Song Tan's Notes

Song Tan couldn't understand why Minmin's mother was being so unusually warm towards her.

Could it be...

She looked down at the grapes she had just helped carry upstairs, and then at Minmin's mom, who was rummaging through the refrigerator for ice cream for her to choose from.

how to say?

Although it's a small detail, it still manages to make you feel different.

Looking at my aunt again, I saw that she had also sat down happily, muttering to herself:
"It seems that Minmin's mother is really satisfied with you, Lingqi. She likes you so much, so she must love everything about you because of you."

"is it?"

"Yes!"

Seeing her aunt's confident expression, Song Tan decided to stop worrying. She just glanced at Lu Chuan and Qiao Qiao, who seemed much more relaxed after entering the house, and then at the air conditioning that was on in their room...

Auntie, this is what normal life should be like!

Minmin's mom was still busy finding drinks, but Song Tan wasn't planning to stay any longer—there were still plenty of grapes in the car!
He then added politely, "Auntie, I'm just here to familiarize myself with the area. When Sister Minmin is on vacation, I'll have Brother Lingqi take you all to my farm."

"We also have accommodations there, and there are many travel guides online. The food is also quite good."

To be honest, Minmin's mom was really tempted.

She had already seen Yunqiao Village online, not to mention that Zhu Lingqi brought so many good things every now and then, such as the village's tofu, vegetables, and expensive food from Old Song's family.

But since it was her daughter's boyfriend's relative's house, she was too embarrassed to ask.

Even Song Tan says so now, and people are still so enthusiastic about sending so many grapes—

Whoops!

Even her smile became more genuine. Looking at Song Tan now, she seemed perfect in every way.

"Okay, okay, Minmin and I will definitely go then. I heard you guys are busy right now, won't that be too much of a bother?"

"It's alright," Song Tan said honestly. "There are a lot of trivial matters, but we don't need to do any of the work ourselves."

"Besides, Brother Lingqi is hardworking and honest. He has always helped my family with chores, and he knows the village very well. When you go to the village, you can walk around. We will all be family in the future, so let's not stand on ceremony."

good good!
Look at that girl, even her voice is much nicer than Ling Qi's.

Minmin's mom saw that she was feeling very comfortable, and she was now enthusiastically making arrangements, even calling Minmin's dad to buy pig's trotters when he got off work...

That was absolutely unacceptable, so Song Tan had no choice but to politely decline.

She still had some grapes in her car, so Minmin's mother didn't stop her, but reluctantly saw her off.

Looking back, I saw a large group of people gathered in the residential compound downstairs, asking, "Was that the family that just came over from Minmin's boyfriend's family...?"

Minmin's mother immediately straightened her back.

……

Compared to driving around the city center, the journey back is much faster.

At 5 p.m., when the summer heat was still intense, the group finally returned home.

Going out in this weather would be a real ordeal, so Lu Chuan didn't linger and went straight back to take a shower and change clothes.

The same applies to Qiaoqiao and Song Tan.

Ulan was just about to ask about the grapes when, before she could even ask, the two of them hurriedly went upstairs.

She paused for a moment, then sat back down calmly.

Air conditioning is so good! I feel alive when it's on!

Fortunately, washing up takes time in the summer, and before long, Wulan saw the two of them again, so she quickly sat down next to them:

"Why is your store offering to compensate customers for the chili sauce? What happened to your grapes?"

The machine parameters for this trial-size sealed package needed to be readjusted, and Yun Duo went to work on it with She Min as soon as she received the news.

Song Tan shook his head: "Don't even mention it. The person just left, and they're already trying to pass off inferior goods as superior ones."

"Who is this!"

Ulan was even angrier than her: "Isn't this ruining Qiaoqiao's reputation? If this continues, they'll make money, but Qiaoqiao will get scolded. Don't take this job next time."

But after making those harsh remarks, remembering how his family had been constantly pressured to lower prices when selling camellias and other mountain products in previous years, he paused, then added:
"Don't take business from this kind of person next time."

Song Tan nodded: "Don't worry, Mom, I've got it all planned out. The boss has already given his approval, so we have to handle this matter respectably. Chen Yuan and the others will be there to oversee the quality until the shipment is completed."

She wasn't actually nervous at all.

"We were careful with the payment at the time, and made sure that the payment went through our store. If the goods were not up to standard and the customer wanted a refund, we could process it directly."

Nothing provides peace of mind except real gold and silver.

Ulan nodded, then looked at Qiaoqiao, who was writing something in a notebook. She walked over and saw that it contained the items listed as "pajamas, slippers, toothbrush and toothpaste"...

