Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 986 - 966. Putting gold on the face

Chapter 986: 966. Putting gold on the face

Yu Yan was about to respond, but Song Tan waved her hand dismissively:

"Oh, no need. I brought them up the mountain to work off their meal a little. They eat too much at home—I’m worried they’ll burst!"

Yu Yan’s expression froze, staring at Song Tan in utter disbelief—

You’re aware you brought us up here to work off the food?

And yet, just a moment ago, you asked me if I wanted some radish! Do you even have a conscience?!

But Master Jiang understood perfectly. He quickly placed the food bowl back and said, "Oh, the first time eating here, right? When I first came, and when my wife first came, we ate so much we couldn’t even walk straight!"

With good intentions, he placed the leftover food back in the pot to keep warm. Then, grabbing a bottle of sesame oil, he poured it over the freshly mixed chili-oil radishes. The radishes already had great flavor, but now, with the sesame oil blended in...

The assistant was the first to give in. His face turned red as he said, "I... I’m going to stand by the door for a bit."

Outside in the cold winter wind, the earlier flush of his cheeks began to fade gradually, and his overwhelming appetite started to calm down as well.

A moment later, noises sounded beside him—clearly, everyone else had come outside too.

Yu Yan was trying hard to act composed: "Rice balls are nothing special. I mean, if they bake long enough to get crispy, they could chip your teeth when you bite them."

"Exactly!" The cameraman chimed in seriously, with the demeanor of an expert on a health TV segment, "Pickled vegetables like this aren’t nutritious. Too much of it isn’t good for you."

Only Brother Li, ever honest, sighed and said, "I don’t care about good or bad—I just want to taste it. It smells so good!"

In the kitchen, Master Jiang peeked outside at the few figures standing around and softly asked Song Tan:

"You’re not usually this tough on people, are you?"

Song Tan smiled sweetly, pure-hearted as ever: "I’m not being tough! This just happened while we were talking a stroll... Besides, I did some research beforehand. I heard the newspaper office is really desperate for content nowadays. With someone like Qiaoqiao, if they write something, it’s sure to generate clicks naturally."

It’s even more tempting than adorable pets or gourmet food.

"If they don’t realize how amazing and precious this stuff is, what if they actually take it lightly just to chase clicks?"

The people in the ten miles and eight villages here would be less accommodating because of their proximity—unlike online fans, who are far more forgiving.

Master Jiang understood this logic. Seeing someone win a million in the lottery online hits different from seeing someone in a nearby village win the same amount.

He nodded knowingly: "Got it! Later, take them for another walk by the riverside. Show them we don’t just have veggies—there might even be meat coming up."

Song Tan laughed. "Already planning on it. This is a long-term strategy, you know. Slow and steady wins the race."

...

True to her word, Song Tan held a rice ball in hand, crisp on the outside, soft and sweet within. Inside, the crunchy, tangy radish added to the appeal. She walked leisurely up the slope toward the playground, leading the group.

All the while, she asked thoughtfully, "Next, we’ll be walking another ten to twenty minutes. Do you all think that’s too tiring?"

But before anyone could respond, she continued nonchalantly: "Try to hold on. The midday meal is going to be really delicious—it’d be such a shame if you didn’t have the appetite for it."

Everyone watched her eat with irritation, eyes glued to the rice ball in her hand. Even the weakest young assistant couldn’t bring themselves to say no.

By the time she slowly finished her rice ball, a large expanse of reeds and the riverside beach came into view.

It was mid-winter, and only a few patches of green grass speckled the beach. Their tender tips had long since been nibbled off by cows and sheep that occasionally wandered by, leaving them looking terribly sparse.

The dry, yellowed reeds along the riverside swayed in the wind, their leaves and fluffy seeds drifting with the moisture-laden breeze. Despite the starkness, it carried a certain poetic desolation.

The cameraman muttered first, "This spot would be perfect for wedding or portrait photography."

Song Tan chuckled. "That’s only because it’s been cold lately, and the cows and sheep haven’t been out much. If you came when the grasses were lush and green, there’d be cow pies every three steps and sheep droppings every two steps. Who’d want to wear a wedding dress here?"

The cameraman shrugged it off. "You’re underestimating people! They’ll jump into cold water to take pictures in the winter if it looks good." Looking closer at the area, though, much of the land near the reed field appeared tilled, not entirely natural.

Curious, he asked, "What’s planted here?"

"Different kinds of pasture grass."

Song Tan pointed to various parts, explaining, "This is Imperata Cylindrica. That’s Pennisetum Purpureum. Over there, the land’s been tilled but hasn’t been planted yet—that’s for diverse new varieties we’re prepping for next spring."

As the group strolled along the riverbank, they spotted a sizable house within the fenced area and asked, "Is that where the cows and sheep are kept?"

"It is," Song Tan nodded.

"That area houses the animals, plus there’s a row of dorms. The shorter buildings nearby are fermentation pits. The reason the stuff from our mountain tastes so good is because it’s entirely natural—no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Even the manure fertilizer is home-fermented."

Of course, this was more about what sounded nice to say.

Anyone who’s actually farmed knows that if you never use any chemical fertilizers, no matter how organic or meticulous the methods, the yield simply won’t come up—that’s the reality of even the most intensive farming.

Otherwise, why would Professor Song get so excited about it? Was it just because the food tasted good?

Still, most people didn’t understand this detail, so the pitch about natural farming still sounded persuasive to them.

For instance, Yu Yan exclaimed in amazement, "Not even a trace of chemical pesticide residue?"

"None," Song Tan answered confidently.

"We don’t even use chemical fertilizer."

The group asked for more details about natural composting techniques and marveled among themselves before turning their gazes toward the young man working vigorously atop the fermentation pit with a shovel.

"Is he a worker from the village?"

Song Tan paused before replying, "No, he’s my cousin. He graduated from college and stayed to help me in the village."

"No way!"

Yu Yan furrowed his brows at her. "What kind of charm do you have that a college graduate would give up city life to shovel manure back here?!"

Has society really become this competitive?

The cameraman muttered under his breath, "I bet your family’s cooking is just that irresistible."

But surely irresistible food alone couldn’t make someone give up their life in the city, could it?

Just as they were speaking, a couple emerged from the nearby house, clearly having heard the conversation. They glanced at Song Tan and couldn’t help but laugh:

"Don’t let Tantan give her cousin too much credit. That worker is my son. Do you think I don’t know what he’s like? With his smarts, if he went out to work in the city and got some money in hand, he’d probably get scammed out of it all. It’s better for him to stay here and work steadily!"

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