Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 989 - 969. Old Leaves

Chapter 989: 969. Old Leaves

Yu Yan’s few experiences of buying groceries at the vegetable market always resulted in being handed radishes stripped of their leaves. Besides, these radish leaves were so long, so green, and so tough—what could she possibly use them for?

So she decisively declared, "I only want the radishes."

Qiaoqiao nodded, "Alright then... Actually, these leaves can be blanched and used to make steamed buns. They’re really delicious."

Yu Yan: ...But even though they are vibrant and green, they are obviously old! She may not cook much, but she’s not ignorant. Old leaves and thick stems are heavy on the scale; at 20 per pound, it’s simply not worth it.

Only the cameraman hesitated, "How about... keeping the leaves?"

Li Ge watched everyone happily buying vegetables, his eyes full of envy. He couldn’t help but probe, "So if you bring these back, won’t your wife scold you for not sorting out the leaves? Doesn’t that look like you don’t know how to manage household affairs?"

This was totally possible!

The fence-sitting cameraman immediately made up his mind, "No, we won’t keep them!"

"Great!" Qiaoqiao cheered, "Seventh Uncle said we’re making steamed buns tonight. I still haven’t mastered pleating the bun folds yet! With so many radish leaves, I can practice quite a few times!"

He was so delighted that the group initially wondered if they’d truly missed out on something.

But hearing his reasoning, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Alright, alright, let’s treat them as practice materials. If the leaves aren’t wrapped into buns properly, it won’t hurt anyone."

The group joked and worked as they busied themselves on the hillside. The radishes and cabbages added extra weight to the scales. Before long, their bags and baskets were packed full, with even the three-wheeled cart sparsely piled with some items.

Now it was their turn to look dumbfounded.

The cart was full—did they have to walk back home now? Pulling up radishes was already exhausting!

...

Qiaoqiao arrived back at the courtyard first.

Wu Lan and Aunt Lianhua, wearing old cotton jackets, moved some stools and settled beside the cart. While waiting for Song Tan and Qiaoqiao to unload the baskets and bags, they reached for the radishes. With a swift "crack," they broke off the radish leaves.

The task was simple and required no technical skill. Working together, the group soon amassed a tall pile of radishes and an even larger heap of vibrant green radish leaves.

Wu Lan expertly pulled out some vegetable binding tape, "Let’s sort and bundle these leaves, shall we?"

But Qiaoqiao shook her head, "Mom, they don’t want the radish leaves."

What?

Wu Lan was puzzled, "Why would they not want them? These might be old, but if you blanch them, whether stir-fried with chilies or made into steamed buns, they’re still delicious!"

Other families might not eat old radish leaves due to poor taste, but their family would never waste them.

Plus, as Boss Chang had reported, plenty of older customers actually preferred these aged radish leaves, saying they brought back the flavor of yesteryear...

Qiaoqiao shook her head, "The reporter sister said the leaves are too old, not edible, and too heavy on the scale."

"Oh..." Now Wu Lan understood, and she smiled even brighter, "Well, if we turn them all into steamed buns, we’ll have lots to eat for a while!"

"Come on, Qiaoqiao, pick out the tough and yellow leaves from the radish tops, so Seventh Uncle can prepare the filling later."

The group worked briskly, dividing up their tasks. Even in the middle of a bitterly cold winter, sitting in the courtyard with exposed, chilled fingers, the atmosphere remained warm and cheerful!

By the time Yu Yan and her team came down from the mountain, they’d sorted nearly 200 pounds of radishes into bags. Even the pile of radish leaves had been cleaned up, now being washed vigorously in water basins.

Seeing them return, Wu Lan pulled out a few saved plastic bags from inside the house, "You’re back? I was just wondering, should I separate the varieties into different bags for you?"

"Separated, separated!" Yu Yan quickly responded.

"Alright then." Wu Lan had already planned ahead. She swiftly stripped the roots off the massive napa cabbages, peeling away each layer until they resembled perfectly clean, supermarket-grade cabbages. Only then did she place them into nearby bags.

The cabbage was so plump that just one filled an entire hefty plastic bag.

What pleased Yu Yan even more was that these cabbages had been thoroughly cleaned of their older, outer leaves before being weighed—just like the radishes, whose roots had been scrubbed clean of dirt. Everything was meticulously prepared.

Even the baby red radishes were bundled in small groups, neatly packed into red mesh bags. It was enough to make any person with obsessive tendencies burst with joy!

"You guys have done an amazing job organizing all this," Yu Yan couldn’t help but praise.

"Of course!" Song Sancheng, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly piped up with pride, "We supply top-tier wholesalers who travel across provinces to purchase our produce. Sometimes, our family has to clean the vegetables late into the night, so we inevitably got skilled at it."

"And let’s not forget—they trust us and pay us well. Even the old radish leaves go for 20 a pound. Why wouldn’t we tidy things up for them?"

What?!

The group froze for a moment: "20 a pound—for just the old radish leaves?"

"Yes," Song Sancheng replied matter-of-factly, "Radishes are priced at 40 per pound. Since the leaves are older, it’s only fair to cut the price in half, right?"

Yu Yan: ...

She exchanged glances with the cameraman, both feeling as though they’d been conned. Even though Sancheng assured them that they had gotten special pricing, it couldn’t dispel the regret burning in their chests.

But honestly, what was there to regret? Radishes taste great even without the leaves, right? Spending 20 bucks to buy what’s fresh and in season was the logical choice!

And right at this moment, Wu Lan’s phone rang. Song Tan helped answer it, hearing the person on the other line say:

"Auntie, I saw your message saying we can film over at the pasture area—is that right?"

A look at the caller ID—Yunyun.

Song Tan raised an eyebrow, "Mom, you’re tight with Yunyun now?"

Wu Lan remained unfazed, "She bumped into me at the plaza a while back while she was dancing. She said she wanted to film the pasture scenery for her followers."

She added, without a hint of connection: "I told her the area was undergoing manure fermentation back then, so it wasn’t convenient. Now it’s winter—no smells, no harm in letting her film. Nothing shady there."

Excuses!

As a daughter, Song Tan knew her mother’s thoughts better than anyone.

But... well, truth be told, she was curious too.

Wu Lan took the phone, "Yes, you can film! How are you planning to shoot it? Come over and tell Auntie all about it."

"Sure, sure, sure!" The person on the other end enthusiastically agreed.

Not long after, Yunyun arrived wearing her jangly, clinking jewelry, looking like a walking money tree.

Song Tan expectantly watched her approach but barely managed to warn her mother with a reminder: "Don’t pry too much, Mom. If you ask the wrong questions, they might retaliate out of spite later."

Wu Lan shot her a glare, "Do you think I don’t know that? I’m just planning to prod Yunyun a bit and have the reporter lady take a look at that girl from Shannan—the one she mentioned was caught with her two younger brothers. Does this eighteen-year-old girl sound like Yunyun?"

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