《Her Cultivation Diary》 Chapter 1 - 1: Ive returned from the Cultivation World!_1 Chapter 1: I¡¯ve returned from the Cultivation World!_1 ¡°` On Yinmoon Peak behind the mountain. Thunderclouds gathered, thundering menacingly. Song Tan, a dual wood-water spirit root cultivator from the Cangxuan Realm¡¯s Ask Heaven Sect, had cultivated spirit plants in the back mountain for a hundred years, and had finally reached the opportunity for a breakthrough! But she hadn¡¯t expected the thunder tribulation during her core-formation to be so fierce. Her body got shattered by the lightning, and even her soul was torn apart. In a daze, just before perishing, Song Tan saw countless scenes, both familiar and unfamiliar¡ª ... More than a dozen vehicles were flipped and crumpled together in a heap. Collisions, pain, crying out. A car was overturned, and oil slowly began to snake across the bridge. Around her were people frantically pounding on the car windows; her vision was clouded with a layer of blood, and she couldn¡¯t move or speak. ¡°Hello, is this 120? A multi-car pileup on Ninghai Bridge¡­¡± ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°First, get the driver out, there¡¯s still a breath¡ª¡± ¡°The girl¡¯s leg is trapped¡­ someone help¡ª¡± ¡°Move, move! It¡¯s leaking fuel, careful, it might blow¡ª¡± Song Tan watched all this blankly, completely failing to react at first. Was this¡­a heart demon? But strangely, there was a girl in the car who deeply tugged at her heartstrings. However, the other girl¡¯s head was bleeding, and her eyes were slowly closing, her breath growing weak. Song Tan could see the spiritual light fading from her body¡ªher soul was dispersing. In the next moment, Song Tan felt something pulling at her, and then her fragmented soul suddenly plummeted. In her hazy consciousness, a girl with fair skin and bright black pupils looked at her, her eyes filled with joy and comfort: ¡°You¡¯ve come back.¡± What did she mean? Just as Song Tan was about to ask, she saw the other¡¯s spirit light suddenly rush towards her fragmented soul, and then, they tightly merged together. Past life, present life¡­ She remembered! This wasn¡¯t a heart demon! It was herself coming back! From the Cultivation World back to the moment she was about to die in the modern world! This was her past life! She had originally been Song Tan, died in a car accident, and then lost her memory and arrived in the Cangxuan Realm, where she began from a village girl, practicing desperately, and finally joined the Ask Heaven Sect. And after more than a hundred years of non-stop cultivation, just to be able to break through, to protect herself amidst the perilous Cultivation World¡­ She, was Song Tan! ¡­ However, the collision up ahead was too violent, and unbearable pain shot through her body. In her previous life, she had died in that car accident¡­ No, this won¡¯t do! With difficulty, Song Tan mobilized the scant spiritual energy around her, striving to repair her body. The thin spiritual energy struggled to flow through her body, arduously repairing the damaged organs and body. When she put all her effort into opening her blood-blurred eyes, she saw a distinctly masculine face before her, handsome yet with prominent veins. He was so close that Song Tan could see his dark brown irises and the unusually dense eyelashes. Especially the small mole on his forehead, perfectly placed. The man gritted his teeth but still managed to speak: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid! I will pull you out now¡ª¡± Behind her, someone was shouting desperately: ¡°Move, move, it¡¯s on fire, it¡¯s on fire¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± The man hugging her let out a low shout, sweat dripping from his forehead and cheeks, sliding down his jaw and dropping onto Song Tan¡¯s face. Her body was pulled forward with more and more force, pain shooting through her limbs and torso, as if her very soul was also being tightly clung to, merging firmly with this body. The next moment! ¡°It¡¯s exploded¡ª¡± The screams surrounding her grew more and more fearful! ¡°Bang!¡± Her heavy body was violently thrown out, and she trembled all over, consciousness already gone. ¡­ When she woke up again, three heads popped up beside the bed. The one in the lead was a middle-aged doctor, with thinning hair but clear eyes: ¡°How do you feel now?¡± Song Tan¡¯s gaze slid down to his name tag on his chest¡ª ¡°` An exceptionally lifelike close-up photo First People¡¯s Hospital of Ning Province Attending Physician: Zhang Yuan She stared at this nameplate, dumbfounded, as familiar memories continuously flowed through her mind. At this moment, she was both the cultivator Song Tan and the ordinary person Song Tan. With the fusion of her soul, the past and present life came together, and after over a hundred years, she had finally returned. The smell of hospital disinfectant filled the air from all directions. Spiritual energy was so scarce it was like a thin thread. With a thought, she silently recited the Cultivation Heart Method, and it took half a day for two strands of spiritual energy to sluggishly make their way over. Song Tan breathed a sigh of relief¡ªit was good that she could still cultivate. If she could cultivate, she could protect herself. Not to mention, having planted spirit plants for over a hundred years, she wouldn¡¯t have a problem supporting herself. Looking at the doctor waiting for her response, Song Tan opened her mouth to speak, a bit awkwardly, ¡°Pretty¡­ pretty good.¡± The obedient intern on the left presented the medical record. The newly appointed attending physician, scribbling away with arm movements as flamboyant as dragons and phoenixes, was imitating their seniors in writing illegible notes, all while smiling in an especially friendly manner: ¡°Our examination results are also very good, young lady. You are fortunate indeed! In a multiple car accident, only your head was injured, which might result in a mild concussion, but everything else is fine.¡± ¡°After observing for a day or two, you can be discharged.¡± ¡°However, the scene was too chaotic, and your phone in your clothes couldn¡¯t be turned on, and since your injuries weren¡¯t severe, we haven¡¯t notified your family so far.¡± Family¡­ Images of three identical, simple-looking faces flashed through Song Tan¡¯s mind. She subconsciously touched her head and, in a daze, remembered the car accident scene, quickly asking: ¡°I remember at that time, a gentleman saved me. How is he¡­ how is he doing now?¡± In her previous life, she had lost consciousness the moment the accident occurred and didn¡¯t know if anyone had ever tried to save her so desperately. But now¡­ The attending physician hesitated for a moment, ¡°Eighteen patients were transferred to our hospital half an hour ago. According to the firefighters, you were pulled out of the car by a young man, weren¡¯t you?¡± Song Tan nodded. The doctor hesitated for a moment, ¡°He¡­ is not in life-threatening danger, an out-of-towner, and his family took him to a superior hospital just now.¡± Song Tan¡¯s heart lightened. ¡°Could I ask for his or his family¡¯s contact information? I would like to thank them in person.¡± Such a life-saving grace saved not only the 23-year-old Song Tan but also the Song Tan who had cultivated through countless years. Even in the Cangxuan Realm, this was a tremendous favor that required one¡¯s utmost effort to repay. The doctor shook his head, ¡°That gentleman had saved several at the time, and his family, upon their arrival, stated there was no need for thanks and thus were unwilling to disclose any contact information.¡± ¡°Which hospital did they go to?¡± ¡°They went to the Imperial City Ren¡¯ai Hospital.¡± Song Tan nodded but didn¡¯t inquire further. She thought¡ªcurrently, she hadn¡¯t fully adapted to this place yet. Once she could gather spiritual energy for cultivation again, she would directly consult the divination and calculate the whereabouts of her savior. ¡­ The doctors left with a bustle. Song Tan found the murky air difficult to accept; the lack of spiritual energy around indicated it was obviously not a good place for cultivation. Subconsciously, she reached under her pillow, which was empty. Of course, her bag, including her identification, had all burned in the car accident. She then tentatively pulled open the drawer by her bed and, indeed, found a mobile phone with a shattered screen inside. The screen was most broken, and after sitting in the drawer for a night, it was unclear if it had recovered or what, but anyway, Song Tan managed to turn it on by feel. She unlocked the screen and noticed a green app in the upper right corner with a glaring red 99+ notification. There was also a blue one emitting a terrifying ding-ding sound. It immediately gave her an aversion. A cultivator¡¯s sixth sense could help them avoid many bad things, Song Tan thought: This message must not be good! Best not to look! The pressing matter at hand was to play with the phone again. She¡¯d missed it for over a hundred years and couldn¡¯t wait any longer. So she swiped her finger down and accidentally opened an app that seemed to have a music note icon. ¡°Tremolo, start a wonderful life!¡± Song Tan: ¡­ It¡¯s already open, I¡¯ll just take a glance¡­ [This book was first published on the QiDian Girls¡¯ Network. Most of the wild vegetables, fruits, and some rural tools mentioned in this book are accompanied by pictures in this chapter. Most of them come from Baidu and TaoTaoBao.] You can see the pictures by clicking the corresponding sections. We also welcome you to upload more pictures. The sources of information will be written in the author¡¯s notes; feel free to search them up if interested.] S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 2 - 2: 2. Hello, takeout! _1 Chapter 2: 2. Hello, takeout! _1 Glance after glance, another glance! Scrolling through short videos is really so joyful! Who knew my own life could be this interesting! Song Tan also wants to play! This world is so interesting, if I could always be this happy, there¡¯s no need to cultivate¡­no, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to start cultivating later. Anyway, there¡¯s no spiritual energy around these days, and cultivation is twice the effort for half the result, not worth it. ... The cultivator Song Tan pondered her decision, feeling that it wasn¡¯t the so-called ¡°procrastination¡± she often heard about, but rather the mysterious sixth sense of cultivation. In any case, she calculated it with a pinch of her fingers, now was the perfect time to play with her phone! It¡¯s just that the screen is pretty badly cracked¡­ The next moment, a call suddenly popped up on her phone¡ª ¡°Song Tan! Where¡¯s the PPT you were supposed to do! Why haven¡¯t you sent it to me yet?!¡± Song Tan: ¡­ What is a PPT? Who is this? She reviewed her memories and discovered that in her past life, it was because her boss suddenly demanded a PPT, which caused her to hurry to the company in a taxi. Luck would have it that just as her car reached Ninghai Bridge, she got into a chain collision. ¡°Also, why didn¡¯t you come to work today! Skipping work for a day will cost you 500! Do it again, and you¡¯re fired outright!¡± Song Tan: ¡­Although she couldn¡¯t remember just yet, it didn¡¯t stop her from getting angry. Just by looking at this outfit, she knew, how much does a month¡¯s salary even amount to?! Song Tan rubbed her temples, took a deep breath, and tried hard to recall the endless overtime tasks at the company, as the wish brewing deep in her heart grew more and more restless¡ª [I want to go back to my hometown] [I want to be with my parents and younger brother] [I don¡¯t want to go to work] This thought was so strong that Song Tan made her decision in an instant¡ª ¡°¡­¡± Shoot, I¡¯ve been away from work for too long, what am I supposed to say now? Ahem¡­ ¡°Is that the boss? Just hold on a second.¡± ¡­ Ning City is just an ordinary provincial capital, forever under construction, covered in dust and dirt. And Ninghai Bridge is a newly built overpass, connecting the north and south, saving on tolls, costing 55 yuan by taxi from where Song Tan rented a place. Normally, she wouldn¡¯t take a taxi, but her boss said the PPT was urgent, and she also thought about the other work she had in hand, so she indulged in the luxury of taking a taxi. Who knew she¡¯d get into an accident¡­ This time leaving the house, her shabby phone was clearly still useable, Song Tan tried scanning the code somewhat unfamiliarly, and without another word, called a taxi and went back onto Ninghai Bridge. More than half an hour later, she arrived at the company downstairs¡ªdon¡¯t think too much, it¡¯s not some big corporation. Song Tan, an ordinary graduate from a second-tier college and hailing from a rural background, couldn¡¯t even get into big companies. This company she worked for was renting the third floor of this building, doing various kinds of outsourced work. Her major was the all-purpose finance, and at the time she had no choice but to enroll wherever she could get into. After graduation, she attended a campus recruitment, cluelessly listened to an HR (later found out to be an ordinary employee) promise the moon, and then was recruited by this company. Now, after being whipped by society, she was a jack-of-all-trades 007 agent¡ªplanning, operations, post-production, editing, promotion, and a filler of all gaps rolled into one. Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, as long as there was an assignment, even if on her period she¡¯d take the medicine and still crawl to work. ¡°Internship salary 5000, regular monthly salary 7500, sounds not bad, right?¡± ¡°But despite the capital¡¯s lackluster development, housing prices have shot up, averaging fifteen thousand. The room Song Tan rented, even being an outdated residential space barely legal at twenty square meters, was nearly a thousand bucks a month.¡± ¡°Transportation, food, daily necessities¡­ she saved everything else.¡± ¡°After paying, Song Tan couldn¡¯t help sighing, ¡®Only over sixty thousand left in savings, that¡¯s quite a lot.¡¯ Who would have thought her past self was such a frugal girl!¡± ¡­ In the middle of the day, a mix of food smells wafted through the small company¡¯s office area, where a young female colleague beckoned her over: ¡°Tantan, why didn¡¯t you come this morning? Have you eaten?¡± Unable to remember her name, Song Tan silently walked over and spotted her name tag¡ª Huo Xueying Looking at the claypot rice in the foil container in front of her, the aroma of the food mingled with something else, making her feel quite uncomfortable. ¡°I had a car accident this morning, just got out of the hospital.¡± Huo Xueying fished out a fried egg from her box: ¡°Ah¡ªopen up, I¡¯ll treat you to this!¡± ¡°If the hospital let you out, then you must be okay¡ªWang the Skinflint definitely won¡¯t give you a subsidy now!¡ªcompensation is tough to get anyway, you should have lied in the hospital for a couple of days! Eat the egg to recover your strength!¡± Song Tan¡¯s stomach growled in agreement. Although the gesture was a bit too familiar, Huo Xueying seemed like a good friend, so after a brief hesitation, she opened her mouth and gently bit into the egg. As her teeth met, a bizarre taste rolled in her mouth¡ªa mix of the egg¡¯s smokiness, impurities in the food, the richness of oil, and an indescribably nauseating sensation that caused a sudden twist in her gut and her stomach began churning. This food? Forget about increasing her cultivation base; continuing to eat food filled with such impurities could mean she might not achieve Foundation Establishment in this lifetime, let alone reach Golden Core. Song Tan held back and managed to swallow that small bite of egg. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Huo Xueying was ready to feed her another piece, her heart aching for the young girl who saved money by eating sparsely; she was both well-behaved and pitiful, and Huo Xueying felt sorry as a friend. But Song Tan shook her head, ¡°I won¡¯t have more, it tastes weird.¡± Weirdly unappetizing. Huo Xueying didn¡¯t hesitate to take the egg back and bit off a large piece: ¡°What¡¯s weird about it! It¡¯s 25 yuan a portion!¡± ¡°But indeed, it¡¯s not as good as the food at home. According to my mom, takeaways don¡¯t taste like vegetables; they¡¯re all just thick oil and sauces.¡± Song Tan touched her stomach, she was actually hungry too. She hadn¡¯t eaten anything from last night until this morning, only now realizing she was an ordinary human with a fleshly body that needed food. She hesitated for a moment: ¡°Is it the quality of the ingredients? Then I¡­ I¡¯ll order something better.¡± The deficiency of Spiritual Energy meant the ingredients were too impure. Thinking of the strange taste of the food she just encountered, this time, she focused on the more expensive dishes. Surely, that would mean the quality of the ingredients was better, right? While waiting for her takeaway, Song Tan asked, ¡°The boss wants a PPT¡­ that¡¯s¡­?¡± It had been too long, she truly didn¡¯t know anymore. Huo Xueying was unconcerned, casually saying, ¡°Which PPT? You mentioned you¡¯d started it yesterday, why don¡¯t you check your computer again?¡± Song Tan moved to her cramped cubicle, sluggishly turned on her computer, and opened up the half-finished PPT on the desktop¡ªpictures, text, format¡ª She looked through everything carefully and thoroughly. But¡­what about the rest? How was she supposed to finish it? Opening other folders¡ªsure enough, she didn¡¯t know how to do any of it! Song¡¤Cultivator¡¤Tan steadied herself, immovable as a mountain. If she didn¡¯t know, then she didn¡¯t know¡ªshe¡¯d had enough of hard work in two lifetimes; this time, she was not going to be a wage worker. Just then, there was a loud call from the entrance of the company: ¡°Hello, your takeaway is here!¡± Chapter 3 - 3: 3. Go back to your hometown and farm_1 Chapter 3: 3. Go back to your hometown and farm_1 Song Tan snapped back to reality and accepted her takeout¡ªthis was a top-notch meal worth 188 from the most reputable private kitchen in town. However, as soon as she opened the box, the fragrance of the food mixed with a muddled scent, much like the air she found herself increasingly uncomfortable with. Song Tan felt her stomach churn, and no matter what, she couldn¡¯t eat. Just then, the boss known as ¡°King Skinner¡± among the staff walked in and immediately said, angrily, ¡°Song Tan! You still have the appetite to eat? Where¡¯s the PPT I asked for? I¡¯m telling you, if you don¡¯t hand it in by 2 o¡¯clock, don¡¯t bother keeping your job!¡± Song Tan abruptly stood up: That¡¯s right, she remembered she had something to forget! She was here to get fired! ... ¡°Fine, make sure to pay the wages on time; I¡¯m resigning now to go back to my hometown!¡± The entire office was stunned. Seeing Song Tan begin to pack her things, King Skinner stood there, at this moment looking bewildered and pitiful: ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean that¡­ ¡± Finding another employee who was obedient, hardworking, capable, and cheap was not easy for him. Huo Xueying also stopped eating and came over, intending to persuade Song Tan not to act impulsively. With the current tough job market, it wasn¡¯t easy to switch jobs. But when she suddenly noticed the part of Song Tan¡¯s head that had been shorn bare and the gauze stuck to it, she now felt a sense of grievance: ¡°If you¡¯re going to go, go! Tantan, I¡¯ll help you pack! First take care of yourself, and after work, I¡¯ll come to you!¡± The words Song Tan had just spoken were desires hidden deep within her for many years. After saying them, images of her home¡¯s green mountains, the fat mother hen clucking, and the hefty pig snorting quickly filled her mind¡­ sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She didn¡¯t know if the pigs at home were free of impurities, but surely they were better than those in the city, right? At this moment, she could hardly wait to go home. ¡°No need, I¡¯m serious. I¡¯ll pack up the rental later, then head straight back home!¡± Now, Huo Xueying was also dumbfounded. ¡­ Song Tan packed at an unusually fast pace. Two lifetimes of hard work were all for the sake of a better life, weren¡¯t they? With her capabilities in cultivation (though she hadn¡¯t yet started practicing), wouldn¡¯t living self-sufficiently at home be comfortable? Having obtained a temporary ID from the police station, she took a taxi back to the rental apartment with her suitcase. In the 20 square meter room, a few clothes hung near the window, and a stack of books related to work lay on the desk. On the small 1.2-meter bed with its cotton bedding set lay yesterday¡¯s hasty departure wrinkles. Looking at it, Song Tan involuntarily remembered how thrifty she used to be. She sighed silently. She dug out a cardboard box she couldn¡¯t bear to throw away, packed some simple toiletries, disassembled the bed linen set, one box of clothes, three pairs of shoes. That was it. After cleaning up a bit, she called the landlord¡ªshe was leaving early, the deposit wouldn¡¯t be returned, but she got a refund for the excess rent. She calculated she still had sixty-three thousand, five hundred yuan! She was going back to her hometown! ¡­ High-speed train, taxi. Four hours back-to-back, the now generous Song Tan didn¡¯t take the slower long-haul trains and buses as she used to. At this moment, she also stood at the roadside five or six hours earlier than usual. Looking at the babbling stream on the other side of the road, breathing in air that was different from the city¡¯s (though still somewhat muddled), she finally pulled herself out of a swaying state of mind. Coming up the slope in the distance, a motorcycle roared towards her, descending and passing through fields planted with tea trees on both sides, before eventually stopping in front of her. A short and dark-skinned man looked at her, a simple smile spreading across his honest face: ¡°Tantan, why are you on holiday?¡± The middle-aged man stepped off the bike and placed the huge suitcase on the metal rack behind the motorcycle, tucking it in tightly with rubber straps and giving it a shake before speaking: ¡°Get on, Dad will take you home. Your mom has baked some sweet potatoes, and I caught a few crucian carp yesterday to stew for you¡ªwhat happened to your forehead?¡± This was her father, Song Sancheng. Song Tan¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at this ordinary man filled with concern, managing a smile before casually touching her head, ¡°Nothing, I bumped it when I got off work, but the company keeps asking for overtime, so I decided to come home and rest for a few days.¡± ¡°You should rest, or how will you cope if you get sick at such a young age?¡± The motorcycle¡¯s ignition was forcefully kicked a few times, then it roared to life, and Song Tan instinctively grasped the rear rack, feeling the increasingly fresh sensation of the wind on her face. Up the mountain, through bends, and amidst ever-denser trees, even in the cold winter, one could see the lush green Tea Mountain and the pine forests¡­ This was her home, Yun City, Qingxi Town, Yunqiao Village. A hometown with clear mountains and waters, distinct in all four seasons. This was her new life. ¡­ The motorcycle climbed and descended for about ten minutes and finally neared the village after a long downhill stretch. Yunqiao Village was nestled in the mountains. Although the village-to-village road connections and the once-a-day bus service made leaving no longer an issue, the winding mountain roads still posed an inconvenience. Over the recent years, fewer and fewer young people remained in the village. The elderly were gradually passing away, the young were moving away, and the population left behind in the village was becoming increasingly sparse. All told, there were now barely 30 families in the surrounding area. But what did that matter to a Cultivator? What deep forest or remote mountain hadn¡¯t they lived in? Spending months in retreat, sometimes even decades, it didn¡¯t matter whether there were people around or not. ¡­ Song Tan got off the motorcycle, feeling an intriguing sensation stirring inside her¡ªa vibration from her Spirit Plant, a sign that the deep forests were indeed more suited for cultivation. Thinking of the abilities she would regain after restoring her cultivation, Song Tan became more confident about her future. In the Cultivation World, she was a dual-elemental cultivator of wood and water, practicing techniques teeming with vitality. Yet the path of cultivation was arduous, and forming a Golden Core was difficult. Without a Golden Core, in the dog-eat-dog Cultivation World, she couldn¡¯t control her own fate. In search of an opportunity for a breakthrough, Song Tan had spent a century cultivating Spirit Plants in the back mountain, carefully understanding life and death, growth and decline, weathering storms and sunshine, dew and frost. Nurturing plants with Spiritual Energy had almost become a second nature to her. Now blessed with an extra lifetime, returning to the countryside, she didn¡¯t seek much, just to plant something she could stomach to eat. The food of the mundane world was too impure for her tastes; she really struggled to swallow it! With this thought, her empty stomach growled louder, and she was greeted by a wafting fragrance. A short and stout woman emerged from the kitchen on the other side of the courtyard: ¡°Tantan, what do you want to eat tonight? I¡¯ve made crucian carp soup and grilled a few as well. How about I stir-fry some eggs for you? Don¡¯t you love eggs? It¡¯s too late for slaughtering a chicken now, but I¡¯ll stew one for you tomorrow¡ªOld Song, go pluck a bunch of cilantro, we¡¯ll add it to the fish soup later.¡± Cilantro is another name for coriander, and everyone in the Song Tan family loved its flavor. Seeing her mother, Wu Lan, Song Tan also smiled, ¡°Add a couple more handfuls of da fei; they never use it in Ning City when making fish, and I¡¯ve missed it for so long.¡± The people from Yun City loved to add this herb when cooking fish for its unique aroma. It was only after she started working in Ning City that Song Tan learned that ¡°da fei,¡± scientifically known as ageratum, was not consumed by people from other regions, including Ning City. Wu Lan laughed, ¡°How could those restaurants outside make delicious meals? But in this deep winter, where could we find ageratum? Let¡¯s just use cilantro.¡± Chapter 4 - 4: I grow corn to raise you_1 Chapter 4: I grow corn to raise you_1 The old family yard was quite spacious, the cement floor had already cracked. Despite the deep winter, a tiny purple pimpernel managed to poke through the fissure, tremblingly blooming a small purple flower in the cold wind. Song Tan gazed at the flower, feeling that even this little wildflower seemed graceful and beautiful in a different environment. Song Sancheng placed the luggage in the main room and hurriedly called out to his daughter: ¡°Tantan, it¡¯s cold outside, come in quickly and warm up by the fire.¡± As he spoke, he also rubbed his hands and feet: ¡°Riding a motorcycle is really cold!¡± Song Tan was slow to react, then realized¡ªyes, riding in the winter was indeed very cold. ... But she didn¡¯t feel it much. She spread her hands and saw that her palms were as white and lustrous as jade; the desperate rush to repair her body in the car accident, to dodge the inevitable fate, had also tempered her body to some extent. However, it was quite limited. For example, at this moment, a gust of cold wind blew over, and Song Tan shivered uncontrollably. She was momentarily stunned, then quickly plunged into the house. This was a small room for keeping warm. It wasn¡¯t large, and in one corner by the window stood an iron stove with a flat iron plate on top. The chimney was long and bent at the ceiling, then extended towards a hole in another wall. This way, the fierce flame in the stove raged, but the scorching smoke was drawn out of the house through the chimney. As soon as the fire was started, the entire room became warm and toasty, comparable to a heated room in the vast Northeast. Song Sancheng had not seen his daughter for a long time¡ªin big cities, the downside was few holidays and difficulty buying tickets during peak periods. The last time he saw her was during the New Year. But it was only a three-day holiday, and she went back to work overtime on the fourth day, working very hard. His first child was such a daughter, and he always went along with whatever she said. Even after his son was born, the habit stayed the same. At this moment, pondering what to say, he then reached out with his callous hands and took a baked sweet potato from the stove: ¡°Hungry or not? Have a sweet potato to fill you up!¡± He didn¡¯t mind the heat, and now Song Tan didn¡¯t either. She reached out to take it: ¡°Dad, you eat too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not eating!¡± Song Sancheng immediately waved his hand: ¡°When I was little, your grandma would make sweet potatoes for us every day. You can get heartburn if you eat too many, and it¡¯s no good.¡± Song Tan fell silent for a moment. And Song Sancheng eventually found a topic: ¡°How long are you staying at home this time?¡± Song Tan opened her mouth. She was always direct and unyielding in the Cultivation World, but now, the words that came out weighed a ton. ¡°Dad, I resigned. I want to come back home and farm.¡± Song Sancheng fell silent immediately, and after a long while, he sighed: ¡°Tantan, you don¡¯t know how hard farming is.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a college graduate coming back to farm. I¡¯m not afraid of being laughed at, but you really can¡¯t stand the hardship.¡± Implicitly, he was disapproving. Song Tan was not in a hurry: ¡°Dad, when I was young, I used to help with farming jobs like picking peanuts, breaking corn, harvesting tea leaves, watering the vegetable garden.¡± ¡°That was just a few tasks!¡± Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Sancheng pointed at the pesticide barrel stored in the opposite junk room: ¡°You can¡¯t even carry that barrel!¡± It was an old-fashioned blue plastic pesticide barrel, weighing about thirty pounds when filled with water, and it had to be carried on one¡¯s back while moving about to spray the fields. But compared to digging in Tea Mountain, reaping rice, and planting seedlings, this was already a very light job. Don¡¯t think that rural areas don¡¯t use pesticides; nowadays, pests have strong resistance to chemicals. If everyone else is spraying and you don¡¯t, then just wait for your grains and tea leaves to be devoured! During the conversation, Wu Lan brought in a bowl of milky-white fish soup, its fragrance filling the air. Even though it had a slight taste of impurities, it was already much better than what she had tasted during the day. ¡°Tantan, drink more soup tonight. The crucian carp was caught by your dad from that wild pond; it¡¯s very nutritious. You should replenish yourself.¡± Turning her head to see the small bandage on her daughter¡¯s head, and after hearing that it was from a small accident, she was even more determined to serve her daughter an extra couple of bowls of soup that evening! Wu Lan placed the basin on the iron surface of the stove to heat, and in a blink saw the sweet potato in Song Tan¡¯s hands: ¡°Tantan, don¡¯t eat the sweet potato now. This is our local white-heart sweet potato, starchy and choking. Save it for tonight, or you won¡¯t have an appetite for dinner later.¡± Without waiting for a response, she hurried back to the kitchen. While Song Tan set the sweet potato aside and looked at Song Sancheng with a complex expression, she went over to the clutter and picked up the heavy blue medicine bucket, opened the faucet beside her, and filled it with water directly. ¡°Tantan!¡± Song Sancheng followed her out¡ªwatching his daughter¡¯s effortless actions, he felt an inexplicable twinge of heartache. His daughter had always been obedient and sensible, economizing on food and expenses. She was reluctant to spend money even when working outside, all for the sake of their home. Now the child had come back with an injury on her head and said she had resigned; she must have been mistreated in Ning City¡­ No wonder, every phone call she was working overtime, living in such a tiny room, how could she not suffer? At this moment, Song Sancheng was wavering. If the child wanted to come back and farm, let her farm. If it¡¯s really too hard, they could always find her a job in their city district later; at least it would be close to home. Just as Song Sancheng was about to speak, he saw that the medicine bucket was full, and his ¡°fragile¡± daughter was carrying it as easily as if it were a toy teddy bear. In that moment, the fifty-eight-year-old authentic farmer Song Sancheng looked at his own rough hands, feeling a sense of bewilderment: Why do I find that bucket so heavy? Am I getting old? ¡­ Just then, a cheerful shout suddenly came from afar: ¡°Sister! Sister!¡± Song Tan instinctively turned her head and saw a young boy in a black cotton vest running towards them from the road. He was quite tall, around one meter eighty, and slender. But his skin was fair, and there was a small dimple on his cheek. Now, smiling as he ran over, his entire being radiated joy: ¡°Sister!¡± This was her younger brother, Song Qiao, eighteen years old in body, but¡­ six in mind. Wu Lan had given birth to him at forty, and as prenatal check-ups weren¡¯t customary in the countryside, he was born this way, forever with the mind of a six- or seven-year-old. But he was well-behaved and sensible, and it was Song Tan who had raised him from a young age. Until she left home for school and then stayed in Ning City¡­ Song Qiao stood in front of Song Tan, his eyes sparkling, looking up at her obediently like a little dog. Song Tan stretched out her hand, and the boy obediently lowered his head for her to touch his cold face: ¡°Qiaoqiao.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°I¡¯m back to keep you company, okay?¡± ¡°Good!¡± he exclaimed loudly. Then he hesitated as he looked at Song Sancheng: ¡°But dad said, you have to earn money, it¡¯s tiring, and I can¡¯t cling to you.¡± Song Tan laughed and checked his hands to see if his fingernails were clean¡ªthey were well-kept, no digging in the mud during the cold winter. ¡°Earning money is too tiring; your sister doesn¡¯t want to earn it anymore. I came back to be with Qiaoqiao, to be with mom and dad, and all of us together. Is that okay?¡± Song Qiao, not understanding the significance of one of the few college graduates in the village returning to farm, simply cheered: ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sister! I can plant corn, I¡¯ll take care of you!¡± This time, even Song Sancheng, who had always looked troubled, laughed: ¡°All you do is put corn kernels in the ground and then break them off the stalks. What do you know about farming corn!¡± Chapter 5 - 5: 5. Sectioned Field_1 Chapter 5: 5. Sectioned Field_1 Song Sancheng reluctantly agreed to let her return to farming, and Song Tan truly let out a sigh of relief. Next was her mother, Wu Lan. Just at this moment, Wu Lan spoke up, ¡°Dinnertime¡ªQiaoqiao, go wash your hands and serve the dishes!¡± Song Qiao obediently ran over. In the dead of winter, she turned on the outdoor tap and let the water run, then diligently started to serve the dishes. A milk-white carp soup topped with a handful of coriander was so fragrant one sniff was enough to tell how fresh the fish was! Then came eight braised carps, not large, each weighing only about two to three hundred grams. Now paired with coriander, chillies, and minced green onion, they were braised until the rich aroma aggressively filled the entire room! ... If it had been just a bit warmer, the fish bellies would surely have contained even tastier roe! Next was radish stewed with pot-steamed pork. Pot-steamed pork is a local cooking method, salting pork with a good ratio of fat to lean, cutting it into small pieces, and stir-frying it in some peanut oil until the pork turned golden and released some delicious lard, which was then combined with the meat in a pot. Once cooled, a thick layer of white lard would tightly seal the meat. Covered and stored in a cool place, it was ready to scoop and eat at any time¡­ Now that it was stewed, even the fatty parts were fragrantly sizzling, not the least bit greasy! Next was a plate of stir-fried wild garlic with eggs. The finely chopped wild garlic was a vibrant green, and the homegrown eggs fried to a golden hue made a perfect pairing, with a mouthwatering aroma! Finally, there was the signature dish, ¡°Red-beaked Green Parrot¡±! The crisp and tender spinach tasted sweet upon entry, mixed with hotly stir-fried garlic¡­. Fairy Song Tan plumped herself down on the stool, and flatly refused to budge an inch! Her little brother Song Qiao was a sweetheart. By now he had already brought over the rice bowls, ¡°Sister, I helped catch the fish! Eat more!¡± Song Sancheng didn¡¯t care about much, but his fishing dignity was inviolable, ¡°You just baited the hook with an earthworm, what do you mean you caught it¡­¡± Only to be suppressed by Wu Lan with a single sentence, ¡°Qiaoqiao baited the worm well, that¡¯s why he could catch fish! Otherwise, why did you catch so many this time, right Qiaoqiao?¡± Song Qiao also looked at his dad, huffing through his nose, ¡°Exactly!¡± The family hierarchy was quite clear. Song Tan sipped the fish soup her brother had ladled for her, tasting its freshness. The only drawback was that behind the fresh taste, there was a sense of murkiness that only she could sense. However, even though there was no Spiritual Energy and impurities still existed, she was now ravenous enough to eat. After all, it was much better than the takeout she had during the day. ¡­ Wu Lan looked at her daughter serving herself another bowl, then looked at her pale and frail appearance, feeling both proud and heartbroken: ¡°Eat more, there¡¯s still plenty in the pot. Tomorrow I¡¯ll cook on the clay stove, then I¡¯ll make you a pot crust soaked in chicken soup!¡± Their family¡¯s kitchen was large and the old clay stove hadn¡¯t been dismantled. Every time Song Tan came home, she would definitely enjoy some pot crust rice. Song Tan¡¯s heart stirred, displaying a pitiful look, ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to go to work anymore, it¡¯s so tiring.¡± She intended to appear weak, but forgot she had spent a hundred years cultivating and had lost touch with her mother¡¯s temperament. For instance, right now, she heard Wu Lan also sigh, ¡°What can we do then? Maybe you should change jobs. If the money¡¯s less, it doesn¡¯t matter, your dad and I have saved up quite a bit, enough for your brother and you when we are old.¡± With Song Qiao in his condition and the hospital declaring there was nothing they could do, the elderly couple was heartbroken and had already decided to spend their old age with their son. Things like marriage, finding a woman to take care of him¡­ That was impossible. Qiaoqiao might be simple-minded, but he was a good kid too. In this day and age, even one¡¯s own children might show aversion; let alone finding someone else. Better not to wrong others, nor let them aggrieve Qiaoqiao. For years, they had scrimped and saved, all to ensure they had sufficient funds for retirement, aiming to not burden their daughter. With her good looks and university education, Tantan couldn¡¯t afford to waste time in the rural countryside¡­ Their village didn¡¯t have anyone under thirty anymore! All they hoped for was that she¡¯d find a good job, marry into a good family, and not endure hardships¡­ Song Tan had no idea that in just this short moment, her mother had a whirlwind of thoughts. Seeing that showing weakness was futile, she decided to just be direct, ¡°Mom, I want to go home and farm.¡± As the words left her mouth and she saw Wu Lan reaching for a branch, Song Tan instinctively tensed her back, but then quickly added¡ª ¡°And also to recuperate, Mom, I¡¯m too weak!¡± It was then that Wu Lan finally steadied her breathing, pondering for a while, ¡°That¡¯s true, you¡¯re still so young, your job is too draining, you need to rest.¡± ¡°Alright, stay at home for a few months. It¡¯s just after the Spring Festival and not too busy, you can use the time to exercise a bit.¡± Song Tan and Song Sancheng exchanged glances, both falling silent. However, there was one thing Song Tan hadn¡¯t lied about¡ªher body was indeed weak on the inside. Despite her strength and resistance to cold, it was only because she had been tempered by Spiritual Energy during a car accident. But the city itself had thin Spiritual Energy, and at that time her internal organs had been gravely damaged, her life hanging by a thread. It was only by desperately gathering Spiritual Energy that she managed to stay alive¡­ Now, though hospital checks showed everything was fine, she alone knew that her body was not fully recovered and her spirit was severely depleted. Staying in the countryside to recuperate was, in no part, a lie. ¡­ The meal was finished without any mishaps. After eating her fill, Song Tan was visibly more spirited. Song Qiao busied herself with washing the dishes, keen to show off in front of her sister. Meanwhile, sitting with her family by the stove, Song Tan contemplated her next business move. With the Spiritual Energy here, Song Tan was still very hopeful about the future¡ªgiven the current wellness trend, everyone loved products from the mountains and wilderness. The things she grew with Spiritual Energy would surely be in demand. But before that, there was the obstacle of her mother to overcome! Even if she were to lease a field and Bags Mountain to make a big move, Song Tan, even with a hundred years of cultivating immortals, knew well that her sixty thousand yuan would be insufficient; she couldn¡¯t avoid tapping into her parents¡¯ savings. Just by talking, a university student suddenly claiming that farming could be lucrative¡­ Song Tan believed that Wu Lan would definitely take up a tree branch and whip her while scolding, ¡°Just what are you capable of!¡± ¡°Since when can you farm!¡± sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°If farming was so lucrative, why is everyone moving to the city!¡± ¡°If farming was so profitable, why are your parents still living in the village!¡± Well then, one step at a time, she thought, starting with cleaning up her own fields. It was the end of February by the solar calendar, just after the Lantern Festival, a perfect time when all things began to revival. Returning home at this time, she could begin by recuperating and activating the Spiritual Energy. Once the spring rains started, she planned to first produce results with her own fields and then gradually expand from there. What she had in abundance now were patience and time. But before that¡ª ¡°Mom, about our fields and land at home, carve out a section for me to try out on my own, no need for your help.¡± Wu Lan shoved another log into the stove, saying nonchalantly, ¡°So, do you want to farm or dig into the mountain? You can mess with the field in the corner of the bamboo grove; it¡¯s been abandoned for several years. Have your dad tidy it up for you.¡± ¡°As for the mountain¡­ what¡¯s there to divide? The mountain behind the house has always been ours, along with our old Tea Mountain, and there¡¯s one further away¡­ if you can manage to dig, you¡¯re free to do as you like.¡± Song Tan: !!! Chapter 6 - 6: 6. Do not imitate the pigs call_1 Chapter 6: 6. Do not imitate the pig¡¯s call_1 Song Tan was genuinely shocked. ¡°Our family is that rich?¡± Mountains and lands everywhere. ¡°What money?¡± Wu Lan didn¡¯t even lift her head, ¡°All were passed down from your grandfather. Just barren hills and fields, unsellable and unleased. They¡¯re just lying fallow!¡± Song Tan fell silent. Now, the entire village had less than thirty households, with an average age of forty to fifty. Nowadays, grains weren¡¯t worth much; it was just about scraping by with enough to eat. So, not just their family, but others had large swathes of land lying fallow too. ... There wasn¡¯t any other reason; it was just a lack of labor. Their area had a lot of mountainous terrain, making large agricultural machinery unusable. Small machinery was expensive as it was self-funded, and you couldn¡¯t even save up the cost with a year¡¯s earnings from an acre of land. Plus, with the twisty roads, there wasn¡¯t much to sell outside. Growing rice and wheat was just for their own consumption. Toiling all year with irrigation, fertilizing, pest control, and weeding cost quite a bit of money. And the harvest? In the face of labor shortages, they could only harvest enough for their own consumption. Looking back, in the town¡¯s supermarket, it was just over two yuan per pound. Though the taste wasn¡¯t great, it saved the trouble, and the cost was even less! Better to let the land lie fallow. To really make money, they had to go out and find work after the busy first half of the year! Like Wu Lan, who last year went to a shoe factory to thread shoelaces, earning six thousand a month, and only reluctantly returned home for the New Year. The year before that was Song Sancheng, who went to Imperial City to work on a construction site, earning four hundred a day for three months, making over thirty thousand, losing over ten pounds, and resting for more than half a month upon returning. After all, they were getting on in years! Song Tan felt a surge of sorrow in her heart and promised, ¡°Mom, rest assured, I¡¯ll definitely make sure we live a good life!¡± Wu Lan didn¡¯t discourage her but retorted, ¡°If you can handle it, I¡¯ll let you take care of the family¡¯s fields and mountains. Just don¡¯t waste the vegetable plot.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll let you see what real hardship is.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re talking about taking on both mountains and fields, and it¡¯s nearly the end of February. What are you planning to plant come spring?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ She really hadn¡¯t thought this through! She had only traveled back to this time for half a day and hadn¡¯t cultivated any ¡°Spiritual Energy¡± to speak of. What was the point of planting anything at all? But under Wu Lan¡¯s intimidating gaze, Song Tan decisively changed her answer, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. When have I ever undertaken anything without assurance, from childhood till now?¡± That was true, the daughter was always both obedient and sensible¡ªexcept for this time. Wu Lan ¡°hmmed¡± and waited for what would come next. Song Tan then said, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let Dad rent a few machines tomorrow to till the fallow lands.¡± ¡°The plots where we have crops I won¡¯t touch.¡± ¡°I have plans for a few hilltops as well, but we¡¯ll need people to dig into them, the machines can¡¯t get up there¡ªjust hire the people, Mom, I¡¯ll pay.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll pay?¡± Wu Lan looked at her meaningfully, ¡°Girl, digging into a hill costs two hundred yuan per person per day, you only have those sixty thousand yuan, so use it sparingly, otherwise our family doesn¡¯t have that much capital for you to squander.¡± Song Tan¡¯s expression cracked¡ªwhy was she so obedient before! Reporting her savings like a mama¡¯s girl! After tidying up the kitchen, Song Qiao ran in, her hands bright red, which again upset Wu Lan, ¡°How many times have I told you, use warm water in the winter! Why don¡¯t you listen?¡± The two were trying to train Song Qiao, teaching him household tasks bit by bit, fearful of what might come someday¡­ but Song Qiao didn¡¯t know how to take care of himself, and this practical process was filled with frustration. For example, right now, Song Qiao didn¡¯t care about her, hugging close to Song Tan: ¡°Big sis, I want to watch Peppa! Mom won¡¯t let me watch!¡± Ay yo wei! Who could reject such a precious child! So Song Tan immediately pulled out her phone, ¡°Here we¡ª¡± She stumbled. The phone she pulled out was criss-crossed with cracks, clearly dancing on the edge of being scrapped¡ª Wu Lan glanced at her own thousand yuan phone, suddenly feeling a pang of sourness. ¡°I know it¡¯s tough for you out there, but we don¡¯t need your money at home, don¡¯t be too thrifty.¡± Then, softening her voice, ¡°If you want to farm, just farm well. The family has nothing else but plenty of land; you can do whatever you want with it.¡± Turning around, she even took out her phone and transferred two thousand yuan to her, ¡°Go to town tomorrow, buy a new one.¡± Song Tan blinked in bewilderment, then looked at her phone again¡ªthe unexpected joy haha! However, the next moment, she heard Song Qiao next to her making ¡°hmm hmm hmm¡± sounds, humming while watching the two of them. At this point, Wu Lan couldn¡¯t keep up her soft heartedness, and roared: ¡°Song Qiaoqiao! I told you if you mimic that pig noise again, no more TV!¡± ¡­ In the quiet of the night, Song Tan finally had the chance to try to attract Spiritual Energy. The Spiritual Energy twinkled like stars, slowly surging with the wind in the quiet winter night village. As she practiced her heart method, the Spiritual Energy, invisible to the common eye like fireflies, slowly converged bit by bit. Like rain nourishing her battered body that had escaped death, refining her vessel¡­ At last, as the dawn began to break, the Spiritual Energy, which had become richer during the process, was finally absorbed into her Dantian by Song Tan. At this moment, her body was full of sticky black impurities, and the room¡¯s scent became increasingly intoxicating. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Tan had to stealthily head to the shower room like a thief¡ªthankful for the new rural development; even though she wasn¡¯t as afraid of the cold now, she still had to say: water heaters are amazing! But the trouble was, the filth on her body was so difficult to scrub off that after bathing, not only was the hot water gone, but Wu Lan had also woken up. Bathing on a cold winter¡¯s morning, and using up all the water heater¡¯s hot water for cold water?! She must be out of her mind! Therefore, in an instant, the whole family got up¡ªQiaoqiao brewed ginger soup, Song Sancheng fired up the stove, and Wu Lan hurried to stew water on the stove again; she must not catch a cold! Finally, when it was time to head to the street, Fairy Song Tan, wrapped in an old military coat, and wearing a grandmother-level wool hat, was allowed to sit on the back of the motorcycle. Motorcycles are hard to start in winter; Song Sancheng in front kept pumping the kickstarter, booming as she calculated what she would do today¡ª First of all, go to the town¡¯s police station to get an ID card. Thank heavens, because nowadays everyone uses mobile payment, she didn¡¯t have any cards on her when she had the accident, which spared her a lot of trouble. Then buy a new phone. Once these two important tasks were done, next was to buy some farming tools, fertilizer, and most importantly¡ªseeds. As for what seeds to buy, Song Tan already had ideas in her mind. At this moment, sitting on the motorcycle, looking at the rolling mountains they had just passed, then looking at the just-risen red sun in the sky, she felt a surge of pride: ¡°Dad! It won¡¯t take long, and I will make our village more beautiful! Our days will be better!¡± Song Sancheng, riding ahead, also shouted, ¡°Tantan, about that sixty thousand yuan, spend it carefully!¡± Chapter 7 - 7: Im a big shot!_1 Chapter 7: I¡¯m a big shot!_1 The small town¡¯s police station didn¡¯t require queuing, and Song Tan was able to get a replacement for her ID card in just ten minutes. Now, having efficiently picked out a domestically made phone for three thousand yuan, she pondered over the modest sum in her pocket with deep regret. Just sixty thousand yuan (to be precise, over sixty-two thousand, adding the two thousand yuan subsidy from Wu Lan, making it sixty-four thousand), Song Tan had also planned a budget last night. How to budget? Buying a cell phone, farming tools, seeds, and fertilizers¡­ Could she save the rest? No, she had to hire people to dig up mountains, lands, and all the places she wanted to plant¡­ That amount of money wouldn¡¯t last long for labor costs. ... ¡°Dad, mom said that I can do whatever I want with the fields and hills, just not to touch the vegetable garden¡ªso, are there any machines that can till the soil?¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If she couldn¡¯t afford it, she could rent! Song Sancheng was still reluctant, ¡°Tantan, do you really want to farm? It¡¯s okay to try a little for experience, but why are you spreading everything so big? When the villagers find out, wouldn¡¯t they say you¡¯re being reckless?¡± Song Tan herself didn¡¯t mind at all, but Song Sancheng and Wu Lan had lived here their whole lives, and it was impossible for them to completely disregard gossip and rumors. Therefore, she advised, ¡°Dad, even if I just farm a small plot, people will talk. Since that¡¯s the case, I might as well do it with a splash.¡± Song Sancheng, not articulate, didn¡¯t know what to say and could only sigh again, ¡°Your mom and I discussed it last night, we can¡¯t touch the two hundred thousand we saved for our retirement, so we can only give you sixty thousand.¡± ¡°Tantan, it¡¯s not easy to make money, don¡¯t waste it.¡± Song Tan suddenly felt her eyes grow warm. She knew her father wasn¡¯t lying. Rural families, raising a college student, along with a feeble-minded son, and even with both parents taking turns to work, how much could they save? This was truly all they had. Song Sancheng had no idea what his daughter was thinking, and at the moment, he was still worried, ¡°Since you¡¯re going to do it, you have to consider, why would you make money? Otherwise, there are so many in the village who farm, who wouldn¡¯t be better than you?¡± ¡°If you aren¡¯t confident, think it over again.¡± Song Tan fell silent, too. In the Cultivation World, no one cared about what you did or didn¡¯t do as long as your realm was high enough. Just like her Water Wood Spiritual Method, she sought breakthroughs by planting Spirit Plants at Yinmoon Peak for a century. There were many cases like this. But now, in the ordinary world, she could squander sixty thousand yuan, but how could she dare let her parents worry about their hard-earned money? But how could she explain the matters of cultivation? Song Tan pondered for a moment, ¡°Dad, to be honest, I¡¯ve been thinking about coming back for a long time. Our village is close to a water source, and there are winding mountain roads. The area hasn¡¯t been polluted over the years, making it a particularly good place.¡± That was true, but with desolate mountains and wilderness, neither the mountains majestic nor precipitous, the forest lands and fields were mostly planted casually, and then most were left fallow¡­ Even if one wanted to develop the area, it really was difficult to know where to start. For so many years, there really hadn¡¯t been any pollution. Otherwise, Song Tan wouldn¡¯t have been able to succeed with qi induction so easily last night. ¡°What¡¯s so good about it?¡± Song Sancheng was indifferent, ¡°Villages like ours are everywhere.¡± But Song Tan spoke softly, ¡°Dad, the reason I dare to come back and farm is that an expert came here to test and said that the quality of the soil and water is very high. If we grow crops here, they will taste better than those from other places.¡± ¡°He is a professional, and what good does lying do him? So, feeling I couldn¡¯t keep up with my job, I wanted to come back and give it a try.¡± ¡°Dad, if I succeed, I could stay in the village with you and mom forever.¡± The last sentence moved Song Sancheng. Raising sons and daughters, didn¡¯t he wish for the family to be together? But ever since the children went to a boarding school in town for junior high, and then high school, college, work¡­counting it all up, the time they as parents spent with their children was minimal. Now with his daughter saying this, Song Sancheng couldn¡¯t help but believe¡ªyes, someone came to test it specifically, what if it were true? So he criticized himself a bit and chimed in, ¡°Yes, the vegetables we grow here have a real veggie taste compared to those sold in your supermarkets!¡± The father and daughter duo marched off to look at farming tools, full of energy and pride. ¡°By the way, Dad, how much is the tillage machinery we use to plough the land?¡± Song Sancheng thought for a moment, ¡°It seems you can get one for about five thousand yuan¡­¡± Song Tan immediately decided, ¡°I¡¯ll buy one!¡± ¡°Buy what!¡± Song Sancheng glared at her, ¡°You¡¯ll need to fix it after using it a couple of times. Besides, from the bamboo forest to the pond, we have seven or eight big fields. Can you handle all that, and do it all in one go?¡± The fields here were all terraced, suitable only for small machinery. While cheaper, the smaller machines were prone to problems. In this regard, Song Sancheng, unlike Song Tan who only knew how to use spells, had more experience. Following Song Sancheng, Song Tan saw him enter a machinery shop. With just a few words, he settled on a price of 500 yuan per day for tilling the land. ¡°That¡¯s really expensive¡­¡± Song Sancheng kept muttering to himself even after leaving the shop. Nowadays, not many people farmed, but there were still some, and it was the time to prepare for spring plowing, a minor peak season. Moreover, they weren¡¯t just renting the machinery but also hiring labor. The fields had been neglected for years and were semi-fallow, which made the price jaw-dropping for Song Sancheng. However, he was clearly an optimist and soon cheered up again, ¡°Machinery makes the work easier. Theirs is more expensive, but they plow deeper than others, which is good.¡± In fact, this was the only shop in town that sold and rented out agricultural machinery. To go further, they would have to go to the neighboring town. Song Tan looked at her dad and found him adorable in every way. ¡°By the way, Tantan, what do you plan to plant first? If you want to sow rice, you need to clean up the uppermost pond. It has been left untended for so many years, it¡¯s full of water chestnuts now.¡± People here liked to eat, so they used to grow both rice and wheat. But generally, rice was more commonly grown. Of course, no one grows it now! Song Tan looked at her dad, feeling like a low-profile tycoon¡¯s child, ¡°Is that pond ours too?¡± The pond¡¯s edge was lined with weeping willows and wild herbs, and the water was clear and clean. In Song Tan¡¯s memory, although the water chestnuts were small, only the size of chestnuts, their sweet and fresh flavor after peeling was incomparably different from what was sold in outside markets. She hadn¡¯t tasted anything like it in years! ¡°What else!¡± exclaimed Song Sancheng as if it were obvious, ¡°We used to grow rice at home. If we used someone else¡¯s pond, they wouldn¡¯t let us have the water, would they? How would we grow rice then?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that. The bamboo forest area, including the pond in front of the gate, it¡¯s all ours.¡± ¡°I was the youngest, so when the property was divided, your elder uncle got another mountain, and we were the ones nearby.¡± ¡°Only the pond on the distant hillside was dug by the commune back in the day.¡± Song Sancheng sighed with chagrin, clearly beginning to worry about money. Song Tan was too shocked to speak. She had even considered coming back to lease the mountain fields, but after seeing this, what was there to lease? She was the landowner to the core! Filled with vigor, Song Tan then pointed to a seed store in front of them, ¡°Dad, let¡¯s start with buying a few dozen kilograms of milk vetch!¡± ¡­ ¡­ [Milk vetch can be grown in spring and autumn. The rhizobia in it can enrich the soil, making it an excellent fertilizer. Plus, it¡¯s quite nutritious, tastes good, and blooms with light purple flowers¡­ Moreover, it has a short growth cycle; it can sprout within a month or two. Both humans and livestock like pigs, cows, and sheep can eat it!] [Supplement: I¡¯ve seen many friends in the comment section asking, so let me explain. Some small agricultural machines are not expensive on their own, but they require skilled labor to operate and consume fuel, and frequent repairs are indeed a reality. What Tantan¡¯s dad was discussing is spending 500 yuan for a full day¡¯s package, including labor, fuel, and repairs. Renting can save labor and money when initial funds are tight.] Chapter 8 - 8: 8.Milk Vetch_1 Chapter 8: 8.Milk Vetch_1 Song Sancheng frowned, ¡°Are you planning to plant rice on dozens of acres of land?¡± Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for so much milk vetch to fertilize the soil, dozens of pounds? Milk vetch only requires five or six pounds of seeds per acre. Now at the end of February, people are still wearing down jackets and heavy coats. Once March passes and the temperature quickly rises, as long as there¡¯s no spring cold snap and the day-night temperature difference isn¡¯t so great, most crops can be planted. If milk vetch is planted, at the very least it wouldn¡¯t be until the end of April or May that the soil could be turned over to plant something else¡­ but that would work too, it wouldn¡¯t delay the planting of other crops. According to Song Sancheng¡¯s farming experience, May is the most suitable month for planting. Every year, March and April pose risks of spring cold snaps, with large day-night temperature differences that could frostbite the sprouting seeds, making it unsuitable. It¡¯s just that he wasn¡¯t comfortable starting with spending so much money and time. ... Last night, Song Tan thought long and hard, and now was calm and unhurried, ¡°The two fields at the bottom will be planted with rice for our own family¡¯s consumption.¡± Together, those two fields add up to three or four acres. Nowadays, the yield of rice is also high, enough to feed the family and even give some to friends and relatives. Song Tan didn¡¯t consider planting more, as rice farming is laborious, and he didn¡¯t want to plant too much of it. Raising fish in the rice paddies is also something to consider trying. ¡°The other fields will first be planted with milk vetch to fertilize, and when it gets warmer I¡¯ll plant vegetables.¡± This time, Song Sancheng didn¡¯t oppose, ¡°Planting vegetables is good, they sell well. Later, we can take them to the market on a tricycle.¡± Low cost, quick harvest, and easier than planting rice. Song Tan smiled, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I was planning too.¡± As if. How many people are there in the town? If going, it would be to the city. In fact, last night, reflecting on her own work, Song Tan had a different idea¡ªnowadays, people like watching pastoral videos for stress relief and tranquility. But with so many rural areas around, how could she quickly catch people¡¯s attention? Either be beautiful or unique. Her hometown Yunqiao Village is pretty ordinary. Therefore, she must focus on the ¡°beautiful¡± aspect. Milk vetch has a short growing cycle, it¡¯s hardy and easy to plant, and its blooming is beautiful enough. When the time comes, she¡¯ll make a video, and she¡¯ll rely on the continuous milk vetch flowers to attract viewers for her first shot. Otherwise, with so much farming and vegetable planting, when could she create a premium product? ¡­ At the end of February, the agricultural supply store wasn¡¯t very busy. When Song Tan asked for 70 pounds of milk vetch seeds, the owner was quite surprised, ¡°How much land are you planting? The original seeds are enough with five pounds per acre, while the medicinal seeds require ten pounds. The prices are the same, ten yuan per pound.¡± Original seeds are natural seeds that haven¡¯t been treated. Medicinal seeds are the ones with pesticide coatings to prevent insects and diseases, offering better resistance. Song Tan thought to herself that she couldn¡¯t have cultivated Spirit Plants for a hundred and ten years without having some pest control methods, so she made a resolute choice: ¡°I want the original seeds!¡± Besides milk vetch, she needed to buy all the other seeds as well, such as vegetable seeds, starting from the short-cycle bok choy to seedlings that need to be raised like peppers, eggplants, cucumbers¡­ everything had to be prepared. The local seeds might not be as comprehensive as those online, but for a novice, they have the best adaptability. So, by the end of her purchases, Song Tan had spent over a thousand yuan, which made Song Sancheng¡¯s heart twinge. Song Tan was still asking! ¡°Do you have rice seeds? I want ones with good taste.¡± The owner looked up, ¡°We do, this Long Grain Fragrant variety has an amazing taste, and you can¡¯t buy it for ten yuan a pound. It just has low yield, with an output of only around eight hundred to a thousand pounds per acre.¡± Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but sigh¡ªtechnology truly is productive force! In the Cultivation World, those Spirit Grains without hybrid optimization, despite her efforts and Spiritual Energy, would yield only about five or six hundred pounds per acre at most. ¡°How much are they selling for?¡± The owner didn¡¯t beat around the bush, ¡°These seeds are expensive, eighty yuan per pound. You need two pounds per acre.¡± Eight pounds of seeds for four acres of land, how expensive could that get? Thinking of the fragrant pure rice, Song Tan¡¯s mouth was already watering, ¡°I¡¯ll take it!¡± ¡­ After spending two thousand yuan on seeds, Song Sancheng took a drag from his cigarette, speaking earnestly: ¡°Tantan, there¡¯s no rush to buy things, take your time. Plowing the field later will also be costly, you need to prepare quite a bit of money,¡± That plow machine needs to be fitted with different depth harrows, and if you buy it, those have to be matched separately. Since they were renting, there wasn¡¯t this trouble. But their fields hadn¡¯t been plowed for many years, so they¡¯d have to hire people to clear the weeds and miscellaneous trees, costing no less than 150 per person per day. For the seven plots, finishing in one day would require around a dozen people, and there goes another 2000 yuan. If they didn¡¯t hire people, it would delay things, affecting their farming. Then, they¡¯d have to set a fire in the fields before they could begin plowing. After turning and airing the soil for two days, they could start planting. Even with machinery, their fields could at most manage deep plowing of five mu a day. For fifteen mu, that would take three days, and 1500 yuan. And then there would be the subsequent expenses for fertilizers and pesticides¡­ When Song Sancheng thought about the money spent, he felt his daughter was spending way too much! ¡°With all those vegetables you¡¯re planting, won¡¯t you need to set up greenhouses for the seedlings? Didn¡¯t you say you needed to hire people to dig into the mountain? What are your plans for the mountain?¡± Calculating all this, Song Tan felt a bit overwhelmed too. Work hadn¡¯t even started, and tens of thousands of yuan were already planned to be spent. Song Tan made a decisive decision, ¡°Dad, we won¡¯t dig into the mountain for now. I plan to grow black fungus and white fungus on the mountain, using the oak trees there to culture the spores, so there¡¯s no need to clear them out.¡± There were many oak trees, also known as cork trees, locally. The wood was solid, and it burned well, which was what Song Tan¡¯s family used for heating. Of course, it was also excellent material for cultivating black fungus and white fungus. However, nowadays everyone directly used spore culture bags, and this old method hadn¡¯t been seen for many years. Consequently, the price of tree-cultured fungi has gone up. Song Tan vaguely remembered that when she was young, her family used to cultivate black fungus and white fungus this way. In the end, every household grew them, but the promised buyer didn¡¯t show up, so they had to dry them and keep them at home, consuming them for years. Song Sancheng was completely numb. ¡ªGrow black fungus and white fungus? Wouldn¡¯t that mean cutting trees and processing the trunks? Suitable tree trunks had to be chopped down, holes drilled in them one by one, then stuffed with the spores¡­ Because it took up space and the yield was low, it has been slowly phased out by spore culture bags. But Tantan made sense; people now prioritize natural and pollution-free products. Regardless of whether there¡¯s pollution or not, spore culture bags just seem to lack some flavor compared to tree-cultured ones. Song Sancheng sighed deeply. But then he thought¡ªnever mind, they had plenty of oak trees crowding several mountaintops, chopping down some would be fine. It was still better than spending money elsewhere. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Spend it, spend it, once the money is gone, out of sight, out of mind! He muttered grimly, ¡°I¡¯ll go ask about the spore suppliers.¡± Seeing her father like this, Song Tan also felt uneasy¡ªbecause she had ordered a computer and several accessories online last night, spending 8000 yuan to ensure efficient editing later on. But what¡¯s spent is spent. So Song Tan struck while the iron was hot, ¡°Dad, let¡¯s clean up the pigpen by the door, and raise three or four pigs this year.¡± If the vegetables are delicious, the meat has to keep up! Song Sancheng was about to jump up, ¡°With all this work, do you want to work your mom and me to death?¡± Thinking about how expensive pork was at the moment, he was actually quite tempted, so he softened his expression: ¡°We can¡¯t build a pigsty by the door now, the village says it ruins the aesthetic, even the firewood shed has to be tidied up.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ [About cutting trees, since there are plenty of them on rural mountaintops and each household has some, the unspoken rule is that if you cut them down, you must plant new ones, so there¡¯s no need to worry about deforestation.] [About cultivating fungi in the forest, there¡¯s scientific guidance behind it, and it¡¯s stable. The basswood white fungus we eat now is cultivated in this way, just that it¡¯s assumed there are no basswoods here, but local trees work just as well.] [About plant pictures, fearing you might find it troublesome, we haven¡¯t included any easter eggs. If anyone has pictures, feel free to share them in the comments on this chapter. Those who are interested can click to see; those who aren¡¯t, can just skip it, it won¡¯t affect the reading.] [If you have any other questions, just ask in the comments, and I¡¯ll explain as much as I can. Free chapters will be included during the free period, while I¡¯ll try to put notices in the author¡¯s comments later on not to take up word count.] Chapter 9 - 9: 9. Do you raise pigs?_1 Chapter 9: 9. Do you raise pigs?_1 When she got home, Wu Lan indeed asked about every detail of the money, and with each item that Song Tan reported, a vein in Wu Lan¡¯s forehead throbbed. That made Song Tan¡¯s heart flutter with anxiety: she didn¡¯t want to be a mama¡¯s girl, but she truly had no other choice! At this point, it was time to use the tactic of ¡°besieging Wei to rescue Zhao¡±: ¡°Mom, I¡¯m thinking of raising a few pigs, what do you think?¡± The price of pork was up and down, but no matter the price, there was always a market for home-raised pigs; it seemed sensible to raise them. ¡°How many?¡± Wu Lan snorted coldly, thinking that her daughter was truly a princess who had never been troubled with household chores: ¡°Now the price of pork is high, and so is the price of piglets, hundreds of yuan each. Bringing them home means setting up a separate stove to cook pig food, and in this cold weather, you still need to buy wheat bran, rice bran, and corn kernels¡­¡± ... Not to mention other things, a hungry pig grunts, and a few of them oinking away meant setting up a pigpen¡­ as if there wasn¡¯t enough work in the fields already! To Wu Lan, Song Tan seemed like she wanted to fly before she¡¯d learned to walk, which was quite unreliable in her eyes. ¡°Besides, wealth in minted coins counts but wealth in livestock does not; if they get sick¡­¡± But Song Tan was longing for it! Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She was now able to cultivate, and without saying anything else, surely she could improve the quality of their food ¨C the pork would taste so good! She said, ¡°Mom, raising our pigs is safe and delicious. The pork from outside doesn¡¯t taste as good as what we had in childhood. And with pork being so expensive, if we raise it ourselves we can sell some too¡­¡± ¡°Once we slaughter a pig, we can stew pork dishes, fry a dish of pork scratchings, and later stew cabbage and make buns ¨C how delicious that would be!¡± Indeed, fresh pork would be so tasty! As a qualified farmer who had raised pigs for many years and only stopped in recent years, Song Sancheng too was clearly tempted, now completely forgetting his earlier refusal, and he chimed in: ¡°Yes, yes, how about we raise one¡­¡± By the side, Song Qiao, who was looking at Peppa Pig on her phone, suddenly looked up: ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re my Pig Mommy!¡± ¡°Sister, can I live with Peppa?¡± Wu Lan quickly took a deep breath ¡ª oh my, this silly son, always causing worry! And thinking about the future and the significant expenses for their silly son¡¯s care, considering the current high price of pork, she gritted her teeth: ¡°Let¡¯s raise them!¡± ¡°The village doesn¡¯t allow pigs to be raised at the front of the house, but we could just secretly build a pigpen behind ours. Our house is only visible after turning into a side road anyway, so it won¡¯t affect the appearance. But the pigpen has to be small, big enough for at most two pigs.¡± How could that be acceptable?! A rural pigpen is a square courtyard enclosed by walls, with a shelter in the corner and a pit for the manure, followed by a small space where the pigs can move around¡­ Their house was a bungalow, with the bedroom window facing the back hill ¨C if they built a pigpen there, the smell would be¡­ indescribable! Song Tan quickly interjected, ¡°Let¡¯s use some wire fencing or something to enclose part of the back hillside. We could raise a few more pigs and let them roam freely in the woods.¡± Domestic pigs weren¡¯t that destructive; a simple enclosure should be enough, and the hillside provided plenty of room for them to roam. ¡°Besides, the back hill is close by, so if there¡¯s any noise we¡¯ll be able to hear it.¡± Now even Song Sancheng looked at Song Tan with disbelief: Who raises pigs like this? Those pink pigs running all over the hillsides ¨C never mind the risk of them breaking a limb or encountering snakes, insects, and pests ¨C how would those pigs running around the mountains gain any weight?! ¡°No white pigs, let¡¯s raise black pigs! They might be more energetic and not gain much weight, but they are pricier and tastier!¡± Just as he thought to object, he saw Song Tan grab Wu Lan¡¯s hand: ¡°Mom, please let me try! I really have a plan!¡± And looking at Song Sancheng, ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve always been obedient, just this once, listen to me, okay?¡± Silence spread throughout the room. After a long while, Song Qiao suddenly said softly, ¡°Listen to me, okay?¡± Song Tan almost laughed out loud! Wu Lan also laughed out of exasperation, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ve raised two debt collectors! I¡¯ll listen to you; I¡¯ll listen to everything you say!¡± Turning her head huffily, she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to make a call to check the current price! Old Song, you go clean up the back hill!¡± After she left, Song Sancheng then added, ¡°Tantan, if you¡¯re raising pigs on the mountain, you have to get a couple of big dogs to watch them, otherwise you can¡¯t keep them safe.¡± It¡¯s not just to guard against weasels and wild dogs or the like, but mainly to guard against people. Don¡¯t think the village is all peace and harmony. Years ago, someone would even steal cabbages from the fields despite everyone having them! And once, a few years back, there was an incident in the neighboring village where a dispute over a pumpkin led to someone poisoning a few of the neighbor¡¯s pigs! Having dogs is mainly to ensure that if anything stirs, they can hear it at home, which is reassuring! Song Tan fell silent for a long while before suddenly asking, ¡°Dad, since we¡¯ll have dogs and also raise pigs on the mountain, why don¡¯t we raise some chickens and ducks too?¡± Set the ducks in their own space, let them wander to the pond in front every day, and it shouldn¡¯t be too much trouble¡­ right. Song Tan thought to herself that she had finally convinced her parents, and if she didn¡¯t get it all done in one go, it would be troublesome to do it bit by bit later! Song Sancheng: !!! How come there are pigs and dogs already when nothing is settled yet? Song Sancheng, remembering how his daughter spent money today, even felt that the ten-yuan pack of Emgrand Cigarettes in his hand was expensive. Huffs puffing and sighing, he finally said: ¡°You¡¯re grown up now, do whatever you want. While we can still move, even if you lose money, we can still support you.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s one thing, the money you have, plus the sixty thousand yuan we can give, you¡¯re not allowed to borrow money! Not even a penny.¡± After speaking, he sighed again, ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid if you lose money, I won¡¯t even be able to afford my cigarettes.¡± Song Tan then sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for me either, why don¡¯t you quit smoking, Dad? You could save a hundred or two hundred a month, which could add up to two thousand yuan for me in a year!¡± She had long wanted Song Sancheng to quit smoking, but such things had been unsuccessful despite her efforts for many years¡ªnot to mention anything else, her grandfather had smoked his entire life, and when his lungs were found to be unhealthy, did he quit? No! He valued cigarettes over life! Her dad was the same. Song Sancheng loved his daughter dearly, but¡­ but those cigarettes¡­ He whispered, ¡°I only smoke half a pack a day, and sometimes when I¡¯m really tired from working, smoking one does relax me¡­¡± Having said that, Song Tan had no more arguments. But quitting smoking was definitely necessary! Song Tan pondered from every aspect, ¡°Then Dad, try to cut back a little more, how about one pack every three days? That way, a hundred yuan a month sounds fair!¡± Anything else is negotiable, just not this. Song Sancheng glared, ¡°Fair? Do I need you to support me now? Look at your granddad, now he smoke pipe tobacco to save money! Why don¡¯t you say that¡¯s even more harmful?¡± Song Tan thought to herself, both are six of one and half a dozen of the other, whether it¡¯s pipe or rolled tobacco, could any of it be good? She kept this issue in mind and then started to look through the snacks and treats she had bought in town: ¡°I¡¯m going to check on my grandparents.¡± ¡°Qiaoqiao, come with me!¡± Song Sancheng nodded, ¡°Go ahead, their spirits have not been too good lately¡­ they¡¯re getting on in years.¡± Then he reminded her: ¡°If your grandparents offer snacks to Qiaoqiao, keep an eye on it. Taking them is fine, but she can¡¯t eat them!¡± Qiaoqiao heard the word ¡°snacks¡± and looked up, ¡°I want to eat¡­¡± ¡°No way!¡± Song Sancheng flatly refused, ¡°Your grandma hoards things, every year there¡¯s something new, and we¡¯re still eating the old¡ªlast time she gave us snacks that were expired by over half a year, you can¡¯t eat those!¡± Chapter 10 - 10: 10. Big White Goose_1 Chapter 10: 10. Big White Goose_1 Song Tan¡¯s grandfather, Song Youde, was a true old farmer, and this year he was 79. He had lung issues and was prone to panting, so he hadn¡¯t done much work these past few years. Apart from tending the vegetable garden, he spent his days playing cards with a group of old men from the village. Holding an old, aged smoking pipe in his hand, a rarity within ten miles and eight villages, there were always people coming each year to ask for the old tobacco oil inside the pipe to treat sores. Grandma Wang Lifan, on the other hand, was strong-legged and very healthy, a terrific cook too. Even now, the family¡¯s vegetable garden remained neatly kept, and villagers would come annually to exchange seedlings with her. She was truly the pillar of Lao Song¡¯s family. Song Tan exited the courtyard, walked past a vegetable garden, and saw an old red-brick house standing at the foot of the mountain. The courtyard at the entrance was paved with cement, except for a corner where a sweet osmanthus tree stood, under which a few chickens were sunbathing and scratching in the sand. ... And at the gate, there was a fiercely aggressive goose. It had been squatting in a corner, but upon seeing someone approach, its goose-yellow crest shook vibrantly, very noticeable. It stared with its small round eyes and ¡°honk honk honk¡± started squawking, flapping its wings and wobbling over! Song Qiao, who was behind her, also hurriedly spread his arms and ran forward, shouting, ¡°Honk honk honk! Big White, here I come!¡± Then he skillfully squatted down. And embraced the goose with brotherly affection. Your arms around my long neck, and my wings around your back, such deep affection! Song Tan: ¡­ She momentarily couldn¡¯t evaluate such a ¡°man and nature¡± scene. Grandma Wang Lifan had just come out of the kitchen, very happy to see Song Tan, ¡°Tantan, when did you come back?¡± She looked at Song Qiao, ¡°Qiaoqiao, don¡¯t let Big White get your sweater dirty.¡± Qiaoqiao looked up at her, ¡°Honk!¡± Big White, the goose, also lifted its clever little head and responded, ¡°Honk!¡± Wang Lifan laughed heartily, ¡°This child¡­ Tantan, have you eaten? Grandma will get you some biscuits.¡± Song Tan quickly went over, ¡°I came back last night and went downtown this morning, haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡± Hearing this, Wang Lifan hurried even more, ¡°Then I¡¯ll bring you more to eat!¡± That was exactly the effect Song Tan wanted¡ªsince the goods were expired, of course they should be dealt with quickly! She looked around the courtyard; her grandparents were diligent people, the house was tidy, and aside from a few chickens in the corner of the courtyard, it was spotless. At that moment, she knelt down, gathered a handful of rice-sized Spiritual Energy at her fingertips, just a flick, and immediately Qiaoqiao¡¯s good buddy dropped him and spread his wings, speeding over with a ¡°clack clack!¡± The flat feet stomping on the cement, the little yellow-capped head stretched out far ahead, you could tell how eager it was! Not just Big White the goose, but the five chickens that had been sunbathing in a dirt pit also went crazy, stretching their legs and running towards Song Tan, the lead rooster¡¯s shiny neck feathers puffed up, its red comb trembling, turning feeding into a battle of energies! For a moment, Qiaoqiao was so surprised that he opened his mouth wide. Song Tan thought to herself this was bad¡ªshe knew Spiritual Energy was great for farming and raising animals, but she didn¡¯t expect it to be so attractive here! If they rushed over, her clothes would be ruined! She quickly withdrew her hand, but the charging bunch couldn¡¯t stop! Just then, she felt a cool breeze sweeping past the back of her head, a broom unhesitatingly sweeping across from above, she could even sense the dust falling from the broom. That heroic broom had thrown the charging chickens and goose into a chaotic flap, scattering around the courtyard, finally calming down. Wang Lifan gasped, ¡°I just chopped up some cabbage to feed them, why are they so crazy!¡± and then felt sorry, ¡°They must have been scared; I hope they will still lay eggs in the next few days.¡± Song Tan felt a bit guilty. But Wang Lifan just nagged for a bit and at the moment, looking at her increasingly beautiful granddaughter and then at Qiaoqiao, her eyes and heart were filled with joy, ¡°Come come come, these are the cookies your aunt bought for me, eat more of them!¡± S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Probably worried that the children wouldn¡¯t have enough to eat, she directly used a plastic bag and filled up half of it. Song Tan figured that with this, about 80% of Grandma¡¯s stock must be cleared, if not half, at least! Qiaoqiao excitedly started to open the bag. Song Tan didn¡¯t stop him, but held the plastic bag in her hand and gave Song Qiao a small cookie, ¡°Qiaoqiao, give this to your big goose brother to try.¡± The expiration date in prominent black print clearly showed it had expired last September. Qiaoqiao happily agreed, ¡°Okay!¡± The siblings, one intentionally and the other unintentionally, both ignored the sadness on Wang Lifan¡¯s face. Seeing her own grandson so naively, Wang Lifan felt sorry for the cookies, but could do nothing about it and just looked at Song Tan, ¡°You¡¯ve lost some weight, is it good working in the province? How many days are you staying this time?¡± Song Tan didn¡¯t hide it from her, but had to use a bit of the Spring and Autumn Annals style, ¡°Grandma, I came back this time to recuperate my body, probably rest for a bit longer. When it¡¯s time to plant vegetables, come help me, will you!¡± Understanding this, Wang Lifan realized, it¡¯s just the granddaughter wanting to stay at home and play for a while, planting vegetables and such things, what can young people do nowadays? They just look for something new. She then laughed loudly, ¡°Oh my, my granddaughter planting vegetables, I will definitely come to help you!¡± Of course, a few days later, she couldn¡¯t speak anymore. Song Tan looked around, ¡°Where¡¯s Grandpa?¡± Wang Lifan thought for a moment, ¡°Probably playing cards with people at the village square, that leaf card game of his, hardly anyone plays it nowadays, it¡¯s hard to gather enough players¡­¡± A group of shaky old men, playing for one yuan each day, nearly falling asleep with every card they play¡­ Wang Lifan was happy he found something to do outside. ¡°To spare us his picking and choosing at home.¡± She said with a distasteful look about the old man. Actually, the old couple had been together for decades; Youde had known her since he was seven or eight when he herded cattle for the landlord, their relationship was deeply affectionate. Song Tan strolled around and saw Qiaoqiao squatting there with Big White, getting along like brothers, ¡°Big White, you eat a big piece¡­ How is it? Sweet, right? It¡¯s a milk cookie.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll eat a small piece¡­¡± Song Tan wasn¡¯t paying attention and she too ate a bite. Song Tan: ¡­ Oh well, he had probably eaten it before, considering his expertise. She bent down and rummaged through the plastic bag again, what a find, a bag full of various cookies and candies, without exception, all were expired since last year. Among them was a package of oatmeal cookies, a rare one that had expired the year before last. Song Tan took it out, fell silent for a long time, and then didn¡¯t even dare to feed it to the goose. However, she really did take a liking to that big white goose. So noisy and bold, yet very sharp¡ªwhen she channeled Spiritual Energy, this goose stayed the farthest yet reacted the fastest! It could be a good guardian for the home. Once the pigpen in the back hill was simply fixed up, she would ask Grandma to let her use it as a herding goose! Paired with a couple of Dahuang dogs, how does the poetry go? ¡°Leading Yellow, holding up Grey,¡± something like that! Chapter 11 - 11: Handling Seed_1 Chapter 11: Handling Seed_1 The next morning, as soon as Song Sancheng got up, he was taken aback. The air¡­ so fresh! In the distance, mists wreathed the mountain ranges, tinged with a thin layer of pale gold, as picturesque as a scenic spot. The pond by the door was blanketed with a layer of white mist, thick and dense, almost entirely covering the water¡¯s surface. The mist was pressed low, slowly drifting. And around the courtyard, a plum tree¡ªwhich Song Sancheng clearly remembered had withered last month¡ªhad inexplicably bloomed several flowers. The tiny, yellow buds, only half-open, were not only exceptionally charming but also gave off a delicate fragrance from afar. At that moment, the old farmer unexpectedly felt an appreciation for beauty, but also sensed something amiss, as if he too was being admired¡­ ... He turned his head to look! He saw seven or eight local grey squirrels clinging to the courtyard wall, watching into the yard like nosy pups. Then looking towards the back hill, which also shared the desolate view of the passing winter, there was somehow a sense of renewed brightness. As if¡­ as if it was polished and shining! Song Sancheng stared blankly for a long time, amusing himself with his own thoughts: ¡°Achoo!¡± The morning was too cold. He hurriedly cast aside his disordered thoughts and gathered a bundle of firewood to go light the stove. Ah, being an older man is tough, everyone is afraid of the cold, yet it¡¯s always he who must get up to start the fire. ¡­ In the room. Song Tan slowly withdrew her spiritual awareness, and the Spiritual Energy drawn to her vicinity was transformed by her Water Wood Spiritual Method, now dispersing secretly as a richer vitality. Inside and outside the house, the air was fresh. Feeling the abundant Spiritual Energy within her body, she also took a long breath¡ªher body was almost fully recovered. Song Tan stepped out of her room, and after a brief wash-up, she took two wild grass stems from the pile of firewood. Casually tying them into a cross, she then squatted in the open vegetable garden, holding the cross in her palms with the ends slightly touching the ground¡ª Then, with eyes half-closed, she whispered softly, ¡°Is my savior doing well now?¡± This was mystic arts divination. An ancient method capable of divination much like the I Ching hexagrams, it required little Spiritual Energy, and even ordinary people with a slight understanding of spiritual methods could do it. It was the only thing that Song Tan, still in the Qi cultivation phase, could manage. Of course, with a low entry barrier, the divination results were also¡­ rather crude. ¡­ The man who saved her from the car accident¡ªif not for him, even with her return and the restoration of her body through Spiritual Energy, she still would have had a hard time surviving the explosion. Her memories were too disordered, and the conflict between the Spiritual Energy and her physical injuries only left her with a recollection of his dark brown eyes and thick eyelashes¡­ She failed to find out who he was in the hospital, and now that her Spiritual Energy had slightly recovered, naturally, she wanted to investigate first thing. Cultivators value cause and effect, and she, Song Tan, valued gratitude. Not to mention others, at least sending some local specialty would be feasible. Dr. Zhang Yuan from the hospital was evasive, and she always felt something was off. The Spiritual Energy surged, and the makeshift divination instrument in her hand began to slide slowly through the dew-moistened earth. Song Tan opened her eyes and saw the scattered answer on the ground: ¡°Not dead¡± Song Tan: ¡­ She cracked up. What kind of answer was that? No wonder no one uses this method in the Cangxuan Realm anymore! Dissatisfied, she closed her eyes and focused once more, asking, ¡°Where is my savior now?¡± The Spiritual Energy surged again, and eventually scribbled out an even more scattered line of text: ¡°At home¡± Song Tan grew even more frustrated! She threw the cross of grass in her hand, feeling for the first time that mysticism wasn¡¯t very helpful. After thinking for a moment, she decided to send another message to the doctor from Ning Province People¡¯s Hospital: S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Dr. Zhang, could I trouble you to inquire how the gentleman who saved me is doing now? Did he transfer to another hospital due to his health? If possible, could you give me his contact information?¡± ¡°Saving a life is a grace one cannot ignore. Even if he does not require my gratitude, I must offer my thanks in person.¡± The reply took a long time to come: ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask for you again.¡± ¡­ On a winter morning, even washing vegetables in the kitchen could freeze your hands, so Wu Lan simply boiled a big pot of dumplings. And there was Qiaoqiao, spinning like a top, one moment serving his sister dumplings, the next moment bringing her dumpling soup¡­ The married couple, one tending to the fire and the other cooking, just served themselves and ate by their own efforts! And Song Tan? He just sat carelessly on a chair, using cajoling words, ¡°Qiaoqiao is so good!¡± ¡°Qiaoqiao is such a good boy!¡± ¡°Qiaoqiao, the dumpling soup you brought, your sister finished it in one gulp!¡± Wu Lan and Song Sancheng both fell silent. Their silly son, what to do with him? Out of sight, out of mind, Song Sancheng grunted and changed the subject: ¡°Right, the people for the land ploughing arrived this morning, make some extra food for lunch at home.¡± Song Tan asked out of curiosity, ¡°Did they bring it with a tractor?¡± Where is there a tractor now? ¡°It was brought on a three-wheeled cart.¡± Song Tan: !!! As small as the ploughing machine was, wasn¡¯t using a three-wheeler to transport it a bit of an understatement? And besides, could a three-wheeler even make it over the hills and mountains? But before she could ponder this question, she heard the sound of a vehicle out on the road, and, going out to look, holy moly! It was indeed an old, date-red three-wheeler, just like those private little three-wheelers you see on the side of the road in Ning City, helping people move or deliver goods. In its seemingly small yet seemingly huge carrier, a similarly aging date-red land ploughing machine was clearly ready to get to work. ¡°Hey, bro, where¡¯s the field? I¡¯ll head right there!¡± ¡°You¡¯re here so early? Have you eaten yet?¡± The two men made small talk as they walked toward the fields amidst the roar of the three-wheeler. On this end, Wu Lan was considering what to cook for lunch and didn¡¯t forget to instruct her daughter: ¡°We¡¯ve also found quite a few people to cut trees on the back hill, just right to saw down those overly dense trees the size of a bowl¡¯s mouth, on one hand, to clear up space for a pigsty. On the other hand, weren¡¯t you planning to grow black and white fungus? These tree trunks will come in handy.¡± Having spent the money already, Wu Lan could only acquiesce to these plans, and she spoke of them in a calm manner: ¡°I¡¯ll ask around to have someone clear up the weeds in the Chestnut Woods on the hillside beside the pond. Otherwise, it¡¯ll affect the growth of the white fungus.¡± Meanwhile muttering, ¡°Getting someone to clear weeds costs even more than spraying pesticides¡­¡± Song Tan pretended to be a quail; in any case, using pesticides was out of the question. But pretending to be a quail didn¡¯t help her escape, as Wu Lan turned her attention back to her, ¡°If you¡¯re going to farm yourself, then you can¡¯t sit idle. Go and prepare the seeds.¡± Song Tan quickly nodded her head. Qiaoqiao, holding his bowl, had just secured a big dumpling with his chopsticks and, not quite understanding everything but eager to participate, quickly added, ¡°Sister! I¡¯ll help you!¡± ¡ªWu Lan looked even more annoyed. ¡­ Preparing Milk Vetch seeds was quite simple. Song Tan took Qiaoqiao outside to shovel a couple of scoops of sand to mix with the Milk Vetch seeds, vigorously rubbing them together¡ªthe friction helped thin out the thick husks, allowing for quicker germination. This type of rubbing through a bag, aside from requiring some effort, was also particularly fun; Qiaoqiao giggled as she rubbed, clearly showing a natural talent for farm work. After enough rubbing, it was time to sun the seeds. A few hours of sunbathing, then play with water¡ªah no, it meant soaking the seeds for half a day. By lunchtime, after a few stirs and tossing out the lower-quality seeds that floated to the surface. The seeds were considered ready. After all, it was green manure; for so many years, everyone had been using this rough method of sowing. The only difference was, while soaking, Song Tan infused some Spiritual Energy into the water. Qiaoqiao looked at the half-yard full of seeds, now extremely proud, ¡°Sister, farming is really fun!¡± Even if his arms were a bit sore. Chapter 12 - 12: 12. Chatting in the Village_1 Chapter 12: 12. Chatting in the Village_1 At the end of February and beginning of March, it was a rare leisure time for farmers throughout the year. The New Year had just ended, and the children had again taken their families and flown away, the swallows under the roof beams had not returned yet, and more and more land was going fallow, with dull yellow and grayish-brown tones taking over vast expanses. Apart from the distant green mountains, the entire village was a picture of desolation and silence. But today, in the fields by the bamboo grove of Lao Song¡¯s family, it was bustling again. ¡°Song Sancheng, what¡¯s with your family this year? Have you made a fortune and are preparing for a big endeavor? Are you going to tidy up all these fields?¡± ¡°Indeed, Old Song, what do you plan to plant? There used to be a couple of patches of tea trees in the field, are you not keeping them?¡± ... Everyone had been asked by Song Sancheng to come and tidy up the field. In the corner, the tiller was rumbling away, and before they could till the soil, they first had to clear the weeds and miscellaneous trees that had accumulated. Otherwise, that little machine might get jammed up. Luckily, there were many hands, and everyone working together made the task not only fun but also efficient. Once one patch was cleared in front, the tiller would turn over the soil twice behind, working together just perfectly. Those who came were about the same age as Song Sancheng. At their age, if they tried to work outside the village, most factories didn¡¯t want them. They could relax the age requirements for manual labor jobs, but employers were also afraid of accidents. Besides, people in their forties and fifties had endured hardship when they were younger and quite a few had lingering aches and pains¡­ Now staying in the village meant working sporadically, doing their best not to become a burden to their children. So when Song Sancheng talked about hiring help, despite the hard and poorly paid work of bending over all day for 150 yuan, everyone was willing to come. Getting older, they also longed for some excitement. Song Sancheng also sighed, ¡°Tea leaves aren¡¯t worth much anymore, and I still have so much of it on the hillside. I haven¡¯t taken care of these here for years¡­ Why keep them?¡± This was true. Their place wasn¡¯t known for any famous teas, just ordinary leaves from the valley. Even if they were good for a fresh and sweet drink at home, selling them for fifty yuan a kilo, there were hardly any buyers out there. The tea shrubs in these fields were purely because they didn¡¯t like to see the land lay bare¡­ But they were getting old! They really couldn¡¯t handle the heavy-duty farm work anymore and had slowly come to accept it. ¡°So what do you plan to do, tidying up both the fields and the hillside?¡± Asking the question was the neighbor Li Baoni. Speaking of this, Song Sancheng didn¡¯t know how to begin. How to explain? His daughter had decided not to work and to come back to farm? These days, how many young folks knew how to farm? If he said it aloud, wouldn¡¯t the villagers laugh themselves to death? So he said nonchalantly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. My Tantan has been working too hard and can¡¯t take it anymore. I told her our farming at home could use a hand, let her rest up at home for a year or so before going back to work.¡± This was true. Didn¡¯t every family¡¯s young ones go out to forge their paths? Li Baoni, the neighbor, sighed as well, ¡°Indeed, my daughter came back for the New Year, and her face was so pale. When I asked, it was because she had been working overtime until one or two o¡¯clock in the morning¡ªthe salary isn¡¯t much, and she has nothing left by the end of the year.¡± Li Baoni¡¯s daughter worked in a clothing store chain. With a sweet mouth and a gift for gab, she was now a supervisor, sometimes counting stock late at night and going on business trips to expand stores. It was all tough work. And with the economy being poor the last two years, her salary hadn¡¯t increased, leaving her to worry about potential layoffs¡­ When it came to their children, every household had its difficulties. Zhou Shunshui, who lived a bit further away, also sighed, ¡°My son last time said he wanted us old folks to move to the city and live with them, to help take care of the grandchildren¡ªthe chilies at the supermarket near their door cost more than ten yuan per kilo! How can one afford to eat that?¡± ¡°Taking care of grandkids, in the morning sending them to kindergarten, in the evening picking them up and off to various classes, all in different places¡ªriding the bus got me all dizzy and disoriented. Their apartment¡¯s always air-conditioned; it¡¯s not as warm as our stoves at home.¡± ¡°` ¡°I stayed for a week, just couldn¡¯t stand it, so I came back on my own.¡± As for the old lady back home, of course, she couldn¡¯t bear to part with her grandson and stayed there to take care of him with all her heart and effort. It doesn¡¯t matter whether farming is reliable or not, but anyway, the reason Song Sancheng found was quite plausible: ¡°Tantan also said that the food these past few years isn¡¯t as tasty as before. So I figured, since people are already here, why not grow some vegetables and rice for the kids, it¡¯ll taste better when we eat our own.¡± Upon hearing this, the villagers burst into laughter. ¡°Song Sancheng, you have the most farmland in the village now, you¡¯ve become a landlord¡ªyou wait until the rice is ripe, and I won¡¯t buy rice anymore, I¡¯ll buy yours.¡± ¡°Right, right, right, I¡¯ll buy too, the rice outside looks white, but that¡¯s all polished and has no nutrition, it costs several yuan per jin, and it¡¯s not as fragrant as the rice we used to grow ourselves.¡± Song Sancheng didn¡¯t dare to agree: ¡°We only have two plots of land in our family, not enough to even divide among ourselves, not selling, not selling.¡± Who here hasn¡¯t farmed before? The crowd became displeased when they heard this: ¡°You add up two plots to several acres, come on, does your family eat thousands of jin of rice a year?¡± Song Sancheng also smiled: ¡°Then what should I do? This good rice variety I have tastes great but is expensive. At best, it produces one thousand jin per acre. One thousand jin yields seven hundred jin of rice, which is just enough for two or three people to eat for a year.¡± ¡°Besides, my family¡¯s old man, old lady, the kid¡¯s grandma, uncle, aunt, eldest uncle¡­ every household has to share a bit, right?¡± ¡°With just this amount, it¡¯s barely enough for our own consumption.¡± In the village, this is how relationships work, with neighbors and relatives always sharing a bit¡ªnot much, but it¡¯s about expressing the sentiment. Everyone calculated, and there surely isn¡¯t much extra: ¡°No way, I must eat your family¡¯s rice this year, otherwise, when it¡¯s time to plant seedlings, I won¡¯t come!¡± Everyone echoed in agreement. The meaning of this conversation was clear: they would help with the seedling planting without talking about payment. Song Sancheng certainly didn¡¯t dare to agree: ¡°With just these two plots, it would take us no more than two days to plant the seedlings ourselves¡­ eating, eating, when it¡¯s really time to harvest, come help out, and there will be plenty of rice meals!¡± The group laughed and teased each other, and when a plot of land was finally cleared and ready for a change of crop, someone suddenly remembered: ¡°You¡¯re preparing this twenty acres of land, only planting a few acres of rice, what are you planning to do with the rest?¡± Song Sancheng didn¡¯t hide it: ¡°Planting vegetables.¡± ¡°I figure that we won¡¯t use pesticides, and by taking the shuttle bus to the city to sell them, we surely won¡¯t be losing money.¡± But one can¡¯t earn that much that way. Without pesticides, the weeds and insects will pile up in layers, and the couple alone can¡¯t manage it in time, not to mention the extra worry. Moreover, their road isn¡¯t easy to travel, with only one bus trip per day to and from the village, costing 40 yuan round trip¡­ Those vegetables still need fertilizer and physical labor, and there are so many vendors in the market who are from rural areas closer to the city than they are, the competition is fierce¡­ In the end, it¡¯s all hard-earned money. Everyone internally did the math, and it really didn¡¯t seem worth it! But then they thought: ¡°That¡¯s doable, Old Song, you have Qiaoqiao taking care of the house, and we¡¯re getting on in years, nobody wants us for labor work, growing our own vegetables is pretty good.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come to the field when it¡¯s time and pick what I want to buy on the spot!¡± ¡­ ¡­ The crops planted in the village are mostly of a single variety, with the households¡¯ harvest seasons often overlapping, so many times, vegetables still need to be purchased. Moreover, now in the countryside selling pigs is okay, butchering pigs for personal consumption is okay, but butchering to sell is illegal and not allowed. Tantan¡¯s next step is to plant rice, watermelons, various vegetables, chestnuts from the mountain¡­ she will also keep bees because the Milk Vetch Flower honey truly cannot be missed! There¡¯s also plenty of wild vegetables. Keeping pigs, dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, as well as fish, shrimp, water chestnuts. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If there are any other crops that everyone likes, feel free to leave comments! ¡°` Chapter 13 - 13: 13. All poor fates_1 Chapter 13: 13. All poor fates_1 Now was the slack season in farming, and men and women from the village, aged thirty to fifty, those who could put in solid work, were all summoned by Song Sancheng ¡ª the season waits for no one, it was imperative to get things in order now to sow seeds in the fields come spring. Song Tan¡¯s plans were crystal clear ¡ª The grass in the Chestnut Woods needed to be cleared, and those old chestnut trees should be fertilized and pruned as necessary. Eventually, a framework for cultivating wood ear mushrooms would be set up beneath the trees. A fence also had to be erected around the perimeter to prevent animals or people from causing trouble. With the trees recently cut down from the back mountain, the trunks were segmented for inoculating mushroom spores, while the branches were used to build a shelter to protect pigs from wind and rain, complete with feeding troughs and separated with wire mesh enclosures. As for the fields, Milk Vetch was to be planted in the next month or two, and after it had flowered, it would be time once again to plow and finely till the soil in preparation for planting rice and vegetables. ... Some seeds could even start to be germinated after a while. There was also the need to find local chickens and ducks and to arrange a time with others for getting piglets. With so many people, managing daily meals was an additional task¡­ Song Sancheng and Wu Lan were busy as bees every day, but what about their daughter? She wasn¡¯t idle either. The young lady had quite a bit of strength, and she¡¯d been following the group up the mountain to carry back tree trunks. Who in the village wouldn¡¯t praise her upon seeing this! But hearing such compliments made Wu Lan¡¯s heart sour! Carrying tree trunks, what was this silly child doing! At the flower of her age, instead of sitting in an office, she was back in the countryside farming ¡ª how could one explain this? And when it came to discussing marriage in the future, where would they find a suitable young man! The daughter wasn¡¯t idle, but whenever she had free time, she would be researching something or other on the computer¡­ Wu Lan once went in and saw ¡ª Goodness me! Seeking knowledge at the last minute, looking up scientific farming tutorials?! This this this! She gasped; if the money hadn¡¯t already been spent, there was no way they could afford to keep this up. The couple would calculate the expenses at night: labor, machinery, spores, chickens, ducks, piglets, fertilizer¡­ Sixty thousand yuan had been spent, and that was just the beginning. After further calculations, they realized this amount would only last until the end of April, when they might just harvest a crop of Milk Vetch. There was also the sixty thousand yuan saved by Wu Lan for emergencies, but given their daughter¡¯s unreliability, Wu Lan now felt heartache at the thought of having to dip into those savings! Sixty thousand yuan ¡ª without any major issues, it would take the couple two years to save that much! S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Sancheng and Wu Lan were so worried they felt like their hair was turning white. They felt that raising sons and daughters was like owing a debt; their daughter had been obedient and sensible for twenty years, and now she was getting involved in a major way, causing worry! But strangely enough, the more they worried, the better they slept at night. Song Sancheng, who usually snored loudly, was now silent. Wu Lan, at her age, would be considered fortunate to get five hours of interrupted sleep a night; yet ever since their daughter had returned home, she would go to bed at seven or eight in the evening and not wake up until six in the morning. This was really¡­ Wu Lan complained to Song Sancheng, ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re fated to be poor, the more we spend and tire ourselves, the more comfortable we feel!¡± Song Sancheng agreed, ¡°Indeed, look at me, working with my back bent every day, and yet my back pain has actually disappeared!¡± In the room, Song Tan harnessed Spiritual Energy, keeping her skills hidden. Not far away, the Lao Song¡¯s family¡¯s elderly couple, Song Youde and his wife, hadn¡¯t been idle these past few days either. Now, as Song Youde contentedly puffed on his tobacco pipe, he couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. ¡°It¡¯s because our Tantan went to university; she¡¯s capable and knows to come back to farm.¡± ¡°We farmers always have a way out as long as there is food in the fields.¡± Song Youde, a typical tenant farmer from a landlord¡¯s family, knew hardship well. In his view, nothing was more important than the land. Wang Lifan shared the same sentiment, but from a different angle, ¡°Farming is good. We are still able to work and help the children. Isn¡¯t that better than sitting idle?¡± ¡°Besides, when raising sons and daughters, you hardly see them all year round. With Tantan back to farm, if we hired help, there would be fewer migrant workers in the fall, which adds some life to the village.¡± Isn¡¯t that the truth? At their age, when they were younger, they always worried because their youngest son only had Qiaoqiao, a single male in the family, which seemed insufficient. If the son is able to work, it¡¯s fine, but what if he gets old and can¡¯t move around, yet still has to look after Qiaoqiao? What then? Now with Tantan back, they have a family to rely on, and the siblings can spend more time together. If Qiaoqiao gets old, at least she can watch over him. Otherwise, if one stays away from home for too long, the ties of blood and affection fade quickly. But as someone who had weathered many years of ups and downs, Song Youde had an insight that was even clearer than Song Sancheng¡¯s: ¡°I think Tantan has truly learned something valuable. She is busy with the fields, but she works so much every day and still smiles. She must have a plan. Who knows, she might actually make a name for herself with it.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Wang Lifan agreed, ¡°She has been smart and sensible since she was little. She wouldn¡¯t do anything unless she was confident about it.¡± In recent years, they hadn¡¯t been well, and the children did not let them farm too much, only allowing them to maintain a small vegetable garden by the door¡ª They were at leisure, but the old couple just couldn¡¯t muster any energy. Dozing off in the daytime, unable to sleep at night. Every day they looked for petty chores to do. Now seeing the large pieces of land they had divided off bustling with activity, they felt more at peace without saying a word. They paced themselves during the day; Song Youde would help clear the weeds in the fields, Wang Lifan would assist her daughter-in-law with cooking. They enjoyed meals together, discussing and laughing, feeling even closer to their son¡¯s family! Song Youde felt content and couldn¡¯t help but make more plans: ¡°It¡¯s cold now, and the hens are laying fewer eggs. Isn¡¯t Tantan planning to raise chickens? Tomorrow, let¡¯s have our old hens sit on their eggs, hatch more chicks, and save some money for the children.¡± ¡°Nowadays, local chickens are expensive and hard to come by.¡± Wang Lifan nodded too: ¡°We¡¯re eating more meat this winter, and I¡¯ve been saving up all the eggs. Let¡¯s pick through them under the light later tonight.¡± ¡°And about those ducks, there¡¯s a family selling ducklings. Their ducks don¡¯t get sick, they grow up strong and taste good too. I¡¯ll go and ask about them tomorrow.¡± Song Youde frowned again: ¡°Don¡¯t get too many, these past few years, it¡¯s either a closure here or there due to bird flu or swine fever. We need to proceed with caution.¡± Did Wang Lifan not know this? ¡°Worrying over nothing. Our place is remote, but it¡¯s got good feng shui. When have our chickens, ducks, and geese ever fallen ill? Moreover, raising chicks doesn¡¯t cost much. As long as they don¡¯t get sick, even if we can¡¯t sell them, we can eat them, right? It saves us from buying from outside.¡± There were only four old hens at home. Even if all of them sat on eggs, they would only hatch a hundred or so chicks. When the time came, just let them roam the mountains and fields¡ªno need for concern at all. So simple! Song Youde thought about it and agreed, but then he sighed, ¡°It would be great if our eldest son and grandson were willing to come back and live in the old house on the mountain. It would be perfect to divide it up for them.¡± Wang Lifan rolled her eyes, ¡°Whoever stays in the village gets it. That old house, nobody would buy it even for five thousand yuan. Does your grandson, with his three to five houses in the city, care for it?¡± Song Youde felt embarrassed, ¡°After all, he is the eldest son and grandson of the Lao Song family¡­¡± Chapter 14 - 14: 14. Sowing Milk Vetch_1 Chapter 14: 14. Sowing Milk Vetch_1 In the fields, machines roared as the villagers worked and chatted; heaps of wild grass and trees piled up on the ridges, and the long-uncultivated brown earth, carrying a moist breath, was exposed under the dazzling morning sun. The mountain village was alive with activity that had been absent for a long time. Wang Lifan opened the storage room in the corner of the yard, which had been locked for a long time. It was a mud house built decades ago. That year, she had just given birth to the daughter when Song Youde, along with his brothers, kneaded the yellow clay, chopped the straw, and moulded the bricks to slowly build the house. At first, it was their main house. As the children grew up and they built a house of bricks and tiles, this room became the storeroom for grain and straw stacks¡­ Then, when they stopped farming, it completely turned into a storage room. ... Qiaoqiao ran over, ¡°Grandma! Grandma!¡± Wang Lifan had just rummaged out some carrying poles from inside and upon hearing him, she responded, ¡°Qiaoqiao!¡± Soon after, Qiaoqiao¡¯s neatly trimmed round head peeked in, ¡°Grandma, sister said she will take me to farm later and told me to borrow a small basket.¡± He was quickly distracted by the stacked carrying poles on the ground, ¡°Grandma, what are these?¡± Wang Lifan handed him a small basket with a chuckle and, after thinking for a bit, took a piece of plastic rope, folded it several times, and tied it around his waist, ¡°Our Qiaoqiao can farm now!¡± Song Qiao proudly puffed up his chest. But he still persisted, asking, ¡°Grandma, one, two, three¡­ seven, eight, eight of them¡­ what are these for?¡± ¡°Oh, these are for the mother hen to hatch chicks with.¡± Qiaoqiao¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°I want to hatch them too!¡± Wang Lifan: ¡­That was the reason she didn¡¯t want to answer immediately. This child¡¯s questions were endless, too many of them. Fortunately, little kids like to play with the older ones. Song Qiao was three when Song Tan was eight, and now at eighteen, he still thought he was three years old. He should indeed play with older kids. Wang Lifan, understanding his thoughts, now asked, ¡°So, are you going to farm with your sister, or are you coming back to hatch chicks with grandma?¡± For Song Qiao, such a question was indeed quite challenging. He hesitated for a long time, eventually looking in the direction of home, ¡°I¡¯ll go farm with sister.¡± As he was leaving, he lingered, ¡°Grandma, tell the mother hen not to hatch them too quickly. Wait for me to come back and do it together¡­¡± Once the pestering child finally left, Wang Lifan took out four bamboo baskets and placed them in the storeroom, first laying a thick layer of dry grass at the bottom, then counting and placing twenty to thirty eggs in each, one after the other. Following that, she went to the chicken coop and caught all four mother hens¡ª The local country chickens were skinny with long legs and would peck painfully, not easy to catch usually. Unlike the fatty broiler chickens nowadays which were lethargic; chase them a couple of steps, and they were too lazy to run, simply sitting down, but whether for laying eggs or for eating, they couldn¡¯t compare with the country chickens, only more efficient. To catch them, Wang Lifan had specifically not opened the door to the chicken coop early in the morning, and it had been clucking away all morning. She put each mother hen into a basket with large holes, covered it with another basket, and secured it. If they were kept like this for a few days, the hens would start preparing to hatch the chicks. Just wait twenty to thirty days, and the chicks would be ready to break out of their shells. Just in time for late March, when the weather would also be warmer, everything growing, making it a good time for the chicks to grow. ¡­ After two days of cleaning, enough oak trees in the back mountain had been cleared, and of the seven fields, only the outer two remained today. Song Tan saw the weather was about right, so she decided to sow the milk vetch seeds with Song Qiao. Wu Lan was still a bit hesitant, ¡°It¡¯s still very cold early in the morning and at night¡­¡± The temperature difference was too great, it could easily freeze the tender buds to death, at the very least, one should wait another half a month. Song Tan thought to herself, I know that. But the day before yesterday, when I activated Spiritual Energy for the first time without paying attention, the seeds almost sprouted on the spot. Alas, it was also due to her lack of experience in planting in this world, she simply did not realize how precious Spiritual Energy was for the plants here. If she delayed another two days, either the vitality of the seeds would be completely used up, or she would have to watch them sprout right there where they lay. So, she could only appear stubborn, ¡°Mom, Milk Vetch is not rice, it¡¯s not that delicate. It will surely survive.¡± Then she extended her hand to call out, ¡°Qiaoqiao, are the seeds packed? If they are ready, let¡¯s go to the field.¡± Song Qiao didn¡¯t care what the season was or about sprouting; her waist basket was filled with Milk Vetch seeds mixed with sand, weighing almost ten jin. The Milk Vetch seeds were flat and small, and even mixed with sand, there wasn¡¯t much, nearly enough for two mu of land, it was more like playing for Song Qiao. He looked beaming with joy, full of anticipation: ¡°Sister, let me plant today!¡± ¡°Good Qiaoqiao, sister knew you would plant!¡± The siblings then left the house like two cheerful fools. Wu Lan: ¡­ ¡­ Standing at the edge of the field, the earthy smell hit her face; the overturned chunks of soil revealed wild grasses that had already sprouted white roots. Song Tan had eaten her hometown¡¯s food for several days and although it was much better than what was available in the city, and Wu Lan¡¯s cooking was unquestionably good, as her Qi Refinement progressed, her tolerance for impurities became increasingly difficult¡­ What she ate each day, after a night of cultivation, she still had to go to the smelly toilet the next day¡­ Sigh. Anyway, it was completely unrelated to the Cultivators¡¯ way of living on nothing but wind and dew and maintaining a crystal clear body without a trace of impurity. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thinking of this, Song Tan became more impatient. The two large bags of seeds she was carrying were also eager to germinate, she could feel their pulsing life through the bags. Song Tan hesitated no longer, grabbing a handful of seeds and flinging them. The moist seeds fell silently onto the soil after soaking, quickly merging with the brown earth, indistinguishable to the naked eye. Below the undetected surface of the ground, that vigorous life force burst forth, and the overlooked seeds began to split open from inside out. Just waiting for a nourishing dew at dawn and the right amount of sunlight, they could grow exuberantly and vigorously without even needing to be covered with soil. This vibrant vitality brought immense tranquility, and Song Tan looked down at them, deciding to wait until all were sown, then, taking advantage of the warmth during the day, she would stealthily draw more moisture to press them into the earth. In a month, this place would blossom with vast patches of purple flowers. Her first step to recouping the investment would start with these Milk Vetch. Holding onto that belief, Song Tan quickly finished sowing this plot of land and was ready to move on to the next when she saw Qiaoqiao still squatting on the ridge, scrutinizing the seeds. ¡°Qiaoqiao, what are you doing?¡± But Qiaoqiao said solemnly, ¡°Sister, your way of planting won¡¯t work, you need to dig a hole, put two seeds in, and then cover them with soil.¡± Song Tan was taken aback, then it dawned on her¡ªwasn¡¯t that the method for planting corn? It turns out Qiaoqiao only knew how to plant corn! Chapter 15 - 15: Peppas Great Grace_1 Chapter 15: Peppa¡¯s Great Grace_1 The siblings left the house in high spirits. In the end, it was only one of them who returned in high spirits. ¡°Where¡¯s Qiaoqiao?¡± Wu Lan asked. Song Tan burst into laughter, ¡°He¡¯s right behind!¡± No sooner had she spoken than a tall, thin boy with a shiny, round buzz-cut came around the bend in the path behind, his sleeves wiping away tears, looking so wronged and sobbing¡­ ... ¡°Pfft!¡± Wu Lan couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter either as she went over to take the basket from his hand, ¡°What happened? Why are you crying? Oh dear, look at our Qiaoqiao¡¯s ¡®calico cat face,¡¯ you¡¯ve cried yourself ugly!¡± Feeling someone¡¯s sympathy, Song Qiao cried even louder. ¡°Mom¡­ waaaaah, mom¡­ my sister, waaaah¡­ my sister isn¡¯t farming properly!¡± Song Tan wouldn¡¯t take the blame for that: ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯ve scattered all the seeds, how can you say I didn¡¯t farm properly? Didn¡¯t I leave you a handful to plant slowly?¡± She then quietly explained to Wu Lan that Milk Vetch seeds just needed to be scattered directly onto the soil, but Qiaoqiao only knew how to plant corn, so he insisted on planting the seeds one by one. In the end, Song Tan scattered all the seeds, leaving him only a palm-sized patch of land and at most fifty seeds, letting Qiaoqiao plant them one pit at a time¡­ Song Qiao was crying miserably, ¡°But you¡­ but you! You scattered the seeds all over, and now we won¡¯t have any corn growing! I¡­¡± He rubbed his sleeves frantically across his face, growing more heartbroken as he spoke, ¡°Waaaaah mom, my sister, hic¡­ only gave me a little bit of seeds, I planted them so carefully¡­ and if there¡¯s too little corn when it¡¯s time to harvest, we won¡¯t have enough to eat, waaaaah¡­¡± With tears in his eyes, he gazed at Song Tan, ¡°In the future¡­ I won¡¯t be able to take care of my sister, waaaaah¡­¡± Oh dear, this sweet, foolish boy! Song Tan¡¯s heart softened completely¡ªno wonder Qiaoqiao was crying so hard, he must remember what she had said at the beginning about farming to feed themselves! He probably thought that the haphazard scattering of the seeds meant there wouldn¡¯t be enough corn to eat, which was why he felt so sad and wronged. As expected, Wu Lan also gave her a sharp stare in reprimand, and quickly comforted him, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Qiaoqiao, mom can farm, mom will take care of you!¡± Song Qiao stopped crying, hesitated for a while, and then started sniffling again, ¡°Then, you¡¯ll also take care of sister.¡± As soon as he spoke, Song Tan had already hugged his shoulders, ¡°Good brother! Sweet Qiaoqiao! Sister is so touched¡ªcome on, no more crying, wipe your face and let¡¯s watch Peppa!¡± ¡°We can watch two episodes today!¡± Ultimately, it was the pink pig that ended the tears. ¡­ The beginning of March. It was the third day of the second lunar month, the Awakening of Insects. Everything begins anew, and the hibernating creatures wake up. Song Tan had been back for half a month now. In that half-month, Song Sancheng, along with the villagers, had almost finished cleaning up the hillside, and the fields had taken on a layer of fluffy green¡ª It was the newly sprouted Milk Vetch, its tender green pushing through the brown soil, fragile as if it would break with a mere gust of wind. The villagers marveled upon seeing it, ¡°These modern seeds sure aren¡¯t afraid of the cold! Look at this, in previous years we only dared to plant seeds in March, but now they¡¯re already sprouting in early March.¡± An expanse of twenty mu was covered in this fuzzy green, with the fields unevenly distributed, and a mere glance filled one with involuntary joy. All the villagers passing by couldn¡¯t resist pausing to take a longer look. The saying ¡°The grass looks greener from afar, yet up close, there¡¯s none¡± was truly apt. An elderly villager leading an old ox passed by and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Tan Tan, when this Milk Vetch grows tall, can I bring the ox to graze in your fields?¡± Milk Vetch was nutritious and tender, a favorite among cattle and sheep. Previously, when the ox was needed for plowing the rice paddies, it was always allowed to feast on the fields, but since the farming had ceased, the ox too had aged. And Milk Vetch was no longer being planted. Song Tan promptly agreed, ¡°Of course, Grandpa Li! When the time comes, you can bring the ox down to those two lower fields, just let it in and it can eat as much as it wants!¡± Milk Vetch grows quickly; starting from the green leaves, it could be grazed for a couple of months! Old Li thought for a moment, ¡°Are you just planting these two patches of land this year? How about I bring my ox to plow your fields?¡± Indeed, an ox-plowed field couldn¡¯t compare to a tiller machine, it could only cover five or six mu per day. But Song Tan only had a little more than three mu, not even four! Otherwise, Old Li wouldn¡¯t be willing: ¡°But my ox is old, so I need to plow slowly, you can¡¯t rush me.¡± ¡°Two days to finish plowing for you, okay?¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Tan smiled, ¡°Okay! That¡¯s great! Grandpa Li, then I won¡¯t mention money. When the rice is harvested, I¡¯ll bring you fifty jin!¡± The old man didn¡¯t eat much, fifty jin would last him half a year. Old Li was extremely happy in his heart! The young people coming back nowadays always talk about money, it¡¯s not that it¡¯s wrong to pay for work, but sometimes helping out neighbors can feel quite impersonal. The young people are not unwilling to help the villagers, but they simply don¡¯t know how. It made these old folks, accustomed to village favors, always feel uncomfortable. Tantan was just good like that. And besides, his own home-grown rice! How fragrant that must be! He thought about it, he hadn¡¯t tasted it in one or two decades¡­ Who would have thought that he¡¯d get to eat it again before the end. The old ox also seemed to sense his joy and let out a long ¡°moo¡± as well. Old Li patted its head, ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go home! Soon there will be good food!¡± ¡­ Song Tan was also pondering: Milk Vetch, with green leaves and purple flowers, Old Ox¡­ What beautiful materials! Song Tan had planned this long ago, and now with the ox, it would appear more lively. As for whether she could sell products after becoming famous¡ªof course she could! If she couldn¡¯t sell products, what was the point of all her efforts? She was confident: after trying it once, no one could resist becoming a repeat customer. Song Tan had farmed on Yunmoon Peak for a hundred and ten years, removing pests and weeds to enhance the flavor; her skills were solidly honed! She refused to believe that vegetables grown with Spiritual Energy would not have a market! Furthermore, many of the vegetables she planned to grow were storage-resistant; wood ear and silver ear mushrooms were especially suitable for online sales. Nowadays, logistics were so developed that most cities could receive next day delivery, as long as you were willing to pay, which was sufficient to meet e-commerce demands. The perishable items, once they made a name for themselves, could be consumed locally. She farmed first to satisfy her cravings and second to make money. As for how much she earned¡ªas long as she could break even, she didn¡¯t have many demands. Calculating all this, there was still so much to prepare. In the next few days, she had to hurry and get her filming equipment ready and pick her editing skills back up. Whether she could be successful or not would depend on this wave! Thinking it over, Song Tan stood by the field, her fingers moved subtly, as she quietly drew forth strands of Spiritual Energy¡­ That invisible white mist, hardly seen by the naked eye, slowly merged into the field, making the greenness of the Milk Vetch seem even more vibrant. With a gentle breeze, the hazy shade of green at this moment grew ever richer. The roots of the Milk Vetch rapidly absorbed nutrients from the ground, while the light yellow rhizobia clinging to the roots reciprocated by nourishing the soil. Such is the life of nature. Repeating in cycles, in a rhythmic loop. Chapter 16 - 16: 16. Digging Wild Vegetables_1 Chapter 16: 16. Digging Wild Vegetables_1 After the Awakening of Insects, came the spring rain. A misty drizzle fell silently, shrouding the entire countryside and hilltops in a layer of faint green mist, fluffy and damp. Song Sancheng had just finished settling the wages for the villagers, and at this moment, smelling the scent of rain and soil outside, a slight smile finally appeared on his face. ¡°This rain couldn¡¯t have come at a better time.¡± For more than half a month, they had been bustling about every day. Wu Lan had to cook for a large group of people and take care of domestic chores both inside and outside the house. Song Sancheng had to lead people to weed the fields, clear the hillside, cut trees, trim tree trunks, and also find time to set up the pigsty, chicken coop, and duck shed¡­ ... The supply of mushroom spores had just arrived this afternoon, and the plan for tomorrow was to stay home and inoculate the spores without venturing out, which is why he had just settled tens of thousands in wages. And when he looked again, heavens were looking out for them¡ªIt was raining! Wu Lan sighed with the account book in hand, ¡°Tantan, your sixty thousand yuan is gone now.¡± ¡°From now on, any expenses will be supported by your dad and me, and you¡¯ll have to follow our arrangement.¡± Otherwise, she was really afraid that her daughter would relax her grip and arrange for the money to be spent again. Tantan did some calculations in her mind¡ª The piglets hadn¡¯t been brought back yet, but the pigsty was already built, so her mom had to spend that money whether she wanted to or not. They needed to buy ducklings, which would also cost money. They wouldn¡¯t buy chicken chicks this year, since grandma¡¯s house was incubating them already! The hillside forest had been cleared, and seeds had been bought. Next, they needed some labor cost for inoculating the mushroom spores, but there shouldn¡¯t be any other major expenses! She nodded and asked the essential question, ¡°Mom, what are we going to eat?¡± Wu Lan felt frustrated inside, ¡°No more money, so what to eat?¡± Go on, take Qiaoqiao with you, and dig up some wild vegetables on the slope!¡± ¡°All right!¡± The countryside had plenty of slopes with wild vegetables everywhere. Not to mention anything else, just the hollows on the slope behind their house were layered with them. However, the best season for foraging wild vegetables had not arrived yet, and the quantity might be small at the moment, probably enough for just one or two meals. Tantan went back to her room to get ready, thought for a moment, and decided to bring her mobile phone stand, ¡°Qiaoqiao, let¡¯s go dig up some wild vegetables!¡± Song Qiaoqiao had already dashed out of the yard impatiently, ¡°Oh oh! It¡¯s raining! I¡¯m going to step in puddles with Pig Mommy!¡± However, with the rain misting down, the ground only had a slightly damp feel. Where was the rain? Qiaoqiao fell silent. The siblings darted into the woods like monkeys, with Wu Lan shouting from behind, ¡°Pick some wild onions, and when you come back, I¡¯ll cook you scrambled eggs with them!¡± ¡­ Having grown up in the mountains since children, the brother and sister moved swiftly. In the midst of this, Tantan went to take another look at the rudimentary pigsty behind their hill¡ª A large shed constructed of wood, covered securely at the top with branches and tarpaulins. Inside, the ground was elevated with stones and, though the straw hadn¡¯t been laid yet, it was already looking quite clean and fresh. Pigs reared this way, with plenty of exercise, would definitely produce delicious meat. But there was a problem: pigs would inevitably defecate indiscriminately every day. With such a large range of movement in the mountains and no way to confine them to a manure pit, Sancheng pondered this issue for a long time. In the end, he came up with a solution. While the piglets were still young, they wouldn¡¯t be allowed to roam about. The slopes had grass, tree roots, and rocks, which could easily lead to injuries. At that time, they would make their enclosure a bit smaller, digging a shallow pit into which they would gradually throw the pig manure. Over time, the pigs would learn where to relieve themselves. Once they adapted to the habit, the area could be expanded step by step¡­ Whether it would work or not, Sancheng was raising pigs in the mountains for the first time and was willing to try. If nothing else, it just meant a bit more effort spent shoveling manure daily. Eventually, it could be fermented and used as fertilizer all the same. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They passed through the stretch of woods to a gentle slope on the middle of the back hill where sprouts of lush little greens were beginning to emerge. Qiaoqiao was already pointing at a large bunch of lush wild onions: ¡°Sis! Fry them with eggs!¡± Wild onions, also known as sand onions or mountain garlic, are much finer than common onions and garlic, even more delicate than leeks. Every time their family ate this, Qiaoqiao¡¯s task was to select and wash them, hence the strong impression. Song Tan looked at them and also hesitated: ¡°These wild onions are growing so well, do we fry them with eggs at noon, or do we stew them with carp?¡± But no matter what, the first thing was to pluck them. It wasn¡¯t just the wild onions, there was also a cluster of newly grown shepherd¡¯s purse by the side of the forest, still small but definitely enough for a dish. Next was the shepherd¡¯s needles, there were plenty of those, both large and small, and Qiaoqiao already took off happily with the shovel. However¡­ in the end, there was too little to show, the mobile device was useless, there wasn¡¯t anything worth capturing. She sighed, then suddenly thought of something¡ª What was the going rate for wild vegetables these days? ¡­ The siblings went out and after one or two hours of hustle, Wu Lan took the basket of vegetables and puzzledly said, ¡°Did you guys also go to the pond¡¯s edge?¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Qiaoqiao¡¯s sleeves were half wet, which clearly showed that he had had a good time playing in the water. Wu Lan flipped through the wild vegetables brought back: ¡°This watercress is tender indeed, hope you didn¡¯t pick them just as they sprouted¡ªhow are we going to eat them?¡± Song Tan thought for a moment, decisively choosing between mixing with shredded chicken and stewing in fish soup: ¡°Cold mixed with shredded chicken!¡± Shredded chicken required chicken breast, and where could one buy just the chicken breast in the village? Wu Lan ignored her: ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go fry some Sichuan pepper oil, we¡¯ll have it cold mixed at noon. These past few days we¡¯ve been treating guests to rich dishes, it¡¯ll be good to eat something lighter.¡± ¡°How come there¡¯s purslane? Only this handful? Then let¡¯s mix it together later.¡± There was a good amount of wild onions, and seeing how neatly they were arranged, it must have been Qiaoqiao who cleaned them up while playing in the water by the pond. Wu Lan looked quite satisfied: ¡°Just right, the carp we caught last time has thawed, let¡¯s make some soup, and the rest we can stir-fry for a pork dish. Otherwise, eating only cold dishes in this weather is too chilly.¡± Finally, there was the thick layer of shepherd¡¯s needles at the bottom, Wu Lan decisively made arrangements: ¡°Perfect for making dumplings tonight!¡± Song Tan, who wasn¡¯t cooking, had no say in the matter, and she was quite looking forward to it anyway. She then brought up another matter: ¡°Mom, the weather is warming up, and after this rain, wild vegetables will surely grow like crazy. What if I dig up more tomorrow and sell them in the city on the bus?¡± This time, Wu Lan really saw her in a new light: ¡°Are you planning to set up a street stall? Have you ever been to the vegetable market?¡± Song Tan understood what she meant¡ªher past self would certainly have been too shy and reserved to go through with it. But now¡­ After mucking about for half a month since her return, all the money had been spent. If she didn¡¯t produce some results soon, who knows how much talking she¡¯d need to do for the next grant application? Besides, she had channeled quite a bit of Spiritual Energy to the hillside pond taking advantage of the spring rain; she should be able to harvest dozens of pounds tomorrow at least! Isn¡¯t this a chance to test the waters of the market? So she patted her chest: ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll definitely manage it tomorrow!¡± Song Sancheng had been silent throughout, but at this, he finally chimed in: ¡°The bus leaves at six o¡¯clock in the morning, and it¡¯ll take a big round through the town before reaching the city, almost nine o¡¯clock. Who would be buying vegetables at that time?¡± ¡°How about this, Tantan, you pack the vegetables tomorrow afternoon, leave early in the morning, and I¡¯ll take you to the road junction on my motorbike. From the junction, you can catch the van right to the market, just in time for the morning rush.¡± Chapter 17 - 17: 17. Shepherds purse dumplings_1 Chapter 17: 17. Shepherd¡¯s purse dumplings_1 ¡°` The spring rain intensified throughout the night. Droplets pattered unceasingly in the quiet depth of the night, quickly moistening the soil, as the chilly water vapor spread wisps of white mist over mountains, ponds, and fields, deepening the green hues and making the tender leaves unfurl even more¡­ By dawn, the rain had stopped, but the skies remained gloomy. Song Sancheng brought in some firewood from outside and stoked the stove to make it blaze even hotter, while clapping his hands, ¡°What are we eating this morning?¡± After being busy for several days, Wu Lan had finally found some leisure last night and today. She had rested well recently, everything about the air felt crisp and refreshing, and her mood was exceedingly pleasant. ... ¡°Let¡¯s have dumplings, those shepherd¡¯s purse from last night were so fresh.¡± The vibrant shepherd¡¯s purse, finely chopped and mixed with the granular minced meat, encased in soft dough wrappers, then dipped in a vinegar sauce¡­ Fresh. So fresh that one¡¯s tongue could almost swallow itself. Song Sancheng single-handedly devoured two big bowls. Qiaoqiao did even better, polishing off nearly three small bowls, then slurped up half a bowl of dumpling soup: ¡°Mom, it¡¯s so delicious!¡± ¡°Eating your old man out of house and home¡± wasn¡¯t just an empty saying; Wu Lan had made the dumplings last night thinking they wouldn¡¯t finish them and planned to freeze the leftovers for breakfast. But she hadn¡¯t anticipated everyone¡¯s appetite increasing so much recently that they gobbled up everything in one go. Except for Song Tan. Freshness was there, but so were the impurities. Eating one bowl felt to Song Tan like eating a bowl of perfumed rice mixed with sand. With every meal, she vowed to grow her own food. Wu Lan looked at her still slender figure, puzzled: ¡°Have you ruined your stomach with all that work outside? You¡¯ve been working hard every day, how come your appetite is still so small?¡± In her heart, Song Tan thought: It wasn¡¯t that her stomach had gone bad, she had simply become fastidious. But if she got picky about eating wild vegetables, her mother would probably roll her eyes and scold her, ¡°You¡¯ve just been spoiled by too much good food.¡± So, she changed the subject: ¡°Were yesterday¡¯s wild vegetables tasty? After this rain, they must be even more delicious!¡± Wild vegetables tasty? How could they not be! The vibrant green and red-stemmed Indian aster was blanched and chopped, then minced with some meat. Next, crack a duck egg and beat it, add some cooking wine, salt, and MSG, and fry it into strands with a strainer in the pan. Afterwards, saut¨¦ some chopped green onions and shredded ginger, then pour in the minced meat, Indian aster, and duck egg¡­ Crunchy, crispy, and refreshing ¨C how could it not be appetizing? The leftover water spinach was blanched, seasoned with salt and MSG, and mixed well. Then Sichuan pepper was slowly fried in oil to bring out its fragrance, and combined with sauce, ginger garlic juice, sugar, MSG, Sichuan pepper oil, crushed chili, and chopped green onion¡ªall added to the blanched tender segments of the water spinach¡­ Slurp! Crisp, tender, spicy, and savory. Accompanied by wild green onion and crucian carp soup and fried eggs, the family of four devoured the basket of wild vegetables from the day before completely. Then, bloated, they chopped up the shepherd¡¯s purse for dumplings. Thinking about it now made them crave even more. Yesterday¡¯s wild vegetables were so tasty; with the boost from Spiritual Energy, today¡¯s should be even more delicious, right? Thinking about her very first business venture, Song Tan asked, ¡°Mom, how much do you think I should sell them for per pound tomorrow morning?¡± Even though it was early March and the insects had just begun to stir, in reality, the spring greens hadn¡¯t yet sprung up. It was a time when the old crops were dying and the new ones hadn¡¯t yet appeared. Lettuce tasted bitter, bok choy was already old, heart cabbage was no longer sweet; a trip to the supermarket meant that even a simple greenhouse vegetable starts at ten to eight yuan per pound. Wu Lan adeptly managed the household but had zero experience selling wild vegetables. Thinking it over, she suggested, ¡°How about you sell them all for ten yuan per pound?¡± ¡°` There¡¯s not much reason to it, just to make the accounting easier. This price is indeed not expensive for today¡¯s green vegetable market, but after all, it is wild vegetables. Wu Lan knew that everyone in the city loved to eat them, but her childhood experiences still made her subconsciously undervalue them. So she mentioned the ten yuan with particularly little confidence. Song Tan thought about it and felt that ten yuan was actually fine. Wild vegetables don¡¯t yield much after cooking. You might have a large handful, but once boiled, they shrink to a small clump. She believed that the quality nurtured by Spiritual Energy was definitely good, but since it was their first business deal, they had to let everyone taste it before they could talk about future dealings. ¡°Alright then, ten yuan it is!¡± Song Sancheng discussed, ¡°This year¡¯s shepherd¡¯s purse is really good. Why not make some more dumplings to freeze? Otherwise, in a couple of days when we start the mushroom spores, we¡¯ll be too busy and end up eating hastily.¡± In a few days, once the preparations were made, it was time to start with the mushroom spores. Song Sancheng consulted with Song Tan, saying there was no need to rush this task and it would be better to hire some elderly men and women to do it. ¡°They are older now, but that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they¡¯re slow. Even if they are slow, Tantan, you mustn¡¯t fuss over it¡­ Our village is down to so few households. When they grow old, they just sit there all day, staring into space or dozing off. It¡¯s a sad sight.¡± ¡°We might as well ask them to come over. We don¡¯t talk about money¡ªit¡¯s just taking their time. After the work is done, we can buy some meat to help them take home. If they need anything, we lend a hand. Your grandparents can help keep an eye on things while we¡¯re busy¡­ What do you think?¡± Sure. Why not? Song Tan agreed without hesitation. Firstly, the mushrooms and wood ear fungus were not in a rush to sprout just yet¡­ Her outer fence was not even set up! S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Secondly, everyone was from the village. Who else would they hire if not them? Her grandparents had been growing increasingly despondent over the past few years, and having something to do was certainly better than sitting idle. But¡­ Song Tan looked at her family¡¯s yard, complete with a motorcycle and flower beds: ¡°Our yard is a bit small, isn¡¯t it?¡± Starting the mushroom spores required pressing the spores into pre-drilled small holes in the chestnut tree trunks. The logs were somewhat long and heavy. The yard could accommodate them, but it was inconvenient to pass by. Song Sancheng thought for a moment: ¡°I¡¯ll go and talk to your grandpa later. We¡¯ll put them in his yard, which is more spacious. Your grandma can take care of the cooking, your mom can help¡­ There are only about eight or nine elderly people in the village. They don¡¯t eat much, we can just bring over rice, flour, and vegetables from our place.¡± The family of four straightened out the details (with Qiaoqiao providing the humming soundtrack) and felt everything was arranged. Seeing that it was almost nine o¡¯clock, Song Tan quickly called out to Qiaoqiao: ¡°Let¡¯s go! Bring a large basket to dig up shepherd¡¯s purse!¡± And to check on how many wild vegetables the Spiritual Energy had stimulated overnight. Climbing up the familiar hillside once again, Qiaoqiao was astounded. His mouth fell open: ¡°(¡Ño¡Ñ) Wow!¡± ¡°Sis, it¡¯s so green!¡± Isn¡¯t it just very green? Wild chives grew in bunches, as thick as layers of hair, covering the entire edge of the mountain forest slope. The Indian kalimeris that could barely fill a plate yesterday were now vying to poke out their green heads, with green and red stems crowded together as though afraid people couldn¡¯t grab a whole plateful. The shepherd¡¯s purse¡­ well, there wasn¡¯t any need to say more about it. It grew densely in the crevices, their leaves so tender they seemed to weep with moisture. Even before harvesting them, one could smell the strong fragrance of the fresh greenery. The contrast and difference between the newly sprouted green buds of the neighboring woods were strikingly visible. Song Tan had actually been mentally prepared and very confident. But at that moment, she still felt somewhat dazed and only managed to dig up a basket of fresh shepherd¡¯s purse with Qiaoqiao¡¯s help. On their way back, they also made a detour to check the pond. Very good. The watercress and purslane had spread dense patches, growing wildly as if on steroids, covering the ground and water surface around the pond! She suppressed the joy inside her¡ª These vegetables were now giving too much credit to the Spiritual Energy! Chapter 18 - 18: 18. Clean up wild vegetables_1 Chapter 18: 18. Clean up wild vegetables_1 After lunch, Song Tan grabbed a basket, planning to go dig for wild vegetables. The sky was still gloomy, and with temperatures around ten degrees and no sun, it really couldn¡¯t be considered warm. On such a day, every household would be warming themselves by the fire, and few people would venture out. Wu Lan glanced at the large basket her daughter was carrying and felt sorry for her hard work these days, ¡°There¡¯s no need to go digging for wild vegetables so early; you can go in the evening. That way they¡¯ll stay fresher for tomorrow. Besides, there isn¡¯t much to gather in this weather, and it¡¯s quick work.¡± Song Tan thought of the densely packed greenery by the pond on the hill, figuring if there wasn¡¯t ¡®Spiritual Energy,¡¯ she really wouldn¡¯t need to be so proactive. But at the moment, she took Qiaoqiao with her, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mom, you start making the dumplings. I feel like today¡¯s shepherd¡¯s purse is especially fresh.¡± Seeing her daughter¡¯s insistence, Wu Lan didn¡¯t try to stop her, but she muttered, ¡°Shepherd¡¯s purse is the same whether it¡¯s yesterday or today¡­ what could be different¡­¡± ... She sat by the stove, planning to sort through the shepherd¡¯s purse she had dug up in the morning, but as soon as she picked it up, something felt off¡ª ¡°How come this looks so good?¡± ¡­ Qiaoqiao was indeed a great helper; an episode of Peppa for a basket of vegetables, and in no time, he returned with a full basket of shepherd¡¯s purse. Lush green, tender and juicy, it looked delicious no matter how you looked at it, almost exaggeratedly so. Song Sancheng was helping to sort the vegetables, and when he took the basket, he paused, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there wasn¡¯t much yesterday? With a single rain, it¡¯s grown this much?¡± This was a large basket, small bundles of shepherd¡¯s purse densely packed, heaping up high in the basket, wobbling as if a few stems might tumble out at any moment. Qiaoqiao didn¡¯t understand these things and instead felt very proud, ¡°There¡¯s still so much more¡ª¡± He thought to himself: Although sister isn¡¯t very good at farming, that¡¯s okay, Qiaoqiao now knows how to dig vegetables! Qiaoqiao will support her! Suddenly feeling ambitious, he didn¡¯t care about Peppa Pig anymore and went out again with two empty baskets. Meanwhile, back at home, Song Sancheng dumped out the vegetables to weigh them, ¡°Wow, that must be over ten pounds!¡± Wu Lan was also surprised, but said, ¡°It just rained, and the vegetables are wet, and they have a bit of mud on them. It¡¯s probably only ten pounds.¡± That¡¯s still quite a lot. A basket of ten pounds, a zero-cost business, and at the price of ten yuan per pound, that¡¯s a hundred yuan already. ¡­ Digging wild vegetables this trip took a full three hours, and by the time Song Tan returned, it was already past four in the afternoon. As fate would have it, just as she returned, another rain came pouring down. The family of four didn¡¯t bother with making dumplings but hurried to deal with the wild vegetables! Looking at the ¡®Spiritual Energy¡¯ infused wild vegetables, so crisp and appealing, sparking one¡¯s appetite, Song Tan didn¡¯t believe no one would pay ten yuan per pound, and her entrepreneurial spirit emerged: ¡°Mom, just pick them a little, give the mud a wash, but don¡¯t remove all the roots, and tie them up with some grass. One bunch, one pound and two ounces, so we don¡¯t lose any weight tomorrow.¡± Wu Lan was just about to pick each one clean and was thinking it would take quite some time. Yet when Song Tan suggested this, Wu Lan couldn¡¯t help wondering, ¡°With one pound, you¡¯ll only have about seven or eight ounces of edible part. Can you still sell it for ten yuan?¡± Why not? Song Tan opened her mobile app, and even the local delivery of vegetables in the city, lettuce cost 14.8 yuan per pound! ¡°Wild vegetables! Fresh ones, with a bit of dirt and moisture, ten yuan is cheap, okay?¡± ¡°You forgot about last year¡¯s toon, it was fifty or sixty a pound! And they sold them by twos.¡± That¡¯s true. Wu Lan thought for a moment, ¡°Alright, since there are no costs involved, you go ahead and sell them. Don¡¯t panic if we can¡¯t sell everything; we can take them back, blanch them, dry them, and freeze them in the fridge. We can still eat them during the New Year.¡± The family of four thus each had their own tasks. Song Sancheng was responsible for cleaning the mud, Wu Lan for sorting the vegetables, Song Tan for weighing them, and Qiaoqiao for tying each bunch neatly with long grass. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. By the time the sky was completely dark, they finally finished tidying up the wild vegetables. After weighing them¡ª Wow! Malan heads, purslane, shepherd¡¯s purse, watercress, and wild chives¡ªa total of 80 small bundles, weighing over a hundred pounds! Song Sancheng immediately changed his mind, ¡°Maybe we should rent a vehicle tomorrow, even though 200 yuan for a round trip is expensive, they will come to pick us up at our doorstep. Otherwise, how are we going to take so many vegetables on public transport?¡± It would raise the cost all at once. Song Tan made a decisive call, ¡°Rent!¡± ¡°Right dad, I¡¯ll bring Qiaoqiao with me tomorrow.¡± Song Sancheng subconsciously opposed, ¡°Why bring Qiaoqiao? You¡¯re going to do business, and if he starts fussing¡­¡± However, before he could finish, Qiaoqiao loudly protested, ¡°Qiaoqiao wants to sell vegetables!¡± ¡°Qiaoqiao won¡¯t make a fuss!¡± ¡°Qiaoqiao wants to go out!¡± Wu Lan thought for a moment, sighed, and acquiesced, ¡°Alright, bring him along. He should be exposed to unfamiliar environments. Otherwise, spending every day in the village, he doesn¡¯t even have anyone to play with.¡± Going to the city with him occasionally, she still had to endure the scrutinizing looks of others¡­ Wu Lan¡¯s heart ached. Song Tan pretended not to notice the bitterness in those words. She had tried on the night she obtained the Spiritual Energy, and Qiaoqiao¡­ he wasn¡¯t fully developed in the womb, even if her cultivation was successful, there wasn¡¯t much she could do about it. All she could ensure was that he stayed strong and healthy, and fell ill less often. Perhaps add more exercises on top¡ªwhat¡¯s wrong with a six-year-old¡¯s IQ? Aren¡¯t there many sensible six-year-olds? So at this moment, she happily patted Qiaoqiao, ¡°Good Qiaoqiao! I knew you were the smartest! You must help out a lot tomorrow.¡± Qiaoqiao proudly accepted, in a very loud voice. The family had been busy for most of the day and only now began to feel ravenously hungry, but sorting the vegetables had left them with sore waists and backs, causing the cook Wu Lan to let out a perfunctory sigh, ¡°Alright, we just so happened not to have put away the dumplings we made this afternoon, so let¡¯s eat those.¡± Just right, Song Tan also wanted to taste today¡¯s shepherd¡¯s purse, ¡°Mom, cook more.¡± Wu Lan had initially planned to cook about the same amount as in the morning, but with Song Tan¡¯s request, she grumbled about how much the family could eat while still cooking an extra bowlful. However, when the dumplings were served, everyone¡¯s eyes widened at the first bite. Qiaoqiao began kicking his legs excitedly, ¡°Yummy! So delicious, mommy!¡± As he spoke, he grimaced from the heat but still didn¡¯t let go of the dumpling in his mouth, holding onto his bowl firmly, ¡°The yummiest in the world!¡± Song Sancheng devoured half a bowl in one breath before letting out a satisfied sigh, ¡°Indeed, why are these dumplings so delicious today?¡± Song Tan was even moved to tears: After so many days back home, they finally got to eat a meal that tasted normal and pure, oh heavens, she could show off with three bowls! Only Wu Lan ate thoughtfully¡ª The dumpling filling she made this afternoon was the same as usual! Could it be that after the spring rain, the shepherd¡¯s purse had become so much tastier? She quickly finished her portion in a few bites, put down her bowl, picked a bunch from each of the neatly tied vegetables, and went back into the kitchen to hustle about. By the time she returned with another plate, the dumplings were already polished off. Only Song Sancheng still gazed at her sycophantically, ¡°I¡¯m not quite full¡­ how about we both eat a bit more?¡± Chapter 19 - 19: 19. Vegetable Sale_1 Chapter 19: 19. Vegetable Sale_1 Wu Lan had eaten only one bowl and was full, but not completely satisfied. However, considering the appetites of her family members, they were definitely all overstuffed tonight, so she flat-out refused, ¡°Let¡¯s eat the dumplings tomorrow morning. Come on, try this wild vegetable we picked today!¡± What she picked was malan head, purslane, and watercress. To keep things simple and purely to test the taste, she boiled them briefly and then mixed them all together with the same seasoning. At this moment, the red chili, white sesame, dark brown soy vinegar, and the green tender leaves and stems were intertwined, and a fresh, sour and spicy fragrance wafted towards them. Song Sancheng no longer hesitated and quickly grabbed some with his chopsticks and brought it to his mouth¡ª ¡°Mmm!¡± ... Delicious, spicy, refreshing, and crunchy¡­ A mix of flavors and textures all in one, making Song Sancheng unable to stop eating, with each grasp of his chopsticks taking almost half a plate of the vegetables. It¡¯s just that¡­ ¡°This is so appetizing; I should have cooked a pot of rice,¡± he lamented. But Wu Lan glanced at his belly and said, ¡°Stop eating, will you? Aren¡¯t you afraid of bursting¡ªyou¡¯re going to make yourself sick. Let me have a taste!¡± Once she tasted it, the whole family fell silent. After a while, Wu Lan hesitantly asked, ¡°Did we sell this too cheaply for ten yuan?¡± Song Tan made a swift decision, ¡°It was practically a giveaway¡ªtrust me, 20 yuan a bunch!¡± Selling early in the morning, there was no fear if they didn¡¯t sell out because the returning customers who¡¯ve already eaten at noon would definitely come back! sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Now, making money was crucial! Wu Lan instantly regretted, ¡°If I had known, I would have sampled just a few stalks of each!¡± ¡­ Early the next morning. It was indeed early. Song Tan was woken up at 5:30 a.m., and while Song Sancheng also planned to help carry the vegetables, he found that his daughter could carry a basket in each hand, and Qiaoqiao could hold another, so they quickly loaded seventy or eighty bundles of wild vegetables onto the vehicle. ¡°Do you really not need me to come along?¡± ¡°No need for that, Qiaoqiao is here, and Qiaoqiao can help, right?¡± Song Tan waved him off. Qiaoqiao next to her agreed enthusiastically, ¡°Yes! Qiaoqiao is enough!¡± Song Sancheng stood there aimlessly, his hand outstretched, suddenly feeling the bittersweetness of ¡°getting old.¡± He was brought back from his thoughts by Wu Lan¡¯s voice, ¡°There are a few dumplings left in the pot, you want them?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± He immediately discarded the fleeting sentimentality. ¡­ Uncle Wang, who drove the van, was a local acquaintance. While keeping an eye on the road, he asked curiously, ¡°Tantan, are you off to the city to sell these vegetables?¡± Song Tan nodded, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s cold now, so it¡¯s nice to eat something fresh. If we can¡¯t sell it all, we¡¯ll eat it ourselves, no trouble at all.¡± That made sense. Uncle Wang nodded, ¡°That¡¯s good, young people these days are hesitant to take on such hardships. Your parents are lucky!¡± After a bit of mutual business flattery, the van stopped by the well-known market in the old district. It wasn¡¯t even seven o¡¯clock yet. The market wasn¡¯t formally planned; it was just next to the river, with easy access from all sides, so everyone tacitly set up shop there, shouldering baskets and pushing carts to sell their goods. Song Tan didn¡¯t even have to pay any kind of stall fee. She laid out her baskets in front of her, set up two folding stools, and took out a stack of plastic bags. Everything was ready to go. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the selling, Sister!¡± Qiaoqiao couldn¡¯t wait. Song Tan quickly gave up the prime spot to him, ¡°Alright, Qiaoqiao will sell¡ªbut you know the price, right?¡± ¡°I do!¡± Qiaoqiao geared up, ¡°Twenty yuan a bunch, no haggling!¡± That was all he needed to know. Song Tan thought for a moment and put up the two QR codes she had printed out at the Village Department yesterday¡ªone was a payment code. The other: a QR code for a group called ¡°Fresh Wild Vegetables Update Notification,¡± inviting scanning to join, with advance notifications of fresh wild vegetables. She would bet her cultivation life that anyone who tasted her wild vegetables today would definitely come back for more. ¡­ The weather was good that day. Although the sun had not yet risen by seven o¡¯clock, there was a faint hint of dawn in the sky. The market bustled with housewives in fluffy fleece pajamas or old down jackets hurrying back and forth. The siblings sat neatly on their small stools, looking similar with bright black pupils and fair skin, both pretty and charming, presenting the friendliest of visages. And she¡¯s so young, too. Just look at this market, let alone the stall owners, there are hardly any young people selling vegetables. Customers buying groceries couldn¡¯t help but turn their gaze towards her. They took the opportunity to check out the baskets in front of them¡ªwow, what kind of weather is this? To have such fresh and tender wild vegetables already, and they¡¯re so neatly arranged! ¡°Miss, how much are you selling this shepherd¡¯s purse for?¡± During the New Year, vegetables are so expensive, and with the constant coming and going of guests, everyone¡¯s first thought upon seeing shepherd¡¯s purse is fresh and tender dumplings. As soon as this aunty asked, it was as if she started a trend, and slowly more people gathered around. ¡°I know, I know! Shepherd¡¯s purse, 20 yuan a bunch, one pound!¡± Qiaoqiao couldn¡¯t wait to answer. Sitting on a small stool, slightly tilting his head up to look at the aunty in front of him, he was both well-behaved and adorable, with his round, fuzzy little head, no older aunty could resist. Moreover¡­ When adults speak, their tone is different from that of a child¡¯s. The aunty who asked the question looked at him in surprise, as if she realized something. However, she saw Qiaoqiao still persistently staring at her, so she tentatively furrowed her brows: ¡°That¡¯s way too expensive, could you sell it for 10 yuan?¡± ¡°No can do,¡± Qiaoqiao shook his head as if it were a rattle, emphasizing again: ¡°Shepherd¡¯s purse dumplings, I had three bowls this morning!¡± He held up his hand, forming the shape of the number three with his fingers. Song Tan also laughed along: ¡°Right, aunty, I dug these up myself yesterday. They really are especially fresh and tender, and 20 yuan is honestly not expensive.¡± ¡°Moreover, each bunch weighs a pound, always more rather than less, you know how expensive greenhouse vegetables are now! Spring has arrived, why not enjoy some fresh wild vegetables to freshen up?¡± She pointed at the QR code next to her: ¡°If you aren¡¯t sure, scan the code to join the group. If it¡¯s not delicious, just message me on WeChat, and I¡¯ll refund you.¡± She spoke with extraordinary confidence, and the aunty in front of her made up her mind in an instant. But in the basket in front of her, there were so many choices! Which one should she buy? She was torn. However, as soon as the aunty hesitated, Qiaoqiao drooped his eyebrows and looked up at her with pitiful eyes: ¡°Aunty, don¡¯t you want to buy? Qiaoqiao dug them up!¡± The aunty¡¯s heart melted, and everyone present also realized the situation, promptly agreeing: ¡°I¡¯ll buy it!¡± ¡°But aunty doesn¡¯t know which one to choose, what should I do?¡± Qiaoqiao blinked innocently: ¡°Then just try a bit of each!¡± He also feels this kind of pain sometimes when buying snacks. ¡°Oh my!¡± The crowd around the stall laughed joyfully: ¡°You little one, still quite greedy, aren¡¯t you? These are 20 yuan each, that would be a hundred yuan for one go.¡± But Qiaoqiao was not convinced: ¡°Qiaoqiao has been eating them for two days straight.¡± ¡°Shepherd¡¯s purse for dumplings.¡± ¡°Wild chives to stew with crucian carp or stir-fry with eggs!¡± ¡°Ma¡­ Ma¡­¡± He forgot the name. Song Tan quickly patted his head: ¡°Qiaoqiao is so brilliant!¡± Then she swiftly showed everyone the vegetables: ¡°Malantou can be fried with meat or served cold, watercress is also tender, and purslane is great for cooling heat and detoxification¡­¡± ¡°Our wild vegetables, guaranteed you¡¯ll want them a second time after one taste.¡± As she flipped the vegetables for everyone to see, each piece was verdant and tender, without a hint of damage. And considering the expert buyers all around, who could tell with one touch that this girl hadn¡¯t shortchanged them¡ªafter all, 20 yuan a pound for freshly dug wild vegetables from the village wasn¡¯t really expensive. The more everyone looked, the more tempted they became, compared to the greenhouse vegetables they were holding¡ª ¡°Come on, give me two pounds of shepherd¡¯s purse, my son loves dumplings!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take two pounds as well¡ªplus a bunch of those wild chives, oh my, the real wild ones, so pungent! I haven¡¯t eaten them in over a decade!¡± ¡°I want some too! A bundle of the purslane for me, it¡¯s anti-inflammatory and diuretic¡­¡± ¡°Malantou is best for cooling down, I¡¯ll take that, two bunches¡ªand shepherd¡¯s purse for me too!¡± ¡°Watercress! Watercress is so tender, I want three bunches, to take one home for my daughter!¡± Chapter 20 - 20: Market Old Classmate_1 Chapter 20: Market Old Classmate_1 People have a herd mentality. When a group of experienced shoppers at the marketplace gather around a small stall to compete for goods, the crowd around it can only grow larger. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Tan could only feel the QR code payment ringing nonstop, her hands constantly packaging vegetables. This one wanted wild onions, that one wanted shepherd¡¯s purse, and another wanted kalimeris¡­ Luckily, she possessed spiritual energy and had quick reflexes. Otherwise, her first time selling vegetables and facing such a scene would have certainly been chaotic. Qiaoqiao was happily pulling out plastic bags one by one, flapping them open, and handing them to her sister, thoroughly enjoying himself. ... He didn¡¯t understand the nuances of good or bad business, but he found tearing the bags open really fun! ¡°Qiaoqiao, shout one time, say that the shepherd¡¯s purse is sold out.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He obediently put down the bags, stood up straight, cupped his hands around his mouth: ¡°Shepherd¡¯s purse¡ª¡ªis all sold out!¡± With that shout, those at the back who hadn¡¯t managed to buy it became even more reluctant: ¡°How can it be gone? I was waiting to make dumplings!¡± They still lined up at the front, hopeful¡ªno fish, then shrimp would do! And further back, customers who heard the news¡ª¡ªWhat? Someone was selling shepherd¡¯s purse? Where? It¡¯s already sold out? Wow, that shepherd¡¯s purse must be good! I must go have a look, memorize the stall for an early visit tomorrow! So, with the sun rising, more and more people gathered in front of the small stall, and at that moment, Qiaoqiao said dejectedly: ¡°Sister, there are no more bags.¡± The customers by now were hardly concerned about whether or not there were bags. ¡°No problem! I have bags, give me that bundle¡ª¡ªthe one next to it! I¡¯ve scanned the code already!¡± ¡°I have change¡ª¡ªhere, two bundles, forty yuan.¡± Qiaoqiao happily took the money, exclaiming loudly: ¡°I¡¯ve got it!¡± Ah, this silly boy, unintentionally endearing, making the aunties handle their vegetables even more tenderly. At this moment, Qiaoqiao shouted again: ¡°Wild onions¡ª¡ªalso all sold out!¡± Next came the kalimeris. Purslane¡­ By the end, when only three bunches of watercress were left, the space in front of the stall finally quieted down. Song Tan also took a sigh of relief, and turning to look at Qiaoqiao, she saw him staring at the children blowing bubbles up ahead, then turning an expectant gaze towards her. Song Tan smiled: ¡°Good boy, Qiaoqiao, you helped a lot today! Let¡¯s see, how much have we made?¡± Qiaoqiao hurriedly took out all the money from his pocket, a mix of notes and coins, totaling up to over eight hundred yuan. It seems there were still plenty of people at the marketplace carrying cash. ¡°Not bad at all!¡± Song Tan generously divided out twenty yuan for him: ¡°Take this, you can¡¯t wander off far, but you can buy anything you like around here.¡± She was more at ease with the spiritual energy watching over him. Otherwise, for a naive child like him wandering around, it would indeed be very dangerous. Being handed such a large sum of money, Qiaoqiao felt his heart pounding. He used to run errands for his family, but this was the first time he had been given so much money solely to buy snacks! In truth, he was not very good at arithmetic, and there weren¡¯t any children of his age in his village, so he lacked social interactions. But since Song Tan brought him out, she intended to let him practice, and now with the twenty yuan, he could spend it as he pleased. Back in his hometown, the village store had a pitiful selection of snacks, let alone toys. ¡°But if you run out of money, that¡¯s too bad, and you¡¯re not allowed to go far.¡± This riverside had vendors selling vegetables in the morning and people enjoying cool breezes in the evening, and naturally, there were also things being sold for children. Qiaoqiao¡¯s gaze shifted from the colorful pinwheels to the bubble machines, to the spicy strips the other children were eating¡­ He suddenly found himself unable to move. ¡­ And Song Tan checked her mobile payment¡ª76 bunches of vegetables, with just three bunches of watercress left. Cash $860, mobile payment $600 even. It looked like she hadn¡¯t been taken advantage of today, satisfied! Then she checked the QR code group from earlier¡ªregrettably, the aunties were good at picking vegetables but seemed unfamiliar and resistant to scanning the code to join the group, which now only had 15 members. But it was a good start, anyway! Song Tan adjusted the group settings and at the same time posted an announcement: ¡°Thank you for supporting the wild vegetables this morning, guaranteed refund if not tasty! Please rest assured. Also, there will be a notice in the group before selling each time, hope everyone doesn¡¯t miss out¡­¡± Before she posted it, she heard an incredulous voice beside her, ¡°Song Tan?¡± Song Tan lifted her head and saw a young woman holding a man¡¯s arm, looking at her in surprise. It took Song Tan a while to recall this person from her memory: ¡°Wa Qianqian?¡± Her high school classmate. ¡°Exactly!¡± Wa Qianqian looked over her outfit¡ªa worn down coat, sneakers, and long hair simply tied with a black elastic band, with a bare face. Although her skin was delicate and flawless, and her features became even more pleasing to the eye and prettier as one looked¡­ But what was the use of that? Look at what was in front of her: an empty basket with only some leftover vegetable leaves and dirt, plus three bunches of some green vegetable. Clearly leftovers from selling vegetables! A deep sense of disbelief and sympathy appeared in Wa Qianqian¡¯s eyes, ¡°I heard you were working in Ning City, how come you are now selling vegetables at the market?¡± Back in the day, Song Tan was delicate, pretty, and kind, and many boys in the class were nice to her. Wa Qianqian, on the other hand, had a fiery temper back then and looked down on girls like Song Tan. Latter on, she went to a vocational college, met her current boyfriend there¡ªthis man beside her. Now, he was visiting her home, and Wa Qianqian wanted to show off, which led her to bring him to take a tour of the vegetable market. She hadn¡¯t expected this ¡°surprise,¡± running into an old classmate. Song Tan smiled slightly, ¡°Yes, the pressure in the capital was too much, so I simply came back home to accompany my parents. Would you like to buy some wild vegetables? I just picked these watercress yesterday; they¡¯re very tasty when mixed up.¡± Her straightforwardness somewhat stumped Wa Qianqian, but her boyfriend seriously looked at the vegetables in the basket, ¡°Are these wild vegetables? How do you eat them? Are they good?¡± Before Song Tan could answer, Qiaoqiao happily returned with a multicolored pinwheel, and seeing someone interested in buying vegetables, he got even more excited: ¡°They¡¯re tasty! Super tasty! Qiaoqiao can eat three big bowls by himself!¡± Anyway, anything in his eyes was as delicious as shepherd¡¯s purse dumplings. His eyes were pure, and he smiled like a child, which made Wa Qianqian¡¯s look of pity even more evident: ¡°Oh right, you mentioned in school you have a younger brother who is a bit¡ª¡± Before she could finish, her boyfriend beside her coughed, prompting Wa Qianqian to quickly shut up and gave an embarrassed smile. Then she carefully picked up one of the watercress bundles tied with straw, examining it: ¡°It¡¯s not easy for you, I¡¯ve heard that there¡¯s often gender discrimination in the countryside¡­ ah, what I mean is, I¡¯ll take all of these vegetables.¡± However, Song Tan didn¡¯t mind. There are people with a condescending sense of pity everywhere, and they may just be looking for a sense of superiority, not necessarily having bad intentions. Plus, having cultivated for over a hundred years, she had long since become indifferent. So she treated Wa Qianqian¡¯s boyfriend just like any other customer: ¡°There¡¯s no need to buy three bunches, watercress is after all a wild vegetable, and if you haven¡¯t tried it before, you might not prepare it well.¡± ¡°If you want to try something new, one bunch is enough. When you get home, fry some Sichuan pepper in oil, and use chili sauce, soy sauce, salt, vinegar, and such, blanch it and mix it up¡­¡± Wa Qianqian¡¯s boyfriend listened intently, and even seemed a bit eager: ¡°Alright then, we¡¯ll take one bunch to try¡ªhow much is it?¡± Chapter 21 - 21: 21. Old customer_1 Chapter 21: 21. Old customer_1 ¡°Twenty.¡± Though indifferent, there was no particular fondness either. Song Tan had no intention of giving a discount. ¡°What?!¡± Wa Qianqian was unhappy ¡ª where had she ever seriously bought groceries before? Now that she heard the price, she felt like Song Tan was taking advantage of her knowing they were old classmates. ¡°It¡¯s just wild vegetables, there¡¯s no cost to it. Why should it be so expensive? Song Tan, we are old classmates, you can¡¯t rip people off like this.¡± No sooner had she said this than an auntie suddenly squeezed in from behind: ... ¡°Aiyo, are there any vegetables left ¡ª only three bundles? Then I¡¯ll take them all!¡± The auntie, with practiced ease, bagged all three bundles while awkwardly squinting to scan the QR code for the group, mumbling on and on: ¡°I was the first to buy, just wanted to try something fresh. I didn¡¯t expect that after making noodles at home, my granddaughter ate such a big bowl! You don¡¯t know how picky she is¡­ Now that I¡¯m in the group, young lady if you come tomorrow, just let me know in advance, okay?¡± After finishing her words, she dug out sixty yuan from her pocket and swiftly handed it to Qiaoqiao, her eyes brimming with affection: ¡°Dear child, auntie will come to you for vegetables next time!¡± The auntie, satisfied with her haul, strode off triumphantly. Wa Qianqian and her boyfriend stood awkwardly in place ¡ª they had not expected that, after being so picky and accusing a classmate of overcharging, someone else would not even haggle and just buy everything up. Are these wild vegetables really so rare and tasty? With this thought lingering in their minds, the more they thought about it, the more convinced they became that they must be delicious! S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After hesitating for a while, Wa Qianqian¡¯s boyfriend pulled out his phone and quietly scanned the group¡¯s QR code. ¡­ Song Tan checked her phone, feeling quite satisfied: Ah! Seventeen group members, and she had already secured a return customer in just one morning. Not bad! She took Qiaoqiao¡¯s pinwheel, gave it a ¡°whoosh¡± of breath, and the colorful pinwheel started spinning rapidly, with Qiaoqiao happily watching her: ¡°Sister, have you sold everything?¡± ¡°All sold out!¡± Song Tan also pointed at the basket, ¡°Qiaoqiao, pack up, sister will call a car to pick us up.¡± After a pause, she asked, ¡°Do we have any money left?¡± Qiaoqiao patted her pocket and flipped the rest of the change to her ¡ª with the sixty from the auntie, there was a total of seventy-five left. The pinwheel cost five, so it seemed that no extra money was charged. Song Tan simply handed back fifteen: ¡°Go on, buy whatever else you like. Qiaoqiao, you¡¯ve worked so hard these past days!¡± The siblings acted as if no one else was there, and by the time they looked back around, Wa Qianqian and her boyfriend had already disappeared. ¡­ The wild vegetables sold unexpectedly fast, and Uncle Wang was still surprised when he came to pick them up: ¡°Doing so well? Tantan, you must have sold them cheap, right?¡± Otherwise, with fresh and tender greenhouse vegetables available all over the market ¡ª clean and neatly arranged ¡ª there would be no way wild vegetables could sell so well if not for a good price. Those three baskets this morning were packed solid; that was no small amount! Song Tan smiled, ¡°Not bad, wild vegetables are still scarce now, everyone wants to try something fresh.¡± That was true. Not until the season for wild vegetables really started, around Qingming Festival, would they hit the market. The siblings returned home, and it wasn¡¯t even ten o¡¯clock in the morning. Song Tan settled that day¡¯s car hire fee and watched the car drive away. As soon as she got home, she suggested to her dad: ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t you find time to get a driving license?¡± She showed the money to Wu Lan: ¡°We can still sell wild vegetables for a while, but hiring a car for one day costs two hundred. When we really start growing vegetables in our fields, can we afford a car hire every day?¡± That would be six thousand yuan a month, but buying a Wuling van would only cost a few tens of thousands of yuan. It would be even cheaper with installments. ¡°` After all the calculations, it is really cost-effective! However, Song Sancheng felt he was getting on in years, ¡°I won¡¯t learn, I won¡¯t learn. When Uncle Zhou went to learn the year before last, he couldn¡¯t remember Subject One¡¯s questions to save his life. I¡¯m already over fifty, why should I bother learning that!¡± ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you have a driver¡¯s license? You can just drive.¡± He was frightened before the battle had even begun. Song Tan didn¡¯t pressure him, ¡°Then Mom, you go learn. I think you are more dependable than Dad, and more suited to driving.¡± Wu Lan hesitated only for a moment before agreeing immediately, ¡°That¡¯s just the way your dad is. If I am to learn, then I will learn. I picked up riding a motorcycle very quickly back then! Tantan, you¡¯re so smart now because you take after me!¡± Song Sancheng: ¡­ He¡­ he wasn¡¯t completely against learning¡­ Why not persuade him a little more? But Song Tan encouraged Wu Lan, ¡°Mom, you can definitely do it¡ªwe sell vegetables every day, they are so tasty and expensive, if Uncle Wang asks for the price, it¡¯s awkward whether I tell him or not. It¡¯s more convenient to have our own car.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Wu Lan was also thinking: If everyone knew that wild vegetables could make money and they all swarmed there, it would be hard to get a good price later on. And strangely enough, when she strolled around the village that morning, everywhere was barren. Only behind their house and by the pond was there a lush green. Aiyo! This is an opportunity given by the heavens! Moreover, the wild vegetables on their land this year were indeed delicious. If the villagers wanted to pick and sell them secretly, being neighbors, how would it be determined clearly in the fields who could eat the wild vegetables and who couldn¡¯t? But twenty yuan a jin, if you eat it yourself, how extravagant! Looking at the 1,500 yuan her daughter brought home today, the main cost was just the two hundred yuan for transportation¡­ She steeled her heart, ¡°Go check the wild vegetables tomorrow, and if they¡¯re still tasty, sell them the day after tomorrow. After selling, don¡¯t rush back, go buy a car.¡± ¡°I heard that vans aren¡¯t expensive now, right?¡± Spiritual Energy isn¡¯t depleted in just one eating, more of it is hidden in the roots! The taste of the wild vegetables is beyond doubt in the short term. As for buying a car¡­ Song Tan stretched out her hand, ¡°Give me the card, and bring the documents. I¡¯ll go to the city with my dad this afternoon to have a look. And by the way, I just got a message that my ID is ready; I¡¯ll pick it up from the town hall this afternoon.¡± Then looking at Song Sancheng, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t you know a lot of people? I remember one uncle who specializes in second-hand cars, let¡¯s go buy a Wuling.¡± In the countryside, besides other vehicles, Little Pika and small vans are the most practical. Delivering vegetables, after all, is there any need for off-roading? You can pick one for just thirty thousand! Now, Wu Lan, as decisive as she was, shuddered inwardly, ¡°You just earned one thousand five, and now you want to spend thirty thousand?¡± ¡°Waiting another day is a cost of two hundred yuan, Mom!¡± Song Tan was also earnest. In the end, the two hundred yuan won over Wu Lan by a slim margin. She went back to her room and resolutely stuffed the card into Song Tan¡¯s hand: ¡°Take it, take it all!¡± ¡°There¡¯s sixty thousand in there, spend it however you like. I don¡¯t want your earnings, and don¡¯t come to me if you run out.¡± Previously she had refused because she thought it was unreliable. Now, well, it may still be unreliable, but it seemed like they were really considering how to make money. Looking at Qiaoqiao, holding a pinwheel in one hand and a bubble machine in the other, twirling around in the yard, having completely forgotten about Peppa. What else were she and her husband working hard for half their lives for, if not their two children? Thinking this way, Wu Lan felt less worried. Song Tan: ¡­ Could such good things happen?! She eagerly took the card and said in a hurry, ¡°Dad, hurry up, make a call and ask around!¡± ¡°` Chapter 22 - 22: 22. Buy a little more tomorrow. Chapter 22: 22. Buy a little more tomorrow. Men¡¯s attachment to cars is truly indescribable. After finishing the phone call, Song Sancheng was still rambling on about how driving by himself was not safe, the mountain roads were treacherous, and how one could easily be scammed when buying a second-hand car¡­ But, once he arrived at the location, his friend took him to see the rows of vehicles in the factory, and he instantly tossed his own words to the back of his mind. Now he was caught in a dilemma between choosing a van or a pickup truck. ¡°Tantan, a van isn¡¯t afraid of wind and rain, it¡¯s just that the capacity is a bit small. Maybe¡­¡± ¡°Pickup trucks can carry a lot.¡± ... ¡°But what if the weather is bad, it¡¯s inconvenient to put things in the back!¡± ¡°Pickup trucks can carry a lot.¡± ¡°The van can seat several people; you can¡¯t buy a car just for selling vegetables¡­¡± ¡°Pickup trucks can carry a lot.¡± Her dad was really¡­ easily persuaded and thrown into confusion by a few words. If she wasn¡¯t buying the car for selling vegetables, what was she buying it for? Was the air in the city not polluted enough for her? Plus, she planned to plant quite a variety in the several pieces of farmland she had. Without finding something that could carry a lot, how much effort would that cost her? 23,500 yuan for a second-hand pickup truck, complete with license plates and all ¨C one-stop service. Although Song Tan didn¡¯t know much about cars, she took a good look at the person selling the vehicle, who didn¡¯t seem dishonest. Song Sancheng rambled on all the way, and suddenly exclaimed from the passenger seat, ¡°Ah, this is a manual transmission, isn¡¯t it? Can your mom manage it alone? I¡¯ll have to be the one to drive¡ªI¡¯ll go inquire about a driving license in town later.¡± Song Tan suppressed her laughter: ¡°Mhm, the two of you together, it¡¯ll be good company.¡± Song Sancheng didn¡¯t notice her tone, and was already eyeing the dashboard. ¡­ They returned to town to get an ID card and bought a few plastic vegetable baskets ¨C wicker baskets were not very regular and took up lots of space as they couldn¡¯t be stacked when filled with vegetables. The car just happened to be parked outside the courtyard. Their location was a bit remote, with distant neighbors, so for the moment there was no one to come over and have a look. However, Wu Lan, though feeling the pinch of the money spent, couldn¡¯t help feeling a sense of pride well up inside when seeing the thoroughly cleaned car (even if it was just a second-hand Little Pika). If it wasn¡¯t for the need to keep a low profile with the wild vegetable selling, she¡¯d probably have been out visiting neighbors by now. ¡°This vehicle is not bad, it can carry a lot. It¡¯s convenient for hauling large items too¡ªTantan, I checked on the wild vegetables, and I don¡¯t know why, but they¡¯re growing really well this year. We can continue selling them tomorrow.¡± ¡°How about we go pick some more this afternoon?¡± Clearly, she was already hooked by the money. Song Tan shook her head: ¡°Mom, there¡¯s no hurry. Most of the people who bought vegetables yesterday joined the group. We should give them some time to miss and crave for it, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± Without showing how tasty the wild vegetables were, how could she build a reputation? Right now, selling wild vegetables for twenty was not considered a high price, but after a while, when other spring vegetables and wild greens hit the market, this price would no longer be appropriate. If price was lowered, Song Tan herself would be the first to be displeased. So¡­ Let everyone crave for it first! Moreover, ¡°Mom, let¡¯s have wild vegetables again tonight.¡± Right now, the only vegetables without impurities were the wild ones. She would like to promote the growth of other vegetables, but explaining that would take too long! Wu Lan immediately refused: ¡°That won¡¯t do, they¡¯re twenty yuan a pound. If we eat several pounds in one meal, over a hundred yuan will be gone just like that.¡± Song Tan: ¡­I knew it. Without hesitation, she grabbed the basket: ¡°Qiaoqiao, time to pick vegetables.¡± Why would she bother exerting so much Spiritual Energy if not to ensure she could enjoy a good bite herself? She hadn¡¯t refined her own abilities enough yet. Wu Lan: ¡­ Spendthrift child! ¡­ In the end, they still ate those wild vegetables for dinner. Once Wu Lan tasted the vegetables, she stopped talking about wasting money and instead murmured, ¡°I should send some to your grandma and your uncle for them to try.¡± Song Tan hadn¡¯t forgotten about that, it¡¯s just¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s wait a while, Mom. There aren¡¯t many wild vegetables sprouting up right now; it would be too conspicuous if we sent some over.¡± S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The spiritual energy accelerated their growth, but she couldn¡¯t overdo it. Currently, the yield every two days was only around a hundred or so pounds, which was already quite plentiful for wild vegetables. Sending them now, with their delicious taste, wouldn¡¯t they have to be sent every day? What if they thought it was just some wild plants and decided to come and dig for themselves¡­ That would be inconvenient. When cultivating spiritual energy, one must understand human emotions and desires, something Song Tan was clear about. ¡°Let¡¯s wait another half month. The weather will be warmer then, and there will be more wild vegetables. At that time, we¡¯ll stop selling them and just eat them ourselves. We¡¯ll also give plenty to Grandpa and Grandma.¡± Half a month later, the milk vetch would have grown enough and tender enough to sell. Not bad for me! Song Tan felt that her business acumen was indeed very astute. ¡­ Meanwhile. In the city, Waterfront Residential Area. Zhao Yang came home from work with his pregnant wife. His mother had already prepared dinner, and seeing her daughter-in-law return to the bedroom, she looked worried, ¡°Qinqin still can¡¯t eat?¡± His wife had been pregnant for three months and was vomiting everything she ate. Just the smell of cooking oil would make her nauseous, and recently she had been very weak. It was worrying the whole family to death. Mother Zhao thought for a moment: ¡°Why don¡¯t you try giving Qinqin a taste first? I bought these wild vegetables early this morning. There was a young girl with her silly brother, who said they just dug them up from their village.¡± She rambled on, and actually felt a bit of regret: ¡°They were quite expensive though. A pound of lettuce is only fifteen yuan. At the time, so many people were scrambling for it, and I got excited too¡ªactually, twenty yuan for a bunch, and I didn¡¯t even manage to get any shepherd¡¯s purse! You know, shepherd¡¯s purse is so delicious in dumplings!¡± ¡°Look, all I got was this bunch of dandelion leaves, which are gone after blanching a bit.¡± ¡°But these dandelion leaves are quite good too, cooling and detoxifying.¡± She switched topics so fast that it was hard to tell if she was complaining about the expensive price or the fact that she didn¡¯t manage to get shepherd¡¯s purse. Zhao Yang also couldn¡¯t help but swallow¡ªshepherd¡¯s purse dumplings? Maybe he should order takeout at work tomorrow, the dumpling restaurant should have them. But then again, since these were freshly dug wild vegetables, they might taste better than greenhouse vegetables, right? Still, considering his wife¡¯s recent eating problems, he decided to be cautious. He only took a bowl and picked up a bit with chopsticks to bring to the bedroom: ¡°Qinqin, try a bit of this wild vegetable. My mom said it¡¯s called dandelion leaves, mixed with some small green chili¡­ cold and spicy.¡± Just hearing about eating made Qinqin¡¯s stomach churn again. She was about to refuse, but her husband had already brought the vegetable to her mouth. The chopsticks held only two green leaves. After considering, she opened her mouth, chewed slowly and carefully, fearing what would come afterward. However, once the wild vegetable entered her mouth¡ªit was fresh, crisp, spicy, and refreshing¡­ a mix of flavors so wonderful that it couldn¡¯t be described! Her stomach growled loudly, feeling starved crazy! Zhao Yang was watching her nervously, ¡°How is it?¡± Qinqin slowly swallowed the two leaves in her mouth, feeling her stomach as a bottomless pit, frantically clamoring for more. She suddenly stood up: ¡°Get me a bowl of rice, I want to eat this vegetable!¡± She was already impatiently out of the bedroom and at the dining table before the rice was served, gobbling down half the vegetables. Mother Zhao was overjoyed: ¡°Oh my! Oh my! If I had known, I would have bought more varieties!¡± As she spoke, she regretted again¡ªthat twenty yuan wasn¡¯t expensive! Early spring, vegetables are just this price, isn¡¯t this way more flavorsome than those greenhouse vegetables? Chapter 23 - 23: 23. The shepherds purse is a bit old_1 Chapter 23: 23. The shepherd¡¯s purse is a bit old_1 By the time Zhao Yang brought the rice to the table, the dish was almost empty. Qinqin finally caught her breath after which, feeling slightly embarrassed that she and her son hadn¡¯t started eating yet, picked up two chopsticks-full of vegetables: ¡°Mom, Zhao Yang, try this, the vegetables are really good!¡± The mother and son both laughed and took a bite¡ª Wow!!! Zhao Yang looked at the almost empty plate and then at his wife who clearly wanted more, at that moment she looked at him with anticipation, ¡°Buy more tomorrow, okay?¡± ... ¡­ The same scene unfolded in another neighborhood. Li Xiufen, with her fashionably dyed red curly hair, ladled a big bowl of dumplings for her granddaughter, ¡°Yuanyuan, eat up! These shepherd¡¯s purse dumplings are really fresh! Just as delicious as the ones from this morning.¡± The daughter-in-law couldn¡¯t help but laugh and cry at the sight: ¡°Mom, I told you, Yuanyuan is picky, she can¡¯t finish so many.¡± While speaking, she pushed her own bowl forward, ¡°Come on, Yuanyuan, give some to Mom if you can¡¯t finish.¡± Unexpectedly, the little girl turned her head with the bowl, and ¡°Ahwu¡± down went a whole dumpling, as she mumbled, ¡°Yummy! I can eat it all!¡± Yuanyuan¡¯s mom was stunned. ¡°Is it that delicious?¡± This picky eater had always had a weak stomach, refusing this, wanting to throw up that; even in kindergarten, she looked less robust than the nursery kids, which was really worrying. Now her special small bowl had over a dozen dumplings in it! Looking at her child gobble down dumpling after dumpling without even lifting her head, you couldn¡¯t say it wasn¡¯t fragrant! As a grandmother, she finally felt a sense of accomplishment. At that moment, she began to instruct imperiously, ¡°You see, you pamper her too much usually. This imported, that organic¡­ all this fuss, and look how thin the child is?¡± ¡°Take another look. This morning at the market, wild vegetables were twenty yuan a pound. I made shepherd¡¯s purse soup for Yuanyuan¡¯s noodles this morning, and she ate a big bowl of it in one go, didn¡¯t even want to leave for kindergarten.¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She even told me at the kindergarten door, ¡°Grandma, make more delicious food like this tonight, okay?¡± Aiyo wei! At that moment, Li Xiufen¡¯s heart melted. So off she rushed to the market, and thank heavens, she managed to grab the last three bunches of watercress. The three bunches of vegetables were now in the fridge for later, while the shepherd¡¯s purse snatched that morning was quickly turned into dumplings. Talking about her victory, Li Xiufen was quite proud: ¡°You don¡¯t know, I was just in time. A young couple was picking vegetables ahead of me, complaining about twenty yuan a pound being expensive¡ª¡± Li Xiufen let out a disdainful snort, ¡°Not to brag, but do you young people even know what vegetables to buy? These fresh and tender wild vegetables were clearly grown in the wild!¡± ¡°Besides, this time of year, the supermarket has everything, cucumbers are sixteen yuan a pound, but do they taste any good?¡± ¡°I was lucky to get some.¡± But as she spoke, no one chimed in. She looked down to see her son and daughter-in-law already holding their bowls, with the dumplings nearly all eaten. Her son was even blushing slightly, ¡°Mom, are there any left?¡± Li Xiufen recalled the silly and endearing grandchild that morning and became even more irritated: how come all the boys in her family grew up so well! She replied grumpily, ¡°It was just a pound of shepherd¡¯s purse, how many dumplings can that make?¡± ¡°Then, then buy a few more pounds tomorrow!¡± her son begged, his craving apparent. A small bowl of dumplings was far from filling his stomach. Weren¡¯t there other vegetables in the fridge¡­ Li Xiufen grew even more annoyed! ¡°Eat, eat, eat; that¡¯s all you know! You say buy more as if it¡¯s so easy? Just buying a few pounds would cost over a hundred, how are you not heartbroken over the money?¡± Her son looked wronged. Weren¡¯t you the one who just said twenty yuan a pound wasn¡¯t expensive, Mom? Just then, Yuanyuan put down her bowl, ¡°Grandma, I want to eat this again tomorrow!¡± Li Xiufen¡¯s face instantly changed to one of joy and openness, ¡°Tomorrow morning let¡¯s cook noodles, we¡¯re out of dumplings¡ª¡ªbut Grandma joined the group today, and I¡¯ll ask her in a while if they¡¯re still selling tomorrow, next time we¡¯ll buy ten pounds, make dumplings and freeze them up!¡± The son and daughter-in-law exchanged glances, feeling as if they no longer had any status within the family. ¡­ Song Tan¡¯s customer group of 17 people was unusually lively tonight. [Girl, when are you selling wild vegetables again?] [Boss, can I make a reservation? I want ten pounds of shepherd¡¯s purse.] [Young lady, I have to go dancing in the park in the morning recently, can I give you the money now and have you save the vegetables for me?] Song Tan, in high spirits, simply replied: [The weather is cold now, and the wild vegetables haven¡¯t grown yet. What we have is a part that grows in the hollows of the mountain, without pesticides or fertilizers, so there isn¡¯t much wild vegetation. Therefore, there won¡¯t be any for sale tomorrow, nor will we accept reservations to hold vegetables. We tentatively plan to be at the market at seven o¡¯clock the day after tomorrow. It¡¯ll still be just the two of us siblings selling. The next sale will be three days later; we have to give the wild vegetables a chance to grow.] She then posted a little video taken while picking wild vegetables that day: The greenery on the mountain was sparse, spring had not yet arrived, but there was a patch of lush wild greens on the hillside, growing unrestrained and exuberant. Unexpected clumps of green appeared around field ridges, cracks, and pond edges, enough to prove that these were indeed naturally grown wild vegetables. Just then, someone in the group spoke up: ¡°Young lady, the wild vegetables from that plot have no cost, why do you sell them so expensively? They should be cheaper. And it¡¯s not enough, it¡¯s only eight ounces to a bunch, and the taste is just so-so.¡± Song Tan¡¯s eyebrows raised¡ªnot enough weight? When binding, they were two ounces per pound per bunch, and with the weather like this, there was no evaporation of water content. The vegetable leaves were crisp and briskly fresh, not to mention how tender they were. This morning she randomly picked and weighed a few bunches, and the weight hardly changed. As for a mediocre taste? Didn¡¯t she know the taste of her own harvest? This was underestimating her century-old experience in farming. And in a group of just over a dozen people, someone was picking faults? Song Tan wasn¡¯t going to pamper them. So she replied politely, ¡°Hello, the weight was off and it didn¡¯t taste good, right? The morning after next, please come over and I will give you a refund.¡± The boss is so easy to talk to? After a while, someone in the group tentatively said, ¡°Actually, that shepherd¡¯s purse I got is a bit old¡­¡± What month was it? The shepherd¡¯s purse hadn¡¯t even grown big, how could it be old? But if there was a deal to be had, why not take it? Song Tan also replied uniformly, ¡°That¡¯s fine, as long as you think the taste is not good, I will give everyone a refund the morning after next.¡± If the taste is not good, then maybe it¡¯s better not to eat it in the future. She was selling vegetables, she was selling Spiritual Energy, she cared about making money but also about being happy, there¡¯s no need to deal with these kinds of people. With a century of experience, Song Tan rarely got angry¡ªbecause she usually resolved matters before she had the chance to get upset. However, while some were trying to take advantage, others were speaking frankly: [Do you find it amusing to say such things? You can tell whether the vegetables are old or not, can¡¯t you?] [Exactly, boss, don¡¯t indulge them. If it¡¯s that hard to eat, let¡¯s see them take the vegetables back for a refund!] [Girl, your wild vegetables are very good! They¡¯re also clean. I went through them yesterday and hardly found a few old leaves; they¡¯re not those fake ones¡­] [That¡¯s right, if they don¡¯t want them, leave them for me!] Although Song Tan wanted to make money, she preferred a comfortable life. So she edited the group announcement: [1. Pure ecological, pollution-free wild vegetables, not sorted by variety, uniformly 20 yuan per pound. Each bundle is sorted at two ounces per pound, and customers are welcome to weigh them at home, with excess refunded and shortages supplemented. 2. If the wild vegetables are not fresh, or are old, please bring the uneaten (cooked or raw both are fine) vegetables from our farm to the market, I will provide a full refund. 3. Farm¡¯s own product, limited production, each sale will be notified in advance through the group, thank you for your support.] Chapter 24 - 24: 24. Refund_1 Chapter 24: 24. Refund_1 With the car bought and the wild vegetables growing like crazy, almost as they were trying to sprout inside Wu Lan¡¯s heart, she was dying to go to the market to sell them every single day. But Song Tan wouldn¡¯t have it. She was the only one in the family with a driver¡¯s license, so that by the third day, Wu Lan had no choice but to cram a whopping 170 pounds of vegetables in the back of the car! Even Song Tan fell silent at the sight. ¡°Mom, after we sell this batch, let¡¯s give the wild veggies a couple of days off, okay?¡± The vegetables were being coaxed to grow non-stop, not even allowed a chance to rest. Thinking about the soil that was nearly scraped clean, Wu Lan coughed dryly, ¡°Gas is expensive, you know¡­ each trip has to at least break even.¡± ... After a pause, she added another reminder, ¡°I¡¯m taking someone to your grandpa¡¯s today at noon to check on the mushroom spawn. Your dad is getting someone to go up the mountain to cast nets. If you guys come back for lunch, go straight to your granddad¡¯s house to eat.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Song Tan started the car. ¡°Qiaoqiao, let¡¯s go!¡± Qiaoqiao, thrilled, settled into the passenger seat. Following Song Tan¡¯s instructions, he buckled up his seatbelt and looked around, ¡°Sis, is this our car?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Song Tan coaxed him as she drove, ¡°Pretty impressive, huh? Qiaoqiao¡¯s been good and sensible these past few days, so your sister specially took you for a ride!¡± Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Maybe it was the instinct from her days as a working stiff, but now speaking off the cuff, she actually dangled a big promise in front of her six-year-old-at-heart brother: ¡°Hang in there, Qiaoqiao, and once your sister makes some money, she¡¯ll buy you a learning machine so you can watch Peppa wherever you go.¡± After she finished, listening to Qiaoqiao¡¯s cheers in the car, Song Tan fell silent first. Go to ????????????????????.co Hmm, turns out she was the capitalist after all. ¡­ Song Tan arrived at the vegetable market again. Fearing a parking ticket, she parked the car a bit farther away. Seriously, Cultivators have no sense of prestige¡­ And then, without moving from the spot, she set up her stall right under the car to start selling. At this moment, the aunties who had been wandering around the market for the past half-hour were too eager to wait any longer. No one expected these wild veggies to taste so good! Last time, on Song Tan¡¯s first visit, and with the price set at 20, the most anyone bought was about four to five pounds per person. Those who bought less only took a handful each. But who knew they¡¯d be so delicious. A plate of wild greens would be gone in just a few bites, and any other veggies left over¡­ Everyone shared a saying from a rather anachronistic poem: ¡°The vast ocean doesn¡¯t make for good water anymore, once you¡¯ve seen the clouds over Wushan mountain.¡± That¡¯s just what it felt like! Having tasted these fresh and tender wild vegetables, eating anything else felt like chewing on grass. It was not just hard to swallow but made them long for more. Song Tan hadn¡¯t come the entire day yesterday, leaving everyone heartbroken with anticipation. This morning, even the most calculating auntie had three to five hundred yuan in her pocket. So in a secluded corner of the vegetable market, a group of aunties didn¡¯t even wait for Song Tan to notify them on the group chat before they accurately spotted them! And sure enough, you wouldn¡¯t find a more eye-catching sister and brother duo in the entire market! How noticeable! The crowd surged forward. This time, nobody even bothered to pick and choose. ¡°Shepherd¡¯s purse! Give me five pounds of shepherd¡¯s purse!¡± ¡°Wild chives, I want three bunches of wild chives, I¡¯m going to make wild chive and pork buns when I go back!¡± ¡°Water spinach! Oh my, it makes a soup so rich and smooth!¡± ¡°Chickweed¡ª¡± ¡°Give me two handfuls of purslane! Add two more for the buns I¡¯ll make!¡± It was like some major clearance sale frenzy, with everyone agitated and shoving money forward as fast as they could. Qiaoqiao was so busy he almost cried out, ¡°Slow down! Slow! Qiaoqiao can¡¯t calculate anymore!¡± He couldn¡¯t do math to begin with, but Song Tan would tell him how much to collect, and he could recognize that, just a bit slowly. Now, with his voice quivering with the threat of tears, something funny happened¡ªthe buying army instantly calmed down. The stylish red-haired auntie at the head of the line looked at him fondly, ¡°Alright, sweetie, no rush, let¡¯s line up!¡± Having said that, he quickly took the opportunity to stand first in line. Soon, a small queue had formed. Since there was no need to weigh the produce, the process was highly efficient, and each auntie packed her bag to the brim, fearing they wouldn¡¯t get another chance. Song Tan looked at the two remaining baskets of vegetables in the back of the cart and thought that today¡¯s selling speed might even surpass that of the day before! Buying vegetables at the market and seeing people queue up to grab them? People nearby slowly gathered around, and seeing the aunties jovially parting with hundreds of yuan without a second thought, they couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°Are they using shills to sell vegetables now?¡± The auntie ahead of her turned back to see a youngster and immediately snorted arrogantly, looking down her nose and sideways at the eyes: ¡°Oh my, young people can¡¯t cook these days, that¡¯s for sure, but now they can¡¯t even pick out vegetables.¡± When it was her turn, she said in a loud voice, ¡°Give me the remaining four catties of shepherd¡¯s purse! I¡¯ll take three catties of purslane¡­ and three catties of watercress too!¡± Then she smiled and asked, ¡°Miss, when will you come again next time?¡± Song Tan was helpless¡ªcouldn¡¯t the spiritual energy cultivation be a little less exaggerated? ¡°In three days, I¡¯ll notify the group.¡± The youngster behind was even more astonished¡ªselling vegetables in the market with group notifications now? The auntie in front left with her bags full. Song Tan turned to the young new customer and asked with a friendly smile, ¡°What would you like?¡± The young man craned his neck to look¡ªnot recognizing a single one. After thinking it over, he said, ¡°Just¡­ that one that looks like a leek.¡± Qiaoqiao burst into laughter, ¡°Brother, this is called wild leek, you can make buns, stew fish, or fry it with eggs, it¡¯s delicious!¡± The young man felt a bit embarrassed, but then he looked into Qiaoqiao¡¯s bright, innocent eyes and his heart softened instantly¡ª [Although it¡¯s embarrassing to be laughed at¡­ he called me brother!] So he immediately stopped being annoyed and instead asked, ¡°Then how do you make buns with it?¡± This time, it was Qiaoqiao who was stuck for an answer. He said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Qiaoqiao doesn¡¯t know how, Qiaoqiao only knows how to eat.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you join the group then? My sister said you¡¯d find out if you joined the group, there are many who know how to cook.¡± Since the brother said it! The young man decisively scanned the QR code, and on seeing the group members¡ª [Boundless Skies] [Orchid Heart, Gentle Virtue] [Cha Yun] [Happiness is All]¡­ Yeah, the age range was pretty clear. Just at that moment, a slightly shrill voice came from behind: ¡°Miss, the wild greens I bought from you the day before yesterday were old and bitter, not tasty at all. Didn¡¯t you say you would refund me?¡± ¡°But you said I had to bring the vegetables back, so what can I do? By the time you mentioned it in the group, my family had already eaten them all, we can¡¯t waste food right?¡± ¡°You see, either give me two more bunches of greens or a refund.¡± The young man was taken aback and looked at the wild leek in his hand¡ªfresh and dewy, with a strong flavor, it didn¡¯t look old at all. The girl selling the greens had a clear and fair face, pure and flawless, with a smile that was both amiable and sweet: ¡°Is that so? Auntie, what¡¯s your group nickname? I remember you bought a bunch of Malan head, right? Twenty yuan.¡± The auntie¡¯s eyebrows immediately lifted with smugness, ¡°You have a good memory, girl¡­ what¡¯s a group nickname? I am this¡ªhey hey hey! Why did you move me out of the group?!¡± ¡°I was going to buy a few more catties of shepherd¡¯s purse!¡± The young man beside couldn¡¯t help but let out a snicker¡ªwhat do you mean moved away? Clearly, she was kicked out. Besides, if it really tasted bad, would you come back for more? Chapter 25 - 25: 25. Old Classmate Comes Again_1 Chapter 25: 25. Old Classmate Comes Again_1 Song Tan, however, smiled serenely: ¡°Auntie, here¡¯s twenty yuan, please take it¡ª I¡¯m well aware of the quality of my vegetables. Since you don¡¯t like them, why waste more money, right? There are so many people waiting to buy; let¡¯s leave the shepherd¡¯s purse for them.¡± The auntie was momentarily stuck for words and then didn¡¯t accept the money: ¡°You¡¯re really hotheaded, young lady. Can¡¯t people discuss the flaws when doing business? It¡¯s just twenty yuan, no big deal. I don¡¯t want it; you sell me that shepherd¡¯s purse.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Song Tan smiled as pleasantly as her refusal was firm: ¡°As you¡¯ve seen, we don¡¯t even have enough vegetables to sell. If you¡¯re going to return home and dislike it, why bother?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The auntie behind immediately chimed in: ¡°I¡¯ll take the shepherd¡¯s purse!¡± ... Pinching pennies only to count major losses, that shepherd¡¯s purse was just laying in the basket, with barely five pounds left. Here you are nitpicking and still asking to buy veggies, and later you come back trying to get a refund by playing dumb¡­ An idiot wouldn¡¯t make that deal! With the taste of these wild vegetables, who would worry about selling them? Taking advantage of the other¡¯s wide-eyed silence, Song Tan had deftly stuffed the twenty yuan into her hand: ¡°Auntie, there are other vegetables in the market. Please go pick some more, I¡¯m busy here.¡± That tone, as if she were brushing something off. The woman hadn¡¯t had a chance to retort when she was pushed aside by the eager customers squeezing up from behind. Meanwhile, a couple was stealthily looking over from not far away. Go to ????????????????????.co The girl was scowling: ¡°What do you mean? You think my classmate is pretty, don¡¯t you? Going on about buying vegetables¡ªyou¡¯re just making excuses!¡± The speaker was Song Tan¡¯s classmate, Wa Qianqian. Her boyfriend had quietly joined the group the other day and discovered that this small group of only a dozen people was extremely lively! Everyone was praising the amazing taste of the wild vegetables, making it sound just like a heavenly feast. Thinking back to the Swiss chard that brushed past him that day, the more the young man craved it, the more he dreamed of that wild vegetable¡¯s taste! And here he was, having rushed over with his girlfriend early in the morning after seeing the group¡¯s messages. But he hadn¡¯t expected there to be such a long line. And seeing Wa Qianqian looking like that, he became hesitant and didn¡¯t dare to queue up. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He could only coax her with sweet words: ¡°Qianqian, look at how many people are in line, the vegetables must be good! I¡¯ve been coming here for several days, and today I wanted to make a dish for our parents to showcase it¡ªafter all, she¡¯s your classmate. And what we said yesterday was also not very proper. How about I wait here for you, and you go buy them?¡± At these words, Wa Qianqian¡¯s anger turned into joy; nothing was more delightful than having her boyfriend value her own. She thought about it and then demurely nodded: ¡°Okay! Then I¡¯ll go and queue up to have a look.¡± Putting on airs, she glanced at this stall and then at the green vegetables over there before leisurely joining the line. However, by the time it was her turn, the basket was empty except for a small bunch of heartleaf that Song Tan was packing into a plastic bag. She grew anxious: ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Why is there none left? Song Tan, where are your vegetables?¡± Before Song Tan could speak, Qiaoqiao piped up: ¡°Sister, you¡¯re late, there are no veggies left!¡± Then, as if she had done it many times before, she pushed forward the QR code scanner: ¡°Join the group, sister? I¡¯ll let you know the next time we sell.¡± Wa Qianqian was so annoyed! She ignored Qiaoqiao, instead focusing on the bunch of vegetables in Song Tan¡¯s hand: ¡°Song Tan, don¡¯t you still have a bunch there? Old classmate comes to support your business, how can you not sell?¡± Song Tan didn¡¯t even look up: ¡°This is to be given away.¡± With her boyfriend still looking over from the distance, Wa Qianqian felt even more embarrassed: ¡°Aren¡¯t wild vegetables everywhere? You can always give them away. To be honest, I wouldn¡¯t have come here today if it weren¡¯t for my boyfriend wanting to try the wild vegetables¡¯ taste.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t haggle with you; just sell me that bunch of vegetables.¡± Song Tan wasn¡¯t particularly concerned with someone¡¯s ulterior motives, but she wasn¡¯t about to compromise herself either: ¡°That won¡¯t do; if wild vegetables are everywhere, go forage for them yourself¡ªyou¡¯ll even save twenty yuan.¡± Turning, she firmly reached for the basket: ¡°Qiaoqiao, let¡¯s go.¡± Leaving Wa Qianqian standing there in a daze, watching as Song Tan¡¯s foolish younger brother loaded the basket into Little Pika, which then started up and drove away. It wasn¡¯t until then that her boyfriend anxiously walked up to her: ¡°Oh no! Couldn¡¯t get it again! I saw in the group chat that the next batch won¡¯t be until three days later¡­¡± Wa Qianqian already felt humiliated, and upon hearing this, she exploded: ¡°Buy, buy, buy! Buy my ass! What¡¯s wrong with the vegetables at the market that we have to go for wild vegetables? Country bumpkin!¡± Her boyfriend¡¯s face changed instantly. ¡­ Meanwhile, Song Tan drove the Little Pika to the Wind Speed Express Station. ¡°Please pack this up, send it as chilled express delivery, First People¡¯s Hospital of Ning Province, Zhang Yuan¡ªhere¡¯s the phone number.¡± The courier took the bunch of milk vetch out of the plastic bag: ¡°Chilled delivery, huh? That¡¯s gonna cost more! Just for this bunch of greens, it doesn¡¯t seem worth it.¡± Song Tan also felt the pinch of the delivery fee, but at least the wild vegetables were free. She nodded: ¡°It¡¯s fine, just send it¡ªshould arrive by tomorrow since it¡¯s within the province, right?¡± The clerk nodded: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will definitely arrive tomorrow morning. I guarantee the greens will still be fresh.¡± Song Tan then made the payment. This Dr. Zhang Yuan hadn¡¯t replied to the message about the lifesaver for days¡ªSong Tan worried that something might have happened to him, so she decided to send some wild vegetables as a roundabout way to urge a response. After all, it was just wild vegetables, surely it wouldn¡¯t involve anything like having to give a red envelope or bribery. After finishing up and returning home, the family sat down and crunched the numbers¡ª Wow, that¡¯s three thousand bucks! Wu Lan couldn¡¯t help but feel regretful: ¡°If only we could sell these wild vegetables all year round¡­¡± Song Sancheng was immediately speechless at his wife¡¯s financial fantasies. ¡°It¡¯s only because of nature¡¯s favor that this year¡¯s wild vegetables are especially good. In half a month, what vegetables won¡¯t be available? Are you still planning to sell them for twenty then? I don¡¯t even know how long you could sell them for ten.¡± Song Tan mulled it over and said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world: ¡°I plan to keep selling them for twenty.¡± ¡°All the way until the end of the month.¡± With such a flavor profile, there were plenty willing to pay, and she had never underestimated everyone¡¯s spending power. It was perfect to set the stage for the vegetables she was about to plant¡ªshe, Song Tan, sold vegetables that were good, pricey, and worth every penny. To miss a meal was to feel an itch you couldn¡¯t scratch! As for why she would stop selling at the end of the month? By then, the milk vetch would be ready, and she¡¯d sell the tender young milk vetch shoots. Forget about wild vegetables, for daily plucking wears even the spiritual energy thin, so she might as well let them live. ¡­ While Wu Lan just dreamed, Song Tan dared to act! Just look at how brashly she spoke, as if people couldn¡¯t live without her vegetables. Song Sancheng, the father, let out a sigh, wondering if money was really that easy to make in the city these days? He decisively changed the subject: ¡°While it¡¯s not too busy these days, your mother can look after things at home in the morning while you take me to learn driving. I¡¯ll take her there in the afternoon.¡± ¡°We have a car at home, and it shouldn¡¯t just sit around wasting away. Once I get my license, I can do the driving.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good for a girl to drive a pickup.¡± He spoke as if the license was already within his reach. Song Tan glanced at him: ¡°Dad, have you even learned the questions for the first subject yet?¡± Chapter 26 - 26: Hospital News_1 Chapter 26: Hospital News_1 Ning Province First People¡¯s Hospital. Doctor Zhang Yuan had just stepped down from the operating table when a nurse told him on the way, ¡°Dr. Zhang, you¡¯ve got a package.¡± Zhang Yuan was startled, unable to recall purchasing anything. When he saw what it was in the office, he exclaimed, ¡°Hey! Why is it still fresh and chilled?¡± He looked at the sender¡ªSong Tan. He fell silent. The junior nurses crowded around, ¡°Dr. Zhang, what did you buy?¡± ... Zhang Yuan couldn¡¯t help but laugh and cry, ¡°This wasn¡¯t something I bought. There was a car accident on the bridge before, and a girl I took care of is sending this to me.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, you all remember¡ªthe young girl got trapped in the car, and she couldn¡¯t be pulled out. A Good Samaritan came along and dragged her out. By the time she got to the hospital, she didn¡¯t have a single issue!¡± What luck! It was certainly something that amazed everyone for a long time. He, a doctor, was just doing his duty by saving people; having the girl suddenly send him something, Zhang Yuan recalled their conversation from a few days before and somewhat understood. But dealing with this was really problematic! The nurses sighed, ¡°Now they¡¯re so strict with these things¡­ Dr. Zhang, you might as well see what it is. Perishables can¡¯t be returned, so in a while we should check the price and give the money back to her. Otherwise, it¡¯s not worth getting a report over this.¡± Go to ????????????????????.co That was what Doctor Zhang Yuan was thinking as well. But these days, being a doctor also meant having a tight budget¡ªwhat if she sent something expensive? How much money would he have to pay then? With that on his mind and a feeling of apprehension, he opened the package. A foam box, dry ice bags, air column bags¡ªinside was wrapped a bunch of green, tender, crisp wild vegetables. Attached was a note: Dr. Zhang, these are wild vegetables, Malantou, from my hometown for you to try. Everyone: ¡­ So, it cost 30 Yuan to ship with ice from within the province, just to send a bunch of wild vegetables? Zhang Yuan let out a sigh of relief and couldn¡¯t help but laugh and cry at the same time. Everyone fell silent and could only awkwardly complement, ¡°The handwriting is pretty nice.¡± ¡­ There are no secrets in the office. By noon, everyone knew that Zhang Yuan, a doctor from the trauma department, had received a bunch of wild vegetables sent from far away by a patient¡ªa gift light in value but heavy in sentiment! The hospital leadership also found it amusing, ¡°That young lady couldn¡¯t possibly think our Dr. Zhang, with his old-fashioned looks, would cook, right?¡± ¡°The man is a bachelor, eating every day in the canteen. What¡¯s the use of sending wild vegetables? Come on, tell Xiaozhang to just donate the vegetables to the canteen; let everyone have a taste!¡± At that, everyone had a good laugh. Dr. Zhang was also quite happy about it. A bunch of wild vegetables wasn¡¯t considered bribery; they were sent from a long distance with heartfelt sincerity. Even though it wasn¡¯t worth much, because of this he might get a mention in front of the hospital leadership¡­ Wow! He happily rushed to deliver the wild vegetables to the canteen immediately. The chef was delighted upon seeing them, ¡°Dr. Zhang, the sender was really thoughtful. Look at these Malantou, so crisp and fresh, just perfect! Now that it¡¯s cold, wild vegetables aren¡¯t abundant. It takes care to gather such a nice bunch.¡± ¡°Wait for lunch¡ªI¡¯ll blanch them and serve them up. Let¡¯s all enjoy a taste of spring!¡± Zhang Yuan pictured it: a rural countryside, the chilly wind biting, a simple girl in homespun clothing, searching laboriously in the fields¡­ He was surprisingly moved for a moment. He quickly scrolled through his contacts, sent out a message, and also included a photo of the wild vegetables. ¡°Ms. Lun, how is Lun Chuan recovering recently?¡± ¡°This is the situation¡ªyou requested strict confidentiality, so I never said anything. But that young lady who was rescued by Lun Chuan from the car has been asking around. Now, she has even sent wild vegetables from a great distance.¡± ¡°The rural child, too, had her own way of showing kindness.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, if you really don¡¯t want to give the address, at least provide a contact number. After the young girl expresses her thanks, she will also be at peace.¡± The life-saving grace, not a word from the other side before they transferred hospitals, not even a message left behind. How could the young girl feel at ease in her heart? S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡­ Imperial City Ren¡¯ai Hospital. A haggard-looking woman sat on a bench in the hospital corridor, staring blankly at the wall. Suddenly, her cellphone chimed several times with notifications. She was startled and opened the chat: the first picture was of vibrant, appealing green vegetables. As she looked at the following messages, the woman fell silent. After a moment, she typed a difficult reply: ¡°Thank you, Dr. Zhang Yuan. Lun Chuan¡¯s condition is still manageable. It¡¯s just that the doctor mentioned extensive deep second-degree blast and burn injuries or something¡­ I don¡¯t really understand, I only know that if it¡¯s delayed, it¡¯s very likely he won¡¯t recover properly later on.¡± ¡°But even with skin grafting, it¡¯s very likely there will still be scars¡­¡± ¡°Lun Chuan said that he isn¡¯t fond of going out anyway. Now that his face is disfigured, he might as well stay at home to avoid people bothering him. Only, at home, the wounds weren¡¯t healing well, so he had to come back to the hospital.¡± After thinking, she deleted this part. She simply replied: ¡°Thank you, Dr. Zhang Yuan. Lun Chuan¡¯s physical condition is still good, it¡¯s just that he refuses skin grafting and is still recovering.¡± ¡°The young girl is sentimental, which proves my child did not save the wrong person. Go ahead and give her Lun Chuan¡¯s contact details; the WeChat and phone number are the same.¡± They¡¯re both young people. Lun Chuan didn¡¯t have any close friends to begin with. What if she could persuade him? In the hospital room just beyond the wall, Lun Chuan was awakened by the pain in his body, and now he opened his eyes with difficulty. His hair had been shaved off, and his entire cheek from the left cheekbone to the forehead was covered with medical dressings. The left side of his neck was also tightly wrapped, the dressings extending to the shoulder, back, and even slightly to the front chest. Finally, they were firmly hidden by the patient gown. He reached for his phone; his Weibo private messages were at 99+. And in the writer¡¯s backend, beneath his last message announcing a break from updates, there were 20,000+ comments, all from readers clamoring for the next installment. Lun Chuan fell silent for a moment before finally exiting out. And when he opened WeChat, new messages popped up. ¡°Lun Chuan, you are the only male in the Zhou family. I can forgive you for secretly changing your surname when you came of age, as long as you change it back. But you should never have been so reckless with your own body.¡± ¡°I heard from your mom that you don¡¯t want to undergo skin grafting?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible! You must get better! You¡¯re good-looking, and your Uncle Zhang¡¯s daughter likes you a lot. They only have one daughter and assets worth millions. You can¡¯t miss out on this chance!¡± ¡°Moreover, if my assets worth several millions have no male heir, do you want everyone to laugh at me?¡± ¡°I am your biological father! Even if I divorced your mom, that still stands!¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you must undergo surgery! Your Uncle Zhang¡¯s daughter is deeply loyal to you, so far without a boyfriend ¨C it¡¯s clear she¡¯s waiting for your recovery! Don¡¯t disappoint her, and don¡¯t fail me!¡± ¡°After the surgery, come back to Ning Province as soon as possible.¡± Lun Chuan snorted derisively, the skin wrapped around his face pulled taut, a stinging pain akin to his current predicament. He scrolled through his contacts and sent a message: ¡°Hello, is this Mr. Zhao from Harmony Agency in Imperial City? The house my mom was interested in, I¡¯ve decided to buy it, in my mom¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Please come to Ren¡¯ai Hospital to collect the deposit and take my mom to see the house again. Just say it was arranged by me.¡± Chapter 27 - 27: 27. It still has to be you_1 Chapter 27: 27. It still has to be you_1 ¡°Dad, when will the people delivering the netting come?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be here in a bit.