Her Cultivation Diary

Song Sancheng reluctantly agreed to let her return to farming, and Song Tan truly let out a sigh of relief.

Next was her mother, Wu Lan.

Just at this moment, Wu Lan spoke up, "Dinnertime—Qiaoqiao, go wash your hands and serve the dishes!"

Song Qiao obediently ran over. In the dead of winter, she turned on the outdoor tap and let the water run, then diligently started to serve the dishes.

A milk-white carp soup topped with a handful of coriander was so fragrant one sniff was enough to tell how fresh the fish was!

Then came eight braised carps, not large, each weighing only about two to three hundred grams. Now paired with coriander, chillies, and minced green onion, they were braised until the rich aroma aggressively filled the entire room!

If it had been just a bit warmer, the fish bellies would surely have contained even tastier roe!

Next was radish stewed with pot-steamed pork.

Pot-steamed pork is a local cooking method, salting pork with a good ratio of fat to lean, cutting it into small pieces, and stir-frying it in some peanut oil until the pork turned golden and released some delicious lard, which was then combined with the meat in a pot.

Once cooled, a thick layer of white lard would tightly seal the meat. Covered and stored in a cool place, it was ready to scoop and eat at any time...

Now that it was stewed, even the fatty parts were fragrantly sizzling, not the least bit greasy!

Next was a plate of stir-fried wild garlic with eggs. The finely chopped wild garlic was a vibrant green, and the homegrown eggs fried to a golden hue made a perfect pairing, with a mouthwatering aroma!

Finally, there was the signature dish, "Red-beaked Green Parrot"!

The crisp and tender spinach tasted sweet upon entry, mixed with hotly stir-fried garlic....

Fairy Song Tan plumped herself down on the stool, and flatly refused to budge an inch!

Her little brother Song Qiao was a sweetheart. By now he had already brought over the rice bowls, "Sister, I helped catch the fish! Eat more!"

Song Sancheng didn't care about much, but his fishing dignity was inviolable, "You just baited the hook with an earthworm, what do you mean you caught it..."

Only to be suppressed by Wu Lan with a single sentence, "Qiaoqiao baited the worm well, that's why he could catch fish! Otherwise, why did you catch so many this time, right Qiaoqiao?"

Song Qiao also looked at his dad, huffing through his nose, "Exactly!"

The family hierarchy was quite clear.

Song Tan sipped the fish soup her brother had ladled for her, tasting its freshness.

The only drawback was that behind the fresh taste, there was a sense of murkiness that only she could sense.

However, even though there was no Spiritual Energy and impurities still existed, she was now ravenous enough to eat.

After all, it was much better than the takeout she had during the day.

...

Wu Lan looked at her daughter serving herself another bowl, then looked at her pale and frail appearance, feeling both proud and heartbroken:

"Eat more, there's still plenty in the pot. Tomorrow I'll cook on the clay stove, then I'll make you a pot crust soaked in chicken soup!"

Their family's kitchen was large and the old clay stove hadn't been dismantled. Every time Song Tan came home, she would definitely enjoy some pot crust rice.

Song Tan's heart stirred, displaying a pitiful look, "Mom, I don't want to go to work anymore, it's so tiring."

She intended to appear weak, but forgot she had spent a hundred years cultivating and had lost touch with her mother's temperament.

For instance, right now, she heard Wu Lan also sigh, "What can we do then? Maybe you should change jobs. If the money's less, it doesn't matter, your dad and I have saved up quite a bit, enough for your brother and you when we are old."

With Song Qiao in his condition and the hospital declaring there was nothing they could do, the elderly couple was heartbroken and had already decided to spend their old age with their son.

Things like marriage, finding a woman to take care of him...

That was impossible.

Qiaoqiao might be simple-minded, but he was a good kid too. In this day and age, even one's own children might show aversion; let alone finding someone else.

Better not to wrong others, nor let them aggrieve Qiaoqiao.

For years, they had scrimped and saved, all to ensure they had sufficient funds for retirement, aiming to not burden their daughter.

With her good looks and university education, Tantan couldn't afford to waste time in the rural countryside... Their village didn't have anyone under thirty anymore!

All they hoped for was that she'd find a good job, marry into a good family, and not endure hardships...

Song Tan had no idea that in just this short moment, her mother had a whirlwind of thoughts. Seeing that showing weakness was futile, she decided to just be direct,

"Mom, I want to go home and farm."

As the words left her mouth and she saw Wu Lan reaching for a branch, Song Tan instinctively tensed her back, but then quickly added—

"And also to recuperate, Mom, I'm too weak!"

It was then that Wu Lan finally steadied her breathing, pondering for a while, "That's true, you're still so young, your job is too draining, you need to rest."

"Alright, stay at home for a few months. It's just after the Spring Festival and not too busy, you can use the time to exercise a bit."

Song Tan and Song Sancheng exchanged glances, both falling silent.

However, there was one thing Song Tan hadn't lied about—her body was indeed weak on the inside.

Despite her strength and resistance to cold, it was only because she had been tempered by Spiritual Energy during a car accident.

But the city itself had thin Spiritual Energy, and at that time her internal organs had been gravely damaged, her life hanging by a thread. It was only by desperately gathering Spiritual Energy that she managed to stay alive...

Now, though hospital checks showed everything was fine, she alone knew that her body was not fully recovered and her spirit was severely depleted.

Staying in the countryside to recuperate was, in no part, a lie.

...

The meal was finished without any mishaps.

After eating her fill, Song Tan was visibly more spirited. Song Qiao busied herself with washing the dishes, keen to show off in front of her sister. Meanwhile, sitting with her family by the stove, Song Tan contemplated her next business move.

With the Spiritual Energy here, Song Tan was still very hopeful about the future—given the current wellness trend, everyone loved products from the mountains and wilderness. The things she grew with Spiritual Energy would surely be in demand.

But before that, there was the obstacle of her mother to overcome!

Even if she were to lease a field and Bags Mountain to make a big move, Song Tan, even with a hundred years of cultivating immortals, knew well that her sixty thousand yuan would be insufficient; she couldn't avoid tapping into her parents' savings.

Just by talking, a university student suddenly claiming that farming could be lucrative...

Song Tan believed that Wu Lan would definitely take up a tree branch and whip her while scolding,

"Just what are you capable of!"

"Since when can you farm!"

"If farming was so lucrative, why is everyone moving to the city!"

"If farming was so profitable, why are your parents still living in the village!"

Well then, one step at a time, she thought, starting with cleaning up her own fields.

It was the end of February by the solar calendar, just after the Lantern Festival, a perfect time when all things began to revival. Returning home at this time, she could begin by recuperating and activating the Spiritual Energy.

Once the spring rains started, she planned to first produce results with her own fields and then gradually expand from there.

What she had in abundance now were patience and time.

But before that—

"Mom, about our fields and land at home, carve out a section for me to try out on my own, no need for your help."

Wu Lan shoved another log into the stove, saying nonchalantly, "So, do you want to farm or dig into the mountain? You can mess with the field in the corner of the bamboo grove; it's been abandoned for several years. Have your dad tidy it up for you."

"As for the mountain... what's there to divide? The mountain behind the house has always been ours, along with our old Tea Mountain, and there's one further away... if you can manage to dig, you're free to do as you like."

Song Tan: !!!