Chapter 1453: High and Cold

This time, the range of Qi gathering was too vast, far beyond what the cellar at home could compare to. Therefore, the 100-plus beads dismantled from that pearl chain were slowly nourished by Song Tan for three days before being tucked into her pocket.

She no longer needed to perform any indescribable movements to draw in Qi, so there was no need to be sneaky in the dead of night.

She even led Yun Duo around the mountains openly, walking along the foot of the hills over and over again. It looked as if she were surveying the land or observing the conditions of her own fields, not raising the slightest suspicion.

It was just that sometimes, when she saw a certain spot, she would study it for a while longer.

The 4mm jade beads were so inconspicuous that with a slight, deliberate force of her foot to create a deep crevice in the ground, she could toss them in without anyone noticing.

The jade beads tumbled deep into the earth; unless someone was intentionally searching, even if they brought in an excavator, it would be difficult to reach such deep soil layers. By the time all 100-plus beads were used up, their step count for the day had already reached ten or twenty thousand.

Yun Duo was, after all, a farm girl, but with all that trekking up and down the mountains, her soles felt sore and swollen, and her sacroiliac joints were aching and unable to hold up.

Yet, just as she was secretly shifting her weight to relieve her legs, a mountain breeze suddenly blew by.

This was clearly just an exceptionally ordinary mountain breeze for late spring, but she felt as if she had been enveloped in an incredibly comfortable space. Her sore soles felt as if they were being nourished by something, and her exhausted spirit felt as if it had been smoothed out with extreme care, causing her to let out a deep sigh involuntarily.

She came to her senses and hurriedly stifled it.

Instead, Song Tan looked at her curiously: "Am I that fierce? You have to stop halfway through a sigh."

"No," Yun Duo said, feeling a bit embarrassed: "I heard from the elders that if you sigh often, you'll sigh away your good fortune."

Song Tan laughed: "It's not that exaggerated. What the elders mean by sighing away your fortune refers to that negative mindset of being full of grief and complaining about heaven and earth without any reason—with that kind of mindset, where would good fortune come from?"

"But if you are tired and sigh involuntarily, then sigh deeper and longer—breath can regulate the body. If your body wants to sigh, it proves it needs this rhythm to adjust. Just don't overdo it."

She blinked, a half-smile on her face: "For instance, here in these great mountains, if you breathe deeply and sigh long, who knows, it might be good for your body?"

This explanation was quite interesting. Yun Duo saw that Song Tan seemed to be in a very good mood while observing the surroundings, so she nodded and walked back two steps: "I'll try deep breathing!"

Song Tan: "……Stand here; the breeze is comfortable here."

This girl, really. When the Qi surged, her body sensed it and wanted to adjust rapidly, but she forcibly stifled it. When asked to take a few deep breaths, she insisted on standing outside the formation...

Fortunately, she was still obedient; when told to stand there, she stood there without moving, breathing deeply—that bit of Qi couldn't improve much, but it could at least alleviate some of today's fatigue.

She was used to walking up and down the mountains every day and hadn't noticed that the climbing and descending had exhausted her assistant.

Looking up at the mountainside again, the faint Qi formed a light mist, lingering on their own hillside as if covered by an invisible shroud, no longer showing the scene of large-scale dissipation as before.

Occasionally, some would drift away, but it started from the mountainside downwards, and before it could hit the ground and be absorbed by wild grass, it was quickly intercepted by trees that had grown tall enough.

It was achieved.

In this way, the quality of this year's mountain fruits would likely be even better than last year's.

……

The fruits at the end of April were nowhere near their ripening period, but as a qualified merchant, it was high time to secure the orchard. Boss Chang had now even obtained cattle and sheep, feeling his status had risen, so he didn't feel it was appropriate to chase and ask every day.

If he asked too urgently, what if the other party became impatient?

But even if he didn't ask, the vegetable vendor Old Zhao and Boss Wang and Boss Qian, who had bought eagle-beak peaches last year, couldn't help but keep them in mind as they watched the early spring technology peaches hit the market.

Given the bond Old Zhao had with Song Tan from setting up a street stall together, he muttered about it and simply called to ask.

Song Tan thought for a moment: "I can't supply you for sale here this year; the price of peaches will likely be more expensive than last year. You can wait for the watermelons; the watermelons are also better than last year."

Peaches, after all, have pits, and buying one or two for a hundred yuan seems a bit extravagant, but watermelons are huge. People in Yuncheng know how to eat and love to eat them; there will always be people willing to pay. At worst, a few people can pool their money to buy a few boxes of sliced watermelon.

"Even more expensive?" Old Zhao felt a pang of bitterness: "I hate that I have no money."

Although he and Boss Chang looked at each other with disdain, in reality, he was extremely envious. After all, who wouldn't want to be a big-spending procurement merchant? As long as the quality is there, any price can be negotiated.

But now, guarding his small vegetable shop, and with his daughter having earned quite a bit relying on Song Tan last year, he felt embarrassed to pester her further, only urging her repeatedly:

"It's settled then, save some watermelons for me, and save a few boxes of peaches too; I'll eat them myself."

He knew his limits, but Boss Wang and Boss Qian still wanted to ask again—although they had broken the contract for chestnuts last year, it was only a verbal agreement at the time, and she hadn't minded. Now, holding the mindset of "taking a shot regardless of whether there are dates or not," they ultimately brought a few boxes of gifts to apologize.

In their line of work, breaking a contract at the last minute is truly inappropriate. It was just that last year was quite awkward, so to continue cooperating this year, they had to be more sincere in their attitude.

In fact, Song Tan really didn't mind.

If the price had been negotiated and agreed upon last year and they didn't want them in the end, it would prove they lacked credibility. But at the time, it was she who hadn't taken the initiative to continue the discussion. Moreover, her own goods were not hard to sell, and these two bosses were quite generous in paying the workers in the village, so she didn't mind.

Seeing them suddenly drive over, carrying bags and packages, she sighed silently—these two were likely going to be disappointed.

After thinking for a while, she called Qiao Qiao over: "Go catch two fish with Dad; just say we have guests tonight. Grass carp or crucian carp will do."

The fish, shrimp, and crabs in the pond were still too small; catching them would be a waste. It was better to go to the river and catch two fish to have something fresh.

Song Sancheng rubbed his hands, set off excitedly with his fishing rod, and upon reaching the door, turned back to grab a hoe, deciding to go pick two prime earthworms first.

Sigh, but now those fishing enthusiasts don't come anymore; no one knows how much his skills have improved... It's lonely at the top, truly lonely!

Qiao Qiao followed behind, tidying up the bucket, fishing rod, and stool, his movements unhurried, before starting the car.

Not until the trembling cloud-like car canopy gradually faded into the distance did Song Tan remember: Ah, if they fish by the riverbank, won't it affect the film crew's shooting? ===== CHAPTER 1454 =====