember your merits, write to Your Majesty to explain your merits, and ask for a reward." ”

Fan Li guessed that potatoes must be a very important thing, but he didn't expect that they would have such a big effect, and he could actually hand his name to the emperor. For a while, he was both surprised and at a loss, and said honestly: "It's just a gesture, I don't dare to call it a credit, it is the honor of the villain to be able to help the adult, if Lord Gu still needs it in the future, just tell the villain." ”

Gu Yunji was in a good mood, and after instructing Fan Li to continue looking for other high-yield crops, he brought the potatoes back to the mansion.

These two boxes of potatoes add up to more than 100 catties, and half an acre of land is needed to plant them all, Gu Yunji has no land under the name of Xuzhou Mansion, and the land matter has to be coordinated with Yan Zhengqian and Chen Xunzhou another day.

Although Gu Yunji couldn't find land for a while, there was a garden in his official house, and it just so happened that some of these potatoes had sprouted, about ten catties, just enough to plant. Potatoes are suitable for planting in spring and autumn, and it is the beginning of February, which is the season for planting potatoes.

Gu Yunji didn't expect that he had really found a high-yield crop of potatoes, and he was very excited, just because the time and place were favorable, and he couldn't wait to try planting in his back garden.

The more he thought about it, the more Gu Yunji couldn't sit still in the mansion, and he couldn't even wait for the time to get off duty, so he went home with two boxes of potatoes.