BDSMST -Chapter 48 The Joy of Digging Sweet Potatoes for the First Time

The autumn sun shone warmly on everyone.

On the eastern slope, rows upon rows of sweet potato vines had grown lush and thick. Wei Ziqian, Qian Duoduo, and the others were already waiting at the edge of the field, carrying hoes and shovels on their shoulders.

“Boss! You finally made it! We’ve been waiting forever!” Wei Ziqian shouted.

“What are you yelling for? Didn’t you see my grandfather and grandmother are here? Show some manners!” Gu Xuan scolded in an exaggerated adult tone, then immediately switched to a bright smile as he turned to the old marquis and marquise. “Grandfather, Grandmother, look! This whole area is sweet potatoes we planted!”

He swept his arm wide in a grand circle, pride impossible to hide in his voice.

The old marquis looked over the neatly managed slope and nodded. He could imagine how much sweat these half-grown boys had poured into turning this barren hillside into fertile land.

“How do you dig them?” he asked proactively, a trace of curiosity in his voice.

Gu Xuan perked up even more. He grabbed a smaller hoe and demonstrated personally.

“Watch carefully! First, use the hoe to loosen the soil around it. Be careful not to damage the sweet potatoes. Then—”

He tossed aside the hoe, crouched down, grabbed the thick base of the vine with both hands, and gave a hard tug.

“Hah!”

With his shout, a large cluster of purple-skinned sweet potatoes came up from the soil. Some were as thick as a forearm; others were fist-sized—round, plump, and hanging together like a bunch of purple grapes.

“Wow!”

Qian Duoduo and the others gasped. Though they had helped plant them, this was their first time witnessing the harvest with their own eyes.

“Look how big they are!”

“There are so many! This bunch must weigh seven or eight jin!”

Gu Xuan held up the heavy cluster, his smile brighter than the sun above. He lifted it before his grandfather like presenting his proudest trophy.

“Grandfather! Look!”

The old marquis gazed at the mud-covered sweet potatoes, then at his grandson’s small face shining with sweat in the sunlight. The stern lines of his face softened considerably.

“Mm. Not bad.” He reached out and lightly patted the largest sweet potato.

That single gesture ignited everyone’s enthusiasm.

“I want to dig too!” Wei Ziqian snatched a hoe and charged into the field.

“Me too! I’m going to find the biggest one!” Qian Duoduo followed.

Even Shen Qingyue, who had been quietly standing beside the old madam, couldn’t resist stepping forward, her little face full of longing.

The old madam smiled warmly. “Yue’er wants to try too? Let your brother help you.”

Shen Qinghe quickly found a small shovel and led his sister to a patch of soft soil at the edge of the field, carefully beginning to dig.

Soon, the entire slope echoed with youthful laughter and the rhythmic sounds of hoes striking soil.

The old madam’s smile never faded as she watched the vibrant scene. She turned to say something to the old marquis—only to find that at some point, he had taken a hoe from one of the farmhands.

Rolling up his sleeves, he walked to an untouched row and, imitating Gu Xuan’s earlier movements, began awkwardly loosening the soil.

His leg bore an old battlefield injury, and prolonged standing or exertion was ill-advised. Yet now he stood like an ordinary farmer, swinging the hoe again and again with focused determination.

Jiang Suisui stood not far away, quietly observing. She neither stepped forward nor stopped him.

She knew the old marquis was not merely digging sweet potatoes.

He was personally uncovering and confirming everything his grandson had gained here—the simple joy and sense of accomplishment born from being connected to the land.

Before long, the old marquis dug up a cluster of his own. Though not as large as Gu Xuan’s, when he lifted the string of sweet potatoes from the soil, a faint smile—so faint even he did not notice—appeared on his usually stern face.

“Grandfather is amazing!” Gu Xuan ran over immediately, cheering loudly.

Praised by his grandson, the old marquis felt secretly pleased, though he only snorted. “It’s nothing much.”

Yet his hands did not stop; he moved on to the next patch.

Soon, the harvested sweet potatoes piled into a small mountain at the edge of the field.

Gu Xuan directed Wei Ziqian and the others to dig a shallow pit, prop up several large stones, and ignite dry grass and twigs. A simple roasting oven was quickly assembled.

He selected a few of the best-looking sweet potatoes, wiped off the mud, and carefully buried them beneath the hot ashes.

“You have to let them cook slowly in the residual heat,” he explained solemnly to his curious grandmother. “That way the skin gets slightly charred and fragrant, and the inside turns sweet and soft, almost oozing.”

The old madam nodded, smiling. “Our Xuan’er is an expert farmer now.”

Waiting felt long, but for the boys immersed in fun, it was filled with delight. They chased and played around the fire, turning sweet potato digging into a grand celebration.

At last, a rich, caramelized sweetness drifted from the fire.

“They’re ready! They’re ready!”

Using a wooden stick, Gu Xuan pulled out the sweet potatoes, their skins slightly blackened from roasting.

Ignoring the heat, he wrapped them in large leaves and weighed one in his hand.

He inspected each sweet potato carefully, like selecting precious gems. Finally, he chose two—one roasted perfectly, golden throughout and fragrant; the other slightly overdone in one small spot.

Holding the two sweet potatoes, he stood there hesitating for a moment.

Then he made a move that surprised everyone.