Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 83

Song Tan: …

Could she say she had forgotten? Sorting tea leaves involves using a tea sieve, usually made from fine bamboo branches. Some delicate twigs inevitably break off during high-temperature baking. Also, during the picking process, some old leaves might get included. They turn yellow during the baking process and are easy to identify and remove.

But it didn’t matter.

She remained calm. “It’s fine, Mom. At worst, they’ll get priority for the next batch. You can just have someone sort them.”

Wu Lan was silent—priority, really? How about aiming for the stars?

She had nightmares about customers returning the expensive tea.

But since it was already sold, she had to look on the bright side.

“Well, it’s not urgent. I saw the forecast says there’s rain the day after tomorrow. When we can’t work outside, I’ll call your four aunts over to help sort the tea. No need to talk about money… we can chat while we work.”

Five or six pounds of dry tea a day amounted to only about ten pounds over several days. It wouldn’t take long.

Talking about money for this would be insulting.

Then she proudly said, “This year, they can earn quite a bit from picking tea.”

Song Sancheng took a puff of his cigarette, beaming. “Our Tan Tan is doing well. Not only is she farming successfully, but she’s also providing earning opportunities for the villagers…”

He wasn’t eloquent and couldn’t summarize his feelings further, so he kept repeating, “It’s great, it’s great…”

Song Tan found it hard to understand this sentiment.

Her hometown had been an obsession for her in both lifetimes. Her family was her anchor, but the village itself? Even in her previous life, she had spent very little time there since she started boarding school.

Having forgotten it for so long, she didn’t have such a strong sense of attachment.

But seeing Wu Lan and Song Sancheng’s prideful faces gave her a faint sense of warmth.

Qiao Qiao peeked out from outside: “Are we ready?”

He pouted, “It’s getting dark. The store is about to close.”

The village store’s closing time depended on how long people chatted. Song Tan quickly stood up:

“King, let’s go.”

With a call, King obediently grabbed the leash. Song Tan hooked it to his collar and handed it to Qiao Qiao.

“You hold the leash and walk slowly. King is very smart. Talk to him if you need anything.”

She patted King’s head, the fluffy touch making her heart soften. Another wave of spiritual energy slowly flowed into him.

King let out a low growl, then a deep “woof,” stretching his muscles quietly.

He glanced at Song Tan, then nudged Qiao Qiao’s chest with his head.

Qiao Qiao was overjoyed!

“King really likes me!”

Proudly holding the leash, he chatted with King: “King, we’re going to buy bubblegum. Do you want a hot dog? I don’t know how much of my wages are left, will it be enough?”

“Do you eat eggs? If Grandma cooks eggs tomorrow, I’ll share with you—”

“No, I can’t just give it to you. I need to share with the others too…”

He frowned, worried that one egg wouldn’t be enough.

Then he saw his dog tag and brightened up, showing it to Song Tan with a smile. “Sister, Mom said if I ever get lost, I should take this to the police.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Qiao Qiao remembers the way. How could I get lost?”

The siblings laughed and joked as they walked to the store.

The store fronted a small activity square. It was tiny compared to city ones but was a cherished communal space in their village.

A few familiar but unnamed older women were chatting there. Several others were slowly moving on exercise equipment.

“Wow, such a big dog! Looks like a tiger!”

King’s presence was too striking. Even though the square’s solar lights weren’t very bright, everyone curiously gathered around.

They didn’t get too close, maintaining a cautious distance.

Song Tan noticed a young girl among them.

She wore a simple black baseball jacket. Her plain face wasn’t particularly fair, but her eyes sparkled, and she seemed about the same age as Song Tan.

Seeing a rare young face in the village, Song Tan instinctively met her gaze and smiled back.

Meanwhile, the older women were exclaiming over Qiao Qiao’s proud explanations of King’s impressive qualities, their interest growing.

However, King was disciplined. He would step back if anyone other than Qiao Qiao approached, his expression fierce!

Though he showed no aggression, his stance was intimidating enough to make everyone a bit scared.

Listening to Qiao Qiao’s innocent chatter about the seven other dogs guarding the fields, people’s expressions subtly changed.

Song Tan knew the news would spread throughout the village by noon tomorrow.

An elderly woman in the crowd took a sharp tone, saying, “Back in the day, we could hardly feed ourselves, let alone dogs. Young folks today sure know how to spend, but who knows where they get their money?”

Song Tan replied lightly, “Yeah, it costs quite a bit. This dog used to be abroad, hunting bears and tigers.”

“Now it’s inconvenient, so they gave him to me.”

Her vague storytelling was masterful. The crowd’s eyes on King grew more fearful.

After tonight, she believed rumors would say she had a tiger-eating dog.

And maybe add that it was a gift from abroad, daring enough to bite a tiger and certainly not afraid of people!

The elderly woman fell silent.

With her goal achieved, Song Tan urged Qiao Qiao, “Didn’t you want to buy gum? Go ahead.”

Watching the wary looks everyone gave King, she led him slowly onto the road.

Under the dim streetlights, they appeared serene.

Then she heard footsteps behind her.

Turning, she saw the young girl catching up:

“Song Tan, right?”

She smiled, revealing a charming dimple, her expression bright and open.

“I’ve heard your name.”

“I tried your field’s Chinese milk vetch. It was delicious. What new fertilizer or variety are you using?”

Song Tan raised an eyebrow. “Did you buy some?”

The girl hesitated, then her eyes lit up. “You’re still selling it?”

Then she shook her head. “No. I saw Grandpa Li struggling with his cow, and thought it must be tasty, so I tried a stalk.”

She extended her hand:

“Hi, I’m Zhu Jun. I’m the new village party secretary of Yunqiao Village since last year.”

Then she winked. “If you’ve read the news, you’d know our province recruited over nine hundred university students as village officials last year—I’m one of them.”