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“These sweet potatoes are from an outer domain, no wonder Father and Mother don’t recognize them. I asked my mother’s family to get some of the seeds from the outer domain, and we planted some at Zhuangzi. This is the first harvest. Take these back with you to try something new,” Su Wenyue said cheerfully, and she even taught Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang a few ways to eat sweet potatoes.

Actually, most of what was grown in Su Wenyue’s Zhuangzi were sweet potatoes, along with other exotic crops from the outer domains. Because the farm was managed by experienced hands and Su Wenyue was willing to invest, the crops grew exceptionally well. And true to their reputation as the ‘sacred object’ that Consort Li offered to Emperor Wu in a previous life, the sweet potatoes yielded an astonishingly high harvest and were not picky about the soil. Su Wenyue had long given instructions for many storage cellars to be dug, and they were now filled with sweet potatoes, so many that they could not possibly finish them all. However, she wouldn’t tell Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang about this.

To Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang, something from an outer domain was indeed a rarity; no wonder they had never seen it before. It looked quite odd, but according to the Fourth Daughter-in-law, it seemed to taste delicious, although they had no idea what it actually tasted like.

“Fourth Daughter-in-law, since these things come from the outer domain, they must be very precious. You’ve filled several sacks for us, but there’s no need to take so much. Your mother and I will just take a few to try the novelty; the rest should be kept for yourselves,” Old Man Han said, not knowing these were valuable items from outer domains. He had been silent when his daughter-in-law was loading the cart, but now he refused to take so much, not wanting his daughter-in-law to spend so much.

Hearing about the origin of these ‘lumps of earth,’ Mrs. Yang shared her husband’s sentiment. Such precious things should just be sampled for novelty by them, the rest should be left for the Fourth child and his wife to enjoy, lest they waste good things.

“Father, Mother, this is a special tribute from Husband and me. We have more at Zhuangzi, and if we run out, we can have more sent from there,” Su Wenyue said. Since the distribution of the family assets, she hadn’t kept the affairs of Zhuangzi a secret, but Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang had assumed it was just a small farm and were neither too surprised nor too concerned. Considering the doting nature of in-laws and mother’s love for her daughter, it was normal for a daughter-in-law to receive a farm as part of her dowry.

“Alright then, in that case we’ll take them back, let everyone try this novelty from the outer domain and broaden their horizons.”

When Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang heard Su Wenyue say this, they didn’t insist any further. Everyone likes good things, and since their daughter-in-law still had plenty, they would take them back. Mrs. Yang even harbored some thoughts of showing off in front of others; taking the opportunity of their rare visit to Xinluo Town to see their official son, it would be prestigious to bring back something novel for everyone. They could give a few sweet potatoes to their acquaintances, letting everyone taste the novelty from the outer domain.

It had been a long time since Su Wenyue had eaten the newly arrived sweet potatoes, and she was feeling nostalgic for the taste. She specifically instructed the kitchen on how to prepare the sweet potatoes, and not only Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang, but even Han Yu praised them for being delicious. The sweet potatoes were sweet and soft, exceptionally aromatic, and could be made into so many snacks.

“Fourth Daughter-in-law, these sweet potatoes are truly delicious. They look like simple lumps of earth, but when steamed they turn golden yellow, beautiful and tasty. Your parents-in-law owe you thanks for letting us taste such precious things. Since they come from an outer domain, I’m afraid even the emperor in the golden hall hasn’t tasted them yet.” Mrs. Yang mused with some pride.

Su Wenyue felt that Mrs. Yang’s words were a bit off. If it was heard that they had eaten something even the emperor hadn’t, and someone with ulterior motives got wind of it, it could become a means of accusation and a serious offense. But with Han Yu present, she as the daughter-in-law did not want to be the villain and acted as though she hadn’t heard anything.

Han Yu frowned. “Mother, you mustn’t talk nonsense. The Emperor is not someone we can mention lightly. If someone hears you saying this, our whole family could be dragged off to be beheaded. Troubles start from the tongue!”

“This… what?” The idea that a simple comment like that could lead to beheading stunned Mrs. Yang, leaving her somewhat frightened, and the smile vanished from her face. She looked genuinely scared — the matters of officialdom were indeed complicated, and a casually misspoken word could lead to heavy penalties.

Han Hu deliberately exaggerated the situation to make sure Mrs. Yang understood the seriousness. It wasn’t that he was trying to scare his mother. If someone with ulterior motives really heard such comments, it would indeed be a big trouble, and it was also a reminder for his mother to be cautious with words in the future.

“Mother, I’m not trying to scare you, but it’s different now that your son is an official. There are so many eyes watching behind the scenes, waiting to catch me on a misstep. One small blunder could lead to disaster.”

“I understand, I understand, don’t worry. From now on, Mother won’t talk carelessly!” If Su Wenyue had said this, Mrs. Yang might have doubted whether her daughter-in-law was using it as a scare tactic. But coming from her own son, Mrs. Yang didn’t question it at all, nodding repeatedly and assuring him eagerly, fearful of inadvertently causing trouble for the whole family.

Seeing Mrs. Yang frightened by Han Yu’s words, the diligent daughter-in-law Su Wenyue naturally wanted to console her: “Mother, Husband was just making a point. Don’t be afraid, we are all family here. Whatever is said won’t be spread outside. Just be a bit more careful in the future.”

“That’s right, Mother will listen to you.” At that moment, Mrs. Yang thought even more highly of her daughter-in-law, who not only brought them so much to take back but also helped her save face in front of her son, heaping praises on Su Wenyue. She even told Han Yu to take good care of Su Wenyue, her affection seeming boundless, and she almost seemed reluctant to leave.

Su Wenyue was someone who responded better to a soft approach than a hard one. When her mother-in-law was nitpicky, she genuinely disliked the unreasonable old lady. But now that her mother-in-law was kind to her, she felt slightly regretful for having been so confrontational and resorted to petty tactics previously. She became even warmer towards her mother-in-law.

Knowing that her father-in-law and mother-in-law wanted to give away sweet potatoes as gifts, Su Wenyue specifically asked the kitchen to hurriedly fry several pots of sweet potato balls, made with glutinous rice flour and filled with sweet stuffing. They were crunchy on the outside, yet soft and gooey inside, extra sweet and tasty. She packed them in two clean baskets and gave Mrs. Yang a stack of paper bags for giving them away, which were convenient, presentable, and attractive. Mrs. Yang felt there couldn’t be a more considerate daughter-in-law.

“Fourth Daughter-in-law, these sweet potato balls are really delicious, fragrant, crispy, sweet, and chewy. Even the snack shops in the county town don’t have anything this good,” Mrs. Yang said, unable to resist another sweet potato ball, eating it with evident delight.

“Mother, it’s good that you like it, but this freshly made snack is hot and eating too much of it can cause heartburn. You should let it cool before eating.”

“I know, I know. It’s just so delicious I can hardly resist,” Mrs. Yang giggled, helping the servant girl and maid pack the sweet potato balls, readying them to be loaded onto the horse carriage.

“Father, Mother, please take care on your journey, and visit us more often when you have time.”