¡± Song Tan surveyed the budding board chestnut trees on the hillside, intending to enclose the entire forest and then plant black fungus and white fungus within. As for the chestnut woods, she knew they hadn¡¯t been taken care of for many years, so much so that each year¡¯s harvest was left entirely to fate. Chestnuts require grafting, pruning, and fertilization, making them not easy to care for. Their Yunqiao Village was too remote, and chestnuts weren¡¯t considered a premium product; the buying price each year was only one or two yuan, which was quite a bit more expensive than the eighty cents from Song Tan¡¯s childhood memories. ... S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But the problem was, young people in the village who could earn this money had already left their hometown for the city. The older generation, like Song Sancheng and the others, could no longer handle such heavy farming work these days. Time ages people! And in the very center of the hillside was a wild board chestnut tree, as tall as a three-story building, towering to the sky, situated right in the middle of the slope. This was a wild old tree that the family had never taken care of; the chestnuts were not much bigger than table tennis balls, and the nuts inside were about the size of a thumb, but they tasted incredibly fragrant when eaten. It was Grandpa Song Youde who had deliberately left it there. Song Tan looked up at it and, for some reason, found her mouth watering. She remembered the wintertime, huddling around the stove, listening to the chestnuts pop with a ¡°bang¡±¡­ Go to ????????????????????.co The roasted scent was rich, the texture soft and sweet. Without hesitation, she gathered a soybean-sized amount of Spiritual Energy and gently patted the tree trunk, feeling the roots stretch merrily underground before she reluctantly shifted her gaze¡ª ¡°Grow well! We¡¯re counting on you for the New Year!¡± Song Sancheng was already calling for her up ahead, ¡°Come take a look, do you think it¡¯s feasible to put stakes here and surround it with the netting?¡± Iron wire mesh was too expensive for them here, so they used ordinary rope nets. Most of the time, it was just a hint to those accustomed to taking things without asking¡ª This has an owner, don¡¯t touch. Most of the facilities in the countryside were based on the principle of dissuading the honest and not stopping the dishonest. Song Tan calculated in her mind and then nodded, ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do it here.¡± Song Sancheng saw her serious demeanor and couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Look at you, acting all professional¡ªas if you really know what you¡¯re doing.¡± Song Tan also teased her dad, ¡°But what if your daughter actually has a talent, right? You still have to be my dad, willing to listen to me, giving me space to show my talents!¡± Song Sancheng was indeed flattered, ¡°That¡¯s right, when you were little, I used to let you ride on my shoulders¡ª¡± After saying these things, Sancheng looked around to make sure no one was there and said in a low voice, ¡°Tantan, you¡¯ve been earning quite a bit these days, haven¡¯t you?¡± It was already mid-March, and Song Tan had sold wild vegetables six times¡ªshe indeed had earned quite a sum, amounting to fifteen thousand yuan, almost half of the cost of a car. Song Tan looked at her dad with a smile, ¡°I do have some money on hand now, what do you want to do, Dad?¡± Song Sancheng was delighted, hesitating a bit, ¡°Well¡ªyou like eating fish, right? I¡¯m planning to go fishing when there¡¯s no work to do on rainy days. Do you remember Uncle Wu from our village? He just bought a new fishing rod for over five hundred yuan!¡± ¡°Look, how about you buy one for me too? If your mom asks, just say it was 80 yuan.¡± Ah, fishing was the only hobby he had left! There was a pang of sourness in Song Tan¡¯s heart¡ªtheir family lived so frugally, all for her and her brother¡¯s sake, right? But when it came to fishing rods¡­ Song Tan negotiated with her dad, ¡°Dad, if you could quit smoking, you could save one to two thousand yuan a year. I¡¯ll add another two thousand to that, and we could buy a four thousand yuan rod!¡± Song Sancheng: ¡­ He was silent for a moment, ¡°You don¡¯t understand, the real fishers don¡¯t even look at the fishing rod. A rod that costs thousands is unnecessary; I feel quite comfortable with the one I have now.¡± Great, it¡¯s the fishing rod and tobacco, with tobacco taking the lead! Asking her dad to quit smoking right now seems rather unrealistic. Song Tan thought for a moment and simply took out her phone: ¡°But Dad, you¡¯ve been working hard lately. It¡¯s just a fishing rod, worth just a few wild veggies! Pick whatever you want, go ahead and choose first!¡± In the distance, the sound of a car approached from afar¡ªthose delivering the nets had arrived. ¡­ Back home, Wu Lan was still at Song Youde¡¯s, inoculating the mushroom spawn¡ªthis should have been arranged earlier, but because the wood cut earlier had too high a moisture content, it had to be air-dried for a few more days before drilling. It was just now that the inoculation officially began. Song Sancheng also smiled, ¡°The ones who came are all your grandparents¡¯ peers. They chat with your grandparents every day, which really lifts their spirits.¡± ¡°All the elderly in our village are here, except for two I didn¡¯t invite¡ªordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to handle them.¡± Song Tan knew who those two were. One was famously unreasonable in their village, the kind even their own children couldn¡¯t manage. The other was a daredevil who had the guts to try to poison someone¡¯s livestock just to steal a pumpkin (though unsuccessful)¡­ In other words, people like that exist everywhere, and the only option is to steer clear of them. Song Sancheng couldn¡¯t help but feel speechless, and decided to talk about another matter: ¡°However, Tantan, we didn¡¯t talk about money at the beginning¡ªafter all, they are old. If you mention giving them money, and later they have a headache or fall over walking, their families might claim they were employed and demand compensation, which would be troublesome for us to explain away.¡± It¡¯s not uncommon for folks in the village to be unreasonable. It was better as it was now, with Wang Lifan calling out in the village, letting who will come, come; they were provided with food, drink, and company for chatting, which was more than enough to make the lonely elders happy. Not to mention, Song Sancheng said that after the work is done, each person would receive a couple jins of meat, which made them work even harder. However, Song Sancheng was attentive to detail, and he consulted Song Tan again: ¡°I was thinking, when our family starts growing so many things and, Tantan, you won¡¯t let us use pesticides, isn¡¯t this what they call green and organic? The prices will definitely be high, right?¡± Of course. Song Tan was firm about selling wild vegetables for twenty yuan per half kilogram to preserve this price advantage. Song Sancheng was well-versed in village affairs and thought even more comprehensively: ¡°I was thinking, if these things are only found in our household, what if someone casually picks a bit? We can¡¯t really say anything, can we?¡± That¡¯s the way it is back home ¨C there are both advantages and disadvantages. ¡°Even if they don¡¯t pick, what if village folks want to buy? If it¡¯s too expensive, they would say we are lacking in kindness. If it¡¯s too cheap, it¡¯s not right either¡ªhow about this, after the work is done, we give each person a stick of black fungus and a stick of white fungus.¡± ¡°Tantan, what do you think?¡± Song Tan hadn¡¯t thought of this point¡ªcultivators who farmed had Array Plates or barriers, they never had to worry about someone taking their crops! Now she nodded repeatedly and gave Song Sancheng a thumbs-up: ¡°Dad, you¡¯re really something else!¡± Song Sancheng laughed proudly: ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ve eaten more salt in my lifetime than you¡¯ve eaten rice!¡± Chapter 28 - 28: 28. Find some straw_1 Chapter 28: 28. Find some straw_1 ¡°Pickup trucks are the best!¡± Song Sancheng admitted Song Tan¡¯s judgment as he loaded the logs inoculated with mushroom spores into the pickup bed. The log was about one meter twenty in length. How many could you stuff into a van? It had to be a pickup! It could hold more and was more convenient too. Qiaoqiao looked at the truck bed filled with logs, then at his grandpa¡¯s bare yard, his fair cheeks covered with sweat: ¡°Is that all? Can Qiaoqiao rest now? I¡¯m so tired!¡± ¡°Tired? What¡¯s there to be tired about!¡± ... Song Sancheng disapproved as he looked at him, ¡°Strength is a servant; it comes back after you use it! When I was your age, I could work all day planting and harvesting rice without even lifting my head!¡± Wu Lan, feeling sorry for her son, glared at him: ¡°You grew up tough from a young age, but my son has never been through such hardship.¡± Then she turned to Qiaoqiao, who had tears welling up in his eyes: S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°There, there, don¡¯t mind your dad. Look at your sister¡ªif Qiaoqiao hadn¡¯t helped, how much harder would it have been for her? Our Qiaoqiao can eat three big bowls in one meal; we can¡¯t let that go to waste, it needs to be turned into energy. That way, you¡¯ll be healthy!¡± ¡°Look at you, you didn¡¯t eat that much before, and Mom didn¡¯t make you do so much work, right?¡± Qiaoqiao opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t think of anything to say in rebuttal. He also didn¡¯t want to eat just two bowls per meal, so he reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat¡ª He could now sit in the car and fasten his seatbelt by himself. Go to ????????????????????.co ¡°Sister, am I done with my work?¡± Song Tan patted his head¡ªher hand was sweaty. So, she coaxed him too: ¡°Sweetheart, when we get to the mountain, you just need to arrange these logs well. Can Qiaoqiao still do it?¡± The logs seeded with mushroom spores had been gradually carried up to the mountain by the family over the past two days, placed upright and crossed to form inverted ¡®V¡¯ shapes. The work wasn¡¯t heavy; there were just many logs, and it was tiring to move them back and forth. But now that Song Tan had grown stronger, she could carry seven or eight logs at once, each one meter twenty in length with a diameter of fifteen centimeters, and she moved briskly. As a result, toward the end, Qiaoqiao was only responsible for setting them up. He was quite simple-minded. In the past, Wu Lan, worried he might accidentally hurt himself, had hardly let him do any work. Since Song Tan had returned, the family had been eating wild vegetables during the day and practicing their ¡°Spiritual Energy¡± exercises at night. Everyone was eating well and sleeping soundly, wolfing down three big bowls of food per meal. It would have been a waste not to make use of such strong labor, and Wu Lan felt it would be a loss! So, they were slowly starting to increase the workload on him. Qiaoqiao then puffed out his chest, ¡°Qiaoqiao can do it! Qiaoqiao is even better than Dad!¡± Song Sancheng and Wu Lan, who had just gotten into the back seat, glanced at him and thought to themselves, you silly boy, you haven¡¯t done as much work as your sister yet! All talk! The group worked until noon to finally set up all the logs. It was now late March, with grass growing and orioles singing, the chestnut trees in the woods not yet unfurled. The sun shone down, warm and comforting. The logs that had just been set up looked even more beautiful in the sunlight. But Song Sancheng was worried¡ª ¡°This won¡¯t do, the newly inoculated mushroom spores can¡¯t be exposed to the sun like this.¡± ¡°Tantan, we need to cover these spores with straw for insulation; otherwise, the temperature difference between day and night is too great, and the moisture will evaporate too quickly for the mushrooms to grow.¡± ¡°We need to buy a sunshade net to cover the straw, for ventilation and humidity¡­¡± As he spoke, he couldn¡¯t help but worry, ¡°Did the expert you consulted before mention any other precautions? This is our first time doing such a large-scale operation, and I¡¯m a bit nervous.¡± Their family had only grown mushrooms on a small scale more than a decade ago, and back then, the logs could be stored indoors at the beginning. But all those tree trunks on the hill, when counted up, the cost of each would come to twenty, even if we don¡¯t charge for our own trees. And from cleaning up the hillside to putting up the nets, we¡¯ve plunked down about ten thousand yuan. Now, more than ever, Song Sancheng felt he was losing confidence. It was Wu Lan whose mind worked faster, and after a moment¡¯s thought, she suggested, ¡°Tantan, you¡¯ve been back for over half a month, how about we go visit your grandma this afternoon?¡± ¡°No one in our village plants rice anymore, but your grandma¡¯s fields still grow rice and wheat. Let¡¯s go fetch some dried grass to cover the mushroom spawns.¡± ¡°Also, now that it¡¯s warming up, we should bring back the piglets. We will need more rice straw for the pigpen.¡± Sleeping on it keeps them warm at night, and when it gets dirty, just throw it into the manure pit for fermentation. The rice straw is indispensable in keeping the pigsty fresh and clean. Other wild grasses could work too, but these days, heaping piles of dried grass aren¡¯t easy to find. Sure thing. Song Tan had been planning to visit her grandmother during this time. She glanced at the clock, ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go back and eat something quick, then Qiaoqiao and I can gather more wild vegetables to bring over, and let grandma try them too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re bringing wild vegetables?¡± Even though it was her own produce, Wu Lan couldn¡¯t help wincing at the thought of twenty yuan per half kilogram. But as much as it hurt, she still instructed, ¡°Your grandparents are old and prefer softer food. Get more shepherd¡¯s purse, and we¡¯ll make a trip to town to buy some meat. I¡¯ll make them dumplings this afternoon.¡± ¡°Bring a few fresh ones for everyone else; don¡¯t haul too much. Just give some to your uncle.¡± While thinking of siblings, she couldn¡¯t help but remember her sisters: ¡°Your elder aunt is busy with her business in the city. Next time after you¡¯ve sold the vegetables, leave some for her and take them straight to her.¡± With that, everyone at home was neatly taken care of. Song Sancheng paused for a while before hesitantly asking, ¡°Then¡­ what about Tantan¡¯s aunt and great uncle?¡± Wu Lan gave him a scornful look, ¡°As if I could say no to them!¡± The more she thought about it, the more it pained her. Casually giving away a few thousand yuan worth of produce. All she could do was look at her daughter with eager eyes, ¡°I see that the wild vegetables are coming up elsewhere in the village too. Maybe I should dig some up this afternoon to taste? If they¡¯re all as flavorful as this year¡¯s, we won¡¯t have to worry come spring.¡± No need to bother planting crops then, just foraging for wild vegetables might make us break even. Song Tan was speechless. She had been cultivating for just a few days, hadn¡¯t she? Spiritual Energy was quantifiable. That stingy old farmer hadn¡¯t allowed for even a bit extra on his land! Let her mother try if she wanted. Planting crops was a mystical thing anyway, she thought nonchalantly. But still¡­ ¡°Mom, it would be good for you to check it out. The wild vegetables we harvest every day are dwindling. We won¡¯t sell wild vegetables from tomorrow on; we¡¯ll gather them in the morning, and I¡¯ll drive directly to the city at noon.¡± That would give the wild vegetables a chance to grow back. Furthermore, the Milk Vetch in the fields was just getting tender, and about to form buds. If I control the Spiritual Energy a bit, extending the growth period, now is the best time to pick them. Whether in a cold salad or saut¨¦ed, they¡¯re very sweet, and those few large fields are just about ready to be sold off for a while. Then there¡¯s my video content, I¡¯ve collected a lot of material already. But it¡¯s neither shocking nor enough for a full episode. I¡¯ll accumulate a bit more and it¡¯ll be just about right. If only local fame was easy to come by, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry so much about online traffic¡ªit¡¯s all thanks to those aunties. Each one hoarded their treasure, keeping my precious stall a secret. As a result, after half a month of selling vegetables, there were still only twenty-eight members in the group. And these are vegetables grown with Spiritual Energy! Fairy Tantan was quite indignant. Chapter 29 - 29: Family Issue_1 Chapter 29: Family Issue_1 Looking at the lush green wild vegetables all over the ground, Wu Lan still felt a pang of heartache, ¡°We¡¯re really not selling them anymore?¡± Having gotten accustomed to picking wild vegetables during this time, Song Tan replied, ¡°We¡¯re not selling them.¡± The little bit of Spiritual Energy that had been left had almost been completely absorbed, and if she continued to sell them, they wouldn¡¯t be up to taste standards anymore. It was also an opportunity to whet the appetite of the precious 28 members of her group. ¡°But it¡¯s twenty yuan per half kilo!¡± Wu Lan persisted stubbornly. ¡°But it¡¯s twenty yuan per half kilo!¡± Qiaoqiao parroted. ... Putting down her shovel, Song Tan said, ¡°Mom, look at me, a college graduate, working in Ning City. Doesn¡¯t that make you proud?¡± With a slight curl of her lips, Wu Lan said, ¡°Why bring that up? Living isn¡¯t about pride¡ªthough I guess it¡¯s okay, there aren¡¯t many college graduates in our village.¡± ¡°Then look, I¡¯m not working but instead coming back to farm, do people in the village gossip about that? When we go to see my grandma and uncles, do they talk about it? Do they try to advise? Do they say that you didn¡¯t raise your child right?¡± Wu Lan¡¯s face darkened, ¡°What right do they have! My daughter makes a good profit even selling wild vegetables, can you see if they have such luck?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ It doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be emphasized as luck, it¡¯s actually real skill. But what she said was, ¡°The wild vegetables are there every year, so why haven¡¯t others sold them at this price? If you say I made quite a bit of money, they will definitely think you¡¯re just being stubborn. Our wild vegetables are good, so we should let them taste some to shut them up.¡± ¡°Shut them up!¡± Echoing machine Qiaoqiao chimed in again. Go to ????????????????????.co Wu Lan glanced at him, ¡°You silly child, what do you know¡ªnevertheless, Tantan, you¡¯re right!¡± ¡°They love to point fingers and comment. I need to show them that my daughter went to college and can farm better than them!¡± ¡°Come, Qiaoqiao, let¡¯s pick some more!¡± Song Tan also pursed her lips and stifled a giggle, keeping a low profile about her capabilities. In truth, the relatives in their family got along quite harmoniously, and there weren¡¯t any major conflicts. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But given how Qiaoqiao was, Wu Lan who had a strong sense of pride must have swallowed an ocean of tears behind closed doors. There were other ¡®simple¡¯ children in the village previously. Raising such children required a lot of emotional investment, education, and attentive care¡­ In the end, those who could look after themselves would usually be sent off to factories by intermediaries, chasing the higher wages wherever they were available. Those with less ability to look after themselves were given work in local construction crews, tasked with manual labor, provided with food, drink, and accommodation¡­ it was also a relief for their families. Because of Qiaoqiao, it seemed as if Wu Lan had done something wrong, and any relative could offer a word or two of advice. It might not always have been with bad intentions, but it was certainly painful. Now, that a well-educated college graduate had also come back to farm, the relatives had no idea what to make of it. Having these wild vegetables for them to taste, Wu Lan could also have a bit more confidence. Thinking this way, Wu Lan couldn¡¯t remember the twenty yuan anymore. While the mother and son were busily working, Song Tan¡¯s mobile phone kept ringing. Upon checking, she found messages in the [Village Wild Vegetables] group: [Boss, when are you bringing more?] [Miss, bring more shepherd¡¯s purse next time, it holds up well for dumplings. I missed out last time.] [Bring more wild scallions! They¡¯re especially delicious in pork buns!] [Boss, no complaints about your vegetables, but they¡¯re too expensive. My son can eat a hundred yuan¡¯s worth in one meal, and when you calculate the cost of food, it¡¯s quite something!] [Exactly, miss, it¡¯s getting warmer now and there are more wild vegetables available, when will your prices come down?] After some thought, Song Tan took a photo of picking wild vegetables with a ¡°click¡±: [Dear customers, the wild vegetables are currently in their growing season, and the market is gradually seeing more of them, so it¡¯s difficult to maintain the price at twenty yuan per half kilo. Moreover, the vegetation in this area has matured early, and they are slowly aging, so in order to ensure quality, I won¡¯t be selling wild vegetables for the rest of the year.] No sooner had she said this than the group immediately exploded in uproar. [¡°Ay, girl, we¡¯re just talking about the price, and we never said it has to be cheap. Twenty is fine; I just love your produce.¡±] [¡°Right, boss, don¡¯t stop selling! I assure you, in the whole market, I only have eyes for your stand.¡±] [¡°What do you mean the wild vegetables are old? Look at that color, so fresh and tender, just like what I usually buy¡­ Boss, you¡¯re picking them right now, aren¡¯t you?¡±] Song Tan replied one by one: [¡°The last batch of wild vegetables is planned to be kept for relatives at home, sorry, not selling anymore!¡±] [¡°However, I want to give you a heads up; in three days, the milk vetch will be ready to harvest¡ªplenty to go around, full of flavor. See you then at the market. Those who like it can prepare in advance, still 20 yuan a kilo.¡±] This sudden news left everyone confused. They hadn¡¯t even begun to feel sorry for the lack of wild vegetables, and now milk vetch? Plus, wasn¡¯t milk vetch just used as fertilizer in the field before, to feed cows, sheep, pigs, and the like? They didn¡¯t eat much of it locally. And with it being so easy to grow, why charge twenty yuan a kilo? That¡¯s pretty expensive. There was a moment of silence in the group. Only one group member, who had never bought any vegetables before, spoke up: [¡°Walking through the market with my girlfriend, we stumbled upon this stall. I¡¯ve always wanted to try the wild vegetables but never got the chance. Now I¡¯m back in my hometown¡ªBoss, does milk vetch taste as good as wild vegetables? If so, please send me five kilos, could you courier it?¡±] Aiyo wei! There was finally an online customer. Song Tan agreed very cheerfully: [¡°Sure, but this vegetable is best enjoyed fresh, so it needs to be shipped with ice packs, and you¡¯ll pay the shipping when it arrives.¡±] The other party, having never managed to secure a purchase before, didn¡¯t hesitate upon seeing the option to pre-order and have it delivered: ¡°Okay!¡± Someone had set things rolling, and with everyone¡¯s mouth watering at the thought of those vegetables, they became proactive: [¡°That¡¯s fine, what day of the week is that in three days? I¡¯ll definitely be at the stall then!¡±] [¡°Xiufen, I¡¯m coming too, let¡¯s go together.¡±] [¡°Girl, don¡¯t worry, as long as the taste of the vegetables stays the same, I¡¯ll keep buying.¡±] Song Tan thought about it; milk vetch wasn¡¯t just a wild vegetable, she had planted acres and acres of it, so there was plenty of yield. Though she didn¡¯t provide it with much Spiritual Energy, she had been nurturing it slowly from the seed stage; the taste was bound to be good, perhaps even sweeter than wild vegetables. Out of seven fields, aside from keeping one for the old cow, she could sell the produce from the others. But relying on these twenty-eight group members just wouldn¡¯t do! So setting up shop at the market had to be done more diligently; besides, it was time to edit a video to promote it properly. In any case, she¡¯d count every initial customer she could get. Even if the price was high and she didn¡¯t see much volume initially, she was confident of keeping repeat customers¡ªit¡¯s slow and steady. She then added: [¡°And please help me spread the word. Otherwise, if I don¡¯t have many buyers, I¡¯ll have to go to Ning City to see if any suppliers are interested. Then, I won¡¯t be selling in small quantities anymore.¡±] The aunties involved in the underground secret-keeping were too guilty to make a peep. It wasn¡¯t that there were few wild vegetables; they kept it secret because they were afraid they wouldn¡¯t get any! Even with their efforts, sometimes the stand would be swamped by other market-goers and the veggies sold out. However, since the milk vetch would be abundant, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t hurt to bring a few more people to the boss? Otherwise, if things continued this way, what would they do if they couldn¡¯t get good stuff in the future? Everyone started their own little schemes in mind. Chapter 30 - 30: Dr. Xiaozhang, who gets things done_1 Chapter 30: Dr. Xiaozhang, who gets things done_1 Wu Lan was determined to make a statement, so even when it came to the wild vegetables intended for her own relatives, she still patiently picked and chose them with her family. Song Tan looked at the friend requests that hadn¡¯t been approved and thought to herself that her life-saving benefactor was really too mysterious! Just as she was about to send another request, she received a message from Dr. Zhang Yuan: [Are your family¡¯s wild vegetables for sale?] Before she could reply, a second message followed closely: [My colleagues all find them delicious and want to buy some, no matter the price!] ... [I will cover the shipping costs!] From this, it was clear that Dr. Zhang Yuan was better suited to being a doctor; he had not grasped even a smidgen of the art of bargaining, and only his urgency showed through. Song Tan felt helpless and sent him a few screenshots of announcements from the group: ¡°Doctor Zhang, I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re not selling the wild vegetables anymore.¡± ¡°However, I still have some prepared for my family, so I¡¯ll send them to you later. For your own consumption, there¡¯s no need for payment.¡± In Ning Province Hospital, Zhang Yuan saw the first message and felt like he was having a heart attack. Now, was it really for him that the wild vegetables were needed? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co Clearly, it was the hospital leaders! It all began with the leader¡¯s casual joke at lunchtime, which had resulted in the dish being served in the cafeteria. The head chef was mischievous too; every person from the department who came to get food got a few vegetable leaves added to their plate, with the leaders receiving a few more. Oh boy! Just a simple blanch and cold mix, and the taste was out of this world! After tasting that, the rest of the cafeteria food felt like comparing a heavenly herb to dry straw, with no basis for comparison. So, Dr. Zhang Yuan¡¯s popularity surged recently in the hospital, and the nurses in his department treated him with extra kindness and smiles. The hospital leader even pretended to casually mention: ¡°Dr. Xiaozhang, you¡¯ve been performing well lately. Didn¡¯t a patient even bring you wild vegetables? They tasted really good! You know, vegetables grown locally in the village are the best¡­¡± Even if Dr. Xiaozhang had been a fool, he would have caught on by now. So he said to the leader: ¡°Then, shall I ask if these wild vegetables are for sale? I¡¯ll pass your card on to them later!¡± No sooner had he finished speaking than he felt the head nurse twist his lower back fiercely. Zhang Yuan almost jumped up in response! The leader¡¯s expression also changed to something strange at that moment, a mix of surprise and astonishment. But in the end, the leader smiled, patted his shoulder, and said, ¡°Good job, you¡¯re someone who gets things done. Remember to add me on WeChat in the group and send over your card.¡± Of course, once the leader had left, the head nurse, who usually bossed him around, looked at him with a ¡®disappointed in you¡¯ gaze! She made it clear to Dr. Xiaozhang how he should behave. And now, in his anxiety and haste, he had come to ask for an update. Upon hearing the vegetables were gone, it felt like his grand ambitions had slipped into a ditch¡ªutterly cold and thoroughly chilling. Turning to look at the screenshots of the announcements¡ª21 pounds and still so many people fighting to buy?! The impoverished doctor let out a cry of despair and began to feel fortunate he hadn¡¯t mentioned giving the vegetables to the leaders. But¡­ the patient was about to send them? [That won¡¯t do!] Dr. Xiaozhang was very principled: [That¡¯s not right; whatever the price is, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you.] [Oh right, did you add that WeChat account I gave you earlier?] Speaking of which, Song Tan felt resigned, ¡°Dr. Zhang Yuan, it seems the person really doesn¡¯t want to be disturbed, so I won¡¯t insist¡ªcould you just let me know if they weren¡¯t injured?¡± Zhang Yuan¡¯s inner balance wavered¡ªalthough the patient himself asked for confidentiality, his condition wasn¡¯t very good and he seemed very negative, while his family actually hoped for more communication¡­ The wishes of the family were also very important! ¡°` Soon, he made a decision: ¡°It¡¯s not great. When he pulled you out, the car exploded, and he shielded you with his entire body. He suffered extensive burns all over his body, even his facial skin.¡± But Song Tan, who he had shielded beneath him, was unharmed. This was also the reason Dr. Zhang Yuan was willing to reveal the news; after all, the price of saving her had been too high. ¡°Right now, the other party¡¯s mood probably isn¡¯t great, his mom didn¡¯t say much, just agreed for me to provide the contact information.¡± Song Tan was also stunned. She remembered that nonsense fortune-telling session; if the result hadn¡¯t been so casually delivered, would she have been leisurely waiting for the outcome? She should have hurried directly to the police station or the hospital for information! Now, she owed a great debt of gratitude. And¡­ She spread her hands, her current capabilities were insufficient to fully restore someone¡¯s health. She would have to wait until after Foundation Establishment, at least! With this in mind, Song Tan sighed, ¡°Mom, pick out the best of the wild vegetables and keep an extra ten pounds for me to give away. Put more shepherd¡¯s purse in it.¡± That was because it could be used to make dumplings and could be preserved, something almost everyone loved. Thinking of Dr. Zhang Yuan, she added, ¡°Another ten pounds for gifts.¡± Wu Lan glanced at the several baskets of vegetables; whether she gave them to one family or ten, since they couldn¡¯t be sold for money, they were just wild vegetables to her: ¡°Sure, are you giving them to your colleagues?¡± Song Tan hummed in agreement, she wasn¡¯t ready to talk about the car accident yet, otherwise, Wu Lan would be worried every time she drove. As for colleagues and friends¡­ The memory of her school friends had already faded away, and although she didn¡¯t lack friends at work, Huo Xueying could be considered a close friend. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But¡­ this girl also lived in a small rented apartment, ate out for every meal and didn¡¯t even have a pot for cooking instant noodles at home; giving her fresh wild vegetables was pointless, she simply couldn¡¯t use them, so better forget it. However, before delivering the vegetables, she needed to be approved as a friend by her lifesaver first!!! So she sent the friend request again: [Hello, I am Song Tan, the one you rescued from the car.] Beyond that, she didn¡¯t know what else to say. ¡­ Meanwhile, at Imperial City Ren¡¯ai Hospital. Lun Jing looked at her son, who was slowly eating porridge, her face full of distress: ¡°What did the doctor say about when you can eat normally?¡± Lun Chuan replied calmly, ¡°I can start tomorrow, the wounds on my face no longer feel tight.¡± Lun Jing breathed a sigh of relief. She then remembered the message Dr. Zhang Yuan had sent and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°The young lady you saved keeps asking for your contact information, saying she added you as a friend. Why don¡¯t you accept her request?¡± Lun Chuan shook his head, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m afraid that if it gets out, he will start making trouble again.¡± Lun Jing knew exactly whom ¡°he¡± referred to. Who knows where he saw the video, saying that his son looked like the one who had performed the heroic deed. Such accolades should not be missed, so he immediately called the reporters and camera crew¡ª If it weren¡¯t for that, why would Lun Chuan have needed to be transferred to the Imperial City overnight? He was not out of touch with worldly affairs; there was no need to hide having done a good deed. But he wanted nothing to do with the glory that his biological father might claim. Lun Jing fell silent. Twenty-eight years ago, she was pregnant and confronted by her husband¡¯s mistress at her doorstep, which led to her divorce from Zhou Yongzhi. She still vividly remembered his face at the time of the divorce¡ª ¡°Xiaojing, don¡¯t blame me. The doctor already told us it¡¯s a girl. Why won¡¯t you agree to terminate it? What family doesn¡¯t want a son to carry on the lineage?¡± ¡°It¡¯s different with Lanlan; she¡¯s carrying a boy, and I can¡¯t let my son be born in shame.¡± ¡°` Chapter 31 - 31: 31. Big Friend_1 Chapter 31: 31. Big Friend_1 Speaking of Lun Chuan¡¯s biological father, how resolute Zhou Yongzhi was back then! When Lun Jing got her divorce papers, she was in so much pain she couldn¡¯t walk, yet Zhou Yongzhi said, ¡°Jingjing, we¡¯re divorced now, it¡¯s not appropriate to keep clinging to each other.¡± He turned, got into his car, and drove off without ever considering whether his infidelity during their marriage was appropriate. But, as fate would have it, three months later, Lun Jing gave birth to a son. Meanwhile, Lanlan, who had just gotten her marriage certificate, gave birth to a girl with small eyes and a garlic bulb nose. In short, there was nothing about the child that resembled Zhou Yongzhi or Lanlan. Zhou Yongzhi was going mad! ... He spent a lot of money to have people investigate and finally learned the truth¡ªLanlan used to be a hair salon girl, and even she couldn¡¯t remember clearly whose child it was¡­ Zhou Yongzhi saw green before his eyes. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Feeling young and successful, he lost face in front of everyone in the village; everyone who saw the child¡¯s face had their doubts. Out of frustration, he clenched his teeth and went for a paternity test, and the result was, well, whether to call it vexing or something else¡ª This girl with the ugly nose and eyes turned out to be his daughter indeed. Lanlan regretted it to death, and it was only now that she finally spat out the rest of the truth¡ª She was ordinary-looking at first and didn¡¯t earn much as a hair salon girl. So, she contacted a few clients, took some money, and bravely went for plastic surgery, which led to her working in a club. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co That¡¯s where she met Zhou Yongzhi, and after two months, she was pregnant, not knowing exactly when it happened¡­ Zhou Yongzhi¡¯s blood pressure nearly burst through his green head! Seeing that things weren¡¯t going well, Lanlan promptly proposed divorce and left her daughter with him. Carrying such a joke, Zhou Yongzhi felt he had no face left in his hometown for many years. At this time, he learned that his ex-wife Lun Jing had given birth to a son, so he pestered her day after day, disturbing Lun Jing¡¯s job, until she agreed to change her son¡¯s surname to Zhou, which satisfied him. Originally, he was determined to take his son back with him, after all, he earned more and could provide better conditions. But at that time, Zhou Yongzhi met another true love. This time her name seemed to be Fangfang¡­ In any case, in the reality Lun Chuan was aware of, Zhou Yongzhi had been married three times in total. But there were only these two children. Now in his fifties, his dream of having another son had long since shattered, so he set his sights on Lun Chuan again. In Zhou Yongzhi¡¯s eyes, this son was handsome, tall, and had a unique temperament. Though he didn¡¯t have any skills or a job, his face alone made him popular. Over the years, he had started from scratch and worked hard in Ning Province, not too much, not too little, he had seven or eight hundred million worth in houses and cars combined. All these were to be left for his son, to continue the family line. With such a large sum of money dangling, he didn¡¯t believe his unemployed son could refuse him! Even if he wasn¡¯t answering calls, chatting, or meeting now, it was only a matter of time! With this mindset, Zhou Yongzhi became increasingly directive towards Lun Chuan, and even started scheming daily to get him to change back the surname he had altered after coming of age. Lun Chuan couldn¡¯t care less to give him a glance, originally planning to move to Imperial City with Lun Jing, until the car accident happened¡­ In short, at this moment, talking about Zhou Yongzhi made both mother and son lose their appetite. After a moment of silence, Lun Jing still turned back to the topic: ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re going to stay in Imperial City in the future, aren¡¯t we? He only has that little ability, can¡¯t even secure a hukou in Imperial City. Our home has strong security, and you don¡¯t have to worry about my job, so just don¡¯t take him too seriously.¡± ¡°Son, I¡¯m just worried about you at the moment.¡± She sighed deeply: ¡°You don¡¯t talk to people, seem to have no friends¡ªas before, when you wrote stories, your inner world was at least rich, I didn¡¯t stop you.¡± ¡°But you haven¡¯t been writing recently either. You just sit around daydreaming¡ªlisten to Mom, at least make some friends online, chat with them, that¡¯s good too.¡± As she spoke, her eyes began to redden, ¡°My son is so handsome and kind. Back in high school, you got stacks of love letters¡ªYou don¡¯t want to go through with the skin graft surgery now, that¡¯s your choice, but first, you have to take care of your mood.¡± She said so much, and her underlying message was very clear. Song Tan took out his phone, ¡°I¡¯ll accept her friend request right away.¡± Seeing his silent demeanor, Wu Lan suddenly chuckled, ¡°Son, are you what people refer to online as a ¡®homebody¡¯? If you had other friends, Mom wouldn¡¯t insist on you accepting just this one.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that I think, since you did save that girl, if you keep hiding it, she¡¯ll feel burdened. It might be better to have a chat and put her mind at ease.¡± ¡ªNever seen someone who got injured saving someone else and still has to comfort the one they saved. His mom is really going out of her way to help him make more friends. Song Tan truly fell silent this time. His phone suddenly vibrated. He saw that on the chat page with the girl who had just become a friend, the one named ¡°Song Tan,¡± responded swiftly, simply, and directly: ¡°Thank you, Song Tan. I heard you were seriously hurt. I can¡¯t repay you now, so I¡¯ll start by sending you some wild greens. Please give me an address.¡± For a moment, Song Tan¡¯s mood became indescribably subtle. It¡¯s just¡­ He hadn¡¯t expected the other party to fall over themselves in gratitude, offering money or gifts¡­ But wasn¡¯t there something off about this response? He couldn¡¯t quite figure out what was wrong right away. After thinking it over and focusing on the words ¡°wild greens¡± for a while, he finally gave out Wu Lan¡¯s address in silence. Given his current state, he couldn¡¯t cook and had to rely on his mother to take on the trouble. The phone suddenly fell silent. The efficiency of this communication was beyond Song Tan¡¯s expectations, so much so that he was still somewhat distracted. He fiddled with his phone, unlocking and locking the screen, restless. Wu Lan saw everything and her heart was filled with joy¡ª Her son had always been straightforward and direct, with no patience for extensive communication with others. And now, he had encountered someone even more direct and straightforward. Look, she got the address with just one sentence! ¡­ Meanwhile, in Ning Province, Yun City, Qingxi Town, Yunqiao Village. Qiaoqiao huffed and puffed as he moved the basket to the back of the cart, then climbed up to the passenger seat with practiced ease. He was sweating profusely from the effort. Song Tan saw this and immediately felt pity, taking out five yuan from her bag: ¡°Good boy Qiaoqiao, you¡¯ve been very diligent today. Here¡¯s a five-yuan reward for you. You can buy whatever you want when we go to town later!¡± Qiaoqiao¡¯s face lit up with joy! The colorful pinwheel he had bought in the city was still on his bedside table. The feeling of buying something with his own money was truly special! Normally, Wu Lan and Song Sancheng wouldn¡¯t think that, as a kid, he had some hobbies that required spending money. Seeing this from the back seat, Wu Lan and Song Sancheng couldn¡¯t help but say resentfully, ¡°No wonder Qiaoqiao is so fond of you! Our words don¡¯t seem to carry as much weight as yours¡­¡± They were obviously a bit jealous. Song Tan chuckled, ¡°Mom, in Qiaoqiao¡¯s eyes, I¡¯m his favorite big friend¡ªlittle kids always like to play with someone a bit older!¡± Song Tan was five years older than Qiaoqiao and had always been the big friend who played with him since they were young. Chapter 32 - 32: 32. Extract key points_1 Chapter 32: 32. Extract key points_1 The Little Pika pickup truck, costing 23,000 yuan, roared with power as it climbed hills and dipped into valleys with particular smoothness on the winding mountain roads. The truck bed was filled with heaps of wild vegetables, and all four family members sat in the cab. Wu Lan sat in the back seat, watching her daughter skillfully drive to the town, no longer anguished over the more than 20,000 yuan spent on the vehicle. Instead, she proudly said, ¡°I was right to insist on spending big money. Look how convenient it is for us now! We don¡¯t have to pay for a hired car to go to the urban area anymore. That¡¯s 200 yuan, what a loss that was!¡± Song Sancheng immediately countered, ¡°You disagreed at the time. How is it that we listened to you? Besides, you keep saying you want to get your driver¡¯s license, but you haven¡¯t even done any practice tests these past few days!¡± Wu Lan sneered, ¡°But you¡¯ve been practicing every day, and I bet you still don¡¯t score as high as I do on the mock exams! I got 81, what about you?¡± Song Sancheng fell silent. ... His memory wasn¡¯t good, and those test questions were hard to read; he¡¯d only scored 75. Song Tan, at the wheel, smartly stayed out of the conversation, but Qiaoqiao suddenly asked, ¡°Mom, where is my Peppa the Pig?¡± Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing. She knew what Qiaoqiao was asking about¡ªtheir upcoming trip to grandma¡¯s house to fetch some straw, as Wu Lan planned to fetch the piglet the next day. Qiaoqiao had been looking forward to it for a long time, her heart set on her little pink pig family. In the rearview mirror, Wu Lan¡¯s face turned dark, and she answered irritably, ¡°Just wait! I¡¯ll go fetch it tomorrow! Then you can sleep with your pig mom!¡± Instantly, Qiaoqiao cheered, ¡°Yay! I¡¯ll give Peppa a bath!¡± It was Song Sancheng who smiled, pleased, ¡°Good, I¡¯ve connected a water pipe down the back hill, so it will be easy to flush out the pigpen. Once it gets hot, Qiaoqiao can even play there.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ????????????????????.co Wu Lan: ¡­ So she was the only one upset? ¡­ They reached the town in their vehicle, and the family stopped at a meat stall for groceries while Song Tan went to the express delivery station alone. The doctor and his lifesaver were both due ten pounds of wild vegetables, and just packaging them was going to be quite the task. The young man at the express station hesitated over the large batch of cleaned vegetables, ¡°Do you really want to add this air column bag? The foam box needs to be ice-packed too? That¡¯s quite a bit more expensive, you know! Actually, you don¡¯t need the ice; most of our destination cities have overnight delivery.¡± ¡°Your wild vegetables look really fresh, and the weather isn¡¯t hot right now. If I pack them in a foam box, I can deliver them to the urban area right away, and they can be shipped out tonight. When they arrive, they should still be quite fresh.¡± The wild vegetables weren¡¯t worth much, and ice-packing would be like selling tofu at meat prices, wouldn¡¯t it? S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wild vegetables could be found everywhere in the mountains nowadays. Even in Imperial City¡­ Imperial City has wild vegetables for sale too! Song Tan sighed too. She didn¡¯t want to spend more money, but there was no helping it; there¡¯s a difference between something fresh and crisp and something less so. If she was going to sell at a high price, she might as well ensure the quality through and through. She took out a business card, ¡°If I start to ship in large quantities with ice packs in the future, can you give me a discount?¡± ¡°Also, do you offer pickup services?¡± The young man was taken aback; they didn¡¯t provide home pickup services in the surrounding villages and towns, but that wasn¡¯t to say they couldn¡¯t make arrangements, ¡°Where are you from?¡± ¡°Yunqiao Village.¡± The young man¡¯s face crumpled like a bitter melon, ¡°That place is not easy to get to¡­ How about this: if you have more than fifty orders, I can make a special trip. Is that okay?¡± ¡°If you exceed twenty orders, I¡¯ll give you the lowest rate.¡± Their express service was nationally known for its speed and door-to-door delivery, even if it was expensive, and they didn¡¯t get many orders in the small towns. However, he had contracted this station himself, and if he could secure such a sizeable business, he was willing to put in the effort. ¡°I don¡¯t have the disposable dry ice bags here. I need to leave by 2 p.m. to get the express packages to the city. If you trust me, you can give me a deposit. I won¡¯t pack them now and will do the unified packaging in the city.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll calculate the price for you then.¡± After some thought, Song Tan directly transferred five hundred yuan over: ¡°I¡¯ll definitely have more express deliveries in the future, we can settle any difference later.¡± ¡°Once we have more parcels, we can settle monthly.¡± Although the courier boy didn¡¯t think these wild vegetables had the potential for monthly settlement, that didn¡¯t stop him from agreeing for the time being. By the time he had arranged all the express deliveries, Song Sancheng and Qiaoqiao were already waiting with big piles of meat. Qiaoqiao was also holding on to his pocket with one hand. Song Tan smiled, ¡°What did you buy?¡± He quickly smiled wide and pulled something out of his pocket¡ªtwo small plastic tubes that looked like tubes of paint, each accompanied by two thin plastic sticks. Qiaoqiao¡¯s proud expression was very evident. With his slight, dark hair hanging softly, his fair skin and bright eyes were even more pronounced: ¡°Bubble blowing!¡± Song Tan saw it¡ªweren¡¯t these the bubble blowing tools that were popular when she was in school? How come, after so many years, they were still being produced? Isn¡¯t it all about bubble machines now? But then she thought, with Qiaoqiao¡¯s five yuan, he couldn¡¯t buy a bubble machine anyway. So, she also became interested, and while restarting the car, she negotiated with Qiaoqiao: ¡°You¡¯ll have to blow two bubbles for your sister later, okay?¡± Qiaoqiao nodded vigorously: ¡°Two tubes, one for each of us!¡± Wu Lan and Song Sancheng watched the cheerful siblings and suddenly felt that it might not be so bad if Tantan stayed in the village all the time. Just one thing¡ªit¡¯s not easy to find a partner in the village! And so the Mother began to worry again, and when she looked at Song Sancheng, who was indifferent to everything and only knew how to be happy, she felt even more depressed. However, no one could alleviate Wu Lan¡¯s depression, except for the eighty-year-old grandma who was delighted to see the siblings: ¡°Tantan is back?¡± ¡°Qiaoqiao is here too!¡± The siblings quickly went inside with grandma. The first thing they saw upon entering was a neatly tidied courtyard. Grandpa was sitting in a wheelchair under the corridor, his hair white and his face wrinkled, but his eyes were filled with joy. The other half of the courtyard was where Uncle Wu Chengtao lived, in a two-story house. Now that it was the slack season for farming, he had gone to play cards at a neighbor¡¯s house, and only Auntie was at home, extremely enthusiastic: ¡°Tantan is back? Looking better and better! So stylish, like a celebrity¡­ Oh my, Qiaoqiao has grown even more handsome!¡± Seeing the meat Wu Lan and the others were carrying, she couldn¡¯t help but laugh: ¡°Why bring meat when coming over? We¡¯ve already got some in the fridge.¡± Wu Lan handed the meat over and called Qiaoqiao to carry the vegetables in, laughing loudly: ¡°Hey Aunt, Tantan isn¡¯t working in Ning City anymore, she¡¯s come back to go into agricultural planting.¡± ¡°These are the new wild vegetables, selling for twenty yuan a kilo, and still in high demand! But Tantan was thinking about her grandma and you all, so she didn¡¯t want to sell this last batch. She brought it especially for everyone to try together!¡± This statement was a lot to take in. Auntie stood there digesting it for a while before she was able to grasp the main point¡ª Her niece, the beautiful and clever university graduate, had quit her good job in the provincial capital and now had returned to her hometown to farm! Chapter 33 - 33: 33. Making dumplings_1 Chapter 33: 33. Making dumplings_1 Uncle Wu Chengtao¡¯s wife was shocked by the result of her own analysis. ¡°Agricultural planting?¡± It sounds so fancy, but isn¡¯t it just farming? How promising can farming be? The economy is not doing well these days. Isn¡¯t having a stable job better than anything else? She hurriedly put the meat aside and came over to ask, ¡°Big sister, are you serious?¡± Wu Lan was washing vegetables. ¡°Yes. Did you see the car at the door? Tantan earned it by selling wild vegetables.¡± What a way to put it! It was clearly bought for selling wild vegetables. ... Song Tan was blowing bubbles on the side. When the bubbles burst, she was also dumbfounded. Qiaoqiao saw that she was stunned and quickly reached out to touch her head, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, Qiaoqiao will blow a big one for you.¡± Song Tan found it funny, ¡°Sister isn¡¯t crying. Blow one for grandpa first!¡± Their grandpa was getting old and his legs were not good. He had been in a wheelchair these recent years and had become increasingly listless. Now, with his granddaughter and grandson by his side, he looked very happy, his wrinkled mouth stretched into a broad smile. It was Song Tan¡¯s grandma, though, who was still working in the fields from time to time, more capable than many young people. She looked at a large basin of shepherd¡¯s purse, annoyed by the cold tap water, and pushed Wu Lan aside: ¡°What are you doing with so much shepherd¡¯s purse from our fields? Why did you bring so much?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it said that Tantan can make money by selling it? It¡¯s good to keep it for sale.¡± The well water drawn from the tap was piercing cold, but the grandma seemed to feel nothing, obviously accustomed to it. Wu Lan looked at her graying hair, but was not worried about money anymore, ¡°This year¡¯s wild vegetables are growing particularly well, and we¡¯ve made quite a bit. We won¡¯t miss this little amount. I¡¯ve come today to make dumplings for you.¡± ¡°When you and my dad don¡¯t feel like cooking, just boil some dumplings. They¡¯re easy to chew and to digest.¡± Although they share a yard, grandma and Uncle live apart, eat separately. They share good dishes when available, but they don¡¯t usually eat together. Uncle¡¯s wife also joined in, ¡°Big sister, what were you thinking? Look at our Tantan, how well she has grown up! After working in Ning City, finding a local there¡­ what a blessed life she would lead!¡± ¡°Staying in the village, what kind of decent match could she find? Aren¡¯t you holding her back?¡± She glanced at Song Tan, who was playing with Qiaoqiao to entertain grandpa, and lowered her voice, ¡°With Qiaoqiao like this, you can¡¯t let him hold back your child.¡± As someone with a slight preference for sons over daughters, the fact that Uncle¡¯s wife would say this showed her genuine affection for the children. Wu Lan wasn¡¯t offended, ¡°Sister-in-law, I didn¡¯t agree at first, but when Tantan came back, she was so wan and frail, saying she got that way from working¡ªonly then did I relent, letting her recuperate for a year or so.¡± ¡°As for farming, she insisted on doing it, and I thought we have plenty of space at home, so I just let her dabble in it.¡± But regarding the matter of a partner¡­ ¡°She is very enthusiastic about farming right now, and the little money she had is long spent. Let her keep at it for now. When she gives up, then we can talk about going back to work.¡± Working outside indeed wears people down. Uncle¡¯s wife also has a son and a daughter struggling out there. Sighing at the thought, she put down the shepherd¡¯s purse: ¡°Making dumplings, right? I¡¯ll go mince the meat¡ªoh my, you¡¯ve taken way too much, these dumplings could fill an entire fridge once we¡¯re done.¡± Song Sancheng was feeling a bit greedy¡ªchef Wu Lan, focused on making money, always thought of selling the wild vegetables instead of using them for home cooking, and unless Tantan insisted sternly, they wouldn¡¯t even think about it. By now, the family¡¯s shepherd¡¯s purse dumplings were long gone, never replenished. So he said proudly, ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t worry! We say twenty yuan per half kilo for these wild vegetables, and it¡¯s no boast. You¡¯ll know when you eat them, they last a good while.¡± Take his family of four, for instance. They need over a hundred dumplings for a meal! Today brought ten pounds of shepherd¡¯s purse, as well as some other stuff, but it definitely won¡¯t last long. Uncle Wu Chengtao¡¯s wife didn¡¯t believe it for a second, ¡°We eat shepherd¡¯s purse every year; what new flavor could possibly come out of it?¡± Turning her head, she looked at the two large portions of meat and hurriedly called out again, ¡°Qiaoqiao, go tell your uncle to come back and chop the meat!¡± ¡­ Before long, Uncle Wu Chengtao rushed back: ¡°Ah, good thing you called! I¡¯ve already lost two hundred, and they wouldn¡¯t let me leave the table. It was killing me!¡± Uncle Wu Chengtao¡¯s wife scolded him, ¡°As soon as you lose at cards you want to run. If they had enough players, do you think anyone would have called you back?¡± Uncle Wu Chengtao also felt wronged, ¡°I suggested playing for one yuan a point, but they wouldn¡¯t have it. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have left.¡± But who plays landlord for one yuan a point! Uncle Wu Chengtao¡¯s wife rolled her eyes and shoved a kitchen knife into his hand, ¡°Hurry up, chop it fine. We¡¯re making dumplings tonight.¡± After washing his hands, Uncle Wu Chengtao turned his head and asked, ¡°Whose car is that outside? Sancheng, did you get your driver¡¯s license?¡± He looked eager as well. Song Sancheng waved his hands repeatedly, ¡°Not yet, not yet, I¡¯m still studying for it. It¡¯s not me; Tantan sold vegetables from home and earned some money, then bought a car, saying it¡¯s more convenient to get out and about.¡± Wow! Song Tan thought to herself, why does everyone want to give her credit? No wonder she¡¯s quite a talker¡ªit¡¯s all inherited. Uncle Wu Chengtao looked at the car with envy, ¡°A pickup truck is the best. You can load it up; it¡¯s so practical. When Wu Lei wanted to buy a car, I told him to buy a big one, but he wouldn¡¯t listen and still has his heart set on a small sedan, squeezing the whole family in like sardines.¡± Uncle Wu Chengtao¡¯s son, Wu Lei, used to work in the city. Recently, he got a girlfriend and followed her to Ning City. The family plans to pool some money together to buy a car for him first, giving them some face when visiting the girl¡¯s family. Glancing at the meat on the chopping board, he was stunned, ¡°How many dumplings are we going to make with this?¡± Wu Lan started laughing: ¡°I came back this time planning to load up a truck with straw to take back. Naturally, we need to buy more meat to make a gesture.¡± Uncle Wu Chengtao glared at her: ¡°Straw is worthless. If you want to take it, take it. There¡¯s so much of it all of a sudden. How long will it take us to eat all this?¡± Song Sancheng still wore that mysteriously amused smile: ¡°This much for dumplings, if you guys can last till the end of the month, I¡¯ll be impressed! Hurry up, the vegetables are all washed; it¡¯s time to start kneading the dough.¡± He was waiting to eat. And so, the whole family busily got to work with great enthusiasm. After the dough was ready, even the grandfather in the wheelchair began slowly wrapping dumplings. The grandmother looked at the shepherd¡¯s purse and took a sniff, nodding to herself, ¡°No wonder you said this vegetable is twenty yuan. It really does smell different from before, so fragrant.¡± Once she mentioned it, Uncle Wu Chengtao¡¯s wife seemed to think it smelled a bit too good all of a sudden and generously said, ¡°Mom, you and dad like your food soft. We¡¯ll freeze these dumplings in your fridge. When you want to eat, just boil some. It¡¯s nutritious and easier to digest.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to, we¡¯ll dig some up ourselves if we want any.¡± Turning to Wu Lan, ¡°If you want the straw, just take it directly. That stuff is only good for starting fires. We¡¯re not even planning to grow rice this year. It¡¯s too much trouble and not worth it compared to just buying it.¡± Wu Lan didn¡¯t stand on ceremony, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll have Qiaoqiao and the others load up the truck later. But sister-in-law, just split the dumplings with mom; they really are different from other wild greens.¡± Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She¡¯s tried all the other wild greens in the village; none had this taste. Chapter 34 - 34: 34. Qiaoqiaos Pig Mom_1 Chapter 34: 34. Qiaoqiao¡¯s Pig Mom_1 Aunt-in-law clearly didn¡¯t take this seriously. After all, who hasn¡¯t eaten dumplings before? But she didn¡¯t argue either, just looked at the dumplings that were ready and started to worry: ¡°There are too many of them; I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t all fit in the fridge.¡± Song Sancheng took a look: ¡°It should be fine. There are so many of us tonight, we¡¯ll probably eat three hundred of them!¡± Aunt-in-law nearly rolled her eyes¡ªthree hundred dumplings? Usually, eating dumplings, at most, you¡¯d eat twenty or thirty. ... Now with just eight people in total, he dared to boast like that? It seemed Song Tan¡¯s vegetable selling wasn¡¯t all that reliable after all. But as for Uncle, an experienced dumpling enthusiast, he was quite in agreement: ¡°Let¡¯s cook a pot to fill our stomachs first.¡± So the men went to the car to load up the straw, Wu Lan sat in front of the stove slowly making fire, and also began to give pointless directions: ¡°Boil a few more¡­ add a few more¡ªdon¡¯t rush to put them in the fridge, eat first!¡± The insistence was so strong; not boiling a few extra would make it seem like you weren¡¯t inviting people to eat their fill. Aunt-in-law muttered to herself, yet eventually she cooked a full pot of dumplings. In the rural stove, a pot like that could hold a hundred or so dumplings! Straw isn¡¯t heavy at all, just needing to be moved from the stack to the car. Soon, the back of the car was piled full. And by that time, the dumplings were ready. Uncle took a deep breath and washed his hands in astonishment: ¡°This shepherd¡¯s purse really is top-notch, so fragrant! Mom, eat more.¡± Then he took his first bite. For a moment, the entire dining room fell silent. Just¡­ how to describe it? Uncle thought for a long time, unwilling to swallow the dumpling filling in his mouth, and then suddenly he was taken back to his childhood, to the times when meat was eaten only once a year¡­ He couldn¡¯t praise these dumplings enough; in short, they were too delicious! After Aunt-in-law had a dumpling, she regretted it even more¡ªhad she known the dumplings were this tasty, why did she insist on saving them all for her parents just now? Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The shepherd¡¯s purse around here definitely doesn¡¯t taste like this! No wonder it was twenty yuan a pound; truly worth it! And the elderly grandparents praised them unceasingly, with Grandpa who was in the wheelchair even breaking his routine. After finishing a bowl, he passed it forward: ¡°Serve me a little more.¡± This time it was Wu Lan who cooked the second pot, but since the old folks were advanced in age, she only served a few more than usual: ¡°Dad, Mom, don¡¯t rush, eat slowly. There¡¯s more for tomorrow. Don¡¯t overeat today.¡± Grandpa, with his hearty appetite and good mood, even said to Song Tan: ¡°Our Tantan, she¡¯s born to farm!¡± The comment was met with unanimous agreement. Wu Lan, refreshed and proud, said: ¡°See, the vegetables Tantan grows taste good, right? I told you, with her being so good at her studies, she wouldn¡¯t be any less at farming!¡± Song Tan: A qualified tool shouldn¡¯t speak when it¡¯s not necessary to. ¡­ Full and content. The family of four took advantage of the night to head home, the car lone on the winding mountain road. The window slightly open, the cool night breeze caressed their faces, doing nothing to dampen the heat in Wu Lan¡¯s heart. She remembered Aunt-in-law¡¯s expression of regret and reluctance, and then thought of the long-unseen satisfaction and comfort on the faces of Song Tan¡¯s grandparents. At that moment, she suddenly understood why her daughter, every time she got fresh vegetables, insisted on eating them herself! Because some happiness really can¡¯t be measured by money. ¡­ After that night, Wu Lan became especially motivated. The very next morning, just as dawn broke, she urged Song Sancheng to quickly spread the straw in the courtyard to dry it again. She hurried to mix two more buckets of disinfectant and sprayed the pigsty once more, even specifically checking the manure pit. With everything ready, she then called and hurriedly arranged for the piglets to be delivered. By the time Qiaoqiao came to his senses, he saw that his eagerly anticipated Peppa was nowhere to be found. Instead, in the pigsty, warmed by the sun, lay five piglets, three white and two black. The five piglets were undoubtedly adorable, with their large, moist, round noses that were also clean. Their small, plump bodies emitted ¡°hmm hmm¡± sounds from their tender voices. But¡­ Aside from taking a closer look at the skin of the two white pigs, which could show some pinkness, there was no resemblance to Qiaoqiao¡¯s Peppa. Qiaoqiao stood dumbfounded for half a moment, then suddenly burst out crying with an ¡°aow¡±: ¡°My Peppa, my Qiao Zhi, my pig mommy¡­ they¡¯re all gone¡­ all gone¡­¡± The pigs in the pigsty were momentarily stunned, grunting a couple of times, curiously looking at him with their pinkish round noses; their black, beady eyes filled with animation. With his dreams shattered over many days and now wailing, Song Tan had no choice but to resort to her trump card: ¡°Sweetie, don¡¯t cry, no more tears¡ªif there¡¯s no Peppa or Qiao Zhi, can we watch something else? Next time I go to the city, I¡¯ll buy you a plush toy, okay?¡± ¡°For now, let¡¯s not watch it, let¡¯s change it up¡ªhave you seen Ultraman, Diago? Let¡¯s start watching this from today.¡± Ultraman toys are much easier to come by. She sighed with relief. Qiaoqiao cried intermittently, gasping for breath, while on the other side, Wu Lan couldn¡¯t help but smile with a sense of triumph, adding fuel to the fire: ¡°Come, Qiaoqiao, didn¡¯t you want to sleep with your pig mommy? Pick one and see which one is your pig mommy?¡± Qiaoqiao: ¡­ He cried even louder. ¡­ The piglets were too young and were transferred to a strange environment, although they seemed perfectly content and even overly fond of it (after all, they were nourished by Spiritual Energy, more or less). Still, just to be cautious, Wu Lan hurried to prepare a steaming meal for them to eat: Pumpkins, sweet potatoes, corn kernels, wheat bran, rice bran, leftover rice, and foraged wild vegetable roots¡ªa pot full of aromatic food. Just smelling it was quite appetizing. Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll go see how the Milk Vetch tastes in the field? And I¡¯ll pick some more to feed the pigs.¡± While shepherd¡¯s purse could be tasted once or twice a year, it had been over a decade since she consumed Milk Vetch. Wu Lan nodded, ¡°Go ahead, gather more and we can sort it out this afternoon. Aren¡¯t you planning to sell it tomorrow?¡± Song Tan shook her head, ¡°I told the customers in the group that I would sell it the next morning, not rush early.¡± Milk Vetch was easier to sort than wild vegetables, but it was too delicate. To ensure freshness, it would be best to pick it in the morning and take it straight to the city. Now that the weather was warmer and there were more wild vegetables, the Milk Vetch previously used for fertilizing the fields and feeding livestock and could sell for twenty yuan a kilo, Wu Lan had her doubts. But she didn¡¯t object¡ªher praise of her daughter¡¯s farming skills the day before had gone to such an extent that she had somewhat brainwashed herself by the morning, always feeling¡ª Maybe there really is something different? Song Tan, with a face covered in tear marks, took Qiaoqiao with her to the field, holding a basket. The fresh tender green leaves and delicate stems¡ªshe could hardly bear to step on them. With a pinch of the stem, a light twist and a clump of green and oily plant was in her hand. Qiaoqiao found a new fun activity, thinking that pulling up the plants was very interesting. Thus, he immediately forgot about his pig mommy and started working with giggles and chuckles. Chapter 35 - 35: 35. Feeding Milk Vetch to piglets_1 Chapter 35: 35. Feeding Milk Vetch to piglets_1 Taking advantage of the sun not being too hot yet, Song Sancheng covered all the fungal sticks on the mountain with thick straw and was finally satisfied after setting up the fence, then he headed down the mountain. When he got home, he first went to check on the piglets in the back mountain. From a distance, he could hear their grunting sounds. Now, taking a closer look, it seemed they had just been fed. The three white and two black piglets were huddling together with their snouts buried in the trough, eating without lifting their heads. One of the black piglets was particularly engrossed in eating, lying across in front of the trough and taking up most of the space. Another little white piglet, slightly smaller in size, just couldn¡¯t squeeze in and was getting anxious, grunting and squealing on the side. Song Sancheng quickly picked up a stick and, with a combination of knocking and scaring, managed to adjust their positions. ... Looking into the trough again, he saw not only rice bran and sweet potatoes but also a thick layer of lush green leaves, which the piglets were eagerly competing for, eating with great relish! This was Milk Vetch! Why did pigs like it so much? A standard old farmer¡¯s smile couldn¡¯t help but spread across Song Sancheng¡¯s face as he laughed and said, ¡°Look at you little pigs, eating better than people!¡± He then went to inspect the pig pen¡¯s straw bedding. The thick straw spread inside the shed was both dry and warm to the look. The trees in the forest had not fully unfurled their leaves yet, with large swaths of sunlight pouring in, warm and cozy. There were already some signs of pig manure in the pit beside; it was an excellent environment for raising pigs. Only then did he contentedly circle back to the front yard. Wu Lan had just finished cooking, and from a distance, Song Sancheng could already smell the fragrance. He touched his belly: ¡°What are we eating today?¡± Qiaoqiao chimed in cheerfully from the side: ¡°Pig feed!¡± ¡°The piglets eat, we eat too!¡± Song Tan gave his fluffy head a pat: ¡°Silly treasure.¡± She then said to Song Sancheng with a mix of laughter and helplessness: ¡°Dad, don¡¯t listen to him. At noon, I went to pick a bunch of Milk Vetch, and mom is using it to stir-fry meat. Try it and see if it¡¯s tasty.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s good, we can make a lot of money!¡± ¡­ Milk Vetch hadn¡¯t been eaten at their home for many years. Wu Lan pondered for a moment, then started by frying some minced garlic in lard until fragrant, followed by adding cured meat and sections of Milk Vetch. Now with a roaring fire, the green leaves and stems of the vegetables and the slightly reddish cured meat, the freshness and meaty fragrance intertwined, releasing an aroma that made one¡¯s mouth water. Qiaoqiao had already forgotten the pain of losing his pig mother, and now he was busily picking up food with his chopsticks: ¡°I take a bite, Peppa a bite. I take a bite, Qiao Zhi a bite. Another bite, and one for sister¡­¡± Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Watching him act foolishly yet deftly with the chopsticks, he had soon piled his bowl full to the brim, truly mastering the essence of the ¡°Liu Xing pancake sharing method.¡± Faced with such a simple child, what could the family even say? Song Sancheng took a bite, chewed a couple of times before swallowing, and found the combination of crisp freshness and faintly discernible sweet flavor of the greens with the slightly salty cured meat¡­ Superb! His eyes lit up: ¡°Oh wow, how come it tastes even better than wild vegetables! When I was a kid, I ate it every day, but I never realized it was tasty. All I knew was that it had a grassy taste.¡± Wu Lan also took a bite and now felt very confident about the prospect of twenty yuan per jin: ¡°When you were a child, who would have used lard and pork to stir-fry for you? Back then, we just blanched it in water and called it cooked.¡± That was indeed the case. The two of them were contented with their explanation for why the dish was too delicious, and Song Tan didn¡¯t even need to make excuses. Afterward, Song Sancheng suddenly remembered: ¡°Tantan, we¡¯re growing such a big patch of it, do you think we should set up a couple of beehives? Milk Vetch is a premium source of nectar. The honey that bees collect from it is really sweet.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even buy it now, no one around grows it anymore.¡± Song Tan really hadn¡¯t thought of this! There were too many things keeping her busy, so she simply couldn¡¯t manage to be so comprehensive. Now she nodded repeatedly in a hurry, ¡°Yes! Dad, you know so many people. Get a few more boxes. The milk vetch in our fields is growing so well, it will definitely look particularly beautiful when it flowers.¡± Spiritual Energy honey, ah, just a spoonful mixed with water, that taste¡­ Can¡¯t think about it, can¡¯t think about it! Song Tan was already impatient. ¡°Right, Dad, Grandpa Li from the village said he¡¯ll let his cow into the fields to eat this and afterwards, when we plant rice, he¡¯ll help us plow the fields.¡± ¡°When the time comes, I¡¯ll reserve the two lower fields for his cow. The rest of the milk vetch I plan to sell. It wouldn¡¯t be good to let the cow eat there as well.¡± After all, it¡¯s a cow, who knows if it might just poop while eating, which wouldn¡¯t be great. Song Sancheng laughed, ¡°He only has that one cow, why would he need two fields? One field would be enough.¡± ¡°But this milk vetch really is good. I saw the pigs were enjoying it today too. In a few days, when they¡¯ve gotten used to it, I¡¯ll find time to drive them to the fields too, let them move around on their own.¡± But those five pigs, controlling them wouldn¡¯t be too easy in a short time¡­ Song Sancheng was already coming up with a plan. Song Tan started laughing, ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about that? They¡¯re only this little right now. I¡¯ll go to the city this afternoon to buy some leashes specially made for big dogs, and Dad, you can take them out for walks when you have the time.¡± ¡°After all, it¡¯s mainly us who¡¯ll eat the pigs, so it doesn¡¯t matter if they lose a few pounds of fat from more exercise.¡± Qiaoqiao got excited, ¡°I want to as well! Qiaoqiao wants to take the pigs out to play!¡± That wouldn¡¯t do. Pigs, being smart animals, would develop affection if raised for too long, and when it¡¯s time to kill them for meat, wouldn¡¯t Qiaoqiao cry herself to death? After much thought, Song Sancheng refused, ¡°Forget it, forget it, we can¡¯t take them out. If we get too attached from taking them on walks, let¡¯s just let them roam the hills behind our house. It¡¯s enough for them to move around there. I¡¯ll just get more food for them regularly.¡± Song Tan thought of her own experiences raising pigs from her memory, ah, it was indeed so. Better to just eat the meat, not develop any feelings. The adults quickly changed topics, and after listening with a pout for a while, Qiaoqiao put the matter out of her mind again. However, there was something else she remembered¡ª ¡°I told Big White that if it helps me watch the pigs, I¡¯ll treat it to biscuits.¡± Wow! Song Tan was also surprised¡ªshe had that thought, but she hadn¡¯t said anything yet, had she? ¡°When did you negotiate this with Big White?¡± That fierce big white goose, wasn¡¯t it always squatting outside Grandpa¡¯s gate every day? Qiaoqiao hummed, ¡°I told it long ago, I just haven¡¯t had any biscuits yet.¡± Whether a goose watching pigs was reliable, Song Tan didn¡¯t know. But if that thing were to really start honking, it would make such a resounding noise, the entire village would wake up. Thinking about it, having it as an alarm was indeed not a bad idea. The prerequisite was that Qiaoqiao had to coax it not to honk without reason, or else with the hillside being next to their home, they really wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep later. She thought for a moment, ¡°Then take Big White to the lowest field this afternoon, and treat it to a good meal as well.¡± Feeding the cows is still feeding, feeding the pigs is still feeding, and feeding the chickens, ducks, geese¡­ that makes no difference. As the siblings made their arrangements, Song Sancheng suddenly felt an urgency, ¡°Then I must go fix the goose pen, along with the ducks and chickens that you want to raise. It¡¯s about time now. I¡¯ve got the area in the back hill fenced off, but I need to tidy up the chicken coop again.¡± Chapter 36 - 36: 36. Selling Vegetables Now Has Fans_1 Chapter 36: 36. Selling Vegetables Now Has Fans_1 Wu Lan also nodded, ¡°The weather has warmed up quickly recently, and there¡¯s no time to be idle, all kinds of work to do!¡± ¡°Tantan, if you¡¯re going to plant rice, you should be preparing the seeds by now.¡± ¡°And the vegetables you want to plant, some of them need to start seedling cultivation by the end of the month.¡± ¡°Before the end of next month, these fields have to be turned over.¡± With these calculations, everyone was too busy to idle away the time. Except for Qiaoqiao. ... But Qiaoqiao also had tasks of his own, taking care of Big White was his number one duty, he also worked part-time as a porter, a picker, a vegetable vendor. Song Tan started to rush as well¡ªafter all, no matter how much the Milk Vetch sustained, they only had half a month left in their sprouting phase, they had to bloom and grow next month. So, she hastily finished eating and called out to Qiaoqiao: ¡°Let¡¯s go, accompany your sister to pick vegetables!¡± As a result, Qiaoqiao, sitting on a stool and looking at her, said, ¡°You promised to show me Ultraman, where¡¯s Ultraman?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ Sometimes kids are not easy to cajole! She had no choice but to promise two more episodes and a Peppa doll. ¡­ Compared to wild greens, picking Milk Vetch was especially easy, and it was Song Tan¡¯s first time selling them, it took less than half an hour to fill three large baskets; when she got home, she saw that Grandpa and Grandma were sitting in the courtyard. ¡°Tantan, I heard you sold wild greens before? Not bad. Our Song Family girls are capable¡ªlook, your Grandma and I are idle, so we came to help you pick the vegetables.¡± Song Tan smiled, ¡°Great! I was worried about not having any help, lucky Grandpa and Grandma care about me!¡± Picking vegetables was not a burdensome task for them! The old couple were delighted to be praised, they quickly set to work with nimble hands and feet. Song Tan saw that the three large baskets wouldn¡¯t last half an hour in their care. She had initially planned to sell these Milk Vetch in the morning, but several group members said there was a dance performance this morning, and if she could go in the afternoon, they would bring all the sisters from the dance team. That was the famous elderly dance group in the city district! They all were connoisseurs when it came to buying vegetables. Song Tan knew she couldn¡¯t miss the opportunity to expand her customer base, so she changed the vegetable selling time to the afternoon. Now after picking the vegetables and tidying them up, she would be ready to head out soon. She didn¡¯t pick more because it was the first time selling, and she wanted to test the acceptance among the crowd. She thought for a moment and then reminded her mother, ¡°Mom, can you make a cold dish with Milk Vetch later on, bring some disposable chopsticks, and I¡¯ll let them taste it when the time comes.¡± ¡­ Meanwhile. The aunties of the elderly dance group, clad in uniform rose-colored cheongsams and bright red lipstick, were cheerfully walking on the street. One of them suggested: ¡°We won an award today, if you ask me, we should celebrate! How about heading to KTV to sing?¡± ¡°Yes, we even have a subscription at the KTV. It¡¯s fifty yuan per person per month; we¡¯ll be at a loss if we miss a day!¡± These days, the old downtown KTVs struggle to attract new customers, so they offered their already inexpensive afternoon sessions, usually booked via group buying, to these middle-aged and elderly folks. From one to five in the afternoon, a large room costs 1500 yuan per month, and the aunties pooled their money together to afford it. This activity was usually very popular, but as soon as today¡¯s suggestion was made, one of the aunties with red curls shook her head: ¡°No way, I need to buy vegetables this afternoon.¡± Buy what? What vegetables? People in the queue exchanged bewildered glances. However, at this moment, another person chimed in, ¡°Yeah, the veggies I bought last time were all gone yesterday, so no matter what, I have to buy more today.¡± There was one who seemed a bit hesitant, ¡°They¡¯re changing to new vegetables today, that Milk Vetch, the kind we used to feed to the cows when we were kids, do you guys buy that too?¡± The red-haired auntie laughed, ¡°Oh my, those wild greens we used to eat until we were sick of them back in the day, now, don¡¯t we still have to fight for them?¡± ¡°This girl seems quite alright in doing business; every time I get wild greens from her, there is no skimping at all, the weight is always exact, and they¡¯re cleaned neatly too.¡± ¡°Exactly! They really do taste great! Let me tell you, I¡¯ve become so picky now, I can tell just by smelling whether the vegetables are fresh or not!¡± ¡°I definitely need to buy more. My granddaughter is counting on eating more vegetables from this place.¡± ¡°Hey, Xiufen, let me tell you, I recently learned a new recipe for steamed buns with wild onion filling, and the buns turned out so delicious, each as big as a fist. My grandson gobbled down eight in one meal!¡± ¡°Really? Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier, they¡¯re all gone now!¡± ¡°Hahaha, at that time, I was afraid you¡¯d compete with me for buying them, and I¡¯d miss out.¡± The aunties engaged in lively discussions, giggling and laughing. Their conversation didn¡¯t quite blend in with the dance team¡¯s blazing red lips and moves. The rest of the group exchanged confused looks, and it took them a while to voice their question: ¡°What vegetables¡­ are you guys buying?¡± Only then did everyone react: ¡°Oh dear, look at my memory!¡± ¡°I planned to tell you guys in the morning, but it¡¯s not too late to say now¡ªwe previously found some incredibly tasty wild vegetables, so fresh they could almost melt on your tongue. The owner told us they would set up a stall at the vegetable market at two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, are you going to buy some? Let¡¯s go together!¡± ¡°But the wild vegetables have been out of stock for three days, today it¡¯s Milk Vetch. Thankfully, I grabbed a lot of shepherd¡¯s purse last time, and the dumplings can last another two days¡­¡± Wild vegetables, Milk Vetch, are they all worth such a frenzy? These are not like the sisters they knew! S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With such doubts, the group made their way, dawdling and orderly, to the usually deserted afternoon vegetable market. As soon as Song Tan¡¯s Little Pika truck appeared, the aunties hurriedly gathered around, first glancing at the truck bed, then letting out disappointed sighs¡ª ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there¡¯d be a lot? How come there¡¯s only so little!¡± Song Tan was also stunned¡ªhow did this turn into a group event? And they¡¯re all in uniform? Qiaoqiao had already skilfully moved the baskets down from the truck, looking at the neatly bundled Milk Vetch and smelling the faint fragrance in the air. The red-haired auntie clapped her hands: ¡°This smell is perfect!¡± She turned and stood in front of Qiaoqiao, her voice soft enough to drip water: ¡°Sweetie, remember auntie? Give me five bundles.¡± Song Tan hadn¡¯t expected to now have loyal fans. So she quickly unpacked the dish of cold Milk Vetch she had brought from home: ¡°Auntie, I guess this is your first time buying this, so let¡¯s not rush. Why don¡¯t you try it first to see if you like the taste?¡± She unwrapped a pair of disposable chopsticks and handed them over. The red-haired auntie didn¡¯t play coy; she immediately grabbed a bite and stuffed it into her mouth. After chewing for a moment, she suddenly fell silent. The group of older sisters behind her instinctively watched her, but then she asked, ¡°Miss, when will you sell these again?¡± Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°Milk Vetch is abundant, so from now on, I¡¯ll harvest at seven in the morning, clean them by eight, and get here around ten in the morning.¡± The auntie nodded her head, seemingly relieved, ¡°That¡¯s good, coming every day¡ªsweetie, hurry up, take five bundles for me!¡± When paying, she felt the sting, ¡°My pension for this month is only enough for buying vegetables¡ªI¡¯ll come again early tomorrow! Remember to prepare more, not like this time, scrimping and saving.¡± Chapter 37 - 37: 37.Tea Garden Fertilization_1 Chapter 37: 37.Tea Garden Fertilization_1 The red-haired auntie¡¯s sales ability was indeed second to none. Under her leadership, regular customers casually ordered three or five jin each, while new customers hesitated before taking one or two. So, when another group of customers saw the message and took time out of their schedule to come over, they discovered¡ª ¡°I was only half an hour late, how come there¡¯s none left?¡± ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t they say that nobody liked to eat Milk Vetch today and wouldn¡¯t buy it?¡± ¡°Right! I hesitated for ages before coming, planning to just buy one jin to try, as a way to support the boss!¡± ... Song Tan: ??? Were there such outrageous statements in the group? She quickly checked her phone and, sure enough, a lot of familiar avatars were discussing how Milk Vetch was unpopular, with great seriousness as if the business was about to fail. But when she opened the WeChat payment, many had scanned the QR code and paid a hundred and eighty yuan. Song Tan: ¡­the ways of the world are truly deep! The customers also realized what was going on, and now with tears in their eyes, they looked at her empty baskets, finally shifting their gaze to the Milk Vetch salad in Qiaoqiao¡¯s hand that had not been finished, stirring with eagerness: ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Song Tan simply handed over some disposable chopsticks: ¡°This is the unpopular Milk Vetch.¡± A few customers, with mixed feelings, each tried a bite with restraint, and tears streamed down their faces in an instant¡ª ¡°If I let them deceive me again, I¡¯m a puppy!¡± Qiaoqiao¡¯s eyes lit up: ¡°Woof woof woof!!!¡± Stimulated by this, the crowd had no choice but to sadly finish the rest of the dish, then agreed to come back the next morning to buy in large amounts, before leaving reluctantly. Song Tan: ¡­it¡¯s not that serious. Once the people left, Song Tan quickly looked at the small basket of Milk Vetch in the rear seat of the car: ¡°Let¡¯s go, Qiaoqiao, to the express station.¡± I promised that person from out of town, and I need to send it to him. ¡­ When she got home, Song Tan counted the money she received that day and found that she had another two thousand yuan, even though she hadn¡¯t picked much more that day. Wu Lan had gone from being bewildered to calmly accepting the situation, even starting to plan out that plot of land: ¡°If you ask me, with this money-making, you should stop feeding the cows and pigs.¡± Song Tan shook her head: ¡°Mom, the main purpose of growing this is to fertilize the fields. The fields haven¡¯t been cultivated for many years, they need to be taken care of.¡± ¡°Besides, Milk Vetch grows fast. With so much land, we can¡¯t possibly sell it all, so there¡¯s no need to be frugal.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Song Sancheng getting ready to go out with a hoe on his back, she looked at the dull sky that seemed like rain was coming: ¡°Dad, what are you doing?¡± Song Sancheng replied: ¡°I¡¯m going to dig at Tea Mountain. When I went up the mountain the other day, I found that our tea plantation there has started sprouting. The old leaves are green and lush, so I might as well apply some nitrogen fertilizer before it rains.¡± Fertilizing the tea plantation generally needs to be done before a rainy day, by lightly digging up a layer of soil and sprinkling the fertilizer on it. This way, when the rain falls, it¡¯s easy for the plants to absorb the nutrients without burning the sprouts. He said, and there was a hint of gleefulness in his tone: ¡°I think our land this year is full of Spiritual Energy; everything that grows tastes great. We should pick more tea leaves; they¡¯re bound to taste good!¡± His words made Song Tan think of the old tea plantation at home. In past years, the tea leaves could still make some money, but as the internet developed and marketing became more aggressive, tea leaves without a brand like theirs lost their market. So, everyone let the few acres of tea plantation go untended, just keeping the leaves for personal consumption. If they really wanted to make money, they would go out to work in the latter half of the year. Song Tan¡¯s family, because of Qiaoqiao¡¯s condition, the couple felt sorry for their child and refused to take him to the factory, so someone had to stay home each year. Naturally, there was more work to do managing the family fields. The air grew increasingly moist, a sure sign of spring rain by evening, and Song Tan thought of the faintly bitter yet sweet aftertaste of her hometown¡¯s tea leaves, stirring her own longing. At that moment, she turned around and grabbed a hoe, ¡°Dad, let¡¯s do this together.¡± Song Sancheng wanted to stop her, ¡°This kind of physical labor, for a young lady like you¡­¡± But then he remembered how hard-working his daughter was, how she could effortlessly carry two large baskets at once and he fell silent. After thinking it over, he decisively called for his son, ¡°Qiaoqiao, let¡¯s go, we¡¯re going to till the fields!¡± Qiaoqiao burst out, ¡°Are we planting corn now?¡± ¡­ Tea Mountain was still some distance from home. They needed to circle around to the back of the mountain, climb the path over it, and then reach the other side to see the expansive tea gardens. This vast area, naturally, all belonged to Song Tan¡¯s family. Looking at the lush green leaves, Song Sancheng couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°The weather¡¯s been good this year, the spring cold isn¡¯t that severe. In previous years, we would have had snow by now, and the tea leaves would almost certainly have been damaged.¡± As he spoke, he started to dig trenches with his hoe. Song Tan really didn¡¯t have any experience with fertilizing, but she followed suit and energetically started digging. With each move she made, strands of Spiritual Energy wrapped around the rows and rows of tea leaves on both sides¡­ The sky grew darker, as if rain would start falling at any moment. Song Sancheng looked at the vast expanse of land he had quickly tilled, and then at the areas that Qiaoqiao had carefully fertilized, and he was shocked¡ª ¡°You¡¯re digging so fast!¡± Normally, it would take a long time to take care of this tea garden. If they waited until October to apply the base fertilizer, digging deep trenches, it would take him over a week on his own! But now, in just over an hour, such a large area was finished¡ªeven for light shallow digging, that was an incredibly high efficiency. The experienced farmer was puzzled: ¡°Have I been eating more lately, or has my body recovered, that I feel so energetic the more I work?¡± Song Tan remained silent, pretending that it had nothing to do with the Spiritual Energy she released. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Sancheng didn¡¯t even consider her for a moment, he just went to inspect the area she had dug and expressed his surprise at her overly agile hoeing¡ª ¡°Wow! You really are born for farming! Look at this work, fast and fine!¡± ¡°Daughter, it seems the land and water of our home really nurture people. Look how much stronger you¡¯ve gotten!¡± Qiaoqiao followed behind with the hoe, huffing and puffing as he spread the fertilizer, sticking out his tongue at Song Sancheng, ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re slow at farming!¡± Song Sancheng chuckled, ¡°As long as I¡¯m better at planting corn than you, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Qiaoqiao, don¡¯t follow behind your sister, just go row by row.¡± Recently, being so busy, he realized too late; they had already missed the best season for fertilizing. Plus, it looked like the rain was coming half a day earlier than forecasted, so there was no time left to dig anymore. They could only do as much as possible, and anything left would simply have to be spread on top of the soil. As he looked over the tea garden, Song Sancheng sighed again, ¡°These four or five acres of tea, if we harvested them diligently, we could get a hundred and some pounds of dry tea by the end of the spring harvest.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s so much to do at the beginning of spring, there¡¯s no time to deal with it, it¡¯s really a pity.¡± Chapter 38 - 38: 38. Buy beehive_1 Chapter 38: 38. Buy beehive_1 Song Sancheng¡¯s view on the timing of the weather was indeed correct. No sooner had the three of them finished spreading fertilizer in this part of the tea plantation when the spring rain started drizzling down. The father and daughter quickly made their way back, while only Qiaoqiao happily hopped: ¡°It¡¯s pouring rain!¡± Fortunately, there were hillside trees all along the way. The rain wasn¡¯t too heavy at the start, so they didn¡¯t get very wet on their way home. Song Tan thought about that tea plantation. She had given it Spiritual Energy, so it would be inappropriate if it didn¡¯t grow vigorously, right? ¡°Dad, I think it¡¯ll only be a few days until we need to pick the tea leaves. We¡¯re going to have to hire people everywhere this year anyway, so two more won¡¯t make a difference.¡± ¡°If the tea leaves can¡¯t be picked in time, just hire people.¡± ... ¡°Why do we need to hire people?¡± Wu Lan felt that if she didn¡¯t keep an eye on her daughter, she would spend money without any plan. How much does tea sell for per pound? Hiring people is expensive! It must be at least one hundred and fifty a day. Yet, Song Tan felt her mom hadn¡¯t changed her way of thinking! ¡°Mom, I can sell wild vegetables for twenty, and Milk Vetch for twenty as well. Why can¡¯t I sell a pound of tea leaves for two thousand?¡± If it were like usual times, a skilled worker could only pick three to four pounds of Maojian tea leaves in a day during the abundant tea-picking season. It takes four pounds of tea leaves to produce one pound of dry tea. If one pound of dry tea only sells for one to two hundred, then it surely wouldn¡¯t be cost-effective. But the problem is, prices are different now. The prime time for spring tea is only about twenty days, and after Qingming, the quality drops a bit, so of course, time is of the essence. Wu Lan pondered a bit. Although she was confident in her daughter, she had no confidence in selling local tea leaves for two thousand yuan per pound. But they had just agreed earlier that they would listen to their daughter about the farm work¡­ She hesitated, ¡°But we don¡¯t need to hire workers, do we? Your dad, your grandpa and grandma can help too. Our family¡¯s tea plantation is only so big, it¡¯s enough.¡± Song Tan started counting on her fingers, ¡°During tea-picking time, we have to worry about breeding and raising seedlings, right? The home poultry and pigs need someone to take care of them, right? Don¡¯t we need to check on the black fungus in the Chestnut Forest? Doesn¡¯t the Milk Vetch need to be picked and sorted every day?¡± ¡°Mom, I already feel like we don¡¯t have enough people at home. If you all go pick tea leaves, then I¡¯ll need to learn how to clone myself first.¡± With the current concentration of Spiritual Energy, practicing for a few decades, she felt she would certainly be able to do it. The caveat is not to scare other people. Wu Lan: ¡­ She was rendered speechless. Upon thinking about the money earned from selling vegetables this year, it should be enough to cover labor costs! So she made up her mind: ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll find a couple of efficient workers in the village¡ªShould we also hire someone to roast the tea? Your dad hasn¡¯t done this work in many years; I hope he doesn¡¯t mess it up.¡± Who in the village knew how to roast tea, and who had a tea-roasting machine, Song Tan really couldn¡¯t remember clearly. But such a small task for their family wouldn¡¯t be too costly¡ª ¡°Okay, Mom, you discuss and arrange with Dad.¡± While they were talking, a phone call came in. Song Sancheng answered the phone and chatted with the person for a while: ¡°Tantan, want to check on the bees? They¡¯re over in Songshu Town.¡± ¡­ The beekeeper was in Songshu Town. Songshu Town is next to Qingxi Town and not too far from their Yunqiao Village; it¡¯s only a twenty-minute drive away. In this area, with its many mountains, the locals primarily depend on tea-picking for income. Naturally, there are also many flowering trees on the hillsides. As a result, Songshu Town had a famously proficient beekeeping family. Song Tan drove with Song Sancheng and Qiaoqiao up the mountain road, and upon seeing a large cardboard sign on the roadside inked with ¡°Local Farm Honey,¡± he knew they had arrived. This beekeeping site, located along the mountain road, had a house that wasn¡¯t as neatly constructed as those roadside, with even a simple tin shed built to the side. In the clearing halfway up the hill in front of the house, square wooden boxes were neatly arranged in rows. Under the sunlight, the bees¡¯ fuzzy bodies vibrated, their buzzing sounds especially distinct. They swirled low in the air, but with the mountain temperature being slightly cold and only a few fruit tree blossoms open so far, they eventually settled in front of a shallow water dish. ¡°Old Song, you¡¯re here!¡± A man with disheveled hair and wearing a black sweater came out and, seeing the family of three, was extremely welcoming: ¡°These are your son and daughter, right? They¡¯re growing up so well¡ªcome on, you¡¯re here for bees, right? What kind do you want? I¡¯ll show you!¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have Italian bees here; they¡¯re all middle-sized bees, just our local smaller ones. Each box has five combs, with about three thousand bees per comb¡­ it¡¯s not easy raising them in the dead of winter!¡± Beekeepers call the place where bees live a comb, with bee¡¯s nests on top and six-sided cells arranged in a grid pattern. For combs of the same size, the number of bees that move in is typically similar. It¡¯s like this for them: too big a house won¡¯t do, neither will too small. The beekeeper was honest, starting his introduction before anyone even asked. Song Tan nodded: ¡°No problem, uncle. I¡¯m just looking for our local bees¡ªabout how much honey can one box yield?¡± At this question, the middle-aged man¡¯s face lit up with pride and a smile: ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate our small local bees; they¡¯re hardworking, more efficient than Italian bees, and not picky. If there are plenty of flowers, a box can yield up to eighty pounds without issue.¡± ¡°If there aren¡¯t enough flowers, it won¡¯t work, they probably won¡¯t even get full.¡± At that, the beekeeper also sighed: ¡°In previous winters, I used to drive south where there are more flowers and it¡¯s warmer. These last two years, with the market being bad, it¡¯s not worth running all over the place. I¡¯ve been worrying all winter long¡ªsee, I¡¯m feeding them sugar water, or else they wouldn¡¯t survive.¡± ¡°Old Song, we¡¯re from the same hometown, so I won¡¯t hide anything from you. The price of bees is naturally a bit higher in spring. One box of mine goes for six hundred yuan, but if you really want it, 560, I won¡¯t hide the fact that I feed them sugar water¡ªit¡¯s just enough for them to survive, there¡¯s no honey.¡± ¡°But once there are flowers, they¡¯ll immediately be able to adjust¡ªbuying them is definitely worth it.¡± Song Tan had checked the prices online beforehand, and this seemed like a fair deal, so he now looked over at Song Sancheng. Song Sancheng didn¡¯t understand bees either! After thinking it over, he was equally straightforward: ¡°Our family has fourteen acres of flower fields, what do you think is the right number to buy? Also, how can you tell the quality of bees?¡± The beekeeper pondered: ¡°Normally, one box of bees per three acres, and getting six to seven pounds of honey per acre is no problem. Now that there aren¡¯t many flowers and you guys lack experience, take four boxes, or three will do.¡± As for assessing the bees¡¯ quality¡­ As the family of three looked on, dumbstruck, the beekeeper didn¡¯t even wear gloves as he fearlessly cracked open a bee box with his bare, relentless hands and pulled out a comb: ¡°Take a look, these worker bees are busy.¡± S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then, casually, he grabbed a handful from another side¡ªdozens of fuzzy bees crawled around in his palm, flapping their wings to fly low, with one particularly large bee standing out: ¡°Look, this is the queen bee, isn¡¯t she well-formed?¡± Qiaoqiao, coveting the sight, squatted nearby, her hand timidly reaching out: ¡°Qiaoqiao wants to touch them too¡­¡± The beekeeper¡¯s body twitched, and then he quickly put the bees back: ¡°You can¡¯t touch them! A bee sting really hurts; you all need to wear bee hoods and gloves normally!¡± Chapter 39 - 39: 39. Being stung once_1 Chapter 39: 39. Being stung once_1 Qiaoqiao¡¯s desire to touch a bee remained unfulfilled. He squatted there, staring longingly: ¡°Why can¡¯t I?¡± The Beekeeper was familiar with Song Sancheng and already knew of Qiaoqiao¡¯s situation, and he placated him like one would a child: ¡°Because right now, you¡¯re not familiar with them. If you reach out, the bees will think you are going to hit them, and they¡¯ll sting you.¡± After securing the beehive closed again, he cautioned, ¡°You mustn¡¯t touch them carelessly, okay? A bee sting can be very painful for you, but the bee will die once it stings someone. These little creatures are pitiable too.¡± ¡°Besides,¡± he extended his own hand for everyone to see, which was covered in calluses, with swollen joints: ¡°My skin is thick and tough. I¡¯ve become used to it.¡± ... Qiaoqiao looked at his hands, then held out his own palm¡ªWu Lan liked cleanliness, and had always kept him neat and tidy since he was little. Now his hand was still fine and fair, with well-defined bones. If it hadn¡¯t been for the slight ruggedness from doing farm work recently, it might still look like the hand of a pampered young master. He let out a long, dejected sigh and turned his head to look elsewhere. Meanwhile, Song Sancheng and Song Tan had inspected each beehive and inquired about the prices¡ªafter all, 560 yuan per hive was the final offer! Sancheng hesitated, ¡°Will there be any flowers after the milk vetch season is over? If there aren¡¯t as many flowers later, we won¡¯t need as many beehives.¡± Song Tan, however, considered: They had come all this way, and the beehives weren¡¯t expensive. If worst came to worst, she could use Spiritual Energy to nurture them! Honey is a valuable thing, after all! So she counted on her fingers, ¡°We have the milk vetch for the next two months, then the chestnut trees will bloom. Our village also has plenty of powdered peach and white pear trees for them to feed on. After June and July, when it gets hot and the bees need a little rest, there are vegetables in the garden, and I¡¯m planning to plant a field of sunflowers¡­¡± After accounting for all that, it seemed feasible to sustain the beehives. Listening to all this, Sancheng felt overwhelmed¡ªhis daughter just had to talk, and he, as the father, had to run his legs off! Between planting chestnut trees and sunflowers, there would be no end to this year¡¯s farm work! ¡°Alright, alright, you make the call!¡± Song Tan decisively said, ¡°We¡¯ll take five hives!¡± The Beekeeper smiled¡ªthis deal would bring in a neat sum of three thousand yuan. Still, he issued a reminder, ¡°Beekeeping is simple, just set the hives properly. But if there¡¯s any issue, don¡¯t mess around¡ªcall me, and I¡¯ll come over to check.¡± No sooner had they finished the transaction than a sudden wail was heard! ¡°Ow¡­¡± There was Qiaoqiao, his formerly fair face streaked with tears and mucus, running out of the woods, crying his eyes out. He held one hand in a loose fist, with the base of his palm red, swollen, and shiny, clearly stung by a bee. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but laugh and cry at the same time, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to touch the bees?¡± Qiaoqiao felt wronged and cried even louder: ¡°I found one so fat and chunky¡­¡± ¡°This one¡¯s robust, can work hard, a queen bee¡­¡± Clearly, he remembered the handful of bees the Beekeeper had shown them earlier. The Beekeeper was shocked, ¡°That¡¯s impossible, how could a queen bee leave the hive¡­¡± As he murmured to himself, he leaned in to take a closer look. Qiaoqiao cautiously opened his swollen fist with his other hand¡ª In his palm lay a round, plump bee as big as a thumbnail, carefully perched there. It was fluffy with yellow and black stripes and indeed looked large, round, and chubby. It was actually kind of cute. ¡­ The Beekeeper couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing, ¡°Oh boy, this is nothing serious! This is a bumblebee; it has a good temper just like our honey bees. As long as you don¡¯t grab it, it normally won¡¯t sting, and a little touch now and then is okay.¡± Qiaoqiao half-understood, stretching out his red, shiny hand. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The beekeeper laughed again, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s bound to hurt a bit, but I have some medicine here to apply to it in a moment¡ªthis must be a newly emerged queen bee; she¡¯s big.¡± ¡°Ordinary bumblebees are just a little bit smaller than this one.¡± Song Tan was quite interested as well. She flicked a wisp of Spiritual Energy with her fingertip, and while the queen bee was initially trying to fly away, it now stumbled and bumbled until it clung to her finger. Song Sancheng was startled, ¡°Oh!¡± Song Tan quickly reassured, ¡°Baba, it¡¯s alright! Look, it didn¡¯t sting me¡ªhow adorable!¡± The fuzzy, plump little creature crawled back and forth on her finger; it really was quite cute. Qiaoqiao watched, completely engrossed, having forgotten the pain of the sting from before. The beekeeper brought out some medicine from the house and, while applying it to Qiaoqiao, looked at the bumblebee again and instructed, ¡°You all play with it for a while but let it go afterward; the queen bee needs to lay and hatch her eggs.¡± Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°Can this one be raised? Does it produce a lot of honey?¡± The beekeeper laughed, ¡°Raise, of course, it can be raised. This one queen bee can birth over a hundred. They are even more hardworking and diligent than honeybees!¡± ¡°There¡¯s just one thing, they earn a lot, but they eat a lot too. If you want to raise them, you won¡¯t be able to get even a little bit of honey from their mouths all year round¡ªnot enough to feed them!¡± ¡°If they go an hour without pollen and nectar, they¡¯ll just collapse like they fainted. Just like us with low blood sugar; if they can¡¯t eat in time, they¡¯ll just die.¡± Hearing this, even Song Sancheng¡¯s eyes gleamed with threads of mirth: ¡°These aren¡¯t bumblebees; they¡¯re just like piglets, aren¡¯t they?¡± But Qiaoqiao had already heard this conversation. Although he didn¡¯t fully understand, it didn¡¯t stop him from looking over with pitiful, blinking eyes, ¡°Sister, I want to raise¡­¡± He looked at the bumblebee crawling on Song Tan¡¯s finger, very cute. Now, with the pain of the sting forgotten, he reached out his hand again. However, the smell of the medicinal oil on his hand was too strong, and with a ¡°buzz,¡± the bumblebee took off flying. After circling around a couple of times, still reluctant to leave that bit of Spiritual Energy, it returned and latched on again. The beekeeper laughed¡ª ¡°If you want to raise it, then raise it. When the time comes, find a small box, prepare some sugar water for it, and leave the rest be.¡± ¡°Once the queen bee emerges, it has to lay eggs. It will secrete beeswax in the box and slowly form a little pot. All of her eggs will be in that little pot.¡± ¡°Then she¡¯ll just sit on it, constantly vibrating and shaking until the temperature rises, and the worker bees will hatch. It¡¯s quite interesting to raise.¡± But he added one more thing, ¡°But it truly won¡¯t make money, they eat too much.¡± ¡°And they¡¯re not as reliable as honeybees; they might just fly away at some point.¡± Song Tan moved her finger, watching the bumblebee cling steadfastly to it, now smiling with full confidence, ¡°Does it still hurt? Qiaoqiao.¡± Qiaoqiao looked at the bumblebee, then at his palm, and sniffled, ¡°It hurts.¡± ¡°Will you grab things recklessly again?¡± Qiaoqiao sobbed a little, tears falling again out of feeling wronged. Song Sancheng¡¯s heart melted watching him, and he quickly soothed, ¡°Next time won¡¯t do that, won¡¯t do it next time.¡± Song Tan chuckled and then asked the beekeeper for a small wooden box, into which she placed the bumblebee. Then she handed the box to Qiaoqiao: ¡°Hold it carefully, don¡¯t open it to look, or you might scare it, and it¡¯ll run away.¡± Chapter 40 - 40: 40. Installing Beehive_1 Chapter 40: 40. Installing Beehive_1 Back home, Song Sancheng began another round of hustle and bustle. His memory was no longer as good as when he was younger, so to ensure nothing could go wrong, he had to listen over and over to the beekeeper¡¯s instructions on his mobile phone before he started preparing. Song Youde, hearing that his granddaughter was going to keep bees, hurried over after lunch to take a look. Seeing Song Sancheng still cutting asbestos tiles, he couldn¡¯t help but show his disdain: ¡°Look at you, why are you dilly-dallying so? Shouldn¡¯t you set up the beehive first?¡± Upon hearing this, Song Tan knew that her grandfather was just giving ignorant orders. Sure enough, as Song Sancheng huffed and puffed with his work, he said, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t make things more difficult. The beekeeper said that a rain shield needs to be placed on top of the beehive, I¡¯m cutting this whole asbestos tile to cover it precisely.¡± ... Song Youde felt embarrassed by his incorrect directions: ¡°So you know how to keep bees? I¡¯ve also kept them before. You have to elevate the base of the hive, at least twenty centimeters high!¡± This time he wasn¡¯t mistaken¡ªindeed, the base of the beehive needed to be elevated for insect and moisture protection and for ventilation. Song Tan also smiled, ¡°Grandpa, you really do have a lot of experience!¡± ¡°They have also treated the hive to prevent ants, and we plan to place the beehive on the outside of the courtyard, next to the hill at the back.¡± ¡°But I heard that the beehives need to be arranged in a stepped fashion, moreover sheltered from the sun¡ªwhy don¡¯t you help take a look to see which spot is more suitable?¡± Chinese bees are like that, with relatively poorer nest recognition abilities. Thus, not only have to the beehives be arranged in a stepped formation from top to bottom, but there also has to be about a five-meter space between each one. The entrances of the hives should face south, yet each hive should be oriented slightly differently¡­ Song Tan use to watch others keep bees, their hives arranged in neat rows, and thought it was done haphazardly. Now it seemed that indeed there was a trick to everything. Song Youde, assigned a task, felt that his personal worth had been further validated. Smoking his pipe, he went off to wander around the side of the courtyard. Song Sancheng glanced at his daughter, thinking that this girl¡¯s mouth was indeed much like her mother¡¯s. Meanwhile, her mother, Wu Lan, found several shallow dishes and poured some sugar water into them to serve: ¡°Let them eat for a couple of days first; I see some milk vetch in the field starting to bud, and it¡¯s going to bloom in a few days, then they can collect nectar.¡± But while she said this, she didn¡¯t move. After all, the buzzing of several clusters of bees lingering around was still somewhat daunting. Song Tan didn¡¯t mind; she simply took the dishes and filled them, with threads of Spiritual Energy seeping in. No sooner had she placed them down than the bees swarmed eagerly, such that Song Sancheng murmured to himself, ¡°How can they be so famished?¡± Song Tan¡¯s mind raced¡ªwith the attraction of Spiritual Energy being so strong, she¡¯d have to start practicing pest repellent spells first. Otherwise, should some hornets come by, her investment would be wasted. Well, these were just simple spells; with enough Spiritual Energy, she¡¯d start tonight! And Qiaoqiao, who was holding a small case quietly, watched Song Sancheng work. Only after the asbestos tiles had all been cut, did he look up and ask, ¡°Baba, what about mine? Where¡¯s my little bear?¡± ¡°Your little bear?¡± Song Sancheng was taken aback, then realized¡ªhow much time had passed that the bear bees already had names! ¡°You mean, the rain shield for your pet bear bees?¡± Qiaoqiao nodded, with his gaze scanning the ground back and forth, apparently choosing the most appropriate spot. Song Sancheng smiled and pointed at the junk shed in the courtyard: ¡°Whether your bear bees can be kept together with our honeybees is another matter. Since it¡¯s just for fun, why not simply put it in the corner of the shed.¡± ¡°It will be sheltered from the wind and rain there, with fewer insects, and safer too.¡± Raising them in the yard means they¡¯ll be closer to me! Qiaoqiao hurried over with the box, and in no time, had already picked out a spot. Only then did he turn back with a pitiful look, ¡°Sister, I want to open the box, just to take a peek.¡± Song Tan thought for a moment, prepared some sugar water, infused it with Spiritual Energy, and then opened the box. The queen bee, plump and fluffy, took off uncontrollably and dived straight into the dish, eagerly starting to suckle! Poor thing, she must have been terribly hungry, and waiting to store energy to lay eggs! Her round, plump butt was sticking high in the air, with black and yellow furry stripes clear and bright. The butt was big and round, furry, and trembling, it looked so touchable that one couldn¡¯t help but want to stroke it. Qiaoqiao, again eager to touch, reached out his finger, only to be caught by a glance from Song Tan: ¡°Doesn¡¯t your hand hurt?¡± He immediately withdrew his hand with an aggrieved look. Song Tan looked around and ultimately placed the box in a higher spot: ¡°Don¡¯t mess with it.¡± Carpenter bees can drill holes, and once the worker bees hatch and the colony grows, she¡¯d see how to make arrangements. Anyway, she wasn¡¯t expecting them to make money, just as a hobby for Qiaoqiao. Well¡­ She recalled the feeling of the fuzzy, plump touch, and took the chance to quickly open the box and gave a firm stroke while Qiaoqiao¡¯s back was turned! In the dish, the carpenter bee almost got thrust straight into the sugar water by the stroke, and now, bewildered, its stinger extended and then retracted without having touched anything, and finally, with a shift of its butt, it buried its head back in for a vigorous suckle. ¡­ Meanwhile, in Ning Province, Dr. Zhang Yuan¡¯s fame in the hospital had surged once again! Not to mention the hospital leadership, even the patients were inquiring: ¡°Dr. Zhang, that green vegetable porridge you ate at noon, everyone says you bought the vegetables yourself¡ªwhat kind of vegetables are those? Where did you buy them? How much are they per pound? Can we patients eat them?¡± Dr. Xiaozhang was on the verge of shedding tears of grievance, excitement, and disbelief¡ª Here¡¯s the thing. Those vegetables, two hundred bucks for about ten pounds, not even including the shipping costs! And after they arrived, he had barely opened the box when the canteen¡¯s chef strolled over: ¡°Dr. Zhang, have the patients sent you vegetables again?¡± Zhang Yuan waved his hands hurriedly: ¡°No, no, I bought these myself, twenty yuan per pound.¡± Having learned his lesson from the last stern reprimand by the head nurse, he decided to wise up and offer these vegetables to his esteemed leaders! But hesitating for a moment on how to broach the subject, he saw the chef already sniffing and examining the vegetables: ¡°Dr. Zhang, I heard you¡¯re still single, right? Living in the dorm? Ah, single guys just don¡¯t have it together, look at how you buy vegetables, there¡¯s no plan to it. Buying so much at once? It¡¯ll be a waste if you can¡¯t finish them!¡± Dr. Xiaozhang¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment; he couldn¡¯t very well say that he was planning to divide them among the leaders, could he? Without speaking, the chef had already made plans: S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°I hear there¡¯s going to be a provincial committee visit today, your shepherd¡¯s purse looks nice, how about I make some dumplings with it?¡± ¡°This water spinach is good, too, perfect for a soup.¡± ¡°Oh, this wild onion is great! So fragrant, I¡¯m going to stir-fry some beef with it!¡± ¡°This bit of malan head¡­ too little to make a dish, kind of awkward, why don¡¯t I make you a pot of green vegetable porridge for lunch instead?¡± Chapter 41 - 41: 41. Secretary Wang_1 Chapter 41: 41. Secretary Wang_1 The chef took care of the box of vegetables by himself, then hugged the box and ran. Dr. Xiaozhang¡¯s face turned bright red, seeing the wild vegetables were no longer secure, and before he had mustered up the courage to think of his lines, he impulsively rushed to the office: ¡°Director, I bought some more wild vegetables, let¡¯s all go to the cafeteria for lunch¡ª¡± He got stuck there. Because in this office, at the very head of the table, sat a middle-aged man who was well-known to the people of our province, yet not so familiar. The man looked at him and started to chuckle, ¡°Is this a group outing to the cafeteria for wild vegetables? Mind if Secretary Wang and I join, would that be convenient?¡± ... S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whether or not that meal would be convenient, Dr. Xiaozhang didn¡¯t know. He only knew he felt like he had fallen from the clouds, not even knowing what he ate at noon. Latter, many people came up to talk to him, he only remembered numbly forwarding a WeChat message to Song Tan, and after that, he was lost in a daze again. Luckily, the chef was considerate, seeing him in such a listless state, he had packed a thermos of porridge just for him. Dr. Xiaozhang sat in his department, touched his shoulder, and thought: Wow, the leader patted me! Then, he cheerfully lifted the lid. In that instant, the overpowering fragrance of the vegetables spread throughout the entire department and traveled down the open corridor, catching the attention of passersby. By the time lunch was over, even the patients could smell it. ¡­ Of all the ups and downs in Dr. Xiaozhang¡¯s life, Song Tan was completely unaware. All she knew was that starting that afternoon, her phone kept buzzing with friend requests one after another, all with strange notes attached. There was one from someone named Secretary Wang¡ªgoodness, who would send a friend request out of the blue that says, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Secretary Wang, may I ask if this is Ms. Song, the seller of wild vegetables?¡± There was one from someone called Bed 46. And some she recognized¡ªfriend requests with notes prefixed by Provincial People¡¯s Hospital, probably colleagues of Dr. Zhang Yuan. However, Song Tan was busy working at the moment and didn¡¯t have time to ponder; she simply pulled all these people into her vegetable selling group. For a while, nobody spoke. Except for the man who noted himself as ¡°Secretary Wang,¡± who sent out three question marks and then quickly retracted them. But he obviously was the one with the most purchasing potential, as he came right out and asked: ¡°Hello, do you still have wild vegetables of the same quality you sent to Dr. Zhang? I want fifty pounds.¡± As soon as he said this, the chat was bombarded by the aunties. [Oh, young man! Don¡¯t be so greedy, we only dare to buy ten pounds of wild vegetables.] [Wild vegetables have been sold out for a while now, only Milk Vetch is left. It¡¯s delicious when stir-fried, but not so much in dumplings. If you want it, just buy a pound or two for yourself to taste, fifty pounds is too much.] [Don¡¯t worry, the boss said there¡¯s plenty of Milk Vetch, no need to rush.] Most of the aunties sent long voice messages, and in the Provincial Government Office, Secretary Wang listened to each one patiently, finding them increasingly odd as he went along. Does this vegetable seller¡­ not take him seriously at all? Had he not asked Dr. Zhang to make an introduction? Why was she still so indifferent? Lost in thought, by the time he came back to his senses, he discovered that the group was already sharing new recipes for shepherd¡¯s purse dumplings and purslane buns, followed by an auntie posting a photo of stir-fried Milk Vetch with double-cooked pork¡­ So, this was truly a proper vegetable selling group. He, Wang Qing, the big Secretary of the Provincial Committee, was now going to lurk in this group to snatch up vegetables? Secretary Wang, reminiscing about the meal he had enjoyed at the hospital cafeteria at noon, was once again lost in a trance¡ª Actually, if they all taste like that, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to join the group and wait in line! Thinking of the leader¡¯s incessant praises, Secretary Wang bit the bullet: ¡°Boss, I want ten pounds of Milk Vetch, please ship it as soon as possible.¡± Thank heavens, when it came to money, the boss finally appeared: ¡°Ten pounds? Do you need it today?¡± Secretary Wang was overjoyed, ¡°Yes, today, the sooner the better!¡± Song Tan was pleased with this new big customer, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go pick it shortly and ship it out this afternoon. But you¡¯ll have to cover the shipping costs yourself!¡± After some thought, she couldn¡¯t help but ask again, ¡°You all are colleagues of Dr. Zhang Yuan, right?¡± Dr. Xiaozhang is really thoughtful! Those twenty yuan¡¯s worth of vegetables were well spent. As expected, the group erupted with responses. The number of people here had already reached 61, Secretary Wang didn¡¯t say a word, and no one seemed to care. Song Tan checked the list of names who needed shipping again but couldn¡¯t recognize what level this so-called ¡®family courtyard¡¯ was, and then she pushed the thought out of her mind. ¡­ Old Man Li¡¯s ox had officially stepped into the field; it couldn¡¯t lift its head from the lush Milk Vetch it was feasting on, and if not for Old Man Li¡¯s firm hand on the reins, the old ox would have been keen to sleep in the field at night. After all, being wrapped in a faint Spiritual Energy from all directions felt truly fantastic. Meanwhile, Qiaoqiao was picking vegetables nearby, while Song Tan filmed the old ox and Old Man Li, capturing a video brimming with rural charm. By now, although the Milk Vetch had not yet bloomed, she had gathered enough material for her first video. The Milk Vetch from the five or six fields, selling through casual transactions, was both tiring and inefficient. Moreover, while Song Tan did want to make money, she also enjoyed seeing people happy eating her produce. Therefore, she had been planning to sell online for quite a while. She had originally planned to wait for the Milk Vetch to bloom, shoot a beautiful video and make a splash overnight. But Milk Vetch is only delicious when it has tender shoots; once it blooms, it becomes tough. She had no choice but to edit together the little footage she had of herself picking wild vegetables, tidying them up, shots from the vegetable market, and scenes of the fields to warm up the audience. Nowadays, life is fast-paced and stressful, and more and more people enjoy videos of the countryside. Although her video was shot with a smartphone with simple filters and framing, it had the advantage of depicting her family genuinely working the farm. The moisture of the wild vegetables and the tenderness of the Milk Vetch seemed to leap out of the screen! She paired it with music and linked the recently registered Taobao shop, with a simple, direct title: ¡°Awaiting the nameless wildflowers of childhood memories¡ªMilk Vetch¡± In smaller text below: ¡°Fresh and crisp, Milk Vetch shoots coming to market, promotional period with free national shipping! Live picking available!¡± Offering free national shipping was the limit for Song Tan, the price remained unchanged at twenty yuan per pound. Her first video directly featured the sales link; scanning the entire internet, Song Tan only saw her own doing this. With her intention to make money so obvious, she didn¡¯t know if anyone would buy it. But, she had to figure out how the system worked step by step. The prime time to enjoy the Milk Vetch was just these ten days to half a month; she would sell as much as she could. If she couldn¡¯t sell it all, she¡¯d just turn over the soil and use it all as green manure¡ªit would still be useful! After all, they had intended to use Milk Vetch as green manure from the start! Selling it was just a side benefit. This was staying true to their original intention. As for whether online sales would attract anyone¡­ she didn¡¯t know that. Song Tan believed that as long as someone tried buying, she would definitely be able to keep her returning customers! That was her biggest advantage. Chapter 42 - 42: Patient No. 42 asks_1 Chapter 42: Patient No. 42 asks_1 Imperial City Ren¡¯ai Hospital. Lun Jing, wearing a soft white woolen sweater and with a spring in her step, entered the inpatient department. Unlike her usual worried expression, today she looked radiant with her long hair flowing loosely around her, beaming with joy and seeming very happy. Even the sound of her voice seemed a pitch higher than usual, ¡°Achuan! Let¡¯s have dumplings for lunch!¡± Lun Chuan put away his tablet and then looked up at her, ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± Lun Jing opened the thermal bag on the table and smiled back at him, ¡°Am I?¡± ... Lun Chuan: ¡­. If you hadn¡¯t been smiling when you turned back, it wouldn¡¯t be so obvious. ¡°Is it some bad luck with Zhou Yongzhi?¡± Upon reflection, what else could make his mother so joyous at this time, if not the misfortune of her jerk of an ex-husband? Lun Jing had already taken out two huge thermal containers, and as she began to remove the lids, she chided him, ¡°What are you talking about? He¡¯s still your dad! Even if you¡¯re waiting for his bad luck, what does that have to do with me? It¡¯s bad luck.¡± Then your unexplained joy¡­ Lun Chuan simply stopped asking. Just then, Lun Jing handed him a heavy thermal container ¡ª truly a large one, filled to the brim with dumplings, at least thirty or fifty in count! In a small compartment on the side, there was some vinegar, but not much. At this moment, the fragrant aroma of the dumplings and the tart scent of the vinegar wafted over, and Lun Chuan couldn¡¯t help swallowing his saliva, feeling his dormant appetite suddenly awakened. ¡°So many dumplings? Mom, shall we split¡ª¡± He was only halfway through his sentence when he saw Lun Jing sitting in front of the hospital bed, also opening a similar thermal container in her hands. The number of dumplings inside seemed barely less than his. ¡°Mom,¡± Lun Chuan hesitated, ¡°isn¡¯t this too many dumplings?¡± However, no one responded to him anymore. Lun Jing eagerly picked up a plump dumpling and stuffed it into her mouth. After gobbling down three in quick succession, she finally remembered she had a son who was a patient and hurriedly looked up at him while nonchalantly urging, ¡°Hurry up and eat, come on, eat!¡± Lun Chuan paused for a moment, then picked up his chopsticks too. Having been in the hospital for a while, his appetite hadn¡¯t been great, but the scent of the dumplings suddenly made his stomach growl. Not until a dumpling entered his mouth, the indescribable fragrance of the dough and meat mingled, accompanied by the burst of savory juice in his mouth¡­ Lun Chuan slowly chewed the dumpling, swallowed it, and then without lifting his head, aimed for the next one. This silent mukbang continued until halfway through, when the slightly ajar hospital room door was suddenly knocked open. A middle-aged man in patient attire, with neat short hair and dark skin, stood outside the door. He was holding onto a crutch under one arm, his leg wrapped up so thoroughly it was completely covered. Using the crutch, his serious eyes suddenly took on an embarrassed look, then he smiled awkwardly, ¡°Uh¡­ cough¡­ I¡­ you know¡­ what are you guys eating?¡± Lun Chuan met his gaze, having never experienced anything like this before, he was momentarily stunned. Meanwhile, Lun Jing couldn¡¯t help but let out a snort of laughter, making the man standing outside, with his cheek flushed red, seem even more embarrassed. She quickly tried to restrain her laughter, ¡°Sorry, sorry¡ª we¡¯re having dumplings, shepherd¡¯s purse with pork.¡± Being closer, she clearly saw the man opposite gulp, then his ears also turned red: ¡°May I ask where you bought them?¡± After he asked and saw Lun Jing staying silent, he hurriedly explained, ¡°I live in the hospital room across from you. The smell was just too fragrant, getting stronger and stronger. I couldn¡¯t resist¡­ Sorry about that.¡± To think a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties would run over and ask just because of a craving for a dumpling, it was indeed a bit embarrassing. He turned around, intending to quickly escape this socially fatal hospital room. Yet, seeing his reaction, Lun Jing felt awkward too¡ªthe dumplings really were delicious. She had overeaten just last night, and now that someone was asking, how could she make fun of him? So she quickly called out, ¡°Well¡­ if you don¡¯t mind, I have extra. Bring a bowl over and I¡¯ll give you some.¡± The man from the opposite room, limping on one leg, hastily went to get a bowl. It seemed that while he verbalized his reluctance, his heart couldn¡¯t wait to taste them. Meanwhile, Lun Chuan watched her separate half of the dumplings from her own lunch box, struggled to hold back, but finally couldn¡¯t help himself: ¡°I can eat them.¡± Lun Jing gave him a reproachful look: ¡°I can eat them too! But last night, I stuffed myself until my stomach hurt, and I didn¡¯t learn my lesson at noon. I cooked too many again¡­¡± She tried to hide her reluctance, putting on an indifferent expression: ¡°It¡¯s just that someone likes them. It¡¯s a good opportunity for me to control my appetite.¡± ¡°Right, Achuan, scoop out a few from your bowl too. When I made the dumplings, I only thought about letting you eat more, forgetting that your appetite hasn¡¯t been great recently. Don¡¯t overstuff your stomach.¡± She took his lunchbox, leaving no room for refusal, and sighed: ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve been in Imperial City for too long? Why do I find this hometown shepherd¡¯s purse so delicious?¡± ¡°Hometown¡¯s?¡± Lun Chuan was surprised. ¡°Yes,¡± Lun Jing looked at him, ¡°didn¡¯t you leave our home address for that young lady last time? Last night, Wind Speed Express delivered ten pounds of wild vegetables from Ning Province, mostly shepherd¡¯s purse.¡± ¡°When I saw how tender they were, I rushed to buy meat to make dumplings.¡± She hadn¡¯t expected them to be so delicious. Originally, she boiled ten dumplings to taste them as a midnight snack. But she ended up cooking pot after pot, eating ten after ten¡­ She gobbled down thirty dumplings and swallowed two digestives before finally managing to fall asleep after much tossing and turning at night. But these details were not worth sharing with the kids. It was rather embarrassing. Still, this was enough to astonish Lun Chuan. He remembered the message he sent that day and the silence that followed on WeChat, and suddenly he found it amusing: The girl didn¡¯t speak half a lie, promising to send wild vegetables and she did. This honesty was a relief to Lun Chuan¡ªhe really feared an over-the-top gratitude or thanks would come looking for repayment. Therefore, he let go of any resistance he had within. Then he continued to relish the remaining dumplings, feeling more confident that giving the address wasn¡¯t a loss after all. At this moment, the patient from the opposite room knocked on the door, a big man sheepishly handing over a lunchbox that almost made Lun Jing laugh out loud again. She tried hard to hold back the laughter and started to fill the lunchbox with dumplings. The patient at the door was both embarrassed and awkward, yet his stomach inconveniently grumbled loud enough for both mother and son in the room to turn and look. The middle-aged man finally gave in completely: ¡°Did you make these dumplings yourselves? Which brand are the vegetables and meat from? They taste really good! Just the smell alone, and my mouth is watering.¡± Lun Jing handed the lunchbox back: ¡°Yes, the pork is from the supermarket, black pork, but the shepherd¡¯s purse was sent over by a girl from the countryside¡­¡± She smiled awkwardly, obviously without intent to provide contact information for the ingredients. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The man from the opposite room paused, then seeming to remember something, quickly went over to the entrance and brought over two bags of fruit: ¡°Well¡­ really sorry about that, thank you.¡± After setting down the fruit by the door, he used his crutch to move quickly back into his own room, not giving them a chance to refuse. Chapter 43 - 43: 43. Whats so good about this dish?_1 Chapter 43: 43. What¡¯s so good about this dish?_1 As the days grew brighter and earlier, the temperature also gradually rose. The peach and cherry trees by the door began to bud, and the village was enveloped in a faint green of sprouting plants and morning mist, exceptionally beautiful. Last night, Song Tan had finished editing her video and posted it, but after refreshing the page over a hundred and eighty times, she had hardly gained any views. Her cultivation of an unflappable mind was far from professional. Seeing the low number of views made her angry, and she turned her frustration into motivation, heading to the fields to pick milk vetch. After all, there was no worry about selling the crops; a trip a day, each trip a steady income of a thousand or two. But today, it was just her and Qiaoqiao picking. ... Grandma Wang Lifan wrapped a plastic tarp around her waist and tied the basket to her as well, then with a straw hat in hand, she asked, ¡°Tantan, can you manage the vegetables on your own if I go pick tea?¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, she added, ¡°Or maybe I should stay. We¡¯ve hired four people to pick tea on the mountain, they won¡¯t miss me.¡± Wu Lan quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mom, I¡¯m here. Go pick the tea, it¡¯s good to have someone up there, and it will keep people from slacking off.¡± In reality, they were all villagers, and Wu Lan had hired hard workers. For the sake of pride alone, no one would dare slack off. But hearing this reason, Wang Lifan hurried off to the mountain all the same. Song Tan had just brought back the harvested milk vetch, and together with Qiaoqiao, the three of them bustled about tidying up. She hesitated at the words: ¡°Picking tea leaves in the field all day is quite strenuous; it might be better to ask Grandma to help out at home.¡± Wu Lan shook her head, ¡°Working at home isn¡¯t much easier, but if I offer to pay, your grandparents will refuse outright¡ªonce or twice is okay, but if it goes on, your uncle is going to feel uncomfortable.¡± Both families contributed to the elderly care expenses, so why should the grandparents only help their younger son with his work? This wasn¡¯t about being petty; issues arise not from scarcity but from inequity. They lived harmoniously as a family precisely because they were careful about these matters. It¡¯s different with tea picking on the mountain; we pay people a hundred and fifty a day, and Grandma is willing to take that money for her work.¡± Though she made excuses that she was old and didn¡¯t pick much, only agreeing to take one hundred after much persuasion, she ultimately took it. Song Tan nodded, once again reflecting that this attitude was completely different from when she cultivated through farming. There were just too many emotions to consider. Wu Lan meticulously sorted the milk vetch she had picked, and even the thought of wages made her heart ache: ¡°Just think, we only have that one tea garden, usually one or two hired hands sufficed. But who could have foreseen that the tea would also grow so well this year, and you insisted on hiring two more people¡­ Now with Grandma included, we¡¯re paying 700 in wages a day.¡± This year, for some reason, the tea plants thrived, just like the densely packed, soft and tender milk vetch in the fields; one could tell at a glance that the quality would be excellent. But doing the math, ¡°With the tea plants flourishing, it¡¯s certain one person can pick four catties of fresh tips a day, plus Grandma, let¡¯s count five catties of dry tea a day.¡± ¡°Labor cost at 700, plus fertilizers and other expenses, not to mention paying for processing¡­ Without 300 per catty, we¡¯re sure to lose money.¡± Wu Lan calculated and began to feel uneasy, ¡°Our mountain tea isn¡¯t famous at all, can we really sell it at a high price?¡± Song Tan could only promise over and over, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry! If all else fails, just look at our basket full of wild vegetables, half a month¡¯s sales could bring in twenty or thirty thousand.¡± ¡°Apart from me, who else has that skill?¡± Her daughter was boasting again! Wu Lan glared at her, ¡°Is that your skill? That¡¯s the merit of our land, growing such good vegetables!¡± Mumbling to herself, ¡°We¡¯ve been farming for decades, yet you, who knows nothing, have caught up¡­¡± Her words were tinged with both pride and a hint of envy. While neatly stacking bundles of Milk Vetch into plastic storage baskets, she didn¡¯t forget to instruct: ¡°Remember to leave two or three pounds of Milk Vetch for your uncle and auntie. I said I¡¯d send them some wild greens last time, but I was so busy the next day I forgot, and now the wild greens have gone tough.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been selling vegetables for over a month now; if you don¡¯t deliver this time, it wouldn¡¯t be right.¡± Song Tan nodded, ¡°Okay, I definitely won¡¯t forget this time.¡± This time, when she went to the market, there were even more aunties waiting by the road. They were even helping to carry the baskets, just to get their vegetables quicker. Qiaoqiao confidently took out the QR code and stuck it on his chest, then, with plastic bags in hand, he was ready to spring into action! Lately, he had been counting so well, the aunties all preferred him to handle the vegetables. Qiaoqiao became momentarily unrivaled and extremely enthusiastic. ¡°Miss, you accept pre-orders and even deliver goods to people from out of town, so why not accept pre-orders from us? I¡¯ll mention it on WeChat, and they can just come, pick up the veggies, and go. How simple is that?¡± Song Tan smiled, revealing a dimple, sweet and obedient: ¡°Auntie, but they pay for shipping, and it costs dozens more every time they place an order.¡± ¡°Plus, people from out of town can¡¯t get their hands on good stuff like this, unlike you, auntie, with your discerning eye, picking the best at first glance.¡± ¡°Oh my! You little girl sure have a way with words¡­¡± The aunties, delighted, paid up and walked away contentedly with their bundles of vegetables. Actually, it wasn¡¯t really about the shipping cost. The truth was that the process of taking pre-orders and collecting payments was quite complicated, and it was easy to make mistakes without care. At present, the volume wasn¡¯t that large, and there was only this one crop. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t worth developing a mini-app for it. Song Tan was busy enough at home every day; there was no need to go through all that trouble. Everyone here was bustling about, and people at the market had grown used to the sight. A girl bringing her simple-minded brother, driving a pickup to the market every day to set up a stall and sell vegetables; expensive, yet they sold out incredibly fast! The people at the market were no strangers to it, not a day or two¡¯s observation. Not only were the nearby vendors inquiring, but also the shoppers couldn¡¯t help being curious: ¡°Big sis, you guys always buy vegetables at this stall, are you doing some kind of group purchase?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± The auntie declared with confidence. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She hadn¡¯t the slightest clue how to navigate those group purchases on the phone; she had been buying vegetables from the market her entire life: ¡°The girl¡¯s veggies are great. We¡¯ve seen in the group chat what time she¡¯ll come, so we wait here in advance.¡± Glancing at the stall behind her, ¡°Only two baskets left? In another half an hour, I reckon they¡¯ll all be gone.¡± Despite everyone being aware of the usual speed, they couldn¡¯t help but be astonished by the efficiency¡ª This wasn¡¯t the busiest early morning rush; this was mid-morning, around nine or ten! To sell these fresh leafy greens at this hour, at this pace? ¡°So what¡¯s so special about these vegetables? People are willing to pay twenty for them, a family could spend a hundred or more in a day.¡± The neighboring vegetable vendor had been itching to ask; to him, this way of splurging seemed outrageous. Then there was this big sister, he watched coldly as she came every day, unwilling to leave without spending a hundred and eighty¡ªhow wealthy must her family be? Chapter 44 - 44: 44. Dafang Hardware Store_1 Chapter 44: 44. Dafang Hardware Store_1 The market by the river has a history of one or two decades. For the most part, the people selling vegetables and the stalls here have been relatively fixed. Occasionally, there might be farmers carrying poles to sell some locally-grown fruits, but those follow the seasons and do not last long. But there¡¯s one exception, the vegetable-selling newcomer Song Tan, who is strange, very strange indeed. Firstly, there aren¡¯t many young girls selling vegetables here. Secondly, this young girl is pretty, and she brought an equally pretty but simple-minded younger brother, able to evoke sympathy and attract attention. ... Lastly, the vegetables are sold at such a high price! At first, the other vendors scoffed: Don¡¯t think that just having a simple-minded brother can attract customers! This market is full of middle-aged and elderly aunts who are savvy with their spending, hating to even spend an extra penny. Being pretty and pitiful might attract people elsewhere. Here, the aunts won¡¯t spend a dime more! But as they watched, the simple child who started off slow and foolish gradually became more adroit, even counting money more smoothly¡ª Well, look at that! You¡¯re training your brother, huh. Then comes the issue of the vegetable prices. Wild vegetables for twenty RMB a pound? The vendors sneered, thinking you¡¯re just selling freshness! But as the weather warmed up and vegetable prices dropped, she was still selling for twenty RMB a pound?! The vendors scoffed: You must be relying on shills, right? And then later, even Milk Vetch from the fertile fields was being sold, still at twenty RMB a pound, and still, there were so many people scrambling for it¡­ The vendors were completely numb. How should they put it, could it be that having sold vegetables for one or two decades, they had totally missed the market trend? Having held back for so long, they finally asked today. Who knew that the aunt they asked also harbored deep frustrations: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth? These vegetables are so expensive; every day when I spend money, it¡¯s like cutting my heart with a knife.¡± Then why do you buy so much?! The vendor stared at the bunches of fresh and vibrant Milk Vetch in the aunt¡¯s basket, puzzled. Who knew the aunt¡¯s mood would suddenly lift: ¡°You don¡¯t understand, eating more vegetables is good for the body. Our family eats a few pounds of these vegetables every day, making going to the bathroom smooth, the body feels good, and we sleep soundly at night¡­ Even the pimples on my daughter¡¯s face have lessened significantly! This money is well spent.¡± ¡°Moreover, these vegetables are unbelievably tasty, good in salads, stir-fries, hot pot¡ªyou name it! If I don¡¯t get to eat it in a meal, I feel agonized.¡± The onlookers: ¡­ So¡­ What you¡¯re buying isn¡¯t vegetables, it¡¯s Brain Platinum, a calming oral solution, a laxative, melatonin, right? Maybe even add some opium? This is too exaggerated. Who knew the aunt, seeing their disbelief, became even more defiant: ¡°You all shouldn¡¯t be skeptical! Aren¡¯t we those who¡¯ve bought vegetables for decades ¨C don¡¯t we know what¡¯s good by now?¡± ¡°Just look at how this girl sells vegetables, always selling out swiftly; everybody can¡¯t all be fools, can they? If you really don¡¯t believe it, spend twenty RMB to be fooled once, and you¡¯ll know how good it really is!¡± The aunt, with a basket full of vegetables, left in a huff, and after passing two stalls, she spotted someone selling tomatoes, so she stepped forward: ¡°How much are you selling those for?¡± The vendor hesitated for a moment: ¡°Eight RMB.¡± The aunt immediately got angry: ¡°Oh really! I¡¯ve been buying vegetables around here for decades, and you dare to rip me off, these tomatoes were clearly four RMB just yesterday!¡± Having said that, she stood up and turned to leave. A vendor approached cautiously from not far away, ¡°Bro, why did you raise the price?¡± The vendor had a look of wanting to cry but having no tears, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I see her spending over a hundred bucks on wild vegetables every day¡­¡± Thinking she was a bold customer who didn¡¯t care about the cost and preferred expensive stuff! They kept to themselves, feeling wronged; but when they turned around, they saw that the pretty girl had already prepared to pack up her stall with her silly brother. The neighboring vegetable seller took a brisk step: ¡°That, do you have any more vegetables? I¡¯ll take a pound!¡± Song Tan was startled, then she instructed her brother, ¡°Qiaoqiao, go get a bunch from the car.¡± While smiling she said, ¡°Uncle, we¡¯ve bothered you by setting up next to your vegetable stall these past few days¡ªtoday¡¯s vegetables are all sold out. However, I had planned to bring some to my relatives. Just take a pound.¡± The vegetable seller¡¯s face finally brightened up as he waved his hand, laughing, ¡°The market isn¡¯t mine. We sell different things, so what¡¯s the difference? But you must charge me for the vegetables, I won¡¯t take them for free¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, he saw Qiaoqiao puff out his chest, proudly showcasing the QR code on his hoodie. The vegetable seller: ¡­ Seeing the smiley girl again, he had no choice but to scan the code and pay, then he turned away with the vegetables, feeling frustrated. Song Tan then smoothly took out five yuan, ¡°There you go, buy your Peppa stickers!¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡­ Qiaoqiao, his cheeks and clothes adorned with stickers, happily carried the basket following Song Tan. He looked around with wonder: ¡°Sister, their building is so tall!¡± ¡°What are they selling here?¡± ¡°There are flowers!¡± ¡°Where exactly is Uncle?¡± Song Tan looked at his carefree expression, her own expression softening, ¡°We¡¯ll be there soon. See, the one with the blue sign up ahead¡ªQiaoqiao, can you read it? Try reading it out.¡± Qiaoqiao followed her hand and looked over, then he started counting with his fingers strugglingly, ¡°Big, big¡­ hmm, Metal¡­ hmm¡­¡± He turned his head, his clear eyes looking at Song Tan, ¡°I¡¯ve finished reading.¡± Song Tan sighed¡ªQiaoqiao was in such a state; he could understand, count, recognize money, occasionally tell the time. He was obedient and easy to coax, never crying or making a fuss arbitrarily. But if it came to systematic learning, he was really like a kindergarten kid, unable to recognize all the characters and had trouble getting around, let alone letting him commute to school in the city alone¡­ She would have to think of another way later. But this thought just flashed through her mind, and she brought a smile to her face, ¡°Qiaoqiao is so smart! That is¡ªDafang Hardware Store! Remember, our uncle is called Song Dafang, okay?¡± Twenty years ago, Uncle Song Dafang and his wife worked on construction sites in the city. Later on, after making some connections and saving some money, he took over a store in the building materials market. Thanks to this store, he managed to save a substantial amount for his family. This one endeavor had lasted for twenty years. Even though the business had been less favorable in the last two years, his children had grown up, and there wasn¡¯t as much pressure, so his life was even more comfortable than in previous years. Song Tan remembered the past, still faintly recalling how Auntie loved gold. During the earlier years when they returned to their hometown, every visible part of her body was adorned with gold jewelry. Because of this, everyone in the village talked about how Uncle had become wealthy, until one day when Auntie brought them to a jewelry-making store. ¡°Bring a few fifty-cent coins, pay a bit of labor charge, and you can get a bracelet made! Just like gold, shiny and yellow, and very durable too!¡± It was only when Song Tan grew up that she learned¡ªdestroying RMB was illegal¡­ However, at this moment, these past events flashed through her memory like a carousel, evoking the sensations she had felt before. Meanwhile, Qiaoqiao nodded obediently, ¡°I remember, Uncle is called The Hardware Store!¡± Song Tan: Pfft! ¡°Just call him Uncle, don¡¯t say it wrong, okay?¡± Chapter 45 - 45: 45. Sister-in-law of the Great Hall_1 Chapter 45: 45. Sister-in-law of the Great Hall_1 ¡°Uncle!¡± Song Tan, with Qiaoqiao in tow, spotted the grey-haired Song Dafang from a distance, sitting at the store entrance, his eyes glued to his cell phone: ¡°Pair of sevens!¡± ¡°Pair of queens!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t beat that!¡± ¡°You play your cards too well¡­¡± ... S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Caught in the midst of busyness, Song Dafang looked up and was instantly surprised, ¡°Tantan? How come you¡¯re back?¡± Then, glancing at Qiaoqiao, ¡°Qiaoqiao¡¯s here too? Have you eaten¡ª¡± ¡°Hurry up, I¡¯ve been waiting so long I¡¯m withering away!¡± The loud voice from the cell phone blurted out without hesitation. Song Dafang was immediately embarrassed and fumbled to exit the game, but Song Tan stopped him, ¡°It¡¯s okay, uncle, we¡¯re all family here; we¡¯re not in a hurry, you finish your game first!¡± The uncle hesitated for a moment before carefully playing a card, then he quickly slapped his thigh happily, ¡°Nice one! I lured out your joker!¡± Curious, Qiaoqiao leaned in, and then their heads were together, both engrossed in the world of playing landlord. Song Tan also took this opportunity to take a closer look at this hardware store¡ª This shop, acquired many years ago, was quite outdated in decor, and its current clientele were all regulars, hence everything was arranged in a rather carefree manner. Just looking at the hardware materials piled haphazardly on the shelves, she believed that no one except her uncle could find anything accurately! Luckily, perhaps the opponent in this game of landlord was too weak, and in less than two minutes, the round ended, with the landlord shedding tears of sorrow. Song Dafang then remembered to ask, ¡°Wasn¡¯t Tantan in Ning City? How come you¡¯re back?¡± Song Tan smiled, ¡°Uncle, I quit my job, and this year I¡¯m farming at home¡ªthis is the milk vetch my mom told me to bring. We¡¯ve been selling it at the riverside veggie market. I saved some especially for today!¡± Reluctantly pulling her gaze away from the cell phone, Qiaoqiao puffed up her chest and displayed her QR code once more: ¡°Twenty yuan a pound!¡± Song Dafang: ¡­ He looked at the small basket of vegetables in his hand, estimating about three to five bunches¡­ Twenty yuan a pound? The poor kid, could it be worth twenty? This milk vetch, who hadn¡¯t eaten it as a child? All added up, twenty would be considered too expensive! He picked up his cell phone, pretending to scan the code, ¡°Oh, you silly child, still can¡¯t count? How about two yuan a pound, haha! Come on, uncle will give you money for the vegetables!¡± Song Tan was immediately embarrassed. She was embarrassed to take the money, but if her uncle really paid two yuan a pound, it would probably be the two of them who¡¯d be embarrassed in the future. At that moment, she quickly pulled Qiaoqiao over with a dry laugh, ¡°Sweetie, we¡¯re not taking money now.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Qiaoqiao blinked and then said, ¡°I also want the flowers to wither away!¡± Song Tan: ¡­ It took her a moment to realize that he wanted to play the game of landlord they were just watching, so she deftly pulled out her phone and set up a single-player game. Watching Qiaoqiao sit on a small stool and blindly tap at the phone, a hint of regret appeared in Song Dafang¡¯s eyes: ¡°Look at how good the child is, and so handsome.¡± ¡°Your parents have taken good care of him, it hasn¡¯t been easy these past few years.¡± ¡°` Then he looked at the Milk Vetch in the small basket and couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of nostalgia, ¡°Haven¡¯t had it in so many years¡­ I used to pick this stuff when there was nothing to eat.¡± After saying that, he remembered, ¡°What did you just say? You¡¯re back to farm the land?¡± Before Song Tan could answer, a voice came from beside them, ¡°Who¡¯s coming back to farm?¡± The newcomer was Song Dafang¡¯s daughter-in-law, Sun Yanyan. Song Tan greeted her with a smile, ¡°Sister-in-law.¡± Sun Yanyan¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Ah, Tantan¡¯s back? Look how well Ning City nourishes people, made you so stylish and beautiful! Just like a star¡ªWho did you say is coming back to farm? Isn¡¯t it you, haha¡­¡± Song Tan nodded with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Sun Yanyan¡¯s laughter came to an abrupt halt at that moment. Song Tan was used to this reaction and casually explained, ¡°The work pressure in Ning City was too high, it was wearing me down. My parents are getting older too, so I decided to come back and rest for a couple of years and spend time with them.¡± As for whether the other person accepted this reason, that was beyond her control. Sun Yanyan laughed awkwardly, ¡°That works, you¡¯re a young lady after all, none of the family property concerns you, and with Qiaoqiao in this condition, there¡¯s no way to manage the family¡¯s land. It just so happens that when the time comes, we¡¯ll divide the land to him, and you can help look after it, won¡¯t be a loss.¡± No sooner had she finished speaking than Qiaoqiao suddenly lifted his head and glared at her, countering, ¡°Qiaoqiao can farm by himself! Qiaoqiao doesn¡¯t need anyone to take care of him! Qiaoqiao will plant corn and support sister! Humph!¡± He was truly angry. But Sun Yanyan¡¯s face showed even more amusement, ¡°Oh my, listen to him talk, sounds quite serious! Tantan, when you¡¯re looking for a partner, you must tell them they can¡¯t mistreat Qiaoqiao.¡± Although the words seemed well-intentioned, saying them out loud made people unhappy, and Song Tan didn¡¯t remember her sister-in-law being this kind of person from her memories. Song Tan couldn¡¯t be bothered with her anymore. At that moment, she nodded towards Song Dafang, who was awkwardly silent on the side, ¡°Uncle, we still have to deliver some vegetables to Aunt¡¯s house, we¡¯ll be going now.¡± Then she patted Qiaoqiao on the arm, ¡°Let¡¯s go, my treasure.¡± Qiaoqiao had already forgotten his anger, and now he was handing back the phone, ¡°Why didn¡¯t he say: ¡®I waited until the flowers wilted away¡¯?¡± Song Tan thought to herself, you play your cards so quickly, even the computer can¡¯t keep up, when would he have the chance to say that? But before she could say it out loud, she saw Qiaoqiao remember something else, turn back and take two steps, then puff out his chest with exceptional proficiency: ¡°Scan here! Twenty yuan per catty!¡± Song Tan almost laughed out loud! If they really let him scan that, her uncle would lose all face, but that wouldn¡¯t happen. After all, she remembered her kindly Uncle Dafang, even if Sun Yanyan was just Sun Yanyan! So she quickly explained, ¡°Uncle, Qiaoqiao is just playing. But you should eat the Milk Vetch soon before it¡¯s no longer fresh. I¡¯m selling at the riverside market, indeed for twenty yuan per catty.¡± ¡­ Once the hardware store returned to quiet, Sun Yanyan finally withdrew her probing body and remarked as if having a major revelation: ¡°Dad, did you see? Tantan and her folks came by car today. That can¡¯t be a car that Little Uncle bought himself, right? Doesn¡¯t look new, hope it¡¯s not a secondhand one!¡± Song Dafang¡¯s face darkened, ¡°You¡¯ve said just about everything there is to say.¡± As a father-in-law, he didn¡¯t think it proper to criticize his daughter-in-law. But today was an occasion for Tantan¡¯s vegetable delivery, she could have said anything nice, why pick those words? Of course, being an old-fashioned patriarch, Song Dafang indeed felt that country land had nothing to do with daughters, but he had never voiced such thoughts! Besides, with his nephew in such a condition, wasn¡¯t his daughter-in-law¡¯s comment like a stab to both their hearts? Sun Yanyan pursed her lips, ¡°Qiaoqiao¡¯s been simple for twenty years now, still afraid of people talking? Wasn¡¯t I just well-intentioned in giving them a warning? Tantan is pretty, if she finds someone from a good family background it¡¯s better to say it upfront, to save them from having to choose!¡± ¡°` Chapter 46 - 46: 46. Own Relative_1 Chapter 46: 46. Own Relative_1 After mumbling to herself, Sun Yanyan remembered the important matter at hand, ¡°Dad, mom wants you to bring back a jug of oil; I¡¯ll watch the store for you first, and you can pick up the child as well.¡± Her daughter, Song Ziyi, was currently at the senior class level in kindergarten, but today was Saturday, and she had gone to a nearby hobby class to learn chess. Song Dafang was beside himself with anger¡ªraising sons and daughters was nothing but debt! Although he¡¯d raised his children, now in their old age, he and his wife had yet to enjoy any comfort from them. Not only did they have to support their son¡¯s family of three, but they also had to pay for their granddaughter¡¯s tuition, provide transportation, and take care of cooking, washing dishes, and doing laundry¡­ Here, his shrewd daughter-in-law wouldn¡¯t spend a penny of her own money; even a jug of oil had to wait for him to purchase. ... It was truly a life of endless servitude! While he harbored deep resentment, once he lifted the jug of oil and waited outside the hobby class for his granddaughter, the little girl ran over with a big bow on her head, cheerfully shouting in a bright and sweet voice: ¡°Grandpa!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± In an instant, Song Dafang forgot the displeasure he¡¯d been feeling, feeling nothing but sweet contentment. After the family returned to their apartment behind the store and opened the door, Mao Li, who had been cooking in the kitchen, came hurrying out, still complaining: ¡°You old man, I asked you to buy a jug of oil, and it took you until now to get back; we¡¯re waiting to start cooking!¡± At the same time, she peered at the small basket of vegetables in his hand, fresh and dewy. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡°What did you buy this time?¡± After a closer look: ¡°Oh my, Milk Vetch! It¡¯s been decades since we¡¯ve had it; we can stir-fry it for lunch.¡± Quick to respond, Song Dafang said, ¡°Tantan brought it over with Qiaoqiao this morning. She said they¡¯ve been selling vegetables at Riverside Market these days.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mao Li was startled out of the blue. ¡°Selling vegetables? Wasn¡¯t Tantan working in Ning Province? How come she¡¯s back selling vegetables?¡± Sun Yanyan, having changed her shoes, squeezed over, giving the vegetables a glance: ¡°This stuff isn¡¯t worth much; once it¡¯s not fresh, it won¡¯t taste good. Bringing so much¡­you can¡¯t even give it away to the neighbors.¡± Seeing that Song Dafang¡¯s face grew even darker, Mao Li knew he disapproved of what his daughter-in-law had said and quickly added, ¡°What¡¯s brought is the thought; we¡¯ll stir-fry for lunch to have something fresh.¡± Song Dafang snorted coldly and went to watch TV with his granddaughter. Meanwhile, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law picked vegetables together, chatting away warmly: ¡°Mom, today Tantan came over in a small, rundown pickup truck. She said she¡¯s going to stay at her hometown to farm, and these vegetables are leftovers they brought from selling.¡± ¡°Goodness me!¡± Mao Li really hadn¡¯t expected that: ¡°She¡¯s staying in her hometown to farm? As a girl, she had a good job in Ning City, which was comfortable and respectable. Now that she¡¯s back home, what about her prospects in marriage?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Sun Yanyan sighed with a sense of gravity: ¡°You say Tantan has a foolish younger brother; her marriage prospects were uncertain to start with, and now she¡¯s gone back to her hometown. Who would want to marry a girl who farms?¡± ¡°Sigh, I was just saying, I recently met a young man who has both a house and a car, and his family is all capable. I was planning to introduce him to her!¡± ¡°After all, Tantan is truly beautiful, and she looks even better now! Her skin is snow-white and glowing; youth is so wonderful, I think she¡¯s even prettier than the stars on TV.¡± Mao Li joined in the wistfulness: ¡°Yes, both kids in your uncle¡¯s family are good-looking.¡± ¡°If you come across the right person, you should still make the introduction; they are family after all.¡± ¡°What I say is, their family has it tough too. Look at your dad; in his youth, he was ambitious and capable, and he managed to earn a little family fortune in our city. Now, at least we don¡¯t have to worry about food and drink.¡± ¡°Your uncle and his family, though, insisted on sticking to their old home when they were young. They didn¡¯t plan well when having children; look at Qiaoqiao, such a fine young man, yet he¡¯s a fool.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve not stopped working hard their whole lives but they just lack foresight, with too narrow a perspective. Now, still stuck in their old home, I bet the little money they have wouldn¡¯t even cover a down payment.¡± As they talked, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law found more and more to discuss. Sun Yanyan thought for a moment: ¡°How old is Qiaoqiao this year?¡± ¡°Eighteen, I think?¡± Mao Li was also not quite sure. Sun Yanyan pondered for a moment, ¡°If you ask me, with Qiaoqiao in this state, we need to find him a wife right away. With a wife to keep an eye on him, my uncle and the rest could go out and work to earn more money, and then they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting by in their old age.¡± ¡°After all, we can¡¯t count on Qiaoqiao to take care of them when they¡¯re old.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Mao Li felt that this daughter-in-law was speaking right to her heart: ¡°I¡¯ve said this before too, we need to carry on the family line, right? Qiaoqiao is such a fine young man, if he gets married and has a son, who knows? Maybe the boy won¡¯t have any problems?¡± ¡°While your third uncle and his wife are still young, they could raise the grandson, and then their family would have someone to rely on later.¡± Song Dafang was just about to take something out of the fridge when he heard the conversation and glared at them: ¡°What are you talking about? Sancheng staying at home to care for our parents has saved us so much trouble, and here you are scheming behind our backs!¡± Sun Yanyan pursed her lips and didn¡¯t argue. But Mother-in-law Mao Li was displeased: ¡°Scheming? We are thinking of his best interests. In Qiaoqiao¡¯s condition, if they don¡¯t have a grandson, what will they do when they¡¯re old? Don¡¯t you end up having to take care of your parents and your brother too!¡± Song Dafang glared at her as well: ¡°With Qiaoqiao like this, how are we supposed to find him a wife? Besides, what if the child ends up having the same problems? How do you expect them to live?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Mao Li was at a loss for words. It was Sun Yanyan who quickly chimed in, ¡°It¡¯s not always like that. First find him a wife to take care of him, don¡¯t look for those clever girls, but one who¡¯s a bit silly, honest, someone who can manage daily life.¡± ¡°And about having children, medical science is so advanced these days. You can detect problems during pregnancy, and if the child has problems, you just don¡¯t keep it.¡± ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be angry, Mom cares about you.¡± ¡°Grandpa and grandma are back in our hometown, we¡¯re bound to spend money and efforts for them eventually. If the youngest uncle has a good life, it¡¯ll be easier for us too.¡± ¡°If he becomes a burden in their old age, Dad, you certainly won¡¯t just stand by and watch.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this because we¡¯re worried about the burden on you later?¡± Song Dafang paused for a moment, then said nothing. He closed the fridge door and walked back to the living room with a thump. ¡­ By the time lunch hour arrived, the working son, Song Xuehai, came home, and the family hurriedly got busy serving up the meal. There was a dish of green vegetables on the table that seemed unfamiliar, and Song Xuehai couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°I know, I know!¡± Song Ziyi, the granddaughter, said, ¡°Grandpa said, this is what Qiaoqiao brother brought over.¡± Song Xuehai laughed at her, ¡°I told you, don¡¯t call him brother, call him uncle.¡± But the daughter ignored him and clumsily stretched out her chopsticks, ¡°I want to eat the vegetables Qiaoqiao brother brought.¡± The fresh green vegetables stir-fried with minced garlic were now giving off an enticing aroma on the dining table. Song Ziyi took a bite with an ¡°ah-woof¡± and then eagerly reached out for more: ¡°Qiaoqiao brother¡¯s vegetables are so delicious, the tastiest in the world!¡± ¡°You little one, what have you eaten to compare?¡± Song Dafang glanced at her and then also took a bite with his chopsticks. The taste was indeed exceptional. By the time the family had snapped back to reality, the dish was already empty. Song Ziyi was staring blankly at the plate, suddenly burst into tears: ¡°I want more, I¡¯m not full!¡± Mao Li hurriedly cleaned up the dishes, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, grandma will make more right away, there¡¯s plenty left.¡± Sun Yanyan also chimed in, still relishing the taste, ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t we just cook up the rest? It really does taste quite good.¡± After thinking for a moment, she added, ¡°Or else, Mom, when you go shopping tomorrow, why not also check out the Riverside Market? It¡¯s family business, it doesn¡¯t seem right not to support them.¡± sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 47 - 47: 47. Aunt Song Hongmei_1 Chapter 47: 47. Aunt Song Hongmei_1 ¡°A hardware store, how annoying!¡± Qiaoqiao huffed as she got into the car. Song Tan smiled and ruffled his head, ¡°Good boy, sister also thinks they aren¡¯t nice, we¡¯ll try to come here as little as possible.¡± Qiaoqiao, feeling aggrieved, touched the QR code on his chest and complained, ¡°He didn¡¯t pay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, look at how delicious our vegetables are, once she tastes them she¡¯ll definitely want more¡ªnext time Qiaoqiao sells vegetables, try a little harder, speed up, and we won¡¯t sell to her!¡± This wasn¡¯t just to appease the child, it¡¯s purely because Song Tan thought that with people like that sister-in-law, even if she specifically saved some vegetables for her, she¡¯d probably make it known to the whole world¡ª ... ¡°Twenty yuan a pound, ah! If it weren¡¯t for taking care of relatives, I wouldn¡¯t want to spend that money!¡± Moreover, seeing how Uncle and the others acted today, they clearly didn¡¯t believe the vegetables were twenty a pound. If they came back to buy vegetables, it would be embarrassing in front of everyone¡­ Hey, why does thinking about it make me feel a little smug? Song Tan scolded herself for not being steadfast, but Qiaoqiao was already beaming with joy, ¡°Right! Don¡¯t sell! Don¡¯t let her eat!¡± Then he looked at her with bright eyes, ¡°Going home?¡± Song Tan came back to her senses, ¡°We¡¯re going to deliver vegetables to Uncle and we should also give some to Aunt Song Hongmei, right? We have to be fair.¡± Qiaoqiao¡¯s brow furrowed even more, ¡°Aunt, she isn¡¯t very nice.¡± He turned his head to look at the small basket of vegetables on the back seat, then became conflicted, ¡°If we give to Aunt, she is better than the hardware store.¡± ¡­ Song Tan¡¯s Aunt married a city worker in the eighties as a village girl. He was attracted not just by her beauty but also her domestic prowess. Domestic she truly was, and managing household affairs, she excelled at that too. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just the fact that with her and her husband¡¯s early morning food stall and job, they could afford a large flat in the city center for their only child showed how capable they were! However, despite all that, the old couple still lived in the outdated family quarters of their unit. Little Pika precisely parked in a small space in the family quarters, avoiding the possibility of getting a parking ticket. As soon as Song Tan and Qiaoqiao got out of the car, they heard someone hesitantly ask from beside them, ¡°You¡­ are Hongmei¡¯s relatives, aren¡¯t you?¡± Song Tan was taken aback, then saw the aunties who had asked¡ªevidently, they were also back from buying vegetables, holding plastic bags in which there were glimpses of onions, garlic, green vegetables, and the like. She nodded, ¡°Yes, my aunt is Song Hongmei, our family grows some vegetables, and I¡¯m bringing my brother to deliver some to her to enjoy the freshness.¡± At her words, the aunties across from her smiled, ¡°I remembered you from the New Year¡ªI was wondering which family¡¯s kids were so good-looking. Then I asked and found out you¡¯re Hongmei¡¯s relatives!¡± It¡¯s mainly because there are no secrets in the family quarters; everyone knows about Hongmei¡¯s handsome but simple nephew. Although Qiaoqiao looks like an adult, there¡¯s something different in his eyes¡ªmost importantly, he had a pink Peppa Pig sticker on his face! Spotting the vegetables in the basket, ¡°Oh wow, what vegetable is this? It¡¯s really fresh¡­ Hongmei is so lucky to have such pretty niece and nephew. Girl, do you have a sweetheart?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ After exchanging a few rounds of polite conversation, she finally managed to extricate herself from these overly enthusiastic aunties. Approaching the entrance of the apartment block, Song Tan could still hear the aunties¡¯ murmuring, ¡°Hongmei¡¯s niece and nephew, they really are good-looking.¡± ¡°I bet they¡¯re good at living life too, you see when she comes to visit her aunt, she brings a basket full of vegetables¡­¡± ¡°What kind of talk is that? You can never be poor from eating or dressing well, being stingy won¡¯t make you poor forever. Hongmei may be a bit tight-fisted, but she¡¯s a good person, truly a good couple¡­¡± Walking through the corridor, Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. It seems her aunt¡¯s reputation for being thrifty is well known to everyone! ¡­ Aunt Song Hongmei had indeed just returned from the market. She owned a small pancake cart near the family housing complex, and had been selling pancakes there for twenty years. She wasn¡¯t exactly famous far and wide, but people had certainly grown accustomed to eating her pancakes. Every time her cart closed at ten o¡¯clock, she would tidy up and head to the market at eleven o¡¯clock, her time management was a model of precision! Most importantly, by eleven o¡¯clock the market was also nearly closed, and the remaining vegetables were either sold off cheaply or not very fresh. Aunt could sweep through at this time, battling in and out seven times, all to get the prices slashed to the lowest! If she couldn¡¯t get the price down, she simply wouldn¡¯t buy. Not having to pick through spoiled leaves each day was Aunt¡¯s last bit of luxury and dignity. Now at half-past eleven, some families might already be cooking, but Aunt¡¯s definitely wouldn¡¯t be. Song Tan knocked on the door. Aunt¡¯s husband was still two years from retirement, and their son was also at work. Aunt was quite surprised when she opened the door: ¡°Tantan? What brings you here? Aren¡¯t you at work? Oh no, you didn¡¯t take leave, did you? Losing salary is a big loss!¡± She turned to greet Qiaoqiao, ¡°My nephew has grown even more handsome! Come on in, Auntie will get you some biscuits.¡± And Aunt did bring biscuits¡ªtwo packs of Want Want snow biscuits, one for each sibling. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but laugh and cry at the same time, this was truly Aunt¡¯s greatest sincerity! Qiaoqiao had already skillfully started opening the bag, while also saying, ¡°Aunt, we brought you some vegetables.¡± Aunt looked and saw that there were indeed five bunches of Milk Vetch in the basket. She wasn¡¯t the least put off. In fact, she was overjoyed: ¡°Oh my! These vegetables are so fresh. I¡¯ve got veggies for lunch today, won¡¯t cook these now! One meal tonight, two meals for tomorrow¡¯s lunch and dinner, and the day after tomorrow can have another two meals¡ªthat¡¯s three days¡¯ worth of veggie money saved. I just need to cook some meat to go with it!¡± Aunt was ecstatic and quickly made plans. Only after arranging everything did she remember to ask, ¡°Tantan, are you staying for lunch? If you are, I¡¯ll cook these greens.¡± Song Tan quickly reassured her, ¡°No need, Aunt, my mom is waiting at home. I just wanted to ask if you knew where to buy ducklings? We¡¯re planning to raise some ducks back home.¡± Song Hongmei thought for a moment, ¡°Actually, I do know. Wait for me, it¡¯s not far. I¡¯ll take you there!¡± ¡°But Aunt, don¡¯t you have to cook¡­¡± ¡°No problem, it really isn¡¯t far. I¡¯ll take you! You young people don¡¯t bargain when buying things. I¡¯ll go and negotiate the price for you!¡± Saying this, she changed her shoes, grabbed her keys spiritedly, and prepared to leave. Song Tan: ¡­ This was truly the speed of lightning; Qiaoqiao hadn¡¯t even finished his snow biscuit yet. But Aunt wasn¡¯t lying; it really wasn¡¯t far. They left the family housing complex, turned into an alley inward, passed through an iron gate that seemed locked but wasn¡¯t, then darted into a small alley, and finally arrived at a run-down, low-rise courtyard. Aunt knocked on the door of one of the houses: ¡°Old Zhang, do you have any ducklings left?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t sell at school gates for wholesale, these aren¡¯t pet ducks!¡± the man inside called out. Aunt was already growing impatient: ¡°When have I ever brought people to buy pet ducks? Hurry up, I¡¯m bringing a relative to buy. Give me a firm price, don¡¯t throw out random numbers and waste my time. After buying, I need to get back to cooking¡­¡± The man inside opened the door, a face full of grievance, ¡°Sister, sometimes I really wish you wouldn¡¯t buy.¡± Chapter 48 - 48: 48. Buy duck_1 Chapter 48: 48. Buy duck_1 Song Hongmei was very dissatisfied, ¡°You, a businessman, don¡¯t want customers anymore?¡± Old Zhang wasn¡¯t happy either, ¡°My dear older sister, you bring people here to bargain every time. How am I supposed to make a profit?¡± That¡¯s what all businessmen say. Song Hongmei herself didn¡¯t make a profit selling eggs and pancakes! She didn¡¯t believe it. ... So she turned to Song Tan and said, ¡°Don¡¯t judge by its cover; this whole area belongs to him. Otherwise, how could such a shabby old house in the old town not be demolished and still sell chickens and ducks? People would have been at his door a long time ago.¡± It was lucky that this place was wedged between several large family courtyards, not affecting the city¡¯s appearance, or else this sneaky business wouldn¡¯t last. Having lived in the family courtyards for over twenty years, Song Hongmei knew them well, ¡°Tantan, don¡¯t listen to his nonsense. These ducks were all hatched at his home; the cost is next to nothing¡ªI¡¯m telling you, last year they were four yuan each. Don¡¯t let yourself be taken advantage of!¡± Old Zhang¡¯s face changed, ¡°Sis! Are you trying to ruin my business on purpose? Last year¡¯s price was for last year. Everything goes up this year, right? I won¡¯t sell them for four yuan!¡± But Song Hongmei just turned around and walked away, ¡°You guys talk it over, I need to rush back home to cook.¡± And then she took off. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The three left behind looked at each other before Qiaoqiao repeated, ¡°Four yuan each?¡± Old Zhang refused to budge, ¡°No! The lowest is four and a half yuan, take it or leave it!¡± Song Tan almost laughed out loud. She had inquired about the prices beforehand; not one place sold them for less than five yuan. It seemed that four yuan really was the bare minimum. ¡°Okay, four and a half it is, but let us have a look first.¡± Have a look then. Old Zhang was very confident in his ducks. He led the two through the front room, turning into the backyard, then into another room, and then back into the yard¡ª That¡¯s where his secret base was located. Half the area was covered with a shade cloth, and from afar you could smell the stench of duck droppings. However, once they entered, a flock of fluffy yellow ducklings waddled their little butts from side to side, excitedly rushing over! The scene was incredibly heartwarming! Qiaoqiao couldn¡¯t even move her legs; she squatted down right away, then looked at Song Tan with longing eyes. Old Zhang explained on the side, ¡°Have you raised them before? How many do you want? These are mottled ducks, with good meat quality and they grow quickly. Just look at how strong and healthy each one is, I guarantee they will survive when you take them home!¡± Song Tan believed that. They had arrived unexpectedly, and the owner didn¡¯t prepare anything in advance; however, at first glance, the ducklings were all lively and robust. Four and a half yuan a piece was indeed a bargain. She thought it over. Back home, there was a pond at the top of the bamboo forest, and the ducks could later be let into the rice paddies to eat grass, not to mention, they had the hillside to roam around¡ªthe space was definitely big enough. ¡°Let¡¯s start with a hundred,¡± she said. One hundred? Now it was Old Zhang¡¯s turn to be surprised. ¡°I thought you were just some household farmer wanting to raise a few for yourselves¡­ that many, huh!¡± Then he saw Song Tan¡¯s expression, remembered she was a guest brought by Song Hongmei, and became cautious, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, even if you buy a thousand, the price is the same, four and a half yuan each, not a cent less!¡± Song Hongmei, that woman, was persistent, too persistent! If she couldn¡¯t bargain down to her satisfaction, she would come to haggle every day! Selling ducks wasn¡¯t like selling vegetables; it takes a long time for a batch of ducks to hatch and grow. Yet, she could be unyieldingly persistent. Old Zhang really couldn¡¯t stand it, and that¡¯s why he blurted out his bottom line. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but smile and cry. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s not few, your ducks are quite good. I¡¯ll come back to buy again next year.¡± Since she agreed so readily, Old Zhang felt a bit embarrassed, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s all because of Sister Song; she always wants to bargain with me, so much that I¡¯m afraid of her.¡± But then, he counted his yard¡¯s ducks¡ªhatching came in batches, and there were only a total of one hundred and twenty to thirty. After pondering for a while, Old Zhang said, ¡°How about this: you take one hundred and twenty, and I¡¯ll throw in the rest for free.¡± Though most were strong, inevitably, some were weaker, which would reduce their value. Rather than keeping them and struggling to sell them off selectively, it was better to package them all together in one deal. He was also worried that Song Tan wouldn¡¯t know the goods: ¡°I¡¯m telling you, almost half of this batch are drakes, which are more nourishing than the females, and normally, they would even cost a bit more, but I¡¯ll give them all to you for one uniform price.¡± Chickens and ducks are different. Hens are more economically valuable than ducks, but drakes are more nourishing when eaten. Moreover, apart from salted duck eggs, there aren¡¯t any tastier ways to eat duck eggs. So, the economic value is somewhat less. Old Zhang did speak some earnest truths. Song Tan thought it over and decided that buying a hundred was enough, and a couple more wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference, so she promptly nodded: ¡°Okay.¡± Over a hundred ducks were loaded into the truck bed, and as the time had reached twelve o¡¯clock, they couldn¡¯t make it back for lunch. Fortunately, Song Tan was well-prepared. At this moment, she took Qiaoqiao: ¡°Come on, what do you want to eat? Sister will take you.¡± Qiaoqiao pondered hard: ¡°What does Peppa eat?¡± What does Peppa eat? Song Tan didn¡¯t know either, probably pig feed¡­ She thought for a moment: ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you for some fried chicken, fries, red bean pie, and hamburgers!¡± Not because they were particularly delicious, but for the toys that came with them, and to give Qiaoqiao, who had never tried them before, a new taste experience. Since there were still ducklings in the car, they packed the food to eat in the vehicle. Just as Qiaoqiao opened the toy box in his hands, he was surprised to find a yellow, fluffy little duckling inside! Its wings were flapping up and down, very amusing. ¡°A little duckling!¡± He exclaimed with joy and then, ¡°Ah woo,¡± took a bite of the roasted chicken leg. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± he chewed, with an odd expression on his face. Song Tan glanced at him: ¡°Is it good?¡± Qiaoqiao thought for a moment, his expression conflicted: ¡°Not as tasty as vegetables, but, but¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. ¡°But it¡¯s also quite a novelty, right?¡± Song Tan added. ¡°Yeah!¡± Qiaoqiao nodded vigorously, then took another bite. Poor kid¡­ Song Tan thought to herself: She should take him to a children¡¯s amusement park when she had some free time. Qiaoqiao, unaware of the many delicious and fun things in his future, just nodded contentedly, holding a chicken wing in one hand and the little duckling in the other: ¡°Sister, can we eat this again next time?¡± Song Tan felt sorry for him: ¡°How about we do this once every two weeks?¡± How long are two weeks? Qiaoqiao blinked, eventually nodding in confusion. He thought for a moment, then pulled out half a package of snow cakes from his bag: ¡°I can¡¯t finish this. Can I take it back for Big White?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She had another pack in her pocket: ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask Big White to look after the little ducks later, so you should feed him some good snacks.¡± Big White looking after little ducks? Qiaoqiao instinctively turned to look at the rear of the truck, and after a long time, he frowned and said: ¡°If Big White looks after the ducks, won¡¯t he be too rough?¡± ¡°No!¡± Song Tan reassured him: ¡°The ducks will grow as big as Big White, too big for one pot to hold!¡± Ah, the thought of winter melon duck soup, sour bamboo shoot duck soup, roast duck¡­ made the saliva flow irresistibly. However, Qiaoqiao¡¯s face turned grim: ¡°Not Big White, Big White can¡¯t be stewed.¡± That¡¯s the downside of getting attached to animals after caring for them for so long; once emotions are invested, it¡¯s hard to let go. Song Tan sighed: ¡°We won¡¯t stew Big White; we¡¯ll eat the ducks¡ªjust make sure you don¡¯t play with the ducks when the time comes.¡± Chapter 49 - 49: 49. Moving Bag_1 Chapter 49: 49. Moving Bag_1 The car cruised along the smooth road, and the journey from the downtown area to the old home took just over an hour. Qiaoqiao had long since polished off the snacks he ordered at noon, especially loving the egg tarts, red bean pies, and fried chicken wings. Now, he was engrossed in playing with his little duck toy that went quack quack as its wings flapped, beaming with joy. As he grew older, his family began to treat him more and more like an adult, unconsciously. But his heart had always remained at the age of five or six. Even though his family still spoke to him using the tone one would use for children, toys, as those in the village aged and drifted away, hadn¡¯t been in Qiaoqiao¡¯s possession for many years. His only happiness was watching cartoons. ... If Song Tan hadn¡¯t experienced this change, he probably would have been rooted in the mountain village for his whole life, naively watching his cartoons until his parents grew old. Perhaps he would have gradually learned to cook simple meals, but looking at him, Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but want to bring him even more happiness. ¡°Qiaoqiao, once the vegetables are sold out, I¡¯ll take you to an amusement park in Ning City,¡± she said. Their city was too small; at most, children could play with a few simple pieces of equipment in the park. But those pieces of equipment were really old, and Song Tan was still worried about them. As a provincial capital, Ning City had well-developed infrastructure and a large amusement park with water and aerial rides, enough to keep him happy all day. Turning his head, Qiaoqiao asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s an amusement park?¡± After giving it some thought, Song Tan replied, ¡°It¡¯s a place with lots of fun and people, where you can play for a whole day!¡± Qiaoqiao grew excited, ¡°Really? When can we go?¡± Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°Milk Vetch can be sold for about ten more days; once it¡¯s sold out, I¡¯ll take you!¡± The drive to Ning City would only take four hours, and now she didn¡¯t worry about the energy it required, it would just take a day off. Farming was so busy that there was something to do every day. But Qiaoqiao¡¯s happiness was precious, and Song Tan was unwilling to let it slip away. Now that Qiaoqiao often went outside, he knew much more, and at this moment, he asked, ¡°Can we eat this then?¡± He shook the little duck toy, ¡°The box had four different ones, and I only have one.¡± It was clear that captivating children involved more than just tasty treats, there were also these damned gimmicks. Song Tan murmured helplessly, ¡°You sure enjoyed it.¡± Boys have big appetites, and as he started to help with the farming, his energy expenditure increased. The snacks from noon were devoured without a trace. As for Song Tan¡­ Since she was driving, she only had the top and bottom slices of the burger that Qiaoqiao had picked out for her. It must be said that eating outside food was still quite uncomfortable. The deeper the Spiritual Energy, the pickier one becomes about flavors. Will she have to bring a lunchbox the next time they go out? As they were talking, Qiaoqiao suddenly pointed to the side of the road: ¡°It¡¯s moving.¡± What? Song Tan looked over and saw a large black bag in the bushes by the road, tied tightly at the top with a cord, something inside pushing against it nonstop. She strained her ears and vaguely heard sobbing sounds. So she pulled over, ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out.¡± Qiaoqiao hurriedly got out of the car, but after struggling with the bag for a while, he only managed to carry the whole bag back: ¡°Sister, I can¡¯t untie it.¡± The plastic rope was wrapped around several times and tied in a tight knot. It was not surprising that it couldn¡¯t be undone. Song Tan took out a pocket knife and made a cut, and even though she was mentally prepared, she couldn¡¯t help but curse, ¡°What the hell is this!¡± Inside were three small mongrel puppies. Two were yellow and one black; each was just a bit bigger than a palm, with fluff-covered bodies. Their eyes were black and shiny as they whimpered and crawled toward them. Clearly, they could barely even stand. Qiaoqiao was stunned for a moment before cheering unwittingly, ¡°Puppy!¡± But he glanced at the bag next to him and wondered, ¡°Tied up so tightly, how did the puppy get out?¡± Indeed, using a sturdy cloth bag, tied so tightly, clearly meant there was no way out for these dogs. This was a secluded main road, with few passing vehicles and no pedestrians stopping by. Song Tan knew that in the village, animals were not usually neutered, and sometimes when cats and dogs had litters, people would choose to dispose of them. To prevent the animals from finding their way back, they would be put in bags and thrown far away. But generally, people did not dispose of dogs in this manner. The three puppies in the cloth bag were still squirming, constantly nudging Qiaoqiao¡¯s hand with their noses, making whining and whimpering sounds, probably because they were hungry. She took a deep breath, and at that moment, her fingertips flicked, sending a stream of Spiritual Energy that invisibly scrubbed the puppies¡¯ skin, killing any lice and insect eggs that might have been there. After all, it looked like Qiaoqiao really didn¡¯t want to let go, and right now, there were no insect repellents. Then, she placed the cloth bag on Qiaoqiao¡¯s lap, ¡°Qiaoqiao can take these three puppies home to care for, but first you must hold them properly. Can you do that?¡± Qiaoqiao quickly hugged the bag and made a firm promise: ¡°Qiaoqiao definitely can!¡± But then he became dejected, ¡°But Mom won¡¯t let us keep them.¡± Song Tan knew. Wu Lan, like most people in the village, thought the same way: if you kept cats and dogs, they were needed to guard and protect the house; if they couldn¡¯t do that, it didn¡¯t matter much. However, once you started caring for these cats and dogs, over time, affection would grow. Not to mention cases of dog thievery, what if the animals got injured, sick, or pregnant¡­? Paying for their care was absolutely out of the question; they knew too well how hard money was to earn. But not spending money also weighed on their conscience. It¡¯s just that at their age, everything seemed easy to dismiss. But that dismissal did not imply a lack of affection. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wu Lan¡¯s method was: to avoid future heartache, it was simpler not to keep animals from the start. But now¡­ ¡°No problem!¡± Song Tan confidently assured, ¡°Aren¡¯t we raising pigs and also about to keep chickens and ducks? We just need the little dogs to watch over them. Just coax her well when you get home. Our Qiaoqiao is so well-behaved and so proactive with work, Mother will agree.¡± Qiaoqiao blinked, not quite understanding how to coax, but then once again looked down at the whining, soft, warm, fluffy puppies on his lap, and he made up his mind¡ª It would definitely be possible! Song Tan smiled, ¡°These three puppies were found by Qiaoqiao; from now on, their care will be Qiaoqiao¡¯s responsibility!¡± Qiaoqiao was startled, ¡°I can feed them every day!¡± Song Tan shook her head, her expression serious: ¡°No, that won¡¯t do. The food you give them is the household¡¯s grain and money; you can¡¯t just use it carelessly.¡± Qiaoqiao was taken aback. After a while, he came up with another idea, ¡°Then Qiaoqiao will share his own meal with them.¡± Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°It¡¯s not completely out of the question, but they don¡¯t eat much when they¡¯re young. However, once they get a bit bigger, together they¡¯ll eat as much as piglets, and Qiaoqiao only has a few bowls of rice to eat every day, right?¡± Qiaoqiao counted, and then he became despondent again. ¡°So, I can¡¯t afford to keep the puppies?¡± Song Tan shook her head, ¡°How about this: from now on, each time Qiaoqiao helps with work around the house, your sister will pay you a wage¡ªhelping with selling vegetables, carrying baskets, 50 yuan each time.¡± ¡°Working in the fields, 50 yuan for half a day.¡± ¡°This money will be kept in your sister¡¯s hands. I¡¯ll keep a record of it for Qiaoqiao, and if you want to buy something for yourself or for the puppies, you can come to me for the money.¡± ¡°But if the money runs out, and there¡¯s no more work needed at home, you¡¯ll have no income, and the puppies will have to go hungry.¡± Chapter 50 - 50: 50. Secretary Wangs Future_1 Chapter 50: 50. Secretary Wang¡¯s Future_1 Little Pika, with the little yellow duck, the little clay dog, and Qiaoqiao, drove steadily on the road. Just then, a van ahead suddenly hailed and pulled over to the side of the road. Song Tan was startled and recognized the guy from the local Wind Speed Express. He hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°You mentioned you wanted to send a package before, why didn¡¯t you come?¡± ¡°Did you go with another company?¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, he seemed overly eager and quickly added, ¡°You¡¯re shipping perishables, right? Our Wind Speed is definitely the fastest, and after discounts for bulk, it¡¯s not much more expensive¡­¡± That was a bit of an exaggeration, wasn¡¯t it? ... Wind Speed Express truly lived up to the saying ¡°time is money¡±! The speed definitely wasn¡¯t thrice as fast, but the price after the discount was indeed three times higher! Song Tan also smiled, quite liking this forthright young man. She had previously overestimated her video¡¯s potential, thinking it would go viral and she¡¯d get hundreds of orders daily. Alas, her cultivation couldn¡¯t attract the flow of technology¡­ She sighed. So she apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have to go into the city every morning now, so I¡¯ve been taking some parcels with me.¡± The young man¡¯s expression immediately relaxed¡ª as long as the orders weren¡¯t going to someone else, he still had plenty of chances! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0 Thinking this, he felt a bit petty for stopping to ask on his way, and quickly waved his hands: ¡°No worries, I was just asking. I brought in a batch of dry ice bags and foam boxes from the city. Everything else is manageable, but those dry ice bags are tricky to handle¡­ I was just wondering¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, I need to head into the city to ship goods, or I won¡¯t make the delivery tonight¡ªsend me a WeChat message if you have any packages!¡± This businessman sure was proactive! Song Tan sighed again and continued driving home¡ª Internet traffic, oh internet traffic, grace me with just a bit of your presence! Spend all night editing a video, and not a single new comment¡ªhow disrespectful! ¡­ And it was on this very morning. Secretary Wang had just returned to the office with documents when he received a call: ¡°Mr. Wang, right? Wind Speed Express is at the front gate, if it¡¯s convenient for you. Here¡¯s a box of fresh food for you. I¡¯ll bring it in, please check the goods.¡± Secretary Wang thought for a moment, then replied, ¡°Please bring it to the gate of the compound next door, and I¡¯ll call the guard to let you through.¡± Shortly after hanging up the phone, he saw his leader standing in front of him, apparently having heard bits of his conversation, who casually asked, ¡°Check what goods?¡± Secretary Wang stood there dumbly as he watched the Wind Speed Express man bring in a large box. He couldn¡¯t help but recall his own difficult experience buying groceries: ¡°It¡¯s the meal you had at the People¡¯s Hospital before. I found out it was sold by a local farmer, and I thought you liked it, so I bought a bit more.¡± However, Secretary Wang, who didn¡¯t cook, now realized belatedly looking at the big box that he may have¡­ bought too much. Secretary Wang felt a bit embarrassed, wondering if the leader would think he was out of touch with people¡¯s livelihoods. However, just as he was feeling anxious, he saw his leader¡¯s spirits lift visibly, and a hint of a blush appeared on his face: ¡°Secretary Wang, you¡¯re always so thoughtful¡­ Ever since having that meal in the canteen, the vegetables I¡¯ve been eating felt like munching on grass! Well done!¡± He turned, looking interestedly at the large box, ¡°What vegetables are there? Do you have shepherd¡¯s purse? If you do, I¡¯ll have the canteen make some dumplings.¡± Secretary Wang felt even more dejected, ¡°Leader, they said the wild greens are old and no longer for sale. This time they sold only one type¡­¡± The leader looked puzzled, ¡°Why are you hemming and hawing?¡± Secretary Wang was close to tears because at that time, the aroma had filled his head, and he impulsively bought whatever it was, without a second thought. Now in retrospect, he found it difficult to even respond: ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Milk Vetch.¡± ¡°Milk Vetch?¡± To become a leader, one naturally needs to be in touch with the common world. After all, someone who was seriously practicing in the countryside would certainly have a strong impression of Milk Vetch. At this moment, they weren¡¯t despising it, but merely curious: ¡°One gets tired of eating meat and fish all the time; now even Milk Vetch has become popular.¡± The courier had already opened the box, the styrofoam, ice packs, air cushions¡­ The entire box maintained a marvelous temperature so that when the air cushions were removed, the ten neatly tied bundles of fresh Milk Vetch inside made even the professionally trained courier pause: ¡°¡­ This is like paying meat prices for tofu.¡± S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He muttered to himself. The leader and Secretary Wang were also stunned. Then they picked up a bundle of the vegetable to examine it and eventually, with a slight movement in their throats, said in a mix of seriousness and jest: ¡°This vegetable¡­ looks quite fresh indeed.¡± Secretary Wang completely relaxed now, reclaiming the poised and considerate demeanor of a top secretary: ¡°Then I¡¯ll bring this vegetable home for you after work.¡± The leader laughed, ¡°This has come from far away and must have been expensive; I can¡¯t take advantage of you¡ªas for Milk Vetch, I¡¯ve never tried it before; let¡¯s taste it¡ªsend it to the cafeteria.¡± He spoke half-jokingly, half-seriously: ¡°Although Ning Province is picturesque, its economic conditions are average, and over the years we have not succeeded in creating a national representative crop.¡± ¡°The wild vegetables we ate at the hospital had a truly unique taste. If we could ensure a stable and large supply of similar agricultural products later, even if they¡¯re expensive, it would be a new opportunity and path for our rural revitalization.¡± ¡°Building a new countryside isn¡¯t just about constructing houses and paving roads!¡± ¡°Food is the most important thing to people; there¡¯s huge potential in this area!¡± The courier had already made it to the door and overheard parts of the conversation, instinctively looking back. He couldn¡¯t help but think to himself: This leader seems pretty decent¡­ However, Secretary Wang still in the office gave a bitter smile: ¡°You¡¯re right about the price being high¡ªwhether it¡¯s the wild vegetables we had last time or the Milk Vetch bought today, it¡¯s twenty yuan per half kilogram, and that¡¯s not even including shipping!¡± As he spoke, he couldn¡¯t help feeling aggrieved¡ªhow could they charge so much and not even offer free shipping? The leader was also stunned. ¡°Twenty yuan per half kilogram?¡± he murmured, ¡°These are indeed high-priced crops.¡± But thinking about the taste he became more excited: ¡°If this technique could be scaled up, then even if the farmers themselves could grow and strengthen it, it would be possible to bring back labor from the surrounding areas and create jobs for thousands!¡± ¡°Not bad at all! Secretary Wang, keep an eye on this and see if there¡¯s potential to increase production!¡± Secretary Wang also felt a surge of passion¡ªthis could be a big success, the future¡­ Oh, he dared not think too much about it! He steadied his emotions and responded firmly before picking up the box of vegetables: ¡°I¡¯ll go and take these to the cafeteria now; we can try them at lunch.¡± At this moment, he could only pray inwardly: ¡°Great Mark, bless these vegetables with a delicious taste!¡± Otherwise, just as the leader started paying attention to this matter, if he found the vegetable¡¯s quality to be not as good as claimed, that would be really embarrassing¡­ ¡°Wait!¡± The leader called out to him again: ¡°Last time we didn¡¯t know the price of the vegetables, and we ate the doctor¡¯s share. When you have time, arrange to send some fruits and vegetables over as compensation.¡± Secretary Wang nodded in agreement and then couldn¡¯t help but sigh¡ª That Dr. Zhang seemed honest but was fortunate indeed! With this trip to deliver goods himself, in the future at the hospital, if the other party didn¡¯t get a promotion or a raise, at the very least, he¡¯d be spared from annoying issues. Chapter 51 - 51: 51. Large Courtyard Canteen_1 Chapter 51: 51. Large Courtyard Canteen_1 Secretary Wang personally carried the box of vegetables to the canteen, where the head chef eagerly greeted him: ¡°Secretary Wang, what is this? Why are you personally delivering it?¡± Secretary Wang smiled: ¡°The leader tried a farmhouse dish last time and liked it, so we specially bought some for everyone to try today. You know, we don¡¯t know the first thing about cooking, so we rely on you!¡± The head chef immediately perked up to full alert! Even though it was for everyone, he couldn¡¯t be thoughtless as the order had come from a big leader. Now he was already pondering over the recipes in his head¡ª ... S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If it were delicacies from land and sea, there wouldn¡¯t be enough time to prepare them by noon. If it were some other rustic local produce¡­ how could he cook it to bring out a unique flavor that everyone would collectively praise? It wasn¡¯t until after bidding farewell to Secretary Wang, that the young apprentice opened the box and stared at the pile of vegetables, raising his head in confusion: ¡°Master, what is this?¡± The head chef leaned over and was also taken aback. He took the vegetables out and inspected them thoroughly from every angle, even breaking off a piece to taste. Finally, he confirmed¡ª ¡°This is Milk Vetch, isn¡¯t it?¡± Back in the old home, wasn¡¯t this just used as fodder for enriching the fields? Both cows and sheep ate it. ¡°Heh, you say¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help expressing his doubt: ¡°Now with everyone eating so much meat and fish, not only are wild greens expensive, but even Milk Vetch is worth packaging and sending over?¡± Smoke was still wafting from the dry ice bag inside! The apprentice was young and hadn¡¯t eaten this before. In the end, he patted his stomach and chuckled naively: ¡°I¡¯m different, I just love meat!¡± The head chef looked at him and laughed, then scolded, ¡°What are you standing there daydreaming for? Hurry up, take out the cured meat and pot-cooked meat, and this vegetable¡ª¡± He pointed to another person: ¡°Clean it up properly.¡± Even though it was already very clean, it had been brought by Secretary Wang, so they had to be even more diligent. Meanwhile, in the compound. It wasn¡¯t yet time for the workday to end, but someone from the administrative office began sniffing around: ¡°What¡¯s that smell? It¡¯s so fragrant!¡± Just as they were talking, someone from the neighboring rural affairs office also poked their head in to ask, ¡°Is the canteen serving new dishes today? Why does it smell so good?¡± People from the administrative office were responsible for security and ought to know what new dish was being served in the kitchen today. But when they thought about it, today¡¯s food trolley¡ªwasn¡¯t it just the usual fare? The canteen couldn¡¯t possibly be doing something special, could it! The leader did have a private kitchen, but the person in question was practical and not too particular about food, often eating together with everyone in the large canteen. That had its benefits, as now the canteen was far from negligent in cooking, and was quite meticulous indeed. Consequently, everyone became more enthusiastic about eating at the canteen. Now, as people from several departments mingled, they were more convinced that there was a grand dish being served today. Thus, as soon as it was time to leave work, anyone who wasn¡¯t caught up with tasks rushed straight into the canteen! Ironically, the person who provided the vegetables was still entertaining visitors from the city. Of course, Secretary Wang had to remain at his post, smelling the tempting aroma wafting in from outside the window and glancing through his friends¡¯ circle at everyone¡¯s praise for the canteen (primarily for the leader)¡­ And then, his stomach unfortunately betrayed him with an uncontrollable growl. Coincidentally, the leader had just walked the guests out of the office. Now that the room was quiet, the rumbling from his stomach was all the more conspicuous. Secretary Wang swore: never in his life had he felt so embarrassed! But fortunately, the leader truly was a considerate boss, who now broke into laughter, dispelling the awkwardness: ¡°Look at us, chatting away and forgetting all about mealtime¡­ Old Qian, would you do us the honor of trying the taste of our compound¡¯s canteen this noon?¡± The guest revealed a perfectly timed smile: ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to say, earlier I caught a whiff of something delicious, our canteen really keeps its light under a bushel!¡± Secretary Wang finally got smart at this moment and complained jokingly: ¡°Then you¡¯re really not aware. This canteen was just average before, but today at noon the leader brought over a box of farm-fresh vegetables. Who knows what kind of magic the chef worked, stir-frying them so fragrantly? Once work was over, everybody headed there!¡± That aroma was exactly the same captivating scent I smelled last time in the hospital canteen! Meanwhile, in the canteen, the chef was also in a dilemma. Everyone was holding their plates, crying out at the serving window¡¯s empty counter: ¡°Hurry up, isn¡¯t that a big portion there? Add some more for me¡­¡± ¡°Add to mine first, to mine first¡­¡± ¡°Brothers and sisters, you got here early and have already had seconds, I only got a taste before the dish was gone!¡± ¡°Did our chef hit the jackpot today? He¡¯s brought out all his hundred years of skill!¡± The chef couldn¡¯t stop smiling: ¡°I¡¯ve told you, it¡¯s not my skill, it¡¯s the leader¡¯s doing. I don¡¯t know where he bought these farm vegetables, how they turned out so delicious¡­¡± At the same time, he had to dissuade the crowd: ¡°You¡¯ve all had some, no more, no more, I have to save the rest just in case the leader wants to eat!¡± Still, someone drooled in discontent: ¡°It¡¯s already this late and he hasn¡¯t shown up; he might even go out to entertain guests at noon¡­¡± No sooner had the words fallen than three persons were seen slowly approaching the canteen entrance. After a moment of silence, everyone quickly changed the subject awkwardly and scattered like birds and beasts. Seeing the guest from afar, the chef felt joyful inside¡ª Today, he must make a good impression! So he hurriedly said: ¡°Oh, leader! The vegetables you brought this morning were so fresh and tender. Once stir-fried, everyone gobbled them up, and it was with great difficulty that I managed to save this bit¡­¡± He wasn¡¯t lying; as the insulated lid was lifted, a fragrant aroma wafted out. The crisp, slightly spicy scent of meat, the freshness of the greens, and the medley of flavors altogether couldn¡¯t stop the visitor¡¯s stomach from rumbling with a growl. At that moment, Secretary Wang managed to keep a straight face, but inside he felt a profound relief. The leader also seemed impatient: ¡°I thought this batch of Milk Vetch wouldn¡¯t be as tasty as the last, but it smells just fine.¡± Although it seemed a bit inappropriate to entertain a guest with such a simple wild vegetable, today¡¯s visitor was certainly no stranger. The three of them sat down cheerfully and soon each picked a refreshing dish to try. ¡°Hmm!¡± After the short exclamation of surprise, the dining table quickly quieted down. Then, there was the continuous sound of picking food, chewing, and swallowing. Lucky for the chef that after finding the dish good, he made the quick decision to save so much; otherwise, the three seated there might not have had enough to eat. The apprentice added rice while whispering, ¡°Our leader really cares about his health, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen him eat three bowls.¡± The chef glared at him: ¡°You talk too much.¡± And in a separate small dining hall within the canteen, Secretary Wang resisted the urge to loosen his belt and surveyed the empty, chaotic plates in front of him. He thanked himself a thousand times for not impulsively leaving the boss¡¯s random group chat. It¡¯s fine if shipping¡¯s not included, I¡¯ll buy it anyway later! Now, as one of us, the visitor was even more casual in his speech: ¡°Leader, which vendor sold these vegetables? You must give me a recommendation. After this meal, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be craving it tonight.¡± Chapter 52 - 52: 52. Can I buy a bit more?_1 Chapter 52: 52. Can I buy a bit more?_1 Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And in the distant city of Jiangzhou. A young man cradled a bowl, slurping up the last of his vegetable soup. The elderly woman beside him asked, ¡°Son, did you really break up?¡± The young man paused, ¡°Yeah, we broke up.¡± The other party suddenly became anxious, ¡°Look at you! Why make a fuss over a trivial matter? Young people quarrel, but you can¡¯t take it seriously! Besides, we are just country folks!¡± ¡°But I feel uncomfortable inside.¡± ... ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve been meaning to say, when I followed Wa Qianqian home, her parents were neither warm nor welcoming. They saw me as a rural guy with no stable job, not good enough for her.¡± ¡°Being there for a few days felt quite unpleasant.¡± The speaker was indeed Wa Qianqian¡¯s ex-boyfriend, Xin Jun. Xin¡¯s mother felt a bit uncomfortable inside. Still, she advised, ¡°You¡¯re a man, what are you afraid of a little grievance? They raised their precious daughter and are willing to marry her to you, to have your children. Enduring some hardships proves you cherish her.¡± ¡°When your dad married me, he worked three years on your grandpa¡¯s farm before your grandpa gave his blessing.¡± ¡°Look at us now, did your dad lose out? I am capable! I can cook delicious meals. Our family-run farm makes how much money a year? Isn¡¯t it all thanks to me?¡± Xin Jun fell silent. His father had injured his leg in a car accident before and it still pained him from time to time, truly unable to do much work. But these words his mother spoke only in private with him, facing his dad, she was still warm and caring every day¡­ It was the very atmosphere of his own family that he found so good, which is why he wanted to find a forthright girl who didn¡¯t hide her true feelings, and that¡¯s how he came to know Wa Qianqian slowly. Yet, once small disputes arose between young lovers, if they blew up, the relationship would shatter. ¡°Why don¡¯t you communicate with Qianqian properly? Some things are better once talked through. If she is wrong, you reason with her. Ask Qianqian when she is free to visit our place? Although our farm is in the countryside, it¡¯s quite big, and mom has saved up more than a million for you. You can keep that for Qianqian¡¯s work or for buying a house.¡± ¡°Your dad and I are still young; we don¡¯t need you accompanying us at home every day.¡± Some families raise sons and daughters and can¡¯t bear to let go, always needing to have them in sight to feel secure. But Xin¡¯s mom and dad were always open-minded, as long as their son was doing well, what did it matter where they were? Raising a son wasn¡¯t just for the sake of looking after them in old age, it was also for companionship and growth. Moreover, they were managing their family-run farm with passion and enjoyment¡ª they didn¡¯t want to be with young people all the time. Of course, Xin¡¯s mom couldn¡¯t put all these profound truths into words, but she thought her son was pretty good. A girl he had his eyes on couldn¡¯t be far off the mark. Who doesn¡¯t occasionally speak without thinking? If they change, that¡¯s good enough, right? Seeing that his mother was about to persuade him further, Xin Jun couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and finally told the truth: ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not just about that! Initially, when she insulted me as a country bumpkin, I was angry, and we had some conflicts. Qianqian did apologize later.¡± Xin¡¯s mom didn¡¯t understand, ¡°Then why be so petty? She apologized, can¡¯t you just forgive her?¡± Xin Jun gave a bitter smile, ¡°But just after we made up, I took her out to dinner one night, and she ran into an old classmate on the way.¡± The two of them started chatting casually. But as Xin Jun watched Wa Qianqian¡¯s demeanor, his heart felt increasingly bitter. It¡¯s nice to greet an old classmate, but Wa Qianqian had to talk to them in a hesitant tone: ¡°Do you still remember our high school classmate, Song Tan?¡± ¡°Let me tell you, she has grown up to be so pretty now. But, you know, sometimes family circumstances really hold you back.¡± ¡°She¡¯s from a rural family and even has a mentally challenged brother¡ªher parents must be really harsh. I heard Song Tan used to work in Ning City, but the other day I saw her at the market selling vegetables with her foolish brother!¡± ¡°And the prices were so high, it was obviously a ploy to win sympathy with her brother¡¯s condition.¡± ¡°If you ask me, it¡¯s definitely her parents forcing her to take care of her brother. Otherwise, with Song Tan¡¯s looks, landing a rich husband would be a piece of cake!¡± Gossip of this kind, especially when it treads on the pain of others, has always been well received by the public. So, the old classmates chatted excitedly and got along even better. By the time they were leaving, they even hypocritically suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we find time to organize a reunion? If there¡¯s really trouble, there¡¯s crowdfunding now, isn¡¯t there? We can donate some money.¡± Xin Jun felt really uncomfortable at that moment. He couldn¡¯t quite describe the feeling, but as he looked at his girlfriend, who was in a good mood and even humming a tune, he suddenly felt like she was a stranger. On the way home, he voiced his opinion: ¡°Qianqian, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s nice of you to talk about our classmate like that.¡± ¡°I noticed she seemed very positive despite being with her brother, not at all like someone who¡¯s oppressed or treated harshly at home.¡± ¡°Besides, she and her brother seem close, and the vegetables sold well. It¡¯s not about winning sympathy.¡± ¡°Talking about crowdfunding and donations with your old classmates tonight, wasn¡¯t that a bit hurtful?¡± He felt he was being very reasonable, but Wa Qianqian saw it as nothing short of infuriating¡ª In her mind she thought: [Why are you paying such close attention? Are you developing feelings for her? Do you have other ideas? I¡¯m your girlfriend; you should be supporting me unconditionally! Song Tan deliberately refusing to sell me vegetables and causing me to lose face, and you don¡¯t even stand up for me. Now you have the nerve to criticize me?!] Wa Qianqian¡¯s expression suddenly turned sharp. ¡°Fine, I should have known you¡¯d be swayed by her pretty face! Of all the sellers in the market, why did you insist on buying from her?¡± ¡°What, you think because she¡¯s a country girl with a mentally challenged brother, she¡¯d be easy to manipulate? Maybe she¡¯d even marry into your family without a dowry, ready to serve your parents in that backwater of yours!¡± ¡­ Xin Jun let these thoughts out and finally sighed: ¡°Mom, I know she wants me to love her without logic, but I can¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Every time I think about Qianqian saying I want to trick someone into marrying into our poor valley, it hurts.¡± ¡°I know how she sees me: she thinks I don¡¯t understand brands, I don¡¯t have much for living expenses, saying my family has money is just me showing off in front of her. She¡¯s been condescendingly tolerant of me¡­¡± ¡°When I went to her house for dinner and talked to her uncle and aunt, asking them to bring Qianqian to visit my hometown, I wanted them to see for themselves. But her mother said right in front of all the relatives: Many college girls are tricked into going to the countryside¡­¡± Xin Jun said this helplessly. ¡°Mom, what can I do?¡± He liked Wa Qianqian, but not to the point of life or death. In the end, it could only end this way. Since things had come this far, Xin¡¯s mother also felt it truly wasn¡¯t suitable. Although she believed that showing sincerity when marrying a daughter-in-law meant enduring some hardships, these could involve physical work or money, but not personal dignity. After much thought, she carefully asked: ¡°Now that you¡¯ve broken up, can we still buy some more Milk Vetch?¡± She was planning to blanch them and freeze them, so that each table of guests could have a serving of Milk Vetch soup later on, a slow but sure way of earning quite a bit more¡­ Chapter 53 - 53: 53. Unscrupulous Capitalist_1 Chapter 53: 53. Unscrupulous Capitalist_1 Song Tan returned home to find that rice grain seeds were being sun-dried in the yard. ¡°Mom, are you getting ready to plant the seeds already?¡± Wu Lan glanced at her and said irritably, ¡°Of course, we are! You¡¯re the one whose lips flap about planting this and that; we¡¯re the old bones who end up getting tired!¡± Song Tan thought to herself that if it were the old days, she would definitely be worried. But now, with Spiritual Energy silently nourishing them daily, just look at the two of you; even young people can¡¯t compare! But what could she do with her own mother? All she could do was cajole her in a gentle tone: ... Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Isn¡¯t raising children just like this? Care for a child for a hundred years, worries for ninety-nine. By that calculation, mom, you still have over forty years of worries ahead of you!¡± While chuckling, she quickly pushed Qiaoqiao towards her: ¡°Mom, look, your precious son found treasures on the road too!¡± Wu Lan looked down: Wow! Three little puppies!!! Snorting and wiggling without a clue, they pushed towards her, clearly starving. Thus, she got even more irritated, rustling up a bag of milk powder that had been opened who knows how long ago (she was too stingy to use unopened ones), grumbling to herself: ¡°It¡¯s stressful enough taking care of you, and now I have to care for three more dogs!¡± However, Qiaoqiao had already calculated his own salary within a hundred on his way home and confidently declared: ¡°Mommy, you don¡¯t have to care for them! I will, I have money!¡± Is this really a matter of money?! Silly boy! Seeing that his mother was really about to lose her temper, Song Tan hurriedly brought the box from behind for her to see: ¡°Mom, look, this is what my aunt specially got someone to find for me! These ducklings are four yuan and fifty cents each, a good deal, right?¡± Wu Lan took a closer look, even picking up two to examine carefully. Hearing the ducklings quacking so loudly, a satisfied smile appeared on her face: ¡°Not bad, for such good quality, around here they would sell for five yuan each! You must have over a hundred, so that¡¯s fifty or sixty yuan cheaper than others!¡± ¡°Very good, very good.¡± She was extremely pleased, as though she had picked up the ducklings for free. Looking at the flock of ducklings, her eyes were filled with affection. Qiaoqiao, still confused and holding the dogs, stood there, not understanding why his mother¡¯s love shifted so quickly¡­ But he quickly found himself something to do¡ª ¡°I¡¯ll make a nest for the little dogs!¡± Wu Lan immediately instructed, ¡°Take a basket and pad it with your old baby clothes¡ªstraw will do too!¡± Song Tan also hurried along, ¡°I¡¯ll fence off an area for the ducklings, they¡¯re too small to be let out just yet¡­¡± She was stopped by Wu Lan again: ¡°I¡¯ll do it, you go and turn the rice seeds over, let them dry in the sun more.¡± ¡­ The rice seeds from two fields weren¡¯t much, and after turning them a few times with a bamboo rake, Song Tan¡¯s phone rang. She stood there and chatted for a bit before breaking into laughter, ¡°Mom, tell dad not to rush to the beehives and wood ear mushrooms tomorrow, help out with picking the Milk Vetch instead.¡± ¡°Just got a customer from out of town asking if we could ship a hundred pounds.¡± A hundred pounds? That¡¯s two thousand yuan! Wu Lan gasped, ¡°How much will the postage cost?¡± For such an amount, they would definitely not be using express delivery but freight instead. Song Tan laughed, ¡°They said they will send the driver¡¯s contact information later and I just have to deliver the vegetables at the appointed time tomorrow.¡± Wu Lan made a quick decision: ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll talk to your dad about it tonight.¡± However, it wasn¡¯t long before the phone rang again. Song Tan looked down and saw that Secretary Wang had just placed an order for twenty pounds in the group chat. Checking the records, the previous ten pounds had only been shipped yesterday, so they should have just arrived today. Excellent, online regular customers may be elusive, but real-life ones were plentiful. She sent a reply and then realized that many people had added her as a friend in the contacts list, and almost all addresses were from Ning City¡­ Song Tan sighed, ¡°Well, this two thousand yuan will just pass through my hands; I need to find someone to develop this little shopping app.¡± It might not even be enough. But before developing the app, dealing with these fragmented orders was not an easy task. They were busy with all sorts of things, tea leaves, black fungus, and there were pigs, ducks, and bees¡­ They really didn¡¯t have a moment to spare. And to pack these vegetables, they needed air cushions and dry ice; it was all in several pounds, ten pounds, eight pounds, with different addresses to boot. Song Tan thought for a moment and messaged the courier guy she had met before: ¡°If I bring my vegetables to you, could you help with packing and shipping?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The other party replied promptly: ¡°Courier packaging is part of our job, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t miss a single air cushion column or dry ice for your vegetables! I¡¯ll weigh each package and send you a photo.¡± ¡°You just need to give me the specific contact details and how many pounds you need, I guarantee there won¡¯t be any mistakes.¡± Finally, a customer! Running Wind Speed Express in a rural town was not easy! The young guy made big promises and then asked, ¡°How many packages are we talking about? I only have enough air cushions and dry ice bags for about two or three boxes at my place.¡± Song Tan glanced at her ever-increasing orders and hesitated for a while: ¡°Maybe you should prepare around a hundred and eighty for now, I¡¯ve got over thirty orders already.¡± The courier guy: ??? Could happiness come this unexpectedly? ¡­ With the confidence of a returning customer, Song Tan stopped caring about her video views. She decisively updated her profile, removing the words ¡°free shipping.¡± Anyway, she was breaking even. She would continue making videos, but whether people bought anything or not was up to them, no free shipping. This bold attitude left her feeling very happy, and when she was giving Spiritual Energy to the little ducks, she was much more generous. A buzzing sound came from the storage shed, and seeing that Qiaoqiao wasn¡¯t there, Song Tan cautiously opened the box to take a peek¡ª She saw Queen Bumblebee rocking back and forth with a wax can under her butt, hatching larvae. However, her round head was desperately trying to move closer to her, attempting to get some extra Spiritual Energy. She was really cute. Song Tan dipped her finger in some Spiritual Energy and gently rubbed the furry little body. Satisfied, both human and insect, she closed the box. Turning around, she saw Qiaoqiao standing by, looking at her accusingly: ¡°Big sister, didn¡¯t you say we shouldn¡¯t touch it?¡± Song Tan wasn¡¯t the least bit scared: ¡°But am I not about to pay you your salary? Those who pay salaries are the bosses, and bosses can do things you might not be able to.¡± Qiaoqiao stood there looking puzzled, then carefully peeked inside the shed¡ªunfortunately, it was too dark, and he could see nothing. And at this moment, capitalist Tantan started calling for her long-term worker Qiaoqiao again. ¡°Is the doghouse ready? If it¡¯s ready, come and start working.¡± Song Tan handed him a hoe. ¡°Dig over the garden at the entrance. If you do well, we¡¯ll start sowing the seeds for the seedlings the day after tomorrow.¡± She coaxed Qiaoqiao, who was reluctantly leaving the three puppies: ¡°Look, there¡¯s fifty yuan for digging until it gets dark. Then you can buy a bell for your dog, get it nice clothes, and also buy toys and snacks. Buy some meaty bones!¡± ¡°And get some biscuits for your Big White.¡± Fifty yuan was being painted by the ruthless capitalist to seem as significant as five hundred. Qiaoqiao was indeed fired up! He gripped the hoe tightly, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely do a good job!¡± Chapter 54 - 54: 54. A dish_1 Chapter 54: 54. A dish_1 Online, the pastoral life is poetic and romantic. In reality, the rural life spins like a top. 71-year-old Song Youde got up just after five o¡¯clock. As the sky was just beginning to brighten, he expertly slipped into his old-style army green shoes, grabbed a large basket, and headed straight for the distant fields. The milk vetch in the early morning grew exceptionally lush and vibrant, its verdant greenery also dappled with glistening dewdrops. A light fog hung over the low-lying fields, and even during the dimly lit morning, the scene was still romantic. However, as an old farmer, Song Youde had seen this sight all his life, and at this moment, he had no inclination to admire it, focusing instead on bending over and swiftly, accurately, and fiercely picking large handfuls of milk vetch. ... Handfuls of milk vetch were packed into the basket, and just when it was about to overflow, those aged hands pressed it down hard. Not until the basket was heavy did he straighten up, satisfied, and slowly make his way home with the basket slung over his shoulder. By now, it was just after six o¡¯clock. A wisp of smoke was already rising from his home. Wang Lifan had aged, her back now slightly hunched, but this did not affect her efficiency. At this moment, she was already seated in front of the large stove, having lit a fire and cooked a large pot of pig feed. Pumpkin, sweet potato, corn, rice bran, and wheat bran churned together inside, releasing a sweet fragrance into the air. This pig feed was intended for the five little pigs up on the mountain. Normally, it wouldn¡¯t be the old couple¡¯s job to do this, but their son and daughter-in-law were also incredibly busy every day, barely touching the ground with their feet. Considering they were old and slept less, finding themselves awake early, they thought cooking the pig feed wouldn¡¯t be too much effort. And so, they took over this task. Song Youde came over, picked up a large shovel, and stirred the feed, watching as it neared readiness, and then mixed in large handfuls of milk vetch directly into the pot. Just a quick blanching released an enticing aroma. The piglets were still young, and since it was cool in the morning, Song Youde didn¡¯t dare let them eat plants wet with dew. Wang Lifan put out the fire in the stove and couldn¡¯t help but give her nose a little wrinkle: ¡°Our Tantan should just come back home to farm, look at the good fortune from the heavens!¡± ¡°Everything grows better when she¡¯s back.¡± ¡°During New Year¡¯s I felt like nothing had flavor, I just couldn¡¯t get excited about anything I ate, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because I¡¯m working more or the food is just that delicious, I¡¯ve been having such a good appetite every day, always hungry on time!