Chapter 28: 28 Finding Some Straw

Chapter 28: Finding Some Straw

"A pickup truck is definitely better!"

Song Sancheng placed the logs, which had been inoculated with mushroom spores, into the truck bed, finally admitting that Song Tan had good judgment.

One of these logs was about 1.2 meters long; how many could a van even fit? A pickup was the way to go! It could carry a lot and was convenient.

Qiaoqiao looked expectantly at the truck bed full of logs, then at his grandfather's bare courtyard, his fair face covered in sweat

"Are we done moving? Can Qiaoqiao rest now? I'm so tired!"

"Tired? What are you tired for!"

Song Sancheng looked at him disapprovingly: "Strength is like a servant; you use it and then it comes back! When I was your age, I could harvest rice and transplant seedlings all day without even lifting my head!"

Ulan, feeling sorry for her son, glared at him: "You grew up through hardship, but my son hasn't had to suffer like that."

She turned back to the teary-eyed Qiaoqiao

"Be good, don't listen to your father. Look at your sister—if it weren't for Qiaoqiao's help, she would be so much more exhausted. Our Qiaoqiao eats three big bowls per meal; we can't let that go to waste. It has to be turned into strength to be used, so your body stays healthy!"

"Look at you, you didn't eat this much before, and I didn't make you do so much work, did I?"

Qiaoqiao opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't think of a way to argue, and since he couldn't bear the thought of eating only two bowls per meal, he could only climb into the passenger seat with a grievance—

He could now sit in the car and fasten his own seatbelt.

"Sister, is my work finished?"

Song Tan patted his head—it was covered in sweat.

So she coaxed him: "Good boy, once we get to the mountain, we just need to arrange these logs. Can Qiaoqiao still do it?"

Over the past two days, the inoculated logs had been brought up the mountain by the family members one by one, set up vertically and crossed in an inverted V-shape. The work wasn't heavy, but there were many logs, and the constant back-and-forth was tiring.

However, Song Tan was much stronger now. She could carry seven or eight of the 1.2-meter-long, 15-centimeter-diameter logs at once, moving as swiftly as the wind, to the point where by the end, Qiaoqiao was only responsible for propping them up.

He was a silly boy; previously, Ulan was afraid he might get hurt, so she basically never let him do anything.

Since Song Tan returned, because they ate wild vegetables during the day and practiced cultivation at night, the whole family had been eating well and sleeping soundly. With three big bowls of rice per meal, Ulan felt it was a waste not to utilize such strong labor!

That was why she was slowly testing the waters by adding more responsibilities.

Qiaoqiao puffed out his chest: "Qiaoqiao can! Qiaoqiao is better than Papa!"

Song Sancheng and Ulan, who had just climbed into the back seat, glanced at him, thinking to themselves: *You silly boy, you don't even do as much as your sister!*

*All talk!*

The group worked until noon before they finally finished setting up the logs.

It was now late March, a time of blooming life. The chestnut trees in the forest had not yet unfurled their leaves, and the sunlight falling through the canopy was warm and soft.

The sunlight also gave the newly arranged logs a particular aesthetic beauty.

But Song Sancheng was starting to worry—

"This won't work. The inoculated spores shouldn't be exposed to the sun like this."

"Tan Tan, we need to cover these spores with straw to keep them warm. Otherwise, the temperature difference between day and night will be too great, the moisture will dissipate too quickly, and the wood ear mushrooms won't grow."

"We also need to buy a piece of shade netting to cover the straw for ventilation and moisture retention..."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel anxious: "Did that expert you consulted mention any other precautions? This is our first time doing it on such a large scale; I'm feeling a bit nervous."

Their family had only grown a small portion about ten years ago, and back then, they could just keep the logs indoors at the start.

But with these logs covering the entire hillside, the cost per log was calculated at twenty yuan. Even if the logs themselves were free, the cost of clearing the hillside and buying the netting would amount to over ten thousand yuan.

The more Song Sancheng thought about it, the less confident he felt.

Ulan, however, was quick-witted. She thought for a moment: "Tan Tan, it's been over half a month since you came back. How about we go to your grandmother's house this afternoon?"

"No one in our village grows rice anymore, but they still grow rice and wheat in your grandmother's area. We can go fetch some dried hay to cover these spores."

"Also, now that the weather is warming up, it's time to bring the piglets back. We'll need to prepare more straw for the pigpens too."

Straw provides warmth at night, and when it gets dirty, it can be thrown directly into the manure pit to ferment. It also helps keep the pigpens clean and fresh.

Other wild grasses might work, but right now, finding piles of dried hay wasn't easy.

"That works."

Song Tan had already planned to visit her grandmother during this period. She checked the time: "Mom, let's go back and have a quick meal first. Then Qiaoqiao and I will gather more wild vegetables to take there, so Grandma and the others can taste them too."

"Take wild vegetables?"

Despite being her own flesh and blood, Ulan couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache at the thought of twenty yuan per pound. However, despite the heartache, she still gave instructions: "Your grandparents are old and prefer soft food. Gather more shepherd's purse. We'll also go to town to get some meat, and I'll go over there this afternoon to make dumplings for them."

"The rest is just for something fresh; don't bring too much. Just share some with your uncle."

Thinking of her brother made her think of her sisters: "Your eldest aunt is busy running her business in the city. Next time you finish selling your vegetables, just set some aside for her and send it over."

With her words arranging everything clearly for the family, Song Sancheng thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "Then... what about Tan Tan's aunt and uncle?"

Ulan gave him a white eye: "As if I'd say no to them!"

The more she thought about it, the more it hurt; giving things away like this would cost thousands of yuan.

She could only look expectantly at her daughter: "I see the wild vegetables are coming up in other parts of the village. How about I go dig some up this afternoon to taste? If the flavor is this good this year, we won't have to worry about spring."

Who needs to farm? They could make their money back just on wild vegetables.

Song Tan was speechless.

How many days had she been cultivating?

Spiritual energy was a finite resource.

That stingy old farmer wouldn't give a single bit that didn't belong to his own land!

If her mother wanted to taste them, let her. Farming was a metaphysical business anyway; she could taste whatever she wanted.

However...

"Mom, it's good for you to go check. We pick wild vegetables every day, so there isn't much left. Starting tomorrow, we won't sell wild vegetables. We'll tidy them up early in the morning, and I'll drive straight to the city at noon."

This would give the wild vegetables a chance to recover.

Additionally, the leaves of the sainfoin in the fields were currently tender and about to bud. By slightly controlling the spiritual energy to extend the growing period, this was the best time to harvest.

Whether used in cold salads or stir-fries, they would be sweet and fresh. Moreover, those large plots of land could be sold for a while longer.

She also had her videos; she had collected a lot of footage previously. But it wasn't quite spectacular enough to edit into a full episode; she needed to gather a bit more.

Sigh, if she could go viral locally, she wouldn't have to worry so much about online traffic—and she blamed those aunties.

Every single one of them was so stingy, keeping her "treasure stall" a secret, which resulted in only twenty-eight members in her group after selling vegetables for half a month.

These were vegetables grown with spiritual energy!

Fairy Tan Tan was very indignant.

*Here it comes, here it comes! Everyone, don't binge-read!*

(End of Chapter)