From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 863: Chapter 866: Estimation

Seeing Gu Ben Can looking so certain, Gu Sanbu asked with a smile, "You’re speaking with such certainty, kid. Have you already tasted it?"

Gu Ben Can broke into a wide grin. "Of course. I had to try it first to see how it tastes before introducing it to you elders.

"Don’t worry, the taste is quite good. I’ll pick out a few tender ones for you in a bit."

Hearing him say this, Gu Sanbu and the others looked forward to it, but Gu Sanbu anxiously said, "Pick a few? If this is truly edible and yields as well as it looks, we need to save some for seeds.

"Just boil one. It’ll be enough for everyone to just have a taste."

Li Cuicui also hastily chimed in, "Yes, just one is enough for everyone to have two kernels each. It’s so big, we should be able to taste it."

Gu Ben Can didn’t give them a chance to react. With both hands moving at once, he snapped off several ears of corn in an instant. This frightened Li Cuicui into quickly reaching out to stop him. "That’s enough, that’s enough! We just need a taste. We can’t let ourselves ruin such a rare thing..."

Only then did Gu Ben Can chuckle and stop. "I’ll listen to you, Grandma. Whatever you say goes."

The crowd fell silent. They thought, "If you’re so obedient, you shouldn’t say that only after doing the damage." Only Li Cuicui looked touched by his words.

Gu Ben Can didn’t even peel off the outer husks. Holding the freshly snapped ears of corn, he threw them directly into the pot.

"That’s it?" His actions left everyone dumbfounded. Didn’t it need to be dried? Didn’t it need to be husked? He just threw it straight into the pot to boil?

"So it’s just like those vegetables; we just boil it and eat it?" Seeing this, Gu Yi couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. This meant the crop couldn’t be stored for long, so it couldn’t serve as a proper grain.

Gu Ben Can picked one out of the pot and peeled back the husk to reveal the cob inside. "Of course, it can also be dried and stored. I’m just cooking it simply right now so everyone can get a taste first."

As he said this, he felt a little guilty. The seeds had been dried back then, after all...

"Have you been eating this behind our backs?" Gu Yi breathed a sigh of relief, in a rare mood to joke with him.

"How could I?" Gu Ben Can said with a straight face. "I’ve only secretly boiled it two or three times. No more than that."

"You kid..." Gu Yi pointed at him, not knowing what to say.

Gu Ben Can continued, "So don’t worry, everyone. I’ve already tested it for you. You can eat it with peace of mind."

Xie Ruyi looked at the few acres of land. "So the reason these boys run up the mountain all day is for this thing.

"When I asked them, they were acting all mysterious. Did Qianqian get someone to find these seeds? You just let them mess around with it. Aren’t you afraid of wasting them?"

Jin Qianqian smiled and said, "You all know that Cancan is a bit erratic. I just happened to get the seeds by chance, and he wanted to try planting them. I didn’t expect him to actually make something out of it.

"It’s also because his older brothers spoil him and let him do whatever he wants. Luckily, he achieved some results, otherwise all these children’s efforts would have been in vain."

"That just shows how close the brothers are," Liu Liu and the other women said. They were more than happy to see their children getting along so well with Gu Ben Can and his brother.

Their husbands and Gu Wenheng were blood brothers, but by the next generation, the family ties would inevitably grow more distant.

It was hard to tell with Gu Ben Can right now, but Gu Benluo would definitely take the imperial examinations in the future. Backed by Gu Wenheng’s connections, his prospects would certainly be bright.

Observing the mourning period for Gu Dashi this time was also a good opportunity for these younger generations to bond.

It didn’t take long before everyone could smell a fresh, sweet fragrance in the air.

At this moment, everyone stopped observing the field and gathered around the stove.

"This smells pretty good, much more fragrant than boiled rice. I wonder how it tastes?" The person who spoke licked their lips, as if they could taste the corn just from the aroma in the air.

"Will it be ruined if we just boil it like this?" someone asked doubtfully, having never seen a crop thrown directly into a pot before.

Estimating that the time was about right, Gu Ben Can used two sticks to fish the corn out of the pot.

This was based on the experience he had gained from boiling it a few times. Once the husks changed color, the corn was pretty much done.

"It’s done already? It hasn’t been in the pot for very long. It’s so big, I hope it doesn’t upset our stomachs." Gu Yi stood on his tiptoes. No matter how curious he was, he didn’t dare step ahead of his grandfather.

"If it boils any longer, it won’t be sweet anymore," Gu Ben Can said as he fished out the corn. Gu Letian, who was standing to the side, also pitched in to help.

Their whole group couldn’t just stand there and watch Cancan do all the work. Besides, he also wanted to taste the corn sooner.

As the husks were peeled back, the steaming, fresh aroma spread even further, and the anticipation in everyone’s eyes grew stronger.

With so many people present, it was impossible to give everyone a whole ear. Gu Benluo helped his younger brother chop the husked corn into small sections and placed them in a basin.

Gule Shun eagerly carried the basin around. Starting with the oldest elders, everyone took a piece before it was the younger boys’ turn.

Although it was a bit scalding to the touch, no one wanted to let go, tossing the hot corn back and forth between their hands.

No one took a bite first, afraid of making a fool of themselves.

Being stared at by so many people, Gu Ben Can remained unfazed. He playfully picked up a piece of corn and took a bite. "Not bad. It tastes even better than yesterday."

At the same time, he thought, "The taste is slightly different every time. It seems I’ll need to keep experimenting."

He quietly decided that he would boil one every day from now on, satisfying his cravings while keeping good notes.

Jin Qianqian occasionally treated herself to extra meals in her spatial domain, so she wasn’t actually craving this corn all that much.

However, since this was cultivated single-handedly by her son, it was naturally special to her. She took small, delicate bites.

Even though it wasn’t like the improved varieties of modern times, she found it exceptionally fragrant and sweet.

The others mimicked the mother and son, eating with utmost appreciation.

With every bite, they chewed and swallowed carefully. This was a delicacy they had never experienced before.

"I wonder how much an acre of this can yield?" Having been an old farmer his entire life, Gu Sanbu was far more concerned about the yield.

Gu Ben Can had already done the math. "If we don’t dry it, the yield should be around seven to eight hundred catties per acre."

As for the dried weight, he couldn’t calculate it yet since he hadn’t put it into practice.

"What?" Hearing this number, many people almost dropped the corn in their hands.

Everyone turned back to look at the mountain plot. Could such barren land really produce such a harvest?

"Are your calculations accurate, kid?" Gu Yi asked, taking a deep breath. "This is nothing to joke about."

Gu Ben Can glanced at the corn in everyone’s hands. "This is just my estimate. We won’t know the exact amount until the harvest comes in."

In truth, he had given the most conservative estimate, afraid that something unexpected might happen and he would end up having to eat his words.

Gu Yi looked back and silently ran the numbers in his head. Suddenly, his expression changed. "We can’t let word of this get out yet. We need to send a letter to Shangjing right away."

Jin Qianqian quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She had been wondering how to remind them, but to her surprise, someone else caught on first.

She turned to look at her two sons. They were still a bit too young and didn’t think far enough ahead.

Gu Benluo also realized the implications, but a hint of shame flickered in his eyes. He still had a lot to learn, after all.