Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 12

Late February to early March was a rare leisurely time for farmers throughout the year.

The New Year celebrations were over, and the children had all flown back to their own lives. The swallows hadn’t returned to the beams yet, and more and more land was left to fallow, dominated by shades of withered yellow and grayish-brown.

Except for the distant green mountains, the entire village presented a lonely and silent picture.

But today, the field by the bamboo grove of the Song family was bustling with activity.

“Song Sancheng, what’s going on at your place this year? Striking it rich and planning a big endeavor? You’re tidying up so much land?”

“Exactly, Old Song, what do you plan to plant? There used to be some tea trees here, aren’t you keeping them?”

Everyone gathered to help Song Sancheng tidy up the field.

The plowing machine was roaring in the corner, but before plowing, they had to clear the weeds and bushes from the field.

Otherwise, the small machine would likely get stuck.

Luckily, with many hands, the work was not only enjoyable but also efficient. Once one area was cleared, the plowing machine would go over it twice, fitting perfectly together.

Those who came to help were around Song Sancheng’s age.

At their age, going out to work was difficult, as most factories wouldn’t hire them.

Manual labor jobs sometimes had relaxed age requirements, but employers were also wary of accidents.

Moreover, people in their forties and fifties often had health issues from the hard work in their younger years…

Now, staying in the village, they worked in bursts, trying not to burden their children.

So when Song Sancheng offered 150 yuan a day for bending over and working hard, it wasn’t a good job, but everyone was willing to come.

At their age, they also sought companionship.

Song Sancheng sighed: “The tea leaves aren’t worth much, and there’s a large patch on the hillside. I haven’t managed these here for years… Why keep them?”

That was true.

Their area wasn’t famous for tea. The ordinary tea from the hills sold for fifty yuan a pound if fried well. Few people outside were willing to pay for it.

The tea trees in the field were only planted initially to avoid leaving the land bare…

But now, they’re old!

The labor-intensive farm work was really becoming impossible, and they had gradually accepted it.

“So, what are you doing, clearing fields and the mountain?”

The question came from their neighbor, Li Baoni.

Speaking of this, Song Sancheng didn’t know how to explain.

How could he say that his daughter was quitting her job to come back and farm?

Few young people nowadays knew how to farm; the villagers would laugh at the idea!

So he downplayed it: “It’s nothing. My daughter, Tan, has been working too hard and her health has suffered. I told her the farm needs help, so she’s resting at home for a year or so before going back to work.”

That made sense.

Who didn’t have young people striving outside?

Neighbor Li Baoni also sighed: “That’s true. My daughter came back for the New Year looking pale. It turns out she was working overtime until one or two in the morning—the salary wasn’t much, and she had nothing left after a year.”

Li Baoni’s daughter worked in a clothing chain store. Sweet-talking and capable, she was now a supervisor, often doing inventory at night and traveling to open new stores. It was tough work.

Unfortunately, the economy hadn’t been good these past two years. Salaries hadn’t increased, and she was constantly worried about being laid off…

Talking about their children, every family had their own difficulties.

From a distance, Zhou Shunshui sighed: “My son asked us to move to the city to live with them and help take care of the kids—but the peppers at the supermarket there cost more than ten yuan a pound! Who can afford that?”

“Taking care of the kids, dropping them off at kindergarten in the morning, picking them up in the evening and taking them to extracurricular classes, which aren’t even in the same place—the bus rides made me dizzy. Inside the house, they always had the air conditioning on. It wasn’t as warm as our stove.”

“I stayed for a week and couldn’t stand it, so I came back.”

As for his wife, she couldn’t bear to leave her grandson, so she stayed there to take care of him.

Whether farming was practical or not, Song Sancheng’s reason seemed plausible:

“Tan also said that the food hasn’t tasted as good in recent years. So I thought, since she’s staying, why not plant some vegetables and rice for her to enjoy.”

The villagers laughed.

“Song Sancheng, you’re now the biggest farmer in the village, almost a landlord—when your rice is ready, I won’t buy any more rice; I’ll buy from you.”

“Right, me too. The rice outside looks white because it’s polished. It lacks nutrition and costs several yuan a pound, yet it doesn’t taste as good as homegrown rice.”

Song Sancheng didn’t dare agree: “We only have two plots of land, not enough even for our family. I won’t sell it.”

Who among them hadn’t farmed?

Hearing this, everyone protested: “Two plots add up to several acres. What, does your family eat thousands of pounds of rice a year?”

Song Sancheng laughed: “What can I do? This good rice variety tastes great but is expensive. At best, it yields a thousand pounds per acre. A thousand pounds of rice is about seven hundred pounds of rice, enough for two or three people for a year.”

“Then my parents, the child’s grandparents, uncles, aunts… every family needs some, right?”

“This amount is just enough for our own use.”

In the village, it was customary to share some harvest with neighbors and relatives. Not much, but enough to show goodwill.

Everyone calculated and realized there wouldn’t be much surplus, but there would be some: “No, I insist on eating your rice this year, or I won’t help with transplanting!”

Everyone echoed the sentiment.

Implying they would help transplant without charging.

Song Sancheng didn’t dare agree: “With just two plots, we can transplant in two days… We’ll provide meals during the harvest!”

Everyone laughed and joked. When one plot was cleared, preparing to move to the next, someone remembered:

“You’re clearing these ten or twenty acres. Besides a few acres of rice, what about the rest?”

Song Sancheng didn’t hide it: “Vegetables.”

“I thought we wouldn’t use pesticides, and I’d take the bus to the city to sell them. We shouldn’t lose money.”

That wouldn’t make much either.

Without pesticides, the weeds and insects would be overwhelming. The couple wouldn’t have time to deal with them, not to mention the hard work.

Moreover, the roads were bad, with only one bus a day, costing 40 yuan for a round trip…

The vegetables needed fertilizer and effort, and the market was competitive with many vendors from nearby rural areas…

After calculating, it seemed impractical!

But someone thought: “That works. Your Qiao Qiao needs someone to watch over him. We’re too old for jobs. Growing vegetables is good.”

“I’ll come to the field to buy directly!”

…

…

Village crops were mostly single varieties, with overlapping harvest seasons, so buying vegetables was often necessary.

Additionally, now it was allowed to sell pigs but illegal to slaughter and sell pork yourself.

Tan planned to grow rice, watermelon, various vegetables, chestnuts… She would also keep bees because the Chinese milk vetch honey was a must! And many wild vegetables.

Raising pigs, dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, fish, shrimp, and water chestnuts.

Feel free to comment on any crops you like!