Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 56

After seeing Zhou Maozhu off, Wang Lifeng hurriedly prepared breakfast and then fed the freshly chopped milk vetch to the ducklings that had arrived yesterday.

The fluffy, yellow ducklings showed no fear or anxiety about their new environment. Instead, they were lively and eager, flapping their wings and waddling quickly with their tails wagging as they rushed to eat. Their tender “quack quack” sounds were particularly adorable.

Their cute appearance made Wang Lifeng’s face bloom with wrinkles of joy:

“Eat more, eat more! This feed costs twenty yuan per pound! If it weren’t for those two fields feeding the cows, you wouldn’t get to eat this…”

She talked to them while scattering the chopped greens into their little enclosure.

She then listened to the house—why was it so quiet? Why hadn’t her son come out to work yet?

The old lady, feeling anxious about being slow and falling behind, especially since everyone else was busy picking tea on the mountain, couldn’t help but get agitated.

By the time the dumplings were cooked, the vegetable pancakes were ready, and even Song Tan and the others had returned, Song Sancheng still hadn’t come out of his room, making Wang Lifeng furious:

“What are you doing inside? Everyone’s busy as tops this morning, and you’re still hiding in the room?”

Only then did Song Sancheng reluctantly come out. The tea leaves were so good, but without a large freezer, he couldn’t find space in the fridge. Instead, the things he had taken out couldn’t fit back in.

The house was a mess. Hearing his mother’s call, he came out, holding a cup of fragrant green tea, offering it like a treasure:

“Look, smell this tea! So fragrant and fresh!”

Wu Lan didn’t care much for tea. She was about to refuse when the unique aroma wafted over, changing her mind: “Let me taste it.”

She took a big gulp, making Song Sancheng’s heart ache as he watched.

But Wu Lan didn’t notice, instead, she commented:

“Not bad, this tea is fragrant and refreshing. It starts off bitter but then turns sweet. It’s quite good—how much do you plan to sell it for?”

She took another big gulp, finishing the cup.

Having been out early in the field, she needed to drink a lot. Watching her gulp it down so roughly, Song Sancheng felt his eye twitch.

Song Tan looked at the time: “No rush—Mom, take Qiao Qiao and have breakfast first. I’ll sort out the orders and head to town.”

Tea leaves wouldn’t run away, but she needed to sell the vegetables quickly before the sun got too hot, which would ruin their appearance.

She had added many new friends and orders to her phone last night, and today the small pickup truck would be packed full.

Fortunately, the out-of-town order of a hundred pounds didn’t need bundling, saving a lot of effort. Song Tan even generously added five extra pounds for waste.

Time was tight this morning!

……

Early in the morning, Fengfeng Express in Qingxi Town was already open.

The owner, Zhang Hua, was only twenty-five. He had invested all his money from working into this Fengfeng Express franchise, thinking it would thrive being the only one in town.

But he had forgotten about the aging population in rural areas, and the high starting cost of twenty yuan for shipping meant people were reluctant to use it.

After two years, he was just breaking even.

With the poor economy, he had even decided that if things didn’t improve this year, he would go work in a factory next year.

Working in a factory would be more promising than this!

But now his fortunes seemed to be changing!

Zhang Hua was counting his packaging boxes, dry ice bags, and bubble columns for the Nth time, praying in his heart: “Please, let that girl have lots of orders! I haven’t had such a good opening in two years!”

Just then, a car pulled up. Zhang Hua’s heart raced as he rushed out, seeing the familiar pickup truck and people unloading baskets from the back.

“Sister, is it these two baskets?”

Qiao Qiao carefully lifted the heavy basket and passed it down.

Song Tan was looking at her phone, extending an arm to take the basket and place it steadily on the ground without even looking up.

Zhang Hua was amazed—it wasn’t a light basket!

Song Tan confirmed the order again:

“52 orders in total, all addressed to Ning Province, with varying weights totaling 156 pounds—each bundle is one pound and two ounces, the extra two ounces for waste.”

She then sent the address records: “Boss, you promised a discount for over fifty orders last time. Now that I’m delivering them, can I get a better discount?”

Zhang Hua was overjoyed.

He quickly nodded: “Of course, a discount!”

Then he hesitated: “But these are all small items. I can give you a 30% discount, but many are overweight. We need to calculate the exact shipping cost…”

Some orders were as large as ten pounds.

He had to check if they needed more packages…

Song Tan understood: “No rush. I’ll transfer you a thousand yuan for now. This batch must be shipped today, with no losses allowed. We can settle the accounts when I return from the city at noon, okay?”

She was straightforward but didn’t want to be taken advantage of. To prevent the courier from overcharging, she added:

“If the discount isn’t attractive, I might as well find someone in the city, where it’s more efficient.”

Zhang Hua’s heart skipped a beat: “No problem, our company offers subsidies for rural shipments. After shipping this afternoon, I’ll come to your house to settle the details and check the route for future pickups. How does that sound?”

This guy has potential!

Business needs smart people like this!

Song Tan nodded: “Deal!”

Then, checking the weather: “Qiao Qiao, cover the remaining vegetables with straw mats. We need to get to the bus station.”

They had arranged to meet the freight driver near the station. The driver was a relative of the customer and had asked for a direct delivery without packaging.

Song Tan sighed—wholesale was so much easier.

Especially since her wholesale price wasn’t cheap.