Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 66

Wu Lan’s words instantly energized Zhang Yanping. “Aunt, let me help you wash the vegetables.”

Song Tan looked at Zhang Yanping with a teasing smile. “Mom, Aunt said that if Brother Yanping doesn’t work, he shouldn’t be given food.”

“Nonsense.” Wu Lan scolded her playfully. “Yanping hardly ever visits. How could we do that to him?”

Song Tan glanced at Zhang Yanping, who raised his eyebrows with a smug smile.

She wasn’t upset, just changed her approach. “Alright, Mom, you’re tired too. I’ll just stir-fry some pork with vetch and chili.”

“And let’s stew the marinated pork for Brother Yanping. It wouldn’t be right not to serve him a meat dish since he came all this way to visit.”

“But…” Wu Lan hesitated. The stewed pork wouldn’t be appealing without the addition of something from their fields.

For the sake of the vetch, the family was practically living like monks.

But after a day of hard work, she was indeed tired and finally handed over the kitchen duties.

Zhang Yanping looked around, feeling something was off, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was, making him uneasy.

Song Tan indeed started cooking.

Her culinary skills were average, just enough to make food edible.

Under Wu Lan’s guidance, she stewed the marinated pork with radish and then washed and chopped the vetch, crushed a few cloves of garlic, and sliced some chili. She heated the pan with lard.

Once the kitchen was filled with a fragrant aroma, she added the chili and garlic, sautéed them for a while, then added the minced pork, and finally the vetch.

A simple seasoning of salt brought out a delightful fragrance.

Zhang Yanping wandered to the kitchen door, sniffing the enticing smell of the stewed pork and the strong aroma of the vetch. Suddenly, it all made sense:

Ah!

No wonder Aunt had brought some vetch home. This dish was truly remarkable!

His keen nose could always tell the best food.

Eagerly, he served rice and said, “Aunt, Uncle, you both worked so hard today. Come, have some more meat!”

But as he moved fast, Song Tan moved faster. She divided the vetch among the family’s bowls, leaving only a small spoonful in the dish for Zhang Yanping.

She smiled warmly at her cousin. “Brother Yanping, you rarely visit. How could we let you eat wild vegetables? This is the marinated pork my mom made. Try it, it’s especially fragrant today.”

On his white rice was a tiny portion of green vegetables, looking particularly pitiful.

Zhang Yanping looked up at her, and their eyes met in silent challenge.

But it was too late. The meat smelled good, and he resigned himself with a sigh:

This little girl, I might have a discerning palate, but I’m not desperate enough to fight over vegetables!

He scooped up a bite of rice with vetch and put it in his mouth—

Moments later.

Watching everyone else enjoying their meal, Zhang Yanping looked at the large chunks of meat in his bowl with teary eyes:

Why are these vegetables so delicious?!

…

The meal ended with Zhang Yanping eating reluctantly.

Feeling frustrated, he volunteered to clean the dishes, hoping to impress his aunt enough to win back control of the kitchen the next day.

Meanwhile, Song Tan sent a video to their aunt, saying, “Aunt, Brother Yanping is very picky.”

The video showed the family eating vegetables while Zhang Yanping had a bowl full of meat and radish, looking dissatisfied.

Their aunt was furious.

She knew her son well. He was picky but generally enjoyed his food, and her sister’s cooking was better than hers. His attitude at his aunt’s house was clearly a complaint about being sent to the countryside!

The couple discussed it and decided that sending Zhang Yanping to the countryside was indeed a good punishment!

So, they called Wu Lan directly:

“Lan, I sent Yanping to the countryside to toughen him up. Don’t go easy on him! Make him work—digging tea hills, plowing fields, whatever. He’s young, he won’t break!”

The sisters chatted, and Zhang Yanping, seeing his aunt’s thoughtful look, felt his future wasn’t looking too bright.

But hard labor was out of the question. His hands were meant for finer things, not hoes!

So, he sidled up to Song Tan. “Tan Tan, about planting the golden cherry… What do you think?”

Song Tan had already researched the golden cherry’s growth conditions and its thorns. She was doing some calculations and nodded. “It’s a good idea, Brother Yanping. Tonight, you got that little bit of vegetables because of your suggestion.”

Zhang Yanping: …

Great, might as well have had none!

One bite left him wanting more, making the rest of the meal tasteless!

He moved closer, noticing Song Tan transferring money to someone labeled “Courier Brother Hua.”

It wasn’t much, just over sixty yuan.

But then he saw two other entries for courier fees totaling fifteen hundred yuan!

Startled, he asked, “What did you buy? Why are the courier fees so high? Why not use logistics?”

Song Tan sighed. “It’s for the vetch you’ve been eating. Many people in Ning City want it, and it’s perishable, so we use cold transport.”

Initially, she transferred five hundred yuan for the courier, but repeated shipments used it up quickly.

This time, she transferred another thousand, but it wasn’t enough, so she had to add sixty more yuan.

It was just fifty orders, but the courier gave her a discount and the lowest packaging fee. Still, it added up.

Fresh goods had a high initial weight cost, and the ice packs were extra. Many orders were for five to ten pounds, all overweight.

So, she had to cover the extra cost.

Thankfully, she had explained the costs to the customers, and their payments included shipping fees.

Now, she was calculating the refunds for each overpayment.

Zhang Yanping was amazed—those vegetables, transported with ice, were worth more than the shipping cost!

But good things are worth it. People will pay extra for quality, just like he did for his fruit.

Remembering his main point, he asked, “So, since you think the golden cherry is good, have you found a nursery that sells the seedlings?”

Brother Yanping has great connections! Every meal he eats isn’t for nothing.