13. All poor fates_1

Now was the slack season in farming, and men and women from the village, aged thirty to fifty, those who could put in solid work, were all summoned by Song Sancheng -- the season waits for no one, it was imperative to get things in order now to sow seeds in the fields come spring.

Song Tan's plans were crystal clear --

The grass in the Chestnut Woods needed to be cleared, and those old chestnut trees should be fertilized and pruned as necessary. Eventually, a framework for cultivating wood ear mushrooms would be set up beneath the trees.

A fence also had to be erected around the perimeter to prevent animals or people from causing trouble.

With the trees recently cut down from the back mountain, the trunks were segmented for inoculating mushroom spores, while the branches were used to build a shelter to protect pigs from wind and rain, complete with feeding troughs and separated with wire mesh enclosures.

As for the fields, Milk Vetch was to be planted in the next month or two, and after it had flowered, it would be time once again to plow and finely till the soil in preparation for planting rice and vegetables.

Some seeds could even start to be germinated after a while.

There was also the need to find local chickens and ducks and to arrange a time with others for getting piglets. With so many people, managing daily meals was an additional task...

Song Sancheng and Wu Lan were busy as bees every day, but what about their daughter?

She wasn't idle either. The young lady had quite a bit of strength, and she'd been following the group up the mountain to carry back tree trunks.

Who in the village wouldn't praise her upon seeing this!

But hearing such compliments made Wu Lan's heart sour!

Carrying tree trunks, what was this silly child doing! At the flower of her age, instead of sitting in an office, she was back in the countryside farming -- how could one explain this? And when it came to discussing marriage in the future, where would they find a suitable young man!

The daughter wasn't idle, but whenever she had free time, she would be researching something or other on the computer... Wu Lan once went in and saw --

Goodness me! Seeking knowledge at the last minute, looking up scientific farming tutorials?!

This this this!

She gasped; if the money hadn't already been spent, there was no way they could afford to keep this up.

The couple would calculate the expenses at night: labor, machinery, spores, chickens, ducks, piglets, fertilizer...

Sixty thousand yuan had been spent, and that was just the beginning.

After further calculations, they realized this amount would only last until the end of April, when they might just harvest a crop of Milk Vetch.

There was also the sixty thousand yuan saved by Wu Lan for emergencies, but given their daughter's unreliability, Wu Lan now felt heartache at the thought of having to dip into those savings!

Sixty thousand yuan -- without any major issues, it would take the couple two years to save that much!

Song Sancheng and Wu Lan were so worried they felt like their hair was turning white.

They felt that raising sons and daughters was like owing a debt; their daughter had been obedient and sensible for twenty years, and now she was getting involved in a major way, causing worry!

But strangely enough, the more they worried, the better they slept at night. Song Sancheng, who usually snored loudly, was now silent. Wu Lan, at her age, would be considered fortunate to get five hours of interrupted sleep a night; yet ever since their daughter had returned home, she would go to bed at seven or eight in the evening and not wake up until six in the morning.

This was really...

Wu Lan complained to Song Sancheng, "It's like we're fated to be poor, the more we spend and tire ourselves, the more comfortable we feel!"

Song Sancheng agreed, "Indeed, look at me, working with my back bent every day, and yet my back pain has actually disappeared!"

In the room, Song Tan harnessed Spiritual Energy, keeping her skills hidden.

Not far away, the Lao Song's family's elderly couple, Song Youde and his wife, hadn't been idle these past few days either. Now, as Song Youde contentedly puffed on his tobacco pipe, he couldn't help but feel proud.

"It's because our Tantan went to university; she's capable and knows to come back to farm."

"We farmers always have a way out as long as there is food in the fields."

Song Youde, a typical tenant farmer from a landlord's family, knew hardship well.

In his view, nothing was more important than the land.

Wang Lifan shared the same sentiment, but from a different angle, "Farming is good. We are still able to work and help the children. Isn't that better than sitting idle?"

"Besides, when raising sons and daughters, you hardly see them all year round. With Tantan back to farm, if we hired help, there would be fewer migrant workers in the fall, which adds some life to the village."

Isn't that the truth?

At their age, when they were younger, they always worried because their youngest son only had Qiaoqiao, a single male in the family, which seemed insufficient.

If the son is able to work, it's fine, but what if he gets old and can't move around, yet still has to look after Qiaoqiao? What then?

Now with Tantan back, they have a family to rely on, and the siblings can spend more time together. If Qiaoqiao gets old, at least she can watch over him.

Otherwise, if one stays away from home for too long, the ties of blood and affection fade quickly.

But as someone who had weathered many years of ups and downs, Song Youde had an insight that was even clearer than Song Sancheng's:

"I think Tantan has truly learned something valuable. She is busy with the fields, but she works so much every day and still smiles. She must have a plan. Who knows, she might actually make a name for herself with it."

"Of course!" Wang Lifan agreed, "She has been smart and sensible since she was little. She wouldn't do anything unless she was confident about it."

In recent years, they hadn't been well, and the children did not let them farm too much, only allowing them to maintain a small vegetable garden by the door—

They were at leisure, but the old couple just couldn't muster any energy.

Dozing off in the daytime, unable to sleep at night.

Every day they looked for petty chores to do. Now seeing the large pieces of land they had divided off bustling with activity, they felt more at peace without saying a word.

They paced themselves during the day; Song Youde would help clear the weeds in the fields, Wang Lifan would assist her daughter-in-law with cooking. They enjoyed meals together, discussing and laughing, feeling even closer to their son's family!

Song Youde felt content and couldn't help but make more plans:

"It's cold now, and the hens are laying fewer eggs. Isn't Tantan planning to raise chickens? Tomorrow, let's have our old hens sit on their eggs, hatch more chicks, and save some money for the children."

"Nowadays, local chickens are expensive and hard to come by."

Wang Lifan nodded too:

"We're eating more meat this winter, and I've been saving up all the eggs. Let's pick through them under the light later tonight."

"And about those ducks, there's a family selling ducklings. Their ducks don't get sick, they grow up strong and taste good too. I'll go and ask about them tomorrow."

Song Youde frowned again: "Don't get too many, these past few years, it's either a closure here or there due to bird flu or swine fever. We need to proceed with caution."

Did Wang Lifan not know this?

"Worrying over nothing. Our place is remote, but it's got good feng shui. When have our chickens, ducks, and geese ever fallen ill? Moreover, raising chicks doesn't cost much. As long as they don't get sick, even if we can't sell them, we can eat them, right? It saves us from buying from outside."

There were only four old hens at home. Even if all of them sat on eggs, they would only hatch a hundred or so chicks. When the time came, just let them roam the mountains and fields—no need for concern at all. So simple!

Song Youde thought about it and agreed, but then he sighed, "It would be great if our eldest son and grandson were willing to come back and live in the old house on the mountain. It would be perfect to divide it up for them."

Wang Lifan rolled her eyes, "Whoever stays in the village gets it. That old house, nobody would buy it even for five thousand yuan. Does your grandson, with his three to five houses in the city, care for it?"

Song Youde felt embarrassed, "After all, he is the eldest son and grandson of the Lao Song family..."