Song Tan's Notes

Chapter 1655. In the Melon Field (Another 1655 words!)
If we categorize young people by their level of energy, Qiaoqiao is undoubtedly a high-energy individual.

Perhaps because his brain doesn't consume much energy, he, like a child, has boundless energy from morning till night. He rarely feels tired unless his energy level drops to 1%.

For example, right now, even though it's already hot weather, he gets up at 4:30 in the morning to prepare, and starts digging potatoes to open blind boxes at 5:00—

Regarding this, Song Tan only accompanied Yun Duo once, and the next day he promised to give her overtime pay and dumped the job on her.

She would rather cultivate than watch him dig and dig in the vast land on a live stream, as if it were an endless process.

If she watched for another two days, Song Tan was afraid she might as well bring over a small excavator and turn over all the potatoes in one go.

But Qiaoqiao, like digging in the sand, never tires of it.

We dug around 7 a.m., then switched to picking cucumbers, and worked until 9 p.m., reluctant to leave, which delayed us for another half hour...

Only then did I go home to eat breakfast, which was served at a time adjusted to suit the hot weather.

Regarding his inexhaustible energy, Lu Chuan was actually willing to accompany him: "Anyway, I have to get up early to exercise and work, so staying with him until 9:30 is no problem."

Song Tan laughed: "You said yourself that you get up early to exercise."

The great figure she admired wasn't something she got for nothing, and mornings are when Lu Chuan's inspiration is at its peak. Disrupting his rhythm by accompanying Qiao Qiao on her live stream wasn't a pleasant thing for an emotionally sensitive writer.

On the contrary, Yun Duo was overjoyed: "Overtime pay? Me? I'll do it!!!"

In the summer mornings, the villagers usually arrive to work around four or five o'clock. Since the dormitory isn't completely soundproof, she'd be awake much earlier. Now that she can earn this overtime pay, I wonder how envious She Min and Gao Xin are!

Yun Duo even hesitated, saying, "Anyway, I'm just idling around early in the morning, so it's embarrassing to mention overtime pay... Boss, why didn't you wake me up yesterday?!"

They've already started to feel bad about the overtime pay they lost yesterday.

Song Tan sighed, "I don't want to be a beast of burden at work at all, how come you're so happy..."

Yun Duo was happily calculating her salary on her phone when she heard this, and without even looking up, she said, "Making a living in a big city is so tough, you'd be a slave to your work. Not resenting the world is already a sign of high moral character. Look at the guy who had his stomach cut open, the girl who took self-study exams… they'd rather pick vegetables than go back to earning a high salary!"

"It's different here! Wow, the village is quiet at nine o'clock at night. I can sleep soundly and eat deliciously!"

In short, not all classes are the same.

If those who make a living in big cities can save almost all of their monthly wages, I don't believe they wouldn't be motivated.

She, Yunduo, was determined to work hard to save up down payments for a house and a car for herself and her sister when her boss's real estate project opened!

My sister has one set of rules, and so does she; how can you succeed without hard work?

When She Min heard this, she quietly agreed: "I used to think I was a person with low energy, and I would feel tired before I even left the house."

"I only realized after coming here that I wasn't eating well enough, sleeping well enough, or getting enough sunshine."

She's got so much energy during the day now, really a lot of energy!
Song Tan: ...

Good, good. With such proactive employees, she doesn't even need to draw up any plans. It saves her a lot of trouble.

Let's go back to Qiaoqiao.

He would only take a short nap during the hottest part of the day, then attend classes, do homework, read, and study. Around 4 PM, he would put on his hat and rush out again.
"Sister! Let's go pick tomatoes together!"

Song Tan: ...

"Even though Xiao Yang isn't home, you seem to be enjoying your work every day."

what?
Qiaoqiao looked a little bewildered: "I didn't do any work. Digging up potato blind boxes was a lot of fun. Picking cucumbers was also a lot of fun—there were so many cucumbers, and I had to quickly pick out the straight ones that were about the same size, like playing whack-a-mole."

"Sister, don't you like it?"

Song Tan did not answer.

She thought to herself, "When I was harvesting rice, a single spell knocked all the grains down. It was much more interesting than this game."

Hum(へ).

But Qiaoqiao had already started rambling on: "We should send some cucumbers and tomatoes to Yang Zhengxin too! And cantaloupes, especially the green ones with their belly buttons, they smell so good, I'll go pick a few!"

