Chapter 34: Qiaoqiao's Piggy Mommy

Chapter 34: Qiaoqiao's Piggy Mommy

The eldest aunt clearly didn't take the words seriously.

After all, who hadn't eaten dumplings before? But she didn't argue; she just looked at the wrapped dumplings with a hint of worry

"This is too many. I don't think they'll even fit in the fridge."

Song Sancheng looked over. "It's about right. We have so many people tonight, we'll probably end up eating three hundred of them!"

The eldest aunt nearly rolled her eyes—three hundred?

Usually, when eating dumplings, one would be stuffed after twenty or thirty at most.

There were only eight people in total now, yet he dared to brag like that?

It seemed that Tan Tan's vegetable selling business wasn't all that reliable either.

The eldest uncle, however, a seasoned dumpling enthusiast, agreed: "Then let's boil a pot first to tide us over."

And so, the men went to the vehicle to fork some straw, while Wulan sat by the stove slowly tending the fire, aimlessly shouting instructions

"Boil a few more... a few more—don't rush to put them in the fridge, eat them first!"

Since they were emphasizing it so much, if she didn't boil more, it would look as if she wasn't feeding them enough. Mumbling to herself, the eldest aunt eventually boiled a massive pot of dumplings.

In a rural large stove, one pot could hold a hundred dumplings!

Straw wasn't heavy; it only required being moved from the haystack to the vehicle. Soon, the truck bed was piled high.

By then, the dumplings were ready.

The eldest uncle took a deep breath, washing his hands while marveling, "This shepherd's purse is excellent, so fragrant! Mom, you all eat more."

Then, he took his first bite.

For a moment, the entire dining room fell silent.

How... how to describe it?

The eldest uncle thought for a long time, not even daring to swallow the mouthful of dumpling filling. He felt as if he had drifted back to his childhood, to those years when meat was eaten only once a year...

These dumplings were beyond praise. In short, they were simply too delicious!

After swallowing a bite, the eldest aunt felt even more regretful—if she had known the dumplings were this good, why did she suggest giving them all to her parents earlier?

The shepherd's purse growing around here definitely didn't taste like this!

No wonder they were twenty yuan a jin; they were truly worth it!

The elderly grandparents were even more complimentary. Grandpa, sitting in his wheelchair, even broke tradition by handing his bowl back after finishing one: "Serve me some more."

This time, Wulan boiled the second pot, but since the elders were old, she only served them five or six more than usual

"Dad, Mom, don't rush, eat slowly. There's more tomorrow. Don't overeat today."

Grandpa had a great appetite and was in high spirits, even saying to Song Tan, "Our Tan Tan is a natural-born farmer!"

This sentiment received unanimous agreement from everyone.

Wulan, looking refreshed and proud, added, "How is it? The vegetables Tan Tan prepared taste great, right? I told you, even though she's so good at her studies, she's no bad at farming either!"

Song Tan: *A qualified tool person should remain silent when they aren't supposed to speak.*

...

After eating their fill.

The family of four headed home under the cover of night. The car traveled lonely along the winding mountain road. With the window slightly cracked, the cool night breeze brushed against their faces, but it did nothing to dampen the fervor in Wulan's heart.

She thought of the eldest aunt's regretful and reluctant expression, and then of the long-absent satisfaction and comfort on the faces of Song Tan's grandparents. At that moment, she suddenly understood why her daughter insisted on eating the fresh vegetables herself every time she got them!

Because some happiness truly cannot be measured with money.

...

From that night on, Wulan became exceptionally driven.

Early the next morning, just as the first light of dawn arrived, she urged Song Sancheng to spread the straw in the courtyard to dry. She quickly mixed two buckets of disinfectant and went to spray the pigsty once more, even specifically checking the manure pit.

Once everything was ready, she called to arrange for the piglets to be delivered.

By the time Qiaoqiao snapped out of it, his highly anticipated Peppa Pig was gone. In the sun-warmed pigsty, five little piglets were lying there—three white and two black.

The five piglets were undeniably cute, with wet, round little noses and clean coats. Their bodies were small and plump, emitting soft "oink oink" sounds.

But...

Aside from the two white piglets whose skin showed a hint of pink, they bore no resemblance whatsoever to Qiaoqiao's Peppa Pig.

Qiaoqiao froze for a long while before suddenly letting out a wail: "My Peppa, my George, my piggy mommy... they're all gone... all gone..."

The pigs in the sty were momentarily stunned. They oinked twice, tilting their pink, round noses curiously at him, their dark eyes full of life.

With Qiaoqiao's dreams shattered and his sudden outburst, Song Tan had to use her trump card

"Sweetie, stop crying, stop crying—we don't have Peppa or George, can we look at something else? I'll buy you a doll when I go to the city next time."

"Let's not look at those for now, let's switch—have you seen Ultraman? Tiga! Let's watch that from today on."

Ultraman toys were much easier to find.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

As Qiaoqiao sobbed and gasped for air, Wulan laughed triumphantly, adding fuel to the fire

"Come on, Qiaoqiao, didn't you want to sleep with your piggy mommy? Pick one out and see which one is your piggy mommy!"

Qiaoqiao:...

He cried even louder.

...

The piglets were very small and in a new, strange environment, though they didn't seem uncomfortable at all—in fact, they seemed quite fond of the place (after all, it was nourished by a certain spiritual energy).

However, to be safe, Wulan quickly boiled some warm pig feed

Pumpkin, sweet potato, corn kernels, wheat bran, rice bran, leftover food, and hand-picked wild vegetable roots—a large, fragrant pot.

Just by the smell, it was actually quite appetizing.

Song Tan thought for a moment. "Mom, I'll go see how the vetch in the field smells. I'll pick some more to feed the pigs while I'm at it."

She could taste shepherd's purse once or twice a year, but she hadn't eaten vetch in over a decade.

Wulan nodded. "Go ahead. Get plenty, and we'll tidy it up this afternoon. Aren't you planning to sell it tomorrow?"

Song Tan shook her head. "I told the customers in the group chat that I'll go sell it tomorrow morning, not so early."

Vetch was easier to clean than wild vegetables, but it was very tender. To ensure freshness, it was better to pick it in the morning and take it straight to the city.

Now that the weather was warmer, wild vegetables were abundant. Wulan felt a bit uncertain about whether the vetch in these fields—which were previously used for green manure and livestock feed—could really sell for twenty yuan a jin.

But she didn't argue—yesterday she had praised her daughter's farming skills so much that she had almost brainwashed herself, thinking—

Maybe there really is a difference?

With a face full of tear tracks, Song Tan took a basket and went to the field. The leaves and stems were so tender and green that she hardly dared to step on them. She pinched a stem with her fingers and snapped it gently, obtaining a cluster of lush greenery.

Qiaoqiao found a new way to play, finding it very interesting to pull at the grass. He instantly forgot about his "piggy mommy" and began working with giggles and laughter.