Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 143.1

At noon today, there were definitely more than twenty people at the Song family’s house.

Just the people planting trees on the mountain amounted to twenty. There were also two women helping in the kitchen, three more assisting with digging bamboo shoots, plus Zhang Yanping and Zhang Wang’s family. Even Old Man Li, who was overseeing the pond drainage, was invited over…

In total, there were thirty-six people!

Fortunately, they had hired some help in advance; otherwise, they wouldn’t have had enough time to even set up tables and chairs.

There were so many people that they had to borrow plates from nearby neighbors. Thankfully, disposable bowls and chopsticks resolved the issue, so the lunch didn’t feel cramped.

But…

While the diners felt that the courtyard was spacious, the Seventh Granduncle, who was cramped in the kitchen, found it impossible to move freely!

To give an example, during large banquets, he would usually dip a large iron ladle into an enamel jar to scoop out oil. But now, with the small pot and stove, he couldn’t even swing his spatula properly… It could also be that he hadn’t prepared for a big meal in years, and his skills were rusty, making him feel awkward.

However, when the fresh and tender bamboo shoots were stir-fried in the pot, the delicious aroma that burst forth brought a proud smile to the Seventh Granduncle’s face.

“Good thing you invited me in time! With so many people, there’s no way my niece-in-law could handle this alone!” he boasted. “Otherwise, my dishes would be ruined.”

He had a point. Many people who cooked well at home struggled to handle large crowds; the food would either turn out too salty or too bland, or the cook simply wouldn’t do a good job…

To the Seventh Granduncle, wasting such good ingredients would be unforgivable, even if the problem was just in the cooking temperature.

Seventh Grandaunt, who was assisting him, gave him a sideways glance. “Your dishes? Did you grow the ingredients, or did you buy them?” she teased. “Besides, it’s only busy like this today; it’s not like we have so many people every day.”

The Seventh Granduncle’s shoulders slumped immediately.

For someone like him, the more people there were, the more he could show off his skills!

But then he thought about it again—even without these thirty-plus people, with his large family and the two of them, there were always around a dozen or so people to cook for. With his old arms and legs, cooking for this many people was just right.

It was both enjoyable and good exercise, giving him something to do without feeling overly tired.

“Indeed, coming here was the right decision!” he exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Song Tan asked her father, “Will we finish planting the peach trees today?”

“Yes,” Song Sancheng replied confidently, “Go up the mountain and see for yourself; more than half are already planted. After lunch, we should be done around three o’clock.”

Otherwise, what’s the point of hiring so many people?

Thinking about this, Song Sancheng couldn’t help but praise, “I have to say, your Uncle Zhang is quite meticulous.”

He was talking about Zhang Wang’s family.

“The manure piled by the mountain was all brought from his house and used as base fertilizer in the soil. With just one more rainfall, these peach trees will take root, and we’ll definitely see fruit this year.”

We better see some results; we’ve already spent over a hundred thousand yuan on these trees! If there’s no success, how can anyone not feel anxious?

“Let’s hope for good weather this year!” he added.

Seeing the hopeful expression in her father’s eyes, Song Tan felt equally confident. “Don’t worry!”

Lunch was lively and bustling. It seemed the entire village hadn’t gathered like this in a long time.