Her Cultivation Diary

The two watermelons were just the right size. With a gentle punch, the glossy green rind cracked open, revealing the bright red flesh inside, almost glaring.

Yang Zhengxi felt indignantly helpless because his stomach was already filled with water. Now, just looking at the watermelons made him want to burp. How was he supposed to eat more than the others?!

The young boy let out a helpless sigh.

His expression was so vivid that Song Tan couldn’t help but laugh: "Don’t worry, we’ll keep looking and pick a few more. We’ll save one just for you."

The little lamb’s inner grievances were immediately soothed.

Lun Chuan, meanwhile, kept staring at his phone, holding a watermelon hesitantly, "Is this one ripe?"

Song Tan looked down, "Wow, you picked well!" She plucked it without hesitation.

Lun Chuan breathed a sigh of relief, "I was reviewing watermelon-picking knowledge. Although I still can’t fully distinguish the stems, I noticed differences where the rind patterns have spread."

Yang Zhengxi quietly shuffled over, his face wrinkled in confusion: Picking watermelons, isn’t it just a matter of tapping them and then testing your luck?

The livestream audience was also silent.

After a while, someone sighed:

[It’s over; these days, even being a farmer has its requirements.]

[I can’t imagine if I owned a watermelon field, I’d have cut open each one before they even ripen.]

[Xiao Yang, your face may be dark, but you’re straightforward. For example, I quite like the look of this watermelon. Want to try it?]

[Yeah, try one?]

...

The watermelon field was bustling, with tourists scattered around the field paths like dandelions, all gradually returning with bags and baskets full.

They were elated, returning full of harvest.

Master Jiang had just finished roasting a pot of soybeans. He deftly scooped a plateful for everyone as a snack while also calling out, "Folks, there are lots of vegetables, but we’re short on hands. Let’s queue up orderly; there’s no rush. Let the veggies queue up and have some snacks in the meantime."

What’s the rush?

A cheerful aunt chimed in loudly, "Come on, let’s chat a bit, make some friends, look at some photos—make sure to give me a like."

With that said, more than ten aunts quickly gathered around.

A few elderly men, struggling with their phones, also casually joined them.

With this, Master Jiang, along with the three helpers in the kitchen and Yan Ran, managed just fine.

But about these wild vegetables everyone picked...

He looked at the pile of vibrant green weeds dumped out of a small basket and sighed heavily.

"What’s up?"

A curious and confident young girl chimed in, "They can’t just have grown too old, right? I was picking the tips."

"Yes, they’re quite tender." Master Jiang picked up the bag of mostly weeds, "But what were you thinking picking this? Even locals don’t eat it. It used to be fed to pigs, and they weren’t too fond either—Tai Xiaodong, what’s the scientific name again?"

Tai Xiaodong picked some wild vegetables, looked at them, and replied, "It’s called Conyza canadensis, edible, not poisonous."

Master Jiang of course knew it wasn’t toxic.

But this stuff...

He, heart aching, placed the weeds back, "See, you’ve come prepared with baskets and shovels, cleaned them nicely. It’d be a shame to toss them. Cook these first in boiling water, then rinse in cold water before making other dishes!"

Confident girl: ...

"It’s edible, right?" she reaffirmed.

"Yes!"

"Great! As long as it’s not embarrassing to post on my social media! I can’t cook anyways!" She cheerfully carried the basket to the edge of the field and raised her phone, posing...

Master Jiang: ...why did you spend the afternoon bending over and squatting?

Meanwhile, Qi Lin was puzzled by a pile of wild herbs in front of him: "Aunt, wild dandelions are different from the cultivated ones sold at the market. This is more bitter, not great for stir-frying."

The bag was filled with dandelions.

"Oh, you don’t understand! Experts say dandelion roots reduce heat, clear the heart, and benefit the eyes. I need to drink more of it."

Qi Lin sighed, "Aunt, you can’t drink too much of it. Be careful of diarrhea, and some people are allergic—have you had it before?"

Aunt’s silence was deafening.

But no issue.

The hardworking and frugal Chinese won’t waste!

"I’ll bring it back for my husband to drink; he’s tough as nails, won’t get affected."

Sorting them without needing cleaning sped things up quite a bit. However, at this moment, Master Jiang was still witnessing the variety of species. Even though videos and pictures indicated the edibles and tasty ones, some still came back with baskets of weeds.

Of course, in the countryside, there’s no true ’weed’—anything non-poisonous is edible. But the problem is, some make the dining table just because they’re hard to swallow!

Why travel such a distance for this?

Master Jiang didn’t understand, but the tourists were overjoyed, squatting happily with their baskets of weeds, raising flowers. The nearby tourists cheered them on: "Wow, your dandelion stalk is so long, looks nice!"

"Isn’t it? My daughter picked it for me. Want to take a picture? I can lend it to you for a shot..."

Others chomped on crispy roasted soybeans, repeatedly asking, "Your roasted soybeans are really tasty. Selling any?"

"Right? I can chew them easily; they’re not hard at all. This master’s skills are top-notch."

"How much per pound?"

"Hey, young man, if I come back tomorrow, can I bring my own soybeans for you to roast?"

As dusk was approaching, and tired birds were heading home, the serene countryside was surrounded by waves of voices, lively and bustling.

Secretary Xiaozu hurried to the mountain just in time, politely speaking with everyone, "Thank you all for supporting our rural endeavors. If you enjoyed your time, could you help spread the word to friends and family?"

She sincerely added, "Here, you get what you pay for; we won’t overcharge or take advantage. If you eat well, come buy vegetables from us more often."

Of course!

Today, everyone had at least a photo collage on their social media; someone like Chen Yunyun had even posted two videos on TikTok, garnering over ten thousand likes in half a day!

Secretary Xiaozu was overjoyed, seeing Song Tan and others return with baskets. She sweet-talked her way into buying a small watermelon, then cautiously gifted it to Chen Yunyun as she was leaving:

"Thank you so much!"

She sincerely said, "Our countryside, villagers make no other income year-round. A little exposure and publicity mean future tourist visits equate to income... Thank you so much! You’ve showcased our place beautifully!"

"This is a small token of appreciation from our village collective, no need to be polite!"

How could Chen Yunyun refuse?

But just as she was about to politely decline, she noticed her grandmother eagerly grabbing the car seat with both hands.

Sigh!

She sighed: Since eating watermelon last summer, her grandmother had been talking about it. Now it’s been almost a year, and eating a simple sweet watermelon would save future longings.

Alright! I’ll accept it!