Her Cultivation Diary

Chapter 29: Family Issue_1

Looking at the lush green wild vegetables all over the ground, Wu Lan still felt a pang of heartache, “We’re really not selling them anymore?”

Having gotten accustomed to picking wild vegetables during this time, Song Tan replied, “We’re not selling them.”

The little bit of Spiritual Energy that had been left had almost been completely absorbed, and if she continued to sell them, they wouldn’t be up to taste standards anymore.

It was also an opportunity to whet the appetite of the precious 28 members of her group.

“But it’s twenty yuan per half kilo!” Wu Lan persisted stubbornly.

“But it’s twenty yuan per half kilo!” Qiaoqiao parroted.

Putting down her shovel, Song Tan said, “Mom, look at me, a college graduate, working in Ning City. Doesn’t that make you proud?”

With a slight curl of her lips, Wu Lan said, “Why bring that up? Living isn’t about pride—though I guess it’s okay, there aren’t many college graduates in our village.”

“Then look, I’m not working but instead coming back to farm, do people in the village gossip about that? When we go to see my grandma and uncles, do they talk about it? Do they try to advise? Do they say that you didn’t raise your child right?”

Wu Lan’s face darkened, “What right do they have! My daughter makes a good profit even selling wild vegetables, can you see if they have such luck?”

Song Tan: … It doesn’t necessarily have to be emphasized as luck, it’s actually real skill.

But what she said was, “The wild vegetables are there every year, so why haven’t others sold them at this price? If you say I made quite a bit of money, they will definitely think you’re just being stubborn. Our wild vegetables are good, so we should let them taste some to shut them up.”

“Shut them up!” Echoing machine Qiaoqiao chimed in again.

Wu Lan glanced at him, “You silly child, what do you know—nevertheless, Tantan, you’re right!”

“They love to point fingers and comment. I need to show them that my daughter went to college and can farm better than them!”

“Come, Qiaoqiao, let’s pick some more!”

Song Tan also pursed her lips and stifled a giggle, keeping a low profile about her capabilities.

In truth, the relatives in their family got along quite harmoniously, and there weren’t any major conflicts.

But given how Qiaoqiao was, Wu Lan who had a strong sense of pride must have swallowed an ocean of tears behind closed doors.

There were other ‘simple’ children in the village previously. Raising such children required a lot of emotional investment, education, and attentive care…

In the end, those who could look after themselves would usually be sent off to factories by intermediaries, chasing the higher wages wherever they were available.

Those with less ability to look after themselves were given work in local construction crews, tasked with manual labor, provided with food, drink, and accommodation… it was also a relief for their families.

Because of Qiaoqiao, it seemed as if Wu Lan had done something wrong, and any relative could offer a word or two of advice. It might not always have been with bad intentions, but it was certainly painful.

Now, that a well-educated college graduate had also come back to farm, the relatives had no idea what to make of it.

Having these wild vegetables for them to taste, Wu Lan could also have a bit more confidence.

Thinking this way, Wu Lan couldn’t remember the twenty yuan anymore.

While the mother and son were busily working, Song Tan’s mobile phone kept ringing. Upon checking, she found messages in the [Village Wild Vegetables] group:

[Boss, when are you bringing more?]

[Miss, bring more shepherd’s purse next time, it holds up well for dumplings. I missed out last time.]

[Bring more wild scallions! They’re especially delicious in pork buns!]

[Boss, no complaints about your vegetables, but they’re too expensive. My son can eat a hundred yuan’s worth in one meal, and when you calculate the cost of food, it’s quite something!]

[Exactly, miss, it’s getting warmer now and there are more wild vegetables available, when will your prices come down?]

After some thought, Song Tan took a photo of picking wild vegetables with a “click”:

[Dear customers, the wild vegetables are currently in their growing season, and the market is gradually seeing more of them, so it’s difficult to maintain the price at twenty yuan per half kilo. Moreover, the vegetation in this area has matured early, and they are slowly aging, so in order to ensure quality, I won’t be selling wild vegetables for the rest of the year.]

No sooner had she said this than the group immediately exploded in uproar.

[“Ay, girl, we’re just talking about the price, and we never said it has to be cheap. Twenty is fine; I just love your produce.”]

[“Right, boss, don’t stop selling! I assure you, in the whole market, I only have eyes for your stand.”]

[“What do you mean the wild vegetables are old? Look at that color, so fresh and tender, just like what I usually buy… Boss, you’re picking them right now, aren’t you?”]

Song Tan replied one by one:

[“The last batch of wild vegetables is planned to be kept for relatives at home, sorry, not selling anymore!”]

[“However, I want to give you a heads up; in three days, the milk vetch will be ready to harvest—plenty to go around, full of flavor. See you then at the market. Those who like it can prepare in advance, still 20 yuan a kilo.”]

This sudden news left everyone confused.

They hadn’t even begun to feel sorry for the lack of wild vegetables, and now milk vetch?

Plus, wasn’t milk vetch just used as fertilizer in the field before, to feed cows, sheep, pigs, and the like? They didn’t eat much of it locally.

And with it being so easy to grow, why charge twenty yuan a kilo? That’s pretty expensive.

There was a moment of silence in the group.

Only one group member, who had never bought any vegetables before, spoke up:

[“Walking through the market with my girlfriend, we stumbled upon this stall. I’ve always wanted to try the wild vegetables but never got the chance. Now I’m back in my hometown—Boss, does milk vetch taste as good as wild vegetables? If so, please send me five kilos, could you courier it?”]

Aiyo wei!

There was finally an online customer.

Song Tan agreed very cheerfully:

[“Sure, but this vegetable is best enjoyed fresh, so it needs to be shipped with ice packs, and you’ll pay the shipping when it arrives.”]

The other party, having never managed to secure a purchase before, didn’t hesitate upon seeing the option to pre-order and have it delivered:

“Okay!”

Someone had set things rolling, and with everyone’s mouth watering at the thought of those vegetables, they became proactive:

[“That’s fine, what day of the week is that in three days? I’ll definitely be at the stall then!”]

[“Xiufen, I’m coming too, let’s go together.”]

[“Girl, don’t worry, as long as the taste of the vegetables stays the same, I’ll keep buying.”]

Song Tan thought about it; milk vetch wasn’t just a wild vegetable, she had planted acres and acres of it, so there was plenty of yield.

Though she didn’t provide it with much Spiritual Energy, she had been nurturing it slowly from the seed stage; the taste was bound to be good, perhaps even sweeter than wild vegetables.

Out of seven fields, aside from keeping one for the old cow, she could sell the produce from the others.

But relying on these twenty-eight group members just wouldn’t do!

So setting up shop at the market had to be done more diligently; besides, it was time to edit a video to promote it properly. In any case, she’d count every initial customer she could get.

Even if the price was high and she didn’t see much volume initially, she was confident of keeping repeat customers—it’s slow and steady.

She then added: [“And please help me spread the word. Otherwise, if I don’t have many buyers, I’ll have to go to Ning City to see if any suppliers are interested. Then, I won’t be selling in small quantities anymore.”]

The aunties involved in the underground secret-keeping were too guilty to make a peep.

It wasn’t that there were few wild vegetables; they kept it secret because they were afraid they wouldn’t get any!

Even with their efforts, sometimes the stand would be swamped by other market-goers and the veggies sold out.

However, since the milk vetch would be abundant, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to bring a few more people to the boss? Otherwise, if things continued this way, what would they do if they couldn’t get good stuff in the future?

Everyone started their own little schemes in mind.