Song Tan's Notes

Yuncheng was shrouded in a continuous, damp rain.

Meanwhile, in Qincheng, a thousand miles away, it was another sweltering and oppressive day.

In the dead of night, when Lao Yang woke up from his drowsy state, he saw a dim night light shining at the head and foot of the bed, but his wife was nowhere to be seen in the quilt beside him.

He was momentarily confused, then subconsciously told himself that his wife had gone to the bathroom.

But then, as he heard a rustling sound outside, he seemed to be electrocuted, his eyes widened instantly, and he suddenly stood up!
This was so sudden that I felt dizzy when I woke up, but luckily I take good care of myself and managed to recover by gritting my teeth.

When I slipped on my slippers and rushed out of the room, sure enough, I saw a long-haired woman in a nightgown leaning against the island counter by the refrigerator outside, holding half a green peach in one hand and admiring the night view of the fountain and lawn outside.

Upon seeing someone come out, the other person subconsciously moved their hand twice, as if trying to hide the peach, but having nowhere to put it, they could only accept it in the end.

The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

At this moment, the couple, who had been married for many years, fell into an odd silence.

After a moment, Old Yang said in a hoarse voice, "We agreed tonight that neither of us can steal..."

In response, General Manager Liu remained remarkably calm:
"Women, you know, there are always a few days each month when they crave pigs."

"How can you face your child?" Old Yang almost jumped up.

She lowered her voice again: "We promise Xiao Yang that we will never sneak food behind his back tonight. If we are caught, he won't share any good food with us next time."

As he spoke, watching Mr. Liu still crunching on his peaches, Old Yang's quiet stomach began to rumble.

Hesitant for a moment, he also walked towards the refrigerator.

After a brief moment of contemplation about the bond between mother and son, President Liu took two more bites before speaking seriously:
"Xiao Yang is my son, how could I be so sorry to him? I didn't know anything about the missing food, it must have been you who stole it."

Old Yang: ? ? ?
His eyes widened: "Fine, fine, after all we've been husband and wife, is this how you treat me?"

snort!
Without further hesitation, he rushed to the refrigerator and angrily opened the door.

Since we're going to take the blame anyway, we might as well eat a lot tonight. Besides, does President Liu, who's always on a diet, even know how to eat properly?

He quietly went to the kitchen and brought up the leftovers from tonight's meal.

It's hot, so eating something cold is no big deal. With some pickled vegetables, I can make myself a rice ball by hand. It's quiet, doesn't require cooking, and saves me from being caught!

As Old Yang pondered this, a subtle sense of self-satisfaction arose within him.

In the dead of night, the couple burned thousands of calories in their room.

Little Yang, unaware of the dangers of the world, knew nothing of this.

Yesterday, he accompanied Qiaoqiao for a walk around the cotton field several times; it was sunny and hot.

After returning home by car in the evening, I had another big feast of carbs, and with my friends by my side, I was in a great mood and slept soundly.

He couldn't not sleep well; he had promised Qiaoqiao that he would take her to pick daylilies early in the morning!

Sure enough, the slightest noise at night couldn't penetrate the soundproof room at all. He slept soundly until the alarm clock rang, and when he opened his eyes, he saw:
3:30 a.m.

Fortunately, the family breakdown won't be immediately apparent, since Lao Yang is in control and everything is stored in the refrigerator in his room.

Xiao Yang got up, opened the kitchen refrigerator again, snorted, and silently closed the refrigerator door.

The chef, who had been so engrossed in the aroma yesterday that he questioned his existence, now saw the two boys had no appetite and joined in with a sigh.

Honestly, how is this any different from the stingy mother-in-law who used to lock the cupboard?
He's a master chef, so why didn't Chairman Yang bring out the ingredients beforehand last night?
If I had to say something...

He could only ask Qiaoqiao and Yang Zhengxin again, "Are we having fried rice with eggs this morning? Using the rice that Qiaoqiao sent?"

But neither scallions nor eggs are acceptable, but I have no other choice but to use this.

The chef looked out the window; the morning star was still shining brightly on the horizon.

Yang Zhengxin also sighed: "Eat, eat, Uncle, you've worked hard, it's nothing."

The chef chuckled.

I'm paid for this night shift, so even though eating dinner at midnight is a bit early, it's just two bowls of fried rice, what's so difficult about that?

As he spoke, he retreated to the kitchen, lit a fire, and prepared the ingredients, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Qiaoqiao checked the time; it was 3:30 in the morning. She asked, "Are we coming back this afternoon? If we are, I can do my homework and attend online classes tonight."

