Her Cultivation Diary

Chapter 134: 134.Drooling_1

The family’s hardship did not escape Song Tan’s notice.

Therefore, she was determined to bring Seventh Uncle back with her today.

She wasn’t keen on the house—who would want to live in the urban area anyway?

But a head chef was definitely a must!

After all, recruiting in the countryside was really challenging, especially when it came to chefs who were accustomed to cooking for large rural feasts.

Such people could easily run their own business at home, with no need to take on a job.

The proposal of Seventh Uncle by the eldest aunt was indeed a good choice.

Firstly, Seventh Uncle was getting on in years and managing large feasts required a lot of attention, something he had the energy for but not the inclination.

But when it came to everyday cooking, his energy was more than adequate for the task.

Secondly, Seventh Uncle was related to their family—in the countryside, don’t think that having family connections is a bad thing; sometimes, they are precisely what’s needed. The older the generation, the more weight their words carry.

Song Tan had been dealing with affairs in her hometown without any conflicts arising. First off, it was because she hadn’t been there long enough for people to take her seriously. Second, so far nobody had seen enough benefit to entice them, so the entire village seemed harmonious.

But after today, those with ill-intentions would probably start to scheme.

Seventh Uncle’s seniority combined with Grandfather Song Youde (Youde) would serve as a powerful sword.

That was the current village philosophy.

Talking about morality or law wasn’t as effective as these personal relationships. “The local official holds more sway than the distant one,” it was a similar idea.

Therefore, Song Tan was prepared to spend a considerable sum.

“Mom, can you wrap up a pound of tea for me, and also grab two jars of honey? I need to unload the car and then load the bamboo shoots on as well.”

Just sending the express delivery was over a hundred pounds. She had planned to have Brother Fengfeng from Wind Speed Express come directly to her home, but since she had her own car, making a detour wouldn’t be too much trouble…

Ah, if only she had three heads and six arms!

After giving the instructions, Song Tan started moving stuff.

Her eldest maternal aunt caught sight of this and gasped.

My goodness, who knew my niece was so strong!

Each plastic crate filled with bamboo shoots weighed over a hundred pounds. How could she easily climb into the back of the truck while holding a crate?

While she was busy working up a sweat, Wu Lan was feeling very reluctant to let go.

Sending tea and honey, with the wages in their village, that was enough to hire a chef for two or three months!

But considering the importance of learning a skill, and Qiaoqiao’s future… she gritted her teeth and went through with it.

You can’t catch the wolf without setting the trap—Seventh Uncle’s reputation was well known in the village, and everyone knew what he was like.

With such a master to lead, at the very least there would be no secrets kept, Qiaoqiao wouldn’t be bullied, and would still be under the watchful eyes of her parents…

While she was contemplating this, a pound of tea was weighed out.

Since it was for Seventh Uncle, it wasn’t put in a gift box, but was simply heat-sealed and placed in a tin container, which, along with two jars of honey, was packed into a carry bag for Qiaoqiao to hold.

And then, with the car started, Song Tan nodded to her mother, “Don’t worry.”

If Seventh Uncle was indeed like how the eldest aunt described him, once he brewed that tea, he would be sure not to leave!

But for now, the priority was to sell her bamboo shoots. Ah, just thinking about how long it had been since she last went to market made her quite nostalgic!

And it wasn’t just Song Tan who was feeling nostalgic.

The entire group was buzzing with excitement when they received the news last night.

By now, the group members had a deep understanding of the quality of her products. Bamboo shoots priced at twenty yuan per pound were considered reasonable by everyone. They spent the whole night sharing recipes and various pickling methods…

Rather than calling it a group for selling wild vegetables, it might be more apt to call it a group for sharing culinary skills.

Secretary Wang had been lurking in the group. He only managed to take a peek last night and immediately became droolingly envious of the various recipes and the videos and pictures that were shared—dreaming of frolicking in bamboo forests.

And here he was, early in the morning, knowing well deliveries hadn’t been sent out yet but already nurturing a 120% level of anticipation!

He took another deep whiff of the sweet honey water in his cup and glanced at the green tea he carefully treasured in the cabinet…had it not been for these treats, he would have absolutely not managed to restrain his drooling this morning!

But at the same time, indulging in such fine things also meant he had to sneakily close the door of his office first.

He had invited quite a few people from the courtyard into the group.

However, products like honey and tea weren’t something everyone could afford to consume so freely. Most had families to consider, carefully contemplating before spending three to five hundred…so, every time he made tea, his office area would instantly become busy, which truly pained Secretary Wang!

With so many people, there wasn’t even enough scent of the tea to go around!

Really!

…

The delivery guy from Wind Speed Express received the order last night and got up early this morning to start taping together a pile of cardboard boxes, filling up half the storeroom.

Luckily, bamboo shoots were easy to pack. This time, there was no need for ice packs, but bubble wrap was indispensable.

Song Tan’s car hadn’t arrived yet, and there he was, squatting at the doorstep, cutting bubble wrap into all sizes.

This year, with the presence of the God of Wealth, it felt like every day was filled with something to look forward to!

His wife had brought back breakfast from town and was now sitting beside him, helping him with the tape and curiously asking:

“Is her business really that good?”

“Absolutely!”

The delivery guy slapped the stack of orders beside him: “See? These are just the ones from last night! More will come soon, and, I mean, aren’t all farm products selling like hotcakes nowadays?”

“Also…” Brother Fengfeng was puzzled too: “I don’t know what’s so special about her products, but most of the deliveries these past few times have been to repeat customers.”

Not just repeat customers, but customers who came back more than once.

If the products weren’t good, surely this wouldn’t be the case, right? Which made the two local townspeople, who knew such things were not that valuable, nevertheless itch to try them out.

The couple finished their bland bowl of noodles, and then the wife nudged him with her elbow:

“Ask if we can get a discount when she delivers again later, so we can buy a couple of pounds to try!”

If it cost twenty, it cost twenty. What’s the harm in splurging every once in a while after working so hard for money?

With that, the delivery guy was tempted too.

The couple immediately started planning: “How many pounds should we get?”

“Three pounds, I guess. It’s quite expensive, just enough to get a taste.

“How do we cook the bamboo shoots?”

“Stir-fry with pork slices, or cook in chicken soup? Or should we have them cold in a salad?”

“Ask my mom, she can make chicken soup.”

“Also ask my cousin, the pickled pepper bamboo shoot tips she made for the New Year were delicious.”

The more they thought about it, the more their mouths watered, leading to an array of neighbors being asked and several pages of recipes being noted down in a memo.

However, after eagerly waiting and waiting, when the God of Wealth finally arrived in his car, and they proposed their request, thinking it would be a sure thing…

Song Tan slightly furrowed her brow and then shook her head:

“Sorry, based on what everyone in the group wants, I don’t think I’ll have enough bamboo shoots to sell today——how about I bring some for you guys tomorrow?”