Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 35

Before the sun got too hot, Song Sancheng covered all the mushroom logs on the mountain with thick straw. Satisfied, he set up the protective net and went down the mountain.

Returning home, the first thing he did was go to the backyard to check on the piglets.

From a distance, he heard their grunting. When he got closer, he saw the three white and two black piglets with their heads huddled together in the feeding trough, eating without lifting their heads.

One black piglet was especially engrossed in eating, lying across the trough and taking up most of the space.

A smaller white piglet couldn’t squeeze in, anxiously grunting and squealing on the side.

Song Sancheng quickly picked up a stick and knocked it a few times, scaring them into rearranging themselves properly.

Looking into the trough, he saw not just rice bran and sweet potatoes but also a thick layer of green leaves, which the piglets were eagerly gobbling up!

“This is clover! Why do the pigs like it so much?”

Song Sancheng couldn’t help but smile with the satisfaction of a seasoned farmer, saying, “Look at you little pigs, eating better than people!”

He then checked the pigsty. The thick straw spread in the pen looked dry and warm.

The leaves in the forest hadn’t fully spread out yet, allowing large patches of sunlight to stream in, creating a cozy warmth. The nearby manure pit already showed some signs of use, making it an ideal environment for raising pigs.

Satisfied, he went back to the front yard.

Wu Lan had just finished cooking, and from a distance, Song Sancheng could smell the aroma. He rubbed his stomach and asked, “What’s for lunch today?”

Qiao Qiao cheerfully chimed in from the side, “Pig food!”

“Whatever the pigs eat, we eat too!”

Song Tan patted his furry head and said with a laugh, “Silly boy.” Then she turned to Song Sancheng and said, “Dad, don’t listen to him. I picked some clover at noon, and Mom is cooking it with meat. Try it and see if it tastes good.”

“If it’s good, we can make a lot of money with it!”

…

The family hadn’t eaten clover for years. Wu Lan thought for a while, then started with some minced garlic, frying it in lard until fragrant. She then added the cured meat and chopped clover.

Now, with the high heat, the green leaves and stems mixed with the slightly red cured meat, their aromas intertwining, making it incredibly appetizing.

Qiao Qiao had already forgotten the pain of losing the Mommy Pig. Now, holding his chopsticks, he said, “I’ll take a bite, then Peppa will have a bite. I’ll take another bite, then George will have a bite. And another bite for sister…”

Watching him, his chopstick skills were quite adept.

In no time, his bowl was piled high, clearly mastering the “Liu Xing Cake Cutting Method.”

What could the family say in the face of such a silly child?

Song Sancheng took a bite, chewed a couple of times, and swallowed, feeling the fresh fragrance and the faint sweetness of the wild vegetables, paired with the slightly salty cured meat…

Amazing!

His eyes lit up. “Wow, this tastes even better than wild vegetables! When I was a kid, I ate it every day but never thought it was so good. It just tasted like grass.”

Wu Lan also took a bite and was confident in its potential to sell for twenty yuan a pound. “Who used lard and cured meat to cook for you when you were a kid? It was always just blanched in water.”

True.

The two of them found their reasons for the dish being so delicious, while Song Tan didn’t need any excuses.

Then, Song Sancheng remembered, “Tan Tan, since we have such a large patch, should we get a couple of beehives? Clover is an excellent nectar source. The honey the bees make from it is incredibly sweet.”

“It’s hard to find now; no one around here grows it anymore.”

Song Tan hadn’t thought of this!

She had been too busy to think of everything, so she quickly nodded, “Yes! Dad, you know a lot of people. Get a few more hives. Our clover grows so well, it’ll be beautiful when it blooms.”

Spiritual honey, just a spoonful in water…

Can’t think about it!

Song Tan was already eager.

“Oh, Dad, Grandpa Li from the village said we could let his cattle graze in the fields. In return, he’ll help us plow the fields when we plant rice.”

“I’ll leave the two lowest fields for his cattle. The rest of the clover I want to sell. It’s not good for the cattle to eat it all.”

After all, cattle might leave manure everywhere, which wouldn’t be ideal.

Song Sancheng laughed, “He only has one cow; it doesn’t need two fields. One will be enough.”

“But clover is really good. The pigs seem to like it a lot. In a few days, after they get used to it, I’ll let them roam the fields to get some exercise.”

With only five pigs, it might be hard to control…

Song Sancheng was already thinking of solutions.

Song Tan laughed, “What’s so hard about that? They’re still small. I’ll go to the city this afternoon and buy some large dog harnesses and leashes. Dad, you can take them for walks.”

“Anyway, the pigs are mainly for us to eat. A bit of exercise and less fat won’t hurt.”

Qiao Qiao got excited, “I want to! Qiao Qiao wants to take the pigs out to play!”

That wouldn’t do.

Pigs are intelligent and can form bonds if raised for a long time. If they had to be slaughtered for meat, Qiao Qiao would be heartbroken.

After thinking it over, Song Sancheng refused, “No, we can’t take them for walks. If we do, I won’t want to kill them later. Let them roam in the back mountain. It’s enough space for them. I’ll just make sure to give them enough to eat.”

Song Tan thought about her own experience with raising pigs and sighed. Indeed.

So, they’d just eat them without forming bonds.

The adults quickly changed the subject, and Qiao Qiao, pouting, soon forgot about it.

But there was one thing he remembered—

“I told Big White to watch the pigs, and I’ll give him biscuits.”

Wow!

Song Tan was surprised—she had thought of that but hadn’t mentioned it yet.

“When did you talk to Big White?”

That fierce white goose always hung around Grandpa’s house.

Qiao Qiao huffed, “I told him long ago, but there are no biscuits now.”

Whether the goose could watch the pigs or not, Song Tan wasn’t sure.

But its loud voice could wake the whole village, making it an excellent alarm.

As long as Qiao Qiao could convince it not to make unnecessary noise, it would work perfectly.

She thought for a moment, “Then you take Big White to the lowest field in the afternoon and treat it to a good meal.”

Letting the cattle eat, the pigs eat, the chickens, ducks, and geese eat—it all worked out.

The siblings made their plans, and Song Sancheng suddenly felt the urgency:

“I need to fix the goose pen and the chicken coop you want. Now is the right time to do it. I’ve fenced off the back mountain, but the chicken coop needs some work.”

Maybe… today?