Old Man Su, sharp-eyed and quick-witted, quickly grasped the essence of the situation, and even his digging speed picked up.
Zong Zhao soon returned with gathered leaves and small branches. Efficient and thodical, he had even sorted the twigs by thickness, preparing them for different stages of use.
Su Xi, a rough-around-the-edges man, couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at such ticulousness and gave him a thumbs-up. "Well done. But I only have two sweet potatoes here—still short one. Why don’t you go swipe another?"
"Alright," Zong Zhao replied before heading straight toward the little troublemaker.
Xu Wan couldn’t hold back her laughter. "You two really have it out for Jin Cheng alone, don’t you?"
Su Xi chuckled. "That kid’s got a face that just begs to be ssed with. What’s the big deal taking three sweet potatoes from him? One of us is his teacher, the other his father—shouldn’t this be expected?"
Xu Wan sighed and nodded. "You’re right. It’s only fair."
The closer the relationship, the easier the target—truer words were never spoken.
With the pit for roasting sweet potatoes ready and the leaves and twigs set ablaze, the fire roared to life. While the sweet potatoes roasted, Zong Zhao dutifully tended to the flas, while Su Xi and Xu Wan sat nearby chatting.
Occasionally, Zong Zhao chid in, though sparingly. Su Xi tapped the ground with a stick, then tapped Zong Zhao with it, making Xu Wan worry he might actually get hit.
"Kid, you talk too little. Work on that, will you?"
Zong Zhao gave a quiet "Mm" and said, "I’m trying. I used to talk even less."
Su Xi burst out laughing. "What, were you mute before?"
Xu Wan: "!"
She couldn’t shake the feeling he was teetering on the edge of getting smacked.
Unfazed, Zong Zhao replied calmly, "No, I just didn’t like talking."
Su Xi pressed, "Then why change now?"
Without hesitation, Zong Zhao answered, "Because it’s a flaw, and flaws should be fixed."
Su Xi laughed heartily again. "You’ve got so self-awareness, kid. Good, good. Fix it quick, though—too much silence is boring."
"Doing my best."
Once the sweet potatoes were ready, Su Xi pulled them from the fire and tossed two scorching-hot ones to Zong Zhao. He juggled his own between his hands and face, trying to cool it down—only to end up looking like a living, breathing ink painting.
Zong Zhao, using a handkerchief to shield his hands, broke open a sweet potato, releasing its fragrant steam. He fanned the heat away before handing it to Xu Wan.
Not far off, the boys, absorbed in digging, finally caught a whiff of the aroma. Dropping their hoes, they rushed over, demanding, "What’s that amazing sll? Are you eating sothing good?"
"Ha! Old Man Su, why’s your face pitch black?"
Su Xi grinned, flashing his teeth. "Keep laughing, and you won’t get any."
The boys’ expressions instantly soured. "You’re the worst!!"
The little troublemaker scurried over to his parents, peering curiously. "Mom, what’s this black stuff? So kind of treat?"
Xu Wan waved it at him. "Roasted sweet potatoes. Can’t you tell?"
"Huh?" He blinked in surprise.
He Zheng ran over too. "Why’s the skin so black? The ones we’ve had before weren’t like this."
Xu Wan explained, "Those were oven-roasted. These are pit-roasted. See? Old Man Su just cooked them over there—the setup’s still in place."
Wei Xinglu lit up. "Let’s roast so too!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Shen Yibai shoved Su Xi aside, quickly claiming the pit for himself.
Su Xi nearly toppled over. "Watch it, you brats! You almost knocked my sweet potatoes flying!"
"Hehe…"
The five boys scrambled—so gathering firewood, others lighting the fire. Shen Yibai even swiped five of the biggest sweet potatoes from Zong Jincheng’s bucket, earning an indignant shout: "Xiao Bai!!! Why not take from your own?!!"
Shen Yibai grinned. "Yours were closer."
Zong Jincheng fud. "Liar! He Zheng’s were closer!"
"…"
Xu Wan, sitting beside Zong Zhao, could barely contain her laughter. "Jin Cheng’s sweet potatoes really are the most coveted. How strange."
Zong Zhao’s lips curled slightly. "Want more? I’ll roast a few extra if you’re still hungry."
Xu Wan smirked. "From Jin Cheng’s bucket again?"
Zong Zhao replied without sha, "He’s too busy roasting now. Won’t notice."
Xu Wan covered her face, giggling. "You’re terrible… No, no, let’s not upset the poor kid. This one’s big enough for ."
After much trial and error—five extinguished fires and two collapsed pits—the boys finally tasted their handiwork half an hour later.
Their potatoes were charred black, their faces smudged just as much.
"Delicious! Nothing beats food you cooked yourself!"
"I’m taking so ho to roast tonight!"
"Sounds good, but we won’t have ti. Let’s do it after the exams."
"Deal!"
With lunch settled, the five resud digging, now with clear purpose, muttering, "This one’s for ho… and this one… and these…"
By the ti they finished, they collapsed onto the dirt, too exhausted to care about cleanliness, blending into the earth itself.
"So tired…"
"At least it’s over. Last day of work."
"Never doing this again. Too hard."
"Yeah…"
"But the people here… they do this every day, every year."
"They have it worse."
Standing at the field’s edge, Su Xi listened to their complaints about the toil and the farrs’ hardships, his heart heavy. All he could offer was a quiet reminder: "When you beco officials one day, I hope you’ll rember this hardship—let the people’s worries be your worries. Be the kind of leaders they deserve."
The boys’ weariness vanished, replaced by steely resolve. Zong Jincheng shouted, "We’ll make it happen!"
The others echoed in unison: "Yes! We will!"
…
Servants packed the sweet potatoes for the journey as the boys climbed into the carriage.
Su Xi, still in the field, glanced at the gathering clouds and said to Xu Wan, "Looks like rain. We won’t be leaving today."
"What?" Xu Wan looked up.
The signs were there—though the forecast had promised clear skies.
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