Gourd Farm Chapter 102
Translated by MissQ (ko-fi)
Chapter 102 New Discovery
The mushroom spawns from the county were set to arrive today. Yang Feng had planned to use the gourd water to enhance their growth, but now it seemed their plans were entirely doomed. Thus, he resolved to wait and try again tomorrow.
"Achoo!"
Yang Feng had barely slept all night, and now his head felt foggy with exhaustion.
Yang Feng quickly woke up and began preparing the goods for delivery in the morning. Just as they were ready, Xia Tian and Xia Ying arrived.
Xia Tian glanced at the baskets of produce and remarked, "Brother Feng, what got you up so early today? It's only seven o'clock, and you've already finished with it all? Did you do it all by yourself?"
Yang Feng replied wearily, "Hmm, I woke up early today."
Xia Ying walked over to a basket of tomatoes and frowned. "Yang Feng, you weren't careful with the weight. This one obviously has too much."
Yang Feng followed Xia Ying's observation and glanced over. Soon, he realized she was correct; that basket did indeed contain an excess of tomatoes. He wasn't particularly focused on his work today, as his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his gourd.
Throughout the day, Yang Feng remained in a daze. Although he was usually adept at cooking, today even a simple julienned potato stir fry managed to numb Xia Yan's tongue.
Nighttime felt like an eternity dragging on. Yang Feng closed the door and retrieved the gourd from the cabinet, determined to restore it to its former state. If he couldn't, not only would his future earnings be in jeopardy, but he would also be burdened with enormous debts.
The thought of his fifty acres of land devoid of the gourd's blessing sent a shiver down Yang Feng's spine. Nervously, he carefully opened the box.
Upon closer examination, Yang Feng noticed that the entire gourd had transformed from its original dark yellow hue to a deep purple, as if coated with a layer of dye. The texture on its surface became increasingly distinct, resembling a treasure map with various twists and turns.
As he picked up the gourd, Yang Feng sensed that it was significantly heavier than before, sparking a glimmer of hope within him. With careful anticipation, he opened the lid and placed a small basin beneath to catch the water. Such a precious resource couldn't afford to be wasted.
After holding the gourd upside down for an extended period, not a single drop of water emerged. Yang Feng felt the urge to curse at this moment.
He attempted to shake the gourd vigorously, his frustration mounting with each futile attempt. He was so enraged that he was on the verge of throwing it away, yet he couldn't bring himself to do so despite trying several times.
Day after day, Yang Feng continued to wait in vain. For three consecutive days, aside from the changes in the surface texture, the gourd remained no different from an ordinary one.
In the following days, Yang Feng exhausted every possible method. He attempted to suck the gourd's contents with a leather tube and even resorted to blowing into it after numerous failed attempts, yet the outcome remained unchanged.
Staring at the seemingly hopeless gourd before him, Yang Feng's frustration reached its peak. Impatiently, he hurled the gourd to the ground, then retrieved a cigarette and lit it, furrowing his brow in deep contemplation.
Perhaps it was due to several days of sleeplessness, coupled with the realization that he had done all he could. Some things in life simply couldn't be forced. With that realization sinking in, Yang Feng lay down and, for the first time in a while, enjoyed a restful sleep.
"Ding ding ding!"
At eight o'clock in the morning, the alarm clock chimed three or four times before Yang Feng slowly opened his eyes. Upon waking, he was greeted by a dazzling ray of sunlight streaming through the window.
He rubbed his eyes and reached to switch off the alarm clock by his bedside. As he dressed and prepared to put on his shoes, Yang Feng noticed the gourd lying on the ground where he had thrown it the previous night.
Upon seeing the gourd, anger welled up within Yang Feng, and he kicked it forcefully with his foot. The gourd rolled to the bottom of the cabinet and shook back and forth twice before coming to a stop.
After tying his shoelaces and preparing to wash up, Yang Feng suddenly sensed something was amiss. The gourd had made a clunking sound when he kicked it, indicating there was something inside, but it didn't sound like water.
He bent down and retrieved the gourd from the ground, surprised by its weight. "Hey, this isn't light at all."
