Her Cultivation Diary

Chapter 65: The Omnipotent Fifty_1

However, by the time Zhang Yanping came to his senses and thought of rebutting, Song Tan had already gone down to the field.

When it came to digging, no one in the family could match her.

She found a corner in the uppermost field and started hoeing with great vigor.

In just an hour or two, she had turned all the Milk Vetch in that patch of land into the field, then broke up the clods and replanted the leek roots.

The leeks were pulled up so bare, they looked especially pitiable.

She moved her fingers slightly, and without a sound, a stream of more robust Spiritual Energy surged over and was narrowly intercepted by her; she allotted only a portion to the leeks, with the remainder spreading into the field of Milk Vetch Flowers.

The spring breeze blew, and the green leaves swayed. In no time, the buds at the top of the Milk Vetch began to sprout rapidly, and then they were ready to bloom.

The Milk Vetch grew swiftly. Standing in the field, one could almost hear the “crackling” of the trembling flower buds.

Song Tan was content. While she carried a water bucket to fetch water from the pond to thoroughly water the newly planted leek roots, she also reasoned that from tomorrow, the bees wouldn’t need to cling to that poor cherry tree and struggle anymore.

Here, an entire field of Milk Vetch would temporarily suffice.

Ah, how should she sell this Milk Vetch honey when the time comes?

Thinking about it, she couldn’t help but look forward to it.

…

This field hadn’t been tended for a long time; even the Milk Vetch growing here was less lush than in other fields.

Song Tan pinched a clump of soil and observed carefully, and finally decided not to fuss over it anymore—this place was especially suited for growing watermelons!

Watermelons love sandy soil and have a strong adaptability to different types of earth—truly a summer necessity.

Although now large-scale watermelon farms mostly use grafted pumpkin seedlings, it’s totally unnecessary for small-scale farming households to bother with all that.

Song Tan had not forgotten that her farming, while partly for making money, was also to satisfy her daily needs and allow her to eat comfortably!

So the most urgent task at hand was to diversify the crops, not to scale up the operation.

Moreover… there really was a shortage of labor!

Alas, this could only happen now, with advanced technology and an abundance of people!

If this were at Yinmoon Peak, she alone would manage the entire spiritual field behind the mountain without ever worrying about a labor crunch.

But now with the labor shortage, and the villagers being mostly older people, some tasks had to be planned in association with technology after earning some money.

For instance, sprinkler irrigation, system management…

As she was thinking, suddenly a green shadow flashed in front of her!

Song Tan was quick with her eyes and hands, and at that moment, she pinched a tender green grasshopper that was perched atop a Milk Vetch.

“You’ve got quite the picky mouth!”

She had barely given a bit more Spiritual Energy, and already there were insects eager to taste it.

If it continued like this, no matter how much Spiritual Energy she provided, it wouldn’t be enough for the endless numbers of insects and birds from all directions!

After all, with the warmth of spring and blooming flowers, all kinds of birds and insects should be arriving soon, which would disturb the bees’ honey gathering.

Song Tan did have corresponding spells she could use, but she needed to keep a low profile, didn’t she?

In that case…

This field would serve as an initial experimental field. Tomorrow she would lure the bees here, and let all the chickens and ducks loose. Then she would secretly combine spells to see if the pest and bird repelling effects were natural enough and sufficiently effective.

…

By the time Song Tan and Qiaoqiao finished tidying up the vegetable garden, the setting sun was already casting an orange glow over the edge of the mountains.

Back home, Zhang Yanping was indeed still half-lying on a reclining chair.

The afternoon sun was warmly comforting. Lying there, he had somehow found a straw hat to cover his face, while three little puppies climbed over him, whining and grunting. From time to time, their fluffy little heads would nuzzle him. The scene was remarkably cozy and heartwarming.

However, this didn’t change the fact that everyone was busy while he alone was idle.

But Song Tan was in no rush.

Her cousin was a true foodie with a stubborn temperament, and trying to force him to do anything was the worst strategy.

But if it was linked to food…

Tsk! He’d end up crying and begging to go to the fields tonight!

Song Tan looked at the seeds she had soaked in advance to speed up germination and gently applied some Spiritual Energy. The sprouts of the seeds swelled even more, and she scooped them out.

“Let’s go, Qiaoqiao, we can rest after we finish planting the vegetables.”

Qiaoqiao reluctantly glanced at the three puppies: “Sister, can we take the puppies with us?”

“No,” Song Tan shook her head, “They’re too small, they’ll get all dirty and get in the way of work. I’ll keep you company, and if we both work quickly, you can come back and play with the puppies afterward.”

Qiaoqiao let out a disappointed “Oh,” but then her attention was diverted: “When I come back, I’m going to name the puppies!”

“Sure, you name them. Once you’ve decided, I’ll make a few dog tags for them.”

Qiaoqiao immediately perked up: “I want one too!”

Song Tan chuckled—sure enough, the pigs had fallen out of favor, and now it was the puppies’ turn.

But on second thought, since Qiaoqiao was often out and about, it was indeed time to carve a tag with contact information for her.

She also agreed:

“Okay, you do a good job in the field, and your wages this afternoon will be enough to make four tags.”

Zhang Yanping was resting with his eyes closed when he heard this, and he really couldn’t bear it any longer.

“Tantan, you see how hard Qiaoqiao works, all sweaty, just how much are you paying him?”

And to coax the money back with a dog tag? That’s the essence of a capitalist!

However, before Song Tan could answer, Qiaoqiao had already puffed up proudly: “Fifty!”

Fifty?! Zhang Yanping couldn’t hold back anymore.

He had never imagined that fifty yuan could have such a big impact!

The vegetable garden required tilling and breaking up the soil, a grueling task, and the mud on Qiaoqiao’s rain boots spoke volumes about the effort involved.

The kid was still cheerful about it!

Seeing Qiaoqiao’s proud look, he sighed helplessly: “Fine, I’m the foolish one here, if someone is willing to hit and another willing to be hit—Qiaoqiao, work hard!”

Qiaoqiao nodded solemnly: “Brother, don’t worry, once I finish sowing, I’ll have money, and I’ll buy you bubble gum.”

Zhang Yanping: …Thank you for your bubble gum!

…

Planting Chinese cabbage wasn’t difficult; it didn’t even require furrowing, just scattering the seeds directly followed by a light covering of soil with a hoe, and that was that.

The sister and brother finished the entire large vegetable garden in less than half an hour.

Just then, Song Sancheng carried the pig feed bucket up the mountain again, and the people picking tea on the mountain were also coming down one after another.

Wu Lan was at the front, her spirits especially high—

How could they not be?

Just the thought of the current price of tea leaves made her feel as though she wasn’t picking tea, but picking up money!

Picking up money! Does anyone feel tired when picking up money?

She only felt she wasn’t picking enough.

That afternoon, those annoying old men had upset her, causing delays, and while everyone else picked five jin, she had only four and a half.

But the consolation was that no matter who picked it, it all ended up being their own. After a simple tally was made, she familiarly rolled up her sleeves: “What are we having for dinner tonight?”