Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 28

“A pickup truck is really handy!”

Song Sancheng loaded the inoculated logs onto the truck bed, finally admitting Song Tan had a good eye for it.

Each log was about 1.2 meters long. How many could fit in a minivan? A pickup truck was much better—spacious and convenient.

Qiao Qiao looked eagerly at the truck bed full of logs and then at the bare courtyard of his grandparents’ house. His fair face was covered in sweat:

“Are we done? Can I rest now? I’m so tired!”

“Tired of what!”

Song Sancheng disapproved: “Strength is like a servant; use it up and it’ll come back! When I was your age, I worked all day in the fields without even lifting my head!”

Wu Lan, feeling sorry for her son, glared at him: “You went through hardships when you were young. My son hasn’t experienced such tough times.”

She turned to Qiao Qiao, who was teary-eyed:

“Sweetie, don’t listen to your dad. Look at your sister—if she didn’t have your help, how hard would it be for her? You eat three big bowls of rice per meal, so you need to turn that food into energy. That’s how you stay healthy!”

“Remember, when you didn’t eat so much, Mom didn’t ask you to do much work, right?”

Qiao Qiao opened his mouth to argue but couldn’t think of a rebuttal. He didn’t want to reduce his meals to two bowls, so he reluctantly got into the passenger seat—

He could now sit in the car and buckle his seatbelt by himself.

“Sis, is my work done?”

Song Tan patted his head—her hand was sweaty.

She coaxed him: “Sweetie, after we get to the mountain, just arrange these logs properly. Can you do it?”

The logs with inoculated spores had been gradually transported to the mountain. Each was stood upright in an A-frame. The work wasn’t heavy, but the many trips made it tiring.

But Song Tan, with her enhanced strength, could carry seven or eight logs, each 1.2 meters long and 15 centimeters in diameter, at once and move swiftly. Qiao Qiao’s job was just to help set them up.

He was quite clumsy before, and Wu Lan had kept him from doing much out of fear he’d get hurt.

Since Song Tan’s return, with their diet of wild vegetables and her nightly cultivation, the whole family slept well and ate heartily, with everyone enjoying three big bowls of rice per meal. With such a good labor force, Wu Lan felt it was a waste not to use it!

So, she was slowly testing his limits.

Qiao Qiao puffed out his chest: “I can do it! I’m stronger than Dad!”

Sancheng and Wu Lan, just climbing into the back seat, exchanged a glance, thinking, “This silly boy isn’t even doing as much as his sister!”

Just boasting!

They worked until noon, finally setting up all the logs.

It was late March, and the woods were coming alive with spring growth, though the chestnut trees hadn’t yet fully leafed out. The sunlight was warm and pleasant.

The newly set-up logs looked particularly picturesque.

But Song Sancheng was worried—

“This won’t do; the inoculated logs can’t be left exposed like this.”

“Tan Tan, we need to cover the logs with straw for insulation. Otherwise, the temperature difference between day and night will dry them out too quickly, and the mushrooms won’t grow.”

“We also need to buy some shade netting to cover the straw, for ventilation and moisture retention…”

He fretted as he spoke: “Did the expert you consulted mention anything else? We’re doing this on a large scale for the first time, and I’m a bit nervous.”

Their family had grown a small batch of mushrooms over ten years ago, keeping the logs indoors initially.

But with the entire hillside now covered with logs, each costing about 20 yuan, even though the logs were from their own trees, clearing the slope and setting up the nets had cost thousands.

The more Sancheng thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

But Wu Lan quickly came up with a plan: “Tan Tan, you’ve been back for over half a month now. Why don’t we visit your grandma this afternoon?”

“Our village doesn’t grow rice anymore, but your grandma’s area still does. We can get some straw to cover these logs.”

“And with the warmer weather, it’s time to get the piglets. The pigpen needs more straw.”

“Straw keeps the piglets warm at night, and when it gets dirty, it can be thrown into the manure pit to ferment. It keeps the pigpen clean and dry.”

Other grasses could work, but finding large quantities of straw wasn’t easy.

Sounds good.

Song Tan had planned to visit her grandparents anyway. She checked the time: “Mom, let’s go home for a quick meal. Then Qiao Qiao and I will gather more wild vegetables to take to Grandma and Grandpa.”

“Take wild vegetables?”

Despite being her own parents, Wu Lan winced at the thought of 20 yuan per jin vegetables. But she sighed and said, “Your grandparents like soft food. Gather more shepherd’s purse, and we’ll get some meat in town. I’ll make dumplings for them this afternoon.”

“Other vegetables should be fresh, but no need to bring too much. Just enough to share with your uncles.”

Thinking of her siblings, she added: “Your aunt is busy with her business in the city. Next time you sell vegetables, save some for her.”

She arranged everything perfectly, and Song Sancheng hesitated: “What about Tan Tan’s uncle and her elder cousin?”

Wu Lan glared at him: “Can I say no?”

Thinking about it, she sighed, realizing they would give away a lot of money’s worth of vegetables.

She looked at her daughter: “I see wild vegetables are growing in other parts of the village. How about I go see if they taste good this year? If so, we won’t have to worry about money this spring.”

Forget farming, wild vegetables alone could bring in enough money.

Song Tan was speechless.

How long had she been cultivating?

Spiritual energy was limited.

The stingy old farmer only enhanced the family’s land, not the rest!

Her mom could try, but growing crops was tricky, and she might be disappointed.

Still…

“Mom, it’s a good idea. We’ve been picking wild vegetables daily, and they’re getting scarce. Starting tomorrow, we won’t sell wild vegetables. Let’s gather them early, and I’ll drive to the city at noon.”

Give the wild vegetables a break.

The vetch in the fields was tender and about to bud. Controlling the spiritual energy a bit could extend the growing period, making this the best time to harvest.

Vetch was delicious whether stir-fried or made into a salad. With several large fields, they could sell for a while.

She also had video materials, but not enough for a full episode. A bit more and it would be ready.

If local fame spread, she wouldn’t have to worry about online traffic—those aunts were to blame.

Each of them kept her stall a secret, so even after half a month of selling vegetables, her group had only 28 members.

These were spiritually enhanced vegetables!

Fairy Tan Tan was indignant.