Chapter 5: 5 Plots of Land

Chapter 5: A Plot of Land

Song Sancheng finally relented and agreed to let her return to farm, and Song Tan let out a genuine sigh of relief.

Next up was her mother, Wu Lan.

Just then, Wu Lan spoke up: "Time to eat—Qiaoqiao, go wash your hands and bring out the dishes!"

Song Qiao obediently ran over. Even in the dead of winter, he twisted the outdoor faucet to rinse his hands, then diligently went to carry the dishes.

There was a milky-white wild crucian carp soup topped with a handful of cilantro; one whiff was enough to tell how fresh the fish was!

Next were eight braised crucian carp. The fish weren't large, only about two or three taels each, but braised with cilantro, chili, and scallions, the rich aroma aggressively filled the entire room!

If it had been a bit warmer, the fish bellies would surely have been filled with even more delicious roe!

Then came the radish stewed with jar-cured pork.

Jar-cured pork is a local specialty. Pork with the right ratio of fat to lean is salted, cut into small pieces, and stir-fried in a wok with a little peanut oil until the meat turns golden brown and some of the fragrant lard is rendered out. Then, the meat and oil are packed together into a jar.

Once cooled, the thick white lard seals the meat tightly. With the lid on and stored in a cool place, you can scoop some out whenever you want to eat...

Now that it was stewed, even the fatty parts were fragrant and not the least bit greasy!

There was also a plate of wild garlic stir-fried with eggs. The finely chopped wild garlic was vibrant green, and the farm-fresh eggs turned a golden yellow; the two paired together were mouth-wateringly fragrant!

Finally, there was the famous dish, "Red-Beaked Green Parrot"!

The tender, emerald-green spinach was sweet and crisp, stir-fried with minced garlic...

The fairy Song Tan plopped down onto her stool, refusing to budge an inch!

Her younger brother, Song Qiao, was a sweet treasure. He had already brought over her rice bowl: "Sister, I helped catch the fish! You eat more!"

Song Sancheng didn't care about much else, but his dignity regarding fishing was inviolable: "You just put the worm on the hook, what do you mean you caught it..."

He was immediately suppressed by Wu Lan: "Qiaoqiao put the worm on well, that's why we caught fish! Otherwise, why did you catch so many this time, right Qiaoqiao?"

Song Qiao looked at his dad and snorted: "That's right!"

The family hierarchy was very clear.

Song Tan smiled as she took a sip of the fish soup her brother had served; it was fresh and fragrant.

The only flaw was that behind the fresh, savory taste, there was a hint of turbidity that only she could perceive.

However, although there was no spiritual energy and impurities still existed, she was so famished that she could eat it now.

In any case, it was much better than the takeout she’d had during the day.

...

Wu Lan watched her daughter finish another bowl, then looked at her pale, frail appearance, feeling both proud and heartbroken

"Eat more, there's still more in the pot. Tomorrow, Mom will cook on the wood-fired stove, and I'll make you some scorched rice with chicken soup!"

Their kitchen was large, and the old-fashioned wood stove from years ago hadn't been torn down. Whenever Song Tan came home, she would always get to eat scorched rice.

Song Tan’s heart stirred, and she put on a pitiful expression: "Mom, I don't want to go back to work. It's so tiring."

She had intended to act weak, but she had forgotten that after a hundred years of cultivation, she couldn't quite gauge her own mother's personality anymore.

For instance, Wu Lan just sighed: "Then what can we do? Why don't you change jobs? At worst, you'll earn less money. Your dad and I have saved up quite a bit; it's enough to support ourselves and your brother."

With Song Qiao’s condition, the hospital had said there was nothing they could do. The old couple felt for him and had long ago decided to spend their later years with their son.

As for getting married or finding a woman to take care of him...

That was impossible.

Qiaoqiao was slow, but he was a good kid. These days, even biological children aren't guaranteed to be filial, let alone finding someone else.

They didn't want to ruin someone else's life, nor did they want anyone to treat Qiaoqiao unfairly.

They had been frugal all these years to save up for their retirement, striving not to be a burden to their daughter.

Tantan was beautiful and a college graduate; she couldn't be allowed to come back to the countryside and waste her life... Besides, were there any young people under thirty left in their village now?

They just hoped she would have a good job and marry into a good family, so she wouldn't have to suffer...

Song Tan didn't know that in this short moment, her mother’s thoughts had gone through a thousand turns. Seeing that acting weak didn't work, she decided to be direct

"Mom, I want to come home and farm."

As soon as the words left her mouth, seeing Wu Lan already reaching for a tree branch, Song Tan’s back tightened instinctively, and she quickly added—

"And to recover my health, Mom, my body is so weak!"

Wu Lan finally steadied her breathing and pondered for a moment: "That's true. You're still young, and that job of yours is too draining. You do need to rest."

"Fine, stay in the village for a few months. It’s not too busy at the start of spring, so you can get some exercise too."

Song Tan and Song Sancheng exchanged a look; both father and daughter fell silent.

However, there was one thing Song Tan hadn't lied about—her body was indeed weak on the inside.

Don't let her strength or lack of sensitivity to the cold fool you; that was all due to the spiritual energy tempering her during the car accident.

But the city had very little spiritual energy, and her internal organs had been severely damaged. She was on the verge of death, which was why she had desperately gathered spiritual energy to save her life...

Now, the hospital checkups showed everything was fine, but only she knew that her body hadn't fully recovered, and her spirit was severely depleted.

Saying she was resting in the countryside was not a lie at all.

...

The meal ended without incident.

After filling her stomach, Song Tan’s spirits were noticeably better. Song Qiao went to wash the dishes, wanting to show off in front of his sister. Meanwhile, she sat by the stove with her family, considering her future career.

There was spiritual energy here, and Song Tan was quite confident about the future—in the current health-conscious craze, everyone loved wild mountain products. She was certain that whatever she grew with spiritual energy would have no trouble finding a market.

But before that, she had to overcome the mountain that was her mother!

If she wanted to lease fields and mountains to do something big, Song Tan knew that even after a hundred years of cultivation, her sixty thousand yuan wouldn't go far; she would inevitably have to dip into her parents' savings.

If she just opened her mouth and said that a college graduate could get rich farming...

Song Tan was certain that Wu Lan would beat her with a tree branch, scolding her as she did

"Look at you, so capable!"

"So you're the only one who knows how to farm!"

"If farming could make you rich, why would everyone have gone to the cities!"

"If farming could make you rich, why would your parents still be living in the village!"

Alright, she would take it one step at a time, starting with their own fields.

It was now the end of February, just after the Lantern Festival—a good time when all things were about to revive. Coming home now was perfect for her to recover her health and draw in spiritual energy.

Once the spring rains came, she would produce results with their own land first, then plan for the future.

Right now, the things she lacked the least were patience and time.

But before that—

"Mom, how about you set aside a plot of the family's land for me to try out? You don't need to help."

Wu Lan shoved a piece of firewood into the stove and said nonchalantly: "So, do you want to farm or dig up the mountain? You can mess around with that field in the corner of the bamboo forest; it's been fallow for years. I'll have your dad clear it for you."

"As for the mountain... what's there to divide? The mountain behind the house is already ours, plus our old tea mountain, and another one further away... If you have the energy to dig, you can mess around with whatever you want."

Song Tan:!!!

Never underestimate the people in the village. The older generation might not have much land, but they definitely have mountains!