¡± The old lady sighed with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s the fate of the poor, not able to enjoy the comforts of life even when there¡¯s no work to do.¡± Song Youde nodded too, ¡°I feel it as well, I used to cough a lot when it got cold, but I¡¯ve been noticeably more comfortable lately.¡± Wang Lifan¡¯s smiling face faded away: ¡°Throw away that tobacco pipe around your waist, and I guarantee you¡¯ll feel even more comfortable in your lungs.¡± Song Youde: ¡­ What¡¯s the purpose of living a life, right? There are some habits he can¡¯t give up. The stubborn and irresponsible old man pretended not to hear her, holding onto such thoughts. He ladled the cooked pig feed into a bucket nearby using a gourd dipper, and while waiting for the feed to cool down, he took the remaining milk vetch from the basket and squatted in front of the chopping board in the courtyard, chopping it vigorously with a ¡°swish swish swish.¡± After the milk vetch was finely chopped and mixed with crushed corn and a bit of millet, Song Sancheng also came over. He shouldered a carrying pole, with a large bucket of pig feed on each end, and then added the finely cut wild vegetables on top. He also cautioned, ¡°Dad, could you find some time this morning to go around the back mountain and check if the chicken and duck coops need anything else?¡± ¡°Tantan bought over a hundred ducklings yesterday. They¡¯ll be cooped up at home for a few days before we let them out on the mountain.¡± Wang Lifan also remembered, ¡°We have ducklings now? That¡¯s great, my chicks have hatched too, and after raising them for a few days they seem pretty robust¡ªabout seventy or eighty of them. I¡¯ll have your dad bring them over later.¡± S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Sancheng wasn¡¯t the least bit shy. He picked up the carrying pole and even instructed the old lady, ¡°Mom, make some breakfast later, Tantan¡¯s party went into the fields early in the morning to gather Milk Vetch; they probably won¡¯t have time for breakfast.¡± One hundred pounds! Wang Lifan couldn¡¯t help but be astounded: ¡°These days, life is really different from before. There are more wealthy people, and they¡¯re willing to spend on good food.¡± But thinking about the taste of Milk Vetch¡ªjust looking at those pigs grunting hungrily in the mountains, fighting over food as if they hadn¡¯t eaten in eight hundred years, one would know it must be delicious! However, the old lady wasn¡¯t content to stay home tending to the stove; she put on some airs: ¡°Let¡¯s just eat something simple this morning. I¡¯ll boil some dumplings and make a vegetable pancake with this Milk Vetch, then I have to eat quickly; I need to go up the mountain to pick tea leaves!¡± The tea plants have grown so well, incomparably stronger than before! The four people they hired yesterday each picked over five pounds. But the old lady, being advanced in age, with failing eyesight and slower hands, had harvested less than four pounds, which left her privately chagrined. That¡¯s one hundred yuan a day! The old lady was seriously making a career out of this. Song Sancheng was helpless: ¡°Mom, look at you working so hard at our own family chores. Tantan has long said he¡¯d pay you both a salary, but neither of you will accept it¡­¡± Song Youde snorted: ¡°Just doing some farm work, why the need for a salary? What, can¡¯t I eat the crops I helped grow or what?¡± The older they get, the more childish they become. Sometimes, a single wrong word could lead to a quarrel between the old couple. Song Sancheng decided it was best to keep quiet. Right now, he picked up his carrying pole and off he went to the back mountain, swaying leisurely. Ah, how can one say these days haven¡¯t been fruitful! Because of his age, he used to find carrying a pole somewhat strenuous on the back. Now, it¡¯s a different story; he¡¯s spry and quick-footed like a young man! The path to the back mountain had been slightly smoothed out by their frequent use these past days; it¡¯s now steady underfoot. The piglets seemed to have heard him from a distance; their cries from within the pigpen grew even louder and more piercing, as though they were undergoing some unbearable torment. Song Sancheng could remember how, in the past, the pigs would also cry around feeding time, but their cries were nothing like the clamor of today. This is also why they cooled the pig feed at home to the right temperature before carrying it up the mountain. It¡¯s simply because the pigs eat as if they¡¯re starving, totally disregarding the feed¡¯s temperature. As he poured the thick feed into the trough and watched the five little pigs jostle and compete, snorting as they ate, a look of fascinated amusement spread across Song Sancheng¡¯s face. He watched for a while, then wandered around the already-well-built chicken and duck coops nearby, not noticing anything else that needed doing. He would wait for the old man to have a look later. The chickens and ducks just needed to grow a little bigger, and then they could be moved to the mountain at any time. But before that, it wasn¡¯t enough to just enclose the mountain with a net; they also needed a couple more dogs as guards. Reliance on Big White and the three new local pups they¡¯d recently taken in¡­ Ah, they wouldn¡¯t be enough for a decent meal! As he pondered, he suddenly heard someone shouting from the foot of the mountain: ¡°Sancheng! Are you home?¡± Chapter 55 - 55: 55. Tea Quality_1 Chapter 55: 55. Tea Quality_1 Song Sancheng hurriedly responded, ¡°I¡¯m here, waiting!¡± He quickly picked up the shoulder pole and descended the mountain. Standing at the door was Zhou Maozhu from the same village, who had been entrusted with the task of roasting their tea leaves this time. Roasting tea leaves also depended on the heat control; some were too fierce, others not heated enough, resulting in a product that wasn¡¯t always up to expectations. Only Zhou Maozhu had worked in those large tea factories in his youth and had now the most reliable skills. It was arranged for tea leaves to be gathered every evening and taken to him for processing overnight. This year the tea leaves were exceptionally lush, such that even with five people harvesting, the quantity was significant. Zhou Maozhu¡¯s house didn¡¯t have a tea roasting machine, which likely meant a long night ahead. ... But in the village, it was his craftsmanship that was the best, and his house still had a tea roasting stove. Other places were, firstly, too distant, and secondly, nowadays people used tea roasting machines for mass production, which didn¡¯t cater well to individual processing. Upon seeing Song Sancheng, Zhou Maozhu couldn¡¯t help but reveal a smile on his equally weathered face: ¡°Sancheng, your family is truly blessed by the God of Soil this year, just look at these tea leaves!¡± He opened the transparent plastic bag he was carrying, and instantly, a burst of fresh fragrance filled the air! ¡°Yesterday, in total, twenty-five jin and two liang of Maojian were sent over. You said there was no need to sift, so I didn¡¯t; I saw that all that was picked was quite pure, hardly any leaves.¡± In their locale, the most popular tea leaves were Maojian, which had only a single bud tip. Next came those with one leaf, and the value decreased as more leaves were included. Specialist tea farming households would strictly grade the tea and set different prices accordingly, but Song Sancheng¡¯s family only had that much land, so there was no need for such measures. Zhou Maozhu reached into the bag to show him a handful of dry, dark green tea leaves covered with a layer of white fuzz: ¡°Three and a half jin yielded one jin of finished tea, and after roasting, there¡¯s just over seven jin in total. But didn¡¯t you say you wanted to sell some? I dried it extra thoroughly for better preservation.¡± ¡°However, because of that, this time we got exactly five jin of dry tea. When you have time, you can pick out some of the leaves.¡± Both being seasoned workers, as soon as Zhou Maozhu mentioned the numbers, Song Sancheng knew whether they were accurate or not. Smelling the refreshing tea aroma, he felt an immediate thirst and nodded, quickly ushering the man inside: ¡°Come on in, let¡¯s steep a couple of cups and check the soup color!¡± Top-quality Maojian must never be brewed with boiling water; fortunately, the water in the household thermos was heated early in the morning. It was an old thermos with fairly poor insulation, so by now, the temperature was probably just right. Song Sancheng took out two glass cups, grabbed two pinches of tea leaves, gave them a quick rinse, and eagerly began to assess their quality. ¡ªThere was nothing professional about it, it was all based on experience. As the clear water cascaded over the leaves, the dark green dry tea instantly started to unfurl in the water before gradually expanding to reveal a delicate and vibrant green color. A subtle fragrance slowly spread throughout the room, and Song Sancheng couldn¡¯t resist taking a deep breath, truly feeling as if the God of Soil was looking after them, blessing their fields with his spirit! When had he ever smelled tea leaves as fragrant as these in his life? Zhou Maozhu gazed at the upstanding Maojian in the cup with pride and joy in his eyes: ¡°Sancheng, your family¡¯s tea leaves this year are truly remarkable!¡± ¡°They had just been put in the pan yesterday, and the aroma was instantly unleashed! While fixing the green, I felt refreshed and increasingly comfortable just smelling it.¡± ¡°The more I roasted, the more fragrant it got. The whole courtyard smelt crisp and clean. The refreshing effect was quite strong; I haven¡¯t had the chance to taste it yet¡ªI might have inhaled too much of the aroma. I stayed up all night, and I¡¯m still not the least bit sleepy.¡± When Zhou Maozhu talked about fixing the green, he wasn¡¯t referring to a movie wrap-up, but to the initial step in their local tea roasting process, mainly to bring out the tea¡¯s fragrance, evaporate moisture, and make the leaves soft enough for rolling. Generally, tea leaves emit a wet tea fragrance during this process, a flavor quite unique. But to be so invigorated just by smelling the aroma of tea being fried, and to have Zhou Maozhu, who had worked in a large tea factory, say that¡­ S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Sancheng sniffed the strong fragrance filling the room and couldn¡¯t help but beam with joy. It was at this moment that Zhou Maozhu couldn¡¯t help but ask sheepishly, ¡°Sancheng, how do you plan to sell this tea? Once the tea is fried, could you set aside a pound for me?¡± How to sell? Song Sancheng didn¡¯t know either! He only knew that his daughter was capable; she could turn wild vegetables from the field into twenty-one pounds. As for this tea¡­ Dare not think, dare not think. But at this moment, Zhou Maozhu¡¯s request wasn¡¯t excessive. He started to think that with the small yield, frying the tea wouldn¡¯t take many hours, and the wages they¡¯d negotiated with Zhou Maozhu were a hundred and twenty a day. With his skills, if he went out to work, despite the toil, he could easily earn three to four hundred yuan a day! No matter how expensive this tea was, in the past, the pork butcher would still have to bring something back home, so if it was due, it should be given! Song Sancheng made a decision: ¡°Old Zhou, judging by this year, our Tea Mountain should produce quite a bit, and I reckon you¡¯ll have some late-night work to do for a while. Giving you some tea, definitely possible.¡± ¡°But as for the weather and yield, one cannot be certain. Provided that they¡¯re all about the same as today, then I¡¯ll take the liberty¡ª¡± ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll give you a pound of the pre-Ming tea!¡± ¡°Two pounds of the Yuqian Tea.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s more to follow, then a total of five pounds for the summer and autumn teas, how does that sound?¡± Most Maojian teas are at their most expensive right before Qingming, followed by Grain Rain, and by the time summer tea comes around, the price drops significantly. Of course, there¡¯s tea for the summer heat and White Dew Tea for autumn, each with their own flavor. It all depends on whether this year¡¯s teas are worth such a long investment. The gift Song Sancheng offered was more than generous. It was all because he saw Zhou Maozhu as a conscientious and honest person. With someone else, the tea leaves could be sneakily taken during frying, and by taking one or two every day, a substantial amount would accumulate in a month. Song Sancheng then smiled awkwardly, ¡°You know that right now, this area is all managed by our Tantan. We, as her parents, are just lending a hand.¡± That implied that he couldn¡¯t give more or make decisions on his own. Zhou Maozhu was already content, even overwhelmed with joy. ¡°Great, great, great! I know your tea will definitely sell for a high price! Rest assured, I will fry your tea leaves to the best of my ability, wasting not a bit.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± he was already rubbing his hands, expressing his admiration: ¡°Such great tea, that Yuqian Tea I will save to enjoy slowly for myself.¡± ¡°If the quality of the summer tea remains like this, giving it to my son to take as a gift would be even better than those few thousand outside.¡± Song Sancheng laughed, ¡°You¡¯re choosing summer tea as a gift for your son? Why don¡¯t you choose the Yuqian Tea?¡± But Zhou Maozhu shook his head: ¡°You don¡¯t understand, I¡¯ve never drunk tea this good in my life. Why would I give such an exaggerated gift?¡± The most important thing was, with five pounds of summer tea, giving one pound at a time; if the recipients liked it and asked for more, it would be convenient to strike while the iron¡¯s hot! ¡°For our small family, it¡¯s just about doing what¡¯s within our ability; summer tea is fine.¡± Chapter 56 - 56: 56. Courier guy ecstatic_1 Chapter 56: 56. Courier guy ecstatic_1 After sending off Zhou Maozhu, just as Wang Lifan hurried over to make breakfast, she fed the chopped milk vetch to the ducklings that had just arrived home yesterday. The fluffy, chubby ducklings weren¡¯t a bit shy or annoyed by the change of environment; instead, they were lively and hasty. Seeing that food was available, they flapped their wings and wiggled their tails as they rushed over, bouncing on top of each other to compete for food. Their tender ¡°quack quack¡± sounds were particularly adorable. This sight made Wang Lifan¡¯s face crease into a blooming smile: ¡°Eat up, eat up! This is feed that costs twenty yuan per jin! If those two fields hadn¡¯t been used to feed the cows, it wouldn¡¯t have been your turn to eat this¡­¡± As she spoke, she scattered the leaves from the basin into their small enclosed space. ... Meanwhile, she peeked inside the house¡ªwhy was there no movement? Why hadn¡¯t her son come out to do chores? The old lady thought about how everyone had gone up the mountain to pick tea leaves. Being slow and falling behind made her anxious on the inside. By the time the dumplings were cooked and the green vegetable pancakes were ready, even Song Tan and the rest had returned, yet Song Sancheng still hadn¡¯t come out of his room, which annoyed Wang Lifan immensely: S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°What are you doing at home? Everyone¡¯s been busy as tops since early this morning. Why are you still holed up inside?¡± Song Sancheng finally came out of his room, reluctant to part with the tea leaves¡ª they were too good, but there wasn¡¯t a big enough freezer at home. After moving things around, not only was there no space in the fridge, but he also couldn¡¯t fit back the items that were originally inside. At this moment, the house was still a mess. Now that his mother had called him out, and seeing the mud on his wife Wu Lan¡¯s feet and the dew on her pants, he guiltily held a cup of green, fragrant tea and offered it as if revealing a treasure: ¡°Look at this tea, how fragrant, how sweet!¡± Wu Lan declined the offer with thanks, as she didn¡¯t care for tea.. However, just as she was about to refuse, the unique aroma wafted through the air, making her change her tune, ¡°Let me try.¡± Then she took a big gulp, a sight that made Song Sancheng¡¯s forehead twitch, his pain and reluctance unable to be concealed. But Wu Lan didn¡¯t notice anything; instead, she pretended to be a connoisseur: ¡°Not bad, not bad at all. The tea is fragrant and refreshing, a little bitter at first, but then a sweet taste spreads from the throat. It¡¯s pretty good¡ª how much will we sell this for?¡± She tilted her head back and took another big gulp, finishing the cup of tea. After all, she had been to the field early in the morning and had to drink a lot when she returned. Wu Lan¡¯s brutish way of consuming the tea made Song Sancheng¡¯s eyelids twitch. Song Tan, however, checked the time, ¡°No rush¡ª Mom, you go ahead and eat with Qiaoqiao. I¡¯ll sort out all the orders first, and then take them straight to town later.¡± The tea leaves weren¡¯t going anywhere; there was no rush to taste them. Instead, with the sun being warm these past days, she needed to sell the vegetables quickly before it got hot. Otherwise, once the sun shone, their appearance wouldn¡¯t be as nice. Her phone had added quite a few new friends last night and received several new orders, and with the small team from the vegetable market, today Little Pika would be packed full. Luckily, the one hundred jin she was sending out of town didn¡¯t need to be bundled, saving her a lot of effort. For this, Song Tan even generously added five more jin to cover any losses. By that calculation, the morning was far too busy! ¡­ Bright and early, Wind Speed Express in Qingxi Town was already open and waiting. The owner, named Zhang Hua, was only twenty-five this year. He had invested all his money earned from working to open this Wind Speed Express franchise, thinking that being the only one in town, it couldn¡¯t possibly do too badly. He forgot that with the aging population in the village and towns, there are few young people living around here. With the courier fees starting at twenty yuan, people are even more reluctant to spend. After struggling for two years, he barely managed not to lose money. In the current challenging environment, he had even decided that if there was no improvement this year, he would simply go work in a factory next year. Screwing bolts would have more prospects than entrepreneurship! Who knew that his luck would turn now! Zhang Hua counted his packing boxes, dry ice bags, and bubble columns for the Nth time while praying in his heart, ¡°Dear God, please let that girl have a lot of orders! I haven¡¯t had such a good start in two years!¡± Just then, a car stopped at the door, and Zhang Hua¡¯s heart skipped a beat; he hurried out and, sure enough, saw the familiar pickup truck! And the person who was handing down baskets from the back. ¡°Sister, are these the two baskets?¡± Song Qiao picked up the heavy baskets and carefully handed them down. Song Tan was checking her phone; without even lifting her head, she stretched out an arm to catch the baskets and then set them down firmly. Zhang Hua watched in fear¡ªthose baskets of vegetables were not light! Song Tan confirmed the order again: ¡°There are a total of 52 orders, all in Ning Province; the weight of each order varies, adding up to a total of 156 jin¡ªhere, we¡¯ve weighed them out, each measure one jin and two liangs. The two liangs are for loss.¡± Then she moved her hands and sent all the address records over: ¡°Boss, you said last time you¡¯d give me a discount for picking up fifty orders. Now you don¡¯t have to pick them up, so the discount should be bigger, right?¡± Zhang Hua was already ecstatic. He nodded enthusiastically: ¡°Definitely a discount, definitely a discount!¡± But then he started to worry: ¡°If they were all small parcels, it would be no problem to give you a thirty percent discount, but many of these are overweight, so the specific shipping cost still needs to be calculated¡­¡± Indeed, the largest order was for ten jin at once. He would have to figure out if he needed to divide it into several packages¡­ Song Tan understood as well: ¡°There¡¯s no rush to settle accounts. In addition to what was left over last time, I¡¯ll transfer another thousand to you. These goods must be shipped out today, and there can be no loss during packaging. I¡¯ll come back at noon from the city center, and we can settle the account in detail. What do you think?¡± Although she was straightforward, she did not intend to be taken for a fool. To prevent the courier from getting carried away, Song Tan added another sentence: ¡°Of course, if the discount you offer isn¡¯t attractive enough, I go to the city center every day. It would be more efficient for me to find someone there to ship the goods.¡± Zhang Hua¡¯s heart jumped again: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, our company has certain subsidies for agricultural products shipped from rural towns. If you¡¯re not in a hurry, after the goods are dispatched this afternoon, I¡¯ll come directly to your house. This way, I can calculate the charges in detail and, if someday you need me to pick up the goods, I can also familiarize myself with the route¡­ How does that sound?¡± The young man has promise! Isn¡¯t that what business needs¡ªa smart person? Song Tan nodded: ¡°Okay! It¡¯s settled then!¡± She then looked outside at the weather: ¡°Qiaoqiao, cover the rest with the straw mat, it¡¯s time for us to head to the bus station.¡± Their arrangement with the freight driver was to meet near the bus station. It seems he was a relative of the customer, so he had specially instructed them that there was no need for packaging; they could just deliver it directly. Song Tan sighed¡ªindeed, wholesale was less hassle. Especially since her wholesale prices were not cheap. Chapter 57 - 57: 57. Great-aunt buys groceries_1 Chapter 57: 57. Great-aunt buys groceries_1 ¡°` Hurry as she might, Song Tan still arrived at the vegetable market a bit late. By the end of March, the weather was getting warmer, and the variety of vegetables at the market was increasingly splendid. No sooner had Song Tan arranged her baskets than she saw the vendor next to her staring eagerly at her. Ever since that neighboring vendor had awkwardly purchased a bunch of milk vetch, they had been eyeing her produce each day with that same conflicted look, which she had now grown accustomed to. Truth be told, it was a tough situation for the vegetable vendor. ... Having tasted Song Tan¡¯s produce once, they couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it. But as a fellow vendor, buying from a competitor was like feeding the enemy¡ªa sight their customers shouldn¡¯t witness, right? So, they grappled internally every day, beset by this dilemma. By the time they had finally made up their mind to buy¡­ Alas, she had already packed up for the day. Today, he was still caught in this vicious cycle of indecision, oblivious to the dewy, tender bok choy in front of him. When Song Tan caught sight of this, she felt a hint of craving herself. After all, to her, milk vetch charged with spiritual energy was still milk vetch, and after eating so much of it, she really started to grow tired. Bok choy, however, was different. Crunchy and fresh, free from any bitterness, with a short growing cycle¡ªthe fastest could be harvested in just a dozen or so days, not to mention leaf mustard, which grew in bushels¡­ If she spurred them with spiritual energy, perhaps they would be ready in about two weeks. Considering this, milk vetch would be finishing in about a week. After a brief interval to let customers cool off and save up some money, she would then¡ª Strike with real veggies! Song Tan made up her mind on the spot: She would supervise Qiaoqiao in the afternoon to diligently dig the garden and plant the seeds tonight! ¡­ The two hundred pounds of milk vetch she brought today were as popular as ever. As no weighing was needed and payments were made in whole numbers, customers were quickly completing transactions through mobile payments; Qiaoqiao had been handling less cash than before. His actions had become adept; unless he spoke, no one could tell there was anything amiss. Auntie Mao Li browsed the vegetable market for quite a while and, upon seeing a crowded group ahead, couldn¡¯t help but join in. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on there?¡± she asked a vendor in front of her while nonchalantly breaking off a leaf from the bok choy in her hand. The vendor was also watching the commotion and absentmindedly replied: S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°That¡¯s the milk vetch seller, twenty bucks a pound¡­¡± The words came out tinged with both sourness and envy. However, turning his head to see the older woman¡¯s actions, he couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes: ¡°Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing breaking my bok choy? If you¡¯re going to buy, then buy.¡± Mao Li continued to break leaves off with a sense of entitlement: ¡°I am buying vegetables here, and I obviously can¡¯t take these old leaves. I¡¯ll break them off first¡ªI assure you, I¡¯ll buy what I¡¯ve handled.¡± The vendor caught her hand: ¡°Look here, big sister, this season¡¯s bok choy has hardly grown, there aren¡¯t any old leaves. You should buy it if you want it, but don¡¯t waste it otherwise.¡± Mao Li then got annoyed: ¡°Who says I¡¯m not buying¡ªI am right here, am I not? How much per pound?¡± ¡°Six yuan fifty.¡± ¡°Tsk,¡± Mao Li sighed, ¡°You vegetable sellers are getting more and more ruthless. Back in the countryside, this would be given away for free.¡± The marketplace had plenty of such folks¡ªbedecked in chunky gold chains and little bracelets, haggling over vegetables endlessly. ¡°` The vegetable vendor also raised his voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t we from the countryside as well? Besides, this is the price of vegetables this season, look around the entire market if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Mao Li failed in her haggling and with a huff, she stuffed the six or seven small turnips she¡¯d broken off into her bag, ¡°Weigh these for me.¡± Then she grabbed another bag and put the leaves she had picked off into it, ¡°No one wants these old leaves anyway, I¡¯ll just take them all away together.¡± They had already been broken off, and it was too late to stop her. Now if she suddenly decides she doesn¡¯t want them, what can the vendor do in a society ruled by law ¨C beat her up? The vegetable vendor had no choice but to weigh them with a sullen face, ¡°Seven yuan and fifty cents.¡± Mao Li, knowing her way around, rummaged through the little purse around her waist and pulled out some change: ¡°What age is this, you still ask for fifty cents? Just seven yuan.¡± The vegetable vendor slapped the QR code in front of him, ¡°Scan the code.¡± His face dark with anger, Mao Li didn¡¯t dare to go too far; she reluctantly scanned the code with a mutter and mumbled that she would never come back again. The vendor was so irritated that when he turned his head, he saw others rushing to the stall that was about to close and selling Milk Vetch, squeezing their way through! ¡­ Mao Li only noticed her niece after the crowd had dispersed ¡ª that¡¯s right, that Milk Vetch wasn¡¯t anything special, probably the only stall in the whole market that sold it. But seeing everyone walking away with their bags full made her feel sour inside. ¡°Tantan dear, you¡¯re a college graduate. I thought you were just playing around. Never expected you to really start selling vegetables. My my, look at this crowd! You¡¯ve built a reputation for yourself!¡± Qiaoqiao¡¯s face crumpled instantly: ¡°Great-aunt, Qiaoqiao sells vegetables too!¡± Mao Li glanced at her and ignored her, continuing to praise Song Tan instead: ¡°You¡¯re beautiful and also so diligent. Wait for your great-aunt to find you a good match. Then you can stay in town and won¡¯t have to struggle.¡± She lowered her voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, with your beauty and education, when the time comes, I¡¯ll ask for a big dowry for your family, then Qiaoqiao won¡¯t have to worry about money when she gets married.¡± Song Tan raised an eyebrow: What does she mean by this? Looking for trouble here? She also mustered a fake smile, ¡°Great-aunt, came to buy vegetables? There are still three pounds left, sixty yuan in total.¡± At that price, Mao Li¡¯s actions of sifting through the three bundles of vegetables on the ground suddenly froze. ¡°Twenty yuan a pound?¡± Incredulously she said, ¡°My child, even if you want to make money, you shouldn¡¯t do it this way! Milk Vetch is so worthless even cows would disdain it, and you¡¯re charging your own relative twenty yuan a pound?¡± She stood up, her expression serious: ¡°Tantan dear, as your elder, I must say something about this.¡± ¡°Selling vegetables is fine; our family doesn¡¯t look down on you for losing face, we¡¯re all working people.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to buy anything, the market is too far and things are expensive. It was your sister-in-law, kind-hearted as she is, who said we should support family business no matter what ¡ª and here I am, but you, kid, not only are you dishonest in selling vegetables, but you also don¡¯t respect family ties?¡± Song Tan¡¯s expression remained calm: ¡°Great-aunt, the vegetables at twenty yuan a pound, I last gave you five pounds for free, isn¡¯t that enough family affection?¡± ¡°My vegetables are known to be this price throughout the whole market. If you want to eat them, then buy them, but drop the talk about support; I don¡¯t lack customers.¡± ¡°As for whether it¡¯s dishonest or not¡­ if my goods are good, they¡¯re worth the price. If you¡¯re reluctant to spend, there¡¯s a lady waiting behind you.¡± Indeed, behind her stood a lady in a silk jacket with a delicate jade bracelet on her wrist, her hair done impeccably, looking far more respectable than the great-aunt. She was enjoying the spectacle ¡ª not just her, but all the surrounding vegetable vendors were watching the excitement. Caught off guard to be mentioned, she was polite enough to respond: ¡°Indeed, the girl¡¯s vegetables are good, we buy from her every day at home ¡ª she came a bit late this morning, my daughter couldn¡¯t wait and had to leave for work. She told me to come back especially.¡± As she spoke, she deftly scanned Qiaoqiao¡¯s code to pay, ¡°My dear, pack the remaining three bundles for auntie.¡± Chapter 58 - 58: 58. Do people actually buy this?_1 Chapter 58: 58. Do people actually buy this?_1 Someone actually bought them? Aunt Mao Li was dumbfounded. And¡­ and she had come to the market today with a mission! The five bunches of Milk Vetch from yesterday¡¯s lunch had started out as just one dish, but they couldn¡¯t resist and ended up cooking all four remaining bunches. Hardly anyone ate the meat that was stewed at noon; they just gobbled up the vegetables until they were completely full. They might have had their fill at noon, but by evening, nothing was left! Her granddaughter Song Ziyi came back from art class in the afternoon, and seeing none of Qiaoqiao¡¯s vegetables on the dinner table, she immediately burst into tears. ... Although Aunt Mao Li constantly nagged about ¡°needing roots¡± and ¡°needing grandsons,¡± these were words she dared not say to her daughter-in-law. And her granddaughter was the family¡¯s treasure. Now that she was crying, how could they bear it? The family did everything in their power to soothe her, and promised that she would have the dish tomorrow, which finally calmed her down. Later, her daughter-in-law added, ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t you also visit the market tomorrow? They¡¯re our relatives after all, and it¡¯s good that Ziyi likes their vegetables. Supporting their business wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± She then turned to ask Uncle Song: ¡°Dad, how much did Tantan say the vegetables were per pound today?¡± Uncle Song surely remembered Qiaoqiao mentioning twenty, but in his eyes, how could something that grew in the ground be priced so high? Thus, he still responded without hesitation, ¡°A few bucks, I guess? Two bucks maybe?¡± Mao Li clicked her tongue in disapproval, ¡°These young people have too many ideas. Back in our day, we would¡¯ve just fed this to the pigs, yet now they¡¯re making money off it.¡± But inwardly she felt relieved, ¡°All this work hardly makes any money; forget it, I¡¯ll buy five pounds tomorrow.¡± The family was busy working out their calculations, but the moment they got to Song Tan and her opening price of twenty yuan per pound, Aunt Mao Li¡¯s defenses were shattered. They were relatives after all. Song Tan didn¡¯t plan to fall out with them over such a trivial matter¡ªshe had to consider Comrade Old Song¡¯s dignity, right? So, she put on her standard smile again: ¡°Aunt, why don¡¯t you look somewhere else? I¡¯m about to close up shop here.¡± But I haven¡¯t bought anything yet¡ªMao Li stood there, recalling her granddaughter¡¯s wailing and the exorbitantly priced vegetables, and felt even more upset. After some thought, she nonetheless turned around and said: ¡°Fine, we¡¯re family after all. I understand it¡¯s not easy for you kids to do business. Let it be twenty then; give me one pound.¡± While peering into the basket, she warned, ¡°Tantan, you better not give me short weight, or I¡¯ll have to ask your parents what kind of education you received.¡± Song Tan thought to herself that she had been selling vegetables for a few months now, and this was the first time she had seen a relative trying to undermine her! Besides, she had just said she was sold out. Qiaoqiao had already picked up the baskets, shouting, ¡°All sold out!¡± ¡°How can they be sold out?¡± Aunt Mao Li pointed to the baskets, ¡°Aren¡¯t there a few bunches left? Aunt has brought you money; why don¡¯t you want it?¡± But Qiaoqiao shook his fluffy little head happily and with a cheerful tone, said, ¡°No way, those are for my auntie!¡± Mao Li felt a pang in her heart at that moment. ¡°Twenty yuan a pound, and you¡¯re giving away so much?¡± After hearing this, Song Tan began to wonder how she had managed all these years. She looked over with a smile that was not quite a smile, ¡°Great-aunt, I sent the same amount to your house, too. It can¡¯t be five pounds for my dad¡¯s brothers and four pounds for my mom¡¯s sisters, right?¡± Even Mao Li, who had a bellyful of words, found them stuck in her throat at this moment. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But the taste of yesterday¡¯s vegetables¡­ She then displayed a friendly smile again, ¡°You child, what are you saying! Am I someone unreasonable?¡± ¡°It¡¯s mainly Ziyi, she insists on eating Qiaoqiao¡¯s vegetables, you know, children don¡¯t understand¡ªhow about this, you just even out a handful for me today?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t your aunt your own relative too? Just make it up to her tomorrow,¡± she said. Song Tan burst out laughing, without sparing any face, ¡°So I deliver four handfuls today and one more tomorrow? Are these ginseng or wild vegetables I¡¯m delivering?¡± ¡°Great-aunt, since Ziyi likes them so much, I¡¯ll give you this face. Either you buy all the remaining vegetables, or you don¡¯t worry about how much I send to my aunt,¡± Song Tan said. Could Mao Li really bear to spend a hundred dollars on these worthless wild vegetables? That would be utterly impossible. Besides, being confronted by a younger person in front of everyone at the market, where were her face and dignity? The great-aunt rolled her eyes with a sullen expression: ¡°Tantan, your great-uncle and I have been in the city for so many years, we have no lack of connections. We were even thinking about introducing you to a good match! Is this how you treat us?¡± ¡°Forget it, leftover slop for pigs. If it weren¡¯t for the sake of family, who would be willing to buy it with money?¡± she said as she turned and stormed off. Song Tan also had a darkened expression¡ªfortunately, the customers had all left by then. Otherwise, if she were to say such things in front of everyone, Song Tan might have slapped her on the spot. Therefore, she also raised her voice, ¡°Great-aunt, if you really despise them, just vomit out yesterday¡¯s vegetables.¡± The Great-aunt stopped in her tracks but then hurried away even faster, clacking her little boots. As soon as she left, the neighbouring vegetable vendor came over with a big smile and said coyly, ¡°That, um, bring more tomorrow morning, I want five pounds.¡± While talking, he quickly shoved a hundred dollars her way, as if he were a thief. Song Tan was well aware, ¡°How about it, the vegetables are delicious, aren¡¯t they?¡± The vendor nodded reluctantly, ¡°Is the soil and water from your old home really that good? Have you considered growing some other vegetables?¡± Song Tan¡¯s thoughts stirred: ¡°There are, but it¡¯s not the season yet, just too lazy to bother with the greenhouse now. We¡¯ll talk about it next month¡ªsince you sell vegetables here every day, which vegetables have better market prospects?¡± The vendor looked at her and sighed, ¡°You can make Milk Vetch taste this good, why worry about what variety to grow? Just grow whatever and sell it, you won¡¯t lack for buyers.¡± Song Tan never expected that of all her customers, the one who had the most confidence in her would be this competitor! She was quite touched, ¡°Alright, just for that comment, when the new vegetables are out, I¡¯ll give you the opportunity to jump the queue!¡± The vendor rolled his eyes, ¡°I set up my stall right beside you every day, do I even need to jump the queue?¡± He didn¡¯t take it seriously; after all, he had already bought the vegetables and had become quite thick-skinned, so he casually added a sales pitch: ¡°By the way, if you plan to sell vegetables here every day, you might as well try to rent a permanent spot¡ªsee that, the delineated area, inside the shed, those are all permanent stalls. It¡¯s yours whether you come or not, no worries about wind, sun, or rain.¡± ¡°Your vegetables are expensive, with a higher profit margin than ours; you won¡¯t lose out having a stall. If there weren¡¯t so few spots here, and if it weren¡¯t for needing to pull strings with someone, I would have gotten one a long time ago.¡± Song Tan did have her eye on the stalls inside, but since selling vegetables wasn¡¯t on a large scale yet, she figured on waiting a while. Hearing his advice now, she joked, ¡°Oh my, turns out you¡¯ve been selling vegetables illegally for seven or eight years, brother?¡± Chapter 59 - 59: 59. Consider renting a booth_1 Chapter 59: 59. Consider renting a booth_1 At this remark, the vegetable vendor was not pleased. ¡°What do you mean ¡®illegal vending¡¯?¡± ¡°All my veggies come from the suburban gardens, I don¡¯t make much even after flipping them a few times. If I had to rent a stall, I¡¯d make less money than a street sweeper in a month.¡± He didn¡¯t hold anything back. Aside from the occasional local farmers from the surrounding suburbs selling their produce, the market was mostly made up of such stalls. The vegetables weren¡¯t necessarily cheaper, but they won out in freshness, and there were often deals to be had, which was why they were so popular with the masses. However, fortune didn¡¯t favor the vendor. He missed out when the market stalls were being assigned by the city, and since he didn¡¯t sell in large volumes, it didn¡¯t make financial sense for him to get one. ... sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. His advice to Song Tan was indeed well-meaning¡ª ¡°Occasionally setting up a stall here is perfectly fine, ¡®people don¡¯t report it, officials don¡¯t bother with it,¡¯ but girl, you¡¯re making no small amount of money from these vegetables. I¡¯m watching from the sidelines, green with envy.¡± He was half-joking, half-serious, and his words carried a tinge of sarcasm. At twenty bucks a pop, anyone who looked at the accounts even briefly could see they were clear. The Milk Vetch she grows practically costs her nothing, meaning she¡¯s netting a good two or three thousand a day. It¡¯s worth a month¡¯s earnings for those little stalls. Who wouldn¡¯t be jealous? The vegetable vendor dreamt of striking it rich every single day! ¡°All it takes is for someone to make a report, and tomorrow law enforcement will come knocking.¡± When money¡¯s involved, there¡¯s never peace, and the vendor was well aware of that. Song Tan¡¯s expression grew serious too. Truth be told, the time she spent vending each session was only an hour or two at most, and half the market doesn¡¯t have fixed stalls and operates for the whole morning; technically, it shouldn¡¯t be troublesome. But like the vendor said, once someone reports you, they¡¯re definitely informed about the timing. They¡¯ll catch you without fail. The vendor, seeing her youth and fearing she didn¡¯t grasp the severity, looked over at the blissfully bubble-blowing Qiaoqiao before he continued: ¡°Even if there¡¯s no report, when it warms up, the city does inspections¡ªtwo or three times a year. Your Little Pika, parked here, would that be appropriate?¡± ¡°Miss, you should ask around for yourself.¡± No need to ask around, city inspections happen every year, including in Ning City. Song Tan was sincerely grateful: ¡°Thanks for the heads-up!¡± She then tried to give back the hundred yuan: ¡°We¡¯ve been neighbors for so long, what¡¯s the need for money? I¡¯ll definitely bring some for you tomorrow!¡± Glancing at the time, she called out to Qiaoqiao: ¡°Let¡¯s go, Qiaoqiao, we have to deliver vegetables to your aunt!¡± The sibling pair roared off in their Little Pika, leaving the vendor chuckling at the money in his hand: Selling vegetables for so long, and just today I learned we¡¯re neighbors! That girl has some cheek; she¡¯s cut out for business. The business-savvy Song Tan was still pondering over the stall situation as she drove. She had moved to Ning City for work right after graduating and switched from working in the labor system to the agricultural system, knowing absolutely no one. But no matter! When she pulled up to the famous Jinyue Bay Wholesale Market in downtown, Song Tan had already managed to post a message in the group chat¡ª [Dear customers, the store owner plans to rent a stall at Riverside Market. If anyone knows somebody, please refer them to me! A generous reward will be offered upon signing the contract!] She might have lacked connections, but with so many people buying vegetables every day, surely someone would have a tip. Meanwhile, Qiaoqiao, carrying a small basket, gazed wide-eyed at the wholesale market¡¯s rows upon rows of large trucks and the mountains of various fruits, exclaiming in awe¡ª ¡°It¡¯s so big here, so huge!¡± Song Tan smiled: ¡°Of course it¡¯s big, this is the largest wholesale market in our city!¡± Song Tan¡¯s maternal aunt, Wu Fang, and her husband Zhang Hong, ran a storefront here, specializing in fruit wholesale. Fruit wholesale was by no means an easy job. Starting early and finishing late to settle accounts, and all the lifting and carrying, it was indeed tough work. But the couple were honest workers. Although they didn¡¯t make as much money as others at the beginning, over the years they had built up a good reputation, and now their life was quite acceptable. Song Tan followed the address she¡¯d been given before and found her way there, with Qiaoqiao obediently trailing behind, her excitement apparent upon seeing the distinct style of the place compared to other buildings. ¡°Sis, there are so many fruits!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°If you live here, can you eat them every day?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Then, can Qiaoqiao live here too?¡± ¡°Mhm¡­ no.¡± Song Tan looked at him: ¡°You have to pay to eat here. Do you have money?¡± Qiaoqiao was not so naive now, looking eagerly at her: ¡°I do¡­ I have a salary!¡± Song Tan counted on her fingers for him to see: ¡°You dug in the vegetable garden yesterday, fifty yuan. You accompanied your sister to sell vegetables today, fifty yuan.¡± ¡°That makes a hundred yuan in total. You have to feed your three puppies, buy your own toys, Peppa stickers. You also have to pay for your own snacks¡ªQiaoqiao, it¡¯s not enough!¡± Qiaoqiao wasn¡¯t worried though: ¡°I will dig in the garden again when I go back today! It will grow more and more!¡± This silly kid. Song Tan felt helpless¡ªwasn¡¯t this something she would have to coax him about? ¡°Okay, when we go back, we¡¯ll soak the seeds, and you can dig the garden well, then we can plant in the evening.¡± Bok choy, feather vegetable¡ªthose that can be densely planted were perfect to make good use of the garden first. As they were talking, they came upon a storefront with a sign that read £ÛDahong Fruit Wholesale£Ý. A couple was unloading fruit from a truck at the entrance! ¡°Auntie!¡± Song Tan called out, and without waiting for a response, she climbed up onto the truck: ¡°Which ones do we move? I¡¯ll help!¡± Qiaoqiao had already positioned himself skillfully below the truck. The auntie was not tall, and a bit thinner than Wu Lan, wearing old clothes with a face full of surprise: ¡°Tantan, when did you come back? Get down quickly, the fruit is heavy, you can¡¯t¡ª¡± Her words trailed off. That was because Song Tan nonchalantly picked up a basket of fruit and passed it down. Qiaoqiao quickly took it and stacked it to the side. The two of them coordinated especially well, anyone unaware would think they did this for a living! Auntie¡¯s husband, Zhang Hong, came out of the warehouse and was taken aback when he saw them: ¡°Oh, you two, no need to help, come down, I¡¯ll grab you a couple of oranges!¡± Seeing that they didn¡¯t move, the uncle became anxious, directly taking a pomelo from the side: ¡°Qiaoqiao, come, uncle will peel some fruit for you.¡± Qiaoqiao turned his head, he didn¡¯t like pomelo because the ones Wu Lan bought for the New Year in the village were very sour: ¡°No, I have to work.¡± His sister had said that earning money was hard, and he could make fifty yuan today, so he couldn¡¯t be lazy. Song Tan, however, took a moment to survey the truckload¡ªdue to the early spring, people¡¯s desire for consumption was low, so there weren¡¯t any particularly expensive fruits on the truck, the cherries that sold well at the year¡¯s end were nowhere to be seen, the only somewhat expensive ones were the domestic large cherries. She thought of the mountainous land back home, which they hadn¡¯t been able to care for this year, only utilizing Chestnut Woods. But if they were to develop it in the long run, it shouldn¡¯t go to waste either. What kind of fruit should they plant? Chapter 60 - 60: 60. Real Man Zhang Yanping_1 Chapter 60: 60. Real Man Zhang Yanping_1 With two more people helping, a truckload of goods was quickly moved out. Uncle felt quite embarrassed; his own son was still upstairs, and here he was, asking relatives, and a girl at that¡ªto help, even though this girl was stronger than him. Being an honest man, he didn¡¯t know what to say, so he simply brought out two boxes of fruit, ¡°Here, Tantan, Qiaoqiao, have some fruit.¡± Aunt was busy planning to buy groceries, intending to have lunch with the siblings. However, both Song Tan and Qiaoqiao shook their heads. Song Tan declined because she found the food outside barely palatable. ... Qiaoqiao was thinking: Could he possibly buy another toy set at noon? Their refusal was so firm that Aunt stood there hesitantly and finally picked up the fruit from the table, ¡°Then I¡¯ll wash some of these big cherries for you!¡± Song Tan quickly stopped her, ¡°Auntie, really, there¡¯s no need! These big cherries cost over a hundred yuan per jin, you keep them to sell!¡± This honest couple¡¯s way of showing kindness was to insist on offering the best they had. After the cherries were refused, they brought out another box of fruit: a box of shiny golden kiwis. ¡°You eat, you eat¡­¡± Aunt hastily peeled one for Qiaoqiao, ¡°Here, Qiaoqiao, taste this Jiapei Golden Kiwi. They sell for more than ten yuan each in the market! Tell me, what does it taste like?¡± The implication was that they hadn¡¯t even indulged themselves with such expensive fruit. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°Auntie, if you who sell fruit don¡¯t taste them to check the flavor, what will you do if you buy some that don¡¯t taste right?¡± Auntie¡¯s laugh was honest and simple, ¡°Isn¡¯t your Brother Yanping at home? He¡¯s picky with his food¡ªif it¡¯s expensive in the market, he¡¯ll eat it. He can tell right away whether it¡¯s good or not.¡± Song Tan was curious, ¡°Brother Yanping is at home?¡± Brother Yanping, named Zhang Yanping, was Aunt¡¯s only son, two years older than Song Tan. Why was he still at home now of all times, when there was no special occasion? When it came to her son, Aunt sighed. ¡°Your brother lacks ambition. I told him to go out and work, but he said he¡¯d help with the family fruit shop.¡± ¡°But at home, he doesn¡¯t seem to do any work and has managed to spoil more than a dozen crates of imported fruits. We¡¯ve scolded and beaten him, but he says that we¡¯ll be old one day and he will have to take care of the fruit shop, and now he¡¯s starting his practice¡ª¡± ¡°By practicing eating during the day and playing video games till midnight! Your uncle and I are worried sick!¡± It really wasn¡¯t a case of Aunt and Uncle spoiling their child; they were simply at their wits¡¯ end! Zhang Yanping had been at home for two years since graduating. Aunt had long been urging him to go out and find a job, even going so far as to stop giving him living expenses. But Zhang Yanping was like a lump of trouble, a brass pea, loud and clear! When his living expenses were cut off, he just came back home when he got hungry and hovered around the kitchen at meal times. If that didn¡¯t work, he¡¯d rummage through the fruit in the storage, always going for the most expensive ones. The habit made Aunt and Uncle tremble with anxiety, They could lock up the doors to the house and the storeroom, but this unruly kid went as far as calling a locksmith. In the end, unable to pay the fee, the locksmith called his parents to come and settle the bill. They thought about giving up and not giving any money, letting the police handle it¡­but the couple still held onto the dream of being civil servants! How does the saying go? The end of the universe is the civil service exam. In the eyes of this honest couple, nothing was more stable and enviable than a civil servant¡¯s job. Even if the salary was low, they still had a fruit shop, which was enough. Now, fearing a police record might jeopardize their chances, they were extremely troubled. Qiaoqiao, listening by their side, didn¡¯t understand but looked expectantly at Aunt, ¡°Where¡¯s brother?¡± Aunt pointed towards the stairs, ¡°He¡¯s upstairs sleeping! Who knows what time he played games until last night. Qiaoqiao, go and play with him!¡± Though Zhang Yanping was a troublesome block, he was actually quite protective of his family and had played with Qiaoqiao before. Children always idolize the older kids, and he clearly held a special place in Qiaoqiao¡¯s heart. As expected, Qiaoqiao ran upstairs with the kiwifruit, clomping along: ¡°The fruit is so sweet, I¡¯m going to share it with brother!¡± She had obviously forgotten she also had an older sister. Song Tan didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. It was only then that her aunt finally found the time to ask, ¡°Tantan, how come you¡¯re here?¡± Song Tan repeated the same old line, ¡°Work was too exhausting, so I quit my job to rest at home for a while, and I¡¯ve been helping out with farming during this time.¡± Her aunt quickly advised her, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t stay too long though, farming isn¡¯t easy work. For a young lady like you, getting all tanned wouldn¡¯t look nice at all!¡± It was then that Song Tan brought over her little basket: ¡°Auntie, the vegetables from our farm are really tasty this year. Many people are scrambling for this Milk Vetch. I¡¯ve saved a few bunches especially for you, you can try stir-frying some for lunch.¡± No sooner had she finished speaking than she saw her uncle had already peeled another kiwifruit and was handing it to her: ¡°Tantan, have one.¡± Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for her aunt¡ª A few sentences exchanged, and twenty to thirty yuan disappeared just like that. Song Tan knew all too well how thrifty her aunt¡¯s household usually was. But since the fruit was already peeled, she took it, put it in her mouth, and quickly covered the box and moved it aside. The sweet juice burst in her mouth, mingling with a familiar murky scent, which wasn¡¯t exactly a pleasant taste. However, Song Tan was somewhat used to it by now and simply mumbled, ¡°Uncle, no need to peel any more, just tasting is enough, save the rest to sell.¡± Her uncle chuckled good-naturedly: ¡°You don¡¯t visit often, so have more.¡± Her aunt also cast off her worried expression: ¡°Tantan, don¡¯t be shy, eat more. Take this box back with you later¡ªanyway, if it stays here, it¡¯ll just get devoured by your Brother Yanping.¡± For a mother to refer to her own son eating fruit as ¡®causing chaos¡¯ showed just how much of a ruckus Zhang Yanping must have been making. Song Tan felt a twinge in her heart. Before she could even process her thoughts, she heard her aunt asking, ¡°Tantan, with you all farming this year, are your parents not going to work in the city for the second half of the year?¡± Song Tan nodded and began to calculate on her fingers: ¡°We have to plant rice in two fields, grow vegetables, sunflowers, and on the mountain, we¡¯re also cultivating wood ear and silver ear mushrooms. We¡¯ve pruned the chestnut trees a bit as well, and we¡¯ll probably stock the fish pond with some fish fry¡­¡± ¡°This year, we even raised five pigs on the back hill. The pork will definitely be tasty during the New Year. Auntie, I¡¯ll bring you some when the time comes!¡± Her aunt was dumbfounded: ¡°With that much to do, can your family handle it all?¡± Song Tan felt helpless¡ªthe money was already spent, and she wanted to earn more quickly, hence she had taken on more than she could manage. ¡°My grandparents are pitching in to help. We haven¡¯t officially started planting yet, so we can manage for the time being.¡± But ¡®for the time being¡¯ was just that, and in a few days, they¡¯d have to hire people to work again. Just at that moment, there was a commotion from the stairway, and Qiaoqiao¡¯s cheerful voice rang out: ¡°Brother Yanping, let¡¯s go throw stones!¡± ¡°Nope. Kid, I don¡¯t play with stones anymore.¡± Zhang Yanping¡¯s languid voice also contained a yawn. ¡°Brother Yanping, let¡¯s play hide and seek.¡± ¡°Qiaoqiao, your brother Yanping has grown up now. Can¡¯t hide anymore.¡± ¡°Brother Yanping, let¡¯s go watch Peppa.¡± ¡°What Peppa? Real men watch Ultraman!¡± S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 61 - 61: 61. Happy to have a new long-term worker_1 Chapter 61: 61. Happy to have a new long-term worker_1 Song Tan chuckled. She remembered promising Qiaoqiao she would show him Ultraman, but they had all been so busy lately that this silly boy had completely forgotten about Ultraman after getting a few toys. He hadn¡¯t even watched it yet! Peppa had ultimately managed to retain its status. Just then, her aunt asked in a coy manner: ¡°Tantan, look at your Brother Yanping¡¯s physique and frame. Why don¡¯t you take him back with you to work on the farm?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t care about anything else. Just let him stay in the mountains and work hard.¡± ... ¡°If he doesn¡¯t behave, don¡¯t feed him.¡± ¡°Let him realize just how hard making money really is!¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The saying goes that sparing the rod spoils the child, and now the whole wholesale market knew her son was no good. For the past couple of years, there hadn¡¯t even been anyone willing to set him up on a date, which made Song Tan¡¯s aunt both anxious and irritable. She had heard that her sister¡¯s family was farming¡ªfarm work is great, it¡¯s tough and it tempers people. The scorching sun is the perfect place for her son! Zhang Yanping, who was familiar with the process of rummaging through boxes for fruit, immediately panicked: ¡°Mom!¡± Song Tan had the same thought¡ªafter all, Zhang Yanping was a tall guy over six feet, hefty and strong. Wouldn¡¯t it be a waste if he didn¡¯t wield a hoe or shovel? Even if he couldn¡¯t adapt at first, over the long term, he could become a good labor force! The two struck a deal immediately! Song Tan readily promised, ¡°Auntie, when have I ever let you down? Don¡¯t worry, Brother Yanping will definitely not starve when he comes back with me.¡± ¡°But the work in the fields is pretty tough, too. Don¡¯t feel bad when he gets tanned.¡± But even her uncle agreed this time, ¡°I won¡¯t feel bad at all. I¡¯d be relieved just to see him go out.¡± ¡°Besides, who hasn¡¯t done farm work before? Muscle is just a tool that comes back once it¡¯s used up. He¡¯s so tall, but all he does at home is eat, drink and play video games. It¡¯s better for him to get some exercise!¡± Zhang Yanping was desperate and turned to bolt upstairs: ¡°I¡¯m not going¡ªhey, hey, hey!¡± But Song Tan had grabbed hold of his collar and now laughed, ¡°It¡¯s almost noon, auntie. I¡¯ll take Brother Yanping back first. We¡¯ll have lunch, let him get acclimated in the afternoon, and he can start work tomorrow!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you a video to show you then!¡± ¡°Good, good, good!¡± They finally offloaded their hot potato of a son, and though Song Tan was smaller in stature, Yanping, once she grabbed hold of his collar, couldn¡¯t move a muscle! The couple was all smiles, as if they could already see their son being transformed into a resilient good man with a strong work ethic. Her uncle quickly dove back into the warehouse, and when Song Tan was dragging a resistant Yanping to the car, the back of the vehicle was already piled with several more boxes of fruit¡ªall of them expensive. Song Tan locked the back door of the car and looked at Yanping¡¯s plaintive face, her words especially taunting, ¡°Brother Yanping, look at you, working for our family for free, and my aunt still has to give us fruit.¡± But Yanping calmed down in an instant, the aggrieved expression gone. A smile broke across his plump white face, making his dark circles seem endearing. He smoothly pulled out his phone, charger, and earbuds from his pocket. ¡°My mom¡¯s always been like this; I¡¯ve been prepared for it.¡± ¡°Little girl, I¡¯m your brother. Even if I don¡¯t work, you think auntie¡¯s going to eat me up?¡± He had just finished when Qiaoqiao, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around excitedly to look at him, ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll take you to dig in the vegetable garden, yeah!¡± Zhang Yanping: ¡­ Song Tan just smiled without saying a word¡ªonce in the village, whether he would work or not was no longer up to him. ¡­ Zhang Yanping indeed lived up to his reputation as the man who even baffled his aunt. Once he got into the car, he started playing video games, his fingers moving so swiftly they almost created afterimages. Qiaoqiao, sitting in the front passenger seat, nearly broke his neck from craning so much, his curiosity stretched to the max. Song Tan glanced at him: ¡°With such agile hands, not picking tea is just a waste!¡± However, that job is the easiest in which to slack off, so¡­ for a big man, it¡¯s still got to be good, solid physical labor! Qiaoqiao¡¯s vegetable garden had found a new companion. But the gaming session lasted only for an hour, after which the vehicle turned towards the mountain roads, and the pickup truck¡¯s shock absorption features could be said to be nearly non-existent. With the road winding eighteen bends, rocking left and right, bouncing and jolting, even the gods would find it hard to snatch victory in this battle. Zhang Yanping, staring at the screen until he was dizzy, finally could only resign himself to his fate: ¡°Tantan, why on earth did you decide to go back home and start farming?¡± Song Tan also asked him, ¡°Brother Yanping, why did you decide to stay at home and be scorned by your aunt?¡± After all, he was a university graduate from a 211 university! Zhang Yanping replied nonchalantly: ¡°What do you know? In life, one should enjoy what can be enjoyed. I have no worries about food or drink and am perfectly comfortable at home. Why would I want to be a suffering wage labourer?¡± ¡°My mom just doesn¡¯t see it; with or without money, as long as we live comfortably, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± ¡°She and my dad are all about getting me to take the civil service exams ¡ª it¡¯s like crossing a single-log bridge with thousands of troops these days! Without connections, you can¡¯t even get on it. And even if you do get in, with our small family¡¯s status, I¡¯d either be sent to the county to help with poverty alleviation or to the villages for work¡­¡± He exuded the aura of a salted fish: ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t do it.¡± Truth be told, who doesn¡¯t have the desire for a life of pleasure? Song Tan nodded in understanding, now fully aware of her cousin¡¯s attitude. However, as soon as she returned home, she saw Wu Lan with a frosty expression, while her dear dad, Song Sancheng, sat there soaking seeds, not daring to raise his eyebrows. The grandmother was supervising a few tea pickers with the weighing, the tender green shoots in the baskets piled layer upon layer, a sight so delightful one could hardly contain themselves! A few tea-picking aunties from the village commented with a smile: ¡°Your family¡¯s tea plants are growing so well this year. On that small piece of land, we pickers can¡¯t even keep up with the growth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Wu Lan shouted loudly, ¡°We¡¯ve been taking great care of that tea plantation!¡± As if, they had only fertilized it once half a month ago. Anyway, the yield of that field this year was anyone¡¯s guess, quite mysterious really. Seeing everyone chuckle and walk away, but the atmosphere at home still hadn¡¯t softened. Song Sancheng was still too afraid to speak, sitting there and soaking each seed meticulously, anyone unfamiliar would think it was ginseng fruit. Song Tan didn¡¯t rush to inquire, but instead called out loudly, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve brought Brother Yanping! Auntie said she wanted him to work for our family.¡± Wu Lan quickly came out, and upon seeing the robust young man, she couldn¡¯t help but laugh: ¡°Yanping is here ¡ª Ah, don¡¯t mind your mom, can I really put you to work when you¡¯re here at my place? We will have food soon.¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, she added somewhat embarrassedly: ¡°But Yanping, you see, I didn¡¯t get notice from Tantan, I didn¡¯t prepare any dishes ¡ª Would it be alright to have some dumplings for lunch?¡± Zhang Yanping could be picky with food, but he wasn¡¯t unreasonable, so he nodded without hesitation. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m not fussy about food.¡± It was then that Song Tan seized the opportunity to ask, ¡°Mom, what did dad do?¡± Chapter 62 - 62: 62. The plot was exposed_1 Chapter 62: 62. The plot was exposed_1 Mentioning this made Wu Lan so angry! ¡°Ask your dad! He took everything out of my fridge and then didn¡¯t put it back!¡± ¡°I just went to pick more than a pound of tea leaves during my free time. When I came back, the dumplings had all thawed and stuck together!¡± If it wasn¡¯t for this, they wouldn¡¯t have had to eat dumplings at noon¡ªboiling them is convenient, making them perfect for a busy morning. Song Sancheng buried his head deep and mumbled, ¡°I just wanted to fit some tea leaves in, and after I took things out, I couldn¡¯t fit them back¡­ and then I forgot about breakfast altogether.¡± Ah, this¡­ ... Song Tan was helpless, ¡°Dad, how big is the freezer compartment beneath our fridge? And you still want to store tea leaves? Just tell me and I¡¯ll pick up a freezer from the city tomorrow.¡± It was her oversight as well. With more and more stuff at home, a freezer was indispensable. These days, freezers aren¡¯t even that expensive; for just over a thousand, you can get a pretty nice one with a big capacity. Hearing this, Song Sancheng looked even more embarrassed: ¡°I¡­ I just didn¡¯t think of it, okay? Who knew the dumplings would thaw so quickly¡­¡± Zhang Yanping, watching on the side, couldn¡¯t hold back and chuckled: ¡°No worries, Uncle, I love dumplings. We¡¯re family, so what if they¡¯re a bit broken?¡± Listen to that! Isn¡¯t this why everyone likes Zhang Yanping? Always quick with a compliment, such a smooth talker! Logically, Song Sancheng should have felt relieved. But upon hearing this, and seeing Yanping¡¯s tall, strong build and robust appetite, his expression suddenly turned even more sour: ¡°We¡¯ve only got that little bit of shepherd¡¯s purse dumplings left¡­¡± That tone of tragedy confused Yanping. But soon, his interest was piqued: ¡°Uncle, are we picking tea leaves this year? They must smell amazing!¡± Mentioning this invigorated Song Sancheng, his dejection vanished as he threw the seed into the basin and led the other man into the house. Then, with great care, he retrieved the bag of tea leaves that had no place to go, and cautiously pinched a small amount, placing it securely in the cup. He didn¡¯t pour water, just let the cup sit, ¡°Yanping, take a sniff! If it wasn¡¯t for your visit, I swear I wouldn¡¯t have opened this tea!¡± But it was dry tea! It did smell really nice, but Uncle, what do you mean by not pouring water on it? Zhang Yanping was thrown off rhythm and could only lower his head to take a sniff¡ª ¡°Huh, this aroma truly is different!¡± Song Sancheng¡¯s face instantly brightened, and he quickly brewed some tea for him. Poor thing, when that little bit of Maojian tea blossomed, it barely covered the bottom of the cup. Zhang Yanping internally laughed, lifting the cup to observe closely. He saw a tiny layer of fuzz floating on top, with distinct buds standing upright in a tranquil green color. As the steam rose, that fresh and fragrant aroma wafted around, refreshing and delightful. A bit of bitterness, a hint of roast, but the most profound was the extraordinary freshness that far surpassed the ordinary. He too widened his eyes in surprise and blurted out, ¡°Excellent tea!¡± No wonder my uncle went to such lengths to keep it safe. Any loss of this tea would be heart-wrenching. Then he gently blew on the tea before taking a light sip. Song Sancheng carefully wrapped up the tea leaves again, and turning to see Yanping motionless, he asked in perplexity, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhang Yanping let out a deep sigh: ¡°Uncle, this tea¡­anything less than six thousand per pound would be a disgrace to it!¡± ¡°What the heck?!!¡± Song Sancheng jumped up. Just then, Song Tan walked in and hearing the conversation couldn¡¯t help but laugh: ¡°Brother Yanping, no wonder my aunt said you have a discerning palate. You really know how to enjoy food and drink! I do plan to sell this tea for a decent eight to ten thousand.¡± This tea isn¡¯t like vegetables, where selling for twenty bucks a piece, anyone can afford to give it a taste, rich or not. But tea leaves aren¡¯t a necessity of life. Whoever loves to drink it, whoever is willing to spend the money, let them come and buy! ¡°What?!¡± Song Sancheng raised his voice again. Unexpectedly, even Zhang Yanping nodded, ¡°Indeed, do you have a way to sell it? If not, take some samples, and I¡¯ll find someone for you.¡± His wining and dining over the years wasn¡¯t for nothing; his family¡¯s high-end fruit had an excellent reputation, mostly thanks to the channels he found. It was just that in his parents¡¯ eyes, this sort of blind eating and drinking truly didn¡¯t count as a skill. Song Tan nodded, ¡°There should be some takers, don¡¯t worry, Brother Yanping, just focus on your work for now.¡± A strong laborer like him should be put to use for a few days first; selling the tea was not urgent. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, turning her head, she saw Song Sancheng¡¯s face was even more ashen. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Her eyes glanced over the bag of tea, and then she was taken aback, ¡°You couldn¡¯t have already sold the tea, could you?¡± Song Sancheng had a mournful face, ¡°Sell, no, I haven¡¯t sold it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that Uncle Zhou came by this morning to deliver the tea, and I impulsively gave away eight jin¡­¡± He desperately tried to justify himself, ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ it¡¯s not that we had more tea than planned, Uncle Zhou works late nights¡­ his craftsmanship is good, and our pay is low¡­ five jin of it is summer tea¡­¡± Low pay could be raised! Song Tan¡¯s eyes darkened. Even if it was the old village custom to give away something extra, it didn¡¯t mean you had to promise eight jin in one go! This really was her biological father! Looking at Song Sancheng, who also wore a look of agony, she sighed, ¡°Eighty thousand yuan, Dad, I worked the land, and you only supported me with sixty thousand.¡± Seeing Song Sancheng like this, his blood pressure seemed ready to spike. Song Tan, at this moment, couldn¡¯t see past the eighty thousand no matter how hard she contemplated, and felt troubled in her heart. Faced with such distressing dilemma, she could only play her trump card¡ª ¡°Mom!¡± ¡­ Zhang Yanping was restlessly seated at the dining table, his gaze inadvertently drifting towards his uncle-in-law. ¡°Tantan, it¡¯s not that serious.¡± Song Tan also looked down bashfully, ¡°I just wanted my mom to have a word with my dad, to not be so generous, but I didn¡¯t expect dumplings and tea to add fuel to the fire¡­¡± The siblings exchanged glances, until Qiaoqiao came over with a big bowl, ¡°Brother, Mom said, the best dumplings are for you.¡± What followed were bowls of dumplings in their torn skins and filling, a damaged version for each person. But as soon as the dumpling skins tore, the aroma in the air grew even stronger, making Zhang Yanping take a deep breath, ¡°Auntie, your cooking is much better than my mom¡¯s, these dumplings are really delicious!¡± Wu Lan laughed out, ¡°You sweet talker! You haven¡¯t even tasted them, how do you know they¡¯re delicious?¡± Zhang Yanping patted his chest, ¡°When it comes to eating, I can tell just by the smell if it¡¯s good or not, and these dumplings definitely smell amazing!¡± With that, he took a big bite. The flavor of the dumplings burst in his mouth, the perfect combination of shepherd¡¯s purse and meat, he didn¡¯t even take the time to chew properly before wolfing down a second mouthful. Dumplings like these, he wouldn¡¯t mind having every day, not getting tired of them at all! If he had known Auntie¡¯s food was this delicious, he would have come over much sooner. With a gust like the wind sweeping through leaves, the dumplings vanished without a trace¡­ After finishing a large bowl, he patted his belly still wanting more, ¡°Is there any left?¡± Next to him, Song Sancheng ate the plain noodles made from the dumpling soup, his eyes stealthily glaring at him, As expected, he could really eat! Chapter 63 - 63: 63.Over-age Rice Paddy Keeper_1 Chapter 63: 63.Over-age Rice Paddy Keeper_1 A meal had Zhang Yanping instantly unable to move an inch from his stool. However, working was out of the question; he had resolved never to suffer that hardship in this lifetime. He decided to firmly plant himself on the chair, immovable even if his aunt scorned him. As the one currently at the bottom of the food chain, Song Sancheng didn¡¯t dare say a word after the meal and eagerly set about clearing up the dishes and chopsticks. And ever since Wu Lan found out that tea leaves could sell for ten thousand a pound, she tossed aside her rice bowl and headed straight for the mountains with her basket! More proactive than anyone. What was the use of being mad at a man? Making money was what mattered most! And Song Tan declared: ... ¡°Brother Yanping, this afternoon you should go dig in the vegetable garden with Qiaoqiao!¡± Preparing the garden meant turning the soil over first, then breaking it up. Although the area was small, it was a meticulous task. For Qiaoqiao, who was taking on such a solemn task for the first time, he did it with utmost seriousness. The family¡¯s own garden had actually been dug the night before, but Grandma and Grandpa said, since they wouldn¡¯t lack vegetables after they started farming, they might as well clear out the adjacent plot for Song Tan too. That plot hadn¡¯t been dug up yet. Just right for Zhang Yanping to get used to it. Song Tan went to check on the bok choy seeds she had soaked at noon, sneakily added some Spiritual Energy, and now, after half a day, tiny sprouts were slightly bulging. She planned to plant them all by evening. The garden wasn¡¯t large, all things considered¡ªabout three parts of an acre, nearly two hundred square meters. But if they grew bok choy, which could wildly produce four thousand pounds per acre, this plot could normally yield around twelve hundred pounds. If there was an addition of Spiritual Energy¡­ Song Tan did the calculations in her mind and was already in a rush to start. She had great plans, but Zhang Yanping didn¡¯t even lift his butt: ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± He was clearly determined. ¡°If you don¡¯t go, you won¡¯t have dinner tonight.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t go.¡± Zhang Yanping chuckled, ¡°Tantan, you¡¯re still young, you don¡¯t understand the persistence of adults. My aunt definitely won¡¯t let me starve.¡± Song Tan also smiled with deep meaning, ¡°Brother Yanping, she won¡¯t let you starve, but that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll get to taste what we had at noon. If you¡¯re willing to eat something different from us, then enjoy rotting away right here.¡± Zhang Yanping¡¯s heart skipped a beat. But how could a grown man just admit defeat like this? He stubbornly said, ¡°Impossible, you guys are so busy; how could you have the time to cook two separate meals?¡± Song Tan only smiled without answering. But before that, a plot also needed to be plowed in the fields. The rice would need to be grown together first, then later transplanted. And there were seedlings that needed to be cultivated as well. Song Tan handed the tools to Qiaoqiao, ¡°Be good, dig out Grandma and Grandpa¡¯s garden well. If you do a good job, we¡¯ll plant vegetables tonight.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we planting corn?¡± Qiaoqiao obviously disliked Song Tan¡¯s way of gardening. ¡°We will, but it¡¯s not the right time now. When the time comes, I¡¯ll set aside a separate plot for our Qiaoqiao to plant corn, okay?¡± Only then was Qiaoqiao content. Zhang Yanping shook his head at his nephew¡¯s na?ve and foolish appearance. Meanwhile, Song Tan walked to the field and saw the old ox lounging there with several birds perched on it, and she couldn¡¯t help but smile: ¡°Grandpa Li!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± A figure sitting on the ridge stood up¡ªit was the owner of the old yellow cow. ¡°Grandpa Li, do the Milk Vetch plants in my field taste good?¡± Old Li¡¯s face creased into wrinkles as he smiled, ¡°Good! Really good, even better than braised meat. I have to cut a basketful every day.¡± The matter was actually broached by Song Tan herself. Having known hardship in his youth, Old Li wasn¡¯t picky about food, and although these two patches of land had been grazed by cattle, he still found some tender and crisp corners to enjoy. After trying it once, he would bring a basket when herding the cows every day, the flavors bursting in his mouth, making him feel there was something to look forward to each day. Now looking at Song Tan, he felt that this girl was good in every aspect. Worthy of being a college graduate, she was even better at farming than them. ¡°Tantan, did you come here for something?¡± In the adjacent areas of paddy and dry fields, Song Tan pointed out two patches of land: ¡°Grandpa Li, these days it¡¯s time to cultivate the rice seedlings, could you please plow these two patches thoroughly in the next couple of days?¡± ¡°The patch on top is dry land where I plan to nurture some vegetable seedlings, it also needs to be done with care.¡± Plowing the fields was something Old Li had done for half his life, and now he agreed without a second thought: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know exactly what you need, and I¡¯ll do it properly for you.¡± Then, pointing at a corner of the field: S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°That spot, sheltered from the wind and well sunlit, close to the ditch, I¡¯ll plow those two patches a bit finer.¡± Glancing at the intense sun, the old man naturally had a bellyful of experience to share: ¡°Tell your father, when he has time, to make more straw mats. With this weather, covering them early in the morning and evening is still necessary.¡± ¡°I reckon the chestnut trees on the mountain will bloom in a while, right? Don¡¯t just focus on the chestnuts; the black fungus underneath needs to breathe too.¡± The workload had increased again¡ªSong Tan was genuinely getting a headache. If this place was deserted, she might have used some small tricks, but now with so many people in the village, and the fields and forests under everyone¡¯s watch, everything had to proceed slowly. However, seeing Old Li¡¯s eagerness, a thought struck Song Tan, and she suddenly asked: ¡°Grandpa Li, how about you help me manage the seedling cultivation for now? Later on, you can also take care of the two paddy fields.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t talk about paying you or not, but I¡¯ll take care of all your rice, flour, oil, vegetables, and meat for the year. How does that sound?¡± The old man had his wisdom, too. Old Li was all smiles as he said: ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me being old and not able to work hard, just give me twenty pounds of pork from your house at the end of the year!¡± Song Tan couldn¡¯t help laughing and crying at the same time. ¡°Having an elder is like having a treasure. Grandpa Li, you¡¯re much more capable than us young folks.¡± Despite the old men in the village seeming frail and unsteady on their feet every day, put them in the fields, and they worked more efficiently than anyone else. Those unyielding iron hands, when it came to weeding, could outdo many of the younger able-bodied adults. Not to mention, Old Li had a deep understanding of growing rice, having spent the first half of his life doing just that, and now he assured firmly: ¡°Rest assured, I¡¯ll make sure they are well-cared for.¡± Now tasked with a responsibility, he was eager to offer more advice: ¡°By the way, Tantan, that pond up there, clean it out when you have time. There¡¯s too much aquatic weed in it, rear some grass carp.¡± Grass carp are voracious eaters of vegetation, suitable for such an environment. ¡°The water quality in the pond is pretty good. When you get the chance, put some crucian carp fry in there, take good care of them, it can be another source of income.¡± Song Tan had this in mind, too. ¡°Grandpa Li, my plan was to release the fish fry after filling the paddy fields with water. Otherwise, they would all head down the ditches into the fields.¡± It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to farm fish in the rice fields. Her main concern was about the flock of ducks on the mountain, which would later go into the fields to graze. Syncing their activities could afford a slight delay. But Old Li wasn¡¯t worried: ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? If the fish end up in the rice field, that¡¯s even better than ducks. They¡¯ll help you by eating insects and weeds, and fertilizing the field. The TV¡¯s always talking about that ¡®rice fragrant¡¯ fish; you can sell it for a higher price.¡± ¡°Just release more fry when the time comes; I¡¯ll look after them in the rice field for you.¡± Chapter 64 - 64: 64. The Functions of Golden Sakura_1 Chapter 64: 64. The Functions of Golden Sakura_1 Old Li had a new venture and it seemed as if he had entered a second spring. Nowadays, he no longer dozed off in the fields, but walked back and forth along the ridges, looking as though he had made plans for the rice paddies. Meanwhile, Song Tan went up the hill behind her house to carefully inspect the five boxes of bees she had bought. After feeding them with sugar water for two days, the cherry blossoms at the entrance bloomed, clusters of pink and white flowers, bursting forth in a lively display. The only problem was¡­ there was just one tree. Without the mix of Spiritual Energy, it simply wasn¡¯t enough for the swarm of bees. Song Tan kept the entire tree suspended with Spiritual Energy, and every day it was surrounded by a buzzing swarm of bees. From a distance, it looked quite terrifying. ... However, this situation wouldn¡¯t last long. As April approached, there were more and more wildflowers blooming in the fields. Song Tan had already planned that after April, she would induce a different section of flower buds to bloom each day, allowing the bees half a month to gather honey before tilling the ground again. She aimed to complete rice transplanting by late April and officially enter the vegetable planting season. As for that bumblebee¡ªit was still busy breeding! The bumblebee was unfortunate; just after leaving its cave and before it could taste any pollen, it was caught by Qiaoqiao. At first, it survived on sugar water, but now it absorbed Spiritual Energy in great gulps every day. The larvae in the beeswax jar hadn¡¯t grown much, but the bumblebee itself had gotten plumper, now even rounder than a thumb. The only thing that hadn¡¯t changed were its fragile little wings, which couldn¡¯t carry its hefty body. It flapped them in vain each day, so much so that Song Tan began to worry¡ª With it becoming so fat, wouldn¡¯t it crush the flowers when it went to gather nectar? She was concerned in her heart, yet her hands couldn¡¯t help but reach out again to touch the round, furry, pudgy black and yellow striped bottom. By now the bumblebee had probably been petted too much. After being firmly stroked, even the beeswax jar rolled forward a bit. The bumblebee didn¡¯t even extend its stinger, clearly having become quite indifferent to its surroundings. ¡­ Song Sancheng had once again shouldered the carrying pole and was off to fetch pig feed. The five piglets ate non-stop every day. Thankfully, he was strong and robust; otherwise, carrying that much feed every day would be impossible, not to mention the flock of chickens and ducks constantly chirping nearby¡­ He felt a mix of happiness and concern. He was pleased that the little ones were full of life and seemed delicious. But he was concerned that they were far from full-grown and his pig-feeding business would likely go on for an entire year. Qiaoqiao toiled away in the vegetable garden, diligent and honest. The entire Lao Song¡¯s family was bustling with activity¡ª Except for Zhang Yanping. He was currently sitting on a stool, playing with his phone with his legs crossed. Seeing Song Tan come back with a frown, he teased, ¡°Yo, what¡¯s troubling our little farm girl now?¡± Song Tan didn¡¯t hold back: ¡°I¡¯ve enclosed all parts of the mountain with fences. I can keep an eye on the back hill, but at Chestnut Woods, I¡¯ve put out many fungus sticks for black and white wood ear mushrooms, only secured by nylon rope nets. I¡¯m afraid that they won¡¯t hold back the thieves when it¡¯s time for harvest.¡± Chestnut Woods was on a gentle slope with paths leading up and down, situated a fair distance from Song Tan¡¯s house. Now with the Chestnut Trees still growing leaves and the mushrooms in the stage of piled-up ventilation, the fences were sufficient to keep things safe. But she was worried that when the wood ear and white wood ear mushrooms grew, there might be those who would take the opportunity to steal. After all, anyone who had tasted her family¡¯s produce would yearn for more. She shared her concerns with Zhang Yanping now, thinking that there was strength in numbers, and if necessary, she could arrange for her cousin to patrol the mountain with the three puppies. At most, she would add Big White to the mix. Farming wasn¡¯t Zhang Yanping¡¯s strong suit, and he didn¡¯t even notice Song Tan¡¯s alarming ideas¡ª The three little native pups whining and nibbling hands with their tiny milk teeth beside his legs, were they even fit to patrol the mountains? If they really encountered the thief, wouldn¡¯t they just be voluntarily delivering themselves as a meal? But he knew nothing, and after a moment¡¯s thought, he actually had an idea: ¡°You just want to stop people, right? Then it¡¯s easy! Plant some thorny vines around the perimeter of the mountain to enclose them, preferably the kind with lots of thorns that are impossible to grab.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think about how much fruit they bear; you need to be clear about what your primary need is¡ªif it¡¯s protection, then focus on protection.¡± He arched his eyebrows, looking very pleased with himself, ¡°Tantan, brew me another cup of tea, will you? If you pour me a cup, I¡¯ll give you a tip.¡± Song Tan didn¡¯t mind her own family members drinking tea, but providing Zhang Yanping was out of the question! This cousin hadn¡¯t even started working the fields yet. ¡°No way. At most, I¡¯ll pack a few ounces for you to take home.¡± That was more than enough! Who needed a bicycle at this point? Zhang Yanping immediately became serious as he began to explain: ¡°You should also check out some videos online when you¡¯re free.¡± ¡°I saw one talking about Golden Sakura, isn¡¯t that the thorny vine by our roadside? Although it has practically disappeared nowadays.¡± ¡°The thing is, it looks especially beautiful when it flowers, but it¡¯s tough because it¡¯s covered in thorns everywhere! The fruit it bears is also bristling with spikes, and the vines are so tangled together, it¡¯s impossible to start picking.¡± ¡°Besides, its fruit skins are edible, can be used as medicine, and even infused in liquor; both its economic and medicinal values are quite high.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to take down those fences; just support them with sturdy stakes at intervals, and plant a ring of Golden Sakura both inside and outside the perimeter. It can keep people out and also bring in extra income.¡± As he spoke, he suddenly let out a sly laugh: ¡°Tantan, if the Golden Sakura harvest is bountiful, don¡¯t worry if you can¡¯t sell it¡ª I¡¯ll find you buyers.¡± Song Tan gave him a skeptical look, then went online to check¡ª Goodness, no wonder Zhang Yanping had that odd expression! The biggest use for this stuff among the folks, turned out to be in making liquor for tonifying the kidneys, securing essence, and boosting virility! She looked at Zhang Yanping thoughtfully: ¡°Brother, no wonder Auntie said you needed to come down to the countryside to engage in physical labor. Lying at home all day playing with your phone, no wonder you¡¯ve become frail.¡± Zhang Yanping bristled right away: ¡°Frail? What do you, a young lady, understand? I know whether I am frail or not.¡± Song Tan humphed: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being a young lady? Don¡¯t I use the internet or learn new things? Clearly, I¡¯ve hit a nerve, and you¡¯ve gotten angry from embarrassment.¡± Cultivators have experienced everything! As she spoke, she picked up the hoe again: Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°However, Brother, considering your idea of Golden Sakura is quite reliable, I¡¯ll cut you a few more bunches of chives from my field when they¡¯ve grown well.¡± She had walked around the village when she came back earlier, just as a local family was tending to their vegetable plot. They felt they¡¯d planted too many chives and without enough fertilizer, they weren¡¯t growing properly, so they couldn¡¯t bother anymore and decided to switch to planting something else. Song Tan wasn¡¯t at all reluctant; she carried a black fungus stick down from the mountain and exchanged it for a large patch of chive roots, deciding to send them to Milk Vetch¡¯s field later on. Zhang Yanping stayed still for a moment, then suddenly it dawned on him, his face alternating between red and white. Indeed, those chives also had a well-known benefit¡ªboosting virility! He was a young man, and he should not have to hear this kind of talk! Chapter 65 - 65: The Omnipotent Fifty_1 Chapter 65: The Omnipotent Fifty_1 S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, by the time Zhang Yanping came to his senses and thought of rebutting, Song Tan had already gone down to the field. When it came to digging, no one in the family could match her. She found a corner in the uppermost field and started hoeing with great vigor. In just an hour or two, she had turned all the Milk Vetch in that patch of land into the field, then broke up the clods and replanted the leek roots. The leeks were pulled up so bare, they looked especially pitiable. She moved her fingers slightly, and without a sound, a stream of more robust Spiritual Energy surged over and was narrowly intercepted by her; she allotted only a portion to the leeks, with the remainder spreading into the field of Milk Vetch Flowers. ... The spring breeze blew, and the green leaves swayed. In no time, the buds at the top of the Milk Vetch began to sprout rapidly, and then they were ready to bloom. The Milk Vetch grew swiftly. Standing in the field, one could almost hear the ¡°crackling¡± of the trembling flower buds. Song Tan was content. While she carried a water bucket to fetch water from the pond to thoroughly water the newly planted leek roots, she also reasoned that from tomorrow, the bees wouldn¡¯t need to cling to that poor cherry tree and struggle anymore. Here, an entire field of Milk Vetch would temporarily suffice. Ah, how should she sell this Milk Vetch honey when the time comes? Thinking about it, she couldn¡¯t help but look forward to it. ¡­ This field hadn¡¯t been tended for a long time; even the Milk Vetch growing here was less lush than in other fields. Song Tan pinched a clump of soil and observed carefully, and finally decided not to fuss over it anymore¡ªthis place was especially suited for growing watermelons! Watermelons love sandy soil and have a strong adaptability to different types of earth¡ªtruly a summer necessity. Although now large-scale watermelon farms mostly use grafted pumpkin seedlings, it¡¯s totally unnecessary for small-scale farming households to bother with all that. Song Tan had not forgotten that her farming, while partly for making money, was also to satisfy her daily needs and allow her to eat comfortably! So the most urgent task at hand was to diversify the crops, not to scale up the operation. Moreover¡­ there really was a shortage of labor! Alas, this could only happen now, with advanced technology and an abundance of people! If this were at Yinmoon Peak, she alone would manage the entire spiritual field behind the mountain without ever worrying about a labor crunch. But now with the labor shortage, and the villagers being mostly older people, some tasks had to be planned in association with technology after earning some money. For instance, sprinkler irrigation, system management¡­ As she was thinking, suddenly a green shadow flashed in front of her! Song Tan was quick with her eyes and hands, and at that moment, she pinched a tender green grasshopper that was perched atop a Milk Vetch. ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the picky mouth!¡± She had barely given a bit more Spiritual Energy, and already there were insects eager to taste it. If it continued like this, no matter how much Spiritual Energy she provided, it wouldn¡¯t be enough for the endless numbers of insects and birds from all directions! After all, with the warmth of spring and blooming flowers, all kinds of birds and insects should be arriving soon, which would disturb the bees¡¯ honey gathering. Song Tan did have corresponding spells she could use, but she needed to keep a low profile, didn¡¯t she? In that case¡­ This field would serve as an initial experimental field. Tomorrow she would lure the bees here, and let all the chickens and ducks loose. Then she would secretly combine spells to see if the pest and bird repelling effects were natural enough and sufficiently effective. ¡­ By the time Song Tan and Qiaoqiao finished tidying up the vegetable garden, the setting sun was already casting an orange glow over the edge of the mountains. Back home, Zhang Yanping was indeed still half-lying on a reclining chair. The afternoon sun was warmly comforting. Lying there, he had somehow found a straw hat to cover his face, while three little puppies climbed over him, whining and grunting. From time to time, their fluffy little heads would nuzzle him. The scene was remarkably cozy and heartwarming. However, this didn¡¯t change the fact that everyone was busy while he alone was idle. But Song Tan was in no rush. Her cousin was a true foodie with a stubborn temperament, and trying to force him to do anything was the worst strategy. But if it was linked to food¡­ Tsk! He¡¯d end up crying and begging to go to the fields tonight! Song Tan looked at the seeds she had soaked in advance to speed up germination and gently applied some Spiritual Energy. The sprouts of the seeds swelled even more, and she scooped them out. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Qiaoqiao, we can rest after we finish planting the vegetables.¡± Qiaoqiao reluctantly glanced at the three puppies: ¡°Sister, can we take the puppies with us?¡± ¡°No,¡± Song Tan shook her head, ¡°They¡¯re too small, they¡¯ll get all dirty and get in the way of work. I¡¯ll keep you company, and if we both work quickly, you can come back and play with the puppies afterward.¡± Qiaoqiao let out a disappointed ¡°Oh,¡± but then her attention was diverted: ¡°When I come back, I¡¯m going to name the puppies!¡± ¡°Sure, you name them. Once you¡¯ve decided, I¡¯ll make a few dog tags for them.¡± Qiaoqiao immediately perked up: ¡°I want one too!¡± Song Tan chuckled¡ªsure enough, the pigs had fallen out of favor, and now it was the puppies¡¯ turn. But on second thought, since Qiaoqiao was often out and about, it was indeed time to carve a tag with contact information for her. She also agreed: ¡°Okay, you do a good job in the field, and your wages this afternoon will be enough to make four tags.¡± Zhang Yanping was resting with his eyes closed when he heard this, and he really couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. ¡°Tantan, you see how hard Qiaoqiao works, all sweaty, just how much are you paying him?¡± And to coax the money back with a dog tag? That¡¯s the essence of a capitalist! However, before Song Tan could answer, Qiaoqiao had already puffed up proudly: ¡°Fifty!¡± Fifty?! Zhang Yanping couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. He had never imagined that fifty yuan could have such a big impact! The vegetable garden required tilling and breaking up the soil, a grueling task, and the mud on Qiaoqiao¡¯s rain boots spoke volumes about the effort involved. The kid was still cheerful about it! Seeing Qiaoqiao¡¯s proud look, he sighed helplessly: ¡°Fine, I¡¯m the foolish one here, if someone is willing to hit and another willing to be hit¡ªQiaoqiao, work hard!¡± Qiaoqiao nodded solemnly: ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry, once I finish sowing, I¡¯ll have money, and I¡¯ll buy you bubble gum.¡± Zhang Yanping: ¡­Thank you for your bubble gum! ¡­ Planting Chinese cabbage wasn¡¯t difficult; it didn¡¯t even require furrowing, just scattering the seeds directly followed by a light covering of soil with a hoe, and that was that. The sister and brother finished the entire large vegetable garden in less than half an hour. Just then, Song Sancheng carried the pig feed bucket up the mountain again, and the people picking tea on the mountain were also coming down one after another. Wu Lan was at the front, her spirits especially high¡ª How could they not be? Just the thought of the current price of tea leaves made her feel as though she wasn¡¯t picking tea, but picking up money! Picking up money! Does anyone feel tired when picking up money? She only felt she wasn¡¯t picking enough. That afternoon, those annoying old men had upset her, causing delays, and while everyone else picked five jin, she had only four and a half. But the consolation was that no matter who picked it, it all ended up being their own. After a simple tally was made, she familiarly rolled up her sleeves: ¡°What are we having for dinner tonight?¡± Chapter 66 - 66: 66. Stubborn Man Zhang Yanping_1 Chapter 66: 66. Stubborn Man Zhang Yanping_1 When Wu Lan said this, Zhang Yanping instantly perked up, ¡°Auntie, let me wash the vegetables for you.¡± Song Tan looked at Zhang Yanping with a half-smile: ¡°Mom, my great-aunt said if Cousin doesn¡¯t work then don¡¯t let him eat.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Wu Lan gave her a reproving glance. ¡°Yanping hardly ever comes by, how could we do that?¡± Song Tan turned her head and, sure enough, saw Zhang Yanping raise his eyebrows, a smug smile on his face. She wasn¡¯t angry; she simply changed the subject: ... ¡°Well, Mom, you must be tired too. I¡¯ll just whip up something simple for dinner then, stir-fried pork with Milk Vetch chili peppers.¡± ¡°And let¡¯s stew the preserved meat we¡¯ve prepared earlier for Brother Yanping. It would be so inappropriate if we didn¡¯t make a meat dish when he has come all this way to visit.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Wu Lan hesitated¡ªit¡¯s well-known that nobody liked the stewed meat without adding something from their own field! In their pursuit of Milk Vetch, the whole family was practically turning into ascetics. But after working all day, she really was tired and eventually relinquished control of the kitchen. Zhang Yanping glanced left and right, feeling that something was off, yet unable to pinpoint it, his heart unsettled at this moment. As expected, Song Tan went into the kitchen to cook. Her cooking skills were quite ordinary; she could make edible food. With Wu Lan¡¯s guidance, she took radishes to stew the preserved meat, then washed and chopped the Milk Vetch, smashed some garlic cloves, sliced a few chili peppers, and heated up the lard in the pan. After the entire kitchen was fragrant, she stir-fried the chili and garlic for a bit, followed by the minced pork, and finally added the Milk Vetch. Just by adding a simple dash of salt, an irresistibly fresh fragrance filled the area. Zhang Yanping peeked into the kitchen doorway, smelling the bubbling aroma of the preserved meat and the rich and fresh scent of Milk Vetch. He suddenly came to a realization: Aha! No wonder my little aunt had sent over a few bundles of Milk Vetch to our house! This dish truly was something special! Shrewd as his nose was, he could tell which was tastier just by the smell. So, he diligently served some rice, then with a touched expression, said to Wu Lan, ¡°Little Aunt, Uncle, you both worked so hard today. Come, have some more meat!¡± However, quick as he was, Song Tan was quicker. In no time, she was doling out servings to each of the four family members, leaving barely any Milk Vetch. In the platter there remained only a tiny spoonful of vegetables, which was then reluctantly given to Zhang Yanping. She smiled amiably at her cousin, ¡°Brother Yanping, it¡¯s not often you visit. How could we possibly ask you to eat wild vegetables? This is the preserved meat specially fried by my mom. It was stewed today¡ªtry it, isn¡¯t it particularly fragrant?¡± The plain white rice with a small clump of green vegetables on top looked rather pathetic. Zhang Yanping looked up at her, and in that moment, an unspoken challenge passed between the sibling-like cousins. But the die was cast, and the meat did smell good. Zhang Yanping could only snicker inwardly: Little wench, as picky as I am, I¡¯m not that desperate for vegetables, to make such a fuss over a dish! He scooped up a mouthful of rice and, along with the Milk Vetch, stuffed it into his mouth¡ª A moment later. Zhang Yanping watched everyone else enjoying their meal and then looked at his own bowl full of meat, tears of sorrow streaming down: Dammit, why are the vegetables so delicious?! ¡­ Somehow, the meal concluded amidst Zhang Yanping¡¯s difficulty in swallowing his food. He dejectedly began clearing the dishes, originally intending to impress his little aunt in hopes that she¡¯d step up and take over the kitchen the next day. However, Song Tan had just sent the video she filmed to her aunt, and while doing so, she expressed her concern, ¡°Auntie, Brother Yanping is so picky when it comes to eating.¡± In the photo: A family of four all having greens, but only his bowl had both radishes and meat, yet, his expression was still very dissatisfied. The aunt indeed flew into a rage. Didn¡¯t she know her son¡¯s eating habits? He might be picky, but he usually found everything delicious, and her sister¡¯s cooking was much better than her own. Yet, this kid acted so oddly at his aunt¡¯s home! It was clear he was complaining about being sent to the countryside! The couple whispered to each other for a while and concluded that Yanping¡¯s behavior was precisely because a rural assignment was a useful punishment for him! So they became even more enthusiastic and directly called Wu Lan: ¡°Lan, the reason I sent Yanping to the countryside is to toughen him up, so please don¡¯t hesitate to put him to work! Whether it¡¯s digging on Tea Mountain or plowing the fields, let him do it, he¡¯s a young guy, what could possibly wear him out?¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The sisters exchanged pleasantries, and Yanping, seeing the thoughtful look on his aunt¡¯s face, had a hunch that his future life wasn¡¯t looking good. But working was really not his thing, his hands were the revered Starlight Supreme hands, and there was no way he was going to pick up a hoe! So he sidled up to Song Tan: ¡°Tantan, what do you think about me planting Golden Sakura that I mentioned today?¡± Song Tan had already thoroughly researched the various states and growing environments of Golden Sakura, as well as its thorns, and was currently crunching numbers. Hearing him, she nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a good idea, Brother Yanping, it¡¯s because of your talk about Golden Sakura that I gave you a bunch of greens tonight.¡± Zhang Yanping: ¡­ Well, that was virtually worse than getting nothing! After just one bite, it was gone, and eating thereafter was like chewing wax, utterly tasteless! He moved a bit closer, just about to speak, when he accidentally saw Song Tan making a payment to someone noted as ¡°Express Brother Hua.¡± The transaction wasn¡¯t much, just over sixty yuan. But then looking at the ledger, there were two other express charges adding up to one thousand five hundred yuan! He was startled: ¡°What did you buy? The delivery charges are so expensive, why not use logistics?¡± Song Tan also sighed, ¡°It¡¯s those Milk Vetch you¡¯re eating. There¡¯s a lot of demand for it in Ning City, and the product doesn¡¯t preserve well, so it¡¯s all sent via refrigerated transport. When she first started sending express packages, she made a transfer of five hundred yuan for the courier. But after shipping oversize packages several times, that amount had nearly run out. This time, she transferred a thousand yuan in advance for the express delivery, thinking it would be enough, but it turned out it wasn¡¯t, and she still needed to add more than sixty yuan.¡± In fact, with just over fifty orders, the courier gave her a thirty percent discount and the lowest price for packaging. By rights, it shouldn¡¯t have cost that much. However, the initial weight for fresh produce was 24, and ice packs cost extra. Many of the orders were for ten, eight, or five jin, all of them overweight. So additional charges had to be made up, right? Fortunately, Song Tan had made it clear beforehand, and everyone¡¯s payments included the shipping costs. She was now working out how to refund any excess money back to each person based on their shipping fee. Zhang Yanping was shocked ¡ª for just these vegetables, sent over cold transport; were they eating the vegetables or the delivery charges? But then he thought: Good things were indeed like that; some people were willing to pay expensive shipping fees, just like when his family bought fruit. Recalling the importance of his initial approach, he put aside Milk Vetch and the delivery charges, and asked with a smile: ¡°Well¡­since you think Golden Sakura is suitable, have you found a nursery that cultivates it?¡± Chapter 67 - 67: 67. Nursery Changes Meals_1 Chapter 67: 67. Nursery Changes Meals_1 Song Tan¡¯s eyebrows rose as she looked over with clear piercing eyes, making Zhang Yanping feel as if the familiar, good-tempered cousin he knew had not only changed her personality but also seemed to have gained a penetrating look in her eyes. But soon enough, a very accommodating smile appeared on Song Tan¡¯s face: ¡°Brother Yanping, do you have a recommendation?¡± Zhang Yanping felt somewhat uncomfortable. When it comes to spiny plants that can be used for defensive walls, actually, there are many options. However, Zhang Yanping ruled out a series of plants such as goji berry and sea buckthorn, which can be found in most nurseries. Of course, if we¡¯re talking strictly about defensive power, these plants really can¡¯t compare to Golden Sakura. ... This plant grows completely unruly, with large and small thorns together, and its fuzzy thorns cover its entire body. From the leaves to the fruit, not a single part is innocent. Most importantly, its branches are flexible yet long, with vines intertwining with each other, and the old branches are very hard. And it isn¡¯t short either! Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If this were to form a protective layer, it would be both high and thick, the kind you could snip at with large scissors for ages without tearing open a gap. If someone could actually make their way through it, they would truly be considered a brave warrior, and his recommendation wouldn¡¯t be in vain. But now it seemed as if his little cousin understood everything in her heart, which caused him a slight embarrassment even with his thick-skinned nature. However, this did not stop him from continuing to express his thoughts: Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï ¡°You see, Golden Sakura nurseries are hard to find, right? But your modest cousin here just so happens to know of one.¡± Up close, Zhang Yanping¡¯s face, pale and round, appeared especially sincere. ¡°But look, Tantan, isn¡¯t this a skill of mine? Don¡¯t be like my mom, thinking that I¡¯m just fooling around.¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re family, I won¡¯t charge you a middleman¡¯s fee. All you need to do is have me eat well and live comfortably at home during this time¡ªaside from fieldwork, of course.¡± Song Tan smiled too: ¡°Brother Yanping, under normal circumstances, I would definitely agree with you. But you must not forget that you¡¯re here in the village for labor reformation this time.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t work, you won¡¯t be able to stay here for long, because aunt will definitely feel that you¡¯re holding up our work.¡± Just look at Brother Yanping, such a sturdy figure! Not to put him to work would be an incredible waste. Song Tan also gently persuaded: ¡°Cousin, there aren¡¯t any particularly heavy manual labor tasks in our household right now, just some miscellaneous jobs.¡± Her words were true, up next was only breeding plants, picking tea, harvesting vegetables, digging ditches, and picking tea again. Oh, and also one has to add, digging holes to plant Golden Sakura, feeding pigs, chickens, ducks, and teaching the puppies. In general, these tasks are much easier than moving a mountain. Song Tan mainly wanted to proceed step by step. Today digging ditches, tomorrow going up the mountain to plant Golden Sakura, and later transplanting seedlings in the fields¡­ it¡¯s not too much, is it? Therefore, her voice became even more alluring: ¡°Back home, aunt complains about you every day. Even though you¡¯re the one who found the channel for imported fruits, she still thinks you¡¯re just freeloading. Doesn¡¯t that make you feel wronged in your heart?¡± It¡¯s not that the aunt and her husband were too harsh on their son; it¡¯s that their generation feels anything other than honest labor is not respectable. As for finding a channel for imported fruits¡­ What kind of channel is that, with prices so high! If the market weren¡¯t so booming, the overly honest couple wouldn¡¯t dare to try it. ¡°But it¡¯s different here. My mom likes you, and with just a little bit of help from you, the treatment at home would absolutely be top-notch!¡± ¡°Besides, you know how the vegetables from my land taste. Just think, with a little movement, you can exchange it for a big bowl of a good meal. Isn¡¯t that worth it?¡± Zhang Yanping opened his mouth, but, in the end, he was at a loss for words. He was well aware that by not working every day at his aunt¡¯s house, not to mention how his own mother felt, his aunt¡¯s household couldn¡¯t handle it either since they were truly busy. After thinking for a while, he finally said, ¡°Qiaoqiao mentioned there were some purslane buns at home, heat two more for me. If they are good, I¡¯ll go and contact the nursery for you.¡± Thinking further, he added, ¡°Tantan, actually, those plants can be propagated by cuttings, and you can also sow them. They are easy to grow. If the forest protection is not urgent, with this weather, go find one in the wild, take cuttings and plant them. In two or three years, you¡¯ll almost be there.¡± Song Tan felt helpless¡ªpropagation by cuttings was possible, but with Spiritual Energy enhancing growth, how could everything grow all at once? ¡°It¡¯s quite urgent, the Chestnut Woods are far, and the area is also big, almost four acres of land with more than five hundred chestnut trees.¡± This was not considered large locally, because looking around, there were many larger Chestnut Woods on the rolling hills. However, as years passed, many farming households no longer relied on this for their livelihood, and the care for the chestnut trees had noticeably declined. Some were cut down, others were left standing, but were no longer properly tended to. In Song Tan¡¯s memory, when she was a child and the chestnuts were about to ripen, she often had to go up the mountain to watch them to prevent theft. But now, when they ripened, they ripened¡ªnobody even gave them a second glance. If there were buyers in the town, they would harvest some chestnuts to sell, and if not, let it be. After all, there were not many able-bodied workers left in each household. The capable workers, during the chestnut harvest season, many had already packed up and left to work elsewhere. The woods lacked even the basic fertilization, as farmers found it hard to make money, having the willingness but not the power to improve things. ¡°Right now, our family can¡¯t spare anyone to watch over the forest day and night; in the woods, the black and white fungi only take up a part, and subsequently, we need to plant something else¡ªin the current situation, who has the time to wait for Golden Sakura to grow? Better to buy mature plants,¡± Song Tan explained. Zhang Yanping frowned and hesitated, ¡°If you want one that can grow within a year, you are going to need three to five-year-old saplings¡ªthose won¡¯t come cheap.¡± ¡°Especially since you need the original thorny variety. Nowadays, with industrialized planting, most of the varieties cultivated are thornless.¡± ¡°Counting it all up, one plant would be about fifteen dollars. How many do you need?¡± Song Tan considered the boundary of the Chestnut Woods. With the aid of Spiritual Energy, the planting of mature plants could be more sparse. The double-layer fence inside and outside, each layer staggered with a two-meter interval between each plant¡ª ¡°Two hundred plants in total will be enough.¡± Zhang Yanping pondered for a moment and cautiously asked, ¡°Tantan, you¡¯re really investing a lot in farming since coming back. Are you planning on sticking with this for good?¡± He did not believe Song Tan was just hoodwinking his mother by saying she was just home to recuperate for a while and incidentally do some farming¡­ Song Tan nodded: ¡°Brother Yanping, don¡¯t worry about the money. I¡¯ve been selling vegetables every day recently. The Milk Vetch you ate today sells for twenty dollars a pound.¡± The money from selling wild vegetables was all put into that pickup truck. She had been selling Milk Vetch for several days now, with an income of ten or twenty thousand already. Moving forward with outer region and bulk transactions, earning another thirty thousand wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Although Song Tan had many tasks lined up, her overall investment was already beginning to pay off. Not to mention that there was tea as well! This season¡¯s spring tea harvest would be enough to make their family a tidy profit. Zhang Yanping did not express surprise at the twenty-dollar vegetables nor think that Song Tan shouldn¡¯t have come back to farm. Instead, he nodded: ¡°It¡¯s worth that much. As long as you have a plan.¡± He then picked up the phone without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯ll contact the nursery for you right now.¡± ¡°Oh yes, and heat up those purslane buns for me quickly.¡± Chapter 68 - 68: Do you want the dog? _1 Chapter 68: Do you want the dog? _1 The taste of the purslane baozi, Zhang Yanping didn¡¯t want to talk about it anymore, because if he did, his mouth would start watering. The sour and spicy purslane, mixed with some chunks of marbled meat, the crisp fat soaking into the dough with each bite¡ª Alas! It was all because he was too conservative. What was there to fear if he was full? Even after a full meal, he could still eat four more baozi! Now with only two baozi to fill the gap, his cravings intensified. But those two baozi weren¡¯t eaten in vain, as he finished them, the nursery had gotten back to him. ... ¡°Brother, the stuff you¡¯re asking for this time is really niche, let me tell you, among the nurseries in the surrounding cities, only mine has these seedlings!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m giving you a fair price, 15 bucks each, you won¡¯t find them anywhere else!¡± No matter if he was exaggerating, it was clear that authentic Golden Sakura seedlings were not easy to buy in bulk. The nursery had a lot going on, and the owner was unwilling to deliver; he only agreed to ship them. But in a couple of days, Song Tan¡¯s home was going to start breeding officially, and they wouldn¡¯t be free to handle this. They only had some minor tasks in the next two days, and even if he waited for the shipment, at the very least, it would take three to five days. Thinking it over, Song Tan found out that it was about a three-hour drive from the other city and simply asked Zhang Yanping: ¡°Tomorrow, come with me to pick up the goods, okay?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?0 Little Pika could pack a lot, two hundred saplings was nothing to worry about. Zhang Yanping thought about it: ¡°It¡¯s not worth it, just ship them if you have to, you can always hire someone to plant them when the time comes!¡± Song Tan shook her head, ¡°Let¡¯s make the trip, it¡¯s not that far. I heard there¡¯s a place nearby with a good reputation for selling fish stock, I want to check it out as well.¡± Zhang Yanping thought about it¡ªhe did realize that he didn¡¯t really know any fish sellers; his contact list was incomplete, he had to go! ¡°Heat me up a steamer of these baozi when we leave!¡± ¡°Oh yeah, do you want a big dog? These three little ones at home¡ª¡± they just won¡¯t cut it! He pointed at the three silly little dogs that were clinging together with Qiaoqiao, all round and wobbly, wagging their little tails and whimpering, they even stumbled as they walked! Expecting them to guard the door would take ages. But with Song Tan having expanded her operation so much in the village, it wouldn¡¯t be safe without a few dogs watching over it. Song Tan raised an eyebrow: ¡°You have a connection for that too?¡± She had thought about it but hadn¡¯t seen any suitable options, and she couldn¡¯t spare the time for a while. Zhang Yanping raised his eyebrows proudly: ¡°Of course! If I didn¡¯t have some skills, where do you think I got all those fruit channels from all over the place?¡± He took out his phone and opened a map: ¡°See? On the way back from the nursery we¡¯re going to, just go three more kilometers to the side, and there¡¯s a really good kennel.¡± ¡°They specialize in large breeds, not something ordinary people can handle.¡± ¡°A friend of mine got three dogs from there, and during the New Year¡¯s, they teamed up and killed two wild boars.¡± This was like getting a pillow when wanting to sleep! At that moment, Song Tan was starting to see her cousin in a new light. Indeed, in modern society, whether someone is capable isn¡¯t just a matter of brawn. She nodded: ¡°Okay, I plan to pick out a few.¡± Zhang Yanping nodded: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s best for you to keep a few dogs now.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t many young and strong people in the village, and even fewer who have the guts to rob forcefully. The main role of more dogs is vigilance and sentry duty, strong deterrence is enough.¡± While rubbing his stomach, he spoke frankly: ¡°Me taking you there, I have my own motives too, the owner of the kennel is an old classmate of mine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking, you go and choose, and in our village, it¡¯s also like giving those dogs a good home.¡± These dogs needed meat every meal to maintain their fitness, and most families couldn¡¯t afford them, nor would they be willing to. He had only stayed at home for half a day, but he could vaguely tell that his cousin had become the pillar of the household. Plus, she could earn money, so those dogs would not be mistreated. Song Tan didn¡¯t care whether it was out of selfishness or not, if there really were suitable ones, what was the harm in selecting a few more? She calculated carefully, three puppies were not of any use, so they could be excluded. The three dogs were most suitable for watching pigs and poultry in the back hill, after all, there were many pigs, and too few wouldn¡¯t be able to cope. In Chestnut Woods, at least one or two, and at most three or four dogs were needed, depending on whether the hilly terrain could be utilized or not. The fields and ponds also needed dogs to watch over them, otherwise, these places were too easy for people to casually steal fish from. Even though she hadn¡¯t developed a large scale operation yet, at the very least, five adult large dogs needed to be prepared. After all, the price of these things was so high when sold that she would be heartbroken by even a small loss. When the time came, every area that needed guarding would have a doghouse built, and with the village being open, any slight disturbance, as long as the dogs started barking, they would be able to hear it. This was much more reliable than Song Tan using ¡°Spiritual Energy¡± to send warnings all the time. She had only been practicing cultivation for a short time, and with Spiritual Energy being so scarce, she should save it where possible! But, dogs of such quality couldn¡¯t possibly be very cheap, could they? Song Tan thought of the money in her bank account, constantly going in and out, and never accumulating, which was truly painful. Zhang Yanping, however, watched her quietly: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you running short of money? Big brother has some!¡± ¡°Are you selling that five catties of tea? I¡¯ll offer you 8000 yuan per catty, after all, we are relatives, let me turn it around for a profit.¡± ¡°I earn the money, you save the worry.¡± Zhang Yanping knew people who could afford tea at 10,000 yuan per catty, but those willing to spend such an amount on a tea with no fame or promotion were indeed few. He also had to consider the loss of inviting people for tastings; if the price was too high, it wouldn¡¯t be worth the trouble. This price had been on his mind ever since he tasted that cup of tea at noon. Quite fair actually. Song Tan shook her head, ¡°That won¡¯t work, the spring tea is particularly expensive right now. For the summer tea, 8000 that price, if there¡¯s extra, I can save some for you.¡± Having said that, she decisively composed a message and posted it in the group: ¡°New tea on sale, simple packaging, special price of 11,000 yuan per catty, limited quantity, first come first served.¡± S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Not to mention, the members in her group were loyal fans and might not believe in the price but would never doubt the quality. However, the shocking price of 11,000 yuan per catty for an unnamed tea was so astonishing that it took a long while before someone cautiously asked: ¡°I¡¯ll buy just 50 grams, will you sell it?¡± Song Tan was amused: So quick?! Someone actually had such trust in her! Without any hesitation, she replied: ¡°Sell!¡± ¡°Come find me tomorrow morning when I sell the vegetables.¡± Just for the sake of this trust, she should set a precedent. With that response, the group also became lively: ¡°Boss, what kind of tea can command such a price?¡± ¡°Can we have a cup tomorrow morning when you sell the vegetables, just to try?¡± Song Tan thought, I¡¯ve been selling vegetables for so long, to still go to the vegetable market and offer taste tests, what a hassle! Especially when you all just want to buy 50 grams each, it¡¯s not even worth the time spent packaging. This taste test will happen just this once. ¡°No, no, I need to sell the veggies quickly tomorrow morning. I have to go on a long trip and won¡¯t have the time.¡± It was at this moment that someone marked as ¡°Secretary Wang¡± privately messaged her: ¡°I¡¯ll take half a catty, is that okay?¡± Chapter 69 - 69: 69. Secretary Wangs Little Trick_1 Chapter 69: 69. Secretary Wang¡¯s Little Trick_1 ¡°` Secretary Wang, with his purchasing power alone, set off a buying frenzy throughout the entire compound, something he truly hadn¡¯t anticipated. But it wasn¡¯t his fault. It started with the head chef asking him for contact information, swiftly followed by others inquiring about which vendor the leader had purchased his vegetables from. If he were to hide that information in a group about buying groceries, wouldn¡¯t that make him too standoffish? In the end, Secretary Wang gave out his WeChat. ... As for his colleagues in the compound, those who hadn¡¯t tasted the vegetables were jealous, and those who had couldn¡¯t forget the taste. Regardless of whether they had tried them or not, everyone shared the same mentality¡ª ¡°The leader has bought some, so it¡¯s not excessive for me to follow suit, right?¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll even curry some favour?¡± Even if the goodwill doesn¡¯t pay off, it probably won¡¯t result in a loss, right? So, that¡¯s how passionate orders came to be. However, the compound was tightly secured, ordinary deliveries couldn¡¯t get in, so everyone had to provide their home addresses instead. Otherwise, Song Tan¡¯s batch of deliveries would have all ended up at one single place. Had she found a freight truck, she could have delivered them all the same day, and it might have been cheaper than the courier! But before the new batch of vegetables had arrived, the store owner crazily put up another product for sale¡ªa sky-high priced tea at ten thousand per jin! They from Ning Province didn¡¯t really have any famous local specialties, and compared to well-known national teas, this tea was far inferior. Despite that, they still dared to sell it at such a high price? Everyone was watching, yet Secretary Wang¡¯s heart raced at the thought of the leader¡¯s previous comments concerning rural revitalization and related industries¡­ At this moment, he made up his mind with gritted teeth: Buy! Based on the taste of the wild vegetables alone, and the store owner¡¯s forceful tone, Secretary Wang knew that they would not falter on quality! He was personally promoted by the leader at a young age, sharing the same hobby of tea-drinking in their leisure time. Now, with the flavor of Milk Vetch in mind, he fantasized about the tea¡¯s fragrance, and five thousand yuan seemed less painful to part with. Oh no, there¡¯s also the twenty yuan delivery fee. This stingy boss can¡¯t even offer free shipping for a five-thousand-yuan purchase?! ¡­ The next morning, when Zhang Yanping was groggily roused from sleep and taken to the field to numbly start picking¡­ah, picking Milk Vetch flowers, he was completely bewilded. Yesterday, they had said there was no heavy labor involved, but they never mentioned heading out to the dew-covered fields at the break of dawn! Yet seeing Song Tan and Qiaoqiao both buried in their work with baskets in hand, and he had already gotten up with his rubber shoes on, what else could he do? He could only heave a long sigh and begin his first day as a farm laborer. The early morning forest was serene and hazy, with a faint mist swirling around the front yards, behind the houses, and throughout the rural fields, looking quite different from afar. The air felt fresh and cool, with a hint of sweetness. As the breeze blew by, in the first plot next to the bamboo forest, Milk Vetch had already burst into bloom, showing off their pinkish-purple petals, clustered like lotuses, exceptionally distinctive and charming. But Zhang Yanping couldn¡¯t appreciate this beauty in the slightest, all he felt was the continuous bending and the pain in his back! What was even more infuriating was that after toiling for half the morning, his basket was still not full! Qiaoqiao¡¯s basket was already filled, and now, she ran over cheerfully to take a look: ¡°Brother, let me help you.¡± Even with Zhang Yanping¡¯s thick-skinned face, he was beginning to feel somewhat overwhelmed. Not to mention Qiaoqiao¡¯s soft whisper: ¡°Brother, when the little store opens, I¡¯ll go buy you some bubblegum; I have money. Don¡¯t feel bad if you¡¯re not doing well.¡± Zhang Yanping: ¡­ If his face could turn any redder, he would have resembled a fully ripened shrimp by now. Right then, Song Tan asked, ¡°Qiaoqiao, have you thought of names for your three puppies yet?¡± Qiaoqiao shook her head. ¡°` ¡°No, it¡¯s so hard to think of one, Sister, can you name them?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t either,¡± Song Tan coaxed him, ¡°but the puppies are too young, they don¡¯t understand yet, I¡¯ve decided to go find them some sensible new parents.¡± ¡°Can you stay at home today and keep the puppies company? My brother and I will go out and help look for them.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Qiaoqiao blinked in bewilderment. ¡°Can¡¯t Qiaoqiao come too?¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡± Although Qiaoqiao was obedient and sensible, traveling for a few hours in a car wasn¡¯t enjoyable for him, so it was better to leave him at home this time. ¡°However, you also have a task at home¡ªyou need to go tea-picking with Mom or help Dad take care of the chicks and ducklings today. That way, you can earn your wages.¡± The feeling of having money must be nice, or perhaps it was the tea-picking or the chickens and ducks that were appealing¡­ Qiaoqiao hesitated for just a moment before quickly agreeing. When the sun rose and everyone brought back the baskets for sorting, Song Tan raised her voice: ¡°Dad, the milk vetch is blooming in the field, so if the beehives are empty later, don¡¯t worry, just go take a look in the field.¡± Song Sancheng was feeding pigs on the back hillside, and his voice, mixed with the grunts and squeals of the piglets, wasn¡¯t very clear. ¡°What about my Daxiong?¡± Hearing the word ¡°bees,¡± Qiaoqiao eagerly sidled over. Song Tan thought for a moment, then went to the top of the storeroom shed to take down that box: ¡°I¡¯m entrusting you with a task. Wait until the dew has evaporated, then take this box to the blooming field.¡± ¡°Your Daxiong has gotten too fat from eating, and its wings haven¡¯t moved in a long time; I doubt it can fly. Just be a hard-working porter, let it gather enough pollen and honey in that field to feed its babies, and then come back.¡± Some time had passed, and with both sugar water and Spiritual Energy, those bee larvas should be close to metamorphosis. Bumblebees have big appetites; at this time, they must have pollen and honey, they need to eat their fill. Zhang Yanping came over and was startled to see a fluffy, chubby creature in the box: ¡°What¡¯s this? Why is it so fat?¡± Holding the beeswax pot, which was constantly trembling to warm and incubate the bumblebee, at this moment it buzzed, as if protesting against being called fat. But it was indeed very fat. Its fuzzy, round body, barely lifted two centimeters off the box by its tiny wings, quickly fell back down with a ¡°plop.¡± Zhang Yanping: ¡°Pfft!¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡­ Before leaving, Song Tan checked her account. She had long since spent the original sum of sixty thousand yuan. Although she had spent part of her parents¡¯ share, there was still more than twenty thousand yuan left in their cards, which Song Tan didn¡¯t plan to touch; it hadn¡¯t been easy for her parents to save that money. As for her own account, it was just the twenty thousand yuan from selling milk vetch lately, plus the six thousand yuan from yesterday¡¯s tea sales. She wasn¡¯t planning on picking any special breed of dog, a local mutt would do, and with that, buying Golden Sakura afterward, she would have more than enough from that twenty thousand yuan. Once she had planned everything, she took out the white papers she brought back, weighed half a pound and an ounce of tea leaves separately, wrapped them in layers of the white paper, and stuffed them into sealed bags. Zhang Yanping watched with twitching eyelids: ¡°You should at least add some packaging!¡± It would make the buyers a bit more satisfied. Song Tan was not ignorant of this; it was just that if she started packaging this time, any other time without packaging, customers might become finicky. So, with the products¡¯ quality being up to standard, it was better to save the trouble wherever possible. Seeing that Qiaoqiao and Wu Lan had already tidied up the vegetables, she quickly called out, ¡°Brother Yanping, help move the baskets.¡± Chapter 70 - 70: 70. Green Sichuan Pepper_1 Chapter 70: 70. Green Sichuan Pepper_1 Zhang Yanping could never have imagined that his universally charming appearance would fail him at the hands of the market aunties in just three rounds! Here¡¯s how it went down¡ª He was replacing Qiaoqiao, helping Song Tan sell vegetables! In theory, this wasn¡¯t difficult work. He efficiently bagged the vegetables and announced the price: ¡°Sixty.¡± But the auntie¡¯s face immediately tightened: ... ¡°Girl, where did you find this helper? No good! Just look at him, he doesn¡¯t have a single bit of festivity in him.¡± Zhang Yanping touched his face in disbelief. Standing there tall, big, fair, and chubby¡ªhe was the type all middle-aged aunties loved! It didn¡¯t make sense that he¡¯d falter here, right? So, when the next auntie with red hair came along, he made sure to put on a particularly endearing smile. The red-haired auntie was buying in bulk. She claimed she had perfected a new pickling recipe, making some every day and accumulating various flavors to send to her children who lived far away¡ªit was highly sought after. However, when Zhang Yanping, still smiling, had stuffed the milk vetch into a bag, the red-haired auntie found fault: ¡°Ah, young man, your smile isn¡¯t as pretty as Qiaoqiao¡¯s, no need to force yourself!¡± Zhang Yanping¡¯s smile almost cracked. But the deadliest blow came from another auntie who was even more scathing¡ª ¡°This young man must be thirty, right? Trying to emulate little Qiaoqiao, really like an old cucumber painted green¡­¡± Zhang Yanping felt a surge of anger! He was only twenty-six! Twenty-six! Just eight years older than Qiaoqiao, and still in the prime of his youth. How did he become an ¡°old cucumber painted green¡±? But the auntie had already walked away, with the next one coming up the line, he could only sullenly continue as a numb cog in the machine. When they¡¯d almost sold out of vegetables, a man rushed over in a fluster: ¡°Girl, where¡¯s my tea?¡± While speaking, he looked around sneakily, like a thief. Zhang Yanping knew this was the devoted fan who only ever bought a couple of ounces! The customer looked surprised to see Zhang Yanping: Zhang Yanping: ¡­Is it really necessary? Seeing the customer¡¯s anxious expression, he asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± The man whispered in response, ¡°I¡¯m buying this on the sly; the tea is so expensive, and I didn¡¯t want my partner to catch me.¡± He took the tea, opened the sealed bag, and fished out a small packet wrapped in white paper, furrowing his brows. Then he lifted a corner of the paper and took a deep sniff with his head lowered¡ª Just that action, and his face rippled with smile after smile, radiating sheer anticipation: ¡°Ah, the scent! Truly exquisite!¡± He hurriedly repacked the item and immediately began dashing back the way he came. The neighboring vegetable vendor squeezed over, eyeing Song Tan curiously: ¡°What exactly are you selling? You¡¯re acting all secretive about it.¡± He wasn¡¯t saying anything yet, but his actions and demeanor were like those of someone secretly peddling contraband, quite illicit. Seeing him, Song Tan swiftly bagged the five kilos of milk vetch that the vendor had wanted the day before: sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Picked fresh this morning; they¡¯re still crisp.¡± The vendor looked around, then with a swift motion, snatched the bag of veggies and carefully hid them behind his own stall. This clandestine transaction was no different from the tea-buying uncle¡¯s ordeal just moments before. It wasn¡¯t until then that Song Tan finally answered his question: ¡°It¡¯s just some tea leaves fried at home, a bit pricey, so everyone is cautious.¡± The vegetable vendor couldn¡¯t help but feel tempted again: ¡°Your family¡¯s tea leaves¡­¡± However, Song Tan was too busy to wait for him to make up his mind today, and she quickly packed up the basket: ¡°Brother Yanping, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡­ On this trip, they were heading to Huacheng, a two-and-a-half-hour drive away. There was no need to enter the city; the suburbs were their destination¡ªXinxin Flowers Nursery. How Zhang Yanping knew so many people, Song Tan couldn¡¯t find all the items she needed even on TaoTao treasure, but this Xinxin Flowers Nursery really pulled it off¡ªin one go, they produced two hundred Golden Sakura saplings! Now in the early spring, these Golden Sakura trees had been deeply pruned last winter, and at the moment, they looked bare and far from pretty. But a careful inspection revealed a well-developed root system and a vigorous vitality, confirming they were truly in the prime of their maturity. Song Tan pointed out a few with obviously weaker root systems, but saw the owner scratching his head and chuckling awkwardly: ¡°Girl, you have quite an eye¡­ Um, this wild type is really hard to deal with. It¡¯s been years since anyone bought it.¡± ¡°You came wanting them all of a sudden, and I can¡¯t muster two hundred trees right away. I scrapped a few from the pots, just a tad weaker, just a tad. I had actually planned on grafting and cultivating them with rosebushes¡­¡± While the owner spoke, his face showed signs of reluctance to part with them: ¡°But you won¡¯t lose out.¡± He hurriedly searched through the pile of already pruned Golden Sakura, finding an exceptionally robust and large one: ¡°This one is the source plant of all these saplings, very strong. In the past, I wouldn¡¯t have sold it for fifty bucks!¡± Since the owner said this was the source plant, it meant that all of the Golden Sakura were propagated from it. Generally speaking, the source plant would be even stronger. This deal wasn¡¯t a loss. Song Tan was very satisfied in her heart. The few that she had picked out were only slightly weak at the roots, but that didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t grow well, and this source plant was indeed an unexpected bonus. It was thick and strong with a well-developed root system. Just this one could take care of a six- to seven-square-meter space. Both parties were very pleased. However, even if she personally came to pick up the goods, the owner wouldn¡¯t budge on the price of three thousand yuan. Meanwhile, Zhang Yanping treated the nursery as if it were his own, pulling Song Tan along to stroll around the place. But most of what was here was ornamental flowers, many of which were specially cultivated horticultural varieties. They didn¡¯t hold much economic value in the countryside. Song Tan looked and looked, and finally set her sights on a small sapling just budding in the corner of the wall: ¡°What is this?¡± The owner was taken aback, then after some thought, he remembered: ¡°It¡¯s Sichuan pepper.¡± Sichuan pepper? A thought struck Song Tan, ¡°Owner, I won¡¯t haggle with you anymore. Give me this Sichuan pepper tree.¡± The owner was stunned, ¡°But this is one I planted for my own family to eat, I haven¡¯t taken much care of it¡­¡± ¡°No matter!¡± Song Tan declared confidently: ¡°I think your Sichuan pepper looks quite good. We don¡¯t grow much in Yun City.¡± The owner hesitated, doing some mental calculations: Accepting her offer was fine, as long as he didn¡¯t have to haggle. Besides, the tree wasn¡¯t expensive. Thinking of the batch of Golden Sakura that had nearly been stuck with him, he finally agreed. Zhang Yanping didn¡¯t understand. What did Song Tan want with a Sichuan pepper tree? It was a spice; how much could a family eat by themselves! It was enough to just buy some, why bother planting one specifically? But Song Tan had already turned around: ¡°Brother Yanping, I remember grass carp is quite suitable for making Sichuan pepper and sauerkraut fish hotpot, right?¡± Sichuan pepper and sauerkraut fish¡­ Slurp!!! With that said, Zhang Yanping started to feel hungry too. Chapter 71 - 71: 71. Add-on and dog field_1 Chapter 71: 71. Add-on and dog field_1 The expression on the face of the nursery owner was somewhat complex. ¡°You¡¯ll take the Sichuan pepper trees, too? You guys really aren¡¯t picky, are you?¡± On second thought, picky people wouldn¡¯t usually come to buy Golden Sakura, right? He had been swayed by the sales pitch from the medicinal herb company, thinking it had great potential and a hot market. He hurriedly propagated a batch to test the waters, only to find that just as they started growing in scale, people became interested in the thornless varieties. He had been growing them for three years, and this batch he propagated was the same batch he was still trying to sell off¡ªhis only Golden Sakura customers. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been forced to cash in the mother plants, too. ... So the owner tentatively added: ¡°I¡¯ve got some red Sichuan pepper trees as well, about the same size as these green ones¡­ want those too?¡± Seeing Song Tan¡¯s eyes light up, he suddenly got a jolt: ¡°You have to pay for them!¡± ¡°Boss, that¡¯s not very fair of you!¡± Zhang Yanping draped an arm around his shoulders, handing him a cigarette, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have a good chat. I¡¯m telling you, the cost of the trip alone is a couple hundred¡­¡± The two men walked off arm in arm, disappearing from view, while Song Tan had already started to think about which spices she might need¡­ And intercropping in the forest; there was nothing she particularly craved for the moment, so that required further consideration¡­ As she pondered this, she saw the owner and Zhang Yanping already carrying saplings back: ¡°Come on, let¡¯s load them up and head back.¡± The saplings were a lush green, clearly thriving well in the greenhouse. However, there was a layer of dust on the leaves, a sure sign they were part of the owner¡¯s stock that had nearly been forgotten in some corner. And indeed they were. The owner, rubbing his head, said, ¡°That¡­ Yanping knows that I used to work in agricultural seedling cultivation. Later, because it wasn¡¯t profitable, I switched to fresh flower potted plants. These are a few leftover plants¡­¡± He tried to save face, putting on a confident demeanor: ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by their ordinary looks; five-year-old saplings like these usually go for a hundred and eighty each.¡± The price was right, but Zhang Yanping¡¯s purslane buns weren¡¯t eaten for nothing, and with a cheerful response, he said: ¡°True, they¡¯re all quite expensive, which is why Uncle Zhou saw that we came from far away and it wasn¡¯t easy, so he gave us this red Sichuan pepper, this grafted Star Anise Tree, and also that green Sichuan pepper tree of yours, all to us.¡± ¡°Tantan, next time you need any trees or flowers, remember to come back to Uncle Zhou, okay?¡± Song Tan smiled both sweetly and sincerely, ¡°Sure! Thank you, Uncle Zhou!¡± Owner Uncle Zhou sighed, ¡°Next time you come, I¡¯ll have to think more¡­ If it¡¯s not urgent, better to just ship next time. Dealing face-to-face is just too costly.¡± ¡­ The vehicle drove along the road, and everyone inside was happy. Zhang Yanping felt he had demonstrated his skills, and although he had been homebound for two years, his capacity for networking had not diminished. Song Tan was also happy. The Golden Sakura had cost three thousand yuan, and the trip had been pretty exhausting, but the Sichuan pepper and Star Anise trees were mature saplings that could bear fruit this year, not bad at all. If she hadn¡¯t taken this trip, she might not have thought of it for quite some time! Otherwise, once she started raising her own grass carp, she might have been ready to make pickled fish soup only to find the spices lacking in flavor¡ªwouldn¡¯t that be a flaw in an otherwise perfect gem? For a while, spirits were high. Halfway through the trip, Zhang Yanping pointed to a side road: ¡°Go straight ahead until you reach a pond, then turn right, and you¡¯ll see a big dog kennel.¡± The area had a clear view and the road wasn¡¯t complicated. Song Tan turned the steering wheel and quickly found the place he was talking about. It was a square courtyard, completely enclosed with two-meter-tall wire mesh. A few bungalows were built in the middle, and the rest of the space was divided into different areas. Now in spring, sparse green grass was poking out, a clear sign that people or animals moved around the area frequently. In front of the big yard, a van and a pretty large SUV were parked. A man in a trench coat leaned despondently against the SUV door, silently smoking a cigarette. Song Tan frowned: ¡°Is this guy the owner?¡± His aura doesn¡¯t seem too good. Zhang Yanping squinted and watched the approaching car before confirming, ¡°No. He¡¯s probably a customer who¡¯s here to buy a dog.¡± Then he pointed at a young man in the field who was walking to and fro with a dog: ¡°It¡¯s him.¡± As the two got out of the car and passed the SUV in front, Song Tan saw a huge, unidentifiable breed of dog lying silently in the back seat of the vehicle. It lay motionless, its cheeks black and its fur a yellowish hue. Its mere presence filled the spacious SUV¡¯s rear seat to the brim. Looking at its size, it would stand taller than an adult man! Both the man and the dog were silent, their moods somber. It was at this moment that the dog farm¡¯s owner noticed them: ¡°Yanping!¡± Then, turning to Song Tan with an outstretched hand and a laugh: ¡°This must be our little sister! Boy, you¡¯ve kept her well-hidden. She¡¯s so pretty. Got a boyfriend yet?¡± Song Tan also smiled, ¡°What do I need a boyfriend for? Can a boyfriend help me guard the gate?¡± Ha! The owner laughed too. ¡°Our little sister has a sense of humor¡ªI¡¯m Sun Shouping, just call me Brother Sun. I¡¯m good friends with your brother, pick whatever dog you want.¡± ¡°How should I address you?¡± With the owner being so straightforward, Song Tan also enjoyed the ease: ¡°Brother Sun, just call me Song Tan.¡± And with that, the two were acquainted. Then. After Sun Shouping¡¯s friendly and polite words were spoken, his expression suddenly became serious: sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°But little sister, I have to speak plainly. If you take one of my dogs back and just tie it up at the door with a rope, and feed it a diet of vegetable soup with rice, letting it go hungry and full by turns, that just won¡¯t do!¡± Song Tan understood what he meant. In rural areas nowadays, many people keep dogs tied up at the gate with a rope just one or two meters long, from puppyhood to old age, almost never untying them. Moreover, with improved living standards, villagers are now willing to spoil their pets with bones, meat, and fish from time to time. But at Sun Shouping¡¯s place, all the dogs were large breeds. What if the owners found them too expensive to feed and just neglected them? Clarifying these points in advance was good for both people and dogs. After all, large breeds like these could easily fall ill and would hardly meet the requirements for warding off intruders if fed such a diet for long. Before Song Tan could speak, Zhang Yanping was already displeased. ¡°Would I bring someone like that?¡± ¡°My sister picked up three tiny stray pups and she¡¯s been soaking milk powder for them every day! The dog she¡¯s taking back is meant to watch over the mountaintop; how could it work if it¡¯s not well-fed?¡± Judging by this detail, Sun Shouping immediately felt at ease. Without another word, he led them into the yard: ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because I have only big dogs here that they¡¯ll bite. They¡¯re all well-trained, don¡¯t be afraid!¡± ¡°Yanping said you wanted an adult dog to watch the mountains, right? That¡¯s even more reason to pay attention to this matter. These days, if a dog bites someone, it¡¯s troublesome and you might even have to compensate. Most importantly, the dog usually ends up with a pretty bad fate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why all of my dogs are trained, they won¡¯t bite unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary.¡± Song Tan nodded, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± In a society governed by law, causing serious harm by biting can still be troublesome. Chapter 72 - 72: What dog to choose? _1 Chapter 72: What dog to choose? _1 Sun Shouping clearly loved dogs, and now as he spoke of his beloved pets, his eyes sparkled and his expression softened with affection. ¡°If you want a guard dog, those common pet dogs you see on the market, like Huskies, Shiba Inus, Golden Retrievers, Labradors¡­ none of them will do.¡± ¡°The first two basically have no obedience, only madness.¡± ¡°The last two have enough obedience, but they lack intimidation and attack power, you¡¯re raising them on a mountain, and people would still come up to pet them!¡± He opened an iron gate, and immediately, puppies joyfully rushed over in the grassy yard, seemingly plunging Song Tan into a fluffy paradise. Even though Song Tan remembered she wanted an adult dog, she nearly succumbed to them right then and there. ... I mean, who could resist the temptation of these fluffy and cute puppies! Sun Shouping couldn¡¯t help but smile as he watched. He had seen many people buy dogs, and a look at the details was enough to tell if someone truly loved them or not. Some people love pedigree, some love looks, and others, regardless of these factors, only want to vent their frustrations, boost their ego, or show off¡­ In short, once you¡¯ve kept animals for a long time and invested a lot of emotion, it¡¯s too easy to become heartbroken over them if you fail to see the larger picture. Sun Shouping has loved dogs since he was young, and only in the past two years has he slowly calmed down. But calm as he may be, seeing someone truly fond of dogs still made him happy, so he quickly led Song Tan to another area: ¡°Don¡¯t you have a small dog at home? A well-trained local mutt is really smart! Not inferior to these breeds. So this time, don¡¯t look at the puppies, just pick what you need.¡± Song Tan knew this, but it didn¡¯t stop her from joking, ¡°Sun Ge, you¡¯re pushing so hard, is it because adult dogs are a bit more expensive?¡± Sun Shouping laughed, ¡°You¡¯re mistaken there, the price difference between my big dogs and small dogs isn¡¯t much, and the puppies actually make more money!¡± Raising dogs is different from other things, companion animals, like cats and dogs, are best matched with their owners at the right age. They¡¯re also the easiest to bond with and can receive very effective training. But once that optimal period passes, no matter the breed, the older they grow, the less cute and good-looking they are compared to when they were puppies. At that point, the chances of selling them have already diminished greatly. Therefore, with pets, the older they are, the more likely they are to be sold cheaply. By the time they are adults, they are basically unsellable. The reason Sun Shouping¡¯s kennel hadn¡¯t reached the point of practically giving dogs away was that he raised large breeds, which had a fairly high demand even as adults. And all of them were meant for guarding and protection; to maintain combat capability and training results, the quality of their diet was definitely not compromised. As a result, the price difference between his big and small dogs was leveled by their meals. And because he was introduced by Zhang Yanping, he had not even charged a separate training fee! He explained these intricacies briefly and, fearing that Song Tan would worry that the adult dog might not obey or be affectionate when brought home, quickly clarified: ¡°You can rest assured about the adult dogs here. I¡¯m not deceiving you, I¡¯m obviously the master here.¡± ¡°But as soon as they go home with you and you feed them with care for a while, as long as you neither spoil them nor mistreat them, they will absolutely obey commands and be fiercely loyal.¡± ¡°Despite my kennel only being open for a little over two years, I¡¯ve been in this line of work long before opening it. Over these years, I¡¯ve kept track of the dogs I¡¯ve sold.¡± ¡°As for reputation, you can ask Yanping.¡± Song Tan had already inquired about this thoroughly before coming, and now she nodded: ¡°So, do you have any dogs to recommend?¡± Sun Shouping smiled, dealing with someone who understood made things pleasant. ¡°It¡¯s up to your preference. Purely for guarding the mountains, German Shepherds, Casros, Mastiffs, Dobermans¡­ any of these will do, it all depends on what you like.¡± ¡°German Shepherds are sharper, with a higher IQ.¡± ¡°Casros are calmer and very self-confident.¡± ¡°Dobermans are bolder, and also more fierce.¡± ¡°The Mastiff can run and jump, over this fence of mine that¡¯s two meters high, no problem,¡± he said, making it sound as if he had hardly introduced the dogs at all, as each one only had merits! Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but feel torn. At this moment, they had arrived at the farthest meadow. It was a vast space, with folding partition fences along the edge, and in the middle of the meadow, about a dozen large dogs were lying lazily in the grass, basking in the sun. They looked content and poised, clearly enjoying a comfortable life in the dog training area. Sun Shouping couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°Dogs have it better than humans.¡± Then he clapped his hands: ¡°Come over here.¡± In an instant, all the dogs pricked up their ears and immediately stood up, spirited and dashing towards Sun Shouping! One dog in motion brought all the others with it. They charged over with loud barks, the spectacle quite impressive! Sun Shouping even stepped in front of Song Tan, looking at her worriedly from the side, afraid that the beautiful girl would be startled. However, Song Tan was looking at the large dogs in front of her with gleaming eyes, paying him no mind and his subtle movements. She noticed that the leading Mastiff was indeed capable of running and jumping, its leaps outshining the rest, with particularly swift movements. Following was the Doberman. It looked somewhat fierce yet dopey, charging mindlessly as though it might bite someone who didn¡¯t know any better. Then came several German Shepherds and Casros. In comparison, their running was much more cautious; as they neared Sun Shouping, they slowed down even more, and only when they finally gathered around him did they excitedly stick out their tongues to lick his palms. But they were obviously well-trained; despite the general excitement, even with Song Tan standing right beside Sun Shouping, the dozen dogs carefully avoided her, approaching their master from the other side. The closest black-backed dog was even cautious, wagging its tail without a single hair touching Song Tan. ¡°They really are well-trained!¡± She couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. Seeing she wasn¡¯t afraid, Sun Shouping was also pleasantly surprised, and he clapped his hands again, issuing a command: ¡°Sit down!¡± In a moment, all the dogs took a step back and obediently sat down. Then they cocked their heads, curiously eyeing the strange girl next to their master. Song Tan already had her hand over her chest: ¡°I just regret that my hill isn¡¯t big enough, my wallet not hefty enough¡­¡± Otherwise, she really wanted to take all the dogs home! Sun Shouping also smiled happily: ¡°It¡¯s rare to see someone as brave as you! Come on, see if there¡¯s any that catch your eye.¡± ¡°I can honestly say, all the dogs here meet your needs, you just have to pick the one you like and that likes you back.¡± ¡°These dogs are smart, you know. If they don¡¯t seem too willing to go with you, then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to pick another one.¡± When it came to this, Song Tan was quite confident. She smiled meaningfully, ¡°I¡¯ve been likable to animals since I was a child, I¡¯m afraid if I lift a finger, all your dogs will want to follow me home.¡± Sun Shouping laughed heartily, stepped back, and pointed to Song Tan for the dogs: ¡°Show your best now, this might be your new owner.¡± For a moment, all the dogs fixed their gaze on Song Tan. Chapter 73 - 73: 73. Choose a Dog_1 Chapter 73: 73. Choose a Dog_1 Song Tan crouched down, with Spiritual Energy surging and condensing into the palm of her hand. Then she clapped her hands: ¡°Come over, all who like me!¡± In that instant, the Spiritual Energy, like smoke dispersed by a pat, wound around her hands without dissipating. Sun Shouping had been standing by with a smile, but his expression gradually shifted to one of utter surprise. Because his dozen or so dogs were now all pricking up their ears, looking spirited! The next second, they all charged over! ¡°Woof!¡± ... Song Tan burst into laughter, her crouched figure enveloped by more than a dozen dogs, their fluffy heads constantly reaching over, sniffing her palm with their wet noses before being pushed away by other dog heads. From a distance, one could no longer see Song Tan¡¯s figure. Sun Shouping¡¯s face went numb¡ªthough he had given the order for the dogs to behave well and welcome their potential new owner, this was too good of a performance, wasn¡¯t it? Were they that eager to abandon him? Feeling sour inside, he now had no choice but to clap his hands to draw attention. ¡°Sit down!¡± A brief pause settled over the group of dogs. Afterward, the dogs, albeit reluctantly, pulled back their heads and obediently sat down on the grass. However, their eyes still clung to Song Tan, wet and pitiful, which was heartbreaking! Only then did Song Tan manage to stand up¡ªthere was a distinct doggy smell! As they all crowded around, she was surrounded by doggy breath, causing the handful of scattered Spiritual Energy in her hand to be completely dispelled before they finally stopped¡­ She couldn¡¯t keep up, couldn¡¯t keep up. It was then that Sun Shouping sighed, ¡°Now I believe that animals have liked you since you were young.¡± ¡°Come on, pick any you want, how many would you like?¡± How should she choose? It was difficult to pick any of them. Song Tan looked over, troubled, ¡°Brother Sun, you haven¡¯t told me the price yet?¡± Sun Shouping smiled, ¡°Yanping already told me about this¡ªso, I¡¯ll charge you the cost price, 3,000 yuan per dog.¡± For a purebred dog, especially ones of such quality, 3,000 yuan really only covered the costs for their food and vaccines as they grew. But Sun Shouping wasn¡¯t someone who would let his brother-in-law slash his prices without a good reason, so he had conditions: ¡°They are all prime-aged dogs, both male and female. To ensure their explosive power and vigorous energy, I haven¡¯t sterilized them.¡± ¡°So you can take a dog for 3,000 yuan, but for future breeding, I hope you¡¯ll pair them with dogs from my kennel. If it¡¯s inconvenient for you, I can bring the dogs over.¡± ¡°When they have puppies, regardless of gender, I¡¯ll claim the first year¡¯s offspring. Later, if there are more puppies, I¡¯ll come and collect them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll charge according to the market rates.¡± Song Tan let out a sigh of relief. Well-trained dogs usually come with pedigrees, and a combination of pedigree and training brings a soaring price. And she could only choose these adult dogs. Although she had admired these dogs before, she had also been concerned about the prices. Now at 3,000 yuan each, her financial burden was much lighter. She had originally set a baseline price for herself of 20,000 yuan, but now it looked like she had more than enough. Of course, in Song Tan¡¯s mind, as long as people could eat and drink well, money was just a worldly possession. But in Wu Lan¡¯s mind, she would probably end up on a tree branch¡­ What¡¯s the use of cultivating Spiritual Energy? It still couldn¡¯t withstand her old mother¡¯s beatings! ¡°Alright!¡± She agreed without hesitation. But¡ª S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Male dogs can breed a maximum of twice a year, and female dogs only have one litter a year. Moreover, they have to take a liking to the partner. Plus, if I decide to keep any puppies from the female dogs I select, they can¡¯t be sold to you.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Sun Shouping became excited as well. After all, finding a good home for his dog sons was the most important thing. After the more immediate issues were settled, Song Tan began to pick from the dozen or so dogs sitting obediently. She didn¡¯t have much experience in selecting dogs and didn¡¯t bother to check their teeth or body structure; she simply cheated and used a little trick¡ª She wrapped an extremely tiny thread of Spiritual Energy around her fingertips and then moved them slightly. In an instant! Four dogs in the pack quickly turned their heads, their eyes staring intently in her direction. Got it! There was no need to pick anymore; irrespective of the dogs¡¯ overall qualities, these were the ones most sensitive to Spiritual Energy. They would also be the quickest to adapt during the initial training period. Song Tan began calling them out¡ª ¡°That one with the yellow fur and black back.¡± ¡°The one with ears both sharp and high.¡± ¡°Also, that one with short ears and all black fur.¡± ¡°That yellow-furred, long-faced one.¡± As she spoke, she pointed them out to Sun Shouping. He froze for a moment and then chuckled bitterly¡ª ¡°I can¡¯t believe Zhang Yanping is my brother! Why wouldn¡¯t he tell me the truth? You¡¯ve got such a good eye for choosing dogs, picking out the ones with the best physique and trainability. And he told me you were a novice, asking me to give you more advice?¡± Although the murmuring Sun Shouping himself was puzzled¡ªbecause from what Song Tan said, she clearly couldn¡¯t distinguish between the breeds of these dogs, she indeed appeared to be a novice! In any case, she had chosen one of each of the four dog breeds he had introduced ¨C and each one she pointed out was the leader. Three males, one female. But since the choice was made, he pointed out those few dogs to Song Tan, making sure she recognized them clearly. ¡°The yellow-furred, long-faced one is a Mastiff.¡± ¡°The yellow fur with a black back is a black-back German Shepherd, the female dog.¡± ¡°The short ears belong to Casro; actually, its ears aren¡¯t short but hang down in large flaps, which can easily get bitten and bleed in a fight. So, they¡¯re usually cropped short when they¡¯re young.¡± ¡°And this one, this is our kennel¡¯s most handsome Du Bin.¡± The four dogs were vigorous and their eyes shone. When their cool, damp noses gently touched the back of Song Tan¡¯s hand, she felt her heart as if it too had been brushed by a feather, soft and tender. But although he chose the strongest leaders, Sun Shouping still felt compelled to offer advice: ¡°According to the rules of my kennel, if a male dog comes to mate, the owner can only take one puppy from the litter the female dogs have.¡± ¡°Although mixed-breed dogs have high quality too, most people still care about pedigree. You¡¯ve picked four different breeds, which won¡¯t be profitable if you bring them here to mate.¡± ¡°Instead, selecting two pairs of male and female dogs of the same breed, or all of the same breed, would be more profitable when I come to purchase the puppies based on their looks.¡± Song Tan shook her head, ¡°No, I¡¯m not raising them for profit, so it really doesn¡¯t matter about the breed.¡± Since dogs can live for a good ten to twenty years, choosing dogs of the same breed might be troublesome if she ended up with puppies at home that she would have to sell. That would indeed be hard for her. Even though Sun Shouping seemed to be someone who loved and cared about dogs, such matters were still a worry, no matter how you look at it. ¡°Let¡¯s just go with these, they¡¯re fine.¡± She then chuckled again: ¡°I originally planned to get five dogs. But I only connected with these four this time, so I¡¯ll start with them.¡± Chapter 74 - 74: 74. Man, SUV, and Dog_1 Chapter 74: 74. Man, SUV, and Dog_1 Upon hearing Song Tan¡¯s words, Sun Shouping¡¯s brow twitched slightly. But quickly, he suppressed his emotions and then, sighing, began to pet the four dogs¡¯ heads: ¡°The names I gave them here were pretty arbitrary, just serial numbers. After you get home, you can give them names to start getting familiar and comfortable with them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re very smart, they¡¯ll understand.¡± Song Tan nodded in agreement. By now, she had seven dogs. ... Although naming them was hard, she already had some ideas in mind: ¡°By the way, can you make dog tags here?¡± Sun Shouping laughed: ¡°Of course! I made the tags they¡¯re wearing myself. Think about the names, and I¡¯ll engrave them for you later.¡± Having said that, he turned and went into the room, took out familiar mats, towels, plush toys, and chewing balls for each of the four dogs, reluctantly packing them into a box. Then, he left the place together with Song Tan. The other dozen or so dogs, seeing their siblings following their owner out, seemed to realize something and started whimpering pitifully. Casro, who had been silent all this time, suddenly turned back and gave a deep ¡°woof.¡± Instantly, all the dogs quieted down again, silently watching them leave. Sun Shouping felt a tinge of redness around his eyes as he continued to explain to Song Tan: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s okay. My dogs are quite popular in the market, and people come to pick them often. They¡¯re used to it.¡± As they stepped out, they found Zhang Yanping, already lost in the joy of playing with the puppies, and hadn¡¯t noticed the two of them. It was only when the group of puppies suddenly quieted down and rushed over that he turned his head¡ª ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°These four dogs are looking sharp!¡± He came forward and slapped Sun Shouping¡¯s shoulder hard: ¡°Good brother! It had to be you! Such a noble gesture¡ªhow much are they?¡± Song Tan answered, ¡°Three thousand each.¡± At that, even Zhang Yanping was moved: ¡°Brother, I didn¡¯t realize you were so generous¡­¡± He fumbled in his pocket and finally pulled out a cold steamed bun wrapped in a plastic bag: ¡°For great kindness, I have nothing to repay, this is the steamed bun I managed to save¡­ now, take it!¡± Sun Shouping¡¯s feelings of reluctance and sorrow vanished in an instant! He snatched the steamed bun fiercely: ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll eat this for dinner tonight!¡± Seeing Zhang Yanping¡¯s feigned reluctance, he felt even more speechless: ¡°And you, telling me your sister is a novice at picking dogs. Can a novice have an eye for dogs like hers, picking the right one every time?¡± ¡°All of them are top-notch dogs from my lot! I wouldn¡¯t usually part with them so readily!¡± But this time, it was rare that his dogs took such an initiative¡­ Sigh. Hopefully, they¡¯ll have a good life in the future. Guarding mountains and forests, although they probably won¡¯t have meals that are 100% carefully balanced, at least they¡¯ll have freedom. Zhang Yanping also cast a surprised glance at Song Tan. Song Tan helplessly responded, ¡°Brother Yanping, I really don¡¯t have experience in picking dogs. It¡¯s purely that these dogs have a high standard; they knew at a glance that I have a promising future. What can I do about it?¡± Zhang Yanping withdrew his gaze. Whether his cousin had experience in picking dogs, he didn¡¯t know. But this thick-skinned attitude was a true trademark of a businessperson. Then thinking about the price of three thousand per dog, he realized his buddy really hadn¡¯t made a profit, and wasn¡¯t sure what to say for a moment. He simply pointed outside again: ¡°Your customer outside? I see them standing there smoking for a long while.¡± The cigarette butts on the ground had piled up to a dozen or more. Sun Shouping glanced over and also felt helpless. ¡°Let him smoke there, blow off some steam.¡± Song Tan seemed to remember something and asked curiously, ¡°What kind of dog does he have? Why didn¡¯t I see it this time? It looks so big, even bigger than any of mine.¡± Sun Shouping smiled proudly, ¡°That¡¯s the Turkish National Dog¡ªKangal!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any adult dogs here, only puppies, you definitely didn¡¯t see one.¡± Zhang Yanping had never heard of such a dog and it took him a while to ask, ¡°Seems like I¡¯ve heard about it online, something called Anatolia?¡± Sun Shouping scolded him with a laugh, ¡°Stop faking it if you don¡¯t know your stuff. This is a genuine Turkish Kangal, not Anatolian. It can kill a Tibetan Mastiff in minutes, a true fierce dog!¡± ¡°This dog enjoys the right to live like a citizen in Turkey, do you know what they call it?¡± ¡°¡ª God¡¯s Pet!¡± ¡°The status of the giant panda in our country is what the Kangal has in theirs.¡± Zhang Yanping¡¯s eyes were already filled with dollar signs¡ª ¡°With such an incredible pedigree, breeding them must be very profitable, right?¡± Sun Shouping was speechless, ¡°Money, money, money! That¡¯s all you think about.¡± ¡°Even a puppy here costs twenty-one thousand each, forget about the others.¡± ¡°Besides, ordinary people can¡¯t afford to keep them. One meal would cost you a week¡¯s worth of food expenses. I wouldn¡¯t be willing to sell without seeing some assets.¡± Zhang Yanping glanced at the silent SUV outside and the man who was still despondently smoking, ¡°So, what¡¯s his story? Bought one and couldn¡¯t afford to keep it, so he¡¯s returning the dog?¡± Sun Shouping also sighed, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Actually, returning such a large dog after it has bonded with an owner is quite a burden for me.¡± ¡°But this person is different, he truly loves dogs.¡± ¡°That dog, as a puppy plus some training fees and all, cost him a solid thirty thousand. For the twenty-one thousand puppies, he came in person to choose, I trained it for six months, and he even bought a large car to transport it.¡± ¡°Just to keep it, he specially built a villa in the countryside.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t raise it for status but for real love!¡± But suddenly, his business suffered a loss, and he was left with nothing but a school district apartment in the city for his child¡¯s education. The villa in the countryside was sold at a discount. And, the dog could no longer be kept. ¡°For one, the city does not allow it.¡± ¡°Second, the dog eats too much in one meal. If you let it maintain its exercise and eat its fill, it could finish off a hundred or so pounds in a day.¡± Zhang Yanping gasped in shock. Sun Shouping quickly laughed, ¡°It¡¯s not that exaggerated, I was talking about if you let it go all out. With normal activity, it doesn¡¯t eat that much, and it doesn¡¯t require all meat.¡± But even so, these numbers sound terrifying, don¡¯t they? Zhang Yanping, who had been somewhat stirred by the idea of a large dog, was instantly calmed. ¡°It¡¯s really too expensive to keep.¡± And with a dog this large, it could become vicious, and most people couldn¡¯t handle it. He was afraid to keep one, too afraid to keep one. Sun Shouping gave a wry smile, ¡°Although Kangals are brave, they are not violent or aggressive and are exceptionally gentle with children and extremely loyal. But with such large dogs, just their appearance can be terrifying enough¡­¡± He looked outside at the SUV with a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s because of its loyalty, it knew its owner couldn¡¯t afford it, so it ate only a pound or two of meat per meal for a whole week.¡± sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°That big guy would cry at home watching it eat, cry watching it eat.¡± ¡°Those rich friends of his were willing to take it and help with its care¡­ but the dog wouldn¡¯t accept a new owner, no way.¡± ¡°He drove over early this morning, asking if I could continue to keep it?¡± Chapter 75 - 75: 75. Wavering_1 Chapter 75: 75. Wavering_1 Sun Shouping also gave a wry smile, ¡°Raise it, I can indeed afford to, and since it¡¯s just reached adulthood, if I manage to breed it well, I can earn the money back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that neither the person nor the dog can get over this hurdle. You see, after agreeing to terms, they became hesitant to part, lingering there for half a day already.¡± Mature people had already known difficulties and backed down, like Zhang Yanping. However, having raised all sorts of bizarre things on the back mountain, Song Tan began to feel an itch! That is to say, she really loved such a fierce dog! At this moment, she slowly asked, ... ¡°Then if¡­ this dog could be a bit cheaper, I¡¯d like to have it!¡± Zhang Yanping stopped her, ¡°The money you make in a day from selling vegetables is only enough to feed and water it!¡± Sun Shouping was also startled and quickly refused, ¡°No, no, you can¡¯t afford it, really can¡¯t afford it!¡± ¡°And¡­¡± He looked at Song Tan and sighed, ¡°In foreign countries, they use this kind of dog to hunt tigers. It¡¯s not an exaggeration, usually it¡¯s not aggressive, but if it does become fierce, you won¡¯t be able to hold it back.¡± Song Tan, however, smiled, ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.¡± Sun Shouping truly hadn¡¯t expected the girl to be so stubborn! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï At this moment, he gave a bitter laugh, his words earnest, ¡°Really, it¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling to part with this dog. I already have Kangal breeders here; one more or one less doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± ¡°But the problem is, you really won¡¯t be able to handle it! This dog is too loyal; it doesn¡¯t easily accept a new owner. Even if you take it back with you, at first it¡¯s going to be stubborn and not listen to you. How will you raise it then?¡± ¡°What if something happens, you tell me¡­¡± Sun Shouping was really sincere in his advice, ¡°If you really have the ability to take it away, its owner said, not a penny necessary, as long as you¡¯re good to his dog, regularly send a video, or, if convenient, allow him to see the dog occasionally.¡± If it were an ordinary girl, faced with such a request, there would be a lot to consider. But the problem is Song Tan lives in the village, where there are plenty of mountains and fields, so if you want to come by, just do so; how could the whole village keep outsiders from doing so? Not to mention, she¡¯s not an ordinary girl. Hearing this, she became even more enthusiastic, and set off walking outside, ¡°Then wait for me here, Sun Ge, I¡¯m going to have a chat with its owner!¡± She strode out the gate, and Sun Shouping breathed a sigh of relief: a chat is fine. The owner wouldn¡¯t agree. Then, turning his head and recalling something, he asked Zhang Yanping, ¡°So your sister, her farm business must be doing pretty well, huh? Making a few thousand dollars a day just from selling vegetables? It¡¯s hard work, indeed.¡± Clearly, he remembered what Zhang Yanping had just said, that the money from selling vegetables was only enough to feed the dog. Zhang Yanping thought of how everyone just went to the fields in the morning and picked a few handfuls of Milk Vetch, and could easily pocket two to three thousand¡­ At this moment, after remaining silent for a while, he finally replied with a complex expression, ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s quite tough.¡± And at that moment, Song Tan had already approached the off-road vehicle. The man who had been smoking one cigarette after another was still standing there, and the large dog on the back seat of the car was also lying down in the same silent manner. ¡°Hello.¡± Song Tan greeted, ¡°My name is Song Tan.¡± Then she gestured to the dog field behind her, ¡°I came here today to buy a dog, and I heard from Sun Ge that you were looking to find an owner for the Kangal, right?¡± She smiled, trying to appear friendly, ¡°So, what do you think about me?¡± The man was taken aback, instinctively saying, ¡°Oh, uh, my name¡¯s Wang Zhen.¡± He then came to his senses and shook his head, ¡°Young lady, don¡¯t joke around. My big boy would run off, and you couldn¡¯t hold him back even if you tried.¡± Behind him, Kangal, hearing his name called, lifted his head. However, upon making eye contact with his owner, he whimpered and lay back down. ¡°You see,¡± Wang Zhen said with a hint of pity as he reached out to pet him: ¡°My dog hasn¡¯t been eating well these past few days, he has lost some weight, but he still weighs over 130 pounds, much heavier than you. He could stand two heads taller than you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really not suitable.¡± Song Tan wasn¡¯t upset by the rejection; the more he refused, the more responsible she felt for the dog. She thought for a moment and started to paint a grand picture, ¡°Brother Wang, my home is in the countryside, with several mountains and countless fields.¡± This was, to tell the truth, a bit of an exaggeration, rounding up the details. ¡°There are hardly any children in our village and few elderly folks. Most are well-behaved. I want Kangal because I like him, and also to have a deterrent.¡± ¡°Besides, I just got a few big dogs from Brother Sun, and they can play together. They¡¯d have the freedom to run around half the mountain, far more than they would in normal places.¡± The man¡¯s gaze wavered. Although he had built a villa in the country, it was still not the place he was familiar with. Walking the dog around the village could sometimes be lonely. ¡°As for food¡­¡± Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I can¡¯t afford hundreds of pounds of meat a day. But thirty to fifty pounds is no problem, and I am sure I can take good care of Kangal.¡± In fact, she planned to use Spiritual Energy and a predominantly vegetarian diet (she had no other choice, as money was tight) based on her previous experience of raising animals in the hills behind her home. She was certain she could keep the dog sleek, well-fed, and full of life. She then made a further promise: ¡°If you¡¯re worried, you can come by the village any time unannounced, and you should be able to see him.¡± Big space, companionship, and the ability to visit anytime. Wang Zhen¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but waver. But then he looked again at the fair-complexioned, beautiful, and tall Song Tan, and he managed to retain his rationality¡ªfor now: ¡°No! You wouldn¡¯t be able to pull him. He probably wouldn¡¯t want to go with you anyways.¡± Seeing him respond that way, Song Tan felt more confident and smiled, ¡°He doesn¡¯t bite, does he?¡± The man shook his head hastily: ¡°Absolutely not!¡± By nature, the dog wasn¡¯t aggressive or fierce. Especially given its size, opening its mouth could easily lead to an accident, so that was a focus of its training right from the start. Song Tan smiled and walked directly up to Kangal, reaching out to stroke his head. ¡°Hey, our Big King doesn¡¯t like¡ª¡± He was only halfway through his sentence when he saw Kangal extend its neck forward, pushing its fluffy head into Song Tan¡¯s palm, allowing her to stroke it. The dog then closed its eyes, snuffling contentedly, clearly reveling in the sensation. The man was at a loss for words, finding it hard to believe that his dog was truly enjoying itself! He murmured in puzzlement, ¡°How can this be¡­¡± Song Tan turned to smile at him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am really confident.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, let¡¯s try having me walk him around for a bit and see if he¡¯s willing to follow me.¡± Throughout this time, Kangal¡¯s expression remained gentle, even showing a hint of reluctance to leave. The man hesitated for a moment, then stepped back, ¡°Go ahead and try then. Just let go if you can¡¯t hold onto him.¡± Song Tan then took hold of the leash, and with a gentle shake said, ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡± S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Kangal looked at his owner, then noiselessly stepped down from his seated position. The whole all-terrain vehicle trembled slightly, and finally, its paws touched the ground. The spring breeze blew, greenery surrounded them, and under the warm sunshine, Kangal¡¯s running motions seemed so small and gentle. The man was astonished to find that his Big King was maintaining the same pace as the young lady beside him. Fierce as a tiger on the outside, tender-hearted within. In that moment, he wavered profoundly. Chapter 76 - 76: 76. True Appetite_1 Chapter 76: 76. True Appetite_1 Wang Zhen watched as his pet King (Big Wang) placidly followed Song Tan, and for some reason, his eyes suddenly reddened. Look at how suave his King was! When running, his ears would flip up and down, and his body moved so swiftly, like a jungle tiger! His precious King, his little treasure, oh so adorable, wuwuwu, but now¡­ Tears of sorrow began to flow. In the distance, the Kangal, which was trotting in front of Song Tan, seemed to sense something and abruptly turned its head¡ª It saw its owner with tears and snot streaming down his face. Wearing a crumpled trench coat, his slightly yellowed fingers pressed against his face as his shoulders shook, the faint sound of his sobs drifting in the wind. ... Without hesitation, it left Song Tan and bolted back, rushing straight towards him and slowing down only as it neared its owner. In the end, it simply whimpered and walked up to Wang Zhen, sticking out its tongue to lick his tears. ¡°Woof!¡± It barked loudly. Wang Zhen shivered and couldn¡¯t help but wrap his arms around it: ¡°King! King! My King, wuwuwu¡­¡± The Kangal promptly stood up, its strong and muscular front legs resting on his shoulders, quietly enduring as its owner hugged it tightly, burying his face in its chest, getting a big wet patch of tears on it. Song Tan watched silently, and although the scene was touching, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit amused. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.?¦Ï Still, it showed just how gentle the Kangal really was. It took a while for Wang Zhen to choke back his sobs. Song Tan, watching him struggle to stuff his hands into his pockets, simply took out two tissues and handed them over. Wang Zhen grabbed them and began to clumsily wipe his face, then, with a choked voice, he said, ¡°Take good care of him, take good care of him¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s so good¡­ wuwuwu, my King¡­¡± As tears threatened to spill again, Song Tan sighed¡ª Sun Shouping used to say that the Kangal was sympathetic to children; perhaps in its eyes, everyone is a baby! Including its owner. This tendency to cry at the drop of a hat, no wonder he could cry just watching a dog eat, he¡¯s so emotional. She could only promise again, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can afford to feed it.¡± Wang Zhen laughed with a ¡°pfft¡±: ¡°What nonsense are you talking, girl? Just by looking at your clothes, I can tell you can¡¯t afford to spend a thousand a day.¡± Song Tan: ¡­ I was exaggerating, I never intended to feed it that much meat, but do you really have to say it out loud like that? Wang Zhen, caressing the Kangal¡¯s head lovingly, said, ¡°This dog of mine, called Big Wang. You can change its name when you get home, or keep it as is.¡± ¡°I see it¡¯s quite fond of you; that¡¯s rare. I had many friends who used to meet it often, but in the end, it didn¡¯t recognize anyone but took a liking to you.¡± He sighed, clearly resolved to his decision. ¡°As for its food, don¡¯t listen to the exaggerations of Boss Sun; that¡¯s just how he talks. When you buy his dog, he¡¯ll tell you upfront about all the money you might spend and the highest cost you could incur, just to make sure you are aware of what you¡¯re getting into.¡± ¡°When I bought the dog, he told me it could eat up to a hundred pounds of meat a day, and it really worried me! But back then, I had the money, and I wanted to show off a bit, so I agreed.¡± ¡°Who knew that once I got home, Sun Shouping would tell me the truth: Kangal dogs that can eat a hundred pounds of meat are the ones overseas, brought by their owners on hunting trips for bears and tigers.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re raising one ourselves, just walking around our little plot of land, we don¡¯t need that much food; too much would just make it fat.¡± Thinking about it, Wang Zhen also sighed¡ªhe had mentally prepared himself for a long time before making that decision. Only when he got home did he learn the truth! If he had known earlier, why would he have troubled his family about it for so long! ¡°In any case, it¡¯s not picky. Feed it like other people feed their Golden Retrievers; meat would be better, of course, but if not, it¡¯s fine with dog food too.¡± ¡°Boss Sun himself can¡¯t possibly feed them that much meat every day. Think about it, a thousand a day, thirty thousand a month¡­ how much would he have to sell a dog for to make that money back, right?¡± ¡°I was just too naive back then, seeing how honest he spoke, I was totally stunned by him!¡± Song Tan, who was equally naive, couldn¡¯t help but be speechless. If Boss Sun had simply told the truth to customers, feed the Kangao Dog as you would feed a Golden Retriever, not everyone would be scared off by its enormous appetite. But on second thought, even if it only ate dog food, it would still need a large bag for a single meal. If you can¡¯t afford it, you can¡¯t afford it; there¡¯s no need to struggle to scrounge up money just to feed a dog, right? Wang Zhen made sure everything was clear, bent down to enter the vehicle, and then rummaged out a box. On top of it was a cream-yellow, shallow enamel basin with a diameter of about thirty centimeters, heavy and substantial. ¡°Just fill this basin up with dog food, that¡¯s all you need to do each time. When you can afford it, feed it three to five jin of meat every day. If not, it¡¯s fine too.¡± ¡°Our Big King is quite genteel when it comes to eating, never scattering food outside the bowl.¡± He sighed, constantly stroking the Kangal¡¯s neck, ¡°Here it doesn¡¯t get much exercise. It only eats about two to three times more than a Golden Retriever.¡± Then he pulled out a small booklet from the box. ¡°This has a list of its favorite foods, its vaccination record, a booklet for deworming, and its dog license.¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯re taking it back, and since it¡¯s going to be raised in a rural area, it¡¯s up to you whether to handle this stuff.¡± Wang Zhen dumped all the items on the ground: ¡°Girl, now you give it a try.¡± ¡°Call ¡®Big King¡¯ to trot, hold the leash, and then take control of it, feel the pull¡ªthat if you can handle it, you are its new owner.¡± ¡°Oh, just give a couple of light tugs, that¡¯s enough. Even my wife and I together can¡¯t hold it back, so make sure to let go!¡± With reluctance, he let go, watching as Song Tan took over the thick and sturdy leash, and then asked: ¡°Ready?¡± Song Tan nodded, and he commanded: ¡°Big King! Run, but take it slow.¡± In an instant, Big King sprang up, and then its four thick, powerful legs started moving, frolicking freely on the grassland! Its size was massive, and even at a slow pace, its speed was truly astonishing. But what surprised Wang Zhen even more was that the girl by its side was keeping up with ease, not looking the slightest bit clumsy¡ªin fact, she almost seemed to handle it effortlessly. Remembering how he and his wife would lead the dog, huffing and puffing to the point of collapse, he now touched his slightly sticking-out beer belly and couldn¡¯t help but sigh: ¡°I¡¯m really getting old.¡± Meanwhile, inside the dog farm, Sun Shouping had been chatting with an old classmate; he did not expect to turn his head and nearly pop his eyes out: ¡°What does this mean? They¡¯re really going to give her the Kangal?!¡± Zhang Yanping was also clinging to the fence, looking worriedly at the large, black-muzzled, yellow-haired dog outside. ¡°Can she handle it?¡± Whether she could handle it or not, Song Tan knew very well. At that moment, she also gave a command: ¡°Stop!¡± Then she yanked the leash sharply, and the Kangao Dog, unable to brake in time, came to a sudden halt, its whole body forced to lift its front half off the ground by the pull of the leash! Its two hind legs firmly planted, bringing its running motion to an abrupt end. The two-meter-tall frame hung momentarily suspended in mid-air, then slowly, its front paws too returned to the ground. From start to finish, it hadn¡¯t moved an inch forward after that command. ¡°Holy shit!¡± In the dog farm, Sun Shouping¡¯s cigarette fell from between his fingers. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 77 - 77: 77. Dog tags and name_1 Chapter 77: 77. Dog tags and name_1 ¡°` Little Pika roared along the road once again. In the truck bed, half was filled with trimmed Golden Sakura saplings, and the other half held several cardboard boxes. Inside the boxes were the dogs¡¯ favorite items and the dog food they were used to eating. Especially for King Kangal, its favorite items filled up one large box, and the dog food it usually ate took up two large boxes, stuffing the small bed of the truck to the brim. Its former owner had really put in a lot of care. But¡­ ... The driver, Song Tan, glanced at the rearview mirror and said, ¡°This car is still too small.¡± Zhang Yanping, who had been out for half the day, already felt tired. At this moment, he slouched lazily in the passenger seat: ¡°Normal, no one buys so many dogs at once.¡± Just that Kangal alone could pack the back full to the brim. Right? The Kangal lay on the backseat, curled up pitifully, while the other four dogs were even more pitifully scrunched up on the cushion. The windows on both sides were cracked open slightly, and a gentle spring breeze blew in, yet the dogs¡¯ expressions seemed exceedingly forlorn. It was unclear if they were too upset because the space was too small, or if they were reluctant to part with their previous owner. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï Each of them wore a brass dog tag around their neck, courtesy of Sun Shouping¡¯s on-site engraving and generous gift¡ªnine in total. The front had their names, while the back listed Song Tan¡¯s contact number. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that moment, looking at the four remaining dog tags in his pocket, Zhang Yanping¡¯s expression was complex: ¡°Are we really going with these names?¡± ¡°Otherwise?¡± Song Tan retorted, ¡°The tags are already engraved; isn¡¯t nine just perfect?¡± As she spoke, there was a sense of nostalgia: ¡°The grand path is divided by forty-nine, with one remaining as the surplus. Nine is the ultimate number¡ªwhat a great number! It¡¯s like they were all meant to be my dogs.¡± A vein throbbed on Zhang Yanping¡¯s forehead. He took out the few dog tags and shook them: ¡°I¡¯m truly thankful King Kangal isn¡¯t changing its name! But as for the rest¡ªdo these names suit their stature? Such fine breeds wasted on those names!¡± The brass-colored tags read: Wubao, Liubao, Qibao. These were prepared for the three puppies. The last one he singled out read: Qibao Jojo. ¡°Song Tan!¡± Zhang Yanping was at a loss for words: ¡°If you take this tag out and Jojo really wears it, won¡¯t my aunt smack you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Song Tan also took out a dog tag from her pocket: ¡°Look, me, Tantan Jiu Bao (Ninth Treasure Tantan).¡± ¡°But this one is outside the grand path, so it doesn¡¯t count.¡± With that, she completely broke Zhang Yanping¡¯s defenses, leaving him with a stiff face, clueless about what to say. Song Tan chuckled, ¡°Brother Yanping, my mom said that it¡¯s safer for Jojo to wear a tag. No worries about a humble name¡ªas long as it keeps him safe.¡± This tag, being akin to a dog tag in Wu Lan¡¯s view, was just like naming a dog ¡°Egg¡± for the good omen of easy raising. For all these years, she had been worried about Jojo¡¯s future. When he asked for a dog tag that day, Wu Lan, as an intermittently superstitious person, made the request without hesitation. Zhang Yanping was speechless¡ªhow could he argue against an official confirmation? Finally, he glanced at the few dogs in the backseat. Looking into their bright eyes, he suddenly wondered: ¡°You just said their names once when you put on the tags, right? Did they understand just like that?¡± Those eyes didn¡¯t look like they misunderstood at all. ¡°Indeed,¡± Song Tan replied confidently: ¡°` ¡°The dogs I take a fancy to couldn¡¯t possibly lack intelligence, right? It¡¯s just that this car is really too small; look how cramped they are.¡± Zhang Yanping sighed, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you buy a few more metal cages and stack them up in the back? But you didn¡¯t want that either.¡± Song Tan cared about spending money. ¡°Spending on these few dogs would earn me a lecture from my mom once I¡¯m back. And just look at how much they eat; that¡¯ll be the end of it! Save where you can.¡± Zhang Yanping really felt like sighing, ¡°Seeing how freely you spend money, I never would¡¯ve guessed you knew how to save.¡± At this point, something came to mind, and he asked, ¡°Are you still going to buy fish fry today? There seems to be a pretty big reservoir nearby.¡± Song Tan checked the time: ¡°Three-thirty, it¡¯s a little over half an hour¡¯s journey back to Yun City. Let¡¯s take advantage of the health inspection station before it closes and get the dog licenses sorted. Forget about the reservoir; I¡¯ll have my dad buy fish fry from the neighboring villages later.¡± Zhang Yanping instantly turned his head, and the Kangal in the back seat was staring at him quietly, its gaze particularly intimidating. He cried out incredulously, ¡°You¡¯re taking them to get dog licenses?!¡± Such large dogs, how could they possibly get licensed! Not to mention multiple ones! ¡°But I¡¯m from the countryside, aren¡¯t I?¡± Song Tan said confidently, ¡°As far as I know, I¡¯ve never heard of any rural family getting licenses for their dogs! I¡¯m here to support the work; why shouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Besides, the city bans the keeping of large breeds, but there¡¯s no such requirement in the village. Where we live, all hilly and remote, no one ever comes there. I¡¯m just preparing for the future when more people might come to buy stuff, better to be safe than sorry.¡± Her vegetables hadn¡¯t even been officially planted yet and the interest was already picking up. Getting licenses for the dogs really was a matter of forethought. ¡°But these big dogs¡­ big dogs¡­¡± Zhang Yanping had no experience in securing dog licenses, and he stuttered a bit more now looking at Kangal and the four other dogs. ¡°It¡¯ll work!¡± Song Tan declared assertively. ¡°I¡¯ve asked Brother Sun, and he said our small city has lots of mountains and since it¡¯s about rural development and watching the house, the requirements for a dog license aren¡¯t strict.¡± ¡°Besides, they all have legitimate origins, pedigree papers, vaccination records, deworming logs, and even their one-inch photos¡ªeverything¡¯s in check.¡± ¡°After we get back this time, I reckon we won¡¯t be bringing them into the city area often, might as well get it sorted out on our way.¡± What else could Zhang Yanping say? It¡¯s about proactively answering the nation¡¯s call, responding to urban policies. How progressive! Little Pika made it smoothly back to Yun City. In Yun City, the facility for licensing wasn¡¯t really called a health inspection station but the Animal Disease Monitoring Center; however, everyone was used to calling it the former, defaulting to the health inspection station. The health inspection station¡¯s facade was exceptionally simple, tucked between the gaps of an old community, and only after turning into a darkened doorway could you see an even more modest office. Song Tan opened the car door, and in an instant, a pitch-black dog¡¯s head poked out! A passerby walking by happened to glance over, instinctively gasped ¡°Whoa!¡± and took two steps back. Then, they looked with both shock and admiration at the shiny-coated Dobermann before them. Dabao the Dobermann, obediently carrying its own leash, had a brass dog tag on its neck to prove it had an owner. Once Song Tan took over the leash, it stood by her leg obediently. This prompted an exclamation from the pedestrians on the road: Real men should have big dogs! At that moment, he shuffled his feet, thinking about stepping forward to strike up a conversation and hopefully pet the dog on the head¡­ but just as he was mulling over this thought, another sleek black dog¡¯s head emerged from the back seat! This one had short ears, a fierce expression, and a massive body, with muscles bulging everywhere! He quickly retracted his feet. Chapter 78 - 78: 78. License Processing_1 Chapter 78: 78. License Processing_1 The feet were pulled back, but the onlooker didn¡¯t leave; they just stood there, silently watching. Erbao the Casro obediently passed over the leash and positioned herself next to Du Bin. My, oh my! The bystanders internally marveled, already itching to come forward and inquire about the dogs. But just as they were about to step forward, another dog appeared from behind! One, two, three, four¡­ The fourth dog also climbed down. Finally, no more dogs¡¯ heads popped out from the back seat of the car, leaving the onlookers numb. They now gazed admiringly at the girl¡ª ... So pretty, yet raising dogs with such splendor? These were obviously purebred dogs, and she had four of them at once; good gracious, what a wealthy family! Without a villa, there would hardly be room to move around. He finally took a deep breath, but now hesitated to approach the four majestic dogs standing before him. After watching for a bit longer, he reluctantly prepared to leave. Just then, the beat-up pickup truck trembled slightly again. He looked over instinctively, only to see a huge dog¡¯s head poking out from the back seat! ¡°Holy shit!¡± The onlooker was dumbstruck. ¡­ Regardless of the onlooker¡¯s amazement, Song Tan paid it no mind. After running around all day, having eaten only a few buns since ten o¡¯clock, she was now ravenous and eager to get home. Just as she turned into the pitch-dark archway, the door of the office with a sign that read ¡°License Bureau¡± swung open, and a young man came out. He stretched lazily at the doorway and then exclaimed, ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± Before him stood an enormous giant dog! It looked like a tiger from the zoo, with a black snout and a coat of light yellow fur. It wore a thick black collar around its neck, from which a brass tag hung, trembling slightly with the flexing of its muscles as it moved. He had never seen such a ferocious and enormous dog in his life! What¡¯s more surprising was that at the other end of the dog¡¯s leash was a young girl. Moreover, her other hand was holding four dog leashes, each attached to a large breed that was typically banned in the city! With his limited knowledge, he recognized only the Du Bin and the German Shepherd. ¡°Hello.¡± In a daze, he heard the girl say, ¡°I¡¯m here for a dog license.¡± The staff member¡¯s eyes drifted uncertainly, gazing at the big dog and then at the four large breeds, thinking to himself in a daze, ¡°That¡¯s a big license¡­¡± Wait, that¡¯s not right! The last of his reason kept his professional integrity intact, and he blurted out, ¡°No way.¡± sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°These dogs,¡± he scrutinized each one, all large breeds, ¡°are banned in our city.¡± Song Tan blinked, ¡°But I raise them in the countryside.¡± She shook the leash, ¡°I need these dogs to guard my vegetable garden.¡± Does your family¡¯s vegetable garden grow Flat Peaches as well? Needing so many good-looking dogs to guard it! The clerk was taken aback. Lacking such experience, he couldn¡¯t make up his mind and finally added, ¡°Your dogs are too big. Wait a moment, I need to ask the leader.¡± After saying that and glancing once more at the Kangal, he turned to go back upstairs. Before ascending, still unable to resist his curiosity, he turned back and asked, ¡°What kind of dog is this?¡± ¡°This one? Turkish Kangal. It¡¯s called Dawai.¡± ¡°From Turkey, huh¡­¡± The staff member was impressed yet confused, then quickly went upstairs. The small courtyard was quiet, suggesting that the work was rather leisurely. It wasn¡¯t long before a middle-aged man also came down the stairs. He descended the steps with a teacup in one hand, asking slowly, ¡°Which Turkish Daiwang is here for licensing?¡± Upon hearing his name, Dawai let out a deep ¡°woof¡± from his throat. In the next instant, the leader nearly tripped over his raised foot and almost fell down the stairs! ¡°Oh my, that dog is huge!¡± The two hesitated in the corridor, not daring to approach, and after a while, they said, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s easy to license these four dogs, but this one¡­¡± The leader sighed, ¡°We¡¯ve never issued a license for such a big dog before.¡± Song Tan blinked and said, ¡°Well, leader, I¡¯m not raising dogs in the countryside, I want to respond to the call of our city district, don¡¯t I?¡± The way she put it¡­ There were lots of dogs in her mountainous and remote rural area, and indeed no one had ever come to the city district to get a dog license. After all, the dogs in the village didn¡¯t even get vaccinated, so there was no question of licensing them. If it were about dogs from the countryside, it would be a first! But in their place, there was no such target or anything, so the staff didn¡¯t feel much pressure. Suddenly issuing a license for such a big dog, if any problem arose¡­ The leader¡¯s mind began to waver back and forth. Seeing this, Song Tan decisively struck while the iron was hot: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this dog can be licensed.¡± She took out Dawai¡¯s previous license: ¡°Look, this is a license from neighboring Huacheng, which its previous owner had arranged. Now that the dog belongs to me, I¡¯m here to handle the formalities, aren¡¯t I?¡± Oh dear! The leader flipped through a notebook, ¡°From Huacheng next door, huh¡­ Well, if that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s easily settled.¡± Those lower-level workers didn¡¯t care about being the first; they preferred having something to follow. Huacheng, being a second-tier city, was much better than their eighteenth-tier; if that place could do it, so could they. Moreover, compared to the licenses in Yun City, Huacheng¡¯s dog license looked more formal and serious ¨C not only did it detailedly record the dog¡¯s breed, height, weight, but also registered the owner¡¯s residential information. ¡°In that case,¡± the leader let out a sigh of relief, ¡°then sure, let¡¯s do it. Did you bring a photo? If not, go ahead to the photo studio upfront and take one yourself. Fill out those forms in your spare time, and then we can get this settled for you when you come back.¡± ¡°I brought one.¡± Song Tan took the form, which, in addition to the personal contact information and ID details she had to fill out, required only the dog¡¯s breed, age, color, name, and gender. Dawai Kangal, Dabao Du Bin, Erbao Casro, Sanbao German Shepherd, Sibao Mastiff. Easy! When the application form was submitted, the staff member stared at the names on the form, almost convinced that these dogs were being raised to guard vegetable gardens. ¡ªSloppy from start to finish. ¡­ Meanwhile, elsewhere. Not far from the disease prevention station, in a housing complex, a middle-aged man opened his door, looked left and right before carefully letting a few peers into his home. ¡°Old Sun, what are you up to? Didn¡¯t you say we were just having tea?¡± His secretive behavior put everyone on alert, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, we¡¯ve been friends for so many years, we can¡¯t get involved in any dirty business!¡± Old Sun had a look of ¡°you wouldn¡¯t understand¡± on his face, and after ushering the people inside, quickly shut the door. He then sneakily opened the freezer compartment of his fridge, struggling to pull out his tea canister from beneath a pile of buns, dumplings, and wontons. From inside the canister then came a sealed bag specifically for tea. The pitiful handful of tea leaves, at most an ounce or two. A group of grown men was instantly speechless. Chapter 79 - 79: 79. The Face and Money of Big Brother One_Two Chapter 79: 79. The Face and Money of Big Brother One_Two ¡°What a guy!¡± A group of middle-aged men grumbled and complained, ¡°I asked you to play cards, and you wouldn¡¯t come! Old Wu suggested going fishing, and you still wouldn¡¯t go¡­ When asked what you wanted to do, you said you wanted to stay home and taste tea!¡± Retired middle-aged men either strut around scenic spots wearing jackets with equally retired old ladies or squat by the water, dedicated solely to fishing. If not that, they¡¯re gambling on the card tables, playing for stakes of a mere one or five yuan. Their plans had been disrupted, and Old Sun had spoken so mysteriously, as if he had acquired some extraordinary, top-notch Da Hong Pao! Everyone wavered, and within a few words, they were egging him on to come back and share this exceptional tea with the group. ... Old Sun, putting on airs, initially pretended to be reluctant. How much could each of them drink anyway? At most a liang? Yet, he still hemmed and hawed. Were it not for their many years of friendship and the conversation reaching this point, they wouldn¡¯t even have had the chance to step through his door this time. Who would have thought, after so much buildup and anticipation, this old coot dug around in the fridge for ages, only to produce such a small packet of tea leaves! That packet¡ªso familiar; isn¡¯t it the one Old Sun always uses to carry his tea when he goes out? Tui! The group showed utter contempt. Old Sun¡¯s character was insulted, and he declared loudly, ¡°What do you know? Don¡¯t look down on these tea leaves just because they weigh only a liang¡­¡± Alright, there wasn¡¯t a liang now; he had secretly made himself a cup of hot water that morning. The moment he poured it in, the fragrance filled the room. Even his wife, who never drank tea, asked subconsciously, ¡°What kind of tea is this? It smells really good.¡± What a close call, what excitement! Old Sun managed to fend off any further inquiry. With just that one cup of Mao Jian, Old Sun brewed it over and over, seven or eight times, chewing the leaves until they were pulverized and swallowing them before finally setting aside his cup with lingering satisfaction. He hadn¡¯t expected that showing off would bring the whole gang over. It didn¡¯t matter that they had come; he was prepared to make a grand sacrifice and then await their admiring looks. But the group was still skeptical! Heh! Old Sun lost his temper, vowing that this afternoon he would show them what good tea really was! Old Sun huffed, ¡°Do you know how much this small packet cost? A thousand yuan! Five hundred from my card gambling funds, plus five hundred from my private savings over the years, just to get it first!¡± That¡¯s why he dared not let his family find out. A thousand yuan for a liang? Despite each of the burly men feeling rather comfortable with their two to three thousand yuan retirement pensions each month, what could you do with so little money in today¡¯s world? The grandchildren would occasionally need financial help. Even the pickiest tea drinker among them would only spend a thousand yuan once a year to buy a few jin of Yuqian Tea for the pleasure of it. Their local tea wasn¡¯t famous, and anything priced at five hundred yuan was already considered very good. Learning that Old Sun had spent a thousand yuan on tea leaves in silence, and had only bought a liang, immediately stirred everyone up. They found spots to sit down in the old unit¡¯s house and then automatically began to pull out some glass cups from under the tea table. ¡°Come on, come on! Hurry up and show us what this thousand-yuan-a-liang tea looks like!¡± The group exchanged glances, their looks conveying both anticipation for the tea and suspicion that Old Sun might have been duped ¨C all without a word spoken aloud. Old Sun had been around them too long not to recognize their lack of taste; he snorted coldly at that moment: ¡°Wait, let me boil some water first.¡± The water boiled, and Lao Sun, dissatisfied that the cups at home were not transparent enough for entertaining guests, decided to repeatedly scrub them clean by the sink using toothpaste. By the time everything was ready, the only thing left was to check the water temperature with a thermometer. However, everyone had already grown impatient when Lao Sun finally opened the sealed bag. As he pinched the tea leaves, his hands trembled with distress. The tug-of-war between pride and money gave him a sudden urge to regret. To avoid losing face in front of his brothers, he could only change the subject, ¡°Smell this, it¡¯s freshly roasted dry tea. Doesn¡¯t it smell good?¡± The tea hadn¡¯t been brewed yet, and the dry leaves had just been placed at the bottom of the cups. Everyone sniffed, and indeed, a faint tea fragrance wafted through the air. It wasn¡¯t pronounced. But for dry tea to have this aroma was already quite exceptional. The connoisseurs were already swirling the transparent glass cups, examining the shape and color of the dry leaves while continuously sniffing, finally concluding: ¡°Lao Sun, you might not have wasted that thousand yuan.¡± Local tea drinkers have a custom of washing the tea: dry leaves are put into the cup, then one-third of the cup is filled with water, swirled a bit, and the water is poured out. Next comes the actual brewing. Normally, this initial wash water is simply discarded, but today, as everyone smelled the refreshing aroma and watched Lao Sun pour out the first infusion from each cup and then neatly collect it in another glass cup, no one said anything. When it came time to properly brew the tea, the leaves tumbled and unfurled in the flowing water, the buds standing straight, and the lush, dewy green color reflecting a spring-like shade within the cup. The fragrance of fresh tea rolled throughout the room¡­ Everyone took a long deep breath. ¡°It smells wonderful!¡± No sooner had the words been spoken than they heard the ¡°click¡± of the door being turned open. A shiver went through everyone¡¯s heart. Lao Sun¡¯s wife entered carrying a basket of groceries and flinched at the sight of several burly men seated in a row in the cramped living room. ¡°Oh my.¡± She exclaimed. Lao Sun also mentally exclaimed ¡°oh my,¡± and subconsciously shifted his teacup as if to lower its presence. Lao Sun¡¯s wife laughed, ¡°What brings you all here? You should have given us a heads up¡­ Well, it¡¯s perfect timing, I bought an extra two bunches of Milk Vetch this morning. Stay for dinner!¡± They were all retired middle-aged people, who didn¡¯t know the kind of splash a thousand yuan per tael of tea could cause at home? Everyone grew concerned, not interested in the Milk Vetch, and awkwardly shifted their tea cups a bit closer to themselves. This movement made them feel even more embarrassed. After all, it was a thousand yuan for just a tael. Now that they were splitting it, even though Lao Sun had been frugal with just a swipe at the bottom of the cup, there was only a pitiable handful left. Barely thirty grams, perhaps? By this calculation, a single sip was worth dozens of yuan. With many mouths to feed at home, Lao Sun¡¯s wife didn¡¯t buy enough vegetables. She put down the grocery basket and quickly turned the doorknob to head out: ¡°Keep chatting, I¡¯ll go buy some side dishes. Let¡¯s just eat something casual tonight.¡± Seeing her turn and the doorknob rotate, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. But the sounds of relief seemed too evident in the room, as Lao Sun¡¯s wife turned back and sniffed: ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to ask all morning, Lao Sun, where did you get such fragrant tea leaves? How much did you spend?¡± S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 80 - 80: 80. A thousand yuan is almost 1 Chapter 80: 80. A thousand yuan is almost 1 In the Lao Sun household, this was the situation¡ª Lao Sun¡¯s daughter-in-law sent her granddaughter to school every morning, and then joined a few aunties to participate in free ¡°health care¡± projects. She had maintained this hobby for many years, starting from the Sun God phase to later on with Quanjian, and now she was involved with something called Xiang Mei Zhi Nei. Lao Sun went from initially indulging her hobbies, to gradually becoming vigilant, and then to letting things take their own course, all because no matter what Lao Sun¡¯s daughter-in-law did, she managed to be that miraculous woman who didn¡¯t spend a penny amongst thousands! However, this led to her spending a lot of time on these activities, so the responsibility of buying groceries at home had been Lao Sun¡¯s for many years. He started with just buying vegetables and, because he didn¡¯t know how to bargain, would come home to be nagged relentlessly, but over time he learned to tell the quality of pork and whether the shelled edamame was tender or not. ... But you know, being a man, he had a tendency to be careless with money. If it wasn¡¯t for his daughter-in-law controlling his grocery budget every day, he would have tried anything that looked fresh, making him quite the trendy old fellow. That¡¯s right, he saw a girl selling wild vegetables one day and noticed a bunch of people his age queuing up, so he spent twenty yuan on a whim to join the excitement. From then on, he couldn¡¯t stop! From scanning a code to join a group to actively responding and then waiting every day at the designated time, these vegetables had become indispensable at home. Because of these vegetables, Lao Sun had become a die-hard fan. The day Song Tan posted about tea leaves in the group, he immediately felt a rush of excitement and spent a fortune to bring home this tael. Of course, at night, tossing and turning, he was not without regret, but as a big man, the money had been spent; could he still go back on it? This regret dissipated the next day at the market with just a sniff from beneath the barely unfolded paper and immediately turned into sheer joy. After all, the serendipity and destiny involved here were too intricate to explain in detail. But aside from all that, the tea leaves being a thousand yuan per tael was an indisputable fact. Now, faced with his daughter-in-law¡¯s seemingly casual question, Lao Sun¡¯s face immediately soured. At that moment, an old buddy sitting on the couch spoke up: ¡°I mean¡­ ah, this¡­¡± He held his cup steady with one hand, standing up: ¡°Little sister-in-law, don¡¯t bother anymore. I just remembered I have something to take care of at home tonight, I need to get going now.¡± Then he looked at the tea in his hand as if it were an afterthought: ¡°The tea leaves are pretty fragrant, it¡¯s a waste leaving them here since they¡¯ve been brewed¡­ I¡¯ll take them with me! I¡¯ll bring the cup back to you later.¡± While speaking, he quickly made his way to the door. His other hand carefully protected the mouth of the cup to prevent any dust from getting in. With him setting the example, the few remaining people looked left and right and quickly stood up, then said courteously: ¡°Sister-in-law, about that¡­ I mean¡­ something at home¡­ that is¡­ you know, I should get going too.¡± In the blink of an eye, the whole crowd was gone, and all the teacups at home were taken along with them. What was left for Lao Sun were only the cup of tea in front of him and the accumulated water used for rinsing the tea leaves. Lao Sun¡¯s daughter-in-law had been all smiles, but as soon as the door closed, her face immediately drooped. ¡°Look at you! If you¡¯re buying tea, just buy it. Why all the secrecy?¡± ¡°I complained for a year and you really took it to heart? Go ahead and enjoy it. How much tea can you drink in a year, after all?¡± She rolled her eyes: ¡°At most, three to five hundred yuan per jin; wouldn¡¯t I allow even that?¡± Upon hearing these words, Lao Sun first felt elated, but then he became depressed. At that moment, the tea leaves before him were fresh and tender, the liquor clear and bright, the fragrance lingering. But for him, the surprise and anticipation of drinking fine tea had completely vanished. He sat there with listless eyes, stammering: ¡°This¡­ this¡­ I have some taste in tea, always drinking cheap ones doesn¡¯t quite cut it¡­¡± The more he said this, the more uneasy Lao Sun¡¯s daughter-in-law felt in her heart. Staring at him intensely, she burst out, ¡°You didn¡¯t go overboard and buy it for a thousand yuan per jin, did you?¡± Old Sun let out a sigh of relief and immediately nodded in haste, ¡°About right¡­ about a thousand yuan.¡± A thousand yuan. Old Sun¡¯s wife obviously felt a pang of heartache. She walked over, holding the cup of tea, sniffed it again, and in the end, nodded her head: ¡°That¡¯s true, you get what you pay for. If the tea is this quality, a thousand yuan isn¡¯t out of the question.¡± Then she blew on it, took a small sip, and her eyes lit up without hesitation; she took the teacup away! ¡°Delicious! I¡¯ll try this cup¡ªand hey, don¡¯t just keep such good tea for yourself. Pack some for me tomorrow; I will let my old sisters have a taste. They took me to get a pedicure today.¡± Old Sun had a look of despair, now holding the cup of tea meant for rinsing, as if he could already see his tea ¡°flying away.¡± Downstairs, a few men holding teacups looked at each other. Taking in the tea¡¯s fragrance once more and feeling the wild spring breeze outside, they hesitated: ¡°Or¡­ shall we just drink this cup now? We can take some home later.¡± The group each blew on their cups and then without any hesitation¡ªdrank. ¡°Mmm!¡± ¡­ Late at night. Perhaps because of the tea, Old Sun tossed and turned, sleepless and spirited. Glancing at his wife lying motionless in bed, he thought of the little tea that he still had to share, he felt so anguished that he quietly got up, and in the dead of night, he started rummaging through the freezer in the kitchen. He took out that small packet of tea, found a bag in the kitchen, and started to divide it little by little, the more he divided, the more heartbroken he felt. In the end, after much thought, he couldn¡¯t bear it and poured half of the divided tea back into the packet. But upon closer inspection, doing so meant there was only a little left to give his wife to take out tomorrow¡ªthey would surely laugh at her. So, he began dividing it again. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just as he was struggling with this, his phone suddenly rang. He checked it and saw an old buddy had sent a message in the group: ¡°Old Sun, where did you buy that tea? Man, it¡¯s keeping me awake at night; I feel like I could scale a mountain!¡± With that, four or five people in the group all chimed in. But being older and it being late at night made typing difficult, so most of them sent voice messages: ¡°You guys can¡¯t sleep either? Ah, this tea is so strong. I¡¯ve been drinking for many years and am usually unaffected.¡± ¡°Exactly! Old Sun, where did you buy that tea? Hurry up and take us there!¡± Old Sun instantly felt proud and replied with a voice message: ¡°Of course! It¡¯s a thousand yuan for fifty grams. Would I be so generous if it wasn¡¯t good tea?¡± ¡°Let me tell you guys, I was saying that there¡¯s a market stall selling tasty veggies and you didn¡¯t believe me. If you¡¯d stayed last night, I guarantee you¡¯d have been unable to put down your bowls!¡± Towards the end, his tone became somewhat impassioned. But upon careful listening, no other sound came from the room, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Just then! A figure emerged from the backlight of the living room: ¡°Old Sun, is this tea a thousand yuan for fifty grams, or for a kilogram?¡± Chapter 81 - 81: 81. Three thousand is okay_1 Chapter 81: 81. Three thousand is okay_1 Song Tan had no idea how many gentlemen¡¯s hearts had been hurt by that tea; she only knew she had spent a whole day and it was already six o¡¯clock when she arrived home. ¡°This day really dragged on.¡± Having alighted from the vehicle, Zhang Yanping stretched lazily, feeling completely stiff all over. Then she began rubbing her stomach, crying out, ¡°Aunt, what¡¯s for dinner tonight? I¡¯m so hungry!¡± Wu Lan, with tea-picking sleeves still on her arms, came out of the kitchen carrying a large basin: ¡°I found a pork leg in the fridge, I¡¯ve forgotten which year it was frozen in, so I had your uncle chop it up¡ªtonight we¡¯re having this!¡± ... Zhang Yanping now held no luxury expectations for meat, just looking at her pitifully: ¡°What about the Milk Vetch¡­¡± Wu Lan burst into laughter: ¡°You won¡¯t miss out on that, Tantan is so fussy; if it isn¡¯t grown in the field, she won¡¯t even eat it.¡± Song Tan also sighed; it wasn¡¯t that she ¡°won¡¯t eat anything not grown in the field,¡± rather that nowadays, she could only stomach that particular flavor. Having been home for a while, she had hardly had a proper meat meal; mentioning it was just heart-wrenching. As they were speaking, Qiaoqiao suddenly cheered: ¡°What a big doggy!¡± It was then that Wu Lan remembered her spendthrift daughter went out today especially to buy a dog, saying that a small dog was no use and someone had to keep watch over the mountain and fields. She wasn¡¯t ignorant of this logic, but understanding was one thing, feeling discomfort in her heart about spending money was another. Fortunately, the premium price of the tea leaves eased her pain a little, and she now asked, ¡°How much did this dog cost?¡± Before she could finish speaking, she saw a huge dog walking toward them in the shadow of the evening, looking practically like a yellow-furred tiger! ¡°Oh my!¡± That gave her quite the fright. Upon hearing the commotion, Song Sancheng ran over and was also gaping in amazement, then said excitedly as he rubbed his hands: ¡°This dog is really big! Really big!¡± Looking back at Sibao by the side, he could recognize only one: ¡°This must be a German Shepherd, right? What breed is this black one? Oh, look at them, so handsome! Their fur is shiny and smooth, really nice.¡± Wu Lan, however, had her eyes opened wide in surprise before finally coming to her senses: ¡°You¡¯ve brought home so many dogs at once, what will they eat? They¡¯re all so big, do we have to cook a pot of food especially for them every meal?¡± I knew it. Song Tan thought to herself: In the countryside, isn¡¯t it all about leftover meals soaked in soup for dogs? But she didn¡¯t argue; instead, she pointed to the back of the truck: ¡°No need, there is dog food that the seller provided.¡± However, Wu Lan was still disdainful: ¡°Your four dogs are okay, looking like a wolf dog, quite spirited. But what¡¯s with this, this huge dog? If you put it at the gate, no one will dare come to our house!¡± She was referring to King Kangal. Song Tan had a plan ready: ¡°It¡¯s the biggest, it will look after the pigs. The others will first guard the Chestnut Garden.¡± ¡°The black fungus on the mountain hasn¡¯t started growing yet, but it won¡¯t be long before the white fungus begins to appear. What if someone picks it or carries it off, wouldn¡¯t you feel heartache?¡± ¡°That stuff is sold by the gram when it¡¯s dried.¡± Song Tan wasn¡¯t exaggerating; even ordinary white fungus is sold by the gram, as it weighs almost nothing when dried and is quite light. With the dogs already brought home, what more could Wu Lan say? She now asked the most crucial question: ¡°How much was it?¡± Zhang Yanping tensed up nervously by the side. Song Tan watched as Qiaoqiao fidgeted nearby, guiding his hand to pat a few dogs¡¯ heads while introducing them: ¡°This is King Kangal, the head of the family. King Kangal, this is Qiaoqiao. From now on, you must protect him. And this is Dabao¡­¡± Meanwhile, she answered her mother¡¯s question, ¡°Three thousand.¡± Zhang Yanping¡¯s heart skipped a beat, wondering how her silly cousin could be so bold as to tell the truth?! Wu Lan indeed began to feel the pinch: ¡°Three thousand for just these five dogs? You really have too much money with nowhere to burn it.¡± The mouthful of water Zhang Yanping had just taken ¡°pfft¡± spat out. Seeing Wu Lan¡¯s skeptical gaze already drifting over, he quickly chimed in, ¡°Exactly! You don¡¯t know how to live a life. Auntie, I tried to persuade her all day in vain.¡± Little did they know, Wu Lan changed her tune, ¡°Three thousand is still okay. I know the breed dogs are expensive these days; let¡¯s make do. They all seem pretty obedient.¡± Indeed, since getting off the vehicle, they had lined up without causing any commotion. When Qiaoqiao went to pet them, they were very gentle. Surely these were well-trained by someone. They seemed fierce yet docile, not the type to bite easily, which was reassuring to keep. ¡°Right,¡± Song Tan said, ¡°These dogs weren¡¯t sold when they were little, and it¡¯s harder to sell them when they¡¯re grown, so I got a good deal. I bought them for three thousand.¡± ¡°Otherwise, if it were back when they were young, one would cost three thousand.¡± Wu Lan indeed broke into a satisfied smile, ¡°That¡¯s not bad. I saw some selling for seven or eight thousand online¡­ I¡¯ve heard that these dogs shouldn¡¯t always eat our food. There¡¯s cheap dog food online; buy some to bring back.¡± Song Tan shook her head, moving several boxes of dog food from the back of the car: ¡°Mom, look, this is the dog food that someone wanted to sell off quickly, so they gave it to us. Let¡¯s finish these first mixed with their meals.¡± She spoke as if she was dealing with a serious matter: ¡°There are many places to spend money; we need to save a bit.¡± Zhang Yanping instantly gained new respect for his little cousin. Not to mention anything else, this ability to read people and win over adults was not something one could acquire without decades of practice! Was this truly a natural talent? In comparison, what was he? A brother? It was clear he was more like a younger brother. Song Tan didn¡¯t pay any attention to him; after unloading the dog food and dogs¡¯ items from the car, she brought in a pile of straw from outside. While introducing the dogs, she said, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s a bit chilly these nights, let them sleep here for now. I¡¯ll find time in the next couple of days to build their dog houses and then move them to the mountain.¡± Knowing her daughter had scored a bargain with the dogs, Wu Lan was content, and she still gave her daughter some advice, ¡°You can¡¯t do this; these dogs are grown, and they¡¯ve been moved to a new environment; you have to let them get more familiar with us.¡± ¡°Qiaoqiao, go and get the clothes from the bottom drawer of your wardrobe. Those are old clothes from our family. There¡¯s no place to throw them, so they¡¯re perfect for the dogs¡¯ bedding, to get them used to our scent.¡± She, too, couldn¡¯t resist the curiosity and tentatively stroked King Kangal¡¯s head. The dog was tall; she didn¡¯t need to bend down and even had to raise her arm to reach the top of its head. ¡°Look at this face, with a black muzzle and yellow fur, how honest! I saw other people on the internet taking care of those small dogs, yapping away without being able to guard the house, which is nothing like the reliability of these big dogs.¡± After patting each one a couple of times, she hurried into the kitchen, ¡°That pig trotter meat is too fatty, and you guys probably don¡¯t like it; I¡¯ll pick out a few pieces for them.¡± Zhang Yanping watched Song Tan pretending to messily spread the straw, filled with nothing but admiration in his heart. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 82 - 82: 82. Daxiong eats and takes_1 Chapter 82: 82. Daxiong eats and takes_1 ¡°` The dogs had more or less become familiar with everyone in the house after such a cleanup. Song Tan was still worried that their refusal training had been too successful that they would reject food even from the family members. Therefore, she had everyone hold some dog food mixed with Spiritual Energy and fed them under her supervision. The dogs, feeling her encouragement and temptation, finally began to eat. After all this commotion, it wasn¡¯t until seven o¡¯clock, when it got dark, that everyone finally sat down at the table for dinner. The dogs, still new to the place¡ªwith the exception of Dabao, who was feeling somewhat down and lying there missing his previous owner¡ªroamed freely around the yard. ... Dabao, the Doberman, sniffed with interest at the fluffy little ducks kept in a corner. Sibao, the Mastiff, clung to the support post of the shed, eyes fixated on the slight humming bee boxes above, full of curiosity. Erbao, the Casro, sat next to Qiaoqiao, the two brothers sharing food bite for bite, as if they yearned to sleep together that night. Sanbao, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen, but Song Tan could tell from her dad¡¯s peculiar expression¡ªsure enough! While eating, one hand disappeared behind his back. Sanbao, the German Shepherd, sat there, cautiously and gently grabbing the bone with his teeth. Watching her silly cousin eat without looking up, Song Tan knew this was the best time to put a long-term worker to good use! She seized the moment when everyone put down their chopsticks to ask, ¡°Qiaoqiao, did you take the bees to gather nectar today?¡± Qiaoqiao instantly perked up. He had been waiting all day to report his work to his sister. Now he loudly said: ¡°I did!¡± At the same time, he flapped his arms to gesture, ¡°Daxiong is too fat, he can¡¯t fly at all. When I took him to the field and he leaned on a flower, it bent over.