Yang Feng opened the lid and peered inside, only to find an unknown substance swirling within. He located a clean bowl and poured out the contents, revealing a thick, gelatinous substance resembling collagen.
"It's so sticky, what is this?" Yang Feng stared at the substance in disgust, realizing it bore a striking resemblance to...
He poured half a bowl of the substance and dipped his hand into it. It felt remarkably smooth, akin to engine oil. If he weren't concerned about his safety, Yang Feng would have been tempted to taste it.
"Splash~"
As Yang Feng pondered, the fishes in the nearby bucket continued to move around, splashing water onto the ground. An idea sparked in his mind: what if he added some of this substance to the water? Would it have any effect on the fishes? With this thought in mind, Yang Feng added a few drops to the bucket and resolved to check on the fishes later that night to see if they would be poisoned.
The dubious substance in the gourd was deemed unfit for use on the fruits and vegetables in the greenhouse, Yang Feng couldn't afford any adverse side effects. He had nowhere to turn if things went awry.
In the vegetable garden, there were some garlic, celtuce, and other plants growing. It seemed these would have to serve as his experimental subjects. Yang Feng grabbed a spray bottle, added a few drops of the substance, shook it evenly, and proceeded to spray the selected veggies in the garden.
"Brother Feng, I haven't seen you adding the nutrient solution recently," Xia Tian remarked, as he was instructed by Yang Feng to help spray the garlic sprouts. Yang Feng had always made sure to apply the nutrient solution before with any plants they cultivated.
"Hmm, we've run out for now. We'll have to wait a few days," Yang Feng replied. It wasn't that he didn't want to add it; the problem was there was no gourd water available anymore.
The current gourd now produced this questionable liquid every day, but at a slower rate than before. It took roughly two days to fill up the entire gourd.
In the following days, Yang Feng made it a daily routine to visit the vegetable garden and observe the areas where he had used the gourd's unknown liquid. Each day, the changes were more pronounced. The garlic had grown thicker than a thumb, while the celtuces showed even more dramatic results. A single celtuce, with its leaves combined, weighed close to two kilograms.
Yang Feng began to realize that the gourd had seemingly upgraded itself. The viscous liquid inside had been optimized, and its concentration was greater than the previous water.
With just a few drops of the mysterious liquid, the vegetable garden exhibited remarkable improvement. In the past, achieving such results would have required a significant amount of gourd water.
As this realization dawned on Yang Feng, his spirits lifted, dispelling the depression of the past few days. "Xia Tian, go kill the fishes I’ve been raising. You're gonna have a few drinks with me tonight."
Excitedly, Xia Tian dashed out of the greenhouse. "Brother Feng, did you win the lottery today or something?"
Yang Feng appeared to have lost his zest for life in recent days. Sensing his troubled state, Xia Ying refrained from allowing Xia Tian to disturb him, resulting in Yang Feng accomplishing very little work during this time.
"I know you've been eyeing my fishes for more than a couple of days now. If you don't want to eat them today, don't say I didn't give you a chance."
"I want to eat! How could I refuse?" Xia Tian eagerly lifted the bucket out of the main room.
Xia Tian gazed at the large lively fishes in the bucket, anticipating the delicious meal they would become. With sleeves rolled up, he wasted no time in getting to work.
"Xia Tian, lower the fire a little. We're going to char the fishes with such a large fire," Yang Feng instructed. As soon as he poured the oil into the pot, it became so hot that it started to smoke.
"Brother Feng, I'm not familiar with this pot of yours. Please wait while I adjust it," Xia Tian responded.
Xia Ying intervened, saying, "I'll handle it. If you don’t know how, just admit it. There's no need to insist on saving face."
Yang Feng recalled that the fishes weren't as large when he first acquired them. It seemed they had grown considerably in the past two days, though he couldn't be certain if it was just his imagination.
After coating the fishes evenly with flour, he placed them into the pot one by one, frying each side until golden brown before turning them over.
Xia Tian couldn't help but swallow his saliva as he watched the tempting sight.
When preparing fish, frying them is half the battle won. After frying, all that's left is to add water and seasoning, then stew them. In just ten minutes, fragrant simmer-fried crucian carps were ready to be enjoyed.
