Her Cultivation Diary

Chapter 81: 81. Three thousand is okay_1

Song Tan had no idea how many gentlemen’s hearts had been hurt by that tea; she only knew she had spent a whole day and it was already six o’clock when she arrived home.

“This day really dragged on.”

Having alighted from the vehicle, Zhang Yanping stretched lazily, feeling completely stiff all over.

Then she began rubbing her stomach, crying out, “Aunt, what’s for dinner tonight? I’m so hungry!”

Wu Lan, with tea-picking sleeves still on her arms, came out of the kitchen carrying a large basin:

“I found a pork leg in the fridge, I’ve forgotten which year it was frozen in, so I had your uncle chop it up—tonight we’re having this!”

Zhang Yanping now held no luxury expectations for meat, just looking at her pitifully: “What about the Milk Vetch…”

Wu Lan burst into laughter: “You won’t miss out on that, Tantan is so fussy; if it isn’t grown in the field, she won’t even eat it.”

Song Tan also sighed; it wasn’t that she “won’t eat anything not grown in the field,” rather that nowadays, she could only stomach that particular flavor.

Having been home for a while, she had hardly had a proper meat meal; mentioning it was just heart-wrenching.

As they were speaking, Qiaoqiao suddenly cheered:

“What a big doggy!”

It was then that Wu Lan remembered her spendthrift daughter went out today especially to buy a dog, saying that a small dog was no use and someone had to keep watch over the mountain and fields.

She wasn’t ignorant of this logic, but understanding was one thing, feeling discomfort in her heart about spending money was another.

Fortunately, the premium price of the tea leaves eased her pain a little, and she now asked, “How much did this dog cost?”

Before she could finish speaking, she saw a huge dog walking toward them in the shadow of the evening, looking practically like a yellow-furred tiger!

“Oh my!”

That gave her quite the fright.

Upon hearing the commotion, Song Sancheng ran over and was also gaping in amazement, then said excitedly as he rubbed his hands:

“This dog is really big! Really big!”

Looking back at Sibao by the side, he could recognize only one: “This must be a German Shepherd, right? What breed is this black one? Oh, look at them, so handsome! Their fur is shiny and smooth, really nice.”

Wu Lan, however, had her eyes opened wide in surprise before finally coming to her senses: “You’ve brought home so many dogs at once, what will they eat? They’re all so big, do we have to cook a pot of food especially for them every meal?”

I knew it.

Song Tan thought to herself: In the countryside, isn’t it all about leftover meals soaked in soup for dogs?

But she didn’t argue; instead, she pointed to the back of the truck: “No need, there is dog food that the seller provided.”

However, Wu Lan was still disdainful: “Your four dogs are okay, looking like a wolf dog, quite spirited. But what’s with this, this huge dog? If you put it at the gate, no one will dare come to our house!”

She was referring to King Kangal.

Song Tan had a plan ready: “It’s the biggest, it will look after the pigs. The others will first guard the Chestnut Garden.”

“The black fungus on the mountain hasn’t started growing yet, but it won’t be long before the white fungus begins to appear. What if someone picks it or carries it off, wouldn’t you feel heartache?”

“That stuff is sold by the gram when it’s dried.”

Song Tan wasn’t exaggerating; even ordinary white fungus is sold by the gram, as it weighs almost nothing when dried and is quite light.

With the dogs already brought home, what more could Wu Lan say? She now asked the most crucial question:

“How much was it?”

Zhang Yanping tensed up nervously by the side.

Song Tan watched as Qiaoqiao fidgeted nearby, guiding his hand to pat a few dogs’ heads while introducing them:

“This is King Kangal, the head of the family. King Kangal, this is Qiaoqiao. From now on, you must protect him. And this is Dabao…”

Meanwhile, she answered her mother’s question, “Three thousand.”

Zhang Yanping’s heart skipped a beat, wondering how her silly cousin could be so bold as to tell the truth?!

Wu Lan indeed began to feel the pinch:

“Three thousand for just these five dogs? You really have too much money with nowhere to burn it.”

The mouthful of water Zhang Yanping had just taken “pfft” spat out.

Seeing Wu Lan’s skeptical gaze already drifting over, he quickly chimed in, “Exactly! You don’t know how to live a life. Auntie, I tried to persuade her all day in vain.”

Little did they know, Wu Lan changed her tune, “Three thousand is still okay. I know the breed dogs are expensive these days; let’s make do. They all seem pretty obedient.”

Indeed, since getting off the vehicle, they had lined up without causing any commotion.

When Qiaoqiao went to pet them, they were very gentle. Surely these were well-trained by someone. They seemed fierce yet docile, not the type to bite easily, which was reassuring to keep.

“Right,” Song Tan said, “These dogs weren’t sold when they were little, and it’s harder to sell them when they’re grown, so I got a good deal. I bought them for three thousand.”

“Otherwise, if it were back when they were young, one would cost three thousand.”

Wu Lan indeed broke into a satisfied smile, “That’s not bad. I saw some selling for seven or eight thousand online… I’ve heard that these dogs shouldn’t always eat our food. There’s cheap dog food online; buy some to bring back.”

Song Tan shook her head, moving several boxes of dog food from the back of the car:

“Mom, look, this is the dog food that someone wanted to sell off quickly, so they gave it to us. Let’s finish these first mixed with their meals.”

She spoke as if she was dealing with a serious matter:

“There are many places to spend money; we need to save a bit.”

Zhang Yanping instantly gained new respect for his little cousin.

Not to mention anything else, this ability to read people and win over adults was not something one could acquire without decades of practice!

Was this truly a natural talent?

In comparison, what was he? A brother? It was clear he was more like a younger brother.

Song Tan didn’t pay any attention to him; after unloading the dog food and dogs’ items from the car, she brought in a pile of straw from outside.

While introducing the dogs, she said, “Mom, it’s a bit chilly these nights, let them sleep here for now. I’ll find time in the next couple of days to build their dog houses and then move them to the mountain.”

Knowing her daughter had scored a bargain with the dogs, Wu Lan was content, and she still gave her daughter some advice,

“You can’t do this; these dogs are grown, and they’ve been moved to a new environment; you have to let them get more familiar with us.”

“Qiaoqiao, go and get the clothes from the bottom drawer of your wardrobe. Those are old clothes from our family. There’s no place to throw them, so they’re perfect for the dogs’ bedding, to get them used to our scent.”

She, too, couldn’t resist the curiosity and tentatively stroked King Kangal’s head.

The dog was tall; she didn’t need to bend down and even had to raise her arm to reach the top of its head.

“Look at this face, with a black muzzle and yellow fur, how honest! I saw other people on the internet taking care of those small dogs, yapping away without being able to guard the house, which is nothing like the reliability of these big dogs.”

After patting each one a couple of times, she hurried into the kitchen,

“That pig trotter meat is too fatty, and you guys probably don’t like it; I’ll pick out a few pieces for them.”

Zhang Yanping watched Song Tan pretending to messily spread the straw, filled with nothing but admiration in his heart.