Gourd Farm Chapter 38
Translated by Etherna (ko-fi)
Chapter 38: Unreasonable Behavior
Taking a closer look at these mischievous kids, all three of them were from the same village, and one he hadn't seen before was likely from a different village.
"Lift your heads up, where's that confidence you had earlier?"
Now they all had their heads down, not daring to move a muscle.
"What are you all still standing around for? Hurry up and lead the way home."
Yang Feng, furious at the sight of the ruined watermelon field, was seething with anger. Four or five of the watermelons were split in half, which was one of the reasons for his frustration. Eating a couple of watermelons was one thing, but seeing this watermelon field in ruins was truly heartbreaking.
"You, the one with the bag, put those split ones into the bag and carry them on your back."
The kids walked ahead in single file, leaving footprints in the ground with each step.
"Move faster! Weren't you running around just now, full of energy?"
They soon arrived at Gou Dan's house. The front gate was tightly closed, so Yang Feng knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
"Creak."
The tightly closed gate was pulled open, and a middle-aged man emerged. This was Li Fei, Gou Dan's father.
"Oh, Yang Feng, how come you have some free time to visit today?"
"Well, you'll have to ask your son about that."
Yang Feng didn't want to say much at this point. After all, they were from the same village, and it was better to keep good relations.
"Hey, Gou Dan, come over here. Did you get into trouble again?"
Li Fei could tell right away that his son must have caused some kind of trouble. This boy always seemed restless and was constantly getting into mischief.
Gou Dan approached Li Fei timidly, but he didn't dare to get too close.
"Spill it. What did you do this time?"
Li Fei roared with anger, and Gou Dan was so scared that he shivered.
"I saw those big, round watermelons in the greenhouse over there and thought about bringing a couple of them home."
Gou Dan's voice was as soft as a mosquito, and he spoke humbly.
"I told you not to be so mischievous again. Just a few days ago, you had to compensate Zhang Da Lao for the oranges you took from her, and now you've already forgotten your lesson, haven't you?"
Before Li Fei could finish speaking, he grabbed Gou Dan's ear and was about to kick him. He looked around for something suitable to use but couldn't find anything. He was even ready to take off his belt.
"Uncle Li, it's okay, it's okay."
Yang Feng, seeing that Li Fei was about to get serious, quickly stepped in to stop him.
While he was understandably angry seeing his watermelons ruined like this, he didn't want the child to be beaten. He had brought the boy here to make sure his family knew about his actions and took responsibility for him.
As the saying goes, "A thief in childhood becomes a thief in adulthood."
"Xiaofeng, how much for this watermelon? I'll give you the money right now."
Li Fei, seeing Yang Feng stepping in and stopping him from punishing Gou Dan, decided to focus on paying for the damaged watermelons.
"This time, let it go. Children are naturally curious and can be forgiven for being intrigued by unusual things. But wasting things like this is not right. Just keep an eye on him in the future."
Li Fei felt a bit embarrassed by Yang Feng's understanding, but he quickly agreed.
"Come on, all of you, go home. What are you still looking at?"
When they reached Da Mao's house, the door was open, and there seemed to be a commotion inside with several people talking.
Yang Feng let Da Mao lead the way and walked straight into the main room.
"Hey, Mao Mao, what good stuff have you brought back today, and why is it dripping with water?"
Following behind, Yang Feng heard a woman's voice that not only didn't question how this stuff came here but also seemed to have a hint of praise.
*Cough, cough.*
Yang Feng reached the doorway and cleared his throat.
In the room, the several people who were chatting turned their attention to him when they heard the sound.
"Hmm? Yang, why did you wander over to this side?"
Zhang Lao, who was sitting nearby, was the first to speak, asking inquisitively.
"Oh, I came over to handle some matters."
Although Yang Feng and these people were from the same village, they rarely spoke to each other and were almost like strangers.
"Yang Feng, do you have something to discuss at our place?"
Da Mao's mother stood up and asked, clearly puzzled. She knew that Yang Feng rarely ventured out of his own land, so there had to be a specific reason for his visit.
"Oh, you can ask your son; he'll tell you."
Unlike the suspicious atmosphere with Li Fei earlier, the people in this house didn't seem hostile.
"Da Mao, what did you do?"
"Mom, I just went to my friend's greenhouse to pick a watermelon."
The boy, who had seemed downcast earlier, suddenly perked up and appeared enthusiastic now.
"Oh, is that all?"
"Yeah, but he insisted on bringing me back home."
Da Mao pointed at himself as if he were tattling on Yang Feng.
"Yang Feng, I have to say this, but letting a child pick a watermelon and eat it is not a big deal. Did you really need to come here over such a small matter?"
The middle-aged woman seemed impatient with Yang Feng's visit, and she defended her son without any regard for the situation.
"Did you ever check what was in his pockets when he picked one watermelon?"
It seemed like reasoning with her wouldn't work, as she was fiercely protective of her son.
As the middle-aged woman listened to Yang Feng, she became curious about what was in the pockets. She opened the bag, only to find half a bag of watermelons.
"Da Mao, why did you pick so many at once?"
Seeing the half bag of watermelons, her expression turned sour.
"Hmph, it's not like I knew they were picking them. It was all of them."
Da Mao began to cry.
"We're all from the same village, and it's not necessary to make such a fuss over a few watermelons picked by a child who doesn't know any better."
Another hefty woman, who turned out to be Da Mao's aunt, stepped forward to defend him.
Yang Feng was already furious, and having another person confront him like this was unexpected.
"What's it to you?"
He was irritated not just by the situation but also by this woman who seemed to want to add fuel to the fire.
"I..."
Indeed, it wasn't her business, but she probably thought that by joining in, she could help defuse the situation.
"Yang Feng, these watermelons are already damaged. Just consider it a few less to sell. Your greenhouse is making so much money; you shouldn't be bothered by losing a few melons."
Now that she realized she couldn't win the argument, the middle-aged woman resorted to shamelessly downplaying the issue.
"I don't need you to worry about whether I make money or not. Your child damaged my watermelons, and I'm asking for fair compensation. Is that unreasonable?"
"What? Are you even serious about this? It's just a few watermelons!"
The middle-aged woman's voice became several times louder and shriller when she heard about the compensation.
Perhaps due to her loud shouting, several people passing by outside started to gather, curious about what was happening inside.
"What's the matter? Do you think there are only a few here in this bag? There's a whole lot more in my greenhouse. Do you want me to take you there right now?"
Yang Feng had initially come to inform them, hoping to make them understand and take responsibility for their children's actions. However, faced with this unreasonable woman, he decided there was no need to be polite. Some people would only respond when you pushed back firmly.
