Chapter 230: Gathering to complain_1 Chapter 230: Gathering to complain_1 At midnight, those who had gone to the fields to harvest cabbages finally returned, carrying baskets brimming with produce.
Song Tan glanced down: The cabbages, complete with fine roots, showed traces of having been gently washed at the base. Now bundled neatly with straw, they couldn’t have looked fresher or crisper.
“Mom, how much did you all pick?”
Several large plastic baskets were filled to the brim.
“We weighed them in the field, and it was just over 1,000 kilograms. The scale was tilting heavy, some were 1.1 kilograms, some just under, but in any case, it was about a thousand, easy to count.”
Wu Lan explained while wiping her hands.
Song Tan placed the large baskets one by one onto the family scale, then lifted them into the pickup truck.
By now, Wu Lan had grown accustomed to her daughter’s strength. Seeing her move the baskets, she called everyone to quickly wash up, rest, and get ready for dinner.
Working in the fields late at night wasn’t exactly tiring, but it still required some getting used to.
The courtyard’s dim lights provided only a hazy yellow glow. The fire blazing by the stove, however, made the dumplings bubbling in the pot look plump and appealing. Enticed by the distinctive aroma of dumplings, stomachs began to grumble in anticipation.
Those still engaged in work pondered:
“Wu Lan, the cabbages from your farm look great. Where did you buy your seedlings? Next time you get some, spare me a few, would you?”
It was no big deal, and Wu Lan readily nodded, “Sure. My daughter said we’ll plant peppers after the cabbages are done. Do you want some pepper seedlings?”
“Will they be as good as your cabbages?”
The crisp and moist young cabbages had already made mouths water when they were still in the ground.
But to this, Wu Lan couldn’t make any promises, “You’ll have to ask Tantan about that. I’ve used some particularly expensive fertilizer in this field. How they’ll grow in your own fields, I really couldn’t say.”
Hearing this, those who had been eager began to calm down.
They had been farming for decades, and they knew a good crop depended on the variety, but the way it was grown mattered as well.
Considering their own fields were planted with ordinary varieties, they suspected the excellence of Wu Lan’s cabbages was due to the special fertilizers applied.
Alas, the prices for chemical fertilizers and urea had been climbing year after year. They were fortunate not to farm anymore, otherwise they’d have nothing but the cold wind to feed their families by year’s end!
The plump dumplings bobbed up and down in the pot, and Qiaoqiao scooped them out with a strainer into a bowl. Everyone dipped them in vinegar and ate with relish, while still managing to exclaim:
“Tantan, farming is surely not as comfortable as your office job in Ning City, is it?”
Song Tan thought: Actually, there is some comfort to it.
But she knew better than to say that out loud, so she just silently smiled.
This smile seemed to ignite a flame of passion among the aunts in the village, who began to discuss animatedly, “That’s true, working nine to five is much more comfortable. Farming at home means facing the wind and sun…”
“Exactly, staying at home means fewer places to spend money. But selling vegetables doesn’t earn much. Just look at these two acres of cabbage; we have to transport them to Ning City in the dead of night to make a sale. We farmers really have it tough…”
“True,” Wu Lan chimed in gravely, “If it weren’t for the kids insisting on this venture, I wouldn’t dare to invest the money. Now, I’ve even put in what was meant for retirement.”
Her lament inspired sympathetic responses, “Well, you can’t say that. Young people these days are brave and have many skills. I see on Vibrato and other online selling platforms, if they sell well, they can make millions in a year!”
“Right, our Tantan grows good vegetables. If we haul them to Ning City, find a reliable wholesaler, even if we sell for less, we can earn a bit of worry-free money!”
“Absolutely, Wu Lan, don’t overthink it. Weren’t you saying that some big boss who loves green veggies has set aside a good portion of your family’s produce? With that, you can cover your costs, and everything else is pure profit. No loss there.”
Zhang Yanping twitched the corner of his mouth upon hearing this and, at a loss for words, simply buried his head in his dumplings.
Xin Jun, however, found himself unable to swallow his food.
Because he had been here for so long, he had not provided even a single scallion or a clove of garlic for his family, completely forgetting about the family farm.
But the problem was that this bok choy couldn’t handle the travel. Transporting it over such a long distance didn’t seem feasible!
What about buying a pound of tea to take back?
Every time he served tea to guests, adding a stalk or two to the pot was also a way to build a good reputation, wasn’t it?
As for honey… his farm indeed sold honey water that was touted as a cure for hangovers. After all, guests who were tipsy wouldn’t worry about the price. He charged an exorbitant 12 yuan a cup.
But Song Tan’s honey, the purchase price alone was 1000 yuan per bottle. Not cost-effective at all.
He thought it over and decided to send his mom a message in the middle of the night:
[Bok choy can’t handle the transport. Cucumbers should hit the market in May, and I’ll discuss a collaboration then.]
However, Xin Jun’s mom had already done her research and asked:
[If bok choy can’t handle the trip, why not bring back some scallions? We can make scallion oil buns.]
Xin Jun: Mom really could think of ideas.
But they had only planted a small amount of scallions. Where could they spare extra to send home? They had to deliver another batch to the city every now and then.
He explained the situation to his mother, and Xin’s mom disdainfully said, “This won’t do, that won’t do, what are you staying there for? To freeload?”
Xin Jun hadn’t actually had a free meal since he was legitimately earning a salary over there, but he couldn’t say that; otherwise, he was sure to be dragged back home to work as a waiter.
All he could do was stammer, “Mom, I think the family farm model here is quite good. I’m evaluating it. If it doesn’t work out, we might consider starting our own vegetable base…”
While he mumbled and grumbled, the aunties who came to work already had their fill with two large bowls of dumplings each, their bellies nicely rounded. Yet they still gathered around the pot, ready for some dumpling soup.
“Hey, didn’t you say you were too stuffed to move? Why are you still having soup?”
“Can’t I fill in the gaps? Besides, the original soup helps digestion. It’s best to drink it after the dumplings.”
Seventh Uncle quickly intervened, “Don’t drink the dumpling soup. I’ve simmered some snow fungus soup here. Drink more of this!”
With a flick of the ladle, the smooth snow fungus along with red dates, goji berries, and lotus seeds poured into everyone’s bowls.
This time, the aunties were genuinely flabbergasted.
The sweet aroma of the snow fungus soup wafted through the air, but they were truly too full to enjoy it (*GguoiGguoii).
As for the hot and semi-transparent milky dumpling soup, Seventh Uncle casually poured it into a large bucket nearby.
He washed the leftover bok choy roots and tossed them in. First, he ladled out a scoop each for the three whining puppies at home. Then he followed up by dividing half a bucket to provide for the guardian dogs of the house.
And the remaining more than half a bucket…
Qiaoqiao, already well-practiced in this, added some wheat bran and rice bran to it.
In the middle of the night, while people indulged in late-night snacks, it seemed fair to add an extra meal for the pigs too. The dumplings smelled so good, it felt like even the pigs on the back hill were calling out.