Song Tan’s Chronicle - Chapter 89

Song Sancheng was still worried about the vetch. “Is there such a rush? If we don’t turn it over and let it dry, the vetch will regrow, and we’ll have to pull it out again. And isn’t it in full bloom now? I see the bees are buzzing happily, producing lots of honey. Even if we can’t sell the vegetables, leaving it for the bees is still good.”

Farmers naturally cherish anything that can be eaten. Song Tan wasn’t in a hurry and slowly persuaded him, “It’s fine, Dad. I plan to plant water spinach, scallions, ginger, and garlic in that plot. If we plant now, we can start harvesting in a month. We can make money first and deal with the weeds later.”

The spiritual energy acting on the new crops makes them stronger and more robust, naturally eliminating space for weeds.

“As for the bees… Dad, the flowers have been blooming for a couple of days now. With just one plot, how can it support the bees originally meant for fifteen acres?”

Having bought five hives at once, and after this period of feeding, there were probably more than twenty thousand bees now. In one day, they would likely have emptied the field of pollen.

“But don’t worry, the other plots are starting to bloom too. The bees won’t go hungry.”

With Song Tan’s arrangements, Song Sancheng had no choice but to agree. He hesitated for a moment before softly asking, “Can we plant a couple of rows of tobacco in the corner for your grandpa?”

“Our land is fertile this year, and the tobacco will grow well. Your grandpa loves it, and he’s been working so hard for us…”

Song Tan sighed.

Indeed, he has been busy, but she hasn’t seen him smoke any less. Like father, like son.

But if she didn’t plant tobacco, her grandpa would plant it in front of the house…

Song Tan thought for a moment, then smiled knowingly, “Sure.”

Zhang Yanping, who was observing his seemingly delicate little cousin making so many arrangements over a meal, could only put on a pained expression, “Now I understand why Tao Yuanming wrote, ‘I plow the southern fields, but the weeds overgrow the seedlings’…”

Because farming is truly not for the faint of heart.

…

Yanping’s grueling transformation continued. Grandpa Song Youde went with Song Sancheng to help build the doghouses. Grandma Wang Lifeng couldn’t stop her money-making efforts and headed to the mountain with a basket after lunch!

Seeing this, Wu Lan hurriedly pushed her bowl aside and instructed Qiao Qiao to wash the dishes.

Song Tan was also busy.

The group of ducklings and chicks in the corner of the yard chirped and quacked, thriving under the lingering spiritual energy in the yard. However, they were eating a lot and growing fast, starting to shed their adorable yellow down feathers.

Song Tan called King over and affectionately patted his head, “King, watch over them. Starting tomorrow, we’ll move the ducklings and chicks up the mountain inside the fenced area. You need to take good care of them.”

“This is your job. Do it well, and you’ll be rewarded with enough food.”

King had been very well-behaved since coming back, eating modestly. Wu Lan even commented that he wasn’t eating enough…

Dogs are perceptive too.

King knew he was sent away because he ate too much and his previous owner couldn’t afford to keep him, so he hadn’t resumed his usual diet.

Hearing this, he adjusted his posture, his thick tail twitching against the ground. He then focused his sharp eyes on the chicks and ducklings, letting out a low bark, “Woof!”

“Don’t worry about being lonely. Once the three puppies grow a bit more, they’ll join you. Teach them well.”

Something soft tugged on King’s tail, and he turned to see one of the puppies, either Wu Bao, Liu Bao, or Qi Bao, eagerly playing with the tip of his tail.

When Qiao Qiao finished cleaning the kitchen, Song Tan came out with a shiny, cylindrical bucket. It had a crank handle on the side. In her other hand, she carried a basin with two filters, a brush, and a thin, sharp knife.

Handing the basin to Qiao Qiao, she said, “Let’s go, Qiao Qiao. We’re going to extract honey.”

Qiao Qiao cheered and took the basin but then asked, “What does extracting honey mean? Are we going to cut the bees?”

Song Tan: … She should have just said “spinning honey.”

This reminded her, “Wait a moment.”

She went back inside and returned with a mesh head cover and a pair of rubber gloves.

“Here, put on the head cover and gloves. We don’t want you getting stung by the bees again.”

Remembering the painful stings from last time, Qiao Qiao quickly put on the head cover and gloves, tying the mesh securely around his neck to prevent any stray bees from getting in.

The beehives were placed along the hillside path, each spaced about five meters apart.

With the vetch flowers in the fields still providing enough nectar, there weren’t many bees around the hives.

But this was only relative.

There were still plenty of bees buzzing around the hives. Qiao Qiao hesitated for a moment before following Song Tan.

“Watch and learn. Once you’re good at this, the task will be yours.”

Everyone in the family had work to do, and although Qiao Qiao was already helping out, he didn’t have a specific task yet.

Spinning honey, if done with proper protection, wasn’t very dangerous and was perfect for Qiao Qiao.

Qiao Qiao nodded excitedly, “Okay!”

They found a flat stone to place the basin on and set the bucket nearby.

Song Tan removed the asbestos tile covering the hive and opened the lid. Qiao Qiao let out a small yelp, then asked, “Sister, don’t you need a hat?”

Song Tan shook her head, “Your sister is the best in the world. I don’t need one.”

The beekeeper had given her detailed video instructions. Although this was Song Tan’s first time, she acted like a pro.

Unfazed by the bees, she moved confidently and calmly.

Each hive contained five wooden frames filled with honeycombs.

She pulled out a frame and instructed Qiao Qiao to use the brush, “Gently brush the bees off these combs.”

The honeycomb had various shades of yellow.

Pale yellow was the top layer of beeswax, whitish areas held larvae, and the deeper yellow was pure honey, not yet populated by larvae.

The unique sweet aroma of honey filled the air.

However, there were still many bees clinging to the combs, and they needed to be gently brushed off with a very soft brush.

Qiao Qiao hesitated, “Is this their home? Are we driving them away?”