Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 1020 - 1000. The judges came to

Chapter 1020: 1000. The judges came to

No wonder the teams from various major media outlets following along all seemed so listless.

It’s the end of the year after all, with a lot of big events happening. Most teams already had packed schedules, all vying for traffic. And as for the agricultural channel, a niche segment at best, it’s obvious the reporters sent wouldn’t be the crème de la crème of the media industry.

Take the team from the FarmHeart Channel, for example. It consisted of a rookie reporter and cameraman, both just one year into their jobs, along with an assistant. Before leaving, their senior colleagues had warned them: "There’s nothing groundbreaking or really newsworthy here. Just treat it like you’re filming a food show, no pressure, and gain some experience..."

The two rookies didn’t have high expectations to begin with, but the problem was, this wasn’t anything like the food show they’d imagined! What kind of food show asks you to eat fresh chili peppers raw, straight up, no questions asked?!

And eating them raw was just the start—they then had to sample them cooked with nothing but oil and salt. So how appetizing could that even be, really?

By the time they spent the whole morning shadowing the event, even the national-level judges in action had lost their mystique in their eyes. The seasoned veterans from other industries were either giving lectures or doing serious research.

But here? The judges in front of them were plucking cabbage stalks to nibble on...

Thankfully, the dawn of victory was near!

Because of logistical issues with this year’s venue setup, the South A7 Zone was the final area for the Hou Ji competition. The place was tiny, so it seemed destined to be a small-scale showing.

Once the judges sampled everything there, their work for the morning would be wrapped up, and they could finally enjoy a proper lunch.

As for the public judging session in the afternoon... the cameraman planned to grab some footage while they randomly picked a few passersby for interviews, and that would be enough to wrap things up.

With the entire workflow mapped out in the rookie reporter’s head, she hadn’t expected the atmosphere ahead of her to change so suddenly. It was as if everyone had fallen into complete silence in an instant.

Her instincts kicked in, and she subconsciously grabbed her microphone and squeezed forward.

At this moment, the judges had stopped at the long table of the exhibition area.

Leading the group was an energetic elderly man, who surveyed the area with his keen eyes and then chuckled, "So, which company are you from? Your table looks a bit... haphazard this year."

Well, haphazard isn’t wrong.

Other exhibitors might use trays, but at least everything on them would be neatly arranged. But look at this lot—the trays were filled with disposable bowls of all shapes and sizes, holding chunks of strawberries, bits of cucumber, carrot slices, cubes of sweet potato, and random leafy greens. The inconsistency in size alone made the display look chaotic.

Song Tan, however, responded calmly, "We’re a privately registered farm company called Yunqiao Agriculture... It’s our first time participating this year, so we don’t have much experience. We just brought whatever we could. Please, feel free to taste."

Huh?

Yunqiao Agriculture?

The judges suddenly remembered the mention from Old Song earlier. Exchanging curious looks, they all perked up.

"Alright then, let me see what’s so special about your products!"

Old Song wasn’t someone who spoke lightly. If he’d said these were Level S+, then the quality likely wouldn’t drop below an S.

That said...

"This is too stingy," an old lady on the team commented bluntly, unable to look away. "Why are the strawberries cut into pieces?"

They were here for a competition, after all. Would it kill them to give each judge a whole strawberry?

Their comments were straightforward and without sugarcoating—nothing like the tactful remarks you see on TV. But Song Tan found this honest criticism oddly endearing.

After all, back home, whether it was Professor Song or anyone else, their way of talking was exactly like this at heart.

So, she smiled and replied, "It’s not stinginess. It’s just that we hastily built a greenhouse after hearing about the competition this year. The yields were quite limited, and the strawberries didn’t ripen in abundance."

Her tone was earnest, and the judges didn’t seem too bothered by her answer. Instead, they watched with interest as she peeled back the plastic wrap.

One sharp-nosed judge sniffed the air. "The fragrance of these strawberries is rather distinctive."

Saga Snow Rabbit wasn’t some new variety, and its combination of peach and strawberry aromas was quite representative. But if that were all, it wouldn’t be enough to impress the judges.

Still... why did the strawberries smell *this* good?

Their anticipation skyrocketed. Without delay, they each picked up a toothpick and jabbed at the bowl of strawberries in unison.

Qiaoqiao’s knife skills weren’t bad. The strawberries were neatly halved, with their skin and flesh perfectly intact.

Holding the piece in their hands, everyone’s first reaction was—

"These strawberries are something! Such large fruits, yet the flesh is so firm and juicy. There’s not a single hollow spot inside."

"Exactly," someone replied with a hearty laugh. "The qualities are impressive, and the size is remarkable too."

Then, without hesitation, they carefully bit into half a piece, savoring it slowly.

The rookie reporter from the FarmHeart Channel kept her microphone at the ready, her eyes glued to the judges’ faces.

Based on their earlier behavior in other exhibition zones, these judges should’ve been rattling off evaluations by now—things like sweetness, acidity, fiber content, or aspects needing improvement.

But this time? After a couple of chews, their expressions kept shifting, yet not a single word escaped their lips.

Meanwhile, the rich fragrance of the strawberries wafted so close that even the reporter couldn’t help but feel her stomach growl.

Was this... hunger? Why did the strawberries smell so unbelievably good, like they’d be out-of-this-world delicious?!

As the judges solemnly finished their remaining strawberry halves, the surrounding media people began to stir, unable to hold back.

At this point, Song Tan lifted the bowl of strawberries and pushed them forward. "Everyone, have a taste."

Since the strawberries had already been cut, they wouldn’t last long. And given the crowd here, it wouldn’t make sense to be stingy and not let them try some.

After all, the judges had already sampled them.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, one of the judges cried out:

"Wait! I haven’t fully grasped the details yet."

"Hold up! I need to confirm something again."

"Yes, yes, I just had a moment of uncertainty. Let me double-check..."

Goodness, their stern and solemn expressions almost made it seem like they weren’t evaluating fruit but testing poison like royal physicians.

Yet their quick actions in devouring the leftover halves betrayed their urgency. The speed of their toothpicks darting into the bowl—swift as lightning, precise as a hunting eagle—spoke volumes. No one could doubt how delicious the strawberries were now!

The media crew started getting restless.

Poor Yang Zhengxi, standing guard outside the circle, watched helplessly as everyone reached for the toothpick box, rapidly stabbing into the disposable bowls as if they were on a mission to turn them into sieves...

And just like that, in a matter of moments, the exquisitely fragrant, mind-blowingly delicious strawberries were *wiped out* completely!

When he finally raised his teary eyes, the judges hadn’t even given their verdict yet, and a media person had already blurted out without thinking, "Where can we order these strawberries?"

Qiaoqiao, now accustomed to such queries, quickly responded with a louder-than-usual voice, "The strawberries aren’t for sale. We didn’t grow enough this year to sell."

Media: ?!!!

The salaries we prepared to spend, and now you’re telling us this?!

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