Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 586 - Chapter 586 586. Eldest Aunts Abacus_1

Chapter 586: 586. Eldest Aunt’s Abacus_1 Chapter 586: 586. Eldest Aunt’s Abacus_1 My Auntie is so good at living life…

Song Tan handed out the bag of dried fish and shrimp seasoning packets with particular difficulty, feeling especially grateful now that her mother insisted on stuffing a few large pumpkins into her hands before she left, which she also gave away:

“Auntie, my mom asked me to bring you a few pumpkins… Don’t disdain them, please!”

“Oh my! Oh my!” Auntie was so delighted that she was all smiles, “I don’t disdain them at all! These pumpkins are so good! Tantan, stay for lunch. I’ll make you a special bowl of pumpkin soup!”

A special bowl?!

This is truly the biggest sincerity from Auntie!

Fortunately, after a period of adjustment, Song Tan was now able to smile composedly:

“Auntie, I can’t stay, there are still things to do at home.”

After all, whether or not there were things to do, she couldn’t be a burden to Auntie!

Auntie was genuinely keen on keeping her for lunch, and though she felt a bit of regret at Song Tan’s refusal, the gifts in front of her were simply too many! She was just gazing happily at the long pumpkin:

“Then that’s okay, you go ahead… This pumpkin is really great! It’s big, I can cut a slice and make pumpkin soup, and then cut another slice for another meal, it’ll last a long time!”

As for the dried fish and shrimp… Well, with pumpkins now, those would definitely have to be saved for later!

“What’s this? A seasoning packet?” Auntie pulled out the non-woven bag, pondering for a moment, “I wonder if it can last until New Year’s? It would save money to braise some meat by myself rather than buying outside at that time!”

It wasn’t that serious… There was still half a year until New Year’s!

Song Tan quickly intervened, “Auntie, this is for braising tea eggs, it probably won’t work for meat. But it’s made with good ingredients by Seventh Uncle, it must be particularly fragrant! You can cook 20 eggs in one pot, I sell each seasoning packet for 20 yuan!”

Auntie gasped, “20 yuan each? I was planning to sell tea eggs along with my pancakes in the morning, but I can’t sell them like this if it’s that expensive–I’ll just add more water! Add water, add salt, and cook 40 eggs!”

The goods that Tantan brought could make her a profit for twenty days without a cost, she truly is her dear niece!

As for selling tea eggs in the future… Goodness, the fanciest item on her breakfast street is beef soup with instant noodles that costs ten yuan, and that’s with extra beef added!

For a seasoning packet that costs twenty yuan, she would have to boil so many eggs to make a profit!

After all, her egg pancakes are only four yuan each, and a tea egg in that area is just one yuan and fifty cents, no one would buy it for more.

Auntie might be thrifty, but she always did her math clearly and precisely.

Song Tan: …

Auntie, as long as you’re happy.

However, Auntie is still her close aunt after all, and her concern wasn’t just for the food in front of her; she suddenly put down the things and asked, “How’s it going? Is Seventh Uncle doing okay?”

“He’s doing quite well.”

Song Tan was a bit puzzled, “You know about Seventh Uncle’s skills, Auntie. Back in our hometown, you wouldn’t believe how well we eat! Qiaoqiao can even cook on her own now; my mom is so happy.”

“Right, and we’re going to need a chef to cook for the workers when we build the house in the mountains soon, Seventh Uncle is helping to look for one.”

“Oh dear!” Auntie suddenly sighed deeply, “I was thinking, by inviting him to live with you, you’d get help and eventually inherit a house for free, worth hundreds of thousands! What luck from heaven!”

“But I heard he’s still sending things to his son. If they’re still in touch, that house might not necessarily be yours. Anyway, he would surely think of his own son. Tantan, you have to be careful and not pay too high a salary.”

“Otherwise, if you end up at a loss, treating someone well and then they leave without acknowledgement, what can you do?”

Although what Auntie said was inarticulate and shrewd, it was as realistic as it gets. But Song Tan breathed a sigh of relief–she thought Auntie had something important to say!

She hadn’t even set her sights on that apartment! Isn’t their family villa luxurious enough? Why the need to move to the city, and as for that apartment worth a mere one or two million–

it wasn’t even as useful as her peaches.

Honestly, Seventh Uncle doesn’t make much nowadays, yet he works hard, occasionally has to whip up some snacks, and throw in a midnight snack, contributing quite a few recipes…

With this sort of effort, if he really had to give up the apartment, Song Tan would feel undeservingly blessed.

But while her own family might understand, her aunt, who would split a penny in two if she could, would probably find it very hard to accept.

Song Tan also couldn’t tell her that just this year, her Peach Garden had brought in over a million yuan; for now, all she could do was nod with certainty:

“Don’t worry, Aunt, I understand.”

…

Waking up too early in the summer meant that by the time Song Tan returned from her aunt’s house, it was barely nine o’clock.

A tractor was parked in front of the door, and Song Sancheng kept looking around, wary of damaging the newly repaired concrete floor, while the excavator operator was already sitting in the yard, eagerly devouring a watermelon!

He didn’t forget to look up at the middle-aged man opposite him:

“How’s that? Uncle, this meal’s worth it, right?”

The other guy was even more ravenous, his head buried in the watermelon rind and not willing to look up, just nodding vigorously.

Wu Lan was passing him watermelon, all the while laughing at him: “And you were saying, you only charged a few hundred to dig up the hill for me last time, and now it’s 1500.”

This sent the young excavator operator into a panic!

He quickly explained, “Auntie, last time that little hill of yours didn’t have many stones, I didn’t even need to use the breaker!”

And all in all, it wasn’t even a full shift’s worth of work; only back then he wasn’t operating his own excavator. He was already there, the food was so good, and to earn his meal, he put in extra care and time to tidy the land up nicely…

Now that he has his own excavator, even without considering labor costs, he has to account for fuel expenses, which means he can’t lower the price.

Alas!

Wu Lan knew this, and she also knew the young man worked hard, so she was just joking with him anyway.

It was Qiaoqiao, though, squatting in the shade by the door, who gazed unblinkingly at the weathered yellow excavator before her and suddenly turned to ask, “Brother, can I live stream you operating the excavator?”

His eyes seemed to light up with stars, his face full of hope: “The kids have probably never seen an excavator digging up a hill!”

The excavator operator was particularly agreeable: “Sure thing! There’s nothing wrong with that! But you have to stay away from my machine while I’m working, you can’t get too close.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Qiaoqiao was looking at him, seriously asking, “So… are you working right now, brother?”

Excavator operator: …

The watermelon he was eating suddenly didn’t taste so good anymore. Looking up at the glaring sun, he said wistfully, “Dude, it’s too hot; I’ll start working for you in the afternoon.”

“Oh.” Qiaoqiao nodded a bit disappointedly, then took her phone inside: “Then I’ll charge it first.”

Song Tan burst into laughter, then shouted, “Qiaoqiao, no rush, when he said ‘afternoon,’ he didn’t mean right after lunch–he meant in the evening!”

Qiaoqiao turned her face instantly, her disappointment obvious.

Excavator guy: …

You want me to operate an excavator at almost forty degrees at noon? Might as well hang me up to dry.