Her Cultivation Diary-Chapter 107 - : 107. I will compost_1

Chapter 107: 107. I will compost_1

Song Tan knew that the village was harmonious now, and nobody touched her property. First of all, no one had yet discovered the taste of the Milk Vetch in the fields.

After all, aside from the young village secretary, who would casually pluck a piece of grass to taste it, right? Especially since the outermost plot of land was even being used by Old Man Li to graze his cattle.

Secondly, the really good stuff wasn’t in season for harvest yet. For now, the locals who came back to make a living still had the upper hand.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy for a young lady like herself to return and start working.

That was also the reason why Song Tan tended to prefer hiring villagers; if there were no able-bodied young adults, she would hire the elderly. Because hiring the elderly had its pros and cons, it all depended on how one managed them.

Old Man Li actually nodded in agreement with her feigned poverty:

“That’s right, you can’t squander your parents’ money. Your family still has Qiaoqiao. Life won’t be easy when you’re old.”

But after looking around, he cautioned her: “But you still need someone to keep an eye on your fields… I planted two rows of cabbage last year, and at night, someone stole seven or eight heads.”

The old man was very angry when he spoke of this.

Who knew which unscrupulous person it was? If someone wanted to eat what was grown in their own field, why not just ask? Who would begrudge a cabbage!

As a lone old man who neither pickled nor sun-dried, he ended up giving away most of the cabbages anyway, right?

There was no need to steal them.

Pah!

This remark made the aging and weakened Old Man Li even more angered. He was genuinely worried as he reminded Song Tan.

Song Tan, however, reassured him, “Don’t worry, with your help keeping an eye on everything, and you see those two new doghouses under the bamboo grove? My two dogs will be here to help keep watch.”

The pond was located at the very top of the field, and the doghouses were built right next to it. With the dogs sleeping there, both the pond and the fields were well-guarded, a spot specially chosen by Song Sancheng.

Otherwise, why would she spend good money to buy dogs?

The fact was, having grown up in the village, she knew the saying “when a hundred people pass by, you’ll see all kinds of behavior.”

Old Man Li finally breathed a sigh of relief, a wave of comfort washing over his dark, aged face:

“Dogs are good, their ears are sharp, and they can see from afar. Are they those dogs from your home that eat tigers?”

Song Tan: …

At a loss for words, she could only nod ambiguously, “Not that exaggerated, just two smaller ones.”

Dabao and Erbao were responsible for guarding the fishpond and the fields.

Old Man Li had seen the huge dog patrolling around the back hill and front yard that resembled a tiger:

“What do you mean by ‘smaller ones’? How small can they be? If they can eat a tiger, can’t they guard a vegetable garden? Now that’s reassuring!”

The long-forgotten cell phone, sitting ever so quietly, was live streaming all of this. The streaming company’s operator stumbled upon the data retention by chance and was surprised:

What is this stream? Why is the user retention rate so high?

A cursory glance showed pastoral scenery and an old man speaking in dialect. With no time to scrutinize further, they immediately and without hesitation placed the live broadcast in a more prominent recommendation spot.

Although not as popular as other notable streamers, it was an excellent position for a new broadcaster.

However, just as it was promoted, Song Tan at the other end of the phone heard a “beep,” followed by a darkened screen.

She bent down to pick up her forgotten phone, pressed it a couple of times, and then realized—it was out of battery.

Looking at the large amount of Milk Vetch she had cut, she waved to Old Man Li: “Grandpa Li, I’m going home. When Qiaoqiao comes, just get him to pack these up.”

Nowadays, the cell phone was a vital tool for contacting customers; recharging it was the priority.

Just as she got to the door, she saw Qiaoqiao running toward her, “Sister, Dad wants you to go to the back hill.”

Then, Qiaoqiao automatically reached out to take her sickle, “I’ll go cut the Milk Vetch.”

This chore was routine for them every morning. Though Song Tan felt pity for her brother, she didn’t spoil him and handed him the sickle, “Don’t forget to bring the basket over.”

And with that, she headed straight to the back hill.

There, the little excavator was still working diligently.

Zhang Yanping had found such a reliable person, who worked alongside everyone from dawn till dusk, doing the work of a day and a half in just one day.

For this reason, even though he ate more than three bowls of rice at each meal, Wu Lan was always happy and smiling at home.

When Song Tan got to the back hill, aside from Song Sancheng, she saw a stranger—a man.

He was lean and short, with a slightly hunched back, appearing to be just over five feet tall. He had an old-fashioned buzz cut, which cost five yuan in the town, including a face trim and shave.

He was wearing the same type of jacket and black trousers Song Sancheng typically wore when working. Seeing Song Tan, the stranger’s wrinkled face showed a hint of embarrassment.

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“Tantan,” Song Sancheng introduced her. “You probably don’t recognize him, this is your Uncle Zhang.”

Then he pointed towards the peak opposite them, where there was a simple red brick house.

“Your Uncle Zhang lives there.”

The mountain land contracted by Song Tan had a very unique topography; the entire mountain range resembled a closed loop. The inner loop was like a bowl, with the pond at the bottom.

Around the pond were a few acres of vegetable plots, and the surrounding slopes were all barren hills.

But this was the entirety of it.

The land currently owned by Song Tan’s family, including the leased area, occupied less than a quarter of this ‘bowl’.

Therefore, from the peaks on this side, one could clearly see the views from the peaks on the other side.

Looking at this single-household home and considering its location, she swiftly realized which Uncle Zhang he was—this was the Zhang Wang family they had discussed a few days ago.

“Uncle Zhang,” Song Tan greeted him politely—although he was the same age as her dad, he looked worn and much older, as if he had aged ten more years.

What could he possibly need from her?

Song Tan even thought of the possibility of borrowing money, but after a careful thought, she knew that borrowing money wasn’t taken lightly in the village; they would never approach a younger generation for it, especially not a girl.

While she was pondering, she saw Zhang Wang’s expression grow even more embarrassed, his hands helplessly rubbing together, then he pointed at the large pile of weeds, shrubs, and branches they had stacked on the edge of the mountain land:

“These, these shouldn’t be wasted, they can be composted.”

“Are you going to burn them?”

Song Tan did have that intention.

Ashes from burnt plants not only sterilize and kill insects but also serve as excellent fertilizer. Keeping these things here would only be a hindrance and promote the growth of various insect eggs and bacteria; burning them would be much more convenient.

Zhang Wang immediately shook his head, “Don’t burn them, don’t burn them, it’s a waste to burn them, I will turn them into compost!”

He finally got to the point, his hands rubbing together once more:

“I heard Old Man Li is looking after your rice paddies, so I was wondering if I could also work for your family.”

After saying this, fearing Song Tan’s refusal, he emphasized quickly:

“I’m good at making compost, every year people come to me for it. There are several piles on my land. If you need some, I can bring it all to you.”

“I’m also capable of doing any other farm work, your dad knows.”