Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 33

Eldest Aunt was shocked by her own analysis.

“Farming? Saying it so elegantly, but isn’t it just growing crops? How much future can there be in farming? Nowadays, with the economy being bad, having a stable job isn’t better than anything?”

She hurriedly put the meat aside and rushed over to ask, “Little Sister, are you serious?”

Wu Lan was washing vegetables. “Yes. Did you see the car at the door? That was bought with the money Tan Tan made selling wild vegetables.”

What a crafty explanation! This was clearly bought to sell wild vegetables.

Song Tan was blowing bubbles nearby. When the bubble popped, she was also stunned.

Qiao Qiao saw her in a daze and quickly reached out to pat her head. “Don’t cry, don’t cry, Qiao Qiao will blow a big one for you.”

Song Tan couldn’t help but laugh. “Big Sister didn’t cry, why don’t you blow one for Grandpa first!”

Grandpa was old and had bad legs, so he had been in a wheelchair for the past two years, becoming more and more dispirited. Now that his granddaughter and grandson were keeping him company, he seemed very cheerful, grinning widely.

On the other hand, Song Tan’s Grandma, who was still more capable than most young people, occasionally went out to work in the fields.

At this moment, she looked at the large basin of shepherd’s purse, complained about the cold tap water, and pushed Wu Lan aside. “What are you doing? We have shepherd’s purse in our fields. Why did you bring so much?”

“Didn’t we say that Tan Tan can make money by selling this? It’s good to keep some for selling.”

The water from the well was ice-cold, but Grandma seemed unaffected, clearly used to it.

Seeing her gray hair, Wu Lan suddenly didn’t mind spending money. “The wild vegetables are especially good this year, and we’ve made quite a bit. It’s not a problem. I came today to make dumplings for you.”

“When you and Dad don’t want to cook, just boil some dumplings. They’re easy to chew and digest.”

Even though they shared the same courtyard, Grandma and Uncle lived separately and ate separately. While they shared good dishes, they didn’t eat together daily.

Eldest Aunt came over as well. “Little Sister, what are you thinking? Look at our Tan Tan, she’s so pretty! If she works in Ning City, she’ll find a local and live a good life!”

“Staying in the village, what good match can she find? Aren’t you delaying her?”

She glanced at Song Tan, who was coaxing Grandpa with Qiao Qiao, and lowered her voice. “With Qiao Qiao like this, you can’t drag her down because of him.”

Eldest Aunt, who had a slight preference for boys over girls, must have truly cared about the children to say this.

Wu Lan didn’t get angry. “Sister-in-law, I didn’t agree at first either, but Tan Tan came back looking so haggard and weak, saying she was worn out from work — that’s why I gave in, to let her recuperate for a year or so.”

“As for farming, the child insisted on doing it, and we have plenty of land at home, so I let her go ahead.”

But about finding a match…

“She’s enthusiastic about farming now and has already spent all her money. Let her do it for now. When she’s had enough, we can talk about going back to work.”

Working outside was indeed exhausting. Eldest Aunt’s son and daughter were both struggling outside. Hearing this, she sighed, put down the shepherd’s purse, and said, “Making dumplings, right? I’ll chop the meat — oh my, you brought so much, these dumplings could fill a freezer.”

Song Sancheng was getting hungry. Chef Wu Lan was focused on making money and always thought about selling the wild vegetables. If it weren’t for Tan Tan’s insistence, she wouldn’t even think of making some at home.

Because of this, the shepherd’s purse dumplings at home had long been eaten, and they hadn’t made more.

He said proudly, “Don’t worry, Aunt. We sell these wild vegetables for twenty yuan per jin, and that’s no exaggeration. You’ll see when we eat them; they won’t last long.”

For example, their family of four needed over a hundred dumplings for one meal!

Today, they brought ten jins of shepherd’s purse and some other vegetables, which wouldn’t last long.

Eldest Aunt didn’t believe it. “We eat shepherd’s purse every year. What’s so special about it?”

She looked at the large packages of meat and quickly called out, “Qiao Qiao, go call your Uncle to come and chop the meat!”

…

Not long after, Uncle Wu Chengtai rushed back. “Thank goodness you called me! I’ve already lost two hundred, and they wouldn’t let me leave the table. It was driving me crazy!”

Aunt scolded him, “You only think of running away when you lose at cards. If they weren’t short of people, do you think anyone would call you?”

Uncle felt wronged. “I suggested playing for one yuan, but they refused. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have run.”

But who plays cards for just one yuan!

Aunt rolled her eyes, handed him the vegetable knife, and said, “Hurry up and chop it fine for tonight’s dumplings.”

Uncle washed his hands and asked, “Whose car is that outside? Sancheng, did you get your driver’s license?” He looked eager.

Song Sancheng waved his hands. “No, no, I’m still learning. Tan Tan made money selling vegetables and bought a car to make going out more convenient.”

Amazing! Song Tan thought. Everyone seemed to praise her to make themselves look good. No wonder she was so good at talking — it was inherited.

Uncle looked at the car enviously. “A pickup truck is great. It’s spacious and practical. When Wu Lei wanted to buy a car, I suggested getting a bigger one, but he insisted on a small sedan. Now the whole family squeezes in.”

Uncle’s son, Wu Lei, used to work in the city. Recently, he got a girlfriend, so he moved to Ning City. The family planned to pool some money to buy a car, making it more impressive when visiting the girlfriend’s family.

Seeing the pile of meat on the cutting board, he was stunned. “How many dumplings are we making?”

Wu Lan laughed. “I planned to take some straw back home. I bought more meat to make a point.”

Uncle glared at her. “Straw isn’t worth much. Take as much as you want. But this much meat, how long will it take to eat it all?”

Song Sancheng maintained his mysterious smile. “If this batch of dumplings lasts you until the end of the month, I’ll be impressed! Come on, let’s get to work. The vegetables are washed, and we need to start making the dough.”

He was eager to eat.

So the family busied themselves energetically.

Once the dough was ready, even Grandpa, in his wheelchair, started making dumplings slowly.

Grandma, on the other hand, looked at the shepherd’s purse, smelled it, and nodded secretly. “No wonder you said this vegetable costs twenty yuan. The smell is different, so fresh.”

Hearing this, Eldest Aunt also found the aroma unusually pleasant and generously said, “Mom, you and Dad like soft food. We’ll freeze all these dumplings for you to cook as you like. They’re nutritious and easy to digest.”

“We don’t need any. If we want to eat, we can dig some ourselves.”

She then said to Wu Lan, “Take as much straw as you want. We don’t plan to grow rice this year. It’s too much trouble, and it’s easier to buy it.”

Wu Lan didn’t stand on ceremony. “Alright, I’ll have Qiao Qiao and the others load the truck. But Sister-in-law, you and Mom split the dumplings. They’re really different from other wild vegetables.”

She had tasted other wild vegetables in the village, and none had this flavor.