The navel he mentioned for Green Treasure is the fruit navel on the Green Treasure melon.

Generally, if a ripe fragrance emanates from the navel of the melon, it means that the melon is ripe.

Song Tan replied, "I'll try some first. The Boyang No. 9 next door is almost done too. You can break off a few and send them over together."

Boyang No. 9 is also a type of melon, with thin skin and tender flesh, resembling a stout and short version of a cucumber, and also featuring unique pumpkin stripes.

It can be easily broken in two with a gentle touch.

“Xiao Yang is living in the dormitory now, so it’s not appropriate for him to eat alone. Studying math is also mentally taxing, so let him eat more.”

"It's not hard at all," Qiaoqiao said blankly. "Yang Zhengxin said learning math is really interesting, like playing a game, passing one level after another. He once played for four hours straight and solved it, and he was so happy!"

Song Tanxin said it was a good thing you and Chen Chi didn't study high school math properly, otherwise, given their family's intelligence, they probably wouldn't have had this kind of happy experience.

She grabbed a few more baskets: "Pick some more for your brother Lu Chuan to give to his friends, and I'll give some to my friends too."

Qiao Qiao nodded, then got on her tricycle and set off with Song Tan.

The sun overhead was blazing hot, and the two of them were fully armed with hats, long sleeves, and trousers, looking incredibly hot.

Lu Chuan felt sorry for him just watching, and even called out from behind:
"It's too hot, don't pick them anymore. My friends will be bringing their kids to stay at our guesthouse during summer vacation, we can eat them then."

Although he wasn't actually that hot, doing chores by himself and doing chores by his girlfriend were two different things.

After thinking for a moment, he told Lu Jing and then rode his bike to follow them.

Lu Jing, who was happily enjoying her homemade iced milk tea at the guesthouse: ...

Oh dear! It's so hot!
A few silly kids.

Also, Ogawa can now ride a tricycle so stylishly!

A white long-sleeved silk-linen shirt, dark gray silk-blend trousers—oh dear! This spoiled son! Why is he dressed like that to work!

Looking up at the mountain, Song Tan also looked down on him: "Don't ruin your clothes, or my mom will nag you about it."

This pea prince boyfriend still can't wear rough fabrics. Although he says he can wear them now, he always looks like he's enduring it, as if he's itching all over.

Lu Chuan put on the gardening gloves with a reserved and refined manner, looking as pleasing to the eye as a CEO putting on his sheepskin gloves.

“You braved the scorching sun to deliver the fruits and vegetables to my friends; I can’t just sit back and enjoy the fruits and vegetables for you.”

Song Tan laughed so hard: "Your clothes are no good!"

The silk-linen blend fabric, not to mention the risk of snagging while walking through a fuzzy melon leaf field, is so thin that if a leaf or branch brushes against it through the fabric, he'll feel uncomfortable for a long time.

"Why aren't you wearing this outfit to husk corn?" I guarantee he won't come back next time.

Lu Chuan paused: "This thickness should be alright."

"not good."

Song Tan shook his head.

The crops on their mountain are managed meticulously, using trellises and hanging vines to control the plants.

It looks neat and tidy, has good ventilation and lighting, and is easy to manage.

But these rows and rows are different from potted plants on a terrace.

Potted plants allow people to move around in all directions to prune and harvest, while ground-planted plants require people to walk through the forest. Branches and leaves extend from all directions, which is insignificant to farmers.

That's really a difficult situation for the Prince of Peas.

Let alone the fuzzy cucumber leaves, even the strong-smelling Provençal tomatoes, because they are indeterminate, are still only about two meters tall even though we have pinched off the tops and pruned them in time.

Moreover, the tomato leaves and stems release an odor with the slightest touch, which is also unpleasant for Lu Chuan.

Song Tan then nudged him and showed him her face: "I'm not sweating. I'm just playing with Qiao Qiao here, so don't cause any trouble."

"If you really want to help, make a lot of that melon ice ball sparkling water; we love it."

Everyone has their own area of ​​expertise; there's really no need for that.

Seeing Lu Chuan hesitate, Song Tan smiled and said, "If it really doesn't work, it's summer, why don't you go back and buy us all some clothes or something?"

With his meticulousness, he'd be perfect for logistics. He remembers the family's sizes and needs much better than Song Tan does.