¡± This was why Qiaoqiao¡¯s precious day was so tiring. Other bees buzzed tirelessly in the flower field, self-sufficient and even earning for their owner. But with his Daxiong, Qiaoqiao had to hold the stem so it could support its burdensome weight. ¡°Daxiong¡¯s wings are just tiny, buzzing and buzzing, but he just can¡¯t fly up!¡± He obviously felt a sense of heavy responsibility and was proud as he spoke: ¡°But sister, I touched its butt, and it didn¡¯t sting me!¡± As he spoke, he touched his palm, clearly remembering the swelling and pain from before. Song Tan cleared her throat, unwilling to admit that she had touched them so much that the bees had grown accustomed. ¡°So, did it get enough to eat?¡± ¡°It ate all day,¡± Qiaoqiao gestured. ¡°When we left, it even had two small baskets hanging from its legs¡­¡± With his limited vocabulary, he hesitated for a long time, then with some inspiration from Wu Lan, he managed to give an assessment of the behavior: ¡°Eating and taking, all plump.¡± Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but laugh¡ªwhat ¡®eating and taking¡¯? Bees collect pollen they can¡¯t eat right away on the back of their legs in pollen baskets to bring back home. Otherwise, if they ate so much themselves, what would they feed their young? ¡°Hmm, very good, Qiaoqiao. You¡¯re doing an excellent job. I¡¯ll add your wages later, and when you need money, just tell your sister,¡± she said. At this, Qiaoqiao hesitated, looking at Song Tan, then at Zhang Yanping, leaving the young man looking confused. Only to hear Qiaoqiao say, ¡°Sister, give me a dollar, I want to buy bubble gum for brother.¡± The bubble gum Qiaoqiao referred to, also known as chewing gum, was still the kind Song Tan ate when she was little. One dollar for a pack, five pieces, and after twenty years, the price only increased by fifty cents, a model of a conscientious company indeed. Upon hearing this, there was silence at the table. Then, amidst everyone¡¯s stifled laughter, Song Tan rummaged through every corner of her bag, finally finding that elusive coin. Zhang Yanping protested, ¡°Brother doesn¡¯t eat bubble gum!¡± ¡°Brother lies.¡± Qiaoqiao seriously said, ¡°You didn¡¯t buy it for brother yesterday, so you were slow at work this morning.¡± ¡°` ¡°I¡¯m off!¡± he exclaimed, dashing out. A little while later, he hurried back, asking, ¡°Sister, can I take the dog out?¡± He was already wearing the dog tag himself, eager to go out and show it off. Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°Then wait for me, I¡¯ll take Da Wang for a walk with you.¡± The small store has always been the gathering place for conversations. Taking Da Wang for a walk there would let the villagers know that their house was not without protection. Qiaoqiao just gave an ¡°Oh¡± and obediently went back to the doghouse to look for Da Wang. Meanwhile, Song Tan continued, ¡°Dad, how was the bee honey gathering today?¡± ¡°Great, great!¡± Song Sancheng¡¯s face lit up with joy: ¡°I went up to the mountain today to air out the black fungus, and to see the silver fungus mycelium coming out!¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°On my way back, I took a stroll through the fields and saw the bees buzzing in layers, all of them swarming there! Looked pretty scary from afar.¡± But as he got closer, he saw each little bee busily collecting honey, not even sparing a glance when he reached out toward them. They would surely be having a good feast this time. Song Tan was perfectly content. These little workers were earning money, truly the heroes. In a couple of days, when this flower field is almost depleted, they¡¯d have to start another. She didn¡¯t have to worry about the bees anymore. Remembering the Golden Sakura in the back of her truck, she went on, ¡°Then¡­ Dad, find someone to help my cousin tomorrow to plant all the Golden Sakura.¡± What? Zhang Yanping almost leapt up: ¡°We¡¯re digging up mountains now?!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s digging up mountains?!¡± To Song Sancheng, it hardly seemed like a task: ¡°We just need to dig a few trenches along the net on each side and plant the saplings, right? We don¡¯t need to find more people, my cousin and I can finish it in one day.¡± ¡°No, no, no, no, no¡­¡± Zhang Yanping frantically waved his hands, ¡°Uncle, we should find someone! Look at me¡­¡± He showed his soft, tender palms: ¡°I¡¯m really not cut out for this.¡± But Song Tan had her aunt¡¯s words as her ultimate weapon and wouldn¡¯t take the laborer¡¯s protests seriously. She simply asked him, ¡°Choose one: either help put up the fence or plant the Golden Sakura.¡± How could he choose? What kind of choice was this? Zhang Yanping was on the verge of tears. ¡°By the way, Dad, we need to get some bricks and cement when you have the chance; we need to build a few more doghouses.¡± Song Sancheng thought for a moment, ¡°There are some old green bricks and big tiles left over in the back yard at Grandpa¡¯s.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t need to hire anyone for that either. I¡¯ll take care of it in the next two days.¡± Song Tan looked at Da Wang¡¯s size and advised him, ¡°We should still hire someone. Make a foundation for Qianqian¡¯s house, and build it solid.¡± After all, it needed to be durable for long-term use. ¡°Otherwise, you see how big Da Wang is. Doing it alone would be no different than building a house. The tea has already sold for six taels, six thousand yuan. We have money, Dad,¡± she reminded him. Tea brought up, Song Sancheng immediately dared not delay any further and agreed right away. Wu Lan, puzzled, asked, ¡°You sold the tea before you even picked it?¡± And for such a high price? Chapter 83 - 83: 83. Young girl_1 Chapter 83: 83. Young girl_1 Song Tan: ¡­ Could she say that she had forgotten? The so-called picking process involved using a tea holder made from fine bamboo twigs, and some tender twigs would inevitably break and fall into the tea during the high-temperature roasting process. Moreover, during the picking of the tea leaves, some old leaves were bound to be mixed in, which would turn yellow in the frying process, making them easy to distinguish and remove. But that was okay. She kept her composure, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mom, they can just have the first pick when buying tea in the future. You can find someone to do the picking later.¡± ... Wu Lan was silent too¡ªfirst pick, why didn¡¯t you just reach for the sky? She dreamt at night that people were coming back demanding refunds because the tea was too expensive. But the sale had been made, so she could only think positively. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. I saw the forecast, and there¡¯s going to be rain the day after tomorrow. When it¡¯s raining and we can¡¯t work outside, I will call over the four aunts who pick tea. We don¡¯t need to talk about money¡­ let¡¯s just sit together and chat.¡± Five or six pounds of dry tea a day, and just a dozen or so pounds saved up over a few days, that¡¯s just a moment¡¯s work. Talking about paying them for this is just embarrassing them, isn¡¯t it? Then she began to take pride again, ¡°This year they can earn quite a bit of money picking tea leaves.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0 Song Sancheng took a drag of his cigarette and contentedly said, ¡°Our Tantan is really making something of herself, now not only farming well but also providing our fellow villagers with an opportunity to earn money¡­¡± He wasn¡¯t good with words, and couldn¡¯t really summarize any more than that, just repeating softly, ¡°Good, good¡­¡± Song Tan found it hard to understand these feelings. Her hometown was her obsession in both her past and present lives, and her kin was where her heart belonged, but as for the village itself¡­ even in her last life, she hardly spent any time there once she started boarding school. Forgotten for too long, she didn¡¯t have such a strong sense of conviction. Yet, seeing Wu Lan and Song Sancheng¡¯s pride, her heart was faintly moved. Qiaoqiao poked his head out from outside: ¡°Are we done yet?¡± He said with a hint of sadness, ¡°It¡¯s getting dark, the convenience store is about to close.¡± The village convenience store¡¯s closing time entirely depended on how late the chatting people left, so Song Tan quickly stood up: ¡°Let¡¯s go, Your Majesty.¡± With one call, Da Wang obediently came over with the leash in his mouth. When the hook was attached to the loop, Song Tan passed the leash to Qiaoqiao: ¡°You lead him, walk slowly, Da Wang is very smart, you have to talk to him if there¡¯s anything.¡± While petting Da Wang¡¯s head, the fluffy touch softened her heart, followed by a surge of Spiritual Energy that slowly flowed into him. Da Wang made a whining sound from his throat and gave a low ¡°woof,¡± stretching his body in silent ease. After that, he looked at Song Tan and then nudged Qiaoqiao in the chest with his head. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That made Qiaoqiao ecstatic! ¡°Da Wang really likes me!¡± He proudly held the leash, ¡°Da Wang, let¡¯s go buy bubble gum. Do you eat sausage? I don¡¯t know how much of my wage is left, will it be enough to buy some?¡± ¡°Do you eat eggs? If grandma boils an egg for me tomorrow, I¡¯ll share with¡ª¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not right, I can¡¯t just give to you, I have to give to the others too¡­¡± He looked troubled again, obviously feeling that one egg wouldn¡¯t be enough to share. Then, seeing the dog tag on his neck, he immediately cheered up, held the dog tag and smiled at Song Tan, ¡°Sister, Mom said that if I have this tag, I should go find the police with it if I ever get lost.¡± He wrinkled his nose, ¡°Qiaoqiao knows the way well, how could I get lost?¡± The siblings chatted and laughed their way to the grocery store. In front of the store was an activity square, which was pitifully small compared to city areas. But in their village, it was only paved after the villagers selflessly contributed a piece of land. A few aunties, who looked familiar to Song Tan but whose names he couldn¡¯t recall, were sitting there chatting and laughing. On a few nearby fitness equipment, there were also people swinging leisurely. ¡°Oh my, how come there¡¯s such a big dog, looks just like a tiger!¡± The presence of Dawang was too eye-catching. For a moment, even though the two solar street lamps on the square were not very bright, they still made everyone curiously gather around. Of course, they didn¡¯t dare to get too close, subtly maintaining a certain distance. Song Tan noticed that among them, there was a young girl. She was dressed in a simple black baseball outfit, her bare face wasn¡¯t exactly fair, but her eyes were incredibly bright. She looked to be about the same age as Song Tan. It was rare to see young people in the village, so subconsciously, Song Tan met her gaze and returned a smile. Meanwhile, the other aunties were listening to Qiaoqiao¡¯s loud introduction of the impressive Dawang, growing more and more interested, and exclaiming in amazement. However, Dawang clearly knew his limits, retreating a step whenever someone dared get close, looking fierce! Although he showed no intention of attacking, his demeanor alone was enough to make everyone a bit scared. As they listened to Qiaoqiao¡¯s childish talk about the seven dogs at home that needed to be taken to the mountain fields to watch over them, the expressions on the faces of the crowd subtly changed. Song Tan knew that this news would definitely spread throughout the whole village by no later than tomorrow noon. At that moment, an old timer said with a sharp tone, ¡°Oh my! Back in our day, we couldn¡¯t even feed people, now you¡¯re feeding dogs? The young folks these days are willing to spend money, who knows where they earned it from.¡± Song Tan also casually replied, ¡°Yeah, indeed it costs quite a bit of money. This dog used to be abroad. Over there, they take him out for hunting, to hunt bears and bite tigers.¡± ¡°Now it¡¯s not convenient for them, so they sent the dog to me.¡± With her adept use of vague specifics, the crowd¡¯s look at Dawang became even more fearful. After a night¡¯s fermentation, Song Tan believed that tomorrow¡¯s rumor would be that she owned a dog that had eaten a tiger. And someone might even add the phrase: ¡°This is a dog sent from abroad, it dares to bite tigers, not to mention people!¡± Those words said, the old lady indeed fell silent. And with that, Song Tan achieved her aim. She now instructed Qiaoqiao, ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to buy some chewing gum? Go ahead quickly.¡± Afterward, she watched as everyone looked at Dawang warily, and then slowly led Dawang onto the road. Walking under the dim streetlights, a person and a dog exuded a sense of calm. But at that moment, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw the young girl catching up: ¡°Song Tan, right?¡± She pursed her lips and smiled, with cute dimples on her cheeks, her entire demeanor was indescribably cheerful. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you before.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tasted your Milk Vetch in the field, and it¡¯s really good. I wonder if you used some kind of new fertilizer or a new variety?¡± Song Tan raised an eyebrow: ¡°You¡¯ve bought it?¡± The girl was taken aback, then her eyes lit up: ¡°Are you still selling it?¡± She shook her head immediately afterward: ¡°No. I just happened to be passing by the field, and saw Old Lee struggling to pull his ox away for quite a while. I thought to myself, this must taste really good, so I went to pluck one and try it.¡± She extended her hand: ¡°Hello, my name is Zu Jun. I was appointed last year as the village secretary of Yunqiao Village.¡± She finished and blinked: ¡°If you¡¯ve seen the news, you should know that our province welcomed over nine hundred college graduate village officials last year¡ªI¡¯m one of them.¡± Chapter 84 - 84: 84. Village Party Secretary, Road Construction, and Subsidy_1 Chapter 84: 84. Village Party Secretary, Road Construction, and Subsidy_1 Village secretary? S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Tan immediately perked up and quickly shook the other person¡¯s hand with the slickness of an old hand. Then he asked, ¡°So, what brings you to me? Are they finally going to build a road for our village? Ah, not to hide it from you, but every day I drive a rickety pickup truck, and it¡¯s such a bumpy ride!¡± Zu Jun: ¡­ At this moment, all the drafts she had prepared were blocked out of her mind, with only the road construction left. But was that something she could accomplish? ... For some reason, she felt a wave of sighs coming on. So she had no choice but to awkwardly withdraw her hand: ¡°Just call me by my name, we¡¯re about the same age, I¡¯m only two or three years older than you¡­¡± After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Zu Jun finally remembered the almost forgotten main issue and couldn¡¯t help but ask again: ¡°Then, would you mind revealing if your family used any new formula in the fields this year?¡± Whether Song Tan had used anything wasn¡¯t something that could be clearly explained with just a few words; in the end, she said with joy and fervor: ¡°You also think our fields are very fertile this year, right? Ah, my mom said it too, the God of Soil has shown his power, it¡¯s our time to prosper!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã0 Having been in the village for over a year, Zu Jun was not witnessing the superstitious thoughts of the villagers for the first time, but was it really okay for a young girl like you to speak so confidently? Song Tan mentioned something metaphysical, then intertwined it with half-truths and half-science: ¡°It¡¯s not that our fields are particularly good, it¡¯s mainly that ours is the only family still farming in the village. The land has been fallow for so many years, who knows how much decomposed fertilizer is buried beneath the soil layer.¡± ¡°Before we plowed, we burned it all over once, adding fertilizer to the soil, sterilizing it, and getting rid of insects.¡± ¡°Therefore, it¡¯s only natural that the plants grow well in the fields when we take good care of them for the first year.¡± Although Zu Jun didn¡¯t come from a farming background, she had undergone training and education, and she was aware of the actual situation of farming in the village. Fertilizers, urea, and pesticides are still used, having not yet reached the level of full ecological organics. That ordinary Milk Vetch could have such a good taste is indeed rare. But then she heard Song Tan sigh: ¡°Think about it, with the current policies, even villages a little close to the city are not allowed to burn straw or touch the fields, and if you want to plant a couple of grapes on your own mountain, you still need to apply for permission, otherwise, it¡¯s against the law¡­¡± Song Tan also sighed: ¡°Farmers have worked the land all their lives, and now when they want to do something in their old age, it¡¯s against the law. I¡¯m not saying the policy is bad, but there are many rigid guidelines that completely disregard reality.¡± ¡°Our Yunqiao Village takes twenty minutes to reach the town by car and even more than an hour to get to the city center. In such a remote place, a certain degree of freedom is expected, and it¡¯s only normal for things to grow well. In the past, our area was known for being filled with talent and natural beauty.¡± Whether these ramblings¡ªfrom road construction to the God of Soil, to fertilizing and burning, to policies¡ªwere convincing or not, only the young village secretary herself knew. She fell silent for a moment, then decisively changed the subject. ¡°I see you¡¯ve been doing a series of works in the fields and the mountains; you must be trying to scale up the rural industries?¡± ¡°I heard from the villagers that you worked in Ning City, that¡¯s the provincial capital. Now that you¡¯re back, have you really decided to commit to this for the long run?¡± Song Tan smiled, her expression carrying a distant recollection: ¡°I went to middle school in the town at eleven and lived at school, attended high school in the city and lived there, went to university in the same city, and then directly to Ning City after graduation¡­¡± ¡°All in all, how many years have I actually spent with my parents?¡± ¡°My mom¡¯s idea is, as long as I can find a suitable partner in Ning City, my life would be successful, and she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about me any longer.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Song Tan lifted her chin to make Zu Jun look at Qiaoqiao, who was running over with a stick of gum. ¡°Seeing how great they are, how could I bear to drift around outside forever?¡± After drifting all the way to the Cultivation World, she eventually discovered that there, if you weren¡¯t strong enough, you¡¯d get beaten up and wouldn¡¯t be able to control your own destiny. So Song Tan chose to live in isolation, often going into seclusion for ten or twenty years at a time, and was even content with farming¡­ all for the sake of respect and freedom. And now, she had returned. She would never go back to that strange city that she hadn¡¯t managed to escape from in her previous life. Isn¡¯t that how everyone lives their life? The night indeed was not suitable for discussing this topic. Zu Jun took a deep breath as he watched the village idiot Qiaoqiao approach¡ªwith fair skin, black hair, and eyes as clear as stars. Even without speaking, his face was full of childlike innocence. Qiaoqiao looked at Zu Jun for a while, then suddenly smiled and opened the pack of gum in his hand, ¡°Sister, do you chew bubblegum?¡± Zu Jun¡¯s heart quivered. As an official, of course he couldn¡¯t take even the slightest thing from the residents¡ªbut who could refuse Qiaoqiao? He reached out and took it, the taste of cheap fragrance spreading instantly in his mouth, bringing back his train of thought. ¡°Song Tan, I actually was intending to find you to say that, if your farm products do well this year, you could consider expanding in the future, taking on contract for the village¡¯s other fields and forests.¡± She looked at the green mountains, ¡°This place is a treasure trove of gold and silver mountains, but the gold and silver mountains can¡¯t fill the stomachs of the people below. We still need to carve out a road.¡± ¡°When the time comes, the village will support you with the land you¡¯re interested in. I just hope that when it comes to hiring, you¡¯ll consider our village¡¯s labor force first.¡± Otherwise, come autumn and winter, everyone who can work will go out to find jobs, leaving only a few elderly people to guard an increasingly desolate village. Song Tan was quite surprised. What kind of talk was this? Her own parents never had such confidence in her, yet the village secretary was so bold? Song Tan was puzzled, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯ll make a loss?¡± Zu Jun laughed heartily, ¡°I¡¯ve tasted good food before. I know exactly how the things from your fields taste.¡± In today¡¯s society, with numerous online channels, only quality matters. As long as it¡¯s somewhere the transportation can reach, there might be difficulties initially, but there will certainly be a market. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Zu Jun still offered a reminder, ¡°Our village road has been patched up time and again for three years, and a major repair is unlikely. So try to grow things that can be stored and can withstand some bumps in the beginning.¡± Song Tan was well aware of these facts. She asked another question, ¡°I heard that the government provides subsidies for express delivery of agricultural products; can I apply for that?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Zu Jun agreed without hesitation, ¡°Agricultural products are exempt from taxation, and vegetable transportation is toll-free. As for the express subsidy, that¡¯s a policy that was introduced last year. You can register an online store, then come to me and get an ¡®E-commerce Agricultural Products Express Subsidy Application Form¡¯ to fill out.¡± She was obviously very competent in her role, answering even minor questions logically and clearly, ¡°The postal service subsidy amount is the highest, sixty cents. Other express deliveries are fifty cents per order. But the cap is a subsidy of a hundred thousand dollars.¡± Song Tan hesitated, ¡°What if¡­ I send it via Wind Speed Express?¡± Zu Jun: ¡­ She fell silent for a moment before reigning in her impassioned thoughts, ¡°Which is why I told you to grow more things that can be stored. Wind Speed Express charges too much and there are no subsidies.¡± Song Tan: ¡­ Good thing I don¡¯t offer free shipping. Chapter 85 - 85: 85.Guiguisuisui old men_1 Chapter 85: 85.Guiguisuisui old men_1 The night was pitch-black, the stars twinkling brightly above. The village roads, though no longer smooth as they once were, posed no burden for the country folk when it came to night walks. Song Tan and her brother, with Da Wang in tow, felt an extraordinary tranquility as they moved along. To their surprise, the insects had even started to chirp among the grasses. Qiaoqiao blew a bubble with a ¡°pop,¡± as big as a fist! He turned his head in delight, his crossed eyes fixed on the bubble, cooing for Song Tan to come look. Even Da Wang approached curiously, sniffing it with his nose. ¡°Pop!¡± The bubble burst. ... It left him smearing the sticky remnants on his lips, cheeks, and philtrum, struggling for a while before he spit out the remaining gum in dejection. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud! ¡°By the way, Qiaoqiao,¡± she suddenly remembered, ¡°Wasn¡¯t the bubble gum meant for Brother Yanping? Why did you open it first?¡± Qiaoqiao spoke with righteous indignation, ¡°Brother doesn¡¯t take his work seriously, so he can¡¯t have much. If he¡¯s faster than me at pulling weeds tomorrow, then he gets rewarded with a piece.¡± Song Tan: ¡­ That piece of bubble gum must be exceedingly precious then. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡­ Such a piece of bubble gum, Yanping probably hasn¡¯t tasted in twenty years or so. To think he had studied hard through bitter winters, been one among tens of thousands, graduated from a 211 university¡­ and here he was, all for a piece of bubble gum, working as a farmer in the hills. Song Sancheng, his uncle, swung the hoe in front, turning the hardened mud into furrows like crumbling biscuits. Looking back at himself, although he was digging too on the other side, he had barely made a furrow a meter long and was chastised by his uncle for not digging deep enough¡­ while over there, ten meters were already done! He couldn¡¯t help it and made a video call to his own mother: ¡°Mom, look at me, look at the work your son is doing now, does it pain your heart?¡± But a mother stays true to being a mother. Wu Fang exclaimed with delight, ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Son, sending you to the village was really useful. Look, your skin has whitened, and your dark circles have faded!¡± How could that be possible? Zhang Yanping simply couldn¡¯t believe it. Although he had done a lot of work during the day and, with little nighttime entertainment, indeed went to bed early and ate well¡­ it still couldn¡¯t change the fact that today was only his third morning since arriving in the countryside. Zhang Yanping turned the camera to look at himself: Oh, it was all because his phone was too good, now even video calls had beauty filters. He said, speechlessly, ¡°Mom, this is the phone¡¯s beauty effect.¡± ¡°What beauty effect?¡± Wu Fang glanced at him, ¡°When you had beauty effects on, the color under your eyes was all different, dark and sallow.¡± ¡°No wonder no one in the whole wholesale market wanted to matchmake for you; just look at you, you don¡¯t work, have no prospects, and you even look feeble!¡± It was a thorough beating from all directions. It seemed someone had come to wholesale fruits up ahead, and she quickly grew impatient, admonishing casually, ¡°Son, work hard. I¡¯ll tell your aunt to cook you something delicious. Look at you, you¡¯ve grown¡­¡± ¡°Beep¡ª¡± The video call ended. With no recourse, Zhang Yanping turned his head to see his uncle had already diligently plowed a wide stretch of furrow. Resigned, he picked up his hoe and continued to work alongside. Glancing at the pile of Golden Sakura by the tree, their well-developed root systems and many long tendrils meant that compared to digging holes, trenching was somewhat easier. Zhang Yanping thought: If he had known he would have to plant these flower seedlings himself, he definitely would have recommended the kind of net with iron spikes to his cousin! Looking again at the silent and reserved uncle, who was only busy banging thick branches into the earth as stakes to support the fence with his big hammer¡­ He looked at the soft flesh on his own arms and legs, thinking: If he had known, he might as well have gone to pull weeds! ¡­ The Milk Vetch was also about time to bloom. At this moment, several flower fields were already sporting buds on the verge of bursting open. A few blossoms mixed in with the vegetables were fine to eat, but if too many flowered, the vegetables would become tough, and no longer suitable for sale. But this was all within Song Tan¡¯s calculations; she wasn¡¯t flustered and simply picked an extra fifty kilograms that morning. Once at the vegetable market, the aunties swarmed around her. All they could hear was Qiaoqiao earnestly saying, ¡°They¡¯ll be gone soon, anyone wanting to pickle vegetables should start getting ready now.¡± Oh my! As the temperature slowly rose, everyone guessed the Milk Vetch wouldn¡¯t last much longer. Upon hearing the news, they weren¡¯t sad but simply asked, ¡°What will you sell next?¡± Honestly, having Milk Vetch as the daily greens at home wasn¡¯t exactly tiresome; they just fancied a bit of variety. Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°Bok choy grows fast; I¡¯ll sell bok choy after half a month. In the meantime, I¡¯ll sell Milk Vetch for as long as I can.¡± As the group who bought Milk Vetch began to disperse, the neighboring vendor looked at his own stand, where his cucumbers and tomatoes were also being bought as an afterthought, and he sighed: ¡°Lucky for you to have just one variety, otherwise the rest of us in this market would merely serve as a backdrop.¡± ¡°How can you say that?¡± Song Tan disagreed, ¡°How much can I alone grow? If they can¡¯t get mine, they¡¯ll still have to buy yours, won¡¯t they?¡± Heh! This girl. The vendor thought you might as well not have explained. But then, around the corner, a few middle-aged men were looking in their direction, gesturing and peeking curiously. He grew wary, ¡°I recognize that old man at the front; he¡¯s bought your vegetables before. But what about those following him? What are they up to?¡± Song Tan glanced over and didn¡¯t recognize them either. Looking at her now-empty baskets, she said: ¡°Maybe they¡¯re also here to buy vegetables.¡± ¡°Oh dear,¡± she said, half in delight and half in vexation, ¡°I still didn¡¯t bring enough stock today.¡± The vendor almost rolled his eyes to the heavens: You bring a few baskets of greens, strangers would think every household runs a ranch! While they were talking, the few middle-aged men had already sneaked over, furtive and secretive. ¡°Is this the place?¡± ¡°That¡¯s her! She¡¯s got the good stuff aplenty!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too expensive¡­¡± ¡°Expensive can¡¯t be helped, once you taste it, you can¡¯t forget it¡­¡± The men stood there, conflicted and suffering, hesitating and mumbling, unable to make up their minds to ask¡ª After all, a thousand yuan per liang (50 grams) was an astronomical price! In the end, it was Old Sun who took the lead: ¡°Miss, do you still sell it?¡± Song Tan remembered he was the one who bought the tea leaves yesterday¡ªsure enough, her tea leaves were as valuable as she said! Look, hadn¡¯t they all come back as a group? She smiled and said, ¡°I do sell.¡± However, before the crowd could get excited, she added, ¡°I don¡¯t sell them individually anymore; selling by the liang won¡¯t do.¡± Everyone¡¯s spirits instantly shuddered¡ªa thousand yuan per liang, and ten thousand yuan per jin (500 grams), sounded like a whole different ballgame! Just mentioning that price scared the daylights out of their retirement savings. Chapter 86 - 86: 86. Lao Sun brings in a new customer_1 Chapter 86: 86. Lao Sun brings in a new customer_1 Old Sun felt a tremble in his heart upon hearing this sentence. Suddenly, he experienced an inexplicable sense of superiority¡ªso it turned out that Old Sun had such great influence, able to buy this one or two! Worth it! He glanced at his useless brothers, looked around to make sure there was no one familiar in the market, and then whispered: ¡°Can¡¯t you guys figure it out? Let¡¯s all chip in to buy it together, then divide it up when we get back!¡± Five or six people, all together, that shouldn¡¯t be too far off¡­ right? So, several grown men stood next to the pickup truck, transferring money: you 2000, I 3000, he 1500. ... As the last one to make a payment, Old Sun had just reluctantly scanned the code, when suddenly his shoulder sank, gripped firmly by an iron-like hand¡ª ¡°Police, don¡¯t move!¡± ¡­ Song Tan had just poked his head out from the back of the truck when he saw Qiaoqiao¡¯s shoulder seized by a uniformed man, and the silly kid was even grinning: ¡°Uncle! Wow, Police Uncle is here! Qiaoqiao has an ID tag!¡± The moment he said this, it didn¡¯t sound like an adult¡¯s tone, and the man with the buzzcut holding him was taken aback, inadvertently letting go of his arm. Then he watched as Qiaoqiao reached into his collar to pull something out, making everyone¡¯s heart clench, only to end up pulling out a brass dog tag¡ª £ÛBao Bao Qiaoqiao£Ý On the flip side was a string of phone numbers. Song Tan was puzzled: sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°I just didn¡¯t rent a stall, just set up a street stand¡­ Do you guys even handle issues for the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau now?¡± Everyone was transparent and confused, feeling like they couldn¡¯t grasp what was going on. ¡­ A moment later. A group of people with disheveled looks and droopy eyes were sitting in a room. ¡°Spill it, how do you all communicate?!¡± Communicate how? A bunch of grown men buying tea got muddled and ended up here. The money had just been transferred, and they hadn¡¯t even received the tea! As the ringleader, Old Sun was at this moment overawed by the stern atmosphere, looked around hesitantly, and finally ventured: ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s a group chat, we meet at the market at a certain time every day, there are notifications in the group¡­¡± Well, well, well! A crime business with a group chat, that must be a sizable operation! A group of police officers was eager to quickly bust this criminal gang! ¡°Your phones, take them out and show me this group of yours!¡± Meanwhile, in another room¡ª The young police officer had just entered when Qiaoqiao excitedly shouted, ¡°Police Uncle!¡± He stopped dead, subconsciously touched his face, and then frowned, ¡°Stop smiling, explain yourself clearly!¡± Qiaoqiao was not at all intimidated by his stern look, blinked, and pulled out the tag that was almost mistaken for a weapon: ¡°Uncle, my sister said to show my tag to the Police Uncle if I see one.¡± His skin was fair, his pupils bright, and he exuded an air of innocence that did not match what everyone had imagined. The two police officers in charge of the statement looked at each other, feeling like something didn¡¯t quite add up¡­ On this side, as the stall owner and group admin, Song Tan was given a single room. But for some reason, no one had come in, until there was a commotion outside after a good while. The door was opened. A few police officers, with embarrassed looks on their faces, said, ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­¡± Then they couldn¡¯t help but complain with a hint of grievance, ¡°If you¡¯re selling vegetables, just sell vegetables; if you¡¯re selling tea, just sell tea. Why make it all so sneaky?¡± They had received three calls in the morning, all reporting suspected drug deals, and each time they had dashed to the scene with alacrity¡ª Only to find out it was a big misunderstanding after the middle-aged man surnamed Sun explained everything next door. Little did they know their discomfort was nothing compared to old Sun¡¯s distress. The calamity had struck early that morning, and the agony he suffered is another story. Just consider that in order to teach him a lesson, his wife left with most of the tea leaves early in the morning, leaving him only a tiny bit, which he had desperately managed to salvage. Old Sun was heartbroken and felt nowhere was safe to hide it, so he decided to carry it with him at all times. To prevent it from getting crushed, he not only put it in a sealed bag but also wrapped it in paper. He did it to prove to his brothers that he had sacrificed too much, and when it was time to distribute the tea leaves, each person owed him a cup! The group had all sneakily taken money from their secret stashes and dared to bring everyone only after making sure there were no familiar faces at the market. Who would have thought! The money had just been transferred when they found themselves confused and taken to the station. Old Sun had always abided by the law, and this was the very first time for him! The whole market had seen it, and he had lost all face. How could he show up to buy groceries in the morning from now on?! But the real tragedy was still to come. When the police found that paper-wrapped bundle on him and opened it with the utmost care, they only found a bunch of tea leaves inside! Now, it wasn¡¯t that there were no new types of leaves disguised as tea leaves, but as soon as they opened it, the fragrance of tea began to waft through the room. Everyone took a sniff, and no one could mistake it. Still, just to be sure, they unpacked the tea and eventually tossed it into a cup. The nonchalant boiled water from the kettle poured over it, and old Sun watched with a bleeding heart! Once the tea was steeped, and its aroma spread, it was nothing like what everyone had thought, and things finally got cleared up. They apologized, but what good did that do? Old Sun¡¯s eyes reddened, and at his age, he had been embarrassed by this group of police officers: ¡°That was my tea, and all I had left was that one mouthful¡­¡± He lamented. The police officer responsible for brewing the tea was so uncomfortable that he quickly tried to console him, ¡°Well, I have half a pound of tea leaves here, I¡¯ll compensate you with all of it.¡± Who knew old Sun would stand firm, ¡°I don¡¯t want it! Can your tea compare to mine? A thousand bucks for just an ounce!¡± Wow! The folks sniffing the aroma from their cups became unsteady: ¡°A thousand bucks for an ounce?¡± You actually bought this?! Their incredulous expressions deeply wounded old Sun! Suddenly, he stood up and began to parade the cup of tea around the room, attempting to thrust its fragrance under everyone¡¯s noses: ¡°Just say it, this aroma, this fragrance! Isn¡¯t this tea worth a thousand bucks? Huh?!¡± ¡°Do you know how hard it is for me? I¡¯m just buying some tea, what have I done to anyone!¡± Smelling the fragrance, the scales in everyone¡¯s hearts began to waver¡ªpresumably, if the tea could fetch such a price and summon such a crowd, it must really be good, right? In the end, Song Tan gained a dozen WeChat friends, while old Sun was left with nothing. But Song Tan didn¡¯t console old Sun. All she did was sigh, ¡°Look at you, buying tea as if you were thieving. Now everyone in the market knows I was taken to the station over selling vegetables. How am I supposed to do business in the future?¡± Old Sun¡¯s face fell, ¡°Then what about me¡­ The market is full of people I know, my wife, she¡­¡± Everyone exchanged glances, finding the situation very awkward. Only Qiaoqiao was overjoyed, ¡°Sister, you were right. As soon as the police uncle saw my sign, he let me see you!¡± Chapter 87 - 87: 87. Wealthy Secretary Wang_1 Chapter 87: 87. Wealthy Secretary Wang_1 Ning City. Brother Fengfeng delivered a package once again. But this time it was different, this time it wasn¡¯t transported on ice, but rather a plain cardboard box, wrapped with an air column bag enclosing a simple sealed bag. Upon opening the sealed bag, inside were the tea leaves. Five thousand yuan! Secretary Wang was actually very cautious and expectant. However, the moment he unsealed it, as the dry tea¡¯s fragrance diffused, he also picked out a small yellow bamboo stick about one centimeter long, as well as a very small yellow old leaf¡­ ... He was speechless in an instant. On one hand, he regretted spending the impulsive five thousand yuan, and on the other hand, he was heartbroken: How many agricultural products end up forgotten without a trace? The reason is that they only care about immediate benefits, gradually ruining their reputation! The leader had even specifically instructed him to pay more attention¡­ But fortunately, the aroma of the tea was lingering, fresh and refreshing, it seemed like he hadn¡¯t lost out just on account of this fragrance. He¡¯d already made the purchase; he could only accept it. While the leader was still working inside, Secretary Wang decided to taste it himself first, before deciding whether to bring out the leader¡¯s teacup. Otherwise, what if this brand¡¯s quality was poor, wouldn¡¯t bringing it out as a treasure only bring about unnecessary sorrow? So. He dumped out the remaining tea leaves, swirled some hot water in the cup, and poured it out. He added the dry leaves, then poured in one-third of the hot water and swirled it around¡­ Secretary Wang stood still. This fragrance, this fragrance was rather extraordinary! Based on just this, the five thousand yuan was worth it! After all, he had tasted fine tea before, and some so-called top-quality famous teas didn¡¯t even smell as good as this. In fact, they didn¡¯t have such a natural fragrance. Out of respect for this aroma, he even poured the water much more gently. And as the hot water slowly filled the cup, the entire room was enveloped in an indescribable scent like that of the forest, calming one¡¯s mind¡­ The fragrance seemed to have a slightly cool sensation, like dew silently seeping into the back of the hand, and with just one whiff, the cluttered thoughts in one¡¯s mind seemed to be cleansed away, leaving mental clarity and tranquility. Secretary Wang didn¡¯t quite know how to describe it at the moment. But with such effects, those five thousand yuan were indeed a steal! Without hesitation, he knocked on the office door: ¡°Leader, you asked me to pay attention to that farm; they¡¯ve picked some wild tea themselves this year. I just brewed some, and the fragrance is quite extraordinary! How about I brew a cup for you to try?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The leader put down his pen, showing interest. He had just eaten the wild vegetables from this farm at his residential compound yesterday, which were fresh and pleasing to the palate, very comforting to the stomach. For a middle-aged health enthusiast like him, it was a rare treat indeed. Now hearing about the tea leaves, he was even more interested! He glanced at the cup of tea he had only steeped twice this morning: ¡°I just brewed a couple of infusions¡­¡± But it didn¡¯t matter. He picked up his cup and gulped down a mouthful, then poured the rest of the tea water into the tea bucket before handing his cup out: ¡°Secretary Wang, please take care of this.¡± Secretary Wang was almost desperate to share this wonderful experience with someone! Now, after brewing the tea and while the fragrance still lingered, he immediately brought it into the office. The other party sniffed: ¡°Good tea!¡± The leader remarked, ¡°This is truly fragrant¡­¡± For a moment, the two tea enthusiasts, each holding their own cup, became immersed in the aroma. ¡­ Yun City. Upon returning home, Song Tan felt that although the day was a bit hectic and full of novelties, it wasn¡¯t without its perks. For instance, the local police station in the old district of Yun City also crowdfunded a pound of tea leaves. Of course, a group of modestly-paid young officers had to pool together to come up with the 10,000 yuan. The good news was Song Tan promised them, ¡°I won¡¯t charge you for shipping.¡± That said, the police station was just a ten-minute walk from the market. The captain stood firm, ¡°Can we get a discount if we pick it up at the stall ourselves?¡± Lowering the price was out of the question; not even a penny less. Song Tan pretended not to hear and quickly took his leave, thinking to himself that they should count their blessings they could even purchase it now! No sooner had he parked the car than another message popped up on his phone. This Secretary Wang didn¡¯t hesitate to spend money: ¡°Hello, do you still have tea leaves? Please send over five pounds. Do you have gift boxes? Can you do some packaging? We¡¯re planning to go to Imperial City next week to give them as gifts.¡± Song Tan smiled proudly and instructed Qiaoqiao to bring out a stack of gift boxes from the back seat of the car. On the way back, they passed by a packaging store, and Song Tan took home the shop¡¯s sealing machine, small scale, and packaging boxes. Last time was too rushed, just a trial in the market; he had originally intended to keep it simple. But his mother was right: After all, a bit of selection shows that we care, and we can¡¯t afford to get the attitude wrong. Song Tan found this very reasonable and hence decided to spend his own money on matching gift boxes. Sealed bags, tin containers, packaging boxes, carry bags¡­ a set of thirty! Just as he entered the courtyard, he saw Wu Lan and Grandma Wang Lifan, along with a few aunts who had helped pick tea, all weighing the tea leaves in the yard. Song Tan was invigorated, ¡°How much did we pick today?¡± He supplied Spiritual Energy to Tea Mountain every day, so it should have the best yield, far exceeding that of Milk Vetch by dozens of times. Wu Lan couldn¡¯t stop smiling, ¡°I went late and only picked a little under three pounds. Each of your aunts picked over five pounds, and your grandma picked exactly four pounds!¡± Wow, that¡¯s really something! Grandma Wang Lifan was older and moved slower, plus she had to prepare food for the pigs and get their family¡¯s breakfast ready before heading up the mountain. And his mother Wu Lan had to help bundle the Milk Vetch and weigh it. Others went up the mountain at six o¡¯clock, but she didn¡¯t leave until eight or nine. An aunt chimed in, ¡°Exactly, the tea leaves are so lush! Bushels and bushels!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± another sighed, ¡°In the past, the most I picked was four and a half pounds. Working for your family this year, how come I¡¯ve been performing so well? We¡¯re paid by the day, not by the weight¡­¡± With that, everyone started laughing, ¡°You must have been a long-term worker for the Song family in your last life! Working harder for them than for your own family!¡± The topic shifted around until it finally landed on the yield of the tea: ¡°I don¡¯t know how your family manages it, but this tea is both thick and fragrant. Zhou Maozhu said he¡¯s so energized just to stir-fry your family¡¯s tea that he has to wear a mask to sleep during the day.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Another joined the conversation, ¡°Who can ever be sure about these things with the God of Soil? Remember the year when we had some trouble, didn¡¯t work the land at all¡ªand yet, everything that grew was large and of high quality; even the vegetables tasted better than those from other places!¡± When it comes to agriculture and its mysterious practices, everyone indeed had their experiences: ¡°That¡¯s true! When we used to grow chestnuts, no matter how we fertilized or sprayed, the yield simply alternated between more one year and less the next¡­¡± Chapter 88 - 88: 88. Please get it right! _1 Chapter 88: 88. Please get it right! _1 The topic wandered off as we chatted. After people left, Song Tan did some calculations before saying to Wu Lan, ¡°Mom, talk to the aunts tonight and ask for some help sorting through the tea leaves after dinner. I need to bring over seven pounds tomorrow.¡± Five pounds for Yun City, one for the bureau, and another pound for those poor masters. Oh, that¡¯s not right. Song Tan also remembered someone else. ¡°Let¡¯s pack an extra three pounds. I¡¯m going to send it to Imperial City.¡± ... ¡°And give Grandpa one pound for his drinking, don¡¯t mention the price. When he¡¯s finished it, we can give him more. It¡¯s the same for my dad, how can you be reluctant to taste your own produce? Let him drink as much as he wants, as long as he doesn¡¯t give it away.¡± After all, you can¡¯t eat tea leaves as a meal, so how much can you actually drink in a year? Wu Lan predictably fell back into old habits, feeling a wrench in her heart as soon as she heard that their own family would be drinking the tea. According to their custom, the best products should be sold, and only the blemished would be left for family consumption. But this matter also involved the children¡¯s grandfather, so what could she do? All she could do was compromise, ¡°Leave half a pound of the spring tea for your dad and let him drink the summer tea for the rest.¡± The price of summer tea nosedives compared to spring tea; it hurt Wu Lan less relatively. Song Tan helplessly replied, ¡°Mom, given the quality of our tea this year, the summer tea will have a stronger bitterness, and some people might prefer this particular kind.¡± Therefore, she never intended to sell it cheaply. Wu Lan¡¯s heart ached again, but then she thought about it and her face instantly brightened, ¡°Ah! That¡¯s ten pounds sold!¡± Her mind started calculating fast: even including additional expenses, such as a 3000-yuan dog or the like, if you put together their old couple¡¯s money with Tantan¡¯s, they have already broken even with 120,000 by now! Aiyoyo, it¡¯s only been a month! Who knew that farming could make money so fast before? Song Tan: ¡­ Those three pounds for Imperial City were not for sale. The receiver didn¡¯t want repayment and even was reluctant to disclose, so naturally, you couldn¡¯t talk about money. You were just sending the best from home for them to taste. Speaking of which, Song Tan also felt somewhat wistful: Hopefully, the Spiritual Energy would help his wounds heal. ¡­ Wu Lan went into the kitchen to cook a simple meal, not feeling tired in the least with a smile on her face. There was no alternative, with a son who was unreliable and a daughter whose cooking skills could barely manage to make food edible. To avoid letting the children waste their own products, she had to take on more labor herself. Just then, Song Sancheng arrived, carrying a hoe on his shoulder. Trailing behind him, with a listless air, was Zhang Yanping. After a morning¡¯s absence, his brand-logo-adorned hoodie was now caked with mud, sweat, and filth beyond recognition. That morning, Song Sancheng had warned him about the heavy dew on the mountain and had found him a pair of old rubber shoes to wear, but he had refused. Now, his equally big-brand sneakers were so laden with wet mud they were as heavy as gold, hardly recognizable as the same pair. Qiaoqiao greeted him immediately, ¡°Brother, Dad said you worked hard today, so you get bubble gum!¡± Zhang Yanping almost snatched the piece of chewing gum viciously, then stuffed it into his mouth. The low-quality fragrance overwhelmed his senses so much that it took a moment for him to realize what he had just agreed to¡ª Sure enough, he saw Song Sancheng looking at him with admiration, ¡°Yanping did well! I thought you were too weak to work this morning, and I figured you wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything this afternoon either?¡± ¡°But you showed some perseverance¡ªokay, this afternoon I¡¯m going to fix a den for some dogs, you can give me a hand.¡± Zhang Yanping just wanted to slide his legs out and lie down straight off the stool. He couldn¡¯t do it anymore, he really couldn¡¯t do it anymore. He stretched out his hands and saw two crystal-clear blisters in his delicate palms. ¡°Tantan, look at me, I¡¯m really not cut out for this! Please let me off.¡± Song Tan indeed leaned in to look, then grabbed his wrist firmly, ¡°Mom, get a needle! Let¡¯s pop them!¡± Zhang Yanping immediately started making a fuss. And when he was holding his blistered hands, feeling sorry for himself, he heard Song Sancheng say, ¡°Tantan, I looked around the Chestnut Forest on the hill behind and the vegetable garden nearby this morning, and I found a good spot. What kind of doghouse do you want to build?¡± Song Tan thought about it, ¡°Well for the dogs, they don¡¯t need a fancy type of house, just something they can use for many years¡ªDad, just make sure it¡¯s sturdy. Like for Da Wang, maybe lay some bricks and cement, and put a floor in the doghouse.¡± Song Sancheng considered, ¡°Okay, I asked grandpa and he said we have some old blue bricks, which are perfect for flooring. I¡¯ll see who has some cement and red bricks in our village and get some to construct their kennel.¡± ¡°Just lay the old tiles on top.¡± S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Later, you can stuff in your unwanted clothes or some straw. Change it every month and it¡¯s both clean and warm.¡± Having said that, he couldn¡¯t help but feel pleased with himself: ¡°The spot I chose is excellent, shaded in summer and sunny in winter. I guarantee they¡¯ll live more comfortably than people!¡± Qiaoqiao¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Can I sleep with Da Wang then?¡± Sleeping with Da Wang wasn¡¯t a problem; the fellow was slick and well-cared for, even cleaner than people. After all, country children are resilient, playing with insects and mud from a young age; they¡¯re not so delicate. But the issue was¡ª ¡°No, the blue brick floor is too cold and damp.¡± Wu Lan flatly refused. Seeing Qiaoqiao¡¯s face fall, Song Tan then pointed to Sanbao, who was fussing around a few large dogs: ¡°Qiaoqiao, you always remember Da Wang, but that¡¯ll hurt their feelings. And what about these little treasures that you brought back? Aren¡¯t you going to take good care of them?¡± Qiaoqiao indeed found himself in a dilemma¡ªthe imperial mindset. Da Wang gave him a sense of security, but Qibao each had their own charm. Who should he take care of first? How could he care for them without making the other dogs feel sad? For a while, this complex question occupied his young mind, and he could no longer bother with anything else. However, the work was not yet done. Farm work is just like that, with new tasks every day. ¡°Dad, about tilling the fields, could you contact that person? The Milk Vetch field at the very top, which is flowering, all needs to be plowed.¡± Song Sancheng was a bit troubled, ¡°For that patch of field, it¡¯s just a few hours of work if he brings his machine over, and paying a day¡¯s wages isn¡¯t worth it¡ªfive hundred! Offer less and he might not bother coming over¡­¡± After all, he¡¯d still have to ride the tricycle to transport the machine over. Wu Lan glared at him, ¡°You¡¯re really getting senile, for rough tillage the Milk Vetch is fine, but Tantan is planning to plant vegetables there, we still need to plow again, finely till it. After a whole day of time-consuming work, it¡¯s tough.¡± Zhang Yanping listened and was confused, ¡°Are machines that expensive? Can¡¯t we buy one ourselves? Five hundred yuan for labor seems too expensive!¡± Song Sancheng shook his head, ¡°Five hundred yuan covers labor, machine, and fuel cost. We don¡¯t need to worry about a thing, just tell them how we want it done.¡± ¡°Buying one ourselves isn¡¯t expensive, but firstly, those things always break down and we don¡¯t know how to fix them. Secondly, there¡¯s only a few of us at home, who has the time to till the fields now? Sitting on top and chugging through the fields for a whole day isn¡¯t easy work.¡± Zhang Yanping immediately backed off, ¡°Better to hire, definitely better to hire!¡± Chapter 89 - 89: 89. Tobacco and Shaken Honey_1 Chapter 89: 89. Tobacco and Shaken Honey_1 Song Sancheng still felt a bit sorry for the milk vetch, ¡°Are we in such a hurry? If we don¡¯t turn it over and let it dry out, won¡¯t the milk vetch sprout again in the field? And won¡¯t we have to pull it out?¡± ¡°And isn¡¯t it in full bloom right now? I see the bees buzzing around so happily. I don¡¯t even know how much honey they¡¯ve made. Even if we can¡¯t sell the greens, it¡¯s still good for the bees to have them.¡± Cherishing anything that can be put into one¡¯s mouth is the natural instinct of a farmer. Song Tan wasn¡¯t in a hurry either, so she slowly persuaded: ¡°It¡¯s alright, Dad, I¡¯m planning to plant water spinach, green onions, ginger, and garlic in that plot. If we plant now, we¡¯ll be able to start harvesting in a month. When we have time, we can weed a bit¡­ Let¡¯s focus on making money first!¡± The spiritual energy acting on the new crops made them stronger and better at absorbing nutrients, which naturally left no room for the weeds to grow. ¡°As for the bees¡­ Dad, the flowers have only bloomed for a day or two. That small plot of land has to support the bees that were originally responsible for fifteen acres of flowering crops¡ªhow could that be enough?¡± S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ... Initially, we bought five boxes of bees, and after some time of feeding, there must be more than twenty thousand of them by now. I¡¯m afraid that by the end of the day, the pollen in the field would be depleted. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, our fields are staggered. I see the fields higher up starting to bloom too; they won¡¯t go hungry.¡± With Song Tan having arranged everything, Song Sancheng simply had to agree. Then, after giving her a look and hesitating for a while, he asked in a low voice, ¡°Is it possible to plant two rows of tobacco in that corner just for your grandpa?¡± ¡°The soil in our fields is fertile this year, so the tobacco grows well. Your grandpa really enjoys it, and you see how busy he¡¯s been helping around the house¡­¡± Song Tan sighed. Indeed, despite being busy all the time, he never cut down on smoking¡ªlike father, like son. If she didn¡¯t grow tobacco, her grandpa would just plant it by the doorway¡­ Song Tan thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled with a profound meaning, ¡°Sure!¡± Zhang Yanping numbly watched his fair-skinned and delicate-looking little cousin make so many plans over the course of a meal and could only put on a mask of pain: ¡°I finally understand why Tao Yuanming wrote, ¡®Grains were planted beneath the southern hills, but where the growth was lush, the bean sprouts were sparse¡¯¡­¡± Because farming is not something just anyone can do. ¡­ Brother Yanping¡¯s painful reform was still continuing. Grandpa Song Youde went with Song Sancheng to help build a kennel, while Grandma Wang Lifan kept up her relentless pace of earning money, crossing the basket and heading to the mountains after lunch! Wu Lan watched with anxiousness. Right after finishing her meal, she pushed aside her bowl and hurriedly instructed Qiaoqiao to wash the dishes. Song Tan didn¡¯t sit idle either. A flock of ducklings and chicks took over a corner of the yard, chirping and quacking noisily, each day bathed in the lingering spiritual energy of the courtyard, becoming both nimble and lively, impossible to ignore. Only now, as they ate more and grew faster, they were gradually losing their endearing yellow down, and their cuteness factor was decreasing. Song Tan called over Da Wang and affectionately stroked his head: ¡°Come here, Da Wang, watch over them. From tomorrow on, start moving the chicks and ducklings to the mountain. Make sure they are all in the fence, and you need to keep a close eye on them, okay?¡± ¡°This is your job. If you do your work, you¡¯ll be rewarded; you¡¯ll be able to eat your fill.¡± In the two days since Da Wang¡¯s return, he had been well-behaved, and his appetite seemed not too big, leading Wu Lan to mumble that he was eating too little¡­ Actually, dogs have their sensitivities too. He knew he had been given away by his previous owner for consuming too much and being too expensive to keep, so he hadn¡¯t yet returned to his real portion sizes. Hearing this, he shifted his front paws, readjusting his posture. His thick tail wagged subconsciously on the ground, and then, fixing his eyes intently on the circle of chicks and ducklings, he let out a low bark from his throat: ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about a dog being lonely either. Once these three puppies grow a bit bigger, we¡¯ll assign them to you guys to look after¡ªbe sure to train them well.¡± ¡°` The tail suddenly felt a heavy, soft weight drop onto it, and when the King looked back, he saw that it was one of the five, six, or seven treasures¡ªQibao. At that moment, it was vigorously scratching at the tip of its tail, shaking its head and desperately batting at something. By the time Qiaoqiao had finished tidying up the kitchen, Song Tan had already brought out a cylindrical barrel from the room. The barrel was brand new and shiny, with a crank handle on the side. In her other hand, she held a basin containing two layers of filters, a brush, and a thin, sharp knife. She then handed the basin to Qiaoqiao: ¡°Let¡¯s go, Qiaoqiao, we¡¯re going to harvest some honey.¡± Qiaoqiao immediately cheered, eagerly taking the basin and halfway through her walk suddenly asked, ¡°What does ¡®harvesting honey¡¯ mean? Does it mean we have to cut the bees?¡± Song Tan: ¡­If only I had said ¡®to extract honey¡¯. But this also reminded her, ¡°Wait a moment.¡± She went back into the room and brought out a netted head cover and a pair of rubber gloves. ¡°Here, put on the head cover and the gloves so you don¡¯t get stung by the bees again.¡± With the painful memory of last time still vivid, Qiaoqiao promptly put them on, tying the mesh of the head cover tightly around her neck, afraid that a single bee might sneak through. The beehives were on the mountain path behind the house, placed in a staircase arrangement every five meters. At this moment, the milk vetch in the fields was still enough for their consumption, so there weren¡¯t many bees around here. However, this was all relative. Still, many bees were buzzing around the hives, and Qiaoqiao hesitated before following. ¡°Come, pay attention and learn. Once you get the hang of it, this task will be your responsibility in the future.¡± Everyone in the family had chores to do. Although Qiaoqiao was doing a lot, she lacked a specialized task, which always seemed a bit insufficient. Extracting honey, with proper protection, wasn¡¯t too dangerous and seemed quite suitable for Qiaoqiao. Qiaoqiao was indeed excited and thrilled, nodding vigorously: ¡°Got it!¡± The two went up the mountain and first found a flat stone to set the basin on, then they positioned the big barrel to one side. Lifting the asbestos tiles that covered the top of the beehive to shield it from wind and rain, they opened the lid, and in the next instant, Qiaoqiao let out a startled ¡°Ah!¡± Then she looked at Song Tan, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t you need a hat?¡± Song Tan shook her head: ¡°Sister is the most incredible in the world, I don¡¯t need one.¡± The beekeeper had provided a detailed instructional video before, so although it was Song Tan¡¯s first time, she handled it like a pro. It helped that she wasn¡¯t particularly afraid of bees, and now, working with bare hands, her movements were at ease and casual. Inside each beehive were five wooden frames, on which the bees had built their honeycombs. She first took out one frame and then instructed Qiaoqiao to take the brush: ¡°Gently brush off the bees from these honeycombs.¡± The combs were shades of deep and light yellow. The creamy shade was the layer of beeswax on top, beneath which a white layer housed the larvae, and the deeper shades of yellow were the unique color of the honey itself¡ªthere weren¡¯t enough larvae yet. The air was instantly filled with the unique sweet scent of honey, refreshing to the soul. However, many bees were still clinging on to the edges of the combs, not flying away. It required a very soft brush to gently sweep them off. Qiaoqiao hesitated: ¡°Is this their home? Are we going to drive them out?¡± ¡°` Chapter 90 - 90: Honey and Growth_1 Chapter 90: Honey and Growth_1 ¡°No, that¡¯s not right,¡± Song Tan said with confidence and righteousness, ¡°You forgot, these bees were bought from Uncle Beekeeper; they work for our family.¡± ¡°This is pollen collected from our fields and turned into honey. Sister will leave some for them to feed their young later, and the rest we need to extract.¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfectly normal, just like when Qiaoqiao does chores for the house, and Sister pays Qiaoqiao a salary.¡± Qiaoqiao, who half-understood, now cautiously brushed the bees aside with a feather duster. His movements were extremely gentle, both slow and light. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ... Song Tan stood there holding the honeycomb, not rushing at all. It took a good ten minutes for the bees to be brushed away, leaving flat honeycombs of various shades of yellow. Placing the honeycomb on a container, Song Tan carefully pointed out to Qiaoqiao: ¡°See, this whitish area, these are the bee¡¯s young; their larvae are hatching inside.¡± ¡°So they leave a lot of honey for the young, which Sister won¡¯t touch. We¡¯ll cut the other half that doesn¡¯t have larva.¡± ¡°You just asked why we¡¯re harvesting honey, right? Because we need to use a knife to shave off the top layer of white beeswax¡­¡± ¡°The knife must be as flat as possible, don¡¯t press too hard, gently, bit by bit¡­¡± Song Tan¡¯s hands were actually fast and steady, but for Qiaoqiao¡¯s sake, she proceeded slowly. After the whole piece was done, the honey, now unprotected by beeswax, slowly began to drip out. Then she flipped the honeycomb over, ¡°Here, Qiaoqiao, try the other half.¡± Qiaoqiao took the knife, hesitating to go forward: ¡°I¡¯m afraid of making a mistake, of cutting into their young.¡± This problem was quite intractable. Even the most skilled beekeeper sometimes made a hasty move and accidentally cut into the larva. Song Tan abandoned the usual way of cajoling children and seriously said, ¡°But if you don¡¯t try, we won¡¯t get the honey, and these bees will have no economic value¡ªthey would be raised in vain.¡± ¡°Over time, without care, they might freeze to death in the cold winter snow.¡± ¡°If Qiaoqiao is brave and careful, taking it slowly, you might make mistakes at first and feel sad, but once you get the hang of it, this won¡¯t happen again.¡± The speech was long and complicated, but Qiaoqiao seemed to understand the overall message. Standing there, after much hesitation, he finally tightened his grip on the knife. Song Tan also breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Just like that, slowly, bit by bit, careful not to cut yourself.¡± ¡°Look, the little bees are all waiting at the side, once we¡¯re done, they can go back home.¡± She instructed Qiaoqiao to hold the knife as flat as possible, little by little moving it forward¡ª ¡°Ah!¡± Qiaoqiao suddenly cried out. When Song Tan looked, she saw that his knife had slipped, cutting through three bee larvae inadvertently, bisecting the white grubs which obviously died. He stood there, knife in hand, and Song Tan could clearly see tears swirling in his eyes, yet this time, he did not cry. Just sniffed, carefully removed the larvae, and continued on with the work. Song Tan breathed another sigh of relief. She knew she would definitely live longer than Qiaoqiao, but their parents weren¡¯t so sure. And they didn¡¯t want to put that responsibility on their daughter either. If Qiaoqiao could support himself by beekeeping in the future, they would certainly be very happy. It took Qiaoqiao a full twenty minutes to clean the beeswax off that side of the small honeycomb. Afterward, Song Tan placed the honeycomb frame into a honey extractor beside him. The extractor has two clamps in the middle, where you¡¯d insert the honeycomb frame like placing a file, one on each side. Then you can turn the handle, and the honey inside quickly spins out. It¡¯s similar to the spin dry function of a washing machine. One box holds five frames, and here there were a total of five boxes. Qiaoqiao became more and more proficient as she worked; starting from taking half an hour just for one side, she later managed to finish in ten minutes, and her progress that afternoon was significantly great. However, by the time she got the hang of it, it was almost dark. The two of them reorganized the beehives, and with Qiaoqiao carrying a basin and Song Tan holding the heavy bucket of honey, they descended from the mountain. It was too dark to see the tea leaves, and since they still had to pick tea leaves tonight, Wu Lan was almost done cooking dinner. At this moment, seeing her return with a bucket, moving with ease and a pleased expression, she even laughed and said, ¡°I told you it¡¯s too soon to get honey, the bees need to ferment the pollen for a few days, don¡¯t they?¡± But who would have known, as she turned her head to look, hey! There was quite a bit of honey in that cylindrical bucket. Wu Lan cried out in surprise and couldn¡¯t help but chide her daughter, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say there was so much honey? We haven¡¯t even washed all those jars we prepared.¡± Now she had to hurry to set up a pot to boil water, and quickly put all the prepared glass jars into it to sterilize. Qiaoqiao carefully covered the honey bucket with a mesh net, then puffed out her chest and declared loudly, ¡°Today¡¯s honey was spun by Qiaoqiao!¡± ¡°Oh my!¡± Wu Lan praised absentmindedly, ¡°Qiaoqiao is really impressive!¡± She thought Qiaoqiao was only responsible for turning the handle. Ordinarily, Qiaoqiao never would have noticed her mother¡¯s perfunctory praise, but today she had truly put in a lot of effort, bending over to work for hours. Now her back ached, and her hands hurt as well. Feeling wronged, she said, ¡°Mom, I did it all.¡± Wu Lan was taken aback for a moment. Song Tan quickly explained, ¡°That¡¯s right. From taking out the comb to cutting the beeswax, and finally spinning the honey, Qiaoqiao did it all. I was just helping a little.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Wu Lan was also stunned. ¡°Yes, really. If Qiaoqiao can do it herself, what can¡¯t she do?¡± She said as if it were the most natural thing. A six-year-old child already understands a lot, and besides, Qiaoqiao has learned to control her body and strength quite well over the years. She just lacked someone to teach her with patience and detail. After all, with so much work at home, it¡¯s not possible for parents to attend to her every day. Wu Lan¡¯s eyes reddened in an instant, and looking at the bucket of honey, she was filled with pride: ¡°Good! Good! Qiaoqiao is so amazing! Truly amazing!¡± She then hurriedly shouted loudly, ¡°Old Song! Old Song, come and look, your son has brought back honey from cutting!¡± All the while she beamed with delight, ¡°After we bottle it later, the first bottle is for mom to make tea with, so I can taste our Qiaoqiao¡¯s skill.¡± Qiaoqiao was extremely proud, ¡°Of course! Reserved for mom! The rest will be sold by sister to earn money for beekeeping.¡± Song Sancheng had already rushed out from the house, and once again he asked about the process, watching Qiaoqiao gesture excitedly. Despite his age, he felt a lump in his throat. Turning to Song Tan, he expressed with satisfaction, ¡°Good, good, you sisters and brothers are doing well, better than anything else.¡± Song Tan was really afraid they would cry. But alas, the heart of a parent. She was so afraid they would cry, that at the moment she quickly reminded, ¡°Mom, have you finished boiling your jars?¡± Chapter 91 - 91: 91. Village Party Secretary Visits_1 Chapter 91: 91. Village Party Secretary Visits_1 Wu Lan was both nimble and instinctively an expert in time management. Before the meal, she had sterilized all the jars by boiling them and kept the residual heat to slowly dry them on a grate. By the time the meal was over, the jars were dry and sparkling clear. These were the hexagonal glass jars Song Tan had bought along with vegetables before, not expensive either; buying in bulk, they were two yuan apiece, each with a capacity of five hundred milliliters, which was just about right for holding about a jin of honey. Perhaps because Qiaoqiao¡¯s labor was particularly gratifying this time, the family of four all pitched in: Song Sancheng hoisted the bucket, Wu Lan was underneath propping the strainer, and below the strainer was yet another layer of filtration. Song Tan was responsible for using clean chopsticks to stir and help the honey filter through more quickly. ... And Qiaoqiao squatted at the very bottom, in charge of bottling the honey. Their home workshop production line was clearly taking shape. Just then, a voice suddenly sounded from outside the gate: ¡°Is Song Tan there?¡± The voice was highly recognizable; Song Tan didn¡¯t even stop with the chopsticks in her hand, ¡°I¡¯m here, come in.¡± And sure enough, it was their young Village Secretary, Zu Jun, who walked in. Upon entering the yard, Zu Jun was surprised: ¡°I smelled this honey from far away, it¡¯s really fragrant!¡± ¡°Auntie Wu, are you selling this honey? Spare me two bottles, please.¡± Wu Lan instinctively looked towards Song Tan. According to the price of honey in their village, a jin was between fifty to a hundred yuan. But now in Tan¡¯s hands, who knew for sure? Song Tan, without lifting her head, said, ¡°Not for sale, someone has placed an order.¡± Zu Jun chuckled at that: ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ve saved up quite a bit of money, I can afford a higher price, just name it.¡± She clearly understood the routine behind refusals. Song Tan, in fact, hadn¡¯t thought it through yet. Since she wasn¡¯t in a rush with her current task, she pulled out her chopsticks, found a cup to rinse with water, and then took a taste. Then she tasted it again. ¡°This can sell for cheap, one thousand yuan per jin.¡± Zu Jun immediately clutched at her chest. But she obviously had some savings; after a moment¡¯s hesitation she said, ¡°Since I¡¯ve made a special trip here, you could give me a cup of honey water to taste, that¡¯s not too much to ask, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that your tea is also very good; may I taste that as well?¡± Song Tan raised an eyebrow slightly and, under the pained looks of Wu Lan and Song Sancheng, she cheerfully agreed, ¡°Sure.¡± The guest made herself at home, settling into a chair with a backrest in the courtyard. Wu Lan, just then free from holding the gauze in place, hurriedly bustled into the house to find a cup: ¡°I¡¯ll pour for you, I¡¯ll pour for you.¡± Honey water needed to be mixed with lukewarm water, and the water in the tea bottle had been boiled after picking tea in the evening¡ªit was still a bit too hot but would need to cool for a while. The tea, however, was just right for brewing. The spacious courtyard, with its gentle breeze, carried the tea¡¯s fragrance far and wide. While not as invigorating as in an enclosed space, it was exactly this kind of refreshingly cool sensation that lit up Zu Jun¡¯s eyes¡ª ¡°How is the tea sold? I¡¯ll take two jin of that as well.¡± At that moment, Wu Lan paused, thinking to herself that it was no wonder her daughter had agreed so readily; she must have known that the Village Secretary had money! It turned out this youngster really did have a bit of wealth! As for whether it was obtained from other sources, Wu Lan didn¡¯t believe that. Because their village was really too poor. The former Village Secretary¡­ well, that was simply unspeakable. This young lady, despite her age, had been running around getting things done and had actually accomplished quite a few concrete things¡ªeverybody quite liked her. As for customer requests, of course, Song Tan wouldn¡¯t pass up the money; she nodded: ¡°Alright then, my mom has invited a few aunties over tonight to help sort the tea, I can deliver it to you at night if you¡¯re in a hurry. If not, you can pick it up tomorrow.¡± After thinking it over, she asked, ¡°You don¡¯t need a gift box, do you?¡± As a cultivator indifferent to worldly possessions, it wasn¡¯t that she was unwilling to spend the money, she just felt it was unnecessary to waste it. Zu Jun thought for a moment, ¡°Just need to simply laminate them, and then put them in tea boxes.¡± Song Tan nodded. ¡°As for the honey, these have just been filtered. Which bottle do you want? Choose for yourself.¡± Zu Jun looked curiously at those clear and tempting honeys, ¡°Is this Milk Vetch honey?¡± ¡°Your bees are pretty capable, huh? I just saw them collecting honey the other day, and now it¡¯s ready.¡± Qiaoqiao lifted his head, ¡°I did the spinning.¡± ¡°Oh my, what a good kid.¡± Zu Jun smiled warmly at him and took a few pieces of chocolate out of his pocket, ¡°Qiaoqiao, the chewing gum you gave me last time was pretty good. I¡¯ve brought you some chocolates too.¡± Qiaoqiao was so surprised! Ever since his friends had grown up, it had been ages since he last received such a gift! If it weren¡¯t for the important task of collecting honey at hand, he probably would have run over there in excitement. Song Tan looked at the way Zu Jun did things: How did this master of social interaction manage to charm everyone wherever he went? She then asked, ¡°Did you come over for something specific?¡± He surely couldn¡¯t just be strolling around with nothing better to do. Zu Jun pondered for a while, ¡°Indeed, I do. Song Tan, do you know that our country is now vigorously promoting the rural revitalization plan?¡± Song Tan nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it, but I haven¡¯t delved into it.¡± Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She was telling the truth; after all, she had only been busy for a month. She hadn¡¯t even figured out her own land, let alone had time to understand those specific policies. Zu Jun smiled again, ¡°That¡¯s okay, just knowing about it is good. I know you¡¯ve only looked at the big picture and haven¡¯t checked the details.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve come over tonight specifically to talk to you about it.¡± ¡°This rural revitalization plan is very beneficial to your family.¡± ¡°Firstly, if you want to start an online store, you can apply at our Village Department to establish a family farm.¡± ¡°Then, you can apply online for tax exemption. You won¡¯t have to pay value-added tax, land use tax, or deed tax.¡± ¡°Plus, our agricultural electricity will be subsidized by sixty percent.¡± ¡°Secondly, the state encourages local farmers or returning young entrepreneurs to start businesses, and your family fits into this category too.¡± ¡°Furthermore, banks will be ¡®green lighting¡¯ loans for you.¡± Upon hearing this, Wu Lan and Song Sancheng shook their heads in unison, ¡°No, no, no loans! Let¡¯s just keep things as they are, it¡¯s fine.¡± Villagers have always steered clear of loans, and Zu Jun understood this. He didn¡¯t press the issue and simply changed the subject, ¡°So, do you have enough land to use this year?¡± Why wouldn¡¯t they have enough? They had plenty. Wu Lan didn¡¯t quite understand, but Song Tan seemed thoughtful. Her initial intention in returning home was to satisfy her cravings, but as of now, grains, vegetables, meat, and beverages were partially accounted for in the future. However, fruit¡­ was still nowhere in sight. The reason was simple, there weren¡¯t enough mountains. Their family¡¯s woodland was quite compact, with the Chestnut Woods behind the tea garden being almost everything they had. But she didn¡¯t want to make significant changes in the mountains. Because the trees on the mountain were growing well, and the firewood for winter heating at home was essential. If it wasn¡¯t necessary, Song Tan didn¡¯t want to disturb them. Zu Jun also agreed with a smile, ¡°Yes, in Yunqiao Village, we have fewer people and more land and mountains.¡± But of course, ¡®more¡¯ only seems plentiful when nobody is cultivating it. Once you start working on it and aim for a little scale, you quickly find yourself stretched thin. Chapter 92 - 92: 92. Contracting Barren Hill_1 Chapter 92: 92. Contracting Barren Hill_1 Zu Jun was truly capable of winning trust in the countryside alone, his words were very persuasive: ¡°I figure with your Chestnut Garden and this mountain behind it, along with your tea plantation, all in all it would add up to about ten acres, right?¡± ¡°There¡¯s quite a bit of land actually, and it¡¯s nice and concentrated, totaling a little over fourteen acres, but less than fifteen.¡± ¡°But the mountain behind your property, right across the road, that¡¯s a good twenty acres of hillside land. If you could lease that and join it up with your own, then the entire mountain ridge at the back would all be yours!¡± Wow! Boy, after this spiel, both Wu Lan and Song Sancheng got it: they realized he was trying to entice them into leasing more land because their farming was decent? ... Wu Lan was not pleased: ¡°You, this little secretary, what¡¯s the meaning of this? Don¡¯t you ever think about us farmers. My kid has only been farming for a few months, hasn¡¯t even made a noticeable difference yet, and here you are coaxing us into leasing more land.¡± ¡°What if we end up in a loss? The whole family would be left with nothing to do but to feel the northwest wind on our faces!¡± Zu Jun thought to himself, with your tea selling at ten yuan a jin, I¡¯m sure you definitely won¡¯t incur a loss! In fact, Zu Jun didn¡¯t initially plan to bring up the mountain leasing now, she intended to wait at least until next year, when they¡¯d made a bit of a name on this side. However, after taking a sip of tea, she felt a surge of confidence, and an idea struck her. So, she gently and persuasively said, ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t rush. Listen to me first.¡± This time, Zu Jun provided a lot more detailed data: ¡°Under our rural support plan, there are indeed other solid subsidies.¡± ¡°I hear Song Tan graduated less than two years ago, right?¡± Song Tan nodded. Indeed, it was half a year short. Zu Jun then smiled and said, ¡°Uni graduates returning to their hometown to start a business within two years can receive a one-time subsidy of 5000 yuan six months after declaring a family farm.¡± Yeah! Wu Lan instantly became happy. Song Sancheng also smiled widely, ¡°University was indeed worth it.¡± Zu Jun adopted a strategy of dropping a less appealing proposal first, and then step by step discussing the benefits. ¡°There¡¯s more. According to policy, for combined land operation of over twenty acres, we get a subsidy of 300 yuan per acre. It¡¯s an annual subsidy for three consecutive years.¡± ¡°For those planting fruit trees on the mountain, as long as there are more than eighty trees per acre, and the trees are all over three years old, it¡¯s also 300.¡± ¡°Auntie, does that sound profitable to you?¡± ¡°This is why I mentioned leasing the mountain earlier; that land is owned by the village, with some fields at the bottom. If we added those, not only would your planting area be more complete, but both the mountain land and the fields would get this subsidy!¡± ¡°Over ten thousand a year, how could it not work?¡± ¡°Furthermore, for those planting vegetables in their fields, each acre gets a subsidy of 200. If it¡¯s a year-round greenhouse, then the subsidy is 500.¡± ¡°If you install things like surveillance cameras, automatic irrigation, stuff like that, throughout the whole area, you get a one-time subsidy of twenty thousand.¡± With each number she mentioned, Wu Lan and Song Sancheng¡¯s hearts thumped, beating vigorously with joy and surging passion. And it didn¡¯t stop there. Zu Jun then looked at the chickens and ducks in the yard, ¡°You also raise pigs, chickens, and ducks, right? This year¡¯s policy is a ten percent subsidy for infrastructure, but I think your scale doesn¡¯t quite meet the standard yet, and you¡¯ve probably not spent much on infrastructure, so I guess you can¡¯t apply for it.¡± But this was already a pleasant surprise. Though she hadn¡¯t worked out how much exactly she could get, Wu Lan¡¯s head was already spinning. Looking at the flock of chickens and ducks, she now deeply regretted not building a chicken coop earlier! The mentality that one has lost out if they don¡¯t take advantage of such ¡°cheap gains¡± was evidently etched into her soul. Zu Jun looked at Song Tan again, his voice tempting: ¡°I heard from the villagers that you¡¯ve also planted Golden Sakura in your Chestnut Garden, is that true? This counts as intercropping medicinal herbs, and you¡¯ll receive a one-time subsidy of an additional $2,000.¡± ¡°However, these subsidies have a cap. A family farm can receive a maximum subsidy of $200,000.¡± ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m sincerely considering our family¡¯s interests, otherwise I would have planned to bring this up next year.¡± ¡°You also know that our finances are limited, so it¡¯s first come, first served when it comes to applications and payments.¡± ¡°There is only so much funding, but there are so many people in within miles, and if I were to inform you too late, and the finances run out, this might get delayed¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but Wu Lan was already becoming restless. Now thinking about the village secretary¡¯s earlier suggestion, she couldn¡¯t help feeling guilty¡ªthis was a way to bring money home to their family! She could only pick up the teapot again: ¡°Come on, let me top up your water, we have some good tea here, you should drink a few more cups.¡± Song Sancheng also hadn¡¯t expected that the subsidies for farming were so abundant now. Gosh, it was like a pleasant surprise, as if finding free money! Only Song Tan was still being rational: ¡°How much is the leasing fee for those twenty acres of mountain land plus the fields below?¡± Zu Jun laughed: ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that, our Yunqiao Town isn¡¯t some popular rural area, the leasing cost hasn¡¯t gone up in years. That¡¯s why I already inquired on your behalf at the town meeting last time: $150 per acre, paid for twenty years at first, and then the rest all at once after twenty years.¡± ¡°According to national regulations, we cannot reclaim the land during the lease. However, correspondingly, the lessee¡¯s whole family cannot change to a non-agricultural hukou (household registration), otherwise, we have the right to take back the land.¡± ¡°Additionally, your household registration is still a collective one, right? If you were to move back, we could immediately accept it here.¡± ¡°As someone from the village taking on the lease, we can still extend the maximum limit to seventy years.¡± After saying this, she added: ¡°It was hard to get approval for this before, but now it¡¯s possible, thanks to the recently introduced policies. All of these are for revitalizing the countryside.¡± She sized up Song Tan¡¯s expression and felt increasingly confident of success, so she struck while the iron was hot: ¡°The fields below, when combined, also total more than seven acres, and there is also a pond in the hollow of the hill within the leasing scope, which belongs to the public ponds of our village.¡± ¡°The fields are priced at $300 per acre, and the pond at about three acres, for $600 per acre.¡± ¡°How about that, the price is absolutely fair, isn¡¯t it!¡± ¡°These prices really haven¡¯t increased a cent, they are still the same as ten years ago.¡± Song Tan did a mental calculation¡ª The large tract of forest on the back mountain she saw had been unattended by the villagers, and didn¡¯t have any large trees. It was mostly shrubs and wild grass, making it simple to tidy up. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But now it was almost April, and if they wanted to apply for subsidies quickly, they¡¯d need to hurry in cleaning up the mountain land, decide what to plant, and get planting as soon as possible. Time was a bit tight. Meanwhile, Wu Lan and Song Sancheng hastily filtered the honey and, holding a calculator, confusedly figured out how much they could subsidize. They hadn¡¯t come to any concrete conclusion, but they could roughly estimate: if they agreed to lease the uncultivated land on the back hill, they could very well secure a subsidy of thirty to forty thousand dollars a year! How much was the leasing fee for twenty years? Twenty acres of mountain land, at $150 per acre. Seven acres of field, at $300 per acre. Three acres of pond, at $600 per acre. Calculating it out, the initial twenty years of lease fees totaled just under $140,000. But three years of subsidies would cover more than half of that. At this moment, even the frugal Song Sancheng and Wu Lan couldn¡¯t help but waver in their hearts. Chapter 93 - 93: 93. Confirm Bags Mountain_1 Chapter 93: 93. Confirm Bags Mountain_1 To wrap or not to wrap? Song Tan had already made up her mind. So, the question was, where would this initial twent-year lease fee of one hundred and forty thousand yuan come from? Counting the money she had made since coming back¡ªsome of it filled in the sixty thousand yuan for her parents. A portion for labor, materials, various miscellaneous expenses. What she earned later all went to the dogs. ... Currently, her only major source of income was from tea leaves. But those tea leaves? When all was said and done, including the two jin the village secretary hadn¡¯t paid for yet, there were only a total of nine jin. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Honey could make two thousand yuan, and selling vegetables could bring in one to two thousand yuan a day. But this money was untouchable because there were just too many expenses to come. So that meant there was still a deficit of at least fifty thousand yuan. However, she wasn¡¯t panicked. At this moment, she just calmly looked at Zu Jun: ¡°I can wrap Bags Mountain, and I do have such a plan.¡± ¡°But as the first young person from our village who has heeded the call to return home and start a business, shouldn¡¯t the village also provide some support?¡± For example, for the first rental payment, only needing to pay for the first ten years or something¡­¡± Zu Jun was stunned. Who knew that Song Tan would immediately add, ¡°Or it could be noted in the agreement that the sum should be completed within half a year.¡± ¡°You see, my request isn¡¯t excessive, is it?¡± Such arrangements were of course not excessive. Zu Jun, however, reminded her, ¡°If the money is still not in place when the deadline is reached, the Village Department has the right to terminate the contract.¡± Of course, they didn¡¯t want to terminate the contract. The village was short on money, and the barren mountains were just being wasted as no one was going to lease them. Getting one leaser was better than none¡ªthey cherished this opportunity. Song Tan had anticipated that her proposal would very likely be accepted, so she didn¡¯t show too much surprise. Instead, she seriously reminded him, ¡°You can take the tea leaves tonight. When you come to get them, remember to pay first, alright?¡± Zu Jun: ¡­ Having the money was her business, but the price of ten thousand yuan per jin really made people grimace. The two of them had thus more or less settled the matter when suddenly the sound of laughter came from outside the gate. Wu Lan glanced over in an instant: ¡°They¡¯re here to help pick the tea leaves.¡± Qiaoqiao, who couldn¡¯t understand the adults¡¯ conversation, was just focused on arranging the honey jars one by one. Just as she was seen by an auntie who came in, the auntie exclaimed, ¡°I was wondering, the moment I entered the yard I smelled a sweet honey scent! This smells too good, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Indeed, your bees are quite productive, to be so diligent just after settling in!¡± The crowd instantly got excited and then asked, ¡°How are you selling this honey?¡± ¡°I feel more at ease with our own honey. How much is it? Leave me one jin, will you?¡± Everyone echoed in agreement. Zu Jun chuckled to himself but saw Wu Lan sporting a sincere smile, ¡°We can¡¯t sell them, they¡¯re all spoken for.¡± Song Sancheng also had an honest face as he seriously said, ¡°The channels were established a long time ago. Otherwise, as small-time folks, how would we dare spend so much money.¡± Everyone thought about it and it made sense. If they didn¡¯t have channels, which young person would dare to be so bold? Goodness, how envious. Everyone glanced at the honey jars on the table. ¡°Hey, there are thirteen or fourteen jars there!¡± Then, someone with a loud voice suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Nowadays, our local honey is expensive, selling for a hundred yuan per jin, right? Doesn¡¯t that add up to one thousand three hundred immediately!¡± ¡°Old Song, your family is indeed lucky this year.¡± Song Sancheng immediately started coughing loudly. Zu Jun struggled to hold back his laughter and then stood up. ¡°Well then, aunts, you¡¯re busy, so I¡¯ll be leaving.¡± Oh my. Only then did everyone realize that the person drinking tea with his back to the group was the young secretary of the village; they immediately gathered around him without any reservation: ¡°Young Secretary, about that issue we discussed last time, you haven¡¯t got back to me yet, how is it going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, the young man I know is absolutely handsome! You¡¯ll know once you meet him¡­ ¡± Zu Jun¡¯s expression froze, and then he quickly scampered away. Song Tan, sensing something amiss, also sprinted toward the house. Indeed, another hearty laugh came from outside: ¡°Wu Lan, your daughter is so good-looking. I haven¡¯t seen anyone as attractive in miles¡ªwhat kind of son-in-law are you looking for?¡± Just as he entered the main room, he saw a figure leisurely sitting up in the dim light, aided by the flickering glow from a cell phone, and then asked stealthily like a thief: ¡°Tantan, are you going to take on Bags Mountain? Need any help during the summer break?¡± He then lamented, ¡°I¡¯ll be your foreman, just don¡¯t make me go back to working in the fields again, I¡¯m really not cut out for that.¡± Song Tan looked at him, slowly saying, ¡°Brother Yanping, I trust the quality of the work you oversee as foreman. But I¡¯m worried that you¡¯d take a cut when you organize the summer workers.¡± ¡°How is that possible?!¡± Zhang Yanping quickly retorted: ¡°That¡¯s not taking a cut; that¡¯s a referral fee.¡± ¡°So, will you refund this referral fee?¡± Song Tan countered. Zhang Yanping fell silent. Song Tan didn¡¯t tease him further: ¡°Alright, Brother Yanping, I¡¯m not hiring summer workers.¡± ¡°Nowadays, who among the summer workers can handle fieldwork?¡± Stop kidding, if they accidentally caught bugs or birds on the hillside and something happened, Song Tan would still have to deal with their parents. How much trouble would that be! Zhang Yanping thought about it and agreed, reluctantly giving up on this business venture. Then suddenly, something else came to mind: ¡°Right, you can¡¯t just use manual labor for clearing the mountain, can you?¡± Even with shrubs, those ten- or twenty-year-old roots are deeply embedded in the ground; how many could one person dig up in a day? That¡¯s a full twenty acres of land! He planned to lead into the subject, but his cunning cousin just put on a listening expression, not responding at all. Zhang Yanping, frequently thwarted and determined to avoid going back to the fields the next day, pressed on talking to himself: ¡°I mean¡­ are you hiring an excavator? I know a reliable guy who operates one.¡± ¡°If we go by the acre, it¡¯s 220 per acre. By day, 600 a day, and if it¡¯s less than a full day, the charge is for one full day.¡± Song Tan¡¯s eyebrows raised, now genuinely interested: ¡°On mountainous terrain, how many acres can be cleared in a day?¡± Zhang Yanping answered without hesitation: ¡°About five acres a day, it¡¯s a small excavator.¡± As he spoke, he also couldn¡¯t help but grumble: ¡°Look at our roads; a larger one would have to be able to get in, right?¡± Song Tan started to calculate in her mind. Five acres a day, twenty acres would require at least four to five days. After clearing, they still had to apply fertilizer, till the soil, and transplant saplings. To get good fruit within the year, even if one buys more expensive mature saplings, they couldn¡¯t delay later than May. Considering the tight schedule and heavy tasks, hiring people is expensive, but time is even more so! Song Tan immediately nodded: ¡°Okay, first ask about the schedule. If it¡¯s possible, arrange for someone to go cut the grass and chop down trees tomorrow, and we can have the contract ready by noon.¡± Chapter 94 - 94: 94. The Benefits of Excavators_1 Chapter 94: 94. The Benefits of Excavators_1 Young people dealing with young people, acting with resolute and swift efficiency is just the basic quality. By noon that day, before everyone knocked off work, Song Tan¡¯s contract was already signed. The first payment of seventy thousand yuan was transferred into the designated account, and at lunch, she announced: ¡°Dad, the whole side of the back mountain is ours now. Let¡¯s get people started on tidying it up this afternoon.¡± The so-called tidying up entailed laying a road surface before the excavator entered the site, clearing those large, overlapping vines and branches, etc. Zhang Yanping thought for a moment, then took out his phone to flip through a video, ¡°Tantan, why don¡¯t you try spending a bit more money? There¡¯s this brand-new bulldozer now that can be mounted on the front end of the excavator¡¯s bucket¡ªlook how efficient it is when this machine starts!¡± In the video, an excavator was outfitted with a strange contraption at its forefront, which barely touched the small trees ahead before swiftly sawing through their trunks and large swathes of vines, then the machine¡¯s grinding plates pulled them in, crushing them into debris. ... Whatever it touched, it toppled with ease, clearing everything in an instant. Song Sancheng also came over to watch the video and was immensely impressed! However, after some thought, he still rejected the idea: ¡°No, no, that won¡¯t do.¡± ¡°Yanping, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m stingy with money, but you don¡¯t understand¡ªthere are usually several old graves on the mountains in the countryside, with grass growing as high as trees.¡± The villagers were clearly accustomed to these graves. Some were known to belong to particular families, some might be related to their own ancestors, and others could not be traced at all. But obviously, the time hadn¡¯t passed to the extent of being exaggerated; at the very least, the grave mounds were still there. ¡°Originally, it wasn¡¯t popular to build an extra layer of cement around the old graves; they were all piled up with yellow soil. Grass grows quickly and fiercely on top of them so that when wild grass proliferates and vines crawl, it¡¯s impossible to make out the graves.¡± ¡°This machine is powerful, but if it just whirrs and turns, and ends up digging up people¡¯s old graves, wouldn¡¯t that be committing a sin?¡± Song Sancheng, as a native villager, held this matter in high regard. Zhang Yanping was also stunned¡ªhe truly hadn¡¯t thought of this. But the machine was indeed very efficient, and Song Tan was reluctant to give it up. After thinking it over, she also asked a key question, ¡°Dad, does the village still have enough strong laborers to tidy up the wasteland within a week?¡± Don¡¯t be fooled, twenty acres of wasteland might not seem like much when mentioned in regards to someone else¡¯s garden, but when it comes to actual work, it¡¯s boundless. An excavator¡¯s bucket could dig up a tree root, while several big guys would pant and groan for half an hour. Song Tan did the math, even if they hired twenty people, to get the land completely turned over would take at least a month. Song Sancheng also started to worry: that many people¡­ well, they truly didn¡¯t have them. But Song Tan already had a solution in mind, ¡°Brother Yanping, how much will it cost if we add this equipment?¡± Zhang Yanping, who was always meticulous in his preparations, had clear terms, ¡°It¡¯s the same price, 600 a day. In two days, we can clean up the surface, and then we¡¯ll charge the regular rate for digging into the mountain.¡± ¡°But if we do this, it will take a week to get the wasteland cleaned up.¡± Song Tan was already quite satisfied. Without this machine, the villagers would have to work for a week or so before the excavator could even make a dent on the surface. Song Tan made a prompt decision, ¡°Brother Yanping, contact them to come over tonight or tomorrow morning; we¡¯ll provide food and accommodation.¡± Then she said to Song Sancheng, ¡°Dad, since there might be old graves on the mountain, why don¡¯t you call a few more people this afternoon to go up and separately mark the graves¡¯ locations, and, while you¡¯re at it, lay a road from beside the street to facilitate the excavator¡¯s entry into the mountain.¡± No need for a long stretch, just a short section to connect the village road and the wasteland, so the excavator could enter the site smoothly to begin with. ¡°Wait until the excavator starts working tomorrow morning, Dad, then you arrange for someone to follow behind the excavator, and collect all the debris like weeds and shrubs that are dug up to one side,¡± ¡°When digging starts, it¡¯s the same; the tree roots and rocks that are dug up need people to help move them to the side.¡± Song Sancheng calculated the process in his mind and found no issues, except for the cost. A moment¡¯s reflection: even if we don¡¯t hire an excavator, manual labor is still expensive! We¡¯re not in a time when strength comes cheap anymore. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Okay!¡± With bellies full of food and drink and tomorrow¡¯s work arranged, everyone dispersed in high spirits, filled with a boundless fighting spirit. Wu Lan even discussed with Song Tan, ¡°For the wasteland we¡¯re clearing, let¡¯s keep planting tea; tea makes the most money.¡± Song Tan rejected the idea outright, ¡°No, let¡¯s not.¡± She always remembered why she came back to the countryside: staples, beverages, vegetables, meat, fruit. Now they had the first four, and only fruit was yet to be started. Therefore, the newly contracted wasteland must be used to grow fruit. True to her original intentions, she was clearly doing the right thing. But Wu Lan wasn¡¯t wrong either; since tea could fetch a good price, planting more of it was reasonable. Song Tan could only console, ¡°Mom, when something becomes too common, its price is bound to drop. We need to plant tea, but it will be years before it grows.¡± ¡°By that time, if the market is flooded with good tea, the price will surely fall.¡± Wu Lan also felt regretful, ¡°Right¡­ I was just thinking that since tea plants aren¡¯t tall, we could plant some other trees or something.¡± In her heart, Song Tan thought: tea plants might not be tall, but they have high demands. If we plant trees above them, wouldn¡¯t that shade reduce their yield? She reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll intercrop some other things among the trees later, you won¡¯t lose money.¡± Soon enough, Lao Song¡¯s family realized that ever since they signed that contract, there hadn¡¯t been a single day without expenses on their ledger. In this affair, Zhang Yanping had clearly become the biggest winner. That afternoon, after the villagers had briefly cleaned up the wasteland, the young man who had been eager for work and had operated his bulldozer solo rushed over. He was indeed a reliable person. Upon arrival, he went first to inspect the worksite. In the end, he found no significant trees, and this family seemed quite reasonable¡ªthey weren¡¯t difficult or unreasonably demanding clients¡­ The young man¡¯s skin was dark from the sun, and at that moment, he was holding Zhang Yanping¡¯s hand, thanking him profusely. And in the evening, when he tasted the first bite of Lao Song¡¯s family¡¯s unique food, he was nearly moved to tears. The hardships of a young single man with no cooking skills were indescribable. As Song Tan was organizing honey orders sold in the group chat today, she accidentally overheard their conversation: ¡°Brother Yanping, you really are my own brother.¡± ¡°If I knew the food here was this good, I would have come to help out yesterday afternoon.¡± Zhang Yanping laughed, ¡°How would you help out? Operate the excavator for free for half a day?¡± The young man gave a bashful smile: ¡°No way, we still have to charge for what¡¯s due. I mean I would have gone straight to the fields to help them for half a day.¡± Chapter 95 - 95: 95. Busy Old Song_1 Chapter 95: 95. Busy Old Song_1 How big is an acre of land? It¡¯s about six hundred and sixty-seven square meters. In terms of city houses, that area would definitely be considered extremely spacious. But placed within the rural expanse of farmland and forests, it is no more than a drop in the ocean, truly insignificant. Have you not seen how those heated orchards can be hundreds or even thousands of acres? Song Tan¡¯s twenty acres of land merely connected to his own property for convenience, causing hardly a ripple among the villagers. Even during village votes, the villagers¡¯ reaction was more surprise than actual anticipation of wealth. ... No help for it, the money was too little, the land too small. That little patch of land, doesn¡¯t everyone have one? Some joked with laughter, ¡°Sancheng, if you get rich next year, consider my family¡¯s land too, it¡¯s not far from yours!¡± Since they were away working all year round and couldn¡¯t manage the land themselves, renting it out would earn them a bit more money. Others were dead serious, ¡°Old Song, you need to think this through. With this investment, you and your wife could lose all your retirement savings!¡± ¡°In these desolate mountains, you can¡¯t even give the land away!¡± If farming were profitable, why had everyone left? Old Song was being impulsive! Song Sancheng listened intently, eventually responding with an honest smile, ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try, isn¡¯t online selling all the rage now?¡­ The kid will try it out.¡± What else could he say? Could he claim that his wild vegetables weigh twenty-one kilos, his honey costs a thousand per kilo, his tea leaves ten thousand? Could he still face the village after spouting such nonsense? ¡­ Equally speechless was the young village party secretary. Zu Jun, even with grand ambitions, felt speechless holding that sum of money in the village committee. What had she planned all this for if not the village construction? Now it was clear that everyone was just watching for the fun of it. They had never considered staying home, and the village was still unable to retain its people. But she also knew, there was no helping it, farm work was too hard. Toiling under the sun and rain, sweating through the heat of summer while working under the sun, one couldn¡¯t make much in a year, and factory work was still a faster way to earn money. The young village party secretary sighed softly, gazing at the map of the collective land inside the village committee office, she fell into deep thought. ¡­ However, for Song Sancheng and Wu Lan, who had farmed all their lives, they had never once invested so much money into farming. Fortunately, their anxiety didn¡¯t last long. They got the preliminary contract, the village decided, and shortly afterward, they received confirmation of the contract from town¡­. Thanks to the rural revitalization, the importance of timely farming, and planning ahead with the village party secretary Zu Jun, everything was smooth and efficient, unbelievably so. Looking at the stack of contracts stamped with official seals, Song Sancheng felt both trepidation and exhilaration. He was full of drive, almost wishing he could rush up the slopes and overturn them for ten acres! But because the excavator operator- a robust young man who could eat and drink heartily- now lived in his house, and since high technology didn¡¯t require human labor, he had to abandon such reckless thoughts and channel his energy elsewhere. As a result, his schedule became traceably regular and packed. At five in the morning, he got up tidy, and did some chores. By six, he went to the old master Song Youde¡¯s place to pick up pig feed to take up the mountain, and then checked on the bees along the way. Next, he patrolled the Chestnut Garden, looked over the new dog houses that had just been built and were not yet occupied by the dogs, and fed them with the dog food and meat and vegetable scraps he had brought. Guarding Chestnut Garden are Sanbao the German Shepherd and Sibao the Mastiff. Both treasures are smart and agile, not only can they run fast, but their jumping ability is especially strong; thus, the important responsibility of guarding Chestnut Garden and the black and white fungus now rests on their shoulders! Just two or three days away, and the mountain seemed to have changed again. Two hundred Golden Sakura trees firmly encircle Chestnut Garden; it has only been two or three days since planting, and tender green buds have already sprouted on the branches. In a few days, you¡¯ll be able to see the fresh leaves emerging. Looking at this growth, by summertime, perhaps the branches and vines will climb and cover the entire netting, then stand as a dense, impenetrable thorny wall. It not only prevents prying eyes, but with the assistance of the two treasures, it won¡¯t indulge anyone¡¯s thoughts of petty theft and vandalism either. Village life is simple, but human nature is inescapable. The jealousy of seeing others have what you lack is something no one wants, no matter where you go. With the security measures in place, the work inside Chestnut Garden must also continue. Firstly, this year¡¯s chestnut growth is vigorous; one can vaguely see the status of the glossy, plump green leaves, but we can¡¯t keep exhausting the soil¡¯s strength like this; we need to fertilize it when we find the time. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Secondly, the wild grass on the ground is also thriving; after the barren hills are cultivated, this place also needs to be tidied up. The scale of the fungus cultivation this year still can¡¯t fully occupy the entire garden area; therefore, they need to intercrop some other plants to quickly earn money. Those log segments are still stacked together, waiting for a while before they will be neatly arranged and set up. Song Sancheng hummed and huffed as he picked up the already stirring fungus; smiling from ear to ear at the white mycelium sprouting above, his brows and eyes full of happiness. However, looking at the time, even this brief tidying up has brought us to ten o¡¯clock in the morning. Farming really does delay time! But he still couldn¡¯t idle about. Circling down from Chestnut Garden, Sancheng headed to the family¡¯s extensive fields where Old Lee, the elderly overseer in charge of the rice paddies, was still leading an ox through the fields. But Sancheng himself had already arrived on the nearby ridges to check back and forth. In the corner of that area, two plots of land were cultivated; one for breeding various types of vegetable seedlings, which had two trembling leaves sprouting, greeting the sunlight. The other side was designated for rice seedling raising this year. A lush green patch of tender leaves, heartwarming to see. Old Lee is adept at farming, even with daily observation, it seems like he can¡¯t get enough of it. Seeing Song Sancheng, he couldn¡¯t help but exclaim again, ¡°This year¡¯s seedlings are both strong and plump! There¡¯s going to be a good harvest for sure!¡± He was convinced and full of pride, as if he were caring for his own fields, radiating vitality. ¡°Uncle Lee,¡± Song Sancheng greeted, ¡°Tantan asked me to check if you still have enough rice, flour, oil, and salt. If not, she¡¯ll make time to deliver some to you.¡± They had made a deal before: Old Lee would take care of the rice paddies, and she would supply the rice, flour, grain, oil, and twenty pounds of meat at year¡¯s end. ¡°I¡¯ve got plenty!¡± the old man said cheerfully. What could an elderly man living alone eat? He would rather manage with a bit more food. Nowadays at home, buying a pack of salt could last almost a year without finishing. Song Sancheng raised his voice, ¡°Alright then, Old Man, take another look when you get back just in case, and don¡¯t keep quiet about it if you actually run out!¡± ¡°Tantan said, if you really do that, then she wouldn¡¯t dare to let you be responsible for these two rice fields¡­¡± Old Lee was all smiles, not looking at all like someone with a stubborn temper; instead, his face beamed with satisfaction and joy: ¡°Alright, alright, your family is filled with good-hearted people, and Tantan is a good girl too, I know that!¡± Chapter 96 03-25 - 96: 96. Buy fish fry_1 Chapter 96: 96. Buy fish fry_1 There are many elderly people like Old Li in Yunqiao Village. It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that in a poor mountain village like theirs, with no more than thirty households, about one-third of the people are of Old Li¡¯s age group. The village didn¡¯t start off with so few people; there once were over two hundred households. But as times have developed and prices have risen, the mountain village has gradually fallen behind. It¡¯s only lively for a few months around the Spring Festival each year. That¡¯s because everyone under sixty has gone out to find work. Even though the work is not easy for those in their fifties and sixties, mainly consisting of rather grueling jobs paying a mere dozen or so yuan per hour, they mostly rely on overtime pay. But with elders to care for and children who might just be starting their own families, buying houses and cars, and educating their children, which expense can be avoided? The children can¡¯t even think about supporting the elderly, given how tough their own lives are. Working is, after all, a forced means of survival. That¡¯s why, even though Zu Jun repeatedly assured that agricultural loans are now easier to get approved and come with very low interest rates. If Song Tan is confident, she can definitely apply to the credit union¡­ Is Song Tan confident? Of course, she¡¯s very confident. But can she find the necessary manpower? Not at all. The situation is the same for miles around. Surely, you can¡¯t expect to shake these elderly people out of every village just to do the farm work, right? At their age, they might seem fine in daily life, but one careless fall could lead to a serious incident, let alone getting involved in labor recruitment¡­ Even a fortune wouldn¡¯t cover such expenses! As for hiring strong young laborers from elsewhere¡­ What would the labor costs amount to? It¡¯s better to start small and grow gradually, one step at a time, until the village slowly develops and stabilizes. Naturally, young people who don¡¯t want to leave their hometown would start coming back. That won¡¯t happen overnight. For this reason, Song Tan, in dealing with the elderly, never brings up money. Song Sancheng chatted with Old Li about the weather this year and then went up to the higher fields to check if the tilling was done meticulously enough. Had the work ended after making this round? No. The excavator roared as it advanced through the barren hills with its blades, requiring people to be specifically assigned to rake the crushed vines, saplings, and branches out of the way. If left to pile up in the soil, these leaves and branches wouldn¡¯t decompose quickly, which could seriously delay subsequent planting. Zhang Yanping, wearing a straw hat, stood numbly in the forest, watching the work her uncle¡¯s family had specifically assigned to her out of regard for her situation. Glancing at the rake in her hand, her face was filled with bitterness. Indeed, as requested, she hadn¡¯t gone to the fields today; instead, she had gone directly up the mountain. Song Sancheng climbed up the slope, his eyes capturing the expansive view and his body filled with fighting spirit. Looking further down, there was a pond within their contracted area, with the blue sky reflected and aquatic plants whispering. The fish in this pond were too slippery, hardly easy to catch! In an instant, Song Sancheng remembered something and quickly took out his phone: ¡°Tantan, didn¡¯t we talk about buying some fish fry last time? Don¡¯t forget!¡± As it happened, Song Tan was looking over a fishery right then! This was a fishery in their own city, where local businesses, like this one, relied heavily on reputation. The fishery wasn¡¯t large and mainly stocked common types of fish. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The owner, speaking in the local dialect rapidly and urgently, said: ¡°Is this your first time raising them? Then you can¡¯t get too many, no more than 1500 per acre! With no experience, any more than that and you won¡¯t be able to manage.¡± Another question came up, ¡°How¡¯s the pond? How big and deep is it? And where is it located? Are you planning to farm fish for sale, or just to raise them leisurely in your own pond?¡± The owner¡¯s questions were all on point, and even though Song Tan could rely on Spiritual Energy to cheat, it didn¡¯t stop her from wanting to learn from experience, so she answered every question in detail: ¡°The pond is not too big, about three acres, and nearly three meters deep at its deepest. It¡¯s located in a mountain hollow surrounded by a ring of aquatic plants.¡± ¡°The primary purpose is for our own consumption, but I plan to sell any surplus.¡± The owner pondered for a moment, ¡°That pond in the mountain hollow probably can¡¯t be drained completely, right? It¡¯ll be troublesome to fish in the winter.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other water source nearby to channel in, and it gets too hot in summer, easy to dry up, and prone to disease.¡± Song Tan nodded¡ªif it were really a high-quality fishpond, even in a remote mountain village, it wouldn¡¯t be absurd to expect at least eight hundred to a thousand yuan per acre. And what¡¯s the price now? Three hundred. So why be picky? Consider it a water reserve for the orchard on the mountain. Song Tan decided to lease it: firstly, for convenience, secondly, in her recollection, that pond had never dried up. That was enough for her. The owner didn¡¯t bother showing her the lively fish in front of them; instead, he led her to another area where variously sized partitioned boxes held densely packed, freshly hatched fry. ¡°Since you have no experience, you should start with these: crucian carp, common carp, grass carp, and silver carp. Mix and match them for purchase. Don¡¯t underestimate their common varieties; the grass carp eat aquatic plants, keeping your pond from getting overgrown, which could happen in just a few years.¡± ¡°The other three types of fish will help maintain a good water cycle in the pond. It¡¯ll be clean, the fish will be hardy and tasty, and less prone to disease.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you planning to eat the fish yourself? I¡¯m guessing the pond hasn¡¯t been cleaned out, so there should be some big fish remaining. That¡¯ll be enough for a while. Just buy these fry for now.¡± Fry? The owner burst into laughter, ¡°Just as I thought, you¡¯ve never farmed fish before. We aquaculturists call these newly hatched little ones ¡®fry¡¯.¡± ¡°If you think it¡¯s a good fit, I¡¯ll pick a good mix for you. For a three-acre fish pond, accounting for loss, you should buy about five thousand fry, give or take.¡± Song Tan nodded: a little more or less, she could manage to raise them, so the quantity wasn¡¯t a big issue. But she had done her homework beforehand; everything the owner said was truthful, which made her willing to listen to his experience. ¡°How much?¡± The owner, looking utterly unenthusiastic, said, ¡°Let¡¯s make it thirty.¡± Song Tan: ¡­ Ah, so the price of fry is that low. The owner pointed to another set of fry, ¡°These two-centimeter ones have a different price, fifty cents each. The bigger they are, the more expensive. It depends on what you want to raise!¡± Was there even a choice to make? ¡°I¡¯ll take the fry! Add another 8000, because we have a larger fish pond at home with better terrain and drainage.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The owner seemed pleased too, ¡°I see that you¡¯re a straightforward person; I won¡¯t charge you extra, let¡¯s make it seventy-five.¡± Song Tan chuckled to herself; being ¡®straightforward¡¯ apparently only brought a three yuan discount. But for a total of thirteen thousand fry at seventy-five yuan, what more could she ask for! She handed over the money promptly, then saw the owner begrudgingly provide a couple of plastic bags instead of styrofoam boxes: ¡°This bag has the eight thousand fry, and this one has five thousand. Rest assured, there might be extras but never a shortage! If you don¡¯t trust me, feel free to count them when you have the time at home.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s even one less, I¡¯ll compensate you with a hundred.¡± Song Tan laughed out loud, ¡°Uncle, that won¡¯t be necessary!¡± Chapter 97 03-25 - 97: 97. What to plant on the back hill_1 Chapter 97: 97. What to plant on the back hill_1 So, with a plastic bag in each hand, Qiaoqiao carried all those fry back home. At home, Grandma Wang Lifen and Wu Lan were both washing and rinsing in the yard, bustling around nonstop. There was no other way, following local customs, when you hire villagers to work, you have to provide them a meal. There were four in Song Tan¡¯s family, grandparents included, along with Zhang Yanping, the young man operating the excavator living in their home, and Song Sancheng¡¯s three old buddies who helped out on the back hill¡­ In total, eleven people¡ªand, given the tasty meals at home, apart from Song Tan who ate a moderate amount, everyone else could put away two to three bowls each meal. Cooking meals was no small feat. Song Sancheng was now so busy he hardly touched the ground, and Wu Lan was no different, getting up early in the morning to pick Milk Vetch with Song Tan and Qiaoqiao. As the weather warmed, more Milk Vetch in the fields began to bud, and once like this, they couldn¡¯t be picked anymore¡ªthey were too old and no longer edible. Therefore, to ensure quality, the time spent picking and sorting each day increased. Besides, ever since people knew Milk Vetch wouldn¡¯t last much longer, more and more buyers flocked to the market, purchasing it in tens of pounds, then blanching and freezing it at home, so it could last until the New Year. Just this morning, Song Tan had added another order, ¡°Mom, today we need to ship out another two thousand pounds to other regions.¡± For this, the whole family was mobilized. Wu Lan was puzzled, ¡°He resells them?¡± Song Tan shook his head, ¡°No, he said his family runs a farmstay. The Milk Vetch, once shipped, is all blanched and frozen, and then every dining guest gets a serving.¡± Whether it¡¯s stir-fried, made into soup, or anything else, they just say it¡¯s wild greens from the local area, limited in quantity, hence they don¡¯t sell it, only give it away as a gift. Goodness me, during this period the guests came like clouds! Spring was already prime time for wild greens, and with this little trick, everyone knew the reputation of this farmstay was outstanding, and the earnings substantially increased. Of course, the buyer never revealed these details, but Song Tan had guessed as much. In the past, the prospect of making money brought joy to Wu Lan alone, but now she also had to consider how to work both quickly and well, without delaying lunch preparation. Too much work could also be a source of worry. However¡­ ¡°Oh my, this order is forty thousand yuan, plus the money from the veggies sold these past few days, isn¡¯t that enough to cover the remaining contract fee?¡± Otherwise, it felt uncomfortable always owing the money. Song Tan ruthlessly shattered her illusions, ¡°Mom, since we plan to get subsidies for planting fruit trees on the back hill, once we plant them, we can¡¯t just leave them be; we have to start seeing returns this year.¡± sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For the large saplings that would take three to five years to mature, one wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s a lot, but planting a hundred trees per acre could cost nearly twenty thousand yuan. ¡°After that, you will need to hire people to plant and irrigate, right? Depending on that pond at the bottom of the hill, you¡¯ll have to buy an electric pump with a long hose reel; these small miscellaneous costs might not seem like much, but they also add up to a considerable expense.¡± ¡°And then there¡¯s our farm¡­¡± Song Tan hadn¡¯t even finished explaining when Wu Lan already closed her eyes in pain: ¡°Enough, enough, stop nagging.¡± She then asked, ¡°Have we sold the honey yet? That¡¯s also money!¡± How could there be any left unsold? With a shout in the group chat, the distant customer buying two thousand pounds of Milk Vetch also snapped up ten bottles on the spot. Out of thirteen bottles in total, now only one bottle remained for their own use, clearing out the inventory. The bees still need a few more days to make honey after gathering nectar, so we¡¯re temporarily out of stock. When asked why they wanted to buy honey wholesale, they said they also planned to mix honey water as a giveaway. Song Tan pondered, if it weren¡¯t for the short time and the profit margin not yet calculated, this insightful young man might have turned their tea leaves into their signature product too! Wu Lan was tidying up the vegetables while directing Song Tan, ¡°When you have a moment, go back to the mountain and feed the pigs, and the chickens and ducks too.¡± After running up the mountain, Song Tan checked on a flock of ducklings and came back with another idea: ¡°Mom, I see the ducklings are molting. Why don¡¯t we build a duck house by the pond on the back mountain?¡± The original plan was to raise them in the pond next to the fields, but that pond was a neatly outlined rectangle with rounded edges, whereas the back mountain pond was more like a mirror with a handle. Right at the mirror¡¯s handle, they could build a simple duck house; with Big King overseeing the whole back mountain, everything would be in plain sight, making it easier to manage. Wu Lan thought for a moment, ¡°No rush, let¡¯s take care of it after we¡¯ve tidied up the mountain. Right now, the fruit trees are the top priority!¡± April waits for no one, ah! That¡¯s when she remembered to ask, ¡°What are you planning to plant anyway?¡± Song Tan was still huffing and puffing: ¡°Here, the courier service is, after all, a bit inconvenient, and the mountain roads are bumpy. I don¡¯t see the town allocating any money to fix our roads in the next couple of years.¡± People in the suburbs could set up orchards for on-site picking and selling, but that wasn¡¯t feasible for them. Even those not prone to motion sickness would feel queasy after such a trip; the roads were simply too rough. ¡°That being the case, we should grow something that can last, something tough that won¡¯t be easily damaged by bumps.¡± Wu Lan considered, ¡°So, apples? Pears? Pomegranates? Dates? Grapes?¡± She couldn¡¯t think of anything else. In any case, a fruit like the local cherry tree near their home was definitely out of the question. Tasty it might be, but it wouldn¡¯t last after being picked¡ªit can¡¯t be covered, squeezed, or knocked about, and it barely keeps half a day. Song Tan hesitated as well, ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± This move was truly a case of relying on ¡®Spiritual Energy¡¯ to act boldly and without planning¡ªsomething unheard of for most farmers. To act so recklessly without planning would be odd if they didn¡¯t lose money. While they were discussing this, Zhang Yanping came back with a straw hat and a rake, slouching his shoulders like a genuine old farmer. He wore a long face: ¡°Sis, whatever you plan to plant, I have people; I¡¯ll get you in touch. Take me with you, let¡¯s go pick out some seedlings.¡± He really didn¡¯t want to climb the mountain again. Wu Lan laughed heartily, ¡°Yanping, if it¡¯s too much for you, you should go home. If you keep working here at your aunt¡¯s place day after day, your mom¡¯s really going to worry about you.¡± Zhang Yanping wanted to cry with no tears: Did he not want to go back? It was his mother who called every day, insisting that he must stay here! But his aunt eventually spoke a fair word, ¡°Tantan, you really should ask Yanping about what to plant. Your eldest auntie said he has picky taste! He eats whatever is delicious, and he¡¯s cleared out all the imported fruits in the store.¡± ¡°Since our stuff sells for so high, if you plant, plant something expensive.¡± Zhang Yanping perked up, ¡°Right! You¡¯ve got to listen to me on this! Let me think¡ªapples and oranges don¡¯t grow well here, no other reason than the climate, so they¡¯re out.¡± ¡°Grapes won¡¯t do either, Zhengjiagou grapes are famous throughout the city. If we try to enter the market now, it¡¯s going to be much more difficult.¡± ¡°Nowadays, domestic big cherries and blueberries are quite popular, but we can¡¯t compete with others in terms of sunlight, plus many people in the suburbs grow them in their plantations. As beginners, the risk is a bit high for us.¡± ¡°Oh, Huacheng¡¯s kiwifruits are very famous. Our climate is similar to theirs. Have you considered kiwi fruits? They¡¯re vine plants, and they last quite a while before they ripen.¡± Chapter 98 03-25 - 98: 98. Eagle Beak Peach_1 Chapter 98: 98. Eagle Beak Peach_1 ¡°What kind of kiwifruit?¡± Wu Lan asked, ¡°Is it that wild type of yangtao from the mountains? Not even the size of a ping-pong ball. It¡¯s so troublesome to have to wait until they¡¯re ripe enough to eat.¡± ¡°And if they aren¡¯t ripe, no matter how hard you knock them, they stay as hard as rocks. If you wait two days after they¡¯re ripe, they go bad.¡± She had eaten the kiwifruit sold in the markets, but she had never tried that ¡®kiwi¡¯ fruit, though she roughly understood it probably looked similar. Zhang Yanping wanted to explain that it wasn¡¯t the same thing, and that the fruit he was talking about would be sweet as soon as it was in your hands. But since he sold fruit, not grew it, he didn¡¯t quite understand the specifics of their harvest and simply dropped the topic. ¡°How about pomegranates, then? They can be stored for a while. The good quality pomegranates can sell for twenty yuan per jin during the ripe season.¡± Wu Lan nodded, ¡°Pomegranates are good. When they flower, they¡¯re so beautiful with their bright red blossoms! But will the nursery that sells us the saplings give us guidance when the time comes?¡± ¡°The pomegranate trees by our house just produce misshapen and bad-tasting fruit. They¡¯ll need to teach us properly.¡± Zhang Yanping thought for a moment, ¡°Or we could plant peaches. The premium lake-view peaches in my WeChat circle are selling for more than forty yuan per jin this year!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that they¡¯re soft and mushy, so we have to be extra careful when transporting them.¡± But the more he talked, the more animated he became, ¡°Tantan, once you get all the qualifications and certificates for your family farm, start an online store, and I¡¯ll be your customer service rep!¡± ¡°I guarantee to handle every damaged order perfectly for you.¡± As long as he didn¡¯t have to do manual labor, he could spend days and nights arguing with people online! Playing the role of a caring sister was also fine. ¡°Forty or fifty yuan per jin? Can peaches really sell for that much?¡± Wu Lan started to feel nostalgic: ¡°There are hardly any peach trees left in the village. When you were kids, there were two peach trees by the pond, with green fruit that wouldn¡¯t ripen until June or July. They were small, but one bite was sweet and tinged with sourness and bitterness, and the pits were red. It was truly delicious.¡± Those two peach trees were cut down when the pond was renovated, and within ten miles, no one seemed to be planting them anymore. At most, there were a couple of May peach trees left, neglected and flavorless. The more Wu Lan talked, the more nostalgic she felt, ¡°Life is better now, yet the food doesn¡¯t taste as good as it used to. I bought peaches last year in town for two yuan per jin. Honestly, they were just so-so. I don¡¯t even like them anymore.¡± Her description instantly made Zhang Yanping, who was already tired from a half day¡¯s work, salivate. He thought about it and actually came up with an idea: ¡°Auntie, if you¡¯re talking about a peach that¡¯s somewhat similar to Tantan¡¯s, I really do know of one kind.¡± He pulled up a picture: ¡°Look, it¡¯s green even when ripe, just the tip is a bit red. They¡¯re crispy and sweet, not sour or bitter, but they definitely have that peachy taste.¡± ¡°They¡¯re durable for storage and transport. You can keep them in the fridge for about a month.¡± He handed over his phone, showing a peach the size of a fist, green all over with just a hint of red at the tip, and a pointy beak-like end on top. ¡°Eagle Beak Peach.¡± ¡°These sold online last year for about ten yuan per jin, and people said they tasted like the peaches from our childhood.¡± ¡°Growing peach trees is something you¡¯re familiar with, right, Auntie? With some guidance from professionals, you surely won¡¯t go wrong.¡± Just as Song Sancheng returned from outside, he overheard something about peaches and subconsciously asked, ¡°Are we planting peach trees in the back mountain?¡± ¡°Sure, we can all plant peach trees here, no mistake about that. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll sell well¡­ Aren¡¯t young people nowadays all into eating what, big cherries, blueberries, strawberries and the like?¡± Zhang Yanping thought: With the taste of your family¡¯s produce, how could you worry about selling it? In any case, he looked over with an expectant face: ¡°Tantan, farming is a big deal, and you can¡¯t just recklessly spend thousands of yuan on saplings. How about I do some thorough research this afternoon? Let¡¯s make it fail-proof!¡± Song Tan smiled gently, ¡°Brother Yanping, there¡¯s no such thing as fail-proof in farming. All we can do is learn more, listen more, observe more, and practice seriously¡ªBut I can¡¯t disregard your kindness¡­ How about this, you go ahead with your work in the afternoon, and then look up the information when you get back in the evening. We shouldn¡¯t unnecessarily take up Brother Yanping¡¯s personal time for improvement.¡± Zhang Yanping: ¡­ He tossed aside the harrow in his hands with a world-weary air and then pulled open his collar a bit more: ¡°Tantan, this is April we¡¯re talking about, and I¡¯m still wearing a straw hat! Just look, what has my skin tone turned into with just two days¡¯ torment?¡± In reality, there wasn¡¯t much of a contrast¡ªjust two days spent in the field, what kind of tan could that yield? It was just a slight clash of colors. Qiaoqiao laughed smugly: ¡°Brother, you got a tan, but Qiaoqiao isn¡¯t afraid of the sun.¡± That¡¯s right, no matter how much this silly kid got sunburnt, his skin just turned red and peeled, he never got dark. What could you do about that? Left without support, Zhang Yanping could only wash his hands sorrowfully and prepare to eat as he saw the others returning. Eleven people crowded around one table, eating without lifting their heads from the large dish of Milk Vetch stir-fried with meat in the very center. Wu Lan wasn¡¯t stingy either, having prepared braised pork ribs and stewed meats. But judging by how everyone had been eating these past two days, no one would touch the other dishes until the Milk Vetch was finished. Song Sancheng passed a bottle of beer to everyone, and as village men were seldom abstainers after a day¡¯s work, he grabbed one for himself as well and then said: ¡°Chestnut, I¡¯ve got something to do this afternoon and can¡¯t make it to the mountain; if something comes up, just handle it for me.¡± The man called Chestnut, surnamed Zhou, was a relation of Zhou Maozhu, who roasted tea leaves, and was now in his forties or fifties. Upon hearing this, he nodded: ¡°Sure. Just a little tidying up of the mountain, what could go wrong? You go ahead with your work.¡± Then he casually asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Sancheng sighed. ¡°You know that family up the slope, around the corner of our back mountain, right next to Daqiao Village? The one our family had dealings with before. I heard from a phone call to their house this morning, the old lady¡­ she¡¯s gone.¡± As village folks were all connected somewhat, once he mentioned it, everyone at the table reacted: ¡°Oh, that family! Isn¡¯t that the family of¡­ what¡¯s his name¡­ Zhang Wang? I remember he¡¯s got a bit of a limp.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡± Someone at the side joined in: ¡°Just a slight limp¡ªdoesn¡¯t interfere with work, quite brisk really. Look at him, provided for two sons and a daughter. I think his daughter married into the town, and the sons are in the city.¡± As everyone was around the same age, the topic of birth, aging, sickness and death was a bit melancholic. They couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously: ¡°But I remember both of them being quite healthy, how come all of a sudden, she¡¯s gone?¡± Song Sancheng was also puzzled: ¡°A few days ago, there was talk that Mrs. Zhang had a fall and either broke her leg or something like that.¡± ¡°I was planning to find time to visit her in the town¡¯s hospital, but then this sudden news came, and I¡¯m not clear on what happened.¡± Chapter 99 03-25 - 99: 99. Grand Filial Piety (1)_1 Chapter 99: 99. Grand Filial Piety (1)_1 When it came to the subject of wrestling to the ground, everyone had a topic to talk about again. First, as one gets older, they might fear nothing but becoming immobile and suffering. Once you¡¯re bedridden and can¡¯t move, in two to three months all your vigor would be gone. Second, it¡¯s hard on family members taking care of you too, with all the chores inside and out. You can¡¯t even step outside because you¡¯re tethered by the sick or injured, and need to be on hand all the time¡­ The one lying down suffers, and so does the one taking care. ¡°A prolonged illness makes the son a prodigal,¡± that¡¯s the idea. As everyone chatted about this topic, sighs about age and health were heard all around. But Song Tan looked on with a cold eye, seeing this group of grown men, rambling on and on, yet those who were supposed to drink, drank, and those who were supposed to smoke, smoked. Nobody seemed to take their health seriously, and she truly felt speechless. Song Youde also had a little drink, and now he thought about someone younger than him passing away, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°Sancheng, since you¡¯re going to go, you might as well head over after eating and give them a hand.¡± ¡°No need to hurry back, we have people at home. When we had our own events at home, their family sent someone too. It¡¯s only right to go.¡± The village had this rule, if you helped out in someone else¡¯s family matters, then others would come to help when your own family needed it. Of course, if a family didn¡¯t lend a hand to others, when it was their turn, naturally, they¡¯d have no one to help them. Village rules were significant, and there were many to observe, unlike in the city, where as long as you paid enough, a full-service package would take care of everything. Here, a lot still needed to be organized with the help of relatives and friends. The diners were also making calculations, ¡°If the person has just passed, then the day after tomorrow, we¡¯ll need to go up the mountain. We¡¯re all from the same village, and have all previously paid our respects, so let¡¯s wait to pay our visit tomorrow.¡± In Yunqiao Village, they still practiced burial at that time, and the custom for burials was to carry the coffin up the mountain early in the morning. However, hosting guests for the ceremony and so on would all be done the second day after someone¡¯s departure. Since the person had just passed, setting up the mourning hall, inviting Taoist priests, preparing tobacco, alcohol, tea, hiring a chef¡­ the list of tasks was long! Song Sancheng couldn¡¯t sit still anymore, quickly finishing his meal, and putting his bowl and chopsticks down before heading straight over, ¡°I¡¯m going to check out the situation first.¡± Those left behind discussed among themselves and, after talking, one by one picked up their tools and climbed the mountain. The young man operating the excavator, no one knew where Zhang Yanping found him, was genuinely honest, a rare find. Seeing everyone had left, he thought it over and simply decided to continue working on the mountain too. A more experienced worker would have never worked beyond their paid hours if they were getting paid by the day, even if they didn¡¯t exactly skimp on the job. Once he started moving, everyone else naturally got busy, and before long, they had put the event out of their minds. It was not unusual for people in the village to pass away, one after another, given their old age. Unexpectedly, within an hour, Song Sancheng returned up the mountain with his rake, huffing and puffing with anger. Song Tan was also helping there with Qiaoqiao, clearing away rocks and wood debris. Seeing her dad¡¯s angry face and with the roar of the machinery, she had to raise her voice, ¡°Dad, what happened?¡± How could he come back like this from helping someone out? sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With a face full of fury, Song Sancheng exclaimed, ¡°Don¡¯t get me started! Those three children of the Zhang family are really TM worthless!¡± As soon as there was some gossip, a few of the working men perked up, eager to know more, and quickly asked, ¡°What happened? Are the kids unfilial?¡± Someone tried to give some advice, ¡°Ah, Old Song, you have to see things in perspective. Once kids grow up, they¡¯ll fly away. What expectations can you really have of them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, you hardly see them three times a year, as long as appearances are maintained, that¡¯s enough.¡± If only it were so simple! Song Sancheng was a picture of uncontrollable rage: ¡°What do you all know? This isn¡¯t about being filial or not, this is having a heart of a wolf and lungs of a dog!¡± Wow! Song Sancheng was a decent man, so if he described someone like this, there must have been a serious issue! All that was heard from Song Sancheng was: ¡°As soon as I got there today, I heard his eldest son on the phone, all high and mighty with the funeral service, voice booming, saying to pick the most expensive one! He wanted the finest shroud, an ice coffin, and even to put on a big, bustling funeral ceremony¡­¡± ¡°I thought to myself, don¡¯t we all just want to leave with dignity? This kid is doing alright, after-death matters are still matters, and saving face is also important, right?¡± ¡°But who would have known that Zhang Wang was swinging a hoe at his son¡¯s head, and had to be pulled apart by everyone. That¡¯s when I found out what was really going on!¡± Every village has its share of lazybones and loafers, but the Zhang family and Sister Zhang were definitely not like that. The couple, one with a slight limp and the other not much of a talker, were both hard workers. In those days, enduring famine and lacking in clothes and food, they had single-handedly raised three children. They married early and had children early; their eldest child is already forty this year, and even their youngest daughter is thirty-one or thirty-two, all with families of their own. Although visits home were few and far between, whenever Zhang Wang mentioned his children, he was brimming with pride, one day talking about how they called him, the next about how they craved vegetables from their own garden, and the day after that, about them buying something special to visit their elderly parents¡­ As people get older, don¡¯t they just want their children to be filial? This had become the norm in the village. But how warm or cold their daily lives were, that was something only each family really knew. Last week, the same day Song Tan went out to buy Golden Sakura, the Zhang family¡¯s eldest son called, saying he wanted to eat pearl flowers from back home. Pearl flower is a local wild edible, right when the branches start sprouting buds, they form these small pod-like leaves. Blanched and stir-fried with meat, or cooked with noodles, it has a very unique flavor. Sister Zhang grabbed a basket and headed up the mountain, but on the way down, she wasn¡¯t careful and fell, breaking her leg. Since she didn¡¯t bring a mobile phone, it was a good while past midday before Zhang Wang¡¯s family found her, they had the neighbors help carry her into the house, and that¡¯s when they called their son, who said impatiently: ¡°Mom, you¡¯re so old, why do you keep running up to the mountain for no reason? Are we short on food or drink at home?¡± Then he added, ¡°I¡¯m at work right now, how could I have time to come home? By the time I get back, it would take hours! Isn¡¯t my sister in town? Tell her to hurry up and find a car to take you to the hospital.¡± The phone then was passed to the daughter. The daughter wasn¡¯t happy either, saying, ¡°In the village, it¡¯s the sons who look after their parents. Mom, you can¡¯t expect everything from me just because I¡¯m close by! With something as serious as a broken leg, you need to call my brother, have him call an ambulance.¡± Well, the ambulance was willing to come, but a single trip would cost five hundred. Just the one-way travel time would exceed one and a half hours, and by the time the ambulance made the round trip, delivering the person to the hospital would probably take four hours. And with the location deep in the mountains, and the old folks not knowing how to use GPS, once the ambulance reached a fork in the road, Zhang Wang had to ride his motorcycle ahead to lead the way. Who could wait for that? In the end, they found the driver of the village bus service, who quickly arranged for a vehicle to take her away. While en route, the old lady¡¯s condition seemed not too good, and the driver was scared too, so he hurriedly sent her to the nearest town hospital. Chapter 100 03-25 - 100: 100. Laughter fills the hall with great Chapter 100: 100. Laughter fills the hall with great ¡°filial piety¡± (2)_1 ¡°` By the time they reached the town hospital, the doctor said after taking an x-ray that her thigh bone was broken and she needed surgery in the city. The surgery was somewhat complicated and had to be done at a top-tier hospital to be safe. The problem was that the reimbursement rate at a top-tier hospital was not high, and the old lady had some other minor issues as well. After reimbursement, the estimated expenses would still be around ten to twenty thousand yuan. Just as they were arranging to send her to the city quickly, the children finally had time to make phone calls. When the eldest son got on the phone, he started by complaining about his mother: ¡°¡­She just can¡¯t enjoy the good life! With food and drink aplenty, why did she have to go up the mountain?¡± The second son also made a call, grumbling: ¡°Mom, don¡¯t you realize how important my job is right now? How crucial it is for the kids to go to school? Can¡¯t you just give us a break?¡± The daughter, on the other hand, came in person and began to complain as soon as she arrived: ¡°If you stayed in the town hospital, I could bring you meals every day. If you stay in the city hospital, not only do I have to keep you company, but the hospital beds are so scarce, I won¡¯t even have a place to sleep at night¡­¡± The old lady was not good at speaking to start with, and now she just listened silently, her eyes brimming with tears, until in the end she didn¡¯t say a word. The children were even less willing when they found out about the medical expenses. In the village, it was customary for daughters to take care of their parents but not to contribute financially. Meaning, the two sons would each have to come up with around ten thousand yuan. The eldest sighed, and the three siblings started a group call, with the sister turning her voice on speaker: The eldest explained how much money was needed for the children¡¯s tutoring classes, how tense it was at home when the kids were sick, and how tough life was given the current market conditions¡­ The second son also sighed, saying everyone else had the eldest take care of the parents, and that he didn¡¯t mind that, out of filial piety. But for medical expenses to be so high, wasn¡¯t that unreasonable? ¡°These top-tier hospitals are just scamming us; we should find a designated hospital instead! The reimbursement is better!¡± The sister let out a cold laugh, telling her parents, ¡°Mom, you see? It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to take care of you, but if I do it every day, it¡¯ll affect the business in the store. Do you think my brother will compensate me?¡± How much business could her store possibly have? It was just a small shop in the town where the family of three would stay all day long, sometimes setting up a mahjong table, making as much noise as a marching band. After hanging up the phone, the three siblings didn¡¯t even bring up the matter of sending her to the city. Zhang Wang was trembling as he listened, glaring fiercely at his phone: ¡°The doctor said surgery at her age is risky! It¡¯s only safe at the central hospital. You three, do you want to see your mother die on the operating table before you¡¯re satisfied?¡± ¡°A pack of ungrateful brutes, I have money. I don¡¯t need yours!¡± No sooner had he spoken than the two sons exploded: ¡°Dad! Who said that? Who said that? Isn¡¯t it you who can¡¯t enjoy a quiet life at home, causing us all this trouble?¡± The daughter had also hung up the phone, her face looking terrible: ¡°Dad, it costs three thousand yuan for your grandson¡¯s kindergarten fees, and you were reluctant to help out! Now you suddenly have money?¡± And with a slap on the back, she walked out. The doctor kept advising them to hurry, saying that at the old lady¡¯s age, her leg must be in pain and enduring so much suffering. As for the money, it was just a rough estimate; they could always apply later, who knows, they might get more reimbursed. Zhang Wang was trying to comfort Mrs. Zhang, insisting it was alright as they had saved up over forty thousand yuan for medical treatment, which should be more than enough. Mrs. Zhang didn¡¯t say a word at the time; she just kept clutching her husband¡¯s hand, insisting on going home, tears falling drop by drop. How could she go home like this? ¡°` But Zhang Wang¡¯s wife had been stubborn all her life, and this time was the first she had cried like this, so Zhang Wang¡¯s heart softened and he agreed. Anyway, he was going to go home to fetch the savings book. After some difficulty, he asked someone from the same ward to help make a phone call for a ¡°one dragon¡± shuttle service, discussed the price, and got offered a ride from the town to home for one hundred yuan. The always frugal Zhang Wang had never been so lavish. Yet, to his surprise, while he was busy flipping the savings book thinking about encircling chickens and ducks, the old lady hanged herself on the porch with her belt, kneeling down and ending her life. Upon this part of the story, everyone was cursing, ¡°Bah! What a bastard who doesn¡¯t act human!¡± Another one, feeling emotional, said, ¡°To have raised three ingrates, and with such a serious issue as a broken leg, they still quibbled¡­¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Someone else added, ¡°Enjoying good fortune? Aren¡¯t we country people destined to scratch a living from the soil our whole lives? Without working at home, could we be waited on like a landlord, as if food and grain come from the northwest wind blowing them in?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all nonsense!¡± ¡°Exactly! You know what Zhang Wang and his wife are like. They would rather endure hardship than take insults. Was it easy raising three children by scratching a living from the soil? Now when they¡¯re old, this is what they end up with¡­¡± ¡°Can you believe how this rotten grandson was taught¡­?¡± ¡°What about being taught? Sometimes it¡¯s related to upbringing, but sometimes it has nothing to do with it at all! He¡¯s just rotten from the roots! People always say bad bamboo produces good shoots, but good bamboo can easily produce bad shoots too!¡± Song Youde took a puff of his dry tobacco pipe and sighed, ¡°Sancheng, their family¡¯s issues are their own, you know how stubborn Zhang Wang is. Anger aside, you can¡¯t just come back like this. Look, you should lend a hand when it¡¯s needed, let¡¯s send Zhang Wang¡¯s wife off with dignity.¡± ¡°What dignity!¡± Was Song Sancheng the kind of person who would just turn around and leave things unattended? ¡°It all fell apart right there!¡± ¡°The three sorry sons came home to sort through the old lady¡¯s belongings, and Zhang Wang directly dragged out a cardboard box from the storeroom, opened the plastic bag inside, and it was all money!¡± ¡°Dad, do you remember those old bills from my childhood? The one-point and one-cent ones, later the fifty-cent ones, the biggest being two yuan, all neatly tied up with rubber bands!¡± Some of the money had started to mold and rot, some had been nibbled on the edges by mice and weren¡¯t complete anymore, and some were stuck together, leaving only a blur of colors¡­ But this was indeed all money, a box full of decades of hard-earned money. Zhang Wang opened this box of money for everyone to see, calling several sisters-in-law from around to help count, leaving his children dumbfounded. They stood there, rather uncomfortably, saying to him: ¡°Dad, look at you, if you had this money, why didn¡¯t you say so! There are people who collect these old bills now, and they offer good money for them.¡± ¡°Give them to me earlier, I could have sold them for you. Mom wouldn¡¯t have¡­ not wanting to spend the money to¡­¡± As they reached out to touch the money, suddenly, a hoe swung by Zhang Wang almost broke an arm with a whoosh! ¡°Did your mom die because she didn¡¯t want to spend the money? She was literally suffocated and angered to death by you all!¡± They had worked hard all their lives, and in the end, they couldn¡¯t get over this one breath! For that twenty thousand yuan, they were willing to disregard the lives of their parents. How could she accept that! The eldest son got married years ago, and they begged and borrowed fifteen thousand yuan for him to buy a public-funded apartment in the city. The second son married late, but it was the same routine, scraping together eighty thousand yuan for an apartment¡­ There was no choice; housing prices had risen. When it was their daughter¡¯s turn, they supplemented the ten thousand yuan dowry they received with another thirty thousand, along with the new furniture they provided as part of her wedding gift. The couple returned to their debt-ridden state of poverty, and it was only in recent years that they had gradually cleared their debts. In their lifetime, the couple never wronged their children! Chapter 101 03-25 - 101: 101. Fruit Seedling Price_1 Chapter 101: 101. Fruit Seedling Price_1 ¡°` ¡°I¡¯m telling you!¡± Zhang Wang¡¯s hands, aged and gnarled, clutched the hoe tightly, blue veins bulging as he glared fiercely at his children, ¡°From the day I married your mother, she began to save money. She saved some for the household and some for each of you! She saved for over forty years.¡± ¡°Later on, when life got better, all the money saved for the household was given to you guys too. We fulfilled our responsibility. Your mother said that when she passed, the remaining money was to be shared among you as a keepsake.¡± ¡°Never thought I¡¯d raise a bunch of ingrates. You don¡¯t even care for your own mother, so what keepsake do you want?¡± With that, Zhang Wang slammed the hoe onto the ground: ¡°I¡¯m telling you now, I don¡¯t have children like you. No need to kowtow!¡± ¡°Get out! All of you get out!¡± Just then, the women who had been counting the money finally finished tallying the full box, and, looking at Zhang¡¯s wife, not yet placed in the coffin, tears suddenly streamed down: ¡°All together¡­ thirty thousand yuan.¡± ¡­ Silence fell over everyone present. Only the sound of Song Youde smoking his cigarette and then suddenly quipping out of the blue: ¡°Sancheng, if you dare do this to me when I can no longer work, I¡¯ll burn your house down with a fire.¡± ¡°Zhang Wang is just too soft-hearted. If it were me, I would have chopped them with the hoe right on their heads. A dog would have been better than his kids.¡± Song Sancheng felt a chill on his scalp, then put on a stern face, ¡°Dad, what are you talking about? It was me who drove those three bastards away today!¡± Fancy that, their sons and sons-in-law came in cars. Regardless of whether the cars were good or bad, borrowed or what, they had the means but still wouldn¡¯t spend on their own mother¡­ Saying they¡¯re heartless is an understatement. Song Youde snorted. That was more like it. As for Zhang Wang, given that his children were out of the picture, hosting relatives and friends from the village was simple. Today wasn¡¯t the time for proper hospitality anyway. Song Sancheng planned to help out again tomorrow, and the day after, he¡¯d have to assist with carrying the coffin too. It seemed the incident was going to pass quietly. But as the funeral progressed, Song Tan noticed that the relatives working in the house, whether aunts or uncles, suddenly became very active. With some thought, she understood that this was the innate panic from the middle-aged and the elderly, realizing that their children were unreliable. Now, with a chance to make money, it was wiser to save for themselves. If you get sick, best pay for your treatment without hoping for the children¡¯s help. When you¡¯re old, having money won¡¯t guarantee comfort, but can¡¯t it at least reduce suffering? Realizing this, Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. But right now, there was another matter worth her sigh¡ªthe price for the mature peach saplings, grafted in the past year, was absurdly high. Zhang Yanping had sought out the channel from Old Zhou, who ran a nursery, and had also inquired elsewhere. Yet everywhere he asked, mature saplings that were three centimeters in diameter cost eighty yuan each. To fully plant their twenty acres, they needed at least two thousand trees, totaling a staggering one hundred sixty thousand yuan¡ªmore expensive than a twenty-year land lease, no less! Good grief! When Wu Lan and Song Sancheng heard these numbers in the house, they were alarmed, ¡°Do we really need to plant such expensive fruit trees? Can¡¯t we plant something cheaper?¡± But the thing is, the market price for mature fruiting trees was more or less the same these days. Where would they find the money for that? They had just started plowing the mountain; who would have guessed they¡¯d misjudged the price so badly? Wu Lan pondered, ¡°Otherwise, that sixty thousand yuan¡­¡± ¡°` S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Tan shook her head, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t put so much pressure on yourself; just think of it this way: 160,000 yuan is just selling 16 kilograms of tea.¡± Wow! Look at how casually she¡¯s talking, as if it¡¯s just 16 yuan. But when you think about it, it¡¯s true: If you say 160,000 yuan, that¡¯s certainly a big number. But if you talk about 16 kilograms of tea, it suddenly doesn¡¯t seem like a big deal. Even though Wu Lan knew that selling the tea wouldn¡¯t be so easy, she still couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Song Tan also soothed her, ¡°It¡¯s okay, no rush. It will take another four or five days to get things sorted on the mountain, which is enough time for us to earn this money.¡± She really wasn¡¯t worried¡ªin the worst case, she would just take out a loan. She couldn¡¯t believe that with the quality of her products, she wouldn¡¯t be able to make those 160,000 yuan. She turned her head and began sending messages in the group chat. [Honey pre-sale starts, 1,000 yuan per kilogram, first come first served, prices will double to 2,000 yuan in a week.] [Pre-Qingming tea is about to sell out, purchase now if interested.] It wasn¡¯t wrong¡ªQingming Festival was coming in just two days. They could only produce about four or five kilograms of dried tea per day, and compared to the larger tea merchants, they were indeed about to sell out. [Milk Vetch harvest period is five days, please take note of the timing.] My goodness, the phone kept pinging all night without stopping. People were either inquiring about the products or simply sending their addresses and paying outright. Waking up in the morning, Song Tan made a nonchalant gesture to the heavily dark-circled Wu Lan, ¡°Mom, I told you there¡¯s no need to worry. Last night, we sold eight kilograms of tea.¡± ¡°Twenty kilograms of honey were pre-ordered.¡± And there were some Milk Vetch, but those details could wait until the harvest to count the exact amounts. My goodness, that was 100,000 yuan in one night. Who knew money could come in so fast? Wu Lan¡¯s head was spinning with excitement. Little did she know that the bosses and Secretary Wang had been carrying a tin of the tea with them everywhere they went ever since they had tasted it. They weren¡¯t that picky before, but after trying other people¡¯s tea, they found fault with everything. This tea was too dark, that one too bitter; another one lacked a sufficient aftertaste, yet another¡¯s aroma was dull¡­ Even though the teas they tasted were all high-quality, they just didn¡¯t feel right anymore. Alas, as soon as they heard that this tea was about to sell out and were uncertain if the same quality would be available later, they both immediately adopted a Singles¡¯ Day shopping spree mindset, buying four kilograms at once. Of those, the boss bought three kilograms and Secretary Wang one. There was no helping it; who made Secretary Wang somewhat more financially embarrassed? The other two kilograms were pre-ordered by those young chaps from the last time in the office who had crowdfunded. These blokes were sly, keeping the good tea for themselves and reluctant to give it as gifts, fearing their parents or fathers-in-law might develop a taste for it and then crave this particular tea all the time. After all, with their meager salaries, who could they afford to supply? Better to enjoy it themselves. And who were the last two kilograms for? Of course, it was Old Sun¡¯s buddies. After all, it had only been a few days, and who knows if his brothers had emptied their secret stashes, but last night, they were especially eager to pay. No hesitation or skulking about like the last time. And Wu Lan was thoroughly relieved. The 100,000 yuan from the honey and tea sales, plus the 40,000 yuan from the last Milk Vetch sale, left her feeling incredibly light-hearted, without a single worry anymore. Chapter 102 - 102: 102. Lun Chuan Discharged from Hospital_1 Chapter 102: 102. Lun Chuan Discharged from Hospital_1 Imperial City. Wanhe Garden. The unassuming black SUV slowly approached, the electronic barrier automatically lifted, and the outline of the woman in the driver¡¯s seat was faintly visible. In the back seat, the young man¡¯s face was pale, his features serene, and the small mole on his forehead made his melancholy seem more pronounced. Lun Jing glanced at him in the rearview mirror and always felt that he was distracted and restless. This feeling was not good. He was neatly dressed in cotton home clothes, and even with several meals of shepherd¡¯s purse dumplings during the hospital stay, her son had visibly lost weight, especially recently. Initially, she had thought that recuperating at home after being discharged from the hospital would do him some good, but ever since that editor visited yesterday, her son had been in this state¡­ She sighed to herself, ¡°Achuan, I forgot to tell you, that little girl sent another box of stuff.¡± ¡°I opened it and saw three pounds of tea, which they said they grew themselves. There were also ten bundles of milk vetch, saying they feared it wouldn¡¯t be fresh due to the long journey and didn¡¯t dare to send more. Just blanching and freezing them should be fine.¡± ¡°But the tea is good, and she asked you to drink more of it.¡± At first, when her son ended up in this state trying to save someone, Lun Jing was truly heartbroken. Latter, he insisted on transferring to Imperial City, stubbornly leaving no way to contact him, and the other party also made no move, even though Lun Jing knew they were not given a chance, which still made her feel uncomfortable. But now¡­ She felt that this girl really was simple and honest! Even her expressions of gratitude were imbued with a rustic charm. Not a mention of money, no talk of huge debts of gratitude, and no questioning whether anything was needed. As soon as there was something good at home, she sent it straight over, without even saying a few more words of caution, as if appearing was a sin. This made Lun Jing feel guilty¡ªher son saving someone was his own doing, and being able to save such a lively young girl made her proud as a mother. Her initial anger was really unwarranted. Moreover, she had been to the countryside. After her son started earning money, they had experienced high-quality ingredients, but none were better than the shepherd¡¯s purse sent last time. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If you say this was just casually picked from the fields, she didn¡¯t believe it. It must have been carefully selected with great effort by their family. If it met someone who did not appreciate its value and casually threw it away, that would be so heartbreaking! How could anyone not say this girl was simple and honest? Not to mention, the old gentleman in the opposite ward would stand at the door with his cane every mealtime, and after Lun Jing had sent dumplings over twice and found that her own supply was running particularly low, she did not have the heart to ask Song Tan for more and decided not to send any again. It was as if she and her son were sneaking around when eating dumplings, with all the venting and locking the doors. Alas, eating their own food yet feeling such guilt. This feeling of guilt reached its peak that morning when they were discharged from the hospital, and the other party brought out an aged ham from their ward as a gift. Now, as Lun Jing thought of this, she mulled over: ¡°Achuan, that tea of yours, I see it¡¯s all packaged up. Give it a try later and see if it¡¯s any good. If it is, mom will take a box and make another trip to the hospital.¡± As she said this, she felt a tingling in her scalp again. Just thinking of sending such a large ham for just two meals of dumplings¡ªand the ham was of good quality too, clearly involving a lot of effort just to procure it. Remembering her secret behavior during this time, she indeed felt a profound sense of guilt. Lost in his own thoughts, he didn¡¯t pay attention to his son in the back seat for a moment. In the rearview mirror, Lun Chuan slightly turned his head to look outside, his pale face fully visible. A significant amount of hair on the right side of his head had been shaved off, leaving behind a fierce scar that stretched from behind his ear to the corner of his eye, his forehead, and near his cheekbone. The scar on the back side extended from behind his ear, at least five centimeters wide, sprawling down his neck, back, and along the shoulder down to the collarbone and front chest. If he were to completely unbutton his shirt, one would find that the burn scar spread across a large area of his back and the right side of his front chest. Fortunately, although the area was extensive, the severity wasn¡¯t too great; otherwise, the subsequent treatment would have been unbearably painful. His skin was fair, and he had a sensitive constitution. The doctor had mentioned several times that if he did not undergo skin graft surgery, scars would likely remain. But skin grafting surgery¡­ would take at least two weeks, and at most eight weeks or even longer. He didn¡¯t have the time for that at the moment. On one hand, delaying the skin graft would result in Zhou Yongzhi backing off for a while. On the other hand, he had a copyright co-operation to discuss soon, which made it unsuitable to stay in the hospital all the time for recovery. So, he postponed it. Burn scars are different from other wounds; they look ferocious and terrifying. If a stranger were to see them, they might get a shock on the spot. For this reason, it accentuated Lun Chuan¡¯s dark eyebrows and calm gaze even more. From the side, his tall nose stood like mountains, only his slightly pale lips revealing his poor condition. He sat there motionless, but the small mole on his forehead was all the more eye-catching. Lun Chuan lowered his eyelashes and thought about the message he had received on his phone a couple of days ago¡ª [¡®I¡¯ve just sent over three pounds of tea, drink more of it.¡¯] This message¡­ felt distant yet carried an intimate undertone. There was also a notion of¡­ What else was there? Lun Chuan thought, just like how his mother just spoke: The tea is good, you should drink more of it. He still remembered how difficult it was for him to pull a person out of a car. He was still deeply impressed by the girl¡¯s pale face and unexpectedly calm eyes when he thought back to her. Anything more than that¡­ he couldn¡¯t remember clearly. The chaos at the time had been too much, and he had rescued more than just one person. Now, even their faces were blurry to him. The car came to a steady halt in the underground garage, and Lun Chuan opened the trunk to move some boxes, but Lun Jing shoved a bag into his hands, ¡°Go on, just carrying the clothes is enough. You still have injuries, don¡¯t do any heavy lifting.¡± With that, she picked up a foam box and headed to the elevator. This apartment was bought by Lun Chuan with the money he earned from his first book. Back then, the housing prices weren¡¯t so terrifying. It was a 140-square-meter apartment with a terrace, located on the top floor of the twenty-seventh level. As the elevator ascended, Lun Jing continued to prattle on: ¡°You planted a lot of flowers on the terrace, and I didn¡¯t know how to water them. I just did what you told me to¡ªwater the ones where the soil feels light. You should rest up well when you get back and also take care of your plants and flowers.¡± The electronic door lock clicked open, and as the door opened, a roughly six or seven square-meter entry garden came into view. While the ventilation here was good, the area was in the shade. Lun Chuan had planted a variety of tropical green plants of varying heights. Due to lack of care and direction adjustment, a large leaf with a velvet texture now stretched forward, forcing Lun Jing to tilt her head to the side with the box in her arms to avoid it. ¡°What kind of leaf is this? Every time I see it, I want to ask, but I always forget¡ªlooks like velvet, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Chapter 103 - 103: 103. Black Gold Vine Velvet_1 Chapter 103: 103. Black Gold Vine Velvet_1 Lun Chuan followed behind, raising his hand to block the green leaf. Pale and slender yet with distinctly knuckled fingers, he lightly touched the textured green surface. This intense color contrast only made him appear more jade-like, infusing a sense of tranquility into his whole being. Then, Lun Chuan looked down at the leaf in his hand and answered in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s called Velvet Leaf.¡± A month had passed since he¡¯d been home, and it seemed as though nothing had changed, yet everything had. The living room was still bright and clear, the glass spotless. Walking past the soft, minimalist sofa, the terrace outside still hosted his patch of flowers and plants, vibrant and growing wild. Lun Jing placed the suitcase on the table near the entrance, talking to him as she unpacked, ¡°I locked the gym; you¡¯re not fit for strenuous exercise now. Be sensible, okay?¡± Lun Chuan nodded. Whether it was locked or not didn¡¯t really matter. Of the four bedrooms at home, one had been turned into a study, another into a gym with basic equipment. But Lun Chuan wasn¡¯t one for reckless indulgence, especially not in his current state. Lun Jing continued to prattle on: ¡°I had the housekeeper come clean this morning, the same one you always use. But with you like this, we¡¯ll need to find someone else to cook for you¡­¡± She pulled out a box of tea leaves, then paused her unpacking to ask him, ¡°Achuan, I know you don¡¯t like having people around, but you can put your writing on hold for a bit and rest properly. Otherwise, Mom can come stay with you.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Lun Chuan, having changed into slippers, walked over to her. Standing at six feet tall with admirable posture, he raised his hand to help her unpack the suitcase. The casual clothes he wore clung to and outlined the smooth curvature of his spine and his lean waist. ¡°This place is too far from where you work, and wasn¡¯t the new house transferred to your name? This is a good chance for you to move in, closer to the company, to avoid traffic,¡± he said, then added after a pause, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine here with just the housekeeper.¡± Lun Jing didn¡¯t know what to say. She, in fact, wasn¡¯t the overly attentive type. Her son had always been like this, enjoying his solitude, disturbed by the presence of others in the house, unable to find peace. At that moment, she fell silent for a while, then simply decided to open up a box of tea leaves and change the subject: ¡°Here, try these. They¡¯re handmade by a young girl. Mom knows you prefer single bush tea, but take a sip of this green tea at least, don¡¯t let it go to waste.¡± Upon opening the tea bag, a serene fragrance enveloped the room, as refreshing as a mountain stream, silently permeating the space. The scent made them both feel refreshed and extremely comfortable. Lun Jing instinctively clutched the bag, ¡°Wow, this is so fragrant!¡± She then hurried into the kitchen, clumsily digging out a cup, and turned on the tap to fill it with water. The water at the perfect temperature filled the cup, stirring up steam that released the fragrance of the tea leaves. Up close, it seemed even their eyes were comforted by the warmth. She held the cup high, then with her heart filled with joy proclaimed, ¡°Achuan, look at this fine tea, the color is so nice.¡± Although the tea tips weren¡¯t pure buds, with a couple of tender leaves mixed in, it didn¡¯t detract from its beauty or aroma. Lun Chuan took the cup and eyed the pale green tea, feeling a thirst of his own. ¡°Such fine tea!¡± Lun Jing said with delight before hesitating again: ¡°Such fine tea leaves, and someone sends you three pounds at once, all so carefully packaged¡­ Achuan, tell the girl not to spend any more; it¡¯s not easy for the villagers to make money. This has to be the best tea, chosen with great care.¡± Should I send a message? Lun Chuan hesitated; he didn¡¯t want to interact with strangers anymore. However, Lun Jing couldn¡¯t wait for his reply and, clutching the cup in her hands with indecision, said, ¡°The tea is so nice; don¡¯t you think sending two boxes might be too extravagant? Maybe we should just send one.¡± Three pounds, three gift boxes, each containing five iron tins of two ounces each. What Lun Jing originally meant by one or two boxes was two gift packages. But now, one or two boxes referred to these two-ounce packs. But she was torn and hesitant, yet in the end, the damned feeling of not wanting to seem ungrateful overcame her reluctance and she gritted her teeth and decided, ¡°Let¡¯s send two boxes.¡± While muttering excuses to herself: ¡°What if they don¡¯t like tea? Sending just four ounces won¡¯t be too wasteful¡­ And besides, however good his ham might be, can it be better than our tea?¡± ¡­ After Lun Jing left, the spacious room quieted down again. Lun Chuan took out the remote, and with a ¡°beep,¡± the electric curtains slowly drew closed, casting the room into dimness. The corner night light activated, emitting only a hazy glow over a small area, making the already dim human figure within the light seem all the more lonely. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The scent of fresh tea lingered faintly as he took out his phone intending to message the girl who kept sending things. However, upon opening WeChat, the conversation at the very top was still with his editor: ¡°Lun Chuan, how long will it take to recover after the skin graft? If it¡¯s within a month, I can still hold off.¡± ¡°Your new book has received several offers from the publishers, but the highest bid comes from a film company that only wishes you¡¯d meet their ¡®Princess¡¯ in person, have a meal with her.¡± ¡°Do you understand what I mean? They¡¯re star chasing. You¡¯re the star in her eyes. But with your current condition, I¡¯m afraid the deal might not go through.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very, very high offer. The company really needs this opportunity.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always had a pleasant cooperation with the company over the years, and we¡¯ve been actively promoting your work. Everyone is looking forward to this collaboration.¡± ¡°And they¡¯ve promised not to hold onto the rights but to start planning the production as soon as possible. Back when you weren¡¯t very famous, those works were hoarded by others; now is a good opportunity.¡± ¡°Lun Chuan, consult the doctor well, and let me know once you have news.¡± Lun Chuan closed his eyes, leaning his head back slightly. The lines of his jaw were smooth and flowing; in the gloom, his Adam¡¯s apple shifted as he swallowed. His arms hung long and straight, the sensation of scars on his back and shoulders causing a faint twinge of pain. Originally, he chose to write simply to make himself happy. But now, was it worth it to be trapped by this job? The fragrance of tea wafted through the air; he picked up his cup and took a light sip, instantly feeling the sweetness permeate his throat, as if he was engulfed by a lush mountain forest, a life of peacefulness. His mind was utterly clear. Lun Chuan picked up his phone again, but this time not to reply to the editor. Instead, he opened the message from Song Tan that had arrived three days earlier. This time, he finally mustered up the courage: ¡°Thank you for the tea, I really like it.¡± Chapter 104 - 104: 104. Plowing the land_1 Chapter 104: 104. Plowing the land_1 The phone in Song Tan¡¯s pocket emitted a ¡°beep,¡± but she was busy herding a group of chicks and ducklings into the field, paying it no heed. The bees were covered all over with fluffy pollen, and at the moment the fields buzzed with their activity, especially noisy. The chubby bumblebee, struggling to flap its wings, could only barely maintain a low-level flight before heavily tumbling onto a Milk Vetch bloom. For half a day, it didn¡¯t even stick its head inside the flower but almost dragged the delicate stem along, tilting to the side. Its wings trembled in panic, appearing particularly clumsy and pitiful. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud, then pulled up a nearby fence and drove the chickens and ducks to an adjacent field that had already been stripped of its pollen. It was early April, and without her interference, little grasshoppers and green worms of all kinds came out, attracted by the Spiritual Energy, their flesh tender and juicy. So much so that the chicks and ducklings almost sprinted with their little wings flapping, then dived headfirst into the field! To them, how could this be a field? It was clearly a granary! They could not only eat the grass leaves rich in Spiritual Energy but also the tender little insects that had consumed the leaves. From afar, Big White¡¯s loud, honking ¡°ga ga ga¡± could be heard on the other side, clearly delighted to plunge into the pond again. The decorative little fountains that she had bought were rather weak, and Song Tan had infused them with plenty of Spiritual Energy to ensure their quick growth, making the surrounding water grass particularly lush. Regrettably, there had always been plenty of carps and grass carps in the pond, which were now thrashing around at the bottom and had inadvertently nibbled the nearby water grass down a notch. Big White lazed comfortably on the water¡¯s surface, occasionally snatching up duckweeds and eating them haphazardly, which enhanced this idyllic pastoral leisure even more. But it was clear that only the animals were enjoying the leisure. Take Song Tan, for instance, who had just finished laboring in the mountains and had only then taken up this task. Even Qiaoqiao wasn¡¯t idle, with his honey extraction bucket and tools in tow, pulling Zhang Yanping with him up the mountain. That¡¯s right, Brother Yanping, who stubbornly resisted labor reform, had through active cooperation (securing an excellent deal by purchasing five-year-old Eagle Beak Peach saplings for eighty yuan) successfully escaped the hard labor of working in the mountains and fields, now just needing to assist Qiaoqiao. This left him overjoyed and overwhelmingly grateful. Even holding the heavy bucket made him feel as if he had wind under his feet. The tiller roared, drawing nearer, and the uncle sitting on the machine asked with a smile: ¡°Song Tan, I¡¯ll rough plow these remaining plots for you today, and fine plow each one tomorrow. Does that sound okay to you?¡± Yes, from tomorrow onward, they would no longer sell Milk Vetch. Simply because the fields could no longer keep up with production. On the one hand, the Milk Vetch was old and tender ones that were edible were hard to come by. On the other hand, a buyer who came from thousands of miles away to purchase two thousand kilograms at a time, had emptied the fields. Seeing that it was time for Qingming Festival, a prime season for planting, when else to plow if not now? ¡°Sure, Uncle. You arrange as you see fit. When you¡¯re done with this side, there are a few plots at the foot of the back hill that will need your help as well,¡± she replied. ¡°Alright!¡± As fellow villagers, everyone was keenly aware of the importance of timing in agriculture; he didn¡¯t dare to drag his feet on this matter, lest his reputation suffer. After all, planting melons and beans around the Qingming Festival was serious business. Moreover, this season he¡¯d earned quite a bit by plowing for Song Tan, so he was feeling particularly content, putting more effort into the depth of the plowing. And Song Tan surrounded the chickens and ducks, not minding the bees still struggling on one side, and walked directly with the basket to the two fields on the outer edge, green and full of life. Old Li was quite embarrassed, ¡°Tantan, you said you were going to till the land. Didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? I could have called the ox to plow the fields!¡± ¡°Why spend money on hiring machinery? It¡¯s so expensive!¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He remembered the grain and oil Song Tan had sent over and felt even more uncomfortable. Song Tan, however, smiled: ¡°Grandpa, the ox is old. How could I bear to make it do hard work?¡± Old Li laughed, ¡°Take it slow, it won¡¯t get tired if you don¡¯t rush the work. Besides, look at it now, sleek and shiny. It hasn¡¯t looked this spirited in many years.¡± That was true. Song Tan thought, this ox, after stuffing itself with rough feed at home, couldn¡¯t wait to come to the field to munch on Milk Vetch. It had been feasting on Milk Vetch for a couple of months now¡­ How could its health not improve? If Milk Vetch could be the main feed and not just a supplement, she reckoned the ox would want to sleep in the fields. As she pondered, she reached out to stroke the ox¡¯s ear. The animal snorted, and its wet, glistening eyes looked over before rubbing its head against her hand. Song Tan smiled, ¡°Still, Grandpa Li, you can¡¯t stay idle either. Spend the next couple of days sharpening that plow, because after this machine has plowed these two fields, we¡¯ll be planting rice. When the water is let in, we¡¯ll need you to bring the old ox to till.¡± Old Li wasn¡¯t afraid of the work; he was afraid of having nothing to do. Hearing this, his spirits lifted: ¡°Of course! No matter how good that machine is, could it be better than my old ox in these small fields?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve been growing rice all my life. I¡¯ll make sure everything is taken care of down to the last detail!¡± Seeing Song Tan take out a sickle from the basket, he asked, ¡°Are you planning to cut some more to feed the pigs?¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Song Tan smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll feed it to the pigs after chopping it up, and then feed it to the chickens and ducks. Otherwise, if the field is turned over this afternoon, it¡¯ll be a waste to just bury it in the soil.¡± If it weren¡¯t for the ample spiritual energy and aquatic plants by the pond, she would have to chop more to feed the grass carp! Old Li looked over, ¡°That Milk Vetch is just a span long, why bother with a sickle? You can just pull it out by hand.¡± He hurried along the ridge, ¡°I¡¯ll go back and fetch a carrying pole then. I want to prepare more for my ox, dry it, and store it as fodder.¡± What¡¯s the big deal, with all this Milk Vetch on the ground, is there a shortage for the ox to eat? As soon as Old Li left, Song Tan looked at the brilliant intertwining of purple and green on the ground, and the silent, honest old ox beside her, and sighed deeply at her initial ambitions of live-streaming and selling goods. She had been thinking of picking up the advanced technology long lost for a hundred years and becoming a vlogger with a million followers! But human calculations can¡¯t outpace big data analytics, and people just weren¡¯t interested in this kind of stuff! But having bought the computer, she couldn¡¯t just let it sit there. E-commerce would have to start sooner or later¡­ for now, she would just casually shoot some videos. Without a stand to hold her phone, Song Tan propped it up on a cluster of Milk Vetch and leaned it against the ridge. Only then did she see the message from her life-saving benefactor, glanced through it, and casually swiped past. There wasn¡¯t much to look forward to, was there? After all, she doubted there was anyone in this world who wouldn¡¯t like her tea leaves! Chapter 105 - 105: 105. Live broadcast starts_1 Chapter 105: 105. Live broadcast starts_1 The most pressing matter right now is to think about what to film. Song Tan thought about it over and over, looking for several angles, but in the end, she realized there wasn¡¯t much to film in the fields¡ªso she decided to live stream the scene before her. After all, it was quite beautiful. A patchwork of fields with the charm of mountain woodlands. Over the sprawling patches of pink, purple, and green Milk Vetch, little chicks and ducklings scuttled through the fields, peeping and quacking away. Down below, an old yellow ox was chewing its cud slowly, occasionally letting out a leisurely ¡°moo¡ª¡± And she herself, wearing an old coat Wu Lan had dug out from the wardrobe, green rubber shoes on her feet, and even a straw hat on her head as if she meant business¡­ What was there to talk about? Better to just buckle down and work. Tonight, there would be no more Milk Vetch in the fields. And in a moment she was unaware of, What a coincidence. The live streaming platform had just finished a meeting too. There wasn¡¯t much to say at this meeting; live streaming was all the rage, and every major company was thinking about how to create more innovative content to attract more viewers¡ªviewers meant money. Of course, there was also a focus attached to this meeting: the country was currently supporting agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, advocating for rural revitalization. Given that the live-streaming platform¡¯s reputation wasn¡¯t great, they needed to pay extra attention in this area and keep up with the state¡¯s initiatives. ¡°¡­ The recent recommendation resources can be appropriately skewed towards rural life, botanical agriculture, and science and culture education.¡± The person in charge made a decision, and the operators below pondered: there were quite a few videos about rural life and farming, but the one with a signature¡­ Forget it, it¡¯s a matter of capital, and as capital, they didn¡¯t have much right to speak. They should just focus on managing the content for this phase. There were many countryside bloggers nowadays, with the clear and crisp time around Qingming Festival. Girls picking tea in the mountains, elderly women carrying baskets to dig wild vegetables, and farmers toiling in the fields¡­ all kinds of scenes and views were available. Among them, a video from such a distant angle that you couldn¡¯t even see the person¡¯s face clearly, where all you could make out was a cluster of pink-purple Milk Vetch Flowers quivering in the wind and the plump bees on them, became even less noticeable. Until Daxiong the bear bee once again clumsily bent the flower and, unable to squeeze into it with his wiggling butt, finally! He attracted the first viewer. ¡°What kind of live stream is this, and the name is too perfunctory, right? Just called ¡®Cutting Grass¡¯?¡± With this angle, the cellphone seemed to be placed in a corner of the field¡¯s ridge, capturing the distant landscape in its entirety. The careless framing was one thing. But there was no one talking, no music, and nothing particularly eye-catching. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Only a Milk Vetch in front of the camera with an unidentified species of bee, unusually large and round. The furry, yellow-and-black striped butt wiggled and wobbled, dominating half of the screen. The other half of the screen was taken up by a clear blue sky and even more lush Milk Vetch Flowers, as well as an ox lying leisurely in the field. This scene¡­ seemed quite dull. Yet for some reason, as the viewers who came in watched the bear bee persistently pick another sturdier flower and tried to stick its head in, they became increasingly curious¡ª ¡°Can a bee really get this fat from eating?¡± It wasn¡¯t until then that another viewer entered the live stream, startled at first by the pollen-covered fat butt, and then couldn¡¯t help but send a message: ¡°Holy shit! This bee is bewitching; I¡¯ve been staring at its butt for a long time.¡± Hey! The first audience member who came in couldn¡¯t help but follow up with a comment. With the discussion unfolding, the popularity of the stream seemed to slowly increase. Before long, a hundred or so people had trickled into the live stream room. In terms of today¡¯s internet traffic, this number wasn¡¯t much, but for a newcomer, it wasn¡¯t too shabby. The back-end operator glanced at the stream and noticed it still lacked a main character, but the response seemed good, so they threw it into a traffic pool that catered to users with similar preferences¡­ Zhao Lei was such an ordinary user. He had registered for a membership and would sneak a peek at it while slacking off at work. He wasn¡¯t picky about the content; whatever caught his interest, he¡¯d watch. Lately, he had been watching more videos that showcased scenic pastoral views, and today when he refreshed his homepage, all he saw were photography tips and countryside scenery. Among them, the Milk Vetch occupying half of the screen and that incredibly chubby bee especially caught his attention. Zhao Lei didn¡¯t like insects, bees included. Anyone who got stung by these creatures as a child would probably not grow fond of them. But¡­ but who has ever seen such a fat bee? Moreover, it seemed quite large; the Milk Vetch couldn¡¯t even support it. Those tiny wings fluttering pitifully, it was just too sad. Yet adorable. The heart of this grown man seemed to be brushed by its fluff; trembling, he subconsciously clicked to enter the stream. Well, after enlarging the screen, it was still the same scene as before. Calm and quiet. The faint sound of the wind, the rustling of grass leaves, and the tireless struggle of the chubby bee¡­ There was nothing much to see, yet for some reason, he couldn¡¯t stop watching! Instead, he felt more at peace. And just then, it seemed that sounds gradually approached from afar, like the friction of shoe soles against grass leaves. Soon after, the Milk Vetch in front of the camera made a slight bending motion, and an old-fashioned bamboo basket passed in front of the lens, followed by the appearance of an old man carrying the basket. He was wearing a black cloth coat, very old-fashioned in style, looking decades old. On his feet were old-style camouflage shoes with a bit of mud, giving off a strong sense of the past. The old man seemed unaware that he was being live-streamed. He continued in the direction of the camera, carrying the basket to the other side¡¯s edge before setting it down. Afterward, he bent down and got straight to pulling up the Milk Vetch in the field. Zhao Lei couldn¡¯t help but shift in his seat¡ªis this video really muted? There isn¡¯t even a word spoken. However, the old man¡¯s movements were remarkably efficient, clearly skilled at his work. With his hands moving non-stop, the Milk Vetch filled the bamboo basket handful by handful! Zhao Lei then realized, ¡°What are they pulling this stuff up for?¡± Before he could come up with an answer, he faintly heard a young person¡¯s shout from a distance, ¡°Sister! Sister¡ª¡± The speaker¡¯s tone carried a regional accent, but it wasn¡¯t hard to understand, and it was quite similar to Mandarin. The voice had a youthful sound, yet the tone was incredibly tender. Soon, the sound of footsteps, once again brushing against the grass, grew closer. Until a pair of simple cloth shoes stopped in front of the phone screen, then a fair hand reached out, gently poking the pollen-covered, plump rear of the bee. ¡°Daxiong, so you¡¯re here!¡± Chapter 106 - 106: Qiaoqiaos Smile_1 Chapter 106: Qiaoqiao¡¯s Smile_1 Qiaoqiao squatted down, expertly steadying the stem of a Milk Vetch flower, then carefully placed Daxiong onto the bloom. As he watched it extend its long proboscis deep into the heart of the flower, he let out a sigh like a little grown-up: ¡°Daxiong, eat less, you can¡¯t get any fatter. If you do, you won¡¯t be able to collect honey later¡­ Where are your babies? You should feed your babies more!¡± The voice, close at hand and brimming with sunshine, was transmitted through the phone, making listeners unable to suppress a smile. But a strange feeling also arose in one¡¯s heart¡ªconsidering the size of the hand, the person should be quite grown-up, yet why did they speak like a child? The next moment, a fair face suddenly appeared in front of the camera, curious eyes examining the lens, long lashes fluttering as if they were trembling butterflies in the wind. Up close, every detail of the eyebrows and eyes brimmed with childishness and innocence, as refreshing as a spring flowing down from a snowy mountain, making one¡¯s heartbeat involuntary pause for an instant. Everyone in front of the screen went silent. Then the person on the other side suddenly turned their head and shouted loudly, ¡°Sister, why is your phone here?¡± Song Tan remembered that she was still live streaming. But it was no big deal; last time she had carefully shot multiple videos, added music, and edited them, and still, it barely made a splash, right? Now, even with half-hearted effort, it couldn¡¯t possibly attract attention. Sigh, internet traffic is even more elusive than Spiritual Energy. She didn¡¯t pay much attention but instead asked Qiaoqiao, ¡°Have you finished filtering the honey?¡± Qiaoqiao nodded, then complained, ¡°Brother is so bad, always sneaking tastes.¡± ¡°No worries,¡± Song Tan consoled him, ¡°We planned to give him a bottle when he comes home. Now, you just keep track of what he sneaks. When Brother comes home, deduct what he took.¡± ¡°Subtract a spoonful for every bite he stole.¡± In the spring breeze, Qiaoqiao¡¯s laughter was loud and clear. Afterward, Qiaoqiao looked at Daxiong in his hand with concern, ¡°Sister, why is Daxiong still so fat? If this keeps up, what will we do if he can¡¯t fly anymore?¡± Song Tan felt a bit guilty. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she had found him too cute at the beginning and accidentally gave him too much Spiritual Energy¡­ Cough. But Qiaoqiao clearly didn¡¯t need an answer right away, as he was already picking another handful of Milk Vetch and offering it to the chubby bee, watching it clumsily climb on. Only then did he start laughing: ¡°It¡¯s okay if he can¡¯t fly. Daxiong is my good buddy; I¡¯ll take care of him.¡± Zhao Lei suddenly understood from the screen: This boy¡­ probably had some kind of cognitive disability. Everything he said was childlike, and all his actions were purely child-hearted. He suddenly laughed, feeling world-weary: After all, which adult burdened with the pressures of life could have such pure eyes? To this day, he was still shaken by the close-up smile from the earlier glance back. ¡°Come on, Qiaoqiao,¡± the girl whose face couldn¡¯t be seen said, ¡°These two baskets are full. Help sister carry them back. I¡¯ll bring more baskets later.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The hand stopped its patting of the bee¡¯s backside, and then the sound of leaves rubbing together grew as he seemed to stand up, taking strides towards something ahead. The camera¡¯s angle was limited and could only show baskets full of Milk Vetch flowers interwoven with pink and green, heavily piled up, moving slowly away with the boy¡¯s footsteps. And it was at this moment that the voice of an elder rang out in the fields: ¡°Tantan, those chives you planted in the corner up in the upper fields look pretty good. You can start eating them in a couple of days. Their leaves are fat and thick, really nice!¡± ¡°Really?¡± The girl¡¯s voice, full of surprise, came through followed by a prompt response, ¡°I¡¯ll go cut them in a while. Eating chives in March and April, when all things come to life, replenishes yang energy, it¡¯s just the right season!¡± The elder chuckled, ¡°Yes, chives are very good for you. Cut some and make dumplings. We¡¯ve got so many people at home lately; we¡¯ll eat a lot in one go.¡± ¡°The chive roots left are too dense. I¡¯ve looked them over, and after you¡¯ve plowed the field, you¡¯ll need to spread them out as soon as possible. You could plant several rows.¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chive dumplings¡­ Zhao Lei watched silently and then reached out to tap the follow button above. He noticed that there were already over seventeen hundred people in the live broadcast, but the comment section was spotlessly clean, as if no one was watching at all. But when he hit the follow button, the live room suddenly popped up with¡ª [Congratulations! You are the 999th follower. Come and witness the host¡¯s growth firsthand!] Wow! Zhao Lei felt a sense of unexpected pride. He thought to himself, the live content I¡¯ve set my eyes on certainly has the ability to draw people in. With seventeen hundred viewers, 999 have hit the follow button. What kind of magic power is this? You see, the number of views on live streaming platforms can be inflated. One click counts as one view, and if the same account clicks a hundred and eighty times, it could count as a hundred and eighty views. So what does this current data represent? It represents that among those who watched, only a very small portion left, and everyone followed. Meanwhile, Song Tan out in the fields had long forgotten about this matter and was now pondering¡ª Should I have chive, glass noodle, and egg dumplings for dinner, or chive and youtiao filling, or maybe chive pockets? While thinking, she didn¡¯t forget to reply to Old Man Li¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Grandpa Li, you make a good point, I¡¯ll get on it in a couple of days. By then, I¡¯ll have to plant chives in half of that field. The vegetables are selling well this year, so I plan to plant more.¡± But seeds need to be sown soon, otherwise those chive roots won¡¯t be enough. As for Song Tan¡¯s selling of vegetables, Old Man Li was not uninformed at all. He even knew the prices! However, he kept tight-lipped and told no one, choosing instead to work on the Milk Vetch in the fields meant for the cows and not venture elsewhere easily, lest he disturb someone¡¯s chance to earn money. Now he nodded, ¡°The vegetables in the city sell for a high price. You asked me to clear out two pieces of land for growing vegetable seedlings, and after Qingming, I¡¯ll remove the straw covering them.¡± ¡°You can see how well they¡¯re growing now! Once the soil is ready, it¡¯ll be time to sow the seeds, and then I¡¯ll help transplant the seedlings.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll need to go to the bamboo grove nearby and cut some bamboo to construct trellises for the cowpeas, cucumbers, bitter melons, loofah, and such¡­ ¡± ¡°And the rice seedlings¡ªthey¡¯re growing really well! Your family¡¯s rice this year will definitely be fragrant.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± On this matter, Song Tan wasn¡¯t the least bit modest: ¡°After all the effort we¡¯ve put in, if we can¡¯t make some money, my parents¡¯ retirement funds will soon be all gone.¡± In the countryside, being able to cry poor is paramount. Otherwise, with relatives far and wide coming over today to borrow some money, and others picking a few vegetables from the fields tomorrow¡­ what can you say? It¡¯s better to set it straight from the beginning: this is for sale. For anything that will be sold, those who are somewhat reasonable will be much more cautious. Like Old Man Li, for example. As for those who are unreasonable, naturally, there are ways to deal with them, too. Chapter 107 - 107: 107. I will compost_1 Chapter 107: 107. I will compost_1 Song Tan knew that the village was harmonious now, and nobody touched her property. First of all, no one had yet discovered the taste of the Milk Vetch in the fields. After all, aside from the young village secretary, who would casually pluck a piece of grass to taste it, right? Especially since the outermost plot of land was even being used by Old Man Li to graze his cattle. Secondly, the really good stuff wasn¡¯t in season for harvest yet. For now, the locals who came back to make a living still had the upper hand. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been so easy for a young lady like herself to return and start working. That was also the reason why Song Tan tended to prefer hiring villagers; if there were no able-bodied young adults, she would hire the elderly. Because hiring the elderly had its pros and cons, it all depended on how one managed them. Old Man Li actually nodded in agreement with her feigned poverty: ¡°That¡¯s right, you can¡¯t squander your parents¡¯ money. Your family still has Qiaoqiao. Life won¡¯t be easy when you¡¯re old.¡± But after looking around, he cautioned her: ¡°But you still need someone to keep an eye on your fields¡­ I planted two rows of cabbage last year, and at night, someone stole seven or eight heads.¡± The old man was very angry when he spoke of this. Who knew which unscrupulous person it was? If someone wanted to eat what was grown in their own field, why not just ask? Who would begrudge a cabbage! As a lone old man who neither pickled nor sun-dried, he ended up giving away most of the cabbages anyway, right? There was no need to steal them. Pah! This remark made the aging and weakened Old Man Li even more angered. He was genuinely worried as he reminded Song Tan. Song Tan, however, reassured him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, with your help keeping an eye on everything, and you see those two new doghouses under the bamboo grove? My two dogs will be here to help keep watch.¡± The pond was located at the very top of the field, and the doghouses were built right next to it. With the dogs sleeping there, both the pond and the fields were well-guarded, a spot specially chosen by Song Sancheng. Otherwise, why would she spend good money to buy dogs? The fact was, having grown up in the village, she knew the saying ¡°when a hundred people pass by, you¡¯ll see all kinds of behavior.¡± Old Man Li finally breathed a sigh of relief, a wave of comfort washing over his dark, aged face: ¡°Dogs are good, their ears are sharp, and they can see from afar. Are they those dogs from your home that eat tigers?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ At a loss for words, she could only nod ambiguously, ¡°Not that exaggerated, just two smaller ones.¡± Dabao and Erbao were responsible for guarding the fishpond and the fields. Old Man Li had seen the huge dog patrolling around the back hill and front yard that resembled a tiger: ¡°What do you mean by ¡®smaller ones¡¯? How small can they be? If they can eat a tiger, can¡¯t they guard a vegetable garden? Now that¡¯s reassuring!¡± The long-forgotten cell phone, sitting ever so quietly, was live streaming all of this. The streaming company¡¯s operator stumbled upon the data retention by chance and was surprised: What is this stream? Why is the user retention rate so high? A cursory glance showed pastoral scenery and an old man speaking in dialect. With no time to scrutinize further, they immediately and without hesitation placed the live broadcast in a more prominent recommendation spot. Although not as popular as other notable streamers, it was an excellent position for a new broadcaster. However, just as it was promoted, Song Tan at the other end of the phone heard a ¡°beep,¡± followed by a darkened screen. She bent down to pick up her forgotten phone, pressed it a couple of times, and then realized¡ªit was out of battery. Looking at the large amount of Milk Vetch she had cut, she waved to Old Man Li: ¡°Grandpa Li, I¡¯m going home. When Qiaoqiao comes, just get him to pack these up.¡± Nowadays, the cell phone was a vital tool for contacting customers; recharging it was the priority. Just as she got to the door, she saw Qiaoqiao running toward her, ¡°Sister, Dad wants you to go to the back hill.¡± Then, Qiaoqiao automatically reached out to take her sickle, ¡°I¡¯ll go cut the Milk Vetch.¡± This chore was routine for them every morning. Though Song Tan felt pity for her brother, she didn¡¯t spoil him and handed him the sickle, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to bring the basket over.¡± And with that, she headed straight to the back hill. There, the little excavator was still working diligently. Zhang Yanping had found such a reliable person, who worked alongside everyone from dawn till dusk, doing the work of a day and a half in just one day. For this reason, even though he ate more than three bowls of rice at each meal, Wu Lan was always happy and smiling at home. When Song Tan got to the back hill, aside from Song Sancheng, she saw a stranger¡ªa man. He was lean and short, with a slightly hunched back, appearing to be just over five feet tall. He had an old-fashioned buzz cut, which cost five yuan in the town, including a face trim and shave. He was wearing the same type of jacket and black trousers Song Sancheng typically wore when working. Seeing Song Tan, the stranger¡¯s wrinkled face showed a hint of embarrassment. ¡°Tantan,¡± Song Sancheng introduced her. ¡°You probably don¡¯t recognize him, this is your Uncle Zhang.¡± Then he pointed towards the peak opposite them, where there was a simple red brick house. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Your Uncle Zhang lives there.¡± The mountain land contracted by Song Tan had a very unique topography; the entire mountain range resembled a closed loop. The inner loop was like a bowl, with the pond at the bottom. Around the pond were a few acres of vegetable plots, and the surrounding slopes were all barren hills. But this was the entirety of it. The land currently owned by Song Tan¡¯s family, including the leased area, occupied less than a quarter of this ¡®bowl¡¯. Therefore, from the peaks on this side, one could clearly see the views from the peaks on the other side. Looking at this single-household home and considering its location, she swiftly realized which Uncle Zhang he was¡ªthis was the Zhang Wang family they had discussed a few days ago. ¡°Uncle Zhang,¡± Song Tan greeted him politely¡ªalthough he was the same age as her dad, he looked worn and much older, as if he had aged ten more years. What could he possibly need from her? Song Tan even thought of the possibility of borrowing money, but after a careful thought, she knew that borrowing money wasn¡¯t taken lightly in the village; they would never approach a younger generation for it, especially not a girl. While she was pondering, she saw Zhang Wang¡¯s expression grow even more embarrassed, his hands helplessly rubbing together, then he pointed at the large pile of weeds, shrubs, and branches they had stacked on the edge of the mountain land: ¡°These, these shouldn¡¯t be wasted, they can be composted.¡± ¡°Are you going to burn them?¡± Song Tan did have that intention. Ashes from burnt plants not only sterilize and kill insects but also serve as excellent fertilizer. Keeping these things here would only be a hindrance and promote the growth of various insect eggs and bacteria; burning them would be much more convenient. Zhang Wang immediately shook his head, ¡°Don¡¯t burn them, don¡¯t burn them, it¡¯s a waste to burn them, I will turn them into compost!¡± He finally got to the point, his hands rubbing together once more: ¡°I heard Old Man Li is looking after your rice paddies, so I was wondering if I could also work for your family.¡± After saying this, fearing Song Tan¡¯s refusal, he emphasized quickly: ¡°I¡¯m good at making compost, every year people come to me for it. There are several piles on my land. If you need some, I can bring it all to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also capable of doing any other farm work, your dad knows.¡± Chapter 108 - 108: 108. Defacing RMB is illegal_1 Chapter 108: 108. Defacing RMB is illegal_1 ¡°Indeed!¡± Song Sancheng also nodded affirmatively from the side, ¡°Zhang Wang¡¯s fields have always been the best maintained. Back when we used to grow rice, he would harvest over a hundred pounds more per acre on average than the rest of us. Who within ten miles didn¡¯t envy him?!¡± ¡°Just go and have a look at their vegetable garden; their veggies taste better than what most people normally eat.¡± ¡°When you were little, Zhang Auntie would pass by our door every morning at three o¡¯clock, carrying her basket to the market town to sell vegetables. You were so envious when you heard her that you couldn¡¯t stand it.¡± Song Sancheng wasn¡¯t just speaking pleasantries¡ªif he had been, he wouldn¡¯t have invited Song Tan in the first place. Inviting her now meant he already had this idea in mind. If Zhang Wang¡¯s family weren¡¯t so capable, how could they afford to send three kids to school just by farming? Mentioning this, Song Tan also vaguely remembered. All children in the countryside long to go to the market when they¡¯re young. Yet, from their place to the town, it¡¯s nearly a two-hour trek through the mountains. Adults might manage, but a kid would likely give up halfway. Therefore, if a child gets to go to the market, it¡¯s a dreamy affair they look forward to even in their sleep. Nowadays, with supermarkets everywhere, the hardship of selling vegetables seems incomprehensible, but many years ago, it was just a common occurrence. At this moment, looking at Zhang Wang¡¯s family¡¯s faces filled with hope and anxiety, she suddenly felt an impulse¡ª Their veggies were good quality and would eventually become well known in the village. Besides the blessings of the God of Soil, shouldn¡¯t there be some scientific support as well? If Zhang Wang¡¯s fertilizer was so famous, then¡­ With that thought, she nodded, ¡°Alright! Uncle Zhang, your timing is perfect; I was just wondering where to find someone to look after my orchard!¡± ¡°Your house is nearby, which is convenient and suitable. I just don¡¯t know what your salary expectations are?¡± Zhang Wang¡¯s family broke into a happy smile, the distress in their brows lessening considerably: ¡°No demands, no demands. But I¡­¡± He thought for a moment, then spoke with difficulty, ¡°Tantan, if you¡¯re willing, give me two thousand RMB a month, and I won¡¯t only tend to the orchard for you, but I¡¯ll also pile up all the fertilizer needed for the fields and the mountains.¡± ¡°Two thousand?¡± Song Tan was a bit puzzled. Yes, Zhang Wang was getting on in years, a man in his fifties or sixties, not so easy to find work outside. But it depended on the kind of work. Just any factory would value men of their age. As long as they¡¯re willing to work, they could earn at least five or six thousand a month outside, and that includes food and accommodation. Staying in the mountains, not to mention other things, just tending to the orchard was no light task. Now asking for a salary of two thousand, not to mention anything else, the tea-picking aunties could earn that amount in just ten days. Song Tan didn¡¯t respond. Even Song Sancheng became serious, ¡°Brother Zhang, do you have any other requirements? Spit it all out now, so we know whether it¡¯s doable or not and everything¡¯s clear.¡± Zhang Wang fell silent as well. Then suddenly, he fumbled on his body and after a long time, shakily took out a pack of cigarettes, offering one first to Song Sancheng. Song Sancheng carefully glanced at Song Tan¡¯s expression before accepting it. The two men lit up their cigarettes, and it seemed the conversation became much easier¡ª ¡°Little Brother Song, you know my current situation. I reckon the whole ten-mile radius is watching me like a joke.¡± ¡°All my life, hard work and toil, raised three ingrates, I just can¡¯t figure it out¡­¡± As he spoke, he began to choke up, ¡°I just can¡¯t figure out, is it really that hard to earn money now? My old lady hasn¡¯t enjoyed a day of happiness, and now, now she¡¯s been driven to her death by her children¡¯s greed for money!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see them as my children anymore, but when I went to the town to cancel our household registration, I asked by the way, and was told that the law doesn¡¯t support severing relations¡­¡± He said, his face full of hatred, ¡°Brother Song, I mean no offense, I alone, how could I not survive!¡± ¡°But I refuse to! I just want a fixed salary, to live well, and to let them know I have money!¡± ¡°Tantan, you farm the land well, I¡¯ve seen the crops in your fields, and they¡¯re really good; sooner or later you¡¯ll have to expand. Look at this hill of mine, it connects right here, I¡¯ll reserve it for you, as long as I live, you can lease it for as many years as you want!¡± ¡°When I¡¯m old, I will return the land to the state, and then you can lease it again, the village will definitely favor its own people.¡± ¡°When the time comes, I will withdraw all this money, set fire to it, and cushion my coffin with it! I¡¯ll also give ten thousand RMB to the Village Department so everyone can give me a proper funeral, bury me, and I will be satisfied with my life!¡± He didn¡¯t say the rest, but Song Sancheng and Song Tan exchanged glances, both knowing that if he went through with this, how much discord it would sow among his three children, how much regret it would spawn¡­ Is Zhang Wang¡¯s family so radical? S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Radical. Does it solve his bitterness? It does! Even after Song Sancheng playfully admonished ¡°Don¡¯t be rash,¡± his tone abruptly changed: ¡°If you ask me, you¡¯re still too soft. You should simply sue them, make them pay you a monthly allowance! Who cares if it¡¯s one hundred or two hundred, you have to get the money out of their pockets! Make them pay for ten years, and you¡¯ll see, wouldn¡¯t that cover my sister-in-law¡¯s medical expenses?¡± ¡°If any month they dare to fall behind, aren¡¯t they all city dwellers? With jobs and residences? Just shout in their residential area and everyone will know!¡± The two middle-aged men spoke with a passionate tearfulness, as though a bright future lay at their feet, with the three ungrateful descendants ready to kneel and beg for forgiveness at any moment, tearfully repenting¡­ Song Tan cleared his throat, one should not act impulsively. Who would have thought that Zhang Wang¡¯s family, usually so well-regarded in the village for their honesty, when pushed too far, even honest people can cause serious trouble! As for whether he might regret it and be swayed by his children again¡­ even a deity couldn¡¯t predict that. But even if he softened again, chances are he wouldn¡¯t part with his money anymore. If her father continued this kind of talk, it would be like persuading someone to get a divorce, with the risk of ending up displeasing both sides. But Song Tan also realized that, honesty might indeed mean being genuinely honest, but being honest doesn¡¯t mean one is foolish. On the contrary, they can see things quite clearly. Take the recent remarks of the Zhang Wang family, not to mention the lease of the mountain land, just consider the matter of a salary: why doesn¡¯t he go out to work? One reason is that he can¡¯t bear to leave his hometown and wants to stay to accompany his wife. On the other hand, he needs to stay in his hometown, making sure the news can always be spread by the neighbors; two thousand a month doesn¡¯t sound like much, but the stability is a treasure! Song Tan cleared his throat, ¡°That¡­ Uncle Zhang, it¡¯s illegal to destroy money, you can¡¯t burn it.¡± Watching as the spirit that had been so hard for Zhang Wang to raise sank in an instant: ¡°That¡¯s real money, if I put it in my coffin when I¡¯m gone¡­ you never know if someone will get ideas¡­¡± Death ends all, what¡¯s the point in taboos when having tangible money matters more? He understood that well. Song Tan quickly added, ¡°However, you can donate it to charity.¡± Chapter 109 - 109: 109. Do charity and accumulate merit_1 Chapter 109: 109. Do charity and accumulate merit_1 ¡°Zhang Wang¡¯s recent proposal concerning Bags Mountain clearly implied a willingness to accept a price below market value, or perhaps just a token amount. Song Tan appreciated his kindness. When he just mentioned leasing his mountain land to Song Tan, he was referring to the slope right below his house, which connected directly to the barren land behind the mountain. About twenty acres, making up one-sixth of this bowl-shaped mountain range. The forest land certainly wasn¡¯t as profitable as farmland, but Zhang Wang¡¯s family was capable, and cultivating kudzu roots there could also be profitable. At first, growing kudzu wasn¡¯t intentional. It was just that there were many kudzu vines growing wild in the forests, and Zhang Wang¡¯s wife, being resourceful, once dug up a couple of hundred pounds during winter, sun-dried them, and made over ten pounds of kudzu powder. Apart from keeping some for their children, they made a profit of nearly a thousand or eight hundred yuan. The following year, the couple intentionally tidied up the land and even added more fertilizer, enabling the wild kudzu roots to spread rapidly. Nowadays, each winter, the couple could earn about ten thousand yuan from it. Ten thousand yuan might not sound like much, but it¡¯s all profit without any cost! It just took some hard work. On this mountain, if you want to earn money, an initial investment is necessary, which doesn¡¯t make sense for the villagers. So, they intercropped with beans, watermelons, peanuts, and such. The harvest was quite ordinary, but it was no problem to add another two or three thousand yuan to their income. As a result, the elderly couple no longer went out to work. Instead, they dedicated themselves to taking care of the fields at home. Now, at the beginning of April, kudzu leaves were sprouting green. It wasn¡¯t the right season to harvest kudzu roots; winter was more suitable. Moreover, digging for kudzu roots now wouldn¡¯t coincide with the best farming time. Therefore, no one mentioned leasing the mountain at the moment. But because of this consideration, Song Tan offered her sincere advice: ¡®Uncle Zhang, just taking money with you when you leave is not enough. In my opinion, hold onto that money tightly for now, and don¡¯t give it to your children no matter what they say.¡¯ ¡®When you feel the time is right, you can simply donate it. Donations can¡¯t be withdrawn. It¡¯s an act of kindness that brings good fortune in the next life.¡¯ As for the next life, Song Tan cultivated immortality, not the Netherworld Path. With the current scarcity of Spiritual Energy, she naturally couldn¡¯t be sure. But for Zhang Wang¡¯s family, a spiritual legacy was stronger than anything else! At this moment, he indeed caught on, ¡®Right, right, right! I¡¯ll donate it all in my wife¡¯s name, accumulating blessings for her! Make sure she has a good life in the next life!¡¯ His expression was visibly approving: ¡®It¡¯s you young people with education who understand more.¡¯ Then another worry came to him, ¡®But what if something unexpected happens to me?¡¯ Who could know for sure? If an illness were to be diagnosed, and there was time to arrange things, all would be well. But if he were to suffer some unexpected disaster, like a fall on flat ground, or something like that¡­ Having thought things through so thoroughly, it was clear that Zhang Wang¡¯s family had genuinely and seriously considered the matter. And to think that he even went to the town to ask about the policy on severing relations¡­ Song Tan also answered earnestly, ¡®Then when we have time, I¡¯ll take you to the city, and we will find a lawyer to write a will. After that, we¡¯ll spend a few hundred yuan to have it notarized.¡¯ ¡®With that, how your affairs are arranged after you pass away and how the money is managed will be protected by the national law, and even your biological children won¡¯t be able to claim it back.¡¯ Zhang Wang¡¯s family had never heard such detailed advice before, and at this moment felt completely reassured, ¡®Good, good, good, let¡¯s do that!''¡± After a moment of thought, he added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, when the time comes, I¡¯ll get a lawyer to write up that thing, you know, in case I get hurt while working for you. No one¡¯s allowed to extort money!¡± Seeing the other person¡¯s back straighten up a lot, that person went home full of energy. Song Tan sighed, looked at the wasteland that was almost tidied up, and took a deep breath¡ª There was really too much to do at home, and now that someone was able to help with the work, it felt like a heavy burden had been lifted. However, Song Sancheng was somewhat hesitant, ¡°Tantan, didn¡¯t you agree with your Grandpa Li not to pay him a wage but to have him watch over the rice paddies for us?¡± ¡°On one hand, you gave Zhang Uncle two thousand, should we tell him to keep it secret and not to spread the word?¡± Song Tan laughed, ¡°No need, Dad.¡± The whole point for Zhang Wang¡¯s family was to get that sense of satisfaction; telling him to hide it would defeat the purpose of the job. He might as well go out and find other work. ¡°We have so much work to do, we really need to find reliable people to help. If we put out the word about the salary first, it also spares people the awkwardness of asking for too much and creating hard feelings.¡± For casual labor in the village, you wouldn¡¯t think much of the daily wage of one or two hundred, but when it comes to a regular and stable salary, two thousand yuan is just about right. After all, farm work is done when it¡¯s available and can be delayed when it¡¯s not. So over the years, apart from large-scale agricultural plans, there hasn¡¯t been anyone known to hire farm labor on a long-term basis. This leads to willing workers complaining about low wages, but those who don¡¯t complain might not necessarily be keen to work. And offering a high salary is something a farmer¡¯s household truly can¡¯t afford. Song Sancheng took a puff on his cigarette, ¡°I understand the logic; I just worry that your Grandpa Li might feel uncomfortable about it¡­¡± The problem isn¡¯t scarcity, it¡¯s inequity! Song Tan shook her head, ¡°My Grandpa Li has caring descendants. Besides, he doesn¡¯t do strenuous work; he just lends a hand, keeps an eye out, wanders over when he¡¯s got nothing else to do.¡± ¡°If I offered a salary of two thousand for this job, wouldn¡¯t all the other old men and ladies in the village go crazy trying to get it? So we agreed a long time ago that, if he¡¯s happy, we won¡¯t bring up money. We¡¯ll help with necessities like rice, flour, and oil instead, which is more convenient than him buying it alone.¡± ¡°At the end of the year, we¡¯ll cut twenty kilograms of pork from our home, and that will suffice.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s not willing, he can just say so.¡± Song Sancheng breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°I understand¡­as long as you¡¯ve made it clear, that¡¯s good.¡± He then became proud again, ¡°Look at my daughter, so organized and rational in doing things, truly my own girl!¡± Song Tan:¡­ Truly her father, thinking his daughter had such clear thinking because of her academic time in college or a mere two years in society, had he considered why? S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But she was happy to see her parents at ease, and she asked again, ¡°Dad, after tomorrow, I think the field by the gate can be almost completely turned over. Then we¡¯ll need to release water into the pond, and get the two patches of rice paddy ready.¡± ¡°After that, we need to sow the vegetable seeds and transplant the seedlings. The back mountain will depend on you alone to take care of.¡± Song Sancheng glanced at her, ¡°Can¡¯t I do it? I¡¯ve been the only one looking after it.¡± ¡°Besides, that Zhang Uncle, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll come over tomorrow!¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± he suddenly recalled another matter. ¡°Your eldest uncle called and said that everyone¡¯s going back to the old house tomorrow to tend to the graves. Our family has a lot of people, so don¡¯t forget to tell your grandmother tonight, not to pick tea tomorrow morning and to help out with cooking instead.¡± Chapter 110 - 110: Uncle and his family will come_1 Chapter 110: Uncle and his family will come_1 This was an old village custom ¨C if there were descendants in the family, it was always expected to find some time to visit the grave before Qingming Festival. However, for grandsons, it wasn¡¯t strictly necessary; they just went along with Grandpa Song Youde. The Lao Song¡¯s family grave was on a barren hill that had been allocated to Song Sancheng¡¯s eldest uncle. It was a bit far, requiring a detour around the back hill, followed by a walk of another fifteen to twenty minutes to get there. There was no helping it; that was the piece that had been divided to him in the beginning. Even though it was a bit distant, as the eldest son, the eldest uncle got a whole fifty mu of mountain and farmland, far more than what Song Tan¡¯s family had. Nowadays, it was all Tea Mountain wasteland. No one attended to it anymore. But Song Sancheng was content ¨C it was the old rule that the eldest got more of the family property. What objections could he have? Besides, living closer was convenient for him! He spoke with a hint of regret: ¡°Had you said earlier that you were coming back, we could go to the fields tomorrow to pick some Milk Vetch for your uncle and aunt to take back.¡± By now, everyone was turning over soil; by tomorrow it would definitely be buried. Song Tan smiled to herself, thinking this was quite unlucky indeed! She didn¡¯t say much, but just cautioned: ¡°Dad, we can¡¯t give away the tea leaves and honey ¨C we still owe money.¡± As soon as she said this, Song Sancheng immediately felt the pressure. ¡°That¡¯s out of the question; they¡¯re too expensive. I don¡¯t even drink them myself.¡± Song Tan added: ¡°Then don¡¯t serve this year¡¯s good tea tomorrow. What if Uncle says it tastes great ¨C are you going to tell the price or not?¡± If you tell, for one, they may not believe you. Second, you might show off your wealth unintentionally. If you don¡¯t tell, your hesitant and begrudging attitude can be embarrassing ¨C it would seem like you¡¯re too stingy to enjoy your own tea leaves! The same goes for honey. Song Sancheng was honest but not foolish, and now his face showed his dilemma: ¡°Really not let them drink? I was thinking¡­¡± What could he be thinking? He just likes to show off, that¡¯s all! Now that he had come to his senses, he could only sigh once more: ¡°Why did it have to be after Milk Vetch was gone that you returned? In previous years, you would be back by the end of March!¡± And why was that? Mao Li, the elder uncle¡¯s wife, and her daughter-in-law Sun Yanyan were holding a grudge, that¡¯s why! Ever since Mao Li had an argument with Song Tan at the vegetable market that didn¡¯t end well, she¡¯d been stewing over it. She went home and told Sun Yanyan about the twenty yuan per jin Milk Vetch affair. Sun Yanyan initially didn¡¯t believe it either. But after Song Ziyi cried and threw a tantrum in the house, insisting on eating the vegetables Brother Qiaoqiao had brought, Sun Yanyan began to ponder: ¡°Mom, I think our little uncle¡¯s vegetables might really be worth that much this year.¡± ¡°Think about it, what kind of vegetables could taste so good? People are willing to pay for it these days!¡± But if it really was twenty yuan per jin, and the Milk Vetch grew right there in the open field without costing anything, wouldn¡¯t that make a fortune? The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law agreed on a time to go to the vegetable market early in the morning and waited until almost noon before they saw that old pickup truck parked by the roadside. And in less than half an hour, those vegetables were sold out, many families buying them as if money was no object, purchasing ten or eight jins to take home. