Gourd Farm Chapter 101
Translated by MissQ (ko-fi)
Chapter 101: Gourd's Startling Change
Yang Feng waited for over ten minutes until the girls finally arrived, albeit tardily. Initially, he had considered leaving first, but he decided against it, feeling it wouldn't be appropriate.
Liu Wan'er had reverted to her elegant attire, yet her casual outfit still radiated beauty.
"Why are you just standing there? Are you captivated by the beauty of our dear Wan'er?" Hua Xue couldn’t help but tease Yang Feng upon seeing him.
"…"
Yang Feng was genuinely a bit apprehensive of Hua Xue and her teasing remarks. He truly didn't know how to respond to her banter. It seemed he would have to steer clear of her in the future.
Liu Waner's fair face flushed red. "You mischievous little thing, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you want a scolding?"
"Humph, I couldn't care less!"
The three young and beautiful girls leisurely strolled through the village, drawing numerous second glances from passersby. Some of the older residents recognized Liu Waner and warmly greeted her as they passed by.
"Woof woof woof!"
As Yang Feng approached the greenhouse, Big White greeted him affectionately, wagging his tail.
The three girls, still full of energy, suddenly froze upon seeing the dog, panic evident in their eyes.
Yang Feng observed the three trembling girls and couldn't resist seizing the opportunity for some payback. This was his chance for revenge from all the teasing before.
"Hua Xue, why aren't you moving?"
Hua Xue's eyes widened like bells. "Can't you see the dog ahead? Are you doing this intentionally?"
Yang Feng rolled his eyes. He wasn't the dog. How could he possibly know if it was intentional?
Upon hearing the dog barking, Xia Tian emerged from the greenhouse. "Big White, quiet down."
Xia Tian glanced outside and spotted Yang Feng's return. No wonder Big White was barking, but why had Yang Feng brought along several women? His eyes widened in surprise.
"Brother Feng, are you running errands or taking a vacation?"
Yang Feng heard Xia Tian's sour tone and realized he must still be upset about the KTV incident. "Just open the door already. Enough with the chatter."
As the door was about to open, Liu Wan'er and the others instinctively stepped back. Hua Xue said cautiously, "Little youngster, make sure you keep the dog under control."
Xia Tian frowned. "Miss, please omit the 'little' next time you address me."
"Pfft—"
Upon hearing Xia Tian's retort, Yang Feng couldn't help but laugh. Xia Tian's mind seemed to work in a unique way. Liu Wan'er and the other girls beside him were also grinning from ear to ear.
Hua Xue glanced at Xia Tian. "Young man, make sure you keep the dog under control. Is that okay now?"
They entered the greenhouse. Xia Ying spotted Liu Wan'er approaching and went over to greet her. As for the others, she didn't recognize them, so she simply smiled and considered it a polite greeting.
Liu Wan'er handed Xia Ying a stack of papers from her bag and smiled gently. "Xia Ying, here's the information you requested."
Xia Ying frowned. "Sister Wan'er, what kind of information is this?"
"You'll understand once you read it," Liu Wan'er replied.
Xia Ying accepted the papers and began reading. Yang Feng realized it was information about mushrooms. So, the "girl" Liu Wan'er mentioned earlier was referring to Xia Ying. It appeared that Xia Ying realized she lacked knowledge about mushrooms and sought out Liu Wan'er for assistance.
Meanwhile, Hua Xue and Xing Yue grew a bit impatient and urged, "Yang Feng, could you show us the strawberries now?"
In the first greenhouse, the canopy cleaning process was nearly complete. Xia Ying observed for a while and had numerous questions for Liu Wan'er. Meanwhile, Yang Feng guided the two girls to the strawberries in the third greenhouse. Upon seeing the strawberries, they became engrossed in picking them, paying little attention to Yang Feng.
"Xing Yue, look at the size of this strawberry!"
"It's the same here. Each one is so beautiful, I almost feel guilty picking them."
"…"
Yang Feng noticed there was nothing for him to do in the greenhouse, so he decided to leave. The water from yesterday still hadn't been pumped out, and he planned to fill a bags with mud to seal the gap below; otherwise, there wouldn't be enough water.
After gathering everything he needed, Yang Feng said, "Xia Tian, come with me to block the waterway."
Xia Tian grabbed bags of mud and remarked, "Brother Feng, is this enough?"
The two of them stacked up seven or eight bags of mud. Yang Feng stood up and tested its stability. Blocking the water storage would definitely be an improvement; otherwise, he'd be stuck watching every time he pumped water.
"Rumble~"
Yang Feng connected the water pump. As the motor hummed to life, the water pipe surged with water, resembling a silver snake in motion.
Meanwhile, back at the greenhouse, the girls had already finished picking strawberries and left. Xia Ying mentioned they had intended to bid farewell, but the rush of time prevented them from doing so.
Xia Ying then handed over three hundred-dollar bills. "They left these behind when they departed. They were worried you wouldn't want them, so they tossed them to me."
It was clear why they hadn’t bid farewell. They likely feared it would be awkward if he refused the money. Yang Feng shook his head and accepted the bills.
After their meal, Yang Feng proceeded with his usual routine of pouring the gourd water into the bucket. He went to unlock the cabinet where the gourd was stored. The gourd had become too important to be left lying around carelessly. He still relied on it to save up for a house and marriage.
He opened the cabinet door and retrieved the gourd from its box. As he held it in his hand, it felt unnervingly light, almost empty. A pang of concern gripped Yang Feng's heart. He knew he hadn't used up today's gourd water, so it should be full.
After shaking it vigorously, there was still no sign of water. Panic began to set in for Yang Feng. He reluctantly opened the lid and peered inside with one eye, only to find nothing but darkness staring back at him.
Refusing to accept the reality, Yang Feng flipped the gourd upside down, but to no avail; not a single drop of water emerged. Deflated and disheartened, he slumped onto the nearby stool.
What should he do now? Would this deceitful gourd never provide any more water in the future? With so much land in his possession, all his money had been invested in it. Without the gourd water, he couldn't fathom the consequences.
Yang Feng sat there as if he had lost his soul, clutching the gourd, his eyes blank for two hours. During this time, he would occasionally drink from it or shake it, but to no avail whatsoever.
He placed the gourd on the table and let out a heavy sigh. "You deceitful thing, you've truly made a fool out of me."
In the silent room, his voice echoed off the four cold walls, the only sound filling the empty space.
He continued studying the gourd until midnight. By then, exhaustion overtook him, and he finally laid down on the bed, drifting off to sleep.
Yang Feng wasn't sure how long he had been asleep when he suddenly woke up feeling empty. He had been so tired before that he hadn't even bothered with a blanket. Now, the cold roused him from his slumber, and he opened his eyes to find it was only four o'clock.
Turning on the switch, he reached for the gourd leaning beside the bed and shook it, but it remained stubbornly empty.
It seemed like this time, fate had played a cruel joke on him. Yang Feng rubbed his somewhat swollen eye sockets and examined the gourd carefully.
He noticed that the color of the gourd appeared slightly different than before. It had taken on a dark purple hue, and the patterns on its surface seemed altered. However, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed.
Everything else about the gourd seemed normal in size and appearance. He decided to illuminate the interior with the flashlight on his phone. Peering inside, he found it still pitch black with nothing visible. With dawn breaking outside, he had no choice but to set the gourd aside for now.