Lu Chuan paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly and said, "Alright then, I'll go back first."

The tricycle hummed as it drove down the mountain. Qiaoqiao watched his retreating figure and exclaimed happily, "Brother Lu Chuan looks so skilled now!"

Song Tan chuckled: "Yeah, after living in the countryside for so long, you lose the ethereal charm of big cities."

She's even learned to drive a tricycle, really... She felt a little embarrassed: I feel bad for that face!
The two arrived before Yunduo, and without mentioning the live stream, they started picking vegetables in the garden, including cucumbers, tomatoes, green cabbages, and bok choy... Each of them picked several large plastic baskets.

Pack these up and send them out; they'll be enough for their family, including Lu Jing, to give to relatives and friends.

They stopped when they estimated it was about time.

Qiaoqiao got back on her tricycle: "Sister, I'll go back and put these in the cold storage separately, and then I'll bring Sister Yunduo up to do a live stream later."

The vegetables and fruits I'm sending to friends and family are in different quantities than what I buy at the store, so they need to be stored separately in the cold storage. When Brother Zhang comes over tonight, I'll make sure all the shipping labels are properly attached and packed so we don't mix them up.

Song Tan nodded: "Go ahead, I'll eat a melon first."

Looking at the two vine-covered melon fields in front of her, she thought for a moment and then chose Green Treasure.

The tender green melon skin has a slightly frosty texture. I picked one that was just ripe, and it came off easily with a gentle twist at the stem. Then I washed it in the ditch next to the pool, and it was ready to be broken in half.

The aroma of the green melon was even stronger once it was opened; the ripe flesh inside emitted a unique sweet fragrance. Just as Song Tan scooped out the pulp, another dog's head popped out of the melon patch—

"You're a princess today."

The silver-white openwork eye mask was exceptionally exquisite, and Princess, my expression was both aloof and composed.

—If you don't keep your eyes on the melon.

But Song Tan wasn't like Qiao Qiao, who spoiled her without limits. At this moment, she coldly said, "You can't even look at it. You can only eat the pulp."

When she was a child, what she loved most about melons was the sweetness of the flesh, but the seeds were too many, making the texture unpleasant.

However, the princess was clearly not picky at all.

At this moment, it emerged from the vegetable garden on the other side, its fur glossy and shiny, making it impossible to tell that it had previously given birth to five puppies.

Song Tan sat on the stone steps by the irrigation ditch, and the princess followed suit, her large tail swishing behind her, sending a flurry of grass clippings flying.

A man and a dog sat side by side, both eating melons with their heads down, looking remarkably in sync.

The dog's mouth was just bigger, so even though the princess was clearly eating sparingly, with a flick of her tongue, two large clumps of melon pulp were gone like ginseng fruit.

Unlike other dogs that love to fawn, it never utters a sound, even when it stares intently at the melon.

I just kept watching and watching and watching...

Song Tan, who hadn't even finished half of the melon: ...

"Never mind, you've only had your puppy for a month—here, take half of this and help yourself recover."

The princess, with her sleek, oily skin and even slightly plump figure, showed no signs of needing any nutritional supplements.

But these days, pet owners are obviously spoiling their children more and more, without any limits, so the princess got half a melon.

The dog completely slumped down, lying on the ground as smoothly as silk, its two paws pressing against the semi-circular melon, deftly starting to nibble from the inside.

The pulp is the pulp, and the peel is the peel; they should be eaten separately, otherwise it will affect the taste.

Song Tan frowned, watching it eat so skillfully, and couldn't help but look around:

"You seem to have a lot of experience eating like this..."

……

After Song Tan finished eating the melon, washed his hands and wiped his mouth by the ditch, Qiao Qiao's tricycle brought Yun Duo up the mountain.

Compared to the two of them, Yun Duo was fully armed, with the scarf in front of her sun hat leaving only her eyes exposed, and sunglasses covering her eyes.

Although she was only responsible for the live broadcast, the sleeves of her sun protection clothing were all pulled over her thumbs, only revealing her fingertips.

Song Tan asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why are you so bundled up today?"

Normally not.

While adjusting her phone stand, Yun Duo said, "I ran into Aunt Zhang Hong yesterday. We're supposed to have a matchmaking event after the autumn harvest."

