Then another person guessed five would be enough.
Soon, some villagers were eager to help fertilize and water the radishes, while others felt that treating spirit plants like ordinary crops would be an insult to their nature.
For issues like these, they could debate for a long time, yet everyone spoke with great enthusiasm.
It sounded like an argument, but the atmosphere was actually quite good.
In the end, it was Second Uncle who snapped out of his thoughts first.
Seeing them making a commotion one after another, he finally drove them all away.
Bok Taejin had assumed that Second Uncle would also leave.
However, once everyone else had walked away, Second Uncle lowered his voice and asked, "Taejin, tell me honestly—how many days do these spirit plants of yours take to mature? And how big will the final harvest be? Do you really not know?"
Bok Taejin thought for a moment and answered, "I only know that it's called a One-Star White Radish. It's resistant to both cold and heat and can grow in all seasons."
Second Uncle frowned again.
He stared at the vegetable field for a long while before sighing deeply. "Seeing how fast they're growing, I worry about how much fertility they're absorbing from the soil. I actually overheard some of their conversation just now. Those little rascals are already thinking about taking seeds from your radishes once they're harvested. If they get the seeds, they plan to plant them so the entire village can have radishes easily."
Bok Taejin nodded his head slightly.
He had heard it too.
He hadn't objected at the time, but in his heart, he felt that it was unlikely to work.
Even though he didn't know much about spirit plant, he could at least guess that anything with the word "spirit" in its name wouldn't produce seeds so easily.
Second Uncle continued, "It's uncertain whether there will be seeds at all. Even if there are, I wouldn't dare allow large-scale planting right now. Taejin, do you understand what I mean, right?"
Bok Taejin nodded his head again. "Until it's proven that they won't deplete the land's fertility, you won't permit large-scale cultivation—no matter how outstanding they may be in other aspects."
Second Uncle gave him an approving look and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "But don't be too anxious. Our village has plenty of land. Even if I don't let them plant, that doesn't mean I won't let you plant it. Whatever you want to grow, just go ahead and grow it. If the land here isn't enough, we can have Im Beomhyeon find more for you."
With Second Uncle's assurance, Bok Taejin felt relieved.
Right now, he could only draw one spirit seed per week, so he didn't need more land for the time being.
By the time he could provide large quantities of spirit seeds, the effects of these crops on the soil would likely already be observable.
Whether they were beneficial or harmful would be clear by then.
Second Uncle's words had made him somewhat concerned as well.
It was like eucalyptus trees in his past life—fast-growing and quick to become timber, but terrible at preserving soil and water, sometimes even causing land degradation.
If the spirit seed that grew rapidly ended up damaging the soil, wouldn't that be a case of gaining little while losing much?
For high-level spirit seed, Bok Taejin had more confidence.
But this One-Star White Radish was clearly a low-level spirit seed!
"Second Uncle, I have something else I'd like to ask you."
Second Uncle chuckled. "Just ask directly. We're all villagers here, no need for formalities."
Bok Taejin smiled, not bothering to explain further.
In his past life, he had spent too long in a bustling city, wearing a mask of politeness and refinement that had seeped into his bones.
Sometimes, he wasn't even sure if it was still a mask.
"Is there something wrong with Brother Sowoo's health? He looks fine to me."
Second Uncle's eyelids drooped slightly as he sighed. "That child fell seriously ill when he were fleeing from famine. There were no doctors and no medicine, so he had to tough it out on his own. As a result, he was left with lasting health issues."
"Now, he looks strong, but he can't run long distances like others."
"More importantly, his eyesight is a bit poor. He can't see things clearly from a distance, and if the brightness around him changes too suddenly, he needs a while to adjust before he can see properly again."
"He knows his own limitations. He just wants to focus on farm work and improve his cooking skills to make better meals for everyone. The others don't dare to take him up the mountains—if nothing happens, it's fine, but if there's an accident, he won't be able to protect himself, and they can't guarantee they'll be able to bring him back safely."
"Only Beomhyeon has the guts and the skill to bring Sowoo along," the old man chuckled.
"In truth, it's good for Sowoo to go up the mountain more often. His health isn't great, but walking and moving around helps him get stronger. If it weren't for Beomhyeon dragging him up there from time to time, he wouldn't be in as good a shape as he is now."
Bok Taejin finally understood.
No wonder Seo Sowoo didn't want to go, yet Im Beomhyeon insisted, and even Aunt Seo seemed happy about it.
Then, the old man patted Bok Taejin on the shoulder. "Teajin, that rascal Beomhyeon hasn't given you a proper tour of our village, has he?"
Bok Taejin was puzzled. "But he has? I can pretty much recognize which house belongs to whom now."
The old man gave a knowing smile. "Oh, there's much more to see! Come on! Today, your Uncle is giving you a proper tour!"
Despite his age, Sexon Uncle was surprisingly agile.
He set off immediately, walking at a brisk pace.
Bok Taejin now had a clearer understanding of the village layout.