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law counted silently; in that half-hour, at least one or two hundred jins had sold! S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In just a short time, two to three thousand yuan was made ¨C earning money seemed as easy as cutting grass, how could it be so simple! Neither spoke a word. On the way home, they started to grumble: ¡°No wonder Tantan was so confident the last time; it turns out her family struck it rich.¡± ¡°¡­All high and mighty on the sly, good intentions taken for granted¡­¡± Uncle Song couldn¡¯t believe the ruckus about the market¡¯s grand state after hearing their murmurs: ¡°Really twenty yuan a jin? I thought Qiaoqiao was just talking nonsense last time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s for sure,¡± Sun Yanyan sat on the side cracking sunflower seeds: ¡°Dad, you¡¯re just too honest with your own family. Look at my little uncle, he¡¯s making a killing off of the wild vegetables from these fields. He still acts so generous sending us three to five jins, as if we should be grateful.¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about!¡± Uncle Song didn¡¯t want to argue with his daughter-in-law and asked Mao Li, ¡°Did you really see it, is that the price?¡± Auntie¡¯s eyes rolled in disdain: ¡°How many times have I said it, could I have seen it wrong? I went to buy it, didn¡¯t realize it cost that much at first, gave too little money, and she even mocked me for it.¡± ¡°Really, they earn so little money out in the countryside, yet when they talk about it, they hide this and that, are they afraid we¡¯ll get envious or what, doesn¡¯t everybody have land?¡± Uncle Song sat there, his face also turning sour. As a result, when Aunt Song Hongmei called at the end of the month to ask when they would return to the old home, the couple mumbled excuses to put her off: ¡°The store¡¯s a bit busy these days, let¡¯s wait a couple of days¡­¡± They kept delaying, and soon it was almost Qingming Festival. They couldn¡¯t put it off past Qingming! They hurriedly set a date. Aunt Song Hongmei hadn¡¯t set up her stall this morning, feeling as if her heart was being gouged, she looked around the house, and finally, with great reluctance, picked up a jar of oil and cut some meat. Only then did the couple take the bus to Uncle Song¡¯s doorstep. They had no other intention but to hitch a ride back together. By coincidence, they saw his family bustling about, moving things into the car. Son Song Xuehai was in charge of picking up kids and going to work today, and Uncle Song was driving, taking Mao Li, Sun Yanyan, and the couple Song Hongmei back. When Song Hongmei arrived, she saw Sun Yanyan and Mao Li placing a large plastic crate used at the wholesale market for fruits in the back seat, along with several plastic bags. She was puzzled but didn¡¯t ask, only saying to Uncle Song: ¡°Big brother, what do you plan to buy when you go back? I¡¯ve brought a jar of oil and some meat for our parents, remember not to buy the same.¡± Sun Yanyan sweetly called out ¡®auntie¡¯ and then, looking at her stuff, kept praising, ¡°Wow, Aunt, you¡¯re so thoughtful, look at this meat, how fresh! It was cut this morning at the market, right?¡± ¡°And this oil, this is good oil too, it costs dozens of yuan a container at the supermarket!¡± Who doesn¡¯t like being flattered? Aunt joined in the conversation, ¡°That¡¯s right, I didn¡¯t even go to my stall today!¡± Thinking about the money she hadn¡¯t earned made her chest ache, and then thinking about the meat cut and the oil carried¡­ Sigh! How to put it, if only everything in the world could be had without spending money, that would be great. However, conversation leads to conversation, and suddenly she remembered, ¡°Oh, last time Tantan sent over a basket of Milk Vetch, it tasted really good!¡± While saying this, her face also showed a look of regret ¡ª she had planned to eat it over two or three days, but couldn¡¯t control herself and it was all gone by the evening. She even ate an extra pot of rice. She sighed woefully, ¡°I don¡¯t know if there are any vegetables left in the fields, I¡¯ll have to check the vegetable garden when I get home.¡± Sun Yanyan felt contempt in her heart. The only one who could be so blatant about taking advantage was her tightfisted Aunt. However, this thought happened to coincide with her own family¡¯s plans. So, she also responded with a smile, ¡°Yes, we had some last time too. But, you know¡­ oh dear, we should ask Baba to send more. It¡¯s just that little bit, Ziyi finished it in one meal.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to take more back this time.¡± Chapter 111 - 111: Bovine Chewing Peony_1 Chapter 111: Bovine Chewing Peony_1 Auntie looked at Sun Yanyan incredulously, ¡°Didn¡¯t you receive five pounds already? That¡¯s not little! You young people just spoil your kids. Ziyi is so young; if she eats all that in one meal, wouldn¡¯t she burst?¡± ¡°Next time you can¡¯t eat like that, good stuff should be savored, you can¡¯t¡­ whatever¡­¡± She spoke earnestly, ¡°Chewing peony like a cow.¡± Sun Yanyan¡¯s face went numb. Just then, Mao Li got on the car, and with a sardonic smile, said, ¡°His auntie, you don¡¯t know, Tantan is really something selling vegetables now!¡± ¡°That Milk Vetch from last time, something we wouldn¡¯t even care about in the fields as kids, she actually sold for twenty yuan a pound.¡± ¡°I intended to go to the market to support a relative¡¯s business, but I didn¡¯t expect she wouldn¡¯t discount a cent and even made me lose face¡­¡± ¡°If you ask me, we are just poor relatives now, not worthy of eating such expensive stuff!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Auntie raised her voice suddenly, ¡°You mean the one sent over last time, twenty yuan a pound?!¡± Uncle Zhu Jun sitting beside her was also full of shock, remembering how delicious the Milk Vetch stir-fried with pork belly was. He and his son¡¯s family of three had finished it in two meals, which was too reckless! Mao Li, sensing their astonishment, silently exhaled. She thought: Finally, someone sees Song Tan¡¯s smug face! This kid starts showing off the moment she earns a little money, not respecting the elders at all. It serves her right to have her aunt go back and play the villain to give her a good lesson. Little did she expect that the aunt was now full of regret, ¡°Oh dear! Tantan this child, why is she so honest?! What kind of vegetable can¡¯t you buy in the market? She just had to send such nice stuff!¡± ¡°With the vegetables being so expensive, it¡¯s unacceptable to sell them. Twenty yuan can buy so much! This child is just too generous!¡± She clutched her chest, distressed at the thought of having finished off a hundred yuan¡¯s worth of vegetables in just a meal or two, bleeding inwardly, not bothering to ponder the hidden meaning in Mao Li¡¯s words. Mao Li: ¡­ Instantly, she was seething with frustration again. The car drove off in the awkward atmosphere, and halfway through, Uncle Song stopped the vehicle to join the aunt in buying some joss paper and such. Sitting in the car, Mao Li thought for a long time and decided that they couldn¡¯t just fall out like this. After all, the trunk still had the eldest¡¯s plastic crate, which could hold a good thirty or fifty pounds of vegetables, couldn¡¯t it? If the kid¡¯s aunt didn¡¯t take it, and she was the only one to carry it, it would look so bad. It¡¯d seem like they, now living in the city, still had to come back to the village to scrounge. As she was pondering, the aunt had already opened the car door, sat back down with a couple of yellow joss paper stacks and a black plastic bag, in quite a good mood. Sun Yanyan, being in tune with her mother-in-law Mao Li, started the conversation, ¡°During the holidays, joss paper isn¡¯t cheap, is it? The prices have risen so quickly nowadays.¡± sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Auntie, dissatisfied, said to Uncle Song at the driver¡¯s seat, ¡°If you ask me, it¡¯s all because you don¡¯t pay attention. I called you early on, telling you to buy before the prices went up!¡± ¡°You insisted it wasn¡¯t urgent, and now look, they¡¯re exploiting our need to spend, and not giving in even a bit.¡± As if her bargaining skills were seriously lacking. But then turning to Mao Li, she boasted, ¡°However, their asking price was too unrealistic. I haggled with them for half a day, and in the end, added five yuan, got a pack of Gold Ingots, and a stack of US Dollars¡ªeach of those items would cost five yuan if sold separately. Might as well let grandpa and grandma go abroad for a trip.¡± Well, then. Sun Yanyan¡¯s mind full of drafts instantly knotted up and came to an abrupt halt. She sat there feeling stuffy, but thankfully, her mother-in-law was present. At that moment, she saw Mao Li also put on a show of approval, ¡°Hongmei, you really know how to bargain. Everything is expensive now; life in the city is tough too, with prices soaring so quickly. Even buying vegetables is so costly¡­¡± If they continued on this topic, it would seem perfectly natural for them to bring back more vegetables from the village, right? But the big cousin did pick up on the conversation, though not completely. She too, agreed wholeheartedly, ¡°Exactly. The price of eggs has gone up so much. My pancake stall uses not only flour but eggs, green onions, and even wraps around sausage. Earning four or five yuan doesn¡¯t amount to much anymore.¡± ¡°Big sister, I¡¯m not criticizing you, but the kids are under a lot of pressure too. You should think about saving more.¡± ¡°Like that last time I went to your place, it was tidy enough, but you¡¯ve got such a big balcony going to waste!¡± When it came to saving money, no one was better than the big cousin, ¡°Let me teach you; get some empty oil bottles, dig up some soil from the community, and plant garlic sprouts and green onions. It¡¯s simply beautiful!¡± ¡°The green onions for my egg pancakes, a lot of them come from my own garden.¡± ¡°In our old neighborhood, nobody cares. If there¡¯s no space at home, just carry a few oil bottles and line them up along the hallway downstairs. If the neighbors want some, let them pinch a few, and you can save a bit too. Onions don¡¯t cost much¡­¡± Mao Li: ¡­ Mao Li no longer had the desire to continue the conversation. The group traveled in silence, hastening and slowing their pace, and by the time they returned to their old home, it was already past nine, almost ten o¡¯clock. Wu Lan and Wang Lifan were at home, busy sorting out the vegetables. After all, there were now eleven people to feed, and adding their two families, the meal portions for twenty people wouldn¡¯t be small; it was no easy task. Uncle Song¡¯s car smoothly pulled up to the courtyard entrance. Sun Yanyan got out and noticed that her younger uncle¡¯s family¡¯s place still looked the same, apparently, they hadn¡¯t improved anything despite earning money. The courtyard seemed to have changed but also appeared unchanged, the only new addition being three plump and robust local puppies. ¡°Oh my,¡± she exclaimed in feigned surprise: ¡°Auntie, why keep these few local dogs?¡± Wu Lan greeted them with a smile, casually saying, ¡°Qiaoqiao picked them up by the road. Just right, we needed a guard dog, so we¡¯re just keeping them.¡± Sun Yanyan then laughed, ¡°Auntie, Qiaoqiao doesn¡¯t understand these things. These little local dogs could be any mix; who knows how big they¡¯ll grow.¡± ¡°If you really want a dog, spend some money and buy a breed. Those German Shepherds and the like, they¡¯re not expensive. I know someone who sells them, you can manage to get one for just five or six hundred yuan¡­¡± Wu Lan laughed heartily, ¡°You young people are all about breeds. Tantan insisted these little dogs were useless and went on to spend three thousand yuan to buy a few¡­¡± A few¡­ Although she didn¡¯t know what breed was bought, the sudden willingness to spend and keep so many dogs meant the family must be more comfortable financially, right? Sun Yanyan felt uneasy in her heart. Uncle Song and big cousin¡¯s father started moving the meat and oil they had bought back to the old courtyard, while Mao Li wandered around in this courtyard. Seeing that next to the kitchen there were several large iron basins filled with bundles of greens and Chinese cabbage, she couldn¡¯t help but express her surprise: ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s just us family here, why prepare so many vegetables, that¡¯s too polite!¡± At the same time, she quickly sidled up to Wang Lifan, ¡°Mom, at your age, you should be enjoying your time at home. Why are you still working?¡± Chapter 112 - 112: 112. Farmhouse Compost Fermentation Bacteria_1 Chapter 112: 112. Farmhouse Compost Fermentation Bacteria_1 Wang Lifan also made a couple of thousand picking tea leaves in March, even if she was a bit slow, the quality wasn¡¯t bad at all! Nowadays, you really can¡¯t stand to hear such words! She quickly asked, ¡°Am I old at this age?¡± Mao Li was stumped again. In her mind, she tallied up the old lady¡¯s age: You¡¯re already in your seventies or eighties, and that¡¯s not considered old? Wu Lan hadn¡¯t realized that these words had implications, suggesting that she was making the elderly lady work at home¡ªafter all, everyone chipped in to help with the meals; picking vegetables wasn¡¯t such hard work! She replied with a chuckle instead, ¡°Not old, not at all old, this year both you and my dad look full of energy, in great shape!¡± That¡¯s right, the Spiritual Energy scattered around the rooms, food, and tea leaves. It silently influenced everything. Not to mention curing diseases, but it definitely boosted one¡¯s spirit steadily. Wang Lifan thought about it and became even more convinced of the old saying, ¡°It¡¯s really a poor fate, the more there is to do, the better the spirit.¡± Wu Lan smiled at Mao Li again, ¡°Big sister, there were many of us at lunch today, and I was thinking of booking a table at the family restaurant at the entrance of the village. They cook good food, it¡¯s also made in a traditional clay pot. But mom insisted against it.¡± Her aunt, upon hearing this, decisively joined in, ¡°That cannot be done. We have our own vegetables, why spend money to eat someone else¡¯s? How expensive that would be!¡± She sat down without hesitation in front of a basin of Milk Vetch and began picking, while saying, ¡°Where¡¯s Tantan? The last time she brought this vegetable she didn¡¯t mention the price. I mean, the kid has good stuff and should save it to make money, why give it away? For our own family, what¡¯s wrong with eating something?¡± Looking at the big bunch of Milk Vetch in front of her, many with pink blossoms, she became even more regretful, ¡°Those are too old now.¡± Wu Lan chuckled, ¡°When Tantan came back, she mentioned that her aunt specially took her to buy some ducks, saving her several tens of bucks.¡± ¡°What¡¯s more, when it¡¯s family, that¡¯s when you save the good stuff for.¡± She looked at the Milk Vetch in her hand, ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m short on cash this year that I thought of selling it to try it out. Who knew it¡¯d taste so good? But now that they¡¯ve flowered, they can¡¯t be eaten anymore. There¡¯s so little left, might as well stir-fry all of it for lunch.¡± How come there¡¯s only a little left? Mao Li quickly laughed: ¡°That¡¯s what I was saying, why you¡¯d eagerly send Milk Vetch over. Only later at the vegetable market did I find out, this stuff is so expensive. Look at me¡­¡± She feigned a sheepish expression, ¡°I thought it was two bucks a pound, I went there offering to buy ten bucks worth. Tantan even got mad, she flatly refused to sell.¡± Song Tan didn¡¯t mention a word about this when she came back, and Wu Lan was hearing this for the first time now. At that moment, hearing this neither here nor there tone of voice, she got annoyed, thinking to herself, a vegetable that costs twenty bucks a pound, and you expect to buy five pounds with ten bucks? What are you dreaming of? You can¡¯t do calculations like that even with your own family! Giving away is one thing, buying is another; they¡¯re completely different matters. But before she could say anything, she saw Song Sancheng coming over, grinning, accompanying Uncle and the older cousins back, then he turned and went into the house to get a bag of yellow paper: ¡°Let¡¯s go, we should go pay our respects at the grave first.¡± Uncle looked around the yard, ¡°Where¡¯s dad?¡± Speaking of which, Song Sancheng couldn¡¯t help but boast, so he held up his chin with a bit of pride, ¡°He¡¯s up on the mountain. Tantan wants to plant some fruit trees there, and Baba is watching over them right now.¡± Uncle was shocked, ¡°Planting fruit trees?¡± ¡°That¡¯s no joke, letting a young girl like her do as she pleases? What if she ends up losing money? That would be no small sum.¡± ¡°Besides¡­¡± He looked towards the back mountain, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any activity up there, have I?¡± Speaking frankly among family, Song Sancheng didn¡¯t give much thought to the potential loss. He added proudly: ¡°Once Tantan came back, the village secretary said she was a university graduate returning to start a business, and insisted we take over the back mountain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, they even provide subsidies and help arrange it. Now they¡¯re planting fruit trees on that barren mountain. Today they started digging holes, and I guess the saplings might even be delivered by this afternoon.¡± The young guy operating the excavator was really impressive; a job scheduled for five to seven days was almost done in less than four. Now that big bucket is digging holes, one accurate pit after the other, and the rest of us just need to tidy them up before we can start planting.¡± Ah, that Yanping found some really reliable guys! But he went to the city this morning to pick up the saplings, so that¡¯s why he¡¯s not around right now. Talking about it, Song Sancheng felt somewhat worried, ¡°Planting the trees a few days late, I don¡¯t know if that will affect the harvest.¡± Wu Lan couldn¡¯t stand his smugness and quickly changed the subject: ¡°You guys better hurry up and burn it, it¡¯s almost noon. Oh, and tell the plowman not to leave today, have him stay for a meal.¡± The plowman was quite firm about his payment, and although we said food wasn¡¯t included, he indeed didn¡¯t eat. He has relatives in the village and always mooched off them. Now that the plowing is almost done, it wouldn¡¯t be right not to offer him a meal. Song Sancheng glanced at the time, indeed it wasn¡¯t early anymore, so he quickly led his uncle and his eldest uncle towards the back mountain. As for the tomb-sweeping, the local customs mostly involve the men. If his aunt and Mao Li wanted to go they could, and if not, that was fine too. However, Mao Li and Sun Yanyan were preoccupied with the prospect of more and better things in the fields, while his aunt was busy preparing dishes for a group of about twenty people, and couldn¡¯t spare a hand. Just then, Song Tan drove back with Qiaoqiao. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The car stopped at the gate of the courtyard, emitting a faint scent. She had connected a hose to the outside tap and was now vigorously washing it down. Seeing this, Wu Lan wondered: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were just driving around the back mountain? What¡¯s this smell?¡± Song Tan laughed, ¡°My dad called it. This morning, Uncle Zhang went to the back mountain to help. He collected all of the broken branches and leaves.¡± ¡°Then he piled them up at the edge of the orchard, told me to bring it to our back mountain to get acquainted with Big Wang¡ªhe¡¯s going to take manure from the pigsty and poultry area, to create compost.¡± Thinking about it, Song Tan felt the 2000 yuan salary was well worth it. Because although Zhang Wang is slightly lame, he works swiftly and isn¡¯t weak. You wouldn¡¯t know it from his quiet demeanor, but he¡¯s quite progressive-minded. This morning, Song Tan watched him mix pig manure, poultry manure, broken grass, mud, and whatnot, with experience layering them in piles. Then, he flipped a bag of fermentation bacteria intended for agricultural use out of a basket onto them¡­ Song Tan was genuinely surprised. When it comes to using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, she fully acknowledged the villagers¡¯ expertise, but using fermentation bacteria¡ªthat mix of various beneficial microbes, of a wide variety of species¡ªshe doubted anyone else in the village had ever heard of it. Chapter 113 - 113: Uncles Wife Who is Unlucky in Everything_1 Chapter 113: Uncle¡¯s Wife Who is Unlucky in Everything_1 These different types of fungi are currently widely used in green organic farming, or are studied by those who specialize in horticulture. Who would have thought that the Zhang Wang family, quiet as they are, would have such a deep understanding of agriculture and technology. No wonder their compost has been gaining a better reputation in the village year after year¡­ This combination of traditional farming experience, metaphysics, and scientific methods was bound to be a success! Perhaps sensing her surprise, Zhang Wang¡¯s family smiled shyly, ¡°That year I went to the town, there were people who specialized in promoting this, ten yuan a packet. The factory even provided guidance¡­¡± ¡°I gave it a try, and really, it was quite effective. Just with this compost, what usually takes three to five months to mature, only took about two months with this, and the fertilizing effect was very good too!¡± ¡°By the time the flowers on the mountain nearly fade and the fruits just start growing, it¡¯s exactly the time they need top-dressing. After it decomposes, this stuff doesn¡¯t burn the roots, and it works quickly and is easy to use.¡± Because of their running all over the fields, there wasn¡¯t much chicken and duck manure saved up. But those five little pigs could eat, drink, and excrete a lot, so Tantan ended up collecting a big pile of pig manure in the orchard that morning. Would the car not smell after that? But this was a one-time event. Zhang Wang¡¯s family said that now, with Tantan taking him to meet the boss, he could work together in the orchard from now on, and he could collect the pig manure in buckets every day by himself. He was used to it, and in fact, the mountain paths were a bit more convenient than driving the car. However, with guests at home, Tantan didn¡¯t say much. She quickly rinsed the car, freshened up a bit, and hurried into the courtyard to greet Aunt Song Hongmei. Aunt Song Hongmei was sitting there picking vegetables, and upon seeing Tantan, her eyes lit up, ¡°Look at our Tantan, so capable! Your future is sure to be bright!¡± Mao Li still remembered the embarrassment in the vegetable market last time, and now chuckled, ¡°Tantan, last time your great-aunt had no idea you sold your produce for so much, it was quite a laugh.¡± ¡°Back then, I was even considering setting you up with someone. Look at what a good young man¡­ but it just wasn¡¯t meant to be!¡± She made a regretful expression, waiting for Wu Lan to ask questions and feel remorse. After all, the girl had graduated from college, and it was time to find a match. Tantan had now returned home to farm; without the help of relatives to introduce her, where could she find a good match from the city? Wu Lan indeed inquired, ¡°What match? Sister-in-law, do you know him well? Don¡¯t introduce her to someone not very familiar.¡± Tantan is now wholly focused on tending to the family¡¯s fields. If she really had to go to the city to date a young man, she would probably not have the time for it. As an ordinary mother, Wu Lan¡¯s thoughts were natural, like everyone else¡¯s: when a girl grows up, it¡¯s time to discuss marriage. But the situation at home was different now. Her daughter Tantan was so capable; even a pound of tea leaves could sell for ten thousand yuan. What if someone with ill intentions, only interested in money, took advantage of her? Therefore, her questions were filled with vigilance and resistance, making her less enthusiastic than might be expected. Mao Li: ¡­ She really wanted to check the almanac, wondering if today was simply unlucky for her. Why did every remark she made seem out of step, time and again? It was so frustrating! So, taking a deep breath, Mao Li squeezed out a smile that was more forced than genuine, ¡°Wu Lan, now I have to say something about you. The child might not understand, but how can you be clueless as an adult?¡± ¡°A young girl busying herself with farming in this village, what future can she have? She¡¯s never going to attract a good match.¡± ¡°You folks mustn¡¯t think that just because you can sell a pound of vegetables for twenty, you can get rich from it. It¡¯s still important to prioritize the child¡¯s future, and isn¡¯t a stable job better than everything else?¡± This can¡¯t be said to be unreasonable, but Wu Lan just had to do the math in her head to know that her family really did make a living off selling vegetables, and they had earned over a hundred thousand this month. Their child working away from home all year round may not even bring home that much money, and that would still require living frugally to save up. Thinking this way, she felt that if they were lucky, farming at home could also be quite promising¡­ With this in mind, it suddenly seemed less important whether the partner was from the city or not, or even whether there was a partner at all. Wu Lan confidently thought: With Tantan being so capable, she must choose carefully! So she too smiled, her words light but effective: ¡°Sister-in-law, you¡¯re making sense. But the kid is still young, right?¡± Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Mao Li had been holding back her frustration many times today, and now she was not willing to give up. She turned to Song Tan and joked: ¡°Tantan, if your mom isn¡¯t in a hurry, you should still be concerned. Later on, find someone from a good family background and ask for a big dowry, so you¡¯ll have something to leave for Qiaoqiao¡­¡± Before she could finish, a scolding voice came from Wang Lifan, from the side: ¡°You shallow-minded! When has Lao Song¡¯s family ever requested a bride¡¯s dowry?!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Aunt Song Hongmei was also unhappy: ¡°No matter the conditions, as long as the girl likes him and he¡¯s of good character, that¡¯s enough. What¡¯s all this talk about Qiaoqiao? If our family moved for the girl¡¯s dowry, we would lose face for generations.¡± If it really were about the bride¡¯s dowry, back when she married into the city, city workers were in high demand, right? With Song Sancheng still unmarried at home, why didn¡¯t Wang Lifan keep the dowry money to help her son marry? Wouldn¡¯t a girl be more respected marrying with a dowry than with nothing at all? This elder sister-in-law, truly, out of sight, out of mind for a while, and her brain stops working. Aunt Song Hongmei looked down upon her: ¡°Yanyan, don¡¯t let your mother stay home all day watching those silly melodramas on TV, look at her thoughts, how backward!¡± Sun Yanyan, as articulate as she was, got stuck at this point and had to awkwardly defend her mother-in-law: ¡°My mom is just worried, look at Qiaoqiao at this age, it¡¯s essential to plan ahead, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Right? Auntie.¡± If it had been in the past, such words would¡¯ve struck Wu Lan to the heart so much that she might have secretly cried about it. But things were different now. Her Qiaoqiao, he could spin honey now! This was a skill that could put food on the table, as long as he knew how, and gradually learned, starting with beekeeping, he would definitely have enough to fill his stomach and clothe himself warmly as long as he could move! He could also wash clothes, cook, bathe, and do simple chores¡­ Thinking about it, the future looked stable! So Wu Lan responded with a neutral tone, ¡°I¡¯m still young, elder sister-in-law, don¡¯t worry about it too much or menopause will age you quicker.¡± ¡°Yanyan, you should also buy some skincare products for your mom, she¡¯s just a few years older than me, but she looks like she¡¯s aged a decade or two now, doesn¡¯t she? Devastating! Mao Li¡¯s eyes were red with anger! What was even more infuriating was when she and Sun Yanyan really took the time to scrutinize Wu Lan, they found that her hair was dark and lustrous, her skin was smooth and glowing, though slightly tanned, she looked to be in her thirties or forties! Indeed, she looked a decade or two younger than Mao Li! The blow was too much! The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law stood there, finding common ground for once¡ª Today was really a day where nothing went right! Chapter 114 - 114: 114. Locust Flowers on the Back Mountain_1 Chapter 114: 114. Locust Flowers on the Back Mountain_1 All morning, Auntie and Sun Yanyan didn¡¯t get any positive results. Even though they wanted to restrain themselves, their faces were still sullen and quite unpleasing. The aunt and grandma were sitting there picking vegetables, a whole basin of tender Milk Vetch picked over by them, giving the mother and daughter a lot to talk about: ¡°Twenty bucks a pound, we¡¯re eating well today.¡± ¡°Exactly, twenty! If you ask me, we should¡¯ve sold it. Mom, don¡¯t you have lettuce in your garden? Pull up a few of those and it¡¯s the same thing.¡± ¡°Right, I think so too. Lettuce is so much cheaper, isn¡¯t it? One to stew with meat, one to stir-fry simply, it¡¯s all good.¡± ¡°Sigh, Tantan and my brother are just the same, both too honest, no business sense!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, Sancheng has always been honest since he was little.¡± Wu Lan was bustling around with the wok in the kitchen, listening to their chat and feeling rather pleased. She thought to herself, Song Sancheng¡¯s honesty aside for now, their family¡¯s Tantan, now that¡¯s someone who knows how to do business. Looking again at the disheartened expressions on her sister-in-law and her daughter-in-law, her mood improved even more. Just then, Qiaoqiao¡¯s voice could be heard from afar at the doorway: ¡°Mom, today Uncle Zhang taught me how to make compost.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Wu Lan also raised her voice in response, ¡°Then you must learn it well, our garden will rely on you in the future!¡± Qiaoqiao proudly ran into the yard, ¡°I will definitely learn well, I am so busy with tasks now!¡± Then seeing the people in the yard, his smile grew even brighter: ¡°Aunt, I didn¡¯t finish the snow cake you gave me last time, I shared half with Big White.¡± Turning his head and seeing Auntie from the hardware store and the annoying sister-in-law, he snorted and pretended not to see them. Mao Li and Sun Yanyan became even more irritated, ¡°Tsk, how is this child raised? Doesn¡¯t even know how to greet people.¡± Qiaoqiao hummed, ¡°Because I¡¯m stupid.¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Song Tan couldn¡¯t help it and burst out laughing. She hurriedly chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right, Auntie, at your age, why bother with kids?¡± Her words came out like a double whammy, echoing the sentiments of ¡°it¡¯s a holiday¡± and ¡°just a child¡±! Thus Auntie¡¯s face turned a shade greener, and seeing Uncle Song walk in from outside, she snorted coldly: ¡°You really take your time. The meal is almost ready and you¡¯re just getting back.¡± Uncle Song, clueless to the situation, was puzzled, ¡°Sister-in-law is cooking, you¡¯re going to eat readymade at home. What¡¯s the hurry?¡± Mao Li: ¡­ If it weren¡¯t for her age, she¡¯d really want to tear into an argument and go straight back to the city. But sitting there was truly suffocating, watching the old gentlemen already sitting there, smoking and drinking the ordinary large-leaf tea from the mountains, chatting and relaxing comfortably. What about them? They hadn¡¯t had a smooth morning at all. So with a feeling of discontent she said: ¡°Tantan, you¡¯re even buying a car for the family this time, aren¡¯t you? That¡¯s a hefty investment. It will take a good while to earn that much from selling vegetables, won¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I heard from your mom that you also bought some dogs? Why didn¡¯t you go through your sister-in-law, she has lots of connections and could¡¯ve gotten you a much better deal.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The sister-in-law quickly agreed, ¡°I just heard from Auntie that it cost you three thousand. Ah, I say, definitely overpriced!¡± Just at that moment, the person responsible for plowing the field, who was being offered a meal for the first time today, walked in from the yard and spontaneously added, ¡°That¡¯s not expensive at all! I¡¯ve heard about it on the street. The dogs your family bought have eaten a tiger¡ªwow, that¡¯s an incredible bargain.¡± What in the world, dogs that have eaten a tiger?! They must be man-eaters! Uncle and Aunt were also shockingly looking over, not to mention the mother and daughter-in-law pair. Song Tan, however, neither agreed nor denied, but answered another question, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it didn¡¯t cost anything, a friend couldn¡¯t afford to keep it and gave it to me.¡± Oh my, what sort of dog that has eaten a tiger could that be? Sun Yanyan and Mao Li called a truce, and now they didn¡¯t mention anything about the dog¡ªjoking, even if you gave her thirty thousand, she couldn¡¯t get her hands on a dog that has eaten a tiger! After some thought, the great-aunt simply gave up on any further topics and took advantage of the crowd to speak directly to Wang Lifan: ¡°Mom, what other vegetables do you have in your garden? Vegetables are so expensive in the city now, I¡¯m going to dig some up before I leave.¡± As it happened, there was indeed a part of Wang Lifan¡¯s garden left untouched. In this season, what could there be? Isn¡¯t it just Chinese cabbage, garlic sprouts, and lettuce? The rest were the little Chinese cabbage seedlings raised for Song Tan, which hadn¡¯t yet grown up, so they were definitely not edible. Nowadays, Song Youde and Wang Lifan followed Song Tan¡¯s family every day, feasting on fish, meat, and vegetables without shortage¡ªwho would even remember those few stalks of lettuce? So, Wang Lifan was quite magnanimous: ¡°Go ahead and pull. It¡¯s fine even if you pull everything out.¡± Mao Li almost laughed out loud¡ªMilk Vetch was twenty yuan per jin, who knows how much the lettuce could be worth? Now she looked at Song Tan: ¡°Tantan, that Milk Vetch you had last time was pretty tasty, which field did it grow in? I¡¯ll go dig some more¡ªyou won¡¯t begrudge it, will you?¡± Song Tan almost laughed out loud. Her great-aunt was truly amusing, wanting to dig but beating around the bush all morning, and getting all worked up before getting to the point. She also sighed with apparent regret, ¡°Aye, great-aunt, why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡± ¡°Just last night, all those pieces of land were plowed over, and in a couple of days, I¡¯m going to plant rice.¡± She pointed to the bowl, ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say it¡¯s all gone? That¡¯s all that¡¯s left.¡± Mao Li was instantly left breathless¡ªhaving just said there was none left, she thought this stuff grows everywhere in the field, how could it truly be gone?! Today they came back, and just yesterday the field happened to be plowed; wasn¡¯t this like the heavens were against her? The oldest aunt also looked regretful, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a missed opportunity to make money? Why plow it over?¡± Song Tan sighed, ¡°No way around it, aunt, people have become picky these days, they must have grown tired of eating it for so long.¡± Suddenly, the purchasing army in the group chat went silent: ¡­We¡¯re not tired yet. That¡¯s also true. The oldest aunt reminisced regretfully for a moment, and then turned to Mao Li, without any pretense: ¡°Sis-in-law, since you¡¯re free now, why don¡¯t you go ahead and pull up all the lettuce and garlic sprouts from our mom¡¯s garden? Share half with me later.¡± What could Mao Li say? She was the mother¡¯s own daughter, could she refuse to share her mother¡¯s produce? But they had just finished choosing vegetables, why must they go to work again? And yet when she looked around, the entire yard full of people was watching her, and the great-uncle seemed to lose face. ¡°The vegetable market is right at our doorstep, why do you have to take our mom¡¯s vegetables? Is it easy for the old couple to grow things?¡± It was rather embarrassing as if he couldn¡¯t get food to eat in the city. But now that the words were spoken, could he really say he didn¡¯t want them? Wouldn¡¯t that be even more awkward? The great-aunt continued to grimace. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The lettuce in the granny¡¯s field actually hadn¡¯t been blessed with Spiritual Energy by Song Tan; at most, they brushed against the Chinese cabbage seedlings. But even if they just brushed against them, the taste should still be pretty good, so Song Tan was not pleased to let them off so cheaply to the great-aunt. Thus, she clapped her hands, ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Oldest aunt, my granny¡¯s land doesn¡¯t yield produce as tasty as mine. I have two ancient locust trees on the mountain behind our house that are just budding, don¡¯t bother with the lettuce. After we eat, I¡¯ll ask Qiaoqiao to go up the mountain and fetch you some locust flowers.¡± The two women, who were just taking baskets from the car, had their eyes light up. Chapter 115 - 115: 115. Signature Dish_1 Chapter 115: 115. Signature Dish_1 In the rural kitchen, the stove was large and so was the pot, making the cooking process quite fast. One stove was for cooking rice, the middle pot for boiling water, and another large iron pot, now some twenty-five years old, was from the time of their wedding. After so many years, it had been seasoned by lard to a shiny gloss, making the vegetables fried in it silky smooth and delicious. Today, for about twenty people, Wu Lan made more food but not more varieties (mainly because it was the season with few vegetables), and each dish was served in a basin. The highlight, without a doubt, was a large basin of Milk Vetch stir-fried with cured meat. Logically, the highlight should have been a stew, but unfortunately, the lettuce from Grandma¡¯s garden wasn¡¯t of that quality yet, so lettuce stewed with canned meat had to take second place. Then came chives stir-fried with eggs. Yesterday, Song Tan had harvested all the chives, and the family spent hours making all sorts of dumplings and chive pockets. And so, there was a large plate of chive pockets at lunch, serving as another staple. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As for those that weren¡¯t wrapped, they were all stir-fried with eggs today. The reason it wasn¡¯t the main dish was simply because it had no meat; it seemed less ceremonious. Then there was spicy pork stir-fried with chili peppers and cabbage stir-fried with tofu. These were all vegetables currently available on the farm; the rest had been bought early in the morning from the town and weren¡¯t worth mentioning. But despite that, the dominant aroma of the chives, the unique crispy scent of the chive pockets, and the various fragrances released when frying the Milk Vetch with meat¡­ had everyone present barely resisting their growling stomachs. If it weren¡¯t for the last bit of self-control, they¡¯d already be fighting over the food with their chopsticks! Not to say anything else, but someone really needed to take a bite of those chive pockets! So hungry! However, by the time all ten basins were on the table, Auntie and Sun Yanyan had still not returned. Everyone sat around the table with chopsticks in hand, growing increasingly anxious. Uncle¡¯s face looked somewhat displeased: ¡°I¡¯ll make a call, you guys go ahead and start eating.¡± But who would start eating first? Only after a corresponding ringtone sounded in the yard did everyone realize¡ªthey had gone out to pick vegetables and didn¡¯t take their mobile phones with them. Wang Lifan was puzzled: ¡°The vegetable garden is only so big, and there weren¡¯t many lettuces left, so what¡¯s taking so long, did they fail to dig them up, or what?¡± ¡°Qiaoqiao,¡± Song Tan said with a smile, ¡°go check at Grandma¡¯s house to see if Auntie is there?¡± Qiaoqiao was always eager to run errands. Without hesitation, he stood up, and even acted like an adult, ¡°Sigh! It¡¯s time to eat and they are still not back, such playfulness!¡± Uncle¡¯s face was looking increasingly displeased, and Song Tan patted him: ¡°Hurry up and go.¡± Qiaoqiao was tall and had long legs, sprinting all the way at a jog; in less than five minutes, he ran back panting: ¡°No one¡¯s there. Nobody at Grandma¡¯s house, not inside the house, not in the vegetable field, not in Big White¡¯s shed either.¡± The focus for everyone present was on where the missing persons had gone, but Song Tan glanced at Qiaoqiao, knowing he must have checked Big White¡¯s den as well. Since Big White had moved up the mountain, his ragged basket of a den had been left unattended, except for the care from his good brother Qiaoqiao. With the phone unreachable and the whereabouts of the people unknown, Song Tan suggested, ¡°Auntie said she was going to cut Milk Vetch this morning, but there¡¯s none left in the field; she wouldn¡¯t still be looking in the field, would she?¡± So Qiaoqiao was sent to the gate to look towards the field. Looking all around, only brown earth remained in the field; no people in sight. No one knew whose stomach grumbled, but Uncle¡¯s face turned even more awkward, so he picked up his chopsticks: ¡°We won¡¯t wait any longer, let¡¯s eat! We¡¯re all family, no need to be polite.¡± He was both family and a guest now, and those missing were from his household. Once he spoke up, everyone really couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. The boss in charge of plowing had heard long ago that Song Tan¡¯s home-cooked meals were exceptional, but he had always been skeptical¡ªwho in the countryside hadn¡¯t been to a few feasts? He¡¯d had his share! Yet, this noon, when the scent wafted over, he immediately regretted it and wanted to slap himself twice! ¡°Serves you right for being picky, serves you right for scrounging for a meal!¡± The fragrance of the Milk Vetch carried a distinctive quality. Just how many good things had he been missing out on? The thought of himself ruthlessly burying them all under the soil with the plow the day before left his hands and feet trembling with anger¡ª If only he had been willing to cut a basketful? Just then! There arose a sudden clamor from the back mountain as if someone were shouting, calling out! The voice was both pitiful and filled with fear, sobering everyone up. Song Sancheng instantly sprung to his feet, ¡°My pigs!¡± The back mountain was home to his cherished pigs, which he had raised spoonful by spoonful of pig feed. He couldn¡¯t tolerate the slightest loss! Though Qiaoqiao had no pigs to feed, his chicks, his ducks, his noble brothers Big White and Big King, and even the newly employed main force for composting¡ªpig manure! They were still up on the mountain! At this moment, he too suddenly stood up. But his face turned red, unable to remember which of his belongings to call out for first. My Big King? Or my Big White? Or my pig manure and ducks? A silence fell for a while, and the shouting from the back mountain grew louder. Now, no one could sit still, and they hurriedly ran outside. No sooner had they turned the corner of the back mountain than they were surprised by a few buzzing bee hives by the trail, only to see two disheveled and bedraggled women bursting from the woods. They were bawling for their parents and crying out as they stumbled downhill. It wasn¡¯t until they saw the others that they finally sat down on the ground with a thump. ¡°What in the world are you doing?¡± Uncle Song was clearly suppressing his anger, even his voice was trembling. Mao Li let out a wail: ¡°We were so close¡­ so close to dying, to losing our lives!!!¡± Sun Yanyan, too, looked terrified, her eyeliner smeared from crying, ¡°Exactly, Dad, you have no idea. There¡¯s a monster up the back mountain, so terrifying!¡± No sooner had she spoken than there came another rustling in the underbrush, causing everyone to hold their breath and listen intently. Sun Yanyan and Aunt Song shrank together, looking like birds frightened by the mere twang of a bow. Then, a loud ¡°honk, honk, honk¡± rang out, and the first thing to emerge was a white head wearing a little yellow cap. When Big White saw Qiaoqiao, it eagerly spread its wings, puffed up its chest, and strutted out with a swagger. Though it was just a goose, it bore the demeanor of a mighty army. Qiaoqiao cheered, quickly squatting down with his arms outstretched, and the two embraced each other in their well-practiced manner. Only then did Big White settle down. ¡­That¡¯s it? This is just an ordinary goose, not some fearsome lion-headed goose. Was there really any need to scream like that? The villagers looked at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law with bizarre expressions, each sharing a collective moment of estrangement. But at that moment, there came a faint sound from the bushes. Song Tan lifted her head and saw a big dog¡¯s head poking out, quietly observing the group of people in front of it. Chapter 116 - 116: 116. The Goose and the Dog, Dividing the World_1 Chapter 116: 116. The Goose and the Dog, Dividing the World_1 Wow! What a huge dog head! Everybody was startled as well. Only Qiaoqiao happily let go of Big White and then hugged D¨¤ W¨¢ng¡¯s neck, ¡°D¨¤ W¨¢ng, how did you get out?¡± sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ever since D¨¤ W¨¢ng was assigned the task of guarding the back mountain, he had been so diligent and loyal to his duty. Wu Lan and Song Sancheng, when they went up the mountain to check on the pigs, were always amazed by its sense of responsibility. In the big bowl for eating, they had to add quite a bit more meat. Though under Wu Lan¡¯s meticulous budgeting, this ¡°quite a bit more meat¡± wasn¡¯t actually that much, their acknowledgment was enough proof of D¨¤ W¨¢ng¡¯s success. Of course, for D¨¤ W¨¢ng, as long as it got its daily dose of Spiritual Energy, unless its former owner struck it rich and came to pick it up in a truck full of dog food, it wouldn¡¯t go anywhere else! It was so good here, with mountains, water, pigs, chicken, ducks, and even a goose; it could run freely, which was far more comfortable than being confined in the villa it lived in before! However, because the patrol area had recently been expanded by an additional twenty mu, D¨¤ W¨¢ng was busy bustling about in the back mountain every day and rarely came to the front. Its appearance today had shocked everyone. Such a big dog! Everyone had only heard of it by name and hadn¡¯t seen it. Just as they were about to ask more questions, they heard Sun Yanyan start to wail: ¡°Look, this is the dog that ate a tiger. We were almost killed¡­¡± D¨¤ W¨¢ng, hearing familiar sounds, turned his head and bared his teeth at Sun Yanyan, then let out a roar: ¡°Woof!¡± The sound was deep and oppressive. It wasn¡¯t just Sun Yanyan who shivered; everyone present couldn¡¯t help but tremble and felt a newfound reverence for the back mountain. Mao Li, standing to the side, shuddered even more. She was genuinely scared! Who wouldn¡¯t be afraid of such a big dog? Her voice trembled with a cry, ¡°Just imagine if it bit you, it could easily break an arm or a leg! We¡¯re lucky to be alive!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Song Tan hurriedly soothed the emotions of the mother and daughter-in-law, ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t worry, D¨¤ W¨¢ng is just a bit alert, but in reality, he wouldn¡¯t bite down that hard all at once.¡± Mao Li and Sun Yanyan looked at her in horror ¡ª not bite down that hard all at once?! So it would take just a couple of bites then! Just as they were about to say something, they saw D¨¤ W¨¢ng struggle out of Qiaoqiao¡¯s arms, then turn around, and dive back into the bushes to bring out an empty plastic crate. That crate was quite large; it could hold fruit from the wholesale market, easily fifty pounds, no problem. Song Tan exclaimed, ¡°D¨¤ W¨¢ng, where did you find this?¡± She then asked Sun Yanyan, who looked uneasy, ¡°Sister-in-law, I forgot to ask, how come you were in the back mountain?¡± Everyone remembered the meal that hadn¡¯t reached their mouths, and now their stomachs growled even more. Why were they in the back mountain? Mao Li was somewhat at a loss for words¡ª How should she explain? They had planned to gather more Milk Vetch, but right at the entrance was a large patch of farmland that had been plowed over, with scattered green leaves of unrecovered Milk Vetch showing through. They had no choice but to settle for the second best and went to the vegetable garden to look at the Chinese cabbages. The cabbages were left there; no one would take them away, but given Song Tan¡¯s favoritism, since she said she would specifically pick locust flowers for her aunt, those locust flowers must definitely be of the same quality as Milk Vetch¡­ So Mao Li and Sun Yanyan exchanged looks, understanding each other¡¯s thoughts; they picked up the empty basket and headed up the back mountain. Having lived in my hometown before, this place isn¡¯t too unfamiliar, except¡­ where are those two locust trees? They said it was behind the mountain, but the mountain is pretty big. After turning a corner, first thing I saw was five pigs enclosed by a fence, all plump and starting to grunt at the slightest movement. Sun Yanyan got excited immediately, ¡°Wow, Uncle¡¯s family is raising pigs this year, we¡¯re in for a treat at New Year¡¯s, we don¡¯t even have to buy meat!¡± With so many pigs being raised at home, it would be inappropriate not to gift a pig leg, right? The little chickens and ducks were fenced in the field, grazing on the leftovers, but now nowhere to be seen. However, as they walked on, they heard a ¡°honk¡± of a loud call. Looking up, they saw a sturdy big white goose standing in the woods, its wings slightly open to the sides, looking vigilant and full of spirit. Sun Yanyan jumped in fright, ¡°Mom, they say a goose peck can really hurt!¡± Mao Li dismissed it, ¡°Scared of what? This goose is just scare talk; in reality, if it actually comes at you, you just grab its neck¡ª¡± Getting carried away, she gestured with one hand while holding the basket in the other! However, as she raised her arm, Big White instantly sensed a threat. Thus, the battle-crazed demon, Big White, who even dreamed of fighting the great king for three hundred rounds, now stretched its neck forward, plunged its body, and began to pump its wings¡ª ¡°Honk!¡± It let out a high-pitched cry and charged forward, then viciously pecked and twisted at Sun Yanyan¡¯s calf¡ª ¡°Ow!!!¡± Tears burst out immediately. Mao Li, too, was startled by the aggressive lunging of the goose, and she quickly grabbed her daughter-in-law and pulled her forward while holding the basket: ¡°Quick, run! That goose is brainless, can¡¯t understand human speech, aaaaah¡ª¡± The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo fled in a panic, barely managing to clamber up the hill. Seeing Big White back down below, Sun Yanyan only then started to feel the pain. With tears in her eyes, she looked at her now-red calf, filled with regret: ¡°Mom, had I known we shouldn¡¯t have come up the mountain, we could¡¯ve just asked Aunty to pick the locust flowers for us, right?¡± Mao Li now saw things clearly, ¡°We¡¯re just not part of their family, see, they¡¯re all doting on your aunt! ¡°We started by asking for asparagus; then we wanted locust flowers. If your dad gets embarrassed, he¡¯s sure to be sulking¡­¡± As they spoke, they looked up and saw a cluster of white and plump locust flower buds hanging right before their eyes, swaying with the wind amidst the green leaves, as if emitting waves of fragrance. The produce from the back mountain holds some quality after all. Not to mention anything else, just seeing how exceptionally plump those pigs are, you¡¯d know. No matter the resentment, the sight of the locust flowers was satisfying. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law threw the basket on the ground, then without hesitation, they lifted their arms and started pulling at the branches. But as soon as their hands touched the branches, they felt a tightness in their backs, as if something was watching them¡ª The two exchanged glances, then quietly turned around to look. Behind them stood a huge dog, as large as a tiger, its body covered with yellow fur but with a stern black face, fierce teeth bared, eyes fixated on them, and a menacing growl coming from its throat¡­ The two women froze for a moment, but then they saw Big White not hesitating at all to open its mouth and start sprinting toward them! In that instant, the same thought flashed through the minds of both Mao Li and Sun Yanyan: ¡°The dog that fought a tiger.¡± Aaaaaah¡ª What else to do but to run for their lives, aaaaaah!!! Chapter 117 - 117: 117. Its better to rely on yourself than to rely on others_1 Chapter 117: 117. It¡¯s better to rely on yourself than to rely on others_1 This was such a tragic experience, and they really didn¡¯t gain any advantage, but now that the question was asked, how should they answer it? Sun Yanyan could only squeeze out a tragic flower-like face, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault, as soon as Tantan mentioned that there were locust flowers in the back mountain, I couldn¡¯t resist my craving¡­¡± Then, with a look of resentment, she stared at Song Tan and hinted, ¡°Tantan, you keep such a dangerous dog on your back mountain, why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Her eyeliner was smeared, the mascara had left spotty traces beneath her eyes, and the foundation on her face was mottled due to being washed away by sweat and tears, as she limped from the heroic struggle with Big White. Now that things were already so difficult, she still had to be cunning. Song Tan really couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter, ¡°Pfft¡ªcough, big sister, there are five big dogs guarding the mountain at my home, everyone in the village knows, I didn¡¯t expect that even though I said we¡¯d send Qiaoqiao to gather locust flowers in the afternoon, you couldn¡¯t even wait for one meal¡¯s time¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue anymore; so many people were waiting to eat. ¡°Big sister, your eyeliner is smeared, let¡¯s hurry back and wash our faces,¡± she said. What a killer sentence! Upon hearing this, Sun Yanyan instantly pressed her hands against her face in horror and then limped and ran down the mountain into the courtyard. Song Tan watched from behind and asked Song Dafang beside her, his face dark and sullen, ¡°Uncle, I don¡¯t think my sister-in-law is hurt, right? She looks pretty spirited.¡± What could the uncle say? He just felt ashamed. Because of this farce, during lunch, both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law felt too ashamed to show their faces. Fortunately, the food was delicious enough that although the incident left a mark in everyone¡¯s minds, it did not affect their mood or appetite. So the whole table full of big dishes was eaten clean. Sun Yanyan and Mao Li acted coyly for a while, and in the end, all they had left was a chive pocket each. Last time they completely missed out on the superbly delicious Milk Vetch, and though they got to taste the asparagus, it really wasn¡¯t as good as Milk Vetch by a long shot. Now, to try this chive pocket¡ª Mm! Delicious!!! Both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law¡¯s eyes lit up. After waiting for the group to finish eating, Sun Yanyan wanted to ask where the chive field was, but to her surprise, the informal aunt had already picked up a basket and said to Wang Lifan, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll take a bit more of your asparagus, and I¡¯ll also take some extra garlic shoots, okay?¡± Darn, is this what a rival looks like? The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law didn¡¯t dare to delay, they quietly picked up their basket and followed. Song Dafang almost couldn¡¯t stand to watch¡ªjust go and gather the vegetables if you¡¯re going to, why do you have to carry such a big plastic basket, trying to get more than your fair share, afraid people will forget or something? Just go back to the city already. But thinking of the delicious lunch, and considering the embarrassment had already happened¡ªmight as well be done with it. He thought numbly. Moreover, because they had come especially, lunch was early and it was barely twelve o¡¯clock now. If they were in such a hurry to go back, as if clocking in for a task, it would really be too disgraceful. While pondering this, he heard a burst of giggling from the entrance. Everyone stopped walking, only to see four women of about the same age coming their way, each carrying a bamboo basket. Seeing so many people at the entrance of Song Tan¡¯s home, they were stunned for a moment, then realized: ¡°Oh my, Wu Lan, you were afraid we would eat at your place, weren¡¯t you? We¡¯re just back, and you¡¯ve already finished eating.¡± Wang Lifan, who was washing a basin by the pool on the side, thought to herself: ¡°Don¡¯t I need to eat earlier?¡± She wanted to have her breakfast and hit the road early, not delaying her chance to earn money. She had wasted half a day already, but in the afternoon, she could still go to Tea Mountain and fiercely pick enough for fifty yuan. Wu Lan also hurried out with a smile: ¡°That¡¯s right. If I have to provide such a high price and include meals too, then I¡¯m working for you all this season.¡± ¡°What high price? What high price?¡± One of the group became unhappy: ¡°In previous years, when we hired a tea picker for a day, it would also cost two or three hundred yuan. They got paid by the weight of tea they picked, the more they worked, the more they earned. You¡¯re paying by the day, and we¡¯re still picking four or five jin for you each day, be content.¡± Wu Lan laughed as well: ¡°Last year, tea was expensive and the tea pickers were from out of town, were you?¡± ¡°Look how good my tea leaves are, in previous years when you were picking for your own family, it wasn¡¯t this much, right?¡± ¡°Moreover, two to three hundred a day, why on earth would I pay you a salary if I can do it myself?¡± They were all accustomed to chatting and mingling from days past, so their conversation was quite casual. Wu Lan brought out a familiar scale, poured everyone¡¯s fresh tea buds into plastic bags, hung them on the hook, dropped the weight, and efficiently gave the weight: ¡°Two jin, seven liang.¡± The next one hung up weighed the same: two jin, seven liang. Everyone laughed: ¡°Wu Lan, I think in our past lives we must have really been long-term workers for your family. We¡¯re paid by the day, yet we¡¯re picking tea so diligently for you.¡± Wu Lan also laughed: ¡°If you were my long-term worker, I¡¯d have you out working the moment the rooster crowed!¡± Everyone laughed heartily together. Uncle Song watched them with a cold eye as they settled accounts and left, then asked, ¡°Is your family still picking tea leaves this year?¡± Wu Lan¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all because of Tantan, that child came back and has been driving us old folks crazy. She wants to clean up the chestnuts, pick the tea leaves, and also plant rice.¡± ¡°Kept saying that things outside are not good¡­¡± Uncle Song wanted to ask: Since they were picking their own tea leaves this year, why did it seem like they were still drinking last year¡¯s stale tea at noon? But because of the incident with Mao Li and Sun Yanyan, he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it. However, it was Mao Li who, carrying a basket at the door, laughed and said: ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the young people who have the energy. Our local tea isn¡¯t worth much, can you really afford to pay the workers with what you earn?¡± Wu Lan began to laugh: ¡°It¡¯s alright, this tea tastes good, and it sells for more than in previous years, so I can make a bit.¡± Then she quickly counterattacked: ¡°Big sister, I see that your Tea Mountain is also growing well this year. Why don¡¯t you hire a few people to help pick tea for one day? I can fry it for you while I¡¯m at it?¡± Logically, since their family had picked tea leaves, regardless of the quality, giving out half a jin or a jin to relatives and friends wouldn¡¯t be an issue. But first, tea leaves were really too expensive this year. Second, Wu Lan found this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo very unpleasant to look at. And moreover, Uncle Song¡¯s family had nearly fifty acres of mountains and fields¡ªtwice as much as their own. He had abandoned it and didn¡¯t care for it, so why should she help him? Hmph! Isn¡¯t that why they say money is the measure of courage? In the past, Wu Lan thought that because of Qiaoqiao¡¯s behavior, she inevitably had to maintain a cordial relationship with her brother and sister, swallowing the piercing words she had suffered all by herself. Sometimes she knew in her heart yet still held onto a sliver of hope. But now¡­ She watched with a cold eye as Mao Li and Sun Yanyan¡¯s attitudes changed after her family started earning money, and then there was Uncle Song who acted like a nice guy but avoided managing anything. In her heart, she understood: S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It¡¯s better to rely on oneself than on others. Chapter 118 - 118: 118. Tea leaves, locust flowers, and spring bamboo shoots_1 Chapter 118: 118. Tea leaves, locust flowers, and spring bamboo shoots_1 Tea? Who among the middle-aged and elderly doesn¡¯t enjoy it? Uncle Song indeed was tempted, ¡°How much does a tea picker earn a day?¡± Wu Lan didn¡¯t beat around the bush, ¡°150, our tea plants were fertilized this year, they¡¯ve grown well, and you can pick about five jin a day. Your family¡¯s Tea Mountain has been neglected for many years; I guess it¡¯s not easy to pick there, maybe three jin per person per day?¡± What she said was the truth. Tea trees have to be pruned every year and buds picked; otherwise, they will grow tall and thin, with branches sprawling everywhere. The tips of the buds will also become longer and slimmer, and weigh less and less. Standing among such tea trees, you can hardly see the end, and to pick the tea leaves, you have to pull down the branches first. The three jin Wu Lan mentioned per day, that was already an optimistic estimate! Although Uncle Song had let his land lie fallow for many years, he hadn¡¯t completely forgotten everything; he knew the condition of his own Tea Mountain well. In other places, if the transportation were a little better, such tea plantations could be leased out in large pieces to those big tea merchants. But in their case, the tea wasn¡¯t famous, the mountain paths were difficult to navigate, and the areas were scattered¡­ In short, his family¡¯s tea garden was really no different from a wilderness. While he was still mulling over whether it was feasible or not, Mao Li immediately refused, ¡°That won¡¯t do. Dry tea sells for only two to three hundred yuan a jin in the market, and the good ones for about five or six hundred. It¡¯s more convenient to buy and drink directly.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°If you hire people to pick tea, you won¡¯t even get a jin of dry tea in a day, and the labor costs go out to one or two hundred yuan. Why bother with all that trouble? Our family definitely can afford to buy tea.¡± There was an implied meaning in her words, but Wu Lan let out a sigh of relief. If it wasn¡¯t economical, then so be it; after all, her family genuinely paid people to roast their tea leaves. Currently, there were four tea pickers at home, and with her and Wang Lifan pitching in, they could produce six jin of dry tea a day. Zhou Maozhu¡¯s roasting of the tea was manual, with no tea roasting machine. To ensure the freshness of the tea leaves, they were air-dried for a few hours before starting work in the middle of the night. Although they skipped the sieving process, it was still not easy day after day. If Uncle Song really joined in the tea roasting, wouldn¡¯t that be her family¡¯s loss of goodwill? Mao Li refused, and Wu Lan was actually happy about it. But before happiness lasted a minute, she heard Uncle Song ponder for a moment, ¡°Wu Lan, how do you sell this tea of yours? Give me also a jin. It¡¯s reassuring to drink tea from our own people.¡± Wu Lan: ¡­ All she could do was repeat the oft-heard phrase, ¡°Uncle, my tea leaves are quite expensive.¡± No matter the supply, it wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t squeeze out a jin of tea leaves; the earlier excuse just wasn¡¯t suitable anymore. Nothing else to say. ¡°That can be¡ª¡ª¡± Just as Uncle Song was about to ask, he suddenly thought of the Milk Vetch selling for twenty yuan a jin, hesitated for a while, and then gave up as well. He thought: If it¡¯s a thousand yuan a jin, I really can¡¯t bear to buy it! How embarrassing would that be? As he thought this over, Mao Li quickly took Sun Yanyan with her and ran off, carrying a large plastic basket¡ª¡ª They had to run! Aunt Song Hongmei had already gone to grandma¡¯s garden with a plastic bag by now, and they had seen the asparagus; there was only that small patch. There was also a patch of garlic sprouts; normally, it wasn¡¯t anything special, but it was twenty yuan a jin now! Didn¡¯t they need to hurry and bring them back? As soon as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law arrived, indeed, Song Hongmei had already pulled out two asparagus stalks. Without a word, Mao Li placed the basket in front and began to pull out more along the vegetable rows. Wang Lifan¡¯s asparagus had grown well this year, with layers of leaves stacked up, and even bud clusters had started to form on top. Now they only needed a bit of effort to pull them out, which required hardly any labor. Aunt had pulled out three stalks of asparagus and grabbed two handfuls of garlic sprouts, ready to call it quits. But when she turned her head: Wow! The mother-daughter duo had already pulled out a small pile. She wondered: ¡°Why are you pulling up so many bamboo shoots? You can¡¯t eat them at every meal.¡± Aunt Song Hongmei was frugal, but she had a knack for pinching pennies without resorting to eating the same dish over and over to save money. If that were the case, her husband, Old Zhu, would have had enough and flipped the table long ago. Even now, a single shoot had grown so large, it was enough for a family of three for one or two meals. Plus, the leaves of the asparagus were also good for a quick stir-fry, so it would take seven or eight meals to finish three asparagus stalks. Even if you ate one every other day, they would last a week! So Aunt thought it over and decided that three stalks were ideal to ensure freshness. Besides, there were still garlic sprouts, right? Later on, you could stir-fry them with cured meat, eggs, anything really, perfect. But looking at Mao Li and her daughter-in-law, their ambition seemed to be to strip the vegetable garden bare and set up a stall at the market! But nowadays, every household¡¯s garden had nothing but asparagus left, which was so cheap, was it really necessary? Feeling Aunt¡¯s gaze of surprise, Mao Li even smiled and said, ¡°Oh my, things in the city are expensive. Mom said to take as much as we can, so I thought I¡¯d bring more back. My brother now has a particular fondness for hometown produce.¡± Song Hongmei was straightforward but not foolish. What her brother loves to eat? Clearly, you all just want a bargain! Then she glanced at the foolish mother and daughter-in-law: ¡°Then you all take your time. I¡¯ll go back and tidy up the bamboo shoots.¡± She turned her head and left the vegetable garden. Going back, she saw Qiaoqiao happily coming down from the back mountain with a basket, and looking down, she saw a basketful of locust flowers, white with a hint of blue! ¡°Aunt, I got locust flowers for you.¡± Qiaoqiao, holding a plastic bag, poured the locust flowers inside, watching Aunt gleaming with joy. ¡°Oh my, my nephew cares about me. Look at our Qiaoqiao, so nice! These locust flowers are great, too, smelling so sweet. Tonight I¡¯ll steam the flowers that have bloomed, and the rest I¡¯ll stir-fry later¡­¡± As she spoke, she picked a few flowers and stuffed them into her mouth, chewing them for a sweeter taste with each bite. She never tasted locust flowers like this before! Aunt stopped her hand: ¡°Tantan, these flowers are pretty good, don¡¯t eat them anymore, sell them! You could definitely get twenty bucks a kilo for these.¡± Song Tan was resigned¡ªsure, she was certain people would buy them, but the problem was the quantity was too little. Three or five kilos wouldn¡¯t even cover the cost of gas. Even with Spiritual Energy to increase the yield, there needed to be a basic quantity. Otherwise, getting a hundred and ten kilos from just a couple of locust trees wouldn¡¯t pass muster with her mother! She simply put everything into the bag: ¡°Aunt, you cook so well, take them all back to eat. If we want some, there are still more on the tree.¡± With so much produce, the locust flowers could be blanched and then frozen for storage; Aunt was over the moon! After contemplating, she painfully parted with a small portion: ¡°Give some to your grandpa to taste, otherwise, they¡¯ll grumble at their place.¡± Seeing no one around, she fished out a handful of cash from her bosom and pulled out five bucks with difficulty, thought for a moment, and stuffed another five to Qiaoqiao: ¡°Sweetheart, your Aunt didn¡¯t bring you anything to eat this time. You use this to buy yourself some snacks, just don¡¯t let your grandaunt find out.¡± Normally, there would be a bit of haggling, like ¡°I don¡¯t want it,¡± or ¡°You keep it¡­¡± But Song Tan didn¡¯t insist. Instead, she helped Qiaoqiao secure the ten yuan and then picked up a hoe from the base of the wall: ¡°Aunt, the bamboo shoots in the bamboo grove are tender right now, do you want any?¡± As for bamboo shoots, they can also be blanched and dried! With a decisive move, Aunt pulled out a large plastic bag from her purse: ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll do it together!¡± Chapter 119 - 119: 119. Canola Flowers and Bamboo Forest_1 Chapter 119: 119. Canola Flowers and Bamboo Forest_1 This bamboo forest isn¡¯t particularly large or small; in total, it occupies roughly one or two acres. Upon entering the bamboo forest, the air suddenly became humid, and there was a smell of fermenting bamboo leaves. The ground felt soft and squishy underfoot. Now that it was early April, many of the bamboo shoots had already grown more than a meter tall. The aunt expertly navigated around these, choosing only the smaller, tender ones. Once she spotted one, a hoe would come down and a plump shoot would be pried out straightaway. For Qiaoqiao, this seemed like a treasure hunt; he too wielded a hoe, digging wherever the shoots looked plump. Seeing this, the aunt couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Our Qiaoqiao is becoming more and more capable by the day!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Song Tan said proudly, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to my teaching.¡± Indeed, she had taught him most of it. At home, because Wu Lan and Song Sancheng already had Qiaoqiao doing little chores like washing up, he was inevitably somewhat pampered. Besides, they had so many tasks to do every day that they seldom had the leisure to teach their son step by step. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Both would be at the brink of exasperation after just a few lessons. But it was different with Song Tan. Without saying anything else, her patience now was exceptionally good. If he didn¡¯t understand it once, she¡¯d explain it twice; if twice wasn¡¯t enough, then four times¡­ And with farmwork, you actually need to do more. Whatever she did, she would take him along. Over time, Qiaoqiao naturally became much more agile. While digging for bamboo shoots, the aunt reflected, ¡°I used to hate this bamboo forest when I was a child.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Song Tan was puzzled. Her memories of this bamboo forest were mostly from when she was small: Song Sancheng would tie a couple of hemp ropes around the bamboo, add a wooden board in the middle, and make a simple swing for her to play on here. When she got a little older, in the summertime, they could even hang up a hammock, which she bought for two yuan and that kept her company through many a summer¡¯s day. If it hadn¡¯t been for one time when she was swaying on it, and a chubby caterpillar shook down from the bamboo leaves onto her face¡­ those fond memories might have continued for a few more years. The aunt continued with a sigh, ¡°Life was better when you were little; there were more ways to make money. But before you were born, people still wanted our kind of bamboo, eight cents a piece.¡± ¡°Your grandfather was in charge of chopping down the bamboo while your grandmother would strip off all the little branches from the top of the bamboo stems.¡± ¡°As for me, I didn¡¯t have to do any heavy labor, but I had to drag these long bamboos all the way to where they were collected.¡± ¡°Our bamboos here might not be as thick as those in the south, but they were still heavy. I could drag at most two or three at a time¡­ by the end of the day, my legs would be so swollen I couldn¡¯t lift them.¡± That¡¯s the reality of rural life. After a moment of silence, Song Tan asked, ¡°What about my dad and the others?¡± Song Hongmei laughed, ¡°Could your dad and the others escape work? They were responsible for loading the bamboos onto trucks, and that was truly a strenuous task. By the end of a day¡¯s work, they couldn¡¯t straighten their backs.¡± ¡°Tantan, you may find your eldest auntie quite annoying, but she too has been through hardships with your uncle in the early days.¡± Song Tan ¡°hmm¡¯ed¡± in response. She had seen a lot; each person played a different role in someone else¡¯s eyes. There was no need to insist on anything else; contentment was what mattered. She initially thought the aunt would share more sentimental words, but then her tone shifted suddenly: ¡°It¡¯s just that your eldest auntie is getting on in years now and her mind seems to be getting worse!¡± ¡°Your grandma planted three rows of lettuce, which must be fifty or sixty heads in all. And the way she¡¯s acting, she looks like she wants to pull them all out¡ªhow does she plan on eating them?¡± ¡°I always say, getting on in years doesn¡¯t mean you have to stay home all day looking after kids and doing housework. Hit the square for a dance, or set up a stall if you can¡¯t dance. Anything¡¯s better than moping at home with not a bit of luster¡­¡± The eldest aunt obviously harbored deep grievances, muttering, ¡°Is it easy for your grandma to grow vegetables?¡± Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but laugh: ¡°That¡¯s right, the eldest aunt sure knows how to live. We can blanch the bamboo shoots, dry them, and they¡¯ll last a long time!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The eldest aunt looked nostalgically at the bamboo grove, ¡°For the past twenty years, no one¡¯s bought bamboo anymore. Just look at how thickly they¡¯re growing in the grove¡ªit¡¯s too much. Whenever we see bamboo shoots, we dig up a bit more to clear some space for them.¡± She pondered on the side, ¡°When we get back, we¡¯ll cut the tender hearts diagonally, blanch them, and then stir-fry with pickled peppers and a bit of beef¡ªoh my, that¡¯s so good with rice!¡± And then she thought: There¡¯s also the leaves of the Chinese lettuce! ¡°We¡¯ll have pickled pepper bamboo shoots tonight, plus a simple stir-fry of Chinese lettuce leaves. For locust flowers, we¡¯ll just steam some eggs, make locust flower pancakes tomorrow¡­¡± Mulling over this, she figured they¡¯d have food for half a month and even save a few hundred yuan on food expenses! With the calculations clear in her mind, the eldest aunt swung her hoe with even more enthusiasm! Song Tan hadn¡¯t really craved for bamboo shoots. Cultivation was tough, and this year, she hadn¡¯t wanted to bestow much Spiritual Energy here. But hearing the eldest aunt talk, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit tempted. Just as she thought of asking Qiaoqiao to dig a couple more to take home, she saw the foolish child already emerging from the other end of the bamboo grove, bringing over a bunch of rapeseed flowers: ¡°Sister, have some.¡± On the side, she casually broke off a piece of the rapeseed stem and munched on it. Song Tan also laughed, ¡°When I was little, my mom often cooked these rapeseed blossoms and stems, and I didn¡¯t like them.¡± The eldest aunt laughed, ¡°When you were young, we had to think twice before eating meat at home, we were still farming. Who had the time to make anything fancy? Of course, it wouldn¡¯t taste good.¡± ¡°Now it¡¯s different when you eat it, how does that saying go? Health preservation!¡± The eldest aunt had been running a stall in the city for decades. Her skill at making egg pancakes may have been enchantingly good, but her cooking skill, obviously honed by her frugal spirit, was excellent. Now looking at those rapeseed flowers, she came up with a few dishes: ¡°Let me tell you, tear off a bunch of those rapeseed flowers, then go to the mountains to see if there are any wild chives, dig one up. Blanch the flowers, chop up the chives, mince the ginger and garlic, take some chili powder, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, MSG, and such, toss it all with the cooked flowers, then add the chives and pour sesame oil over¡­ delicious!¡± This description¡­ Song Tan just had to think about it and she was already drooling. But¡­ ¡°Eldest aunt, with your way of seasoning, even a shoe sole would taste delicious.¡± The eldest aunt laughed heartily, ¡°Then use it to season fried eggs, too. Chop the rapeseed flowers finely, mix them with eggs¡­¡± ¡°If that doesn¡¯t work out, just add the rapeseed flowers to the rice water when it boils, sprinkle in some chopped green onions, pepper powder, and so on¡­¡± When it comes to being thrifty, the eldest aunt was a real expert. The ingredients she used weren¡¯t expensive at all, but she had a knack for making food taste great. Song Tan sighed with emotion, ¡°Eldest aunt, you really know a lot¡­¡± The eldest aunt smiled, ¡°What do I know? You haven¡¯t seen the master chefs in our village back in the day preparing big feasts. They were absolutely brilliant!¡± ¡°Whatever they had on hand, they could turn it into a delicious dish. One year, at a springtime feast, there was this dish made with rapeseed flowers stewed with fish tails. Oh, it was praised to high heaven!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve remembered it for dozens of years.¡± Chapter 120 - 120: Seventh Uncle in Legend - 1 Chapter 120: Seventh Uncle in Legend ¨C 1 Auntie spoke and in doing so, made herself crave some food. So, she simply raised her voice again, ¡°Qiaoqiao¡ªpick more rape blossoms for your auntie, I want to make rice soup when I get back!¡± Those rape blossoms were sparse and scattered, no one knew when the seeds had fallen and started growing on their own, untended, blooming without restraint. Qiaoqiao, with a basket slung on her arm, delved into the flower patch, found a good spot, and opened the little box she carried. Then, she grabbed a bumblebee by its plump behind and set it down on them. The stems of the rape flowers were tall, but the blossoms were delicate. Once the bumblebee landed, the entire bloom visibly trembled, obviously too heavy for it to bear. Qiaoqiao sighed, having completely forgotten about his bamboo shoots. Meanwhile, Song Tan also felt a pang of hunger. She moved her fingers, and the faint spiritual energy at her fingertips drifted with the wind. The entire bamboo forest rustled in response, the branches seemingly greener all around. The bamboo shoots sprouting at her feet grew more numerous. She shifted her toes, spotted the right spot, and directly dug out a round, plump bamboo shoot. Auntie was overjoyed, ¡°Oh my! This one¡¯s big! It¡¯s still unearthened, definitely tender!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll eat it chilled later¡ªoh, this one¡¯s a bit old, but no matter, just snap it off, it¡¯ll be great in a duck stew, the ducks at the market have been cheap lately.¡± As she dug, she muttered about the dishes as if they were within arm¡¯s reach. Song Tan finally couldn¡¯t help herself, ¡°Auntie, how can you be such a foodie?¡± Auntie laughed heartily, ¡°Because that chef I was talking about, you have to call him Seventh Uncle! When I was a kid, he used to cook for big events in our village. I always followed him around; I picked up a thing or two.¡± Alright then. Seventh Uncle. Even if Song Tan hadn¡¯t traveled more than a hundred years to come back here, even if she hadn¡¯t traveled at all, she wouldn¡¯t have had any idea. There were simply too many relatives. Thankfully, Auntie finally shifted the conversation from food to people¡ª ¡°Your Seventh Uncle, as you young folks would say, he could make even the sole of a shoe taste good.¡± ¡°I heard that back when the brigade still ran a communal kitchen, the villagers would refuse to let the head chef cook¡ªbecause his food was too delicious, everyone couldn¡¯t get enough, and the planned food supplies were never sufficient.¡± Wow! Now, that really did earn Song Tan¡¯s respect. Why don¡¯t the older generations like to eat wild veg? Because in their memories, wild vegetables were always boiled, and a drop of oil in a pot was considered a luxury. Who could make plain boiled wild veggies taste good in those days? But according to Auntie, Seventh Uncle could! That was indeed quite remarkable. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help being moved. Because she took a moment to review the upcoming tasks¡ª Peach trees needed to be planted on the mountain. Several fields needed to be plowed, leveled, seeded, and transplanted. Paddy fields required water retention, then plowing in preparation for rice planting. In between, she¡¯d need to feed the pigs, chickens, ducks, and dogs. Tea leaves also needed continuous picking. Spiritual energy formations could help, but since her abilities were still lacking and she had to stick to reality, weeding and pest control also had to be done properly. Is that it? No, after this busy period is over, the peach blossoms will bloom, and the early crops like little bok choy will need to be harvested. Then comes plowing and planting other crops, Song Tan will still be responsible for selling vegetables¡­ Calculating like this, for quite a long time, our house will maintain this state of continuously needing people¡¯s help. And to make matters worse, the food at home tastes so good that everyone¡¯s appetite has increased by two or three times. We have to prepare meals for around ten people, but it¡¯s like we¡¯re cooking for twenty to thirty. Wu Lan is now at home, and even though she only cooks lunch, she has to start preparing from the morning and is also responsible for washing pots and dishes. She ends up trapped at the stove every single day! Song Tan has long wanted to find someone to share the load. She and Qiaoqiao still need to dig and move soil on the mountain every day, cleaning up the nooks and crannies that machines can¡¯t reach¡­ Currently, not a single person in the house is idle. Have you seen how even Zhang Yanping has been driven to train on the mountain? S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Therefore, when the eldest auntie now praises the chef to high heaven, it¡¯s really hard for Song Tan not to be tempted. ¡°Eldest auntie, what¡¯s Seventh Uncle up to these days? Is he still taking big catering orders?¡± The corners of Eldest Auntie¡¯s eyes drooped down again, ¡°He¡¯s in the residential area opposite me, that new building, the housing price has soared to 8,500 now!¡± That¡¯s what she says, but her expression doesn¡¯t seem too happy. ¡°Your Seventh Uncle was really clever. When he was young, he secretly bought a house in the city center with some money. Later, that area was demolished, but he didn¡¯t take the compensation money, just that house.¡± ¡°It was originally prepared for his son. But then, his son went to Xinjiang while still young, settled and started a family there.¡± ¡°As Seventh Uncle got older, realizing that his son probably wouldn¡¯t be able to take care of him in his old age, he took on an apprentice, offering to teach him the trade, but in return, the apprentice had to take care of him in his old age and see him to the end.¡± But the apprentice turned out to be ungrateful and took off to a coastal city once he learned the trade. Eldest Auntie huffed, ¡°At that time, his family couldn¡¯t support him. They had four sons! He was a half-grown boy who looked like a skeleton after finishing middle school. It was your Seventh Uncle who brought him up, teaching and feeding him till he filled out. He even helped him apply for high school.¡± ¡°When his family sent the boy over, they were crying and kowtowing to thank your uncle, promising a lifetime of service.¡± ¡°But in the end, when he packed up and left, they turned around and said that your Seventh Uncle was just good at taking advantage and getting unpaid labor. They complained their son had stayed by his side for five years without receiving a penny¡­¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Song Tan was speechless. Honest folks have their own frustrations, while the heartless enjoy their freedom. All she could offer as consolation was, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Eldest Auntie, try to look on the bright side. Seventh Uncle now lives in the city, without any worries about food and clothing, and leads a comfortable life.¡± Eldest Auntie sighed again, ¡°There are benefits to living in the city, like having easy access to hospitals. But your Seventh Uncle and his wife, they¡¯re not content¡­ You know, in the new residential areas, they have good property management, and they don¡¯t let you plant vegetables in the community.¡± ¡°Last time they had an inspection, they even pulled out the cabbages that your Seventh Uncle had planted between the bricks¡­ Your Seventh Uncle was so upset. He walks around the community with nothing to do every day. He¡¯s picky when buying vegetables and meat. He says that even eating doesn¡¯t taste good anymore.¡± Planting vegetables in the cracks between bricks? What kind of expertise is that! Song Tan was amazed. ¡°Then¡­ Sell the new house and exchange it for one with a yard?¡± Eldest Auntie looked at her, ¡°Your Seventh Uncle is sixty-seven this year. Do you think he can stir up as much trouble as you can at your age? I figure they want to move back to the village to live, but they are worried about the inconvenience of not having anyone to take them to the hospital when they get headaches or fevers¡­ They are suffering.¡± As Eldest Auntie said this, an idea struck her, ¡°Tantan, you¡¯re farming at home, but you can¡¯t do it forever, right? Why not go home and discuss with your parents about bringing Seventh Uncle over to be the head chef?¡± ¡°If Seventh Uncle is in good health, let him be the head chef.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s not well, just drive them to the hospital. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t cost you. The couple has savings.¡± ¡°When you take good care of Seventh Uncle and his wife in their old age, they¡¯ve secretly said that when they¡¯re no longer able to get around, whoever takes good care of them will get their house.¡± Thinking of the house, Eldest Auntie¡¯s heart grew hot with excitement. She wouldn¡¯t have mentioned it if it weren¡¯t for her dear niece, ¡°Just think, you could get a big house for free. How great that would be! When you get married, you can choose without worries!¡± Chapter 121 - 121: 121. Are you interested in my house? _1 Chapter 121: 121. Are you interested in my house? _1 This really is playing the role of a dutiful niece. Song Tan looked at her, ¡°Auntie, it¡¯s a whole house, why didn¡¯t you ask my brother to take care of Seventh Uncle?¡± Her aunt Zhu Lingqi¡¯s son was not yet married, and although the aunt had some family assets, how could it not be feasible to have one more property? The aunt shyly replied, ¡°How do you know I didn¡¯t ask?¡± Her calculating eyes had thoroughly weighed the cost: Seventh Uncle and his spouse are capable enough to not need any care; they can eat and drink on their own, at most requiring a visit every now and then. If they really fell ill, the couple had already stated they don¡¯t want anyone spending money on them, as they have medical insurance and savings of their own. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was just that if they ever became unable to take care of themselves in the future, they would need to be looked after. But even if they hired a caregiver to attend to them daily, how much could that possibly cost? Seventh Uncle¡¯s current house, in a new development and considering the property prices of an 18th-tier city like Yun City, could sell for 8,500 yuan per square meter in such a sluggish market, which is a testament to it having all the perks of a school district and central city location. Plus, the compensation for the house in the event of demolition was substantial, boasting over 170 square meters¡­ With such a desirable house, who would ever complain about having too much? That¡¯s why, as soon as Seventh Uncle hinted at the idea, his aunt quickly volunteered herself. At the time, she was making her pancake spread on the stall; Seventh Uncle walked by carrying groceries, and, smelling the aroma, he criticized her: ¡°You really are clueless. I¡¯ve taught you so many times, how can you still not get pickling sour mustard greens right? One sniff of these cowpeas and it¡¯s clear something¡¯s off.¡± His aunt¡¯s egg pancakes included a sprinkle of sour cowpeas to enhance the flavor, but who had the time to fuss around with that? She bought them ready-made. In fact, his aunt thought they tasted quite good, pity that Seventh Uncle didn¡¯t approve. Luckily, there was no one else around, sparing the dignity of those sour cowpeas. The aunt wasn¡¯t upset. Her skill in making egg pancakes today was all thanks to Seventh Uncle¡¯s guidance back in the day. So she smiled and expressed that she didn¡¯t have the patience for it, and then indirectly reminded Seventh Uncle about letting her son take care of him in his old age. Seventh Uncle was a straightforward person. Upon hearing this, he raised an eyebrow and looked at her: ¡°You¡¯ve got your eye on my house, haven¡¯t you?¡± His aunt thought she had a chance and was overjoyed as she rubbed her hands together: ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying, who wouldn¡¯t want that house? Rest assured, our family can promise to take care of you with dignity and respect.¡± But Seventh Uncle was not convinced. ¡°You only have one son, who already has two elders to care for. Once he gets married, he¡¯ll have children too. And if he marries an only child, there will be two more elders on that side¡­ when will it be our turn?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way, Uncle.¡± His aunt was stubborn: ¡°Aren¡¯t we still capable of moving around? A little cleaning and washing, and we¡¯re just as efficient as young people.¡± Song Tan was curious, ¡°Auntie, I think what you¡¯re saying makes sense. Why exactly did Seventh Uncle refuse?¡± Her auntie¡¯s family was indeed expert in household management. Her uncle didn¡¯t talk much, but he was honest and straightforward. She hadn¡¯t interacted much with her elder cousin, but he seemed to be reasonably reliable. Just by looking at how neat and spirited her aunt kept herself every day, you¡¯d know that if Seventh Uncle had agreed, they all even lived in the neighborhood across from them, so convenient, right? His aunt sighed: ¡°Actually, all those are just excuses; he mainly looks down on me.: What did Seventh Uncle say at the time? ¡°¡­Hongmei, I know you¡¯re a capable person, but at my age, I like to enjoy life.¡± ¡°You live your days so pinched and frugal, that won¡¯t do for me, I can¡¯t accept that.¡± Especially because his aunt loved to dive into the closing market to haggle fiercely over prices, which particularly irked Seventh Uncle! He believed: to enjoy vegetables and meat, they must be fresh, or of the absolute best quality. This philosophy of life of his aunt was completely at odds with his. ¡°Pfft!¡± Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud. Never would he have imagined that one day his aunt would be disliked for being too frugal. The aunt sighed, ¡°I thought about it later, your Seventh Uncle really sees through people.¡± ¡°For instance, if I really agreed to serve him, he would still go to that big supermarket every day, looking at all sorts of imported fruits and vegetables. Anything new, he has to try.¡± ¡°Just accompanying him on one trip to the supermarket, I feel like I¡¯d lose three years of my life¡­ No way, we¡¯re just not from the same family.¡± ¡°So, you see,¡± the aunt said earnestly, ¡°Tantan, when you have time, discuss it with your parents. If it seems possible, I¡¯ll take you to meet Seventh Uncle. You flatter the old man, who¡¯s stubborn as hell.¡± She sounded slightly regretful, ¡°If you could bring your Milk Vetch over, I swear, he wouldn¡¯t say anything, and would just take granny back home.¡± ¡°No rush, no rush.¡± Song Tan wasn¡¯t dazed by the prospect of a house; he was being rational at the moment: ¡°Let¡¯s not even talk about whether I can offer a high salary, where would Seventh Uncle live if he came back?¡± ¡°Besides, I was hoping to find a chef. Seventh Uncle is already quite old, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do the work, would he?¡± ¡°You kid!¡± The aunt looked at her, quite disappointed, ¡°Young people, why are you not more flexible in your thinking? Seventh Uncle has his own old house. He¡¯ll fancy you all right, it¡¯s just a fifteen or twenty-minute walk.¡± ¡°And who told you that someone in their sixties or seventies can¡¯t work? People say that being in your forties or fifties is middle-aged. Look at your dad with a hoe, isn¡¯t he still strong?¡± ¡°As for Seventh Uncle¡¯s health, not to boast, but he could easily live to be over ninety without any trouble!¡± ¡°That old man is really upbeat and youthful. Last winter he was still roasting chestnuts with iron sand at home. Try finding someone in their twenties or thirties and see if they can do the job?¡± ¡°Furthermore,¡± Qiaoqiao¡¯s silhouette, running back and forth in the rapeseed field beyond the dimly visible bamboo, was especially lively, the aunt murmured softly, ¡°If you get Seventh Uncle to cook, and let Qiaoqiao help him, with carrying vegetables, washing them and such, the old man would just need to work the wok.¡± ¡°Teach him for three to five years, ten to twenty years, Qiaoqiao will be able to cook himself, mastering a skill, isn¡¯t that more dependable than relying on you all?¡± ¡°Having a father and a mother is not as good as having your own ability.¡± ¡°In the future when you start a family, you can¡¯t take Qiaoqiao with you everywhere.¡± Starting a family hadn¡¯t even crossed Song Tan¡¯s mind. But for Qiaoqiao, learning another skill indeed seemed like a good idea. Although he could already spin honey and was starting to understand beekeeping, what does it matter if a big guy like him gets tired? It¡¯s always good to have more skills! Song Tan quickly swung his hoe and dug up a huge bamboo shoot infused with Spiritual Energy from beneath his feet for his aunt: ¡°Auntie, you are truly awesome.¡± Song Tan was initially pondering how to convince Wu Lan, who was reluctant to pay wages. But with Qiaoqiao as an excuse, she would probably urge him to speak to Seventh Uncle as early as tonight. Seeing the two baskets full of bamboo shoots, the aunt was also overjoyed: ¡°What¡¯s the big deal! Favors should stay within the family, I just love how considerate my niece is. Not like your uncle¡¯s household, where without any real matter, his wife is so heartbroken she¡¯d rather spoil the child than snare a wolf!¡± She said proudly, ¡°I haven¡¯t even given Seventh Uncle a hint, let alone told your uncle!¡± Chapter 122 - 122: 122. Aunts Thousand-Layer Tactics_1 Chapter 122: 122. Aunt¡¯s Thousand-Layer Tactics_1 S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The eldest aunt bustled in with a basket brimming with bamboo shoots, eager to share the news with Wu Lan. But as she entered the yard, she saw her sister-in-law Mao Li sitting there, snapping off lettuce leaves. She instantly clamped her mouth shut, then shot Song Tan a look, remembering the big sack of locust flowers and the two baskets of bamboo shoots she was holding. The feeling of being favored was wonderful, so without any reluctance: ¡°You know what, sister-in-law, why don¡¯t we get going? I still have to prepare stuff for my stall tomorrow morning!¡± As she spoke, her eyes fell on the lettuce leaves Mao Li had strewn on the ground, and she dug a plastic bag out of her bag: ¡°Sister-in-law, you won¡¯t eat these, but they¡¯re delicious even just stir-fried with garlic!¡± Saying this, she didn¡¯t hesitate to start cleaning up the lettuce leaves scattered all over the ground. Sun Yanyan stood to the side, subconsciously curling her lips in disdain. The eldest aunt worked fast, quickly bagging everything up, then pouring her own bamboo shoots into the bag as well. Before Mao Li could comment on her bamboo shoots, she prattled on about how tough it was to run a stall, the early mornings and late nights, and just how draining it was¡­ Mao Li listened, her heart blooming with joy, thinking that running her own business was a hundred times more comfortable than selling breakfast! But then, she glanced at the aunt¡¯s two baskets of bamboo shoots and felt a twinge of discomfort. As everyone knows, bamboo shoots are much more expensive than lettuce. But then she thought, who hasn¡¯t eaten something from these bamboo forests since childhood? On second thought, those lettuces were meticulously tended in the fields; who¡¯s to say they couldn¡¯t be of the same quality as Milk Vetch, maybe fetching twenty yuan per jin! So, she pressed down on the discomfort, which turned into a smidge of pride, and then she spoke with deep concern: ¡°Hongmei, you work so hard every day; you should also treat yourself to some nice food at home. These bamboo shoots aren¡¯t much; anyone can dig up a basketful from the bamboo forest. How are you going to handle all these that you¡¯re carting back?¡± The aunt thought: Dig up a basketful just like that? Then why haven¡¯t I seen you do it? Besides, in the market, bamboo shoots with the husks still on cost several yuan per jin. Those lettuces are not so rare either, and yet you pack them in just the same! But she just smiled: ¡°Sister-in-law, you know we eat simple at my house. These bamboo shoots can be blanched and dried to last until New Year¡¯s. Come over for New Year¡¯s dinner, and I¡¯ll stir-fry them with pickled peppers for you!¡± Mao Li, who never really respected her penny-pinching ways, fake-smiled twice and settled down with her daughter-in-law to rest with eyes closed. With people leaving, Wu Lan quickly tied a basket to her waist and instructed: ¡°Qiaoqiao, make sure to clean up the yard, I¡¯m off to pick tea.¡± Grandma Wang Lifan also quickly followed: ¡°Oh, they¡¯ve delayed me from making so much money by coming back!¡± Song Tan: ¡­ She hadn¡¯t even had the chance to broach the subject of hiring a chef. Oh well, she would talk about it in the evening. The yard quieted down in an instant. Suddenly her phone chirped, and Song Tan checked to see it was the tree saplings delivery; they had already passed the city area. Following the GPS, they should arrive here in about two hours. She wondered if the holes on the mountain had been dug. Along the edges and corners, there¡¯d be time to tidy up once the trees were planted¡­ Scrolling on her phone, Song Tan also saw the message from the man who had saved her life the other day, a shame she hadn¡¯t had time to respond while in the fields. After a thought, she sent a belated reply: ¡°Glad you liked it. I¡¯ve sent you two bottles of our homegrown honey, give it a try.¡± Once she replied, it felt like completing a task, and she broke into an easy smile. Then she had a delayed realization: This lifesaver sure had a good character, straightforward and not long-winded. Accept when given, and express liking frankly; a straightforward person indeed! She then remembered the live stream that had abruptly ended the other day and casually opened the live streaming app. As soon as she entered her personal center, she was greeted by a string of ¡°99+¡± messages in her inbox. Song Tan: !!! Have I become famous? She quickly clicked to see. First came four system messages. ¡°Congratulations, the quality content you broadcast has attracted over ninety-nine users, and the website will heavily promote it¡­¡± ¡°Hello, dear broadcaster, the quality content you¡¯ve broadcast on our platform is very popular. To provide better service and display, we¡¯d like to invite you to sign a contract with the website¡­¡± ¡°Congratulations, the quality content you broadcast has gained the attention of nine hundred and ninety-nine users¡­¡± ¡°Congratulations, your live room [Pastoral Notes] will be promoted across higher channels¡­¡± Song Tan couldn¡¯t help feeling triumphant, she really had gained some traffic! But why had it happened when she was least prepared? And the content she broadcast that day was done in a very perfunctory manner, she had even just turned on her phone. Then looking at the followers¡¯ notifications and various comments¡ªwell, it seemed Qiaoqiao¡¯s handsome little face and Daxiong¡¯s butt had attracted many people. It must have been a stroke of luck. However, Song Tan had no plans to make Qiaoqiao an internet celebrity. His nature was pure, and getting involved with online public opinion was always troublesome. As for Daxiong, if people love watching its butt¡­ While contemplating, Song Tan quickly submitted the contract information form on the backend. Then, without waiting for the contract to be approved, she immediately started another live stream. Strike while the iron is hot, seize the traffic, live-selling is just ahead! But looking around, firstly there wasn¡¯t much of interest to broadcast, and secondly¡­ it seemed there was nothing to sell, right? The tea leaves were so expensive, she had never considered selling them online, and it wouldn¡¯t be right. Which left her with no choice¡ª ¡°Qiaoqiao, are we cutting honey this afternoon?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Qiaoqiao said loudly, ¡°I didn¡¯t finish yesterday, there are three beehives left.¡± When he was cutting the beeswax, in order not to hurt the larvae, he was extremely careful, so his movements were particularly slow. As he spoke, Qiaoqiao started gathering his tools in an adept manner, then seriously put on his head net and gloves. Not until his face was shrouded behind the dim black veil did Song Tan raise her phone: ¡°Let¡¯s go, today you focus on spinning honey, and I¡¯ll leave my phone by your side. There will be a lot of people watching you work through my phone.¡± While saying this, Song Tan glanced at her live room. Well, as expected, traffic is fleeting like a mirage, a brief cloud, after broadcasting for half a day, only three people had entered the live room, and it was unclear if any had stayed. But she wasn¡¯t discouraged: after all, live streaming was meant to be casual, and if it produced good results that was great, but she didn¡¯t lose anything if it didn¡¯t. Especially since she had already experienced a bigger hit after publishing a full-stack of videos later on. However, Qiaoqiao was momentarily puzzled: ¡°A lot of people watching me? Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Do they want to learn how to spin honey too?¡± He got excited in an instant: ¡°I can teach! I spin it really well now! Teacher Qiaoqiao will teach with all my heart!¡± Song Tan: ¡­ She thought she would have to explain a lot, alright then, as long as Qiaoqiao is happy. It seems that every child¡¯s heart harbors a dream of being a teacher. Chapter 123 - 123: 123. Money trees all over the hills and fields_1 Chapter 123: 123. Money trees all over the hills and fields_1 Song Tan turned and shouldered her hoe up the back hill. The hilltop was a scene of bustling activity. The excavator had just a small area left unfinished, and the young lads, with a robustness different from Zhang Yanping¡¯s, were working hard. Zhang Wang¡¯s family divided the weeds and debris into small piles, stacking them with pig manure and soil, then sprinkling different kinds of fermentation bacteria into them. At the edge of Peach Garden, they had enclosed a rather impressive mound of compost. In three more months, this compost could be put to use. Song Sancheng, as usual, went to Chestnut Garden to air and dry the black fungus, while the Golden Sakura seedlings that had been planted earlier had now stoutly sprouted leaf buds, unfurling soft green leaves, full of vigor and particularly delightful to see. The one who stood out as the odd one out was Zhang Yanping. To avoid looking too idle, he took the opportunity to observe the fingerlings in the pond down the hill. Since the fish were too small and could be eaten by other fish, small enclosures were specially made at the edge of both ponds, to be opened once the fish grew bigger, naturally ensuring their growth. Right now, he was walking around the pond, estimating how to properly construct the duck shed, and also considering where to place tomorrow¡¯s water pump. If the peach trees arrived this afternoon, then watering would have to be done the day after tomorrow. This mountainous land wasn¡¯t neatly squared off; there were inevitably some rough corners and bumps that the excavator couldn¡¯t handle. Song Tan, hoe in hand, was helping three uncles level the land when someone said: ¡°Tantan, with over a hundred fruit trees in your acre of land and such a large area to cover, relying on just a few of us, we definitely won¡¯t finish planting by tomorrow.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re in a rush, you¡¯ll have to call for more help.¡± In a rush? How could they not be? In some places, the peach trees had already started blossoming; they were only just planting now. Could they afford to delay? Song Tan looked out over the barren expanse of hillside, which had seemed too small when she leased it, and had even considered expanding the area in the future. But now that they were getting down to work, these twenty acres felt endless! She also asked, ¡°Uncle Banli, how many people will we need?¡± Zhou Banli, always honest, looked around and then asked her, ¡°How big are each of your saplings?¡± Song Tan gestured, ¡°About six centimeters in diameter.¡± Zhang Yanping might be lackadaisical, but he was reliable when it came to business. Being able to procure five-year-old saplings at the price of three-year-olds in the market was no small feat thanks to him. So Song Tan decided to overlook his abandoned halfway rehabilitation. Zhou Banli breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Then the trees aren¡¯t that big. One person can probably plant about seventy to eighty a day.¡± But she had twenty acres to plant! Alas, there was nothing to do but hurry up and call for help. Song Tan put down her hoe and turned back to Chestnut Garden to call her father. Rounding up help in the village had to be done by her father. First, her father knew who was reliable at work and who would just skimp, slack off, or muddle along. Second, regardless of the size of her business, she was currently seen as just a girl who might not know how to farm, so naturally, she didn¡¯t have the credibility of the head of the household, Song Sancheng. Song Sancheng also grimaced with alarm at the headcount: ¡°We really need that many people?¡± Twenty or so people¡­ there were only about thirty households left in their village! The only consolation was that this job didn¡¯t require great physical strength, so both men and women could do it. Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°Twenty people then.¡± ¡°Brother Zhang said he¡¯d help me transport the manure from his land to lay a base of fertilizer before planting the trees, and that needs more hands as well.¡± It was already past two o¡¯clock, and they were still cleaning up the mountain; by the time the fruit trees arrived at about four or five o¡¯clock, it was too late to start planting today. They planned to finish all the planting the next day and water them with Rooting Water by evening. ¡°Isn¡¯t this going to require rallying the broad masses of people?¡± Song Sancheng thought for a moment and couldn¡¯t help feeling worried again, ¡°Then tomorrow, we¡¯ll need to find two more people to help your mom with cooking.¡± ¡°How about this,¡± Song Tan scratched his head, ¡°Two people to assist with cooking, a hundred each. Twenty for planting trees, a hundred and fifty each.¡± Song Sancheng pondered, ¡°The price is reasonable. But Tantan, of course, we should give priority to the villagers for this good opportunity. Men and women who can work, I¡¯ll call them all.¡± ¡°For the rest, I¡¯ll call some fellows from other villages.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± When it came to hiring people for work, Song Tan still didn¡¯t quite match her father¡¯s expertise, ¡°You arrange it.¡± Just as she was about to turn around, she suddenly remembered something¡ª ¡°Dad, I think the Peach Garden also needs something planted around it as a barrier. Otherwise, with open access from all directions, even if Big King had three heads and six arms, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up.¡± Song Sancheng gasped for air, S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Girl, oh! Give it a rest, will you? We¡¯ll talk about this in a few days; let¡¯s get the peach trees planted first.¡± Song Tan had already turned around, quite pleased with herself, ¡°I know, I¡¯m just giving you a heads-up to think about what else we could plant.¡± She took a couple of loops around the back mountain and realized that, apart from Golden Sakura, there really wasn¡¯t anything else suitable for their local area. So¡ª ¡°Brother Yanping, Brother Yanping!¡± Zhang Yanping was hunched over by the pond playing a game. Hearing her voice, he immediately shuddered. ¡°What¡¯s up? What¡¯s up? I¡¯m right in the middle of looking up information on Eagle Beak Peach for you!¡± Timi¡¯s voice was so distinctive that Song Tan could hear it from the mountain. But she didn¡¯t let on and simply asked, ¡°Can we get more Golden Sakuras?¡± She pointed towards the back mountain, ¡°I plan to encircle the whole Peach Garden with it.¡± Zhang Yanping let out a wry smile, ¡°Sis, you suddenly want such a large quantity; where am I supposed to find that for you?¡± ¡°Nowadays, they all grow the thornless variety, and you¡¯re specifically looking for the original thorny type.¡± He immediately called Old Zhou from the nursery. Old Zhou was simply heartbroken! To plant along nearly a thousand meters of length, even spacing them two meters apart, that would require five hundred trees! It wasn¡¯t so much about how much money he would make, but about missing out on such an opportunity! Golden Sakura was so easy to cultivate, propagation through cuttings would suffice¡­ Regret flooded him, but it was too late to propagate them himself now; they needed well-grown, large plants to serve as a deterrent. He watched the business opportunity slip away and couldn¡¯t express how bitter he felt as he worked hard to secure the supply for his client. Luckily, as a middleman, he could still make a small margin on the deal. Old Zhou was honest, ¡°If you¡¯re looking for large plants at this time of the year, they¡¯re going to be more expensive than the ones I have here.¡± Zhang Yanping looked at Song Tan, who nodded, ¡°There¡¯s no rush, as long as they¡¯re planted before the end of May.¡± The weather wouldn¡¯t be too hot by then, so the survival rate would be high and they would grow quickly after planting. After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yanping also sighed, ¡°You said you¡¯d just set up a fruit garden, so why are there so many places that require spending money? Planting Golden Sakura alone isn¡¯t enough; you¡¯ll also need to erect a wire fence, right?¡± That was a must. Song Tan had already looked up the prices of Eagle Beak Peaches from previous years; they normally sold for over ten yuan per half kilogram, not to mention those produced in her orchard. The whole area wasn¡¯t just filled with peach trees; it was practically a grove of money trees! Chapter 124 - 124: 124.Yet again harvesting leeks_1 Chapter 124: 124.Yet again harvesting leeks_1 If that¡¯s the case, then of course I had to make preparations first. The outer side of the barbed wire was blocked with Golden Sakura, completely sealed off, leaving only one exit at the top of the mountain and one next to the pond at the bottom. Although it might be a bit troublesome to pick peaches later on, it would save a lot of energy on daily supervision. I wasn¡¯t planning to leave the inner side of the barbed wire idle either. Whatever climbing plants were suitable¡ªwhether green beans, cucumbers, loofahs, or tomatoes¡ªI would plant them. Song Tan spoke of it lightly as if a wave of her hand would set everything in order¡ªwhich, in her memory, was indeed the case with a simple wave of her hand. But that was in the past! Now, with such a developed network, if she didn¡¯t want to become a modern-day cult leader, or join the national ranks as a spiritual energy instructor, she still had to stay low-key¡­ In short, she had to act human. A normal human, that is. But while her actions were normal, her way of speaking still carried the dismissive undertones as if it was all nothing to fuss about. Zhang Yanping was listening to her arrangements and envisioning the entire garden filled with vegetables and fruits, also feeling somewhat envious: ¡°Okay, Tantan, you¡¯re doing really well with the planning now! Even the nooks and crannies are taken care of. You¡¯re not planning to intercrop in the Peach Forest too, are you?¡± sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Of course.¡± Song Tan stated decisively, ¡°I¡¯ll just plant some early-ripening watermelons.¡± The peach trees were planted late, and even with their spiritual energy, they had to slow down a step, first taking root before growing and blooming, and finally bearing fruit. Song Tan predicted that they would likely become a late-ripening variety, with maturity in August. She had no plans to use chemicals on the Peach Garden, at most pruning it a bit, so intercropping wouldn¡¯t have much impact. Moreover, the shape of peach trees in modern orchards is all managed meticulously and wouldn¡¯t completely block out the sun. Although it would still slightly affect the sunlight, the problem was not significant. Given that, this patch of land also had to be utilized. Early-ripening watermelons could be planted as soon as the peach trees were in, and they would mature in just three months. Though they wouldn¡¯t grow very large, they were suitable for dense planting. In that case, I would harvest watermelons in July and pick peaches in August, which was perfect timing. If I were to get ready-made watermelon seedlings, I could even harvest them in June. As Zhang Yanping listened to her frighteningly intensive plans, he shivered subconsciously and swore to seize any opportunity to run away. He rubbed his face for quite some time before speaking: ¡°With such arrangements, I think the whole village will be working for your family this year.¡± However, Song Tan just smiled faintly, ¡°Besides planting trees, other tasks won¡¯t require much effort. They are even suitable for the middle-aged and elderly.¡± ¡°When the time comes, I will ask the village party secretary to help organize it.¡± Organizing at the village level has two benefits: it makes it easier to assign responsibility in case of any issues, and it helps both my family farm¡¯s reputation and the young party secretary¡¯s performance record¡­ Why not do it? Zhang Yanping stood there stunned for quite some time before finally giving a thumbs up, ¡°It¡¯s a pity you didn¡¯t end up with a position at the end of the universe back then.¡± So now the question was¡ª ¡°With so many people working, you¡¯ll have to provide meals every day. You couldn¡¯t possibly ask for help with cooking every day, right? My aunt definitely wouldn¡¯t want to spend the money.¡± ¡°But if she were to do it every day, wouldn¡¯t she be utterly exhausted?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ Damn, so the most urgent matter turned out to be hiring a chef? She had no choice but to leave Zhang Yanping behind again and head back to the tea garden, where she followed Wu Lan and helped pick tea leaves while quietly relaying what her aunt had said. As expected, once it involved Qiaoqiao¡¯s lifetime prospects, Wu Lan became extraordinarily excited. She even uncharacteristically said something noble and righteous, ¡°We don¡¯t care about your Seventh Uncle¡¯s house; we just want Qiaoqiao to learn a skill.¡± Song Tan then asked her, ¡°But what if Seventh Uncle really wants to give us the house, should I accept it or not?¡± This girl! Wu Lan glared at her, righteously indignant, ¡°Of course you should take it! Why not? I was just saying. Besides, if that day really comes and you¡¯ve put your heart into it and made an effort, there¡¯s no need to shrink back from what¡¯s ours.¡± ¡°When the time comes and Seventh Uncle really means it, we can have the village officials bear witness!¡± After all, everyone has a sense of what¡¯s fair. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Wu Lan mused, not without some anxiety, ¡°learning to cook also requires talent, right? I¡¯m afraid Qiaoqiao doesn¡¯t have that knack, and he might never be able to learn.¡± Song Tan started to laugh. Whether or not one could pick up a skill was actually something she was rather laid-back about. ¡°Mom, even if Qiaoqiao doesn¡¯t have that knack and can¡¯t learn anything, after studying for three years, five years, or even ten or eight years, he should still be able to cook for himself and take care of himself, right?¡± ¡°If he can do that, isn¡¯t it better than not being able to do anything at all?¡± When she put it that way, it indeed seemed to make sense! Wu Lan was already fantasizing about, a hundred years later, Qiaoqiao being a lonely old man in this old mountain village, keeping a swarm of bees, cooking for himself¡­ Although it was somewhat bleak, at least he would be able to live by himself! He could already work in the fields now, so if they just taught him how to garden seriously, his life would be carefree. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give your aunt a call tonight, and ask her to probe Seventh Uncle¡¯s intentions tomorrow. If it looks good, take our tea and honey with you and have a proper talk with Seventh Uncle.¡± ¡°But Tantan,¡± Wu Lan still cautioned her seriously, ¡°since you¡¯ve set your mind on this, regardless of the house, you must follow through on your commitments.¡± ¡°Taking care of the elderly is no easy task, and if you¡¯re tired or aggrieved, Mom will go and work for you, but you must also hold your ground.¡± Song Tan laughed: ¡°Mom, if I said I was going to take care of him in person, you definitely wouldn¡¯t believe me. But now that I can make money, I can hire a nurse to go there, and you or Dad can supervise the nurse to make sure they work properly. Can¡¯t I afford to pay for that?¡± She spoke with brash confidence. Wu Lan glanced at her, ¡°You barely scraped together enough for the final payment for the peach trees. What about tomorrow¡¯s labor costs? The village rent? What are you planning to earn with?¡± At the mention of this, Song Tan got stuck. There were plenty of expenses coming up, and she just happened to be in the off-season for crops, with nothing growing yet! Ah, all thanks to the village Party Secretary, she had originally planned to deal with the Bags Mountain lease the following year. However, he presented her with such a big opportunity that things got accelerated unexpectedly. With hiring about twenty people for tomorrow plus the original three uncles, she¡¯d have to shell out more than three thousand in wages. How she was going to come up with that money was something Song Tan really needed to ponder for a while. After thinking it over, she ran back to the pond, ¡°Brother Yanping, tell my dad to come with me later to dig for bamboo shoots!¡± Bamboo shoots are just in season! Not minding Zhang Yanping¡¯s mournful expression, Song Tan touched her phone¡ªokay then, she¡¯ll let Qiaoqiao handle the live broadcast. She prepared the baskets at home, then opened the computer, and sent out a ¡°scything leeks¡± notice in the WeChat group: [Tomorrow at 10 a.m., it¡¯s the prime time for spring bamboo shoots! Twenty yuan per pound, first come, first served! Wind Speed Express delivery to your door, postage payable by the recipient.] Chapter 125 - 125: 125. Qiaoqiaos Live Broadcast_1 Chapter 125: 125. Qiaoqiao¡¯s Live Broadcast_1 So Zhang Yanping, who had been idle for several days, picked up his hoe once more. The bamboos in the forest were too dense, many not growing thick but just squeezing together in the gaps. Digging for bamboo shoots thus became an even harder job. With a swing of his hoe, he didn¡¯t uncover any bamboo shoots; instead, he chopped through a bamboo root. Those roots were deeply entrenched and interwoven, resisting any attempt to be dug out, which was truly frustrating. Song Sancheng laughed out loud, ¡°Yanping, you¡¯re just not cut out for farm work, not even as good as Tantan! Stop digging, the tender shoots are sprouting over there; just snap those off.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easier.¡± Now the bamboo shoots in the forest, stimulated by Song Tan¡¯s Spiritual Energy, had sprouted aplenty, some still underground, others having already emerged a bit. Logically, the ones in the soil should be more tender, but the spring shoots had a unique flavor, too. Therefore, Song Tan, eager to make money, asked for all of them to be harvested regardless. Spring shoots could be effortlessly snapped off by hand, incredulously crisp and tender. Those that were just poking out from the soil with a sharp tip, however, required the swing of a hoe. An old and a young working in collaboration; the efficiency was passable. Zhang Yanping sighed, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for these things fetching twenty a piece, they truly wouldn¡¯t be worth my labor.¡± When Song Sancheng heard that bamboo shoots were going for twenty yuan a jin, his brows knitted tight enough to catch flies: ¡°Tantan, how much of these shoots is left after peeling the shells? Isn¡¯t it inappropriate to price them so high?¡± Zhang Yanping cast him a resentful glance, ¡°Uncle-in-law, I¡¯ve put my precious labor into this, what¡¯s wrong with twenty yuan? Isn¡¯t Milk Vetch cheap and still sold for twenty?¡± Song Tan didn¡¯t say much, simply took out Zhang Yanping¡¯s cellphone, opened up Peach Peach Treasure¡¯s page, and saw that the online price for spring bamboo shoots was indeed upwards of fifteen yuan a jin. Song Sancheng: ¡­ He didn¡¯t quite understand the current prices anymore. He sighed, ¡°Had I known bamboo shoots could make such money, I would¡¯ve dug more and sold them in the market years ago¡­¡± However, this added motivation to the work of hoe wielding. Zhang Yanping snapped off bamboo shoots with crisp sounds, finding some release for his stress at that moment. He sighed again, ¡°If this was in the suburbs, I¡¯d just rope off this area, pop a message to some parent-child groups, and a swarm of free labor would come running.¡± ¡°After the deeds are done, they might even buy up the bamboo shoots on the spot. Both earning money and saving on wages, how great is that!¡± But their remote backwoods location¡­ forget it, even those with poor driving skills wouldn¡¯t dare venture in here. What¡¯s more, with that narrow village road, two cars meeting means one car must back up to a turning point to pass¡­ there¡¯s nothing good to advertise! The dense bamboo made getting around rather cumbersome. After digging for a while, Song Tan simply threw down her hoe and went home to fetch a machete. She was strong and, after eyeing a bamboo of suitable thickness, grasped the pole with one hand and ¡°chop¡± went the machete, leaving a smooth cut in the hard bamboo. The motion was as smooth as silk. Zhang Yanping watched, dumbfounded, and then looked at the hoe he had cast aside, thinking he just couldn¡¯t compare. Could it be that a city life had truly wasted away his physical strength? Just like his sister could knock out a ¡®Brother Yanping¡¯ with each punch. Song Sancheng had experience handling bamboo. Seeing Song Tan chop so efficiently, he was pleased and advised, ¡°Put on some gloves, or else your hands will get numb. Cut off those twigs and branches too; you can bring them to Tian Yuan later, and I¡¯ll build you a cucumber trellis.¡± ¡°Not just that, Dad, I plan to surround the Peach Forest with it as well.¡± This way, the beanstalks could climb easily without the wire mesh being too tight and causing them to twist and deform. Never underestimate the strength of crops as they grow. To put it this way, if you put a handful of soybeans under a stone slab, they could even lift it up. Anyway, if the family lacked anything, it wasn¡¯t bamboo, so it wasn¡¯t a pity to use them. She spoke lightly, but Song Sancheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat whenever she casually arranged work nowadays! He quickly turned his head away, adopting an ostrich-like attitude with remarkable naturalness. Song Tan, looking at the two grown men with pained expressions on their faces, understood as well. But this wasn¡¯t something she could fix with a wave of her hand like before, had she become too accustomed to it? As for now¡­ waving her hand wouldn¡¯t do; it was time to activate the power of money. Bamboo shoots, oh bamboo shoots, you¡¯ve got to put up some fight! They had only just started digging when Zhang Yanping¡¯s phone rang. He took it out and saw, ¡°Tantan, the truck bringing the peach trees said they have already reached our village road. They messaged you but you didn¡¯t reply. You should take back your phone. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be inconvenient to contact them later.¡± Song Tan nodded, ¡°Just so happens Qiaoqiao is live streaming. I¡¯ll go see how it¡¯s going.¡± Zhang Yanping was surprised, ¡°Qiaoqiao is live streaming and chatting with people? Don¡¯t let him scare off all the viewers in the live streaming room.¡± Song Tan waved her hand, unconcerned, ¡°The live streaming room didn¡¯t have much of an audience to begin with, loss and gain are decreed by fate, we¡¯ll go with the flow.¡± Zhang Yanping thought about it and agreed, ¡°He¡¯s just started live streaming, how many people could be watching?¡± After finding out which live streaming room it was, he asked her, ¡°What¡¯s it called?¡± Song Tan casually replied, ¡°Tian Yuan Notes.¡± That name¡­ How should one put it? As ordinary as it gets, offering no attraction whatsoever to the audience. Zhang Yanping had experience with these things, and readily came up with a reliable suggestion, ¡°If you¡¯re going to stream, you need a gimmick, a viral moment, you have to keep up with what¡¯s trending¡ª¡± Song Tan didn¡¯t really have any talent for naming, so at this moment she was all ears, waiting for him to give some specific examples. Unexpectedly, she saw him staring at his phone in a daze, his mouth suddenly not moving. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Zhang Yanping looked up dejectedly and handed her the phone: ¡°If you open the Tian Yuan category, the top-ranked newcomer in terms of popularity is Qiaoqiao, with 6,700 people following the live stream. Didn¡¯t you say it just started?¡± Did he just plunge into a pool of traffic? Song Tan was stunned, beginning to think that perhaps Qiaoqiao was the true darling of the audience. Where bees congregate, Daxiong should avoid. With Qiaoqiao¡¯s face wrapped in a net today, how could either person or bee sell their looks? ¡°What live stream?¡± Song Sancheng was also a short video enthusiast with idle time on his hands, now curiously leaning in. Zhang Yanping turned up the volume, and in the serene bamboo forest, Qiaoqiao¡¯s earnest voice sounded unusually clear: ¡°¡­Kids, that was just bee wax cutting. Have you all learned it? If you have, the teacher will show you the next thing.¡± His pure and youthful voice was especially distinctive, and Song Sancheng saw the barrage of comments flying: [Came here on a friend¡¯s recommendation, is the host really mentally challenged?] He frowned immediately. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then the next comment lit up with sparkling fireworks: [Not bad, learned how to cut bee wax now. What¡¯s the next step? Spent over an hour just on cutting bee wax. But hey, surprisingly it helped me have a good night¡¯s sleep.] Chapter 126 - 126: 126. Teacher Qiaoqiao has started the course!_1 Chapter 126: 126. Teacher Qiaoqiao has started the course!_1 ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Song Sancheng furrowed his brows, ¡°Why are his characters bigger than others, and even colored?¡± Zhang Yanping also had a complex expression, ¡°Because this person tipped Qiaoqiao a hundred bucks.¡± Pointing to the side at the leaderboard, ¡°Uncle, look at our Qiaoqiao. She can make money now! In just one livestream, she received tips totaling 1,600 yuan, and she takes home at least 700¡ª¡± However, Qiaoqiao who was live broadcasting didn¡¯t recognize many characters and was concentrating on handling the honey. She simply didn¡¯t have time to look at these things. At that moment, the one in front of the screen wore a netted hat, took a gentle breath, and then placed two honeycombs into the honey extractor. After that, her voice came as a relief, ¡°Now, Teacher Qiaoqiao will start extracting the honey.¡± Song Sancheng: ??? Is that it? Is it so easy for young people to make money nowadays? Zhang Yanping looked conflicted, ¡°It¡¯s not really that easy.¡± But making money? Sometimes it¡¯s a bit like farming¡ªit¡¯s got a bit of a mystical element to it. Song Tan decided not to leave either and the three of them huddled together in the bamboo forest, watching the livestream. Zhang Yanping listened to the fireworks popping with colorful displays in the live broadcast room while Song Sancheng watched Qiaoqiao on the screen, whose face could only be seen hazily, along with her earnest movements. Song Tan, however, watched the barrage earnestly, wanting to find out the secret to getting rich and cracking the code to high traffic. But then she noticed that the top few on the leaderboard were talking. They said the live broadcast had a magic power that made people drowsy just by listening, and then they had a great sleep¡­ She then glanced at the time. The broadcast had lasted less than two hours¡ªhow long could one sleep from a ¡°great sleep¡±? She looked at their usernames¡ª Well, the top one was called [I Wish to Sleep for Another Five Hundred Years], number two was [Insomnia and Anxiety Sufferer], and number three was [I Don¡¯t Want to Be Involved Either but I Can¡¯t Sleep]. Taking another look at the tags on top of the live broadcast room, one of them was actually [White Noise]. Okay then, this is not just a rural life video, but also a sleep aid video¡ªtwo categories, two different audiences. However, why? Although Qiaoqiao had been nourished by Spiritual Energy and felt light and healthy, it couldn¡¯t be transferred through electromagnetic waves! To have this ability now, it must really be her unique charm. Her voice was clear and crisp, and because she was so engrossed, the rhythm of her speech was also very stable, unhurried¡ªwhich added to the soporific effect. In the frame, Qiaoqiao was turning the handle of the extractor, the combs inside were whirling with a steady rhythm of their own. She didn¡¯t speak again, but her expression was especially serious. When the rotation was finally over, Qiaoqiao spoke once more: ¡°All right, honey extraction is done. We need to take out the bees¡¯ home.¡± The combs were lifted from the extractor, and strands of orange-brown honey were still trickling down. Under the average camera of the livestream, they appeared clear and sparkling. That long drop of honey fell slowly downwards before decisively dripping into the bucket. At that moment, having tasted the sweet honey before, Zhang Yanping couldn¡¯t help but swallow. Naturally, the barrage was filled with drooling sounds. And then someone asked: [Host, are you selling the honey? How much?] More people started asking, but Qiaoqiao wasn¡¯t looking at the screen at all. Instead, her voice became even more serious: ¡°There¡¯s still a bit of honey left on top that isn¡¯t fully extracted, but no matter, we need to leave some for the baby bees to eat.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she placed the two combs back into the beehive and rearranged the hive, then came back in front of the camera. ¡°Now Teacher Qiao is going to store the honey. This honey is 1000 yuan per pound, my sister says it¡¯s very precious, so we need to store it properly.¡± ¡°Kids, Teacher Qiao¡¯s class is over.¡± He finished saying class was over, yet he had no idea that he needed to turn off the live stream, so he just kept on his own, packing up the honey extractor. The barrage of comments experienced a brief lull. And just at that moment! A huge dog head suddenly popped out from the nearby bushes. Then there was a gentle ¡°woof.¡± Qiaoqiao instantaneously put the basin he was tidying away back down, ¡°Big King, how did you get here?¡± Big King slowly emerged from the bushes, its massive body making the audience in the live stream forget the shocking price from before, and once again burst into a series of exclamations¡ª [Is that a dog? Is that a dog? How can there be such a big dog?] [Holy cow, so huge! What kind of dog is this?] Big King didn¡¯t say anything, just stood up, its front paws resting on Qiaoqiao¡¯s shoulders, towering a whole head taller than him. In the live stream, all the viewers who saw this scene were stunned. However, the next moment, this majestic and massive dog suddenly made a snort and then used its giant head to nudge Qiaoqiao¡¯s neck, squishing the netting on his head out of shape. Qiaoqiao then burst out laughing and couldn¡¯t help but hug Big King¡¯s chest and rub against it. ¡°I know, did you smell the honey?¡± He looked around like a thief, then whispered in a lower voice, ¡°Let¡¯s just eat a little bit while sister isn¡¯t here, okay?¡± Big King immediately drew back its paws, stood there again, looked up cheerfully, and ¡°woofed¡± joyously as its tail wagged as if it were wheels ablaze. Song Tan: ¡­ According to reason, since she possessed Spiritual Energy, these dogs should act more human around her, more considerate and gentle, right? Zhang Yanping gave an awkward cough, looking left and right, just avoiding making eye contact with Song Tan. Song Sancheng, however, furrowed his brows, ¡°This silly kid, such expensive honey, how can he feed it to a dog? Even I rinse my spoon when I drink honey water.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Zhang Yanping chimed in with righteous indignation, ¡°How can he feed it to a dog?¡± The next moment, Qiaoqiao scooped out a palm-sized piece of honeycomb from a basin nearby. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The creamy honeycomb still had thick brown honey remaining in it. He broke it into pieces, feeding them to Big King one by one like candy, allowing Big King to daintily lick them off his palm with its tongue. Then he took another piece with his finger, lifted his netting, and put it in his own mouth. ¡°You get a piece, and I get a piece, and we won¡¯t tell sister.¡± From the looks of it, it was just like when he shared cookies with Big White. Song Sancheng felt both heartache and a pang of jealousy: ¡°That honeycomb is such good stuff, how could he just feed it to Big King like that? I haven¡¯t even had any!¡± Zhang Yanping felt even more sour, ¡°Exactly! I haven¡¯t had any either, the last time he only gave¡ª¡± His words broke off halfway through, as he paused. But Song Tan just sighed: This silly kid, he was told not to lift his netting. And now, although it was a bit of a distance, the live stream got to see most of his face again! And looking in the live stream, sure enough, there were several ¡°bang bang¡± fireworks blooming¡ª [Host, what breed is this dog? Please tell us.] [Host, what does this dog eat every day?] [The honey looks really yummy, host, how much is the honey? Can you share a link?] [The host is so handsome!] Chapter 127 - 127: 127. Can only eat a little bit_1 Chapter 127: 127. Can only eat a little bit_1 ¡°Tantan,¡± Song Sancheng stared at his phone: ¡°Are you planning to let Qiaoqiao do that online¡­what¡¯s it called, live-streaming to sell products? It seems pretty trendy now.¡± ¡°Your mom scrolled through TikTok the other day and even spent nineteen yuan on a pair of pants, they said these pants are great, selling tens of thousands of pairs a day¡­¡± Song Tan helplessly replied, ¡°I do have that plan, but I didn¡¯t intend to start off by selling honey.¡± A thousand yuan a pound would earn her nothing but group mockery. Besides, starting to sell products as soon as the live stream gets popular can damage one¡¯s reputation. She didn¡¯t mind for herself, but silly as Qiaoqiao was, she hadn¡¯t planned on letting him get scolded online. She picked up the two baskets of dug bamboo shoots: ¡°Dad, you guys keep busy, I¡¯ll go back first to end the live stream.¡± She carried the baskets and walked off, while Song Sancheng and Zhang Yanping were still huddled together watching the live stream. Watching the King munch on the broken honeycomb like sugared peas, the two men grew hungrier and hungrier¡­ Just then, a series of loud ¡°honk honk honk¡± sounds came from the live stream! The noise drew closer, and soon, a goose wearing a little yellow cap with its neck stretched out long appeared from behind the King. Zhang Yanping instinctively shrank his neck back: ¡°Uncle, why do I feel like Big White has grown even bigger?¡± Song Sancheng took a closer look: ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s gotten bigger¡ªand fatter!¡± Big White opened its flat beak wide, sounding even louder and more resonant, eagerly poking its head into Qiaoqiao¡¯s hands, causing him quite a bit of chaos: ¡°Big White, you want some too? I told you last time you can¡¯t eat this anymore¡ªok ok, only a little bit, all right?¡± He obviously had no principles, as now he took another piece of honeycomb from the bowl and then, human, dog, and goose, each took turns nibbling away, the eating became even sweeter. [Wowzers!] Someone in the live stream exclaimed: [Leading with yellow and holding grey, eating pure natural wild honey, this is the life of immortals.] [Turns out it¡¯s a mukbang] [Clearly, watching humans eat no longer whets my appetite, you need dogs and geese¡­] [But I think, if the honey can tempt both the dog and the goose, it must be pretty good.] [Just sell it, that honey looks really good, host, give us the link!] [Stop asking, the host is intellectually impaired and obviously can¡¯t understand this.] [Who knows if the intellectual impairment is real or not, he hasn¡¯t said a word.] [Am I the only one noticing how big this goose is getting? It can¡¯t fit in a pot.] This barrage of comments was so chaotic, it made Zhang Yanping feel anxious and irritable. Just then, Song Tan¡¯s clear voice also appeared in the live stream: ¡°Qiaoqiao, come home after you finish the work.¡± Qiaoqiao immediately responded, then quickly divided the remaining honeycomb between the dog and the goose, and began heading down the mountain carrying a bucket and holding a basin. [Hey hey hey, host, you forgot your phone¡ª] S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a while, the viewers could only see a pair of slender hands, white as jade, extending over, and then, the live stream instantly went dark. That¡¯s that. Those who had followed the last live stream knew all too well that this host¡¯s sign-offs were always abrupt! But for some reason, there was just something magnetic that kept people watching. And this household sure had a lot of animals. First, it was a big honeybee, now a big dog and a big white goose¡ªwhat¡¯s with that? Eating and growing so big, maybe? Especially that honeybee last time, geez, its rear was so rounded, it could apply for the Guinness World Records, the audience had never seen such a chubby one in their lives! Song Tan was unaware of the online buzz, and she was just thankful that everyone still thought Qiaoqiao misspoke about the price of honey, and she hadn¡¯t planned to post a link anyway. And there were fewer curses aimed at Qiaoqiao. Now she put her phone back in her pocket and then asked Qiaoqiao: ¡°You didn¡¯t sneaky-eat any honey up in the mountains, did you?¡± Qiaoqiao puffed out her chest in self-righteousness: ¡°No!¡± It was a honeycomb I ate, which has nothing to do with honey. Song Tan glanced at him, ¡°You little clever clogs, you¡¯re not allowed to feed King and Big White that much sweet food next time. Big White will get even fatter if he eats too much, and King will get diarrhea.¡± Qiaoqiao instantly deflated: ¡°I only ate a tiny bit.¡± Song Tan snorted: Was that a little bit? The piece was as big as a palm, Qiaoqiao and King shared one, and later there was another palm-sized piece that King, Big White, and you three shared. ¡°Besides,¡± Qiaoqiao said aggrievedly, ¡°King is so, so big, did it eat too much honey?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ You little schemer, with King¡¯s size, nothing he eats ever seems too much, does it? Qiaoqiao was still full of why¡¯s: ¡°And what about Big White? Will Big White get diarrhea if he eats it?¡± Song Tan pondered for a moment, then said seriously, ¡°If Big White eats it¡­ it will probably taste even better.¡± ¡­ Meanwhile. Imperial City. Wanhe Garden. The courier from Fengfeng Express had just left; Lun Chuan closed the door of his room and opened the small box he was holding. Behind him in the small and staggered entry garden, the leaves of the black and gold ¡°Magic Power¡± velvet, as dark green as ink, had been adjusted in direction. The light green Milk Vetch below was nearly past blooming. The deep purple rocktrumpet shrank at the edge of the window, blooming bunches of flowers in its center. Lingering in the air was a trail of tea fragrance, calming the mind and refreshing the spirit¡ªin the short span of the previous day, Lun Chuan had easily changed his preferences of many years. He gave up Phoenix Dancong for an unknown green tea that he had come to love. His only slight annoyance was that this green tea absolutely could not be drunk in the bedroom, nor at night, lest the fragrance linger and keep one tossing and turning all night¡ª The ten thousand words he had stayed up all night to write were indeed a feat achieved by the inspiration of this green tea. And now, just as he had given in to temptation and brewed another cup of green tea, the courier knocked on his door once again. This time, he earnestly looked at the name and address on the courier slip, as well as the number that was concealed in the middle. Song Tan. He once again committed this name to memory. The cool-jade-like clearly defined fingers gripped a sharp craft knife, the iron-gray blade sliced through the tape on the package, sparking anticipation in his heart¡ª Was this the honey mentioned earlier? The two securely bubble-wrapped honey jars were not large; he could hold one in one hand. However, the shepherd¡¯s purse he had eaten before, the Milk Vetch in his refrigerator, and the tea leaves steeping in his cup¡­ none of them failed to foretell to Lun Chuan: This honey was surely another of the world¡¯s finest. He slightly lifted the ordinary transparent jar with a black cap, and through the crystal-clear material, he could see the creamy yellow honey inside already beginning to crystallize¡­ The sunlight spilling from the north balcony window of the entry garden wasn¡¯t too intense. But his sidelong pose in the light and shadow was like bamboo in a forest, standing tall and naturally rhythmic. There, where his lifted wrist allowed the silk pajama sleeve to slide down, the fabric paused over the scar from a burn on his elbow, which made his wrist appear even more like cool, fragile jade, possessing a kind of delicate, breathtaking beauty. Yet, the slight rise of the radial bone and the not-fully-faded muscle lines on his arm still signaled the strength that belonged to him. After all, it was these hands that, in the most perilous of moments, had propped against the ground, shielding Song Tan firmly beneath him even as the blaze from an explosion engulfed them. Chapter 128 - 128: 128. Honey Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Porridge_1 Chapter 128: 128. Honey Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Porridge_1 The honey was in a semi-solid state, with clear layers of cream yellow and butter yellow. Lun Chuan grasped the black iron lid and gave it a hard twist¡ª On his tensed arm, the scars from burns sent a slight, ant-bite sting, but what rushed to his face was the unique, fresh sweetness of the honey. Lun Chuan paused for a moment, then leaned in to take another sniff. It was an indescribable sweet sensation. Like plucking a flower from a green grassy field under the light rain of Xiaoyun, and gently sucking on it, tasting a bit of sweetness. It did not feel cloying at all, but rather seemed to moisturize the mood as well. He carefully held the jar and without hesitation went to the kitchen, took down a thin and transparent tiny spoon, scooped up an amber-like dollop of honey, and eagerly put it into his mouth. A breath of wind seemed to pass over the tip of his tongue, that sweet and moist sensation as if sliding from his mouth down to his stomach¡­ Just the taste of this honey was worth two thousand words of description! He noted the sensation, deciding to write it into a chapter later. But at the same time, his tongue reluctantly slid over the spoon, feeling it was too precious to be simply consumed like this. It should be cherished and savored slowly. Thus, after setting down the honey, he turned back and rummaged in the kitchen for a can of black sesame seeds. A light frying pan was heated up, into which a handful of sesame seeds was sprinkled. The scent was particularly enticing as the spatula flipped them. Once the black sesame seeds were all roasted, they were transferred into a clay mortar to be slowly crushed and ground. Meanwhile, in a terracotta jar beside it, boiling water and rice blossoms rolled and churned, the thick rice porridge was almost done. He expertly reduced the flame and waited until the black sesame was ground into a fine powder and then turned off the porridge. Eight parts full of the delicately round porcelain bowl was filled with porridge, and then he added a spoonful of ground black sesame on top. Lun Chuan thought for a moment and took out a piece of marinated beef from the refrigerator, chopping it into small cubes. Taking the opportunity, he added a bit of oil to the frying pan and skillfully cracked an egg into it. As the egg puffed up golden brown with the frying, its aroma spread throughout the kitchen, and he systematically found two slices of yesterday¡¯s leftover toast to put into the sandwich maker. The fried egg, marinated beef, and a few leaves of greens were layered in succession. With a press down on the sandwich maker¡ª In just a minute, a personalized sandwich with a crispy shell and a soft, richly textured inside was ready. On the shiny white porcelain dish, two plump orioles were painted, and right below their pointed beaks, a green leaf peeked out from the sandwich. Only then did Lun Chuan sit at the dining table, carefully scooping a spoonful of honey, drizzling it finely over the top of the rice porridge with the black sesame. Honey black sesame rice porridge, beef and fried egg sandwich. ¡ªA perfect lunch. The sweet, fresh and dominant aroma of the honey easily overpowered the scent of the protein. Unable to resist, he stirred the porridge lightly with his spoon, and then eagerly took a mouthful. The sweet taste was especially pronounced against the backdrop of sesame and sticky rice. However, before he could fully savor it, the doorbell rang once more. Upon opening the door, Lun Jing stood at the threshold, sniffing the air, then with a look of surprise: ¡°It smells so good, Achuan, what are you making? Didn¡¯t I tell you not to cook yet?¡± She changed her shoes, and even though she didn¡¯t get a response, she didn¡¯t stop talking: ¡°I messaged that girl about buying some farm specialties, and only then found out you messaged her to change the address.¡± ¡°Achuan, don¡¯t you prefer not to interact much with people? It must have been because the food was too delicious that you couldn¡¯t resist, right?¡± Turning to look at the simply packaged bottle of honey on the table, the sweet aroma in the air so enticing, she was convinced: ¡°This is the stuff the girl sent again, right? How many bottles? Share some with mom.¡± Lun Chuan frowned: ¡°At the hospital, I remember you said that if one inquired too boldly about the price, the other party might just send even more stuff for free.¡± Lun Jing knew it wasn¡¯t appropriate. But¡­ But¡­ ¡°But their goods are really so delicious!¡± Lun Chuan thought of the last bundle of Milk Vetch in the fridge, delicately preserved and even wrapped in beeswax paper, stored in the crisper. At this moment, his eyes downcast, he fell silent. Lun Jing didn¡¯t mind not getting a response. Her son was always a man of few words. Now he was just naturally and expertly tightening the honey jar lid, before slipping it into his carry-on tote bag. His actions were so natural and skilled that Lun Chuan, who was still holding a spoon, stared for quite some time, feeling that something was not quite right. Then he furrowed his brow: ¡°Mom, the last time she sent Milk Vetch, she said they were almost out¡ªwhy did you ask again?¡± Lun Jing was somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Weren¡¯t you in the hospital for a month? I joined a patient¡¯s group chat, and you know, those who can afford Ren¡¯ai are somewhat wealthy¡­ For those few days, we ate dumplings every day, and patients from several other rooms came to ask about them.¡± No matter how well sealed and ventilated, there couldn¡¯t be absolutely no residue left in the room, right? Especially the man from the room opposite, who stood there every day with his crutches like a beggar, his eyes fixed hopefully on this room. In the end, Lun Jing couldn¡¯t stand it and shared with that person twice. The fellow wasn¡¯t shy about it, and the aroma spread so much that more and more people from the patient group started to ask. The ten pounds of shepherd¡¯s purse were quickly gone. Then came the Milk Vetch; there was so little of it. Lun Jing took it home, stir-fried it for two meals, and it was finished. Now, wasn¡¯t she just craving more? The tea, on the other hand, was indeed very good. After she gave it out as a return gift, the sender even messaged her early this morning to ask about it. How good was it? When she made it, she counted out each leaf before dropping it in, more mindful than she¡¯d ever been when drinking saffron. In any case, the more she drank, the more anxious she became, afraid that such fine products would be impossible to find in the future. When Lun Chuan didn¡¯t reply to her message for half an hour, she directly started up the car and rushed over. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But facing her son, she as a mother couldn¡¯t just say it so bluntly. After pondering for a while, Lun Jing said, ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I heard it¡¯s not easy to sell things in rural areas now, right? If these could be sold, it would be good to know the price to promote them to relatives and friends.¡± She had come to Imperial City heavily pregnant and divorced, and in all these years, she only made two or three friends at most. Where did she have any relatives? But Lun Chuan was moved. He no longer remembered the face of the person involved, but he vaguely recalled how, when he dragged her out of the car, the girl was clutching a huge canvas bag from the night market, one that cost ten yuan, and her coat had a noticeably skewed seam. She was dressed cheaply, but simply. Thinking of what Lun Jing had just said, he nodded slightly: ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll ask later.¡± The person lived in a mountain village, and from what he remembered, her life was still filled with hardship. Yet she sincerely sent over such goods; he¡­ how could he bear it. Chapter 129 - 129: 129. Nursery Owner Three Brothers_1 Chapter 129: 129. Nursery Owner Three Brothers_1 Song Tan was standing on the big truck at the moment, helping to unload the goods. The two thousand saplings were no small number, especially since Zhang Yanping had chosen good ones. They were not just straight stems; they had been grafted and further developed through branch splitting and branch pressing. At the moment, they looked imposing, with a tangled growth of branches stretching out in all directions. Such saplings, once planted, as long as the follow-up care was sufficient, could bear a heavy harvest within the year. Accordingly, they also took up a lot of space. If it weren¡¯t for the seller¡¯s years of experience in packaging and pruning, a single truck might truly have not been enough to fit everything. Even though a 30 percent deposit had already been paid, the boss still brought two trustworthy brothers because of the remote location. Three burly men had delivered the goods and before they could even demonstrate that they weren¡¯t to be messed with, they started vomiting a flood ¡ª It was really because the unfamiliar mountain roads had so many twists and bends that as they drove their big truck along the village roads, they were constantly anxious and terrified. Their driving was as slow as a snail, but that didn¡¯t help against the sudden stops and starts¡­ they couldn¡¯t take it! The poor lads were suffering! ¡°Oh dear, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Song Tan hadn¡¯t expected them to vomit so badly; she instructed Zhang Yanping to help them find a place to wash up and at the same time arranged for Qiaoqiao to prepare a cup with not much in it, just a spoonful of honey for Qianqian. Hot water was poured in slowly to dissolve it, and when the three men had recovered a bit, the water was handed over¡ª Just great! The honey water, warm and sweet, seemed to soothe them from their throats to their stomachs, and it felt as if their entire beings were being calmed inside and out. After gulping down his drink, the sapling seller smacked his lips, looking reluctantly and asked, ¡°Is there any more?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Qiaoqiao came over with a thermos, then refilled a cup of warm water for each person. Everyone: ¡­ This time when they drank, the sweet taste in their mouths had dissipated somewhat, but it was as if there was still a hint of sweet fragrance lingering on their lips and teeth. Looking at the jars of honey that hadn¡¯t yet been put away in the courtyard, their own orchard also had good honey, but at that moment, they were still tempted by the taste. ¡°Miss, is this honey harvested by your own bees? How much is it? I¡¯ll take a pound,¡± one of them said. Song Tan had just finished inspecting the saplings on the truck. The seller was right; they were indeed late-maturing varieties, and at this time of the year, they had just begun to sprout tiny, unshed brown buds and leaves. The freshness was just as the boss had said; they must have been dug up that morning and bound for transport. They had arrived here, guaranteed within a day. Considering that they were already beginning to bud, the roots were also packed with moist clumps of soil. The transaction Zhang Yanping had made was indeed worthwhile. But normally, in such a case, the first year¡¯s yield would definitely decline, but in the hands of Song Tan¡­ At that moment, Song Tan had entered into the daydreams of a cash cow. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Qiaoqiao couldn¡¯t wait to answer the inquiry, ¡°A thousand bucks a pound.¡± What in the world? A thousand per pound for honey?! The three big fellas were stunned, then they finished the water in their cups, exchanged glances, and pretended they didn¡¯t hear that. However, Song Tan had just spent over a hundred thousand on this batch of peach saplings, so how could she let them go so easily? Then, Qiaoqiao took the cups and swapped them for a kettle of boiling water, carefully placing two tea leaves in each cup. Really, two leaves. The nursery owner saw it with his own eyes; he counted them one by one. As the hot water brewed, the fresh aroma of the tea leaves filled and drifted through the air. With just a light sniff, the three felt as if their minds had been cleansed and refreshed. The dizzying effects from the bumpy mountain ride seemed to clear up quite a bit! How should one say it? The honey went down soothing the stomach, and the scent of the tea made the mind clear! ¡°Great tea!¡± Three burly men praised in unison. Then they couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°How much does this tea sell for? Is it also from your own family?¡± Most likely it was their own, because it was taken out of the living room freezer, wrapped up in layers with a big plastic bag. Qiaoqiao answered loudly, ¡°Eleven thousand per pound.¡± Nursery owner: ¡­ The product was really good, but the price seemed a little unreasonable! Looking at Qiaoqiao, who seemed a bit different from other normal boys, he couldn¡¯t help but walk to the gate and shout to Song Tan, who was tallying goods on the truck: ¡°Young lady, how exactly are you selling this tea and honey?¡± Song Tan didn¡¯t even lift her head, ¡°Just the price my brother mentioned.¡± What a joke, the customers were already at the doorstep; how could she let them leave empty-handed? After she responded to the question, she put the matter aside and then called over to Song Sancheng to get the bundles of peach trees onto her Little Pika truck. The road on the back hill was rough; big trucks simply couldn¡¯t make it through, so she had to rely on this method of transport. Zhang Yanping¡¯s eyes twinkled, ¡°I don¡¯t understand fruit trees, Tan Tan, why don¡¯t you go with the folks and check the quality? I think these bosses seem pretty wealthy, see if you can sell them something else?¡± Anyway, he was done with digging for shoots; whether it was breaking or digging shoots, both were quite tiring. Better stick to selling stuff, he was good at that at least. Song Tan had only to glance at the quality and quantity of the trees to have a rough idea in her mind, and what¡¯s more, with ten trees per bundle, counting two thousand peach trees was quite easy. So, she promptly transferred the payment: ¡°Boss, worthy of Brother Yanping¡¯s recommendation, your saplings are indeed excellent.¡± The nursery owner sat waiting for the transaction to complete, feeling relieved, then gave her a thumbs up, ¡°Straightforward.¡± He also began to help unload the goods and whispered to his two brothers, ¡°We worried for nothing. The girl is quite straightforward; once the unloading is done, we¡¯ll leave.¡± The youngest brother in charge of driving made a sour face: ¡°Big brother, let¡¯s sit for a bit longer; the road is really tough, let me take a break.¡± With their large truck, one side against a mountain and one side a steep slope, getting here was stressful, a half-hour journey through the villages that was difficult to endure without anxiety. The eldest brother¡¯s face twitched, then he said in a low voice, ¡°Look at the sky; if we don¡¯t leave now, it¡¯ll be dark soon, and this stretch will be even harder to navigate.¡± The usually silent second brother muttered, ¡°But big brother, their tea is so good. I want him to refill my cup a couple more times.¡± Speaking of the tea, the nursery owner also kept quiet. After a while, he angrily threw down a bundle of saplings, ¡°This family is so stingy! Why just one leaf per cup? I didn¡¯t even charge for shipping!¡± The younger brother glanced at him, ¡°If I sold tea for ten thousand a pound, I wouldn¡¯t even give you a single leaf; I¡¯d just let you look.¡± The eldest brother: ¡­ This vexing relative. With such a business sense, would the nursery have done well all these years without him? But as naive as they might be, both were honest people. He had no choice but to swallow his pride, and then suddenly he climbed down from the truck, resentful: ¡°Buddy, brew me a proper cup of that tea, and after I taste, I¡¯ll decide whether to buy or not.¡± Before Qiaoqiao could respond, Zhang Yanping already replied cheerfully. ¡°Ah, boss, you really have an eye for quality. Nowadays, all our tea customers are repeat customers; we don¡¯t even sell to just anyone! Come on, where¡¯s your cup? I¡¯ll brew it directly in there for you!¡± The other two brothers objected, ¡°We want some too.¡± Though the eldest brother was the boss, the nursery had three bosses, and it wouldn¡¯t be fair to serve just one cup, right? Chapter 130 - 130: 130. Twenty thousand yuan pension guarantee_1 Chapter 130: 130. Twenty thousand yuan pension guarantee_1 Song Tan drove Little Pika to deliver the last pile of seedlings and then roared down the mountain. When she came down, she saw the big truck in front take off like a house on fire, the driver not even bothering to signal, just stepping on the gas and leaving. Wu Lan, who had just turned down from the slope, was startled: ¡°Hey, why are they leaving? I was thinking about keeping them for a meal, so I came back early to cook.¡± On this side, Zhang Yanping leaned on the gate, winking and gesturing: ¡°Tantan, true to your word, you didn¡¯t let them leave empty-handed!¡± The three brothers, well, each got two bottles of honey and a pound of tea leaves, and Zhang Yanping decided to give each another five pounds of bamboo shoots¡­ This was the best treatment among all the customers! He was worried Song Tan might not be pleased, so he said in a gentle tone, ¡°They came all the way to deliver the goods, and if we have more cooperation in the future, we¡¯ll be in constant contact¡­¡± Song Tan glanced at him and thought to herself, I¡¯m not that stingy, it¡¯s just that there was no need before. At this moment, Wu Lan was already all smiles: ¡°Oh, Yanping! It¡¯s got to be you!¡± ¡°How can you say that? Tantan, you just gave them more than a hundred thousand for the goods, and they¡¯ve returned over thirty thousand¡­ With that, we should have enough to pay the workers tomorrow, right?¡± Zhang Yanping also perked up: ¡°Then we don¡¯t need to dig the bamboo shoots, right?¡± Song Tan thought for a moment and said earnestly, ¡°Better dig some more.¡± After all, the Spiritual Energy had stimulated their growth, and it would be a pity not to dig them out, plus there were many more expenses coming up! Zhang Yanping: ¡­ What could he say? The bamboo shoots, at twenty yuan a kilo, were already enough to ignite Wu Lan¡¯s enthusiasm. She now took out the hoe and basket: ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not dark yet, let¡¯s hurry to the bamboo forest, we can have dinner later.¡± Zhang Yanping, on the verge of tears, said, ¡°Auntie, you should take a break. Tantan will be hiring dozens of people tomorrow, and you¡¯ll have to do the cooking!¡± ¡°You take a breather tonight and get the helpers sorted out first.¡± Wu Lan glared at Song Tan: ¡°You¡¯re really like my own daughter!¡± ¡°Ever since you came back, the savings haven¡¯t increased, but the work keeps piling up day by day. Your parents may be strong as oxen, but you can¡¯t just overwork them like this!¡± Song Tan quickly soothed her: ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mom. You hire a couple of helpers tomorrow, and once I¡¯m done selling the bamboo shoots, I¡¯ll go visit my aunt to see if I can get Seventh Uncle to come back¡­¡± Wu Lan was still complaining: ¡°Hiring helpers costs money, right? The way you¡¯re doing things, I won¡¯t have any time to pick the tea leaves¡­¡± Tea leaves are so valuable! But Song Tan suddenly realized that since she had come back home, all the expenses had indeed been covered by her, yet her parents didn¡¯t see any of the earnings. This couldn¡¯t go on. Her parents were getting older, and not having money in hand would only make them more irritable and insecure. This wasn¡¯t about being filial or running out of money; it was purely based on years of belief¡ª When one gets old, they should save more for retirement. If she were to hand over full financial control, with Wu Lan¡¯s and Song Sancheng¡¯s cautiousness, she could forget about any further expenditures¡ªjust save every penny you can. Song Tan pondered for a bit: ¡°Mom, give me a bank card number. We¡¯ve earned a lot and spent a lot this year, and you and Dad have indeed worked hard¡ªhow about this, I¡¯ll give you both twenty thousand a month, save it for yourselves.¡± Upon hearing this, Wu Lan grew even angrier! At that moment, the hoe swung down fiercely and unearthed a chunk of bamboo shoot with a ¡°thud¡±. Then she glared at her: ¡°What, now you¡¯re going to pay your parents a salary? From now on, if I ask you to do something, will I have to pay you an errand fee?¡± S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Tan: ¡­ She knew it. Not giving them money meant her parents seeing none the entire year, which was unreasonable. Once the money was given, they felt as if they had become strangers. She had no choice but to change her approach, ¡°Mom, as you¡¯ve seen, our fields and mountains require a hefty investment, and I spend money carelessly, without a plan.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I give you some money every month, so you can help me save with Qiaoqiao, just in case something happens, we have to rely on you two.¡± As soon as she said this, Wu Lan started pondering: Twenty thousand a month¡ªthat¡¯s two or three hundred thousand a year. It takes a lifetime for a couple to save that much by being frugal. With this money, even if Tantan loses out this year, there would be no need to worry in the future. Moreover, given the current income status of the family, even if there¡¯s a loss, it¡¯ll be limited. For them, having this money is also a form of security. With that thought, oh boy, having a daughter is really heartwarming! At this moment, her face was filled with smiles: ¡°Are you really giving it? Twenty thousand a month is no small sum! Can you still afford it now¡ªI do have a postal bank card I hardly use, it only has the eight hundred-odd yuan of agricultural subsidy I get each year. When I get home, I¡¯ll give you the card number.¡± You couldn¡¯t deny that swinging the hoe now seemed a lot easier. Song Tan responded with a smile. Tsk tsk tsk. Zhang Yanping looked on in awe from the side. For some reason, he felt his sister¡¯s skills in coaxing their parents seemed pretty high-end. Applying the same scene to his own mother¡ª Well, better not. His mom would definitely think it¡¯s important to save money, but the root of it all was still about aiming for a civil servant job. In comparison, urging him to take the civil servant exam didn¡¯t seem like a hard job anymore, and a surge of endless vigor flowed through him, breaking off two bamboo shoots effortlessly. They kept digging until dusk when the bamboo forest grew too dark to see, and that¡¯s when everyone headed back with their baskets brimming full. In one afternoon, they had dug up close to four hundred kilograms of bamboo shoots. Since the Spiritual Energy had stimulated many new shoots, the bamboo forest had more shoots sprouting continuously. Song Tan considered this and while Wu Lan was binding the bamboo shoots in bundles of three to five catty using rubber bands, she said: ¡°Mom, I think we can sell the bamboo shoots for two more days. Let¡¯s get a couple more people to help dig for the next two days.¡± She didn¡¯t have time anymore. Zhang Yanping was not very efficient at working. Wu Lan was busy matching weights with the bamboo shoots in her hands¡ªsome were freshly dug from the ground, resembling winter shoots, plump and large. Others were newly grown tender shoots, thin and long. She matched them randomly, as long as she gathered three to five catty in a pile. The shoots were quite heavy, and the price of twenty yuan per catty was very gratifying, so Wu Lan did not object to hiring extra help: ¡°Then tell your dad, and we¡¯ll call more people later.¡± Tomorrow¡¯s work had to be arranged tonight. Thinking it over, she added, ¡°Don¡¯t rush to the city tomorrow morning. Go to the town first and buy some more vegetables to bring back.¡± ¡°With more people, we¡¯ll need to start preparations early in the morning; we can¡¯t wait for you to buy vegetables in the city and then come back.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Song Tan agreed readily. Now that she was familiar with the mountain roads, a half-hour trip to the town and back was no trouble at all. ¡°So, what vegetables should I buy?¡± In this season, well¡­ Wu Lan thought for a moment, ¡°Just don¡¯t buy garlic sprouts, Chinese lettuce, cabbage, spinach; everything else is fine. Other villagers have these in their vegetable gardens, we can make do with a bit of everything.¡± Chapter 131 - 131: 131. To make a living and not to be cold and shivering Chapter 131: 131. To make a living and not to be cold and shivering Feeding dozens of people isn¡¯t just a matter of buying vegetables. So Wu Lan instructed, ¡°You also need meat. Tomorrow, we have to cut twenty pounds, ribs, tenderloin, pork belly, pig¡¯s trotters, anything will do, plus some chicken and duck¡­¡± While giving the orders, she shivered with heartache. This single meal would cost quite a bit! Especially since pork prices had increased again. Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°We¡¯ll buy less meat tomorrow. I¡¯ll bring back more marinated dishes from the city, which will also save some effort.¡± Tomorrow we must hurry to get all the peach trees planted. We can¡¯t skimp on lunch; village folks are coming and going. It¡¯s about money on one hand, and relationships on the other. Speaking of this, Wu Lan started to worry again. ¡°Maybe we should get someone else to take charge of the cooking tomorrow. I have no experience cooking for so many people at once! If it turns out bad, won¡¯t that be inviting ridicule?¡± In the village for many years, any banquet would always be catered by a chef, charging a labor fee of twenty-five to fifty yuan per table, with grain, oil, and vegetables supplied by the host, and the chef also providing tables and stools. It had been decades since Wu Lan had cooked for so many people. Besides, she knew the flavor of her household¡¯s dishes. For some reason, the food had indeed become tastier recently; casually cooked meals for twenty to thirty people could now satisfy forty to fifty. The two large pots at home shouldn¡¯t be used for cooking rice tomorrow, just for stir-frying. We¡¯ll need to borrow more rice cookers from the villagers. In this rush, let¡¯s just make do with what we have. Song Tan was overwhelmed. Preparing meals for so many was indeed hard work. No matter how much help there was, there was still work to be done. In the end, it was the temptation from the small secretary that was too great, causing her to lose her restraint in a moment! Damn! Next time the secretary comes by, no more making tea. Thinking it over, she urged Wu Lan again, ¡°Mom, hurry and call my aunt. Have her ask at my second cousin¡¯s place. If it works out, I¡¯ll take stuff over tomorrow.¡± If they could settle on a good chef, and she came back in a few days to settle in, her mother wouldn¡¯t have to work so hard afterward. She could afford the high salary! The weather was neither cold nor hot now, so cooking was alright, but once it got hot, suffering in the kitchen would be something else. If it was going to make her family suffer like this, what was the point of her coming back to stir things up? Selling potted plants in the city with the help of Spiritual Energy was both easier and more profitable. ¡°Right, right, right, this is also important.¡± On the one hand, it¡¯s about everyone¡¯s meal, and on the other, it concerns Qiaoqiao¡¯s entire life. While dialing the phone, Wu Lan also said, ¡°Your aunt too, such an important matter and she only tells you when she¡¯s leaving. If we¡¯d known earlier, we would have brought your aunt more jars of honey.¡± Song Tan smiled, ¡°My big aunt is here, and my aunt doesn¡¯t like to waste words on her.¡± Wu Lan frowned, ¡°Even if we tell them, their family won¡¯t be able to handle it. I don¡¯t think your big cousin or his wife are that respectful¡ªyour big aunt may be rude, but she works hard at home, just like an old mother. Do you see your brother and his wife caring for her?¡± Just because no one speaks of it, doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t understand. Take the son from your big uncle¡¯s house, for example. He comes back only once a year for the new year, and at every other holiday, he claims to be working overtime¡­ As if the rest of us haven¡¯t worked a job! But still, Wu Lan couldn¡¯t help praising her sister-in-law, ¡°Your aunt really cares about you, Tantan. In the future, remember to think of your aunt whenever you have something good.¡± The call hadn¡¯t even gone through yet when another call came in. It was Aunt Fang Juan. ¡°Wu Lan, how is it I hear you¡¯re hiring people for farm work?¡± Every nook and cranny within ten miles seemed capable of transmitting secrets as if they could travel back and forth in a single day. Aunt also heard out of the blue in a chat that her college-educated niece had come back to farm, and was doing it on quite a scale too¡ªnow she¡¯s hiring people every day to help out! When she mentioned it at home, Grandma was displeased and said to Uncle: ¡°Aren¡¯t you her uncle? Last time Tantan came, she didn¡¯t forget you and brought you so much produce. She said she was farming at home then, and you didn¡¯t offer a helping hand?¡± Uncle felt aggrieved: This girl said she was coming back to farm, but she used to work in an office, so what kind of success could she possibly have with farming? Who would have thought, right? They hurriedly had Aunt make a phone call. There was work to be done, and it would be inexcusable not to help out their own relative! Wu Lan was thinking about her income lately; she wanted to boast, yet she wanted to keep it low-key. Trying to stay low-key was painfully hard, and when she received Aunt¡¯s phone call, she burst out laughing: ¡°Yes, Sister-in-law, oh my, you heard about it too? I¡¯m saying this kid is not stable¡ªevery tiny event is common knowledge. It¡¯s just a small piece of mountain land she¡¯s contracted, just the size of a palm, and somehow everyone knows about it¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t brag about how much money she¡¯d made, but mentioning the mountain she¡¯d contracted didn¡¯t seem too far-fetched. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Aunt raised her voice: ¡°What? She even took on a contract?! Didn¡¯t they say she was just farming leisurely back home?¡± Having barely hung up the phone, Wu Lan saw Song Sancheng tagging and calling in the village group chat and became anxious herself, quickly dialing Great Aunt: ¡°Sister, about the thing you talked to Tantan about this afternoon¡­¡± Wu Lan went inside to make a call, while Qiaoqiao and Zhang Yanping each held a cup of honey water, sitting there savoring it blissfully. Daxiong¡¯s plump little butt was stuck in the crook of his arm, and at this moment, it was desperately wriggling, fuzzy with stripes, under the light you could even see some fine pollen, so cute it was beyond words! Song Tan thought for a moment and felt something wasn¡¯t quite right. She suddenly realized: ¡°Qiaoqiao, you¡¯ve been with Daxiong every day, but what about its babies? It¡¯s been a month, how come they haven¡¯t hatched yet?¡± Isn¡¯t it said that the Queen Bumblebee can hatch and raise her young within a month? Qiaoqiao was also stunned. He let go and watched as Daxiong clawed its way across his palm, now looking puzzled, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Song Tan turned her head and took down the box above the junk shed. Daxiong, this unqualified queen, didn¡¯t have any reaction at the moment. Sigh, apart from eating and selling cuteness (its butt), it was completely useless. Opening the box, behold, a bunch of immature bumblebees wriggling inside, not a trace of pollen or honey to be seen. Clearly, Daxiong had grown fat and lazy during this period, eating more than it should, so much so that even the babies¡¯ food was gone. Song Tan: ¡­ No wonder they¡¯re not growing despite the spiritual energy nourishing them. Even though she hadn¡¯t expected the bumblebees to be of any help, they were turning out to be quite useless. Since that was the case¡ª ¡°Qiaoqiao, the next time you livestream, bring Daxiong along and let it play in front of the camera.¡± To support the kids, a bit of effort wouldn¡¯t hurt, no harm in it. Zhang Yanping couldn¡¯t even finish his honey water. Even Daxiong was being squeezed to sell its cuteness. His sister was truly taking the ¡°no freeloaders¡± policy to the extreme. What about him? Did he have to work tomorrow too? Was he going to dig bamboo shoots or hole up in the mountains? Chapter 132 - 132: 132. Aunts method of gilding_1 Chapter 132: 132. Aunt¡¯s method of gilding_1 Downtown. Aunt Song Hongmei hung up the phone, paced around the room twice, and finally, with gritted teeth, grabbed a bag of locust flowers and went to the residential complex across the street. Seventh Uncle lived here. When they were relocating back then, the old couple wanted to live with their son, so they specifically asked for a larger apartment. But plans couldn¡¯t keep up with changes, and the construction of the house kept getting delayed. By the time it was finished, their son had already settled down on the frontier. Nowadays, cleaning the spacious house they lived in was a daunting task for the two of them every day. When Song Hongmei knocked on the door, Seventh Uncle was watering plants on the balcony¡ª There was no helping it. Although the residential complex was quite new, the layout was still the old style. The balcony wasn¡¯t too big, but to make full use of it, Seventh Uncle had installed an extra railing, with a layer of plastic boxes underneath and a layer of hollowed-out plastic pipes on top. Spring onions, garlic sprouts, lettuce, cabbage¡­ he grew them all in there. The plants did alright in spring and autumn, but not many could survive the winter. In the summer, however, the enclosed balcony didn¡¯t ventilate well. Even a tomato plant would end up with red spiders. And they were particularly reluctant to use pesticides on the food they consumed. During summer, buying vegetables became a constant grumbling affair for Seventh Uncle. The worst part was, the vegetables they grew on their balcony, due to various issues like lighting and ventilation, didn¡¯t even turn out as good as those sold by the vegetable vendors! After going back and forth like this over the years, Seventh Uncle himself had lost heart. But he couldn¡¯t just abandon the habit of gardening, so the balcony was still densely covered with a green layer of leaves. Seventh Grandma opened the door: ¡°Oh, Hongmei, what brings you here so late at night?¡± Song Hongmei smiled and then called out loudly, ¡°Uncle, I brought you a bag of locust flowers. Take a sniff; they¡¯re absolutely delicious!¡± Did Seventh Uncle not know her? At that moment, he snorted coldly, ¡°Hongmei, you must have picked these up conveniently on your way back from the countryside, right? You wouldn¡¯t bring me anything if it meant spending an extra dollar.¡± Such words he spoke. Song Hongmei gave a forced laugh: ¡°Uncle, how can you think of me like that? I¡¯m not that kind of person.¡± ¡°Yes, you are.¡± Seventh Uncle remembered well: ¡°Last time you came to size up my house, the vegetables you brought looked fresh, but I knew they must have been bargained for; they were just well-trimmed, that¡¯s all.¡± That was precisely why he would never agree to Song Hongmei¡¯s proposal for them to take care of the elderly. They simply couldn¡¯t live the same way! S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Such a tightwad! He also knew about Song Youde¡¯s family; he didn¡¯t understand how they had raised such a girl, sharp as a tack. Therefore, he didn¡¯t even look at the bag of locust flowers and strolled back to the rocking chair to sit down: ¡°If you¡¯re here to talk about the last time, then let me tell you¡ª it¡¯s not happening. When you¡¯re willing to bring me abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw, we can talk more slowly.¡± Abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw?! Aunt wouldn¡¯t even consider such ingredients! Just hearing about them made her heart ache. She quickly said, ¡°Uncle, I¡¯m not here for myself today, but for my niece.¡± Seventh Uncle¡¯s interest was piqued: ¡°Which niece?¡± Aunt hurriedly explained: ¡°It¡¯s my brother¡¯s daughter, Tantan, Song Tan¡ªdo you remember her?¡± ¡°Ah yes, a girl with both a nose and eyes, very filial, and absolutely decent in character!¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Seventh Uncle immediately refused: ¡°I don¡¯t want a young lady to provide for my elder care.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Aunt didn¡¯t take kindly to that: ¡°Isn¡¯t that valuing sons over daughters?¡± Seventh Uncle wasn¡¯t offended: ¡°What do you mean by valuing sons over daughters? Just look around, including our downtown area, see if there are any daughters providing elder care?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of a person your niece is, but with your assurance, she¡¯s mostly likely trustworthy. The problem is if she gets married, her husband¡¯s family might not be happy, could she just divorce for me or something?¡± Seventh Uncle was old and had seen a lot in his life, including all types of women. Many girls, no matter how excellent they are before marriage, become like they¡¯ve had a couple of pounds of bone removed after, just doing whatever their in-laws say. There are certainly some strong-willed ones, but even after marriage, they can¡¯t avoid being wronged. Why should he meddle in that? So, looking to save trouble, he initially refused. ¡°Besides, if I pick your niece and someday I break an arm or a leg, can she carry me on her back or call her man to take care of me?¡± Those who are after the house would certainly be willing, but who knows what kind of care they would provide. When you¡¯re old, there are plenty of ways to be tormented. Seventh Uncle shook his head: ¡°I can¡¯t take that risk.¡± He spoke the truth. Aunt Song Hongmei also had these doubts before, but then she saw her niece¡¯s capabilities when she returned home. Take digging bamboo shoots, for instance; a basket must weigh over a hundred pounds, right? Her lovely niece, looking so pretty and fair, could carry one in each hand and stride along effortlessly! Isn¡¯t that stronger than a man? Even if Seventh Uncle fell, even if he were paralyzed, she could tuck him under her arm and get him to a hospital! But this kind of talk isn¡¯t nice to say out loud. Aunt Song Hongmei then swore earnestly: ¡°Rest assured, if she didn¡¯t have the strength, I wouldn¡¯t have come all this way to tell you!¡± ¡°As for what happens after she gets married¡­ Uncle, I¡¯ll be honest with you, it¡¯s not just for the house, but mainly for you as a person. Let me first tell you about her family¡¯s situation¡ª¡± Her gift of gab was hard for anyone to match, and it was only because Seventh Uncle was calm inside that he listened calmly to her entire spiel, before pondering for a while: ¡°Do you mean that her family will take care of me, and I¡¯ll work as a head chef in their home, and also take care of her silly brother?¡± ¡°Uncle, listen to how you talk, my nephew is smart and well-behaved. Once you meet him, you¡¯ll definitely be fond of him!¡± Aunt Song Hongmei said this with indignant confidence. Oh man, Seventh Uncle was getting indigestion from this huge pie she was painting. He shook his head: ¡°No, no, this girl has too much on her plate, I can¡¯t approve.¡± Aunt Song Hongmei pushed the basket of locust flowers towards him: ¡°Whether you approve or not, first look at the quality of the vegetables my niece grows! Their Milk Vetch sold for twenty-one yuan per pound this year, have you ever seen such quality vegetables in the market?¡± ¡°Uncle, I¡¯ll be frank with you, with this house of yours, once you put the word out, there¡¯ll be plenty offering their filial piety.¡± ¡°But judging a person alone is not enough, you have to look at the pigsty too. You know the character of my brother, and you know what my father and the others are like back home. Our Lao Song¡¯s family is no orphan with few relatives, we have many and definitely won¡¯t be bullied; we¡¯re tough as nails.¡± ¡°I can put my words down here today, we absolutely can make you spend your old age in peace.¡± ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t this about negotiating to have you come home and be the head chef? That¡¯s a paid position, not asking for free labor.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you complaining every day that you¡¯re bored here, and worried about inconvenience if you fall ill after going back to your hometown?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this perfect? You¡¯ll have a job, and my niece has a car. Agreeable or not, tomorrow I¡¯ll bring the kid for you to see, first consider the head chef job, eh!¡± ¡°To tell you the truth, with the money my niece can make, whether she takes a fancy to your house is still up in the air.¡± Of course, despite Aunt Song Hongmei sounding so bullish, in reality, according to her thought: such a big house, worth hundreds of thousands, why wouldn¡¯t it be desirable! But Seventh Uncle disagreed, didn¡¯t he? One must add a bit of gloss to the face, after all. Chapter 133 - 133: 133. Extremely tired Wu Lan_1 Chapter 133: 133. Extremely tired Wu Lan_1 The elder aunt briefly settled the matters and went straight back home. Before leaving, she thought it over, but ultimately left the pouch of locust blossoms behind. Seventh Uncle, sharp as ever in his old age, could tell what she was thinking just by the look in her eyes, and now he was even more upset! ¡ªTo think she still says she would treat us well in the future, no one would believe that. However, once people left, he went to fetch a large bucket from the bathroom to continue watering the plants on the balcony; his body, though over sixty, was still steady. Seventh Grandma sighed, ¡°If you ask me, it would be fine if Sancheng¡¯s family is willing to take care of the two of us. We don¡¯t expect much from the girl, just hoping that Sancheng and his wife are sincere.¡± Seventh Uncle didn¡¯t say a word, obviously pondering the matter as well. After a lifetime together, what didn¡¯t Seventh Grandma understand about him? ¡°We are still several years younger than Youde, and if he can rely on Sancheng, why can¡¯t we? We have a house here, we wouldn¡¯t be shortchanging him. Just to take care of us in our old age, how could it not be possible?¡± If it weren¡¯t for their attachment to their native land, how could they end up rich in children but with no one to care for them in old age? It was then that Seventh Uncle put down the watering can, his expression gloomy, ¡°I knew early on that the two of them are honest. But the burden on their family is also heavy.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about anything else, just their son, what will he do in the future?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s really settled with their family, that someone will take care of us in old age, then I would be happy. But the problem is still this house; not leaving it to their family would make us feel guilty.¡± ¡°But leaving it¡­ would not be good for their son.¡± A poor fool in the village could survive no matter what. But a rich fool¡­ even if they manage to live, who knows how much hardship they¡¯d endure. Seventh Grandma understood then. Having thought this far, who knew how many times the old man had gone over it in his mind, he might have even considered the whole village. Since that was the case¡­ Seventh Grandma was resolute, ¡°We are still in good health and can work; it¡¯s not something that can be decided with just a few words, let¡¯s take it slow. Tomorrow their child is coming over, and if they really ask you to go back to being a chef, why don¡¯t we go back home and stay for a while?¡± The one who knows him best, Seventh Grandma also smiled with anticipation, ¡°Don¡¯t I know you? You cook for me, your wife, every day at home. You must be frustrated that you can¡¯t show off your skills, right?¡± Seventh Uncle was still stubborn, ¡°Go back for what? The old house has nothing, it¡¯s not convenient.¡± While saying this, he casually reached out and grabbed a handful of locust blossoms. First, he lowered his head to smell them and then, with a focused expression, he plucked a bud and put it into his mouth. ¡­ The weather in early April was particularly nice, the dew lingering and the morning light faint. The cool breeze of early morning blew gently, bringing clarity to those ready to work. The sun had not fully risen, yet the tea-picking aunties had already skillfully tied a piece of plastic cloth around their waists, put on rubber boots, and with baskets and straw hats, they swiftly made their way up the mountain. Meanwhile, on the village road, the noise gradually increased. The roar of motorcycles grew louder, and before long, a full row parked right outside Song Tan¡¯s home¡ªthese were neighbors from the village and the next one over, who had come to help with the work. When Uncle Wu Chengtao also arrived on his motorcycle with Auntie Wu, they were startled to see the scene, ¡°What a large-scale operation is this?¡± Why invite so many people? Auntie Wu even exclaimed, ¡°Wu Lan should have told us, with such a big job going on. It wouldn¡¯t look right if our own family didn¡¯t come to help!¡± The couple hurried over, and Song Sancheng saw them and quickly asked, ¡°Big brother, have you had breakfast?¡± ¡°We have, we have.¡± Auntie looked around and said, ¡°Where¡¯s Tantan? We were saying we¡¯d come and lend a hand today. What¡¯s everyone working on?¡± Song Sancheng smiled, ¡°Tantan¡¯s gone to buy groceries.¡± ¡°We¡¯re planning to plant peach trees today. Big brother, come up the mountain with me, and Auntie, would you stay at home and help Wu Lan with cooking?¡± In just the span of those two phrases, people kept asking, ¡°Are we planting trees now?¡± Song Sancheng worried about his expensive peach trees, fearing people might plant them carelessly. He didn¡¯t have time for pleasantries and urgently grabbed a hoe and a shovel and headed up the mountain with Wu Chengtao. In the back mountain, the piglets hummed skillfully, waiting for their breakfast to arrive. Big King made a quiet round in the mountains and then returned to his doghouse. He knew that the group was off to work in another area, and his job was to protect the chickens, ducks, and piglets. The better his job performance, the better he ate. Ah, when will the new second master finally come back? Yesterday¡¯s yellow clumps were so tasty! So sweet! Big White also stretched her neck and came waddling over, flapping her wings, pecking discontentedly at her empty feeding bowl before finally, both dog and goose looked at each other and lay down quietly. In the yard, those who had promised to help yesterday had all gone up the mountain, leaving only Wu Lan, two aunts who were helping, and Uncle Wu Chengtao¡¯s wife, Zhou Fang Juan. But don¡¯t think there was nothing to do this early in the morning. They had to get the tea water ready before doing anything else for these twenty-odd people who were working. The house only had two hot water bottles, which wasn¡¯t enough, but that wasn¡¯t a big deal. Today, since both husband and wife were working, it was naturally expected that they¡¯d bring their own tea bottles and take them back home after work was done. To the villagers, this was all commonplace¡ªdecades ago, they used to borrow chairs and bowls. But today, at lunch, they really did need to borrow chairs and bowls. Wu Lan led the group around, gathering chairs from one house and vegetables from another, while also dealing with the villagers¡¯ endless guesses¡ªafter all, it had been many years since the village had seen so many people hired to work at once. So there she was, physically and mentally drained, never having a moment¡¯s rest! Finally, after boiling dozens of kettles of water, Song Tan had also returned in her car. It had been many years since she last experienced the early market rush. The last time her father took her to buy seeds, she hadn¡¯t been this proactive. On one side, she watched Qiaoqiao and Zhang Yanping unload the vegetables and meat from the car, and on the other, Wu Lan pulled her aside: ¡°Tantan, your aunt mentioned last night about going to see¡ªhave you decided what to bring?¡± Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Don¡¯t stress over your Seventh Uncle¡¯s matter¡ªif negotiations don¡¯t work out, just ask if any of his colleagues would be willing to come work in our village, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary rural woman. It¡¯s too much for me to cope with all these special food requests every day.¡± Wu Lan had her own concerns¡ªdon¡¯t think today¡¯s big occasion was a one-off! After planting peach trees, there would be lots more work to do. It wouldn¡¯t be much at first, but having three or five more people every day, cooking itself would be a huge task. She was fine cooking regular dishes, but if there were more people, it would really become too much to handle after a while! ¡°I¡¯m exhausted just from washing dishes and cleaning up every day.¡± Chapter 134 - 134: 134.Drooling_1 Chapter 134: 134.Drooling_1 The family¡¯s hardship did not escape Song Tan¡¯s notice. Therefore, she was determined to bring Seventh Uncle back with her today. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She wasn¡¯t keen on the house¡ªwho would want to live in the urban area anyway? But a head chef was definitely a must! After all, recruiting in the countryside was really challenging, especially when it came to chefs who were accustomed to cooking for large rural feasts. Such people could easily run their own business at home, with no need to take on a job. The proposal of Seventh Uncle by the eldest aunt was indeed a good choice. Firstly, Seventh Uncle was getting on in years and managing large feasts required a lot of attention, something he had the energy for but not the inclination. But when it came to everyday cooking, his energy was more than adequate for the task. Secondly, Seventh Uncle was related to their family¡ªin the countryside, don¡¯t think that having family connections is a bad thing; sometimes, they are precisely what¡¯s needed. The older the generation, the more weight their words carry. Song Tan had been dealing with affairs in her hometown without any conflicts arising. First off, it was because she hadn¡¯t been there long enough for people to take her seriously. Second, so far nobody had seen enough benefit to entice them, so the entire village seemed harmonious. But after today, those with ill-intentions would probably start to scheme. Seventh Uncle¡¯s seniority combined with Grandfather Song Youde (Youde) would serve as a powerful sword. That was the current village philosophy. Talking about morality or law wasn¡¯t as effective as these personal relationships. ¡°The local official holds more sway than the distant one,¡± it was a similar idea. Therefore, Song Tan was prepared to spend a considerable sum. ¡°Mom, can you wrap up a pound of tea for me, and also grab two jars of honey? I need to unload the car and then load the bamboo shoots on as well.¡± Just sending the express delivery was over a hundred pounds. She had planned to have Brother Fengfeng from Wind Speed Express come directly to her home, but since she had her own car, making a detour wouldn¡¯t be too much trouble¡­ Ah, if only she had three heads and six arms! After giving the instructions, Song Tan started moving stuff. Her eldest maternal aunt caught sight of this and gasped. My goodness, who knew my niece was so strong! Each plastic crate filled with bamboo shoots weighed over a hundred pounds. How could she easily climb into the back of the truck while holding a crate? While she was busy working up a sweat, Wu Lan was feeling very reluctant to let go. Sending tea and honey, with the wages in their village, that was enough to hire a chef for two or three months! But considering the importance of learning a skill, and Qiaoqiao¡¯s future¡­ she gritted her teeth and went through with it. You can¡¯t catch the wolf without setting the trap¡ªSeventh Uncle¡¯s reputation was well known in the village, and everyone knew what he was like. With such a master to lead, at the very least there would be no secrets kept, Qiaoqiao wouldn¡¯t be bullied, and would still be under the watchful eyes of her parents¡­ While she was contemplating this, a pound of tea was weighed out. Since it was for Seventh Uncle, it wasn¡¯t put in a gift box, but was simply heat-sealed and placed in a tin container, which, along with two jars of honey, was packed into a carry bag for Qiaoqiao to hold. And then, with the car started, Song Tan nodded to her mother, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± If Seventh Uncle was indeed like how the eldest aunt described him, once he brewed that tea, he would be sure not to leave! But for now, the priority was to sell her bamboo shoots. Ah, just thinking about how long it had been since she last went to market made her quite nostalgic! And it wasn¡¯t just Song Tan who was feeling nostalgic. The entire group was buzzing with excitement when they received the news last night. By now, the group members had a deep understanding of the quality of her products. Bamboo shoots priced at twenty yuan per pound were considered reasonable by everyone. They spent the whole night sharing recipes and various pickling methods¡­ Rather than calling it a group for selling wild vegetables, it might be more apt to call it a group for sharing culinary skills. Secretary Wang had been lurking in the group. He only managed to take a peek last night and immediately became droolingly envious of the various recipes and the videos and pictures that were shared¡ªdreaming of frolicking in bamboo forests. And here he was, early in the morning, knowing well deliveries hadn¡¯t been sent out yet but already nurturing a 120% level of anticipation! He took another deep whiff of the sweet honey water in his cup and glanced at the green tea he carefully treasured in the cabinet¡­had it not been for these treats, he would have absolutely not managed to restrain his drooling this morning! But at the same time, indulging in such fine things also meant he had to sneakily close the door of his office first. He had invited quite a few people from the courtyard into the group. However, products like honey and tea weren¡¯t something everyone could afford to consume so freely. Most had families to consider, carefully contemplating before spending three to five hundred¡­so, every time he made tea, his office area would instantly become busy, which truly pained Secretary Wang! With so many people, there wasn¡¯t even enough scent of the tea to go around! Really! ¡­ The delivery guy from Wind Speed Express received the order last night and got up early this morning to start taping together a pile of cardboard boxes, filling up half the storeroom. Luckily, bamboo shoots were easy to pack. This time, there was no need for ice packs, but bubble wrap was indispensable. Song Tan¡¯s car hadn¡¯t arrived yet, and there he was, squatting at the doorstep, cutting bubble wrap into all sizes. This year, with the presence of the God of Wealth, it felt like every day was filled with something to look forward to! His wife had brought back breakfast from town and was now sitting beside him, helping him with the tape and curiously asking: ¡°Is her business really that good?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The delivery guy slapped the stack of orders beside him: ¡°See? These are just the ones from last night! More will come soon, and, I mean, aren¡¯t all farm products selling like hotcakes nowadays?¡± ¡°Also¡­¡± Brother Fengfeng was puzzled too: ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s so special about her products, but most of the deliveries these past few times have been to repeat customers.¡± Not just repeat customers, but customers who came back more than once. If the products weren¡¯t good, surely this wouldn¡¯t be the case, right? Which made the two local townspeople, who knew such things were not that valuable, nevertheless itch to try them out. The couple finished their bland bowl of noodles, and then the wife nudged him with her elbow: ¡°Ask if we can get a discount when she delivers again later, so we can buy a couple of pounds to try!¡± If it cost twenty, it cost twenty. What¡¯s the harm in splurging every once in a while after working so hard for money? With that, the delivery guy was tempted too. The couple immediately started planning: ¡°How many pounds should we get?¡± ¡°Three pounds, I guess. It¡¯s quite expensive, just enough to get a taste. ¡°How do we cook the bamboo shoots?¡± ¡°Stir-fry with pork slices, or cook in chicken soup? Or should we have them cold in a salad?¡± ¡°Ask my mom, she can make chicken soup.¡± ¡°Also ask my cousin, the pickled pepper bamboo shoot tips she made for the New Year were delicious.¡± The more they thought about it, the more their mouths watered, leading to an array of neighbors being asked and several pages of recipes being noted down in a memo. However, after eagerly waiting and waiting, when the God of Wealth finally arrived in his car, and they proposed their request, thinking it would be a sure thing¡­ Song Tan slightly furrowed her brow and then shook her head: ¡°Sorry, based on what everyone in the group wants, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have enough bamboo shoots to sell today¡ª¡ªhow about I bring some for you guys tomorrow?¡± Chapter 135 - 135: 135. The vegetable vendors assist_1 Chapter 135: 135. The vegetable vendor¡¯s assist_1 The couple from Wind Speed Express watched with wide eyes as Little Pika came and left without a hint of hesitation, just like a heartbreaker. Before them lay piles of parcels to be delivered and the newly acquired, utterly useless, recipes. The courier watched the car disappear from sight and turned back, scratching his head at his wife, who was on the verge of tears: ¡°Well¡­ since we¡¯ve got the recipes, why don¡¯t we head to the market and pick up some bamboo shoots?¡± At least that would tide them over and satisfy a craving. His wife glared at him: ¡°Do you have money to burn or what?! Bamboo shoots are everywhere, just a matter of breaking a few off!¡± ¡°Besides, they were five yuan a kilo at the morning market today, I won¡¯t eat them! They have a weird taste, who would want that?¡± She turned and huffed back to her packing. The courier: ¡­ So, does she like the bamboo shoots or not? Does she want them for tomorrow or not? Song Tan had no idea he¡¯d hurt a young couple¡¯s heart; glancing in the rearview mirror, he asked: ¡°Qiaoqiao, do we remember how many kilos of bamboo shoots we have left?¡± With the designer bag worth twelve thousand in her arms, Qiaoqiao declared loudly, ¡°Three hundred and twenty kilos left!¡± Originally, they had over four hundred kilos. After setting aside a few spoilt ones for the family, the rest went to the express station. They were split into bags of three kilos and five kilos each, making it easier for Qiaoqiao to handle the money. In Song Tan¡¯s mind: Whether they were spring shoots or winter shoots, they were heavy, so this round they were set to make six or seven thousand yuan. Ah, today¡¯s expenses were nearly covered. Delighted! Indeed, they weren¡¯t worried about selling out. Judging by the cellphone tallies, they had just the right amount. Of course, they didn¡¯t rule out the possibility of someone wanting to buy more or someone unable to come at the last minute¡­ it was enough, though. After all, with them not setting up their stall here for a few days, the bamboo shoots had sold out as soon as they arrived¡­ Hunger marketing, true to its name. We¡¯ll come back tomorrow! Old Town, Riverside Market. The vendors snugly took their usual spots in front of their stalls. His spot was remote, and without Song Tan setting up shop, it suddenly seemed empty and quiet. A familiar face from the market sauntered over, grudgingly picking through the greens, lamenting: ¡°Why are these so expensive? How can this little bok choy be ten yuan a kilo? And these green onions, twelve yuan a kilo?! You guys sure know how to make money!¡± The vegetables were indeed costly this year, leaving the vendor helpless. ¡°Sister, I don¡¯t set the market prices. Our cost price is just that high, there¡¯s nothing we can do!¡± ¡°Last week this bok choy was only seven yuan, now this sudden price hike, we¡¯re at a loss too.¡± It wasn¡¯t just the greens; pork and eggs had also gone up in price. The lady knew the score but couldn¡¯t help complaining. She now hesitated at the stall, unsure whether to choose the bok choy or lettuce, struggling to make up her mind. After much deliberation, she finally chose two crisp bok choys and stuffed them into a plastic bag: ¡°Weigh these for me¡ª¡± Before she could finish, the vendor in front of her lit up as if seeing cash, almost jumping up excitedly, waving his hands: ¡°Come come come! I¡¯ve been keeping this spot free for you! Five kilos right here!¡± The shopper stared blankly as the entire Riverside Market seemed to stir, with people grouping together from all around, heading in their direction. In front of her, an ordinary-looking pickup truck came to a steady stop by the curb, and then a young man and woman stepped out¡ªquite handsome in appearance. Just that their clothes seemed a little rustic, the girl¡¯s shirt even had mud on it. At this moment, she stood by the back of the truck, jumped aboard, then started moving the baskets down, one by one. The middle-aged woman took a closer look¡ªweren¡¯t these bamboo shoots?! S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It wasn¡¯t like the street was short on vendors selling them, could it be a clearance sale at bargain prices? Her heart gave a jolt, and she seized the opportunity, securing the prime spot! The next moment, she saw the vegetable vendor from before squeeze through, waving a red banknote: ¡°Quick, quick, quick, my five pounds!¡± Wow! The middle-aged woman wanted to say to him¡ªyou¡¯re a vegetable seller yourself, and still buying from others, got to know your own veggies are too expensive, right? Yet she saw the handsome boy flash a sweet smile and then, without hesitation, he took a bag of bamboo shoots out of the basket. He folded the hundred yuan note, and deftly stuffed it into the pocket behind the QR code on his chest. The vegetable vendor took the bamboo shoots, happily opened them to take a peek, and then settled back at his own stall with contentment. He then called out to the middle-aged woman: ¡°Do you still want this baby bok choy?¡± The middle-aged woman was stunned. No way? That hundred yuan just went out for that bag of shoots, three to five pounds, without any follow-up? Don¡¯t you guys give change back? Her expression was one of both sighs and caution: ¡°I get it, you¡¯re shilling for each other, right?¡± The vegetable seller, unconcerned about the mud still on the bamboo shoots, peeled back the husk for a look and without raising his head happily said: ¡°What shill? Hey, it¡¯s a good thing if you can grab some, there was none left in yesterday¡¯s group¡ªah, big sister, you¡¯re talking about bamboo shoots? Twenty-one per pound, none left today, come early tomorrow.¡± Twenty-one per pound? The middle-aged woman immediately glared, thinking to herself that they were really jacking up the prices! She couldn¡¯t believe there would be another fool coming¡ª Before she could say it out loud, people came from all directions, swarming around. Everyone didn¡¯t even ask for the price, but simply stated their quantities: ¡°Three pounds!¡± ¡°Five pounds!¡± ¡°My sister couldn¡¯t make it, give me the five pounds for Juan¡¯er¡ª¡± Meanwhile, there was a sequel of beeps from scanning QR codes: ¡°Alipay has received a transfer of one hundred yuan!¡± ¡°WeChat has received a transfer of sixty yuan!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The middle-aged woman watched as the baskets in the back of the truck were lifted down one by one, then quickly divided amongst the crowd. If these were shills, then the bamboo shoot seller must be pretty wealthy! And she saw them; many were familiar faces from the market. It was hard for her not to get tempted. But twenty-one per pound¡­ So she hesitantly asked the vegetable vendor in front of her: ¡°Why are so many people buying from this place? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s expensive?¡± ¡°How could I not find it expensive?¡± The vegetable vendor showed a pained smile: ¡°Expensive! Too expensive! Just these five pounds of shoots, after I peel them, I could devour them in one meal. Just this one vegetable for a hundred yuan, think about it, how could it not be expensive?¡± The middle-aged woman subconsciously furrowed her brows and advised: ¡°You¡¯re not eating it right, bamboo shoots aren¡¯t only about the flesh, the outermost layer, the husk, chop it up fine, fry it with some chili¡ª¡± Perhaps it was the naturally pitch-high voice of the middle-aged woman that was so captivating, and for a moment, many of those who had bought the bamboo shoots stopped and listened intently to her explanation. Then a young person said in a rush: ¡°Big sister, don¡¯t be in a hurry, let me record the audio first¡ª¡± Chapter 136 - 136: 136. Lets Fold Paper Boxes Together_1 Chapter 136: 136. Let¡¯s Fold Paper Boxes Together_1 Auntie was momentarily unrivaled in the limelight, feeling somewhat carried away. Thankfully, the shockingly low prices of the vegetables maintained everyone¡¯s interest, so much so that the menu conversation was interrupted by an unwilling participant who interjected, ¡°Is it really that tasty?¡± Indeed it was! Everyone present was nodding in agreement. Many aunties of the same age boasted, ¡°Believe me, I¡¯ve been in this marketplace for decades. I know whether the veggies are good or not, clear as day in my heart!¡± ¡°This stall may look expensive, but once you¡¯ve tried it, you won¡¯t be able to stay away.¡± There were too many people talking, and Auntie felt like she had wandered into a direct sales event, unable to move even an inch. Finally, when she had managed to resign the fate of the bamboo shoots, she pulled out her phone, prepared to splurge a bit! But when she turned around, she saw that the girl¡¯s basket had only a few plump pieces of winter bamboo shoots left! ¡°Want some?¡± Song Tan looked at her with a smile, ¡°The last five pounds, no breaking up the batch.¡± Auntie hesitated again. Just then, an auntie with red-dyed hair came jogging over from the front. She waved from afar, calling out, ¡°Sweety! Got any left? Save some for auntie, I¡¯m here!¡± Before Song Tan had a chance to respond, Qiaoqiao had already stood up energetically and cheerfully acknowledged, ¡°Right away!¡± Auntie: ¡­ Song Tan could only offer an apologetic smile, ¡°Sorry, all sold out.¡± The red-haired auntie finally caught her breath as she arrived, dressed in a slippery silk red gradient suit. She complained while scanning a code with her phone, ¡°Oh dear, if it weren¡¯t for the dance group¡¯s sound system suddenly breaking down, and me having to find the owner for repairs, I wouldn¡¯t have been so late¡­ It¡¯s all thanks to my dear Huahua for keeping some aside for me, knowing I hadn¡¯t arrived yet!¡± Qiaoqiao was very fond of this red-haired auntie. Right now, no matter what she was saying, Qiaoqiao simply nodded in agreement to everything. Song Tan didn¡¯t burst her bubble and handed over the bamboo shoots, then started to pack up her basket. ¡ª The household was busy, and this morning, it was essential to bring the chef home. Unnoticed, Auntie stared at her empty vegetable basket, while the vegetable vendor, holding back and finally giving in, picked up a bunch of bok choy, ¡°Are you still buying this then?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Auntie gritted her teeth, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I¡¯ll come again tomorrow? I¡¯ll come again tomorrow!¡± After paying, she walked away in her little leather shoes, huffing and puffing. ¡­ Meanwhile, Song Tan had taken Qiaoqiao with her, and they were now driving to Aunt Song Hongmei¡¯s house. Aunt Song Hongmei was setting up her stand in an alley not far from the community, currently scraping the sides of a bucket clean of white batter, and then smoothing it onto a flat round pan. With a quick spin of a bamboo dragonfly, a round egg pancake began to take shape. A regular customer, passing by, wondered, ¡°Why does it look like you¡¯re packing up today?¡± There were no more side dishes left on the table. Looking at the time, it was only ten o¡¯clock. Normally, Song Hongmei wouldn¡¯t start packing up until half-past ten. Today, for the sake of her nephew and niece, she was really going all out! Granted, she wouldn¡¯t sell many pancakes in the midday anyway, but every penny counts! She lamented her sacrifice for a moment, then swiftly cut the last egg pancake, placed it into a disposable paper box, and handed it over: ¡°Yes, something came up this morning. I¡¯m closing early.¡± Just as she finished speaking, she saw a familiar figure standing at the entrance of the alley. Song Hongmei immediately burst into laughter and exclaimed, ¡°The timing is just perfect!¡± So, she quickly placed the bucket and other items back on her cart, then began to push the cart intending to head back. Song Tan had already briskly walked over, sized her up with a glance, and then without any hesitation said, ¡°Aunt, let me do it, I¡¯ll push.¡± After lifting the handle of the cart, she easily pushed it a long distance away. Aunt was stunned for a moment before swelling with pride and said, ¡°I¡¯ve always said, you have such great strength. Even if Qiaoqiao doesn¡¯t learn it, if you follow Seventh Uncle to learn how to flip the wok, you will definitely have a talent for it!¡± Forget about it. Song Tan still knew herself well. All she wanted was to eat what was readily available. ¡­ The housing complex where Song Hongmei lived had seen many years, and everyone was proud to own a bicycle at the time it was built. Therefore, there was a row of dedicated small compartments for parking bicycles in the yard. At this point, Song Tan had pushed the cart in, and Aunt untied her apron, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll take you to Seventh Uncle¡ªno need to bring anything, I already split a bunch of locust flowers with him last night.¡± Seeing that Qiaoqiao still held a tote bag in her hands, she nodded with satisfaction, ¡°Yes, I meant I don¡¯t need to bring anything. You can bring something, no matter what it is, it¡¯s polite, and Seventh Uncle will definitely be happy.¡± Then she became proud again, ¡°True to my great-niece, how clever you are.¡± Song Tan thought, this was why Aunt, despite being stingy, was still liked by more people¡ªit¡¯s because no one could maintain absolute rationality under such flattery, right? The complex where Seventh Uncle lived was just across the street from Aunt¡¯s old one. They crossed the street and entered through the side gate, and soon they reached Seventh Uncle¡¯s place. At that moment, the little old man was pacing around the room with his hands behind his back, occasionally sticking his head out to glance downstairs. Seventh Grandma was leisurely folding cardboard boxes, teasing him, ¡°If you¡¯re anxious, just call Hongmei and ask what time they¡¯re coming over. Stop peering out¡­ At your age, be dignified.¡± No sooner had her words fallen than the door was knocked. An exuberant joy spread across Seventh Uncle¡¯s face, not even bothering to explain to Seventh Grandma that he wasn¡¯t anxious. His hand was about to touch the doorknob, but as he was about to make contact, he suddenly tensed up. He turned in place with his hands behind his back, seeming to be putting on an air of importance, and only then did he hesitantly turn the knob. Outside the door, Song Hongmei stood with two young people¡ªa girl of striking beauty! Upon seeing the slender, tall boy following behind with sincere eyes, he too broke into a smile when their gazes met¡ª My, what a sweet and polite little look! Whether Seventh Uncle liked what he saw, nobody knew. But Seventh Grandma was already eagerly inviting them in, offering candies and pastries, pushing aside the half-finished boxes she was folding. ¡°Seventh Uncle, Seventh Grandma, we¡¯re sorry to come by so suddenly. We weren¡¯t sure what you¡¯d like, so we just brought some home-roasted tea leaves and honey.¡± Song Tan explained as she took the tote bag from Qiaoqiao and placed it on the table. At that time, with such beautiful and polite children, who would care about tea leaves and honey?! Seventh Grandma was already hurrying to seat them, while Qiaoqiao pointed to the half-folded cardboard boxes in front of her and asked, ¡°What are these?¡± Seventh Grandma cheerfully responded, ¡°There¡¯s too much advertising paper given out on the streets. I have nothing better to do, so I fold them into small boxes. They¡¯re convenient for holding bones, fish bones, and melon seeds when eating.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Qiaoqiao, half-understanding, then took out a colorful promotional paper to examine¡ªthere were too many words, not all of which he could read yet. His gaze lingered on the images for only a moment before he earnestly began to fold it in the same way as Seventh Grandma. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 137 - 137: 137. Trying hard to persuade Seventh Uncle_1 Chapter 137: 137. Trying hard to persuade Seventh Uncle_1 Folding paper boxes, everyone can do it. First like this, then like that, and finally like this¡­ Qiaoqiao was earnest, pressing the paper flat with each fold. Song Tan sat down next to her and casually picked up a colorful flyer to start folding as well. Seeing this, Aunt Song Hongmei watched them, having nothing to fiddle with in her hands, and Seventh Uncle, with a serious look on his face, didn¡¯t speak. After some thought, he reached for a flyer himself. By the time Seventh Grandma brought out the tea, what do you know! The old man was sitting there silent, while the three visitors had stacked up a pile of folded paper boxes. You can¡¯t deny it, there seemed to be a magic power to the activity. Qiaoqiao sat there concentrated and meticulous, not showing the slightest impatience. Song Tan was the same. No matter how hurried she was in her heart, folding paper boxes was not going to take just one or two hours. It would be fine as long as they could bring the chef back home today, no matter if it was in the morning or afternoon. Aunt Song Hongmei started to get anxious, but she had already said all the nice words she could to Seventh Uncle over the past couple of days. Now that the children had come to their door, saying more would make it seem as if the youngsters couldn¡¯t handle matters¡­ So she simply kept quiet. Seventh Uncle just watched quietly, until Seventh Grandma gave him a slap on the arm, and then he pretended nothing was amiss and took a sip of tea: ¡°You¡¯re here for the house, aren¡¯t you?¡± he asked. Despite how direct and harsh the question seemed, he was actually quite pleased internally. From the small matters, you can infer the big ones. Folding paper boxes was a way to see these young people¡¯s attitude towards their way of life, and secondly, whether the youngsters had the patience to spend time with them. People get older, and they tend to do two things: one is to ramble, going over and over the same matter. The second is that they get a bit stubborn. If someone is not compatible, they would frown after just a few words. What¡¯s the point of having them around in old age? However, Hongmei may be stingy, but she¡¯s reliable ¡ª look at these two kids, not only do they look charming and vibrant, but they can also sit still and be patient. And then there¡¯s that simple-minded child. Sure, she¡¯s simple, but not in the usual way; she¡¯s organized, calm and quiet, with nimble hands folding paper boxes. If she really stayed to help with tasks like washing vegetables and chopping on a cutting board, with some training over time, she could also do some work. Upon consideration, Seventh Uncle was immediately halfway pleased. Old age brings wisdom. Song Tan had spent her past life in over a hundred years of secluded cultivation and farming, almost like a false elder. But put yourself in their shoes ¡ª at that age, everyone likes to be sweet-talked, but it depends on the situation. For those in need, you have to tell the truth. She placed the folded paper box she was holding aside, no longer reaching for new flyers. Instead, she spoke sincerely, ¡°Seventh Uncle, I won¡¯t lie to you. I¡¯m not planning to live in the city in the future. Whether you give me the house or not, it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± ¡°You might not believe me, but I brought some of our own tea and honey today. Anyone who tries it will understand why I¡¯m so confident,¡± she added. ¡°I¡¯m here mainly to invite you to be a chef for my family. We¡¯ve rented a mountain at home, and there are many people to feed every day. You know my mom ¡ª she can handle cooking for the family, but she can¡¯t cope when there are too many guests. I want to find someone to help her out,¡± she continued. ¡°As for Qiaoqiao,¡± she said, and Qiaoqiao looked up at her, ¡°You¡¯ve seen for yourself, she¡¯s both obedient and smart. Back in our home village, she¡¯s now responsible for beekeeping and making honey. Over time, it¡¯s a skill that provides a stable life.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re willing to work as a chef, we can negotiate the salary. If you¡¯re willing to take her under your wing to lend a hand, we would be immensely grateful.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t approve, she also has her own work she¡¯s capable of doing. We won¡¯t insist ¡ª it all comes down to fate,¡± she concluded. Her words were both genuine and earnest. Aunt, listening from the side, felt that her niece spoke confidently and clearly. Seventh Uncle¡¯s expression didn¡¯t betray his feelings, but inside, he was quite moved. He felt that what the young girl in front of him said carried a sincere intention. Just like Hongmei said, the main reason is wanting to hire a master chef to return home; everything else is just incidental. But he¡¯s getting on in years, and now his focus is not so much on his career as it is on taking care of himself in old age. Especially since the kids are not around, the two of them need to take even better care of themselves. ¡°You¡¯re quite straightforward, child¡­ I¡¯m old now and won¡¯t beat around the bush with you. After all these years, why would I stay in the city if I¡¯m not comfortable? Isn¡¯t it just for the convenience of seeing a doctor when I get a headache or a fever?¡± ¡°If I were to go back to my hometown, and something really happened, I couldn¡¯t even find a car to get to the hospital.¡± ¡°Moreover, you know, for people of advanced age, headaches and fevers are one thing, but what if I were to fracture an arm or a leg. Someone would need to carry me, right?¡± One can hire a caregiver to attend to someone in bed, but the arrangements before entering the hospital, that¡¯s something a caregiver can¡¯t help with. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It would be convenient only if there were a man in the family. ¡°Girl, even if I were not considering my old age care and just following you to be a chef, shouldn¡¯t I still think about these things?¡± As for Aunt Song Hongmei saying, ¡°This girl is strong.¡± Seventh Uncle didn¡¯t take it seriously at all. Being strong enough to do farm work is different from lifting and carrying the elderly. However, after he had explained his concerns, he saw the girl opposite him smile slightly, her fair cheeks coming alive in an instant as if filled with confidence. Then the girl placed her hands under the table without any apparent effort, and Seventh Uncle felt a looseness in front of him¡ª He watched as the solid rosewood round table that had been used for over a decade was effortlessly lifted by her while she remained seated! This thing must weigh several hundred pounds! With that strength, wouldn¡¯t picking up the two of them be like picking up chicks?! Song Tan maintained the floating table with ease, while Qiaoqiao, holding a flyer, exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s higher!¡± Then she happily crawled onto it and pressed the flyer flat again. The table didn¡¯t wobble at all. Afterward, Song Tan slowly and steadily put the table down again, without making a sound. Seventh Uncle was becoming restless. Even if it were his own son coming, he would be in his forties or fifties now; where would he find such strength? To be blunt, he was worried that his not-so-young son would hurt his back just moving him around! Taking advantage of the moment, Song Tan asked, ¡°Seventh Uncle, with such strength, are you still worried about not being able to take care of you?¡± ¡°As for the inconvenience of seeing a doctor¡­ You¡¯re younger than my grandfather! Speaking of your health, living to ninety is no problem, let alone ninety-nine. That way, you still have twenty or thirty years left. You can¡¯t always live in the city, right?¡± ¡°If a person is unhappy, that¡¯s when the ailments multiply. Feeling good, moving a little in the countryside can actually be more comfortable and contribute to longevity.¡± ¡°If you ever feel unwell, just tell me. I don¡¯t have to do the farm work myself at home; I can make time whenever. Once we drive, we are in the city.¡± ¡°Although it¡¯s a bit far, when compared to one¡¯s mood, we ought to pick what¡¯s most important, don¡¯t you think?¡± Chapter 138 - 138: 138. The last trump card_1 Chapter 138: 138. The last trump card_1 What a smooth talker! Her aunt sat aside, looking at her niece in surprise: if she knew she had this ability, why would she bother coming back and forth? What she said was so well-organized and to the point, wasn¡¯t it even better than what she herself had said? As far as Song Tan was concerned, she even brought tea leaves; how could she return without accomplishing anything? Now she was speaking with even more gusto: ¡°Besides, our old home is right there. If I do anything wrong, you two can just pack up and move back to the city, and it won¡¯t affect anything,¡± she said. ¡°Or you could let slip to the villagers. As the elder, you can simply make a comment; if I still want to do things in the village, I have to take it into consideration, right?¡± She even brought out a mixture of soft and hard tactics. Seventh Uncle fell silent. She didn¡¯t speak, but Seventh Grandma had already been moved. She hadn¡¯t said that she couldn¡¯t live in the city, but the elderly women nearby were either doting on their grandchildren or starting dance groups. