Song Tan's Notes

Chapter 1671. The Arrival of a Friend
Master Chai and Xiao Zhou didn't reach the top of the mountain until evening.

Chef Jiang was busy directing his apprentices in preparing the dishes when he saw them coming over. He quickly came out to exchange a few pleasantries.
"Why didn't you come this afternoon when you were free?"

The master and apprentice were unsteady on their feet, and somewhat dazed: "This afternoon, we went for massage and moxibustion..."

When it comes to this, Master Jiang has plenty to say:
"Feels good, right? Did you fall asleep? Let me tell you, this occupational hazard of ours is that it hurts a little when you press it, but as soon as the glass jar is on, I feel drowsy. And then there's the moxibustion, oh my!"

The reason he only used interjections is that he didn't know how else to describe it.

It hurts a little when the cupping jars are first applied, but the heavy pressure on the back makes it easy to fall into a drowsy state.

I felt instantly relaxed after cupping, and it felt quite nice.

But these are all normal experiences. When the moxibustion is applied to the acupoints, there is a hot and burning sensation from top to bottom, but it is clearly not burning. In addition, sweat seeps out in layers...

As someone who experienced it firsthand, Master Jiang had only two conclusions at that moment: "Completely clear!"

"I've had three treatments this year, and Dr. Guo said he'll continue the treatments after the hottest days of summer begin... In short, my body feels incredibly refreshed!"

After he finished speaking, he looked at the master and apprentice again and asked, "What about you two? How do you feel?"

Master Chai said in a daze, "I... I don't know how to say it, I feel energetic, but also a little lightheaded."

He even fell asleep, and now he's worried about not being able to sleep tonight.

Young Zhou, however, touched his waist and said, "My legs feel so warm..."

After a long chatter, the three of them concluded that this rural area was full of hidden talents and that Dr. Guo was extremely capable!
Master Chai even made an appointment to continue next week!

After chatting for a while, he asked Master Jiang, "Your wages are low here, are you still able to adapt?"

Master Jiang said with a smug look: "The minimum wage is a bit low compared to before, but I got a raise again, so the salary is still good."

The key is that there's no pressure!

He originally came here to recuperate. Although cooking in a large pot is a bit tiring, he has also hired three apprentices.

There's no need to prepare food, clean up, or do any heavy physical labor; Zhai Xiaofeng will take care of all the washing and scrubbing.

The villagers and employees all came to support the event, and everything tasted delicious.

Sometimes when I really want to be lazy, I'll just cook a big pot of stewed noodles, and everyone can stay home without even looking up.

He recuperated for a year, and now his face looks healthy and radiant.

"The salary is a bit low, but we have all the social insurances and housing fund benefits, and there are no performance appraisals. We eat whatever we do."

"No need to clock in, just three meals a day, wake up naturally, and go to sleep naturally."

"There's no need for meetings or station visits, and no customer complaints..."

"Also, I eat separately here. When I have time, I go down the mountain to eat with Master Song and the others. When I don't have time, I go to the garden to pick vegetables and get some meat to cook for myself."

When you look at all these things, somehow it seems like he's saving just as much money each month as before—that's what his wife says.

Mr. Jiang always hands over his salary to his wife, who then provides him with living expenses. But since he doesn't smoke, drink, or spend money here, his living expenses, which started at two or three thousand yuan, have now been reduced to 500 yuan.

Doesn't this mean my savings have increased?

In short, the health-conscious person was very satisfied.

He was satisfied, but Master Chai felt a pang of sadness, as if he were seeing his brother driving a Land Rover: "If I didn't have a family to support, I would also be willing to come..."

Only Xiao Zhou stammered, "It wasn't easy for my daughter to get into that top-tier elementary school..."

But that's just a casual remark; other people's lives always seem better, right? Master Chai was a little jealous of the good ingredients he was eating, but nothing else. Master Jiang, on the other hand, was a bit puzzled: "Didn't I hear that Lu Chuan's friends are coming tonight? You haven't prepared any dishes yet?"

Master Chai shook his head: "I was queuing at the clinic this afternoon. I originally wanted to come back first to prepare, but Boss Lu said that they had been driving all day and their appetites weren't very good. They said that they could just have some simple dishes for dinner."

"We'll prepare the big fish and meat dishes tomorrow—Boss Song wants to slaughter a sheep tomorrow."

Ouch!

Master Jiang chuckled, "Are you making mutton offal soup tomorrow? If so, save me a bowl, and I'll bake a flatbread for you in advance."

……

Qin Yun and Yun Feng were also there. Although the three families started from different places, they gradually came together because they had planned their time in advance.

The eight- or nine-hour drive, even in a large car, made the elderly and children in the family quite restless.

Moreover, her son even vomited once.

Halfway through the journey, Lu Chuan asked again what everyone wanted to eat, but suddenly everyone had lost their appetite.

After thinking it over, Lu Chuan not only asked Dr. Guo for some hawthorn pills that night, but also got a few packets of appetite-stimulating tea.

The tea was brewed in advance and left there. We didn't dare put the watermelon in the refrigerator, so we just soaked it in water. Master Chai and Xiao Zhou also prepared a few cold dishes. It wasn't until 8 p.m., when it was already dark, that we finally got to see everyone.

"There's nothing we can do!"

As Qin Yun pushed her suitcase, she muttered, "The child wouldn't leave the service station, which took up a lot of time."

Lu Chuan led them upstairs in the elevator: "You must be tired from the long journey, but there's nothing planned for tonight. Let Chef Chai quickly cook a few dishes so you can rest for a while."

"By the way, let's have dinner in the yard, and put on mosquito repellent cream."

Qin Yun nodded: "Okay! I was just thinking that the yard is spacious."

The kids had been cooped up all day; they probably wouldn't be able to sit still indoors.

He quickly added, "Do you have any watermelon? My son's been wanting some." Actually, his parents and his wife's parents were also thinking about it, but since they were all adults, they were too embarrassed to say it.

Lu Chuan laughed: "It's soaking in the water, we'll take it out and cut it now."

Since everyone was a friend, there was no formality. Lu Jing exchanged a few pleasantries with the elders of the three families before quickly going downstairs to prepare hawthorn tea.

He sighed again, "Taking the high-speed rail would be so much better; it only takes three to five hours to get there."

She didn't realize it when she was young; back then, it was normal to travel by train for several days. If there were no seats, you could stand.

But now, I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or what, but I feel uncomfortable sitting in a cramped seat for two or three hours. I feel uncomfortable all over.

Sitting in the car for several hours straight would be really uncomfortable unless she fell asleep.

Lu Chuan laughed and said, "They've already come all this way, they're not willing to leave empty-handed by high-speed rail."

The three families each drove a nine-seater vehicle; it seems they wouldn't be satisfied until they filled the trunk to the brim before leaving.

Seeing Lu Jing adding ice to the glass, he added, "The child should drink watermelon juice or milk, but not iced."

Lu Jing hummed a song: "Don't worry, I raised you, how could I not know?"

With a group of twenty or so people moving in, the guesthouse's accounts looked better and better, and she was very happy.

Although when you calculate it all, the son definitely contributed more, but friends are friends and business is business, and they are two different things.

Here I am! I had a late-night snack, but my inspiration suddenly dried up... That's all for tonight.