Chapter 69: Secretary Wang's Little Scheme
Secretary Wang had single-handedly driven the purchasing power of the entire compound; this was something he truly hadn't expected.
But he couldn't be blamed.
First, the head chef had asked him for the contact information, and immediately after, others were inquiring about which vendor the leader had bought his vegetables from.
In a vegetable-buying group, if he kept things hidden, wouldn't that be too antisocial?
Ultimately, Secretary Wang gave out his WeChat.
As for the colleagues in the compound, those who hadn't tasted the food were craving it, and those who had couldn't stop thinking about it. Regardless of whether they had tried it or not, everyone shared the same mindset—
The leader bought it, so it's not too much for me to follow suit and buy some, right?
Maybe it could even earn me some favor?
Even if the favor was useless, it shouldn't cost me anything.
And so, the wave of passionate ordering began.
However, the compound was strictly guarded, and ordinary courier deliveries couldn't get in, so everyone had to provide their home addresses.
Otherwise, Song Tan's batch of shipping labels would have all been for one location. If she had just found a truck, she could have delivered them all the same day, and it might have been cheaper than the courier!
As a result, before the new batch of vegetables had even arrived, the shop owner had "insanely" put tea on sale for the exorbitant price of 11,000 yuan per jin!
Ning Province didn't really have any famous local specialties; compared to the national famous teas, this tea fell far short.
And yet, they dared to sell it at such a high price?
Everyone had been watching and waiting, but Secretary Wang's heart stirred as he recalled the things the leader had previously mentioned regarding rural revitalization industries...
At this moment, he gritted his teeth
Buy!
Based on the taste of those wild vegetables and the shop owner's assertive tone, Secretary Wang knew the other party was absolutely confident in the quality!
He had been promoted by the leader personally, and despite his youth, he shared the same hobby as the leader—drinking tea in his spare time.
Now, recalling the taste of the Chinese milk vetch, he fantasized about the tea's fragrance, and transferring five thousand yuan suddenly didn't feel so painful.
Oh wait, there was also a twenty-yuan shipping fee.
That stingy owner—he couldn't even afford free shipping for a five-thousand-yuan order?!
...
Early the next morning, when Zhang Yanping was groggily hauled out of bed and taken to the fields to numbly begin picking grass... no, picking Chinese milk vetch, he was in a daze.
Yesterday it was said there wouldn't be any heavy labor, but it didn't say he'd have to wade through the dew in the fields at the crack of dawn!
But seeing Song Tan and Qiaoqiao both buried in their work, baskets in hand, and since he was already up and his rubber boots were already on, what else could he do?
He could only let out a long sigh and begin his first day as a hired hand.
The mountain forest in the early morning was quiet and hazy, with light, thin mists swirling around the houses and fields, looking quite different from a distance.
The air seemed to carry a cool sweetness. As a breeze blew through the first field adjacent to the bamboo grove, the Chinese milk vetch had competed to bloom with pink-purple petals, clustering together like lotuses, exceptionally unique and moving.
But Zhang Yanping couldn't feel any of this beauty; he only felt his back aching from bending over to pick!
What was more infuriating was that after struggling for half the morning, he looked at his basket and saw it wasn't even full yet!
Qiaoqiao's basket was already full, and he happily ran over to take a look: "Brother, let me help you."
Even though Zhang Yanping's skin was as thick as a wall, he found it hard to handle this moment.
Not to mention, Qiaoqiao added in a low voice
"Brother, when the convenience store opens later, I'll go buy you some bubble gum. I have money. Don't be sad that you're not good at working."
Zhang Yanping:...
If his skin were a fraction thinner, he would have turned red as a cooked shrimp by now.
Just then, Song Tan asked, "Qiaoqiao, have you thought of names for your three puppies?"
Qiaoqiao shook his head.
"No, it's so hard to think of some. Sister, do you know how to name things?"
"I don't either," Song Tan coaxed him. "But the puppies are too small and don't understand things yet. I've decided to find them some sensible fathers and mothers."
"Can you stay home and keep the puppies company today? I'll go out with Brother to help look."
"Huh?" Qiaoqiao blinked blankly.
"Can't Qiaoqiao go too?"
"You can't."
Although Qiaoqiao was obedient and sensible, spending several hours traveling back and forth in a car wasn't exactly a pleasure for him. It was better to let him stay home this time.
"However, you have a task at home—today you have to go pick tea with Mom, or help Dad take care of the chicks and ducklings. Only then can I pay you your wages."
Perhaps the feeling of having money was truly wonderful, or perhaps picking tea and tending to poultry were both very appealing...
Qiaoqiao hesitated for only a moment before quickly agreeing.
When the sun rose and everyone brought their baskets back for sorting, Song Tan raised her voice
"Dad, the Chinese milk vetch in the fields has bloomed. If the beehives are empty later, don't worry, just go check the fields."
Song Sancheng was feeding pigs on the back hillside; his voice was muffled by the grunting of the piglets and wasn't very clear.
"Then what about my Big Bear?"
Hearing the word "bees," Qiaoqiao also leaned in expectantly.
Song Tan thought for a moment and reached up to a high shelf in the storage shed to retrieve a box
"Then I'll give you a task. Once the dew has vanished, take this box to the field that's blooming."
"Your Big Bear has grown too fat now, and its wings haven't moved in a long time; it probably can't fly. Qiaoqiao, you'll be a hardworking porter. Let it gather enough pollen and nectar there to feed its babies, and then bring it back."
After some time, with both sugar water and spiritual energy, the bumblebee pupae should be about to metamorphose.
Bumblebees have large appetites; at this time, pollen and nectar are essential. They must be well-fed.
Zhang Yanping leaned in and suddenly saw a very round, fat, furry thing in the box, and couldn't help but be startled
"What is this thing? Why is it so fat?"
The bumblebee, which was currently vibrating and heating up inside its beeswax jar for incubation, let out a "buzz" at that moment, as if protesting the word "fat."
However, it really was very fat.
Its furry, round body, driven by small wings, only flew about two centimeters above the box before quickly falling back down with a "plop."
Zhang Yanping: "Pfft!"
...
Before leaving, Song Tan checked her account.
Her original sixty thousand yuan in savings had long been spent.
Although a portion of her parents' share had been used, there were still over twenty thousand yuan left in their cards. Song Tan didn't intend to touch that money; it wasn't easy for her parents to save.
As for her own account, there were the twenty thousand yuan from selling Chinese milk vetch recently, plus the six thousand from selling tea yesterday.
She didn't plan to pick any special breed of dog; local dogs would do. This way, after buying the Golden Cherry seeds, the twenty thousand yuan would be more than enough.
She had planned it out, so she took out a few sheets of white paper she had brought back, weighed out half a jin and one liang of tea respectively, wrapped them in layers of white paper, and stuffed them into sealed bags.
Zhang Yanping's eyelids twitched
"You should at least add some packaging!"
If people bought it, they would feel more comfortable.
It wasn't that Song Tan didn't understand, but if she added packaging for the first time, people would be picky whenever she didn't add it in the future.
Since that was the case, as long as the quality was solid, she would save as much effort as possible.
Seeing that Qiaoqiao and Wulan had already finished tidying up the vegetables, she quickly called out, "Brother Yanping, let's move the baskets."
Since he was already here, it wouldn't make sense not to walk the path of rural revitalization, right?