Her Cultivation Diary

Chapter 47: 47. Aunt Song Hongmei_1

“A hardware store, how annoying!”

Qiaoqiao huffed as she got into the car.

Song Tan smiled and ruffled his head, “Good boy, sister also thinks they aren’t nice, we’ll try to come here as little as possible.”

Qiaoqiao, feeling aggrieved, touched the QR code on his chest and complained, “He didn’t pay.”

“Don’t worry, look at how delicious our vegetables are, once she tastes them she’ll definitely want more—next time Qiaoqiao sells vegetables, try a little harder, speed up, and we won’t sell to her!”

This wasn’t just to appease the child, it’s purely because Song Tan thought that with people like that sister-in-law, even if she specifically saved some vegetables for her, she’d probably make it known to the whole world—

“Twenty yuan a pound, ah! If it weren’t for taking care of relatives, I wouldn’t want to spend that money!”

Moreover, seeing how Uncle and the others acted today, they clearly didn’t believe the vegetables were twenty a pound. If they came back to buy vegetables, it would be embarrassing in front of everyone…

Hey, why does thinking about it make me feel a little smug?

Song Tan scolded herself for not being steadfast, but Qiaoqiao was already beaming with joy, “Right! Don’t sell! Don’t let her eat!”

Then he looked at her with bright eyes, “Going home?”

Song Tan came back to her senses, “We’re going to deliver vegetables to Uncle and we should also give some to Aunt Song Hongmei, right? We have to be fair.”

Qiaoqiao’s brow furrowed even more, “Aunt, she isn’t very nice.”

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He turned his head to look at the small basket of vegetables on the back seat, then became conflicted, “If we give to Aunt, she is better than the hardware store.”

…

Song Tan’s Aunt married a city worker in the eighties as a village girl. He was attracted not just by her beauty but also her domestic prowess.

Domestic she truly was, and managing household affairs, she excelled at that too.

Just the fact that with her and her husband’s early morning food stall and job, they could afford a large flat in the city center for their only child showed how capable they were!

However, despite all that, the old couple still lived in the outdated family quarters of their unit.

Little Pika precisely parked in a small space in the family quarters, avoiding the possibility of getting a parking ticket. As soon as Song Tan and Qiaoqiao got out of the car, they heard someone hesitantly ask from beside them, “You… are Hongmei’s relatives, aren’t you?”

Song Tan was taken aback, then saw the aunties who had asked—evidently, they were also back from buying vegetables, holding plastic bags in which there were glimpses of onions, garlic, green vegetables, and the like.

She nodded, “Yes, my aunt is Song Hongmei, our family grows some vegetables, and I’m bringing my brother to deliver some to her to enjoy the freshness.”

At her words, the aunties across from her smiled, “I remembered you from the New Year—I was wondering which family’s kids were so good-looking. Then I asked and found out you’re Hongmei’s relatives!”

It’s mainly because there are no secrets in the family quarters; everyone knows about Hongmei’s handsome but simple nephew.

Although Qiaoqiao looks like an adult, there’s something different in his eyes—most importantly, he had a pink Peppa Pig sticker on his face!

Spotting the vegetables in the basket, “Oh wow, what vegetable is this? It’s really fresh… Hongmei is so lucky to have such pretty niece and nephew. Girl, do you have a sweetheart?”

Song Tan: …

After exchanging a few rounds of polite conversation, she finally managed to extricate herself from these overly enthusiastic aunties. Approaching the entrance of the apartment block, Song Tan could still hear the aunties’ murmuring,

“Hongmei’s niece and nephew, they really are good-looking.”

“I bet they’re good at living life too, you see when she comes to visit her aunt, she brings a basket full of vegetables…”

“What kind of talk is that? You can never be poor from eating or dressing well, being stingy won’t make you poor forever. Hongmei may be a bit tight-fisted, but she’s a good person, truly a good couple…”

Walking through the corridor, Song Tan couldn’t help but chuckle.

It seems her aunt’s reputation for being thrifty is well known to everyone!

…

Aunt Song Hongmei had indeed just returned from the market.

She owned a small pancake cart near the family housing complex, and had been selling pancakes there for twenty years. She wasn’t exactly famous far and wide, but people had certainly grown accustomed to eating her pancakes.

Every time her cart closed at ten o’clock, she would tidy up and head to the market at eleven o’clock, her time management was a model of precision!

Most importantly, by eleven o’clock the market was also nearly closed, and the remaining vegetables were either sold off cheaply or not very fresh. Aunt could sweep through at this time, battling in and out seven times, all to get the prices slashed to the lowest!

If she couldn’t get the price down, she simply wouldn’t buy.

Not having to pick through spoiled leaves each day was Aunt’s last bit of luxury and dignity.

Now at half-past eleven, some families might already be cooking, but Aunt’s definitely wouldn’t be.

Song Tan knocked on the door.

Aunt’s husband was still two years from retirement, and their son was also at work. Aunt was quite surprised when she opened the door:

“Tantan? What brings you here? Aren’t you at work? Oh no, you didn’t take leave, did you? Losing salary is a big loss!”

She turned to greet Qiaoqiao, “My nephew has grown even more handsome! Come on in, Auntie will get you some biscuits.”

And Aunt did bring biscuits—two packs of Want Want snow biscuits, one for each sibling.

Song Tan couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time, this was truly Aunt’s greatest sincerity!

Qiaoqiao had already skillfully started opening the bag, while also saying, “Aunt, we brought you some vegetables.”

Aunt looked and saw that there were indeed five bunches of Milk Vetch in the basket. She wasn’t the least put off. In fact, she was overjoyed:

“Oh my! These vegetables are so fresh. I’ve got veggies for lunch today, won’t cook these now! One meal tonight, two meals for tomorrow’s lunch and dinner, and the day after tomorrow can have another two meals—that’s three days’ worth of veggie money saved. I just need to cook some meat to go with it!”

Aunt was ecstatic and quickly made plans.

Only after arranging everything did she remember to ask, “Tantan, are you staying for lunch? If you are, I’ll cook these greens.”

Song Tan quickly reassured her, “No need, Aunt, my mom is waiting at home. I just wanted to ask if you knew where to buy ducklings? We’re planning to raise some ducks back home.”

Song Hongmei thought for a moment, “Actually, I do know. Wait for me, it’s not far. I’ll take you there!”

“But Aunt, don’t you have to cook…”

“No problem, it really isn’t far. I’ll take you! You young people don’t bargain when buying things. I’ll go and negotiate the price for you!”

Saying this, she changed her shoes, grabbed her keys spiritedly, and prepared to leave.

Song Tan: …

This was truly the speed of lightning; Qiaoqiao hadn’t even finished his snow biscuit yet.

But Aunt wasn’t lying; it really wasn’t far.

They left the family housing complex, turned into an alley inward, passed through an iron gate that seemed locked but wasn’t, then darted into a small alley, and finally arrived at a run-down, low-rise courtyard.

Aunt knocked on the door of one of the houses:

“Old Zhang, do you have any ducklings left?”

“I don’t sell at school gates for wholesale, these aren’t pet ducks!” the man inside called out.

Aunt was already growing impatient: “When have I ever brought people to buy pet ducks? Hurry up, I’m bringing a relative to buy. Give me a firm price, don’t throw out random numbers and waste my time. After buying, I need to get back to cooking…”

The man inside opened the door, a face full of grievance, “Sister, sometimes I really wish you wouldn’t buy.”