Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 65

When Zhang Yanping finally wanted to retort, Song Tan had already gone to the fields.

When it came to fieldwork, no one in the family could match her.

She found a corner in the upper field and started working with her hoe. Within an hour, she had turned all the Chinese milk vetch into the soil, broken up the clumps, and replanted the chive roots.

The chives were stripped bare, looking particularly pitiful.

With a slight movement of her fingers, she controlled a stronger stream of spiritual energy, diverting some to the chives and the rest into the Chinese milk vetch field.

With the spring wind blowing and the green leaves swaying, the flower buds at the top of the Chinese milk vetch began to sprout quickly, soon ready to bloom.

The rapid growth of the vetch was almost audible, with the buds making faint popping sounds as they developed.

Satisfied, Song Tan filled a bucket with water from the pond to thoroughly water the newly planted chive roots. She thought that starting tomorrow, the bees wouldn’t have to cling desperately to the solitary cherry tree anymore.

This whole field of Chinese milk vetch would be enough for now.

Oh, how would she sell the honey from these vetch flowers?

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but get excited.

…

This plot had been neglected for a long time, and even the vetch grew more poorly here than in other fields.

Song Tan picked up a handful of soil to examine it closely and decided not to bother much with it—this would be perfect for growing watermelons!

Watermelons love sandy soil and adapt well to different soil types, making them a summer essential.

While large-scale watermelon farming used grafted pumpkin seedlings, there was no need for such measures in small-scale family farming.

Song Tan hadn’t forgotten her dual purpose in farming: to make money and to satisfy her own daily needs, allowing her to enjoy good food comfortably.

So, for now, the priority was variety, not scale.

Moreover, there simply weren’t enough hands!

If only this were her peak cultivation period, she could manage an entire spiritual field on her own without worrying about labor shortages.

But now, with labor scarce and most villagers being elderly, she’d need to combine technology with labor to get things done.

Things like sprinklers and system management…

As she mused, a green shadow flashed before her eyes!

Quickly, she grabbed a tiny green grasshopper perched on the vetch.

“You’ve got quite the appetite!”

The spiritual energy had just been increased slightly, and already there were pests trying to get a taste.

At this rate, even with all the spiritual energy she provided, it wouldn’t be enough to fend off endless pests and birds.

Spring was here, and with it came various birds and insects that could interfere with the bees’ nectar gathering.

Song Tan had spells to handle this, but she needed to stay low-key.

So, this field would be an experimental plot. She’d bring in the bees and let the chickens and ducks roam tomorrow, then subtly use her spells to see if the pest control methods worked naturally and effectively.

…

By the time Song Tan and Qiao Qiao finished tidying up the vegetable garden, the sunset bathed the hills in orange light.

Returning home, they found Zhang Yanping still half-reclined on a lounge chair.

The afternoon sun was warm, and he lay there with a straw hat over his face, three puppies climbing all over him, nuzzling and whimpering. It was an adorable and cozy scene.

Still, it didn’t change the fact that everyone else was busy while he lounged.

But Song Tan wasn’t in a hurry.

Her cousin was a true foodie with a stubborn streak. Forcing him to work was a last resort.

But if it involved food…

Tonight, he’d be begging to get to work!

Song Tan checked the seeds that had been soaked to sprout, adding a bit of spiritual energy to make the sprouts even plumper. She fished out the seeds.

“Let’s go, Qiao Qiao. Once we plant these, we can rest.”

Qiao Qiao looked longingly at the puppies. “Sister, can I bring the puppies with us?”

“No,” Song Tan shook her head. “They’re too small and will just get dirty and interfere with the work. Let’s finish quickly, and then you can come back and play with them.”

Qiao Qiao sighed in disappointment, then perked up again. “When I come back, I’ll name them!”

“Sure, you name them. I’ll make some dog tags for them.”

Excited, Qiao Qiao replied, “I want one too!”

Song Tan laughed—indeed, the piglets had lost favor, now it was the puppies’ turn.

But she also thought it was time for Qiao Qiao to have a tag with contact details since he went out often.

She agreed. “Okay, work hard on planting, and today’s wages will cover making four tags.”

Zhang Yanping, resting with his eyes closed, couldn’t help but interject.

“Tan Tan, look at Qiao Qiao working so hard, sweating all over. How much are you paying him?”

And taking his money back with dog tags? Such capitalist tactics!

But before Song Tan could answer, Qiao Qiao proudly puffed out his chest. “Fifty!”

Fifty?!

Zhang Yanping was stunned.

He had never imagined fifty yuan could be so powerful!

Seeing the mud on Qiao Qiao’s boots from the hard work, he sighed. “Well, I guess one is willing to work, and the other is willing to pay—Qiao Qiao, keep it up!”

Qiao Qiao nodded seriously. “Don’t worry, Brother. After I finish planting, I’ll have money and buy you bubblegum.”

Zhang Yanping: …Thanks for the bubblegum!

…

Planting the bok choy seeds was easy; they didn’t even need to make rows, just scatter the seeds and lightly cover them with soil using a hoe.

In less than half an hour, the large vegetable garden was done.

Just then, Song Sancheng came up the hill with buckets of pig feed, and the tea pickers started coming down the hill.

Wu Lan led the way, looking particularly spirited—

How could she not be? Just thinking about the current price of tea leaves made her feel like she was picking money!

Picking money! Who would feel tired picking money?

She only regretted picking less.

At noon, her husband’s antics had delayed her, and while others picked five pounds, she only managed four and a half.

But in the end, all the tea went to the family. After a simple accounting, she rolled up her sleeves. “What’s for dinner?”