Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 130.1

Song Tan drove her small pickup truck to deliver the last batch of fruit seedlings. Just as she finished and started heading down from the mountain, she noticed the large truck in front of her speeding away like it was on fire. The driver didn’t even say goodbye before stepping on the gas.

Wu Lan, who had just turned off the hillside, was startled. “Hey, why did they leave? I was thinking about having them stay for lunch, and I even came back early to cook!”

At the gate, Zhang Yanping was grinning and winking. “Tan Tan, mission accomplished. We didn’t let them leave empty-handed!”

Each of the three brothers received two jars of honey and a pound of tea leaves. On Zhang Yanping’s decision, they were also given five pounds of bamboo shoots each.

This was the best treatment they had given any customer!

Worried that Song Tan might not be happy, Zhang Yanping quickly explained in a conciliatory tone, “They came all this way to deliver the goods. In case there’s another opportunity for cooperation, it’s good to maintain a friendly relationship…”

Song Tan glanced at him and thought, “I’m not that stingy. We didn’t give gifts before simply because it wasn’t necessary.”

Meanwhile, Wu Lan was beaming with joy. “Oh, Yanping! You always know what to do!”

“That’s right,” Wu Lan continued. “Tan Tan, you just paid them over a hundred thousand yuan, and now they’ve returned more than thirty thousand… So, we have the money to pay the workers tomorrow, right?”

Zhang Yanping perked up. “So, we don’t need to dig up any more bamboo shoots?”

Song Tan thought for a moment and sincerely replied, “Let’s dig up some more.”

After all, the bamboo shoots had been enhanced by spiritual energy. It would be a waste not to harvest them, and there would be many expenses to come!

Zhang Yanping: …

What could he say?

At twenty yuan per pound, the bamboo shoots were more than enough to spark Wu Lan’s enthusiasm. She grabbed a hoe and a basket. “Come on, come on! It’s not dark yet, let’s hurry to the bamboo forest. We’ll eat dinner a bit later.”

Zhang Yanping was almost in tears. “Aunt, you should rest. Tomorrow, Tan Tan will be hiring dozens of people, and you’ll have to do all the cooking!”

“Tonight, you should take a break and finalize the hiring.”

Wu Lan glared at Song Tan. “You really are a good daughter!”

“Ever since you came back, the savings in our home haven’t increased, but the work has grown day by day. Even if your father and I were like oxen, we couldn’t keep up with this pace!”

Song Tan quickly soothed her, “It’s okay, Mom. Tomorrow, hire two helpers first. After I sell the bamboo shoots, I’ll visit Aunt to see if we can invite Seventh Granduncle back…”

Wu Lan continued to grumble, “Hiring helpers costs money too, doesn’t it? With the way you’re going, I can hardly find time to pick tea leaves…”

Tea leaves are worth so much money!

Suddenly, Song Tan realized that since she returned home, she had been handling all the expenses, but her parents hadn’t seen any of the profits.

This wouldn’t do.

Her parents were getting older, and without money in their hands, they would feel insecure. It wasn’t about whether they were filial or lacking money; it was simply their belief built over the years — as one gets older, one should save more for retirement.

If she gave her parents full control of the finances, with their cautious nature, they wouldn’t spend a dime, just save every penny they could.

Song Tan thought for a moment and said, “Mom, why don’t you give me your bank account number? We’ve been earning a lot this year, but we’ve also been spending a lot, and you and Dad have been working hard too. How about this: I’ll transfer twenty thousand yuan to you and Dad every month, and you can save it.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Lan became even angrier!

She swung the hoe forcefully and dug out a bamboo shoot with a loud “thud.” Then she glared at her, “What? Are you going to start paying your parents a salary now? Does that mean if I ask you to do something in the future, I’ll need to pay you a running fee?”

Song Tan: …

She had expected this.

If she didn’t give them money, her parents wouldn’t see a penny all year, which wasn’t fair. If she did give them money, they’d feel as if they were becoming strangers.

She had no choice but to change her angle. “Mom, as you’ve seen, we’ve invested a lot in these fields and mountains, and I do spend money extravagantly without much planning.”

“This way, if I transfer a little to you every month, you can help me save it for Qiao Qiao and me. In case something happens, we’ll need to rely on you both.”