Red Heart Potatoes were shorter and fatter than the white-fleshed kind, but they were delicious when roasted—soft and chewy.
As for the Purple Heart Potatoes on the other side, they were smaller—even smaller than the Red Heart Potatoes—and their yield wasn’t as high.
Yun Jiao only dug up two plants, but she still got about ten potatoes.
She couldn’t carry them all in one go.
Her small, fair face was smudged with some dirt, making her look a little messy, but it didn’t detract from her cuteness.
"Grandpa Mu, can you toss a basket down to me?"
"What a hassle," Old Man Mu grumbled, but he still directed Big Black to carry a basket over.
Big Black didn’t just toss the basket down. Instead, he ran to Yun Jiao’s side with the basket in his mouth, his tail wagging happily.
Yun Jiao patted his head. "Good boy, Big Black."
Then she placed all the potatoes into the basket.
She picked up her small hoe, stood up, and started walking back up. Big Black followed beside her, carrying the basket in his mouth.
"Where are we going to roast the sweet potatoes?"
Old Man Mu glanced at her. "Go wash your hands and face."
"Oh."
She obediently did as she was told, even taking the sweet potatoes with her to wash them.
When she returned, her fourth brother came out of the house carrying a small stove.
"Jiaojiao, Master said you should roast the sweet potatoes up here. I’ll get a fire started for you."
Sweet potatoes needed to be slow-roasted to cook through completely.
Coincidentally, Old Man Mu usually used this very stove to roast things like sweet potatoes and regular potatoes.
Even though Old Man Mu lived alone, he led a rather comfortable life.
Once the stove was hot, they put the prepared sweet potatoes inside, closed the lid, and waited.
"Where’s Grandpa Mu?"
Yun Chenbei clapped the dust off his hands. "Master went inside."
Just as he said that, the man emerged.
He was holding something in his hand.
At the sight of the object in his hand, not only Yun Jiao’s but also Yun Chenbei’s eyes suddenly lit up.
With identical expressions of wonder, both of them drew closer.
In Mr. Mu’s hand was a white, spherical object.
But the sphere was covered in countless exquisite, carved patterns that looked incredibly complex at a single glance.
Most importantly, inside that sphere were several nested, rotatable spheres, each also covered in complex, carved patterns.
And yet, the inner spheres hadn’t been pushed inside; they had been carved from within a single, solid piece, one layer at a time.
"It’s so beautiful."
Aside from pearls and gemstones, this was the most beautiful work of art Yun Jiao had ever seen.
Its beauty was different from that of a natural pearl; it was a visual feast born from carving and polishing.
Mr. Mu sat down, put on his glasses, and picked up a carving tool that looked like a hairpin to continue his work.
Yun Chenbei watched from the side, completely mesmerized.
Yun Jiao cupped her little face in her hands, also watching with intense focus.
This object was called a Ghost Craft Ball, a name alluding to supernatural craftsmanship.
It was made by polishing ivory into a sphere and then gradually carving it.
To be able to carve such a small ivory ball into multiple layers—each one a perfect, movable sphere with its own exquisite patterns—was nothing short of supernatural craftsmanship.
Old Man Mu carved very slowly. "I’m old and useless now. A ball like this takes me more than a year to finish these days."
But in truth, it wasn’t because he was old; it was because his hand was injured.
Before his hand was injured, he could complete a fifteen-layer Ghost Craft Ball in just five or six months.
After the injury, the fine, detailed carving technique required him to stop and rest after working for only a short while, so the process took much longer.
But when he took on a commission for one of these, the payment was enough to support him for several years.
This was also why, although he was a carpenter, the villagers rarely saw him do any woodwork, and yet he could support himself without going clamming or doing much other work.
He wasn’t just a carpenter; he was also a sculptor.
"You like it, huh?"
Mr. Mu looked at Yun Jiao.
Yun Jiao nodded honestly. Of course she liked something so beautiful.
"If you like it, then have your brother hurry up and learn. He can carve one for you in the future."
"This one belongs to someone else. I can’t give it to you."
Yun Jiao mumbled, "It’s not like I asked for it."
"Brother, you have to study hard, okay?"
Yun Chenbei nodded, his eyes shining as he stared at the Ghost Craft Ball.
Clearly, even if Yun Jiao hadn’t said anything, he was determined to master it himself.
The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes drifted over, and Yun Jiao trotted over to check on them.
Worried she might burn herself, Yun Chenbei went over to help.
"The sweet potatoes are ready."
The fragrant roasted sweet potatoes were very soft to the touch, a sign they were cooked through.
They took the roasted potatoes out and set them aside. They were so hot that whenever Yun Jiao touched one, she had to press her hand to her ear.
She didn’t know the principle behind it, but pressing her hand to her ear really did cool it down quickly.
"Grandpa Mu, have a roasted sweet potato."
Mr. Mu said, "Let them cool down."
The freshly roasted sweet potatoes were scorching. Only after they had cooled for a while did the three of them sit down, each taking one to eat.
Yun Jiao broke hers open in the middle, revealing beautiful, orange-red flesh that gave off a sweet aroma.
One bite was soft, chewy, and sweet. It was absolutely delicious.
Eating these would be even better in the winter.
Yun Jiao gave one to Big Black and one to Cat Boss.
Big Black ate his quickly.
Cat Boss, however, just tucked its paws in and watched from the side.
A cat’s tongue is very sensitive, and the sweet potato was still a bit too hot for it. It would wait until it cooled down more.
After Yun Jiao finished the flesh of her sweet potato, she tossed the skin to Big Black.
She threw it, and before the skin could even hit the ground, Big Black opened his mouth and caught it with ease.
Big Black also took care of the skins from Yun Chenbei’s and Old Man Mu’s sweet potatoes.
"I’m going to try this purple one."
This was her first time seeing a Purple Heart Potato.
After breaking it open, she saw that the inside was indeed a pale purple.
It wasn’t as soft and chewy as the red-hearted one, but this one was starchy and crumbly.
Yun Jiao quite liked this texture.
"Brother, try this one, it’s delicious!"
"Grandpa Mu, when you harvest these Purple Heart Potatoes, can you save some slips for me? I want to ask my mom to plant some too."
Old Man Mu grunted in agreement.
Although Old Man Mu’s place wasn’t as lively as the Yun family’s home, the atmosphere was very warm and cozy.
In fact, if Yun Jiao didn’t visit, the place was quite desolate.
Yun Chenbei was the quiet type, and Mr. Mu had a strange temper. He was prone to scolding people, but mostly just his dim-witted apprentices.
When Yun Chenbei first arrived, he had been on the receiving end of that scolding too. But he was talented and automatically filtered out Old Man Mu’s yelling, listening only for the guidance hidden within the tirades.
Any other person would not have been able to endure his scolding.
Later, as Yun Chenbei’s talent became apparent and his work became both fast and high-quality, Old Man Mu gradually stopped scolding him.
Besides, he was a man who liked peace and quiet and was actually very impatient with children.
Because most children couldn’t control their tempers and would start crying and making a fuss at the drop of a hat.
Fortunately, Yun Jiao wasn’t that type. After spending time together on several occasions, Mr. Mu had gradually grown fond of the well-behaved little girl.
"Old Man Mu, hey, Old Man Mu! Are you home?"
A shout came from outside, and Mr. Mu immediately directed Yun Chenbei, "Go see what’s going on."
Yun Chenbei left and returned with three people.
A married couple and a boy about Yun Chenbei’s age.
And their purpose was simple: they had brought their son here to ask for an apprenticeship.