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Old Tan gathered the washed vegetables into a large bamboo basin and placed them in the yard to dry.
Once the vegetables had dried enough, he picked some and placed them in a large wooden basin, ready to bring them inside.
At this moment, Wan Chunmei had already finished cooking the sauce.
Old Tan had brought back a lot of salt from the county, but Wan Chunmei, having endured poverty for so long, was reluctant to use it generously. For rare ingredients like this, she always tried to use as little as possible.
While making the sauce, she had specifically used the secret family recipe passed down from her mother. With just a small amount of salt, she could make a delicious, savory flavor.
“Wife, this sauce smells so good!” Old Tan couldn’t help but dip his hand into the sauce to taste it. After taking a bite, his eyes immediately closed in delight.
Wan Chunmei, seeing this, grew anxious. “What’s wrong? Is the sauce not tasty?”
Old Tan quickly smiled and said, “No, no, it’s too good! Wife, after tasting this sauce, I feel like I could eat a whole bowl of rice. Let’s hurry, and I’ll get the rice cooking later.”
Wan Chunmei, hearing this, was overjoyed. “Good, good, we’ll get the rice cooked afterward.”
She then took out the washed bitter melon, cucumber, and winter melon, carefully cutting them into pieces. Afterward, she placed them in a large basin and mixed them with the freshly made sauce.
Once the vegetables had marinated for a little while, she brought out the jar for pickling and carefully placed the prepared pickled vegetables into it.
The couple, Old Tan and Wan Chunmei, were busy with their tasks.
Tan Yiliang and Tan Erqian were helping nearby, while Tan Sanyuan continued looking after the children. Tan Siwen and Tan Wuguan were keeping an eye on the vegetables drying by the door.
Soon, night fell.
Wan Chunmei had prepared five large jars of pickled vegetables, and now they just had to wait for the pickling to finish.
It was the height of summer, and the pickling process would take neither too long nor too short—a perfect three days.
Wan Chunmei wiped the sweat from her brow. “Laodi, is the rice ready? The kids are probably hungry by now.”
Old Tan took the sleeve of his shirt and gently wiped the sweat from Wan Chunmei’s forehead, smiling as he said, “It’s ready. Come, let’s eat.”
Upon hearing this, Wan Chunmei pulled at her clothes and walked to the door, calling out, “Yiliang, Erqian, Siwen, Wuguan, come eat!”
With her call, the children of all ages entered the house.
Lately, there had been fish, meat, and vegetables, and the children were eating with great enjoyment.
Wan Chunmei and Old Tan watched them with deep satisfaction, feeling content as they observed the happy scene, already feeling full just from watching their children eat.
Tan Yiliang, feeling tender toward his parents, quickly picked up some vegetables and placed them on their plates. “Father, Mother, eat up.”
Wan Chunmei looked at the vegetables in her bowl, nodding and smiling as she said, “Ah, eat, eat.”
Old Tan sat nearby, eating his own share of rice.
For ordinary families, there was no talk of great wealth or luxury.
For most farmers, just having enough food to fill their bellies and warm clothes to wear was already the greatest wish.
Little Qiyue lay on the bed, blinking her eyes as she watched the bustling people in the room. She moved her little arms, her face filled with a smile, as if reflecting on the thought that, this time, she had been born into a good family.
The summer night was short.
Soon, morning arrived.
Old Tan also told Tan Erqian about the big Lingzhi mushroom.
To his surprise, Tan Erqian strongly opposed it. “Father, I’m not selling the Lingzhi, no matter how much silver they offer.”
Old Tan was puzzled. “Why? Shopkeeper Bai said he would give us twenty taels of silver.”
Tan Erqian replied seriously, “Father, I asked Dr. Li about it. This Ganoderma can completely cure Third Brother’s illness.”
“Sanyuan’s illness?” Old Tan was taken aback. “But isn’t Sanyuan already better?”
Tan Erqian replied, “He’s better, but the root cause isn’t gone.”
He glanced around, his small stature making him resemble a little adult. “I secretly overheard Dr. Li talking. Actually, third brother’s health has always been poor, not because of illness, but because he’s been poisoned.”
“Poisoned?” Old Tan was stunned. As someone who spent his life farming, he had never heard of anything like this, usually only hearing about snake bites or poisoning in rare cases.
He pulled Tan Erqian under the eaves, lowering his voice to ask, “Poisoned? What kind of poison? When did he get poisoned? Did Dr. Li say anything?”
Tan Erqian shook his head obediently. “Dr. Li didn’t mention it, but I feel like it’s something big. It seems like Dr. Li doesn’t want too many people to know.”
Old Tan thought about Sanyuan’s background and quietly speculated that perhaps it was a result of some big family’s internal strife—poisoning a baby and abandoning him in this remote village.
It seemed so malicious!
Old Tan sighed deeply, not wanting Tan Erqian to be burdened with such dark thoughts at his young age. He deliberately changed the subject, “So, you want to keep the Lingzhi for Sanyuan’s health?”
Tan Erqian nodded, smiling. “Exactly, money can always be earned again, but Sanyuan only has one life.”
Old Tan glanced toward the mountains. “But aren’t there more large Ganoderma mushrooms up there? We could just go harvest another one.”
Tan Erqian replied, “Father, I’ve already been up there. If we go again, we won’t find any more. But it’s understandable; where would there be so many good Lingzhi mushrooms just waiting for us to pick? But don’t worry, I brought back a piece of rotten tree with small Ganoderma growing on it. We can see if it can be cultivated. If it works, we won’t have to worry anymore.”
Old Tan didn’t really believe he could grow it, but didn’t want to shatter his hopes. He smiled and agreed, “Alright, alright. When we go to see Shopkeeper Bai, I’ll talk to him about it.”
“Yes, Father,” Tan Erqian nodded with a smile.