Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 5

Song Sancheng finally agreed to let her come back to farm, and Song Tan breathed a sigh of relief.

Next, she had to convince her mother, Wu Lan.

Just then, Wu Lan called out, “Dinner’s ready—Qiao Qiao, wash your hands and bring the dishes!”

Obediently, Song Qiao ran over, turned on the outdoor faucet in the cold, and then diligently started bringing in the dishes.

The milky white wild crucian carp soup was topped with cilantro. Just a sniff was enough to know how fresh the fish was!

Then there were eight braised crucian carps, each about the size of two or three ounces, cooked with cilantro, chili, and scallions. The rich aroma filled the entire house!

If it were warmer, the fish would likely have even tastier roe!

Next was radish stewed with preserved pork.

Preserved pork was a local specialty. They would marinate the pork with just the right amount of fat and lean meat with salt, cut it into small pieces, and stir-fry it with some peanut oil until the meat turned golden brown and fragrant. Then they would put the meat and oil into a pot.

Once cooled, the thick white pork fat would protect the meat tightly, and they would cover it and store it in a cool place, digging out a bit whenever they needed it…

Now, stewed with radish, even the fatty parts of the meat were fragrant and not greasy at all!

Then there was a plate of wild garlic scrambled eggs, with finely chopped green wild garlic and bright yellow home-grown eggs. The combination was mouth-watering!

Finally, there was a famous local dish, “Red Lips Green Parrot”!

Bright green spinach, stir-fried with garlic, tasted fresh and sweet…

Fairy Song Tan sat on the stool and refused to move!

Her brother, Song Qiao, a darling, had already brought over the rice bowls, “Sis, I helped catch the fish! Eat more!”

Song Sancheng didn’t care about the other dishes but couldn’t let his fishing pride be compromised, “You just put on the worms, it was me who caught the fish…”

Wu Lan quickly interjected, “Qiao Qiao did a good job with the worms, that’s why we caught so many fish. Right, Qiao Qiao?”

Song Qiao nodded, his nose scrunching, “Exactly!”

The family hierarchy was clear.

Song Tan smiled as she drank a mouthful of fish soup her brother served. It was delicious.

The only downside was the subtle, muddy taste that only she could detect.

However, despite the lack of spiritual energy and the presence of impurities, she could now eat, unlike before.

It was much better than the takeout from earlier in the day.

…

Wu Lan watched her daughter finish another bowl of soup, looking at her pale, frail appearance with a mix of pride and heartache,

“Eat more, there’s plenty in the pot. Tomorrow, I’ll cook rice over the old stove and make chicken soup with crispy rice for you!”

Their kitchen was large, and the old stove hadn’t been dismantled. Whenever Song Tan came home, she would always have crispy rice.

Song Tan’s heart was moved, and she put on a pitiful look, “Mom, I don’t want to go back to work. It’s too tiring.”

She had meant to show weakness, but she forgot that after a hundred years of cultivation, she couldn’t quite predict her mother’s reactions.

For instance, Wu Lan sighed, “Then what can we do? Maybe you can find another job. Even if it pays less, your dad and I have saved enough for retirement, and for your brother.”

Song Qiao’s condition had been deemed untreatable by the hospital. The old couple had long decided they would spend their retirement with their son.

Things like getting him married to a woman to take care of him…

That was impossible.

Qiao Qiao might be mentally challenged, but he was a good kid. Nowadays, even biological children might not care for their parents, let alone finding someone else to care for him.

They didn’t want to harm anyone else or make Qiao Qiao suffer.

Over the years, they had scrimped and saved to ensure they had enough for retirement, so they wouldn’t burden their daughter.

Tan Tan was beautiful and a college graduate; they didn’t want her to be held back in the countryside… There weren’t even any young people under thirty in their village!

They hoped she could have a good job, marry well, and live a good life…

Song Tan didn’t know that in just a short moment, her mother’s mind had gone through countless thoughts. Seeing that showing weakness didn’t work, she decided to be straightforward,

“Mom, I want to come back and farm.”

The moment she said it, she saw Wu Lan start looking for a switch. Song Tan tensed up instinctively and quickly added—

“And to recuperate! Mom, my body is too weak!”

Wu Lan paused, contemplating for a moment, “You’re right. You’re too young to be so worn out by that job. You need to rest.”

“Fine, stay at home for a few months. It’ll be spring soon, and it won’t be too busy. You can get some exercise.”

Song Tan and Song Sancheng exchanged a glance, both falling silent.

One thing Song Tan didn’t lie about—her body was indeed weak.

Despite her increased strength and resistance to cold, it was due to the spiritual energy tempering during the car accident.

But with the city’s scarce spiritual energy, her internal organs were severely damaged, and she was on the brink of death. That’s why she desperately gathered spiritual energy to survive…

Although the hospital found nothing wrong, only she knew that her body wasn’t fully healed, and her spirit was severely depleted.

Saying she needed to recuperate in the countryside was no lie.

…

The meal ended without incident.

With her stomach full, Song Tan felt much better. Song Qiao obediently washed the dishes, wanting to impress his sister. She sat by the stove with her family, thinking about her future plans.

The presence of spiritual energy gave Song Tan confidence in her future—nowadays, with the trend of health and wellness, everyone loved wild and natural products. The things she grew with spiritual energy would surely find a market.

But first, she had to overcome the obstacle of her mother!

Talking about leasing land and mountains was pointless now. Even after a hundred years of cultivation, she knew that her 60,000 yuan wouldn’t be enough; she would have to use her parents’ savings.

Without proof, if she suddenly claimed farming could make money…

Song Tan was sure Wu Lan would beat her with a switch, all the while scolding,

“You think you’re so capable!”

“You think you know how to farm!”

“If farming could make money, why do people go to the cities!”

“If farming could make money, why are your parents still living in the village!”

Alright, step by step then. Start with the family’s land.

It was the end of February on the Gregorian calendar, just after the Lantern Festival, a time when everything was about to revive. Her return home now was perfect for recuperating and gathering spiritual energy.

When the spring rains came, she could first produce results on the family’s land, then plan further.

Now, she had nothing but time and patience.

But before that—

“Mom, could you let me try farming a piece of our land on my own? I don’t need any help.”

Wu Lan added a log to the stove, replying casually, “So do you want to farm or dig the mountain? You can have the corner field near the bamboo grove, it’s been fallow for years. Your dad can help clear it.”

“As for the mountain… why divide it? The mountain behind the house is ours, along with the old tea mountain. There’s another place farther away… If you can dig it, you can do whatever you want.”

Song Tan, !!!

Never underestimate rural folks. While they might not have a lot of farmland, they definitely have mountains!

—

Thank you all for your support! This story remains a slow burn.

Prices, rural life, farming, environment, and climate all have different habits in each place. Rest assured, I haven’t written anything without research. So if you see differing opinions, don’t worry, just think of it as traveling to a distant countryside.