Her Cultivation Diary

Chapter 91: 91. Village Party Secretary Visits_1

Wu Lan was both nimble and instinctively an expert in time management.

Before the meal, she had sterilized all the jars by boiling them and kept the residual heat to slowly dry them on a grate.

By the time the meal was over, the jars were dry and sparkling clear.

These were the hexagonal glass jars Song Tan had bought along with vegetables before, not expensive either; buying in bulk, they were two yuan apiece, each with a capacity of five hundred milliliters, which was just about right for holding about a jin of honey.

Perhaps because Qiaoqiao’s labor was particularly gratifying this time, the family of four all pitched in: Song Sancheng hoisted the bucket, Wu Lan was underneath propping the strainer, and below the strainer was yet another layer of filtration.

Song Tan was responsible for using clean chopsticks to stir and help the honey filter through more quickly.

And Qiaoqiao squatted at the very bottom, in charge of bottling the honey.

Their home workshop production line was clearly taking shape.

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded from outside the gate: “Is Song Tan there?”

The voice was highly recognizable; Song Tan didn’t even stop with the chopsticks in her hand, “I’m here, come in.”

And sure enough, it was their young Village Secretary, Zu Jun, who walked in.

Upon entering the yard, Zu Jun was surprised: “I smelled this honey from far away, it’s really fragrant!”

“Auntie Wu, are you selling this honey? Spare me two bottles, please.”

Wu Lan instinctively looked towards Song Tan.

According to the price of honey in their village, a jin was between fifty to a hundred yuan. But now in Tan’s hands, who knew for sure?

Song Tan, without lifting her head, said, “Not for sale, someone has placed an order.”

Zu Jun chuckled at that: “It’s okay, I’ve saved up quite a bit of money, I can afford a higher price, just name it.”

She clearly understood the routine behind refusals.

Song Tan, in fact, hadn’t thought it through yet. Since she wasn’t in a rush with her current task, she pulled out her chopsticks, found a cup to rinse with water, and then took a taste.

Then she tasted it again.

“This can sell for cheap, one thousand yuan per jin.”

Zu Jun immediately clutched at her chest.

But she obviously had some savings; after a moment’s hesitation she said, “Since I’ve made a special trip here, you could give me a cup of honey water to taste, that’s not too much to ask, right?”

“I’ve heard that your tea is also very good; may I taste that as well?”

Song Tan raised an eyebrow slightly and, under the pained looks of Wu Lan and Song Sancheng, she cheerfully agreed, “Sure.”

The guest made herself at home, settling into a chair with a backrest in the courtyard.

Wu Lan, just then free from holding the gauze in place, hurriedly bustled into the house to find a cup:

“I’ll pour for you, I’ll pour for you.”

Honey water needed to be mixed with lukewarm water, and the water in the tea bottle had been boiled after picking tea in the evening—it was still a bit too hot but would need to cool for a while.

The tea, however, was just right for brewing.

The spacious courtyard, with its gentle breeze, carried the tea’s fragrance far and wide. While not as invigorating as in an enclosed space, it was exactly this kind of refreshingly cool sensation that lit up Zu Jun’s eyes—

“How is the tea sold? I’ll take two jin of that as well.”

At that moment, Wu Lan paused, thinking to herself that it was no wonder her daughter had agreed so readily; she must have known that the Village Secretary had money!

It turned out this youngster really did have a bit of wealth!

As for whether it was obtained from other sources, Wu Lan didn’t believe that.

Because their village was really too poor. The former Village Secretary… well, that was simply unspeakable.

This young lady, despite her age, had been running around getting things done and had actually accomplished quite a few concrete things—everybody quite liked her.

As for customer requests, of course, Song Tan wouldn’t pass up the money; she nodded: “Alright then, my mom has invited a few aunties over tonight to help sort the tea, I can deliver it to you at night if you’re in a hurry. If not, you can pick it up tomorrow.”

After thinking it over, she asked, “You don’t need a gift box, do you?”

As a cultivator indifferent to worldly possessions, it wasn’t that she was unwilling to spend the money, she just felt it was unnecessary to waste it.

Zu Jun thought for a moment, “Just need to simply laminate them, and then put them in tea boxes.”

Song Tan nodded.

“As for the honey, these have just been filtered. Which bottle do you want? Choose for yourself.”

Zu Jun looked curiously at those clear and tempting honeys, “Is this Milk Vetch honey?”

“Your bees are pretty capable, huh? I just saw them collecting honey the other day, and now it’s ready.”

Qiaoqiao lifted his head, “I did the spinning.”

“Oh my, what a good kid.”

Zu Jun smiled warmly at him and took a few pieces of chocolate out of his pocket, “Qiaoqiao, the chewing gum you gave me last time was pretty good. I’ve brought you some chocolates too.”

Qiaoqiao was so surprised!

Ever since his friends had grown up, it had been ages since he last received such a gift!

If it weren’t for the important task of collecting honey at hand, he probably would have run over there in excitement.

Song Tan looked at the way Zu Jun did things: How did this master of social interaction manage to charm everyone wherever he went?

She then asked, “Did you come over for something specific?”

He surely couldn’t just be strolling around with nothing better to do.

Zu Jun pondered for a while,

“Indeed, I do. Song Tan, do you know that our country is now vigorously promoting the rural revitalization plan?”

Song Tan nodded, “I’ve heard about it, but I haven’t delved into it.”

She was telling the truth; after all, she had only been busy for a month. She hadn’t even figured out her own land, let alone had time to understand those specific policies.

Zu Jun smiled again, “That’s okay, just knowing about it is good. I know you’ve only looked at the big picture and haven’t checked the details.”

“I’ve come over tonight specifically to talk to you about it.”

“This rural revitalization plan is very beneficial to your family.”

“Firstly, if you want to start an online store, you can apply at our Village Department to establish a family farm.”

“Then, you can apply online for tax exemption. You won’t have to pay value-added tax, land use tax, or deed tax.”

“Plus, our agricultural electricity will be subsidized by sixty percent.”

“Secondly, the state encourages local farmers or returning young entrepreneurs to start businesses, and your family fits into this category too.”

“Furthermore, banks will be ‘green lighting’ loans for you.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Lan and Song Sancheng shook their heads in unison, “No, no, no loans! Let’s just keep things as they are, it’s fine.”

Villagers have always steered clear of loans, and Zu Jun understood this. He didn’t press the issue and simply changed the subject,

“So, do you have enough land to use this year?”

Why wouldn’t they have enough? They had plenty.

Wu Lan didn’t quite understand, but Song Tan seemed thoughtful.

Her initial intention in returning home was to satisfy her cravings, but as of now, grains, vegetables, meat, and beverages were partially accounted for in the future.

However, fruit… was still nowhere in sight.

The reason was simple, there weren’t enough mountains.

Their family’s woodland was quite compact, with the Chestnut Woods behind the tea garden being almost everything they had.

But she didn’t want to make significant changes in the mountains.

Because the trees on the mountain were growing well, and the firewood for winter heating at home was essential. If it wasn’t necessary, Song Tan didn’t want to disturb them.

Zu Jun also agreed with a smile, “Yes, in Yunqiao Village, we have fewer people and more land and mountains.”

But of course, ‘more’ only seems plentiful when nobody is cultivating it. Once you start working on it and aim for a little scale, you quickly find yourself stretched thin.