Chapter 143 - 135: Potato Poisoning

Chapter 143: Chapter 135: Potato Poisoning

"Ma’am, the poisonings happened because people ate earth melons that had sprouted. As long as they haven’t turned green or sprouted, they’re perfectly safe. But once they turn green and sprout, they become toxic. Please remember that, and make sure to tell every customer. We don’t want anyone else to die from this."

The old woman’s eyes widened when she heard this, and she slapped her thigh. "No wonder! My little grandson roasted and ate a sprouted earth melon not long ago. That same night, he was vomiting and had diarrhea. He was sick all night long! We had to get medicine from the doctor before he slowly recovered. So that’s what it was—a sprouted earth melon!"

Bai Zhi nodded. "Exactly. You have to be careful from now on. Don’t hesitate to throw them out."

The old woman sighed. "What choice do I have? We have a small mountain of earth melons at home. My family tries to sell them every single day, but we can’t move any of them. No one in Qingyuan Town will eat earth melons anymore. I doubt anyone would take them even if they were free."

Bai Zhi said quickly, "Ma’am, I’ll take all of your earth melons."

A flash of joy crossed the old woman’s face, but she quickly shook her head. "No, no. You’re a young lady, what would you do with so many? You don’t need to buy them just out of pity for an old woman like me."

Bai Zhi grinned. "Ma’am, this isn’t out of pity. I’m planning to plant earth melons in my own fields. That’s why I came to the market today—to buy them."

The old woman waved her hands in dismissal. "You can’t plant them! Nobody eats earth melons anymore. If you plant them, you’ll be ruining yourself!"

Bai Zhi said, "Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’m sure that, in time, more and more people will come to love earth melons."

Seeing the serious look on her face, the old woman realized she wasn’t joking and stopped trying to dissuade her. "Fine, have it your way. People have to hit a wall before they learn to turn back. If you want to plant them, go ahead."

The old woman lifted the two baskets of earth melons and brought them over. "Take them. Just give me twenty coppers for the lot."

’Two coppers a pound... so twenty coppers would be for ten pounds. But I just lifted one of these baskets. Forget both of them, even one basket weighs more than ten pounds.’

She took a piece of broken silver from her pouch and pressed it into the old woman’s hand. "Ma’am, this is the money for the earth melon. Please take it." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

The old woman saw how much silver it was and wouldn’t accept it. Just as she was about to refuse, Bai Zhi pressed another piece of broken silver into her hand. It was a hefty piece, too. "This is for the two baskets. Please don’t refuse, you’ve earned it. I have to go now. Take care, Ma’am."

She turned and followed Hu Feng, slipping into the crowd and quickly vanishing from the old woman’s view.

The old woman’s eyes welled with tears. She let out a long sigh, trying to spot the girl in the crowd, but she couldn’t see a thing.

After carrying the two baskets of earth melons back to the ox-cart, Hu Feng pointed at them and asked, "Are you really going to plant these?"

Bai Zhi nodded. "Of course. Do I look like I’m joking?"

"But this stuff can kill people. Even if you plant it, who’s going to buy it? Are you planning to let it all rot in the fields?"

Bai Zhi smiled. "I have my own plans. You don’t need to worry. If I’m going to plant them, it means I’ve already figured out what to do next. Relax."

Hu Feng snorted. ’Why should I be worried?’ he thought. ’It’s none of my business anyway.’

The two of them headed back into the market to buy some vegetables and meat, but to their surprise, all the butchers’ stalls were sold out. They couldn’t find so much as a scrap of pork rind.

"Excuse me," Bai Zhi asked a butcher who was closing up his stall. "Is today a special occasion? It’s not that late, but how is all the meat already sold out?"

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