Chapter 11: If We're Making Up For It, Let's All Do It Together

"Anqi, where did you dig these up from?" Ning Qingqiu looked up at Tong Anqi.

"Third Aunt, we just dug them up on the mountain. There are plenty more there..."

Tong Anqi told the truth, spilling everything out at once—how they went up the mountain, how they encountered these sweet potatoes, and even what Tong Annian had said about them being edible; he held nothing back.

"Third Sister-in-law, what is this?" Song Yu, the fourth daughter-in-law, looked at Ning Qingqiu’s excited expression and knew it must be something good.

"It’s a good thing. Father, Mother, this is called a sweet potato. It’s delicious, easy to store, and won't go bad even if kept for the whole winter. If there really are as many as Anqi says, then we won't have to go hungry this winter."

Ning Qingqiu looked up at Old Master Tong and his wife. Upon hearing this, they were also stirred with excitement. Heaven was not forsaking them!

Old Madam Tong took a few sweet potatoes, washed them, peeled them, cut them into segments, and brought them out for everyone to taste.

The sweet potatoes were crisp and juicy, with a hint of sweetness; they were truly delicious.

"Get ready, we’re all going up the mountain to dig for these sweet potatoes." Old Master Tong waved his hand, and Tong Zhengye and the others immediately stood up, ready to set off.

Tong Annian hurriedly stretched out her small hand to stop them. Why were these people so impulsive?

"Grandpa, there are too many people right now. If we just go like this, everyone will definitely find out. By then, will there be any left for our family?"

The others didn't know why Tong Annian was stopping them, but Tong Anqi understood and hurriedly voiced their concerns.

Hearing this, Old Master Tong calmed down.

Although they were all fellow villagers, in this time of drought, food was scarce. For the sake of a bite to eat, people wouldn't care about much else; they would only swarm in to snatch it.

"Grandpa, dig a cellar. The leaves can be eaten too, and we can share them with everyone."

Tong Annian slowly voiced her thoughts. Old Master Tong thought about it and felt that what Tong Annian said made sense.

He picked up Tong Annian, kissed her face firmly, and began discussing the location of the cellar with his three sons. In the end, they decided to dig it in the open space between the two houses.

The whole family worked together, digging until midnight, and finally managed to excavate a decent-sized cellar, enough to store quite a bit of food.

After eating a little something, the family went to rest. Before dawn the next day, Old Master Tong took the able-bodied men of the family and left.

Tong Annian and Old Madam Tong stayed at home. Bored, Tong Annian entered the space again.

The sweet potatoes inside had all been planted outside, and the space had returned to the state it was in when she first entered—without a trace of vitality.

"Master, Zero has collected some seeds. If you need to continue planting, please give the order." Zero’s mechanical, doll-like voice rang in Tong Annian’s ears.

Tong Annian smiled lightly. Zero was very efficient. A look that didn't belong to a child appeared on her face.

"Not for now. Let's wait until they bring those sweet potatoes back. Zero, did you find anything good on the mountain yesterday?"

"Reporting to Master, no. Zero’s detection range is limited; I can only detect things within a one-kilometer radius. Yesterday, I only found some common medicinal herbs and wild vegetables; there was nothing else."

When she left the house yesterday, Tong Annian had reminded Zero to keep an eye out for anything valuable nearby.

For the past few days at home, she had been eating nothing but wild vegetables, wild vegetable soup, or wild vegetable buns every day. She was about to turn into a wild vegetable herself.

Actually, Tong Annian was doing okay; she had an egg every day to nourish her body, but the others had nothing. Eating things with no nutritional value every day, how could their bodies hold up?

Therefore, she wanted to earn money to buy something delicious and nutritious to nourish everyone. If they were going to nourish their bodies, they should all do it together; what was the point of her doing it alone?