Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 327 - Chapter 327 327. End of May_1

Chapter 327: 327. End of May_1 Chapter 327: 327. End of May_1 A series of dog barks erupted from the hill behind, and Zhang Yanping and Sun Shouping scurried down awkwardly, quickly vanishing from sight.

Instantly, the site foreman perked up his ears, “What happened? Is there trouble on the hill behind?”

He got smart–thinking if something had happened on the hill, and he was the first to spot it, maybe he could lend a hand and then have an excuse for another couple of meals at home?

He regretted being so shallow before, not calling the excavator operator a “talented eater.” If he’d known how delicious it was…

Tears were streaming down from the corners of his mouth.

Standing up, the foreman eyed the hill, eager to try his luck. Laborers resting nearby glanced at him and laughed, “With such a big dog on the mountain, it could bury you in the ground with a single swipe; better not add to the commotion.”

Foreman: …

Disgruntled, he sat back down.

It wasn’t long before that huge dog from the hill also charged down, like a wild boar barreling through, all the way to Song Youde’s place, opening its mouth to plead its case:

“Woof woof woof woof woof…”

“What’s wrong?”

Song Tan hurried out to see and found Dawang standing pitifully in the yard, his little neckerchief crooked, with two strips of floral fabric dangling loosely on one side, looking both homely and sloppy.

“What happened?”

Wang Lifan also came out, and upon seeing Dawang’s appearance, she burst into laughter, “Who messed up our Dawang’s neckerchief?”

“Woo…”

Dawang walked over to her and nuzzled Wang Lifan’s ear with his big head, melting the old lady’s heart. She quickly patted him,

“Come, sit nicely, I’ll tie it for you again.”

When she said sit, Dawang, aware of his size, readily lay down.

Wang Lifan brought a stool to sit on, just the right height to tie the neckerchief for him.

Tying the two straps at the back of the neck wasn’t a simple task; they had to be spread out and carefully tied like a trench coat’s waist belt, into a well-proportioned bow.

It also had to fit snugly around the neck, not too flouncy, as it could easily catch on bushes. The straps hanging too long would interfere with Dawang’s eating…

Of course, its good condition was all thanks to Dawang’s cautious movements up in the hills.

Only at this time did Sun Shouping and Zhang Yanping return nonchalantly.

Seeing them, Dawang felt aggrieved and let out a sharp bark, accusing them of being the true troublemakers.

Sun Shouping darted behind Zhang Yanping with a “slurp,” “It wasn’t me! He’s the one who untied the neckerchief!”

Zhang Yanping: ???

Such a good brother.

With a fierce smile, Zhang Yanping said, “Tantan, your Uncle Sun would like a pound of our tea. How about buying a pound of tea and getting a jar of beef sauce for free?”

“Sure.”

Song Tan also started smiling, “I wouldn’t give it to others for free, but Uncle Sun has come all this way. It’s not easy, he deserves it–right, the tea is 10,000 yuan a pound, did you mention that?”

“Uncle Sun, we can’t process cards yet at home. How will you pay?”

Sun Shouping: …???

At dusk, Sun Shouping carried tea, tremella honey, and green pepper beef sauce. In his arms was a cucumber, a gift of brotherly friendship. Biting into it, he didn’t feel like he was eating a crisp cucumber but his own poverty-stricken heart.

…

As May drew to a close, the cicadas sang in bursts, and the rainfall became miserly, while the house’s progress changed with each passing day.

Zhao Fangyuan had arrived early in the morning with her dad’s truck. She was now meticulously carrying out the final inspection and measurement inside the main framework, which was already complete.

Of course, it was still a long way from completion, with only the main building erected and the rest still skeletal.

This time, Zhao Fangyuan was there partly to monitor the quality, and partly to ensure that while the construction team was building the annex, she would hasten the installation of everything regarding decoration and electricity in the main house.

If they didn’t tackle both aspects simultaneously, how could they assure tenants a comfortable move-in by July?

Although village houses are more spacious and airy than those in cities, and made of eco-friendly materials, without airing them out properly, how could one be at ease?

Song Tan, on the other hand, was not worried at all and was instead helping Old Zhao load vegetables into his van.

After a while, Old Zhao seemed more spirited than ever. Those in the know realized he sold vegetables for a living, while those unaware might think he was an entrepreneur!

Seeing him looking like he was raking in money, Song Tan asked curiously, “How is it? Isn’t it much more comfortable running a business from a small storefront now?”

Honestly, if it weren’t for her parents’ reluctance to leave their homeland, Song Tan would have really liked for them to sell vegetables–just to have them work less and rest more.

Now… Old Zhao benefits from it!

“Comfortable, yes,” Old Zhao sighed, half seriously, half jokingly: “but you folks provide too little. Take these cucumbers, for instance; you give me only two hundred at a time–gosh, the customers eat them like fruit on my stall! It’s never enough.”

“And these chili peppers–there are so few that I sell them by the piece! And then the eggplants–I don’t even want to tell you, only 200 each time–do you have to stick to that number?”

“Plus, last time I saw you had cowpeas in your garden, why don’t you sell those too?”

Cowpeas sell for mere pennies. During the summers here, they’re everywhere; we all had our fill as kids, not exactly a rarity.

Nowadays, Song Tan had more tricks up her sleeve: “I plan to turn them into pickled cowpeas and sell them online.”

That way, it’s easier to increase the price and ensure preservation.

After all, their permit had already come through, and the green pepper beef sauce was selling like hotcakes daily. Folks would comment on how expensive it was in the review section, yet they kept buying eagerly, drooling over it!

Old Zhao: …

So this means our sworn brotherhood is fading, doesn’t it?

He paced around the yard a couple of times, then with a sense of dissatisfaction, added: “Next year you better scale it up. With just this little produce, we won’t have enough for the city market, not to mention your online sales…”

Song Tan thought to herself: Originally, her main focus was to feed her family, making money came secondary.

Back then, they were just leasing a mountain and still owed money to the village, so how could they have expanded?

But next year might be a different story.

Nevertheless, at this moment she didn’t make any definitive statements: “We’ll see next year. In any case, you won’t be left out.”

With that assurance from her, Old Zhao’s worries were put to rest. He tossed his daughter in the truck, pocketed a couple of chili pepper meat buns, and hurriedly drove back to the city.

Meanwhile, Zhao Fangyuan held a bowl of porridge in one hand and a large bun in the other, eating and sniffing with relish, savoring the spicy thrill.

She had already wolfed down three, unlike her father who, after eating three, still pocketed two more, hmph! There wouldn’t be enough left in the pot for her!

By 6:00, when the day had brightened, the village gradually filled with noise.

Seventh Uncle nodded in satisfaction upon inspecting the fresh beef delivered early that morning.

Aunt Lianhua and her mother-in-law sat together, smiling as they put on thick gloves and masks to wash the green and red chili peppers, before placing them into a large-capacity mixer nearby.

The beef was also chopped into small pieces and added to another machine.

With the humming of the two mixers, the air in the entire yard slowly filled with the pungent scent of spice.