Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 80

Here’s the situation at Old Sun’s home—

Old Sun’s wife had a daily routine: she would send their granddaughter to school in the morning, then join a few of her friends for free “health” activities. This habit had lasted for many years, from activities associated with Taiyangshen (Sun God) to Quanjian (Full Health), and now something called Xiangmei (Fragrant Beauty).

Old Sun had gone from indulging her interests to becoming wary, and finally to letting her be, all because no matter what, she always managed to do it without spending a penny!

But these activities took up time, so the responsibility of grocery shopping had fallen on Old Sun for many years.

He started with buying vegetables and, due to his inability to haggle, often came home to endless nagging. Over time, he learned to judge the quality of pork and the tenderness of edamame at a glance.

Men tend to spend money freely. If not for his wife controlling his grocery money daily, he would try all sorts of new things he fancied. He was a trendy old man.

One day, he saw a young woman selling wild vegetables and noticed a queue of peers. Out of curiosity, he spent twenty yuan to join in.

And that was the start of an unstoppable addiction!

From scanning QR codes to join groups to actively participating and camping for daily sales, these vegetables became essential in his home.

Because of these vegetables, Old Sun became a loyal fan. When Song Tan posted about tea leaves in the group, he impulsively splurged and bought an ounce.

Of course, he tossed and turned that night, regretting his decision. But as a man, once the money was spent, could he take it back?

The regret turned to joy the next day at the market when he merely lifted the paper corner to catch a whiff of the fragrance.

In short, the series of coincidences and fate were too detailed to explain fully.

But aside from all that, the fact that the tea cost one thousand yuan an ounce was undeniable. Now, facing his wife’s seemingly casual question, Old Sun’s face turned bitter.

Just then, one of the old pals on the couch spoke up:

“Well… uh…”

Holding his cup steadily, he stood up:

“Sister-in-law, no need to fuss. I just remembered I have something at home tonight and need to head back now.”

He glanced at his tea cup: “This tea is quite fragrant. Since it’s already brewed, it would be a waste if I don’t drink it… I’ll just take it with me! I’ll bring the cup back to you later.”

As he spoke, he left, carefully shielding the cup to prevent any dust from getting in.

With him setting the example, the rest of the group looked around and stood up, politely saying:

“Sister-in-law, well… you know… I have something at home too… I’ll head back.”

In the blink of an eye, everyone was gone, cups in hand.

Left behind were Old Sun, his tea cup, and a cup of rinse water.

Old Sun’s wife had been smiling, but as the door closed, her expression fell.

“You! If you’re going to buy tea, just buy it. Why be so secretive?”

“Was it because I complained once that you held onto it? Drink openly; you only consume a few pounds of tea a year!”

She rolled her eyes, “At most, three to five hundred yuan a jin, would I not allow it?”

Hearing this, Old Sun was initially pleased but then dejected.

In front of him, the tender buds in the cup, the clear green soup, and the fragrant aroma…

But for him, the surprise and anticipation of drinking good tea were gone.

He sat there, squirming, muttering:

“Well… uh… I do have some taste in tea. Drinking only cheap stuff isn’t quite right…”

The more he said, the more her heart sank.

Suddenly staring at him, she asked, “You didn’t really splurge a thousand yuan per jin, did you?”

Old Sun breathed a sigh of relief, then hurriedly nodded: “More or less… one thousand yuan, give or take.”

One thousand yuan.

Old Sun’s wife clearly felt a pang.

She walked over, picked up the cup, smelled it, then nodded:

“Indeed, you get what you pay for. If the tea is this quality, one thousand yuan isn’t unreasonable.”

She blew on the tea and took a sip, her eyes brightened, and she immediately took the cup:

“This is really good! I’ll keep this cup. By the way, don’t just keep this good tea for yourself. Tomorrow, pack some for me to share with my friends. They treated me to a pedicure today.”

Old Sun, holding the rinse water cup, felt as if he could see the tea leaves flying away.

Downstairs, a few men holding cups looked at each other. Smelling the fragrance and feeling the wild spring wind, they hesitated:

“Should we drink this cup now? It’ll be easier to take home.”

They each blew on their tea and took a sip—

“Mmm!”

…

Late at night.

Perhaps due to the tea, Old Sun tossed and turned, unable to sleep, full of energy.

He glanced at his wife, lying motionless. Thinking about the tea he had to give away, he felt a pang and quietly got up, sneaking into the kitchen to rummage through the freezer.

He took out the small packet of tea and carefully divided it into small bags, feeling more heartache with each scoop.

In the end, he put half of the divided tea back into the original bag.

But upon closer inspection, the tea left for tomorrow was too little and would be laughed at.

So he started over, dividing it again.

While he was struggling, his phone buzzed.

Opening it, he saw his old pals messaging in the group:

“Old Sun, where did you get that tea? I feel like I could climb a mountain tonight!”

As they messaged, four or five more people joined in, their messages more animated than usual.

Old men, struggling to type late at night, sent voice messages:

“Anyone else can’t sleep? This tea is potent. I’ve never been affected by tea before.”

“Right! Old Sun, where did you get it? Take us there!”

Old Sun, feeling proud, sent a voice message:

“Of course! One thousand yuan an ounce. Would I have splurged if it wasn’t good?”

“Let me tell you, I’ve been telling you about that market stall with good vegetables. You didn’t believe me. If you had stayed last night, you’d be eating until you couldn’t stop!”

His voice grew animated.

Yet, the room remained quiet. He sighed in relief.

Suddenly!

From the dark living room, a figure slowly approached:

“Old Sun, is this tea one thousand yuan an ounce or a jin?”