He then asked, "Why are you writing these things? We still have more at home."

Qiaoqiao proudly raised her head: "Mom, Yang Zhengxin invited me to stay at his house! Can I go?"

The anticipation in his eyes was so obvious, his excitement even more so than the words on the paper.

Ulan paused for a moment, instinctively wanting to say it was inconvenient—

When Qiaoqiao was little, she wanted to stay at her maternal uncle's and maternal grandmother's house for a while, but her mother wouldn't let her.

Firstly, given the child's condition, I'm afraid of causing trouble for others.

Second time...

He's too easy to please; if his family didn't keep a close eye on him, Ulan wouldn't really feel at ease.

But then she suddenly realized, "Well, it's not really inconvenient, is it?"

Qiaoqiao is much more sensible than before!

Teacher Xin taught him, and she taught him in a truly comprehensive way.

Teacher Tang then explained many important principles to him.

My child can now travel independently, and buying tickets and checking into hotels is no problem for him.

Looking at Song Tan again, he saw her smiling as well, and his confidence immediately returned. He nodded solemnly:

"Of course it's possible. Are you packing your luggage for the trip?"

"Yes!" Qiaoqiao exclaimed excitedly, "I've been checking my luggage on my phone the whole time!"

He did his preparations meticulously, but he relied on his past travel experiences to find the information.

But Yang Zhengxin's family probably has everything prepared.

Song Tan then advised him:
"Don't just think about it by yourself. Xiao Yang is definitely looking forward to you going too. Give him a call and you can discuss it together."

Qiaoqiao couldn't sit still any longer. She jumped up and rushed upstairs.

Once everyone left, Song Tan leaned back on the sofa and asked, "We've transferred so many security guards here, is everything alright up on the mountain?"

"What could possibly be wrong?" Ulan had actually been thinking about this for the past two nights, but now she spoke of it casually:

"There are people here day and night, and the dogs are here too. The surveillance cameras alert us to any slight movement." The peach orchard was the first to be planted, and it's right next to the vegetable gardens further away on the back hill, so people start picking vegetables in that area every day in the early morning.

Even if a thief wanted to make a move, there wouldn't be a suitable time.

Song Tan responded, then, remembering her aunt's changes, she sat up abruptly.

"Mom, Auntie gave Lu Chuan and Qiao Qiao a gold earring each today."

Suddenly, Ulan's eyes widened:

"Who? You must be mistaken. Could it have been given to you by your aunt? Your great-aunt?"

“It was my aunt.” Song Tan said decisively, “The old-fashioned gold earrings, each weighing seven or eight grams, were given to them just like that.”

hiss!
Ulan gasped.
"Wait, wait, could something have happened to her? What's wrong?"

She frowned and pondered, "Could it be that Lingqi is planning to get married and they're short on money? Hey, you shouldn't have accepted it! Just say you're short on money, why beat around the bush like this?"

“I didn’t get them either,” Song Tan said aggrievedly. “I gave one of the two earrings to Qiao Qiao and the other to Lu Chuan.”

Ulan numbly replied with an "Oh".

She then said, "Then you should tell Lu Chuan that when he visits her for the New Year, his aunt might not give him a red envelope, and tell him not to mind..."

The mother and daughter looked at each other, and at that moment, there was silence.

It's unbelievable no matter how I think about it—those were gold earrings!
Let alone gold earrings, even a single gold bean would keep her trembling and unable to sleep at night if her aunt gave her one.

Now they've received such an expensive gift...

Fortunately, Song Tan made amends: "My aunt was going to give grapes to Minmin's family, so we went together. I then invited them to bring their parents to our farm for a visit."

“Yes, we should invite them, we should invite them.” Ulan didn’t say anything at this moment:
"Wait here, I'll call your aunt and have her talk to Lingqi properly. We're sincerely inviting them—oh, and Tantan, tell Xiao Lu to reserve two rooms for them, I'll pay for it..."

Meanwhile, Lu Chuan went upstairs to tidy up as soon as he returned to the guesthouse.

After he finished washing up and came downstairs, Lu Jing originally wanted to feel sorry for her son, but when she saw that he hadn't gotten any darker or thinner, his skin was still fair, and his appearance hadn't deteriorated...

He couldn't find the words to express his concern. After thinking for a moment, he could only stammer out:
"It must be tough outside in this heat, right?"

"It's alright," Lu Chuan said honestly. "I'm not as afraid of the heat this year, and what I'm doing is indeed very meaningful. Baiyu County is full of vineyards, which are quite beautiful."

After thinking for a moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a gleaming gold earring.

