Chapter 314: Roasted Sweet Potatoes

After distributing the candies, Zhou Yimin suddenly thought how great it would be to have some roasted sweet potatoes at this moment. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he decided to act on it and hurried inside his house.

He wasn’t sure if anyone in the yard was still eating, but to avoid waste, he grabbed ten sweet potatoes.

These sweet potatoes were meant to cover up the situation. If people saw him without anything to eat, it could be difficult to explain, so it was better to prevent that from the start.

Second Uncle noticed Zhou Yimin taking out so many sweet potatoes and asked, “Yimin, what are you doing with so many sweet potatoes? Isn’t there enough dumplings?”

The people around also found it a bit odd. Now that there were dumplings to eat, who would want to eat sweet potatoes?

Sweet potatoes were typically eaten when there was nothing else to eat, and they were usually boiled or used to make porridge.

Zhou Yimin thought that roasting them was the best way to eat sweet potatoes.

Of course, some people also liked to dry them and eat them as dried sweet potatoes.

It is widely known that sweet potatoes are a foreign crop, first introduced to China during the late Ming Dynasty, around 1593. They were initially brought from South America by a person named Chen Zhenlong from Fujian. The introduction of sweet potatoes had a profound impact on Chinese agriculture and cuisine.

This crop not only adapted well to the southern climate but also became an important food item due to its high nutritional value. Early farmers roasted sweet potatoes directly over the fire, a simple and effective method that preserved their flavor and nutrition.

Over time, roasted sweet potatoes gradually became a classic Chinese street food, especially popular in winter. Street vendors could be seen pushing carts or setting up small stoves, roasting sweet potatoes and serving them with condiments, a popular treat among consumers.

In later years, many people shared Zhou Yimin’s opinion, believing sweet potatoes were tastier than rice, willing to pay a hefty price for them on the streets.

However, in this era, sweet potatoes were considered coarse food, and no one would think they were better than rice or steamed buns.

Zhou Yimin explained, “I’m just going to roast some sweet potatoes while we’re boiling the dumplings. It’s been a while since I had them, and I was just craving it.”

Roasted sweet potatoes were a significant part of many people’s childhoods. Nowadays, with abundant resources and advanced technology, as long as you have money, you can eat anything.

But back then, many things were hard to get, even with money. You needed both money and a ticket to obtain them.

Although the others were a bit puzzled, they recognized that everyone has different tastes.

Some thought Zhou Yimin must be used to eating expensive foods, and now he was craving something “lighter.”

Zhou Yimin’s meals were a unique case in the entire courtyard, with the aroma of meat often drifting from his home.

Zhou Yimin didn’t hesitate and directly threw the sweet potatoes into the fire. Roasting sweet potatoes was simple; just make sure not to roast them for too long.

Although he set up a few stoves, each sweet potato weighed about a pound, and only a few could fit on one stove. Fortunately, he managed to fit all ten.

Zhou Yimin kept an eye on the time. After about half an hour, he quickly pulled out the sweet potatoes, realizing they were almost burnt to charcoal.

Despite the blackened skin, when Zhou Yimin broke one open, the golden “flesh” was revealed.

Not bothering with the heat, he peeled off the skin and took a bite, immediately tasting the sweet, soft texture of the sweet potato.

“Delicious!”

Unable to resist, he took a few more bites.

The children watching Zhou Yimin eat so happily couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.

The elderly women in the yard thought it was a bit of a waste to roast them so much. If it were their children, they’d have started scolding by now.

Zhou Yimin wasn’t stingy, and said aloud, “If you want some, just take it. The quick ones get it, the slow ones don’t!”

Upon hearing Zhou Yimin’s permission, the children eagerly rushed to grab the nine sweet potatoes.

Seeing the frenzy, Zhou Yimin quickly intervened. “Stop fighting! If you keep fighting, none of you will get any. Wait a bit, and I’ll roast more.”

The children, afraid of angering Zhou Yimin, stopped fighting immediately.

Seeing the obedient children, Zhou Yimin nodded in satisfaction and went back to his house to bring out more sweet potatoes.

The adults watched Zhou Yimin eating so heartily but didn’t want to ask for any themselves.

Now that food was so precious, only Zhou Yimin was generous enough to share so much with everyone. If an ordinary family tried to distribute that much, they’d probably end up starving for the next month. Not everyone, after all, was as well-off as Zhou Yimin.

At this moment, Liao, an official from the street office, entered the yard.

Seeing the lively scene and the dumpling-making process, he could tell that the courtyard was getting along well. Otherwise, all the residents wouldn’t be gathered together making dumplings.

Old Uncle noticed Liao and went up to ask, “Liao, is there an announcement?”

The officials from the street office were generally busy and wouldn’t come to the courtyard unless there was something important.

“Yes, starting tomorrow, winter storage begins. If you want to buy cabbage, remember to bring your food book and head to the market,” Liao replied directly.

He still had many more courtyards to notify and couldn’t afford to waste time.

As Liao was about to leave, Zhou Yimin handed him a roasted sweet potato. “Liao, have a roasted sweet potato.”

Liao initially wanted to refuse but, seeing Zhou Yimin’s warm gesture, couldn’t bring himself to decline.

He knew better than to offend Zhou Yimin. Zhou Yimin was a guest of honor in many places, and he had contributed greatly to the success of the street office’s processing plant.

“Thank you, Zhou. I still have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be on my way,” Liao said, taking the sweet potato.

Zhou Yimin casually said, “Take care, Liao.”

After some time, the sweet potatoes were finally ready, but with so many people, it was clear that each child wouldn’t get one. At most, each would have half a sweet potato to taste before the big meal.

The men started setting up tables for everyone to eat. With so many people dining together, a few tables wouldn’t be enough.

The children, excited for the big meal, couldn’t bear to part with their roasted sweet potatoes and took them to the table.

Auntie and the others used a large bowl to hold the dumplings. It wasn’t realistic to serve everyone with individual bowls, so they used the big bowl and served the dumplings with chopsticks.

(End of Chapter)