Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 292 - Chapter 292 292. Seventh Uncles Plan_1

Chapter 292: 292. Seventh Uncle’s Plan_1 Chapter 292: 292. Seventh Uncle’s Plan_1 Zhou Maozhu and his wife, being honest, had managed everything on their own, without ever thinking of sneaking any advantage during tea roasting.

It was clear enough that the 5 jin of tea leaves Song Sancheng had given away were genuinely a fair deal.

After seeing them off, Song Sancheng now recalled the generosity he had promised earlier, and couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

But it was Song Tan who took the initiative to speak up:

“Dad, you have a good eye. Uncle Zhou’s family is really honest. They’ve spent so much time roasting tea leaves without taking the slightest advantage.”

Now that the gift had been given, and so much time had passed, why make her dad feel uncomfortable?

As for the tea leaves, whether it is 3.6 jin to roast one jin of dry tea, or 4 jin to roast one, nobody could say for sure.

But Zhou Maozhu’s family even roasted the old leaves that fell through the sieve each day, bringing them over and saying they’d keep them for brewing water to drink while working, and from start to finish they were open and upright…

Song Tan might not say much else, but when it comes to judging people, she was reliable.

They were truly honest folks.

Speaking like this at this moment, Song Sancheng did indeed get a twinkle in his eye: “Right? I told you, Dad has eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice. Everything I say has a deeper meaning, and sometimes you shouldn’t just take things at face value!”

Wu Lan passed by and let out a light sound from her nostrils–

“Hmph.”

Song Sancheng: …

He instantly sidestepped away.

It was Seventh Uncle who was sitting there, who also seemed quite moved at this moment:

Every father thinks of ways to provide for their child, and he hadn’t even visited once since his child went to the borderlands to marry and have children…

Of course, his child rarely came back either.

Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t help but ask his spouse next to him:

“What do you think… about sending something to Shuliang?”

…

It must be said, Seventh Uncle used to be quite a stubborn man.

Because he was a chef, the family had been able to live comfortably over the years. In those days, being a chef was a reliable trade that ensured food on the table, rain or shine.

Hence, seeing his son’s bleak prospects in academia, Seventh Uncle decided to pass on his culinary skills to him.

However, Shuliang was willing to do anything except favor the kitchen!

As the son of a chef, he would rather make less tasty food and not learn the trade.

Seventh Uncle tried to convince him with all his heart, thinking that with a skill like this, he could later take on a few apprentices, and the family could support each other. Whether it was to open a restaurant, sell snacks, or anything else, they’d be able to support themselves.

For this reason, he had quite a struggle with his son, and in the midst of it all, his son ran away.

Upon leaving, he even left a note, stating he had no interest in learning how to cook.

Seventh Uncle was furious and angry, but what was the use of anger when his son wasn’t even around?

It was only later when he received a message from his son that he found out his son had run off to the borderlands with someone.

Lucky him, the days were long there!

Wasn’t working there even more strenuous than being a chef??

Indeed, his son complained in letters — the sky was bright first thing in the morning, and at ten o’clock at night, the sun still hadn’t set…

After his complaints, Seventh Uncle suggested he come back and learn to cook, but the son still refused!

With the borderlands being so far away, communication took a long time. Gradually, his son got used to life there.

Back then, the local lamb skewers were 50 cents a piece, pure lamb, big chunks!

Grapes were three mao per kilogram, and there were still many shops opened by the zhiqing back in the day. The young people didn’t even feel homesick–he even met a girl!

Gradually, he settled down there.

Until one day, when he brought his girlfriend home and solemnly told Seventh Uncle, “I plan to stay in the frontier from now on…”

…

All of that happened many years ago.

Back then, cities hadn’t developed much, and small cities like Yun City weren’t much different from the county towns in the frontier.

Parents can never truly resist their children’s will. Seventh Uncle, who had only this one and only son, believed that the son should support him in his old age, according to his old-fashioned ideas.

But seeing the determination on his child’s face, he ultimately said nothing in the end.

The frontier was really too vast; there wasn’t even a direct bus to his son’s place. He had to take a long-distance bus, ride in an ox cart, and even motorbike… transferring along the way before he could reach the train station, enduring several days of travel just to return home.

Over the years, his son’s visits could be counted on one hand.

Seventh Uncle wanted to go visit, but couldn’t even find the way.

If it weren’t for this situation, he wouldn’t have made up his mind to use the house to find someone to take care of him in old age.

This empathy, having become a father himself, the son slowly started to understand his parents’ feelings from back then. Thus, he was the one who brought up the house issue on the phone.

But he also promised that he would come back if his parents ever needed him!

Indeed, he had come back once after getting married, but as they saw him off, Seventh Grandma sighed:

“It has been so many years since we last met, I even have to tread carefully when speaking with my son… I can’t figure out his preferences anymore, and I don’t even know what his life is like there. He might not even understand our hometown dialect.”

“We’re getting old… can we really expect him to be by our side?”

Time hadn’t erased their feelings, but it had deepened the chasm between them, step by step.

In the end, Seventh Uncle also sighed.

At this moment, Seventh Grandma was quite startled when her husband suddenly mentioned their son–

She remembered the mutton, fruit, dates, and raisins her son sent over all the way each year, and she also sighed:

“We should send something too.”

After saying this, she hesitated for a second:

“Don’t we still have some money? What do you think about fixing up the old house? I think we’ll be staying in the village from now on. We could send a letter to the children, at the very least to see our grandchildren… If he doesn’t have time, now with GPS and navigation, I’ve also learned how to use the internet. We can give them the address, and we can go ourselves.”

Seventh Uncle didn’t dare agree to this.

Seventh Grandma’s health wasn’t so robust. Traveling to the frontier at their age could end in a bout of illness that might cost them half their lives.

But at this moment, he also couldn’t help being moved by his spouse’s suggestion–

Fixing up the old house would not only make it more comfortable for them to live in, but it would also mean the house wouldn’t be too dilapidated if the son ever brought the grandchildren for a visit.

“Alright, I reckon this construction crew isn’t bad. When Tantan’s house is finished, we’ll see what it’s like. If it’s good, we’ll also reinforce and tidy up our old home, revamp the yard too.”

As for sending things…

Seventh Uncle asked, “Honey, tea, white fungus?”

The meat was good in the frontier, and the fruit was too, not to mention cheap. The items he just mentioned were the ones that were less common there.

Seventh Grandma nodded her head: “You talk to Tantan properly about it. I’m afraid she might find it awkward to charge you.”

Speaking of this, Seventh Uncle snorted:

“That girl, awkward to charge me? She would rather give me an extra kilogram than knock off a single penny from the price! She’s very clear about that.”

Though he uttered complaints, his face was filled with deep smiles. Obviously, he quite approved of Song Tan’s way of doing business.