Lu Jing glanced at it: "Gold? You bought it? What happened to your taste? I don't wear things like this."

"No." Lu Chuan gathered the gold earrings back into his palm, a hint of pride in his eyes. "These were given to me by Tan Tan's aunt."

Lu Jing's eyes widened instantly: "Song Hongmei?" she asked loudly.

She had dealt with Song Tan, her aunt, several times. The whole family were hardworking and honest people, but they were stingy to the point that Lu Jing found it very enlightening to hear about them!

So why would someone give you gold earrings when it's neither a holiday nor a festival?

Lu Chuan smiled and said, "It was indeed an unexpected surprise."

Anyway, I'll take it and show it off to Tan Tan's grandparents tonight.

Oh, right, my aunt said she secretly saved this money herself. Can we still tell anyone about it?

……

Of course I can say it.

When the eldest aunt came home that evening, she told him that Zhu Lingqi had taken Minmin's family to the farm. The father and son both shook their heads.

"No, no, it's not suitable, it's too unsuitable."

Zhu Lingqi is working shifts this month, going to work every few days. While the Song family's appearance hasn't changed, he himself is now tanned dark and unkempt.

"Mom, you know how expensive things are at Tan Tan's house. My hands tremble every time I serve rice, because I'm afraid that if I fill a bowl too full, it will cost several hundred yuan."

"Take their family over... They're not even married yet, how could I possibly do that?"

My aunt regretted giving away the gold earrings.

—Those are gold earrings! It's hard not to regret it, isn't it?!

But she had already said all the nice things, and today Tan Tan had told her to save face in front of her future in-laws, so she could only grit her teeth and swallow her reluctance.

"It's alright, go ahead. I've been saving up these gold earrings for years, and I'm giving them all away today..."

It really hurts.

My aunt clutched her collar, feeling suffocated by the heat in the room.

Gold earrings?!
My uncle clutched his chest, saying, "Ouch! Ouch! I'm having trouble breathing, I feel a little dizzy..."

Zhu Lingqi was also heartbroken, but not to the point of despair—

Hey, hey, why does your complexion look different?!

"Mom, Dad, are you suffering from heatstroke?!"

……

The Song family knew nothing about this.

When dinner was served as usual that evening, Qiaoqiao was still excitedly telling everyone about Yang Zhengxin's invitation to her—a very, very formal invitation.

and also--

That sparkling gold earring!

Including the one that Lu Chuan was also showing off.

Song Tan repeatedly urged and instructed:
"My aunt said she saved this up secretly. It's just for our family to enjoy, so please don't tell anyone!"

But Song Youde and Wang Lifen were already speechless, their mouths agape.

Gold earrings?!
That big?!
Grandma Wang Lifen felt heartbroken and jealous at that moment!
"Why didn't she see me off?!"

Song Youde was so jealous he couldn't eat. He immediately pulled out his phone and called his aunt.

"Da Mei..."

It's heartbreaking to say this out loud. When Da Mei came back for the Dragon Boat Festival, she gave me a 500 yuan red envelope and an extra 200 yuan for clothes. I was so upset about it!

Why is this gold one being given away now?!

Although she knew in her heart that her daughter had always doted on her nephew Qiaoqiao and was wholeheartedly planning for his future.

Including Seventh Uncle, whom she had arranged to come here so that Qiao Qiao could learn a skill to make a living from him.

In addition, they gave grapes as a gift and invited the future daughter-in-law's family to come and visit, so giving such a gift is actually quite reasonable...

But even if it's the right thing to do, if you can't get over it in your heart, you just can't get over it!

The phone rang for a long time without being answered, and Grandpa, feeling embarrassed, silently picked up another piece of food with his chopsticks.
"Fine, I won't give you anything! I earn my own money now, I don't need my children's filial piety. Old woman, you wait for those gold earrings, I'll weave straw mats for you to buy them later!"

Grandma rolled her eyes: "Do you think I don't know whether you have any secret savings? You insist on waiting until we're weaving straw mats before buying it... I don't care! If you ask me, Da Mei was right to give Xiao Lu the gold earrings! Xiao Lu bought me gold jewelry before!"

The family's endless chatter only made Song Youde feel awkward.
That's true. We've struggled all these years and haven't been able to buy my wife any jewelry. Now that we finally have some money, we can't be so stingy anymore…

Everyone's conversation resumed with amazement and laughter following Jinzi's appearance, just as Song Tan's phone rang:
"Tan Tan, your aunt and uncle both have heatstroke and are in the hospital now. I saw Grandpa just made a phone call, so don't tell them yet!" (End of Chapter)