Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 54

Life in the countryside depicted online is poetic and romantic.

In reality, rural life spins like a top.

71-year-old Song Youde woke up at just after five o’clock.

At the break of dawn, he was already familiar with his routine, putting on old-style army green shoes, carrying a large basket, and heading straight to the distant fields.

The morning milk vetch grew especially lush and vibrant, with dewdrops sparkling on the verdant green leaves. A thin mist lingered in the low fields, creating a romantic scene even in the dim morning light.

However, old farmer Song Youde had seen this sight countless times in his life. He had no mind to admire it now. Instead, he bent down and quickly, precisely, and efficiently picked large handfuls of milk vetch.

Handfuls of milk vetch were placed into the basket. When it was nearly full, his old hands pressed it down firmly.

Only when the basket was heavy and full did he stand up straight, carrying it slowly back home.

It was just six o’clock by then.

Smoke was already rising from the kitchen chimney at home.

Wang Lifeng, now elderly with a slightly hunched back, still moved quickly.

At this moment, she was sitting in front of two large stoves, having already lit the fire, and was boiling a large pot of pig feed.

Pumpkin, sweet potato, corn, and rice bran were all rolling in the pot, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.

This pig feed was meant for the five little pigs on the mountain.

Originally, this task didn’t fall to the elderly couple, but their son and daughter-in-law were always so busy that they couldn’t find time. Thinking that they were old, slept less, and woke up early, they took over this task, as it wasn’t much trouble for them.

So, they took on this chore.

Song Youde came over, took a large spatula, and stirred the pot. Seeing that it was almost done, he added the large handfuls of milk vetch directly into the pot, releasing a fresh aroma.

The little pigs were still small, and the mornings were cool, so Song Youde dared not let them eat plants covered with dew.

Wang Lifeng put out the fire and couldn’t help but sniff the air:

“Our Tan Tan should come home and farm. Look at how generous the heavens have been!”

“When she’s here, everything in the field grows deliciously.”

“During the New Year, I found everything tasteless. I couldn’t get excited about eating anything. Now, I don’t know if it’s from working more or because the food is so good, but I have a great appetite and am hungry at every meal!”

The old lady sighed with a smile: “We really have a hard life, can’t enjoy the good times without working.”

Song Youde nodded in agreement: “I feel the same. I used to cough a lot when it got cold, but I’ve been feeling much better lately.”

Wang Lifeng’s smile faded:

“Throw away that smoking pipe at your waist, and I guarantee your lungs will feel even better.”

Song Youde: …

What’s the point of living a long life? Right?

Some habits he just couldn’t give up.

The old man, holding on to his stubborn and irresponsible thoughts, pretended not to hear her words.

He scooped the cooked pig feed into a bucket using a gourd dipper, and while it was cooling, he took the remaining milk vetch from the basket, squatted by the chopping board in the yard, and began chopping it finely.

After the milk vetch was chopped into small pieces and mixed with crushed corn and a bit of millet, Song Sancheng arrived.

He carried a yoke with two large pig feed buckets on each side, then added the chopped wild vegetables.

He instructed:

“Dad, when you have time this morning, check the chicken and duck pens in the back mountain to see if anything is needed.”

“Tan Tan bought a hundred ducklings yesterday. After a few days at home, they should be taken to the mountain.”

Wang Lifeng also remembered: “Ducks? Perfect timing, my chicks just hatched. They look quite healthy after a few days. There are about seventy or eighty of them. Let your father take them to you later.”

Song Sancheng, without any hesitation, lifted the yoke and told the old lady: “Mom, make breakfast at home later. Tan Tan has an order for a hundred catties of milk vetch. She and her daughters went to the field early in the morning and probably won’t have time to make breakfast.”

“A hundred catties!”

Wang Lifeng exclaimed: “Times are different now. There are more rich people, and they are willing to spend.”

But thinking about the taste of milk vetch—just look at those pigs on the mountain squealing and fighting for it as if they hadn’t eaten in eight hundred years—it was clear how delicious it was!

But the old lady was not content to stay in the kitchen. She now had a bit of an attitude:

“Let’s just have a simple breakfast. I’ll cook some dumplings and make a vegetable pancake with the extra milk vetch, then I need to hurry and go pick tea!”

The tea leaves had grown thick and lush, completely different from before!

The four people they hired yesterday each picked more than five pounds.

But the old lady, being older with poor eyesight and slower hands, picked less than four pounds and was quietly upset about it.

A hundred yuan a day!

The old lady took this work seriously.

Song Sancheng felt helpless:

“Mom, it’s just our family’s work. You don’t need to tire yourself out. Tan Tan already said she would pay you two a salary, but you both refused…”

Song Youde snorted: “We’re just doing some farm work. Why do we need a salary? Am I not allowed to eat what I grow?”

The older he got, the more childish his temper became. Sometimes a single wrong word could make the old couple angry.

So, Song Sancheng stopped talking, lifted the yoke, and wobbled his way to the back mountain.

Ah, that’s why all the eating these days wasn’t in vain!

Because of his age, he used to feel his back straining when carrying the yoke. But now, he felt light-footed, almost like a young man!

The path to the back mountain had been slightly leveled recently, making it stable to walk on.

The little pigs seemed to hear him from a distance, their cries in the pigsty becoming louder and more frantic, as if they were in great distress.

Song Sancheng remembered that when they used to raise pigs, they would also cry at feeding time, but it was different from now.

That’s why they always cooled the pig feed to the right temperature at home before taking it to the mountain.

These pigs ate like there was no tomorrow, completely ignoring whether the food was hot or cold.

Pouring the thick pig feed into the trough and watching the five little pigs jostle and gobble it up, Song Sancheng couldn’t help but smile.

He watched for a while, then went to check the chicken and duck pens, finding nothing that needed attention. He decided to let the old man have a look later.

As soon as the chickens and ducks were a bit older, they could be moved to the mountain.

But before that, the mountain needed more than just fencing; they also needed to get a couple of dogs to watch over them.

The big white dog and the three little dogs at home weren’t enough…

Oh, they weren’t even enough to be a dish!

While pondering this, he heard someone calling from down the mountain: “Sancheng! Are you home?”