He truly loves learning; perhaps it's because learning doesn't feel like a task at all.

Xiao Yang nodded and replied, "In this hot weather, if we don't use the farm machinery today, we should be home by around 11 a.m.

Qiaoqiao cheered up, but also felt a little sorry for Yang Zhengxin:
"Xiao Yang, does your family not get any land leased nearby? The land is all so far away, it's so pitiful."

“In our village, every household’s vegetable garden has to be very close together so that it’s convenient to take care of planting and harvesting.”

But he was a kind person and quickly comforted his good friend:
"But don't be sad, there are many people whose land is far away. For example, my uncle's family's mountain is a long way away."

How long will it take?

The narrow, winding path is rugged and takes about 40 minutes to walk to reach the destination, which is almost outside the village.

However, precisely because the tea plantation was abandoned, and because they had already secured jobs in the city, they insisted on having larger plots of land when the land was allocated.

They discussed dividing the land because they knew they would have to rely on Song Sancheng for their old age.

Sure enough, years later, just last year, he complained about this very thing.

Yang Zhengxin knew that her family wasn't what Qiao Qiao described, but she still gladly accepted Qiao Qiao's kindness at this moment:
"Right? I was just saying that my dad and his family didn't work hard enough to settle the fields nearby. Otherwise, we could have gotten up at 4 o'clock, had a quick meal, and then gone to the fields."

Unlike now, we'd grab a quick bite around 3 a.m. and head out. By the time we arrived at the farm, it was almost 4:30 a.m., and that's when it was time to pick daylilies.

As for whether it can be later... not at all.

If we come later, the temperature will be high, and the yellow flowers will be in bloom, which will be inappropriate.

Besides, in the sweltering summer heat, with temperatures reaching 30 or 40 degrees Celsius, who would choose to work only when it's broad daylight?

Outside, a younger driver was waiting at the door in a safer car.

These past few days, he's been taking care of the two children's activities. Now that the food is ready, he's been called in to eat with the chef—of course, it's just regular food.

While eating, he muttered to the chef, "You know, even though the family is so well-off, they still have to work so hard from dawn till dusk. Mr. Yang's family really knows how to raise their children."

"Of course," the chef said, having frequent interactions with the housekeeper and keeping up with all the gossip.
What kind of villas doesn't everyone in this area have?

Some children are just like Xiao Yang, winning gold medals and bringing glory to the country, yet they are still so approachable and hardworking in private.

Some kids, well, they're not taught at home, they're full of bad habits, and they'll do anything.

Even in the dead of night, in the early hours of the morning, not only does the chef have to work, but the driver also has to get up early and work late.

It's not easy. It's not easy for anyone!

The driver himself chuckled and said:
"Don't say that. The reason you're willing to work the night shift is the reason I'm willing to drive so early in the morning." Although he got up early, the kids spend most of their time playing at home. He just picks them up and drops them off. He has plenty of free time.

In addition, their drivers have special jobs that require them to be available on call, so they receive an extra subsidy each month.

What do you do when you work?

Working is all about making money!

She has a great mindset.

If I had to point out anything I was dissatisfied with...

The two of them, enjoying the faint aroma wafting from outside, ate their rice with gusto while also filled with anticipation:

"With all our hard work, when will we ever get to eat this tribute rice?"

It must be for internal supply. Otherwise, with Chairman Yang's power, how could his family be so stingy as to only get 10 or 8 kilograms of it every month?
It's definitely because they have the money but lack the channels and qualifications to buy it.

If even a driver said that, the chef felt even more distressed.

Because he not only gets to access ingredients of the same high quality as rice, but he also makes quite a few himself.

The problem is, he didn't try any of them!
Take chefs, for example. Who doesn't love ingredients? Just look at how some people carefully nurture a jar of aged brine for many years, and you'll know.

"Hey," the head chef was very ambitious, "when will Mr. Yang become more successful? Or, since our young Yang is so good at studying, he'll become a high-ranking official or a scientist in the future. I wonder if I could pass the political background check if I wanted to become a chef?"

Yang Zhengxin was unaware that the family chef had such high expectations of him.

Getting up at 3 a.m. is really against his biological clock, and after eating a lot of carbohydrates, he immediately felt sleepy.

After getting dressed, applying mosquito repellent, and carrying a shoulder bag with two bottles of mineral water, I realized I had put on my clothes and put on mosquito repellent.

After getting on the bus, he leaned back in the seat and slumped down, saying, "Qiaoqiao, I'm going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up when we get there."