Song Tan nodded, understanding: "You want to cover yourself up to look whiter so you can see if there's anyone suitable at the matchmaking event."

Yun Duo shook her head: "I'm at the prime age for building my career, why would I need a partner! I'm covering up my skin to be more presentable at the matchmaking event, so that people won't pick me out and say I'm too dark-skinned and they don't like me."

She was very ambitious: "In short, I have to be selective about who I hire—but I can't just pick someone who's unkempt. Aunt Zhang Hong said that men like that are too slovenly and she won't hire them. Everyone should be presentable."

Therefore, she needs to wear sunscreen!

Qiaoqiao understood: "Sister Yunduo, although you want to participate in a dignified and beautiful way, right?"

Yun Duo nodded, a smile that went unnoticed beneath her mask: "That's exactly what I mean."

Qiaoqiao frowned and said, "But if you don't want to find a partner, why are you going to a matchmaking event? Won't the person who chooses you miss out on someone else?"

He was very serious: "Several of the security guards are seriously looking for a partner."

The clouds were speechless: ...

Oh dear, she's still young. What if someone actually takes a liking to her?

Moreover, this kind of matchmaking event is organized by the boss with great sincerity to fulfill the wishes of his employees, unlike the kind of matchmaking events in the city where people are rushed to attend by their families without any screening process, like community tasks.

Everyone who participates must have the willingness to participate.

So he reluctantly took off his mask: "You're right, I can't keep people waiting like this, so I'm not signing up."

Song Tan glanced at her: "It's okay. As the organizer, you'll gain a lot of experience too. Besides, sun protection has nothing to do with finding a partner. Wear it!"

The siblings wore straw hats purely to cover themselves, but the clouds really do cause sunburn and tanning.

"You should still wear it."

She reached out and helped Yunduo hang up her mask again.

However, after saying that, Yun Duo still opened another parasol.

She looked at the golden sun on the horizon. Although it was 5 o'clock, the sunset was still hot and dazzling.

She wasn't using the umbrella for herself; she was using it to shield her phone—otherwise, it would get so hot in the sun that it could be grilled, and the battery would drain rapidly without her even needing to do a live stream.

Moreover, the sunlight is too bright and affects the brightness, so she won't be able to see the screen clearly.

She reminded him, "I've started a live stream."

Song Tan also put on gloves: "Alright, let's get started, Qiao Qiao."

"You can sell as many as you can pick."

But she had just finished eating melons, and what the camera was showing at that moment was rows and rows of melons.

Before the fans who had rushed into the live stream could even get excited about Tomato, they were immediately overwhelmed with joy—

[Oh my god! Are they going to sell us melons?]

What?! They're selling melons?!

[Link above]

Are the melons also 9 yuan each with free shipping?

[What are you dreaming about? Why not make everything 9.9 yuan? Teacher Qiao, look at me, as long as you're willing to sell and I can snag it, price isn't a problem!]

The fans who were a step too late to the live stream were confused, and now they were also saying:
"Now that you've sold the melons, will you still bring out the tomatoes later?"

Yun Duo quickly picked up the stand: "Family, we just started broadcasting, and we just randomly picked a spot. Tonight we're still selling tomatoes. We're not selling melons."

They only planted a few rows of each type of melon, and there was simply not enough to supply them all. They just ate some themselves and gave some away.

"But our tomatoes are very good, they are Provençal tomatoes that can be eaten raw with a sandy texture—Jojo said! So that his children can enjoy them too."

As they talked, they walked along the ridges of the field, and soon they arrived at the tomato patch where the tomatoes were taller than her.

The bright red tomatoes hung on the branches, seemingly within easy reach.

"Look!" Yun Duo showed everyone: "These tomatoes are also 9.9 yuan for two, with free shipping."

Song Tan turned his head ahead and immediately felt helpless again:
“Cloud, those are beef heart tomatoes—over there,” she pointed to Qiaoqiao in the front row:
"The tall people over there are from Provence."

“Provence is great for eating raw. The beef heart tomatoes here are big, the biggest one can weigh a pound. They’re perfect for taking home and stewing with beef brisket.”

The last day of July! My word count improved slightly this month, I'm satisfied!
Are you all satisfied with the word count for this chapter? The result of a sleepless night…

July is over! Looking forward to a brand new August!

I'm feeling sleepy, I'm going to sleep now. Good morning everyone.