Chapter 20: Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Fang Bo Song stared in shock at the two fist-sized white sweet potatoes on the table. When he was young, he had eaten them. White sweet potatoes are juicy, they can be eaten like fruit, and when you tire of that, they can be cooked as a vegetable.

Even more exciting was that, like peanuts, white sweet potatoes grow in clusters; if there’s one, there are always more.

He hurriedly asked, “Yaoyao, where did you find these white sweet potatoes? Are there more?” If there were, they had to dig them up immediately before someone else beat them to it.

Tang Yao smiled sweetly. “Grandpa Fang, I was just about to tell you. I found a whole patch of sweet potatoes on the mountain. I dug a lot this afternoon, but they were too heavy for me to carry.”

“That’s perfect! Let’s go right away.”

The men at the table were thrilled, so excited that they didn’t even eat. They rushed back inside to fetch baskets to carry the potatoes.

Tong Lingxian and Wu Meixia followed, first taking the rice back inside and locking the door, pretending that everyone was already asleep. Then, carrying Fang Mingxi, the group sneaked up toward Maple Leaf Mountain.

At night, the mountain path was even harder to traverse. In the pitch darkness, the group couldn’t see the trail, and one misstep could mean a fall.

But despite the difficulty, no one hesitated. Their eyes shone with the excitement of the food they were about to get.

Soon, the group reached the mountain. In the darkness, they couldn’t see exactly how many sweet potatoes there were. All they could rely on was the faint moonlight revealing a vast patch of lush green vines.

No one dared to light a lamp. They dug with whatever tools they could find. Old Yu had a hoe, though it was chipped, it was the most practical tool they had.

Old Yu started digging while the others gathered the scattered sweet potatoes into baskets.

Fang Mingxi, riding on Tong Lingxian’s back, kept a close eye on Old Yu. Of course, the ground didn’t contain any real sweet potatoes, only the leaves of the vines poked through.

Taking advantage of Old Yu’s poor visibility, Fang Mingxi quietly slipped the white sweet potatoes from her backpack, vines and all, into the patch of fake sweet potatoes each time his hoe struck the ground.

With one swing, Old Yu unearthed a whole patch of white sweet potatoes. He froze, thinking the ground was unusually generous; he hadn’t considered that someone might be helping him.

Once the baskets were full, the group made several trips down the mountain to transport the sweet potatoes.

After over half an hour, the patch of sweet potatoes had been completely harvested.

She closed her eyes in dismay. She had hoped that with so many white sweet potatoes, the small cart could be unlocked tonight. But she discovered that the mushrooms she had placed in the backpack yesterday were locked.

Not exactly locked, they could be taken out individually, but they couldn’t be mixed with the white sweet potatoes.

In other words, any food put into the backpack could not be mixed with food; only food stored in the counter basket could be added.

Putting food into the backpack meant Grandpa and Grandma would go without dinner tonight. If they missed the optimal timing, she couldn’t explain why the food appeared out of nowhere.

Leaving the food outside would halt the cart’s progress, but everyone could eat their fill.

Fang Mingxi hesitated for a moment before choosing the latter. Eating full meals was the priority. Tonight, they had dozens of pounds of white sweet potatoes, enough for now. If necessary, she could postpone taking out other food for a few days; unlocking the cart could wait.

After Fang Bo Song and the others finished digging, they couldn’t leave the soil exposed. They cleared the vines completely, even the roots, and buried the earth again.

The group stamped the soil a few times, leaving the area looking untouched. Fortunately, this was the north side of Maple Leaf Mountain. Apart from the people living at the foot of the mountain, almost no one came here, giving them some security.

Once back inside, everyone gathered in Wu Meixia’s house, lighting an oil lamp to illuminate their waxy yellow faces.

On the floor lay at least fifty sweet potatoes, each weighing at least a pound. With eight adults and two children in the cattle shed, everyone could get five sweet potatoes each.

If rationed carefully, five to six pounds could last half a month; with stricter savings, twenty days wouldn’t be a problem.

After a bountiful evening, everyone quickly ate dinner and divided the sweet potatoes, but they were unsure where to store the extra food.

After today’s events, no one dared leave the precious food inside the house. They needed to hide it carefully.

Zhong Zhicheng, who had been here the longest, suggested hiding the food outside. There should be caves on the mountain; if not, they could dig a cellar.

Although riskier, this was better than having someone ransack the cattle shed again.

Even if the food outside was taken, others wouldn’t suspect them. But if it stayed inside, they’d be caught for sure.

He also suggested hiding food in multiple locations to prevent it all from being taken at once.

Everyone agreed. The principle of “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” was well known, and this approach made perfect sense.

So, in the dead of night, the group, brimming with excitement, carried the food out without sleep.

Luckily, luck was on their side. After circling Maple Leaf Mountain, they finally found a deep pit in the forest.

The pit seemed to be an abandoned trap, filled with dry leaves, branches, and debris.

Fang Bo Song and the others cleaned it out and placed the sweet potatoes inside, separated neatly. They then covered the pit with branches, leaves, and soil, disguising it so it blended with the ground.

Once satisfied that the pit wouldn’t collapse, they continued searching for other hiding spots.

After a night of busy work and double-checking, the group finally agreed to return home.

As dawn approached, they felt no sleepiness. After a quick wash, they headed to work.

Upon reaching the fields, Fang Bo Song was surprised to see Wang Dazhu had arrived even earlier. He was cutting rice with a sickle, while Niu Dacao worked beside him.

He Daixing and He Jun stood on the field ridges, speaking quietly among themselves.

What was going on? Fang Bo Song’s group froze, and the other workers were equally dumbfounded.

“What’s happening? Wang Dazhu is actually working, it’s surprising.”

“Didn’t you hear about yesterday? Wang Dazhu swore the reform members were hiding forbidden books and accused the Brigade Leader of protecting them. In the end, nothing was found, but it enraged the Brigade Leader.”

“Wang Dazhu’s too much! The Brigade Leader would never cover for anyone.”

“Exactly! So the Brigade Leader ordered that Wang Dazhu must earn full work points today, or all his points would be reset. This is the brigade’s punishment for him.”

“Good! Finally, Wang Dazhu is being disciplined…”

Fang Bo Song and the others were quietly pleased. They didn’t show it outwardly, but it felt good inside.

The Brigade Leader was truly a good person.

Wang Dazhu, aware of the whispers, looked up and saw the group on the field ridge. His eyes darkened, and gritting his teeth, he continued cutting rice.

He Daixing and everyone in the cattle shed, just wait.