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have any grandchildren to take care of, nor did she have children at her side, and she disliked crowded places even more. Besides listening to operas at home and strolling around, her daily life lacked any entertainment. Television sets were tricky to handle; just turning one on took several minutes. And when it was on, she didn¡¯t know how to use it¡ªwhat played depended on luck¡­ Seventh Grandma wouldn¡¯t say it, but she was actually growing increasingly anxious by the day. After the aunt and niece¡¯s repeated persuasions over the last few days, she almost wished she could grab a hoe and run back to the countryside, feeling that even digging two vegetable patches would be better than turning in circles at home! Her wavering was so obvious that even Seventh Uncle¡¯s stubbornness was about to collapse. Song Tan smiled in satisfaction, feeling that this time it was a sure win. Of course, she had brought her trump card, so it was still necessary to show some effort¡ª ¡°Seventh Uncle, don¡¯t worry about the wages for work in the countryside being unstable. When I say I¡¯m not after your house, I mean it,¡± she said. ¡°Qiaoqiao, make some tea for Seventh Uncle and brew some honey water for Seventh Grandma.¡± Qiaoqiao was well-practiced at this task! He put the carton aside and obediently took his bag to the kitchen. While the environment was a bit unfamiliar, making tea and preparing drinks was quite interesting, like exploring a new world. So, although he was a bit clumsy, it didn¡¯t bother him at all. Seeing Song Tan¡¯s proud demeanor, Seventh Uncle also remembered: ¡°Was the sophora flower from yesterday grown on your mountain?¡± he asked. Song Tan¡¯s brow twitched, then she furrowed it slightly: ¡°Ah, you tasted it? Actually, that sophora flower didn¡¯t grow very well; it can¡¯t compare with the vegetables we take care of properly in our fields. It¡¯s just for a change in taste,¡± she replied. Her modesty in the style of Versailles didn¡¯t sit right with her aunt, who immediately protested: ¡°Nonsense! Tantan, you didn¡¯t taste that sophora flower, did you? It was so clear, sweet, and fragrant. Do you know how many pancakes with sophora flower I made last night, and how many your brother ate?¡± She exaggerated a number with her hands: ¡°Seven!¡± In the middle of the night, the entire family was still searching for stomach digestion tablets. Such high-quality sophora flower, her aunt was resolute not to let it be slandered. Then she didn¡¯t forget to brag to Seventh Uncle: ¡°Uncle, this is truly the kid¡¯s heartfelt effort. All the good stuff were sent your way! My sister-in-law also went back to her hometown. We barely got a small handful of sophora flowers to try something new, not even half as much as you got!¡± she said. Then she started to play the victim: ¡°And you still say I¡¯m stingy¡ªwhere have I been stingy?¡± Seventh Uncle glanced at her and thought to himself, where haven¡¯t you been stingy? If you had to pay for that sophora flower, you wouldn¡¯t have brought it over! But¡ª the quality of the locust flowers was truly excellent. They chatted until midnight yesterday, and couldn¡¯t resist adding a steamed egg with locust flowers as a midnight snack. They ate with such satisfaction that they felt their stomachs and intestines were comfortably smooth as they slept. Seventh Grandma even grumbled to Seventh Uncle, ¡°Have we been away from our hometown for too long? Why didn¡¯t we realize how good everything was when we were in the village?¡± It was only when eating the leftover spicy stir-fried locust flowers with millet porridge in the morning that Seventh Grandma discerned the difference in quality. Right now, watching Qiaoqiao fumble in the kitchen and hearing Song Tan¡¯s resolute confidence about not being fond of this house, the couple¡¯s anticipation grew, and they held their backs even straighter. Qiaoqiao came out very soon. Wu Lan had taught him well; it was his first time in a stranger¡¯s kitchen, but he was content to just find the kettle he was looking for and did not annoy anyone by poking around everywhere. Seventh Uncle had also organized the kitchen quite logically; several glass teacups were upside down on the draining tray, and he simply washed them for use. Now he was busy pouring hot water back and forth between a few cups, and it took quite a while to make one cup of warm honey water and one cup of piping hot tea, his movements meticulous and patient. Seventh Grandma laughed her eyes into slits¡ªchildren may be foolish, but they are sincere and patient! Just this one aspect could cover up most of the shortcomings. The hot water lazily spread out, the unique fragrance of the tea leaves and the intoxicating sweetness of the honey intertwined without conflict, yet somehow increased the anticipation even more. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seventh Uncle, who had spent his whole life immersed in the culinary arts, could tell whether something was good or not just by the fact that he ¡°swooshed¡± to his feet at that moment! Then, without waiting for Qiaoqiao to come over, he had already hurried over and took both cups in his hands. The aromatic scents soaked from head to toe, and even the elder cousin couldn¡¯t help but be immersed, taking a deep breath. ¡°My goodness, such fine things must be worth quite a bit of money!¡± Look at Song Hongmei! Seventh Uncle thought gloomily: What fine things become worthless in her hands! With such quality, could it be about money? Even if you have money, you can¡¯t get your hands on this! Song Tan also whispered to the elder cousin, ¡°Elder cousin, I came here in a hurry this time. Next time I go downtown, I¡¯ll bring some for you to try.¡± She really hadn¡¯t thought of it in the rush. The elder cousin waved her hands repeatedly, ¡°I don¡¯t want it, I don¡¯t want it!¡± ¡°However good the stuff is, can it be more substantial than money? Tantan, don¡¯t always send me vegetables; they¡¯re too good for meals, and now I have to rethink my monthly food budget.¡± ¡°If you really care, in another ten or eight years when I¡¯m older and you come to visit, sneak an extra two hundred bucks into my purse.¡± The elder cousin calculated cunningly¡ªas ten or eight years pass and she gets older and earns less, that money will be her confidence. As for why it needed to be sneaky¡­ giving money openly would mean that the child would have to reciprocate! Of course, it had to be done on the sly, a sign of filial piety from a niece to her aunt without invoking obligation. She spoke with utmost earnestness, sincerely planning it all out this way. That left Song Tan speechless. Honestly, in all her years in the Cultivation World, she had never encountered someone like her elder cousin, which shows how rare such people are in the mortal realm. But at this moment, she still nodded solemnly, ¡°Elder cousin, don¡¯t worry, I promise to do it!¡± Everyone has their own thoughts. For the elder cousin, her niece¡¯s character was beyond question; now that she had promised, she had an extra amount of money to look forward to in the future. No matter whether it was two or three hundred or five hundred, it was delightful! Satisfying! So she took another deep breath, ¡°Wow, this smells incredible!¡± Chapter 139 - 139: 139. Got a Great Chef and Crybaby_1 Chapter 139: 139. Got a Great Chef and Crybaby_1 The car glided smoothly along the road. In the passenger seat, Qiaoqiao sat squeezing his new multicolor modeling clay¡ªit was a toy he had just bought that morning. In the back seat, Seventh Uncle cradled a handbag in his arms, occasionally burying his nose in it for a deep whiff, a sleazy look that was so hard on Seventh Grandma¡¯s eyes that she simply turned her head to look out the window. Whereas in the bed of the pickup, jars and pots crowded together, interspersed here and there by various boxes and plastic buckets. In addition, a set of knives wrapped in foam was stacked in a box¡ªand even a huge, ancestral chopping block of Seventh Uncle¡¯s was there! It was said to be sawn from the stump of an old tree and had, over the years, withstood his relentless chopping and slicing, remaining as sturdy and lustrous as ever. If it weren¡¯t for the lack of bedding and covers, it would really look like they were moving house right now. Even so, Seventh Uncle still directed from his seat in the back, ¡°Look at you, such a smart girl, yet acting so foolishly. Why tell me all that and waste time? If you had just served up a cup of tea right away, I wouldn¡¯t have said another word and would have followed you!¡± Such arrogance. However, Song Tan, who had previously coaxed him with nice words, now showed his true cad¡¯s colors, far from the politeness he verbalized. He smiled and asked in return: ¡°Seventh Uncle, if I had relied on that to invite you over in the first place, what if Seventh Grandma had been unwilling to go?¡± Reasonable and rational¡ªit was the path to a lasting solution. Seventh Uncle: ¡­ He had indeed forgotten himself in a moment of pride. Now, he saw the old lady beside him snort coldly: ¡°Our old man makes the decisions at home; I don¡¯t get a say in it. What I think is even less important than the cabbage on his balcony!¡± He even dug up those cabbages to give away before leaving. Then, he spoke kindly to Song Tan: ¡°Tantan, our old house hasn¡¯t been fixed up in years. Do you have someone to help you at home?¡± Having brought the chef back home, Seventh Uncle even said he didn¡¯t need a salary, just a share of the delicious food¡­ isn¡¯t it only right to make sure the house is taken care of? She nodded, ¡°Rest assured!¡± ¡°But everyone is busy planting trees for me today, and we just can¡¯t get to fixing the house for the time being, so please excuse us for having you stay at our place for one night.¡± ¡°Tomorrow morning, I promise someone will take care of cleaning and preparing the house!¡± Getting a guest room ready at home was still simple enough. After all, it¡¯s the countryside, where there¡¯s nothing much except for plenty of rooms. With these words, Seventh Grandma was immediately reassured, her mind already wandering: ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s been so many years since I stayed here for a while, and I wonder if the vegetable plot at the door has gone to waste¡­¡± Having worked on the farm all her life and feeling choked up in the city for so many years, she now saw an open space and wanted to scatter some seeds¡­ Her expression was full of excitement and anticipation. Song Tan said nothing else, just introducing the current situation of their hometown as they went along: ¡°The road through our village is a bit rough, but it¡¯s not too bad, just narrow.¡± How many years had it been since they fixed up the roads for village access? The road was three meters wide, and it was still passable despite being patched up over the years. It was just a bit bumpy. ¡°Now, there aren¡¯t many young people in our village, but the village-to-village transport goes from the town to the city every day. A phone call in advance, and you can get picked up right at your doorstep.¡± In the future, it would indeed be Song Tan who would do the shuttling, but it was good to point out the alternative, so they could feel at ease. When it came to considering things, Song Tan was always incredibly thoughtful. ¡°Seventh Grandma, Seventh Uncle didn¡¯t want me to mention salary earlier. But you two have come back now, you can¡¯t work for nothing, right?¡± Before the words had settled, Seventh Uncle immediately became wary: ¡°What do you mean wages? Didn¡¯t we agree that you¡¯ll share the good stuff with me? As long as there¡¯s enough for the two of us to eat, that¡¯s good. If you want more, I¡¯ll buy it from you with money.¡± Even if the son doesn¡¯t come back, he¡¯s still your own child, anything good you¡¯d still want to send over to him. Seventh Uncle is no fool; selling these goods would fetch many times more than a salary! He has his own house and savings, what does he need so much money for? It¡¯s better to have good, substantial things. Everybody understands this logic. But in the future, won¡¯t Qiaoqiao still rely on Seventh Uncle to take good care of her? Even if Seventh Uncle is a good person, what if he loses his temper and goes too far with hitting and scolding in a moment of anger¡ªcould we intervene right then and there for the sake of the child learning a skill? sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Besides, Qiaoqiao is a bit simple-minded. What if she can¡¯t hold back and retaliates¡­ Not to mention anything else, but the old couple is over sixty years old! Then this favor would have to be extended to the front end. ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying,¡± Song Tan said with a generous smile: ¡°If I really don¡¯t take a salary, what would I do if I wanted to hire someone else in the future?¡± ¡°But like Seventh Uncle said, I¡¯ll save a portion of the good stuff for you, and right now I can¡¯t really come up with that much money for a salary, so I indeed can¡¯t offer much¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯ll just be for our family plus the two of you at most, not more than ten people. It¡¯s only during the busy times that we need to prepare more food for lunch.¡± ¡°Three thousand yuan a month, it¡¯s not a lot of money, but it¡¯s the thought that counts. What do you think?¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s fine!¡± Seventh Grandma immediately agreed: ¡°Just looking at that old man¡¯s face, I know your things can¡¯t be bad. If you really wanted to sell, wouldn¡¯t you easily make three thousand yuan? It¡¯s just a formality.¡± Then, with a serious expression, she added: ¡°Tantan, now that we¡¯ve come back with you, we won¡¯t speak idly to you. As long as you take good care of us when we¡¯re old, we¡¯ll give the house to you, and you can do with it as you please. My son has already notarized it for me; I don¡¯t want it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± This time, Song Tan didn¡¯t refuse but agreed right away, putting the old couple¡¯s minds at ease: ¡°With a house there, I can easily sell it for a million or more if necessary. If there¡¯s anything, just let me know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just counting on your skills, I have to consider the house too, right?¡± With those words, the old couple¡¯s previously unsettled hearts suddenly calmed. Yes, they had their skills, and there was a house as a solid backup, no matter what, their future days would be fine! For a moment, everyone in the car felt their spirits lift. Only Qiaoqiao suddenly looked up: ¡°Does that mean I¡¯ll be learning to cook with Seventh Uncle from now on?¡± It was then that Song Tan remembered¡ªthey had arranged everything quite well, but they had forgotten to ask Qiaoqiao what she wanted. She looked at Qiaoqiao seriously: ¡°Yes, Sister has been considering this. What does Qiaoqiao think?¡± Qiaoqiao lowered her head, repeatedly rolling the clump of colored clay in her hands: ¡°Qiaoqiao likes to learn things. But¡­¡± Looking up with a face full of grievance, his eyes brimming with tears, he said: ¡°Sister, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d take me to see Ultraman? I¡¯ve earned quite a bit of money recently, haven¡¯t spent it carelessly, haven¡¯t watched Peppa, and I¡¯ve been working too¡ªso when will you take me to see Ultraman?¡± He burst into tears, utterly inconsolable: ¡°Qiaoqiao, Qiaoqiao has been waiting for so long wuwuwu¡­¡± Chapter 140 - 140: 140. Qiaoqiaos Grievance_1 Chapter 140: 140. Qiaoqiao¡¯s Grievance_1 Qiaoqiao had been feeling aggrieved for a long time. In the morning, he had to accompany the puppy, then help with chores, followed by going to the city to sell vegetables. When he got home, there was still more work to do¡­ It wasn¡¯t until night fell and there was no work left, that his parents went to sleep, and his sister locked her door and went to bed. Then he too could only go to sleep. Although, although sleeping was indeed very comfortable, but¡­ still, the Qiaoqiao who watched cartoons was the cutest! With the huge sums of five or ten yuan in his pocket every day, he could buy all sorts of strange and new toys in the city¡­ But, but ever since he got busy, he hadn¡¯t watched a single episode of Peppa! The Ultraman his sister had promised would be even better, he hadn¡¯t seen at all. He didn¡¯t quite understand what the adults said, but he could grasp a little¡ªthat Seventh Uncle was an elder, and in the future, he would need to help him work and learn some new skills. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But, but he had already stopped watching Ultraman, and if he had to learn new skills, wouldn¡¯t there be no time at all for Ultraman? For Qiaoqiao, this was a matter of utmost importance! He had been holding this in for a long time, and now he couldn¡¯t help but cry out his grievances. He cried so miserably, choking after just a few sobs, with tears smearing handful after handful, all sticking to his brand new sweatshirt. Afterward, he hiccupped and accused his once-favorite sister: ¡°Can¡¯t I just watch one episode a day?¡± ¡°Up until now I don¡¯t even know what Ultraman looks like¡­¡± ¡°My Qiao Zhi¡­¡± His words were incoherent and whimpering, clearly pitiful to the extreme. However, his heartless sister couldn¡¯t help but feel like laughing. Song Tan tried hard to suppress the urge to burst into laughter, quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road, and took out a packet of wet wipes to swiftly clean up the silly child: ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you watch? Of course, you¡¯ll watch! It¡¯s just that your sister has been busy and forgot about it. Can Qiaoqiao forgive her sister, please? Let¡¯s watch it when we get back.¡± She said this with such finality that Qiaoqiao, who was intrinsically very easy to console, immediately burst into smiles upon hearing her say this. Then he carefully began to bargain: ¡°Then¡­ how many episodes can I watch?¡± How many episodes are there in Ultraman? I don¡¯t even know! Song Tan thought it over: ¡°How about this, your sister promised something but forgot, it¡¯s her fault. As compensation, today Qiaoqiao can watch two episodes. After that, one episode a day, okay?¡± How long is one episode again? Ah well, doesn¡¯t matter! Just need to console this silly treasure first. Luckily the foolish child was content with his lot, now deceived by his unscrupulous sister, he wiped his face clean with the wet tissue, and played contentedly with the colorful clay in his hands. The car started up again, and for some reason, the old couple in the back seat found themselves liking Qiaoqiao more and more. The wily old are wise, they didn¡¯t care for those adults with minds full of mature considerations, but now seeing the fair-skinned and overly simple Qiaoqiao, they found him more appealing. Looking again at the atmosphere of this family¡ªthe kid was taking TV watching seriously, which is why he cried so miserably. The sister didn¡¯t scold him outright, but listened to him seriously before apologizing and finding solutions. Steady family values. Seventh Uncle also set his precious handbag aside and then leaned over to strike up a conversation: ¡°Qiaoqiao, what do you like to eat the most? Seventh Uncle will show off his skills for you at lunch.¡± Qiaoqiao thought it over: ¡°Spicy strips.¡± While these couldn¡¯t compare with the quality of wild vegetables at home, they were nonetheless coveted. What one can¡¯t have is always agitating them. If spicy strips weren¡¯t easily bought, Qiaoqiao would remember it best. Now, as soon as Seventh Uncle asked her, she immediately had an answer. Well now, Seventh Uncle and Song Tan exchanged glances through the rearview mirror. One felt underestimated, the other felt like he¡¯d been tricked. ¡­ Meanwhile. On the hill behind Yunqiao Village, a big group of people was working with great vigor. Six-centimeter seedlings might sound thick, but they really aren¡¯t that big. The advantage is that they¡¯re easy to plant¡ªdig a hole, cover with soil, pour some Rooting Water¡­ and that¡¯s it. Each of these fruit trees even has a small clump of soil around its roots, which have been simply sorted. Now that it¡¯s spring¡ªthe prime planting season. Under the leadership of Song Sancheng, everyone headed up the hill early in the morning to dig tree holes, then Zhang Yanping drove back and forth transporting fertilizer prepared in advance by the Zhang Wang family. The fermented fertilizer was already well-rotted, and using it as base fertilizer couldn¡¯t be more appropriate now. The work was well-divided; it was only twenty acres of hillside. In just half a day, most of it was already planted. Everyone was busy working, with lively chatter, and for a while, the hillside was full of their cheerful voices and laughter. Just then, someone suddenly asked, ¡°Sancheng, is this work regular, or just on-call occasionally?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s regular, I¡¯m fine with watching over the fields every day. What I want is a stable job¡ªif not, how about your family pays me a salary? I won¡¯t ask for much, just whatever everyone else gets.¡± The statement was half-joking, simply to show an attitude. Is there a lot of work at home? A lot! So much that Song Sancheng wanted to sigh. Manpower sometimes falls short! Just his small family keeping watch over dozens of acres of forest and farmland, they truly couldn¡¯t keep up. For now, the planting required some hard work, but the flowering and fruiting weren¡¯t rushing them. But wait until after May, and then they¡¯d be busy! Even without peaches, they couldn¡¯t avoid hiring help. But no matter what he thought internally, with the training from the past while, Song Sancheng had learned¡ªthat he clearly was not as reliable as his daughter when it came to farming. Since his child wanted to manage things properly, he had to make sure everything at home was stable! He now chuckled, smoothing things over, ¡°Who knows? Kids are unpredictable, hammering east, tongs west.¡± ¡°Look, if it weren¡¯t for this rush, with Qingming Festival almost here, why choose this time to plant fruit trees? How many months would it take before they bear fruit?¡± ¡°This child, you hope for her to succeed, yet fear she might succeed too much¡ªit¡¯s true, children insist, and we as parents have to toil regardless!¡± He spoke while heaving a deep sigh, ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? Just look how tired I¡¯ve been recently!¡± Without that remark, the conversation might have gone on. But once he said it, immediately a village auntie asked, ¡°Song Sancheng, why do I feel like this continuous farm work has made you look whiter?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± someone immediately chimed in. ¡°Not just your skin getting back its color, but even your complexion is rosier, with more vigor than the young folks!¡± ¡°Sancheng, running about busily during this period, what exactly have you been eating?¡± What have I been eating? Song Sancheng thought to himself: I eat vegetables that cost twenty-one yuan per jin, drink tea that¡¯s eleven thousand yuan per jin, honey water that¡¯s a thousand bucks a bottle¡­ But can I say that? How frustrating is it to walk in brocade at night? He could only laugh it off: ¡°The kid¡¯s mom has really improved her cooking skills this year¡­¡± Chapter 141 - 141: 141. Chefs Tongue_1 Chapter 141: 141. Chef¡¯s Tongue_1 Song Sancheng only found an excuse out of desperation, but there¡¯s no denying how much he¡¯d changed this year! He used to be skinny and short, with somewhat dark skin and a mix of gray hair among the black on his head, making him look no different from the other villagers. But now? They hadn¡¯t seen much of him recently due to how busy his family was, and looking at him now, everyone could tell he seemed plumper than before, with his wrinkles appearing stretched out! The gray hair was still there, but the rest of his hair was shiny black, and he walked with a straight back, showing none of the stooping common in the elderly¡ªoh, how energetic he looked! As for his complexion, it was intangible but everyone could feel his health¡­ seriously, what good food had he been indulging in since spring to be replenished like this? With this thought in mind, everyone grew full of confidence and anticipation for his claim that ¡°Wu Lan¡¯s cooking skills had greatly improved.¡± One of the aunties helping with tree planting mused: ¡°If you ask me, we should definitely eat more at lunchtime¡ªdo you still remember what Tantan looked like when she came back? She rode past my house on a motorcycle, oh my, I saw her, with a white gauze taped to one side of her head, looking so pale.¡± ¡°Now look at the girl, rosy and radiant¡ª¡± The aunty tried to find a good word to describe her, but all she could think of was how Song Tan carried the big basket with swift strides, eventually she could only summarize it with one statement¡ª ¡°¡­she¡¯s quite robust now!¡± Everyone agreed with this. The efficiency with which Song Tan worked, her presence made everyone else seem lazy by comparison. It was clear¡ª ¡°The meals at Song Sancheng¡¯s house must be nourishing! Even Qiaoqiao looks sharper, ah, too bad for the young man¡ªahem.¡± The conversation couldn¡¯t continue; it was awkward. But everyone began looking forward to Lao Song¡¯s family¡¯s lunch. This made Song Sancheng a bit embarrassed. He had just casually mentioned it¡­ his wife¡¯s cooking skills hadn¡¯t changed in decades, it was all thanks to this year¡¯s good harvest! But all the good produce had been sold for money already, how was he supposed to feed everyone? Meanwhile, down the mountain. Song Tan¡¯s Little Pika pulled up at the doorstep, and Qiaoqiao, who had dried the tear marks on his face, got out of the truck first, then looked up at Song Tan full of expectation. Song Tan: ¡­ In fact, she had planned to ask Qiaoqiao to help with some chores. But¡­ Oh no, now she was starting to feel a twinge of guilt and pain for spoiling the child! Because she ultimately gave in to the pitiful look in his eyes: ¡°Come on, come on, to your sister¡¯s room, I¡¯ll set up the computer for you¡ªonly one episode at noon.¡± One episode it is! Qiaoqiao cheered and dashed into the house. But Song Tan didn¡¯t follow him immediately; she waited until Seventh Uncle and Seventh Grandma got out of the car before she said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve invited Seventh Uncle to be our chef. His house still needs a couple days of tidying, so he¡¯ll have to stay at our place today¡­¡± With everyone coming back with her, Wu Lan had no doubts about what was going on. Right now, dropping the half-prepared vegetables in her hands, she became as enthusiastic as a sunflower, seemingly wanting to orbit around Seventh Uncle and his wife: ¡°Ah, Uncle¡¯s here! Hurry, hurry, hurry, are you tired? I¡¯ve been tidying up the room, just aired the blankets a few days ago, I¡¯ll make the bed for you¡­¡± She was so enthusiastic that Seventh Uncle, who had been quite certain of his feelings, felt even more relaxed. Seventh Grandma followed him into the house shortly after, but he took the liberty to stroll around the yard, looking at the three local dogs playing with a bone in the corner, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile: ¡°These little fellows look quite spirited.¡± If the dogs were raised this well and looked spirited, their diet must certainly not be scrimped on. He turned his head and saw those bamboo shoots that Wu Lan half-peeled and then left behind; he couldn¡¯t resist picking them up and examining them, even peeling off a couple of layers with his hands and stuffing them in his mouth to try. After chewing twice, he silently broke off a small piece of bamboo shoot. Then, he became serious and started examining the various vegetables scattered around the yard. Just then, the two aunties who were helping with the chores also came in, stopped in shock when they saw Seventh Uncle, and then it dawned on them¡ª ¡°Oh my, isn¡¯t this our former chef, Song Sancheng?¡± Back in the day, with a ladle in hand, Sancheng commanded respect in the village; whoever could invite him to cook was truly sending a message of sincerity! He was indeed a well-known figure. The two of them got excited instantly. What, was Song Sancheng cooking for today¡¯s noon feast? That would be a treat indeed! Seventh Uncle nodded in greeting and then went over to inspect the cluster of locust flowers they had placed in the winnowing basket a bit closer. The green and white buds were tender and fragrant, carrying the breath of the wild with them. Without tasting, Seventh Uncle knew that these locust flowers were the same as what Song Tan¡¯s aunt had sent to his house. Turning his head, he saw another aunty holding a basin of freshly washed lettuce, which instantly made his brows furrow as if tied in a knot. The lettuce was green enough, and it was crisp and tender, but he could tell just by sniffing that it was no different from the vegetables you¡¯d find in a common market. Had it been back when he was still a chef, there would be nothing to complain about with this lettuce. But now, after comparing it to the bamboo shoots and locust flowers, it seemed as though one side was palace-grade Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and the other side was beggar¡¯s spoiled rice¡ª The disparity was just too great, wasn¡¯t it? He then looked down again to inspect the various vegetables that had been neatly arranged on the ground¡ª Spinach, bok choy, garlic shoots, scallions, coriander, leeks, carrots, garlic scapes, lettuce¡­ S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Why is there Milk Vetch here?¡± Wasn¡¯t this stuff just for feeding pigs and cows? Only in the early days of his career, when times were tough, did people eat this. What now, not only do city folks love wild vegetables, have the villagers started to reminisce about the past hardships? Song Tan happened to be unloading things from the cart and casually said, ¡°The Milk Vetch grew deliciously this year, but we had to plow it all under to plant other crops. There¡¯s just some left along the edges of the fields. My mom specifically went to pick it this morning.¡± Vegetables are too expensive now! Seventh Uncle didn¡¯t respond but just pinched a little off of each vegetable to taste, and then pointed to all the vegetables one by one: ¡°The carrots and garlic scapes are bought, right? They have the taste of greenhouse vegetables.¡± ¡°The rest don¡¯t come from the same field, either. Also, whose vegetables are the Milk Vetch and leeks?¡± The two helping aunties exchanged surprised looks: ¡°Chef Song, no wonder your cooking tastes so good, no one can beat this palate of yours¡ªafter all these years, how come it¡¯s still so sharp?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve hit the nail on the head, the Milk Vetch and leeks are from Wu Lan¡¯s home plot, the rest are just vegetables cobbled together from our village¡¯s gardens.¡± Wu Lan, who was carrying bedding out of the house, lit up at these words when she looked at Seventh Uncle¡ªher eyes practically glowing! What¡¯s this called? This is genuine skill! If her son could learn half of what his master knew, he would be able to support himself through cooking! Chapter 142 - 142: 142. The gas tank rolls twice_1 Chapter 142: 142. The gas tank rolls twice_1 This answer really surprised Seventh Uncle: ¡°The locust flowers and bamboo shoots also come from your family¡¯s land?¡± Wu Lan was extremely proud: ¡°Yes, there are a few locust trees on the back hill, and there¡¯s plenty of bamboo shoots in the bamboo forest!¡± Seventh Uncle was only surprised for a moment by this answer and quickly accepted it. It wasn¡¯t strange for different mountains to produce different things, after all. When he was a chef traveling around the south and causing a stir, he had even visited a village where the fish tasted incredibly fresh and delicious! If sold today, people would be willing to pay a thousand yuan per jin for it. Regrettably, a factory was later built in the village, the river water turned foul, and naturally, there were no more fish. In any case, he couldn¡¯t help but be filled with anticipation at this moment, and then he sauntered into the kitchen to see: ¡°There are so many people to feed, and you¡¯re using this small stove?¡± The kitchen in the village was quite spacious, with a clay stove lined against the wall for firewood, two large pots on the left and right, and a warm water stove in the middle. On the other side, there was a cement counter with a gas stove on top, connected to the gas cylinder below by a long tube, making cooking convenient. But for a chef, without going into detail, even the big iron pot that Song Tan was carefully wrapping and bringing down from outside could beat the two large pots on the clay stove. In the past, when preparing a large banquet, stoves in the village had to be built on site with yellow clay. Of course, now it was more convenient, as many people would just set up a metal barrel. But regardless, the tools must be big! Now, as Seventh Uncle walked into this kitchen, he felt he couldn¡¯t fully stretch out his skills. Wu Lan didn¡¯t feel awkward at all: ¡°Uncle, you know, we didn¡¯t expect to invite so many people all at once, and we¡¯ve been busy lately and just have to make do.¡± Seventh Uncle glanced at the two curious aunties outside, who were looking over, and then raised his voice slightly: ¡°Daughter-in-law, Tantan is paying my salary to come here as a chef, so I have to make some demands¡ªthe kitchen is too small, I can¡¯t work properly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright to make do for a couple of days, but if this is going to be a long-term arrangement, you¡¯ll need to find a spot in the yard to build me a shelter, and set up two more stoves under it.¡± This request could not be simpler. In any other context, if the conversation had taken place in any five-star restaurant, Seventh Uncle would have had the final say in the entire kitchen. But now¡­ he only had the final say on two clay stoves. Wu Lan glanced at the yard subconsciously. To be honest, even a large yard seemed to have shrunk step by step since her daughter returned. Space needed to be cleared for sorting vegetables, a dog kennel had to be built, and there had to be accessibility for cars to drive in for loading and unloading¡­ But eating was a big deal, and as soon as she thought about her child¡¯s future, she didn¡¯t hesitate and just nodded her head: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as soon as we¡¯re done with the busy period we¡¯ll fix it up right away.¡± After all, it was their own homestead land, and it was just a shelter; enlarging it wouldn¡¯t be a big problem. Her straightforwardness and lack of fuss pleased Seventh Uncle to no end, satisfaction +2. Since that¡¯s the case¡­ ¡°How many people at noon? Have you rinsed the rice? Let me do it.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Wu Lan was startled: ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take a rest?¡± Seventh Uncle couldn¡¯t help but glance at her, thinking to himself that he had rested enough years in the city. Now that he had encountered such fine ingredients, how could he not take over the cooking and leave it to them to possibly spoil with their skills? Without further ado, he entered the kitchen: ¡°Hurry up, Song Tan, bring all my spices in!¡± ¡°Pay attention to that jar of bean paste¡ªdaughter-in-law, have you cooked the pork? Bring it here for me to slice after it¡¯s done. At noon, I¡¯ll use the onions and bean paste to stir-fry the pork. I see you¡¯ve bought quite a lot of onions.¡± And for good reason, onions are cheap! ¡°And these bamboo shoots, hurry and peel them! Don¡¯t throw away the tender outer layers, I¡¯ll dice them up and stir-fry with chilies and garlic cloves as a side dish ¡ª it¡¯s the perfect accompaniment to rice.¡± ¡°Right, we¡¯re short on time today, so don¡¯t bother saving the slightly tougher outer layers. We don¡¯t have time to deal with them, just throw them away. Otherwise, with those people wolfing down their food, they might just swallow them without chewing properly, and that¡¯s a hassle.¡± The outer layers of older bamboo shoots are fibrous and tough, with sharp edges that offer a unique texture compared to the tender ones, but are not easily digested. They¡¯re not suitable for the fast-eating situation at hand. When Seventh Uncle got going, the way he wielded the spatula was as if he was holding a royal seal, deciding on a whim what to stir-fry. Wu Lan was momentarily stunned, then raised her voice: ¡°Qiaoqiao! Qiaoqiao! Hurry and help your Seventh Uncle!¡± Although apprentices these days aren¡¯t expected to be at their masters¡¯ beck and call like the indentured apprentices of the past, they should at least show some enthusiasm, right? Wu Lan was certainly enthusiastic. Seventh Uncle, remembering the crybaby in the car, suddenly deflated, ¡°Never mind, let him rest for now. He must be tired from this morning.¡± And wasn¡¯t he just tired? That guy! He cried his eyes out in the car, sobbing and sniffling nonstop, even after wiping away his tears, still unable to stop the sniffles. The kitchen was too small as it was; another person would just be in the way. ¡°It¡¯s almost noon, we can¡¯t afford to be disrupted. It¡¯s better to let that silly kid rest.¡± Seventh Uncle was extremely considerate. However, as gently as he phrased it, Wu Lan, unaware of the circumstances, took it as a reason for silent celebration: Is my Qiaoqiao really that likable? To think Seventh Uncle is already so fond of him after just one meeting ¡ª oh, what an excellent master to recognize! The two exchanged a glance, both delighted. ¡­ The two clay stoves, one for stir-frying, the other for cooking rice, were still not efficient enough. Seventh Uncle turned his attention to the gas stove nearby, but Wu Lan felt a jolt in her heart: ¡°Uncle, let¡¯s just use the clay stove for this noon. The gas we got this time isn¡¯t good; it keeps going out in the middle of cooking.¡± She wanted to show Seventh Uncle, but when she tried to start the stove, the ignition didn¡¯t work no matter how long she twisted the knob, and even using a lighter didn¡¯t help. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thinking it over, she called out loudly, ¡°Tantan! Tantan!¡± ¡°Tantan, come here, roll the gas canister on the ground a couple of times.¡± Song Tan: ¡­ This operation looked dangerous no matter how you sliced it, but everyone seemed used to it and didn¡¯t think much of it. Watching Seventh Uncle frowning as he fussed over a small pot, she was actually relieved, Fortunately, with Seventh Uncle around in the future, we won¡¯t have much need for this gas stove. But that being said, with so many people to feed at noon, and sometimes needing to blanch vegetables, it was still necessary to set up another pot. So, she promptly unscrewed the gas canister and then rolled it around in the courtyard a couple of times. Just as she was picking up the gas stove, two women who came down the mountain to use the toilet caught sight of her. Their gazes lingered for a moment on her tall, slender figure, and then shifted to her casually carrying the gas canister as if it were as easy as carrying a kettle. After a brief silence, the two hurried into the toilet, muttering: ¡°I knew the midday meal was going to be good, just look at the strength of that girl!¡± Song Tan: ??? Had the reputation of her delicious dishes already spread so far? Chapter 143 - 143: 143. Casual Lunch Chat_1 Chapter 143: 143. Casual Lunch Chat_1 Today at noon, there were more than just twenty people at Old Song¡¯s family. Just the twenty people planting trees on the mountain alone, plus the two aunties helping in the kitchen, another three digging bamboo shoots, and including Zhang Yanping and Zhang Wang¡¯s family, even Old Li who was watching the pond being drained was invited over¡­ A total of thirty-six people! It¡¯s a good thing that they had helpers in advance, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t even have had enough time to set up the tables and benches. With so many people, the plates were borrowed from neighbors, and luckily, the use of disposable bowls and chopsticks solved the problem, preventing the lunch from feeling too cramped. But¡­ While the guests felt the courtyard was spacious, Seventh Uncle, who was confined to the kitchen, felt he couldn¡¯t stretch out anywhere! Take the oil pot, for instance. During big feasts in the past, they would use a large iron spoon to scoop directly from the enamel tank. But now, with the small pots and stoves, Seventh Uncle couldn¡¯t even wield his own spatula¡­ It might also be that he hadn¡¯t cooked for such a large gathering in several years, so his skills were a bit rusty, which was very awkward. However, as the tender bamboo shoots hit the wok and the burst of their fresh fragrance filled the air, a proud smile spread across Seventh Uncle¡¯s face: ¡°It¡¯s a good thing they asked for me in time. With so many people, the niece-in-law wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle it!¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t ruin my dish later.¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He had a point. Many people cook well at home, but lose their touch when cooking for a crowd, either making the food too salty or too bland, or simply not performing at their best¡­ Even if it¡¯s just the cooking temperature that¡¯s off, Seventh Uncle would consider it a waste of good ingredients. Seventh Grandma was assisting him and glanced at him: ¡°What do you mean ¡®your dish¡¯? Did you grow it or did you buy it?¡± ¡°Besides, it¡¯s only today that we have so many people. It¡¯s not like this every day.¡± Seventh Uncle¡¯s shoulders slumped in an instant. People like them need a crowd to show off their skills! But then he thought, even if they didn¡¯t have more than thirty people, with their big family plus the two of them, there were always about twenty people. His old arms and legs were just right for cooking for these people. It was enjoyable, good for keeping him in shape, there was work to do, and it wasn¡¯t too exhausting¡ª ¡°I really did come at the right time!¡± On the other hand, Song Tan was asking her dad, ¡°Will we be able to finish planting the peach trees today?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Song Sancheng said confidently: ¡°Go up to the mountain and have a look. We¡¯ve already planted more than half. After lunch and getting back to work, we should be done around three.¡± Otherwise, it would¡¯ve been a waste to invite so many people! Thinking of this, Song Sancheng couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°I have to say, your Uncle Zhang really is meticulous.¡± He was referring to Zhang Wang¡¯s family. ¡°The edges of the mountain are piled with fertilizer, and all the manure hauled over from his house has been put into the ground as a base fertilizer. Just one more rainfall, and these peach trees are bound to take root. We¡¯ll definitely see fruit this year.¡± They had to, otherwise wouldn¡¯t it be nerve-wracking? With all the money spent on the trees across the mountain, tens of thousands, they needed some results. ¡°I just hope for good weather this year!¡± Seeing the hopeful look in her father¡¯s eyes, Song Tan was also full of confidence, ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± The meal was a lively affair, and it seemed like the whole village hadn¡¯t gathered like this in a long while. While eating, someone praised Seventh Uncle¡¯s cooking and asked, ¡°Sancheng, since you¡¯ve even brought in a top chef, will there be more work in the future? Don¡¯t forget to call me when there¡¯s work to do!¡± Song Sancheng just laughed heartily, giving off an honest vibe, ¡°When there¡¯s work to be done, I¡¯ll definitely rely on everyone¡¯s help. Nowadays, it¡¯s not even me who calls the shots at my place, we have to listen to Tantan.¡± Then someone laughed out loud, ¡°Tantan has hardly ever worked the fields, what does she know? Matters of the land still need your decision.¡± As soon as this was said, another chimed in, ¡°Exactly, I¡¯ve been meaning to say¡ªwhat¡¯s this about Eagle Beak Peaches? We¡¯ve never heard of that around here. If you¡¯re going to plant anything, it should be Flat Peaches. They might be ugly, but they fetch a high price.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re wrong there; it should really be grapes, grapevines are even cheaper!¡± ¡°If you ask me, you didn¡¯t buy enough saplings. Look at other people¡¯s Peach Gardens, they are all crammed together, but our side looks so sparse. Peach trees also grow slowly¡­¡± The villagers were very enthusiastic in their discussion, as if they were talking about their own land, and everything was settled just like that. However, through all the talk, they didn¡¯t take Song Tan, who was supposed to be in charge, seriously at all. Wu Lan¡¯s face darkened, and just as she took a deep breath and was about to say something, she was patted on the arm by Song Tan. ¡°Mom,¡± she whispered, ¡°there¡¯s no need to say so much now. When the fruit harvest is abundant and actually brings in money, naturally people will be willing to listen to me.¡± Even without waiting for the fruit harvest, just let them see if the vegetables are profitable next month. Let the villagers see it with their own eyes and take their time to figure it out in their heads. It¡¯s an old issue in the village, where the older ones think the younger lack experience, men think women can¡¯t do the work, and adults don¡¯t take what the children say seriously. Of course, it¡¯s not just in the village; it¡¯s the same all over the country. You can¡¯t really say if it¡¯s good or bad, and there¡¯s no need for arguments at this point. Wu Lan sighed, ¡°I understand¡­¡± Then she became proud, ¡°Underestimated your mother, right? Whether this year¡¯s vegetables are good or not, we¡¯ll have to see if it¡¯s luck or if our soil is really that good. If we always have this quality in the future, then we can proudly speak out about it.¡± ¡°If I brag now and later the quality isn¡¯t as good, won¡¯t I be smacking my face on the ground? I won¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°We need to make a fortune quietly.¡± However, as quiet as she was, some aunts couldn¡¯t help but to switch from the topic of farming to Song Tan¡¯s personal affairs. ¡°Ah, Tantan, you work in Ning City, why don¡¯t you find a partner there? It¡¯s so tough for a girl to come back and farm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! How old is Tantan this year? I have a distant nephew¡­¡± Song Tan: ¡­ She wasn¡¯t intimidated and instead responded with ease, ¡°Sure, Auntie, bring over any good-looking relatives you have, and if someone is willing to dig Tea Mountain for a month for my family, I¡¯ll be willing to meet him¡­¡± At this, everyone burst into laughter. Even the aunt who suggested it was all smiles, ¡°How come you¡¯re so clever with your terms? That job of digging Tea Mountain, I guess even your dad wouldn¡¯t want to do it¡­¡± Digging Tea Mountain was usually done during the summer break, facing the scorching heat. Most people really couldn¡¯t endure it! If a boy had that kind of perseverance, he would be looked up to wherever he went. Song Tan also smiled merrily, ¡°Look, Auntie, I¡¯m pretty and strong, shouldn¡¯t I be a bit picky?¡± Chatting in the village is like this, many people don¡¯t think too deeply and just say whatever comes to mind. Everyone is used to this straightforward way of talking, the more forthright you are, the clearer it is to everyone else. At this point, everyone understood¡ªTantan of Lao Song¡¯s family has high standards, and an ordinary man wouldn¡¯t dare to be introduced to her! Chapter 144 - 144 144. Finish work and go home_1 ?Chapter 144: 144. Finish work and go home_1 Chapter 144: 144. Finish work and go home_1 Just like Song Sancheng had said, by three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, all the peach trees had already been planted. Zhang Yanping was down by the pond, watching the water pump, while people above held hoses and watered each tree thoroughly. The others weren¡¯t idle either. Taking a day¡¯s wages, even though everyone worked quite energetically, finishing up before the sun set didn¡¯t seem quite right. So they picked up their hoes again and decisively dug two deep trenches along the edge of the mountain: ¡°Sancheng, weren¡¯t you planning on planting those Golden Sakuras? Does this depth work for you?¡± Song Sancheng went over to look: ¡°How could it not work! It¡¯s just that you all have been working hard, and the saplings haven¡¯t even been transported here yet.¡± In fact, it was still uncertain whether they would be able to purchase them. The people waved their hands: ¡°Earning two hundred yuan a day from you, if we can¡¯t manage this bit of work, wouldn¡¯t it be embarrassing to talk about?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Are you planning to put up iron fences or to build frames on this side? If it¡¯s frames, we might as well chop down the bamboo today.¡± Song Sancheng hurriedly stopped them: ¡°Iron fences, iron fences, no chopping bamboo, no rush ¡ª or else, why doesn¡¯t everyone go to my field and till the land a bit more?¡± ¡°Time to sow seeds, time to transplant seedlings.¡± And as the rice field was about to be filled with water, it was time to block the drain of the pond, and Old Li was about to harness the old yellow bull to the plough. It was then that everyone realized what was happening, and in groups of threes and twos, they began descending the mountain, carrying hoes and shovels, all the while grumbling: ¡°Sancheng, you¡¯ve invested quite a bit this year, just don¡¯t end up at a loss.¡± Song Sancheng too looked worried, a picture of honesty: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth. But Tantan plans to really make a go of it in the village. Our generation is older, and it¡¯s fine if we can¡¯t keep up with the times, but we can¡¯t let that crush the kids¡¯ spirits. The burden of supporting a family gets heavier later on; then it becomes difficult to do anything.¡± The remark was indeed true. At this point, an auntie stepping into the field ditch asked curiously: ¡°Eh? Sancheng, didn¡¯t I hear you say that Tantan was going to rest at home for a few months at first? How come it sounds like she¡¯s planning to settle down in her hometown for good now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be confused! What future does a girl have staying in a village? Look at my hands¡ª¡± She stretched out her hands: ¡°These are an old lady¡¯s hands, all from farm work. Isn¡¯t that tough? The pressure is high in the city, but at least you don¡¯t have to do physical labor.¡± Song Sancheng fell silent for a moment, then said softly: ¡°Sister-in-law, it¡¯s not that I want to keep the child by my side, it¡¯s just that the pressure on young people out there is too great.¡± ¡°When Tantan came back, she still had gauze tied on her head, and her face was void of any color. When I went to pick her up, her square piece of gauze was covered by hair, and I didn¡¯t notice it at first. Later, when I found out, she even told me she had bumped it!¡± ¡°Turns out, that night I was scrolling through TikTok, and there was a video up top, talking about a chain traffic accident on the Ninghai Bridge in our city; this child was pulled out of a car by a young man wearing a mask!¡± ¡°It was so close, the car was about to explode!¡± Speaking to this point, Song Sancheng¡¯s eyes reddened: ¡°I always used to tell her, to work hard at her job, to do more work, not to argue with others unnecessarily, and to perform well¡­¡± ¡°But you tell me, no matter how well she performed, if the child still ended up like this, would she truly be able to save tens of thousands of yuan after returning home.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been to Ning City before, and just a casual meal can cost several dozens or even hundreds,¡± he said. ¡°How did she manage to save up all that money?¡± If it hadn¡¯t been for seeing the child come back and quickly regain good health, full of energy and vigor, he would have really wanted to speak out and take the child for a check-up to see if there were any lingering effects. Once that was said, everyone sighed. The auntie who had just spoken was now pale: ¡°Now I regret it. When the country said we could have a second child, I insisted that having just one grandchild was too lonely¡­ and now look at us, sending two kids to kindergarten costs over thirty thousand a year, and that¡¯s just for a fairly average one!¡± ¡°Then there are all those extracurricular classes, and with them having to pay the mortgage and take care of the kids, where is the money supposed to come from? I don¡¯t even dare to ask.¡± S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Every year in the latter half, I go out to work to make twenty or thirty thousand, all of which goes to support them. And even then, life is still a struggle¡­¡± Life isn¡¯t easy! As everyone chatted, they each talked about their own difficulties, and somehow, they naturally came to accept the fact that Song Tan was staying at home to farm. But their hands were quick and efficient. The land in the fields had already been finely tilled by machinery, and now it was just a matter of using rakes to level it out, and then hoes to carve a few furrows according to the different vegetables¡­ A few nimble aunties were ahead in two of the plots, transplanting the vegetable seedlings that had already sprouted, while exclaiming with admiration, ¡°Sancheng, I think your Tantan really has a knack for farming!¡± ¡°Look at these seedlings, how robust they¡¯re growing! If there are extras later, set aside a couple for my family, huh? I¡¯m quite impressed with these pepper seedlings¡­¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Song Sancheng was generous in this regard: ¡°If we can finish transplanting by tonight, we¡¯ll share whatever is extra with everyone.¡± There were still three to four hours left before sunset, and with twenty or thirty people scattered across seven plots, how could the work not be done? Everyone then laughed, ¡°Then I guess your seedlings truly won¡¯t be enough¡­¡± But the village wasn¡¯t lacking in seedlings; those who had asked before were just tempted by the sight of the robust seedlings¡­ and in the end, just as everyone had said, after planting seven plots, there still weren¡¯t enough seeds and seedlings! Song Sancheng looked around and said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it; let¡¯s take a break. I¡¯ll bring some soybeans from home later to spread out.¡± By now, dusk had set in, and the workers who had been picking tea on the mountain had already descended, and those who were digging bamboo shoots had stopped early¡ªthere was no helping it, the bamboo forest was darker than the outside. Everyone packed up in pairs and groups, carrying their own water jugs and stools, and strolled leisurely back home. This long and laborious day was finally coming to an end. Not until the figures had faded into the distance did Song Sancheng suddenly remember something and called out loudly, ¡°Family folks, come help clean up Uncle¡¯s house tomorrow!¡± From the distance, someone responded, but Song Youde was leisurely walking out with his hands behind his back, then looked up at the sky: ¡°No need to rush calling people. Tomorrow¡¯s Qingming festival, and judging by the sky, it looks like it¡¯s going to rain early in the morning¡ªwait until after lunch to see if it clears up before calling everyone.¡± Song Tan, who was cleaning up nearby, perked up at these words and involuntarily glanced at her grandfather, Song Youde¡ª A lifetime of farming experience was not for nothing; with the increased humidity in the air, there was a good chance of rain tomorrow. Just in time, as spring rain is as precious as oil, a shower could moisturize the vegetables and peach trees planted today, sparing them any worry. After thinking for a moment, she also picked up a bundle of straw: ¡°I¡¯m going to add some straw to the pigpen, afraid it might get chilly tonight.¡± She would also go check on Da Wang and tell him that she would visit the back mountain tonight¡­ Chapter 145 - 145 145. Sneaking in the Night_1 ?Chapter 145: 145. Sneaking in the Night_1 Chapter 145: 145. Sneaking in the Night_1 The night was deep and silent. The sky was like a piece of dark, heavy satin, the moon dim and invisible, veiled by thick, dense clouds. Not a single star was embroidered upon the entire night sky; in this pitch-black midnight, even the mountain ranges in the distance were only shadows, and beneath one¡¯s feet, it was hard to tell if it was mud or leaves¡­ Song Tan silently pushed open her room door. Spiritual Energy wrapped around the old wooden door, striving to prevent the terrible creaking sound. While in the Cultivation World, she had imagined countless times what modern life would be like, but never included using Spiritual Energy for such purposes. But now¡­ desperate times call for desperate measures. After much difficulty exiting the main house¡¯s door and seeing the locked iron gate, she could only muster her meager Spiritual Power, leap over two meters high to the top of the gate, and then successfully jump out of the courtyard. There was no helping it; her father had installed iron spikes and broken glass shards in the cement atop the one to two-meter-high courtyard walls to prevent theft. She was indeed in the Qi Cultivation stage, but the Spiritual Energy in the village was thin; more than a month had passed, and she still hadn¡¯t cultivated an indestructible body. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In martial arts novels, this would only amount to barely having internal energy. Thinking about it was truly miserable; Song Tan usually didn¡¯t like to dwell on it, else her heart would ach with each remembrance. If her Spiritual Power hadn¡¯t been so inadequate, why would she have snuck towards the back mountain like a thief in the middle of the night? In the past, a flick of her fingers could cover the entire Yinmoon Peak with Spiritual Energy. Now, a flick only scattered a few beans-sized particles of Spiritual Energy. It was precisely because of this that to ensure the healthy growth of the fruit trees worth over a hundred thousand, she could only switch places to practice at night. There wasn¡¯t enough Spiritual Energy, so she had to rely solely on nighttime cultivation to gather it. Even the wild grass around her house grew vigorously and tenderly, with squirrels scraping a line along the wall every morning, all because of her own room¡¯s cultivation efforts. With silent footsteps, Song Tan bypassed the outside of the courtyard and made her way to the back mountain. The area around several beehives was quiet and still, but moving forward and parting a clump of bushes, a shadow darker than the night suddenly lifted its head¡ª ¡°Shh!¡± She lowered her voice, ¡°Big King, go back to sleep, good boy.¡± The big dog let out a low whine from its throat. Big White, fuzzy with sleep, sensed some movement. Now open-mouthed, it let out a ¡°gah¡±, only to be pinched by Song Tan¡¯s hand on its flat goose beak, stuffing its head back under its wing: ¡°Go back to sleep.¡± And indeed, it settled again. Big King lay back down, but its eyes still firmly watched in Song Tan¡¯s direction. Song Tan continued on her way to the back mountain where the peach trees were planted, chose the central position, and sat down with her legs crossed. Guiding the spirit, she focused and guarded her inner essence. The sky was clear and the earth bright; all things thrived. She slowly sank into a meditative state, and white mist visible to the naked eye began to swirl around her, blending perfectly into the blackness of the night in the Peach Forest, soon appearing as though it left no trace at all. The chirping of insects around her suddenly intensified, dew formed in droves on the leaves, then ¡°plop¡± soaked into the ground, making the leaves visibly more erect and vibrant. The roots of the newly planted peach trees in the daylight quietly sprouted in the earth, breaking through their small layers of soil, and step by step, they firmly grabbed onto the surrounding new soil. Even finer root hairs slowly emerged. The soil served as a medium, various nutrients along with strands of Spiritual Energy traveled through the branches, and as if with a crisp clear ¡®snap¡¯, one tree had opened its leaf bud, unveiling its first tender green leaf. The silent back mountain seemed to be lively without sound in this moment. Big King, unbeknownst to her, had already come to Song Tan¡¯s side and laid down slowly. His huge body was like a tiger¡¯s, sleek and smooth, with yellow fur that trembled slightly as if there was light quietly flowing over his coat. In the darkness, it became even more majestic. Big White seemed to sense something, and at that moment, with a ¡°gah¡± he pulled his neck out from under his wing, and then, looking bewildered, he pattered his paws and ran toward the back mountain. In the pigsty, several wild boars let out sleepy grunts, unanimously turning toward the direction of the Peach Forest and settling back to sleep¡­ From the direction of the Chestnut Forest, Sanbao the German Shepherd and Sibao the Mastiff let out prolonged howls, much like wolves. They gazed into the pitch-black night at the distant mountain range shrouded in white mist, their paws also moved eagerly, but in the end, they whined and lay back down, dutifully guarding this piece of forest¡­ The next morning, early on. Song Sancheng had just gotten up and stepped into the courtyard when he saw a row of local, ugly, grey-haired squirrels sitting on the wall, each staring at him and scurrying back and forth along the top. Wow! He jumped in surprise. Were there that many squirrels in the mountains this year? Every morning there was a big group of them, like rats holding a meeting. ¡°Wu Lan,¡± he called out loudly, ¡°have you hidden our stuff well? Don¡¯t let the squirrels cause any trouble.¡± These squirrels were quite mischievous, eating and stealing anything they could, even now they were like magpies, digging up freshly sown seeds from the ground. Song Sancheng was puzzled; in previous years, one would only occasionally see a bold one scamper along the wall. But what about this year? It was as if there was a long line of them at the front door every day. But if they were really that numerous, he hadn¡¯t noticed it in the back mountain before! He was full of confusion. Wu Lan had just come out of the house, and upon hearing him, she glanced casually and said, ¡°What food could there be? Just a few old, dry corn cobs, let them steal if they want.¡± Even if they were poor, they wouldn¡¯t miss a few corn cobs, would they? But she was also puzzled, looking at the beam under the storage shed, where a few corn cobs lay dry and untouched. Hadn¡¯t the squirrels been interested in them for a few years now? While they were talking, Seventh Uncle also came out from the side room, all smiles and a bit embarrassed: ¡°I slept in, slept in¡­.¡± He was wondering too. At his age, he shouldn¡¯t be sleeping so soundly. In the city, it was rare for him to get four hours of sleep a night, and he usually woke up around three or four in the morning. But now, looking at the clock, it was already half past five, almost six! He had slept at nine o¡¯clock last night and hadn¡¯t woken up once in between! And looking at his wife, she too looked rosy and energetic¡­ Well, then! The couple knew in their hearts: it must be the countryside air that was so nurturing. Coming back here was indeed the right choice. Wu Lan had lived for most of her life, but this was the first time she had hired a chef, and she felt a bit embarrassed: ¡°Not late at all, usually we¡¯re just getting ready to get up at this time.¡± Seventh Uncle noticed her discomfort and headed towards the kitchen right away, ¡°How many people are eating breakfast? I¡¯ll start getting things ready now.¡± While saying this, he laughed, ¡°I¡¯ve cooked at so many banquets over the years. Normally, I estimate the amount quite well. But I have never seen a time like yesterday where all the plates and bowls were licked clean.¡± According to the village hospitality ideals, it¡¯s better to have leftovers than empty plates. If it wasn¡¯t for everyone looking like they were five months pregnant with their bellies sticking out when they left, Seventh Uncle would have felt ashamed¡ª To host a meal and not have people eat their fill, that¡¯s a huge discourtesy! Chapter 146 - 146 146. Deluxe Breakfast_1 ?Chapter 146: 146. Deluxe Breakfast_1 Chapter 146: 146. Deluxe Breakfast_1 There weren¡¯t many people eating breakfast in the morning, just Song Youde and his spouse, as well as Zhang Yanping, who loved to sleep in, and the family of Seventh Uncle. That made it nine people in total. After Seventh Uncle had confirmed the number of people and reevaluated yesterday¡¯s amount of food, without another word, he and Seventh Grandma began washing rice and starting the fire, ready to cook. For those working on the farm, a solid breakfast was essential early in the morning; otherwise, they¡¯d have no energy. Song Tan had just gotten up, and seeing this scene, she couldn¡¯t help but laugh: ¡°Seventh Uncle, why are you even getting Seventh Grandma involved in the kitchen? Doesn¡¯t this mean I¡¯m essentially paying two people with one salary? I¡¯m getting a great deal here.¡± Seventh Uncle said with a bullish snort: ¡°Your measly salary is barely anything, just a token really. It¡¯s good for your Seventh Grandma to do some work. When you get older, you can¡¯t just sit around doing nothing, or you¡¯ll just waste away.¡± He did have a point. If the elderly in the village stopped being active gradually, regardless of whether it was due to physical inability or sheer unwillingness, their health would rapidly decline. But what did he mean by a measly salary? Song Tan thought to herself: Uncle Zhang on the mountain only gets two thousand a month! She didn¡¯t say anything else, only turned to Song Sancheng and said, ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve also been worked up these past few days. Don¡¯t do any farm work today. I¡¯ll go to Grandpa¡¯s house later to bring back the pig feed. You guys can just stay home and weigh the bamboo shoots.¡± In the past, Song Sancheng would definitely have said: How could my daughter do such heavy work? But now, he said with a beaming smile, ¡°Ah, what a filial daughter I have! Sure, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll sort out those bamboo shoots perfectly for you!¡± Upon reaching Grandma and Grandpa¡¯s house, Song Youde had just returned from outside, his shoes still covered with some wet mud. Looking up at the overcast sky, he declared with certainty, ¡°It¡¯s definitely going to rain today. Tantan, are you still going to sell vegetables?¡± ¡°Selling!¡± Song Tan was even more certain, ¡°The rain won¡¯t be heavy today. Besides, I¡¯ve already notified everyone in the group.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± To the villagers, a bit of rain was nothing serious: ¡°Just remember to wear a hat.¡± Grandma skillfully used a big ladle to fill a bucket with pig feed; through it, she seemed to envision her chubby piglets¡­ ¡°Tantan, those piglets have been growing for over half a month now, and they¡¯re getting big really fast. Now that it¡¯s about to warm up, can we stop cooking their food?¡± Just rinsing some wheat bran and rice chaff with water and mixing it with various other scraps, the pigs would still eat just fine. ¡°Yes,¡± Song Tan nodded: ¡°Grandma, you should have reminded me earlier. I forgot; I made you all put in too much work again.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no trouble at all!¡± Wang Lifen laughed so hard her eyes nearly disappeared in her cheeks, ¡°Having something to do every day makes life complete!¡± ¡°Furthermore, the piglets were still too young. It¡¯s better for them to eat cooked feed for a few more days, just to be safe.¡± Song Youde, who was scraping mud off the soles of his rubber shoes, also spoke up happily, ¡°Tantan, did you go check the fields? The seedlings we transplanted yesterday look full of life today. I¡¯m sure we¡¯re going to have a bountiful harvest this year!¡± Song Tan thought to herself, how could they not thrive? Just last night, she had climbed the back mountain; for the first few hours, she divvied up her energy amongst the Peach Forest, and the next few hours, she gave it to the fields. Da Wang, Dabao, and Erbao were all having the time of their lives, only Sanbao and Sibao in the Chestnut Woods were left feeling short-changed. She would have to make sure they all got their share tonight! Alas, it¡¯s spinning the top during the day and twirling it at night! If they didn¡¯t have a good harvest, it would be like trampling on over a hundred years of reputation! Unfortunately, her troubles were known to no one. Song Youde made some calculations: ¡°Is there any work to be done this morning? If not, I¡¯ll take some nets to catch fish in the irrigation ditches. A lot of fish came downstream with the water release yesterday.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Speaking of this, Song Tan wanted to sigh again. To raise good fish, the two ponds couldn¡¯t lack Spiritual Energy. She felt like a sponge tightly held in someone¡¯s grasp, squeezed of every drop here and there¡ªutterly drained. After thinking for a moment: ¡°No rush, Grandpa, why don¡¯t you and Dad build a few large stoves at the entrance with Seventh Uncle? It¡¯s better to have a spacious area for our family meals.¡± Despite their numbers totaling only nine, when they truly let themselves eat, their appetites could easily match those of twenty people. It just wasn¡¯t right to always confine Seventh Uncle to his tiny kitchen. ¡°Okay.¡± Song Youde glanced at the sky: ¡°Then you go sell vegetables early today. I¡¯ll build a shed with your dad this morning to set up the stoves. It looks like it might rain in the afternoon; afterward, we¡¯ll take a look at how to repair the inside of Seventh Uncle¡¯s old house.¡± Grandma Wang Lifan was still somewhat bewildered: ¡°Are we¡­ Are we not busy anymore?¡± In the previous days, they were as busy as if they were at war, particularly during her tea harvesting which made her feel anxious. Now they said it would be peaceful, and she was a little at a loss. After thinking, she quickly tied up her basket: ¡°The food isn¡¯t ready yet, is it? I¡¯ll take a turn around Tea Mountain first.¡± Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly: ¡°Grandma, even if you take two laps, I¡¯m only paying you a hundred bucks a day for your labor, why bother? You should take it easy when you can.¡± Wang Lifan laughed as well: ¡°Helping my granddaughter, why would I be lazy? But I can¡¯t get much done if I go around Tea Mountain and come back just in time for lunch¡­ How about I help you feed the pigs instead?¡± Oh no, that wouldn¡¯t do. The mountain paths were difficult to walk, and with the heavy pig food buckets in hand, her small-framed grandma might not be able to handle it. Song Tan thought for a moment: ¡°There¡¯s a lot of wild vegetables growing on the back mountain; if you have time, Grandma, you could also help pick some.¡± At the Peach Forest, since the soil was recently turned and exposed to the sun, the grass roots didn¡¯t sprout so quickly. But around the outskirts where Spiritual Energy had dispersed, the wild vegetables grew rapidly. Even though it was already past Qingming Festival, fresh sprouts still emerged. ¡ªIt would really be a shame not to eat them. However, Grandma thought for a moment: ¡°Ask your mother to go, tell her to take a break as well. I¡¯ll still go pick tea leaves; there¡¯s a wage for that.¡± Song Tan: ¡­ That hundred yuan wage was really useful. As she carried the pig food bucket back, she saw Wu Lan and Song Sancheng had already woken up Zhang Yanping and Qiaoqiao. The four of them were weighing and packing at a very quick pace. Looking into the kitchen, wisps of cooking smoke curled up. Seventh Grandma sat in front of the stove, constantly adding wood to the fire. A pot of fragrant rice was boiling, while Seventh Uncle stood beside it, wielding a knife with lightning speed, chopping up pickled cowpeas that seemed to have been unearthed from somewhere into minced bits. He then chopped leftover chili peppers from yesterday¡¯s meal into fine pieces, beat a bowl of eggs. Finally, after rummaging through the kitchen, he picked out some yellow-hearted vegetables and stir-fried them directly with smashed garlic cloves. When the vegetables were cooked, the rice had ¡°bloomed¡±. Seventh Uncle skillfully scooped the excess rice water from the top with a ladle and then continued to simmer the rice over the remaining heat. The rice water wasn¡¯t wasted either; it went straight into a pot, enhanced with some frozen Milk Vetch from the fridge and a couple of cracked eggs, making a fragrant and appetizing green leaf, yellow flower, and clear rice soup! Everyone hurriedly set the table, and looking at the three dishes and one soup before them, which indeed weren¡¯t luxurious but were plentiful in amount, all present swallowed their saliva. What can I say? Now that we have a chef, breakfast is no longer a hasty affair! Chapter 147 - 147 147. Just like the sunlight piercing through the ?Chapter 147: 147. Just like the sunlight piercing through the night_1 Chapter 147: 147. Just like the sunlight piercing through the night_1 A group of people had a superbly satisfying breakfast, lavishing praise on Seventh Uncle¡¯s cooking skills. However, Seventh Uncle himself was far from satisfied: ¡°Now that we¡¯re back in the countryside, why do we still have to buy vegetables for every meal?¡± He looked around the spotless kitchen, lamenting the barrenness of the vegetable patch. But there was no helping it! During this off-season, if we didn¡¯t buy vegetables, would we have to eat lettuce, garlic sprouts, and Chinese cabbage every day? Seventh Uncle was picky, ¡°It¡¯s the wrong season; this Chinese cabbage is all bitter now.¡± If it were during the New Year period, a quick blanch of the Chinese cabbage hearts would make them taste sweet. Seeing everyone well-fed and satisfied, Qiaoqiao happily stacked the dishes in the sink and washed them slowly and carefully, humming a song while she worked: ¡°Just like the sunlight piercing through the night, dawn quietly slides across the sky¡­¡± Song Tan listened over and over, feeling like something wasn¡¯t quite right. Then she remembered: wasn¡¯t that the theme song of Ultraman? But¡ª ¡°Song Qiaoqiao!¡± she asked, ¡°How many episodes did you watch yesterday?¡± Qiaoqiao blinked, then quickly turned her head back and said loudly, ¡°Qiaoqiao is washing the dishes, must be diligent.¡± Well, that figures. Yesterday she had holed up in the bedroom and had only come out reluctantly when it was time to eat, who knows how many episodes she had binge-watched! Seventh Grandma saw how obedient and well-mannered Qiaoqiao seemed and was delighted. She quickly said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with a child watching a few cartoon episodes? I don¡¯t believe you never clung to the TV when you were little.¡± Song Tan fell silent. Back then, which child didn¡¯t wish they could live inside the TV? Just as she was about to say something else, Seventh Uncle had already found a basket, ¡°Is there a specific dish planned for lunch?¡± Wu Lan quickly responded, ¡°Not at all, Uncle, whatever you cook we¡¯ll eat, we¡¯re not picky.¡± Now she was finally liberated from the endless cycle of cooking three meals a day, eagerly tying the basket around her waist, ready to go pick tea leaves. Forget being choosy, she wanted to clap her hands in celebration. Seventh Uncle nodded: ¡°Then I¡¯ll go for a stroll nearby and see what¡¯s edible.¡± The back mountain did have wild vegetables, but due to the early growth induced by Spiritual Energy, they were a bit overgrown by now. Song Tan opened her mouth, about to remind him, but then she considered, since she didn¡¯t know how to cook, it was better to leave professional matters to the professionals. So, while helping to pack and weigh the hundreds of pounds of bamboo shoots dug up yesterday, she also called out to Qiaoqiao, ¡°You watched extra episodes of cartoons yesterday, so you¡¯ll have to work extra hard today, show some good effort.¡± Qiaoqiao was shaking her head and swaying, singing the climax of the song¡ª ¡°¡­A new storm has already appeared, how can we stand still¡­ I will come to you!¡± When she had hummed and mumbled through the entire line of lyrics, she finally nodded vigorously, circling back to the earlier topic, ¡°Alright.¡± Song Tan: ¡­ You sang for over a minute before responding, where¡¯s the sincerity in that? Zhang Yanping, having eaten slightly too much that morning, was strolling around the yard with a protruding belly, idly playing with three little mongrel dogs; the scene couldn¡¯t be more harmonious. Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°Brother Yanping, there hasn¡¯t been much work lately, don¡¯t you want to go home?¡± She was initially planning to trick someone into a labor transformation (snag some labor), but didn¡¯t expect that Zhang Yanping¡¯s wide social network had brought them a lot of help. To continue keeping him working on the farm now would be really embarrassing! Unexpectedly, Yanping reacted as if he¡¯d been pricked by a needle, waving his hands repeatedly, ¡°No, no, no, I¡¯m going to take root in the countryside and contribute to the rural construction!¡± Is that what contributing looks like, wandering aimlessly after a full meal every day? Song Tan expressed skepticism. However, Yanping¡¯s phone chimed just then, and he casually checked it. The loud voice of his mother, Wu Fang, echoed throughout the yard: ¡°Yanping, when is that civil service exam this year? I heard that people are enrolling in training classes for it. Look into it, and if necessary, sign up for one in the city!¡± Yanping replied without a moment¡¯s hesitation: ¡°No need, Mom, I can review here at my aunt¡¯s place too. Staying rooted in the countryside, learning for the nation, it¡¯s beneficial for the interview.¡± Having said that, he shoved his phone into his pocket and continued to stroll around the yard. It¡¯s a good thing that Wu Lan had already walked far away with her basket, otherwise, she definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to lie so blatantly¡ªrooted in the countryside, learning for the nation? He¡¯s worse at farming than Qiaoqiao is! But, despite Brother Yanping¡¯s daily complaints about not wanting to work, when it really came down to lending a hand, he was never too idle. Considering his reluctance to go back and study, it¡¯s really a wonder how he got into a 211 university in the first place. That is to say, isn¡¯t there any joy in studying at all? She moved the bamboo shoots into the car, planning to leave as soon as Qiaoqiao finished washing the dishes. Seventh Uncle glanced at the gloomy sky and couldn¡¯t help but nod, ¡°The trees and vegetables you planted yesterday are good, and at the right season too.¡± ¡°At the awakening of insects plant cucumbers, they will not bear empty flowers. Plant cucumbers at Qingming, and you¡¯ll fill boats and carts.¡± After Seventh Uncle mumbled this, he still wasn¡¯t satisfied: ¡°I see there¡¯s a bit of space at the base of your wall, why not plant some pumpkins there? When they flower, I¡¯ll make fried pumpkin flowers for you.¡± Isn¡¯t that easy? Song Tan readily agreed, ¡°Not just in front and behind the house, but also on the edges of the fields and on the slopes, they can all be planted. I¡¯ll mention it to my dad in a bit.¡± Seventh Uncle nodded, reminded of his own miserable past of trying to grow cabbage between bricks. Looking at the large basket in his hand, his heart swelled with pride¡ª ¡°Hey, young man Yanping, come on, let¡¯s go find some vegetables together.¡± ¡°Are we still picking locust flowers?¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yanping was energized. Seventh Uncle huffed, ¡°No matter how good something is, you can¡¯t eat it every day, it was just for a change of taste¡ªI¡¯ll go find something different.¡± He had only hurried through the village in recent years, rarely taking the time to leisurely explore like now. Together with Seventh Grandma, they pointed here and there at the fields and forests, his lifetime of memories all here. Passing by the bamboo grove, he even sighed, ¡°These bamboos are growing so vigorously, no wonder the bamboo shoots tasted so good yesterday.¡± But having eaten them yesterday, he had no plans to dig more today, so he continued walking. Reaching the embankment where the bamboo grove bordered the pond, the buzzing of bees caught his attention¡ª ¡°We had milk vetch rice soup this morning; for lunch let¡¯s go with rapeseed flowers. Each of us can have an egg wrapped in rapeseed flowers, and for cold dishes, we can mix it with wild onions to accompany the rice¡ª¡± Ever since Yanping returned to his hometown, he had tried all manner of ways to mix anything and everything. At this point, none of it surprised him. Hearing the menu, he walked directly into the sparse field of rapeseed flowers, heartlessly breaking them off¡­ Anyway, there was no hint of poetry or romance in it. Fortunately, as a chef, Seventh Uncle cared only if something was tasty and didn¡¯t judge his crude methods. Looking down, he noticed a layer of mint growing nearby and furrowed his brows, slightly annoyed: ¡°If we had chicken blood with mint soup for lunch, that would work too¡­¡± Chapter 148 - 148 148. Continuous Lettuce_1 ?Chapter 148: 148. Continuous Lettuce_1 Chapter 148: 148. Continuous Lettuce_1 But now it¡¯s just the Qingming season, and the mint has only sprouted a tender bunch, plus I did not prepare any chicken blood either¡­ Seventh Uncle sighed in disappointment and decided to postpone this dish until summer. Over here, Yanping had already picked a large handful of blooming rape flowers and stuffed them into his arms before tossing them into the basket. Seventh Uncle looked down, and in an instant, he started hopping mad: ¡°Why did you pick all the ones in full bloom? Aren¡¯t those with buds tenderer?¡± Yanping was bewildered for a moment¡ªhe didn¡¯t cook, so how was he supposed to know that it wasn¡¯t the flowers but the buds that were needed? But that didn¡¯t stop him from defending himself confidently: ¡°Seventh Uncle,¡± he wasn¡¯t sure what to call him, so he just went with what Tantan did: ¡°The bees are collecting nectar over there. Let¡¯s leave the buds for them, we can just eat what they leave behind. I¡¯m not picky.¡± Seventh Uncle: ¡­ A chef couldn¡¯t stand to hear such talk! ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say this outside, it¡¯s embarrassing enough as it is. What kind of family is this? Even picking what the bees have left behind to eat rape flowers¡­¡± But thinking about the sweet taste of the honey water he had tried yesterday, he couldn¡¯t help smacking his lips: ¡°Old lady, did you drink the honey water last night?¡± ¡°I did,¡± answered Seventh Grandma crisply: ¡°You know, I slept very soundly last night, and I must say, I had such an easy time in the bathroom this morning.¡± With age, their digestive systems were not as good as when they were younger; constipation was a common issue. Having just come back for one night, the feeling of comfort in her bones was something Seventh Grandma described as feeling pleasant from head to toe. Hearing this, Seventh Uncle also rubbed his stomach, remembering this morning¡¯s unrestrained cycle of ¡®grains¡¯¡­ Glancing back at the basket full of blooming rape flowers, he thought it wouldn¡¯t hurt to eat what was leftover, and he no longer felt repulsed. Yanping, carrying the basket, sauntered behind. Not far along, he saw Seventh Uncle stop again by the vegetable garden, eyeing the coriander sprawling on the ground. Peeking over, he immediately exclaimed excitedly, ¡°Are we having fish for lunch?¡± Ah, that wild crucian carp his uncle-in-law caught, whether stewed or braised, was extraordinarily sweet; he could never get enough of it. But how much did they catch to still have some left after all this time? No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than he saw Seventh Uncle shake his head: ¡°I rummaged through the fridge yesterday, there¡¯re no more crucian carps, just a packet of salted fish left. This coriander looks good though. Later on, I¡¯ll get some more from Big Brother¡¯s garden, and I¡¯ll grill the leftover beef with coriander and chili peppers.¡± Yanping didn¡¯t know what was going on, but just hearing the name made his mouth water. Thinking carefully about the flavor, he realized that after living for more than twenty years, not having eaten the rape flowers was one thing, but how had he never tried grilled beef with coriander? His stomach was full and bloated, yet his mouth was overflowing with saliva, an especially uncomfortable sensation! The trio idly roamed about half the mountain, Seventh Uncle feeling spirited and invigorated, looking at everything as an opportunity to showcase his culinary skills. As they were about to circle back home, they spotted a clump of newly sprouted goji berry shoots at the edge of the forest. Without any hesitation, he ordered: ¡°Yanping, go pick some of those goji berry shoots.¡± He then took out his phone and called Song Tan: ¡°Song Tan, are you in town yet? On your way back, remember to buy a pound of pears! I¡¯m picking some goji berry shoots, I¡¯ll make you all an egg and goji berry shoot ball with pork hind leg for lunch.¡± The ¡°pear¡± Seventh Uncle mentioned was local slang here; its scientific name was water chestnut. When he was a child and his family grew rice, they would always dig up a lot during plowing. Song Tan also liked them, but as the water chestnuts were round like dumplings and peeling them was troublesome, when she worked in Ning City, she usually bought a bag of pre-peeled ones from fruit stalls for five yuan to satisfy her cravings. So, she agreed without hesitation. Without asking, Yanping also had not tried this dish before. While carefully picking the goji shoots, making sure not to get pricked by thorns, he felt his mouth watering even more: how to put it? Suddenly, he felt like he was the head of the imperial kitchen. ¡­ At the same time, Uncle Song Dafang was at home losing his temper: ¡°If you don¡¯t want to cook just say it early, and I¡¯ll go buy something from the restaurant at the door. We won¡¯t starve.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Daughter-in-law Sun Yanyan saw her mother-in-law sitting at the kitchen door peeling asparagus lettuce again and her head was about to explode: ¡°Mom, no matter how much asparagus lettuce there is, we can¡¯t eat it for every meal! Ziyi was crying from eating it last night.¡± sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wasn¡¯t it just a few days ago when they brought back all that asparagus lettuce from those three patches of land in the countryside? They had thought it was as tasty as Milk Vetch and even considered whether they could sell it at a high price¡­ Who knew that when they stir-fried it that night, it tasted no different from the asparagus lettuce back home and seemed no different from what was sold in the market either. Mao Li¡¯s face turned dark on the spot: ¡°Selling this for twenty yuan a kilo? Not even a dog would be fooled!¡± Uncle Song Dafang¡¯s face darkened instantly, and he slapped the table with his chopsticks: ¡°Not even a dog would be fooled, then why did you two bring back such a big basket of it?¡± Mao Li: ¡­ She thought to herself, I didn¡¯t curse at myself, you¡¯re bringing the curse upon yourself! But she only dared to mutter quietly: ¡°You didn¡¯t stop us when we went to dig it.¡± Looking again at the dozens of strong asparagus lettuces in the kitchen, oh my god! How was their family of five supposed to eat all this? Throwing it away was out of the question, but giving it away¡­ why do that? Why should others take advantage? So, when they returned home that day, apart from a dinner of stir-fried asparagus lettuce that evening, the next morning Ziyi¡¯s porridge contained diced asparagus lettuce. Mao Li¡¯s culinary skills were so-so, and the asparagus lettuce went straight into the porridge without blanching, causing the child to push the bowl away: ¡°Tastes worse than grass.¡± At noon, asparagus lettuce stewed with pork ribs, and that was kind of okay; the ribs were still quite fragrant. Everyone had their fill. But by evening, in addition to the leftover asparagus lettuce stewed with pork ribs from lunch, there was an extra plate of asparagus lettuce stir-fried with shredded meat. The family¡¯s faces were as green as the asparagus lettuce, gritting their teeth as they finished eating. Who would have thought that early this morning, Mao Li made Ziyi a chicken egg pancake ¨C kids, after all, love good-looking things. Usually, she¡¯d add a slice of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and a slice of bacon. Whether it tastes good or not, it has to look vibrant and celebratory. Today, though, she didn¡¯t cut corners. She finely grated the asparagus lettuce, blanched it, and rolled it into the pancake. Including the meal they had at noon when they returned to the old home, this was several meals in a row with asparagus lettuce. The child went to kindergarten in tears. Barely making it through the morning, and then seeing her sitting at the kitchen door watching TV and peeling asparagus lettuce again, the whole family really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Mao Li also got angry: ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that sly Tantan deliberately getting us to bring back this tasteless asparagus lettuce, would we have ended up with so much in the kitchen?¡± To just throw it away or what, when it costs two yuan per kilo at the market? They were all from farming backgrounds. Uncle didn¡¯t suggest throwing it away, but his face turned grim: ¡°Then give it away! Send more over to Hongmei. Give some to the neighbors. If not, I¡¯ll take it to the store and share it with our friends.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Mao Li thought about it: Why send anything when it¡¯s not the holiday season? ¡± These asparagus lettuces are robust, weighing several kilos each. Just two could cost more than ten yuan. Aren¡¯t we trying to save money?¡± Chapter 149 - 149 149.Do you do wholesale _1 ?Chapter 149: 149.Do you do wholesale? _1 Chapter 149: 149.Do you do wholesale? _1 Uncle was so angry he wanted to flip the table: ¡°You¡¯re missing just over ten bucks?¡± Mao Li¡¯s neck stiffened in defiance, ¡°Missing? How can we not be short? The older one doesn¡¯t earn money, always at home with face masks and manicures, and I have to subsidize the younger one for hobby classes and kindergarten. How can we live without saving a bit?¡± Her words were loaded with a double meaning, indirectly criticizing someone¡ªreferring to her own daughter-in-law who neither worked nor contributed financially. However, there¡¯s always someone tougher, and Sun Yanyan stared at the television with a grave face, as if she hadn¡¯t heard a thing. Mao Li punched the cotton, frustrated, and turned her anger towards Song Tan and Song Hongmei: ¡°And that Hongmei, as an aunt, she¡¯s not thrifty at all! Tantan gives her something, and she snatches it all, not leaving anything for us. This aunt and niece duo sure know how to be crafty!¡± At the mention of this, Sun Yanyan did recall something, ¡°Mom, didn¡¯t big aunt share a bag of locust flowers with us the day before yesterday?¡± Mao Li huffed, ¡°That stuff can¡¯t be kneaded or squeezed, it got squashed under dozens of pounds of lettuce when we moved it, can we still use it? I threw it away the night before last.¡± ¡°Oh dear,¡± Sun Yanyan regretted, ¡°why did you throw it away? Those locust flowers sell for a good price at the market, ten bucks a pound.¡± Upon hearing this, Mao Li stood up angrily again: ¡°Stop dawdling at home, come to the market with me.¡± Sun Yanyan didn¡¯t want to move¡ªher mother-in-law always tried to pinch pennies from her hand, risking end up giving it to her sister-in-law; she¡¯d be a fool to pay from her own pocket! ¡°What for¡­¡± she was very reluctant. Mao Li held back her breath, ¡°To buy groceries! What else! All day long I cater to all of you¡ªif you still want to eat lettuce for lunch, then don¡¯t go.¡± Sun Yanyan slapped her bottom and followed along. She may not shell out her own money, but someone loved the lettuce, she had certainly had her fill of it. Thinking it over, she added, ¡°Mom, it seemed like big aunt also took away some bamboo shoots when she left. Tantan said she was planning to sell them, they might be at the market today. Why don¡¯t we go to Riverside Market?¡± That market was a bit far from their home, and after the unpleasant scene last time, Mao Li had silently vowed never to go back. But now, feeling frustrated, she snorted coldly and eventually turned that way. And just as Sun Yanyan predicted, Song Tan was indeed there today. This time she came to sell vegetables alone, a large QR code posted on the flatbed truck. She was so neglectful that she didn¡¯t even bother to unload the bamboo shoots but simply squatted in the truck bed, trading cash for goods with one hand. The scene was bustling and noisy. If not for the crowd being mostly older folks (since when it comes to fighting over goods, young people have virtually no combat power at the market), it would have looked exactly like a concert held in the midst of a pile of bamboo shoots in the flatbed truck. Today, although Qiaoqiao wasn¡¯t there, Song Tan didn¡¯t seem flustered on her own. ¡ªHaving continued her training for over a month, although she was still in the Qi-training phase, she had made some progress and had begun to sense her spiritual consciousness. Although she didn¡¯t use it much because Spiritual Energy was so precious and scarce, it was a piece of cake to enhance her memory, listen to the payment notifications on her phone, and keep track of the quantities required by the customers. Not to mention, she wasn¡¯t entirely alone in her efforts. There, a neighboring vegetable vendor was lending a hand, helping her collect cash! After all, not every customer in the older age group could operate a smartphone smoothly. You¡¯d think that both being in the same business, they would be competitors, right? It makes no sense for a vendor to neglect their own stall to help out. But it depends on the level, doesn¡¯t it! If it were the vendor next door on the right, at best, they might look after another¡¯s stall when they went to the restroom, but they¡¯d never leave their own to help busy themselves. But with Song Tan¡­ As soon as her Little Pika stopped, the customers flocking around wouldn¡¯t give these ordinary vegetables another glance. So why was he just sitting there? He might as well take the opportunity to network a bit. The girl wasn¡¯t very big, but she was straightforward. As she was busy in the truck bed, when she heard him politely speak up, she casually assigned him the task of collecting cash. The veggie vendor was actually quite flattered. The amount of cash flow from just the bamboo shoots in her truck bed was staggering. This made him all the more earnest. But after bustling about for an hour, as the crowd thinned, he looked at the bag full of money and suddenly realized¡ª sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What trust? Wasn¡¯t he just doing the job of that girl¡¯s silly little brother? Turning his head, Song Tan saw that fewer people were around, and she handed him a plastic bag with three pounds of bamboo shoots. ¡°Take it, I won¡¯t charge you.¡± Heh, it was like red rain from the sky, even the stingiest person was giving away feathers! The veggie vendor didn¡¯t hesitate, opening the plastic bag and looking at the three large winter bamboo shoots and a handful of spring ones, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh: ¡°These three pounds of shoots, the shells alone weigh two and a half pounds, leaving so little.¡± All together, it¡¯s barely enough for one dish, and that¡¯s if it¡¯s served on a shallow plate. He sighed to Song Tan, ¡°The few pounds of bamboo shoots I bought from you last time were gone in one meal. You sell such high-quality produce, why don¡¯t you supply it to five-star hotels instead of selling it here in front of me every day?¡± Sure, he could afford to buy it, but he couldn¡¯t eat it every day; he was working his butt off at night just to make money, afraid that one day he wouldn¡¯t have enough to eat. Such injustice! Song Tan just laughed, ¡°You¡¯re worrying too early. Right now, I¡¯m just harvesting what I can from around the house. In a couple of months, when the vegetables in my field are ready, if you don¡¯t pay me a hundred bucks a day, then I¡¯ll be impressed by your restraint!¡± A hundred bucks for vegetables, like five pounds of cabbage, at least could feed a family for a meal. If it¡¯s something like these bamboo shoots with their shells and all¡­ a hundred bucks? That might only get you some novelty. He let out a sigh, ¡°Even buying cherries for my kids doesn¡¯t hurt like this.¡± Then he got interested again, ¡°What kind of vegetables do you grow in your field? The same quality as these?¡± Song Tan thought about the seedlings she had been nurturing with Spiritual Power since the soaking stage and confidently nodded, ¡°Just as good, if not better.¡± The thought made the veggie vendor shiver, ¡°Then the price¡­?¡± As for the price, Song Tan hadn¡¯t really considered it yet, but even if the vegetables sold at sky-high prices, what of it? She wasn¡¯t looking to become the richest person around. So she nodded again, ¡°The usual rate, twenty bucks a pound.¡± She was used to doing the maths quickly; it was convenient. Meanwhile, the veggie vendor was counting on his fingers the vegetables she mentioned: Bok choy grows fast and would hit the market by Labor Day, followed by tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, long beans¡ªgood heavens, there¡¯s something to sell every month! How much money would he have to spend? After some thought, the veggie vendor leaned in again, ¡°Sister, do you do wholesale for these veggies? What¡¯s the wholesale price?¡± Chapter 150 - 150 150. Sneakily fishing_1 ?Chapter 150: 150. Sneakily fishing_1 Chapter 150: 150. Sneakily fishing_1 The yield from the vegetables in his own fields, Song Tan knew, would definitely not be low, and he nodded now: ¡°When the vegetables in the fields are ready for harvest in large quantities, we¡¯ll definitely need to find someone to buy them.¡± Otherwise, coming to the market every day, there¡¯s neither the time nor the energy for that. Guarding the spot from dawn till dusk, and selling over a thousand pounds of vegetables a day would certainly not be an issue. But the problem is that there is a mountain of chores at home; coming here every other day is already pushing it to the limit. As for the price¡­ ¡°The same price, twenty yuan per pound, buy one hundred pounds and get one pound free.¡± The vegetable vendor: ¡­ S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Wholesale, but not entirely wholesale. He held back but then still asked, ¡°What¡¯s the difference between your wholesale and our retail prices?¡± ¡°They are essentially the same.¡± Song Tan said righteously: ¡°How the harvest is done will still be the same, how the goods are delivered will still be the same, my costs haven¡¯t dropped¡­¡± As for the worry that no merchants would buy¡ªwhat a joke, with the taste of these vegetables, you could go to any star-rated hotel and they would be willing to pay two hundred yuan a pound. If anyone still refuses after tasting them, Song Tan would actually respect that person as quite the man. The vegetable vendor swallowed a mouthful of old blood, not thinking about helping anymore, just carrying his bag of bamboo shoots and plopping back down on the little stool at his stall. But sitting there for a long time, he eventually went over again, huffing: ¡°Then I¡¯ll wholesale at twenty yuan per pound, and I¡¯ll be the one to set the prices at the market, how about that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even bother wholesaling.¡± Song Tan earnestly said: ¡°My family¡¯s fields might not be vast, but you know the quality. When I come to the market to sell vegetables, I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m not doing it for money, but rather for everyone to taste something good¡­ ¡°Honestly, is twenty yuan a bargain compared to the quality of these vegetables?¡± ¡°If I were to wholesale to you, first, I wouldn¡¯t make much profit, and second, everyone is already familiar with my prices. If you raise the price, it could cause trouble, right?¡± Why bother? But here I am guarding my spot like the God of Wealth, and in the end, I have to go back and watch over my own ordinary, unremarkable little stall¡­ Who¡¯s going to compensate for that kind of drop-off? The vegetable vendor looked at her with a plaintive gaze: ¡°Girl, have you thought about the stall rental at the market I mentioned last time?¡± Song Tan pondered: ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem necessary¡­¡± No sooner had she said just that, and before she could elaborate, the neighboring vegetable vendor quickly spoke up: ¡°If you¡¯re not wholesaling, then you¡¯re not wholesaling. But if you rent a stall, you¡¯ll have a fixed spot to build a reputation in the future.¡± ¡°Your products are good, and everyone in the market has heard bits and pieces about it. These days, people have been setting up shop in your spot early in the morning, not caring about the quality of what they sell.¡± ¡°Clearly they are taking advantage of your reputation, and if customers get deceived, they might blame you, which isn¡¯t worth it.¡± He pleaded earnestly: ¡°The market stalls here are really inexpensive, just in high demand. If you have connections, securing a stable spot is just a matter of spending a little money, and it¡¯s truly worth it.¡± ¡°If need be, I¡¯ll drive over to pick up however much you want to sell each day. I¡¯ll help you sell!¡± ¡°Just reserve a small space next to your stall for me, and I¡¯ll sell the vegetables I get wholesale. Okay?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t rely on your reputation at all. I¡¯ll display my prices for all to see, and you can come and check anytime.¡± Song Tan was puzzled: ¡°I feel like setting up shop here is pretty good for you too, no overhead, and you can leave as soon as you¡¯re done selling each day. You don¡¯t necessarily need a stall, do you?¡± As they were talking, all of a sudden there was a chill on the tip of her nose, and looking up, she saw that the spring rain had begun. Little raindrops, like smoke and mist, gently fell, and the vegetable vendor wiped his damp hair tips, showing her his moist palm: ¡°See, besides being poor, this is another reason.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting older and don¡¯t want to endure the sun, the rain, and the cold winds here anymore.¡± That actually makes sense. In this period, Song Tan had gained a fair understanding of the vegetable vendor¡¯s character. Not to say he was particularly noble, but he did seem to speak honestly. Moreover, as the work in her own vegetable garden kept increasing, she wouldn¡¯t be able to come to the city to set up her stall every day. But Song Tan wasn¡¯t too keen on packing all her vegetables off to wholesalers either. However, she found herself somewhat tempted by what the vegetable vendor had said. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Song Tan gave a wry smile, ¡°you¡¯ve been setting up your stall for so long without securing a spot, how could I sort it out all at once?¡± ¡°But I do agree with your idea. If there really is a place, we can work it out together. While they chatted, she also managed to sell off most of the bamboo shoots in her truck bed. Just then, a familiar face looked around furtively and approached like a thief: ¡°Xiaosong, my ten pounds of bamboo shoots.¡± He quickly scanned a QR code to pay on one side, while eagerly waiting to grab his big bag on the other. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Zhu Suo, do you really need to be like this?¡± The one who came was the police station chief who had caught her last time. That farcical arrest was an unexpected fortune for Song Tan, but for the entire police station, it was an incident best forgotten. It was just that one mistake! Their wallets were emptied out, smoother than an old washboard. Buying tea leaves was agonizing enough; at least you could console yourself that spending a large sum once would last a long time. But who would have thought, everyone saw the flourishing state of the market, starting from the last batch of Milk Vetch. Henceforth, they came in shifts like bandits, sneaking around when buying vegetables. Zhu Suo held the bag in his hand and gave a bitter smile, ¡°Gotta be careful! Last time, Xiaowa bought five pounds of Milk Vetch from you and didn¡¯t manage to hide it. Everyone pestered him until he agreed to share it right there and then.¡± ¡°You know how expensive these vegetables are, I grieve over even a single piece of bamboo shoot skin that falls off; can¡¯t let those guys get wind of it.¡± Song Tan held back a laugh and lowered her voice, adopting a conspiratorial tone as well: ¡°Zhu Suo, you better hurry along. I see your Xiaozhou brother from your station is already at the fruit stand.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you all skiving off work?¡± Who has time for an argument about skiving! Zhu Suo shuddered and, holding ten pounds of plastic bag, started a vigilant anti-tracking drill in the vegetable market, a place as familiar to him as his own front door. Xiaozhou sneaked over soon after. ¡°Xiaosong, weigh me three pounds.¡± he said, handing out a red banknote, ¡°Everyone at work is an animal!¡± ¡°And Zhou Suo is too cunning, not satisfied with secretly buying for himself, he also made it into chili oil-bamboo shoot dices at home and used a sealed bag to bring himself a small pack to work¡ªI only got one stem before it was all gone!¡± Isn¡¯t this bullying them for not knowing how to cook, and being bachelors to boot? Xiaozhou grumbled resentfully, ¡°Wait till I¡¯m off work and go home, I¡¯ll have my mom make it for me too!¡± Of course, he had to keep an eye on it, or else the chili oil-bamboo shoot dices might be made, but not end up in his mouth. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but look sympathetic: Her vegetables were a bit expensive and especially delicious, after all! She touched the coins the vegetable vendor had just handed her and deftly pulled out forty bucks to pass over. Chapter 151 - 151 151. Fines and Relatives _1 ?Chapter 151: 151. Fines and Relatives _1 Chapter 151: 151. Fines and Relatives _1 At the corner of the market. Mao Li and Sun Yanyan, who had just walked over, immediately stopped in their tracks before looking at the pickup truck with uncertainty: ¡°Yanyan, you have sharp eyes. Take a look, is it the police coming to collect fines?¡± Sun Yanyan stretched her neck like a wild duck in the field to take a closer look, and sure enough, she saw the uniformed police officer with an unpleasant expression, who also took the money from Song Tan¡¯s hands. ¡°Most likely,¡± she answered confidently: ¡°What can she do! Driving her scrappy little truck around every day, selling overpriced vegetables, recognizing only money, not people¡­ If this were the past, my cousin¡¯s neighbor¡¯s son worked at the Urban Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau, I would have surely asked for a favor, put in a good word or two. But now¡­¡± She snorted: ¡°It¡¯s normal for those who make big money to look down on us poor relatives.¡± Mao Li felt nervous inside, but the corners of her lips betrayed a hint of a smile: ¡°Serves her right!¡± ¡°I always said they were selling their vegetables too expensive, making ill-gotten gains. Sooner or later they were bound to run into trouble.¡± The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo watched the scene unfold with full enthusiasm, the light drizzle hardly dampening their spirits. It was not until the uniformed person left that the two exchanged glances, then they approached the familiar scrappy truck with light footsteps, putting on a sighing face: S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Tantan, I told you, you can¡¯t sell vegetables this way. Look, you weren¡¯t careful for a second and got fined, didn¡¯t you?¡± Song Tan was busy arranging the next few pockets of bamboo shoots. There weren¡¯t many left, just three to five catties each, making up a total of four bags. She decided to just carry all four bags down. She was just about to stand up when she heard these familiar voices. So she turned around and smiled at Mao Li: ¡°Right, Great Aunt, this morning alone, two officers came, and I was fined a total of one hundred and sixty.¡± The nearby vegetable vendor burst out laughing with a ¡°pfft¡±. Wasn¡¯t it one hundred and sixty? Zhu Suo¡¯s one hundred, Xiaozhou¡¯s sixty. This girl seemed lively at first, then it turned out she was quite generous, and eventually, she seemed quite stable. But now she seemed so teasingly clever, didn¡¯t she? By the time Sun Yanyan looked over, the vegetable vendor had already lowered her head to busy herself with the leaves in front of her again. Sun Yanyan withdrew her gaze and now exaggeratedly covered her mouth: ¡°One hundred and sixty, oh my! That¡¯s not a small sum, do you want me to use some connections to help out? We¡¯ve got to get this fine revoked somehow; we¡¯re all family here, no need to be polite.¡± This sour and pretentious tone was so fake that even the vegetable vendors couldn¡¯t bear to watch, yet Song Tan looked pleasantly surprised: ¡°That would be great, Sister-in-law, I know I can count on you to handle things. I¡¯m waiting to go home, can you hurry up and get the fine refunded for me?¡± Sun Yanyan: ¡­ Her face became stiff. Not to mention how others might view her if word got out from a vegetable-selling girl, but as for the connection¡­ she hadn¡¯t lied about it. Indeed, it was her cousin¡¯s neighbor¡¯s son who worked as an urban enforcer. She had heard about it during gossip. But she didn¡¯t even know his full name! Now that she had barely boasted a little, Song Tan promptly took the bait, leaving her with no choice but to keep a serious face and to pretend to be knowledgeable: ¡°What do you know? Government matters have their procedures; things can¡¯t be resolved so quickly. Besides, it¡¯s just one hundred and sixty; it¡¯s not worth it to use connections for such a small matter.¡± As she was speaking, she saw another policeman, who looked to be in his thirties, running over from up the street. He was in uniform and appeared somewhat embarrassed when he saw Sun Yanyan and Mao Li, with his face tense and drawn. The mother-and-daughter-in-law involuntarily stepped back, watching as he approached, looked at the plastic bags, and asked: ¡°How much for these?¡± ¡°Three hundred and twenty, take it all,¡± Song Tan replied briskly. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to snatch them up today.¡± He quickly transferred the payment and then picked up the bags in front of him, darting away like the wind. Song Tan listened to the notification ¡°Received payment of three hundred and twenty yuan¡± and smiled at Mao Li again: ¡°It¡¯s still my sister-in-law¡¯s face that works wonders, that double refund came back pretty fast, huh.¡± Then she regretfully said, ¡°Ah, great-aunt, you see, it¡¯s really unfortunate timing, everything¡¯s been sold out. I even said I¡¯d save a couple for you to try¡­¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll head back now, there¡¯s a pile of work waiting at home. Day in and day out, slaving away just to make a few thousand yuan, what¡¯s that good for?¡± A few thousand a day? From these trashy bamboo shoots? A business with no capital investment?! Little Pika let out a sound of grudging acquiescence, as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law watched her skillfully turn the corner and disappear from view, feeling their blood pressure shoot up. ¡­ Feeling sulky, Mao Li picked her way through the market and only reluctantly spent some money. But what about all those lettuce stems? In the end, they still had their place on the dining table. However, no one in the family paid them any heed, except for Mao Li who stubbornly tried to consume them on her own. Song Dafang couldn¡¯t stand it anymore: ¡°To the folks upstairs, downstairs, and across the street, just take a couple and give them away, with such a huge pile, how long will it take to finish eating all this?¡± Truth be told, Mao Li usually liked to show off her wealth, and she felt a sense of superiority when giving things away. But this time, who asked her to take up the challenge with lettuce stems? Now, rolling her eyes: Just no. ¡°Every day, what¡¯s with all this giving away, can we even live our lives? Soon I¡¯ll blanch them and dry them, save them for the winter.¡± Ziyi, holding her special bowl, asked curiously now, ¡°Why save them for the winter? Won¡¯t the supermarket have vegetables then?¡± Mao Li felt annoyed but managed to force a smile for her little granddaughter: ¡°Because your mom doesn¡¯t work and spends money carelessly, our family has to save and live frugally, we can¡¯t waste.¡± Ziyi was just in kindergarten, but now she sighed like an adult and earnestly lectured her grandma: ¡°Grandma, you can¡¯t say that, the teacher said that the contribution of a housewife should be respected.¡± This was from a special seminar held last March on International Women¡¯s Day, and although the kindergarten kids were young, they were surprisingly sharp and often made astonishing statements. At this moment, Mao Li felt like she¡¯d been stabbed in the heart. She really wanted to flip the table. Why, is she not a housewife? After managing inside and outside for so many years, why didn¡¯t anyone see fit to speak considerately? Now that she had a daughter-in-law, who seemed to do nothing but leisurely stroll and spend money all day, did she even touch any housework? At most, she¡¯d make some juice for Ziyi or toast some bread, and even that came with exorbitant expenses! And yet, her granddaughter was sympathetic to her! The more Mao Li thought about it, the angrier she got, but looking at Song Ziyi¡¯s young and tender face, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to argue and merely grunted, ¡°You¡¯re just a child, you don¡¯t understand, you¡¯ll know when you grow up.¡± Ziyi humphed, ¡°Grandma, that¡¯s the only thing you ever say.¡± Because of this, Mao Li felt even more aggrieved and decided she had to make good use of these free lettuce stems. So she cleaned up the dishes and got to work in the kitchen. Peeling, shredding, blanching, sun-drying¡­ It was a massive task with dozens of stems, and she was left feeling sore and aching in the kitchen. When she finally looked up: it was already dark! Chapter 152 - 152 152. Farm work is endless_1 ?Chapter 152: 152. Farm work is endless_1 Chapter 152: 152. Farm work is endless_1 In a rush and a panic, Mao Li didn¡¯t even have time to check the time. She quickly dug out a piece of cardboard to place the shredded asparagus lettuce on and set it on the windowsill. Let the night breeze cool it off, then she could take it out for the sun to dry it further tomorrow. However, no sooner had she just entered the kitchen to clean up the dinner, than the door was pushed open, and her son Song Xuehai came in looking like a drowned rat. ¡°The rain came down too suddenly,¡± he said. It started pouring the moment he got out of the car, and he ran all the way home, getting completely drenched. Hurrying back to his room, he prepared to change his clothes, but then paused, and with a start, he called out: ¡°Mom, I sent you a message this afternoon telling you to close the windows. Why didn¡¯t you close them? The bay window is all wet with rain.¡± As for the asparagus lettuce shreds she had painstakingly prepared in the afternoon ¡ª no need to look, the cardboard beneath was soaked to a mush. Mao Li looked at the message she had missed and truly felt breathless. ¡­ Song Tan didn¡¯t know that her grandaunt¡¯s blood pressure rose three times a day, making her life so lively. But instead of going back, she reconsidered and steered the wheel, driving straight into the shopping mall. If she planned to do live-streams regularly, she really needed to buy a mobile phone dedicated to that purpose. Otherwise, Qiaoqiao constantly using her own phone could cause delays. Plus, her dear younger brother had been behaving well lately, so she decided to buy him a tablet so he could watch cartoons. Alas, she had promised to make time to take him to the amusement park. Now looking at her schedule, it turned out she had underestimated the workload of farm life. She had just paid when Song Sancheng called: ¡°Tantan, when you come back, could you pick up some colored steel tiles from the construction material market? Your grandfather and I are building a stove and we need to put up a shelter for it.¡± Otherwise, the rain and wind could really be a nuisance. These so-called colored steel tiles, which had replaced asbestos tiles, were a popular, economical material of the day, about a meter in width and cut to length as needed. A single piece wasn¡¯t expensive; even the most basic of a standard size wasn¡¯t more than twenty or thirty yuan. Putting up a temporary shelter seemed just about right. But that money¡­ after buying the phone and tablet, she was already a bit out of pocket. Now with these steel tiles¡­ it was like working for nothing all day! She thought of her debts and sighed as she got into the car. ¡­ Back home, she saw that Song Sancheng had already erected a simple shelter up against the courtyard wall. The shelter looked barren at the top, but the large stove in the middle, built from red bricks, was particularly striking. Nothing to be done, it was just a makeshift solution, which made the entire courtyard appear even more cramped and unsightly, with absolutely no planning to speak of. What could Song Tan do? A penny can stop a hero, after all. Song Sancheng was helping to build a wooden frame on the side to hold Seventh Uncle¡¯s various seasonings, condiments, and chopping board. In his spare time, Song Youde packed a pinch of tobacco leaves into his smoking pipe: ¡°Tantan, what do you plan to plant in those fields on the back hill? The land has been fallow for many years and it doesn¡¯t look too fertile now.¡± Altogether, there were about three acres of land. Song Tan pondered for a moment: They had no shortage of vegetables. So then¡­ ¡°Soybeans, sesame, and sweet potatoes ¡ª for our own consumption, it feels safer to grow them ourselves.¡± Mentioning sweet potatoes didn¡¯t exactly stir fond feelings in Song Youde, but he knew the younger generation liked them. He considered: ¡°I¡¯ll have to see whose sweet potatoes taste good in the village, and when the time comes, you can buy those varieties.¡± Once bought, after all, the land was already prepared. They would just need to create some ridges and transplant the sweet potato slips into them. Anyway, it¡¯s about time for the sweet potatoes to sprout, so we¡¯ll chop them up based on the sprouts to show the kids something new. Song Tan nodded and then remembered something, ¡°Right, Grandpa, leave some space for Qiaoqiao to plant corn.¡± Qiaoqiao, that silly kid, the only thing he knows how to do is plant corn. What would we do if we didn¡¯t give him some room to grow? What¡¯s with this ¡®bit by bit¡¯ with land? Song Youde pondered, ¡°Since we¡¯re going to plant corn, then we can just split it half-and-half with the sweet potatoes. To be honest, corn can even feed the chickens, anyway, it¡¯s better than planting sweet potatoes.¡± The drizzle gradually grew heavier, and Song Tan only had time to secure the newly brought color steel tiles before glancing at the sky and gauging that a heavy rain was imminent as she climbed down from the ladder. ¡°That¡¯s also strange,¡± Song Youde said with a nod and a chuckle: ¡°Heaven¡¯s looking out for you, it doesn¡¯t usually rain this much during Qingming Festival. Just sprinkled the seeds and seedlings yesterday, why bother watering them ourselves? It takes a heavy downpour from the heavens to soak them thoroughly. The ones due to sprout will probably do so in a couple of days.¡± Song Sancheng also got cheerful, ¡°But this rain better not be too heavy, or it¡¯ll wash the seeds away, and then the magpies will be back in the fields eating away.¡± Song Tan¡¯s expression stiffened. The locusts in the Milk Vetch fields had the chickens stuffed to the point of rolling their eyes. Now, having just sown the seeds, she had to watch out for those flying overhead. With the attraction of Spiritual Energy, no amount of seeds would be enough for them to eat. Alas, she had accumulated just this little bit of Spiritual Energy, and tonight still had to go sprinkle it evenly in the Chestnut Woods. Day by day, nothing truly remained. Before, back in the Cultivation World, she could have set up formations for everything from hastening growth to repelling pests and birds. But in this world, what could she use to set up formations? All she could do was to count on Old Man Li to be stationed in the fields daily, scaring birds away. As for the bugs¡­ she¡¯d have to wait until the seedlings were a bit more substantial before using Spiritual Energy to disperse them. Thinking about it, the workload seemed to be ever increasing. But how could farm work be just that? Seventh Uncle had returned from the back mountain and was now inspecting the Ya pears Song Tan had bought, examining them over and over before finally nodding in satisfaction. Then, unable to wait, he asked her, ¡°You¡¯ve kept your pigs in the back mountain, when will you open up the pigsty and let them roam the mountains?¡± That way, the meat would taste better. Song Tan thought for a moment, the time was indeed about right, the piglets were now robust, and letting them run around¡ªeat, drink, and sleep well¡ªwould allow them to contribute by year-end. But¡­ ¡°Seventh Uncle, don¡¯t be in a rush. I haven¡¯t completely sealed off the back mountain with wire mesh yet; I¡¯m waiting for it to be delivered along with the ones for the Peach Forest,¡± she replied. ¡°What do you need a mesh for?¡± Seventh Uncle asked nonchalantly, ¡°Qiaoqiao took me specially to see Big Wang in the back mountain. That¡¯s a good dog. With it around, you don¡¯t need to worry about losing pigs with or without the wire mesh!¡± ¡°Besides, if dogs can herd sheep in the grasslands, herding a whole flock at once, with Big Wang¡¯s size, herding just five pigs shouldn¡¯t be an issue, right?¡± Seventh Uncle was also adept with smartphones, those online sheepdogs herding sheep, so clever! And Big Wang, he had seen it, what a large size! Such a fine breed, it would be a pity not to herd pigs with it. Song Tan was taken aback: Big Wang wasn¡¯t originally a security dog¡­ S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But after thinking about it, Seventh Uncle¡¯s suggestion wasn¡¯t unfeasible. With only five pigs to raise in her own back mountain, it was fine for now. In the future, if she were to raise more, would she really enclose them from all sides? It would be better to train Big Wang to herd pigs properly while they were still young¡­ ah no, to let the pigs out! Chapter 153 - 153 153. Peeling Task_1 ?Chapter 153: 153. Peeling Task_1 Chapter 153: 153. Peeling Task_1 Seventh Uncle finished dealing with Da Wang and now was wandering over to inspect his new cooking stove. The new cooking stove was built entirely according to his specifications, using leftover red bricks and cement from the last time they built the pigsty and doghouse. It might have looked just like a simple shelter in the yard, but in fact, it occupied a full quarter of the courtyard space as a ¡°kitchen¡±. Neatly stacked against the courtyard wall were piles of firewood and a large bag of pine needles for kindling. In front of the firewood stack, facing it was a countertop made from laying thick wooden boards on top of brickwork. Seventh Uncle¡¯s array of seasoning jars and essential cooking condiments like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were all placed on it. Right next to it, there was a large iron pot. It must have been used for many years, maintained to a shiny glossiness, and the diameter alone was seventy-two centimeters. How big was that? Well, to put it this way, a pot with a diameter of thirty centimeters would usually suffice for a family of four to cook their meals. Moreover, the pot¡¯s surface area was like the size of a pizza, making it easy to cook for several dozen people with this one pot. There was another of the same size beside it. And in between the two pots, closer to the top, was a large iron canister built into the stove, complete with a lid. From now on, before lighting the fire, they would fill this canister with water and by the time the meal was cooked, the water would almost be boiling. Whether it was washing dishes, scrubbing pots, or needing to blanch something, it was convenient. According to Seventh Uncle, having a water heater was all well and good, but since they had to light the fire anyway, adding a few more bricks to build a water pot was not much trouble at all! That¡¯s right! Since he was the eldest and the chef, with such reasonable requests, and the family was counting on him to properly guide Qiaoqiao, naturally, he could say whatever he wanted. Even so, Seventh Uncle was still not satisfied. He didn¡¯t dare to display some of his treasured items outside, but instead stuffed them directly into the cabinet. ¡°Sancheng, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling to let you use the good stuff, but it¡¯s just that when left outdoors, no matter how well you preserve it, it¡¯s prone to moisture and heat, leading to spoilage,¡± said Seventh Uncle. ¡°This stove is fine for spring, summer, and autumn, but it won¡¯t do for winter. Before winter comes, you need to figure out a way to expand the kitchen further.¡± That was a matter for the winter, and spring had just started. Song Sancheng was full of confidence: ¡°Alright, Uncle, don¡¯t worry. When I have time, I¡¯ll renovate the entire courtyard.¡± For now, just appease him like this¡ªafter all, you can¡¯t grow fat with just one bite. Checking the time, since they didn¡¯t need to dig up fresh bamboo shoots this morning, they could head to the vegetable market early. And there you had it, Song Tan had already returned, and it was just past ten o¡¯clock. The tea pickers wouldn¡¯t finish work until noon, and with Seventh Uncle¡¯s speed of cooking, there was no rush at all. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He then beckoned, ¡°Qiaoqiao, come over and give your uncle a hand.¡± Qiaoqiao was holding a brand-new tablet, and right now, he was quite reluctant to take his eyes off it. However, Song Tan unhesitatingly took away the tablet: ¡°If Qiaoqiao wants to watch Ultraman, he needs to earn his pay. After all, tablets are expensive.¡± ¡°From now on, for three meals a day, you follow Seventh Uncle. Whatever he asks you to do, you do. Once you¡¯re done with the work, you can come and get the tablet from me and play as much as you like.¡± ¡°Does that sound good?¡± Qiaoqiao seemed somewhat confused: ¡°I only have to cook?¡± Song Tan thought for a moment and turned to ask Seventh Uncle, ¡°Seventh Uncle, would your cooking methods work if we live-streamed them?¡± Seventh Uncle chuckled, ¡°What¡¯s there to hide with home cooking? Nowadays, those tremelo platforms, bookstores, and those ¡®Little Green Books¡¯ or whatever that you young folks play with, are filled with recipes. Feel free to stream it.¡± Seventh Grandma interjected bluntly, ¡°He only knows how to cook home dishes anyway. For some of the newer dishes, he himself browses that ¡®Xiachufang¡¯ at home and has even picked up a couple of tricks.¡± Having his secret revealed, Seventh Uncle huffed, ¡°What do you mean ¡®picked up a couple of tricks¡¯? My methods are more efficient. It¡¯s necessary to watch and learn a lot, isn¡¯t it?¡± With that, he hastily changed the subject: ¡°You young people just love to fuss over these fancy gadgets, just shoot it casually, I¡¯m not holding anything back, and it¡¯s not like everyone has this skill.¡± This indeed was true. Otherwise, with so many recipes out there, why are some people chefs while others still end up burning their pots? Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but smile, then said to Qiaoqiao: ¡°While you¡¯re cooking, you can also run your ¡®Qiaoqiao Classroom.¡¯ You be the teacher and explain to the students on the phone.¡± Since the live stream was popular, then might as well keep building on it. There wasn¡¯t much to sell recently, but maintaining popularity was also okay. Speaking of her classroom, even though she couldn¡¯t see student feedback, kids didn¡¯t get feedback when playing house either, and they still played happily. Qiaoqiao had this mindset. She quickly moved a small stool next to Seventh Uncle. She clumsily set up the phone stand, then fiddled with it unfamiliarly. Seventh Uncle, on the other hand, didn¡¯t rush, and even took out a jujube that Song Tan had just bought in the morning and dug out a peeling knife from his own box: ¡°Can you peel this pound of jujubes cleanly?¡± Peeling? Qiaoqiao breathed a sigh of relief. This time, she glanced at the live broadcast she had just set up and nodded, ¡°I can.¡± Song Tan adjusted the phone to capture her hands. Qiaoqiao sat on the small stool with a stainless steel bowl in front of her. She picked up the knife and slowly started peeling. This was truly a task that required patience, after all, the jujubes weren¡¯t even as big as ping pong balls, and their flat spherical shape, pockmarked, was rather audacious. The knife could only peel the skin bit by bit, slowly. Fortunately, what she lacked least was patience. Now, she silently faced the camera, and after more than ten minutes, she had actually peeled quite a few. The live broadcast audience was from all over, and as expected, they yawned. Having watched the live broadcast twice, they already knew the style of this host. Either she talked to herself or she didn¡¯t speak at all, but she definitely wouldn¡¯t pay attention to the audience. In other live broadcast rooms, there¡¯s calling out for leaders or cooing sweet nothings to ¡®honey¡¯ and ¡®big bro¡¯, but here, there was none of that. Yet, for some reason, the more it was like this, the more everyone felt it had a Magic Power. Now, they watched the live broadcast showing a pair of white slender hands holding a gleaming knife painstakingly peeling the dark brown jujubes¡­ Let¡¯s face it¡ªit was truly quite boring. But no one felt like leaving. At first, the comments were: ¡°Be careful not to cut your hand.¡± Before long, the number of comments dwindled, with the last one being posted five minutes ago: ¡°Getting sleepy.¡± In reality, there was a lot that wasn¡¯t being said¡ª Like, could they get a heads-up before the next live broadcast? Not to start unexpectedly; they¡¯d either set phone reminders or just rely on luck to catch it. And could it not be a daytime broadcast? Choose the evening instead, so they could just sleep through it¡ªhow nice and sweet would that be. Now, everyone was struggling to keep their eyes open, clinging to their workstations. Then another voice came from the live room¡ª ¡°Do you recognize what this is?¡± It was Seventh Uncle speaking. Qiaoqiao didn¡¯t say a word in her live broadcast; He Kuang being older, half understood and quickly ignored it. However, the child might be na?ve, but this attitude was quite down-to-earth. Chapter 154 - 154 154. Various ways to consume goji berries_1 ?Chapter 154: 154. Various ways to consume goji berries_1 Chapter 154: 154. Various ways to consume goji berries_1 Seventh Uncle felt satisfied in his heart and had also moved a stool to sit beside Qiaoqiao, taking out a branch of goji berries from the basket to ask him about it. Qiaoqiao blinked in confusion: ¡°I don¡¯t recognize it.¡± He truly didn¡¯t recognize it. For one thing, because he was a bit simple-minded, he was rarely allowed to play outside by himself when he was little, let alone run around in the mountains. Secondly, this goji plant was just sprouting new leaves. Qiaoqiao might recognize it if it had berries on it, but now it only had leaves¡ªand just a few tender ones at that. So it was normal that he didn¡¯t recognize them. Seventh Uncle wasn¡¯t in a rush and said leisurely: ¡°This, you see, is goji. The dish we made for lunch today was made with it.¡± ¡°Goji leaves are rich in nutrients and contain many substances. They are cool in nature and can nourish and boost vitality, clear heat to quench thirst, expel wind to improve vision¡­¡± He rambled on with a bunch of terms, but seeing Qiaoqiao¡¯s still-clueless gaze, he paused and decisively changed his words: ¡°That is¡­ brewing tea with these leaves can combat arteriosclerosis, soften blood vessels, nourish the liver, and improve eyesight. I know you can¡¯t understand, can¡¯t understand, just remember it.¡± It was then that Qiaoqiao reacted, ¡°Nourishing the liver and improving eyesight, I know that! Just like chrysanthemum, it¡¯s cool too.¡± He was referring to the cool nature of the plant. Seventh Uncle was amused, feeling an unexpected surprise, ¡°Not bad, not bad, your little brain is quite smart, isn¡¯t it?¡± Upon hearing this praise, Qiaoqiao didn¡¯t feel proud but rather worried as he sighed to him: ¡°Uncle, stop messing around, I need to peel these.¡± And for sure. He wasn¡¯t adept at it, and now he had to listen to Seventh Uncle talk, so he stopped what he was doing. And that would delay things. The barrage of comments in the live stream started rolling quickly, and now they were laughing like crazy¡ª Even though they couldn¡¯t see the old man¡¯s face, those aged hands and the goji branch he held were in the frame. He went from talking about nutrition to medicinal properties and then to applications, obviously trying to teach the kid. And here¡¯s the silly streamer, seriously complaining about someone causing a disturbance¡­ oh my, why is this so funny? The viewers were invigorated, immediately shaking off any drowsiness. Looking back at the camera and the branch with leaf buds, so this was goji, huh? Many of them hadn¡¯t seen it before either. Why bother learning about this properly? Is it for traditional Chinese medicine? In the live stream, some were rubbing their hands together, feeling that teaching a simpleton about traditional Chinese medicine was a very unreliable endeavor. However, before they could finish typing their thoughts, they heard Seventh Uncle say: ¡°No rush with the peeling. Let me first teach you how to eat this thing.¡± He plucked a cluster of goji buds off the branch: ¡°For lunch, we are going to have this¡ªscrambled egg with goji bud balls. You¡¯ll need eggs, goji buds, pork leg meat, and the pear you have in your hand.¡± ¡°When these buds grow into full goji leaves, we can harvest them to cook with bamboo shoots and cured meat, or make goji leaf with pork liver soup, and even fry them with shrimp chips. There are plenty of ways to eat them.¡± ¡°After the leaves are picked, what do we do with the branches?¡± Seventh Uncle casually bent a branch in his hand, ¡°Tie them up like this, get some grass carp, a bunch of celery, and some old ginger, and you can make a goji celery fish soup.¡± ¡°When the season comes, I will cook them one by one for you to taste and see which one you like best?¡± Qiaoqiao said loudly: ¡°Bamboo shoots, acacia flowers, milk vetch, shepherd¡¯s purse are the tastiest!¡± Seventh Uncle laughed again. ¡°You silly boy, you¡¯ve got quite the picky taste, huh. I missed out on milk vetch and shepherd¡¯s purse, but I¡¯ve tried the bamboo shoots and acacia flowers, and they really are good. Otherwise, why would your sister dare to sell them for twenty yuan per pound!¡± Twenty yuan a pound? The live stream got a bit restless, and then a series of comments went up¡ª [Here it comes, the shopping cart is here.] [Although the promotion is late, it has arrived.] [Twenty yuan a pound is not cheap, the premium supermarkets here don¡¯t even have this price.] [Who cares, I just enjoy the host¡¯s presentation, it¡¯s so soothing. Whatever he recommends, I¡¯ll buy.] [Twenty yuan a pound is fine, if it can let me sleep well, I¡¯d even pay a hundred yuan.] The one speaking was precisely the top donor from before, the one whose tips amounted to more than a thousand bucks¡ªmost of which came from his own pocket. Everyone got interested. After all, selling agricultural products was always more interesting than other stuff, right? S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even though quite a few people didn¡¯t even have the conditions to cook. However, the host didn¡¯t play by the rules at all. All they heard was Qiaoqiao¡¯s voice: ¡°But Seventh Uncle, you¡¯ve said so much, I can¡¯t remember it all.¡± Standing beside her, Song Sancheng couldn¡¯t help but close his eyes ¡ª oh, my silly son! But Seventh Uncle wasn¡¯t mad at all, pointing to a goji branch in his hand, ¡°What do you use this for?¡± ¡°Grass carp.¡± ¡°And the leaves?¡± ¡°Stir-fried with bamboo shoots and cured pork.¡± ¡°What about these goji shoots?¡± ¡°Egg dumplings.¡± Seventh Uncle was stunned for a moment before realizing that egg dumplings were what he just called goji shoot dumplings. Seventh Grandma, who was helping to pick the rape blossoms they had broken off in the morning, couldn¡¯t help but laugh upon hearing this, ¡°Pretty smart.¡± And Seventh Uncle kept asking, ¡°Then what¡¯s the use of these goji leaves?¡± Without hesitation, Qiaoqiao replied, ¡°Nourishes the liver and brightens the eyes, it¡¯s cooling, like chrysanthemum.¡± At this point, even Zhang Yanping and Song Sancheng stopped what they were doing and looked over in surprise. Seventh Uncle paused for an instant, then smiled contentedly, ¡°You see, you¡¯ve remembered quite a bit, haven¡¯t you?¡± Qiaoqiao also paused, then cheered, ¡°Sister! Look at me, I¡¯m so smart!¡± Song Tan didn¡¯t skimp on praise either, and then she went into the room to make Seventh Uncle a cup of hot tea and handed a cup of honey water to Seventh Grandma¡ª Just for his teaching method alone, Song Tan knew that any effort spent was worthwhile. Holding the hot tea in his hands, Seventh Uncle savored the scent of the tea leaves. ¡°Fragrant, truly fragrant, nothing beats our own tea.¡± The lively live stream hadn¡¯t even settled down when it got stirred up once again¡ª [He¡¯s here; he¡¯s here; I bet they¡¯re going to sell tea leaves this time!] [No, definitely goji berries.] [Wrong, they just mentioned bamboo shoots; it has to be bamboo shoots.] [Is it possible that they might sell all of these?] Even though it meant spending their own money, somehow, watching the host¡¯s unique selling style and the host¡¯s characteristics made everyone find it hard to resist. Yet Seventh Uncle looked at Qiaoqiao, ¡°That¡¯s good. You¡¯ve learned pretty well; just remember these things in your heart and carry on with peeling. Seventh Uncle won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± Qiaoqiao didn¡¯t seem to find anything amiss and, with an ¡°Oh,¡± she continued to peel the Ya pears in her hand bit by bit. The viewers in the live stream: ¡­ After all that buildup, not selling anything in the end¡ªwhy does that feel so awkward? Consequently, everyone started urging: [Weren¡¯t they supposed to sell products? Where are the products? Put them in the shopping cart.] [Don¡¯t worry, even if it¡¯s twenty bucks a pound, I¡¯ll shell out the cash.] But, after waiting left and right and peeling all the Ya pears clean, Qiaoqiao, fumbling, followed the steps Song Tan had taught earlier and gradually shut down the live stream. In the end, the viewers never got to see a shopping cart promotion. This, this is not the attitude of someone wanting to do sales, is it? Looking down on us, are they?! However, the live stream had already ended, and whether it was comments or tips, nothing more could be sent; viewers could only shake their sleepy heads, trying hard to stay awake waiting for the end of the workday. Chapter 155 - 155 155. Water Hyacinth Tofu Soup_1 ?Chapter 155: 155. Water Hyacinth Tofu Soup_1 Chapter 155: 155. Water Hyacinth Tofu Soup_1 Everyone felt especially content after the midday meal. A full basin of egg shredded goji berry bud balls, although Seventh Uncle said that big-pot dishes generally lack presentation, to everyone else¡­ the green goji buds, yellow egg shreds, and even a handful of red goji berries made it appealing. The fresh aroma of pork leg meat mixed with these green leaves and red flowers was particularly tempting. Not to mention that right before cooking, Seventh Uncle took a stroll around the pond at the doorway and directed Zhang Yanping to scoop up a handful of water hyacinth. What is water hyacinth? An invasive species! If it grows in someone¡¯s pond and is left unchecked, it can cover the entire pond in half a month. It¡¯s only because the pond at the front door has plenty of grass carp that it¡¯s been kept to the edges. But to Seventh Uncle, that¡¯s literally not recognizing its worth¡ª ¡°Water hyacinth tofu soup, that¡¯s really tender and fresh.¡± ¡°Besides, just look at this tenderness. Clearly, the quality is even better than the carefully cultivated ones, and I assure you the taste won¡¯t be any worse. Living at Treasure Mountain and not eating its bounty, that¡¯s just you all¡­¡± ¡°When the time comes, pick some tender water hyacinths, remove their roots, wash them clean, blanch them, and then cook them with tofu in a soup with lard and slices of ginger. I guarantee it¡¯ll make you all drink it up clean.¡± Only then did Song Tan remember¡ªoh, that time she was digging wild vegetables by the pond, the Spiritual Energy accelerated their growth, and likely some of it had adhered to the water hyacinth¡­ ¡°Eat, eat, eat!¡± She made the decision on the spot: ¡°Whatever you make, Seventh Uncle, we¡¯ll eat.¡± And so, Song Sancheng, who had just finished his chores, was sent out again: ¡°It¡¯s time to change our home¡¯s gas canister, it¡¯s running low. And on the way, pick up a couple of pounds of silken tofu for the midday soup.¡± With water hyacinth available, the scheduled rapeseed flower rice soup was no longer needed, so Seventh Uncle pondered for a while and simply decided to mix it with wild onions instead. The rest could just be chosen at random to stew some meat with it. This meal was satisfying like a storm sweeping through, and just looking at the menu, food enthusiast Zhang Yanping felt her horizons had broadened. Let alone the others in the family¡ªeven Song Tan, for whom it was unprecedented, also tried a few more bites of these ¡°ordinary¡± dishes. After the meal, everyone could sense that the sky was turning bad. What started as a drizzle was now turning into heavy clouds on the horizon, as if a downpour was imminent. Wu Lan frowned: ¡°Does it feel like it¡¯s going to pour? I¡¯ve just picked the tea leaves.¡± Grandma Wang Lifan also showed regret: ¡°Exactly! These days have been so hectic. Today was the only day we could finally go to Tea Mountain with ease¡­ and now suddenly it¡¯s going to rain?¡± There wasn¡¯t such heavy rain around Qingming Festival in previous years! Song Tan, however, smiled. The Spiritual Energy she had stimulated the night before had made the peach trees take root, and the vegetable garden was brimming with life, needing a substantial amount of water right now! This rain was arriving just at the right time. ¡°Mom, you and Grandma should really take a break. Everyone¡¯s been as busy as tops lately, it¡¯s like even the heavens want you to slow down.¡± That was indeed true. But as a true countrywoman, Wu Lan just glared at her: ¡°You¡¯re good at finding excuses to be lazy, we¡¯re not even in the rain yet, right? Mom¡ª¡± She called out loudly: ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, we should hurry back to Tea Mountain and work a while longer.¡± As the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hurried up the mountain, Song Tan was honestly helpless, but after thinking it over, she decided to take a stroll to the back mountain. Then she rummaged through the house for the pig feed bucket, mixed the leftover food into it, and added a little extra to Big White¡¯s midday dog food! Meanwhile, Song Sancheng and Song Youde had already gathered their tools: ¡°Uncle, I¡¯ll go to your house first to see what needs to be fixed and patched up.¡± In the countryside, even a simple adobe house, as long as someone lives in it, can remain sturdy as ever for decades. ¡±¡¯ But once the house was empty, whether it was made of reinforced concrete or concrete, it wouldn¡¯t take long before problems started cropping up¡ª As the old saying goes, a house also needs human presence to maintain it. After Seventh Uncle and Seventh Grandma moved to the city, they only returned for the holidays to liven up the place for a few days; the house had been just barely inhabited and hadn¡¯t been repaired for many years. Song Sancheng had already made plans: just for the sake of how seriously they taught Qiaoqiao, if he couldn¡¯t manage the work alone in the afternoon, he would hire a few more people to help, striving to make Seventh Uncle¡¯s home stay comfortable! And Seventh Uncle? He wasn¡¯t idle either, at that moment he was going through Song Tan¡¯s freezer again: ¡°There¡¯s plenty of green vegetables and chili peppers in the kitchen; I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s something meatier, working the fields without some greasy food, you just don¡¯t have the strength.¡± Only Qiaoqiao was holding the tablet, engrossed in the captivating Ultraman on the screen. Zhang Yanping looked around¡ªseems like he¡¯s the only idle person at home, right? He wandered around the yard for a couple of turns, thought for a moment, scooped up a small earth-colored dog into his arms, and then started making various contacts on his phone. ¡­ On the back hill, Big White¡¯s house was built very impressively. If a stranger came by, they might wonder whether it was meant for humans or for dogs. But a closer look would clear things up¡ª Inside the tall, unobstructed gate was a rough cement floor covered with a layer of dry straw. Big White loved cleanliness, and now the straw was all the same, neat and fresh. At the dog house entrance, an old white enameled basin with red flowers, discarded from use, contained dog food licked clean. On the other side was a plastic bucket with only half a bucket of water left. Song Tan carried a small bucket up the hill and saw Big White already wagging his tail excitedly. Leftover food? Big White loved leftover food; the taste was a hundred times better than dog food! What a pity. Big White must also know about his big appetite; if he really treated leftovers as regular meals, he¡¯d polish off a pot in one sitting¡ª That¡¯s too much! Anyway, there was still a lot of dog food left over from his previous owner, so he might as well stick to that for now. Song Tan poured the rice from the bucket into the old enameled basin, watching Big White devour his meal with relish, and couldn¡¯t help but reach out to touch his sleek, shiny fur: ¡°Big White, have you been sneaking things from Qiaoqiao? How come I feel like you¡¯ve grown taller again?¡± Big White¡¯s tail instantly stiffened, then he nonchalantly started to wag it again. Song Tan looked carefully and caught Big White¡¯s sidelong glance. What else was there not to understand? Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just look at his glossy, well-fed appearance! Song Tan still remembered: ¡°You see, when you left your previous owner, you were so reluctant. Even if he gave you a villa to live in and food to eat, could it be better than what I give you?¡± ¡°Do a good job working, every bit of food we eat is our own earned wage, so eat up!¡± Now, mentioning his previous owner no longer made Big White look sad; he just increased the rate of his tail-wagging, burying his head in the bowl all the more. Meanwhile, he kept trying to push away Big White, who was attempting to sneak in for a bite with her long neck and flat beak, back and forth they went. It was actually pretty interesting! Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but record the video of the food stealing and posted it to her Moments. Then she began to speak earnestly: ¡°Big White, guarding this back hill every day must be quite boring, huh?¡± ¡°Have you considered taking on a little more responsibility?¡± ¡±¡¯ Chapter 156 - 156 156. What does the king eat_1 ?Chapter 156: 156. What does the king eat?_1 Chapter 156: 156. What does the king eat?_1 What burden? That is¡­ Song Tan knew that Big White hadn¡¯t become sentient. But if a dog truly becomes clever, well, that can¡¯t be explained by science, right? She transformed into a top capitalist: ¡°Look, day in and day out, you guard these chickens, ducks, silly pigs, and all that¡ªit¡¯s so dull!¡± ¡°As a dog, the most important thing is to keep improving yourself. For instance, you have to learn to herd ducks and chickens and make sure to bring them back when it gets dark.¡± ¡°If they lay eggs everywhere, you need to urge them to lay in their nests. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Don¡¯t go running into the road for no reason.¡± ¡°Also, these few pigs will need their pen opened in a few days, so they can go running around the rear mountain. Big White, some shepherd dogs can herd hundreds of sheep. You¡¯re so outstanding, surely you can handle a mere five pigs, right?¡± She finished this conscience-stricken speech, but when she turned her head, she saw Big White had licked his bowl clean and was now sitting upright listening to her, which moved her deeply: ¡°How about that? I knew you were so smart, you¡¯d understand!¡± Big White¡¯s black eyes stared at her, silent for a long time. Only beside them, Big White Goose, who hadn¡¯t succeeded in snagging any food, was flapping its short wings and making a noisy, honking sound, especially clamorous. Song Tan always felt that Big White was mocking her. So, she pinched back and grabbed the goose¡¯s beak, then picked up Big White by the neck: ¡°Either you go herd chickens and ducks, or you watch over the ducks¡ªthe jobs are right here. It¡¯s up to you two to decide how to divide them.¡± Big White¡¯s wings drooped, and its flat, orange-webbed feet dangled¡ªa picture of total defeat, not picking up the conversation at all. Song Tan: ¡­ She could only say: Not stewing it was the greatest respect she could show Qiaoqiao. Otherwise, she genuinely could have tricked Qiaoqiao into downing three more big bowls with tears. Just then, a gust of wind blew by, rustling the leaves, and the temperature dropped sharply. The sky grew more overcast, and from his throat, Big White let out a low ¡°woof,¡± then raised his head and ambled down towards the foot of the mountain. In the blink of an eye, Song Tan saw him cross the road, skirt the bamboo grove, and then approach the pond. From afar, the deep barks of the big dog mixed with the quacking of ducks in the pond and the cheeping of the chickens scattered in the bamboo forest¡­ Impressive indeed, Big White! Just as she was feeling pleased, her phone suddenly popped up with a video call. Song Tan glanced at the name: Wang Zhen, labeled as [Big White¡¯s previous owner] Wow, how unusual! The man hadn¡¯t attempted a video call since giving Big White away a month ago. Song Tan mulled it over¡ªsurely he must be missing Big White. But she had just planned out Big White¡¯s job allocation. If this guy wanted to take Big White back, ah¡­ she really would hate to see him go! Her mind was racing, but without hesitation, she answered the video call. On the screen, a man with a scruffy beard appeared, his eyes red from emotion. He took two deep breaths before managing to ask: ¡°Where¡¯s Big White?¡± For some reason, his voice was even trembling. Song Tan paid no mind, quickly flipped the camera, and showed him: ¡°He just herded the ducks back. He¡¯s really clever and very affectionate¡­¡± Isn¡¯t that right! Big White strutted behind with an imposing aura, flapping its wings in front of the geese, leading the ducks and chicks as they scurried out of the bamboo grove, crossed the road, and then headed back toward the hill behind. Of course, the procession could hardly be called orderly, but whenever one strayed, Big White would follow right behind. Song Tan couldn¡¯t be more relieved to think that these pigs, chickens, and ducks would ultimately end up on a dining table. At this moment, she even cherished the thought of showing off: ¡°How about that? Isn¡¯t it impressively majestic and free? Look, I haven¡¯t treated them badly, have I?¡± However, while she was speaking, she suddenly saw the middle-aged man on the other end of the video burst into tears: ¡°Big White, Big White, it¡¯s Daddy¡¯s fault!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Daddy who made you live this kind of life¡ªdon¡¯t worry, Daddy will definitely make money!¡± ¡°I¡¯m working overtime now, and once I strive to afford a new villa, I¡¯ll definitely bring you back!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll eat imported beef and mutton, buy you free-range chickens, feed you the best and most expensive freeze-dried food and dog chow, and get a nutritionist for the fresh meat formula¡­¡± As he spoke, he sobbed uncontrollably, barely able to hold the phone steady, shaking so much that it was quite alarming. Song Tan really didn¡¯t want to hear this sort of talk. ¡°No matter how good the Chef is, what matters is what Big White likes! Look how happy it was eating just now!¡± She resent the video she had just posted on her social media moments ago, only to see Wang Zhen on the other side instantly hopping mad: ¡°You¡¯re sending it again! You¡¯re sending it again! I just saw it on your social feed, back home Big White used to eat only steaks, or at least several pounds of dog food that cost over a hundred dollars per pound in one meal.¡± ¡°Even cheap chicken breast would do! He hopped and yelled, all the while sobbing: ¡°Girl, didn¡¯t you promise me he¡¯d have a good life?¡± When he said he¡¯d move to the countryside, he never imagined it would mean doing this kind of work and eating this kind of food! ¡°Just wait, as soon as I get paid, I¡¯ll buy Big White some dog food. How can you let him eat those things?¡± After Wang Zhen sent Big White away, he was partly relieved and partly worried; he didn¡¯t dare to inquire with Song Tan, fearing she¡¯d get impatient. He just occasionally looked at the updates she posted, silently pondering on the current life of Big White¡­ Now look, finally there was Big White in the camera, but what was Big White eating out of that shabby enamel basin? It was clearly leftovers, and Big White was eating so eagerly, clearly showing that the poor thing was starving¡­ This was his precious Big White! The collapse happened in an instant, and finally, Wang Zhen couldn¡¯t bear it anymore¡ªno matter the cost, he couldn¡¯t let Big White live such a humble life! But before he could voice his accusations, there was Big White leading the chickens, ducks, and geese again. That big white goose wasn¡¯t much to look at, why was it leading the procession? Fierce and aggressive, it made Big White look like a laborer from a landlord¡¯s household, both honest and pitiful. In the past, Big White was led by a handsome camouflage-patterned leash as they walked through the village, garnering envious gazes from everyone. Now, it¡¯s come to this, how could he not be heartbroken?! The big man cried so miserably, Song Tan was stunned for a moment before she realized, and then quickly explained: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he usually eats dog food, not leftovers.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to spend any money, since I¡¯m raising him, I have the means to feed him well.¡± ¡°The leftovers just now were purely a treat.¡± However, Wang Zhen simply didn¡¯t believe her¡ªleading chickens and ducks around, how could Big White possibly have a good life? His gaze followed Big White¡¯s figure, and he looked as pitiful as one could imagine. Chapter 157 - 157 157. The Kings Carbs_1 ?Chapter 157: 157. The King¡¯s Carbs_1 Chapter 157: 157. The King¡¯s Carbs_1 Song Tan knew that no matter what she said now, the other party wouldn¡¯t believe her, so she quickly called to Dawang: ¡°Come, say hello to your previous owner.¡± Let him see how sleek and shiny you look now, and decide for himself which side is living the better life. Dawang instantly perked up! The dog, holding its body proudly, circled around twice, seemingly trying to show off. Then, with a leap, it charged into the pigpen, herding the five little pigs, which had been scattering all over the place, back into their den. Wang Zhen on the other end of the video: ¡­ Now, he really started crying. ¡°What do you mean by this? Did you lure my Dawang away to make it sleep in a pigpen?¡± Song Tan had no excuse! What a Dawang, such a cunning dog! She said to Dawang, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home.¡± Hearing that he could go home to play, Dawang moved with exceptional speed. Ever since it had been given the task of watching the mountain, although the mountain was vast, being a dog, it was always curious about the outside world. At the moment when it heard the command, it swiftly leaped out of the pigpen and headed down the mountain without looking back. Song Tan, holding her phone, said to Wang Zhen, who was sniffling with red eyes: ¡°Stop crying and take a look at Dawang¡¯s condition now. Could you have managed to get his coat looking like that?¡± Wang Zhen sniffled, ¡°There¡¯s a beauty filter on the phone now, what can I actually make out?¡± Song Tan was speechless. She followed down the mountain and then went home to find the scale they had used to weigh wild vegetables and bamboo shoots: ¡°Dawang, stand on it.¡± The green display of the electronic scale flashed the figure 99. The maximum weight for an adult Kangal dog could even exceed 110 kilograms, and for Dawang, being an average Kangal (after all, Wang Zhen couldn¡¯t afford the top-tier ones), this was already quite impressive. Song Tan, looking at the current weight, brought the camera close for Wang Zhen to see: ¡°Could you have raised it to this weight?¡± When Dawang was brought over, he was so pitiful, constantly underfed, and had started to look skinny and bony. In the time since, he had grown so plump and healthy, Qiaoqiao and the others must have been giving him more special treats than she had imagined. Wang Zhen¡¯s tears gradually stopped. He stared intently at the screen, then at Dawang who had just stepped off the scale looking spirited and glossy, and finally said unwillingly, ¡°It¡¯s all leftover food with high carbs, how could it not get fat?¡± Ah, you¡¯re talking about carbs here? Song Tan understood. The man was simply nitpicking. Wasn¡¯t it just that he missed Dawang and seeing him living a better life now made him feel awkward and upset? She sighed, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go do some overtime?¡± Earning some more money seemed more reliable. Then she patted Dawang on the head: ¡°If you¡¯re really that bored, you could also discuss taking turns with Dabao and the others.¡± Taking turns watching the mountain and working the fields, that¡¯s nice too, right? In the yard, Seventh Grandma, shocked by Dawang¡¯s size, finally exclaimed, ¡°How did the dog get so big?¡± Seventh Uncle, however, was invigorated, ¡°Great dog! Great dog! Such big dog legs¡­¡± Dawang stepped back, eyes fiercely glaring at him, and then softly ¡°woofed.¡± Seventh Uncle also hummed and quietly stepped back a step, ¡°Not eating it, not eating it, who¡¯s desperate for your meat when there are grains, it was just the famine back then¡­¡± Then, under Seventh Grandma¡¯s glare, his voice got quieter and quieter, and he reluctantly returned to sharpening the kitchen knife. ¡­ Song Tan had already arrived at the edge of the rice paddies by now. The rice paddies were at the very bottom of her family¡¯s field, sloping very gently downward in a terraced fashion starting from the bamboo grove. Beyond these two patches of rice paddies, there spread a wild area overgrown with weeds, distinctly different from the tidy and vibrant green space here. She covetously eyed the large expanse before her, grateful that she hadn¡¯t foolishly declared she would take it on (Old Song would break her legs! They really couldn¡¯t handle any more work at home.) After that, she shifted her gaze back and observed Old Li slowly walking in the field, his pants rolled up and leading an old yellow buffalo: ¡°Grandpa Li, it¡¯s about to rain soon, there¡¯s no rush to plow the fields today.¡± Old Li felt a bit guilty. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing else to do¡­ Actually, whether I plow or not is fine, the machinery you hired to till the ground before did it so thoroughly that you could just go ahead and plant the seedlings. I¡¯m just taking a stroll.¡± After all, it was just a few more steps to go. Because it was recently plowed, the field was muddy and the water murky, but one could still vaguely see the soft, wet, slippery mud inside, perfect for planting seedlings. Thinking of the robust and verdant seedlings back in the nursery, the old man and the young woman exchanged glances, both filled with anticipation. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right,¡± Old Li then remembered something, ¡°Over in that corner, next to the water inlet, I placed a net. I forgot to collect it yesterday¡ªTantan, see if there are any fish? If so, take some back for cooking.¡± Whether there were fish or not, Song Tan couldn¡¯t take them. ¡°Grandpa Li, the fish you catch should be for you to eat, the fry in my fish pond haven¡¯t been raised yet.¡± In the fish pond, the fry were being raised for selling, which is why the villagers wouldn¡¯t touch them. But the fish here grew before that, lacking in Spiritual Energy, and with the household¡¯s diet being entirely the responsibility of the master chef, they weren¡¯t concerned about it in the slightest, and Song Tan wasn¡¯t particularly interested. Old Li, however, was overjoyed. The fish that made it down from the water inlet were not big, but these small fish, once cleaned and salted, then slowly dried over a low flame, could easily be preserved for a long time when wrapped tightly in a bag. They would be crispy and delicious to eat, the fish heads, bones, and tails all flavorful enough to be enjoyed with alcohol¡ªperfect for accompanying a drink! Old Li was extremely happy, ¡°Then I¡¯ll take them.¡± Having finished speaking, he also praised the dogs by the bamboo grove, Dabao and Erbao: ¡°These two are good dogs, Tantan, make sure you treat them well, give them plenty to eat.¡± ¡°They run around the vegetable garden and the bamboo grove every day without causing a single problem, Dabao and Erbao are well-behaved! Just look, some magpies flew over wanting to dig up the soil, and they chased them away.¡± They can chase birds away? Song Tan really hadn¡¯t expected that and was pleasantly surprised: ¡°Alright, Grandpa Li, don¡¯t worry, just look at their house to see they won¡¯t be treated poorly.¡± That was true. The red brick and cement house was clean, with dry straw inside and a couple of huge multicolored rope knots serving as chew toys above. In front of the doghouse, there were flimsy but shabby stainless steel dog bowls, filled with both water and food, so they definitely weren¡¯t being neglected. Actually, Brother Sun, who ran the dog farm, really hadn¡¯t mistreated them, even fitting them with high-positioned water bowls. Da Wang even had his own luxurious harness and fancy feeding plate, but¡­ that was about it. Wang Zhen had prepared a shallow, wide feeding plate for Da Wang for appearances and to maintain face. If you saw how roughly the dogs were fed at home, the food plopping loudly into the big ladle, you¡¯d see there was more falling out than staying in. Under Wu Lan¡¯s scrutiny, all the fancy equipment was replaced with thin-skinned stainless steel bowls that could be bought in stacks for ten yuan. How thin were they? Any girl with a bit of strength could tear the metal bowl in half. A perfect fit for the several treasures. Chapter 158 - 158 158. Dr. Xiaozhangs Blind Date History_1 ?Chapter 158: 158. Dr. Xiaozhang¡¯s Blind Date History_1 Chapter 158: 158. Dr. Xiaozhang¡¯s Blind Date History_1 In this spring of thriving life, Dr. Xiaozhang from Ning City also found himself at a major crossroads in life. Sitting slightly awkwardly at the table, he said, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late.¡± The girl opposite him had gentle chestnut curls and skin so pale it seemed a bit unhealthy. Zhang Yuan could see a pimple on her forehead and several closed comedones not fully covered by makeup, which made him wonder¡ª With inadequate indications, was the young lady suffering from hormonal imbalance? Or was it just inflammation? Had she been staying up late? He couldn¡¯t help but take another couple of glances. The girl across from him also awkwardly ran her hand through her hair, then smiled slightly, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Then there was silence between them again. The girl fiddled with her phone, swiping aimlessly on the tabletop, not knowing what to do. Meanwhile, Dr. Xiaozhang became more and more anxious¡ªWith the powder covering, he couldn¡¯t see more details! It¡¯s no wonder Dr. Xiaozhang now had a professional twitch, ever since last month when he rose to prominence in the hospital after securing wild vegetables for the cafeteria through some extreme backdoor measures. Not only did the dean remember him, the insignificant ¡°Xiaozhang,¡± but the head nurse also became kinder to him. The day before yesterday, when specialists came to the hospital to perform guiding surgeries, he was even assigned an extra spot to assist! How could Dr. Xiaozhang not be pleasantly surprised by this? At this moment, he also touched his somewhat thinning hair, completely oblivious to the girl¡¯s eyes glancing at the top of his head and her smile gradually stiffening. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After quite a while, seemingly unable to endure the silence any longer, the girl finally took the initiative to speak: ¡°Dr. Zhang, I heard that being a doctor is particularly tough, isn¡¯t it?¡± Being a doctor, if it weren¡¯t tough, would that even count as being a doctor? Dr. Xiaozhang suddenly remembered that his purpose today was a blind date with the girl, so he puffed out his chest, striving to show off his devotion to the profession: ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s all part of the job.¡± Such a grandiose statement left the girl frozen in her tracks. Then she forced a smile, casually flipping through the menu as if nothing mattered, and said, ¡°Well¡­ Dr. Zhang, your character really is remarkable. Oh, and I heard we¡¯re the same age, but why do I feel a bit childish, while you seem so much more mature?¡± The girl¡¯s lips held a smile, her face was gentle, and her words were ever so gracious¡ª Mature? It was hardly a matter that could be summarized by mere maturity. It was more a case of aging before his time. If it wasn¡¯t for the matchmaker swearing on heaven that there was no deception with the age, she would have struggled to believe that the man in front of her was truly her blind date! Look at this doctor, at the age of thirty, yet his receding hairline could compete with someone fifty, not to mention the prominent forehead and crow¡¯s feet¡­ If his features weren¡¯t fairly decent, the whole appearance would seem truly world-weary. However, the Dr. Xiaozhang across the table cracked a silly smile: ¡°Right? Ever since I started studying medicine, everyone¡¯s been complimenting me like that. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing, really. Maybe it¡¯s just that my temperament is naturally stable.¡± At his words, the girl opposite opened her mouth but couldn¡¯t follow up for a long time. Yet for some reason, she suddenly laughed. Then she took the initiative to pour Dr. Zhang some tea: ¡°Anyway, you do seem quite humorous.¡± She complimented me again! Dr. Xiaozhang got a bit excited: this girl kept praising him and even poured him water; could it be she was smitten with him at first sight? But¡­ ah, even though he was quite happy, he wasn¡¯t someone so superficial; to start a relationship, there had to be mutual acquaintance first. I just don¡¯t know if she would be willing to do a basic hormone test if we really started dating. Dr. Xiaozhang was lost in her own troubles. However, the menu had already been passed over from the other side. He blankly reached out to take it, and now found himself in another dilemma¡ªthe place they were eating at came highly recommended by the head nurse, who said it had a serene environment, with food presentations that were quite appealing and tasted decent enough. But Zhang Yuan looked to the left and right, and in the end, passed the menu back: ¡°Why don¡¯t you choose, I don¡¯t know what to eat.¡± Decision-making difficulty seemed to be a problem for all young people nowadays, and the girl across finally laughed: ¡°Me too, deciding what to eat is always so hard.¡± Dr. Xiaozhang blinked, as if he really felt the power of love at first sight. But this didn¡¯t stop him from shaking his head honestly, ¡°Oh, I know what to eat, I was just thinking, it¡¯s a shame I didn¡¯t finish a bowl of Milk Vetch vermicelli and egg dumplings this morning.¡± The girl across: ¡­ She held back and managed a strained smile, ¡°You¡¯re quite the homemaker, aren¡¯t you?¡± Dr. Xiaozhang spoke the truth, ¡°I¡¯m not good at homemaking, but there wasn¡¯t much Milk Vetch left. I had bought ten pounds before, and the cafeteria chef offered to buy five pounds from me to make me some dumplings. Now, really, only the last bowl is left.¡± With her guarded tone and expression, you¡¯d think the girl was after his food stockpile; even the Seven Fairies couldn¡¯t suppress his temper. So the girl across responded with a forced smile: ¡°Yeah, just the last bowl, how precious.¡± Zhang Yuan was instantly energized! After sitting listlessly for so long, he finally found a topic that interested him! Now, emulating the communication method taught by the head nurse, he grabbed the topic and ran with it¡ª ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m always careful when I count my dumplings. They truly are the best dumplings in the world; whenever I bring them to the hospital, the whole corridor gets noisy¡­¡± He was enthusiastically going on, but the girl across had made up her mind that he was either a bit slow or simply didn¡¯t care about her, responding quite coldly: ¡°Really? Can I try some?¡± Dr. Xiaozhang was suddenly at a loss for words. His cheeks flushed red, and he stammered, torn between not wanting to disappoint this fairy who had fallen for him at first sight and, on the other hand, the dumplings were really only down to the last bowl! And now, the bamboo shoots they were selling couldn¡¯t be prepared, totaling ten pounds, and he still didn¡¯t know what to do with them! It looked like he would have to contribute again to the cafeteria, only hoping the chef would lighten his hand and make something preservable for him to store. Ah, such is the plight of a man who can¡¯t cook. He hemmed and hawed, and the two of them finished their meal without relish, without him providing an answer. At this point, the girl took the initiative to stand up to pay the bill, and seeing that Dr. Zhang Yuan was still in a daze trying to dodge the bill, she felt even more stifled. So she said coldly: ¡°Well then, Dr. Zhang, I¡¯m going to head back. Goodbye.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Dr. Xiaozhang watched her. At that moment, she was sitting by the window, the golden sunlight streaming through the windows spilling over her shoulders, making the chestnut color of her hair seem like the fresh, tender hue of chestnuts ripe in the hills¡­ He was momentarily transfixed, and in a moment of bewitchment said, ¡°How about¡­ you take me home.¡± I¡¯ll treat you to dumplings. Chapter 159 - 159 159. A Bowl of Dumplings and Love at First Sight_1 ?Chapter 159: 159. A Bowl of Dumplings and Love at First Sight_1 Chapter 159: 159. A Bowl of Dumplings and Love at First Sight_1 At the cash register, the atmosphere suddenly stilled. The girl numbly accepted the receipt that the cashier handed over: one Saliva Chicken, one Mashed Pepper Stewed Ribs, one Blueberry Mashed Potatoes, two bowls of rice, a pot of complimentary barley tea, all together totaling 76 yuan. This meal was actually not expensive; she usually spent more than this amount on movies and milk tea with her girlfriends. But they hadn¡¯t chosen the restaurant themselves, it was the introducer, the Head Nurse, who made the reservation directly, right near the hospital, and it had a very good reputation; their department often had meals there¡­ sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So, 76 yuan it was. The girl didn¡¯t mind paying, but she couldn¡¯t help thinking: as expected, the Doctor Zhang in front of her was indeed very frugal and home-oriented. The girl tugged at the corner of her mouth and asked again, ¡°What did you just say?¡± However, Doctor Zhang regretted his words as soon as they left his lips and was in a hurry to shake his head, ¡°Nothing, nothing, let me take you home.¡± He hurried toward the door, but the girl, having bottled up countless grievances about blind dating, impulsively followed him and pressed, ¡°Say it again.¡± Dr. Xiaozhang instantly cowered. ¡°I, I, I¡­ I said why don¡¯t you take me home! I¡¯ll make dumplings for¡ª¡± He stopped mid-sentence, realizing that it seemed quite dangerous to invite a strange girl over as a bachelor, so he changed his tune, ¡°I¡¯ll pack the dumplings for you to eat.¡± Who craves dumplings anyway? They¡¯re hard to digest once eaten; you¡¯d be burping dumplings all day, the girl certainly didn¡¯t love that! But at this point, with things having gone this far, she decided without hesitation, ¡°Sure, I remember Sister Zhao said your home is nearby, right?¡± Sister Zhao is the Head Nurse. Zhang Yuan¡¯s expression became instantly pained, but the girl noticed it and couldn¡¯t help feeling a trace of joy. His home was indeed not far away; at that moment, he pointed across the street, ¡°It¡¯s in that residential complex.¡± The Millennium Garden opposite had been built for almost fifteen years, and Dr. Xiaozhang¡¯s family had put all their effort into acquiring it. Now, with his modest salary and surgery bonuses, he was indeed living hand to mouth after paying the mortgage. If it hadn¡¯t been for this, he wouldn¡¯t suffer such agony in his heart every time he went grocery shopping. Thinking about the dumplings being given away, he now really felt the heartache. Even the girl¡¯s hair, wafting with the sweet fruity scent of shampoo under the sunlight, had lost its allure for him. It wasn¡¯t until his phone vibrated with a new message that he quickly opened it to find the Head Nurse asking, ¡°Dr. Zhang, how¡¯s the conversation going?¡± Dr. Xiaozhang suddenly realized: he was on a blind date! One must perform well on a blind date! After giving it some thought, he revived his spirits and continued, ¡°You have no idea, those dumplings are simply the best thing in the world. I¡¯ve packed them for you, please don¡¯t throw them away, you must eat them!¡± Then he followed up with a question, ¡°Do you really want to eat them?¡± What could the girl say? Even if she didn¡¯t really want to eat them, at this point, she had to make it true. Perhaps it was because of Dr. Xiaozhang¡¯s previous outlandish behavior that his even more absurd words now made the girl think he seemed a bit too silly, yet quite adorable (funny). So she nodded sincerely, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely eat them. I¡¯ll send you a video when I do.¡± Across from her, Zhang Yuan¡¯s expression grew even more pained: ¡­There¡¯s really no need. She couldn¡¯t bear to take advantage of such an honest person, so she quickly changed the topic: ¡°Don¡¯t you also have bamboo shoots? Bamboo shoots are also delicious.¡± That way they wouldn¡¯t have to be so reluctant to part with a box of dumplings. After all, she was the one who had paid for lunch today! ¡°I don¡¯t know how to make it.¡± Dr. Xiaozhang looked completely bewildered. Not only did he not know how to make it, but he also had pitifully little time, as he had to work night shifts as well. So after bringing the bamboo shoots home a day ago, he couldn¡¯t bear to send them to the canteen and ask the chef for help, and at the same time, he didn¡¯t know how to cook them himself; talk about being conflicted. The girl casually mentioned, ¡°It¡¯s simple; just peel the bamboo shoots, shave them and chop them into dices, blanch them in water, then get some minced pork belly with a mix of fat and lean meat¡­ Do you know how to make buns? This would make the most delicious bun filling.¡± As her words fell, Zhang Yuan looked at her with eyes already filled with a trace of admiration. The girl paused, feeling a bit embarrassed. Well, she just knew a couple of things from watching her mom make them, and in fact, she didn¡¯t have any actual hands-on experience. The man was a doctor, after all; medical students go through so much hardship! And now he was looking at her with such eyes¡­ It was a little too much to handle! Upon closer look, even his sparse hair seemed less of a flaw. No, there was still a bit of a flaw. The girl moved her gaze away from his sparse hairline and made up her mind: ¡°Next time we meet, I¡¯ll give him a couple of toupee patches first.¡± If he was as honest and simple as he seemed, he probably wouldn¡¯t get angry¡­ right? She clenched her fists nervously. ¡­ As they talked, the two had already arrived at Zhang Yuan¡¯s house. His home was on the ground floor, and as the girl waited in the courtyard, Zhang Yuan went back to put the dumplings into partitioned boxes, reluctant to bring them out. He repeatedly urged her, ¡°You must eat them, alright?¡± It was such a reluctant and sorrowful parting, not like he was separating from a blind date, but as if leaving his one true love. Moved by the moment, the girl impulsively added, ¡°Do you want that bamboo shoot? Should I take it back and make the buns for you?¡± Dr. Xiaozhang¡¯s spirits lifted! He looked at the girl¡¯s slightly flushed cheeks and thought she must have really taken a liking to me; it must be love at first sight! Good heavens, in his lifetime, he would actually have a girl willing to cook for him! He was so excited he could hardly contain himself, his fists clenched tight, and then he shouted at the top of his lungs, ¡°Okay!¡± Right after that, he darted into the house like a shot. Before the girl could express her second thoughts, he was already out with the bamboo shoots: ¡°Where do you live? Let me take you home.¡± No, no, no, no, no!!! The girl was regretful enough already, but she hadn¡¯t anticipated giving away her home address, thinking, what if this naive, simple-minded doctor showed up at her door? She was thirty and still unmarried this year, and her mom at home was so eager she¡¯d settle for any man. Well¡­ it¡¯s not that she wasn¡¯t looking; it¡¯s just that she hadn¡¯t found the right one, right? She couldn¡¯t give him the wrong idea. Therefore, Zhang Yuan watched as the girl drove away into the distance, and at that moment, he was already looking forward to their next meeting. Glancing at his watch, it was only one o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Could he get the buns made by five? Did he even have a steamer at home, or did he need to go buy one at the supermarket? Dr. Xiaozhang let his imagination wander, thinking about savoring delicious bamboo shoot and pork buns that evening. Bathed in the brilliant sunshine, the strong sense of anticipation and savoring made him so happy that even his thoughts seemed to melt away. Chapter 160 - 160 160. Assist from an elderly mother_1 ?Chapter 160: 160. Assist from an elderly mother_1 Chapter 160: 160. Assist from an elderly mother_1 The girl was driving while slowly starting to get angry again. Not at anyone else, but purely at herself for not being assertive enough. The doctor she met for the blind date today wasn¡¯t particularly outstanding either! His features were indeed handsome and his skin fair, but the top of his head was rather sparse, making the thirty-year-old seem more like he was forty. Even though he was a chief physician, his salary wasn¡¯t that high. Zhao sister had said that he was highly regarded by the hospital leaders recently, and even had the chance to assist visiting experts from Imperial City¡­ But that couldn¡¯t change the fact that this guy seemed a bit too simple and silly! And herself, why did she have to fight for that breath of air? Just for a box of dumplings, she even had to wrap steamed buns for someone! This stingy miser didn¡¯t even give her money for the meat! The girl huffed back home and had barely settled on the couch when her mother, who was watching TV, immediately sat up with shining eyes and asked: ¡°How was it? Xiaozhao told me that Dr. Zhang Yuan is reliable and has a bright future¡­ is it a go or not?¡± The girl snorted subconsciously, but before she could even change her expression, her mother was already angrily placing her hands on her hips: ¡°Let me tell you, Chen Jingjing! If you keep being picky, I¡¯ll have you sweep the floors and throw you out!¡± ¡°What exactly are you looking for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­¡± Chen Jingjing mumbled, and afraid of provoking her mother, had a flash of inspiration and quickly picked up the lunch box and bamboo shoots: ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll see. It¡¯s just that doctor is too honest, he insisted that his family¡¯s dumplings are really good. He gave me the last box and then said the bamboo shoots he bought were especially fresh and told me to wrap some buns with them.¡± Not sure if it will work out, better to delay for a couple of days. Little did she know she had greatly underestimated the heart of a mother eager for her daughter to marry off, as she immediately pulled out her phone: ¡°¡­Hello, Sister Hong, not playing cards this afternoon¡­¡± ¡°Ah, nothing much, just my daughter, wasn¡¯t she introduced to a suitor? The guy is particularly genuine, even bought those imported organic bamboo shoots¡­¡± ¡°¡­No, no, they weren¡¯t too expensive, I didn¡¯t even ask the price, it¡¯s the thought that counts¡­¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°¡­right, right, I was planning to wrap some buns with it quickly, I¡¯ll invite you over to try once they¡¯re ready, can¡¯t let it go to waste¡­ okay, deal, let¡¯s set up a date!¡± The girl, holding her things, stood at the doorway, stunned. Glancing at the full bag of bamboo shoots, she was completely flabbergasted. She attempted one last rescue: ¡°Mom, that¡¯s not quite right, is it? To accept things from someone on a first meeting; I was planning to make some buns and send them back to him¡­¡± Her mother, already aproned in the kitchen, cheerfully said, ¡°What do you know? You single dog! If the man gives you something and you send it back, wouldn¡¯t that just seem ungrateful?¡± ¡°Listen to your mother. Make the buns, and you can deliver a few to him tonight¡­ It would be appropriate to invite him over for a meal, but I didn¡¯t want you to think it¡¯s too soon, right?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± The girl was nodding her head in a hurry: ¡°It¡¯s too soon, way too soon.¡± By the end, she was close to crying. ¡°Right?¡± her mother rolled her eyes: ¡°Don¡¯t I know you? Hurry up, go buy a bag of flour at the supermarket, get three pounds of pork belly, I¡¯ll start prepping the bamboo shoots.¡± ¡°Tonight you just deliver a few to him to taste, I¡¯m telling you, Chen Jingjing, don¡¯t you show me attitude. If this doesn¡¯t work out, you¡¯re on your own starting tomorrow!¡± The girl was on the verge of tears. She wished she could be on her own, but to protest now would be blatantly seeking conflict at home! So, without even sitting down at home, she switched shoes again and went to the supermarket to buy green onions, ginger, garlic bulbs, pork belly, refined flour ¨C all with her own money¡­ This was a massive loss! By the evening, the dawdling girl finally sent Dr. Xiaozhang a message, asking him to come outside to pick up the buns. Dr. Zhang Yuan sprang up as if from his deathbed, laughing heartily as he headed out. He eagerly reached out his hand¡ª Inside the fresh-keeping bag were six buns. Even though the buns were large, round, and fragrant, there were still only six of them! He looked at the girl in disbelief, ¡°Even if I can¡¯t cook, I know that ten jin of bamboo shoots could never produce just six buns!¡± The girl¡¯s gaze shifted from side to side, with one hand on her hip and her belly slightly protruding, then she said in a low voice, ¡°Well, the buns are indeed tasty, and there are no bamboo shoots left¡­ if that¡¯s not okay, maybe I can compensate you with a girlfriend instead.¡± Her mother had a point: This Dr. Zhang may look old, but the fact that he was willing to share such delicious food with her suggests that his intentions are indeed sincere. What? Dr. Xiaozhang also stood frozen on the spot, then suddenly couldn¡¯t help but feel secretly delighted: He knew it! This girl must have taken a liking to him early on! Now she was purposely not returning the buns, using it as an excuse to confess. As he entertained this thought, he couldn¡¯t do anything but grin foolishly, the two of them exchanging silly looks under the streetlights. ¡­ Meanwhile, Song Tan had no idea that her family¡¯s farm products were playing matchmaker; she was simply announcing yet again in the group chat that there were no more bamboo shoots. As she watched the nonstop inquiries in the group chat, she was too exhausted to reply. Was that bamboo forest some kind of perpetual motion machine? After two digs it was all gone, naturally. Why keep asking, saying they¡¯d rather wait for it to grow back¡­ when it wasn¡¯t even the right season? Gone, really gone. However, she faced a bit of a dilemma with her lifesaver from Imperial City. Initially, she had been given one address, but afterward, when she was told they had been discharged, the address changed. Now they were asking if she sold her home products, saying a friend was inquiring¡­ But if she said they were for sale and they simply gave her money, what then? In all honesty, Song Tan was out to make money, but she had no intention of profiting from this debt of gratitude. She had no plans to repay the life-saving favor with her hand in marriage; she would have to pay it back materially as generously as possible. But then she thought of the advantage of WeChat: whether or not to accept the money was up to her. So, without any hesitation, she replied firmly, ¡°I sell tea leaves and some other farm products, all of which are for sale, but my family¡¯s products are of such high quality that they are rather expensive. Both the Mingqian and Yuqian Tea are priced at ten thousand yuan per jin, honey is one thousand yuan per jin, and we also have bamboo shoots, wild vegetables, etc. However, the garden is now closed for the season, and we currently have none.¡± ¡°Postal delivery is available, but you¡¯ll have to cover the shipping costs.¡± That way, the other party could feel the sincerity of her desire to repay the favor. This sincerity was indeed felt by Lun Chuan. In his mind, the country girl dressed in simple clothes and carrying a canvas bag didn¡¯t look wealthy, and with such high-quality products at home, ten thousand yuan probably wouldn¡¯t yield much profit. Yet she had easily given away several jin of it, not to mention the earlier wild vegetables and honey¡­ Lun Chuan stared blankly at the cup of fresh Maojian tea in front of him, feeling suddenly warm at heart. Saving someone without expecting anything in return was genuine, but now that the other party was displaying their feelings, this sense of receiving gratitude felt good too. Chapter 161 - 161 161. Not enough food for the pig_1 ?Chapter 161: 161. Not enough food for the pig_1 Chapter 161: 161. Not enough food for the pig_1 The computer screen dimly reflected Lun Chuan¡¯s scarred face, but his expression remained unchanged, casually swiping away two interception notifications¡ª Zhou Yongzhi can¡¯t find me, and no one is there to inherit the several million yuan of family property, so that must have him worried now. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a fool. It doesn¡¯t matter how many more years Zhou Yongzhi could live, or how much the inheritance is worth, just considering the man himself, Lun Chuan greatly disdains him. In his whole life, he wished for nothing more than to have no connection whatsoever with this person. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The warm breeze of spring brushed by gently, the white gauze by the window fluttering like flowing clouds, filling the room with the slowly meandering fragrance of tea, increasingly ethereal, delighting the senses. After thinking it over, Lun Chuan decisively switched to another phone and cut to a secondary number: ¡°Hello, I was referred by Lun Chuan, I¡¯d like to buy another ten pounds of tea leaves, ten pounds of honey.¡± Editors and readers, familiar author friends, and the interpersonal relations on mom¡¯s side¡­ It¡¯s not only for maintaining relationships but also to express gratitude for their sincerity. Of course, he would never admit that he now regarded the tea leaves and honey he had at home as treasures, not willing to part with them to anyone else. Not even a sniff. Essentially, he still loved to hog it all to himself. However, upon opening the empty freezer compartment again and finding that whether it was dumplings or frozen Milk Vetch, nothing was left now. And thinking about what Song Tan had just said about those local specialties, wild vegetables, and bamboo shoots¡­ He closed the fridge door with an expressionless face, deciding to drink a cup of tea now, to calm down. But as the fragrant tea slid over his tongue, his heart blazed with fire yet again. After pacing around the room twice, he couldn¡¯t alleviate the feelings of regret. Lun Chuan struggled to contain himself but eventually couldn¡¯t help dropping his pride and embarrassment, tentatively asking with the secondary number: ¡°Are there really no more bamboo shoots?¡± Song Tan was also taken aback when she saw the message: Was that lifesaver of a man so detailed in his introduction that he even told people about the sold-out items? She replied earnestly and definitively, ¡°Yes, they¡¯re gone.¡± Maybe with some more searching, another ten or twenty pounds could be found, but it really wasn¡¯t necessary. There was a lot of work at home; she couldn¡¯t afford to be concerned with that anymore. After some thought, she sent another message to Lun Chuan: ¡°Thank you for referring your friend. I made quite a bit of money from that last transaction. I¡¯ll secretly send you five pounds of bamboo shoots, but please don¡¯t tell your friend.¡± Tea and honey, a business of one hundred and ten thousand, giving back five pounds of bamboo shoots to him¡­ it seemed only right, didn¡¯t it? Meanwhile, Lun Chuan didn¡¯t quite know what kind of expression to wear upon reading that message. Indeed, for that country girl, the sense of camaraderie was more valuable than money. Now, to say she had made a tidy sum¡­ How much could she have earned? Farming in the countryside is not easy. His heart grew even softer, instantly forgetting the incident of just now when the secondary number¡¯s request for bamboo shoots was rejected. He quickly transferred the payment while struggling to rein in his own greed. Truth be told, the girl was good in every way, just too straightforward¡ªwas it possible that five pounds of bamboo shoots wouldn¡¯t be enough? He could manage fifty pounds! Worst case, he¡¯d just buy another freezer, so whether it was dried shoots or bamboo shoot buns, or anything else, he could freeze them. But at this moment, since she said she would send them for free, he had no choice but to swallow that sigh. On one hand, he was looking forward to the taste of those five pounds of bamboo shoots, on the other hand, saddened that five pounds would hardly be enough to satisfy his appetite. ¡­ Lun Chuan¡¯s melancholy and anticipation remained a mystery to others, while on this side, Song Tan had already called Zhang Yanping over with a hoe: ¡°Let¡¯s go, Brother Yanping, let¡¯s dig up some more bamboo shoots.¡± ¡°Dig up a good amount!¡± Seventh Uncle immediately shouted, ¡°We¡¯re making bamboo shoot buns tonight.¡± Zhang Yanping was at a critical moment in a game, his hands were moving so fast they almost left afterimages: ¡°Let Qiaoqiao handle it, I can¡¯t be bothered right now.¡± No sooner had the words left his mouth, Qiaoqiao charged back in with a bucket in tow: ¡°Qiaoqiao¡¯s busy too!¡± Then, holding up the empty bucket: ¡°I need to get more food, there¡¯s not enough for the piglets.¡± With that, she stuffed wheat bran, rice chaff, the pile of water hyacinths fished out earlier, and some bamboo shoot peels that were neither too old nor too tender into the bucket. Song Tan glanced over and thought to herself that these few pigs have only been Qiaoqiao¡¯s responsibility for the past couple of days, weren¡¯t they always fed by her dad before? How could there not be enough? It must be Qiaoqiao sneaking extra treats to King and Big White again. This show of partiality made it clear that rotating responsibilities was a necessary move, otherwise, it¡¯d look like she was playing favorites. Moreover¡­ ¡°Qiaoqiao,¡± she stared at the foolish child, ¡°don¡¯t always feed King these things.¡± If its original owner knew, they¡¯d cry again, making it look like she was torturing the dog every day. Little did they know how popular the water hyacinths from their pond had become! Big White took one sip and immediately wanted to dive in, tail up in the air, never to come out again. Qiaoqiao hummed, ¡°I only fed the piglets, I didn¡¯t feed King.¡± But her words didn¡¯t carry much conviction; she probably did feed them a little. Song Tan didn¡¯t press the issue¡ªeven if the water hyacinths were tasty, could wheat bran and rice chaff be as appetizing as leftovers? This half-heartedness wasn¡¯t going to cut it, King probably wouldn¡¯t endure it for long. Let her feed them if she wants, they¡¯re worthless anyway. Just then, Zhang Yanping¡¯s in-game death sound was particularly noticeable. Well then, time to move. With a resigned sigh, he picked up the hoe and the basket: ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go dig up some bamboo shoots!¡± While at home, he had packed on a solid layer of belly fat; if he didn¡¯t get moving, once his mom saw him, she¡¯d probably never let him enjoy village life again. ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you say we were stopping digging bamboo shoots? How come you want them again today?¡± Song Tan shook her head: ¡°A client introduced me to a ten-pound tea deal, and I promised him five pounds of bamboo shoots.¡± Holy shit!!! Zhang Yanping¡¯s eyes bulged: ¡°Who exactly has the connections, you or me? Asking casually for ten pounds of tea that costs eleven thousand per pound!¡± Damn it, why aren¡¯t such cash cows in his contact list? ¡°Wait!¡± he asked again: ¡°You¡¯re pricing your Yuqian Tea and the teas picked earlier at the same rate? You don¡¯t even bother to screen them!¡± Normally, when processing tea leaves, one would sift through the batches, sorting them into different grades of buds and leaves, with orderly pricing according to quality. Song Tan kept it simple; she didn¡¯t differentiate at all! After all, to her, eleven thousand was easy to remember, and it was right on the baseline for price. No need to raise it higher or lower it down, saving her so much hassle these days! But this gave her an idea, ¡°You¡¯re right, always drinking the finest tips can get a bit dull. When summer comes, I¡¯ll pick the bud and leaves. I¡¯ll still charge the same price.¡± Zhang Yanping was nearly jumping out of his skin¡ªshocked at this daylight robbery¡ª Summer teas inherently carry a bitter edge, and are priced much lower. Among spring tea, summer tea, and White Dew Tea, it¡¯s the summer tea that¡¯s the cheapest and most undervalued, like it¡¯s begging to be buried in the dirt. Not to mention these were mere buds and leaves, even a bud attached to a couple of leaves would vary in price based on the number of leaves; the more leaves, the less valuable. However, Song Tan had other plans: ¡°A hint of bitterness in the fragrance, a more robust flavor in the tea, the ability to brew several times over, maybe there are those who¡¯d like this taste!¡± After all, tea keeps well, as long as it¡¯s sold within a year, it¡¯s fine. With the current momentum, she had nothing to worry about! Chapter 162 - 162 162. Sunning Quilts_1 ?Chapter 162: 162. Sunning Quilts_1 Chapter 162: 162. Sunning Quilts_1 After the Qingming Festival had passed, there was a rare sense of leisure at home. Of course, this leisure was limited, such as Wu Lan, who still went to the mountains to pick tea daily, tirelessly. Song Sancheng led his workers to clean up Seventh Uncle¡¯s home spick and span, and Wu Lan even helped pack up the old cotton quilts, letting Song Tan take them to town to be refluffed. After soaking up the warm sunshine all day, Seventh Grandma and Seventh Uncle couldn¡¯t wait to go back to sleep in their own home that evening. In fact, sleeping at Song Tan¡¯s house was fragrant and sound, making one wake up refreshed and invigorated! sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But as comfortable as it was to sleep, there was always a bit of discomfort in the heart before sleeping. An old saying goes, ¡°A golden house or a silver house is not as good as one¡¯s own doghouse.¡± The elderly couple especially was not used to it. So back at home, with two thick layers of mattress laid out and the coarse cotton bed sheets spread out, the temperature in the countryside was still a bit low, especially since they were older and felt the cold more. A thin cotton quilt was then added on top¡­ The next morning, the elderly couple both came over covering their cheeks with their hands. ¡°What happened?¡± Song Tan got up early in the morning and went to Chestnut Garden to feed the dogs, taking advantage of the heavy dew and deserted atmosphere, spreading the ¡°Spiritual Energy,¡± as it was evenly distributed among them. The chestnut trees were lush and verdant, stretching out tender green leaves, stacking and crowding one another on the branches, which made the place exceptionally lively. Amidst the leaves, the oblong buds were partially hidden, but would soon bloom, and it looked to be a bountiful year. Along the edges of the garden, the Golden Sakura sprouted tender shoots on the fences that were enclosed, and Song Sancheng had secured them with ropes, showing considerable initiative to climb up. The soft leaves above unfurled while the purplish-red tender stems below were robust and stout, with nail-sized buds peeping out here and there, a vibrant picture of vitality. Inside the luxurious doghouse in the garden were Sanbao and Sibao, who had been fulfilling their duties very well during this time. Song Tan had accompanied them for a good while and now parted from them with reluctance. Just as she entered the yard, she saw the elderly couple looking this way and, out of curiosity, couldn¡¯t help but ask. Seventh Uncle hummed: ¡°I¡¯ve got heatiness.¡± Heatiness? But thinking it over, there wasn¡¯t anything particularly heat-inducing in yesterday¡¯s meal, was there? Zhang Yanping snickered, ¡°Seventh Uncle, did you secretly soak ginseng last night? How can you be so severely heaty?¡± Especially at your age, normally the body reacts much more slowly; I am surprised that your reactions are still this strong. Seventh Uncle became even more irritated: ¡°What do you young people know? I told you those quilts should not have been sunned, but not a single one was spared. What a strong fire the sun has! My gums swelled up overnight.¡± Zhang Yanping was gobsmacked: ¡°Isn¡¯t sunning things supposed to kill mites? Seventh Uncle, you can¡¯t blame others for your heatiness.¡± Song Sancheng, however, started laughing: ¡°Yanping, you don¡¯t understand. Sunning quilts can indeed lead to heatiness if you sleep under them at night. It¡¯s the yang energy, and those who are weak can¡¯t handle it¡ªUncle, shall I get you some wild chrysanthemums to steep?¡± Seventh Uncle waved his hand: ¡°I¡¯ll drink tea; I don¡¯t care for your wild chrysanthemums.¡± Swiftly, they prepared breakfast, and then, with a small trowel in hand, called for Qiaoqiao: ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, we¡¯re off to dig up vegetables.¡± Thinking it over, since he was currently on a wage, it seemed only right to show some respect to his employers, so he feigned earnestness and asked, ¡°Is it okay to have dandelion for lunch? It cools down the heat.¡± Wasn¡¯t that question superfluous? Anything cooked by the master chef was delicious, so naturally anything was fine for everyone. Only Zhang Yanping sighed once more about the diversity of life back in the village¡ªafter picking ground ivy after the last heavy rain, he had been selecting it all morning, and now they were going to dig up dandelions. ¡°I¡¯ve come to eat the species of the entire village¡­¡± He muttered to himself, but spontaneously picked up a small basket and left with Qiaoqiao. Song Sancheng was tightening the handle of the shovel in his hand, now he said with a smile, ¡°Yanping has become much more diligent.¡± Song Tan chuckled: He¡¯s just looking for business opportunities and trying to lose weight on the side. Besides, with three large bowls per meal, if he doesn¡¯t do any work, Song Tan would have to send him back. At this moment, she remembered something else, ¡°Dad, I saw some silver ear mushrooms on the mountain are almost ripe; we could pick some for us to try.¡± They¡¯re surely not going to be bad. Song Sancheng stopped his work and thought deeply, ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s strange. Everything has grown well this year. Apart from more insects, there really haven¡¯t been any diseases.¡± ¡°I remember when I used to grow silver ear mushrooms, they were prone to gray mold disease. I¡¯d scrape off the mold from the trees with a small bamboo strip every day and even had to apply lime water to disinfect¡­ Now it¡¯s much easier.¡± As for the silver ear mushrooms, he had been airing them out daily, paying close attention! ¡°I checked; this first batch won¡¯t yield much after drying, maybe only about one or two pounds.¡± That¡¯s quite a lot. Song Tan muttered, ¡°This stuff is sold by the gram online.¡± There was another matter¡ª ¡°At Chestnut Garden, half of the area under the trees is planted with black and silver ear mushrooms, but the other half is empty. What do you think about interplanting something there?¡± Now that there weren¡¯t any pressing tasks at hand, Song Sancheng wasn¡¯t resistant to planting anymore. After all, anything would do, as long as it wasn¡¯t sweet potatoes. He thought for a moment, ¡°How about planting more beans? We can¡¯t go without soybeans.¡± That made sense. They could make soy milk and tofu, pick the bean curd skin, and even fry the soybean dregs as part of a dish. Of course, if they didn¡¯t want to cook with them, they could also feed them to the chickens and pigs, or press them for oil. Great! Song Tan clapped her hands, ¡°Do we still have any soybeans saved from the last harvest? I¡¯ll go plant them in the morning when no one¡¯s around.¡± Song Sancheng thought for a moment, then picked up a hoe, ¡°The ground was tilled last time, but since it just rained heavily, I¡¯ll turn the soil over a bit more at the front, and you can follow behind sowing the seeds.¡± Song Tan was now much stronger than Song Sancheng. She took the hoe inconspicuously and handed a small bag of soybeans to him, ¡°Dad, let me do it.¡± In the blink of an eye, the entire yard was empty again. The three local dogs made a few rounds in the yard, found nobody around, and with a snort, started rooting around in the pile of miscellaneous items again. Meanwhile, Seventh Uncle had set his sights on a neglected barren field and walked across the green paths overgrown with grass roots. Seventh Grandma might have been suffering from a sore mouth, but her mood was rather good. She was even in the mood to humor the child: ¡°Qiaoqiao, do you want to eat some grass roots? Grandma will dig some for you.¡± Qiaoqiao nodded happily: ¡°I want to.¡± Seventh Grandma promptly scraped the hoe on the field path, unearthing several tender white ends of thatch grass roots. Chewing these grass roots gives a sweet taste; they were perfect for rural children to pass the time. Seventh Grandma washed a handful of thatch roots in the ditch water, ready to give them to Qiaoqiao. But then she thought that children nowadays were accustomed to tap water and probably didn¡¯t have the sturdy stomachs of her childhood¡­ It was better to take them back home. Chapter 163 - 163 163. Mao Yaer and Dandelion_1 ?Chapter 163: 163. Mao Yaer and Dandelion_1 Chapter 163: 163. Mao Yaer and Dandelion_1 Zhang Yanping¡¯s memories of childhood had already become blurry. After all, he had lived in the city for a long time, and his occasional visits to his hometown were just for the summer holidays. Now, seeing Qiaoqiao already adeptly squatting down to dig up grass roots with Seventh Grandma, he couldn¡¯t help being greatly surprised: ¡°You really eat these?¡± ¡°Yeah, we eat them.¡± Qiaoqiao declared confidently and then pulled out a thick, white grass root and held it up: ¡°Brother, do you want some? It¡¯s really sweet.¡± Her words made Zhang Yanping somewhat tempted to try, but the grass root had just been waved in the water of a ditch¡­ So, hesitantly following suit, he began digging: ¡°Let¡¯s dig them up first, then we can wash and eat them at home.¡± As he spoke, he aimed at a clump of lush green grass and plunged the shovel downwards, only to be stopped by Seventh Grandma: ¡°Silly child, there are thatch shoots on top, which are not edible!¡± With that said, she gently pulled from the slender, tender green leaves, drawing out a thin, plump, green shoot. Qiaoqiao, unable to wait, took it over. Peeling back the grass leaves, there was a fluffy, white substance inside. Without hesitation, he stuffed it into his mouth and then smiled at Seventh Grandma: ¡°It¡¯s so tender and soft.¡± Seventh Grandma also began to smile, her wrinkled cheeks becoming vivid: ¡°Tender, right? The beginning of April is just the right season to eat thatch shoots.¡± ¡°The white thatch root, on the other hand, is premature to eat now; it¡¯s started to sprout and has lost nutrition and sweetness. It will slowly become tastier after the rice is ripe.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t dig up that thatch root. Qiaoqiao, pull out some more thatch shoots here; this patch looks really tender!¡± Zhang Yanping had truly gained an insight. Seeing how happily Qiaoqiao was eating, it must taste good! So, he started to pick and choose, finally settling on the tallest and fattest shoot, the white fluff nearly poking out, and yanked it out! Then he peeled back the grass leaves and, looking at the plump, furry shoot, popped it directly into his mouth. However, the more he chewed, the stranger his expression became, until he finally spat it out with a ¡°ptui ptui ptui¡±: ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m eating fur or something?¡± Qiaoqiao couldn¡¯t help laughing out loud beside him: ¡°Brother, you¡¯re so silly, you picked an old one. You have to choose the tender ones like this!¡± He was already clutching a small handful of tender shoots in his fist. Seventh Grandma also viewed Qiaoqiao through rose-colored glasses, lavishing her with praise without a second thought: ¡°Yes indeed, our Qiaoqiao is so smart, picking all the tender ones. If you had come last month, they would have been even more tender and delicious.¡± Zhang Yanping: ¡­ He alone was injured in a world that had reached consensus. But having already gotten white fluff in his mouth, he wasn¡¯t willing to give up without tasting a tender one to experience the actual flavor, so he squatted down again and began searching through the patch of tender grass. Over there, Seventh Uncle was squatting in the wasteland, huffing with annoyance: Is everyone just concerned with snacks, and not looking for vegetables for lunch? In his basket, more than a dozen plants of young dandelion leaves that had just sprung up were already gathered. Seeing Zhang Yanping pulling out a few thatch shoots and also seeming eager to join in, he quickly shouted a warning in advance: ¡°Quick, dig the dandelions; don¡¯t pick the ones that have flowered, we don¡¯t want those with buds either.¡± Seventh Uncle¡¯s daily wanderings were not aimless; he could clearly see which patches of ground had what abundance of crops. For instance, in the wasteland beside them, quite a lot of shepherd¡¯s purse had grown, but at one glance, it was evident that they were too mature, not fresh and tender enough for stuffing dumplings¡ªout of season. Looking at the dandelions here, with a dozen or so sparse yellow flowers bloomed and many tender green leaves remaining, he did not hesitate to make his choice. When Qiaoqiao came over, he reverted to his old way of teaching: ¡°This is called dandelion, also known as yellow flower groundsel and grandma¡¯s groundsel. What we usually eat are these tender shoots.¡± ¡°As for its uses, it can clear heat and detoxify, dissolve phlegm, stop coughs, reduce inflammation, and cool the blood. If you have a sore throat, painful gums, gastritis, or a urinary tract infection, you can eat it.¡± Qiaoqiao simply repeated the parts she could remember: ¡°Pee pain, toothache, stomachache, throat pain, you can eat it¡ªclears heat and detoxifies, dissolves phlegm, stops coughs.¡± Seventh Uncle¡¯s expression was visibly distressed. ¡°Not all types of stomachache can be treated with it¡­ forget it, don¡¯t remember that part, just focus on the rest.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± he called out, ¡°aren¡¯t those few branches of bristlegrass seedlings pulled out yet? Hurry up, dig up the dandelion.¡± How could one say Seventh Uncle knew his food well? The group dug up several small baskets of tender dandelions and, upon returning home, he soaked a bag of mung bean hair in water after washing it clean. Then the group started sorting through the dandelions again, removing the old stems and roots, washing the leaves until they were green, oily, and fresh¡ªa whole basketful. Looking at this basket of greens, Seventh Uncle was proud but simultaneously let out a sigh of relief while covering his cheeks in frustration, saying, ¡°Look at how well you all can eat. There are only a few of us, and we need a whole basket of vegetables for a meal!¡± It was fortunate that in the countryside, there were plenty of vegetables in the fields. If it was in the city, day after day, they would soon go bankrupt from eating. While they were talking, Song Tan and Song Sancheng had already returned from the mountain. That patch of mountain land had already been plowed, and for sowing the beans, he simply had to scatter them on the flattened earth, not a heavy task. But Sancheng obviously couldn¡¯t sit still. As soon as he arrived home, he placed down the hoe and rake and then turned to take a shovel up the back mountain: ¡°Dad, take a break, will you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even do any work, what¡¯s there to rest for!¡± Sancheng said cheerfully¡ªhe truly hadn¡¯t done much; his daughter was brandishing the hoe like a seasoned farmer, and all he did was follow behind scattering seeds, not much work at all. ¡°Isn¡¯t Zhang Yanping still preparing the manure recently? Our chickens, ducks, and pigs up on the mountain seem to produce a lot. His legs aren¡¯t very nimble, so I¡¯ll help him shovel it out.¡± Meanwhile, Seventh Uncle had already begun teaching Qiaoqiao how to cook again. He directed Qiaoqiao to rinse the soaked mung beans and then told her to add salt to marinate them for five minutes. Just the act of adding salt to the mung beans had everyone staring agape. Next, they boiled clean water in a large pot, added the dandelions, and cooked them for fifteen minutes until they turned mushy. Then he used a strainer to scoop out the dandelions, leaving only the broth, and added the mung beans into it. The mung beans were quick to cook, and soon they were done. He added more salt, MSG, chicken essence, and sesame oil for flavoring, achieving a savory, slightly bitter taste that mingled with the distinctive texture of eating beans. Odd and unusual, but quite tasty. Once cooked, he served it in a basin, not moving it far, just keeping it warm by the water jar in front of the stove. Immediately after, Seventh Uncle kept Qiaoqiao busy with a flurry of tasks. She had to wash a pot, cook the rice, and then fetch the freshly washed tender dandelion shoots from the water, using a cheesecloth to wring out the moisture. He cracked a few eggs, added sticky rice flour and dry bean powder, along with seasonings, and mixed them well to create an egg-rice-bean powder paste. Then he heated up the pan, fried salt until slightly yellow, and finally added ground Sichuan pepper and mixed it in. A bowl of thick paste was made! He then heated oil in a pan, waited until it got hot and dipped the dandelions in the paste to coat them, and then fried them in the pan to set their shape. These were salt and pepper dandelions, fragrant and crispy! S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When it came time to double-fry and plate them, the whole yard was permeated with a unique spicy aroma. Chapter 164 - 164 164. Tricycle and Drivers License_1 ?Chapter 164: 164. Tricycle and Driver¡¯s License_1 Chapter 164: 164. Tricycle and Driver¡¯s License_1 After an ample meal and plenty of drink, the group felt content and satiated. In the valuable farming season of spring, people didn¡¯t have the habit of taking a midday rest, and Wu Lan, having finished her meal and discarded her bowl, hurried back up the mountain to pick tea. Already brimming with enthusiasm, and knowing that Song Tan¡¯s customer had placed an order for another ten jin of tea, she grew even more convinced of the market for tea leaves. Daily trips to the mountain to pick tea felt like gathering gold¡ªno amount of work seemed too tiring! Not to mention that up on the mountain, a bunch of women from the village would chat and laugh together; their loud voices could be heard over several hills. Gossip travelled so fast it was as if there were no secrets left in the village. After eating, Song Sancheng couldn¡¯t sit still and went for a stroll around the fields. He was reassured to see the vegetable seedlings growing strong and the seeds he¡¯d sown sprouting dense tender green shoots. It wasn¡¯t the old oxen, who had finished plowing the fields, that were the weariest in these plots of land; it was Dabao and Erbao who were constantly running around. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It wasn¡¯t for anything else but to chase away those pesky magpies and sparrows that came to steal from the fields, relying entirely on the two of them for protection! Old Man Li glanced over the rice fields, then asked, ¡°Are we planting rice seedlings tomorrow? If we are, I¡¯ll come over first thing in the morning.¡± It was about time indeed; the seedlings were lush and robust, a very reassuring sight! ¡°We are!¡± Song Sancheng replied without hesitation, ¡°You don¡¯t need to work; we have enough hands in our family.¡± Only these two plots, together barely more than two acres, had been manageable even back when Song Tan was a child and they still farmed; a single strong worker putting in some effort could have planted the seedlings for both fields in one day. But these days, people had become lazy and out of practice with farm work, so planting required the whole family to pitch in. Old Man Li chuckled and said, ¡°Such a small area, and you¡¯re worried it might tire me out? Together we¡¯d finish quickly.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Considering the size, for those used to farm work, it wasn¡¯t too taxing. Old Man Li insisted; having the skills of a seasoned farmer, Sancheng happily agreed. Lastly, he didn¡¯t forget to extend an invitation, ¡°Then come have lunch at my place tomorrow. You haven¡¯t tasted my cousin¡¯s cooking in many years, have you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there!¡± Old Man Li replied without hesitation: ¡°Just the other day, I dreamt he cooked me a dish of garlic shoots and twice-cooked pork. Oh my, the aroma was so enticing, I ate two bowls in one sitting!¡± ¡°Now, I can¡¯t manage that much. I¡¯m old; my appetite has waned. I can only get through about half a bowl at a time now. I just can¡¯t eat as much as I used to.¡± Speaking of which, Old Man Li smiled contentedly, ¡°But I must say, your family treats me well and trusts this old man with the rice field¡ªI won¡¯t lie to you, ever since I¡¯ve been overseeing these two fields for Tantan this year, I¡¯ve felt energized enough to eat a whole bowl of rice at a meal. My spirits have certainly lifted.¡± If Song Tan were to explain it, there was a definite reason! Back then, infusing Milk Vetch with Spiritual Energy only allowed people to absorb a little, but it wasn¡¯t without benefits. Besides, Old Man Li¡¯s cattle consumed a lot of Milk Vetch, and he himself hadn¡¯t eaten just a little of it. All these were subtle influences. But, if Song Sancheng were to offer his perspective, being a man of rural conviction that everyone believed in, it would be¡ª ¡°Certainly, it¡¯s because you weren¡¯t active before. We rural folks can¡¯t afford to be idle; once you¡¯re idle, the body tends to feel uneasy. It¡¯s better to stay busy with work.¡± ¡°That¡¯s absolutely true.¡± Indeed, Old Man Li agreed wholeheartedly, and the two men stood on the field ridges, chatting back and forth with great fervor. By the time Sancheng returned home, it was already mid-afternoon. The sun shone warm and tender, making one¡¯s body feel toasty and supple. In the courtyard, five recliner chairs were lined up, and Seventh Uncle and Seventh Grandma sat there, along with Qiaoqiao, Tantan, and Yanping, each in their seat. The three youngsters each held a little pup in their arms, and it was hard to tell if the dogs were sleeping soundly or the people were basking in comfort. Heard by the movement, Song Tan lifted the straw hat off her face, ¡°Dad, there¡¯s no more work to be done. You should rest too.¡± As for Mrs. Wu Lan, who was still toiling away in the tea fields¡­ well, there was nothing to be done about it. The stubbornness of a mother, no one in the family could contend with it. Song Sancheng, however, wasn¡¯t the type to sit idle. He had straightened up the storeroom and, looking at the small box that had held the bear bees before, suddenly realized: ¡°Tantan, shouldn¡¯t these bear bees have hatched by now?¡± Qiaoqiao raised her hand: ¡°Some have. 20 hatched and now they can all fly and gather pollen.¡± But Daxiong was truly useless, and so was his family. The pollen they gathered each day was only enough to feed themselves, effectively hatching a bunch of good-for-nothings. Daxiong himself, the actual bear, even had difficulty taking to the skies and had to rely on the children with pollen baskets hanging from their legs to bring back food for him. Song Tan also muttered, ¡°As a queen bee, Daxiong¡¯s primary task is to reproduce. But instead, after her own children hatched, she couldn¡¯t even be bothered to feed them.¡± And now that they had finally matured, she wasn¡¯t producing any more. She just spent her days eating and drinking with her twenty-something bear bees. Working hard? Very hard. Busy from morning till night. Did they gather nectar? They did, but not completely, because it was only enough to fill their own bellies, with not a bit left over. Truly, it was like raising a bunch of wastrels. However worthless they might be, these were still Qiaoqiao¡¯s little darlings. This very morning, he had even made a special trip to place Daxiong on a magnolia tree in front of a house in the village. The magnolia blossoms were at their peak, their fragrance nearly intoxicating. The petals were large and so were the pollen grains, just the right size for Daxiong ¡ª he¡¯d pick her up in the evening, at least to allow her to have her fill. It was truly a labor of love. Song Sancheng, being a rough-hewn country man, didn¡¯t quite grasp the unreliability of Daxiong or the indulgence of the kids. Instead, he was contemplating another matter: ¡°Tantan, should we buy a small tricycle?¡± ¡°Uncle Zhang up in the mountains, he struggles every day hauling manure and leaves. If he had an electric tricycle, he could ride it on the small paths and easily transport stuff.¡± It could even go into the mountains. This point actually gave it an edge over Song Tan¡¯s pickup. But speaking of electric tricycles, she suddenly remembered something: ¡°Dad, you told mom before about learning to drive; now that you¡¯re not busy, isn¡¯t it time to take the first subject test and continue learning?¡± Song Sancheng: ¡­ How to put this? He had simulated the written test several times and hadn¡¯t once scored above eighty-five, a cruel fate for a middle-aged man! So much so that Song Sancheng was ashamed to even speak of it. He hummed and hawed awkwardly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it that, isn¡¯t it that there¡¯s work at home? I¡¯m too busy.¡± Song Tan didn¡¯t buy it for a second: ¡°Dad, the vegetables haven¡¯t started growing yet, and the peach trees haven¡¯t blossomed. Now is the perfect time to have some free time.¡± She was willing to buy the electric tricycle, and it didn¡¯t matter to her whether her dad or Uncle Zhang used it, but what about their driving licenses? Song Sancheng: ¡­ Song Sancheng chose to take another walk up the mountain instead. Chapter 165 - 165 165. Planting rice seedlings the water underneath ?Chapter 165: 165. Planting rice seedlings, the water underneath feels cold_1 Chapter 165: 165. Planting rice seedlings, the water underneath feels cold_1 The early morning in early April still carried a hint of chill. Early in the morning, Old Li led his ox to the edge of the paddy field. The ox wandered off to graze on its own in the abandoned field nearby, while he deftly rolled up his pant legs. His rough feet, marked with black scars, stepped into the soft, squishy mud; despite feeling strong this year, Old Li couldn¡¯t help but shiver¡ª ¡°Aiyo, this is really cold!¡± As he was saying this, he saw Song Tan approaching with a shoulder pole, the baskets brimming with robust rice seedlings tied neatly into bundles, stacked and overflowing. Yet she carried them on one shoulder, her hand resting lightly on the pole, her practiced pose and effortless movements as if she were a brawny man, not the delicate girl in front of him! Seeing this, Old Li couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, ¡°Aiyo¡±¡ª This girl, she¡¯s really cut out for farming! Song Tan stood at the edge of the field looking at him: ¡°Grandpa Li, why are you getting into the field? The water is so cold!¡± Honestly, having stepped into it for a while now, Old Li¡¯s feet, sunk into the mud, felt somewhat warm and cozy. And since he was wearing thick clothes, he didn¡¯t feel cold anymore. It made him recall the passion he felt when he worked up a sweat in the rice fields years ago, and he exclaimed loudly: ¡°No worries, you can¡¯t match me in planting rice seedlings!¡± Song Tan stiffened¡ªthat was certainly true if it was about manually planting seedlings. If it was about using magic, well¡­ Her fingertips twitched, trying to lift the bundles of seedlings in the baskets a little¡ª Alas! The scant Spiritual Energy was particularly ineffective; she could only manage a slight lift. To plant each cluster of seedlings neatly into the field with a snap of the fingers¡ªthat splendid scene might never be witnessed in her lifetime¡­ But however well the seedlings were planted, it couldn¡¯t make up for the fact that Old Li was getting on in years. Song Tan grew a little anxious: ¡°I¡¯m planting early because of the coolness of the water. I really didn¡¯t plan on making you work in the field today.¡± Hearing this, Old Li became even more determined: ¡°What¡¯s the matter, you think I¡¯m too old and can¡¯t do the work, right? Throw down those seedlings, I¡¯ll plant them for you right now! Let¡¯s see who does it better!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, even your father can¡¯t beat me.¡± Song Sancheng, who was allegedly outmatched, also arrived just then and, seeing Old Li in the field, he immediately felt cheerful: ¡°Uncle Li, you sure got here early!¡± With that, he took off his rubber shoes without hesitation, rolled up his pant legs, and stepped into the field, immediately exclaiming¡ª ¡°Aiyo, this water is really cold!¡± How could it not be cold? Song Tan was on the verge of irritation. Even Song Youde, who arrived later, scolded from the bank: ¡°You two! How many years has it been since you last farmed? Have you forgotten what month it is? Tantan said to plant and you just followed suit?!¡± ¡°If I hadn¡¯t seen her pulling up seedlings early in the morning, I wouldn¡¯t even have known it was time to plant rice.¡± Here, no one grew double-cropped rice, so planting normally waited until the end of April or early May. His own granddaughter, Tantan, had never been made to plant rice seedlings in the fields growing up, but now she had cultivated some seedlings and was eager to plant them in early April. How can things grow well if the season isn¡¯t right? Song Tan, too, felt awkward. This time, it really was her mistake; after all, when one cultivates the land in pursuit of immortality, who pays attention to the seasons? Forget about two harvests a year¡ªif variety and taste weren¡¯t a concern, even two harvests a month wouldn¡¯t be a problem. She took a step back in embarrassment, exposing the seedlings: ¡°Look, Grandpa, how strong my seedlings are. If I don¡¯t plant them soon, they might start growing poorly.¡± Song Youde looked down and saw¡ªindeed, these were unusually robust seedlings, so green they almost dripped with vigor. He muttered disgruntledly to himself: ¡°This is just bizarre, why didn¡¯t our breeding efforts yield such good results before?¡± He had to admit it, though. After all, the seedlings had already been uprooted; there was no turning back now ¨C they had to plant them! As for experience¡­ he had plenty when it came to planting rice. Standing on the bank now, he vigorously rubbed his legs a few times before stepping down into the field. It was indeed a bit chilly. But it was bearable, although glancing at his own son who was still acting foolish for his age, and then at Old Li comparing himself to a young man, he huffed again, ¡°Tantan, when you go back, tell Seventh Uncle to drink some more ginger tea at noon.¡± Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Sure,¡± Song Tan promptly agreed, ¡°Grandpa Li, you take it easy too. Drink more at noon, and in the evening I¡¯ll brew a whole bucket and carry it back for you and grandpa to soak your feet and drive out the chill.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be too careful with your health!¡± Old Li, however, was visibly impatient: ¡°Oh, come on, what¡¯s with all the fuss? In the cold days past, we used to fish for lotus roots in the lake ¡ª throw down those seedlings!¡± Song Tan had no choice but to stand on the bank, grabbing bunches of seedlings and scattering them into the paddy field below. Before long, a whole load of them had been tossed down, leaving the two paddies fairly evenly covered. She followed suit, rolling up the legs of her trousers, and stepped onto the grass with her pale feet, which made Song Youde scowl: ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing, girl?!¡± ¡°If you catch a chill from going into the field, you¡¯re going to suffer!¡± ¡°No worries, grandpa,¡± replied Song Tan confidently. ¡°I¡¯m really not afraid of the cold.