Qiaoqiao was also a little sleepy, so she pushed him to the side and said, "Let's sleep together."

Amidst the faint chirping of insects in the villa area, the car engine started up softly. The two teenagers in the back seat leaned back comfortably, their eyes closed, and slowly began to pile up in the middle without them realizing it.

The driver saw this in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but reflect on his actions again:
The work wasn't done carefully enough.

In situations like this, a nanny van should be brought.

……

When the car came to a smooth and steady stop, Yang Zhengxin was already awake without anyone having to call him.

Looking ahead, the factory gates were slowly opening. He nudged Qiaoqiao beside him:

"Time to get to work."

The sky had already brightened, though it still had a faint hazy blue hue, it was already clearly visible.

The sweltering heat in the air has subsided slightly, and there's no longer the scorching sun overhead to burn your skin, making it the perfect time of day to get to work.

Qiaoqiao opened her eyes, still groggy, and looked out the car window, suddenly feeling annoyed:
"Xiao Yang, we should have brought a cup of tea."

“Who says otherwise?” Xiao Yang thought of it too. “But we can’t take it with us. My dad has hidden all the tea in our house.”

It's not that it's hidden; it's just placed openly in his room or brought to his company.

In short, Xiao Yang, who doesn't drink tea, couldn't get any.

The two boys looked at each other, then each unscrewed their water bottles and gulped down a mouthful—

"Let's go! I had someone put my clothes and shoes in the locker room beforehand, let's go change."

He then asked Qiaoqiao, "Did you bring all your live streaming equipment?"

Qiaoqiao glanced at her bag: "I brought it."

Qiaoqiao also learned a lot about picking daylilies last night, and when she went to the changing room and saw the equipment, she put it on carefully.

Hats, raincoats, and rain boots.

The raincoat even comes in two thoughtful styles: a traditional style that you slip on completely, and a one-piece rain trousers style.

After thinking about it, Qiaoqiao still chose the onesie rain pants: "I don't like the feeling of my legs being wet."

He was also wearing long trousers.

If you wear a traditional raincoat, the sprawling grass stems and leaves will quickly soak your pants and stick to your legs.

Instead, wearing loose-fitting onesie rain pants will provide more comprehensive protection.

“My mother was picking tea in the mountains, and my sister bought her this kind.”

The weather is scorching hot, but it is also the rainy season, so the humidity is particularly high.

When working in the early morning, the dew was so thick it looked like it had rained all night. In the past, tea pickers in Wulan would simply wrap themselves in a plastic sheet, but when Song Tan saw this, he arranged for them to wear raincoats.

Later, the tea bushes grew deep and dense, with wild grass underneath, so she simply changed into a complete set of rain boots and rain pants.

Now Qiaoqiao is very skilled at putting it on, and she even said seriously:
"When we get to the fields, I'll remind the kids to dress properly. My seventh uncle said that if they're always all wet, they'll get rheumatism when they get old."

The two arrived at the field fully equipped. It wasn't even 5 o'clock yet, but it was already considered late.

At this moment, there are already quite a few farmers from the surrounding area in the vast expanse of lush green daylily fields.

Qiaoqiao started her live stream, and Yang Zhengxin helped her find the right angle and put on the microphone. The two of them had cloth bags tied around their waists, and they also started taking off their clothes.

Like honeysuckle and chrysanthemum, daylilies are best picked from the buds.

Too small won't do; it has to be the perfect size.

On the one hand, economically speaking, this is more economical; on the other hand, at this level of maturity, the nutrients are more complete, and the taste is better.

They're too small and tender; once blanched, they're practically gone. Eating a big mouthful is like eating nothing at all.

The live stream has started.

Qiaoqiao prepared her lines: "Children, today I'll teach you how to pick daylilies."

Early in the morning, around 4 a.m., night owls were half asleep when a notification to start a live stream suddenly went off, and they flooded into the live stream room.

Yang Zhengxin glanced at the screen and saw that only seven or eight hundred people had joined the broadcast since it started—it seemed that this time of day was far more challenging than the dead of night!

Although the number is small, it is still rising steadily.

He knew that Qiaoqiao didn't really care about the number of people, but some things were more lively to talk about with more people!

So he was told to say what he was going to say later, and just show the children the daylilies for now.

Qiaoqiao was very obedient. At that moment, she picked a plump daylily bud that was about to bloom, its green color already showing hints of yellow, and held it up to the camera:
"Look! Daylilies!" (End of Chapter)