Chapter Twenty: Sweet Potato Slices and Chips

Madam Yun smiled and said, “Madam Xie, you flatter us. This child has suffered a great deal over the years. I don’t ask that she be extraordinarily accomplished, only that she may live a steady, peaceful life in the future.”

After a round of polite exchanges, seeing that everyone had arrived, the magistrate’s wife announced their departure.

Even the order in which they set out was carefully arranged. At the front walked Madam Xie and Miss Xie, followed by Madam Yun with Wei Ruo and Wei Qingwan, then Madam Qian and Miss Qian, and behind them the wives of the assistant magistrate, the registrar, and other prominent families of Xing Shan County.

Of these ladies, by rank of their husbands, Madam Yun’s status was highest—her husband was a Regular Seventh Rank official, Wei Mingting a Conferred Sixth Rank; as for Madam Xie’s husband, he was merely a scholar who had yet to receive an official post.

However, everyone knew Wei Mingting’s current predicament, while the Xie family was in high favor, so it was Madam Xie who led the procession.

Since the purpose of today’s journey was to pray for blessings, sincerity of heart was most valued. At the magistrate’s wife’s suggestion, all chose to ascend the mountain on foot, climbing all nine hundred and ninety-nine steps from the base to the temple.

Wei Ruo followed behind Madam Yun, neither fast nor slow, matching her pace to that of the others, stopping when they stopped to rest.

She did her utmost not to stand out, not to draw attention or invite trouble.

Miss Xie took the lead, striding quickly ahead and leaving the others a good twenty or thirty steps behind, heedless of her mother’s calls.

The rest walked slowly, pausing often to rest. In this stop-and-go fashion, it took them more than half an hour to reach the gates of Fahua Temple.

The abbot was already waiting at the door with his disciples.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group entered the temple.

The magistrate’s wife had previously arranged with the abbot that Fahua Temple would not receive other worshippers today, accommodating only their group of ladies. Thus, the temple was quiet, undisturbed by outsiders.

Once inside the main hall, they began burning incense and offering prayers.

Blending into the crowd, Wei Ruo also offered a stick of incense.

Kneeling on the prayer mat, she listened to the chanting of scriptures. Half the day passed in this manner.

At midday, the group stayed at the temple for a vegetarian meal.

While waiting for the meal, they sat together in the dining hall, sipping the tea provided by the monks.

Having climbed the nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, everyone was somewhat famished, and it was already noon. But Fahua Temple observed strict dining times—no meal was served before the appointed hour. The ladies, respecting the rules, could only wait.

At this point, Wei Ruo took out the dried sweet potatoes she had prepared, offering them for everyone to try.

When Wei Ruo produced these treats, the ladies looked on with curiosity and confusion—they had never seen such a thing before.

Seeing what Wei Ruo had brought, Madam Yun couldn’t help but grow anxious. She had assumed Wei Ruo would bring common pastries, and at this hour, with everyone hungry, sharing them would have been quite appropriate.

Yet now she saw that none of the others recognized what Wei Ruo had produced, and her worry deepened. It was already too late to stop her, as the treats were already in the hands of all the ladies and young misses.

Wei Qingwan looked at Wei Ruo, then at the unfamiliar snack, her confusion matching that of the others. She said nothing, merely sitting quietly by Madam Yun’s side, watching the group’s reactions.

“Miss Wei, what is this?” Madam Qian was the first to ask.

“This is called dried sweet potato. It’s made from a plant known as sweet potato,” Wei Ruo explained patiently.

“Sweet potato? What kind of crop is that?”

“It’s a new crop, brought accidentally by merchant ships from the Southern Seas. It’s already being cultivated in Huzhou Prefecture, and many farmers there have begun growing it.”

“Is that so?” Madam Qian examined the brick-red, translucent dried sweet potato in her hand, surprise mixed with skepticism.

The other ladies were also intrigued.

Before their eyes, Wei Ruo took a piece and began to eat.

With her as an example, Madam Qian also tasted a piece, albeit tentatively.

The dried sweet potato was translucent, soft, and sweet. Though simply prepared, it retained the unique flavor of the sweet potato itself.

Seeing this, the rest soon followed suit, sampling the new “pastry” that Wei Ruo had brought.

“This tastes very good,” Madam Qian praised.

The other ladies soon echoed her praise.

“I have another kind of snack made from sweet potatoes for you to try as well,” Wei Ruo said, taking out another brocade pouch from her food box. She loosened the drawstring so the ladies could see inside.

These were sweet potato crisps—made by peeling and steaming sweet potatoes, mashing them, mixing in toasted sesame seeds, spreading the mixture thinly in molds, and sun-drying for several days. Once dry, they were cut into small pieces, resulting in crisps both in shape and texture.

The former was soft and sweet, while the latter was crisp and fragrant—so delicate that it shattered with the slightest bite, yet the aroma was even richer.

“This, too, is made from the sweet potato you mentioned?” Madam Xie asked with interest.

“Yes, it’s made from sweet potato, but prepared differently,” Wei Ruo explained.

She distributed the sweet potato crisps for everyone to taste.

Having already tried the dried sweet potato, no one hesitated this time. They immediately sampled the crisps.

“This is quite tasty as well,” Madam Qian commented.

“I prefer this one—so fragrant and crunchy,” Miss Xie, usually silent, suddenly spoke up, expressing her fondness for the crisps.

Madam Xie laughed. “My Ying rarely expresses a preference for any food. Miss Wei, your sweet potato crisps truly suit her taste.”

With Madam Qian’s and Madam Xie’s approval, the other ladies soon joined in, praising Wei Ruo’s two sweet potato delicacies.

Their approval was precisely what Wei Ruo had hoped for.

She had already planted her sweet potatoes, and once they matured, she planned to sell them locally.

To market an unfamiliar product, one must first build awareness and lay a foundation.

That was Wei Ruo’s purpose in bringing dried sweet potatoes and crisps for everyone to taste today.

As long as these ladies and young misses—representatives of Xing Shan County’s elite—approved of the food, she would have no trouble finding buyers when her harvest came in.

Madam Yun’s anxious heart was finally at ease with the chorus of praise.

Wei Qingwan felt a strange discomfort; she couldn’t quite name the feeling, only that something seemed lodged in her chest, making it hard to breathe.

As they chatted and laughed, the monks brought out the vegetarian meal. After dining together, the ladies went to the main hall to join the abbot in chanting prayers.

Because the chanting was rather monotonous, only the ladies were to attend, while the young misses were left to wander the temple as they pleased.

After half a day of restraint, they were finally free. Those who were close formed small groups to explore and amuse themselves.

Wei Ruo intended to find a quiet corner for herself, but Wei Qingwan followed her. “Sister, where do you plan to go?”