¡± But there¡¯s a kind of fear called your elders thinking you¡¯re afraid. Even Song Sancheng had a frosty expression as he scolded, ¡°Stay there, don¡¯t come down! Can¡¯t the three of us finish planting these two paddies? Go back.¡± Go back to what? He hadn¡¯t actually thought that through, instead he changed the subject abruptly, ¡°Go to the city and buy me a small three-wheeler.¡± Song Tan: ¡­ Fine, if I¡¯m not to enter the water, so be it. As they said, with half a day¡¯s work, these two paddies should be done, they won¡¯t be missing me. Just as she was about to move away, she asked Song Youde, ¡°Grandpa, I see other people have little three-wheeler carts. How about we get you one too?¡± Song Youde instantly beamed with joy: ¡°You child, spending money recklessly with the little you have, what do I need that for at my age?¡± Just as Song Tan was about to agree, he quickly added, ¡°Well maybe buy one, grandpa¡¯s got money, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Song Tan turned and walked away: ¡°No need, no need, my dad has money. He said he¡¯s going to save money by quitting smoking this year.¡± That statement really did it! Song Sancheng immediately started jogging, struggling a few steps forward through the mud: ¡°I didn¡¯t say that, I didn¡¯t say it! Tantan, have you planted that tobacco?¡± While turning to toothily smile at Song Youde: ¡°Dad, I know you like smoking this dry tobacco, so this year I specially had Tantan plant a row of the stuff for you by the fields.¡± ¡°If we dry and roll our own, it¡¯ll definitely be strong enough.¡± No sooner had he finished speaking, than Song Youde skillfully pulled out the smooth, polished smoking pipe tucked at his waist and thumped it heavily onto his son¡¯s arm¡ª ¡°What¡¯s this? You smoke cigarettes, and I should be content with those worthless tobacco leaves?¡± ¡°Is it so hard to spend money on a vehicle for me? As soon as Tantan mentioned it, look how anxious you got¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it just money? I¡¯ve got it! I¡¯ll give it to you when we go back.¡± Song Sancheng: ¡­ Dad, I really didn¡¯t mean it like that! Chapter 166 - 166 166. Pickled Pepper Bamboo Shoots and Tricycle_1 ?Chapter 166: 166. Pickled Pepper Bamboo Shoots and Tricycle_1 Chapter 166: 166. Pickled Pepper Bamboo Shoots and Tricycle_1 Song Sancheng was at a loss for words! On the other hand, Old Man Li watched them with envy, ¡°Oh man, your granddaughter is truly filial. She even took out money to buy you a car¡­ that tricycle, able to haul goods and carry people, how convenient it is to get around.¡± The wrinkles on Song Youde¡¯s face instantly smoothed and tightened again, looking as joyful as a blooming chrysanthemum. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right! We¡¯re getting old, going on a long trip leaves us huffing and puffing, having a tricycle is just so much more convenient.¡± ¡°Tantan, that child, is just like that. Living in the big city, she picked up the habit of being generous with money. I tell her not to, but she insists on buying¡­¡± Old Man Li¡¯s envy was genuine, and he sighed again, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re lucky indeed. Look at your kid, growing tobacco leaves for you, buying you a car, highly thoughtful and has money too.¡± ¡°Not like my bunch, barely see them all year, only dropping by for the holidays. They did come back this Qingming Festival, burned some paper for their mother, but when they left, they swiped several baskets full of vegetables from my garden, only leaving me a bag of egg cakes¡­¡± Oh no! Song Youde didn¡¯t dare to agree and hastily said, ¡°Look at you, making things up again. I clearly saw your son bring you several boxes of stuff. It looked like your daughter also brought you quite a large slab of ribs, right?¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Old Man Li tried to appear nonchalant, ¡°It¡¯s just this and that. I could buy those things myself.¡± Song Sancheng: ¡­ Not knowing what else to say, he could only bend down and resume planting rice seedlings. Hmph, you two old men can go on showing off. I¡¯ll just sneakily plant seedlings and amaze you with my efficiency! Oh dear, it¡¯s been a long time since I did this work, and now that I¡¯ve started, my back is beginning to feel a bit sore¡­ ¡­ S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Meanwhile. The Little Pika roared into the city again. Song Tan had no idea how to buy a tricycle, which was different from her own Little Pika, so before leaving she delivered some goods at the express station in town and also asked around a bit. When she arrived, it was early morning, and the express delivery guy had just opened the doors of the station. Seeing her, for some reason, he subconsciously hid his lunch bowl behind his back. Song Tan: ¡­ Are you eating dragon liver or phoenix marrow? Only then did the express delivery guy realize his action and embarrassedly brought his bowl back out, ¡°Oh, look at this¡­ It¡¯s not that I wanted to hide it from you, it¡¯s mainly because of your bamboo shoots¡­¡± Those bamboo shoots, good in every way, just a bit too delicious. The first batch they didn¡¯t manage to buy, so the next day they got serious and snatched up ten pounds in one go! Ten pounds, how much? Two hundred yuan. No sooner had Song Tan driven off than the young couple regretted it. But what could they do after buying? The goods were bought already. In the countryside, giving away these bamboo shoots seemed of little worth, so they had no choice but to pull out recipes they collected previously and began meticulously cutting up the bamboo shoots. The express station was just a small storefront in town, and the second floor was only just enough for sleeping. Everyone usually cooked outside at the front, using a portable gas stove. Now, with a ¡°sizzle,¡± the delicate aroma of fresh bamboo shoots filled the air, causing even the aunties frying vegetables next door to falter with their spatulas. ¡°Wow! What are you cooking over there?¡± The young wife was also a bit startled, busily flipping the bamboo shoots while wondering aloud, ¡°Just, just bamboo shoots!¡± Though the bamboo shoots were expensive, and they had bought quite a lot on impulse, the aroma and the taste were indeed tempting. The aunties from both sides became interested, ¡°Whose bamboo shoots are these? They¡¯re really good; I¡¯ll buy some to try sometime.¡± What was the young wife supposed to say to that? There isn¡¯t a secret in these streets and alleys that stays hidden for long. If she dares declare today that bamboo shoots are twenty yuan per pound, by tomorrow everyone will know that those two are spendthrifts and can¡¯t manage their finances. She had no choice but to give a dry laugh, ¡°Well, a customer brought them over.¡± After waiting what felt like an eternity for the dish to be prepared under the watchful gaze of everyone, the couple eagerly moved over their small stools to sit down, only to see the neighbor who ran the tobacco and liquor convenience store come over with a bowl of stir-fried green peppers and eggs: ¡°The smell of your bamboo shoots was really fragrant, so I shamelessly came over to ask for a taste.¡± That was indeed quite brazen. Giving away dishes isn¡¯t in vogue anymore, and if it hadn¡¯t been for their child standing there, crying his eyes out because he was so eager to eat, they would have felt too embarrassed to do such a thing. The aunt felt embarrassed, and the young wife¡¯s face was even thinner; at this moment, she could only tearfully share a bowl with them. Half of the dish disappeared in an instant. Upon turning around, another neighbor from the other side came over, holding a plate of braised carp. Well, by lunchtime, a large plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots with pickled peppers and beef (since they were saving money, there was very little beef) was left with only a small portion at the bottom of Qianqian¡¯s dish. The young couple exchanged glances, thinking: Although it¡¯s a pity, it¡¯s still okay, after all, they had three dishes for lunch! As long as they didn¡¯t think about the price of the bamboo shoots, everything was worth it, but when they picked up a piece of the bamboo shoot to eat¡ª Lets not talk about it, tears mixed with the meal as they swallowed it down. As for the remaining bamboo shoots¡­ Forget it, there¡¯s no need to stir-fry them anymore. The young wife inquired again and again until she got a reliable recipe for pickled bamboo shoots and pickled the remaining ones. There should be no taste left now, right? Even so, people still came around asking where the bamboo shoots from that day had come from. Nowadays, hearing someone coming, the couple has a knee-jerk reaction to hide them! This very morning, eating mixed noodles, there was even a stick of pickled bamboo shoots in the bowl, showing off a fresh, fragrant, sour, spicy, and crisp taste! Song Tan: ¡­ I just came to ask about the tricycle, it really isn¡¯t necessary. ¡°Oh oh oh, the tricycle, yes!¡± The delivery guy finally let out a sigh of relief as he clumsily slurped noodles into his mouth while asking, ¡°What kind of tricycle are you looking for? What do you want to do with it?¡± ¡°Riding a tricycle is not the same as riding a motorcycle, you know. You have to be careful when turning, don¡¯t tilt it.¡± Song Tan had thought about this too, ¡°No worries, when I get home I¡¯ll supervise them practicing until they get the hang of it.¡± However, she was confident in her own father. Despite the fact that her father Song Sancheng¡¯s theories were always flawed, his practical abilities were quite strong. A small tricycle, no problem! She also laid out her requirements to the delivery guy, ¡°My dad wants to use it to haul stuff, and my grandpa just needs it for getting around when he has nothing else to do, better if it doesn¡¯t hold too much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy.¡± The delivery guy crunched down a mouthful of pickled pepper bamboo shoots. ¡°Have you seen those small delivery tricycles around our street? Like that one up front, okay?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t buy it in our town, though. They say it¡¯s convenient for repairs, but what they sell here are all mixed brands. You should go to the city and find a reliable brand. It¡¯s much better, and you could get one for three thousand yuan.¡± As for the kind that old people ride¡­ ¡°That¡¯s simple!¡± He quickly scrolled through his phone and pulled up a picture: ¡°Like this one, with a bicycle seat in front and a large seat in the back. The old man can ride in front, while the old lady sits in the back, very stable.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t let its size fool you. It¡¯s quite powerful when climbing slopes or mountains around here, and it¡¯s not afraid of small paths.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve sold two of these types of express delivery tricycles in our town this year, exactly like this one.¡± Chapter 167 - 167 167. Family Farms and Policy_1 ?Chapter 167: 167. Family Farms and Policy_1 Chapter 167: 167. Family Farms and Policy_1 Everything had been figured out here, and just as Song Tan was about to get into the car, she suddenly saw a familiar face standing by the roadside, smiling and waving at her: ¡°Song Tan.¡± ¡°Director¡­ Zhu.¡± It was the young village secretary from the village. It had been a while since she last saw him, and Zu Jun¡¯s hair had gotten a lot shorter, his skin a shade darker than before, but his spirits were still high. ¡°What are you¡­¡± Song Tan glanced at the large black bag she was carrying: ¡°Are you here for a meeting in town?¡± Zu Jun smiled, ¡°What meeting so early? I¡¯m here for some errands and was planning to go to the city after that.¡± She looked at Song Tan¡¯s empty car, ¡°Not selling vegetables today? Then, are you headed to the city? Give me a lift.¡± Song Tan nodded, ¡°I¡¯m planning to buy a small tricycle for my dad.¡± Then, turning around, she remembered something and asked, ¡°This doesn¡¯t still require a license plate and driving license, does it?¡± S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zu Jun burst into laughter, ¡°Technically¡­ technically, none of that exists in this town yet.¡± Song Tan breathed a sigh of relief. She was truly daunted by the endless layers of policies nowadays. While she tidied up the passenger seat a bit, Zu Jun, already familiar with the car, got in. ¡°The transportation in the village is really inconvenient,¡± she sighed. ¡°My car had some issues and I sent it for repair. These past days, I¡¯ve been completely relying on the village-to-village bus service!¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Song Tan said with a laugh, ¡°otherwise why would the number of people in the village be declining? It¡¯s because they can never leave the mountains.¡± Zu Jun nodded, ¡°Exactly. If people can¡¯t leave, opportunities can¡¯t leave either, and neither can education or healthcare. That¡¯s why all the young people eventually leave.¡± Likely, all remote and backwards villages silently fade away like this. But while her words sounded disheartening, her expression was quite the opposite, ¡°But you¡¯re talking about the current situation. However, I guess with you here, our village will soon prosper.¡± She turned to Song Tan, ¡°I heard that bamboo shoots from the bamboo grove can sell for twenty yuan a kilogram? Song Tan, you really must have learned some skills secretly before coming back.¡± Where she had learned those skills from, she hadn¡¯t yet figured out. But then again, if it was so easy to figure out, everyone would be skilled in profitable farming, and there would be no distinction between green organic vegetables and ordinary vegetables, right? When you can¡¯t reply, a smile is enough. Song Tan smiled perfectly. Zu Jun wasn¡¯t one for idle chit-chat. After a few words, she started rifling through her large black bag: ¡°However, I do have some good news for you¡ªthe application you submitted for the family farm subsidy and assessment was approved by the city yesterday.¡± ¡°Now you can officially register a name for your family farm online, and if there¡¯s a chance, the city will help drive some traffic to your site.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± her smile held a hint of helplessness, ¡°you know our Yun City is too small to even make a splash online. Even if the city helps drive traffic, don¡¯t expect much, our influence is limited.¡± Song Tan chuckled softly, ¡°I¡¯m prepared.¡± ¡°As for the subsidy¡­¡± Zu Jun pondered for a moment, ¡°because the assessment period for some projects is very long, many people will come down for the assessment. Some will send official notifications, and others will conduct private on-site assessments.¡± ¡°But as long as you don¡¯t falsify any data, nobody should be able to trip you up there.¡± That was all she needed to hear. Song Tan nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The car drove smoothly on the road, on both sides, the fields already boasted lush greenness, and by the roadside, a large expanse of rapeseed flowers was about to fade, forming sparse green elongated fruit pods. Zu Jun thought for a moment, ¡°After the document is issued today, you¡¯d better take the time to come to the city¡¯s administrative hall, and register your farm with the commercial bureau.¡± ¡°Moving forward, whether you open an online store or organize group sales online, you just need to apply for a tax exemption regularly through the commerce and tax departments.¡± ¡°Additionally, the scope of breeding on family farms will also be appropriately relaxed, including the sale of your pigs. As long as they pass the basic quarantine, it is permitted.¡± This was an unexpected joy indeed. Song Tan was clear from the start about the agricultural products being tax-exempt. But now, with many restrictions on rural livestock, she was thinking about selecting a pig for a slaughter party. If anyone took a fancy, the rest could be taken home whole. She hadn¡¯t planned to sell much, at most three pigs. After all, there were so many mouths to feed at her house now. But with Zu Jun¡¯s words, everything seemed legitimate and lawful, wasn¡¯t that even better? So she agreed very readily, ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll just drop you off at the administrative hall later. We can wait together, and once it¡¯s done, I¡¯ll go buy a tricycle¡ªAre you in a hurry?¡± Zu Jun¡¯s eyes curved into a smile, ¡°I was waiting for you to say that; otherwise, I¡¯d have to squeeze onto the village shuttle bus and take a long detour to get back to the village.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not in a hurry today.¡± Just like Zu Jun said, everything went smoothly. After several trips up and down in the administrative center, all the procedures were completed. As for buying the vehicle¡­ with the money in place, it turned out to be a very swift affair as well. When the pickup truck bustled back into the village, Song Tan had just rolled off two vehicles when she saw the three people who had been planting rice paddies coming back from the fields covered in muddy water. ¡°Come on, sit down quickly!¡± Song Tan hurriedly directed Qiaoqiao to dig out three plastic buckets from the house, previously used for odds and ends. These buckets were somewhat old, with their big red bodies still marked by various scratches and stains. She found a few plastic bags, slipped them over, and Qiaoqiao, holding the bucket, poured in the steaming ginger water. The three people sat down on stools and plunged their freshly washed legs into the water. In the warm afternoon sun, the comforting warmth made everyone shiver: ¡°Oh, this is really nice and warm,¡± Old Lee was overjoyed and couldn¡¯t help but put on a tough front, ¡°However, we¡¯ve done all sorts of work, now soaking in ginger water, we¡¯re becoming more fastidious as we get older.¡± Seventh Uncle, who was in charge of making the ginger water, looked down on him for his tough-guy act while indulging in self-care and chuckled: ¡°Yeah, who told you to get old, huh? When I was young, I could cook for hundreds at a big feast. Now at most, I manage a few dozen, as the body just can¡¯t keep up!¡± Why do people talk like this?! Old Lee huffed, ignoring Seventh Uncle and turned to Song Tan instead, ¡°Tantan, tell your family¡¯s chef tonight I want to eat stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts.¡± Actually, Seventh Uncle was just two meters away from him, much closer than Song Tan. Song Tan held back a laugh. ¡°Sure,¡± she quickly took out a long strip of pork belly from the back of the truck: ¡°Seventh Uncle, the meat you wanted has been bought.¡± Seventh Uncle also snorted, took out the green onions and ginger seasonings, then started to cook the meat, slowly beginning to boil it. Chapter 168 - 168 168. Choosing Watermelon Seedlings_1 ?Chapter 168: 168. Choosing Watermelon Seedlings_1 Chapter 168: 168. Choosing Watermelon Seedlings_1 Old Jiang soaked his feet, making the three of them feel warm all over, but hotter still were the hearts of Song Youde and Song Sancheng. It was simply because two new tricycles were right there in the yard, making it very hard for them not to be excited! Even Old Li didn¡¯t leave, but sat on the side eagerly waiting. Only Seventh Uncle, who was getting ready to cook dinner, snorted coldly: ¡°You can¡¯t pick leftover buns from a dog¡¯s kennel! It¡¯s not even dark yet, it¡¯d be better to do some more work, but instead you have to show off your new tricycles.¡± Being close relatives, everyone was used to Seventh Uncle¡¯s personality. Song Youde¡¯s beard curled: ¡°What do you know? This is a sign of respect my granddaughter gave me! Besides, there hasn¡¯t been much work lately¡­¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Seventh Uncle also sneered coldly, ¡°Just last night I heard you talking about interplanting watermelons in the Peach Forest, where are the watermelon seedlings?¡± ¡°And you said you¡¯re going to plant Golden Sakura around the edges, where are they?¡± ¡°You also mentioned planting some loofahs and pumpkins in the corners, have they been planted?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to pick white fungus today? Where is it?¡± He had prepared rock sugar, lily, and dried lotus seeds, having waited all day without seeing a single piece of white fungus! At these words, even Song Sancheng felt a bit defiant: ¡°Uncle, there¡¯s farm work to be done every day; can¡¯t we take a break for once? Right, sweetheart?¡± What could Song Tan say? On one side was a prideful chef, and on the other, her father and grandfather. She simply got back into the car: ¡°So, Brother Yanping, you watch them practice driving, don¡¯t let them go over any bumps. I¡¯ll go to town again to check on those watermelon seedlings, I just heard the courier say someone was selling them this morning.¡± Zhang Yanping immediately shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t look in town! I know a place that sells seedlings, watermelons grafted on pumpkin roots, including Kirin melons and seedless varieties, all big and sweet!¡± ¡°No need, no need.¡± Song Tan started the car, too: ¡°I just like the old-fashioned striped watermelons, the kind we grow ourselves, not picky about these things.¡± It¡¯s not that grafted varieties are bad, they certainly have their advantages in terms of nutrient delivery and growth, but the thing is, her Spiritual Energy was weak, and her agricultural experience was all with heirloom varieties; it was better to be conservative for now. Zhang Yanping knew even less about farming than she did! Now, merely pretending to understand, he nodded his head, ¡°I¡¯ve also found out about the Golden Sakura, they might be able to send them in a couple of days, no rush.¡± Song Tan wasn¡¯t in a hurry at all. Having a rotation period for planting was quite nice; this way, the blossoming could be continuous, allowing the bees to have a fuller meal. She really did want to take a look at the watermelon seedlings. Enterprising families began sowing early melons in March, and she, starting in early April, wanted to catch the early market, which meant she needed to choose mature seedlings from others. Fortunately, not far from town, in recent years, a large area of farmland had been covered with greenhouses and converted into seedling nurseries; now, picking up some common seedlings had become quite straightforward. It was just after two in the afternoon, by the time she had picked out the seedlings and returned, her father and grandfather would probably be nearly done practicing with the tricycle. Just in time for everyone to take advantage of the cooler sun to go up the hill and plant the watermelon seedlings. The land had already been tilled when planting the peach trees, now all that was needed was to dig holes for planting; after all, with Spiritual Energy, extensive management was simple. Driving from home to the town, it was much closer than to the city center. In just over twenty minutes, the car had already arrived at the greenhouse prearranged for the meeting. The weather was just right today, and several greenhouses had rolled up their plastic film, allowing the plants to ventilate and get sunlight. Upon entering the greenhouse, one was greeted by a sea of lush greenery, which was truly a delightful sight. ¡°So you¡¯re the one looking to buy watermelon seedlings?¡± The dark-skinned uncle who entered was taken aback when he saw Song Tan, and he couldn¡¯t help but peek behind her before finally assuring himself that this fair-skinned, beautiful girl was indeed the one who intended to farm. Song Tan nodded: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m from Yunqiao Village. This year, our family took on an orchard, and we want to intercrop some watermelons in it.¡± ¡°Oh, oh,¡± the owner came back to his senses, ¡°I know Yunqiao Village. You want to intercrop in the orchard? Then the amount of seedlings you¡¯ll need for an acre will be much fewer than usual. Go ahead and pick some, come on, take a look at the seedlings first.¡± The owner, familiar with his business, led her to the next greenhouse, ¡°We¡¯re all folks from the same area, I won¡¯t cheat you. If you have any problems, just come to me, I might run, but my greenhouse won¡¯t. If you grow them well, you¡¯ll come back next year.¡± Song Tan nodded. She understood the owner¡¯s intention, which was to assure her to buy with a verbal guarantee. People here may choose to cheat others, but most of the time, anyone looking to do long-term local business cares about their reputation. ¡°Why do these seedlings look a bit weak?¡± Reputation aside, practical matters come first, and Song Tan did not hesitate to ask questions. The owner was honest, ¡°These are early-maturing seedlings. They produce smaller melons that you can sell by the end of May or early June.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t judge them by their slender appearance, that¡¯s just how they are, not an issue with the cultivation. Try planting them, and keep only one vine per plant; you can be sure the melons will be sweet. I¡¯m not deceiving you.¡± S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Normally, for seedlings like these, you can plant a thousand per acre. But if you¡¯re intercropping, then eight hundred would do, it¡¯s up to you.¡± ¡°However, if you want to plant them even sparser, you can¡¯t choose these small seedlings. You¡¯ll need a different variety, ones that are stronger.¡± He turned right along the path into another greenhouse, ¡°Look, these mid-season ones will mature about a month later than the ones we saw before, but you can keep two vines on one of these, and it will produce two or three melons without a problem.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re intercropping with fruit trees, three to five hundred plants per acre should be enough, not more. Its vines are robust and take up space.¡± ¡°There¡¯s even better stock, but honestly, young lady, not many people buy these seedlings now.¡± Why is that? They grow watermelons too big. ¡°Nowadays a household has only three or four members, and big melons can¡¯t be finished in one go, hard to fit into the fridge. Smaller watermelons tend to sell better than the big ones.¡± This was true, and Song Tan was also disinclined to choose these large melons. They were indeed too huge, each one as large as a big winter melon. In supermarkets, only a slice of winter melon is purchased for cooking, so you can imagine how many people it would take to consume such a large watermelon? In her family¡¯s current large household, they might be able to consume it, but selling such large melons outside was really inconvenient. Without hesitation, she turned around, ¡°Are the melons from your smallest seedlings a bit smaller too?¡± ¡°Right,¡± the owner spoke truthfully. ¡°If you want to sell early-season melons, choose the smaller seedlings. I¡¯m not deceiving you. Just look at how expensive watermelons are when they first hit the market! Big ones don¡¯t sell well, they have to be small like this.¡± ¡°When the weather gets a bit hotter, then you can sell these slightly later-maturing varieties, which are larger and cheaper, making them less painful to eat.¡± He was sharing his own experience, and Song Tan listened attentively. Just look, even watermelon seedling sellers need to understand the market well nowadays. Truly, you learn something new every day. Chapter 169 - 169 169.Pick Tremella _1 ?Chapter 169: 169.Pick Tremella _1 Chapter 169: 169.Pick Tremella _1 Of course, the limitation of watermelon varieties isn¡¯t just about market demand; one also has to consider whether there is enough labor at home to manage them. For instance, the early-maturing variety that the boss initially recommended highly, which grows one fruit per vine, doesn¡¯t require much careful attention. Whereas those that can produce two to three fruits per plant require more effort and care by comparison. Pruning to encourage flowering and spacing out fruits¡­ all that takes a lot of work. Song Tan calculated the timing in her mind¡ª ¡°Boss, let¡¯s start with twelve thousand early-maturing seedlings and two thousand five hundred mid-maturing ones.¡± ¡°Can you deliver everything to my house before six-thirty tomorrow morning?¡± Ah, if it weren¡¯t for selling some bamboo shoots and a few pounds of tea leaves, the money for buying the seedlings would be tight again. Life is really tough. Sure, how could it not be?! With such a big deal, the boss was so excited that he trembled, even at a wholesale price of thirty-five cents per seedling, he could make nearly five thousand yuan! Ay, the seedlings for our own greenhouse aren¡¯t even enough; got to hurry and ask the relatives to chip in. However¡­ The boss looked at her worriedly again, ¡°Girl, are you planting watermelons on ten or twenty acres of land? Have you secured a sales channel?¡± ¡°If you haven¡¯t, don¡¯t plant so much. It¡¯s a big risk!¡± Twenty acres of land, with this type of small watermelon, if taken care of well, it can yield three thousand jin per acre, which is not a small amount! A loss would really hurt! Farming has never been as simple as just scattering seeds and planting seedlings and then sitting back waiting for the harvest. There¡¯s the application of fertilizers and pesticides, labor management, and dealing with the occasional natural and man-made disasters; the risks are significant. It¡¯s quite common for someone who has invested a year¡¯s worth of time and their entire savings to have a heavy downpour ruin everything, blowing up the watermelons in the field¡­ Which watermelon farmer hasn¡¯t experienced this kind of thing? Moreover, these things are massively produced every year. If you plant so much without a solid plan, there¡¯s a good chance the watermelons won¡¯t sell and will just rot in the field. If that happens, an entire year¡¯s effort will have been wasted. That would be the end of it. The boss wants to make money, but in business, it¡¯s best when everyone prospers; that way, they can have a steady and stable income. ¡­ What sales channel? Nowadays, aside from setting up a market stall and online shopping, there¡¯s nothing else. But Song Tan wasn¡¯t worried. For now, she could only nod confidently: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything¡¯s been taken care of.¡± ¡°Good, good, good!¡± The boss immediately beamed with joy. Although negotiating prices in advance often means making less profit, it¡¯s safer that way. Now, all that needed to be done was to ensure the quality and quantity; the greenhouse still had other seedlings. By maintaining this client, there could be sustainable development. Ah, there really is a lot to worry about in doing business nowadays. ¡­ Upon returning home, sure enough, she saw father and son still excitedly driving their respective tricycles. Seeing her dad riding the tricycle, seemingly too fond of it to get off, Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t you say you bought it for Uncle Zhang? Why do you keep riding it yourself?¡± Song Sancheng was once again righteous and bold, ¡°Uncle Zhang has trouble with his legs and feet; I can help with the chores. Can¡¯t bully him like that, right?¡± Fine then, all explanations lay with the owner. Naturally, what Dad says goes. However¡­ ¡°Dad, we need to find another twenty people to help plant watermelons on the mountain tomorrow.¡± Song Sancheng, riding on his bike, couldn¡¯t help but frown with worry: With twenty people swinging their hoes, four thousand yuan would be gone. He hesitated, ¡°Planting watermelons is a bit easier than the last job. Should we pay only one hundred and fifty per day?¡± Song Tan thought it over, ¡°There¡¯s no need, Dad. We¡¯re all from the same village. We often have work, and it¡¯ll save us the trouble of anyone feeling jealous and causing trouble.¡± Besides, a person¡¯s workload from morning till night is just six or seven hundred plants, which isn¡¯t light either. Being generous with money means at least everyone will take extra care when planting the seedlings. Twenty acres of mountain land, after all, we will need the help of our fellow villagers quite often in the future. Song Sancheng understood the hardships of farming much better than Song Tan did, but he just brought it up for discussion, and now he let it go. As soon as he finished his sentence, he stepped on the gas, and the tricycle began to hum softly, ¡°I¡¯m going to the rear mountain to have a word with your Uncle Zhang, and prepare some more fertilizer when I have the chance.¡± This was not about having a word; it was clearly a chance to show off! Song Tan swallowed the rest of her words and had no choice but to change the subject, ¡°Seventh Uncle, you¡¯ll have to work hard tomorrow.¡± Seventh Uncle snorted, ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for, no need to talk about hardship. Nonsense!¡± ¡°If you really feel bad about it, didn¡¯t you say that the silver ear mushrooms on the mountain are doing well? Hurry and pick a basketful. With the weather nice these days, I can dry them and cook them up.¡± Just like wood ear mushrooms, these can¡¯t be eaten right away after picking; they must go through a drying process, either sun-drying or oven-drying. Seventh Grandma is old and has weak teeth, and silver ear is nourishing for the stomach and intestines, so Seventh Uncle has wanted them for a long time. Song Tan smiled, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go up the mountain now.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± she pointed towards Qiaoqiao, who was absorbed in watching Ultraman on his tablet, ¡°There¡¯s not much to do right now, take him along. It¡¯ll be good for him to see more of the world.¡± With Qiaoqiao going, how could Zhang Yanping be left behind? S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So, the three of them each took a basket and a sharp little bamboo knife and happily headed up the mountain. As they were leaving, they were stopped by Song Youde, ¡°Tantan, are the baskets heavy? Why not put them on the back seat of my bike and I¡¯ll take them up for you?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ How heavy can an empty basket be? Aren¡¯t you just looking for an excuse to ride your bike and show off? But Grandpa, your bike¡¯s back seat only fits one person, it¡¯s another matter whether these three baskets can be stacked there! Zhang Yanping also sighed, ¡°That mountain is all my blood and sweat.¡± What blood and sweat? Wasn¡¯t it just a bit of effort when you planted the Golden Sakura? Song Tan was too lazy to argue. She pointed ahead, ¡°Look, your blood and sweat have bloomed. Why not pick a couple of flowers to take back?¡± The Golden Sakura, planted in March, was growing vigorously with the aid of Spiritual Energy, shooting up bamboos, sprouting leaves, and budding like crazy. When they were planted, they were pruned to look like little stumps, but now their long branches and tendrils were already hanging on the fence. The flowers that bloomed, white with yellow stamens, seemed enchanted, and if you came closer, there was even a fresh fragrance! No wonder, even though only a few flowers had bloomed sparsely, there were bees buzzing around them. ¡°These flowers are so big!¡± Qiaoqiao immediately leaned in to compare, ¡°When will more bloom? I¡¯ll bring Daxiong to see.¡± Too bad nobody commended his attention to detail. Song Tan had already entered Chestnut Woods and started picking silver ears from the neatly arranged mushroom logs. These were the first harvest of silver ears, and they weren¡¯t very large, as if they hadn¡¯t fully spread out yet. The largest were only about the size of a duck egg. With the sharp little bamboo knife, she aimed for the bigger silver ears, sliced gently at the base, and swiftly tucked them into the basket. Chapter 170 - 170 170. Silver fungus and live broadcast_1 ?Chapter 170: 170. Silver fungus and live broadcast_1 Chapter 170: 170. Silver fungus and live broadcast_1 Picking silver ear mushrooms, if not in a rush to sell, is actually quite amusing. Embedded on the dark brown chestnut tree trunks are clusters of jade-white silver ears, translucent around the edges, each fold plump and delightful to behold. They feel somewhat slippery and elastic to the touch, irresistibly so. Qiaoqiao scuttles back and forth under the chestnut trees, each mature mushroom he finds on the neatly arranged trunks is like uncovering a treasure. A thought struck Song Tan¡ª ¡°Qiaoqiao, do you have class today?¡± As she asked, she pulled out another phone and opened the live streaming app. Qiaoqiao got excited straight away, ¡°I do, I do!¡± ¡°But I haven¡¯t mastered the knowledge about silver ears yet¡­¡± If he hasn¡¯t mastered it, how could he teach? ¡°No worries.¡± Song Tan was easygoing, ¡°If you can¡¯t explain it, just don¡¯t. The main point is to show everyone that our Qiaoqiao can pick silver ears.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Qiaoqiao was thrilled. Ever since there were no more children in the village, he hadn¡¯t had the chance to play house with anyone for years. Now, playing with the kids inside the phone was just as fun. He was eager to begin. In fact, since they weren¡¯t selling goods right now, Song Tan had forgotten about the live streaming in the past few days, which really shouldn¡¯t have been the case. After all, even if they weren¡¯t selling now, they could still attract viewers. When the time came, they wouldn¡¯t talk about vegetables, but the fruits surely needed a market. The more customers they had, the stronger their bargaining power would be with future clients, right? She adjusted the angle, watching as people slowly trickled into the pitch-black live stream room, and then she started the live stream: ¡°Qiaoqiao, we¡¯ve started.¡± Zhang Yanping saw this and scurried to the other side. Song Tan had no intention of showing her face either. Seeing that Qiaoqiao was already standing tall and ready, and guessing that there probably wouldn¡¯t be too many silver ears in this area, she decided to take a little basket and went looking for Wu Lan near Tea Mountain. She walked away and then took out her own phone to open Qiaoqiao¡¯s live stream room¡ª [Tian Yuan Diary] The host¡¯s idiosyncratic and unpredictable ways must have already been witnessed by the audience, prompting many to turn on notifications, so much so that just as Qiaoqiao started streaming, the number of viewers in the live stream room had already begun to climb over two thousand. When the screen turned on, it showed Qiaoqiao¡¯s fair and plump face. It wasn¡¯t actually that big, but he was too close to the camera. He took a couple of steps back and then started talking to himself, ¡°Kids, today we¡¯re having a labor class, picking silver ears. Can you see the silver ears?¡± He earnestly peeled off a mushroom and held it up to the screen. ¡°Look, isn¡¯t it beautiful? Soft, slippery, crunchy.¡± ¡°It must be delicious when stewed too.¡± Wow! The live chat grew interested. [Today¡¯s live is about picking silver ears? That must mean another good night¡¯s sleep. Wait, let me grab a pillow.] Others vowed solemnly,[Last time I couldn¡¯t get a link until the live ended, but this time I¡¯ll definitely grab it. With my experience of spending plenty in live streams, today¡¯s shopping cart will surely be silver ears!] [Host, doing farm work is nothing impressive. You¡¯ve got the guts, put up a product link!] Watching from the edge of Tea Mountain, Song Tan stifled a chuckle¡ª Going live? What link should I go to? Qiaoqiao didn¡¯t know how to at all. Besides, the current yield wasn¡¯t even enough for two pots of stew for the household, let alone a link to go live with. Did nobody notice that the bunch of tremella Qiaoqiao just harvested, though it was the biggest on the trunk, still didn¡¯t exceed the size of his palm? Indeed, some viewers did notice. [This tremella isn¡¯t even dried yet, and it¡¯s only this small? It¡¯s way smaller than the ones I buy at the supermarket.] [Nonsense! Log-grown tremella is naturally much smaller.] [Wow, it¡¯s actually log-grown tremella! The ones we buy in the supermarket these days are mostly grown from spawn bags, big and round, but they don¡¯t taste as good as these.] [Quick, put up the link!] [The host¡¯s eating manner is too ugly, these are obviously the first tremellas to be harvested, and he¡¯s already eager to sell them.] Give it up, Qiaoqiao had barely uttered two serious words since he started the broadcast. Instead, they were engaged in a heated discussion, with no lack of nasty comments. Such is the nature of the internet age, where no one can expect complete tranquility. But, no matter what they said, Qiaoqiao didn¡¯t know many characters to begin with and certainly had no time to read these comments. He was a typical single-minded thinker, only doing one thing at a time. The phone was live streaming, but since he was busy picking tremella, he was seriously checking each and every one, mindful not to miss any that he might have overlooked. No matter how noisy the barrage of comments was, to him, it was just a punch hitting cotton. So everyone went on discussing among themselves, only to find that the host in the camera, as he progressed with the tremella picking, was getting farther and farther away. And at this time, there was neither a shopping cart popping up in the live room nor a detailed introduction from the host, going from history to sentiment. But¡­ Suddenly, it seemed rather interesting. What was going on? Song Tan also realized that there was indeed a reason why Qiaoqiao could become popular. Firstly, the pace of his live streaming (if there were such a thing) was neither hurried nor slow, always following his own thought process, never influenced by the barrage of comments. In other words, very stable. Another point was¡­ his content was straightforward enough and didn¡¯t play on emotions, it belonged to the category of high-quality content that both rural dwellers and city folks couldn¡¯t help but want to keep watching (if you count teaching how to harvest honey as content). It really looked a lot like trimming hooves or gardening, quiet and stable, with substantial learning material if you were serious, and if you wanted to sleep, it was almost like being passively lulled to sleep by hypnotic suggestion. As for other things, Song Tan, whose professional skills were now completely invalidated, couldn¡¯t judge further, this was all she could figure out. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She was just about to put away her phone, happy and content, when the barrage exploded with a burst of fireworks¡ª [The host has been resting for a few days, I almost forgot, what breed is that big dog from last time?] [Right, I remember now too! Are you selling that big goose?] [Is the dog for sale? Its head is several times bigger than a human¡¯s, so cool! I can drive to pick it up, price is negotiable, won¡¯t let you down!] Compared to the crackling fireworks and the different gift effects, the line of free comments below seemed rather ordinary¡ª [Host, are you selling the honey from your last live stream?] [Exactly! The host ate it, the dog ate it, even the goose got some, why can¡¯t I have some?] It was only then that Song Tan remembered, at the end of the last broadcast, Qiaoqiao was sneakily cooking up something special for Big White and the King, splitting two honeycombs between the three greedy mouths¡­ Possibly even the pigs in the mountains had had a taste without her knowing it! Otherwise, how could Qiaoqiao be increasing the portions for every meal he fed the pigs these days? Must be a habit formed from cooking those special meals. Chapter 171 - 171 171. Qiaoqiaos Education Issue_1 ?Chapter 171: 171. Qiaoqiao¡¯s Education Issue_1 Chapter 171: 171. Qiaoqiao¡¯s Education Issue_1 Considering this, isn¡¯t Qiaoqiao¡¯s workload a bit too much these days? Song Tan thought about it and also carefully counted Qiaoqiao¡¯s tasks¡ª Every day, he would help out Seventh Uncle with three meals or try his hand at chopping vegetables to practice his knife skills. Feeding the pigs three times a day, which could turn into five times when he has to cook separately for them. He also needs to feed the chickens and ducks on the side. Of course, the ducks go off to the pond to find their own food, and the chickens roam around the hillsides all day. At feeding time, all he needs to do is scatter some corn kernels and add some water to their bowls, so there¡¯s not much work there. But feeding the dogs is a big project, not to mention, Big King and Big White are hefty eaters. Change of guard! As soon as this batch of farm work is over, they must make these dogs change guards! The coveted spot near the water can¡¯t be taken by Big King alone. As for the rest¡­ the rest are just bits and bobs of chores, like scrubbing pots, washing dishes, or picking tremella fuciformis on the hillside. Song Tan looked at her phone with the barrage of messages still calling for the link. But on reflection, it seemed like she really had filled the silly child¡¯s entire day with tasks. The village has a regular routine, and Qiaoqiao definitely couldn¡¯t stay up past ten at night. It¡¯s no wonder he didn¡¯t complain about only being able to watch two episodes of Ultraman lately. He had indeed worked hard during the day and went to bed early at night¡­ S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. While these chores don¡¯t require great strength or sweating profusely, the more trivial tasks there are, the more time they consume. This won¡¯t do! Learning how to cook is one thing, but at his young age, he should also be learning some knowledge. Song Tan had already considered hiring a teacher, but first off, there were no suitable teachers in the village, and it was risky to hire an outsider without knowing them well¡ªnot to mention how much it would cost to get a teacher to come to the mountain village just for one-on-one teaching. Secondly, with daily chores at home keeping everyone so busy, there was hardly any time to spare. Song Tan clenched her teeth¡ª No time must be made! There was no end to farm work, but Qiaoqiao still needed to learn. Yet, to get someone to come to the village for lessons, unless it was an exceptionally high salary, only the promise of good food might attract them. As for living arrangements¡­ there was a side room in their house, initially kept for tea pickers back when every family was still picking tea. Seventh Uncle had lived there before. Her thoughts came one after the other, but in the camera, Qiaoqiao had already moved farther down the row of tremella fuciformis and eventually disappeared from view. In the screen, there was only the closest tremella branch, with groups of tremella about the size of ping pong balls, not yet fully grown, inlaid on the dark brown logs, leaving the viewers speechless¡ª [Wow, the host really doesn¡¯t treat us like outsiders, eh? The host is gone just like that.] [With that attitude, I¡¯m not buying even if she puts up the link.] [Don¡¯t wanna buy? Fine! Has she put it up?] [Why no teaching session today? I thought there was going to be a lesson on growing tremella.] [Eh, why isn¡¯t the big brother from the top-ranking list saying anything?] Song Tan looked closely: The top donors in the three live streams were still the familiar IDs: [Insomnia Anxiety Sufferer] [Wish I Could Sleep for Another Five Hundred Years] [I Don¡¯t Want to Grind Either, but I Can¡¯t Sleep] Um¡­ looking at this, the biggest effect of the video is still sleep-inducing, isn¡¯t it? Look at these folks, donating as soon as the stream starts, and then just disappearing. They must be watching the stream with their pillows ready, waiting for the right time, huh? So rich¡­ ahem, potential clients! Song Tan chuckled inwardly, thinking that with such generous clients, Qiaoqiao¡¯s live sale would surely attract buyers. She decided to keep observing, and if necessary, maintain this later on; after all, Qiaoqiao enjoyed streaming and it was becoming part of his career, so she had to support him. Lost in thought, she suddenly heard Wu Lan¡¯s voice: ¡°You¡¯re here in the tea garden but not helping to pick tea, what are you doing just standing there?¡± Only then did Song Tan come back to her senses, lifting her phone up to Wu Lan, who was busily working with both hands: ¡°I¡¯m watching Qiaoqiao¡¯s live stream.¡± Wu Lan became interested and peeked over, ¡°Your dad said he got over a thousand in donations last stream, does that money go to us?¡± ¡°If we sign a contract, we should get half, but the taxes are quite high, and we can only withdraw it next month.¡± Song Tan told the truth. ¡°How about this time?¡± Wu Lan, who loved money, eagerly watched the livestream and then frowned: ¡°This kid! I see people on livestreams constantly talking in front of the camera, why did he wander off? There¡¯s no one in the frame.¡± Song Tan laughed, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mom. Qiaoqiao isn¡¯t just anybody. The more he does this, the more the audience likes him. Look, he got another six hundred today.¡± Wow, can you really make money just like that? She couldn¡¯t help but fill her head with fantasies about the outside world: ¡°You young people have so many different ways to make money!¡± Song Tan: ¡­Actually, not every young person can make money that easily. But the important thing wasn¡¯t that at the moment; it was the idea she just had¡ª ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not a solution for Qiaoqiao to go on like this. Do you think we should hire a teacher for him?¡± There were special schools in the city, but who in the family was willing to send Qiaoqiao there? Besides, after being at home for over a decade, sending him away would be heart-breaking! Not just for Wu Lan, Song Tan herself felt the pain at the thought. Nowadays, there wasn¡¯t even an elementary school in the village, and the teachers from her childhood were all aging. Moreover, even if they weren¡¯t old, with their mouths full of dialect, they couldn¡¯t teach Qiaoqiao, as he used dialect in his livestreams too. So, if they wanted Qiaoqiao to learn, wouldn¡¯t they have to hire a teacher? After all, no one in the family could tutor him. Wu Lan was usually open-minded when it came to what was best for the child, but the problem was¡ªwould someone be willing to come to our remote place? Who could be sure about that? Song Tan wasn¡¯t certain, and could only share her idea for now: ¡°I¡¯ll ask around first.¡± Wu Lan began to worry again, ¡°To hire someone to come to our backwoods, it¡¯s going to be several thousand a month, right?¡± Several thousand? Song Tan herself was worrying: it would probably be over ten thousand! Logically, although the countryside is more secluded, providing food and shelter, there should be someone willing to come, right? But the issue is, every career requires prospects, right? Teaching kids doesn¡¯t offer a formal position or security. If someone came, they could only consider it a sabbatical for a few years. Older people with families might not be willing to uproot their lives, and younger people can¡¯t waste their youth like that¡­ But Song Tan kept these concerns to herself and just nodded seriously, ¡°I¡¯ll think it over when I have time.¡± Chapter 172 - 172 172.Double-season rice_1 ?Chapter 172: 172.Double-season rice_1 Chapter 172: 172.Double-season rice_1 Picking tea, Wu Lan remembered another matter: ¡°Tantan, by planting the rice this early, are you planning to cultivate two crops this year?¡± She was a bit worried, ¡°There aren¡¯t many here who plant two crops of rice!¡± Song Tan hadn¡¯t actually made up her mind. Now, it was just the beginning of April, and the robust seedlings had been planted. By the end of June, the rice would certainly need to be harvested. If another season¡¯s rice was planted at that time, the timing would indeed be just right. Yet if they harvested the rice and then prepped the soil anew, planting more vegetables, they would surely earn more money. After all, they were not planning to sell the rice for money. However¡­ The variety she chose had a good taste but a slightly lower yield. Almost three mu of land from the two plots could produce about three thousand catties of rice, which would yield roughly two thousand catties of milled rice. Two thousand catties sounded like a lot, but considering her father¡¯s appetite, when there was no Spiritual Energy before, they would need over two hundred catties of rice a year per person. Now that everyone at home can show off by eating three bowls per meal, one person would need at least six hundred catties of rice a year, right? Just their family of four could use up all the rice in a year. Not to mention that from time to time they also need to hire people to work and cook, and then there were Zhang Yanping and Seventh Uncle¡­ S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After calculating, Song Tan reached a decision in her heart: ¡°Right, I¡¯m planning to plant double-cropping rice.¡± ¡°If we calculate, the rice harvested from these two plots won¡¯t be enough for us to eat in a year, so let¡¯s plant two crops of rice.¡± Wu Lan then started to blame her a bit, ¡°Planting two seasons of rice requires a lot more fertilizer. Why don¡¯t you ever fertilize your fields?¡± As the head of the family, she was aware of whether they had purchased urea fertilizer or not. But when Song Tan opened her mouth, it was all bluffs: ¡°There is some, the imported organic fertilizer is too expensive, I didn¡¯t want you guys to see it¡­ and there¡¯s no need to use other kinds. Nowadays, isn¡¯t it all about eating food that is safe and secure?¡± ¡°Besides, using chemical fertilizer and urea year after year, the soil becomes incredibly compact, and it¡¯s not as nourishing as it used to be.¡± Wasn¡¯t that obvious? Wu Lan almost rolled her eyes¡ª Everyone knows the more fertilizer you use on the land, the greedier it gets, but the worse the condition of the land, the more fertilizer is needed. It¡¯s a vicious cycle. Yet, to make a living from farming, it¡¯s an indispensable evil. The crops in the fields this year were indeed exceptionally good. But thinking of all the great vegetables they had eaten this year, none had made it to the fields yet, Wu Lan glanced suspiciously at Song Tan again, ¡°Have you used it for the wild vegetables and bamboo forest?¡± ¡°When? Where from? How come I didn¡¯t see it?¡± Sigh, one lie requires a thousand others to cover it up. But it had to be covered up. Every household in the village had their land, but only their own crops were thriving. Keeping it a secret from outsiders and not having an explanation for their own family would eventually lead to trouble. Thus, Song Tan confidently proclaimed, ¡°I have used it.¡± ¡°That concentrated fertilizer doesn¡¯t take much, just one milliliter is enough for our plot. But it¡¯s so precious; other countries won¡¯t sell it to us. I¡¯m afraid that if others hear about it, it could cause trouble.¡± What kind of fertilizer was this? It was clearly an Immortal Pill! Wu Lan¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly advised, ¡°You must check carefully whether we can use it here or not. Don¡¯t they say on TV that many foreign plants can¡¯t make it here?¡± Ah, Mrs. Wu Lan now had an understanding of invasive species, Song Tan felt greatly relieved! At this moment she pounded her chest and promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine. Our national research bases also have it, they just don¡¯t sell it because the cost is so high. I¡¯ve gone through a lot of trouble, why else would I be in such a hurry to make money¡­¡± Whether it worked or not, it was best to brush it off like this for now, always providing a reason. However, this also reminded her that when she got back, she would place an order online for a fancy bottle. As for this concentrated fertilizer¡­ let¡¯s wait and see, wait until she enters the Foundation Establishment Stage, when Spiritual Energy can condense into water. Then I¡¯ll get a box of nutrient solution for Wu Lan to see! Right now, though¡­ The scarcity of Spiritual Energy, when mentioned, makes one want to cry. Wu Lan, however, listened with a mixture of belief and doubt, half-understanding. But after thinking it over, aside from that explanation, what else could it possibly be? It¡¯s just, having just watched the livestream, Wu Lan realized that she really didn¡¯t understand these young people¡¯s inventions. Maybe¡­ the concentrated fertilizer is really like this? Concerned about the family¡¯s livelihood, she hastily cautioned, ¡°Alright, alright, stop talking about it. Let¡¯s just say the God of Soil smiled on us, and this year the crops grew well in the field.¡± At the same time, she muttered resentfully, ¡°I said it, how could you farm better than me¡­¡± The last stand of a senior farmer. With business out of the way, Wu Lan began to nag again, ¡°Qiaoqiao isn¡¯t even in the frame; what are you always watching? You¡¯re here now, hurry up and pick more tea leaves ¡ª that¡¯s where the real money is.¡± What tea picking, with the span of two generations between us, Song Tan remembered all too well the hardships of picking tea, and he hurriedly carried his empty basket. ¡°I¡¯m going to check on Qiaoqiao and have him show his face on camera.¡± With that, he dashed off in a hurry. Wu Lan really couldn¡¯t help feeling frustrated¡ª Isn¡¯t tea picking the most profitable thing? Why does nobody want to do it? Can it be more tiring than digging out mountains? ¡­ Song Tan returned to the Chestnut Woods. Qiaoqiao had been moving around from one side of the tremella fields to the other, and now he was back in front of the camera once more. He didn¡¯t have any knowledge about tremella, so now he didn¡¯t spout nonsense, simply silently paring them one by one with a small bamboo knife. While counting out loud, he kept losing track, which resulted in his failure to gather even a hundred tremellas after half a day¡¯s work. Zhang Yanping, not wanting to appear on camera, had stayed out of frame. Seeing Song Tan¡¯s return, he couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Do you think, if I started a rural livestream, I could be as popular as this?¡± Qiaoqiao¡¯s path to success seemed too simple! Song Tan chuckled, recalling her last video which was so beautifully shot yet didn¡¯t attract viewers¡ªproving that success is never easy, no matter what the industry. ¡°Brother Yanping, I¡¯d support you making videos, but have you thought about what content you¡¯d want to film?¡± Qiaoqiao¡¯s success came from taking a distinctive route due to his unique thought process, the result of a sheer fluke. But as a perfectly capable young man, Yanping would need some genuine content to offer if he wanted to livestream something. Song Tan even offered some advice, ¡°Otherwise, draft a script about wild vegetables, the countryside, etc. ¡ª do some popular science education on plants and agriculture.¡± ¡°Forget it.¡± Zhang Yanping backed off, tossing a freshly peeled tremella into the basket. ¡°Working every day alongside you all was nearly my undoing. I came to the countryside to escape progress!¡± As a representative of the contemporary ¡°salted fish¡± youth, he didn¡¯t quite understand the ambition of family elders. ¡°I have quite a few connections and know of many good orchards. If I really wanted to deal in fruit, hiring someone to do the heavy lifting and developing a small online app, where I¡¯d manage the shop operation, would be so much more relaxing!¡± ¡°But my parents disagreed; they insisted I must come in person to make any money.¡± ¡°Oh, how much money is enough, anyway?¡± That was something Song Tan couldn¡¯t comment on. After all, she, too, was keen on making more money. Not to mention the enormous costs that would be involved in Qiaoqiao¡¯s future education; just consider their family home, which was built when she was in the first grade! In the village over the years, families with money have already renovated their houses. Whether they lived in them or not, having a rural villa exuded prestige. Her parents had put down their roots here for a lifetime. With their daughter returning from the city and their son in such a state¡­ they had to find a way to save face elsewhere. Such is the life of ordinary people, filled with vanity, yet also undeniably real. Chapter 173 - 173 173. Going Underground Seeking Monthly Tickets_1 ?Chapter 173: 173. Going Underground [Seeking Monthly Tickets]_1 Chapter 173: 173. Going Underground [Seeking Monthly Tickets]_1 However, as for building a house, it¡¯s best to just think about it for now. For one thing, there¡¯s no time¡ªdon¡¯t be fooled by the rarity of urgent tasks at the moment, that doesn¡¯t mean they can afford to idle every day. Weeds grow faster than crops, and the peach trees on the mountain have already sprouted buds. Tomorrow, they still have to plant watermelon. Before long, the beans in Chestnut Woods will all start sprouting, not to mention that there are other plans for the fields at the foot of the mountain¡­ Secondly, building a house in the countryside is cheap, but it still costs money. Nowadays, the saying ¡°the landlord¡¯s family has no surplus grain¡± is truly accurate! Not to mention anything else, just the food and drink for a family of nine, no matter how frugal Seventh Uncle can be, meat and eggs don¡¯t just appear out of thin air. You have to buy them! Their village is too remote. It¡¯s easy to say they can build a house on the homestead land, but as the number of people in the family keeps increasing, so do the tasks, which always require time and money to properly plan. Therefore, for now, there¡¯s no need to even think about renovating the house for the first half of the year; it¡¯s simply not appropriate. Song Tan currently had only the one hundred and ten thousand she received from Lun Chuan¡¯s friend a few days ago (of which a portion had already been spent). She would have to pay for Golden Sakura and the labor soon, and with the spring tea season coming to an end, she¡¯d need to settle the wages for the tea-picking ladies as well. Of course, they had to continue picking tea, but their rule for harvesting was that the fees for spring and summer tea were different because they related to the decline in tea prices. Therefore, the settlement cycles differed. Besides, she still owed the village seventy to eighty thousand! Thinking about it, she felt that as a cultivator, she was really quite unsuccessful. Luckily, she had been numbed by the scarcity of Spiritual Energy and the merciless society, so now she was unfazed by the notion that the more lice there were, the less they worried her. Having no money now didn¡¯t scare her; when the harvest season comes, she wouldn¡¯t be afraid to spend generously! With this solid mindset, no matter how many people in Qiaoqiao¡¯s livestream room clamored for links to promoted products, Song Tan remained collected. There wasn¡¯t much tremella that they had planted on the mountain, and the yield of the first crop was naturally low. After Qiaoqiao had shown the whole patch of tremella on the stream, she called out: ¡°Let¡¯s go, time to head home.¡± And then she turned off the livestream without hesitation. The audience in the livestream room: ¡­ Fine then. Start streaming when you say so, end it when you say so. Do you not take streaming seriously as a career? ¡­ As the three of them left, only Qiaoqiao had a harvest. They had just reached the main road when they heard the buzzing sound of a vehicle. Soon after, Song Youde and Song Sancheng arrived in a small three-wheeled vehicle, their smiles even more radiant than the trellises of tremella in the basket. ¡°My girl, are you tired from working? Come on, sit in the bed of the truck. Dad will take you home.¡± Song Youde, seeing Qiaoqiao¡¯s basket full of tremella, smiled so broadly his mouth wouldn¡¯t close: ¡°Look how amazing my grandson is! Come! Get on Grandpa¡¯s truck, and I¡¯ll take you home.¡± Zhang Yanping: ¡­??? Am I invisible or what? Besides, even though Chestnut Woods and the tea garden were a bit far from home, it was, all told, only a three- to five-minute walk. Was it really necessary? It probably was necessary. That¡¯s because Zhang Yanping had already clambered into the bed of the tricycle, and then she struck up a conversation with Sancheng: ¡°Uncle, is this tricycle easy to drive? Let me try driving it later.¡± Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Qiaoqiao also merrily got on the senior citizen-specialized tricycle: ¡°Grandpa, I want to drive, too.¡± Ah, that certainly wouldn¡¯t do. Qiaoqiao always appeared sensible and smart at home, but once she started driving, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to keep everything under control ahead. Song Tan thought to herself that the young boy¡¯s burdens were still too light. Seeing the grandchild-coddling Song Youde about to come down and give a hands-on lesson, she quickly interrupted: ¡°Qiaoqiao, don¡¯t you want to learn about tremella? Hurry back home, Seventh Uncle must be waiting anxiously.¡± Qiaoqiao then let out a yelp and hurried them to return home. Upon returning, Seventh Uncle was indeed anxiously waiting, his hands holding two old green fishing nets: ¡°It¡¯s not cost-effective to keep buying chicken and duck meat. Tantan, I just saw we have two fish traps at home, do you know how to set them? Maybe you can catch some loaches, small shrimps, and little silver fish.¡± ¡°Oh my!¡± Song Tan was genuinely surprised this time: ¡°I had completely forgotten!¡± There had been too much work in the fields, and she hadn¡¯t gotten around to the pond. Seventh Uncle understood: ¡°Even if you remembered, it would depend on luck. Eels are almost extinct in the village, it¡¯s rare to catch a few in a year.¡± But eel stir-fried with preserved meat is really delicious! And so is dry-fried tiny loaches. As well as the transparent small river shrimps common in their local ponds, just like the ones in Qi Baishi¡¯s paintings. Nowadays, unless you try your luck at the city¡¯s market, they are indeed hard to buy. Moreover, these shrimps don¡¯t survive long after being caught, dying off pretty quickly, so it¡¯s not easy to have a taste of fresh ones. Song Tan was instantly invigorated: ¡°I¡¯m going right now!¡± No sooner had she received the two fish traps than she saw Song Sancheng and Song Youde returning on their bicycles¡ªthey had taken the long route around the main road, which was even longer than the shortcut. Now, seeing the fish traps in Song Tan¡¯s hands, Sancheng couldn¡¯t help but smile: ¡°Now you¡¯re thinking of your fish pond? Hey, girl, you¡¯ve never raised fish and still dare to mess around.¡± Fortunately, the aquatic plants they bought were also inexpensive, just a matter of a hundred or so yuan. Sancheng had been holding back and hadn¡¯t said anything, just treating it as raising fish for their own consumption. ¡°I still know how to set the fish traps,¡± she defended. Sancheng laughed: ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about the fish traps, I was talking about your fish raising before. Who among the breeders doesn¡¯t clean the pond first? Only you would throw in the aquatic plants as soon as you bought them.¡± It was extensive farming at its most rudimentary. ¡°If there were some big black fish in this pond, nothing you raise would be left.¡± ¡°I thought you had an idea when you were so eager to buy those plants before.¡± Song Tan laughed: ¡°The fish fries were just a hundred or so yuan; our family isn¡¯t counting on selling fish to get rich.¡± Truth be told, two ponds were quite small for breeding; to sell fish, one would have to use the modern intensive space-saving model. But that would require labor, and the water quality would be a big concern. In that case, it¡¯s better to raise them casually for personal consumption. Sancheng had been silent about it for this very reason, only now did he remember upon seeing the two fish traps. ¡°Alright, just find any pond and set them up,¡± he said, ¡°Is there any leftover chicken intestines from lunch¡¯s stewed chicken? Put some in.¡± How could there be any leftovers? The kids always finished them. Song Tan didn¡¯t hesitate: ¡°Seventh Uncle, could you chop some small pieces of meat for me?¡± Once the meat passed through her hands, a wisp of Spiritual Energy quietly attached itself to it, and the three puppies in the yard let out a snort, converging around her spontaneously. Seventh Grandma couldn¡¯t help but laugh: ¡°Look at these dogs¡¯ noses, so sensitive, they come right over at the mention of meat.¡± Song Tan threw the meat into the traps, then scrounged around for a few pieces of foam board to stuff into the traps before excitedly running off to the pond. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can catch some eels!¡± If she did, she¡¯d leave a few small ones and imbue them with Spiritual Energy, so they¡¯d quickly reproduce. It¡¯s a renewable resource, year after year! Chapter 174 - 174 Other income_1 ?Chapter 174: Other income_1 Chapter 174: Other income_1 Setting up the fish trap was a new event, and Zhang Yanping and Qiaoqiao immediately wanted to follow, but Seventh Uncle slapped the cutting board: ¡°Qiaoqiao, it¡¯s time to do the chores.¡± Qiaoqiao stood there stunned, then looked at Seventh Uncle, at Song Sancheng, and finally in the direction where Song Tan was heading, his expression becoming somewhat anxious. He had fair skin and pure eyes; at this moment, with a pitiful look, Song Youde couldn¡¯t help but cough and subconsciously reached for his tobacco pipe, ready to say something. But Seventh Uncle urged him again, ¡°Hurry up and tidy up these white fungus, hang them out to dry.¡± ¡°I was thinking¡­¡± Qiaoqiao was still reluctant. Seventh Uncle, however, glared at him: ¡°Isn¡¯t your job to follow me?¡± But checking the fish trap seemed so interesting! Qiaoqiao wanted to speak, but Seventh Uncle¡¯s expression turned stern, completely different from his usual smiling, cooking demeanor. At that moment, the courtyard fell silent. He pursed his lips and sat back down on the stool, looking aggrieved. Only then did Seventh Uncle nod approvingly, ¡°If you want to learn skills, you need to be clever, but being steadfast is even more important.¡± Qiaoqiao didn¡¯t understand, but Song Youde and Song Sancheng did. Though the family didn¡¯t depend on Qiaoqiao to take on big tasks or businesses¡ªpossibly because he couldn¡¯t rather than he wouldn¡¯t¡ªthese were two different things. Even if Song Youde pitied his grandson, he knew that this could temper Qiaoqiao¡¯s nature. He was pampered by everyone every day at home and, although sometimes scolded or beaten, it was all light and transient. Now, with a proper master, it was time to get serious. And to Song Sancheng, Qiaoqiao¡¯s father who stood to the side, this was not a problem at all. To think, when he was younger, he had to work earnestly for several years under someone else just to learn a craft. Even a few decades earlier, one would have had to kneel and kowtow! Without serving for ten or eight years, the masters wouldn¡¯t teach their skills. The child was fortunate to be born in better times. He witnessed Seventh Uncle¡¯s teaching methods. Now Qiaoqiao could speak knowledgeably about wild herbs and vegetables. He wouldn¡¯t be ungrateful for that and blindly coddle him. Thus, only Qiaoqiao¡¯s injured world came to pass. Meanwhile, Song Tan, carrying two fish traps and accompanied by Zhang Yanping, couldn¡¯t wait to reach the pond near their own bamboo grove. Here, the aquatic plants thrived, and she casually pulled up a large pile of water hyacinths onto the shoreline and found the right spot to gradually set down the fish trap. ¡°With the bait inside, will the fish really know where to enter? Once in, can they truly not escape?¡± Curious baby Zhang Yanping sized up what seemed to be an ordinary long net cage. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they can¡¯t get out.¡± This method, not particular about positioning, was really not technologically demanding. One could master it after doing it a few times. ¡°Then you¡¯re just putting it beside the pond, aren¡¯t you afraid someone will take it?¡± ¡°No, they won¡¯t.¡± Song Tan secured the rope of the fish trap with stones, and then looked up: ¡°This pond is ours, and in the past, people had to say something before taking anything. Now, I¡¯ve seen we¡¯re preparing for a big push in the village; the villagers follow the rules, they naturally wouldn¡¯t touch it.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t believe no one will break the rules.¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sure, there were always some. Song Tan, without even lifting her head, said, ¡°Loafers and thieves who¡¯d rather steal chickens and dogs than work can be found anywhere. But the thing is, we¡¯re not advertising it now. Who would scour the pond every day?¡± Zhang Yanping uttered an ¡°Oh¡± in response, still trying to figure out the village¡ªa place that sometimes seemed to lack rules yet somehow observed them inexplicably. Yet he asked again, ¡°Then why are you stuffing foam in there?¡± ¡°I need to make the fish trap float up a bit, otherwise I¡¯m afraid there won¡¯t be enough oxygen if too many things get in.¡± Fish and shrimp were okay, but she was mainly concerned about eels getting suffocated. ¡°So when will this thing be ready to collect?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, sometimes it¡¯s a couple of weeks, sometimes just one night, but we might be able to fetch them tonight.¡± After all, no one had touched our pond for so many years, and now a big chunk of meat imbued with Spiritual Energy was introduced. The fish and shrimp had to compete to get into the trap, so there was no way it wouldn¡¯t be full by nightfall. ¡°Then I¡¯ll come fetch them in the middle of the night!¡± Zhang Yanping instantly became spirited. ¡°Forget it,¡± Song Tan stopped him. He was supposed to cultivate at night, and Zhang Yanping, this night owl, was already troublesome enough. Letting him run out in the pitch-darkness¡­ ¡°There are lots of water snakes by the pond.¡± Zhang Yanping immediately changed his mind, ¡°Then I¡¯ll come fetch them tomorrow morning.¡± While they were talking, two traps had already been set up in the corner of the pond. Song Tan then grabbed a long vine and tied up the pile of water hyacinth he had gathered, holding a bundle in each hand. He casually asked: ¡°Brother Yanping, you know a lot of people. Do you know anyone willing to come to my house to tutor Qiaoqiao?¡± Tutor Qiaoqiao? Zhang Yanping got it, ¡°Then just hire a kindergarten teacher. But¡­ in this poor and remote place¡­¡± In the end, it all came back to the same problem. Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°The documents for the family farm have come through. I can use this to apply for an online store with a corporate account and sales on various platforms.¡± ¡°Do you think if I used the farm¡¯s name to recruit, people would be willing?¡± In the end, Song Tan was confident in the salary he could offer and the local food of the countryside. But for job seekers, especially for the teacher Qiaoqiao needed, who required patience and attention to detail, just like Zhang Yanping said, a good kindergarten teacher would do. Mostly female, they would be concerned mainly about two things: prospects and safety. Those were the top priorities. She couldn¡¯t guarantee the prospects, but recruiting in the name of a legitimate farm would significantly enhance the perception of safety. ¡°It should be possible¡­¡± Zhang Yanping was himself a slacker; how could he understand the mentality of job seekers nowadays? Anyway, try casting the net wide and see: ¡°Give it a try.¡± Song Tan: ¡­ So, given Zhang Yanping¡¯s attitude, how could three of him match up to one Zhuge Liang? But the cobbler clearly had more questions: ¡°Tantan, what are you planning to sell next?¡± Song Tan thought about it; there really wasn¡¯t much to sell at the moment¡ª ¡°In half a month, I¡¯ll sell the little bok choy in the ground; it should be ripe by then.¡± ¡°So you mean there¡¯s no income for this half month?¡± Indeed. There were still some tea leaves and honey in stock at home that could be sold online, but regular customers hadn¡¯t come around yet, and it was currently the off-season. Zhang Yanping thought for a moment, ¡°How about we come up with something to generate income? Tantan, if I¡¯ve got a method, will you give me a cut?¡± He had recently been spending a lot on gaming, splurging 648 a pop, and the little money he¡¯d stashed away was running out. Song Tan was indeed curious; nearly everything sellable from the sprawling wilderness had been sold off, and what remained wasn¡¯t substantial¡ª ¡°What¡¯s your idea?¡± Zhang Yanping smiled openly, ¡°I¡¯m planning to go fishing and holler a bit, invite people to our pond to fish. Fishing is free, but the meal costs extra.¡± Basically, setting up a fishing-themed country getaway. ¡°When the time comes, can I split the profits with Seventh Uncle who will be cooking?¡± Well, great, using our farm pond for your customers to fish and even employing our chef! Chapter 175 - 175 175. Beat the roe deer with a stick and scoop fish ?Chapter 175: 175. Beat the roe deer with a stick and scoop fish with a ladle_1 Chapter 175: 175. Beat the roe deer with a stick and scoop fish with a ladle_1 Song Tan was truly broadening her horizons. However, she didn¡¯t outright refuse but instead asked, ¡°If someone catches like ten or eight jin of fish, you¡¯d make a profit, but wouldn¡¯t I be at a huge loss?¡± How could that be possible? Zhang Yanping claimed confidently, ¡°How many fish can there be in this pond? It hasn¡¯t been cleaned up for over a decade, right?¡± ¡°Besides, that¡¯s a wild pond behind the hill. If there really were fish, they¡¯d probably have been all caught by my uncle by now. I saw the new fishing rod he bought, it must have cost at least eight hundred yuan.¡± Song Tan quickly lowered her voice, ¡°Shh!¡± ¡°Keep it down, my dad hasn¡¯t dared to show it till now, and if my mom asks, he says it was eighty.¡± ¡°So you see,¡± Zhang Yanping said with a world-weary face, ¡°once a man gets married, he¡¯s not even free to buy a fishing rod.¡± ¡°Talk as if you¡¯ve got someone. A bachelor like you has no room to complain.¡± ¡°As for whether my pond has fish or not, you¡¯ll see tomorrow morning when we check the traps.¡± Zhang Yanping was indeed full of confidence. He had heard from Song Sancheng that the pond behind the hill did have some crucian carp and the like, and he¡¯d caught quite a few last winter. But this pond¡­ If there really were any, why would his uncle resort to using a good rod, and still sit there half a day without catching a single one? He muttered to himself about this matter, deciding to hurry over as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning. But¡­ Zhang Yanping, a night owl, only opened his eyes because he was woken by a man¡¯s loud voice outside, and when he checked the time, it was only six o¡¯clock in the morning! However, during his time back home, he also noticed that the older people tended to wake up early. In this respect, he really couldn¡¯t compare as a young person. The village houses weren¡¯t soundproof, and he painfully covered his head. But as the noise of voices grew, lying down became impossible and, sporting messy bed hair, he eventually got up. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was still misty at six in the morning, the air was damp and cool, and numerous mischievous grey squirrels perched on the wall. Seeing him come out, they excitedly squeaked as if a giant panda had stepped out of the zoo. Zhang Yanping: ¡­ Before he could get mad and shoo them away, Song Tan also followed him out. A pickup truck was parked outside the courtyard, where a lean man was standing and unloading things. Even though they had both just woken up, the state they were in was starkly different. While Zhang Yanping was still bleary-eyed, Song Tan was already walking up warmly: ¡°Uncle, you came so early!¡± He had, after all, made an appointment the day before to deliver the melon seedlings. In the little shed in the yard, Seventh Uncle had already started cooking a big pot of porridge, finely chopped minced meat was set aside ready to be used, and another pot was cooking thick pancake. The scent of the pastries mingled with the morning mist. Seventh Uncle also came out with a smile, ¡°Come on, no rush, sit down and have some breakfast.¡± The man began to refuse, but when Seventh Uncle saw the oil in the pot was hot, he quickly stir-fried the minced meat with slices of ginger, chili, and minced garlic. The fragrant aroma instantly hit his nostrils, and he immediately covered his stomach: ¡°Well¡­ I won¡¯t be polite then.¡± Countryside folk are instinctively hospitable. Song Tan looked at the robust fresh watermelon seedlings in the truck bed and smiled, ¡°Look at you, our breakfast is simple. Don¡¯t mind it.¡± The man chuckled, ¡°I figured, the sooner I deliver these seedlings, the sooner they can be planted. They stay fresh, and the sun isn¡¯t too hot yet.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been up since before dawn.¡± Indeed, these seedlings were so fresh and lively, they must have been prepared just this morning. What the owner said was not an exaggeration at all. After all, making money is never easy for anyone. Song Tan still remembered when she was a child, the village was big on mushroom farming, the collectors of mushrooms would wait at the town¡¯s trading market at three in the morning, and those families who farmed mushrooms usually had to get up at midnight to pick them. Because mushrooms mature quickly and get old just as quickly, if they were picked the night before, they would open up by the next morning, become overripe, and their price would drop. It¡¯s the same with delivering seedlings now. Once the sun comes out, and the dew evaporates, the seedlings tend to wither, and the quality drops. The watermelon seedlings that go for three mao five a piece, don¡¯t expect them to come with a seedling cup, they are pulled out bare-root. As they were discussing this, Seventh Uncle said, ¡°Tantan, tell your parents and grandparents to come back for lunch, Dabao ran back home barking early this morning, and they followed him out.¡± Song Tan¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Dabao is back?¡± These dogs were very loyal to their duties, they¡¯ve agreed to watch over a certain area and they rarely ever leave, and now suddenly he¡¯d come back barking¡ª She quickly went outside: ¡°Uncle, have a sip of porridge first, and I¡¯ll come back to settle the payment with you in a bit.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a family of four rounding the corner from the bamboo forest, each carrying a long fish trap, their laughter so loud the whole village could almost hear it. ¡°Tantan, what bait did you use yesterday? Look at this fish trap, it can¡¯t fit anymore!¡± And that was no lie. On two long fish traps, each about three meters, apart from the rocks Song Tan put at the end for ease of placement and the foam boards at the front, there were no places without fish. The entire traps, at every entrance, were crammed full of fish and shrimp. Even through the green netting, one could see not only loaches and eels but also river shrimp, small fish¡­ and even more outrageously, in one of the traps that Song Sancheng and Wu Lan were carrying, at the fist-sized entrance, there was a big, wiggling and wagging blackfish stuck. Good heavens! She¡¯d lived in the village for so many years and had never seen a shrimp trap catch a blackfish before! The husband and wife were having trouble carrying it and when they set the trap down on the ground, the fish inside kept flopping around! Especially that big black fish, the force of its rolling made loud smacking sounds on the concrete floor, and one slap of its tail against someone could truly deliver a solid burst of pain! The uncle who had just sat down to sell melon seedlings jumped up in shock: ¡°You guys can catch fish so easily?!¡± This was a fish trap, not an electric net! Zhang Yanping also hurried over, his face pale: ¡°My new business¡­¡± What more was there to say, it was obviously ruined. If the fish traps can¡¯t even contain them, what kind of pond is this? Clearly, it¡¯s a lovely grass pond! Beating roe deer and scooping fish out with a gourd, wild chickens flying into the cooking pot¡ªbut let¡¯s forget the wild chickens, he¡¯s on a second-level state payroll, he can¡¯t compete. In short, if he invited people over to fish, taking home thirty to fifty pounds a day¡­ it wouldn¡¯t matter if he made money or not, but Tantan would definitely be at a loss! A venture halfway embarked upon, only to fail before completion, could be talking about nobody but himself¡­ Song Tan was also somewhat speechless. Why were these fish so gluttonous? In a place with clear mountains and rivers, where the pond hadn¡¯t been managed by anyone for years, enjoying free life, and they go crazy at the sight of a little bit of Spiritual Energy! Their foresight was just too shallow; they might as well be eaten! She quite delightfully fetched a large basin: ¡°Seventh Uncle, do you want to have fish for lunch?¡± Seventh Uncle quickly took the fried minced meat and pickled vegetables off the stove and hurried over: ¡°Let me see, let me see!¡± Chapter 176 - 176 176. Cunning Bento (Vote for monthly tickets ?Chapter 176: 176. Cunning Bento (Vote for monthly tickets, please!)_1 Chapter 176: 176. Cunning Bento (Vote for monthly tickets, please!)_1 Seventh Uncle came over, looking a bit worried too. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve never seen a fish trap packed so full in my life!¡± In the past, when we collected things from the trap, we¡¯d just untie the rope and give it a pull and everything would come out. But with it full like this, how are we supposed to pull it up? Lifting it is already a struggle. Song Sancheng looked around and smiled so wide his mouth wouldn¡¯t close. He even took out his phone, ¡°Yanping, how do you post a video on Moments? Come, help me shoot one.¡± As he spoke, he squatted in front of the fish trap and didn¡¯t forget to instruct, ¡°Just say, ¡®Free time fun, sunbathing today¡¯s catch.''¡± What a tactful way with words! Tantan¡¯s skills had transplanted onto himself, if the folks at the fishing forum saw this, they¡¯d drool a mile! Zhang Yanping gave his uncle-in-law a thumbs up in secret. Song Tan followed his gaze, finally feeling reassured: ¡°Dabao came over this morning to call us, was it because he found this fish trap?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Song Sancheng was watching Zhang Yanping post on Moments without lifting his head: ¡°Early in the morning, Dabao started barking at us, and we thought something had happened. Little did we know, when we went over to look, my goodness! It was lucky you tied it down with a rock; the rock was almost dragged into the water. If we¡¯d been any later, we would¡¯ve had to fish the trap out of the pond.¡± After thinking for a bit, he chuckled, ¡°Dabao really is a good dog, let¡¯s give him an extra egg this morning.¡± ¡°Not just this morning,¡± Seventh Uncle pointed at the things inside the trap, ¡°Give them those little lumpfish and wheat spikes to eat.¡± This kind of fish naturally doesn¡¯t grow big, they school together in droves, and catching them in bunches doesn¡¯t feel wasteful. Nobody minded when Seventh Uncle suggested feeding them to the dogs. Wu Lan and Wang Lifan washed their hands clean and, seeing the group still circling the fish trap, couldn¡¯t help but urge, ¡°Hurry up, breakfast time, we still have to pick tea later. The fish can wait a bit before we deal with them!¡± Men, they just don¡¯t do the math, how can fish compare to tea leaves? The hot rice porridge was bubbling, the fermented dough pancakes were irresistibly crispy and fragrant, and the ground meat with pickled vegetables and stir-fried spicy eggs were even more appetizing. Despite the old masters¡¯ reluctance to part with the fish trap, it didn¡¯t stop them from slurping down two large bowls. Song Tan, as usual, didn¡¯t eat much and put down her bowl first to settle the final payment for the watermelon seedlings with her uncle. Logically, with things looking busy, the uncle should have been leaving. But his eyes were glued to those two fish traps, and he dallied around, unable to move from the spot for quite some time. Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but glance at the new fishing rod in the corner that she bought for 890 and was quoted 80 for: ¡ªMen. Looking at the time, it was about half an hour before the workers were due to arrive. Village folks aren¡¯t particularly punctual, sure to come early, Song Tan hurriedly directed: ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and clear out these fish, we¡¯ve got to head to the mountains soon.¡± Seventh Uncle waved his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t we have two extra hands to help me out today? You all go on with your work; I¡¯ll take care of these fish.¡± At the same time, he also called Seventh Grandma, ¡°Ask Qiaoqiao to come back.¡± Song Tan was puzzled, ¡°What did he go off to do so early in the morning?¡± Seventh Uncle grinned ear to ear, ¡°When I came over this morning, I mentioned that there was a tree with tender Chinese toon leaves by the roadside which could be fried with eggs, and the kid ran off to pick them after eating two pancakes.¡± Chinese toon leaves? Song Tan was surprised, ¡°Are there still young Chinese toon leaves now? Make sure they haven¡¯t all grown old.¡± During the early spring when everyone was busy with wild herbs, the Chinese toon trees in their village grew sparsely, and there were only a few trees, so she hadn¡¯t even considered this. Seventh Uncle pointed to a small hill off in the distance, ¡°Over there on the high ground, there¡¯s a little tree. The wind is cold, so the toon buds grow slowly.¡± Song Tan understood. It was just like the saying, ¡°The fragrance of April has faded in the mortal realm, yet peach blossoms at the mountain temple begin to flourish.¡± ¡°No wonder I didn¡¯t see him while checking the fish today.¡± As for whether the child had a proper breakfast¡­ Bah! Who needs to be so picky? As long as his stomach is full and he doesn¡¯t feel hungry, that¡¯s fine. Besides, when following Seventh Uncle, when could there ever be a time without food? Sure enough, as everyone was busy slowly taking fish out of the fish traps, the villagers who had come to work had already arrived one after another. Each one of them had to circle around the fish traps and marvel, while Song Sancheng¡¯s social network was buzzing with heaps of praise. This morning, he had reached the pinnacle of fishers. Though he hadn¡¯t used a fishing rod but had laid fish traps instead, it was a skill just the same, no difference. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t handle the fish himself, as the watermelon seedlings on the mountain still required his attention to arrange for people to take care of them. So, reluctantly holding his hoe, he left. It was the uncle delivering the watermelon seedlings who hesitated for a while before finally couldn¡¯t help but approach Song Tan again: ¡°Miss, can outsiders come to fish in your family¡¯s pond?¡± he asked. A thought struck Song Tan. After seeing off the equally reluctant uncle, Song Tan discussed it with Seventh Uncle and then called over Zhang Yanping, whose business was not doing well: ¡°Brother Yanping, you can also share the pictures of the fish you took today on your fishing forum. Just like you said, two ponds, allowing ten people in total to fish each day, no charge, whatever they catch is theirs to keep.¡± Zhang Yanping was puzzled, ¡°Just look at the catch from these fish traps, if you let them keep whatever they fish, you¡¯ll be at a loss!¡± ¡°We¡¯re building a reputation, but not like this. With the products you¡¯re selling now, you can rely on your own customer base. Fishermen, unnecessary.¡± Actually, it was necessary. The crowd buying vegetables was mostly composed of aunts. Do aunts have money? Yes. Willing to spend it? Yes, but only if there¡¯s a feel of tourism. Spending money in their own hometown is difficult. But her family had plenty of good things, like tea and honey. When it comes to spending money lavishly, you have to look at the men. Song Tan shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ve discussed it with Seventh Uncle, one box lunch is free, additional meals cost 40. Three meals a day, you and Qiaoqiao are responsible for delivery.¡± S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This system of additional meals was quite cunning; the free sampling would tempt them first, and as for additional meals¡­ she didn¡¯t believe that anyone would only eat one bowl of their food. ¡°My cost is 10 yuan, you two split the remaining 30.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s one thing, the person who catches the least before five o¡¯clock has to be responsible for pulling weeds on my mountain for a whole day.¡± No worries about them loitering; if they loafed on the job, they simply wouldn¡¯t be allowed to come back. Because she only infused Spiritual Energy and didn¡¯t take other measures, the grass on the mountain grew incredibly fast, reaching knee-high before you knew it. This was a deliberate move by Song Tan; she wanted to later hire villagers to help with weeding, offering the elderly a chance to earn income from home. In the future, picking and packaging fruits and vegetables would also require their help. For her, it meant conserving Spiritual Energy and being more low-profile. For them, it meant having something to do, and frequent work with exposure to Spiritual Energy would improve their health too. A win-win situation. This was also briefly discussed with Zu Jun during a chat before. However, as of now, the family farm was just starting, and the mountain land had only been cultivated recently, so there wasn¡¯t much grass. But after a while, that might not be the case. Chapter 177 - 177 177. Job Posting_1 ?Chapter 177: 177. Job Posting_1 Chapter 177: 177. Job Posting_1 Of course, there was something else Song Tan hadn¡¯t mentioned. That was her plan to use Spiritual Energy to lure the creatures in the pond over the next few days. Once they became picky, relying on the fisherman¡¯s baits¡­ Heh heh heh. She estimated that, except for the gluttonous lumpfish and wheat ear fish, it would be rather difficult to hook anything else. It was like inviting them to spend money to embrace nature. However, she could only keep these little schemes to herself, for voicing them would earn her a scolding. In the face of Zhang Yanping¡¯s expression that seemed to say ¡°you¡¯re running a loss-making business,¡± Song Tan still nodded resolutely at him. As everyone had gone up the mountain to work, the yard once again became peaceful. The two aunts helping out were the same ones as before, now deftly starting to boil water and filling everyone¡¯s thermos flasks. Song Tan noted that they had quite a number of people at home now and it wasn¡¯t feasible to always borrow everyone¡¯s thermos whenever there was a need, right? Boiling water was labor-intensive and hogged the pot. After some thought, she directly placed an order online for a large-capacity industrial water boiler, choosing one that ran on two-phase domestic electricity, and as for the capacity¡­ Well, 30L would do. Once everything was ready, Zhang Yanping squatted to one side sending messages, and it was only then that Qiaoqiao, drenched in sweat, rushed back with the basket: ¡°Where are the fish? Where are the fish?¡± Song Tan laughed: It was hard not to be happy seeing Qiaoqiao first thing in the morning! ¡°They¡¯re by the pond, hurry up and help Seventh Uncle.¡± Without needing Song Tan¡¯s instructions, Qiaoqiao couldn¡¯t wait to drop the tree sprouts from the basket and squatted alongside by the pond as well. Seventh Grandma arrived a step slower and, seeing the pathetic half-basket of tree sprouts, couldn¡¯t help but laugh: ¡°If we¡¯re eating this for lunch, there won¡¯t be enough for even one chopstick per person. Let¡¯s make tree sprout and egg pancakes.¡± Meanwhile, Qiaoqiao was already busy admiring the fish. There was a large concrete pond made some years before that had been in disuse for many years. Seventh Uncle had just rinsed it out a bit, and now he was starting to fill it with water. As water was being filled up on one end, on the other end, they were taking fish out from the fish traps: Carp, grass carp, silver carp, and common carp. River shrimp, loaches, eels, and small crabs. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Not to mention plenty of lumpfish and wheat ear fish¡­ As they fished them out, they were puzzled: ¡°I thought you put down a piece of meat, didn¡¯t you? How did the grass carp come over too? Tantan, did you add bait?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± said Song Tan innocently. ¡°Maybe these fish haven¡¯t been disturbed for so many years, they¡¯ve become dull-witted.¡± Seventh Uncle, exerting strength in his hands, precisely gripped the gills of the lively Dahei, a fish that could smack a huge hole with its tail, and was utterly bewildered at this moment: ¡°Then, this fish¡¯s brain has gotten really dumb.¡± But Qiaoqiao was already chattering excitedly, pointing at the fish in the trap: ¡°What kind of fish is this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a silver carp, see how its head is round and plump? We¡¯ll stew it with hot and spicy seasonings for lunch, using this one.¡± ¡°What about this one, it¡¯s so energetic?¡± he pointed at the one held by Seventh Uncle. ¡°That¡¯s a snakehead fish, also known as black fish. It preys on other fish, very fierce, and strong. See the blotches on its body? Doesn¡¯t it look ferocious?¡± Seventh Uncle placed the fish in a bucket nearby: ¡°We¡¯ll grill this one for lunch.¡± ¡°But, there¡¯s no water in the bucket¡­¡± Qiaoqiao bent down to look. ¡°No worries,¡± Seventh Uncle taught him. ¡°This kind of fish can live a long time without water; put one in the pond, and all the small fish become its food.¡± Glancing meaningfully at Song Tan, it was obvious he knew about her great ¡°achievement¡± of stocking the pond with fish without first cleaning it. But Song Tan was rather philosophical about it: ¡°Whether the big fish eat the little fish or the little fish somehow manage to survive, in the end, they¡¯re all going to be eaten by us. Either way, we don¡¯t lose out.¡± Besides, setting a few more fish traps in the coming days would eventually clear out all the catfish. So, she appeared especially thick-skinned. Seventh Uncle gave her a look and then turned back to continue teaching Qiaoqiao: ¡°Do you see this little fish? Isn¡¯t it very small? Flat, with scales that are rainbow-colored under the sunlight? This one¡¯s called lumpfish, and this slender one is called wheat-ear fish.¡± ¡°Both types of fish never grow very large, and they¡¯re particularly gluttonous, darting toward wherever there¡¯s food, dumb and simple-minded. Usually, they are the ones you catch while fishing, which can drive people mad.¡± Qiaoqiao nodded, sharply summing up: ¡°Drive-you-mad fish.¡± Then, with the ingenuity of a child, she asked, ¡°Are they tasty?¡± Seventh Uncle smiled, ¡°Tasty!¡± Zhang Yanping, who was clueless, looked up: ¡°Aren¡¯t these small fish supposed to taste bitter? If they were really tasty, why would fishermen get so angry about them?¡± Seventh Uncle snorted, ¡°That¡¯s because they¡¯re lazy. If you don¡¯t remove the gallbladder from the fish¡¯s innards, how could it not be bitter?¡± Zhang Yanping pulled a face: ¡°Then just give it to the dogs. The fish isn¡¯t even as big as my thumb, and I have to remove its gallbladder? Forget it.¡± Seventh Uncle snorted again, ¡°Lazy people, serve them right for missing out on the good stuff.¡± He turned back to look at Qiaoqiao, feeling that although the child might be a bit dim-witted, he was pleasant in every aspect, so he couldn¡¯t help rambling on: ¡°Don¡¯t mind your Brother Yanping¡¯s disdain for the fish; they just don¡¯t know its value. Overseas, it¡¯s called ¡®Chinese Rainbow¡¯; the Japanese Emperor even sent people to look for it.¡± ¡°Properly prepared, not only is it delicious to eat, but it¡¯s also very beautiful in an aquarium. Moreover, it can replenish spiritual energy and strengthen the spleen. It can also detoxify. If you have a pimple that just won¡¯t heal, eat this fish, and it will quickly bring out the toxin.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing!¡± Qiaoqiao nodded attentively and quickly picked out the key words: ¡°Chinese Rainbow, Japanese Emperor, replenishes spiritual energy, strengthens the spleen, can detoxify and cure pimples. Must remove the gallbladder, delicious to eat!¡± As Zhang Yanping listened, he couldn¡¯t help but whisper to Song Tan: ¡°Your plan before was right. I think Qiaoqiao is really smart; it would be a waste not to teach him.¡± Seventh Uncle had said so much, rambling on, and even adults would have difficulty instantly extracting the key points. But he managed to do just that, which not only had to do with a child¡¯s undistracted mind but also indicated Qiaoqiao¡¯s thinking ability. Song Tan was flipping through her address book, looking for someone to refer for the job, and also sighed: ¡°Finding a teacher is so hard.¡± And how should she word this recruitment advertisement? After pondering for a while, she simply sent out a message in her vegetable selling group: [Looking for a teacher for little brother Qiaoqiao, male or female, credentials and experience are not necessary. Must be patient and caring, with standard Mandarin, adaptable, and able to tailor teaching methods to the student. Salary negotiable, includes room and board with internet access, teaching materials can be provided, home-cooked meals, fabulous taste. Address: Lao Song¡¯s family in Yunqiao Village, Yun City Contact number: 156xxxxxxxx] The group members, who all had dealings at the vegetable market, knew Qiaoqiao¡¯s situation well. And since the aunties were particularly adept at spreading news, Song Tan thought¡ª Well, why not, right? Moreover, she wasn¡¯t demanding credentials or experience (although that would be better), but for Qiaoqiao¡¯s current state, patience and caring were indeed more important than anything else. Chapter 178 - 178 178. Two disciples Request for monthly votes_1 ?Chapter 178: 178. Two disciples [Request for monthly votes]_1 Chapter 178: 178. Two disciples [Request for monthly votes]_1 It was rare to see such a plentiful catch all at once, and Seventh Uncle was still earnestly explaining to Qiaoqiao. At this moment, he pulled out an eel that was struggling nonstop from the trap on the ground. The eel¡¯s body was covered in mucus, generally slippery and difficult to grasp with one hand. But now, Seventh Uncle pinched tightly with his thumb and index and middle fingers, no matter how the eel curled and exerted force beneath, it couldn¡¯t wriggle free at all. ¡°Scared?¡± He looked at Qiaoqiao. ¡°I¡¯ve eaten this before,¡± Qiaoqiao said with a grin, touching the eel¡¯s cold, slimy body, ¡°Dad says it¡¯s not a water snake, it doesn¡¯t bite people, it¡¯s an eel.¡± Seventh Uncle nodded in approval, ¡°That¡¯s right, but if really cornered, it also bites, it¡¯s just that the toxin isn¡¯t very strong, just wash it with water and alcohol and it¡¯ll be fine.¡± There was more than one eel in the trap, and Seventh Uncle soon pulled out another and tossed it into the bucket: ¡°Try catching one with your hands.¡± Qiaoqiao was extremely delighted and immediately reached into the bucket. However, as soon as he grabbed it by the head, the eel twisted slipperily and slid right out from between his fingers. After much struggle and using both hands, he still couldn¡¯t catch the eel as easily and securely as Seventh Uncle did. Qiaoqiao stared blankly at his own hands, feeling very aggrieved: ¡°It¡¯s so slippery.¡± But Seventh Uncle laughed and encouraged him, ¡°All fish are slippery, you have to be willing to get your hands dirty. See its head? Aim lower down its body, get a firm grip and don¡¯t let go no matter how it twists, keep your hold steady and strong¡­¡± The two aunties helping out were busy with the food preparation, and when they saw Seventh Uncle teaching Qiaoqiao so seriously, they instinctively breathed more quietly. It was only when they brought the pot to the stove did they start discussing: ¡°Look at that kid¡¯s uncle, he really has a way of teaching, coaxing and playing, Qiaoqiao is so happy.¡± In their view, learning cooking meant either practicing knife skills with chop, chop, chop, or stirring pots back and forth. What¡¯s the point of catching eels here? When they first came in, they even overturned a basin full of loaches! Catching loaches and eels, enough to keep a child entertained for an entire morning. The other aunty laughed, ¡°It¡¯s also because Qiaoqiao is brave, how come they¡¯re not afraid at all? When I see the eel wriggling like a snake, it gives me the creeps.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing!¡± The aunty across from her laughed, ¡°When children are small, they¡¯re fearless. I was so into raising silkworms when I was little, but now if you make me look at those white, fat silkworms, I¡¯d still feel a bit squeamish.¡± That was indeed true. The two talked and laughed, and the topic drifted off to somewhere else entirely. Meanwhile, by the edge of the pond, Seventh Uncle went about dealing with the catch from the two full traps on his own, while Qiaoqiao was becoming increasingly determined with the bucket of eels and loaches. At this moment, his left and right hands were going at it as if practicing the Iron Sand Palm, continuously reaching down to catch, switching to the left hand when the right grew tired, and vice versa. Seventh Grandma passed him his big mug of tea and couldn¡¯t help but show a gentle smile, ¡°The child is quite serious.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Seventh Uncle was satisfied. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ever since Qiaoqiao¡¯s first visit to his house, he saw that although the child might be a bit slow, once asked to do something, he would get to it and keep at it with great focus, which was truly remarkable. And for this reason, spending time together these days, Seventh Uncle really had taken to heart to teach him earnestly. It might seem as if catching eels and loaches was hardly interesting, but what was actually being trained was speed, accuracy, and stability. Once a chef¡¯s hands are steady, it means his heart is steady, and whatever he does, he could throw himself into it, achieving twice the result with half the effort. Speaking of fate, twenty years ago, when he was young and strong and wanted to take on an apprentice, parents would bring their children to his house, and they would kowtow with a thud, giving him their blessing. The other party cried their eyes out, only saying that there were too many children in the family and they were simply seeking food to eat and a skill to make a living with. Even so, he didn¡¯t relent, but instead arranged for the other party to work back and forth, seriously evaluating them for a full year before agreeing. In those days, households weren¡¯t living easily yet; they could practice on fat chickens and ducks every day without feeling any distress over it. Seventh Uncle truly passed down all his skills. He even handed over his own connections in the big banquet business. During the years the apprentice was with him, apart from the first three years of practicing basic skills with little income, he never had to worry about food and clothing. Lately, the apprentice stopped studying culinary arts, instead earning a pretty penny for most of the month. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to wander around in coastal cities, and then run off when he came back. As a master, Seventh Uncle believed he was more than qualified. Even though he was hoping to rely on his apprentice in his old age, he had no intention of mistreating him; back then they hadn¡¯t relocated yet, but he also had his own small courtyard. Who could have imagined, the carefully chosen successor just packed up their things and took off, and the actual parents even brought a whole bunch of siblings to berate him for oppressing the child. Now old, he had once again taken a shine to the silly Qiaoqiao. If previously he was teaching with a sense of duty, as time passed in their interactions, Seventh Uncle¡¯s thoughts became increasingly focused on the boy. Not for any old-age care, but purely because he liked the child. Recalling the past, both Seventh Uncle and Seventh Grandma didn¡¯t know what to say anymore. It was also because of that incident that they both fell seriously ill and since then resided in the city. Now, looking at the silly Qiaoqiao before him, Seventh Uncle laughed once more: ¡°Qiaoqiao, I ask you, dare you kill a chicken?¡± Qiaoqiao looked up blankly, ¡°I¡¯ve never killed one, I don¡¯t know if I dare.¡± ¡°What about killing Big White?¡± Qiaoqiao shook his head, ¡°Big White can¡¯t be killed; Big White is a good brother, Big White helps me watch over the mountain.¡± ¡°What if you absolutely had to kill?¡± ¡°Still no!¡± Qiaoqiao became serious, his eyes wide and round: ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Seventh Uncle: ¡­ Why is this child so stubborn? He had originally intended to start a small teaching conversation, but now his own stubbornness was rising: ¡°Look, this goose isn¡¯t raised by your family, and you didn¡¯t spend any money on it, so why can¡¯t you kill it? What if your grandparents agree?¡± Qiaoqiao was at a loss, he didn¡¯t know what to say, but still emphasized: ¡°No! Just no!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it and run, hide it deep in the mountains.¡± ¡°What if your parents and sister killed it while you were not home?¡± Qiaoqiao furrowed his brows, his eyes reddening, as if tears would fall at any moment. Seventh Grandma stood by the side and glared fiercely at that old fool, but then Qiaoqiao said: ¡°Dad, Mom, and Sister said Qiaoqiao is a good boy and they absolutely wouldn¡¯t make Qiaoqiao sad.¡± But Seventh Uncle didn¡¯t want to stop there, and kept digging: ¡°What if? If they killed it, what would you do?¡± Qiaoqiao was silent, tears swirling in his eyes: ¡°Then Qiaoqiao won¡¯t eat, Qiaoqiao will starve himself to death, to keep Big White company!¡± Seventh Uncle had a complicated expression, but eventually muttered, ¡°Silly boy, when your stomach is really hungry, you won¡¯t think like this.¡± But Qiaoqiao stubbornly looked up, ¡°When I¡¯m really hungry, I¡¯ll think about it then. If I do nothing now, Big White will be even sadder.¡± Chapter 179 - 179 179. Old Peng and Xiufen Vote for Monthly Ticket_1 ?Chapter 179: 179. Old Peng and Xiufen [Vote for Monthly Ticket]_1 Chapter 179: 179. Old Peng and Xiufen [Vote for Monthly Ticket]_1 Qiaoqiao¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears. Seventh Uncle, however, was quite satisfied, ¡°Good child, good child¡­ Don¡¯t worry, Seventh Uncle is now your master, and I will help protect your Big White!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Qiaoqiao finally let the tears fall, feeling aggrieved, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Seventh Uncle: ¡­ He tried to ignore the old woman chuckling on the side and solemnly promised, ¡°You have to believe, your master would never lie to you.¡± Qiaoqiao shrugged his shoulders, wiped away the tears with the sleeve of his shirt, and sniffled, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Dad, mom, and my sister never said they would kill Big White, only you did. Seventh Uncle, you just like to bully kids.¡± Seventh Uncle: ¡­left speechless. He hadn¡¯t intended it; he just wanted to see what the child¡¯s nature was like. Who knew that he would be fully satisfied with his apprentice, who was both filial and steadfast, with a good temper too. Even in the most urgent and saddest moments, he never thought about what to do with a knife¡ª Anyone familiar with the kitchen handles a knife like common folk playing with firewood sticks; Seventh Uncle feared a sudden rage and loss of control. Now he was satisfied with his dutiful and persistent apprentice, yet he couldn¡¯t satisfy his apprentice in return. This, this, this¡­ Song Tan sat in the courtyard, listening to Seventh Uncle¡¯s various questions, and now she couldn¡¯t help but laugh as well. Ah, she¡¯d always thought Qiaoqiao was the cutest treasure under the heavens, but she also feared it was just ¡°every mother¡¯s child is the fairest.¡± So she refrained from bragging. But now, as luck would have it, Qiaoqiao¡¯s excellent nature was discovered by Seventh Uncle, wasn¡¯t it? Heh heh heh. After sending her message and responding to some messages from her chat group, she too picked up a hoe and headed up the mountain. After all, today was a perfect sunny day, not meant for planting; they had to hurry and finish planting all the watermelon seedlings before the heat of the sun became intense. For that reason, there were even more people working hard in the morning than the last time, all putting in their best efforts! And in Yun City, upon seeing Song Tan¡¯s job recruitment message, the aunties were quite interested in this job position: ¡°Ah, this job doesn¡¯t require any certificates or work experience, isn¡¯t it a good job? If not, I¡¯ll send my niece. She¡¯s at home preparing for that teacher qualification exam, what¡¯s better than earning some extra money and getting some practice?¡± The aunties had their own ulterior motives¡ª Teaching Qiaoqiao, at most a few hours a day, and the remaining time could be used for review and preparation. Plus, with room and board provided along with a salary, how economical! Sure enough, they had quickly spotted the highlights! ¡°That really could work, I¡¯ve met Qiaoqiao. Though simple-minded, he can do addition and subtraction within a hundred, and he¡¯s polite, definitely not hard to manage.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just rush into things! No matter how good he may be to teach, Qiaoqiao is ultimately a grown man, and for a young girl to live alone in the countryside and teach such a person¡­ you might not be afraid, but I sure am!¡± If Song Tan heard this, she would probably sigh: It¡¯s human nature. She actually wanted to specify men only when recruiting because Qiaoqiao was admittedly an adult male, and she worried about misunderstandings with a young girl living alone, not to mention the risk of an accident. Moreover, given safety considerations, it¡¯s indeed not safe for a girl to live alone in the countryside at someone else¡¯s home. But she hoped, maybe there was an older female who could patiently teach him? Now, upon reflection, the aunties also started to have their doubts: Yes, even if he¡¯s someone they knew, it still meant living in someone else¡¯s home, which was not proper. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, Qiaoqiao¡¯s reputation was indeed good, and now a few aunties thought: if a young girl isn¡¯t appropriate, why not a man?! There are kids preparing for civil service exams, teacher certification, and various other credentials in their homes, don¡¯t they all need a place where they can earn money and study? If someone from our family got the job, would we be able to jump the queue when buying groceries and good stuff in the future? A few aunts exchanged glances on the sly, and for a moment, their enthusiasm surged tremendously! Xiufen Auntie returned home and, seeing her husband had picked up their granddaughter Yuanyuan, couldn¡¯t help but prod him: ¡°What do you think, you used to be a teacher too, are you still willing to take on students?¡± ¡°No no!¡± Her husband Peng Jianguo¡¯s whole being seemed to scream resistance, every pore on his body was filled with it: ¡°Take on students? You must be after my life!¡± He was too old to tolerate the noisy hustle and bustle of children. Despite Peng Jianguo¡¯s former job as an elementary school teacher, opening a daycare center could still make money for the household. Except for her own granddaughter, Xiufen saw other children as little devils, but now¡­ ¡°It¡¯s not about the money. Look at Yuanyuan¡¯s little face, hasn¡¯t she lost weight recently?¡± Peng Jianguo looked at his granddaughter who was watching TV in the living room: her little face was rosy, plump, and round, she hadn¡¯t lost weight at all. ¡°She has lost weight!¡± Xiufen insisted firmly: ¡°Do you know why? The vegetable market, they haven¡¯t had vegetables to sell recently, we¡¯ve been eating from our stockpile at home, and I have to plan out the cooking times. If the child doesn¡¯t eat well, look, isn¡¯t she looking haggard?¡± Truth be told, Yuanyuan was a picky eater before. With her sharp chin and big eyes, she looked thin and pitiful. But for the past month, she¡¯d managed to wolf down nearly two big bowls at a meal, and wasn¡¯t her body plumping up rapidly? She now looked like a healthy baby doll, with chubby arms and legs, and her face had rounded out, ever so endearing. Peng Jianguo swore to the heavens: She hasn¡¯t lost any weight! Xiufen kept on nagging: ¡°Think about it, the child has to plan when to eat. If we adults can¡¯t eat well, tell me, when was the last time you tasted those expensive vegetables?¡± Peng Jianguo: ¡­ Speaking of this really hurt: since the last bamboo shoots, Peng Jianguo had never seen good vegetables on the table ever again; each meal was portioned out just for his granddaughter. He glared at Xiufen: ¡°What exactly are you trying to do with all this beating around the bush? You want to start a daycare to make money, right? I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s not possible.¡± Xiufen rolled her eyes: ¡°What daycare? I was thinking, now that Yuanyuan has started preschool and doesn¡¯t need you to watch her all day, maybe you could teach a student. We wouldn¡¯t need much salary, we could just exchange it for vegetables from their family each month.¡± As she spoke, she opened up the recruitment message on her phone for him to see: ¡°Look, it¡¯s not those shrieking children, it¡¯s the vegetable merchant¡¯s kid, the one I told you about who¡¯s really good-looking but a bit slow in the head. Every time at the vegetable market he¡¯s so well-behaved, definitely won¡¯t make a ruckus.¡± ¡°Look at you, if you went there, they¡¯d treat you well with good food and drink. You¡¯d only have to look after a child. I¡¯d visit you once a week and bring back some vegetables¡­ How nice would that be?¡± If it was their family¡­ Ahem. Peng Jianguo conceded: It seemed¡­ not entirely impossible. Mainly because their vegetables were truly delicious, he dreamed about them. He pretended to be reserved: ¡°Then I¡¯ll consider it.¡± As they were discussing, suddenly his phone pinged with a notification. He opened it to see a new post from a fellow member of the fishing forum: ¡°Fellow anglers! Check out this catch [fish trap picture.jpg], can you believe it? Overnight at a village pond, free fishing and a complimentary boxed lunch provided, ten fishing spots available every day, reserve quickly! The person with the least catch by 5 pm has to weed the host¡¯s mountain for a day.¡± Peng Jianguo put away his phone, his expression solemn: ¡°Forget it, I don¡¯t have that kind of educational experience, I can¡¯t delay the child¡¯s learning.¡± Chapter 180 - 180 180. Moving for Daxiong_1 ?Chapter 180: 180. Moving for Daxiong_1 Chapter 180: 180. Moving for Daxiong_1 Song Tan didn¡¯t yet know that Zhang Yanping had delayed her from finding a seasoned teacher. At this moment, she was swinging a hoe in the Peach Forest, humming and huffing a long string of seedling pits. The sight was putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the group of burly men working around her. To tell the truth, planting watermelons wasn¡¯t all that tiring, and the folks really weren¡¯t slacking off. Someone would dig a hole, another followed by planting the seedling, and yet another would cover it with soil. It was like an assembly line, very well coordinated. But ever since Song Tan arrived, oh boy, the pace had become so brisk that they all seemed like they were just going through the motions just to get by. After a while, nobody felt comfortable making much conversation and just kept their heads down and worked away. Song Sancheng and Song Youde tolerated it for a while before they couldn¡¯t hold back any longer: ¡°Tantan, stop digging and go home to help your uncle. You might get too tanned in this sun.¡± It was just a joke; it was only a little past seven o¡¯clock, and the sun had just risen! Besides, she wasn¡¯t afraid of getting tanned. ¡°Dad, I just want to take advantage of the time to get these watermelon seedlings planted before it gets too hot,¡± she replied. Planting watermelons in the Peach Forest was actually a bit inconvenient. The peach trees were sprawling with branches in order to bear fruit, and the work required constantly bending over and ducking, quite exhausting. One had to be careful not to harm the peach trees with the hoe, requiring meticulous effort. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Song Sancheng pointed towards the watermelon seedlings they had moved over, ¡°The seedling seller is reliable; look, each seedling still has soil underneath, all neatly placed in shoeboxes. The temperature isn¡¯t high right now, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡± Watermelons, ah, an easy crop. In previous years when the family used to raise pigs, seeds would often sprout in the manure heap. Song Tan wasn¡¯t worried at all about the survival rate of the seedlings; she just wanted to lend a hand. But Song Sancheng quietly chided her: ¡°Look at you, all brawn and no brains, working so fast. Who can keep up with you? You come here to work, and it kills the mood for everyone else.¡± This wasn¡¯t the right atmosphere for work. They weren¡¯t racing against the rain to harvest rice, after all. Song Tan: ¡­ If a capitalist heard her dad¡¯s words, every single hair on their head would scream rejection. But¡­ Nowadays, the capitalist was his daughter. Song Tan sighed and finally put down her hoe: ¡°Then I¡¯ll go home and connect with some clients.¡± What clients? She surely couldn¡¯t go door to door peddling her goods. After pacing around the courtyard a couple of times, she couldn¡¯t help but take down a box from the storage shed. Upon opening it, there wasn¡¯t a single carpenter bee inside, only the traces of their nesting, except¡­ ¡°Qiaoqiao, why don¡¯t you move a house for Big White? This box is too small, and I think it doesn¡¯t even want to have children.¡± She had checked; normally, a carpenter bee queen can have seventy to eighty offspring, but their chubby little one only had twenty before it stopped. Not that she was counting on this gluttonous bunch to produce any honey for her, but what if it was about the environment restricting them? It wouldn¡¯t be good to forcibly change their nature. Qiaoqiao was still practicing catching loaches. Now, she blinked in confusion, ¡°Then where should we move it to? Should I bring Big White back here to inform it first?¡± Today¡¯s dining spot for Big White was a wild peach tree by the pond. It blossomed beautifully every year and bore quail egg-sized green peaches, all of which spoiled before they could be eaten. By contrast, the flowering in the Peach Forest up on the mountain was half a beat behind because the planting had started later. Song Tan waved her hand, ¡°I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ll find a wooden box later and place it not far from our bees. Daxiong has a good temper; he won¡¯t fight with them.¡± His temper was indeed good, no longer launching spines no matter how he was touched. And if a fight really broke out, it was hard to say whether the damage from his weight would be greater or whether the damage from the opponent¡¯s nimble flight would be worse. Qiaoqiao hadn¡¯t yet mastered beekeeping, but with Daxiong¡¯s good temper, there surely wouldn¡¯t be any issues, so he nodded obediently and listened to his sister. His sister¡¯s methods were even more brute. Song Tan directly found an empty small wooden box in the room and quickly drilled several holes in it. This treatment, compared to the bees¡¯ specialized hives, was far inferior. It seemed that those who lived on free meals always had a lower standard of living. Holding the box in one hand, she headed toward the pond. A loop of Spiritual Energy wrapped around her little finger, and after a while, a black and yellow fuzzy object tumbled down from the top of the Peach Forest, then unhesitatingly clung onto her little finger with its long legs. Its small wings struggled to carry its plump body, which looked particularly hard, and its yellow and black furry back was covered in yellow pollen. Upon closer inspection, even Daxiong¡¯s legs were equipped with pollen baskets. Not only Daxiong, but other bee bears also began to gather around slowly, although they seemed to be dumber and did not dare to approach directly. Song Tan lifted the box, ¡°Come on, your new home. Get in and sniff around,¡± as if she were training a dog. Truth be told, she really only knew how to cajole dogs. A trace of Spiritual Energy dissipated inside the box, and Daxiong¡¯s wings flapped, as he charged straight into it. Although he barely managed to hit the hole without losing face, as he flew into the box, Song Tan distinctly heard a ¡°thump.¡± She sighed. Was Daxiong trying hard? Of course, he was! He went out at dawn and didn¡¯t return until dark, often working sixteen or seventeen hours a day. Yet, at the end of the year, he couldn¡¯t save even a drop of honey, much like the modern-day office workers. It was quite pitiable. Dozens of bee bears collided and buzzed into their new home, clearly very happy. Song Tan carried the box to the back of the mountain where the beehives were not far from the bee bears¡¯ new home. This rudimentary form of breeding was probably only possible because she relied on Spiritual Energy. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Stay well in your new home, don¡¯t fight with the bees, you hear? They can earn money, and you can¡¯t yet. You depend on them for sustenance.¡± Thinking about it, she felt that the bees were indeed hardworking, so she gave a little Spiritual Energy to each beehive, which made the buzzing even louder. The next moment, a series of caws came from the bushes, and Big White¡¯s little yellow hat reappeared, his two bean-like eyes watching this area vigilantly. Then came Big King, who also silently walked over. Song Tan grabbed Big White¡¯s neck and shook it, ¡°You¡¯re really astute.¡± Then she put him down and gave him a little Spiritual Energy, ¡°Remember, this beehive is ours too. Protect it well.¡± As for Big King¡­ she didn¡¯t have to bend down to touch its head; soft and plump. Despite surviving on leftovers at home recently, its fur was sleek and glossy, and after patting it a couple of times, Song Tan felt almost reluctant to stop. ¡°Big King, don¡¯t you get bored back here on the mountain? When you have nothing to do, consider switching posts with Dabao and the others,¡± she said. At that, Big King made a grunting sound from his throat, raising his body slightly, his front paws resting on Song Tan¡¯s shoulders, heavy and insistent, pressing his large head against her face. ¡°Wuuu wuuu wuuu¡­¡± He didn¡¯t want to switch posts; he could have special meals here every day! Chapter 181 - 181 181. Qiaoqiaos Teacher_1 ?Chapter 181: 181. Qiaoqiao¡¯s Teacher_1 Chapter 181: 181. Qiaoqiao¡¯s Teacher_1 Zhucheng Suburb. In a farmhouse resort called ¡°Wild Countryside Happy Farm¡±. The hard-working aunties had cleaned up all the rooms, and they could finally catch their breath, sitting in pairs or groups of three on the stone stools in the courtyard, feeling as if their backs were about to break. ¡°Ouch, I can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± The aunty in the middle hammered her back, ¡°They said it was a waitress job when I came, but nobody mentioned there would be so many people!¡± ¡°Exactly! It¡¯s killing me. It feels like I¡¯m back to doing double shifts in the fields, as if I¡¯m wearing wind-fire wheels on my feet!¡± ¡°You guys still have it better ¨C you¡¯re just serving dishes in the rooms. We runners have nearly run our legs off!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they say we¡¯re hiring? Why hasn¡¯t anyone been hired yet? I can¡¯t take it much longer¡­¡± The staff were tired, and so was the boss! A farmhouse resort owner like this, even if not personally taking over as head chef, still never had a moment¡¯s rest. At this moment in the hall, a simply dressed and efficient-looking auntie also pounded her own back ¡°Son, go and tell them that there¡¯ll be a bonus at the end of this month, and ask everyone to hang in there a bit longer. Until we find more people, we¡¯ll just have to persevere¡­¡± While speaking, she glanced at the reservation book at the front desk ¨C goodness, it was fully booked again tonight. Looks like we¡¯ll have to turn tables as well. She finally wore a troubled expression: she had never thought that making money could actually be so distressing. If a mother was worried, her son was worried too. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not much help at home. Maybe I should just go out and find a job,¡± he said. Running the family business was too exhausting; let whoever wanted to do it, do it. He sure didn¡¯t want to. He was ready to go be a corporate drone and work for someone else! Such a strong labor force and not even requiring a salary ¨C his mother couldn¡¯t bear to let him go! ¡°Son, didn¡¯t you say you were in a bad mood because you just broke up? Our home has such beautiful scenery, you need to stay busy. Once you¡¯re busy, you¡¯ll stop thinking about it. Stay for a while longer¡­¡± ¡°No, no!¡± This mother and son were none other than Xin Jun and his mother. Xin Jun had been at home ever since he broke up with his girlfriend Wa Qianqian last month. At first, he was treated like an Emperor ¨C every day his mother was dearly concerned about him, and he could have anything he wanted from the kitchen. Let alone helping with serving, his mother was afraid even handing him the menu would tire him out. Now that a month had passed, forget about handing him the menu, she would rather he took care of everything from running dishes and serving, to cashiering at the front desk. His daily step count on WeChat was close to twenty thousand, all confined within this one farmhouse resort, a clear sign that he had hit rock bottom in the food chain hierarchies. Keep in mind, this wasn¡¯t some vast farmhouse resort with thousands of acres, just a regular rural retreat. These days, if your rural retreat didn¡¯t have ¡°Villa¡± or ¡°Garden¡± in the name, it seemed to lack class somehow. In the suburbs, establishments like theirs were dime a dozen, at least ten if not eight, yet oddly enough, their place was the most popular this year. Why? All because of the giveaways! What was the giveaway? Anyone dining here and spending over 200 got a free serving of Milk Vetch soup. The more they spent, the more soup they got, and it was cumulative. Sometimes it was Milk Vetch lean meat soup, sometimes Milk Vetch tofu soup, and sometimes even Milk Vetch porridge. Ah, that taste¡­ Anyway, everyone who tried it couldn¡¯t stop praising it, and they always wanted to come back for more. All the local rural retreats offered similar competitive advantages, each catering to their own regular customers. Now, stealthily, the fame of the giveaway had spread, overtaking them all with a surprise move. Nowadays, everyone who came wanted it. The mother and son had foreseen the promotional power, but they hadn¡¯t fully anticipated it. For example, Xin Jun thought the one hundred pounds of Milk Vetch that his mother had initially asked for would be enough to last through the initial excitement. He never expected that when he came back to serve it to his customers, they were utterly amazed. His mother immediately placed an order for another two thousand catties, clearing out Song Tan¡¯s two fields completely. With those two thousand catties back home, just blanching and freezing them kept the whole family busy for several evenings, and they even brought in a few extra large freezers for the task. They had thought it would last for a while, right? But with the current flow of customers¡­ Mother Xin became somewhat panicked, ¡°Son, ask the boss what else he has for sale? Get something to tide us over!¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s not a thousand or eight hundred catties, a hundred or so would do.¡± Xin Jun¡¯s face went numb, ¡°No, no, no! Mom, how many times have I told you? The last time it was bamboo shoots, and I only managed to grab twenty catties before they were gone.¡± Those bamboo shoots, the family of three tried them once and couldn¡¯t resist putting them straight into jars with chili oil. Now, they were long gone. Every time Mother Xin thought about their stock, she felt a pang of regret. If she knew this would happen, she should have been bolder and leased all of the man¡¯s fields, saving him the trouble of going to the vegetable market every day. Who could have seen this coming? ¡°However, Mom, if we¡¯re out of stock, it¡¯s also a good chance for you to take a break and train the new staff. They¡¯ve been so busy lately, I think the employees can¡¯t take much more.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Mother Xin, experienced as she was, reassured him, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared big red envelopes for them, to hand out at the end of the month.¡± Still, she couldn¡¯t help but ask again, ¡°What else does this boss grow? When can we expect the next batch?¡± She had been running the wild farm vegetables business for over a decade and now, with the chance of booming success, she couldn¡¯t afford to have any interruptions. The good ingredients must not run out! Making money was exhausting, but she just needed to vent sometimes. For her to stop making money, that would be the real challenge. Xin Jun thought for a moment, ¡°I remember the boss mentioning in the group chat that there will be bok choy available in half a month.¡± He subconsciously took out his phone to check, then his expression sharpened. After that, he nonchalantly turned off the screen and said to Mother Xin: S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good for us to keep waiting for the boss to restock.¡± ¡°How about this, I go to the boss¡¯s village and see if there¡¯s anything good. We can purchase it right away.¡± ¡°If possible, I¡¯ll try to establish a deeper level of cooperation with the boss.¡± Mother Xin looked at her son skeptically, ¡°Are you really going to find this boss? Isn¡¯t she Qianqian¡¯s old classmate? Won¡¯t she have something against you when you meet?¡± ¡°Also, do you think it¡¯s too tiring at home and you want to get away?¡± She continued earnestly, ¡°Son, since you and Qianqian aren¡¯t dating anymore, you¡¯ll have to take over the farm eventually. There¡¯s no need to root yourself in another city, right? Helping your mother out would be great!¡± Xin Jun nodded without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯ve decided to plant my roots in the countryside.¡± As for which countryside, he kept that to himself. On one hand was money, and on the other hand was still money. Mother Xin quickly made up her mind: ¡°Okay, son, you go. As soon as you find something good, reserve it immediately, and I¡¯ll send you the money right away.¡± Mother and son looked at each other, their hands clasped, reluctant to part. She was reluctant to let go of her all-purpose, free-of-charge son, who could handle the work of three people. Xin Jun tried to control his anxiety, constantly checking his phone after getting into the car: I¡¯m willing to be a tutor for the kids, but why hasn¡¯t the boss replied yet? Is it going to work? Could someone else have beaten me to it? Regardless, he no longer wanted to be an unpaid waiter at home. Chapter 182 - 182 182. Wild Boar and Wild Chicken_1 ?Chapter 182: 182. Wild Boar and Wild Chicken_1 Chapter 182: 182. Wild Boar and Wild Chicken_1 Song Tan hadn¡¯t really noticed the message just then. She was carrying a basket, weeding and pest control in the vegetable garden, meanwhile gathering feed for the chickens and ducks. It¡¯s true what they say about the tenacity of weeds, barely a while after the seedlings were transplanted, and they began poking through the soil, growing almost as tall. From a distance, it looked quite poetic ¨C the green of the grass looks lush from afar but reveals nothing up close! But within the vegetable patch, it was a different story. With no one available to lend a hand, Song Tan was brazenly yanking out clumps of weeds along the rows of the field ¨C fortunately, it had only been a few days, firstly, the weed sprouts hadn¡¯t rooted deeply, and secondly, they weren¡¯t too dense, so she was making quick progress. The seedlings in the two lower rice paddies were growing lushly, and you could see clearly to the bottom of the clear water, with green grass and tiny fish visible underneath. Those fish were really too small, not even as big as the wheat-head fish from before. Song Tan looked at the still short stalks and regretted, ¡°It would be nice if we could let the ducks in now.¡± But ducks will eat anything, and with the seedlings still small, she dared not to let them in just yet. She gazed longingly at the paddy field for a moment, wishing she could fast-forward time and see rice spikes grow, such was her craving for rice. Old man Li was also casually pulling weeds at the edge of the vegetable plot while watching the comings and goings of Dabao and Erbao bouncing around the plots, his face involuntarily conveying thick mirth: ¡°Tantan, tonight we have to give some extra meat and bones to Dabao and Erbao; they¡¯ve been working hard all day.¡± When the seeds hadn¡¯t sprouted, magpies would come digging, and they had to rush to chase the birds away. Now that they had sprouted, they formed a lush green mass, but on the other side of the field was the mountain, with pheasants and rabbits flitting and running about¡­ Dabao and Erbao had been fulfilling their duty to guard, preventing them from causing any destruction. If those creatures had wandered into the fields before, whether catching rabbits or hunting pheasants, it meant a piece of meat. But nowadays¡­ Sigh! sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And there was Old man Li, sighing: ¡°A wild pheasant flew in yesterday, its tail alone almost one meter long! Colorful and beautiful, beyond describing.¡± But the old man also felt wronged: ¡°I didn¡¯t dare catch it, and it was Dabao and Erbao who chased it away. It nearly destroyed all the seedlings in its fluster.¡± This incident was known all over the village ¨C the pheasant was too good-looking, its arrival caused quite a commotion, and some people even took videos of it. The video was shared in the village group chat, prompting their young party secretary to tag everyone with a warning: Don¡¯t touch the wild pheasants! The tail that long must belong to a long-tailed pheasant, at the very least a Class II protected species, and if it¡¯s Class I¡­ it might solve all our retirement worries. With that comment, Old man Li felt slightly constrained working in the rice fields today. Song Tan laughed too: ¡°Grandpa Li, think of it this way, our land doesn¡¯t have more wild rabbits and pheasants than before. Their presence indicates our hometown¡¯s environment has improved, and soon even the air quality will get better. Living in our hometown, you¡¯re sure to enjoy a long life!¡± Well! How pleasant it was to hear that! Old man Li was all smiles, suddenly feeling more vigorous in his work. ¡°Exactly! Since I¡¯ve been wandering in these fields every day, I feel much healthier than in past years. Look at my old ox; it got upset when I was late for its breakfast yesterday morning and kept mooing restlessly at home.¡± Despite such talk, Old man Li still had a cautionary note to add: ¡°Tantan, we do have wild boars on the mountain these days. You always need to be careful, whether in the peach orchard up on the hill or this vegetable garden.¡± Wild boars are choosy eaters ¨C grass roots and bark versus fresh, tasty garden crops? The problem is that their habit is to dig blindly; they may not eat everything, but they certainly uproot it. If you find out too late, the crops will die from exposure or dehydration. Last year, the sweet potato field in the neighboring village was dug up quite a bit ¨C they didn¡¯t eat much, but they left a mess, and it was truly heartbreaking. Old man Li couldn¡¯t help but ramble on a bit: ¡°When this thing runs in the mountains, without wolves or tigers, it¡¯s the king of the mountain. And it can breed; a litter can have several. Now, it¡¯s even become a protected animal.¡± Song Tan chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa Li, this year we¡¯re allowed to kill wild boars, it¡¯s not illegal.¡± Just like Old Li said, the wild boars in the mountains now, without any natural enemies and being protected, they¡¯re bound to multiply like crazy, right? Last year, several villages reported wild boar damage to crops, and the city has already issued hunting licenses. This year, as soon as spring arrived, there were already signs of wild boars digging everywhere¡ªwell, no need for any licenses now, as long as you¡¯re capable, just go up the mountain and hunt. Despite that, the number of people heading up the mountain could be counted on one hand. After all, we¡¯re talking about wild boars! A creature that charges blindly forward in a fierce rush can be life-threatening. Why would anyone willingly take the risk when there¡¯s no shortage of meat? Song Tan, however, was looking forward to it. The daily meat consumption at home wasn¡¯t small, and if she could get a wild boar, it would surely offset some expenses, wouldn¡¯t it? However, she couldn¡¯t share that thought with Old Li, as he was already getting worried: ¡°Tantan, even if it¡¯s not illegal, you still need to be cautious. If you really see a wild boar digging, just scare it from a distance. If it leaves, let it go; if it doesn¡¯t, don¡¯t try to be a hero.¡± When wild boars fight, it¡¯s not that simple. With the old man¡¯s good intentions, Song Tan graciously accepted his concern and hurriedly agreed. It wasn¡¯t until then that she found the time to check her phone. The job advertisement she posted in the morning got quite a response, probably because the offer of good food and accommodation was really enticing¡ªseveral ladies sent messages inquiring about it. But they loved to send long voice messages. Just listening to the voice messages and replying to each took Song Tan quite some time. It was only then that she saw a separate message: [I am male, Xin Jun, 23 years old, a graduate from the Education College of Huacheng Normal University¡­] [Document picture] Huh?! Song Tan perked up. This seems like a great fit! For one, a 23-year-old college graduate has enough openness and perspective to the outside world, perfect to guide Qiaoqiao. After all, with Seventh Uncle already steady enough as a teacher, bringing in someone younger would complement him well. Plus, being a young man, he would probably have more topics to share with Qiaoqiao. And to top it off, he¡¯s even from the Normal University¡ªthis speciality is just perfect! Without a second thought, Song Tan hurriedly replied to the message: [Hello, are you interested in applying for Qiaoqiao¡¯s home tutor position? Are you aware of Qiaoqiao¡¯s situation?] The other party was also in the grocery?shopping group and should have a clear understanding. Sure enough, she quickly received an affirmative response. Song Tan was somewhat impatient now: ¡°Then may I ask, when would it be convenient for you to have an interview? Are you in the city area? We can arrange for transportation.¡± If they didn¡¯t organize transport, someone from their remote area might not even be able to find the place! Xin Jun, far away in Zhucheng, glanced at the reply on his phone, finally took a deep breath and without hesitation booked his train ticket: [Tomorrow morning at nine o¡¯clock, Yun City high-speed railway station, is that okay?] Chapter 183 - 183 Teacher Xin and the Honest Man_1 ?Chapter 183: Teacher Xin and the Honest Man_1 Chapter 183: Teacher Xin and the Honest Man_1 This wasn¡¯t Xin Jun¡¯s first time in Yun City. He had studied at the Normal University in Huacheng, while Wa Qianqian had been attending the Huacheng College within their normal school. They had met by accident and gradually started dating. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In any case, after a year and a half of dating, they had now broken up. He sighed at the high-speed rail station and stopped thinking about it. He just took a photo of Yun City¡¯s high-speed rail station sign and then posted it to his Moments. The main purpose was to emphasize to his mother that he wasn¡¯t lying, that he truly came to engage in in-depth interactions (having tutored at someone¡¯s home should count as in-depth, right?), and after that, he placed an order. Song Tan had already arrived at the entrance of the high-speed rail station early on. Qiaoqiao wasn¡¯t easy to please in finding a suitable teacher, especially since this client¡¯s family was wealthy. Presumably, they shouldn¡¯t care too much about money, right? They should be willing to spend it, shouldn¡¯t they? So, she had to make sure to convince him to stay! Thus, when the two sides met for the first time, everyone had their desires, and both acted modestly and enthused. They both had quite fitting opinions of one another. Little did he know that the photo he posted on Moments was quickly screenshotted and then circulated to Wa Qianqian: [Qianqian, your charm is really something. It¡¯s been a month since the breakup, and look, Xin Jun has come back to you.] Wa Qianqian became irritable for a while after the breakup. Now, upon opening the message and taking a closer look, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, followed by a growing sense of anger: [This jerk, I deleted him when we broke up, what does it have to do with me if he comes to Yun City?] [Besides, he is from the countryside, and it¡¯s not like it¡¯s forbidden to mention that. Am I supposed to tiptoe around his feelings for the rest of my life?] While trying to be helpful with a simple reminder, she had received quite an earful in response, so she felt displeased as well. She thought, why are you telling me all this? It¡¯s true that he¡¯s from the countryside, but that doesn¡¯t mean he likes being belittled constantly, does it? The ¡°plastic sisters¡± parted on bad terms. When she got home, Qianqian pulled out another phone to refresh her Moments ¨C this was the account she had used to add Xin Jun on WeChat as a precaution during their relationship, just in case he did something deceitful visible only to his girlfriend. She had been observing it in real time, and now, upon refreshing, she indeed saw that Xin Jun¡¯s location showed he was at Yun City¡¯s high-speed rail station. She felt a bit of joy in her heart, but even more so a sense of triumph. She even pretended to reveal it casually to her parents: ¡°Mom and Dad, what do you think? If his family wasn¡¯t from the countryside and it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to find a wife, why would he try so hard to win me back? I don¡¯t care about his money, I just want him to be obedient in the future.¡± Wa Qianqian¡¯s mother was still upset that her daughter had been picked over by someone from the countryside. She snorted, ¡°If he really comes back to beg for a reunion, you better handle it properly, otherwise you¡¯ll definitely be bullied later on.¡± Wa Qianqian nodded, knowing she couldn¡¯t take the initiative herself. So, she held her horses, waiting to see what Xin Jun would use to win her back¡ªgifts? An apology first? Or a personal visit to her house? She considered many possibilities, but never did it cross her mind that at this very moment, Xin Jun was sitting in Song Tan¡¯s Little Pika, feeling relaxed and content. Really, helping out at home recently, he had been running around so much his legs were getting thinner! And his mother even refused to pay a salary (this was the key point)! Moreover, with the family business keeping his parents so busy, could he really sit around and rest? The dual pressure of mental and physical labor made him feel quite at ease even in a beat-up little car. Song Tan barely remembered him as Wa Qianqian¡¯s boyfriend¡ªWa Qianqian was so protective that Xin Jun had only appeared in front of her once, merely as a backdrop. All she had noticed was that the man had a decent appearance, bright eyes, and was decisive and straightforward in his actions¡­ In her heart, she was basically satisfied. It¡¯s just that¡­ ¡°Teacher Xin, my family¡¯s house is just an old building in the village, built many years ago. I can assure you, it¡¯s clean and tidy, but it might still seem a bit old to you.¡± Teacher Xin didn¡¯t take it seriously at all and instead asked, ¡°Can it be worse than the university dorms?¡± Huacheng Normal University is an old university, and the dormitory buildings haven¡¯t changed in decades, eight people sharing one room, and not even air conditioning! Those days¡ª Now that Xin Jun thinks about it, he doesn¡¯t even know how he made it through. Song Tan was also reminded of some distant memories by his words, vaguely recalling that she too had good friends when she was in university. It¡¯s just that after working, they scattered all over the place and the affection faded. She nodded, ¡°Then it¡¯s definitely better than the dorms.¡± ¡°The walls were only painted white last year, and the wooden beds are covered with felt and padding. If you¡¯re not used to it, I¡¯ll pick up a mattress on the way back.¡± ¡°The quilt is made of cotton, and though there isn¡¯t air conditioning now, we can install it in the summer.¡± ¡°We have Wi-Fi at home.¡± Teacher Xin smiled, ¡°And what about the desk and chair?¡± Song Tan almost forgot that indeed! Where in the house was there a special desk? Everyone was using the table in the bedroom for writing and calculations. She turned the steering wheel: ¡°What¡¯s missing? Let¡¯s head straight to the furniture mall.¡± Although Xin Jun had never officially been a teacher at a school, he had done tutoring part-time when he was a student. Now, he took out the notes he had prepared on the high-speed train: ¡°It¡¯s not just the desk and chair. You have a computer at home, right? Then we need to stock up on paper and pens in advance. Pinyin worksheets, square-character grids, pencils, erasers¡­¡± Song Tan really had forgotten about this. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s buy the furniture first, then head to the stationery store.¡± Xin Jun nodded, ¡°That¡¯s even better. I can pick out some books and textbooks too. I should be able to get reimbursed for this, right?¡± Speaking of this, Song Tan hurriedly asked, ¡°Teacher Xin, about the salary¡­¡± After all, she wasn¡¯t yet at the point where she could afford to spend money carelessly. Xin Jun wasn¡¯t completely deceiving his mother either, coming here he did indeed have the intention of arranging a vegetable supply deal. But who starts with business talk right off the bat? That hurts feelings! After he got to know Qiaoqiao well, it would all become natural, and with acquaintances, there¡¯s no need to talk business like that! So he appeared both low-key and humble: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Qiaoqiao is still learning to cook with the chef? She can probably spare at most four hours a day for studying, right? So the workload for me isn¡¯t very heavy. Plus, you¡¯re providing me with room and board. How about five thousand a month, does that work for you?¡± There¡¯s no social insurance, no future to speak of, and it¡¯s in the countryside¡­ five thousand really is a conscience price. So much so that Song Tan felt a bit embarrassed: ¡°Isn¡¯t five thousand a bit too little?¡± Xin Jun then smiled sunnily and sincerely, ¡°After all, I don¡¯t have teaching experience, do I?¡± Song Tan promptly promised, ¡°Teacher Xin, rest assured, our family¡¯s chef used to prepare feasts for the village. He¡¯s known far and wide for his skills, and he absolutely won¡¯t disappoint you!¡± ¡°And the area where we live is so beautiful, with clear waters and green mountains. Fishing, hiking, picking tea, raising chickens, pulling weeds, feeding pigs¡­ it¡¯s all very interesting, you definitely won¡¯t be bored.¡± That was true, not boring, just tiring. They looked at each other and both felt that the other was very straightforward, and at that moment, their cooperation was tentatively established. Chapter 184 - 184 184. Friends Circle and Class Reunion_1 ?Chapter 184: 184. Friends Circle and Class Reunion_1 Chapter 184: 184. Friends Circle and Class Reunion_1 As a fellow rural child, Xin Jun had no great demands for his living quarters. Now that Song Tan had said everything was available at home, when they entered the furniture store, he only looked at desks and chairs. Since it was for two adults¡¯ teaching, he intentionally chose a larger desk. Song Tan also felt that a larger one would be more spacious¡ªafter all, besides a one-and-a-half-meter-wide bed, there were hardly any other furnishings in the rooms of the village. The side room was originally meant for housing tea pickers, and it was quite spacious, usually accommodating two or three beds together. After many years without hiring workers, the beds were removed, making it even more spacious. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, during holidays, beds would still be arranged, as the village had many relatives and when family came over for the festivals, a smaller space simply wouldn¡¯t be enough to accommodate everyone. Thinking of the room size and in order to keep this teacher, Song Tan went on to look at love seats and coffee tables and even considerately asked, ¡°Teacher Xin, do you need a television?¡± Even if Xin Jun didn¡¯t stay, they would eventually need to purchase these things for future teacher recruitment, so buying them would not be a loss and it also showed their seriousness. Xin Jun couldn¡¯t help but laugh and cry, thinking that this young boss was too sincere; no wonder they sold such delicious vegetables for only twenty-one yuan per half kilogram! He patted his backpack: ¡°I¡¯ve brought a laptop and a tablet; there¡¯s no need for a television.¡± The host family that even bought a sofa and coffee table had been considerate enough. As for daily necessities and personal belongings, everything was packed in his suitcase. The store offered delivery, but there was an extra charge for deliveries to the countryside and they had to arrange it for the next day. Song Tan checked the sofa, coffee table, and desk. Her pickup truck could just about manage to fit them¡ª Indeed, it was a good choice of vehicle for its capacity! While the sales staff notified the warehouse to package and move the goods, and while waiting, they took a photo of the two signing and paying with their backs to the camera: [Grateful for the trust of our new customers! Room furnished completely!] Without hesitation, they posted it to their Moments. A coincidence, wasn¡¯t it? Wa Qianqian, who had just parted with Song Tan on bad terms, happened to see this photo in the salesperson¡¯s Moments. Although it only showed their backs, the partial view of a face looked very familiar! After all, Wa Qianqian had often bragged about her handsome boyfriend in her own Moments! Instantly forgetting the morning¡¯s upset, she forwarded the picture: [Qianqian, why do I feel this boy looks so much like your boyfriend? Who¡¯s the woman with him?] Wa Qianqian, humming while curling her hair, opened her phone and was about to explode¡ª Without a doubt, the man in the picture was her ex-boyfriend Xin Jun, but the woman with him, even turned to ashes she would recognize, was Song Tan¡ªthe woman who caused their breakup! Look at the caption accompanying the screenshot¡ªfurnishing complete? Well, so much for previous quarrels; why had Xin Jun insisted on breaking up this time? Turns out it was a wandering eye, a betrayal! Picking someone who also happened to sell vegetables in the market! Pah! The stench of a bumpkin! But how was she to cope with this? She remembered her pride and fantasy from the morning, and now she just felt a hard slap in her face, unable to help but start crying at the table. While she was crying, another message popped up in the classmates¡¯ group chat: [@Wa Qianqian, didn¡¯t you suggest we old classmates should get together last time? Is everyone free during the Labor Day holiday?] ¡­ The arrival of Xin Jun indeed brought an unusually big surprise to Lao Song¡¯s family, and for him, it was quite a surprise too. After all, he had come to understand along the way that Song Tan not only planted several acres of vegetables but also had a peach forest on the mountain, chestnuts, and even white and black fungus¡­ Oh wow! He only lamented that his family business wasn¡¯t big enough; otherwise signing an exclusive supply contract would surely have propelled them to take off! Embracing this full heart of anticipation, they returned to the village at noon, just in time to catch up with the dozen or so people who had been planting watermelons all coming in for lunch. Seeing him arrive, they teased: ¡°Hey, Tantan, did you bring home a sweetheart?¡± Song Tan¡¯s face didn¡¯t even redden. ¡°Where? If I had a sweetheart, I wouldn¡¯t bear to make him farm! This is a teacher I hired for Qiaoqiao, a genuine Normal University graduate.¡± To the villagers, a graduate from Normal University was definitely going to be a teacher, and now they were truly surprised: ¡°What? A teacher for Qiaoqiao? Qiaoqiao¡¯s so big now, and she still needs to learn?¡± ¡°I do want to learn!¡± Qiaoqiao had already run over like a gust of wind and was now curiously standing in front of Xin Jun. ¡°Peppa and Qiao Zhi are learning, so I want to as well.¡± Moreover, in his memory, many years ago, all the village kids had to go to class, only he didn¡¯t, which made him feel quite out of place! Now, not only was he not resistant, he actually felt particularly eager. Song Tan, having dealt with a big crowd of people, now moved the tables, chairs, benches, and sofa out of the car trunk. Teacher Xin intended to lend a hand, but seeing how easily she hoisted them, he immediately stepped back. After a thought, he instantly understood: After all, someone who was so good at farming would naturally be strong, right? Looking around the room, it was indeed as clean as Song Tan had said; there were no cobwebs in the corners, suggesting it was well maintained daily. The ceiling had a simple layer of ceiling tiles. Though the quality might not be great, the space looked quite tidy and clean nonetheless. The room was spacious and nearly empty, with only a narrow long table full of assorted items against the wall and a one-and-a-half-meter bed. The window on the other side looked out toward the back mountains, offering a view through the glass of lush greenery. The curtains were the pull-string roller type, printed with a plethora of lotus flowers. Aside from aesthetics, privacy and quietness were indeed well taken care of. Then, looking at the bare mattress¡ª Song Tan had finished arranging the tables and chairs, and now she brought over two quilts: ¡°Teacher Xin, these are quilts for padding, and the sheets and quilt covers have all been washed and stored away by my mother. I¡¯ll hang them out to air now and collect them in the afternoon.¡± It was this detail alone that told Xin Jun this home must be clean and meticulous; now he had nothing left to criticize. He touched his stomach, enticed by the delicious smells from outside, full of anticipation for what life to come might offer: ¡°Is it time to eat yet?¡± He had only eaten something simple on the high-speed train, and now he was genuinely famished. It was certainly time to eat. The tables and chairs were all set up, and the watermelon seedlings had been planted and watered before noon; the workers felt slightly embarrassed as they sat down to eat: ¡°We only worked half a day, and now we¡¯re mooching a meal¡­¡± What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about? They started at six-something in the morning, and now at half past twelve, after five or six hours without a break, they were being paid only a half day¡¯s wage. A meal was definitely in order. Everyone took their familiar seats, and couldn¡¯t resist joking again with laughter: ¡°Tantan, you should contract more mountain plots! If you do, we wouldn¡¯t need to go out to work the rest of the year, and could just work for you instead.¡± Song Tan also started laughing and said, ¡°Uncle, I bet you won¡¯t have time to work elsewhere in the second half of the year. Look at my farm, with rice harvesting and planting vegetables and watermelons, when do I not need help?¡± There were only twenty or thirty households in the village. Even if he couldn¡¯t arrange work every day, it was still an income. Now was just the start of things, often a bit chaotic. But by the second half of the year, things would surely be on track, and the family would not be as busy as they were now. However, as she said this now, everybody just took it as a joke. So, amidst the chuckles and laughter, the conversation quickly veered off again. Chapter 185 - 185 185. Inside Versailles_1 ?Chapter 185: 185. Inside Versailles_1 Chapter 185: 185. Inside Versailles_1 Imperial City. Wanhe Garden. The temperature gradually rose, and some of the heat-sensitive herbs and flowers on the terrace had begun to wilt. Lun Chuan got up early in the morning and moved them one by one to the shaded area by the wall, hoping to maintain their longevity for a longer time. Among them was a pot of crested wheatgrass, which was his favorite. Since its transplantation last September, its flowers had never once faded. Its tender green leaves, white waxy petals, and yellow flower hearts¡­ When watered, they would blushingly close up, and if the flowers were picked, they would not change for a year and a half without any special treatment. But at the moment, with the temperature occasionally soaring to twenty-five degrees, its condition was already not good. When Yun Feng came over, Lun Chuan was holding pruning shears, snipping all the flower stems into a small woven bamboo basket and placing the orchids on the tea table beside him. Yun Feng sat there, looking at the still tender flowers and couldn¡¯t help but look at him with concern: ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who cherishes your flowers and plants the most? How come you¡¯ve pruned them all at once?¡± The entire pot was trimmed bare. Lun Chuan answered lightly, ¡°The flowers can¡¯t stand the high temperatures.¡± He then asked, ¡°Would you like tea or honey water?¡± What an odd question! Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yun Feng laughed, ¡°I¡¯m a grown man and not sobering up, why would I drink honey water? Just tea, tea is fine.¡± Lun Chuan hummed in response, now opening the refrigerator. For some reason, Yun Feng always felt that he didn¡¯t seem happy. But on second thought, that shouldn¡¯t be the case! He seemed quite stable when they chatted a couple of days ago, so why the sudden unhappiness? As he pondered, the sound of running water could be heard. He sniffed, ¡°This tea smells so good!¡± Lun Chuan was pouring the tea and hummed in response, ¡°It was a gift.¡± He wore a light gray home suit, a pure cotton and soft pullover that hung loosely on his body, and the sleeves were slightly rolled up, revealing lean and strong forearms. Because of the long absence of sunlight, the inside of his wrist was a cold white, and the blue veins could be faintly seen. From this angle, he looked flawless and could even be called handsome, with a particular scholarly air exuding from him. But¡­ As he approached the sofa while holding the tea cup, the faint scars lurking at his temples and cheekbones, trailing down his ears to his neck, made him seem like a flawed piece of white jade, all the more heart-wrenching. Thinking this, Yun Feng sighed quietly to himself. In the past, Lun Chuan never entertained guests at home. Whenever they met, it was either in a nearby restaurant or a street food stall in the alleys. But ever since he was nearly disfigured, he probably hadn¡¯t left the residential area at all, right? He was still in the recovery phase, and even going out to eat was a hassle. So when Yun Feng wanted to meet and chat, Lun Chuan uncharacteristically gave him his home address. Looking around the room now¡ª Clean, simple. Apart from the flowers and plants everywhere, everything was in perfect order, which was relaxing just to look at. It was just that¡­ for a bachelor¡¯s home, it also seemed too clean. The tea cup was set down in front of him, and its fragrance wafted over, making him instantly forget the sundry thoughts in his head, as he deeply indulged and said: ¡°It smells so good!¡± Lun Chuan also sat down, at this moment leisurely straightening out the leaves of the bouquet, one by one, piece by piece, with meticulous care. For a time, there was silence in the room until Yun Feng remembered halfway through drinking his tea. ¡°I almost forgot, this is your copyright contract, take a look at it, and if there¡¯s no problem, you can sign it.¡± Lun Chuan glanced at the file, then asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to have dinner, did the copyright negotiations go smoothly?¡± All he did was offer a price; the rest was left for the website to negotiate, and he didn¡¯t handle it after that. Yun Feng hummed, ¡°You didn¡¯t agree to dinner, and the offer just wouldn¡¯t rise anymore. But the offer they made was fair, so let it be. You, as a golden bachelor, dining casually with someone wouldn¡¯t be appropriate anyway.¡± The words were spoken lightly, but it must have been a hair-pulling experience. He had been writing for ten years, and Yun Feng had been his editor all along. Back then, he was a newcomer, and Yun Feng was just starting as a junior editor. Now, Lun Chuan was a well-known writer with rave reviews, and Yun Feng had become the editor-in-chief. Lun Chuan smiled, the small mole on his face becoming more sincere as his features relaxed, ¡°Thank you for your hard work. I¡¯ll send you a pound of tea leaves later and bring two bottles of honey for your family.¡± Yun Feng instantly remembered his earlier question about whether to drink tea or honey, ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got some good stuff at home!¡± ¡°This tea¡­¡± he picked up his cup and said in a cautious tone, ¡°must not be cheap, right?¡± He had previously accompanied partners and tasted tea worth tens of thousands per pound, which still paled in comparison to this tea. This gift, so to speak, was truly valuable. ¡°It¡¯s not that exaggerated.¡± Lun Chuan¡¯s expression was tender: ¡°It¡¯s from a friend¡¯s tea garden, only cost price. I¡¯m also planning to give some away in a readers¡¯ draw.¡± With that said, Yun Feng didn¡¯t insist any further but then asked: ¡°So, it¡¯s been half a month since your last book ended, do you have plans for a new one?¡± Indeed, that was the real reason for his visit today! The copyright contract was signed, and as soon as the funds were in place, the promotional process could begin again. It would be a pity not to have a new book to capture this surge of popularity. In the era of big data, writing also had to seize the opportunities of timing, geographical convenience, and human harmony. The conversation turned to his main job, and Lun Chuan¡¯s smile deepened: ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling rather spirited recently and have written a part at home. Choose a time, and I¡¯m ready to release it.¡± After finishing the tea, he felt refreshed and clear-headed; however, drinking tea in the evening often meant sleepless nights. He often ended up tossing and turning in bed because of this, having to get up to furiously type words. Now, just half a month after his last book, he had already saved up a hundred thousand words for the new book. In the past, that would have been impossible! Yun Feng immediately got excited, ¡°What¡¯s the theme of the new book?¡± He went on, unable to contain his curiosity: ¡°Now all the major websites are imitating your last book, countless ones riding the coattails of its popularity. Too bad for them, they don¡¯t have your writing power, unable to support such a grand and complete world structure and logical chain.¡± Lun Chuan wrapped the arranged flower stalks with wire, answering nonchalantly: ¡°Those who mimic me live, those who resemble me die.¡± Of course, this statement was arrogant, but it was actually his self-critique: ¡°Each of my worlds is interconnected, with too many foreshadowings and deeply buried lines; reading my books requires the use of one¡¯s brain, it¡¯s quite taxing. The beginning isn¡¯t hot enough, and the whole book lacks exciting moments¡­ by the standards of the hot and popular web novels¡¯ golden three chapters nowadays, it would probably be difficult even to get a contract.¡± However, it was labeled as ¡°American TV series pace,¡± so selling the film and TV rights was a bit simpler. Yun Feng couldn¡¯t help but laugh and cry, ¡°To your own people, you¡¯re still bragging, Versailles style!¡± Chapter 186 - 186 186. New customer_1 ?Chapter 186: 186. New customer_1 Chapter 186: 186. New customer_1 Lun Chuan¡¯s new book wasn¡¯t an overnight success either. He had started preparing the outline three months ago, and only now, after setting a release date with Yun Feng, did he check the time: ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. Stay and have lunch with me.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Yun Feng was genuinely surprised. ¡°Are we ordering takeout?¡± Lun Chuan gave him a strange look. ¡°I¡¯ll cook.¡± ¡°You can actually¡ª¡± Yun Feng had thought he was joking and was ready to tease him about it. However, as his gaze swept the room, he saw it was clean and tidy, orderly, minimalist home decor¡­ What mattered most wasn¡¯t that it looked staged, but that it genuinely had the aura of a lived-in space. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So if a guy can keep his home this tidy, is it really so strange if he can cook for himself? He suddenly felt a bit nervous and stammered: ¡°Lun Chuan¡­¡± ¡°My sister-in-law and I, we¡¯ve been through thick and thin together. We have a deep connection, you know?¡± Lun Chuan furrowed his brow, the small mole between his eyebrows also moved as if he had a premonition, his expression darkened, ¡°Shake your head and clear your thoughts, don¡¯t¡ª¡± But Yun Feng had already blurted out¡ª ¡°I heard people say: if a man is good at housework, either he¡¯s gay or a ¡®base¡¯¡ªcough cough cough, what I mean is, you¡¯re not getting any younger. Don¡¯t you plan on finding a partner?¡± The atmosphere sank into silence. The warm spring breeze fluttered through, rustling the spotted green leaves of the robust begonia in the entrance garden, making the whole house feel even more awkward. Yun Feng lowered his head, not daring to speak any further. Lun Chuan saw him like this, took a deep breath, steady, steady¡ª No longer steady! He closed his eyes, in utter disdain, ¡°Why are you so confident in yourself?¡± ¡°Go take a look in the bathroom mirror¡ªwas your hair washed the day before yesterday? Didn¡¯t shave this morning, right? And your puffy, sallow face, you forgot about your fatty liver last night and stayed up playing games, didn¡¯t you? Look at your clothes, all wrinkled in the back, and they smell of smoke¡­ Yun Feng, why would you think I could possibly be interested in you?¡± After so many years of friendship, Lun Chuan was always observant of the details. Not to mention Yun Feng was just like that, all prim and proper when it came to serious matters, but a slovenly homebody in private. If he hadn¡¯t charmed a girlfriend with his handsome basketball skills in university, he¡¯d probably still be single. Now, only a couple of years into married life, he¡¯s thinking of grand construction projects. Yun Feng cleared his throat twice, then confidently retorted, ¡°Isn¡¯t that normal for a guy, you being so clean is actually the rare case¡ªbesides, why are you observing so carefully?¡± ¡°Look at you, so handsome and able to make money. Approaching thirty, and yet you show no interest in finding a partner¡­ I¡¯m just concerned, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°You needn¡¯t be.¡± Lun Chuan no longer wanted to continue this topic, and casually arranged a bunch of chrysanthemum that looked like egg yolk dumplings into a round, chubby, blue-glazed porcelain vase on the table. Then he went into the kitchen and skillfully began to wash rice from a clear plastic bag, ¡°Oh right, about the tea I mentioned earlier, giving it away to readers as a prize draw, what do you think?¡± Yun Feng took another careful sip of the tea: ¡°I think you¡¯re very generous.¡± ¡°With this tea, I dare say there won¡¯t be a single person who wouldn¡¯t praise it! Whether they drink tea, know how to appreciate it or not, they¡¯ll all fall for its green leaves.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Actually, Lun Chuan¡¯s original intention was to support that simple-hearted farm girl, but giving back to the readers was also part of his plan. After all, during the time he was hospitalized and on leave, many fans thought something serious had happened, crowdfunding donations and writing comments, their sentiments deep. Lun Chuan remembered. However, as an author, his primary way of giving back was to diligently update and write more words, but¡­ An increase in updates was out of the question; his saved drafts only meant his vacation was extended. Now, with such good tea and honey, he might as well take the chance to offer the gifts on behalf of others and set up a lottery draw. With the rice cooking, the pork belly and beef fillet thawing, and side dishes prepared, his movements were quite swift. He casually sent out a few red packets in his readers¡¯ chat group and then drafted a group announcement¡ª [Lottery: The lucky red packet winner, please private message me for an additional gift. Grateful for years of companionship, a new book is about to launch.] Just as Yun Feng had happily refilled his teacup with water and returned, he discovered that his phone was brimming with special notifications¡ªthe reader groups were boiling like a pot of hot water. He couldn¡¯t resist slipping into the group with his alternate account to join in the chat for a while. When he snapped back to reality, he realized not only were the meats thawed and cut, but the side dishes were also neatly arranged. ¡°Your efficiency¡­¡± The tea, steeping for the second round, was not weaker but stronger and more aromatic. He finally couldn¡¯t help himself: ¡°Where did you buy this tea? How much does it cost per pound? I want to bring some to my daughter-in-law¡¯s family for the Dragon Boat Festival.¡± Lun Chuan flipped out several plump bamboo shoots from the bamboo basket on the ground and skillfully sliced open their husks with a knife. As he peeled off the leaves, he revealed a gentle smile: ¡°The girl saved from the car accident. Her family¡¯s from the mountain area; they sell their own tea. It¡¯s not expensive, just 10,000 yuan a pound.¡± Yun Feng¡¯s hand shook, then he quickly steadied his teacup back on the table, indignantly: ¡°What a simple mountain girl, such a fair mountain price¡ªbut I forgot that my father-in-law prefers Anji white tea.¡± Lun Chuan remembered Yun Feng¡¯s previous complaints, how his father-in-law consumed tea as if it were water, with a thermos brimming with leaves, refilling it three or four times a day. A pound of tea, for those who seldom drink it, can last from the beginning to the end of the year, but in his hands¡­ Probably just a month or so. His eyebrows relaxed, he washed and sliced the bamboo shoots, his movements both practiced and quick, clearly skilled: ¡°It¡¯s the thought that counts when giving it as a festival gift.¡± Yun Feng felt like crying without tears: ¡°If you plan on giving me this tea, when I get home, how can I resist not drinking it? And if I drink it, won¡¯t my wife smell it? If she knows I didn¡¯t buy it for her dad, do I still want my allowance next month?¡± The key point was, the tea was so tasty, even he couldn¡¯t resist it, let alone his father-in-law. 10,000 yuan a pound! And Lun Chuan had the nerve to call the girl from the mountains simple! That price is anything but simple! But considering the quality¡ªoh, perhaps they were too naive when setting the price! That thought made it even more painful! Being an editor earns nowhere near as much as a famous author! ¡°Why were you so kind to invite me over for a meal today? Are you trying to sell me tea?¡± ¡°Sizzle¡ª¡± The sliced bamboo shoots hit the pan, and instantly a unique fragrance was released by the high heat and oil. The words Yun Feng hadn¡¯t spoken were swallowed up by the salivating response. He touched his growling stomach and asked cautiously: ¡°Your cooking¡­ it¡¯s pretty good, huh?¡± Lun Chuan¡¯s voice came over the roar of the extractor fan: ¡°It¡¯s alright, mainly because of the honest promotion of these simple bamboo shoots.¡± Chapter 187 - 187 187. Have another bun Please vote for a monthly ?Chapter 187: 187. Have another bun [Please vote for a monthly ticket]_1 Chapter 187: 187. Have another bun [Please vote for a monthly ticket]_1 Song Tan still didn¡¯t know he had already amassed a large number of potential customers. At this point, his vegetable selling group had nearly five hundred members, and basically none of them were lurking, they were all repeat customers. Entering April, nearly every day people were asking, ¡°When will you continue selling vegetables?¡± Clearly, the world had long suffered from a dearth of vegetables! But rushing the sale of vegetables was not something that could be done. The little bok choy, which had the shortest growing period, had only just sprouted a few leaves and hadn¡¯t reached their biggest size. Song Tan had no choice but to pretend not to see the group messages, focusing instead on overseeing Qiaoqiao¡¯s studies every day. When Xin Jun came, his true purpose was actually for the sake of the vegetables and to escape a dull career as a waiter. But when he got up at six o¡¯clock in the morning, in sync with the biological clock of Song Tan¡¯s family, smelling the freshness in the air, and looking at the squirrels on the wall that were becoming sleeker by the day, not to mention the satisfying deep sleep from the previous night¡­ ¡°Teacher, do you drink corn porridge?¡± Qiaoqiao stood by the stove with a serious look, wearing an apron, holding a large bowl, and asking him. All of Xin Jun¡¯s thoughts were thrown to the back of his mind: ¡°Eat!¡± ¡­ Though it was all rural farm life, the routine here was radically different from his family¡¯s farm resort. At his family¡¯s farm resort, it was impossible to rest before midnight. The staff could start work at nine, but being one of the bosses, he had to go out to purchase vegetables that weren¡¯t delivered by seven o¡¯clock. And here? After nine in the evening, lights were out in most of the rooms, and the whole village settled into silence. He hadn¡¯t planned to sleep so early, but there he was, his iPad propped up on the table, and before he knew it, he was asleep. He automatically woke up just past five in the morning, his mind clearer than it had ever been, his body feeling lazy and soft, as if he had relaxed from inside out. It showed that working away from home was actually a divine lifestyle, while life at his own place was the plight of a corporate drone! So, he sent a message to his mother early in the morning: ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve already come to the boss¡¯s place. It¡¯s really a remote mountain village with inconvenient transportation. But I¡¯ve also found out that the boss¡¯s family has planted a lot of things, and they¡¯re about to be harvested. I¡¯ll wait here for now.¡± His mother, being a sound sleeper, wouldn¡¯t hear the message alert, so he didn¡¯t need to pick a particular time to send messages. Who would have thought that the next moment he¡¯d receive a reply: S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Good! Make sure you build a good relationship and buy a lot. Mom wants to expand our villa. But son, once you¡¯re done, hurry back. Without you at home, I was up counting the books until past eleven last night. The egg delivery person didn¡¯t show up this morning and there was no one to deal with it¡­ Sigh, the store manager and the accountant both said they have a lot of work and need a raise¡ªSon, you save mom ten thousand yuan a month!¡± The 59-second voice message mercilessly demonstrated how Xin Jun was worked to the bone at home. He numbly crawled out of bed, held his toothbrush cup, squatted outside in the bushes to rinse his mouth, and once everything was ready, holding that bowl of thick yellow corn porridge, that¡¯s when he truly felt alive. Consequently, he grabbed another steaming hot bun for himself and mumbled through a mouthful: ¡°Song Tan, here¡¯s the thing, my teaching experience isn¡¯t quite enough, and Qiaoqiao can¡¯t really keep up with the pace of regular students¡¯ courses. How about I spend a couple of days getting to know his abilities first, and after two days when formal classes start, we can talk about my salary, how does that sound?¡± He sincerely wanted to teach Qiaoqiao well, but following the rhythms of other students definitely wouldn¡¯t work. After all, Qiaoqiao had chores to do at home, and he needed to learn about cooking. Academic credentials and certifications were actually secondary. Ultimately, everything he learned was really about adding weight to his future life, so the modes and timing of his learning needed to be more adaptive. Song Tan was overjoyed, ¡°Great! Teacher Xin, you take charge!¡± The more cautious they are, the more it proves they care, a logic everyone understands. Song Sancheng and Wu Lan were beside themselves with happiness. ¡°Teacher Xin, forget about calculating salary in a couple of days, starting from today you are Qiaoqiao¡¯s teacher¡ªcome, have a bun!¡± Xin Jun laughed and accepted it. ¡°Actually, I was attracted by the food at your household.¡± At this, Seventh Uncle also laughed happily. ¡°Here, have another bun!¡± This was the traditional northern-style big bun, filled with glass noodles, egg, and lard crumbs, plus the previously frozen Milk Vetch powder! So delicious! Xin Jun struggled to take another¡ªalthough he was full, he felt he could still eat! Qiaoqiao blinked. ¡°Aren¡¯t we having a lesson today?¡± Xin Jun nodded. ¡°Right, the teacher would like to first see how well Qiaoqiao has completed his work.¡± Qiaoqiao looked towards Song Tan, puzzled. ¡°But sister said that she is the boss, and she is responsible for checking Qiaoqiao¡¯s work, and then she¡¯ll pay the salary.¡± ¡°Teacher, will you also pay me after checking my work?¡± Ah, this. Xin Jun gave a thumbs-up to Qiaoqiao¡¯s logic and then spoke seriously, ¡°Your sister is the principal; she is the one to pay me, the teacher. Me teaching Qiaoqiao is part of my job. The salary for the work you do, Qiaoqiao, is because you go to school and work at the same time, earning for your sister.¡± This speech with its changing roles confounded anyone listening. But Qiaoqiao grasped it immediately: ¡°I got it! The teacher teaches Qiaoqiao to get paid, and Qiaoqiao also gets paid for working for sister. Sister is both the principal and the boss.¡± Only then did Xin Jun truly feel amazed. ¡°Qiaoqiao is so smart!¡± Regret emerged at the same time. ¡°If only he could have gone to school earlier¡­¡± If he could have started school earlier, this boy with a cognitive disability but complete logical thinking could perhaps already be able to go out and work. For a peasant family, being able to go out and work alone is proof enough to the neighboring villages of one¡¯s ability to survive independently! He grew up in a village too and understood the importance of it. But Song Tan knew something for certain: Qiaoqiao used to be smart, but not smart to this extent. And then there were Wu Lan¡¯s and Song Sancheng¡¯s increasingly black hair and ruddy complexions¡­ The wisps of Spiritual Energy she harnessed during her nightly cultivation were indeed helpful. However, regarding Xin Jun¡¯s regrets, Song Sancheng shook his head: ¡°Teacher Xin, years ago we were very poor. If Qiaoqiao were to go to school, we could only send him out to schools far away¡ª¡± The village school had been gone for many years. Sending him to the town, the folks there would probably take him for the money, but, the primary schools in the town had rules that students from nearby villages had to board after the third grade. With eating, brushing teeth, bathing, and showering, he was slow to act, unable to keep up first of all. Secondly, coming back home once a week, how could Song Sancheng dare! ¡°With him like that, going out surely meant he¡¯d be wronged, and he might not even realize when he was bullied. His mother and I just couldn¡¯t bear it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite good this way, the child is happy, and we are at ease.¡± Of course, Song Sancheng didn¡¯t want to spoil the child and sacrifice the future for temporary comfort. He and his wife had originally planned to teach him a bit themselves when they had time at home. Although it wouldn¡¯t be much, persistance over many years would surely lead to something learned. Qiaoqiao was fair, good-looking, and obedient; he was easy to coax and deceive. To send him off to a closed environment in an outside school, as his parents, they didn¡¯t dare! Chapter 188 - 188 188. Qiaoqiaos Daily Life_1 ?Chapter 188: 188. Qiaoqiao¡¯s Daily Life_1 Chapter 188: 188. Qiaoqiao¡¯s Daily Life_1 Teacher Xin was truly putting in a lot of effort in devising one-on-one teaching plans. But¡­ Qiaoqiao got out of bed at six o¡¯clock to wash up and have breakfast, and by six-thirty he was washing dishes, cleaning plates, and hanging up the steamer baskets. By seven o¡¯clock, he was feeding pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, and dogs, and checking on the bees (to emphasize, eight dogs, four feeding spots), while also taking the opportunity to bond with them. At eight o¡¯clock, he followed Seventh Uncle and Seventh Grandma around, getting to know some edible things, learning some cooking skills, and roughly planning the lunch menu. By nine o¡¯clock, he returned to wash and prepare the vegetables (including fetching firewood). At ten o¡¯clock, everything was ready, and Qiaoqiao could rest for an hour. At eleven o¡¯clock, he began cooking, tidying up the table and stools, with lunch served promptly at noon. Half-past twelve, he repeated the process of scrubbing pots, washing dishes, and feeding the pigs, dogs, chickens, ducks, and geese¡­ Alright, by the time everything was concluded, it was one-thirty. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He took a nap. At two-thirty, he got up to wash and hang clothes, and took the chance to rest and watch Ultraman (thank heavens, Qiaoqiao knew how to use the washing machine). Four o¡¯clock, and it was time to prepare dinner. He started prepping the ingredients and cooking dinner, with the meal served promptly at six, followed again by scrubbing pots, washing dishes, and feeding everyone. At eight o¡¯clock, it was time to prepare for bed. Xin Jun had stayed at home with Qiaoqiao for two days, and now, in the silent depths of the night while staring at the schedule in his hands, his eyes were blank. ¡ªThere seemed to be something wrong. Having become accustomed to the village schedule, he was feeling sleepy by just after nine o¡¯clock, and so he went to bed with utter sincerity. And then suddenly, in the middle of the night, he bolted upright: He remembered what was wrong. Because Qiaoqiao¡¯s entire day didn¡¯t leave any time for studying! According to his original plan, with a monthly salary of five thousand, the kid ought to be studying for over four hours a day! Now, where could he ¡®steal¡¯ those four hours from? ¡°Your family is really harsh.¡± After holding it in all night, as he crouched in the bushes brushing his teeth with a grumbling sound the next morning, he couldn¡¯t help but speak to Song Tan: ¡°Qiaoqiao is busy like this all day, how do you expect me to arrange a teaching plan?¡± Song Tan blinked blankly: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not too bad, there shouldn¡¯t be any physically strenuous tasks, right?¡± Xin Jun went silent for a moment, then realized, ¡°Now that you mention strength, I just remembered, Qiaoqiao is indeed quite strong!¡± Song Tan also fell silent, the fact that Qiaoqiao had been growing stronger was something she hadn¡¯t foreseen. However, she didn¡¯t think it was too exaggerated and decided it must be innate. Looking at the weeds that had been wildly trampled over this period of time, and then turning her gaze to the increasingly crowded yard, she finally couldn¡¯t help but murmur: ¡°Seems like we can¡¯t delay building the house any longer, even the bathroom is not enough¡­¡± Xin Jun nodded, ¡°Absolutely, everything else can be endured, but taking a shower and washing hair in the summer is inconvenient¡ªthere should at least be separation between men and women.¡± Wait a minute! He realized, ¡°Don¡¯t distract me with your tangents; I¡¯m trying to have a serious talk with you: Qiaoqiao¡¯s workload needs to be reduced, otherwise there¡¯s no way he can have time to study.¡± Saying that, he quickly went to his room to get his tablet and showed her the crammed daily schedule on it. But Song Tan also expressed her difficulty: ¡°Look at that schedule, is there anything I could possibly remove?¡± Grandpa and Grandma are old, so obviously they can¡¯t do it. Wu Lan is addicted to tea picking, Song Sancheng spends his days either weeding or turning over black fungus or preparing manure for Zhang Yanping. What about Song Tan herself? She is like a brick that¡¯s moved wherever she¡¯s needed. So Qiaoqiao, despite being a bit busy, enjoyed herself in chores other than the arduous task of scrubbing pots and washing dishes. The time he squandered was mostly spent on bonding with the treasures and with Big White and Daxiong. The warmth and joy of it all made Xin Jun reluctant to interfere. But the problem was that there really was no time left. It was possible to squeeze some time out, as Qiaoqiao had to watch two episodes of Ultraman before sleeping each night, and that time could be used for studying. But¡­ The employer and tutor exchanged glances, both at a loss for words for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about this?¡± It was Seventh Uncle who couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. ¡°You¡¯re his sister, aren¡¯t you? When Qiaoqiao is washing dishes and scrubbing pots every day, don¡¯t you feel sorry for him? Think about how tiring it will be in winter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only asking for three thousand yuan a month for my salary, can¡¯t you afford to hire some help for the child?¡± ¡°There are ten people in the house for every meal, do you think it¡¯s easy to cook for them?¡± Seventh Uncle didn¡¯t have the heart to admit that he had to cook for twenty people at a time. If Song Tan had her way, all the household chores could be outsourced, and she could just kick back and relax. But¡­ Given the current situation of not earning any money, her parents would never allow such laziness. She too looked at Seventh Uncle with difficulty, ¡°I¡¯m afraid my mom won¡¯t agree.¡± With Grandpa Li in charge of the rice paddies, Uncle Zhang looking after the back hill, four temporary tea pickers, and the occasional need for extra help around the house, not to mention Seventh Uncle as the chef¡­ That¡¯s pure expenditure every month. Seventh Uncle snorted, ¡°Just tell them you can¡¯t keep holding Qiaoqiao back like this. They are the parents, and since they didn¡¯t want to send the kid to suffer elsewhere, they are bound to spend more money now.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to offer high wages for the help, just hire someone to wash the dishes and scrub the pots daily; that¡¯s all the help needed.¡± Seventh Grandma, who spends every day with Seventh Uncle, hasn¡¯t asked for a salary, but she works hard picking vegetables and cooking over the fire at Song Tan¡¯s house. Song Tan has taken note and already decided to set aside some nice things for the old couple. Now that Seventh Uncle has made such a suggestion, she couldn¡¯t continue to procrastinate, waiting for Seventh Grandma to feel sorry for the child and do the dishes herself, could she? So she nodded readily, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll have my mom ask around at noon.¡± But the pressing matter was¡­ ¡°Dad, find a couple of guys to tear down this courtyard wall, and let¡¯s build a couple more bathrooms.¡± That really couldn¡¯t wait any longer. With a bunch of men and women in the house, one bathroom simply wasn¡¯t enough! It was still manageable now, but once May comes and the weather warms up, there would be a line just to wash hair and bathe¡ªeveryone was already busy enough as it was, how could they be in a good mood if even washing up was a hassle! Zhang Yanping, who had been engrossed in his phone for the past couple of days, looked up upon hearing this: ¡°Tantan, don¡¯t rush to build it right now, the weather is still fine. We can hold out for another month; I don¡¯t see a problem.¡± ¡°Why not find a designer first and come up with a plan for the entire homestead? Once it¡¯s designed, we can fix up the yard, kitchen, and restroom all at once.¡± ¡°That way, even if you plan to build more houses later on, you won¡¯t need to tear up the yard again.¡± Song Tan was genuinely delighted and patted his shoulder: ¡°Brother Yanping, you really know how to spend money smartly!¡± Zhang Yanping also smiled slightly, looking quite dashing: ¡°The forecast says tomorrow will be a clear day; why not stock up on some groceries? Put down a few more traps tonight.¡± ¡°At three in the morning, the fishers will be out competing for the best spots.¡± Chapter 189 - 189 189. Late Night Fisher_1 ?Chapter 189: 189. Late Night Fisher_1 Chapter 189: 189. Late Night Fisher_1 3:00 a.m. Zhang Yanping was jolted awake by his five consecutive alarm clocks and felt truly sobered up only after the slightly cool air hit him when he opened the door. Moonlight cast a cold and clear glow over the rustic farmhouse courtyard, creating a dim luminescence. The cooking area in the shed was tidied neatly, and the three treasures, Wu, Liu, and Qi, were nowhere in their positions but rather sleeping right in front of the stove amidst the pile of firewood and straw. At this moment, whether they were dreaming something, they intermittently issued humming and squeaking sounds; their little paws scratching the dry leaves and pine needles, making rustling noises. On the courtyard wall studded with nails and pieces of glass, several fuzzy black silhouettes moved agilely, evidently all too familiar with their surroundings. Looking closely, they were a dozen or so grey squirrels whose fur under the moonlight seemed to shine faintly. Zhang Yanping subconsciously touched his own hair¡ª Eating nuts really promotes hair growth, right? Otherwise, these grey squirrels, which were a bit dry when he first arrived, now appeared to be increasingly robust. And their boldness, perched on the walls every day! If one said they were stealing things, it seemed nothing was missing. If they weren¡¯t stealing¡­ what, they were looking to adopt a master? He focused his gaze into the distance, beneath the moon¡¯s clear glow, the entire village seemed shrouded in thin layers of mist. Unfortunately, being in the thickest center of the mist, he couldn¡¯t discern it. All he knew was that the air had the damp scent of morning dew which, for some reason, made him feel instantly refreshed and wide awake after a sniff. Putting on a jacket, grabbing the flashlight he had prepared in advance, and taking his mobile phone, he quietly opened the front gate and made his way to the empty roadside to wait. The bamboo forest rustled with the wind, the pond occasionally echoed with the sounds of fish and shrimp leaping, and the insects freely sang in the grass¡­ But none of this serenity could change the fact that it was only 3:00 a.m. He stared at his phone for a moment, feeling that something was amiss. Speaking of which¡­ why had he come to the village in the first place? Was it to escape the nagging and the pressure of civil service exams, right? Because he just wanted to be a lazy salted fish. So now¡­ His phone vibrated. He checked it and sure enough, someone in the fishing group he had joined at the last minute was mentioning him: [Checking the navigation, it should take five more minutes to get there, is the location accurate?] Yes. Without thinking, Zhang Yanping replied, then numbly thought: He, waking up at 3:00 a.m., had accepted these ten people¡¯s requests. With each person ordering a box lunch, that¡¯s only four hundred yuan, giving Tantan a hundred for the cost, he and Seventh Uncle would get one hundred fifty each. Is it that he couldn¡¯t earn one hundred fifty in a day selling fruit? Or is one hundred fifty yuan enough to buy his waking up at three o¡¯clock? Zhang Yanping looked at his own bewildered face reflected in the phone¡¯s camera and, for the first time, began to waver. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡ªHe really didn¡¯t have any talent for business, did he? Maybe he should go back and join a training course to take the civil service exam, right? But then he wouldn¡¯t be able to eat the food here¡­ With just that moment of hesitation, the rumble and headlights of a car approached from the distant road. His spirits were instantly lifted! Good grief, he promised himself that if he didn¡¯t sell at least two bowls of rice per person today, he wouldn¡¯t call himself Zhang Yanping! The other party drove a modest BMW, got out of the car, and couldn¡¯t help stretching : ¡°Ah, the air in the village is just so refreshing!¡± Then, turning to Zhang Yanping with a smile, he said, ¡°Brother, we¡¯re all from the same forum, right? We¡¯re all our own people here, so don¡¯t swindle us.¡± Zhang Yanping was resolutely earnest, ¡°Just try fishing for a day and see how it goes.¡± The other party wasn¡¯t courteous either, ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, get in the car, and tell me where the pond is. I want to check out a good fishing spot first.¡± Well, that really wasn¡¯t okay. Zhang Yanping pointed at his cell phone, ¡°There are still nine people coming after me. Aren¡¯t you all good brothers? They¡¯ll be here soon, so let¡¯s stick together.¡± ¡°No way!¡± The other person suddenly became upset, ¡°Even good brothers can¡¯t hold me back from finding a fishing spot!¡± ¡°I sneaked downstairs like a thief at one in the morning and drove here. How can I be with them? Don¡¯t I deserve some privilege for being here first?¡± Zhang Yanping was helpless. At this point, he simply pointed out, ¡°You see that bamboo forest? The pond is right behind it. Choose any spot you like. Remember to beat it with a stick first, to make sure there are no snakes.¡± ¡°Also, some stones have our traps tied to them. Just don¡¯t knock them into the water, and it¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± The person couldn¡¯t wait to open the trunk, slung the fishing rod over his back with one hand, and with the other, carried a heavy bag with pride toward the edge of the pond. To be honest, if going to work was as motivating as fishing, everyone would have perfect attendance. Now, after waiting just an extra ten or twenty minutes, Zhang Yanping led the last three middle-aged men, wearing cotton-padded jackets and riding motorcycles, to the pond. ¡°How long did it take to ride here from the city?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t even mention it, the roads to your place are just too rough. My heart was in my throat the whole time, it took me more than two hours to ride here.¡± Zhang Yanping: ¡­ Though he mingled in all kinds of forums, the fishing enthusiasts clearly were the most fascinating bunch. Tell them to go to the gym, they say they can¡¯t stand the pain of exercise. But tell them to endure back pain, ride bikes, sit on stools, and watch over the water for a day and a night, they¡¯re more enthusiastic than anyone. ¡ªFishing enthusiasts, indeed a mysterious organization. However, now everyone was staring at the pond and fell into silence. A two-to-three-acre pond wasn¡¯t bad for ten people, pretty spacious. But the problem was¡ª ¡°This seems like false advertising! I thought it was a much bigger pond!¡± Although three acres isn¡¯t small, it obviously didn¡¯t promise much catch! ¡°Brother, the catches you showed off in the traps before, were they real or not?¡± This pond looked so ordinary, how come it didn¡¯t seem reliable? Zhang Yanping was prepared, and at that moment, he retrieved the trap left in the bushes overnight, took out a plastic bag, and untied a small bunch of chicken intestines Song Tan had thrown in. ¡°Fellas, we¡¯re from the same forum, I won¡¯t deceive anyone¡ªthis is an empty trap, if you¡¯re worried that there are no fish in this pond, there¡¯s really no need.¡± ¡°Someone pick a spot, I¡¯ll set the trap down, and I¡¯ll come to collect it at seven in the morning. Does that work for you?¡± Zhang Yanping rarely fished, and the others weren¡¯t familiar with him, but these active fishing enthusiasts in the forum had all chatted with each other at some point. Thus, there was actually more trust among them. So the middle-aged man who arrived first exchanged a look with a few brothers and then casually pointed: ¡°Right here is fine, lay the trap here. I¡¯ll weigh it down with my little stool.¡± Okay! Zhang Yanping was straightforward. Song Tan had been setting quite a number of traps these days, and the concrete pond at home was nearly full. The good thing was that there were ten people to feed; a couple less and they¡¯d hardly have enough to eat. Indeed, this pond had its charms; the fish were all blissfully naive. If it weren¡¯t for Song Tan¡¯s solemn promise that the fishermen wouldn¡¯t lose out, Zhang Yanping really wouldn¡¯t want to be doing this lossmaking business at three in the morning. Chapter 190 - 190 190. New Employee Aunt Lianhua_1 ?Chapter 190: 190. New Employee Aunt Lianhua_1 Chapter 190: 190. New Employee Aunt Lianhua_1 At this moment, Zhang Yanping secured the fish trap firmly in place, then looked at his watch: ¡°It¡¯s 3:30 now, everybody be careful choosing a spot, I won¡¯t be joining in.¡± I can still get two and a half hours of sleep if I go back now, can¡¯t delay that. ¡°However, we will be serving breakfast at six in the morning, each person gets a free bowl of porridge and two buns, and if you want more, you¡¯ll have to pay extra.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve sent the specific prices to the group, I¡¯ll bring it over to you guys later.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Upon hearing this, a bunch of the men burst into laughter: ¡°That¡¯s enough, that¡¯s enough, we¡¯ve brought our own food. But tell us, why are you guys providing two meals, what¡¯s the deal?¡± Zhang Yanping chuckled, ¡°You¡¯ll all find out in the daytime.¡± With that, he couldn¡¯t help but stretch. Well¡­ ¡°You guys get to it, I see your equipment is all very complete, I¡¯m heading back to sleep, call me if you need anything.¡± He spoke decisively and left just as decisively, leaving a bunch of men to find their fishing spots and prepare their fishing nests. Some were slowly adjusting their rods, then took out their carefully purchased, first-rate bait. ¡°What¡¯s this young fella up to, huh?¡± The men started chatting. ¡°What could he be up to?¡± A man casting his line not too far away said: ¡°He¡¯s probably aiming to start an agritainment business, wants to build a reputation first, lose some to gain some attention.¡± ¡°I have to say though, the road is tough but the air here really is good. It feels nice coming here. Agritainment wouldn¡¯t be bad, come out to play for a day during the holidays.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pitch dark, haven¡¯t seen any scenery.¡± ¡°What scenery do you need for agritainment? Just take the kids out for a stroll to see what rural life is like; it¡¯s mainly about this fish pond¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it; just this ordinary fish pond, can you really get that much from it?¡± ¡°Hey, you guys think, if I catch a twenty-pounder today, the boss won¡¯t refuse to let me go, right?¡± As they spoke, they all laughed together¡ª Ten grown men here, are we going to have forced buying and selling or what? As for the one with the least catch staying behind to pull weeds in the village¡ª The fishermen would never admit to losing or coming up empty! Everyone gradually scoped out their own spots, then dispersed. They were old hands at fishing now, putting on earphones, listening to audiobooks on their phones, and had already immersed themselves in the shimmering waters under the moonlight. Meanwhile, Zhang Yanping silently returned to his room, stripped off his clothes, and fell asleep once more. Early in the morning, the Song family¡¯s home became lively again as usual. Actually, ever since the watermelon seedlings had been planted, there hadn¡¯t been an especially busy schedule. People had been sleeping soundly, and they were waking up quickly in the morning. By six, everyone was up without needing a call. Hearing noises from the front room, the pigs in the back mountain also began to make a fuss. ¡°This guy!¡± Song Sancheng, from across the courtyard, couldn¡¯t help but reveal a satisfied smile upon hearing the noises: Qiaoqiao gets two more meals a day, still acts like she¡¯s never full? Curiously, he offered, ¡°Qiaoqiao, let Daddy feed the pigs today.¡± But Qiaoqiao flatly refused: ¡°No, no! I¡¯m going! None of you are allowed! That¡¯s Qiaoqiao¡¯s job!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, you go, you go¡­¡± Song Sancheng didn¡¯t press the issue, ¡°Then from today onwards, you need to be serious about your classes.¡± Upon Xin Jun¡¯s suggestion yesterday, Wu Lan had already found someone to help with washing pots and dishes that evening. And sure enough, bright and early, the person hurried over. She was a middle-aged woman, possibly in her late forties or early fifties, with some gray in her neatly combed hair. Her face was etched with a straightforward smile, and her voice arrived before she did, ¡°Oh my, I haven¡¯t come too late, have I?¡± As she spoke, she quickly rushed to the stove and squeezed Seventh Uncle out of his spot. Laughing, she said, ¡°Uncle, look at this, you¡¯re paying me wages yet you¡¯re still doing the work yourself. Isn¡¯t that making me feel guilty about taking the money? Let me handle it.¡± Seventh Uncle: ¡­ The little old man sure knew how to enjoy himself; now he relaxed his grip, ¡°Alright, Lianhua, if you¡¯re willing to take the salary for washing pots and dishes, and help me prepare porridge as well, then of course I have nothing to say.¡± The woman called Lianhua¡¯s real name was Zhang Lianhua, and her husband was often away working, with both a son and a daughter also out hustling. She tended to an immobile elderly mother-in-law all by herself at home. It wasn¡¯t that she had a particularly good temper¡ªin fact, sometimes her scolding could be heard from a distance, complaining about her mother-in-law soiling herself at the door. But Wu Lan thought of her immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by how fiercely Aunt Lianhua scolds; she actually has a very kind heart!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a saying, ¡®Ceaseless sickness makes the kin unwary,¡¯ and her mother-in-law has been paralyzed for five years now and is still alive and well. That speaks to her character.¡± sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Looking after a paralyzed person for a long time, bathings, turning, dealing with excretion, feeding¡­ it¡¯s no easy task. Any slight neglect can lead to the development of bedsores. However, over the years, Zhang Lianhua had kept herself very clean, and although her mother-in-law¡¯s room had a faint unpleasant smell, it was generally still very clean. Besides, Zhang Lianhua was both hardworking and capable. When Wu Lan was looking for tea pickers, Lianhua would have come sooner if not for her bedridden mother-in-law holding her back. Upon hearing this, Song Tan was somewhat surprised¡ª To care for a mother-in-law to such an extent was not something that even a lot of real sons could accomplish. If that was the case, Aunt Lianhua was indeed extraordinary. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°Mom, you said Aunt Lianhua still has to look after the elderly, won¡¯t it be too taxing for her to take on this job as well?¡± Wu Lan became angry when this topic came up, ¡°People need to earn money.¡± ¡°Your Aunt Lianhua¡¯s husband may say he¡¯s working outside, but people from the same village who come back bring rumors that he¡¯s found another woman there. His sons and daughters go to visit and call her ¡®auntie¡¯ so affectionately.¡± ¡°He thinks he¡¯s got it good; leaving his paralyzed mother for Aunt Lianhua to care for while he enjoys life working outside. Without earning extra money, how could Lianhua cope?¡± Song Tan had developed some understanding; she wouldn¡¯t be flabbergasted by such situations, but¡­ Though she understood, she still felt indignant, ¡°What¡¯s Aunt Lianhua counting on anyway?¡± What could Aunt Lianhua be counting on? The year she got married, she had an accident and broke her leg. Her husband didn¡¯t care at all, and it was her mother-in-law who nursed her at home, meal by meal, for three months until she recovered. Aunt Lianhua spoke candidly, ¡°Since the man doesn¡¯t come back, with or without him it¡¯s all the same, I¡¯ll just live with the old lady.¡± ¡°Once I see the old lady off, I¡¯ll be old too. The old lady has transferred all the house and land to me; it was done by our little branch secretary when he first took office.¡± ¡°In the past¡­¡± she snorted. Back then, people in the village cared about gender and that worthless man, always reluctant and dragging their feet. But Aunt Lianhua no longer worried about the house and land; saving more money was what mattered. Chapter 191 - 191 191. The Hardship of Bench Legs_1 ?Chapter 191: 191. The Hardship of Bench Legs_1 Chapter 191: 191. The Hardship of Bench Legs_1 Aunt Lianhua now, she just wants to earn a bit more money. But with the mother-in-law tying her down, there¡¯s not much else she can do. This spring, Lao Song¡¯s family frequently called for help, and she couldn¡¯t go, which made her anxious. Now, Wu Lan comes to her, saying she doesn¡¯t need to do anything but wash pots, do the dishes and clean the stove three times a day after meals¡ª Could that even be considered work?! She¡¯s quick with her hands and feet; she can get it all done in half an hour. It won¡¯t delay her from taking care of the elderly at home, and she can bring the meals back, saving who knows how much over the year! Besides, who in the village doesn¡¯t know that Wu Lan¡¯s family is now eating very well! Aunt Lianhua agreed without hesitation, she couldn¡¯t wait. However, her salary isn¡¯t high. Firstly, the job isn¡¯t demanding, and secondly, she¡¯s also responsible for her own and her daughter-in-law¡¯s meals; therefore, after some back-and-forth, her salary was set at one thousand yuan. It might not seem like much, but for Aunt Lianhua, it¡¯s a steady income, always there. In Aunt Lianhua¡¯s eyes, Wu Lan¡¯s family has spent over a hundred thousand on Bags Mountain; could they possibly abandon it halfway? Of course not. So they have to keep at it. Hence, she was more than willing, a thousand and ten thousand times over. Now, as she stirred the white rice porridge with her spoon, she felt a strength in her back! But from today on, there will be twelve people eating regularly at home. Zhang Wang from the back hill should also be eating at home, but since his wife passed away, he insists on observing mourning at home for forty-nine days, during which he won¡¯t visit other people¡¯s houses. So, it was decided that he would start eating at their home after some time. Seventh Uncle pondered: if they keep up at this scale, how many helpers might they accumulate by the second half of the year? Maybe he¡¯ll also need someone to prepare the side dishes, and he¡¯ll just be responsible for cooking. With that thought, it seemed the days ahead would be even more beautiful and relaxed, and so he was even more passionate! ¡°Ah!¡± He exhaled deeply and sat down on the bench: ¡°Now that it¡¯s suddenly not busy, it feels kind of embarrassing.¡± Song Sancheng also chuckled, ¡°Right, when you¡¯re idle, you don¡¯t know what to do¡­ maybe I¡¯ll go fishing, too.¡± His gaze lovingly circled the fishing rod in the corner twice, but when he turned his head, he saw Wu Lan staring at him. ¡°If you¡¯re free, why not come with me to pick tea leaves on the mountain?¡± Pick tea leaves? Song Sancheng immediately feigned contemplation, ¡°No, the weeds in the field are growing too fast; I¡¯m going to pull weeds.¡± Song Tan laughed helplessly, ¡°Mom, you really don¡¯t have to; don¡¯t we have someone hired for that? Just take a rest at home?¡± Wu Lan was also in distress, ¡°When I think about all that gold on the mountain, not digging it myself and having to hire someone else, it just hurts, feels like sitting on pins and needles.¡± Grandma nodded nonstop, ¡°Exactly. How tiring could picking tea leaves be? Grandma is still very strong, so don¡¯t leave us out of the work; when you get older, if you stop working, your body starts to fall apart.¡± How tiring could picking tea leaves be? Standing all day, sometimes half-bent under the sun and wind¡­ it¡¯s very tiring, grandma, please be realistic! But Wang Lifan didn¡¯t seem inclined towards realism. She was immensely enjoying earning money. Song Tan: ¡­ Actually, there really isn¡¯t that much to do at home; we¡¯ve already become idle! We really have! Except for Qiaoqiao. Who would have thought that with Big King, Big White, Daxiong, and seven treasures to appease, the idea of impartial attention is truly not an easy one! As usual, breakfast this morning consisted of buns, pan-fried pancakes, pickled vegetables, and porridge. Zhang Yanping ate at a leisurely pace until he was round-bellied, then he took a large stainless-steel basin, tossed twenty buns into it, and together with Song Tan, they carried the porridge and made their way unhurriedly to the pond. On the way, he couldn¡¯t help but worry, ¡°Do you think we can really make money off this?¡± These buns are so big that, logically, two should be filling enough. He regretted not deciding to deliver only one per person. But Song Tan just smiled slightly. When they arrived at the pond¡¯s edge, they found that several of the fishermen, who should have been fully engaged in fishing, were all gathered to one side, looking rather odd. Zhang Yanping grew anxious, ¡°What¡¯s going on, what¡¯s happening?¡± Elbowing his way through the crowd, he saw the oldest brother, who had arrived first, sitting on a stool with a bizarre expression, staring at him, but stubbornly refusing to stand up. What did that mean? S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhang Yanping returned a puzzled look. The following moment, the eldest brother said with a mournful face, ¡°Brother, you¡¯d better pull up this fish cage first. I¡¯ve been sitting here for several hours, unable to move, and my back just can¡¯t take it anymore.¡± Glancing down, Zhang Yanping saw the rope of the fish cage, hanging on the leg of a bench, stretched tight, with intermittent thrashing sounds coming from beneath the water¡­ He remembered the fish cage¡¯s full and heavy catch over the past few days and suddenly understood. ¡ª¡ªIndeed, hadn¡¯t he understood? Normally, people leave fish cages for maybe three to five days, and all they get are a few pitiful fish and shrimps, scuffed and scant. It was for this reason that the other guy carelessly hung his cage on the leg of his own bench. He thought to himself about how great a storyteller that young man was; just a few hours between three and seven o¡¯clock,Right? With such a large fish cage, it¡¯d be embarrassing if it didn¡¯t even catch a loach by the end. If that happened, they¡¯d have to bust that lie on the forums after they went back. But to his surprise, no sooner had he cast his line than he felt something violently tug on the leg of his stool! If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the eldest brother was advanced in years with a fat belly that gave him a stable base, he would¡¯ve been actually hauled up onto the ground. Looking down, he thought: Nothing wrong here! Could it just have been the water weeds he stumbled on earlier? However, no sooner had he cast his hook again than the fish cage violently tugged once more¡ª¡ª ¡°Ouch!¡± He exclaimed in alarm. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Someone nearby asked. The eldest brother even said with a laugh, ¡°It seems we haven¡¯t been tricked today; things in this pond are really active. Look at my fish cage, it¡¯s been swarmed as soon as I lowered it.¡± If there weren¡¯t a lot of fish and shrimp, it wouldn¡¯t possibly be this active. Thinking his earlier spot wasn¡¯t chosen well, he leaned forward subconsciously, planning to move his fishing rod to a new location. But as soon as he moved, a sudden strong force from underneath his seat propelled him forward, and the whole person tipped over! Good lord, the rope of the fish cage was rapidly running into the water right before his eyes. He instinctively grabbed the rope and yanked¡ª¡ª Half of the fish cage came ashore, and a black fish was stuck at the entrance, slapping him with its big tail. The fishermen were ecstatic: ¡°So many fish, so many kinds, and such a powerful black fish. This is a fine pond!¡± So now the question arose, where should this fish cage¡ªthat was nearly stuffed full within just half an hour under their watch¡ªbe tied to? Looking around, all the nearby rocks and trees were already used for securing other fish cages¡ªonly this one spot they had chosen with a good flow had nothing around it. Therefore, the fisherman assuredly said, ¡°Hang it back on my stool leg. Look, the cage is already half full. There won¡¯t be any more fish after this, so just leave it here, I can hold it steady.¡± Chapter 192 - 192 192. Feel bad _1 ?Chapter 192: 192. Feel bad _1 Chapter 192: 192. Feel bad _1 In all fairness, it wasn¡¯t the big brother of fishing¡¯s fault that he couldn¡¯t support himself anymore. It was really because in his many years as a fisherman, he had never accumulated the experience of having a fish cage completely filled. At that moment, he looked at Zhang Yanping with a pained expression, ¡°Young man, please hurry and bring up the fish cage, I don¡¯t dare to move a muscle!¡± He had sat stiffly for several hours without daring to change his position, a torment that only those who had suffered understood. With such a big catch, with the fish cage so full, he feared that if he relaxed even a little, if he lifted the stool just a bit, all the catch would slip away into the depths of the pond. Zhang Yanping shivered instantly, placing the stainless steel bowl for carrying steamed buns down on the grass beside him: ¡°Aiya, look! I did this because I was worried you wouldn¡¯t trust that there are many fish in the pond, so I came up with this method! Who would have known that the big brother was so earnest, not even looking for a good place to set the trap, he just casually had me place it here.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t even a sapling here, nowhere to tie the earth dragon, so it¡¯s really awkward for the big brother!¡± While speaking, he squatted down and grabbed the rope at the front end of the fish cage and then pulled hard¡ª Ripples spread on the water surface, and the underwater fish stirred even more intensely, but, the trap couldn¡¯t be lifted. Zhang Yanping fell silent for a moment, then turned back awkwardly: ¡°Tantan¡­¡± Song Tan also smiled very humbly: ¡°Everyone, we just wanted to make a name for ourselves, that¡¯s all, mainly because the fish in our pond are rather dumb and easy to catch¡­¡± She and Zhang Yanping worked together, setting their bowls of porridge on the ground, and then they each grabbed the rope and started walking backwards a few steps. The fish cage, packed and lengthy, was thus dragged onto the shore by her. My goodness, these folks had fished all their lives but had never seen such a spectacle! Including the big brother who had felt wronged just before, who now felt neither backache nor leg pain, hurriedly took out his phone and started snapping away ferociously. A couple of the more refined ones even opened their vibrato, seriously selecting background music! If these videos didn¡¯t earn a thousand or so likes, it would be simply unworthy of the rarity they were experiencing! They had been holding back just for the host to come and witness together ¨C that¡¯s why they had endured until now. While everyone was marveling, Zhang Yanping quickly picked up the buns and passed them around: ¡°Come on, everyone, you¡¯ve all worked hard too, each person gets two free breakfast buns!¡± ¡°And there¡¯s also this porridge, after you¡¯ve finished, just place the disposable bowl in the basin, and I¡¯ll carry it back.¡± Fish, after all, was mainly to attract people, a display was enough. If the fish trap was too full later on, then the pond would truly be empty, it was important to get them to eat! If they didn¡¯t eat, where would he earn money from? Although 150 wasn¡¯t much, he had gotten up at three in the morning, if he didn¡¯t earn anything, wouldn¡¯t he be at a greater loss? With his interruption, everyone subconsciously put away their phones, a bunch of big burly men holding a bowl of porridge in their left hand and two buns in their right, hungrily wolfing down the food. Most of them had gotten up around one or two in the morning, and by this time they were hungry, especially in the morning chill near the pond. So they took a hot sip of porridge first. Instantly, someone praised it, ¡°This porridge isn¡¯t bad at all, cooked till it¡¯s sticky, warming and comfortable.¡± Seventh Uncle¡¯s skills, could there be any doubt? The porridge could even be made sticky and delicious, and on top of that, it was free. If they didn¡¯t praise it at least a bit given it was free, wouldn¡¯t that be too unjust? Soon after, someone bit into a bun, and these buns were genuinely filled with Milk Vetch! After all, there had been way too much in the fields back then, and just by blanching, freezing, and drying, the family had sorted out quite a bit. After Seventh Uncle came over, he had nothing else to do, so he turned everything out and started mixing fillings, not just for buns but for wontons and dumplings too. Song Tan stared at the fish traps on the ground, eyeing the plump Dahuangs inside, and nodded with satisfaction: ¡°Let¡¯s have Seventh Uncle make us braised Dahuangs for lunch, make it spicy.¡± Among the men with their mouths stuffed full of buns, one raised his hand and said, ¡°Miss, I don¡¯t eat spicy.¡± Song Tan turned to look at him, good-tempered: ¡°No worries, the free meals here don¡¯t include Dahuang, just eat whatever you like.¡± Goodness gracious! Everyone laughed together, and nobody thought she was out of line. After all, the lady was providing two meals already, who were they to demand delicacies? ¡°Then you guys are not welcoming the big eaters here!¡± said someone munching on a bun, laughing: ¡°Each additional bun is ten yuan, and an extra portion at lunch is forty yuan, that¡¯s really not cheap.¡± Zhang Yanping also laughed: ¡°Gentlemen, looking at the amount we have for breakfast, you¡¯ll definitely be full at lunch. Just hold yourselves back, no need to order extra because it¡¯s so delicious.¡± The crowd then thought: These youngsters really don¡¯t know how to do business, or maybe they¡¯re just too shy. As long as they could fish for free in the fish pond, spending a few tens of yuan on a box meal for the day was nothing at all. Now, with this arrangement, they really couldn¡¯t spend their money even if they wanted to. Zhang Yanping had no idea what they were thinking. All he did was emphasize again: ¡°Just to reiterate, the one who catches the least by five o¡¯clock has to pick a day to stay and help us pull weeds or do other light farm work for one day.¡± ¡°Meals included.¡± ¡°Also, the one who catches the most gets a cup of tea on the house.¡± He brazenly gestured towards the fish pond in front of him: ¡°Now, it¡¯s up to everyone¡¯s skills.¡± The group wasn¡¯t too keen on the tea, but they found the idea of staying to do farm work interesting. Of course, because it involved the fishermen¡¯s pride, everyone was high in spirits. ¡°Not to hide it from you, I¡¯ve already had some luck in these past few hours,¡± someone said confidently. And they weren¡¯t the only one with some luck. It¡¯s just that¡­ Everyone was a bit puzzled: ¡°I thought there were no big fish in your pond, only catching wheat stalks, lumpfish, or loaches.¡± Basically, not one decent fish. One unlucky fellow had even caught the same water snake three times, so much so that by the end, he was tossing it back without any frustration left. They chatted and stretched their muscles, while Song Tan and Zhang Yanping were in no hurry to leave, casually continuing the conversation. That is until someone finished their two buns. After taking a sip of porridge, still feeling unsatisfied, and considering the steep price of ten yuan per bun, they hesitated but eventually asked, ¡°Do you have any more buns? If not, can you get me two more?¡± ¡°Wow! Old Zhang is splurging just on breakfast, but you¡¯ve never had a big appetite before,¡± someone teased. Old Zhang glanced sideways at the speaker, ¡°Then tell me, how good is the taste of these buns?¡± Of course, they were delicious. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The speaker stuffed the last piece of bun skin into their mouth and then whispered, ¡°Well¡­ can you give me two more as well, and maybe another bowl of porridge?¡± After saying this and seeing everyone¡¯s looks, they became bashful, ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? I¡¯m not greedy, it¡¯s just that since I¡¯m already here, and they¡¯re offering free food and drink, I¡¯d feel bad not spending a little money.¡± Chapter 193 - 193 193. House Planning_1 ?Chapter 193: 193. House Planning_1 Chapter 193: 193. House Planning_1 Zhang Yanping hummed songs all the way back home. Out of ten people, six ordered extra buns. Although it was just one or two buns each, when added together, it amounted to just over a hundred yuan¡­ But what¡¯s this called? This is called a good start! He was delighted and looked forward to lunchtime even more. As for Song Tan, she slightly furrowed her brows, ¡°I still sell Milk Vetch for twenty yuan a pound.¡± She evidently felt that ten yuan wasn¡¯t much of a profit. Zhang Yanping was startled: ¡°Tantan, you can¡¯t be raising prices like this! Milk Vetch sells for twenty yuan a pound, but look, how many crushed leaves are there in a bun?¡± ¡°There¡¯s more duckweed floating around in your ducks¡¯ feeding basin!¡± This comparison might lead others to think their cooking was cutting corners. Song Tan was at a loss for words. ¡°I was just saying that. Isn¡¯t the main thing to attract customers who are willing to spend big money?¡± Thinking about the people who visited that day, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Brother Yanping, among the guests you invited today, who do you think can be a big spender?¡± ¡°Men,¡± Zhang Yanping posed as if he knew it all, ¡°as long as it suits their taste, they never quibble over money when they spend.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? Ask my uncle. His fishing skills are terrible, but that doesn¡¯t stop him from wanting a good fishing rod.¡± ¡°Students who perform poorly have plenty of supplies, while top students always strive for perfection. The same principle applies to both men and women.¡± But he obviously didn¡¯t quite understand, ¡°Tantan, why are you in such a hurry?¡± Song Tan sighed, ¡°I¡¯m out of money!¡± ¡°I had initially planned to address the house issue at the end of the year or next year.