Gourd Farm Chapter 29
Translated by Etherna (ko-fi)
Chapter 29: The Typhoon Arrives
Now that the restaurant delivery is taken care of, the first day went smoothly, and he's learned the ropes. Future deliveries should be easier.
It's already 8:30 AM, so Yang Feng rode his bike to the usual spot for his stall.
"Xia Ying, you're here early!"
"I just arrived here a little while ago, not too long."
"I passed by a breakfast shop earlier and got you a cup of hot soy milk."
Saying that, Yang Feng handed the steaming soy milk to Xia Ying.
Xia Ying hurriedly declined, her face turning red. "No, I don't want it. You can have it."
"I still have mine. I just delivered the goods to the restaurant."
"Oh, is it the person who came to buy cucumbers yesterday?"
"Mmm, let's try selling them for now."
After spending a long time together at the stall, Yang Feng doesn't even remember when they became so familiar with each other.
But it's actually quite nice this way. At least, there's someone to talk to. It's not like in the beginning when he would stand by the roadside all day like a fool.
After watching for a while, they sold some cucumbers one after another, but most people found them too expensive and walked away after asking for the price.
"It looks like if we have time, we should go to the county town and see. The consumption level here is limited, so even if the products are good, we won't be able to sell them at a good price."
Feeling a bit bored, Yang Feng took out his phone to check the news and online forums. Suddenly, a message popped up, warning about strong winds and a typhoon landing in the next couple of days, urging residents to take early precautions.
However, he didn't pay much attention to it. These warnings are usually brief, and unless you live near the coast, they won't affect you much.
Checking the time, Yang Feng still had some moments left to continue selling; he had to head to the school area by 10:30 AM.
"Young man, how much are the cucumbers?"
A middle-aged man riding a cargo tricycle, likely selling breakfast, approached. His tricycle had several thermos containers filled with porridge.
"Oh, they're eight yuan per half a kilogram."
"What? So expensive!"
The middle-aged man exclaimed loudly, seemingly shocked by the price.
He felt the cucumbers in his hands, and they were indeed beautiful, with a uniform size. If it weren't for that, he might have walked away just from hearing the price.
"This is a new variety, different from the ordinary cucumbers you find in the market. Don't get them mixed up."
From the beginning, Yang Feng had confidence in his cucumbers. And after receiving the order from the restaurant yesterday, he was even more certain that these cucumbers would be popular in the market.
"The appearance looks good, but I'm not sure about the taste. Some cucumbers can be old inside with lots of seeds."
"Don't worry, that won't happen with these cucumbers."
After saying that, Yang Feng directly washed one and handed it to the middle-aged man to taste.
"Mmm, not bad. It's sweet and has a unique aroma of fruits and vegetables, which is the most important thing."
Watching the middle-aged man go from initial doubt to disbelief, it was evident that he was convinced by the taste of the cucumber.
Confident in his cucumbers, Yang Feng asked, "So, are you satisfied with the taste?"
"Very satisfied! I sell breakfast items near the school gate, and my main product is sushi, so I have a high demand for cucumbers."
"Oh, I see. How much do you need?"
He was initially wondering why someone who sells breakfast items would need cucumbers.
"Could I get around three kilograms today? Can you make it a little cheaper for me?"
"Alright, I'll give you a discount of 20 cents per half a kilogram. As you know, fresh produce doesn't have a large profit margin."
"Deal. Give me three kilograms for now, and we'll see how it goes."
Efficiently, Yang Feng weighed three kilograms of cucumbers. As the breakfast cart drove away, he still had around two and a half kilograms of cucumbers left.
Yang Feng planned to sell them near the school gate for a while, hoping to sell most of them.
Suddenly, it was already past noon, and Yang Feng felt hungry since it was lunch time. He had sold most of the cucumbers from his cart and returned home. After quickly preparing something to eat, he lay down on his bed to rest for a while.
"Whoosh Whoosh~"
In a drowsy state, he faintly heard the sound of wind outside, initially not paying much attention to it. He was about to turn over and continue sleeping when the sound of the wind grew louder and he suddenly remembered the news he had read earlier about an approaching typhoon.
"Whoosh~"
Yang Feng jumped out of bed in an instant, completely awake now. Wearing his flip-flops, he rushed outside.
As he stepped out, he noticed that the once bright sky had darkened, and the treetops not far from his door were making cracking sounds. It seemed that the wind was getting stronger, and it might rain soon. He could already feel a slight chill in the air, a clear sign that rain was on its way.
Without much hesitation, Yang Feng grabbed a bag of thick ropes from his home and threw them into his cart. He quickly made his way towards the greenhouse.
The fruits and vegetables in the greenhouse had just ripened, and if they were to be destroyed by the approaching typhoon, the losses would be significant.
He hurriedly arrived at the greenhouse, and by now, the wind had grown even stronger. The flimsy structure of the greenhouse was swaying back and forth.
Yang Feng rushed inside the greenhouse and pulled down the plastic sheeting to prevent the wind from blowing in easily.
Just as he did that, he noticed that one of the cucumber racks on the side was almost blown over by the wind.
For now, there wasn't much damage inside the greenhouse, but the main concern was the overall structure. Since the greenhouse was directly built on loose soil, its foundation wasn't very stable.
"Pitter-patter."
Just as he was about to go out to get some hemp rope, it started raining heavily outside, and the sky had turned completely dark.
Ignoring the rain, Yang Feng grabbed some iron weights, which were actually steel bars, along with a hammer. He sequentially hammered them along the sides of the greenhouse to secure it in place.
Having finished securing the steel bars, Yang Feng quickly took out the hemp ropes. He had bought them when purchasing the greenhouse, as the seller had recommended them for protection against heavy snowfall or typhoons.
This bag of ropes cost over 200 yuan, and Yang Feng initially hesitated to buy them to save money. However, the seller explained the importance of their function, and he reluctantly decided to make the purchase. Little did he know that he would need them so soon.
Huffing and puffing, the wind was now causing the greenhouse to sway back and forth violently. It seemed that the wind would only get stronger.
Yang Feng's clothes were soaked through, and the rain was so heavy that it blurred his vision. His face was drenched with rainwater.
Running back and forth on both sides of the greenhouse, Yang Feng worked tirelessly to tie the ropes. His flip-flops had already worn out, likely due to the sticky texture of the mud.
After half an hour of busyness, the entire greenhouse had been adequately reinforced.
Wiping the rainwater off his face with his hands, Yang Feng took a moment to assess the now sturdy greenhouse. It no longer swayed uncontrollably in the face of the fierce wind.
Today, he had been careless and narrowly avoided a disaster. It served as a reminder that he should never underestimate the situation and should approach every task with caution, avoiding any sense of complacency.
Feeling exhausted, Yang Feng sat down on the ground inside the greenhouse. Despite not feeling tired while working, now that he had stopped, he felt completely drained, as if his body had fallen apart.
Both of his hands were scraped and bleeding from the friction of the ropes. He had accidentally been struck by the hammer on one of his fingers, causing it to bruise, although it hadn't broken the skin.
