Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 1041 - 1021. Why have you started to dislike it?

Chapter 1041: 1021. Why have you started to dislike it?

Old Wang’s face was utterly unimportant. Huffing and puffing, he stormed down the mountain and didn’t even manage to bite into a single radish.

Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, the Song Family was staring at the pile of gifts with an air of bewilderment.

In all honesty, they were just ordinary farmers. If it weren’t for Secretary Xiaozu hosting a banquet this year, no one in Lao Song’s family would have even had a chance to taste Moutai.

And now, what they’d brought wasn’t just bottled wine—it was gifts laden with significance. Even Wu Lan seemed a bit anxious:

"Tantan, how should we reciprocate?"

Song Tan was just as surprised.

She knew Secretary Xiaozu’s family was something special, but she hadn’t expected them to be *this* wealthy. After a moment of thought, she reassured everyone, "Don’t worry, don’t stress. The wine our family makes is far better than theirs anyway."

"Plus, doesn’t Grandpa still have some homemade dried tobacco? Secretary Xiaozu said once that people in his household fought over it to the point of skirmishes. When they leave, we’ll pack each of them a pouch filled to the brim, along with two catties of wine apiece."

Song Sancheng considered this: "Should we pack a pound of tea leaves too?"

Their tea, previously given to Boss Chang, was now parcelled as small samples sold individually, and there was barely any left. But now their guests had come bearing such generous gifts, and given how closely Secretary Xiaozu managed even the smallest matters of their household...

Song Tan nodded magnanimously: "Good, a pound of tea per person sounds fine."

She could tell those five young men were no ordinary individuals—likely bodyguards or personal assistants. Now she reminded her father: "Five pounds total will suffice. The younger ones in their family don’t need any."

Song Sancheng reflected that their tea now fetched a price of fifty thousand per pound, making this an appropriately tasteful return gift. Only then did his heart settle slightly.

But purely in terms of monetary value, fifty thousand was certainly more precious...

He couldn’t help but feel a pang of inner conflict and heartache.

Meanwhile, Seventh Uncle walked into the living room, caught sight of the two boxes of ginseng, stared at them for a moment, then clicked his tongue and shook his head:

"You really can’t tell how deep Secretary Xiaozu’s pockets are just by looking. Look at this—sending such high-quality wild mountain ginseng without hesitation."

Song Sancheng felt a jolt and quickly asked, "Wild mountain ginseng? Pure wild ginseng? Wouldn’t that make it very expensive?"

"Exactly." Seventh Uncle, who’d seen his fair share of good things, scrutinized the ginseng hesitantly: "I’m not great at gauging the price, but judging by its appearance, twenty thousand apiece wouldn’t be unusual."

The ginseng was small in size but distinctly wild based on its form, which made it a rare find. Nowadays, cultivated ginseng and understory ginseng were more common, and pinpointing genuine wild ones required both connections and keen eyes.

*Twenty thousand per piece?*

Song Sancheng sucked in a cold breath!

What kind of family is *this*? Could their assets be in the billions? How are they so effortlessly generous?

In a flash, his own heartache over the tea leaves disappeared completely.

Meanwhile, Wu Lan suggested to Seventh Uncle, "Since they’ve presented us with such valuable gifts, shouldn’t we cook up something especially good tonight?"

Ha! The audacity of *that* remark!

"Who wouldn’t want to whip up a feast? But do you have meat in your house? Are you willing to butcher chickens, ducks, cattle, or sheep right now?"

Seventh Uncle shot back.

Wu Lan fell silent.

Because, of course, she wasn’t willing.

The chickens were all grown now and laying eggs nicely in the warm weather. They were planning to expand the coop next year. The ducks were in a similar position, and as for the cattle and sheep—they were busy fattening up during winter, not moving much, storing up energy!

Killing any would be such a waste!

Besides, weren’t they going to slaughter pigs in a couple of days? One item was surely enough.

"Exactly!" Seventh Uncle sighed in resignation:

"No meat? Then cook what we have. Even the fanciest dish will still be vegetarian. As for store-bought meat, I reckon it wouldn’t live up to their expectations."

People from rich families, after all—they’ve tasted premium goods endlessly. What they’re after is that rustic, authentic flavor.

Wu Lan thought back to how wealthy folk travel thousands of miles just for a bite of countryside-style pot rice, not to mention making a ten-hour trip from the Imperial City just for a pig-slaughter feast... She finally understood.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yanping and Xin Jun, observing quietly on the side, began muttering:

"That Secretary Xiaozu—hidden depths, huh? Look at her family... not average at all."

No need to elaborate. Those five young men, standing as straight and rigid as flagpoles, had physiques that were all too familiar!

Though they hadn’t seen this crew in person before, they’d certainly seen similar figures in countless TV broadcasts.

Xin Jun, however, shrugged candidly: "So what? Isn’t that better? Secretary Xiaozu being on friendly terms with us means the better-off her family is, the greater we benefit. Why waste time overthinking?"

Fair point.

Zhang Yanping perked up, grinning: "They’ll eat our pig-slaughter feast tonight—doesn’t that make pitching in later perfectly reasonable?"

While daydreaming about the possibilities, Qiaoqiao suddenly strolled over, lugging an enormous, freshly-cut flat-top cabbage:

"Brother Yanping, Seventh Uncle said I should help with dinner today. Can you go feed the Baobao group for me?"

Zhang Yanping balked.

"Let Xin Jun go... Oh, ow! Oh... I’m so tired!"

Qiaoqiao, like a little adult, sighed heavily, hesitated, then gave up: "Forget it. I’ll ask my sister to do it instead."

Somehow, in that sigh, Zhang Yanping detected a note of disdain.

It shouldn’t be, though! He’d always been lazy—not just today. Why the sudden change in tone?

While puzzling over this, Secretary Xiaozu arrived back down the mountain, leading their crew once more.

Seventh Uncle immediately rushed out to ask, "Do any of you have dietary restrictions?"

He added, "I’m fine with cooking just about anything—cold foods, spicy flavors, sweet dishes, you name it."

Xiaoli, who had accompanied Old Wang, opened his mouth to reply, but Old Wang cut him off at once: "None! Everyone here is in good health—no restrictions, we can eat anything."

Seventh Uncle gave it some thought, but wasn’t completely convinced by their polite assurances. He turned and confirmed with Secretary Xiaozu:

"How about stir-fried cabbage, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded radish and pork cracklings, sour beans with minced meat, and a few fish dishes... Will everyone eat that?"

Secretary Xiaozu was practically salivating. Compared to their usual simple three-or-four dish meals, this was undeniably putting effort in. She nodded eagerly: "Definitely!"

Seventh Uncle nodded once more: "Alright. I’ll make less rice then—to avoid overeating on your first day here."

Making "less" rice probably meant counting every guest as a three-person appetite. You wouldn’t overeat... but you certainly wouldn’t go hungry either!

Secretary Xiaozu quickly piped up: "I want some crispy rice with fermented bean curd!"

Having remembered the generous gifts their family just sent, Seventh Uncle cheerfully agreed: "Sure thing! The fermented bean curd from last time is ready to eat now."

At that moment, Qiaoqiao seized the opportunity to barge in, his oversized gloves struggling to hold the even bigger flat-top cabbage in his arms. His youthful gaze was brimming with sincerity:

"Someone help me shred this cabbage!"

Holding up the tender green cabbage—far larger than his head—he grinned and shared newfound knowledge:

"Seventh Uncle explained that stir-fried cabbage is a real test of skill. No knives allowed. If metal contaminates the flavor, it won’t taste as good when cooked..."