¡± But now, with more and more people at the small courtyard, even brushing teeth and washing faces had become inconvenient, not to mention the activities that would follow. And she still owed money to the village at that, with subsidies arriving little by little, unable to quench the immediate thirst. ¡°I¡¯m planning to hire a designer online to properly plan my home and tidy up the courtyard while I have the time. Won¡¯t that cost money for all the to and fro?¡± If her family had money, or had a bit more farmland, they would have invited an agricultural planner right from the start, instead of having to plan things one step at a time as they do now. Zhang Yanping, equally broke, had a blank expression on his face: ¡°Alas, poverty!¡± ¡­ As the poverty-stricken duo dragged the heavy traps back, Song Tan turned and made a phone call to the Village Department head: ¡°Secretary, can I expand my homestead land?¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Why couldn¡¯t she? Zu Jun always smiled when he faced Song Tan, and this time his demeanor was just as amicable, inviting her to the Village Department¡¯s office. Then, he poured a glass of plain water for her while he sipped his fragrant green tea. And he even asked, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t need me to offer you your own tea leaves to drink, right? They¡¯re quite expensive.¡± Song Tan didn¡¯t mind at all, remembering that Secretary Zu Jun was a rich man who was willing to spend. So, she said cheerfully, ¡°Secretary, use more leaves when brewing the tea! That will bring out a stronger aroma. Just using three to five leaves is not the way to do it.¡± However, Zu Jun himself was on a fixed salary and wasn¡¯t swayed by her tactic at the moment, only shifting the topic with a smile, ¡°If you didn¡¯t come here to ask about the homestead, I was going to ask you if you want to reorganize your house. Wouldn¡¯t it be convenient to clean up that large open space in front of your door?¡± Song Tan¡¯s home was not in a prime location. Of course, in this impoverished and remote area, the notion of a prime location was somewhat irrelevant. Still, her place was a little bit out of the way. Behind the house loomed the back mountain, and in front of the door ran a narrow concrete road just wide enough for one car to pass by, winding around a bamboo grove and a pond to reach the main road that connected the village. The only advantage of its secluded location was that, when the house was built, the allotted area was quite large: the main living space was a substantial one hundred and twenty square meters, with the courtyard spanning almost fifty square meters. It is worth noting that self-built homes in the village didn¡¯t have shared allocations, and facilities such as kitchens, dining rooms, and toilets were all situated outside of the main house. Just like the others in the village, her place seemed exceptionally spacious on ordinary days. Outside the courtyard, there was a large open space which was used to bury construction debris during the housebuilding, the ground sloping gently at an angle. Wu Lan casually planted some pumpkins and winter melons near the doorway, somewhat staking a claim to the area. What was once a plain rural farmhouse became problematic with the increase in the number of people staying there. Firstly, there was only one toilet in the house, which was highly inconvenient. Next, the kitchen was too small. Just like Seventh Uncle said at the beginning, it was impossible to cook properly when there were too many people. Then there was the issue with the bedrooms. The only spare room had been given to Teacher Xin to serve as his study, bedroom, and classroom. If even one more person were to stay at the house in the future, there would be nowhere to sleep. Thinking about how everyone had to queue up to brush their teeth in the morning, Song Tan could hardly stand it any longer. Yunqiao Village was truly poor, and having someone like Song Tan who seemed poised for financial success, Zu Jun worried day and night about how to help her get rich quickly, improve his performance as an official, and in turn give back to the hometown, leading to a virtuous cycle¡­ Thus, he took the initiative to suggest: ¡°Your main house can be turned into a three-story building, expand one side of the courtyard into a large kitchen and dining room, and build a few more bathrooms¡­¡± ¡°And include a utility room¡ªyou know, the village now requires it. Those non-compliant makeshift sheds will have to be torn down sooner or later.¡± ¡°Reserve the remaining open space, half of it can be enclosed as a courtyard. Whether it¡¯s for drying sesame seeds or rice, it¡¯s more reassuring to use your own land.¡± After all, there were no longer any threshing grounds left in the village. ¡°As for the space in front of the door, that could also be leveled out with concrete. When your clients and such drive over, it will be much more convenient, won¡¯t it?¡± Those who came for fishing this morning brought four cars in total. With no suitable place to park, they all eyed the empty spaces in front of someone¡¯s home and straightforwardly pulled in there. Zu Jun mentioned these few things, leaving Song Tan somewhat speechless: ¡°Secretary,¡± she asked curiously, ¡°how come you¡¯ve considered all this so thoughtfully?¡± Zu Jun sighed deeply. She didn¡¯t want to! After a year in the village, those who were supposed to work outside still left for work, and those who were supposed to be poor remained poor. Of course, she understood the hardships of farmers. In these mountainous and hilly areas, it was very difficult for small and even non-existent scale farming to sustain oneself. But watching the village population dwindle, she couldn¡¯t help but feel sentimental. She couldn¡¯t implement a single policy from above, and her daily routine included just overseeing the maintenance of the village, such as fixing sheds and beautifying the environment. Having come to the countryside, who wouldn¡¯t want to make a career for themselves! Finding Song Tan, who was starting her first business, she, on the other hand, could see examples of excellence reported from all over the country. She simply had to seize the opportunity! At this moment, she took out a stack of classic rural house photos, showing two-story and three-story mansions as well as country workshops and warehouses of various types and uses. Then she handed them over: ¡°Come on, take a look. What do you plan to turn your courtyard and house into?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ Actually, at first, she had only contemplated the need for a few toilets. Chapter 194 - 194 194. Hooked_1 ?Chapter 194: 194. Hooked!_1 Chapter 194: 194. Hooked!_1 The fishermen sat quietly around the pond, forming a world of their own. Song Tan collected their single-use porridge bowls from the stainless steel basin, and watched, barely able to suppress a laugh, as yet another person solemnly lifted their rod, only to reel in a thumb-sized lumpfish shimmering in the morning sun with iridescent colors. It was really her own fault, when you got down to it. If she hadn¡¯t set those few traps, nobody would have fished in this pond for a long while, and it wouldn¡¯t have been so barren of kicks this morning for the group of ten. But now, the fish knew there was something better waiting for them, and they were noticeably less interested in the bait thrown down from the shore. However, Song Tan believed that, with the tiny brains of these fish, they wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out for too long, and the harvest should come before much longer. If they all ended up with nothing¡­ my, my, would it be too much to have ten people weeding for the first time? Should she sell some expensive bait herself? Just then, an ecstatic cheer was heard: ¡°Got one! Got one!¡± She turned her head and saw a fishing rod, worth four figures, swaggeringly cast, and a small crucian carp, about ten centimeters long, was being pulled out of the water, flapping continuously. Feeling guilty, she quickly turned her head back. Ten people, almost five hours, for a total catch of just this one little crucian carp¡­ It must be their lack of skill! It¡¯s not the fault of her fishpond! Song Tan hurriedly ran off, yet this small crucian carp had enlivened everyone¡¯s spirits¡ª Fishermen can catch anything except air. They had been sitting idly for hours; they surely couldn¡¯t just settle for lumpfish tassels in the end, could they? The sacrifice of this fish symbolized that their skills were still intact, and that the pond before them held great promise! Suddenly filled with pride, they weren¡¯t afraid of scaring the fish anymore and simply shouted: ¡°Fellas, we¡¯re not that young anymore, we can¡¯t really squat in the fields pulling weeds, right? Let¡¯s put some real effort into this!¡± Pulling weeds was a minor issue, but losing face was a major one. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The buddies looked at each other and, because of this one crucian carp¡¯s landing, the previously harmonious atmosphere turned into one of competitive tension. Meanwhile, at Lao Song¡¯s house, Aunt Lianhua briskly cleaned up the pots and pans, took the porridge and two buns, and went back home. Working for others really was better. Usually she¡¯d be in a flurry at home in the morning, making do with some sloppy porridge or flatbreads. But now, on her first meal on the job, she felt like she could devour four buns in one sitting. Why did other people¡¯s cooking have to taste so good? Granny back home would surely enjoy eating them. With the weather being nice lately, Aunt Lianhua would take Granny out in the wheelchair to bask in the sun at the doorway. ¡°Time for breakfast.¡± By nature, Aunt Lianhua wasn¡¯t the type for soft-spoken tenderness, her voice was always loud. Luckily, Granny was used to it, and now she even asked cheerfully, ¡°Is the work too hard?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not too hard you can do more, I don¡¯t have much to do at home.¡± Granny had been paralyzed for a long time, and her speech was noticeably weak, sounding seriously ill. Aunt Lianhua ¡®humphed¡¯ in response: ¡°Not much to do? I have to wash and change you, do the laundry, assist you to the bathroom¡­ I¡¯m busy!¡± Continuing, she handed over the bowl: ¡°Eat up! It¡¯s from Seventh Uncle at Old Song¡¯s family. How many years has it been since you last had his food?¡± Granny was paralyzed from the waist down, but she could still sit up to eat. Firstly, she slowly took a sip of the warm porridge. It was a cozy morning, and the warm porridge settled in her stomach, warming her through and through. Then she took another bite of the soft and fluffy bun. Her teeth weren¡¯t that good, but not bad either, and as she chewed on the bun, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes: ¡°It¡¯s delicious¡­ Lianhua, I¡¯ve been such a burden to you.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Aunt Lianhua huffed as she pulled out a tissue from her pocket to wipe her tears, ¡°If it¡¯s good, eat more, what are you crying for?¡± Having said that, she put the tissue back into her pocket and now headed out with a broom to sweep the yard. There were a few trees behind the house that often shed their leaves; she loved cleanliness and felt the need to sweep every now and then. ¡°Old lady, you should eat and drink and not think too much about all that nonsense. Haven¡¯t I also gotten your house in the end? I haven¡¯t lost out.¡± That¡¯s what she said, but a woman¡¯s youth had been drained away, only to be traded for a house in the countryside that wasn¡¯t worth much¡­ The old lady was well aware of this. She then advised her, ¡°Don¡¯t stay at home all the time, go out and do more work for others, pull some strings so that if I¡¯m gone and he comes back to cause trouble, you¡¯ll have someone to speak up for you.¡± This ¡°he¡± she referred to was the old lady¡¯s son. Every parent knows deep down whether their child is filial or not, just like Aunt Lianhua no longer counted on her own children either. Aunt Lianhua silently paused for a moment: ¡°Okay, I got it. They¡¯ve got a lot of fish at their place today, I¡¯ll go help clean them up in a bit.¡± Only then did the old lady feel relieved and continued eating. ¡­ Aunt Lianhua was as good as her word; after tidying up her own home, she rushed over here in haste. When she arrived, she saw Song Sancheng and Seventh Uncle sitting on a stool lazily cleaning fish, so without a word, she squeezed in. ¡°Let me do it, let me!¡± The basin was full of small whitefish, about ten centimeters long. These tiny fishes, if dried, whether stewed with pickled cabbage or braised, were crispy and delicious, their bones easily crushed to bits. They didn¡¯t need to be deboned and still retained the flavor of fish, which made them very popular. Aunt Lianhua skillfully held the large kitchen knife, made a deft incision in the belly of the fish and with a poke of her finger, the insides were neatly removed. This speedy efficiency made even Song Sancheng feel a bit embarrassed. ¡°Auntie, we agreed that your job was just to scrub pots and wash dishes, you don¡¯t need to do this¡­ doesn¡¯t the old lady at home need someone to look after her?¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing!¡± Aunt Lianhua said cheerfully, ¡°It was the old lady who told me to come and help. Before I left, I put a straw hat on her, and she¡¯s sitting in the yard enjoying the sun now.¡± She was also wearing a big overcoat; when it got warm, the old lady could simply move and put the coat aside without any hassle. Song Tan had been eavesdropping on Qiaoqiao¡¯s lesson for a while and had just stepped out of the house when she heard this conversation. Glancing at Aunt Lianhua¡¯s dexterous movements, and then at Seventh Uncle and Song Sancheng sitting idle, hands free¡­ They really needed an extra pair of hands. She looked into the fish pond, grabbed a net and scooped out two nets full of small fish: ¡°Aunt Lianhua, you can clean fish anywhere. If you don¡¯t mind the trouble, take the fish back to your place to clean, and once it¡¯s done, bring it back here. It¡¯s all the same.¡± She didn¡¯t know if this busy pace would continue, but if it did, it might be time to talk about a raise. Then, Song Tan looked at Song Youde: ¡°Grandpa, why don¡¯t you drive this basin of fish over to Aunt Lianhua¡¯s house?¡± Song Youde was sprightly, agreeing with particular enthusiasm, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my driving skills are rock solid!¡± He was just fretting about not having a chance to use his old tricycle! Chapter 195 - 195 195. Scallion Silverfish_1 ?Chapter 195: 195. Scallion Silverfish_1 Chapter 195: 195. Scallion Silverfish_1 It was twelve o¡¯clock noon. Wu Lan and Wang Lifan, who had been persistently picking gold on the mountain, returned home on time, needing to quickly finish lunch and take a short nap (which was strongly insisted upon by Song Tan; otherwise, the gold picking would really go on from morning till evening). Today was Qiaoqiao¡¯s first day of class, which only ended at eleven when Seventh Uncle was preparing to cook. Xin Jun had more or less figured him out; treating him just like a smarter, more logical kindergartner was sufficient. So the morning¡¯s lesson was quite relaxed and fun, even leaving time for a serious conversation with Qiaoqiao about Peppa, Qiao Zhi, and Ultraman. As a result, this silly kid not only had no resistance to studying, but was actually looking forward to the afternoon even more. For that reason, Xin Jun was definitely not going to receive any cold shoulder at the lunch table. Of course, there was no time to snub anyone¡ªthe lunch was just too delicious today, far surpassing the usual level of tastiness! Lunch consisted of scallion braised whitefish, stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, cured meat stewed with eels, and twice-cooked pork with garlic shoots. The magic of Seventh Uncle¡¯s cooking was that no matter how many people were eating, the taste of his dishes was always so consistently good. Add to that a serving of snow fungus with lily bulbs and lotus seeds soup¡­ It could be said that from the moment the oil started heating in the wok, the aroma never stopped wafting through the yard. The other ingredients were one thing, but the main stars were the garlic shoots and small green onions. These were the ones Aunt Lianhua had just freshly cut from the vegetable garden with scissors¡ªa whole basketful! With the weather being suitable, it took less than half a month for the garlic shoots and onions to grow lush after planting. However, knowing that the vegetables from this field were mostly for sale, Aunt Lianhua didn¡¯t yank them out but took a sustainable approach instead. Look at the way they grow those vegetables; those green onion stems were so energetically green¡ªit¡¯s beyond words! And the garlic shoots too, thick and fresh, smelling so uniquely fragrant on their own. Once brought to life by the hot oil, it was hard to decide which was more delicious, the scallion braised whitefish or the twice-cooked pork with garlic shoots! Aunt Lianhua started her meal with some restraint, thinking even if it¡¯s delicious, she should not appear as if she had never been well-fed before. But after only a brief hesitation, everyone at the table was digging into their food¡­ With her restraint, she was the one who stood out as not fitting in. With her heart set, Aunt Lianhua also vigorously grabbed a couple of chopsticks full of meat and vegetables, enjoying it to her heart¡¯s content! If the people accustomed to these ingredients at home were salivating this much, not to mention the few guys fishing by the pond. Zhang Yanping had learned to be smart by now. She packed everything except the eel stewed with cured meat into one-time-use lunch boxes, filled a large bowl with rice, and even added a generous serving of snow fungus soup on the side. How could one not acknowledge that this free lunch was generous? She felt there was nothing to criticize at all. Leaving aside the quality of the ingredients, let¡¯s talk about the seemingly ordinary snow fungus lotus seed soup¡ªthe snow fungus was picked from the mountain just a few days ago! Simply prepared, it was used to make soup for the first time today, and while its fragrance couldn¡¯t dominate the scallions and garlic shoots, once it was tasted, the instant burst of sweetness and smoothness, and the ineffable richness, won everyone over! Zhang Yanping, despite having eaten until her belly was round, still forced herself to drink two bowls, perilously teetering on the edge of being too full while also instructing Song Tan: ¡°The snow fungus must be sold by weight! Selling it cheap would simply not do justice to its value!¡± Song Tan simply smiled without saying a word. With her own little scheme to make a fortune, how could the snow fungus be undervalued? Obviously not! The customers¡¯ wallets would just have to suffer a little. However, as they weren¡¯t yet in large-scale production, the money-making plan had to be put on hold for now. Speaking of which, the free lunch provided today should definitely have been sufficient by a normal man¡¯s standard. But recalling the big buns from this morning, by normal standards, two big buns should definitely have been enough as well. He chuckled and decided to see his service through to the end¡ªafter all, these were customers he had brought in himself! He arranged the dishes in the basket one by one, then, along with his own share, carried it over to the pond. From far away, as the wind blew, everyone could smell the distinctive scent of the green onions. ¡°That aroma is way too overbearing!¡± People who had been sitting without any catch for a long time instantly dropped their fishing rods and scrambled around the pond to come over. Although the disposable lunch boxes were somewhat unassuming, the dishes delivered were not only visually enticing but also smelled so appealing! S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This round of promotion was executed perfectly. The closest one, an elder brother, was the first to pick up a bowl. Setting aside the fish for the moment, he grabbed a chopstick-full of green onions. The freshness of the tender new scallions, having absorbed the savory taste of the fish, was smooth, succulent, and rich the moment one tasted it, with the unique texture that only scallions possess¡­ Words can¡¯t describe how delicious it was! ¡°Holy shit!¡± a slightly younger member of the group mumbled as he ate voraciously, ¡°Bro, just for this level of cooking skill, I¡¯ll definitely support your family¡¯s farm-to-table business. I can¡¯t wait to settle down here permanently!¡± Another person was also munching away: ¡°What¡¯s with this twice-cooked pork with garlic shoots? How can it be so delicious? Bro, tell me the truth, where did you dig up your chef?¡± My goodness, to think of using such talent in a farm-to-table restaurant¡ªwasn¡¯t it a bit of a waste? ¡°Exactly, exactly!¡± someone chimed in, though this person was a bit pickier, ¡°Everything¡¯s tasty! But compared to the other two dishes, the scallion-braised silver carp and the twice-cooked pork with garlic shoots are just on a different level¡ªmust be some extraordinary ingredients, right?¡± Zhang Yanping felt proud inside, but his expression remained coy: ¡°Our ingredients, as anyone who has shopped at the market knows, go for no less than twenty bucks a pound, non-negotiable.¡± However, since there were no vegetables to sell at the moment, the focus of the sales pitch needed to shift¡ª ¡°Folks, make sure you chew thoroughly and eat slowly! The first serving is free, but the second will cost you forty bucks¡ªit¡¯s pricey.¡± ¡°But as you are well aware,¡± he said with the earnest demeanor of a sincere old farmer, ¡°any lower would be selling at a loss.¡± The people had the rebellious mindset of doing the opposite of what they were told¡ªthe more they were advised to eat slowly, the less they could resist. How could they eat slowly when they saw their buddies reaching into their bowls to sneak some food? They had to gulp it down in big bites! After all, it was only forty bucks a served, right? If they hadn¡¯t tasted such food, they would surely consider it too expensive since everyone had brought their provisions. Things like self-heating hot pots, self-heating rice, or cold steamed buns and pancakes. But now that they had tasted such flavors, who would want to eat instant snacks? Once they had savored the vast ocean, how could any other water suffice? Once they had seen the magnificent mountains, how could any other cloud compare? That was the idea! Hence, each of the ten people ordered another portion, and the tallest among them, looking quite young and probably with a bigger appetite, went ahead and ordered two servings in one go! For ten people, four hundred forty bucks¡ªwhat a red-letter day it turned out to be! Thinking about how he could splurge on his gaming hobby tonight, Zhang Yanping felt a rush of excitement. This was way more fun than selling fruits at home! Chapter 196 - 196 196. Who is the Air Force_1 ?Chapter 196: 196. Who is the Air Force?_1 Chapter 196: 196. Who is the Air Force?_1 Five o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Zhang Yanping sauntered across a lush green grassland, casually plucking a withered, fluffy silvergrass with white blossoms, while the golden pointer on the little scale he carried had already become somewhat blurred, leaving only the sliding weight spinning around. By the pond. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A group of burly men was still sitting steadily, and by the look on their faces, each one appeared to be filled with pride and satisfaction, having made a great catch. Then, looking at the bucket by their feet¡­ Zhang Yanping sheepishly retracted his neck, ¡°Sometimes, you know, you just can¡¯t boast about it.¡± Take a look at this guy, who came in a BMW this morning, whose fishing rod must have cost at least a good five figures, not to mention sports shoes and a windbreaker, both branded. Early in the morning, he was sharing what kind of hook and bait he used and how unique they were. But the fish in this pond don¡¯t care about that! Look! In this folding bucket, there are a total of three loaches, five lumpfish, and two wheat ear fish. Other than that¡­ not even a little shrimp was caught. Zhang Yanping hemmed and hawed for a while, but in the end, he could only awkwardly say, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re a bit out of luck today¡­¡± Next, look at the second guy, right! He¡¯s the one with the four-digit priced fishing rod, who ended up catching a small crucian carp about ten centimeters long. Besides that, he could also muster up a handful of lumpfish and wheat ear fish¡ªa heck of a catch. If they keep fishing like this, the pond won¡¯t run out of anything, except maybe the lumpfish and wheat ear fish would be wiped out! Seventh Uncle was right; those fish are indeed greedy and foolish! He walked around the pond once, feeling his calves almost spinning in circles, only to awkwardly end up standing back in his original spot, and then stuffed the little scale back into his waistband. The weight hung heavily, much like his heavy heart. Why bother weighing? What¡¯s there to measure, when the biggest catch here is just a single carp? And it¡¯s not even that big. ¡°Well¡­¡± Even a social butterfly like him was at a loss for words, thinking for a long time before he was able to sort out his speech, ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s five o¡¯clock, and we all know the rules of fishing.¡± ¡°Given that everyone is new here and the luck hasn¡¯t been great, let¡¯s skip the weighing today and just look with our eyes.¡± ¡°Today¡¯s winner is the guy who caught the carp¡ªcongratulations, Brother Carp! You will receive a cup of our exclusive green tea! That¡¯s the kind priced ten thousand per jin. Would you like it in your thermos, or shall we serve it in our own glass cup?¡± Brother Carp was overjoyed, bursting into hearty laughter at that moment: ¡°Hahaha, see, I told you I¡¯m good at this, hahaha!¡± Now, looking again at the little catch in the big bucket, it seemed particularly pleasing to the eye, as if what was caught wasn¡¯t an insignificant carp but a bluefin tuna worth its weight in gold. As for the prize, the green tea or whatever, he wasn¡¯t really interested. Instead, he rubbed his belly, pondering: Although he hadn¡¯t fully digested the two bowls of rice from lunch, he wondered if he could buy an additional dinner. If possible, packing a few extra to take home would also be nice¡­ Zhang Yanping, meanwhile, had already regained his composure. ¡°Furthermore¡ª¡± He looked around sheepishly, then turned to the burly man beside him: ¡°Brother, looking at your catch today, only three loaches¡­ sorry about that. Whenever you¡¯re free, how about we schedule a day to clear weeds here.¡± Brother Loach¡¯s face had turned green. He had been fishing for many years and not without empty-handed days, but never had he experienced anything like now! Others would casually set a trap and nearly drag him into the pond, while he, despite using good bait and hooks, couldn¡¯t catch a single decent fish. Just three loaches¡ªcould those even count as a dish when he got back? His face was pinched with frustration, and he wasn¡¯t looking good, but he was also someone with a reputation to uphold on the forums; skipping out on debts was not something he¡¯d do. Then, he glared at Zhang Yanping, saying resentfully, ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll definitely work for you, and I¡¯ll come tomorrow. But can you think of a way to find me a place to stay in the village? I¡¯ve registered for the fishing day after tomorrow.¡± He refused to believe that in such a big fish pond, there wouldn¡¯t be a fish he couldn¡¯t catch! This time, it was a battle of dignity! Zhang Yanping, on the other hand, had underestimated the fisherman¡¯s determination and was caught off guard upon hearing this. But who was he? He was Zhang Yanping, with a contact list full of connections! Having spent so many days in the village, there wasn¡¯t a household he wasn¡¯t familiar with, so he agreed confidently, ¡°Sure, deal!¡± But he still had to say, ¡°Brother Loach, we cover your meals while you¡¯re working, but for tonight¡¯s dinner and your accommodations, I¡¯ll have to find you a place. If you¡¯re willing, you¡¯ll have to fork out some money.¡± In the village, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to host someone for one night, but this was about business (which hadn¡¯t been settled yet), and it wasn¡¯t worth owing someone a favor over. Besides, the villagers were mostly older folks with little daily income, so if there was a chance to help them earn something, Zhang Yanping wanted to take it. Staying in a farmhouse could cost several hundred yuan a night, so asking for fifty yuan shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right? To his surprise, as soon as he mentioned this, Brother Loach couldn¡¯t help raising his eyebrows and even broke into a smile, saying, ¡°Are you saying¡­ dinner is still at that price? Then I¡¯ll book three portions in advance!¡± Zhang Yanping¡¯s brow twitched. The fellow clearly had ulterior motives and wasn¡¯t just interested in the food. He did plan to make some money from selling meal boxes, but aside from the fishing reservations, he couldn¡¯t simply agree. Otherwise, for just a little income, Seventh Uncle would have to cook meals for several more persons each day, which really wasn¡¯t worth it. He hadn¡¯t forgotten that the main reason for inviting these fishers was to make money off them by selling more honey and tea. So he waved his hands repeatedly, ¡°No, no, we can¡¯t cover dinner. I¡¯ll find you a place to stay, and you can join them for dinner.¡± All the while he explained gently, ¡°Brother Loach, as you¡¯ve seen, we country folk do hard work, and our meals are substantial. We¡¯ve got ribs, roasted pork, and even eel and carp.¡± ¡°I told you today, my vegetables are twenty yuan per jin, and that¡¯s no lie¡ªI sold them at the market for a couple of months.¡± ¡°At this cost, a bowl of rice for forty yuan would see us losing money, let alone the price we¡¯d be asking. It¡¯s too expensive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not economical for you to eat it, and it¡¯s not for us to serve it. I¡¯ll find you some authentic farmhouse cuisine.¡± The more he said this, the more Brother Loach got excited. People like him, traveling all over the place in their cars, what kind of farmhouse food hadn¡¯t he tried? He had experienced all sorts of price points. But even those meals costing hundreds or thousands¡ªI mean, the taste is just so-so! They used to seem alright, but now compared to this, it¡¯s just worlds apart! After tasting the Flat Peach Banquet, who would want to go back to cold buns? Brother Loach earnestly shook his hand, ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll stick with your meals. Just name your price per meal!¡± Chapter 197 - 197 197. Tieba Sigh_1 ?Chapter 197: 197. Tieba Sigh_1 Chapter 197: 197. Tieba Sigh_1 This isn¡¯t just about money. Zhang Yanping couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly, ¡°Mud Loach Bro, if you¡¯re going to be weeding here tomorrow, all three meals of the day are on us, completely free. Why bother spending the money?¡± ¡°No, that won¡¯t do.¡± Mud Loach Bro had his own logic, ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s meals are for tomorrow, but I¡¯m craving it right now, and I must have it tonight!¡± ¡°Just tell me how much? Two hundred, will that do? No? Three hundred then? Three hundred really should be enough, right? Still not good? No way, I¡¯m willing to pay three hundred, but four hundred would break my heart! Just three hundred! Brother, just add one more pair of chopsticks for me, how can three hundred not be enough?¡± He hadn¡¯t forgotten that the eels from this morning hadn¡¯t been served to them for lunch! If the delivered boxed lunches were that delicious, then with a few additional main dishes¡ª Oh my, he didn¡¯t dare to continue thinking, or he¡¯d start drooling right then and there. Zhang Yanping was overjoyed inside, thinking to himself that if he didn¡¯t make money from a three-hundred-yuan meal, he¡¯d be a complete fool! But outwardly, he still put on a helpless look and sighed, ¡°Let me ask the chef then. It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to make money, but we call the chef ¡®Uncle¡¯. If he¡¯s not happy, nobody can do anything about it.¡± Everyone understood the reasoning. After all, he was an elder, and with that explanation, the meal suddenly seemed all the more precious. Mud Loach Bro had struck a deal and, carrying his gear, followed behind him, the three mud loaches in the empty bucket bumping and splashing around, embarrassingly noisy. However, as they walked, something felt off. When he looked back, he saw all nine of his brothers had silently followed. As their eyes met, they all chuckled slyly and started bombarding him with messages: ¡°You obviously can¡¯t haggle, three hundred per person is way too expensive!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve eaten at country homes before, and they never charged this much. Only those fancy resorts do.¡± Mud Loach Bro wasn¡¯t someone short on cash! Besides, he couldn¡¯t help himself at lunch and had devoured three servings. Just thinking about the food made his mouth water again. So, he replied with pride: ¡°I negotiated the price for myself, they didn¡¯t say they¡¯d prepare meals for you. It¡¯s getting dark, so pack up and head home. I¡¯ll be standing guard here all day tomorrow.¡± That¡¯s right. Mud Loach Bro remembered something: ¡°You all saw the fish in the pond. If we can¡¯t catch them, that¡¯s on us. But you know as well as I do about the meals and the environment here. If someone on the forum asks, we all know what to say, right?¡± The guys huddled at the back, whispering among themselves. Zhang Yanping glanced at them from afar and quickly jogged back to the yard¡ªhe needed to discuss with everyone what to charge and what the menu should be. Seeing him leave, the group of men let out a sigh of relief and took out their phones in unison. Noticing that people in the forum were already asking about the day¡¯s details, they looked at each other and simultaneously snapped photos of their catch, then began to type out their melancholic reflections: ¡°Look at this, everyone. Left at one in the morning, drove for two hours on winding mountain roads to get here. The pond looks nice but this is the total catch for ten of us today.¡± Mud Loach Bro nodded in satisfaction, then his eyes gleamed, and he added another line: ¡°To tell the truth, they did provide breakfast and lunch, and it was quite tasty.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s also true that the one who caught the least has to weed here for a day. Yes, that¡¯s me. Brothers, let¡¯s get down to farm work tomorrow!¡± What kind of place is this? This is a fishing forum, not a gourmet forum! There are plenty of spots where the country meals are great, who would willingly stay by a pond all day for it! The main thing still has to be the fish! But just look at this catch, and everyone immediately understood. [¡ª These unscrupulous agritourism operators, they¡¯ve even resorted to faking for publicity, shameless!] [Exactly!] Below, hordes of followers had already begun to discuss informing the forum moderator and blacklisting the previous promotional post. Zhang Yanping really hadn¡¯t paid attention to his own post at this moment. He just rushed back home and then asked Song Tan, ¡°The one who lost wants to join us for dinner, three hundred yuan for a meal¡ªI¡¯m thinking we might as well cover his accommodation fee.¡± Song Sancheng immediately sprang up from his chair, ¡°Just one person?¡± sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°One person! One meal.¡± ¡°A few others didn¡¯t discuss the price with me but followed along anyway.¡± Song Tan was quite pleased, ¡°Brother Yanping, putting you in charge of this matter really was a stroke of genius.¡± Zhang Yanping didn¡¯t dare take credit, ¡°The main thing is our vegetables are good, and Uncle¡¯s cooking skills are great, which is why people are willing to pay this price. But tonight, I have to help him find a place to sleep, tomorrow he¡¯ll help us with weeding.¡± Their own home had no space to offer for lodging, but with Zhang Yanping¡¯s words, Song Tan understood. She pondered for a moment and then turned to ask Song Sancheng, ¡°Dad, what do you think about arranging for the man to stay at Aunt Baoni¡¯s place?¡± In the spring, Li Baoni had helped clean up their farm. Her family had two children in college, and unfortunately, Aunt Baoni¡¯s husband had injured his back on the construction site at the beginning of the year and was currently recuperating. Of course, for a rural homestead, the lodging fee wouldn¡¯t be high, but it showed Song Tan another path. Wu Lan was listening on the side, still somewhat hesitant: ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem right to charge someone for just one night¡¯s stay, does it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfectly fine.¡± Song Tan explained to her mother, ¡°Situations like today¡¯s will surely be common in the future. A one-night stay can¡¯t always be free. It¡¯s better to have clear pricing. Aunt Baoni¡¯s house is tidy and clean, and she¡¯s quite articulate.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t charge much for our rural houses, fifty yuan per night. We can pay it from that three hundred yuan. Mom, could you help ask if they are willing?¡± What would there be to object to when the house would otherwise be empty? Wu Lan didn¡¯t bother calling, she just walked straight outside. Aunt Lianhua was busily bustling about nearby and, upon hearing this, couldn¡¯t help sighing with envy, ¡°How come money is so easy to earn?¡± Too bad for her. Her household had an immobile elderly lady and a single woman. With strangers coming to the village, it was neither safe nor appropriate to house them there. However, Song Tan still encouraged her, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to it, Aunt Lianhua. Isn¡¯t your house also very clean? If we get female guests later, your hospitality would be a great help to us.¡± Although fishing hasn¡¯t brought any female visitors yet, who could say what would happen in the future? Aunt Lianhua also smiled, ¡°I can hardly imagine that. I think working at your house right now, my days are quite good already.¡± ¡°My old lady, oh, she finishes a big bowl of rice I bring back at noon, clean as a whistle.¡± As long as the elderly have a good appetite and can eat well, their health can¡¯t be too bad. Just for that, Aunt Lianhua wishes she had an extra pair of arms to help out with the chores. Chapter 198 - 198 Ride a free ride_1 ?Chapter 198: Ride a free ride_1 Chapter 198: Ride a free ride_1 The sky was turning dark. Li Baoni, carrying a basket of tea leaves, hurried down the mountain and the first thing she did upon returning home was to hang the basket and weigh it¡ª ¡°One and two-tenths of a pound.¡± This was her usual efficiency. To be precise, it was the same for most of the people in the village. She spread the tea leaves out on a plastic sheet on the ground to dry, then walked into the bedroom to check on her husband, who was resting in bed: ¡°How¡¯s it going? Were you able to get up and use the bathroom today?¡± The man in the bed cracked a smile, ¡°I did, my waist doesn¡¯t hurt that much anymore, I can move around quite well, and I feel better each day. It won¡¯t be long before I¡¯m all better.¡± Li Baoni also breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± She rambled on, ¡°Now the tea price has dropped, they¡¯re only paying thirty yuan for a pound of buds. How much can you do with just sixty or seventy yuan a day?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tidied up the vegetable garden too. I¡¯m thinking, when the hot weather arrives, if you¡¯re well by then, I might just go work outside.¡± As she spoke, she skillfully and efficiently helped her husband slowly stand up, then took a few slow steps: ¡°I saw on TikTok that lots of factories are hiring. I¡¯m just fifty years old, right at the cut-off age. I can make more than twenty yuan an hour. If I work some overtime, maybe I can make seven or eight thousand yuan a month!¡± While talking, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh: ¡°How come Wu Lan¡¯s tea plants are growing so well this year? I heard those tea pickers say that they can easily harvest two or three pounds in an afternoon. Those buds must be really thick.¡± She, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t keep up, despite being fast with her hands. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Her husband just laughed, ¡°That¡¯s right, my back injury has even kept you from making big money.¡± With Li Baoni¡¯s diligent nature, if it hadn¡¯t been for needing to take care of her husband who was resting in bed, she would have certainly gone to help pick tea leaves for Wu Lan¡¯s family from the start of the spring. One hundred and fifty a day, much steadier than picking tea herself. And that¡¯s the price given by fellow villagers not including food and lodging. In previous years, tea pickers who came with food and lodging included were paid only one hundred yuan per day or even less, and if paid by weight, they had to go with the market price. But as renowned teas began to advertise more and more, and their remote impoverished area remained undeveloped, the price of tea kept dropping, with most of it being used to bolster the supply of famous teas. As a result, the local villagers gradually couldn¡¯t afford to hire tea pickers anymore. Now, there wasn¡¯t much income to speak of all year round. Every household capable of working had gone out to find jobs. Just as she was pondering this, she heard a call from outside the yard, ¡°Baoni, Baoni!¡± Li Baoni was startled and hurried out, ¡°I¡¯m here, what is it?¡± She had just asked when she couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°Does your family need someone to work tomorrow? Don¡¯t worry, whatever it is, I¡¯ll be there early.¡± After speaking, she looked at Wu Lan with a face full of expectation. These days, village folks were quite willing to work for Song Tan¡¯s family. The food was good, and the pay was better than working outside. It was just a shame that the work was sporadic and unstable. But Wu Lan shook her head, thinking about the wealthy clients that were coming to their house, and quickly made herself clear in a few words: ¡°It¡¯s for some people coming to fish, found online by our Yanping. They have nowhere to stay for the night. I thought since your place has a solar water heater and Wi-Fi, it should be fine to arrange someone to stay at your place, right? Just wanted to come and ask.¡± ¡°Fifty for one night, no need to prepare food, what do you think?¡± Li Baoni was overjoyed, how could this not be okay?! The yards in the countryside are large, and her house, like Lao Song¡¯s family¡¯s house, had been built many years ago. Besides where her children lived, there was an extra room left over for the tea pickers, but now it was filled with miscellaneous items. But that didn¡¯t matter. ¡°My son¡¯s room is clean, I¡¯ll bring over the bedding later.¡± Seeing her start to fuss about tidying up, Wu Lan finally said with a smile, ¡°No rush, no rush, this young man hasn¡¯t eaten yet. He can eat at my place tonight, and then I¡¯ll have Yanping send him over.¡± ¡°Take your time to tidy up; there¡¯s no hurry.¡± Li Baoni was pleased and couldn¡¯t help but ask an extra question: ¡°Wu Lan, I¡¯ve noticed that the onions and garlic in your vegetable garden are growing really well. When do you plan to sell the produce?¡± Wu Lan didn¡¯t have the time to pay attention to her vegetable garden! Her eyes were solely on the tea leaves. At the question, she was startled: ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that, it¡¯s all Tantan¡¯s responsibility. She¡¯s the only one in the family who can drive.¡± Li Baoni smiled apologetically: ¡°I was just wondering if it would be convenient for her to take us to the hospital when she goes to sell the vegetables again? It¡¯s time for a check-up.¡± No big deal! ¡°I¡¯ll go home and ask her later. I¡¯ll send you a message once I know.¡± Wu Lan couldn¡¯t help but tell her, ¡°If you need something, just say the word. You don¡¯t have to wait for the vegetable selling.¡± While Li Baoni was replying politely, the village normally had transportation, but the village-to-village bus still had to make a long detour to the town each day. She felt somewhat embarrassed: ¡°You know how it is, his back hurts if he sits too long. I¡¯m not in a rush for the check-up, just let me know whenever it¡¯s convenient.¡± Back problems are indeed a serious matter, after all, as a main source of labor for the family. If his back were to give out, not only would he be unable to earn money, but he would also hold Li Baoni back. Knowing the situation, Wu Lan hurried home and immediately asked Song Tan: ¡°Your scallions and garlic in the field are ready to be sold, when are you planning to go sell the vegetables?¡± Song Tan visited the vegetable garden every day, touching base with the two Baonis to build rapport. She had a clear sense of how the vegetables were growing. Now that spring was in full bloom, you couldn¡¯t imagine how quickly the green leaves were sprouting, especially with the help of the ¡°Spiritual Energy¡± she infused every night¡­ Just today, they ate several heads of onions and garlic pulled straight from the garden, along with coriander. Aunt Lianhua had even plucked a handful of Schizonepeta from the field that afternoon, planning to make tofu soup tonight. Seeing Seventh Uncle so satisfied, it was clear that this batch of vegetables tasted even better than wild ones! Forget about the onions and garlic; the bok choy would be ready to harvest in just a few days. But the first to grow were these condiment vegetables: scallions, garlic sprouts, Schizonepeta, coriander. Ginger has a longer growing cycle, so it¡¯s not ready yet. Scallions and garlic sprouts had the highest yield per acre; with good cultivation, you could get three or four crops a year with a yield of six or seven thousand pounds per acre without any problems. Thinking of this, she felt it was time to find a designer to touch up the house, having some extra cash on hand was more stable. Given that¡ª ¡°I¡¯ll go tomorrow then, what¡¯s up? Do you need to buy any vegetables?¡± Going to the market every morning to buy vegetables had become her routine. Wu Lan relayed Li Baoni¡¯s situation. Song Tan nodded: ¡°No problem, the vegetable market is not far from the People¡¯s Hospital. I¡¯ll take them directly, it won¡¯t hold anything up.¡± This is why everyone knows living in the village is stress-free and comfortable, but still, everyone wants to move to the big city. Besides education, the other most important factor is medical care. Without a car, dealing with illness or pain feels almost impossible. Chapter 199 - 199 199. Selling vegetables again_1 ?Chapter 199: 199. Selling vegetables again!_1 Chapter 199: 199. Selling vegetables again!_1 Wu Lan also cheerfully took out her phone, ¡°What time are you leaving tomorrow morning? I¡¯ll tell them to wait for you at home in advance.¡± Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°Why don¡¯t we have Aunt Baoni come over early tomorrow morning to help me pack the vegetables? Fifty yuan, Mom, what do you think?¡± What else could she think? ¡°That¡¯s a great idea.¡± Wu Lan no longer considered fifty yuan for labor as real money anymore. After all, she gradually realized how good the things at home were. Not to mention everyone has work to do, including herself. Spending fifty yuan to hire someone to pack vegetables is more cost-effective than delaying tea picking, isn¡¯t it? Calculating carefully, Wu Lan¡¯s voice messages were especially brisk: ¡°Baoni, I just spoke to Tantan, she will take you to sell vegetables tomorrow morning. But if you are free, could you come to the vegetable field at six o¡¯clock to help pack vegetables? It will take about an hour or two, and the labor cost is fifty yuan.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before Li Baoni¡¯s voice echoed through the phone: ¡°How could I take the labor cost? Tantan is giving us a lift to the city, I didn¡¯t even bring up money¡­¡± The two went back and forth in the conversation, and Song Tan simply moved to a different place to re-edit the notice she was sending to the group¡ª [Vegetables for sale! Tomorrow morning at 9:30, Riverside Market, spring onions, garlic sprouts, cilantro, shepherd¡¯s purse, old rule, twenty for a bunch, to ensure the freshness of the vegetables, we cannot wash off the soil, each bunch weighs about three taels, if you mind, please don¡¯t buy.] [Also, tomorrow morning I will take a video of the vegetable field for you all to see the environment, farm pure green vegetables, without fertilization or pesticides.] My goodness, the whole group exploded instantly. Ever since the Milk Vetch season ended, this girl has not been focusing on her business. There were only those two times she sold bamboo shoots, but now that the bamboo shoot skins were almost completely peeled, she started selling vegetables again. How could people not eagerly anticipate it? Even though what she sells are just spices¡­ Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But it doesn¡¯t matter! Shepherd¡¯s purse stir-fried with tofu skins, spring onions stir-fried with eggs and braised crucian carp, cilantro stewed fish soup with beef meatballs, garlic sprouts with double-cooked pork¡­ It¡¯s a money-saver to eat like this! After all, a pound of leafy greens will shrink down to a dish once stir-fried, but these side dishes can be sustained over time. Moreover, if they wish, they could even keep the roots of some vegetables like spring onions in water for them to sprout again. Perfect! The crowd was excited, and people sent simple and unadorned applause in the group, but privately, they had already decided how much to purchase! No more talking, it¡¯s time to check the recipes overnight! I have to head to the vegetable market early tomorrow to get the freshest beef for the meatballs! Xin Jun had just finished checking Qiaoqiao¡¯s homework and was slowly descending the stairs when his phone chirped with a reminder. Teacher Xin saw it and couldn¡¯t help feeling gloomy. He was already living with Lao Song¡¯s family, so why did he have to find out about the vegetable selling through a group notification? And moreover¡­ He quickly approached Song Tan: ¡°Song Tan, about these vegetables you just mentioned, could I buy them wholesale?¡± Well¡­ that obviously wouldn¡¯t be possible, right? Song Tan thought it over, ¡°I have half a mu variety of these vegetables, but I¡¯m not worried about them getting old, I plan to go to the vegetable market every day and sell them slowly.¡± It¡¯s like finding something to keep herself busy. She had finally built up a group for her vegetable selling business, it was important to maintain activity in the group, wasn¡¯t it! When the bok choy was ready for the market, then she would see if the onions and garlic could still be kept back for wholesale. Xin Jun was dumbfounded. There is a saying, ¡°The one who is closest to the water is the first to get the moon,¡± but even though he was close to the metaphorical building by the water, why was there no chance for him to get the moon? After thinking it over, Song Tan called out again, ¡°Brother Yanping, we still have plenty of onions and garlic stocked at home, right? After we pull out the vegetables tomorrow, you might as well bury those onions and garlic.¡± In any case, they couldn¡¯t give the land a chance to catch its breath; they had to keep up with the momentum! Zhang Yanping had just finished discussing the menu with Seventh Uncle when he saw a group of about ten people approaching from afar. He confirmed once more: ¡°For everyone else who wants to eat, we are really not charging them?¡± ¡°Not charging.¡± Seventh Uncle said with finality, ¡°I only get three thousand yuan a month, cooking for so many people, do you think my old bones are that strong?¡± Although that was said, his old bones had actually felt pretty strong lately, and everything seemed rather comfortable. Zhang Yanping didn¡¯t want to lose the money he could earn and was feeling extremely wronged now, ¡°Seventh Uncle, you won¡¯t even make money when it¡¯s right in front of you? With so many people, that¡¯s quite a sum in a day.¡± Seventh Uncle was also smug. ¡°Young man, when is money ever enough? Your uncle here isn¡¯t short on cash these days.¡± What more could be said? Zhang Yanping watched as a group of people murmured among themselves, haggling and bargaining, and yet he managed a smile to greet them as he approached. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone¡­ My uncle is old, he can¡¯t cook for so many people. You all should take a break, or maybe just head back home to eat.¡± As soon as these words were said, the group of old gentlemen, who had just concluded their strategy for bargaining, were instantly at a loss. ¡°But we don¡¯t eat much, just an extra pair of chopsticks is all!¡± Upon hearing this, Zhang Yanping simply looked at them: Good grief, each of you eats enough for two, is this just an extra pair of chopsticks? This is like adding a whole pigpen! Upon reflection, it indeed wouldn¡¯t be right to make Seventh Uncle work so hard. If they could always eat whenever and wherever they wanted, sooner or later people would come just for the food, and he could see Tantan did not intend to open a cafeteria in the village. So he had no choice but to reach out to Uncle Carp: ¡°Uncle Carp, your water cup, I¡¯ll brew some of our tea leaves for you.¡± Uncle Carp initially felt that the food, spoiled by Brother Mudfish, was a bit expensive, but now that he hadn¡¯t gotten to eat, he felt somewhat empty inside. He dawdled, not keen on leaving so quickly. So he simply waved his hand, ¡°Just brew it in your own cups for me, let me taste for myself what this sky-high-priced tea is all about.¡± Ah, the village was blessed with clear mountains and fresh waters; everything was fine except that the cost of living was too high. And yet he wasn¡¯t even given the opportunity to spend money! The folks grumbled among themselves, becoming more convinced that they should not let others know about this place; otherwise, with their old arms and legs, how could they compete with the young people nowadays? As they were sighing and lamenting, they threw their caught lumpfish into the Song Tan¡¯s family¡¯s pond, while self-deprecating: ¡°Here we are, paying for food, but we still have to offer fish to their pond¡­ It smells so good.¡± Then, turning around, they saw Zhang Yanping come out with a crystal-clear glass cup. A light layer of green sprouts danced up and down inside it, then slowly, one by one, settled back down to the bottom of the cup. But the green tea water rippled gently with the waves, and every breath of air seemed imbued with a rich yet fresh fragrance. Uncle Carp instantly regreted his decision: ¡°Oh, this tea! It should¡¯ve been brewed in my cup!¡± Zhang Yanping, however, raised an eyebrow, thinking¡ª Now that the tea is out, you guys should at least pool together and buy a pound today, right? Otherwise, was he really going to earn only from selling boxed lunches? Chapter 200 - 200 200. Yellow Leaf Pieces_1 ?Chapter 200: 200. Yellow Leaf Pieces_1 Chapter 200: 200. Yellow Leaf Pieces_1 By middle age, fishing, drinking tea, and chatting with friends is a fine art, and Uncle Carp is quite skilled at it. At the moment, he scrutinized the cup of tea in his hand, firstly admiring the clear color of the brew, then being completely captivated by the fresh aroma of the tea. Finally, he frowned slightly, scrutinizing the tea leaves: ¡°These leaves weren¡¯t picked well, why¡¯s there a small leaf on top? Your sorting isn¡¯t up to standard.¡± Zhang Yanping thought to himself: Are you still nitpicking about sorting? At least I served you Yuqian Tea, if I¡¯d given you the second picking from just a few days ago, which leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste¡­ lets see you critique that! The fragrance of the tea was so fresh and overwhelming that everyone seated around could smell it. They all sat on their little stools, eyes glued to that cup, and no one mentioned going home anymore. Uncle Carp had been leisurely swaying his cup of tea, but seeing their expressions, he abandoned any pretense and quickly blew on the tea, then cautiously sipped¡ª Hmm! Seventh Uncle was leisurely sorting through vegetables for dinner, and glanced again at Song Tan, who was silent, thinking to himself: That tea is really mesmerizing! He had fallen for it from the very first sip. With his picky taste, he couldn¡¯t resist the spell of the tea leaves, not to mention the folks here. At this age, those who can afford the leisure to go fishing might not be short on cash, but they certainly know how to enjoy life. Just as expected! After a sip, Uncle Carp caressed the cup again and hesitated before asking, ¡°Is this really tea worth ten thousand a kilo?¡± Zhang Yanping directly presented proof: ¡°Come on, Tantan, show everyone your transaction records.¡± Right now, there¡¯s so little farm produce, without a mini-app or online store; otherwise, a quick look at the sales volumes would make it clear. To judge if the tea is good or not, why bother with that? One taste reveals it all. Uncle Carp didn¡¯t ask his question out of disbelief, but hesitated whether to spend the money or not. But witnessing these transaction records, the most recent one showed someone bought ten kilos without a second word¡ªwow, how generous! On second thought, if he used a little less tea each time, wouldn¡¯t it be enough to make it last six months? For half a year, ten thousand bucks. It works out to just over a thousand a month if he skimps on buying fishing lines and hooks, couldn¡¯t he save up for it? Without a second word, he said: ¡°Give me a kilo too!¡± And after some thought, he specially instructed: ¡°No need for any gift wrapping, just pack it in a tin box for me, otherwise it¡¯s too eye-catching and hard to explain when I get home.¡± All right then! Upon hearing this, Wu Lan turned her head to open the freezer, weighed the tea leaves, and packaged them. After giving it some thought, Uncle Carp asked again, ¡°You really can¡¯t let us stay for dinner? We¡¯re willing to pay, and I¡¯m even buying such expensive tea.¡± Everyone else was also itching with curiosity: What kind of tea costs ten thousand a pop, and you just pay like that?! But smelling this fragrance, it seemed like it wasn¡¯t impossible. Everyone started crowding around: ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you going to brew a cup for us to try? What if I decide to buy some too?¡± Zhang Yanping thought to himself: If tasting were that casual, how could he maintain the prestige of his ten-thousand-yuan tea? So, with a look of heartfelt pain, he said: ¡°Gentlemen, look, I offer fishing for free and even provide breakfast and lunch at no cost, if I were to also brew tea for free, then I¡¯d be running at a complete loss all day long. How could I afford to make such a loss?¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Thinking it over, he feigned a pained expression: ¡°How about this, that yellow leaf tea my uncle usually drinks, I¡¯ll brew a cup each for a taste.¡± This was the older, yellow tea leaves that Song Sancheng had picked out and just couldn¡¯t bear to throw away¡ª Ever since they found out they could sell their homegrown tea leaves for ten thousand yuan per pound, neither he nor Song Youde drank them anymore. Day in and day out, they either picked out the broken bits of tea leaves or these yellowed leaves. And believe it or not, while the broken leaves are fresh, tender, and fragrant, these old yellow leaves are slightly bitter, but have a strong aftertaste. Aside from not looking great, there¡¯s nothing to complain about in the taste. Drinking them comes without any psychological burden, which is an absolute delight. It¡¯s just that the yield is low; ten pounds of tea leaves might not even render one pound of yellow leaves. Luckily, these leaves endure multiple brews, and keeping them in a large pot works just fine. Everyone was speechless. Even Song Tan hadn¡¯t expected that, although she wasn¡¯t as frugal as before, her cousin had truly mastered the essence of Yan Jian¡¯s frugality! So, several people divided up a few disposable cups and each poured themselves half a cup from the large water jug Song Sancheng was drinking from. The scent was really enticing, and the flavor unique¡ªthese yellow leaves are worth thousands of yuan. But watching Uncle Carp leisurely savor the exquisite Yuqian Tea, while they were stuck drinking these yellow leaves, why did it feel so unsatisfying? It was quite a while before Wu Lan finished packing up the tea leaves and brought them out, that someone finally spoke up slowly, ¡°I¡¯ll take a pound as well, surely I can be offered a cup to try, right?¡± Zhang Yanping¡¯s smile bloomed like an anemone: ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying! A guest from afar deserves a cup of tea, don¡¯t they?¡± After some back and forth, four out of ten people each carried away a pound of tea, and another three pooled money to buy a pound together. The last three, although they didn¡¯t make a purchase, had a hesitancy in their eyes that suggested they weren¡¯t far from buying as well. Business, after all, is about slow and steady returns¡ªZhang Yanping could wait. However, since she couldn¡¯t provide dinner for them, the others couldn¡¯t wait¡ª ¡°It¡¯s almost six o¡¯clock, we need to hurry back, or there won¡¯t be any dinner at home.¡± At the mention of that, everyone¡¯s expression turned a bit dour: ¡°That¡¯s hard to explain¡­¡± Life as a fisherman is truly hard. If you catch fish and bring them home, the folks at home complain about the hassle of cleaning and the pervasive fish smell, not to mention no space in the fridge. But if you come back empty-handed, imagine braving the ridicule after sneaking out in the dead of night¡­ Uncle Carp had the experience: ¡°I just heard you say, you¡¯re selling vegetables tomorrow? What kinds are you offering? I¡¯ll take three to five pounds.¡± All the while, he explained with a chuckle, ¡°I¡¯ll just tell my family it¡¯s a newly opened farm restaurant where we¡¯d come to eat, and we bought some organic vegetables on the way.¡± It sure sounds better than returning as an empty-handed fisherman. And his wife eats up that kind of story. Zhang Yanping then asked, ¡°The stir-fried eggs with green onions and the double-cooked pork with garlic shoots at lunch¡ªthey were tasty, weren¡¯t they?¡± If they hadn¡¯t been, surely those who were all about healthy living in their middle age wouldn¡¯t have asked for second servings. ¡°Coincidentally,¡± Zhang Yanping slapped her thigh, ¡°we¡¯re selling green onions, garlic shoots, coriander, and Jingjie herbs. Twenty yuan for a bunch, and three ounces per bunch.¡± ¡°How much do you need? I¡¯ll go pluck them from the vegetable plot right now.¡± That price is really high! Even those who didn¡¯t buy vegetables raised an eyebrow at that. But somehow, after the ten-thousand-yuan tea leaves, twenty yuan didn¡¯t seem like much at all. After a moment of contemplation, Uncle Carp said, ¡°My family doesn¡¯t like coriander or garlic shoots much; just give me two pounds of green onions. The flavor of the onions at lunch was really good.¡± Mixing them with tofu¡ªoh, that taste! Everyone patted their stomachs, and even those who hadn¡¯t splurged on tea leaves now spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ll take two pounds as well.¡± Chapter 201 - 201 201. Upstairs mother and child_1 ?Chapter 201: 201. Upstairs mother and child_1 Chapter 201: 201. Upstairs mother and child_1 By eight o¡¯clock, it was pitch-dark outside, and only then did Uncle Carp, like a thief, carry an unimpressive plastic bag and pull out a bunch of green onions from the trunk of his car, before happily returning home. His wife was watching TV on the sofa. As he changed his shoes, he asked, ¡°Is there any dinner left?¡± As he spoke, he regretted internally: all these years later, why would keeping him for dinner hurt? They wouldn¡¯t refuse to pay. This boss is really too stubborn! However, once he finished changing his shoes, he casually stuffed the tea leaves into the fridge, intending to present the green onions as a treat! It was then he noticed something was amiss in the atmosphere. The moment he turned his head, he saw his wife¡¯s dark eyes fixed on him: ¡°Oh, you remember to come home, do you? Why didn¡¯t you just enjoy yourself outside, indulging in good food and drink?¡± A reflexive nerve in his brain twitched, and he instinctively became cautious and evasive: ¡°The food outside¡­ it doesn¡¯t taste right. Hey, look at the farm I visited today. Their vegetables are grown particularly well. Just look at these green onions, you have no idea what they cost?¡± ¡°I know you love scrambled eggs with green onions, so I especially bought two pounds to bring home¡­¡± His wife snorted coldly: ¡°Thank you for remembering me, but do you also remember you have a daughter who¡¯s just given birth, waiting for her dear father to bring home a few more crucian carp?¡± He was doomed. Uncle Carp stood there frozen. Yes, he remembered now. It seemed his wife had just taken care of their daughter and come home. But the problem was¡ª He spluttered, ¡°I didn¡¯t catch any today.¡± Admitting to coming back empty-handed was really embarrassing. And he truly had forgotten; otherwise, he could have bought some fish from the boss who lowered traps into the ground and had heaps of fish. Wouldn¡¯t that have been just right? But¡­ ¡°Didn¡¯t I catch a few the day before yesterday?¡± His wife snorted again: ¡°So what? You¡¯re a father who personally catches a few fish for his daughter, and we should be grateful?¡± ¡°Not to mention the timing. You run off every day to fish! Fishing, why don¡¯t you go catch yourself? You don¡¯t even think to lend a hand while your daughter is in confinement.¡± Uncle Carp¡¯s mind was filled with turmoil. Lend a hand? What help could he have provided? His son-in-law¡¯s family was modest, and the young couple lived in an eighty-square-meter apartment, with both in-laws crowding over to help with the postpartum care. It makes sense for the mother to go over and care for her own daughter, but if he were to squeeze in there as well, good heavens, there wouldn¡¯t be any place left to even stand. So, he looked sheepish but was actually holding in his anger: ¡°Isn¡¯t it that I¡¯ve provided the money¡­¡± Originally, they arranged for a maternity center for their daughter, costing thirty thousand for a month. But for some reason, the young couple went back and refunded the money¡­ Uncle Carp found it difficult to admit whether his irritation was directed at his son-in-law or his naive daughter, deliberately avoiding the thought for that very reason. But a mother¡¯s heart will always ache for her daughter. The whole family crowded into the house, reluctant to hire a maternity nurse; after attending her daughter for the day, the wife was also holding back her anger. Hearing him mumble, she exploded: ¡°You tell me! What else is in your head besides fishing, day in and day out? What do you even want with this family? Just go live by the river!¡± She glanced at the bunch of green but unremarkable green onions in his plastic bag, and, pointing angrily towards the door, said: ¡°Throw your vegetables out, I don¡¯t want them!¡± She was furious, and whatever his wife said, he would do. Uncle Carp was experienced in dealing with this. But looking at the bunch of green onions in his hand, he really didn¡¯t want to let go. Yet, she was still staring at him, fuming¡­ He hesitated for a moment but still silently opened the door. As he stepped out, he happened to see a resident from upstairs ready to go up with a plastic bag in hand; he hurriedly called out to her and, with reluctance, handed over the bunch of green onions¡ª ¡°Xiaofeng, when I went to the countryside, someone gave me two bunches of green onions. My wife doesn¡¯t have time to cook them, and it would be a shame to throw them away. You take them back and stir-fry them.¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, he couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°These green onions are really quite good.¡± The young woman named Xiaofeng was taken aback, then sheepishly said, ¡°How can I accept this?¡± ¡°Just take it, take it.¡± Uncle Carp¡¯s face was full of worry as he stuffed the plastic bag into her hand and quickly closed the door again. Having closed the door, he regretted it but now only dared to mutter softly, ¡°Gave it to Xiaofeng upstairs.¡± His wife wasn¡¯t someone to waste food either; she had just been angry at the moment, and who knew that the foolish old man would really give the food away. Now that she heard the vegetables were given to Xiaofeng, she actually felt relieved. ¡°Let it be, Xiaofeng doesn¡¯t have it easy. If we can lend a hand, then we should.¡± Gradually, she calmed down again. Actually, Uncle Carp did have a bit of savings, and the neighborhood they lived in wasn¡¯t bad. But this building was somewhat old, with seven floors and no elevator, and it even had a small loft. What did that small loft look like? A complete triangle. The highest point was four and a half meters, and the lowest point was only one point two meters; in the entire loft, there wasn¡¯t much space where one could stand up straight. This apartment was originally provided as additional space to the sixth floor, but as it was not very practical, many people simply fixed it up and rented it out. The loft in their building was rented to Xiaofeng¡ª Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A single mother with an eight-year-old son. Xiaofeng didn¡¯t have a high level of education and was shy; she ran a breakfast stall in front of the school every morning, selling steamed buns. There are no secrets in a residential building. She had moved in less than a week ago, and everyone quickly got to know her basic situation. If it had been in the past, running a stall could have earned some money, but the problem was that school management had become increasingly stringent, and parents rarely dared to let their children eat such food. Moreover, with her looking after a child on her own, balancing school and family work, her life was genuinely not easy. Now that the vegetables had been given to her, the couple felt relieved for some reason. At least they hadn¡¯t gone to waste. Meanwhile, outside the door, Xiaofeng held the bundle of crisp green onions in her hand, but her heart was filled only with joy. Green onions are expensive now! A small bunch costs five yuan at the market, and she had just come back from the supermarket buying discounted vegetables. The fillings for her own buns were decent, but the child couldn¡¯t eat them every day. To improve their meals, she had to take advantage of the discounts at the supermarket at night. But now, with these crisp green onions in her possession, she opened the door and saw her son sitting in the living room doing his homework; her heart melted completely. ¡°Xuanxuan, what would you like for dinner tonight?¡± She ran a food business, and when the students got out of school, she was still at her stall; and after the students dispersed, she had to move to another residential area to continue selling. Her son would just casually eat a bun to last him until they could have dinner, which was always quite late. Xuanxuan turned around, and the first thing he saw was the fresh green onions, so he asked, ¡°Mom, can we have scallion oil rice tonight?¡± Xiaofeng paused, ¡°Eating that at night isn¡¯t nutritious.¡± However, Xuanxuan looked at her with his lips pursed in anticipation, ¡°I want to eat it, I haven¡¯t had it in a long time. And, mom, these green onions are so fresh. If we don¡¯t eat them tonight, they won¡¯t be this fresh tomorrow.¡± Xiaofeng was about to say that the green onions could be kept for later. But after thinking it over, she eventually smiled, ¡°Then I¡¯ll add an egg for you.¡± ¡°Two, one for each of us.¡± Chapter 202 - 202 202. Scallion oil flower rolls_1 ?Chapter 202: 202. Scallion oil flower rolls_1 Chapter 202: 202. Scallion oil flower rolls_1 The scallions given by the uncle downstairs were really good. The stems were tender, locally grown small red-tipped scallions; the heads were a purplish red, and the white roots still had some slight earth on them, looking not so clean. But they were so fresh that even Xiaofeng, when washing the vegetables, couldn¡¯t bear to handle them roughly. Yet, thinking of the scallion oil rice her son would eat, she felt a pang of sorrow: the child was too sensible, knowing their home¡¯s situation was tough, he never asked for any expensive food. But with their family¡¯s circumstances laid bare, Xiaofeng couldn¡¯t indulge her son with fine food and drink, she only did her utmost to make the food that little bit tastier. She brought out the clay pot from home, rinsed a box of rice, and mixed in some oil and salt. Then she put back the discounted vegetables she had just bought from the supermarket into the refrigerator, leaving out only those two bunches of scallions. Two pounds of scallions was indeed no small amount; she carefully took out three stalks and wrapped the rest up, placing them in the fridge¡¯s crisper drawer. Then, she cut off the white parts of the scallions, wrapped them as well, and saved them for stir-frying the next day. Next, she cut the vibrant green parts into finely chopped scallions¡ªthe aroma was too unique, too pungent, and she could feel it as she was chopping. Xiaofeng couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit downcast¡ª Because of their hard times, even the scallions she used every day for making stuffed buns were just the ordinary ones from the market. The ones Uncle Carp gave were clearly high quality produce; the difference in flavour was just too great. She quietly resolved to herself: as soon as things were a bit better off, she would splurge once a week and pick some quality-looking vegetables. At the very least, she would have to buy scallions like these! The ones she bought were probably too cheap. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Being accustomed to housework, her hands moved swiftly, and before long, she set the clay pot on the stove to start cooking the rice, then she deftly chopped some ginger, added salt, and mixed it with the chopped scallions. As the rice was nearly done, she heated oil in another pot on the stove and poured the hot oil into the small bowl of scallions. In an instant, a scent of scallions burst forth in the tiny kitchen, permeating the entire loft with an unprecedented fragrance! The aroma was so distinctive and so enticing; by comparison, the buns she made every day seemed like trash. Xiaofeng was stunned. Xuanxuan couldn¡¯t resist running into the kitchen either; at this moment he touched his stomach and said, ¡°Mama, it smells so good!¡± That brought her back to her senses. With a beaming smile, she responded and quickly poured the hot scallion oil back over the rice. Only after firmly covering the lid of the clay pot to let it simmer, did Xiaofeng take a deep breath: ¡°Xuanxuan, this is from Uncle Carp downstairs. If you see him tomorrow morning, help Mama say thank you, okay?¡± Xuanxuan nodded eagerly, but at that moment, his eyes shone brightly, his attention not really on the conversation. Instead, he asked again, ¡°Mama, when can we eat?¡± The rice was cooked, and now it was just a matter of infusing the scallion flavor. Xiaofeng estimated the time: ¡°You go tidy up the dining table, it¡¯ll be ready soon.¡± The one-liter capacity clay pot held a full bowl of rice. The verdant slightly browned scallions mingled with the sparkling white rice, and as soon as the lid was lifted, the sweet aroma of the rice and the unique scent of the scallions surged. Downstairs, the sound of windows being opened sharply could be heard. In a place unknown to Xiaofeng, Uncle Carp was sitting in the dining room with a bowl of rice and leftovers, but his nose was pointed towards the window next to him. It smelled so good. Such a rich scent of scallions. He was immediately reminded of the two pounds of delicate scallions he had given away, which had cost him over a hundred yuan! Now he thought if he knew he¡¯d get scolded when he got back, why would he have spent money on vegetables? Then looking at the leftovers in front of him, he suddenly felt both hungry and without appetite. The wife, still irritated a moment ago, curiously squeezed her way to the window, knowing full well that she wouldn¡¯t be able to see anything outside, yet she still glanced out subconsciously: ¡°Who¡¯s cooking at this hour, and why does it smell so delicious! In the middle of the night¡­.¡± She touched her stomach, not sure why, but she suddenly felt a bit hungry too. But then she looked at the simple meal Uncle Carp had reheated in the microwave on the table and immediately lost her appetite. Xiaofeng and Xuanxuan, however, were already each holding a spoon, ¡°ah woo¡± swallowing a mouthful of the fragrant scallion oil rice. ¡°(¡Ño¡Ñ) Wow!¡± Xuanxuan¡¯s eyes instantly widened, ¡°Mom, this is so delicious. Can we eat this again tomorrow?¡± Even in her disappointment, Xiaofeng could taste that this wasn¡¯t her cooking! It was about the scallions from the uncle downstairs. Not sure where he bought them, but if they were used in buns¡­ Forget it, forget it, these gourmet ingredients must be especially expensive, not suitable for someone who runs a street stall like her. Yeah, indeed it¡¯s delicious, let¡¯s have another bite! However, the more he ate, the more eagerly Xuanxuan wanted an answer, ¡°Mom, can we continue to eat this tomorrow? It¡¯s really too good.¡± Xuanxuan was usually sensible and rarely made requests with such urgency. It wasn¡¯t just about a simple dish of scallion oil rice, whatever the price Xiaofeng couldn¡¯t bear to refuse him. She thought for a moment, ¡°Mom has to set up the stall in the morning and won¡¯t have time to cook for you. How about this, I¡¯ll make some scallion oil steamed buns later, and we can steam them together tomorrow. You can take those to eat, is that okay?¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Their usual breakfast consisted of buns, and now with a chance to switch it up, why would Xuanxuan disagree? The mother and son bowed their heads and devoured their meal, emptying the large pot. The two with small stomachs somehow managed to scrape the rice from the pot completely clean. It wasn¡¯t until the very last grain of rice entered his mouth that Xuanxuan reluctantly put his spoon back into the clay pot. Xiaofeng hesitated once more but couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Son, are you full?¡± Xuanxuan touched his protruding little belly, ¡°Mom, I think I¡¯m full.¡± It¡¯s just that the belly is full but not the mouth. Coincidentally, Xiaofeng felt the same. However, late at night, eating a heavy meal wasn¡¯t easy to digest, so she had to suppress the urge to cook another bowl. Looking at the time again, ¡°Have you finished your homework? If you have, hurry up and get ready to rest.¡± The scent of scallions in the attic gradually dissipated, while downstairs, several households found themselves adding an extra meal tonight. 3:30 AM. Xiaofeng quietly got out of bed, freshened up a bit, and then started kneading the dough, chopping vegetables, and preparing fillings. The dough that had risen in advance was fluffy like a honeycomb, giving her the best feeling in her hands. Xiaofeng wasn¡¯t the best at making the filling for buns, but her dough was exceptional, soft and fluffy, always capturing the best texture. Many people didn¡¯t like the doughy part of the buns, but it was precisely for her buns¡¯ juice-soaked dough that they would buy from her. Because of her exceptional skill in dough making, Xiaofeng¡¯s reputation for selling steamed buns in the evening was much better than for selling stuffed buns. By five o¡¯clock, when she had finished making the buns and was looking at the large lump of dough left over, she turned her head to wash and chop the two pounds of scallions from yesterday. She mixed salt with the thirteen spices, combined it well with the chopped scallions, poured over hot oil, then spread it directly on the greased dough, rolled it up, cut it, and pressed it with chopsticks¡­ In the quiet attic kitchen, the range hood roared to life. The familiar smell of buns once again permeated the air, and in the end, it was replaced by the rich, pungent aroma of scallions¡­. Chapter 203 - 203 203.New career planning_1 ?Chapter 203: 203.New career planning_1 Chapter 203: 203.New career planning_1 Xiaofeng¡¯s life was very regular. She would wake up every day at three-thirty in the morning, finish wrapping all the buns by five-thirty, steam the buns by six o¡¯clock, and before six-thirty, she would sort them into insulated baskets wrapped in quilts, then head downstairs with her son. Downstairs, there was a simple tricycle, and each kind of bun filling was placed separately in a basket on the back of the bike, along with Xuanxuan, slowly heading towards the direction of the school¡­ Right opposite the school was a small hospital, and the people coming and going from the hospital were Xiaofeng¡¯s target customers. But today was a little different. As soon as she got downstairs, she saw the old lady on the first floor peering curiously into her basket and then hesitantly asked, ¡°Xiaofeng, I always smell a scent of green onions, did you make pork with green onion buns?¡± Xiaofeng was taken aback. She had always struggled to make this filling well; the response to it was lukewarm and she hadn¡¯t sold it for a long time. Now she began to feel uneasy: ¡°Sorry, Granny Li, I just steamed some flower rolls. Is the smell too strong, bothering everyone?¡± As a tenant, you always had to be extra careful about these things, and the people in the neighborhood were quite nice to her. Like Granny Li on the first floor, who would sometimes look after Xuanxuan and let him play inside when she hadn¡¯t come back. This was why Xiaofeng especially valued everyone¡¯s opinions. However, Granny Li waved her hand: ¡°Which household¡¯s cooking doesn¡¯t have a smell? Just don¡¯t eat that stinky luosifen every day. Last year, the lady upstairs would eat it every night; oh boy, at my age, how can I not be bothered by that odd smell?¡± She sauntered over slowly: ¡°Give me two of those flower rolls, the aroma of the green onions is so enticing, I couldn¡¯t resist it even last night.¡± Fine then, to have business before even leaving the courtyard didn¡¯t bother Xiaofeng, even if it meant a little delay. She quickly flipped the quilt back and, with gloves on, picked out two soft, fluffy, steaming flower rolls. The flower rolls were not large, about the size of a girl¡¯s fist. The soft dough had a slightly yellow tinge due to the melted green onion oil and chopped green onions, decorated with a sprinkle of thirteen-spice powder and the somewhat dark green chives that appeared darker due to the high temperature. The moment the quilt was opened, Granny Li¡¯s salivation was stimulated by the pungent aroma. She quickly changed her mind: ¡°Give me four¡ªno, make it eight!¡± Xiaofeng was surprised. But she didn¡¯t say much, just asking again: ¡°Granny Li, has Uncle Cao upstairs gotten up yet? These onions were given by Uncle Cao yesterday. I was thinking of sending some buns and flower rolls over, but it¡¯s too early in the morning, and I was afraid of disturbing their sleep.¡± ¡°Goodness, that Cao!¡± Granny Li was dissatisfied: ¡°Such a strong green onion flavor must be authentic homegrown produce. What kind of big man is he getting them from? I must ask him.¡± She was going on when suddenly the upstairs window was thrown open. Uncle Carp¡¯s wife was seen poking her head out from the living room window: ¡°Xiaofeng! I was wondering why the green onion smell was so fragrant last night. Turns out you made flower rolls today, give me eight!¡± With that, she hurried downstairs. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the aroma, I¡¯ve been thinking about it all night, almost salivating in my dream.¡± Xiaofeng quickly grabbed eight flower rolls and turned to pack some buns as well: ¡°Auntie, this is the produce given by Uncle Cao yesterday, how can I take your money? Here, take them and enjoy.¡± Uncle Carp¡¯s wife was just about to say something when her stomach gurgled impatiently. Blushing, she took a big bite of a flower roll¡ª It was only after this ferocious bite settled in her belly that she put away her hand, which had been about to take out money, then earnestly suggested, ¡°Xiaofeng, then I¡¯ll shamelessly take them.¡± If only I had known how fragrant these scallions were, I would never have just given them away casually. But what¡¯s done is done¡ª ¡°Listen to your auntie, don¡¯t sell those buns anymore, just sell these scallion pancakes from now on.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Grandma Li had planned to take the scallion pancakes home, but seeing Auntie Cao¡¯s wife start eating them on the spot, she couldn¡¯t help herself either. In a matter of moments, the fist-sized scallion pancakes vanished into her belly. Xiaofeng was worried she might choke, but then she saw the old lady suggest earnestly, ¡°You should sell right at the entrance of the residential area. Your buns aren¡¯t as good as the ones at the bridgehead, but I¡¯ve never tasted such delicious scallion pancakes in my life, I guarantee you¡¯ll make a fortune.¡± Their loud voices echoed in the courtyard, and before long, people going to work and visiting the market started to gather around. Xiaofeng was bustling about the neighborhood, sweating profusely, until Xuanxuan looked at him with such a pitiful expression, ¡°Mom, we are going to be late.¡± Only then did she snap to her senses, hurriedly mount her tricycle, and speed out of the neighborhood. There was no need to ask; she was also late setting up her stall. Fortunately, the hospital cafeteria provided meals early in the morning and late in the evening, so being a little late didn¡¯t matter much. Rather, the buns had almost sold out in the neighborhood, paired with the scallion pancakes. She dropped Xuanxuan off at the school gate, and then grabbed three scallion pancakes for him: ¡°Be good, it¡¯s not time for class yet. You can eat here, and then go to school after you¡¯re done.¡± The school was strict, not allowing kids to eat outside food. She looked around, then went over to buy a cup of soy milk. This was freshly made soy milk, two yuan and fifty cents a cup. Xiaofeng felt a pinch of pain when buying it. But thinking of the scallion pancakes that had received rave reviews that morning, her heart couldn¡¯t help but thump with excitement. If she continued to use such good scallions to make the pancakes, could she make more money? After all, the garnish of scallions on the pancakes was limited; no matter how expensive they were, the cost couldn¡¯t be that high, could it? While pondering, she opened the basket of scallion pancakes again, and the fragrant scent slowly wafted into the air, causing passersby to stop in their tracks. At seven fifty, Xuanxuan entered the school. At eight-thirty, all of Xiaofeng¡¯s buns and scallion pancakes were sold out. She packed up her basket, mounted her tricycle, and hurried back. By chance, she ran into Uncle Carp who was about to leave the house to meet his fishing buddies and try to catch some crucian carp, so she quickly asked: ¡°Uncle! Uncle Carp! Where did you buy those scallions?¡± Uncle Carp was taken aback: ¡°A remote village, where the families grow them on their own land.¡± sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then he seemed to remember something, ¡°Oh right, I heard they¡¯re going to sell vegetables at Riverside Market this morning, around nine o¡¯clock, I think.¡± ¡°The boss is a young lady.¡± After saying that, he too hurried off. But Xiaofeng¡¯s eyes lit up, she quickly packed up her things, rushed down the stairs, and dashed into a bus. She had decided¡ªstarting tomorrow, she would only make scallion pancakes! After changing buses twice, Xiaofeng managed to make it to Riverside Market at nine-thirty. She was a bit anxious, not knowing if the vegetable sellers would have packed up by then. However, as soon as she entered the market, she saw an old pickup truck follow behind her and park steadily in a corner spot. A particularly beautiful young girl got out of the truck, expertly opened the tailgate, and started moving out baskets of the familiar red-headed scallions. Suddenly, a crowd of aunties converged from all directions. The young lady¡¯s clear voice still echoed in Xiaofeng¡¯s ears¡ª ¡°Twenty yuan for three liang, don¡¯t get it wrong!¡± Xiaofeng¡¯s vision went dark. Chapter 204 - 204 204. Do you want silver ear fungus_1 ?Chapter 204: 204. Do you want silver ear fungus?_1 Chapter 204: 204. Do you want silver ear fungus?_1 Xiaofeng circled the pickup truck, unable to make up her mind. Meanwhile, Song Tan was unaware that someone was agonizing over her bunch of scallions. She had earned a good sum of money yesterday, and her plan to attract the regular fish buyers had received positive feedback (successful product endorsement), leaving her feeling quite pleased and proud. By the time the customers had gone through hesitation, struggle, and scrambling, with the stock nearly gone, the neighboring vegetable seller finally approached: Good grief! Twenty bucks for three ounces of scallions, that¡¯s over sixty per pound? The local mini red onions are even selling at the price of toon sprouts. And moreover¡­ ¡°You¡¯re going a bit too far, aren¡¯t you? Why haven¡¯t you cleaned up the scallions yet?¡± There was still a slight bit of dirt on the white roots, clearly just pulled from the ground, which surely added some weight! S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Tan¡¯s smile remained the same, ¡°Want a bunch? It¡¯s a little over three ounces.¡± Vegetable seller: ¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll take it!¡± He huffed and pulled out his phone to make the transfer. Turning his head, he saw the watercress and shepherd¡¯s purse, paused for a moment, and continued the transaction: ¡°Pick a bunch of shepherd¡¯s purse for me; I¡¯ll stir-fry it with tofu skin for lunch.¡± If you¡¯re buying already, might as well buy everything. The vegetable seller hesitated and hesitated, then proceeded to transfer another sixty bucks, picking both the garlic sprouts and watercress as well. A total of one hundred and twenty bucks for vegetables, just a light little bundle, the vegetable seller was particularly disdainful: ¡°It¡¯s not even enough for one dish.¡± It was for this reason that today¡¯s sales were a bit slower. Just then, a shy voice came through: ¡°Don¡¯t just fry them directly, it¡¯s too wasteful. You can make scallion oil noodles with small scallions, just a couple of strands each time, the scallion flavor is especially authentic.¡± ¡°The cilantro can be used as a dipping sauce for boiled beef.¡± The vegetable seller turned around, only to see a fair-skinned young woman standing by, gazing longingly at Song Tan¡¯s pickup truck, with a slightly embarrassed expression. Song Tan¡¯s eyes lit up: ¡°Nice! You¡¯re so good at this! Quick, tell me more about these thrifty tips, I¡¯ll post them in the group.¡± What¡¯s wrong with twenty bucks for three ounces? It isn¡¯t that much more expensive, and why shouldn¡¯t one buy just because it isn¡¯t a staple vegetable? Fairy Tantan was quite disappointed with this morning¡¯s progress. After pondering for over half an hour and seeing that the vegetables were almost sold out, Xiaofeng finally couldn¡¯t hold back and came over to speak. Seeing that the vegetable-selling girl was smiling so amiably, she felt somewhat reassured, and asked: ¡°Are these vegetables grown by your own family?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So how much have you planted? Do you sell at the market every day?¡± Song Tan shook her head, ¡°We don¡¯t have that many acres, sometimes we come to sell, other times we don¡¯t, it¡¯s not certain.¡± The fiery enthusiasm that had just sparked in Xiaofeng was instantly cooled down considerably. After much hesitation, she decided to switch her career focus to steamed stuffed buns¡ªjust use fewer scallions, sell for a bit more. These days, everyone is picky about what they eat; so long as the flavor is good, a little higher price shouldn¡¯t be a problem. It¡¯s this instability in selling vegetables; she couldn¡¯t have some buns taste good and others not, could she? That would ruin her reputation. Yet, she had witnessed the allure of the buns this morning, and now she couldn¡¯t bear to give them up. After much thought, she finally asked: ¡°Do you have a wholesale price?¡± Before Song Tan could reply, the neighboring vegetable seller intervened with a gloomy face: ¡°Big sister, just look at me, I¡¯m selling vegetables right beside her! If there were wholesale prices, why would I bother with my own little stall? I¡¯d have made it big time by now.¡± Xiaofeng looked towards Song Tan, only to see her nodding slightly at her. She felt dejected in an instant. Her heart knew it was time to go, but her feet just wouldn¡¯t lift off the ground no matter what. She thought of Xuanxuan. Xuanxuan was just in elementary school, and she already felt the financial strain. What would she do when he reached middle school, high school, or college? As she got older, the things she could do would decrease. Her skills in making steamed buns never really improved, and trying something else wouldn¡¯t allow her to look after her child¡¯s needs¡­ She had to try something at least! So Xiaofeng turned around and pointed to the remaining green onions in the basket: ¡°How much is left? I¡¯ll take it all.¡± ¡°By the way, will you be selling tomorrow? Can I place a preorder?¡± The vegetable vendor was somewhat surprised this time. Xiaofeng¡¯s attire was as plain as could be. Although young and fair-skinned, one could see the weariness in her. She was definitely not someone who would normally afford the veggies from Song Tan¡¯s family. He looked astonished: ¡°There are more than twenty bunches left in this basket, adding up to around six or seven pounds!¡± Xiaofeng didn¡¯t hide her intentions: ¡°I plan to take them back and make stuffed buns. With one or two onions, I can make five or six pieces; if I use fewer green onions, one or two would be enough for a steamer full.¡± ¡°When there are more onions, I wash and drain them, chop them up, put them in a zipper bag, seal it, and freeze them. The taste doesn¡¯t change much when you use them later, except you can¡¯t saut¨¦ them in oil.¡± Or she could directly make the stuffed buns and freeze them too, but their freezer at home was a bit small, so she didn¡¯t consider this option. Better to eat them fresh. She had a well-thought-out plan: ¡°Slowly accumulating this way, when there¡¯s none left, it¡¯ll be just right to use.¡± ¡°And if one day we completely run out, I¡¯ll just sell plain buns ¨C everyone says our buns are really good.¡± Xiaofeng was giving up on steamed buns with a clear conscience, knowing her limits: she truly had no talent for seasoning the filling. After selling for so long, the feedback was just mediocre. For someone who loved cooking, it was actually quite disheartening. Now, she was gathering her courage, with a plan already starting to take shape. It took some real effort from Xiaofeng to figure out how to save money yet eat fresh and tasty food. In that short turn, she had even planned to raise the price of her stuffed buns to three yuan each. The vegetable vendor was dumbstruck: ¡°Big sister, you¡¯re being too honest, aren¡¯t you? I wasn¡¯t asking about all that¡­¡± Xiaofeng smiled with pursed lips: ¡°Well, I can¡¯t hide it, can I? Everyone knows your vegetables taste great. But my dough rises well. They can¡¯t compete with that.¡± Perhaps it was the morning¡¯s enthusiastic support from her neighbors that restored her confidence, or maybe it was just that the stuffed buns tasted exceptionally appealing. At this moment, Xiaofeng spoke with full confidence, appearing particularly passionate about entrepreneurship. Song Tan was quite surprised as well. She had been selling vegetables at this market for some time; several restaurants had inquired about her produce, but they all backed off after learning she wasn¡¯t operating on a large scale and didn¡¯t offer wholesale prices. In fact, when it comes down to it, it was the Zhucheng client who had more guts, daring to order a thousand pounds of Milk Vetch. But in truth, Xiaofeng was the first local wholesaler. Thinking it over, Song Tan¡¯s gaze showed a hint of admiration, which made Xiaofeng feel a bit awkward as the young lady looked at her strangely. Then Song Tan smiled and said: ¡°Selling just stuffed buns, isn¡¯t that a bit too monotone? Do you sell desserts? How about silver ear mushroom soup?¡± Chapter 205 - 205 205. House design drawing_1 ?Chapter 205: 205. House design drawing_1 Chapter 205: 205. House design drawing_1 Xiaofeng wandered off dreamily. Several more people came one after another, buying bits and pieces of vegetables. Song Tan sat idly on the stool, half self-service selling veggies, and took the opportunity to check her balance again. Whoa! She had earned over five thousand from selling vegetables this morning! But when you think about it, it made sense. The total volume of vegetables was about the same as when she normally sold wild greens, but it was all sold in small handfuls! So it seemed that despite what people said, their purchasing power was actually quite impressive. Glancing at the few dozen bunches of garlic shoots, coriander, and Jingjie left, she wasn¡¯t worried at all. The group of anglers from yesterday had all agreed to come back this morning before they left, realizing: For one pond and ten people, if it was just a few of them, there was really no need to get up at the crack of dawn to fight for a spot! Coming early and leaving late was fine, and it saved some family strife. They just couldn¡¯t believe it! With such a big pond, they wouldn¡¯t be able to catch a big fish?! You might say they were persistent about the fish, and it did seem like it¡ªif only they didn¡¯t agree to arrive before breakfast to make it more convincing. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Song Tan pondered, considering the way they devoured their food yesterday, the three who didn¡¯t pay should at least bring a bottle of honey today, right? To ensure a steady stream of business, she hadn¡¯t even pulled out the goods to promote them yesterday! Anglers, truly the most adorable creatures in the world! Looking at her savings: the seventy thousand left from last time plus yesterday¡¯s income of forty thousand, she was still far from reaching the amount needed to build a house. But the money for the house didn¡¯t have to be available all at once. With what she had, starting to build was more than manageable. It¡¯s just that the design plans were still nowhere near ready¡­ As she was mulling over this, she saw the vegetable vendor had dragged a stool over to sit beside her, grumbling: ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± Song Tan was displeased and pushed the stool to the side, ¡°Like you¡¯re any fun, what are you on about?¡± She was frustrated, but the vendor seemed even more aggrieved: ¡°From the day you started selling vegetables, we¡¯ve known each other, right? We¡¯ve had such a long acquaintance, the best in this whole market! But you have good stuff and you tell the new customers first, ignoring me, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Tremella? Twenty yuan for ten grams, can¡¯t I afford it?¡± Song Tan glanced at him, ¡°Look at you, so petty.¡± ¡°They look like hardworking and striving folks, life seems tough; what¡¯s wrong if I ask a bit more about it? You¡¯ve been happily setting up here for decades, what¡¯s the big deal with a little more or less?¡± ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not selling the Tremella yet, I just casually asked. At worst, I¡¯ll just save you a kilo when it¡¯s time.¡± Despite being more than twice her age, the vendor surprisingly got along well with her, and now their chats were quite no-nonsense. Sure enough, the vendor¡¯s eyes lit up! ¡°Twenty yuan for ten grams¡­ that¡¯s a thousand yuan for a kilo, huh? You¡¯re leaving that kilo for me, are you asking for money or not?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ ¡°Brothers should settle accounts clearly, tell me if you want money or not.¡± The vendor hummed and hawed, ¡°We¡¯re practically family, and you still care about the money?¡± Song Tan humphed, ¡°We¡¯re family, so what if you give me a thousand for nothing? What do I need Tremella for?¡± The vendor was indeed put in his place. He was about to say something more, but then a few more people came to buy vegetables, and Song Tan, having collected the money, was all the more cheerful. The vendor watched and couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡°You always sell things for the same price, how comes I¡¯ve never seen you this happy before?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, short on cash?¡± Song Tan nodded, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m planning to rebuild our old house. Once the design plans are ready, we¡¯ll start construction.¡± ¡°Design plans?¡± The vegetable vendor burst into laughter, ¡°Are you looking for a designer on the internet?¡± Right. Sure, they had local ones, but that involved back-and-forth at the home decoration companies, and Song Tan couldn¡¯t be bothered with the hassle. He decided to put up a blueprint online and find a reliable construction team to follow it. The vendor laughed heartily, ¡°No wonder you young folks are unreliable! You get your blueprints online, and what do they show? Those so-called rural mansions¡ªI¡¯m asking you, as pretty as those floor-to-ceiling windows are, can you handle them in our winter?¡± ¡°Glass stops the wind but not the cold. It¡¯s hot in the summer and cold in winter. Living in the countryside is supposed to be about enjoying the freshness and ease, but if you make it like the city, you lose all the advantages.¡± ¡°We need to burn stoves in the winter here, right? You need to build a special room for hosting guests around the stove.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re talking about how bathing in the village isn¡¯t as comfortable as in the city, why not place the bathroom right next to the furnace room? With the heat from there, you won¡¯t feel cold while bathing.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I hear you mention having a cook in the family? With everyone you¡¯re bringing along, that¡¯s no small number of people. Two bathrooms for men and women, each with two cubicles¡ªyou¡¯ll need to arrange that properly, right?¡± ¡°Look at those villas in the city with their gardens, emphasizing ponds and screen walls¡ªdo we really need that in the countryside? I don¡¯t believe you won¡¯t be drying rice and corn on your land.¡± Song Tan really hadn¡¯t thought that through. You couldn¡¯t blame her, after all, she hadn¡¯t lived there in over a hundred years. As for drying grain, she did have something to say, ¡°There¡¯s a large open area in front of my courtyard. I¡¯m planning to concrete it and tidy it up¡ªnot in my own yard¡­¡± But indeed, a screen wall was unnecessary. She was only building a country courtyard, not a Chinese garden. The vendor puffed up with pride, ¡°There you go, look at the house layouts they sell now, isn¡¯t the kitchen here or there? Go back to the village and see, isn¡¯t every household¡¯s kitchen on the eastern or southeastern side?¡± ¡°The locals care about Feng Shui. You¡¯d be better off spending the time you use to find a designer by chatting with the elderly in the family.¡± ¡°A few days of chatting, and you¡¯ll have a rough outline. Then you can hire someone professional to make the blueprints and do the calculations.¡± Hey! Now, Song Tan really started to see the vendor in a new light, ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought, how come you know so much?¡± The vendor puffed out his chest with ill-concealed pride, ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Do you know what my daughter does? She¡¯s a designer.¡± No wonder then. Song Tan smiled too, ¡°Which company does she work for? I might go and help her with her sales performance.¡± The vendor: ¡­ He huffed, ¡°She doesn¡¯t work there.¡± ¡°That lousy company, always dealing with bizarre clients. She lost more than twenty pounds in two years, just looking at her made me angry, so I had her come back.¡± ¡°Hey, big brother.¡± Song Tan moved her stool closer to him, ¡°Look at how well we get along, just like siblings. Does my niece have some free time recently? If she does, have her come home with me for a couple of days, and maybe she can draft up a plan.¡± In the village, you could build a house without a blueprint, but usually, the construction teams were all related in some way. If you didn¡¯t explain things clearly, they¡¯d dare to go by their own taste. In the past while, Song Tan had browsed plenty of cases online. If you¡¯re spending good money to rebuild a house, it shouldn¡¯t end up a source of regret. Having a blueprint was definitely more reassuring. As for whether those builders could read blueprints¡­ as long as one person in the team could, that would do! The vendor dragged his stool away from her, glaring, ¡°What niece? You¡¯re younger than my daughter, don¡¯t spout nonsense.¡± After a while, he moved back, ¡°So¡­ how much are you planning to pay?¡± Chapter 206 - 206 206. How many pigs_1 ?Chapter 206: 206. How many pigs?_1 Chapter 206: 206. How many pigs?_1 Regarding the vegetable vendor¡¯s question, Song Tan snorted: ¡°Talking about money with our own people, huh.¡± The vendor felt somewhat shamed and annoyed, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not going to let this go, are you? My girl spent so much money on school, learned plenty of good skills, and she even has work experience. Why can¡¯t she ask for money?¡± He puffed out his chest with pride, ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, she won awards for her designs back in school!¡± After speaking, he became dejected again, ¡°But it didn¡¯t do much good. She passed the written exam at a design institute after graduation, but not the interview. She came back planning to work and continue taking exams, so she joined a big company in Ning City¡ªthose guys just know how to bully the newcomers. My girl has been so stressed out at work for two years!¡± Having said his piece, he glanced at Song Tan sideways, ¡°If we weren¡¯t in this sort of relationship, I wouldn¡¯t even mention this issue with my daughter to you!¡± Got it. Song Tan expressed her gratitude for his trust, ¡°Our girl really is unlucky¡ªwhat did you say just now? Lost over twenty pounds? My goodness, it¡¯s not healthy for a young girl to be too thin!¡± ¡°How about this, let¡¯s not talk about money for now. Have her come back with me to check out the environment. If she likes it, we can sign a contract for the design later!¡± She smiled especially sweetly, ¡°Brother, I see you setting up your stall, all leisurely and such, your family must be well off, right? The cost for the design is nothing, the main thing is to get our girl¡¯s health back, isn¡¯t it?¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°As for the price, well, you don¡¯t understand the market. I¡¯ll discuss it with our girl slowly.¡± The vegetable vendor looked at her, feeling like he had been taken advantage of, his expression full of doubt. Thinking of his daughter, however, he did pity her, and so he watched her skeptically while taking out his phone: ¡°Daughter, come to the riverside vegetable market¡­ Hey, if I call you, you come. Why so much talk? Hurry up!¡± After hanging up, he looked at Song Tan again, whispering a promise this time: ¡°If you help my daughter get her health back, and if she recovers well, I¡¯ll introduce you to a good prospect afterward.¡± Deal! Song Tan also took out her phone, ¡°Find someone sturdy, more manly.¡± The vendor chuckled slyly, ¡°Why, don¡¯t you young girls all like those pretty boys? My daughter is always screaming about her pop idols, and here you are wanting someone more robust?¡± Yep. Song Tan nodded, ¡°Are you available in early June? Otherwise, how about introducing him to me then?¡± The vegetable vendor was taken aback; he had been joking, for the girl was so capable¡ªwhy would she be looking for a relationship all of a sudden? But seeing that Song Tan had even planned the time, he couldn¡¯t help but be astounded: ¡°Why June? How many are you meeting in a month? What, are you scheduling them in shifts?¡± Song Tan smiled shyly, ¡°No, isn¡¯t it just the one you mentioned? Look, I haven¡¯t even registered yet¡ªintroduce him to me in early June, we spend half a month getting to know each other, and then it¡¯s time to harvest the rice at home.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s strong, he should show it, right? How will I know if he¡¯s really strong? Just hope he¡¯s not one of those who bulk up on protein powder and steroids¡ªwould be all for show!¡± Vegetable vendor: ¡­ A moment later, he cursed loudly: ¡°Pah! I knew it. You young girls these days, all with your fancy ideas, not one of you wants a serious relationship!¡± ¡°My girl is already twenty-six this year. If we don¡¯t choose someone soon, all that¡¯ll be left on the market are the rejects!¡± Song Tan smiled innocently. She knew it, just mention having the prospective date help with farm work, and whether it¡¯s the village aunties or the enthusiastic relatives and friends, they¡¯d all back off immediately. Of course, she didn¡¯t really mind if they didn¡¯t back off. After all, if they dared to set her up, she¡¯d genuinely take their candidate down to the fields. Who needs a relationship, anyway? Could an ordinary guy match up to her, a fairy who knew how to make money? ¨q(¨s^¨t)¨r As the wait went on, the shepherd¡¯s purse and garlic shoots were almost all picked out; both could be used for stir-frying, apparently, as popular as the green onions. Only the cilantro, the world¡¯s greatest cilantro, was left, pitifully remaining in the basket with more than thirty bunches. Song Tan decided that if her vegetable seller neighbor¡¯s daughter came and they still couldn¡¯t be sold, she would just take them back and ship them off! As she was mulling this over, she saw an electric scooter stylishly stop next to the pickup truck. Then a young girl with wheat-colored skin, about 165 centimeters tall and with a well-proportioned figure, got off. She wore a loose jumpsuit with Doc Martens and had her long curly hair casually tied up, even her walking posture seemed to carry a breeze. Wowzers! Song Tan watched with undisguised interest. After all, she hadn¡¯t often seen such a stylish girl in her two lifetimes. But the girl¡¯s facial features¡­ She glanced at her and then turned her head to look at the beaming vegetable seller beside her. Now bewildered, she asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say your daughter lost more than twenty pounds?¡± The girl looked perfectly well-proportioned and healthy; where had she lost weight? ¡°Yes,¡± he answered. But the vegetable seller viewed her through the filter of a concerned father, his eyes settling on the loose jumpsuit: ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice how baggy that outfit is?¡± Song Tan shut her mouth. She didn¡¯t think it was baggy; she just thought the loose clothes looked nice. ¡°What¡¯s up, Dad?¡± The girl twirled the electric scooter key in her hand and then squatted down in front of her father¡¯s stall. The vegetable seller chuckled merrily: ¡°Come here, my girl, let me introduce you. This is the boss of the stall next to ours; her family is planning to build a big courtyard and is looking for a designer to come up with a plan. I thought of you immediately and called you over.¡± The girl was rather surprised: ¡°You¡¯re introducing me? Didn¡¯t you not want me to get into this line of work?¡± She took another glance at Song Tan, her eyes instantly softening: ¡°Hi, Miss.¡± Clearly, she was even more formidable than the social butterfly Tantan. The vegetable seller was not happy with that comment: ¡°You¡¯re my daughter; have you ever not succeeded in whatever you¡¯ve wanted to do since you were little? Haven¡¯t I always supported you?¡± ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for you being bullied at work every day and losing so much weight, why would I have asked you to come back?¡± The girl sighed helplessly: ¡°How many times have I told you, I wasn¡¯t bullied? Why don¡¯t you ever believe me?¡± She turned her head, deciding to give up on convincing her intractable dad, and smiled at Song Tan: ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Zhao Fangyuan, ¡®Fang¡¯ as in fragrance, ¡®Yuan¡¯ as in Yuanming Garden. You can just call me Yanyan.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to my dad¡¯s nonsense; I¡¯ve worked on quite a few orders in Ning City, including villas, high-rises, and duplex apartments. If you really want to hire me to draw up plans, you can take a look first. There¡¯s a designers¡¯ register online where you can also see my name¡ªthough I have to say if you do want me to draw up plans, it won¡¯t be cheap.¡± She spoke with full confidence and a domineering air. Song Tan looked at the silent vegetable seller who couldn¡¯t find the words and thought for a moment. Still curious, she asked: ¡°Your dad mentioned you¡¯ve been bullied, lost over twenty pounds, and your mood too¡­¡± Chapter 207 - 207 207. Lost twenty pounds_1 ?Chapter 207: 207. Lost twenty pounds_1 Chapter 207: 207. Lost twenty pounds_1 A resigned Zhao Fangyuan was full of vigor. ¡°I used to be fat!¡± ¡°Trying to stay young in school, I could still compete. But after starting work, my physical fitness wasn¡¯t what it used to be, and I always felt tired on site. Later, I took up boxing.¡± ¡°And by controlling my diet a bit, haven¡¯t I slimmed down? Is my figure not proportionate now?¡± It was certainly very proportionate. Song Tan seemed to understand something. Zhao Fangyuan took another look at her own dad: ¡°My dad came to see me, and just happened to catch me punching a sandbag in the living room. He thought I was being bullied at work, that I¡¯d become suppressed and twisted, and that I had psychological problems. So, he hurriedly called me back home.¡± Saying all this with genuine resignation: ¡°Now I take my orders online.¡± The vegetable vendor was not convinced: ¡°Girl, don¡¯t try to be too tough, no one is laughing at you. You used to be so gentle, even crying over the slaughter of a chicken!¡± ¡°Now, with boxing gloves on, you go ¡®bang bang bang¡¯, and the fierceness on your face, I¡¯m just afraid you might stray down the wrong path¡­¡± Zhao Fangyan felt too exhausted to retort: ¡°I cried when killing a chicken because I was five years old at the time, and when you chopped off the chicken¡¯s head, it flew onto my face!¡± The vendor was instantly silent. Only Song Tan looked around and then curiously asked: ¡°Why decapitate the chicken when killing it? You could just cut the neck and let the blood drain out!¡± Now, not only the vendor, but even Zhao Fangyuan widened her eyes in surprise: ¡°Is it not done by beheading?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ Alright, considering the girl didn¡¯t look depressed at all, and she seemed quite content, it was time to change the topic: ¡°Then I¡¯ll take a look at your past cases for now. If you¡¯re not busy, how about coming back with me to check out the environment?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The girl pointed to her little scooter: ¡°I¡¯ll stay a couple of days to check out the environment. Wait for me for a while, I¡¯ll go back and pack some personal belongings first.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± The vendor beside her was not happy: ¡°Who is this person? You just met and you¡¯re ready to go back to her hometown with her, that¡¯s dangerous!¡± Zhao Fangyuan looked at him helplessly: ¡°Just the other day when you were drunk, you said you had a sworn brother at the Riverside Market, is it this miss?¡± ¡°If it is, she makes several thousand yuan with just one sale of vegetables. What does she have to gain by taking me back with her?¡± This girl¡¯s character was really right up Song Tan¡¯s alley! She also laughed heartily: ¡°No rush, no rush, take your time packing, I still have some vegetables left to sell.¡± ¡°What vegetables? If it¡¯s okay, give them all to my dad, the taste of your family¡¯s vegetables is truly unforgettable.¡± But the vendor was shaking his head crazily on the side: ¡°No way, no way, your mom doesn¡¯t eat cilantro, and if I buy so much, she¡¯ll have words for me.¡± Cilantro? Zhao Fangyuan leaned over to take a look at the basket: ¡°That¡¯s easy, no problem.¡± She took out her phone: ¡°Hey, Pengzi¡­ Didn¡¯t you say your dad¡¯s appetite was poor¡­ if he doesn¡¯t eat cilantro beef meatballs¡­ I knew your dad loved it, hurry over to Riverside Market, this cilantro is top-notch! You¡¯ll regret eating one less¡­¡± ¡°Twenty yuan for fifty grams too expensive? Not at all!¡± ¡°¡­ Can anything I¡¯ve endorsed be bad? Hurry up, come and grab it and we¡¯re done!¡± After hanging up, she smiled at the dumbfounded vendor and Song Tan: ¡°My friend will come by to buy the cilantro later, you can sell it to him. I¡¯ll go home and pack my things first.¡± ¡°By the way, if you head back early, how about treating me to lunch?¡± Only the vendor was left, spilling tears among the rising warmth of the spring sun: ¡°I¡¯ve been selling vegetables for decades, why doesn¡¯t she find me any customers?¡± Song Tan took a good look at the vegetables on his stall and sincerely said: ¡°Maybe your vegetables just look too ordinary.¡± Zhao Fangyuan was indeed quick to take action. As soon as the coriander had been taken away by a customer on a bicycle, she arrived again, carrying a backpack and riding an electric scooter. It was a simple backpack, plump and round from being stuffed, yet she carried it with ease as if it had no weight at all. Under the persistent advice of the vegetable vendor, the two equally proficient individuals exchanged a glance and then quickly got into the car. As the car drove along the road, Zhao Fangyuan couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Your family¡¯s food tastes so good, you must eat very well at every meal, right?¡± ?? Song Tan was taken aback. The dishes were passable these days, but she still wasn¡¯t quite used to the staple foods, so her appetite was only barely normal. Of course, in the current atmosphere of three bowls of rice per person, this ¡®normal¡¯ seemed rather pitiful. Then she heard Zhao Fangyuan sigh sadly beside her: ¡°I have a physique that gains weight easily! If your family¡¯s food is too delicious, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t want to leave and end up gaining back more than twenty pounds.¡± From the sound of it, she wasn¡¯t planning to stay just a couple of days; she wanted to stay longer, right? Song Tan was somewhat surprised, ¡°You¡¯re planning to take this job? But we haven¡¯t discussed the price yet, have we?¡± Zhao Fangyuan then broke into a smile, ¡°Of course I am! I knew we¡¯d hit it off the moment I saw you. Just remember not to haggle over the price later.¡± Song Tan was greatly shocked. How could the neighboring vegetable vendor, who she could usually talk circles around without a single word of rebuttal, have such an impressive daughter? So, she also asked, ¡°If you come over any time during the project and take care of all three meals a day, could you give a discount on the design fee?¡± The two looked at each other, then both turned their heads back. After a long while, Zhao Fangyuan finally said softly, ¡°Let me go and take a look at the site first.¡± The car made its way back to Yunqiao Village, and by this time it was noon, with smoke rising from the chimneys of every household. Zhao Fangyuan was jostled about but still managed to stand strong, admiring the surrounding countryside, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°What beautiful rural life.¡± Song Tan gave her a look, thinking that if she tried harvesting rice for two days, she wouldn¡¯t say that again. But at this moment, the whole family was excited by the arrival of the designer. Even Seventh Uncle couldn¡¯t help but listen in eagerly, then offered a few valuable suggestions about the kitchen. After all, this was a real designer! Which household in the village could afford to hire someone like that? It was both rare and prestigious! Zhao Fangyuan also chatted with everyone enthusiastically. Seeing this harmonious scene, who would guess that the two hadn¡¯t even agreed on the price yet! There was some time left before lunch, and once she got into her working mode, her efficiency was quite remarkable. She then pointed towards a hill, ¡°If we¡¯re doing a unified reconstruction, I¡¯ll go check out the terrain and environment at the back.¡± Saying this, she took out her notebook and pen, and then merrily made her way up the hill. Such efficiency! As Song Tan perused Zhao Fangyuan¡¯s previous designs, she grew increasingly satisfied. Only when it was time for dinner did Zhao Fangyuan lazily come down from the mountain. Seeing Song Tan still busy in the yard, she couldn¡¯t resist praising, ¡°Is the soil here particularly good? I saw those six little pigs on the back hill, so plump and round ¨C they¡¯ll must be delicious for the New Year!¡± sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Honestly, this wasn¡¯t the first time she had heard such a comment, but Song Tan looked forward with the same anticipation. Meat, delicious meat¡ª Wait a minute! She suddenly realized something: ¡°How many pigs did you say again?¡± Chapter 208 - 208 208. Piggy number six_1 ?Chapter 208: 208. Piggy number six_1 Chapter 208: 208. Piggy number six_1 Song Tan asked, and everyone else came to realize¡ª ¡°Right, how many pigs did you say there were?¡± Among them, Song Sancheng was almost off his stool. Now he couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to look toward the rear mountain, which was completely out of sight. Zhao Fangyuan was stunned for a moment: ¡°Six, I didn¡¯t count wrong, three black and three white!¡± ¡°How is that possible!¡± Song Sancheng felt his memory was being insulted: ¡°It was clearly two black and three white!¡± Those piglets were quite expensive at the time of purchase, Wu Lan even murmured about it several nights in her sleep. Plus, at the beginning, he carried the pig feed bucket over to feed them every day, and he knew very well which one grew the strongest and which one was a bit more weak, but over the past half-month¡­ He couldn¡¯t sit still any longer, and now he stood up: ¡°I¡¯m going to go check the rear mountain.¡± Because he finally realized that Qiaoqiao had been in charge of the rear mountain for the past half-month. Thinking of this, Song Sancheng was a bit puzzled: ¡°In this past half-month, none of you went up to check on the mountain? You really just let Qiaoqiao handle it?¡± As people say, ¡°A fortune in millions, livestock not counted.¡± It shows the meticulousness and caution of the breeding industry. But while the entire family was busy hustling, nobody noticed that Qiaoqiao had actually been taking care of the rear mountain for half a month without a single problem. ¡ªUnless adding an extra pig isn¡¯t considered a problem. He thought about it; he had been to the rear mountain, but certainly didn¡¯t focus on the pigs or chickens ¨C at best, he would just take a turn around the beehive area. At this moment, the usually silent Grandpa Song Youde was also deep in thought: ¡°I remember I always thought about walking over there in the morning and evening, and Qiaoqiao always said it was fine, it was fine¡­ He¡¯s distracted me every time. Now that I think about it, Qiaoqiao has indeed been feeding them quite a lot recently.¡± The same pig feed, needing to be given five times a day, doesn¡¯t that mean there¡¯s an extra pig? Now, no one could sit still anymore. They hurriedly rushed to the rear mountain. Meanwhile, in the little classroom, Qiaoqiao shifted nervously and said softly, ¡°Teacher Xin, I hear them talking about pigs, and I take care of the pigs. Can I go check on them?¡± ¡°No.¡± Teacher Xin usually seemed to have a good temper, but once in the classroom, she maintained a strong presence. At this moment, her expression was stern: ¡°You need to concentrate during class.¡± Qiaoqiao was still a little scared of the legendary teacher. He nodded obediently and then continued to stare at his textbook. Seeing his compliance, Teacher Xin¡¯s heart softened a bit. She glanced at the time and added, ¡°There are only ten minutes left until class is over.¡± Qiaoqiao¡¯s eyes lit up! At this moment, the others had arrived at the rear mountain, including Zhao Fangyuan, who was eagerly joining in the excitement. They bypassed the beehive, the bushes, and finally came to the back of the mountain where the free-range pig pen and chicken coop were enclosed by fencing. The two pens were very close together, and the chicks, having shed their yellow down, were gradually growing motley feathers, looking much less cute than when they were little. But knowing that in a few months they would start laying eggs, no one would mind. Right now, the not-so-little chicks were strolling around everywhere, with their sharp claws scratching the ground, pecking and eating, consuming stones and bugs, not even sparing the ants, in search of anything edible. In the pig pen, a few piglets, hearing people coming, immediately crowded around, grunting noisily and robustly, even discontentedly leaning on the fence above their food troughs. This¡­ No one could find words to say. Zhao Fangyuan was right, there were indeed six pigs, three white and three black. The black one was a bit rough and fluffy, much smaller and thinner. Yet it was full of spirit, grunting along with the other pigs as if it was already accustomed to being raised by people. But¡­ ¡°That¡¯s a wild pig!¡± Song Sancheng¡¯s eyes widened: ¡°Where did this wild piglet come from?¡± How would Song Tan know! In her memory, she had never seen a wild boar in the village before. Song Youde looked left and right, ¡°Could it be that the enclosure on the mountain is broken and a wild boar squeezed in?¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± Song Tan immediately denied, ¡°The King watches over this place every day. He¡¯s been doing a good job. How is it possible that the net broke and he didn¡¯t notice?¡± However, Song Youde, holding his tobacco pipe, pointed at the little black pig: ¡°Then how do you explain its arrival?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ She wasn¡¯t responsible for raising pigs, so why should she be asked! This matter¡­ this matter should be left to Qiaoqiao. Oh dear, this child! The arrival of a wild boar wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing; Song Tan felt quite delighted, in fact. However, even though Song Tan expressed trust in the King, both Song Youde and Song Sancheng quickly went around the enclosure on the mountain to check, and indeed, they found no signs of damage or looseness. This was truly baffling, could the little wild pig have fallen from the sky? Moreover, the mountain behind wasn¡¯t very large. Although wild boars hadn¡¯t come in previous years, with a little piglet here, what if one day the wild boars charged over and rooted through? Oh dear, although it was now permitted to kill wild boars, they had no weapons at hand, what could they possibly use to kill with? Song Sancheng and Song Youde exchanged glances, and the father and son both grew somewhat worried. Meanwhile, Qiaoqiao also arrived, panting heavily. ¡°Sister, don¡¯t chase my pig away.¡± Tears of injury were about to fall from his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s small and doesn¡¯t eat much, just two more meals a day would be enough.¡± Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but feel sympathetic, ¡°Dear boy, do you know where pigs you raise will end up?¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If it was true love, it¡¯d be better to chase them away now. But that was impossible. She wasn¡¯t a fairy, just an ordinary person. Who would refuse free pork? Although the piglet was a wild boar and grew slowly, by the end of the year, it should still weigh over a hundred pounds, right? Goodness, that sounded like someone with inside knowledge. It was always said that although Qiaoqiao couldn¡¯t recognize all the characters, he had never made a mistake when counting. Song Sancheng hurriedly asked, ¡°Where did this pig come from?¡± Qiaoqiao clammed up and refused to speak. Seeing this, Song Tan realized it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know, but that he didn¡¯t want to tell! She had no choice but to promise, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will continue to raise this pig as usual and even feed it a little extra. First, tell us where it came from?¡± To his sister, Qiaoqiao had always trusted unconditionally. After all, Mom had once coaxed him with promises of pocket money, which she eventually forgot. But when his sister promised him a salary, showed him the account book every day, he had never missed out! Though he hadn¡¯t received any money until now¡­ Anyway, this time Qiaoqiao answered especially swiftly: ¡°The King brought it.¡± ¡°How did it get here?¡± Qiaoqiao pointed to the enclosure over a meter high, ¡°I was playing here with Big White, and the King went into the mountains. When it came back, it had a piglet in its mouth and then¡ª¡¯swoosh¡¯¡ªit jumped over.¡± He described it with gestures. Talking about this, Qiaoqiao still felt a little wronged, ¡°I thought it was the King¡¯s baby.¡± Chapter 209 - 209 209.Yuanming Gardens yuan_1 ?Chapter 209: 209.Yuanming Garden¡¯s yuan_1 Chapter 209: 209.Yuanming Garden¡¯s yuan_1 How heavy must the king¡¯s taste be, to give birth to a baby pig? The instigator was found out. Song Tan didn¡¯t need to turn around; he just called out loudly, ¡°King!¡± A moment later, there was a rustling in the bushes, and then a gust of wind rushed past, and Zhao Fangyuan, curious, turned her head to look¡ª ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She sat down on the ground with a thump. Because, standing before her just now, was a huge dog¡¯s head, looking especially fierce! But the shock lasted only a moment. Seeing the king just walking past her, Zhao Fangyuan quickly got up from the ground, and eagerly watched the king: ¡°I really want to give him a pet¡­¡± What a thing to say! Song Tan was a bit smug. Who wouldn¡¯t want to pet the king upon seeing him? However¡­ ¡°Didn¡¯t you just see a dog?¡± Zhao Fangyuan was also puzzled: ¡°I didn¡¯t see a dog, I didn¡¯t even see a goose.¡± Pointing again, indeed it was Big White! Seeing so many people, it excitedly started flapping its wings, ¡°Gagaga¡ª¡± It stretched out its neck and charged over, but judging by its stance, it didn¡¯t look like it wanted a hug; it seemed more like it came to pick a fight! The strength of a goose, one person cannot easily bring down! Everyone stepped back quickly, all shrinking behind Qiaoqiao. Song Tan: ¡­ For some reason, she felt the King was being discriminated against. But at this moment, Qiaoqiao, already experienced, had again hooked arms with Big White (although Big White¡¯s short wings could neither hook a shoulder nor drape across a back), but the sentiment was there. ¡°Big White, sister said we can raise little pigs in the future! I don¡¯t have to sneak around anymore!¡± This kid! Everyone remembered how he recently used the excuse that pigs eat a lot, feeding them several times a day, and couldn¡¯t help but feel a mix of amusement and pity. ¡°Hey.¡± Zhao Fangyuan came over and whispered: ¡°Your brother is so invested in this herd of pigs, I hope he doesn¡¯t cry over the pork at New Year¡¯s pig slaughter!¡± Song Tan: ¡­ It wasn¡¯t impossible. Looking at Qiaoqiao¡¯s hopeful and innocent face, it was really hard to spit out the truth: ¡°Qiaoqiao, you do know what we raise pigs for, right?¡± ¡°I know.¡± Qiaoqiao proudly puffed out his chest: ¡°It¡¯s just like the vegetables in the garden; when they grow up, we eat meat.¡± Song Tan: ??? She probed further: ¡°Can you bear to watch when it¡¯s time to slaughter the pigs?¡± Qiaoqiao immediately shrunk back, then looked at her with teary eyes: ¡°I¡¯m a little bit scared,¡± using his pinky to indicate a tiny distance, ¡°Can I not watch?¡± While here was a true picture of sibling affection, Song Sancheng and Song Youde at the other end were already dying to go into the pigpen and carefully inspect the little wild boar. But there was no need to go in; they could see clearly through the fence. Although the little wild boar was small, it looked very robust. Now that they had a white pig, and a wild one at that, the taste of the meat in their hands was unknown! In this moment, the father and son¡¯s thoughts were in sync, both wearing satisfied smiles. They gathered around the wild boar, looking at it from all angles until Seventh Uncle¡¯s booming voice echoed through the woods¡ª ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready¡ª¡± In that instant, the chickens and piglets all became excited, converging toward the people. And the group, without hesitation, dropped the topic of the wild boar, turned around, and hurried down the mountain. Nothing is more important than having a meal. Fortunately, Song Tan¡¯s conscience was still intact, and at this moment, she held onto Da Wang¡¯s head, rubbing it over and over: ¡°Baobao, you¡¯re amazing! I¡¯ve decided you and Big White will be stationed here from now on. This afternoon, I¡¯ll have Qiaoqiao feed you honey!¡± Da Wang cuddled obediently against her neck and then let out a soft ¡°woof.¡± As for Big White, this little goose in a yellow cap, didn¡¯t give her the time of day. Seeing Qiaoqiao¡¯s figure receding, the goose turned around without a shred of mercy, its pointed and perky butt swinging side to side as it slowly made its way into the bushes. Look at you, so pleased with yourself! Song Tan hooked her pinky finger, and wisps of Spiritual Energy instantly swirled around it. Da Wang and Big White turned their heads again. Then, the aloof goose ¡°honked¡± and with its wings tilted back, charged over like a cannonball! But it was finished. That bit of Spiritual Energy had already been fed to Da Wang. At this moment, as the person and goose looked at each other, thunder seemed to brew in the goose¡¯s beady eyes¡ª ¡°Honk!!!¡± Descending the mountain, the group saw that Seventh Uncle, Teacher Xin, and Wu Lan had already served the food on the table. Zhao Fangyuan, being new to the place, was a bit overwhelmed by the lavish feast before her: ¡°Oh dear, how can I accept this¡­¡± She murmured, wringing her hands. But Song Tan casually remarked, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be shy about, we have meals like this three times a day.¡± Zhao Fangyuan: !!! She took it for a boastful ¡®Versailles¡¯ statement, but seeing everyone sitting there calmly, it seemed quite possible that¡­ Her family really ate like this? In that moment, her internal scales toggled frantically between discounting and not discounting. As they were speaking, Zhang Yanping walked over from outside. The fishing group was the same bunch of ten people from yesterday, with the difference being nine were fishing and one weeding, but each had ordered two to three boxed lunches¡­ Seeing Song Tan, he smiled and said, ¡°Tantan, that person who worked yesterday was quite efficient and didn¡¯t slack off. I just took a look when delivering lunch, and they¡¯ve already cleared a big patch of the weeds in Chestnut Woods.¡± The land there had only been tilled once in March, and the weeds had already regrown. However, the soil was loose, so pulling them wasn¡¯t too strenuous. Even so, impressed by the other¡¯s efficiency, Song Tan couldn¡¯t help but nod, ¡°Deserving of being our potential customer, truly hardworking.¡± You can say that again! Zhang Yanping chimed in without hesitation, ¡°Hardworking, working like an ox and a horse for you, contributing money¡­ Tsk tsk tsk, I think someone has to stay and pull weeds tonight, don¡¯t forget to arrange that in advance.¡± However, it was strange that his post on the fishing forum had suddenly been locked for some reason, and it had been just these ten people for the last two days, signing up one day for the next¡­ Starting early and finishing late, it was as if it was a proper job, except he wasn¡¯t even paying salaries. Capitalist overjoyed. Turning around, he saw the unfamiliar girl sitting next to Song Tan and couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡°And you are¡­?¡± Zhao Fangyuan extended her hand generously. ¡°My name is Zhao Fangyuan, the ¡®Fang¡¯ as in fragrant, and ¡®Yuan¡¯ as in Yuanming Garden. You¡¯re Zhang Yanping, right?¡± Upon his nod, she laughed, ¡°Just like my dad said, you¡¯re not as appealing as Qiaoqiao.¡± At this, everyone at the table burst into laughter. Zhang Yanping: ¡­ He too curled up the corner of his mouth, ¡°That¡¯s right. After all, I¡¯m a bit more mature. He¡¯s still a little brat. But Zhao Fangyan, which ¡®garden¡¯ of Yuanming Garden are you?¡± At this, Zhao Fangyuan also paused. Now, the whole group laughed again. Song Tan added with a laugh, ¡°Exactly! I wanted to ask when you introduced yourself.¡± But back then, they hadn¡¯t yet tricked her to come over, so it was best to be careful. Only Teacher Xin, smiling at the corner of his mouth, was quietly explaining to Qiaoqiao, ¡°What does the ¡®Fang¡¯ in fragrant mean? First, it represents a scent. Second, it refers to flowers. Third, it signifies beauty and goodness. Let me test you, teacher; with which ¡®yuan¡¯ does it most smoothly form a compound word?¡± Chapter 210 - 210 210. I wont say who is illiterate_1 ?Chapter 210: 210. I won¡¯t say who is illiterate_1 Chapter 210: 210. I won¡¯t say who is illiterate_1 My, my. Song Tan looked around, Xin Jun was all steady and composed, and Zhang Yanping a typical school kid¡ªthe atmosphere at the dining table was positively rippling with undercurrents! Let them fight, let them fight! [bushi] Then they heard Qiaoqiao speak up loudly, ¡°I¡¯ve got it, ¡®Fang¡¯ goes better with ¡®Yuanming Garden¡¯ in the compound word!¡± There was silence at the dining table. Zhao Fangyuan snorted and looked at Zhang Yanping with a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile: ¡°I won¡¯t say who¡¯s the illiterate one here.¡± Zhang Yanping: ¡­ He then found his spot and sat down with a plop, and far from being annoyed, he sighed loudly instead, ¡°Ah, eating so well every day has made me fat.¡± Zhao Fangyuan: ¡­It¡¯s hard not to be envious. And looking at the abundance of rich dishes before her, she also couldn¡¯t help but pick up her chopsticks, then cast a cautious glance at Zhang Yanping. A moment later, she looked away with a shiver and made up her mind secretly: She absolutely couldn¡¯t afford to get fat. After all, a chubby figure with fair skin might still be appealing, but with her complexion¡ªa black fatty just wouldn¡¯t do! The round table was once again filled with harmonious cheer. But soon, Seventh Uncle couldn¡¯t help asking: ¡°That wild piglet in the back mountain, is it male or female?¡± Song Youde pondered for a moment: ¡°I think it¡¯s male, I made sure to look when it was scratching against the railing.¡± Seventh Uncle nodded, then asked further: ¡°Tantan, that wild piglet in the back mountain, what do you plan to do with it?¡± What to do? Song Tan was taken aback for a moment: ¡°Raise it, of course.¡± How could one not want a white pig like that? Seventh Uncle glared at her: ¡°I¡¯m asking you whether you¡¯re planning to keep it as a breeding pig or to slaughter it now.¡± ¡°If you keep it as a breeding pig, then your pork will have a stronger smell, not very tasty, and you won¡¯t be able to get a good price for it later.¡± ¡°But if you slaughter it now, although the taste will still be stronger than domestic pork, it will be much better.¡± Ah, this is indeed a dilemma. Song Tan started to think it over. Song Sancheng was excited though: ¡°Of course we should keep it as a breeding pig. The piglets produced from the crossbreeding with our domestic pigs will surely be robust and fatter.¡± People in the village did this several decades ago, and those piglets were in high demand. Only Wu Lan kept her clarity: ¡°We didn¡¯t specifically choose when buying the pigs, but all five are male, there¡¯s no female. If we keep the wild boar for breeding, we¡¯ll have to hurry up and buy a sow to raise as well.¡± But this meant that in the entire pigpen, there would be two pigs they couldn¡¯t eat. As for the other males¡ªthey were usually slaughtered within a week of birth when they recovered well and grew quickly, not even waiting until now. Everyone immediately started discussing excitedly. Zhang Yanping was eager to try: ¡°Why bother breeding? Just eat it straight away. I¡¯ve never tasted wild pig meat in my life.¡± That¡¯s for sure! It used to be a protected animal, where would you get to eat it? Wang Lifan, on the other hand, had no hesitation in her verdict: ¡°It¡¯s not better than domestic pigs, just harder to stew. You have to stew it for a long time or you can¡¯t bite through it.¡± ¡°How can there be no difference?¡± Song Youde disagreed: ¡°It clearly tastes better after being stewed for longer.¡± Wang Lifan went straight to the point, ¡°Piglets are so expensive nowadays, and I see that Tantan is quite skilled at raising pigs, look how well they are growing.¡± If we have to buy piglets every year¡­ that would be a huge loss. That¡¯s certainly true. As more and more people joined the family, he had originally planned to eat two of the pigs and sell three, but now it seemed that having two to sell would be lucky. If the number of people keeps increasing and more employees are hired, wouldn¡¯t it be necessary to raise a couple more pigs? As for not giving the good stuff to one¡¯s own people¡­ Song Tan never had such a thought. Growing crops, raising pigs, feeding chickens and ducks, it¡¯s all for people to eat. If the people around him couldn¡¯t enjoy the fruits of his labor, then what was the point of all this trouble? Zhao Fangyuan cradled her bowl of rice soup hungrily and before she knew it, the whole bowl was empty! And there were so many delicious dishes on the table she hadn¡¯t even had enough of! After hesitating for a moment, she took advantage of the heated discussion and walked over to the stove again, using the shovel to scrape the crispy rice from the bottom of the pot into her bowl. After thinking for a bit, she pressed down hard with the shovel and forcefully scooped another spoonful on top. Just as she was returning to her seat with her bowl, Zhang Yanping also came out to refill his bowl¡ª and his eyes immediately turned to hers¡ª Although he didn¡¯t say anything, Zhao Fangyuan had already made up her mind. When it came time to discuss the design plans, she would not listen to a single one of his suggestions. In fact, there wasn¡¯t much room for Zhang Yanping to make suggestions because just as he was discussing a certain shade of light blue wall paint with Song Tan, Wu Lan suddenly remembered something¡ª ¡°Oh yes, Yanping, your mom called me yesterday saying that exams are coming up. Why don¡¯t you go back and buckle down for two more months?¡± Zhang Yanping: !!! It was like a bolt from the blue. He had even forgotten that he was just a relative, staying in Song Tan¡¯s house in Yunqiao Village. When he thought about it, it had been several months. So now, his face fell, ¡°Auntie, I am here collaborating with Tan and bringing people to fish, how can I find the time to go back? Could you please talk to my mom for me? I really don¡¯t want to take the civil service exam.¡± Wu Lan frowned subconsciously, ¡°It¡¯s probably still better to take the exam, you see how good these college graduates becoming village officials are, right? You could become a village head in the future.¡± Zhang Yanping quietly asked her, ¡°Auntie, if Tan was assigned to work alone in a remote and impoverished area, would you be willing to go with him?¡± Wu Lan fell silent in an instant. She certainly would not be willing. Her child was now right before her eyes, and although she got angry with him often, she didn¡¯t know why, but somehow, with the family together and united, she felt there was much more to look forward to in life. In the past, apart from finding out where she could make money and letting the days go by, she did not even know what she was working for. Moreover, she heard that these young cadres were being sent to truly impoverished places. Although Yunqiao Village was also a remote and poor area, at least they had mountains, water, and forests. What if, as the TV said, they were assigned to the northwest or the Loess Plateau¡­ She would worry herself to death! Thinking this way, she suddenly found herself with less resistance to the idea of Zhang Yanping not wanting to become a civil servant. And now, her thoughts turning around, she even smiled cheerfully, ¡°Hey, I should persuade your mom; you and Tan are working well together. You siblings are earning money so energetically.¡± Indeed, with money in his pocket, Zhang Yanping became even more proactive. After all, in addition to selling boxed lunches and merchandise, Song Tan also gave him a commission. This commission¡­ it¡¯s a bit embarrassing to mention, because they¡¯re family, he only got a mere one percent, and he was too embarrassed to talk about it. But thinking back to how Song Tan used to not give a penny, for some reason, that one percent suddenly seemed precious. At this moment, Zhang Yanping instinctively stood up, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, everyone finished eating, right? I¡¯ll go check on the guys on the hill and make sure they¡¯re not slacking off¡­¡± Clearly, even before he was a wage slave, he was already mastering the essence of exploitation. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 211 - 211 211. Brother Yanpings Career Planning_1 ?Chapter 211: 211. Brother Yanping¡¯s Career Planning_1 Chapter 211: 211. Brother Yanping¡¯s Career Planning_1 With the stimulation of the house, Zhang Yanping plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth, squatting in the Chestnut Garden too, watching the little flower stems sprouting among the lush green leaves, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± This sigh made Brother Mud Loach, who was earnestly weeding, very unhappy. ¡°What, I¡¯m working so hard here, and you¡¯re still not satisfied?¡± It¡¯s not like Brother Mud Loach was willing to work here. But he figured he was a man of his word, a gambler who honored his bets! So today, he was too proud even to slack off, because let¡¯s face it, people like him are hard to come by nowadays. Who would be dissatisfied with a free laborer? Zhang Yanping smiled amiably: ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying, our situation here isn¡¯t a game, with rewards and penalties, it¡¯s all for fun!¡± Brother Mud Loach impolitely snapped off his work glove, revealing a red and raw palm: ¡°What fun? My hands are about to blister!¡± Oh, that. Zhang Yanping was at a loss for words. Thinking that Brother had contributed ten thousand or so yuan yesterday, Yanping quickly changed the subject, ¡°I¡¯m mainly sighing over myself, big brother, what do you think I should do in the future?¡± He hadn¡¯t thought so much about it before, his salted fish life was just taking one day at a time. But now he had grown accustomed to this rural life. Always staying at his aunt¡¯s house didn¡¯t seem quite right. But for him to work the land? That was absolutely impossible. If not farming, then what else was there in the village worth him doing? Of course, when he first arrived, he was full of confidence, thinking he could help Tantan expand her market¡ªafter all, he had a wide network. Surely, doing sales would be easier for him than for a girl who used to just honestly work a job, right? But after having stayed for a while, he just couldn¡¯t say such things with a straight face anymore. Whatever his sister grew and put out there would sell like hotcakes, wouldn¡¯t it? Asking people to buy it himself would only devalue it. But if he couldn¡¯t do sales or farm work, was he really going to just shamelessly live off his relatives? If it continued like this, there wouldn¡¯t even be a room for staff in Tantan¡¯s newly built house! He was one of the first to come to the countryside to support her endeavor, it wouldn¡¯t do to be the one who wakes up early but ends up attending the market late. Brother Mud Loach wasn¡¯t aware of all the worries in his heart but couldn¡¯t help fantasizing himself: ¡°Not gonna lie, your mountain and water here are picturesque, and even the grass grows more spiritedly than elsewhere.¡± ¡°If I were you, I would expand the pond a bit more, stock it with a few thousand fish, build a gallery and pavilion, and start a farmhouse on the side¡ªwhen you invite people to fish, they fish and even help clean them up¡­¡± As he spoke, he remembered the pile of fried snacks from last night, which seemed to include the three ear-shaped lumpfish he had contributed. And him, becoming a boss? Nope. Instead, here he was, weeding for the boss. Thinking about being reduced to a laborer because he failed to catch fish was humiliating. And the thought of his brothers continuing to fish while he worked¡­ How should he put it? It was like they were all bad students, but while he slept, the others managed to crank out a whole volume of holiday homework! The frustration inside was unbearable, like a hundred claws scratching at his heart. He hummed, ¡°I¡¯ll see who¡¯s the last one today.¡± Zhang Yanping looked at him and truly realized the extent of the fisherman¡¯s obsession. He then hesitated: ¡°You didn¡¯t go home yesterday or today. Are you finally going home tonight?¡± Mud Loach Brother hesitated for a moment, ¡°If I¡¯m weeding here, does that include three meals? Then I¡¯ll drive back after dinner. Tomorrow morning, save me a spot at the fish pond.¡± There you go! Zhang Yanping glanced at the registration of the other few people on his phone and couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°Why do I feel like this pond has really become your place to punch in at work?¡± While saying this, he was also a bit puzzled. ¡°The fishing forum hasn¡¯t been very active recently. My posts haven¡¯t elicited any response, and I can¡¯t even gather ten people.¡± Because one person is always working. Mud Loach Brother¡¯s body stiffened for a moment before he resumed pulling weeds with even more vigor. Zhang Yanping watched, thoroughly impressed¡ª He was taking it way too seriously. He couldn¡¯t think of a career plan at the moment, but since he wasn¡¯t idle either, he stored this matter in his mind. He then carelessly continued walking deeper, where the neatly arranged wood ear and black wood ear mushroom logs already foretold of the bountiful harvest to come. Especially the wood ear mushrooms. Just a couple of days ago, he had harvested the first batch, but looking at them today, the trunks were already densely covered with tiny wood ear mushrooms the size of fingernails. And to think of yesterday¡¯s wood ear mushroom soup, oh that taste! How to describe it? Until yesterday, Zhang Yanping believed that wood ear mushrooms, just like bird¡¯s nests, only had nourishing effects in legends. He did, however, understand a scientific concept: when cooked, wood ear mushrooms release an enzyme that lubricates the digestive tract, so drinking their soup can facilitate bowel movements. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That was his only concept of wood ear mushrooms. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t understand why so many people liked them since they were sticky and overly sweet (he didn¡¯t know that some wood ear mushrooms have a crunchy texture). But all that was only up until his uninformed yesterday. That bowl of wood ear mushroom soup, he had intended to only fill up some space in his overstuffed stomach. But to his surprise, as soon as he took a sip, the sweet and delicious flavor burst in his mouth with such indescribable taste and texture, he instantly understood why high-quality wood ear mushrooms were sold at such high prices by the gram. In short, looking at those wood ear mushrooms now, his heart and eyes were filled with anticipation and delight. On the other hand, as Mud Loach Brother was weeding, he looked up at the wild chestnut tree at the center of Chestnut Garden, which was as tall as a three-story building, and his heart was filled with shock and regret: ¡°Ah, these little chestnuts might only be the size of a finger, but they taste so fragrant! Why did this tree grow so tall? When it¡¯s time, it¡¯ll be impossible to knock the chestnuts down.¡± He looked at the robust tree again. No wonder they say the countryside has good water and soil¡­ It¡¯s true! Otherwise, how could such a splendid tree have grown? He didn¡¯t know that every chestnut tree on the hillside had absorbed Spiritual Energy, and the wild chestnut tree in front of him had benefited from a unique strand. Standing before it now, its robustness was even more apparent. Mud Loach Brother walked around it twice, his thoughts turning over and over, and he finally found an excuse for his failure to catch fish yesterday: ¡°In such a geomantically treasured spot, it¡¯s normal for the fish to be a bit smarter. It¡¯s not my fault I couldn¡¯t catch any. It must be because I chose the wrong bait.¡± Zhang Yanping didn¡¯t understand much about fishing, but he knew that whether you could catch fish wasn¡¯t really related to the bait¡ª Because he had seen Song Tan casually take some scraps from the kitchen waste, toss them into the net, and catch fish with it. He then asked without thinking: ¡°If the fish are that clever, why are there so many in the fish trap?¡± Mud Loach Brother recalled his fish trap, which was so full he had nearly been unable to hold it down, and now with a darkened face, he was at a loss for words. After a long while, all he could do was bury his head and continue to weed with great force. Chapter 212 - 212 212. Peach Blossoms All Over the Mountain_1 ?Chapter 212: 212. Peach Blossoms All Over the Mountain_1 Chapter 212: 212. Peach Blossoms All Over the Mountain_1 Now it was almost mid-April, and Zhao Fangyuan was wandering around the mountains in search of inspiration. Presently, she gazed at the deep trenches surrounding the Peach Garden and asked: ¡°Is this a drainage ditch?¡± While she was in design, she most often frequented construction sites and farmers¡¯ courtyards, and not so much these rough rural orchards. Song Tan replied helplessly, ¡°This was originally intended to be a plant protective wall, but the Golden Sakura that I wanted to plant has been out of stock, so it¡¯s been put on hold for the time being.¡± ¡°What does Golden Sakura look like?¡± ¡°There are some by the Chestnut Garden. They¡¯re about to bloom.¡± Zhao Fangyuan was dying of curiosity¡ªwhat a beautiful name! However, before she could go over there to see, her attention was captured by the tightly secured wire mesh right in front of her, as she curiously inquired, ¡°With this already in place, why do you need to plant anything else?¡± In front of her was a row of green wire mesh protective fences, at least one meter eighty high, which enclosed the entire orchard, leaving only two gates, and looked very sturdy. Song Tan replied with resignation, ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to be safe than sorry?¡± Mesh wire like this was present in her pigpens and Chestnut Garden in the back mountain, but such things keep out the honest folks, not the thieves. Once business picked up, she couldn¡¯t predict what stupid things those jealous of her success might do. Planting Golden Sakura meant that the orchard would be prickly inside and out¡ªif anyone did manage to get in¡­ Well, they¡¯d be likely to lose a layer of skin either way. It was a pity, for the orchard¡¯s yield wouldn¡¯t be small this year, and they had even looked specifically for large Golden Sakura plants, but hadn¡¯t found the right ones. However, Zhao Fangyuan had given her a reminder: as the weather gradually warmed up, it was almost no longer the best time to plant. She had to hurry. But for now¡­ Zhao Fangyuan had already rushed into the Peach Forest, exclaiming, ¡°So beautiful!¡± The extensive twenty-acre Eagle Beak Peach was already budding with many leaves and flower buds when planted. Now, nourished by Spiritual Energy, its roots were firmly entrenched in the soil, making the trees vibrantly alive! From a distance, a steamed-pink glow spread across the sky, rivaling any popular tourist spot! Zhao Fangyuan ventured into the Peach Forest, regretting she had not worn traditional clothing or brought a camera. She was surrounded by an endless spread of pink clouds, occasionally sprinkled with cute green leaves, branch by branch, vine by vine¡ª ¡°Ah ah ah¡ª¡± She was too excited to speak, grabbing the fence and shouting. Yes, a fence. Because in the end, she hadn¡¯t ventured deeper in¡ªthe ground was covered with lush Watermelon Vines! The flowers and leaves of the peach trees did not grow wildly, and the sunlight beneath was just as intense. It absorbed Spiritual Energy, and so did the watermelons, both growing robust and strong. The early melons, planted not long ago, were even eagerly budding! ¡°Too bad,¡± Zhao Fangyuan sighed, ¡°if you hadn¡¯t planted watermelons, you could have attracted people to take photos now, and the whole village could have prospered from it.¡± Song Tan shook her head, ¡°After all the photo-taking, who knows how much damage my peach trees would incur? No way, not doing it.¡± Besides, the peach blossoms would make the village prosperous. But what about after they withered? A short-lived boom was useless; if the local infrastructure couldn¡¯t keep up, it could easily leave a bad impression. But Zhao Fangyuan was right about one thing! This place was indeed too beautiful, haha! And it belonged to her! With flowering came nectar, with fruit came harvest, and even when there was nothing, there was still peach gum¡­ The peach trees were really not absorbing Spiritual Energy for nothing! Zhao Fangyuan didn¡¯t want to leave the Peach Forest at all, but looking at Song Tan gave her a bit of a guilty conscience¡ªafter all, she was supposed to be counting on her for the blueprints. Nowadays¡­ ¡°Cough!¡± She said seriously, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not here just for fun, I need to take a look at your family¡¯s land so that I can better integrate it with the style of the house.¡± Song Tan smiled warmly, ¡°Look around, feel free to look! If you feel guilty after seeing it, the price will be easier to negotiate!¡± She pointed towards the hill opposite, ¡°Over there is the chestnut forest, where we¡¯ve planted black and white fungus, and the golden sakura are blooming, very beautiful¡­ Shall I take you there now?¡± Zhao Fangyuan: ¡­ What to do, how to combine the design of a farmhouse with chestnut trees, black fungus, and golden sakura? She silently scolded and comforted herself, a swift stream of psychological activities: Can the affairs of an artist be called slacking, idling, and sightseeing? There¡¯s a road from the back mountain to the Chestnut Garden that the village uses. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The newly built road wasn¡¯t very wide, but it was wide enough for a vehicle to pass without any problems. Because it was near the mountain, there weren¡¯t many households around, and few cars came this way. Looking at it now, it appeared much newer and smoother than the main road. Zhao Fangyuan was already thinking like a landowner, commenting, ¡°This road is quite good, after the mountain yields a bountiful harvest, you can drive straight up to collect.¡± Song Tan nodded too, ¡°The policy is really good. Back in my childhood, all of this was just narrow paths where you couldn¡¯t even ride a motorcycle. When my dad wanted to transport chestnuts from the mountain, he had to carry them with a shoulder pole.¡± Sometimes her mom would also help with the carrying. Once carried home, they¡¯d be piled up in an empty room, where she and her family members would sit with the heavy traditional scissors, one foot pressing down on the chestnut burrs, one hand with the scissors. They would directly reach into the four-part shell to pry it open, revealing the glossy, plump chestnuts inside, usually in groups of three or four. Looks easy and fun, doesn¡¯t it? But the heavy scissors were burdensome and painful to the hand, just a few more hours of work and bloody blisters would form. Would wearing gloves be better? No blisters, maybe, but scraped skin still hurt just as much. And chestnuts were very prone to worms. If you leave them out for a day or two, there would be wormholes inside, so everyone had to race against time. As they were peeling the burrs on one side, they had to sort through the chestnuts on the other side, and by dawn, it was time to deliver them to town. Since day work couldn¡¯t be delayed, many of the large purchases in their area began in the early morning. With motorcycles it was manageable; they¡¯d stack the bags of chestnuts up high, wobbling dangerously, and then ride to the town to deliver them. In even earlier years, they had carried them to town with shoulder poles. The journey from home to the town took two arduous hours, over mountains and ridges. One who hadn¡¯t experienced it couldn¡¯t possibly imagine the hardship. Song Tan now recalls her time in junior high school in town, walking home every week, then trekking back for classes, and it seems incredible to her. Neither she nor Qiaoqiao were short, but Wu Lan and Song Sancheng¡­ Song Sancheng was barely over one meter sixty. Was it a matter of their genes that they couldn¡¯t grow taller? It was purely due to not getting enough food when they were young, coupled with the pressure of hard agricultural work. Back then, every household had rice paddies growing rice. Just the task of carrying the harvest could half-kill a person. Rice sold for nothing. All these years, the price has not gone up. Chestnuts have indeed increased in value, but just think of the times when fresh, glossy brown chestnuts, at their best condition, were brought to town, only to sell for eight yuan a kilo. This income was the yearly earnings of a whole family. Because after National Day, there were no other crops to sell. Grafting, fertilizing, harvesting, transporting¡­ Every penny earned by a farmer, wasn¡¯t earned easily. Chapter 213 - 213 213. Chestnut Garden_1 ?Chapter 213: 213. Chestnut Garden_1 Chapter 213: 213. Chestnut Garden_1 Compared to the Peach Forest, the Chestnut Garden seemed both smaller and more low-key. Even though the four acres of Chestnut Garden were also a shock to Zhao Fangyuan, in the countryside, that really wasn¡¯t saying much. Great Uncle Song Dafang¡¯s mountainous lands were truly vast¡ªhis Chestnut Garden alone was almost fifteen acres. ¡°Why?¡± Zhao Fangyuan asked, ¡°Is it so unequal because of favoritism?¡± Song Tan chuckled: ¡°No.¡± In the countryside, there are countless rules and invisible frameworks passed down through generations¡ªfail to adhere, and the village will talk. Everyone is a social animal, craving acceptance from others is an intrinsic subconscious part of being human. So, even though these rumors might not break bones, the circles we move in are right here, the closed circuit effect means everyone adheres to it silently. The concept of dividing the family property is just like that. The eldest son and grandson get the most because they are responsible for taking care of the elders in the future. The other siblings might receive money or grain, but the lion¡¯s share goes to the eldest. Therefore, the Great Uncle¡¯s mountainous lands and fields together totaled fifty acres while Song Sancheng¡¯s family had barely twenty acres, but the advantage was that all their lands were right at their doorstep, convenient to look after. However, because of Qiaoqiao, the couple hadn¡¯t abandoned their home to go find work elsewhere like others had. Their lands and mountains were, in fact, the best maintained. Take this Chestnut Forest, for example. Great Uncle had moved to the city over twenty years ago, the garden had been leased out to others. Later on, when farming crops seemed futile, people packed up and left for work elsewhere. And so, it had been neglected for many years. But at Song Sancheng¡¯s place, even though the lands have lain fallow for a couple of years, when compared to others¡¯, they were much easier to manage. One look at the high and robust Chestnut trees sprawling across the hills tells you, despite the small size of the land, these trees are hardy. She was unaware of the influence of Spiritual Energy and thought that these trees could only look this lush and thriving with meticulous care. Then take a glance at the Golden Sakura planted in and out of the protective net, the green leaves densely covering half of the enclosure, the thorny vines crawling upwards. Given the trend, one day they might reach the top of the 1.8-meter fence. The snow-white blooms, the size of eggs, interspersed with golden-yellow stamens, blossomed one after another above the green leaves. If the Peach Forest brought people a magnificent shock, then here was like a pure and impeccable fairy. When the Golden Sakura were planted, they were bare with just a few stems, but nourished by Spiritual Energy, and bolstered by spring being their season for sprouting vigorously. Now they were thriving and from afar, they appeared quite imposing and utterly sensational. Zhao Fangyuan let out another cry! ¡°Wuuwuu how can there be such beautiful flowers ahhh!!!¡± The snow-white petals shyly clung to the golden stamens as bees buzzed in and out of the blossoms. Not a shred of fear could be felt, instead, a deep longing for the beautiful Tian Yuan welled up. Zhao Fangyuan clicked away at the flowers with her camera, once again cursing that she had only worn simple work pants. She needed to wear a beautiful dress to match the Golden Sakura! She had already figured out the perfect angle for the photo! She wanted to lean into the blossoms, her fingers parting the branches, placing her face behind the ethereal Golden Sakura blooms to create a sense of depth¡­ ¡°Wake up!¡± Song Tan pulled a branch over for her to see: ¡°A little dress? A sense of depth?¡± Is the dress capable of withstanding the thorns, or is she? Zhao Fangyuan: ¡­ Such stubborn flowers! But she was also stubborn, ¡°I¡¯ll just get a little bit closer¡­¡± Song Tan: ¡­ ¡°Take another look.¡± Golden Sakura wasn¡¯t planted for nothing; its leaves even have tiny thorns at the back, and from flower to stem, there is not a single part that is tender. Moreover, they are of various lengths, making them hard to guard against. And when she again boosted them with Spiritual Energy¡­ In short, Zhao Fangyuan could only retreat two steps if she still wanted to play the fairy. She could only walk in, feeling dejected. Compared to the densely packed Watermelon Vines beneath the Peach Forest, this side seemed much sparser and cuter. But aside from a few small paths, soybeans were planted everywhere else. Logically, since the Chestnut Trees grew so lush, the light below them couldn¡¯t compete with that of the Peach Forest. Crops planted here would likely just grow tall and spindly, with no hope of a rich harvest. But¡ª The Chestnut Trees here were very old and had grown quite tall. Staggered among the layers, the light filtering below actually seemed quite lovely. Just look at these soybean sprouts already taking shape¡­ Zhao Fangyuan thought of the daily meals and couldn¡¯t help salivating: S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t these soybeans be delicious and perfect for rice when made into soybean paste?¡± Song Tan thought for a moment, ¡°Haven¡¯t thought that far yet, for now I¡¯ve only thought about eating tofu.¡± In their vicinity now, one could no longer buy the fresh and tender tofu as before. It was for that block of tofu that this patch of soybeans was planted. The entire Chestnut Woods were situated on a slope of the mountain, with the terrain sloping downward the further one went. In the coolest spot, a few Horse Chestnut trees grew slightly shorter than the rest, thus blocking out a large swath of sunlight and providing an especially suitable environment for the growth of Silver Ear and Black Wood Ear mushrooms beneath. Zhao Fangyuan remembered the taste of that Silver Ear soup. At this moment, looking at the snow-white Silver Ears budding in small clusters on the dark brown trees, everything seemed quaint and cute, with the food filter turned up to the maximum. Walk two more steps down, and one could see the edge of the pond at the foot of the mountain, with nine people scattered around it. Having been there for two days, she heard that there had to be one person working in the fields every day. Now curious, she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s today¡¯s weeder?¡± The soybean field looked neat and clean, likely because Brother Loach worked very hard yesterday. Song Tan started to smile, ¡°How should I put it, well, a worker who doesn¡¯t cost money is really very useful, he does exactly what he is told.¡± ¡°In the fields. Barnyard grass has started sprouting, so Grandpa Li took him to the rice fields to pull up the seedlings.¡± This was the most hated weed during rice planting, a nuisance that seemed never-ending and also affected the growth of the rice. But now, with people being idle, the rice fields could be cleaned daily. As soon as Grandpa Li flooded the fields, he would pull out the young barnyard grass. Today, with free labor at hand, he was even more vigorous in his work. While the other man was massaging his waist in agony, Grandpa Li stood up straight, full of energy, and pointed at an old yellow ox in someone else¡¯s neglected field: ¡°This young man, how come his back is even weaker than this old man¡¯s? Even my ox can¡¯t stand to watch.¡± Oh boy! A ¡°young man¡± in his forties or fifties! This comment left the defeated fisherman with no comeback. Both men had plastic bags hanging from their waists, filled to the brim with barnyard grass. For some reason, this year Grandpa Li¡¯s old yellow ox wouldn¡¯t refuse anything from these few fields! What an eater! Even the agricultural channel said so, the young barnyard grass has a tender texture and is rich in nutrition; it¡¯s not bad for the cows at all. Chapter 214 - 214 214. Pumpkin and Cowpea_1 ?Chapter 214: 214. Pumpkin and Cowpea_1 Chapter 214: 214. Pumpkin and Cowpea_1 Zhao Fangyuan had spent more than half a day wandering the mountains, feeling utterly satisfied and longing for more, her mind fixated on the experience. After coming down from the mountain, she felt too embarrassed to show her face and promptly shut herself in her room¡ªIt¡¯s worth mentioning that, since there was really no more space left to sleep in the house, Qiaoqiao went to sleep with her grandparents, and Zhao Fangyuan took over his bedroom. Now she had to work behind closed doors, rushing to finish her design drawings; in a few days, she¡¯d urgently gather the data. If she delayed any longer, there truly wouldn¡¯t be enough living space! However, her trip to the mountains also served as a reminder to Song Tan¡ªthe protective nets on both sides really should have something planted on them. If they couldn¡¯t plant Golden Sakura in time, they could wait until next year; for this year, they¡¯d just plant some other vegetables and fruits. They would just need to be a bit more vigilant. After all, with several treasures around, who ran wild across the mountains every day, nothing would be missed. After thinking about it, she went to find Zhang Yanping after coming down from the mountain: ¡°Brother Yanping, if we really can¡¯t find Golden Sakura, then let¡¯s just forget it. I¡¯ll think of something else to plant there.¡± ¡°What do you plan to plant?¡± Song Tan hesitated, ¡°I haven¡¯t thought it through yet¡­¡± Since watermelon vines and peach trees had already occupied the inner parts, it would be best to plant some kind of vine that could utilize the protective nets to grow. Seventh Uncle happened to walk by and, after a moment¡¯s thought, suggested, ¡°Cowpeas or pumpkins, either would be good.¡± As it turned out, Song Tan didn¡¯t like either of those. Moreover, there were already several pumpkin plants by the door, and about two portions of cowpeas were planted in the fields. Seventh Uncle laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t say you don¡¯t like to eat them, I used to dislike them too.¡± This wasn¡¯t them being picky eaters, but rather memories from the past being too dreadful to behold. Cowpeas were ready for harvest during the hot summer, and cooking even a simple dish would leave one sweating buckets, naturally leaving no desire to fuss over other culinary variations. And at that time, there were few other vegetables ready for harvest in the vegetable plot, only an endless supply of cowpeas. Therefore, it would be cowpeas for breakfast, cowpeas for lunch, and cowpeas for dinner, causing one to detest every day they were eaten. Who could continue eating like that and still enjoy it? As for pumpkins, they were even less favored. Back then, when every household was not well-off, there wasn¡¯t much choice in what one ate, and pumpkins were certainly not picked young for stir-fry¡ªwhat a waste that would be! After all, an old pumpkin grew quite large and long, which was very efficient for feeding pigs and saved a lot on wheat bran and rice chaff. For feeding humans, however¡­ Wang Lifan was particularly skilled at making pumpkin rice, a clever trick she used to fill the stomach during her childhood. With one pumpkin being so big, with a thick belly and long neck, cooking up a huge pot of pumpkin rice wasn¡¯t enough; they¡¯d have to continue eating it for another two days¡ª Who could endure that? So, when Song Tan heard Seventh Uncle¡¯s suggestion, she was quite resistant: ¡°Seventh Uncle, I¡¯ve already planted half a field of cowpeas, we really don¡¯t need to plant more. As for pumpkins¡­ why not try winter melon instead!¡± ¡°Either is fine.¡± Seventh Uncle, who had offered the suggestion, was actually quite easygoing, ¡°Pumpkin flowers, pumpkin tips, and young pumpkins all taste delicious when stir-fried! Cowpeas can be used to make pickled cowpeas, dried cowpeas, minced meat stir-fried with pickled cowpeas, rice stir-fried with pickled cowpeas, dried cowpeas stewed with pork ribs or beef in winter¡­ Given the quality of your family¡¯s produce, you¡¯d surely have more demand than supply.¡± ¡°Winter melon is also good, the large size makes it tender and refreshing when cooked. You could even slice it and dry it for winter stews¡ªit would last quite a while. The only problem is a winter melon can weigh dozens of pounds, and if you want it to climb, I fear the vine might not be able to support its weight¡­¡± Song Tan: ¡­ A climbing vine that was high-yielding and worry-free¡­ ¡°Wouldn¡¯t planting cherry tomatoes also be nice? They can even be eaten as fruit.¡± It was her own plot of land, after all, and whatever she planted would be delicious. Seventh Uncle certainly wasn¡¯t fussy, adopting a whatever-you-say-goes attitude. But as reasonable as he was, he had already prepared a whole menu, making listeners drool with anticipation. Who would still have the heart to offer cherry tomatoes? Song Tan thought it over from all angles and finally decided to replan the lengthy perimeter of the orchard. Then, she went on to discuss and set a series of crops with Zhang Yanping. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Who would make such choices amongst grown-ups? Of course, they wanted it all! Since the land was so vast and the ditches were all dug up, a portion could be allocated to grow some vegetables that weren¡¯t available at home, while another section would be devoted to high-yield crops to make money for this year. After all, they still needed to gather several hundred thousand to build a house! However, sowing seeds at this time of the season would be a bit late, so without another word, she called the number of the place where she bought watermelon seedlings before: ¡°Uncle, do you know of any place that sells a variety of good-quality vegetable seedlings?¡± She needed no small amount, something the other families in the village couldn¡¯t fulfill. Even over the phone, she could hear the surprise in the other party¡¯s booming voice, ¡°Vegetable seedlings? We have them here, pick whatever you want!¡± After all, one couldn¡¯t sell watermelon seedlings from the beginning to the end of the year, right? The uncle on the other end of the line was full of enthusiasm, ¡°I also have two greenhouses growing succulents that are popular now, the little girls love them a lot! Do you want to come and pick some?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ ¡°Never mind the succulents,¡± Song Tan declined, ¡°Right now, I only want something that can be eaten and sold for money.¡± ¡°Ai,¡± the uncle sounded unhappy, ¡°Although succulents can¡¯t be eaten, if you grow them well, a big pot can be quite expensive! I grew a large pot that sold for 500 yuan at the end of the year, not bad at all!¡± The uncle was pushing hard, as the prices of succulents were much higher than those of vegetable seedlings. Song Tan also laughed, delivering a fatal blow, ¡°Uncle, no money.¡± The other party was momentarily speechless. Then he laughed again: ¡°How can you, as a boss, have no money? You¡¯re just being modest!¡± He acted as if he saw through her, but no longer mentioned succulents, fearing even the conversation about the vegetable seedlings would evaporate. He quickly urged her, ¡°I¡¯m looking at the weather, it might rain in a day or two, which is the perfect time for planting vegetables. Why not come and pick some now, and I¡¯ll even deliver them to you early tomorrow morning?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ What was she waiting for? Nature waits for no one! Song Tan immediately grabbed her car keys: ¡°Dad, I¡¯m going to check out the vegetable seedlings.¡± Only Seventh Uncle was brimming with energy, ¡°Does this mean we¡¯ll need to cook for dozens more people tomorrow? Ah! I said this job isn¡¯t easy¡­¡± Seventh Grandma watched him eagerly pacing in the yard, thinking, That old man, do I not know you? You just love it when everyone comes to praise you. Meanwhile, Song Sancheng rushed out of the house in a hurry: ¡°Tantan! Don¡¯t rush off, I¡¯ll call Master Zhang, the swine castrator. On your way back, could you bring him along?¡± Song Tan became curious, ¡°Master Zhang? A veterinarian? How much does it cost?¡± Song Sancheng thought for a moment, ¡°What veterinarian? The swine castrator! Have you forgotten? He was the one who castrated our pigs back in the day.¡± It was just that they used to castrate them when the piglets were young, so it wasn¡¯t noticeable at home anymore. ¡°As for how much¡­ I didn¡¯t ask, we haven¡¯t needed his services for many years. If you¡¯re offering him a ride there and back, it should cost around ten or twenty yuan.¡± Song Tan: ¡­!!! ¡°Ten or twenty yuan? Is that enough to cover the anaesthetic?¡± ¡°What anaesthetic?¡± Song Sancheng laughed, ¡°Who needs that fancy stuff? Just catch its four legs, one quick slice with a knife and it¡¯s done!¡± Chapter 215 - 215 215. Master Zhang Swine Castrator_1 ?Chapter 215: 215. Master Zhang, Swine Castrator_1 Chapter 215: 215. Master Zhang, Swine Castrator_1 Shocked by the pig slaughtering, Song Tan was much more rough and ready when picking out seedlings, adding in everything from sponge gourds to hyacinth beans. The shop owner saw her as very straightforward and a good customer, so he earnestly suggested, ¡°I see your vegetable garden isn¡¯t small. It¡¯s fine in spring and summer, but what about autumn and winter? Will you set up a greenhouse? If you¡¯re considering a greenhouse, come to me, my family specializes in that.¡± Greenhouses¡­ Song Tan hadn¡¯t decided yet. It¡¯s pretty tiring all year round, and she planned to let her family rest in winter. However, the resistance to resting likely came from her grandparents and parents. After all, if there¡¯s money to be made, they would never want to miss out. After being home for a while, she had seen through her family¡¯s money-grubbing mentality, so she didn¡¯t make any firm statements right now. She only asked in advance, ¡°What¡¯s profitable to grow in a greenhouse during winter?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± The vegetable seller was very animated: ¡°Fruits, you should grow strawberries! The strawberry farms next to our city charge thirty to fifty yuan per catty during the New Year, you tell me if that¡¯s profitable!¡± ¡°As for other vegetables, any green leafy ones are good, except for Chinese cabbage ¨C they all work in winter.¡± Of course, as a businessman, he¡¯d talk up the positives, like how he didn¡¯t mention what to do if the strawberries didn¡¯t sell or if the roads got blocked. However, for Song Tan, with enough food for twenty-odd people at every meal at home, whatever doesn¡¯t sell can just be tidied up and used to make dried vegetables or sauces. At most, she wouldn¡¯t make money, but she definitely wouldn¡¯t incur a loss. She took note of this and decided to consider it after the busy autumn and winter seasons were over. Right now, the priority was to bring Master Zhang, the Swine Castrator, over. Master Zhang was fifty-seven this year. In the city, at this age he would have just retired, in the prime of life; but in the village, he could be considered an old man. He used to ride his bicycle between villages to find work, but as households stopped raising pigs and he got older, he moved to the town with his son. Now hearing that someone was looking for him, the old man was quite pleased: ¡°Aren¡¯t you not allowed to raise pigs at home? Your family raised some? Secretly, right?¡± Song Tan let out a laugh, ¡°No, we registered. Didn¡¯t raise them by the main road, but behind the mountain, out of the way.¡± Family farms are allowed to apply for pig rearing. Master Zhang has a small bag tied to his waist, really not large, just about the size of a palm. Song Tan glanced at it a couple of times, which Master Zhang noticed, now proudly patting the bag: ¡°All the tools I need for eating are in here, been with me for over forty years.¡± ¡°Just that these recent years, there¡¯s hardly any work, feels like my hands are getting rusty¡ªwhat¡¯s the situation with your pigs?¡± What could Song Tan say? That our dog stole a piglet and brought it back? She glossed over the details: ¡°We¡¯ve castrated five pigs at our house, but recently, a little wild boar ran down from the mountain. We¡¯ve kept it in the pen, thinking of castrating it to prevent fighting.¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That made sense as the wild boar would charge around in the pen, and the domestic pigs with their good temper and docile nature could get affected in their appetite and not put on weight, which wouldn¡¯t be good. But Master Zhang felt it was a pity: ¡°Your family is so lucky, a wild boar piglet, you can¡¯t even catch one in the mountains, why not keep it as a breeding pig?¡± Song Tan was at a loss for words. Why? Because Wu Lan didn¡¯t want to buy another sow. Based on her experience, ¡°We haven¡¯t raised pigs for several years. Rearing so many this year is quite risky already, and if we got a sow to breed piglets, what if something went wrong on our end? Wouldn¡¯t we just be losing money for nothing?¡± ¡°First year, better play it safe.¡± Moreover, both Wang Lifan and Wu Lan at home felt that wild boar meat wasn¡¯t tasty. With the decision-making power in their hands, Song Tan made up her mind to give the wild boar the chop. Once castrated at a young age, and raised for another year, the gamey smell by year¡¯s end might not be as strong, and it might even taste better! Oh, Fairy Tan has suffered long and hard! Master Zhang nodded, ¡°That¡¯s true, wild boars have good physiques, and castrating them improves their temperament; otherwise, they become difficult to handle when they grow up.¡± He was quite happy, ¡°I haven¡¯t castrated a wild boar in all these years.¡± After thinking it over, he took out his phone, ¡°Can I post this on social media later?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ Well, he¡¯s certainly more trendy than her. But she also reminded him, ¡°Be careful, it might not pass the review because of the bloodiness.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Master Zhang was quite nonchalant, ¡°I can just post it to my friends¡¯ circle.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Song Tan hadn¡¯t asked yet, ¡°How much do we charge for swine castration around here?¡± Master Zhang thought for a moment, ¡°It should be twenty, but since this is a wild boar, and I¡¯m quite fond of it, plus you¡¯re providing transportation¡­ let¡¯s make it ten yuan.¡± Song Tan: ¡­ If she weren¡¯t cultivating immortality, her hands on the steering wheel would probably be trembling. Is it her wild boar and the transportation that are worthless, or the pig¡¯s ¡®valuable parts¡¯? Master Zhang didn¡¯t notice her shock; this price was just the going rate in the village. After all, within a ten-mile radius, there were only two or three people who could castrate pigs. In the past, every household used to raise pigs, and he could earn three to five thousand yuan for one job. Of course, these prices haven¡¯t changed in at least a decade¡ªbecause there¡¯s nobody left in the village, and people don¡¯t raise pigs anymore! He, now, is a retired craftsman, not too concerned about money ¨C having some is good enough. However, now that he had something to look forward to, Master Zhang was quite excited, ¡°In the future, if your family has piglets, call me as soon as they¡¯re born, and I¡¯ll come over to perform the castration!¡± Absolutely! Song Tan originally hadn¡¯t considered raising a sow to have piglets, but now that it had been brought up, it was bound to be arranged sooner or later next year. But by then, the pigsty on the back hill would need to be reorganized. Um¡­ she wondered if Zhao Fangyuan, who designed houses, could also fit in a chicken coop and pigsty? Master Zhang was also quite satisfied. But quickly, he remembered something, ¡°Who are you planning to hire for the pig slaughter?¡± Song Tan: ¡­ It wasn¡¯t so urgent; they would have to wait until autumn or winter at least. Otherwise, if the pig hadn¡¯t grown enough, eating the meat would be like eating Wu Lan¡¯s money, which she absolutely could not allow! ¡°Master Zhang, you know how to slaughter pigs too?¡± Master Zhang sighed wistfully, ¡°Ah, why wouldn¡¯t I? I used to do it with my brother¡ªhe specialized in pig slaughtering.¡± ¡°He was strong and could hold the pig down. As for me, my hands were steady, so I handled the killing stroke. Actually, I know he did it because back then my kids were in the hospital, and I had run out of money. He deliberately took me along so that my family could have some meat to eat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not possible now, these past few years with his hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol, and him not paying attention¡­ he¡¯s gone.¡± As he spoke, he rambled on, ¡°When you get older you have to watch yourself, eat just a small bowl of food, no matter how tasty, you can¡¯t overeat.¡± ¡°My brother, he had all the pig slaughter dishes from every household and would get leftovers, living well with meat every meal, growing broad and stout.¡± ¡°As he got older, he never slimmed down, and then his blood pressure spiked¡­¡± Mentioning this, he wiped his eyes, ¡°Now, I see things clearly ¨C never overeat, not even a single bite.¡± Chapter 216 - 216 216. Pig Slaughtering Process_1 ?Chapter 216: 216. Pig Slaughtering Process_1 Chapter 216: 216. Pig Slaughtering Process_1 Master Zhang really was familiar to everyone within miles, and as soon as he got off the car, even Seventh Uncle started laughing: ¡°Swine Castrator, you haven¡¯t lost your touch!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Master Zhang was also quite surprised, ¡°Old Song, what are you doing here?¡± Seventh Uncle pretended to be modest, ¡°Ah, getting on in years, becoming a nuisance, I came back to cook for the kids, hoping someone will take care of me in my old age.¡± The more casual he acted, the more convincing he seemed. Master Zhang quickly told Song Tan, ¡°Girl, I won¡¯t take your money, you just keep a meal for me, to get a taste of Old Song¡¯s cooking skills, it¡¯s been so many years since I last did.¡± Upon hearing this, Seventh Uncle¡¯s hair seemed almost to quiver with excitement! Now he maintained a reserved tone, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, but of course, we must still take the money, and yes, leaving a meal is a must.¡± In the village, offering a meal was simply the done thing. Song Tan smiled as well, ¡°I was planning to do that anyway.¡± But now, it was almost noon, and she said, ¡°Master Zhang, are we doing this now, or after lunch?¡± Before Master Zhang could answer, Seventh Uncle spoke up first, ¡°Now, now! Butchering a pig, how much effort could it take? I plan to have a few drinks with him this noon.¡± Song Tan: ¡­ The little wild pig was really unlucky to have met Big Wang, not only doomed to give up its body at the end of the year, but now being neutered without anesthesia, and on top of that, nobody was taking it seriously! She remembered when she was working that Huo Xueying¡¯s cat got neutered, had to fast and avoid water for eight hours, got put under with anesthesia, then given anti-inflammatory injections afterward! There was also an ointment to apply. Because it was a male cat, it was cheaper, but it still cost 400! As for the little wild pig¡ª Let¡¯s not even mention it. Master Zhang, however, nodded, ¡°Ok, where¡¯s the pigpen? Get a couple of strong folks to help hold the piglet down.¡± As he finished speaking, he looked toward the plump Zhang Yanping. Zhang Yanping perked up: catching pigs, exciting! He hurriedly followed, Song Sancheng was just about to bring out some freshly brewed tea, but he too quickly followed suit. They went out and circled around to the back hill, where Master Zhang even showed a bit of envy, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s really nice having the pigpen here, it doesn¡¯t affect the image of the village, and there is no smell either.¡± Why would there be a smell? Zhang Wang¡¯s family up on the mountain practically overdid it with diligence, hauling a load of pig manure every single day. That new electric trike they bought was used so smoothly, and in the shady part of the mountain, who knew how much fertilizer had been piled up. And Zhang Wang¡¯s family was indeed very meticulous in their work, they planted peach trees and grew watermelons on the mountain. The space wasn¡¯t large, so they moved all the manure heaps to the field next to their own. In that field grew wildly cultivated kudzu roots, and they accidentally buried several kudzu vines in the process. In any case, as soon as the piglets in the pigpen heard people, they immediately started grunting and squealing, which made Master Zhang green with envy, ¡°These pigs are growing up strong!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but ask her, ¡°When are you slaughtering the pigs, will they be for sale? I¡¯d come to buy more at that time.¡± Neighbors helping neighbors, Song Tan was willing to sell, but the price was something most people couldn¡¯t afford. She sighed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how much will be left, these are all pre-ordered by others, the price is high, they even specify what to feed them every day, we just keep a bit for ourselves to eat.¡± What? Master Zhang was surprised again, ¡°The piglets are only this size and the meat is already reserved?¡± ¡°Gosh, no wonder people say those with good education have more skill, even selling stuff they are better than us.¡± That¡¯s right. Zhang Yanping muttered from behind: ¡°Not only does he sell strong, he also sells at a high price. Just look at this pork, by the end of the year it won¡¯t be less than fifty a pound, he doesn¡¯t believe it.¡± Of course, if the price of pork outside goes up, it will definitely have to follow suit. A few people were discussing fervently when Big White stuck his head out of the bushes, his little yellow hat especially noticeable. His beady eyes cautiously surveyed everyone, and rather than looking majestic, he seemed a bit sleazy. Big Wang seemed to have been raised with some caution by his previous owner. Now, when he saw a crowd of people coming, he wouldn¡¯t show his face easily, for fear of startling anyone. But after a short while, the bushes rustled a few times, and he stealthily ran off into the distance. Song Tan glanced at him and noticed that he was heading towards the back mountain. Knowing that he was going on patrol, she didn¡¯t think much of it. Meanwhile, after the group had commented on the two black and three white domestic pigs, their attention finally shifted to the small wild pig. The little wild boar was discontentedly rooting through the empty feed trough. Seeing people approaching, it scrambled frantically over the rails trying to climb onto them without being urged. Master Zhang originally wanted to direct Song Sancheng and Zhang Yanping to go in and pick up the pig, but before he could speak, he saw Song Tan jump in, scoop up the piglet in her arm, and hop back out. Her movements were smooth as flowing water, silky smooth, making her look very experienced¡­ Cough. Anyway, the piglet was brought out, and Song Tan asked, ¡°What should I do?¡± Song Sancheng and Zhang Yanping quickly stepped forward, one grabbing the front legs and the other the hind legs, ¡°Yanping, you have to hold on tight! Otherwise, if the pig runs away, there will be no way to handle it!¡± This work is usually done inside the pigpen to prevent the pigs from running away. But since there were other pigs in the pen, and to avoid affecting them, it was better done outside. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhang Yanping nodded earnestly, and then laid the little wild pig on its back on the ground. The little wild boar seemed to sense that something bad was about to happen, struggling and squealing desperately, its cries particularly heart-wrenching. Song Tan stood by, watching as Master Zhang took out a razor blade from his bag. The real razor blade. It was the kind of blade from the old-fashioned razors her dad and granddad used to shave with, which she vaguely remembered could be bought a whole box for two yuan¡­ Then he took out a plastic bottle and poured out an alcohol swab, using it to wipe the piglet¡¯s testicles. The coolness of the alcohol made the little wild boar scream even more miserably, but it was really too small; no matter how strong it was, it couldn¡¯t struggle against two grown men firmly holding it down! But Song Sancheng laughed, ¡°You¡¯re quite particular now. I remember years ago when you came to our house, you¡¯d get to work as soon as the pig was held down.¡± Master Zhang smiled, ¡°Back then resources were scarce, but now these things are not expensive. I went to the pharmacy this morning to buy them, two yuan a bottle, and there¡¯s also a bottle of iodine swab.¡± ¡°After we¡¯re done here, I can take it home for use.¡± He picked up the blade, and now, leaning in close, he was about to make his move when Song Tan¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and she quickly reached out to touch the little wild boar¡¯s head. Strands of Spiritual Energy seeped in, and the piglet, who had been afraid and struggling, instantly became groggy. Its eyes narrowed, and its pig face revealed a sense of peace and happiness. At that moment, Master Zhang¡¯s hand shot out like lightning! He swiftly made a cut on the left and right testicles. Years of skill were not wasted; he threw away the blade, pinched the testicles between his thumb and index finger, and then squeezed hard¡ª ¡°Biu.¡± The two little round things inside were then squeezed right out. Chapter 217 - 217 217. Valuable Anti-inflammatory Powder_1 ?Chapter 217: 217. Valuable Anti-inflammatory Powder_1 Chapter 217: 217. Valuable Anti-inflammatory Powder_1 The pus was squeezed out, and Master Zhang rubbed the prepared iodine cotton ball on the wound, and that was that. It wasn¡¯t until this moment that everyone realized, ¡°Did the pig faint from pain?¡± Otherwise, why wasn¡¯t there any reaction? ¡°Huh?¡± Master Zhang was shocked, ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible!¡± As he spoke, he hurriedly rummaged through his bag and took out a pack of anti-inflammatory powder to sprinkle on it. This time, he really was fully prepared! Song Tan quickly let go, and Xiaoye, the little wild pig, cut off from Spiritual Energy, let out a grunt and quickly stood up, then without looking back, bolted towards the pigsty! ¡°Bang!¡± It crashed into the railings, in a complete daze and was then hurriedly shuttled back inside by everyone scrambling around. Once inside, it squeezed into the crowd of other pigs, looking energetic and particularly robust. Master Zhang: ¡­ ¡°Why isn¡¯t it afraid of pain! It¡¯s like it doesn¡¯t feel anything at all?¡± It could still run and jump; many people¡¯s healthy pigs weren¡¯t this lively. Could it be that wild pigs not only have thick skin but also bodies this tough? sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He looked down again at what had been squeezed out earlier and breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°I thought I hadn¡¯t done the surgery well and it wasn¡¯t hurt. Had I known, I wouldn¡¯t have used the anti-inflammatory powder.¡± It was not until then that Song Tan realized, ¡°Is it over just like that?¡± ¡°Yep, it¡¯s over.¡± Master Zhang was busy putting away his alcohol and cotton balls while he couldn¡¯t help but marvel, ¡°Conditions are really good now. In the past, after the cut, people just sprinkled some ash on it and called it a day, and here I am, even using iodine and anti-inflammatory powder on it!¡± Master Zhang felt both professional and generous, convincing himself he had every right to stay for the meal. The group chatted energetically as they made their way down the mountain. Only Song Tan and Zhang Yanping stood at the entrance of the pigsty, astonished by the spirited Xiaoye, feeling as if they had broadened their horizons. It was only then that she remembered the few treasures at home. Although that boss said he would collect them when the dogs were old enough, they couldn¡¯t just keep breeding. Maybe they should consider sterilization in the future¡­ ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Zhang Yanping shook his head vehemently, ¡°Better take them to the city and have it done uniformly, this method is just too brutal.¡± Just the thought made him wince. However, as soon as he finished talking, he saw Xiaoye charge headfirst into the railing again, grunting at him as if it was time to eat. Zhang Yanping: ¡­ Song Tan decided, ¡°Eight treasures, five are males. Taking them to the city for sterilization would cost at least two thousand yuan. It¡¯s good enough as it is.¡± With Spiritual Energy, the Baobaos might also be okay with it. The female dogs can be taken to the hospital later. Zhang Yanping completely lost any desire to look at Xiaoye again: ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s head back.¡± Song Tan turned to look at Big White, ¡°The king is out patrolling, you watch over things here, okay? Call if you need anything.¡± Big White¡¯s beady eyes stared at her, then let out a caw, stretching its neck trying to peck at his hand. Song Tan hurriedly withdrew her hand. No, no, no, do you have any idea how hard it is for her to scrape together that bit of Spiritual Energy? To give it to a pig today means the geese won¡¯t get any. If anyone is to receive it, it should be Big White, look how considerate Big White is! Not long after they descended from the mountain, there was another rustling noise in the jungle. Big White emerged from the shrubbery, with something black and grey in its mouth. With a graceful leap, it was back inside the fence. When it let go, out tumbled a piglet even smaller than the wild boar, that shook its head and wobbled to its feet, then nosed around the area before confidently squeezing into the pack of pigs. When they got home, Qiaoqiao had just finished class, and only then did Song Tan realize, ¡°Oh no, Teacher Zhang, you didn¡¯t record a video.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Teacher Zhang also remembered, slapping his thigh in regret. Song Tan too felt a tinge of regret: ¡°If only I had asked Qiaoqiao to livestream it just now.¡± It had been a while since the last livestream, so they needed to find some fresh content, but Qiaoqiao¡¯s class schedule was quite packed these days. She went to discuss with Xin Jun, ¡°Teacher Xin, Qiaoqiao had a livestreaming account that could make some money. If you don¡¯t mind, could you livestream the class? The camera can be pointed anywhere, it doesn¡¯t have to show faces.¡± The main point was to keep the account active with updates. Xin Jun was quite intrigued, ¡°Qiaoqiao¡¯s livestreaming account can make money?¡± It sounded simple, but it was not that easy. He now truly wanted to settle down here¡ªhis own family resort was professionally designed, complete with gardens, bonsais, rockeries, ponds¡­ you name it, the environment was great, the food was excellent, and the service warm. Yet if you really compared it to Song Tan¡¯s humble farmhouse, it somehow fell short. But what exactly it lacked, he couldn¡¯t quite articulate. At the moment, he wished he could be a tutor for hundreds of years. Right then, he had completely forgotten the vegetables supplied by his own farm; he just wanted to keep eating and didn¡¯t care if he got fat. Moreover, Xin Jun knew how important a money-making project was to Qiaoqiao, so he immediately agreed: ¡°Sure. There are many of those study livestream rooms online these days, and they¡¯re quite good.¡± Qiaoqiao couldn¡¯t wait to pick up the pig feed bucket: ¡°Mom, you performed surgery on the piglet today, does it need to eat something good? I¡¯ll go feed it a bit now.¡± Wu Lan hadn¡¯t gone up the mountain to see, but the piglet that had just been neutered did indeed need some nourishment. She thought for a moment, then added the roots of the green onions, garlic, and cilantro she¡¯d picked from the vegetable garden, along with the kitchen scraps from preparing lunch, and even the wild herbs they had pulled for free from the mountain fields¡­ Anything the pigs could eat, she included it all. She also mixed in eggshells, wheat bran, dried corn into the bucket¡ªa total of two huge, heaping buckets! If Qiaoqiao hadn¡¯t grown stronger recently, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to carry them at all. Although the rations for the six pigs wouldn¡¯t be enough, they could still be fed with leftover rice mixed with rice bran after their lunch¡­ ¡°Add some water, mix it up, and carry it over,¡± she instructed. There wasn¡¯t much growing in the fields this first half of the year, and Tantan didn¡¯t allow for much feed, so the pigs would have to make do for now. But come the second half of the year, their meals would certainly be more plentiful. Wu Lan said this with a smile on her lips and eyes. Ah, the pigs in their family weren¡¯t fussy eaters¡ªthey ate everything and grew so strong. Thinking about it suddenly made her regret having castrated the wild boar. After all, their physique was really good, and they didn¡¯t seem like they¡¯d fall ill. If the old sow at home had piglets, there probably wouldn¡¯t be any issues, right? But what¡¯s done was done¡­ After some thought, she still patted her beloved son¡¯s head: ¡°Good boy, having more pigs in the mountains is a good thing; no need to hide or hoard. You can feed them as often as you like. As long as they can eat it and aren¡¯t hungry, that¡¯s fine.¡± Qiaoqiao nodded, finally at ease, and promised loudly, ¡°Okay! I got it!¡± Chapter 218 - 218 218. Live Pig Feeding_1 ?Chapter 218: 218. Live Pig Feeding_1 Chapter 218: 218. Live Pig Feeding_1 Qiaoqiao carried the big red bucket up the mountain. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was two very large plastic buckets, full to the brim with dry goods, with just a bit of water added before going up the mountain to ensure the food wasn¡¯t too dry¡ª This goes to show how considerate everyone raising pigs really is, even taking taste into account. His strength had increased nowadays; otherwise, the task of feeding the pigs couldn¡¯t have fallen to him. After all, Song Sancheng was getting on in years, and if he kept exerting himself like this, Song Tan worried he might twist his back. So, this glorious and solemn mission was handed over to Qiaoqiao, who did it with great diligence, feeding the pigs, the dogs, the chickens, the ducks, and Big White. Aside from watching Ultraman, he spent nearly all his free time on them. Now, he huffed and puffed as he carried the two big red buckets up the mountain, while feeling deep sympathy for Xiaoye, the little wild boar that had just undergone surgery today. He wondered whether the pain would make it lose its appetite? Whenever he had been sick before, he wouldn¡¯t feel much like eating. However, when he arrived at the pigpen gate, he saw that familiar little wild boar acting just like always, ramming its head against the railing door, eagerly standing on its hind legs and scratching at the wooden gate. Clearly, its mind was filled with nothing but food. Qiaoqiao instantly felt cheerful. After a moment¡¯s thought, he started a live stream¡ªIt had been a long time since he had taught the kids, and he felt so guilty for secretly studying on his own. He hadn¡¯t yet grasped the concept of giving his live stream a sensational name. This time, he simply started it unremarkably. It was nearly noon, and everyone was either on their way from work, about to get off work, or already waiting for lunch. In any case, once the broadcast notification sounded off, people began showing up in the live stream room that had been quiet for a while. Of course, the popularity couldn¡¯t compare to the previous times, but Qiaoqiao couldn¡¯t understand this stuff anyway. He just felt that he had already taught them how to harvest honey, how to pick Milk Vetch, and how to dig bamboo shoots¡­ Now it was time to teach them how to feed pigs! The loyal fans in the live stream room, alerted by the special notice, were like sick men who suddenly sat up in their beds¡ªall excited that their favorite host was finally back! ¡°Has the stream started?¡± Qiaoqiao leaned in to check the screen. The lighting was just right in the woods. The area around the pigpen was warm and cozy, but it was shaded in front of the fence. The most obvious display of this was that even without using any filters, he still looked extraordinarily handsome on the live stream camera. Fair-skinned, with pure eyes, who could resist such a cutie? The comment section was filled with ¡°awsl¡± (awesome). [Seeing the host like this makes my heart flutter¡­ I¡¯m a guy, something is wrong with me!] [I feel the same flutter, it¡¯s not right!] [My goodness, I just came in by accident to find such a handsome beauty attack, is this really a rural countryside host?] [I¡¯m a girl¡­ It looks like I¡¯m the only one with a normal crush.] Unfortunately, as soon as Qiaoqiao confirmed the start of the broadcast, he had already returned to teaching mode: ¡°Kids, today we¡¯re going to learn how to feed pigs.¡± He placed his phone nearby against a tree. Now stepping back two paces, he picked up the big red bucket: ¡°First, we need to prepare the pig feed.¡± ¡°Here we have Pennisetum Grass pulled from the mountains, weeds from the rice fields, and water hyacinths from the pond.¡± He began scooping the contents from the red bucket out one by one. The pigs in the pen, seeing this, became so anxious they started squealing, having never suffered such indignity. The background noise was unusually rhythmic for a moment. The live stream room was also stunned for a moment. [Goodness gracious, actually feeding pigs, the host always teaches practical stuff.] [Alright, I¡¯ve learned now; can you ship a piglet over here?] [Farmhouse pigs! Fed on wild greens! The pork must be so fragrant!] [Slurp, craving for some braised pork now.] The comment section was especially lively, and a few old fans who had planned to watch the live stream and take a nap were suddenly energized¡ª [One, two, three¡­ seven pigs. Host, do you sell pork?] [Look! There are two black pigs that stand out, a bit smaller in size. Could it be they can¡¯t win when competing for food?] [The one at the front, if you don¡¯t know, don¡¯t spout nonsense. Those are clearly local black pigs, you have no idea how delicious the meat is! They just grow slowly.] [Post the link! Post the link!] Everyone went from discussing the taste of farmhouse black pig meat to sharing recipes, as the barrage section reached an unprecedented level of activity. The live streaming platform¡¯s traffic pool kicked in, quickly bringing in a wave of newcomers. However, for mentor Qiaoqiao, he had no idea how many students he had; he simply followed his own rhythm. He not only turned over those wild weeds but also brought them close to the camera to show everyone the green onion roots and garlic stems, then nodded in satisfaction: ¡°Sister said these are greens, and you have to eat more greens to stay healthy.¡± [The host is correct, eating more greens is good for the pork.] [Divine pig feed! Host! Post the link!!! Am I too poor to buy pork?!] [The one before is crazy. That pig is only so small¡ªthe host, I want the biggest one on the left!] Qiaoqiao still felt a bit sorry for the piglets, ¡°Then we have to mix rice bran and wheat bran into the pig feed, and leftovers are okay too, but those are for the dogs to eat, so we don¡¯t give too much.¡± [Speaking of dogs, it reminds me of that hellhound from last time. Why don¡¯t you film it more?] [Exactly! Geez, I went back to watch the playback and took screenshots, it wasn¡¯t the angle, it was genuinely huge.] No sooner had the voice died away than a big goose charged out from an oblique angle! Big White had lain in the bushes that morning, watching with open eyes as two big men pinned down new piglets to the ground, then with a slash of the knife, did that unspeakable act. Now Big White kept nudging into Qiaoqiao¡¯s arms, flapping his wings, the picture of distress. The barrage of comments once again became animated: [A treasure trove of a farmhouse, Goose Goose Goose, too big for one pot!] [I understand all this, I might not even be able to beat this goose, but why is it so clingy?] [Raising geese as pets seems like such a joy.] [Calm down, the one in front. Its honking could drive you away.] And that¡¯s no lie! Now that Big White was close to the phone, he kept burrowing into Qiaoqiao¡¯s arms and began to emit pitiful honks, the heart-wrenching sound echoing through the woods, which made Qiaoqiao¡¯s heart ache. Though he had no idea why Big White was upset, he still brought the big bucket to the front again: ¡°Big White, are you hungry? Here, have a bite first.¡± Goodness, viewers in the live room saw that yellow-hatted Big White dive headfirst into the pig feed bucket! You see, it seems that this goose doesn¡¯t quite know how to eat. It first picks out things like onion roots and coriander roots with wisps of whiskers, then eats wild grasses, barnyard millet, and water hyacinth. Finally, it¡¯s the dry corn, crushed eggshells, leftovers, and wheat bran and rice bran¡­ For quite a long while, the barrage area was silent, with only a single comment floating by lonely: [That ¡°bite¡± looks a bit big.] Isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s still not looking up to this moment. In the bushes, the king once again walked over silently, letting out a low ¡°woof¡±! As expected, Big White pulled back its neck and then contentedly lay down to one side. And Qiaoqiao patted the king¡¯s head, ¡°Big King, thank you for bringing the piglets back, sister and mom are both very happy.¡± But¡­ He looked blankly at the pigpen: ¡°One, two, three¡­ why are there seven?¡± Chapter 219 - 219 219. Seven Pigs_1 ?Chapter 219: 219. Seven Pigs_1 Chapter 219: 219. Seven Pigs_1 Big King ¡°woofed¡± again. In the live stream camera, its head looked especially large, making the whole dog appear exceptionally fierce and imposing. However, the way it casually rubbed its head against Qiaoqiao¡¯s chest made it seem extraordinarily clever and clingy. When a tough guy acts spoiled, it¡¯s particularly lethal. Take, for instance, the current chat: [Holy shit holy shit holy shit!] [That¡¯s a huge dog! What kind is it? A Tibetan Mastiff?] [What does this dog eat? It doesn¡¯t eat wild veggies, does it?] [Just took a screenshot and checked, this is a Kangal, the Turkish National Dog. There are breeding farms in China selling them¡­ but none as big as this one.] [Streamer, drop the link!] [It¡¯s so gentle; as a fairy, I feel so safe!] [Calm down, everyone. A big dog needs to be trained properly, or it can bite your arm off in one bite if not trained well.] Big King, indeed, as said in the chat, had grown bigger recently. Just standing there, its head could reach Qiaoqiao¡¯s shoulder. If its original owner came over, there would be no reason to cry¡ªbecause its demeanor was completely different now. But Qiaoqiao wasn¡¯t paying attention to the live stream; instead, she realized something and stroked Big King¡¯s head again, ¡°Big King, did you bring this wild piglet here too?¡± ¡°Woof.¡± ¡°Stealing piglets like this, will the wild boar mother get angry? Can you beat her?¡± ¡°Woof.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll tell mom in a bit, we have another wild piglet.¡± He finally remembered the live stream, loosened his grip on Big King holding the phone, and then aimed the camera at the pigpen: ¡°Kids, today we are going to teach you how to feed pigs.¡± ¡°We have seven pigs here. Mom said the three white ones will grow fast and get fat, these two black ones will take a bit longer, but their meat is delicious.¡± ¡°This little black one is a wild piglet Big King stole a while ago, and my sister said it got neutered this morning.¡± ¡°This tiny black one wasn¡¯t here in the morning; it seems Big King just snuck it back recently.¡± ¡°Big King is so amazing!¡± Chat: ¡­ [Yeah, yeah, Big King is so amazing, glanced at his side to the Alas Family.] [A divine dog¡ªsteals wild pigs!] [Fight, fight, fight! Let the pigs fight!] Qiaoqiao found a good angle with her phone, pushed a few pigs aside with difficulty, then aimed the camera at the feeding trough, lifting a big bucket to start pouring in. ¡°Whoosh!¡± The pig feed poured out, and the piglets immediately crowded around! At this moment, the barrage had already shifted focus from the streamer¡¯s display of strength to a wild exclamation, comments from all sides. [Not sure whether to be shocked that the dog can steal wild pigs or that the streamer got two wild piglets for free.] [Drop the link! Drop the link!] [Black pigs, white pigs, little wild pigs!] [The neutering this morning should have been live-streamed; the streamer missed out on the heat.] [Why is this big dog so amazing? My Husky didn¡¯t even bring back a wild chicken when it went back to the countryside. Now I can¡¯t help but pick up my slipper¡ª] [Please, dear dog, stop chewing on the sofa!] [Drop the link! Drop the link!] A bunch of little pigs jostled each other, their big ears fluttering, heads buried in the feed trough making loud munching sounds. The live stream room quieted down for a rare moment without the overlapping pig noises. But the barrage had begun to rise and fall again. [Don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m hungry.] [To the one before, you might be craving pig feed.] [Is it possible that it¡¯s time for lunch?] [The pigs are free-range in the back mountain, and they eat wild vegetables and crops¡­ Where is the host¡¯s home, can you invite me to your pig slaughter meal?] [I am a student, please send me a pig. I¡¯m not picky about the breed, just make sure it has free shipping.] Qiaoqiao stood there and checked the sink next to her, which was still full of water; it was delivered daily by Zhang Wang¡¯s family when they came to collect manure, using a tricycle. She looked again at the straw in the pigsty. The trees on the back mountain had been chopped down before and now were half in the shade, half in the sunlight. It wasn¡¯t too damp or too hot, and the straw in the pigsty looked pretty dry as well. Satisfied, she said to her live audience, still passionately discussing, ¡°Okay, kids, have you all learned how to feed pigs? If you have, say goodbye!¡± [Haven¡¯t learned it, haven¡¯t learned it.] [Honestly, I was here for the hypnosis, why am I getting hungry now?] [Host, you haven¡¯t chosen a good theme this time, I suggest you include product placements next time.] [You should at least sell something; right now my shopping heart is twitching, but there¡¯s nowhere to place an order.] [Host has goods but doesn¡¯t sell, my wallet looks around, clueless.] sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [If you don¡¯t sell the piglets, you can also do pre-sales for pork, I¡¯m willing to wait until the end of year pig slaughter.] [Help, I¡¯m new here, where exactly is this host? I¡¯ve never had wild pork in my life!] [To the person before, when I was born, wild pigs were protected animals, and it¡¯s only in the past two years that they¡¯ve been given a chance.] [I¡¯ve never eaten it either, host, give us a chance!] The flurry of rewards scattered like fireworks, but Qiaoqiao had already cleaned up the empty bucket, said goodbye to Big King and Big White one by one, and then turned off the live stream without hesitation. ¡ªGoing down the mountain now! It¡¯s just in time for dinner. At the foot of the mountain. After a lot of urging and yielding, Master Zhang was finally seated at the head of the table. Master Zhang was quite embarrassed: ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t deserve to be at the head of the table¡­¡± Zhang Yanping, who had returned with an empty food basket, heard this and thought: It¡¯s because the head of the table is inconvenient for serving food that nobody likes to sit there, hahaha¡­ Cough. Of course, it was mainly out of respect for the guest. At this moment, Master Zhang stopped Song Sancheng from pouring more wine: ¡°Enough, enough¡­ I have a bad stomach, I can¡¯t drink much!¡± In the countryside, this was as good as being polite, so Song Sancheng continued to pour a little more: ¡°Brother, my uncle hasn¡¯t had company for a long time, have a few drinks with him, no need for courtesy.¡± Master Zhang then reluctantly agreed: ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll keep your uncle company, but just a little.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting on in years, need to control myself.¡± ¡°Ah¡ªgood wine!¡± ¡°Ah, this dish! Uncle, your cooking skills are getting more and more incredible!¡± The two men clinked glasses and drank, and Song Sancheng and Song Youde also joined for a drink or two, making the scene especially lively. Song Tan watched with a chuckle. What good wine? It¡¯s just ordinary local wine that costs a few tens of yuan a bottle, and yet they¡¯re enjoying it so much. This year, she also planted some sorghum and corn down the mountain fields, and she planned to have Seventh Uncle make wine with them in the fall. Qiaoqiao was meanwhile reporting to Wu Lan, ¡°Mom, we have one more piglet, there¡¯s not enough food, we need to feed them a bit more later.¡± Wu Lan laughed heartily: Getting a pig for free, why wouldn¡¯t I be happy? So she nodded, ¡°Alright, alright, Qiaoqiao decides how much to feed!¡± Qiaoqiao looked a bit puzzled. He felt that his mother¡¯s reaction was a bit off, so he turned to Song Tan and said, ¡°Sister, Big King brought another piglet back, we don¡¯t have enough food.¡± Song Tan laughed even more: ¡°If it¡¯s not enough, feed them more!¡± But after thinking about it, she felt something was off: ¡°Another one? Are you talking about the previous one or a new one? How many do we have now?¡± Chapter 220 - 220 220. The seventh pig_1 ?Chapter 220: 220. The seventh pig_1 Chapter 220: 220. The seventh pig_1 At this very moment. The clear-headed Song Tan and the half-drunk family members all stood beside the pigpen, each person counting basic addition and subtraction within ten at least three times. But still, there were only seven pigs. Da Wang sat quietly in the bushes beside them, sleek and poised, his chest fur shining brightly, his eyes seemingly sparkling with light. If he had been wearing a big red flower, he would have embodied the posture of all decorated dogs going up to receive awards. But while they were heroes, he was a thief! Seizing the opportunity while the half-drunk Mr. Zhang had not yet noticed Da Wang, Song Tan quietly walked over and hugged Da Wang¡¯s neck: ¡°Baobao, tell me, are you okay with stealing like this every day? I mean, do the wild pigs not mind?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Whether they mind or not, I can¡¯t just take your word for it.¡± ¡°What if the wild pig brings its offspring over, and they end up digging up my forest and vegetable garden? Who would be responsible for that?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Look at you, you can¡¯t even take that responsibility, and you¡¯re still relying on me for support. You¡¯re nearly out of dog food, you know?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± After an unfruitful communication, Song Tan thought for a while and then whispered, ¡°You stole two, I¡¯ll give you two big pieces of good meat for New Year¡¯s. But there¡¯s one thing, if their family¡¯s pigs come looking, you have to figure out a way to keep them here.¡± He added another word of caution, ¡°It¡¯s best to keep them alive. We¡¯ll raise them a bit to get the taste right, otherwise that wild pork is so smelly and rank, I bet you wouldn¡¯t want to eat it either.¡± ¡°Woof.¡± Da Wang adjusted his front paws and puffed out his chest. Song Tan looked at him and felt that his earlier offer might have been too insubstantial, deciding to give Da Wang something more tangible. ¡°Look, you¡¯re so handsome; next time I go to the city, I¡¯ll buy you a red bib to wear!¡± ¡°Buy a red bib?¡± Wu Lan and Wang Lifan came over, and at this moment, they were all smiles. Their rough and mismatched palms patted Da Wang¡¯s head, looking at him as if he were no different from a cherished baby. ¡°I always said our Da Wang would be useful with all that food he eats! See, his guarding service hasn¡¯t been witnessed yet, but now he¡¯s brought us wealth. No wonder people say raising dogs brings prosperity, ¡®Dogs bring wealth¡¯ indeed.¡± ¡°Good Da Wang!¡± Grandma Wang Lifen loved such an honest good dog, immediately promising, ¡°I still have an old red jacket, which I can¡¯t wear now because of my age. I¡¯ll take it apart tonight and make a big bib for our Da Wang!¡± ¡°Our Da Wang is so dashing, grandma will even sew a lace border for you tonight!¡± Da Wang¡¯s eyes, half-closed, were already intoxicated by this unskilled but heartfelt flattery. Only Song Tan faintly remembered grandma¡¯s big floral jacket and made one last effort for it¡ª ¡°It¡¯s not expensive; maybe I should just buy one¡­¡± ¡°Buy what?¡± Grandma flatly refused: ¡°Aren¡¯t those bibs on TV just the same? When winter comes, I can even crochet one with wool.¡± She petted Da Wang¡¯s smooth fur again and promised, ¡°I¡¯ll make you a long leash, then we¡¯ll tie a bow at the back of your neck!¡± Da Wang¡¯s stout tail started wagging uncontrollably. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°That won¡¯t do!¡± Song Tan quickly objected: ¡°He runs around in the mountains, a bow would get caught on something.¡± But Da Wang was not happy with this, ¡°Woof woof woof!¡± He started to prance about. The excitement made Grandma blossom with joy: ¡°See, I told you our Da Wang would like this style!¡± Master Zhang, tipsy from drinking, finally climbed out of the pigpen again, looking delighted: ¡°This is a young sow!¡± ¡°Ah, we can get a young boar later for breeding, that would be great! Remember to call me for the pig slaughtering next year!¡± Wu Lan still felt a bit of regret: ¡°If we¡¯d known, we wouldn¡¯t have slaughtered that piglet this morning.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do!¡± Song Tan quickly consoled her: ¡°Mom, we still don¡¯t know how long the policy on wild pigs will be relaxed, you can¡¯t just let them keep multiplying endlessly!¡± Master Zhang chimed in: ¡°Exactly, wild boars are very aggressive, and if you don¡¯t slaughter them, they will fight every day. Even if you keep it alone, this wire fence might not be strong enough to hold it back, and it could make your pigpen collapse.¡± That did make sense; those wild boar tusks were not just for show. After the shock had subsided, everyone returned to the dining table. Master Zhang, having had a little alcohol, had not even tasted any of the dishes before he went for a stroll in the mountains; now he was famished, hastily grabbed some cilantro beef salad with his chopsticks. ¡°!!!¡± He took another bite of it, slowly this time, while glancing at the braised beef and cilantro. But¡­ it was still delicious, right? The unique aroma of the spices blended well with the taste of the braised beef¡­ Master Zhang swore to himself: he would only eat one bowl today, but one bowl of rice and one bowl of beef, that seemed reasonable, right? After all, everyone eats a bowl of white rice with side dishes at home, it doesn¡¯t count if you mix them together. However, Seventh Uncle had already picked up his glass and clinked it with his, then spun the lazy Susan, calling out, ¡°Don¡¯t just eat the cold dishes, have some hot ones! Try my braised dried bamboo shoots with smoked meat.¡± The bamboo shoots were dug out from the bamboo grove afterward. Some were eaten fresh, while others were dried; and you have to say, with meat, the flavors from the ground¡­ simply unbeatable! Master Zhang watched his cilantro beef salad being taken away from him, but at his age, he couldn¡¯t just lose all his dignity as a guest. So, he forced a smile, stretching his chopsticks into the pot of dried bamboo shoots. ¡°!!!¡± This time, his eyes widened again. That is to say, a bowl of rice with a bowl of dried bamboo shoots was also quite reasonable, right? Seventh Uncle refilled his glass and proudly boasted, ¡°Try this fried goji leaf with eggs, I¡¯ve never used such high-quality goji leaves in all my life! They nourish the liver and brighten the eyes, eat more! Don¡¯t be shy!¡± It¡¯s the life philosophy of those who pursue health to eat vegetables in moderation, so even as he watched the dried bamboo shoots slip away again, Master Zhang still maintained a calm demeanor: ¡°We really should eat more of it, as we get older we need to be restrained, eat less meat.¡± The green goji leaves stir-fried with the golden eggs were collected from a nearby village. The resulting golden, shiny eggs were very tempting. At that moment, a faint fragrance wafted over, livening Master Zhang¡¯s spirits as he swiftly filled his mouth¡ª ¡°!!!!¡± He slowly chewed the stir-fried eggs in his mouth, the fragrance of the goji shoots especially distinct. Master Zhang looked at the array of dishes and then at the others enthusiastically devouring their food, finally realizing: It wasn¡¯t that any particular dish was incredibly delicious, but that every dish was! He stood up and pushed his bowl forward: ¡°Girl, give me a hand, please serve me a bowl of rice.¡± Starting with a bowl of rice topped with goji leaf and egg to whet the appetite was also quite reasonable, right? Song Tan was seated by the door, helping everyone with their rice; at this moment, she deftly picked up the empty bowl and approached the stove. Without hesitation, the large ladle dived in and came back full, and she pressed down firmly, compacting the rice into the bowl. Then, she brandished the scoop, topping it with another generous spoonful.