Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 131.1

With dozens of people to feed, buying vegetables alone wasn’t enough.

Wu Lan instructed, “We also need meat. Tomorrow, we need to get twenty pounds – ribs, tenderloin, pork belly, trotters, whatever we can find. Also, get some chicken and duck…”

As she gave these instructions, her heart ached with every word. The cost of this meal would not be small! Especially now that pork prices had gone up again.

Tan Tan thought for a moment and suggested, “Let’s buy less meat tomorrow. I’ll bring back some more braised dishes from the city. That should save us some effort.”

After all, they had to plant all the peach trees tomorrow, and they couldn’t skimp on lunch. In a village, money was one thing, but maintaining good relationships was just as important.

This made Wu Lan even more anxious. “Maybe we should find someone else to handle the cooking tomorrow. I don’t have experience cooking for so many people all at once! What if the food doesn’t taste good? Wouldn’t that make us a laughingstock?”

For years, any large gathering in the village had always called for a professional chef. The chef charged between twenty-five to fifty yuan per table, while the villagers provided their own rice, noodles, oil, and vegetables. They also brought along tables, chairs, and benches.

Wu Lan hadn’t cooked for so many people in decades. To be honest, she was aware of how her cooking tasted. Strangely, her food had become more delicious recently; even two or three dozen people could finish what used to be enough for forty or fifty.

The two large pots at home should not be used to cook rice tomorrow; they would only be for stir-frying. The rice would have to be cooked using electric rice cookers borrowed from other villagers.

Everything was in a hurry, and they had to manage as best they could.

Tan Tan felt overwhelmed, too.

Cooking for so many people was really a tough job. No matter how much help there was, there was still work to be done.

At the end of the day, it was because the temptation offered by the village secretary was too great for her to resist!

How annoying!

Next time the secretary would came by, she wouldn’t even serve him tea.

She thought about it for a moment and then urged Wu Lan, “Mom, quickly call my aunt and ask her to visit Granduncle’s house. If it’s okay, I’ll bring some gifts over tomorrow.”

If they could hire a good chef, he could stay for a few days. This way, her mom wouldn’t have to work so hard.

She was willing to pay a high salary!

Right now, the weather was mild, so cooking wasn’t too bad. But once it got hot, being in the kitchen would be pure torture.

If she really let her family suffer this much, what was the point of all this fuss she was making? Even selling a few potted plants with spiritual energy in the city would be much easier and more profitable!

“Yes, yes, this is a big deal,” Wu Lan replied. Feeding everyone was an immediate concern, but she also thought about Qiao Qiao’s future. While dialing the phone, she said, “Your Aunt really should have mentioned this earlier instead of waiting until she was leaving. If we had known, we could have sent her off with more jars of honey.”

Tan Tan chuckled. “Aunt Mao Li was here, but she doesn’t like to waste words with her.”

Wu Lan frowned. “Telling them wouldn’t make a difference. I don’t think your eldest cousin and his wife are particularly filial — your aunt might have a sharp tongue, but she does all the work around the house like a servant. Have you ever seen your cousin and his wife care about her?”

Just because people didn’t talk about it didn’t mean they didn’t understand.

Take the eldest uncle’s son, for example. He only came back once a year, during Chinese New Year. The rest of the time, even during holidays, he claimed to be working overtime…

Who didn’t know what it was like to have a job?

Even so, Wu Lan still had a kind word for the Mao Li. “Your Aunt Mao Li is still good to you, Tan Tan. Always remember to think of her when you have good things to share.”

Before she could dial out, another call came in.

It was from her Aunt-in-law, Zhou Fangjuan.

“Wu Lan, I heard you’re hiring people to do farm work?”

In the village, news spread like wildfire. The aunt-in-law had heard from a casual conversation that her college-educated niece had returned to farm, and it seemed like she was doing it on a large scale, hiring people every day!

When she told her mother-in-law, she wasn’t pleased. She told her eldest son, “You’re supposed to be the older brother. Last time Tan Tan came by, she didn’t forget you and brought you so many vegetables. She even mentioned farming at home. Why didn’t you offer to lend a hand?”

The eldest uncle was frustrated too. This young woman, who used to work in an office, suddenly decided to return to farming — who would have thought she could make anything out of it?

Seeing the opportunity now, he urged his wife to call quickly. It wouldn’t look good if relatives didn’t help out!

Wu Lan, thinking about the recent income, felt both proud and humble. Trying to be modest but unable to suppress her excitement, she laughed and said, “Yes, Aunt-in-law, you’ve heard? I told you this child is too impulsive. Everyone knows about the little thing she’s doing — just leasing a small mountain, barely a hand-sized plot, and somehow, everyone knows…”

While she couldn’t boast about the money she earned, she could talk about the mountain lease.

The aunt-in-law raised her voice, “What? She’s leasing land now? Wasn’t she just supposed to be farming at home?”

After finally hanging up, Wu Lan saw that Song Sancheng was busy tagging and making phone calls in the village group chat. Feeling pressed, she quickly called her eldest sister.

“Sister, about what you told Tan Tan this afternoon…”

Wu Lan went inside to make her call, while Qiao Qiao and Zhang Yanping each held a cup of honey water, sitting there contentedly.