Gourd Farm Chapter 40
Translated by Etherna (ko-fi)
Chapter 40: A Satisfactory Resolution
"All right, all right, stop embarrassing yourselves here," the village head, with his hands behind his back, spoke with an air of authority.
Seeing that a couple of sentences didn't lead to any improvement, and the woman continued to roll on the ground and make a scene, he became a bit impatient. They hadn't even finished counting the population for the census this year when they were dragged into this situation.
"Ah, um..."
The village head had just approached when he was grabbed. If it weren't for his tightly fastened belt, his pants might have come off.
"Yang Feng, just call the police directly and let the law handle it."
Throughout the year, he didn't know how many cases of older women quarreling and cursing had to be dealt with. It was either these two families arguing over a tree or those two families arguing about the boundaries of their vegetable gardens...
"Yeah."
Yang Feng immediately followed the village head's advice and took out his phone.
The woman who had been wailing a moment ago immediately transformed when she heard about calling the police. What had been a raging storm suddenly turned into clear skies. Although she had been causing a scene, deep down, most women like her were like this. They might act obstinate and play the victim, but when things escalated, they backed down immediately.
With a swift motion, she got up from the ground and dusted herself off.
"Yeah, always calling the police. Do you think I'm afraid? Besides, what's your job as the village head got to do with it?"
Though the woman put on a tough front, her expression gave her away. She was clearly flustered.
If the police were really called, her son's watermelon theft would undoubtedly be discovered, and they would end up with a criminal record. When her husband returned, he might even beat her to death.
"I'd like to be involved. Look at yourself. Your child is right here. Can't you at least maintain some dignity?"
"Well, I didn't say you couldn't be involved."
After speaking, she glanced at her son, who was looking in their direction. However, his vacant and indifferent gaze made it seem as if he had grown accustomed to such scenes.
"Ah, what a mess!"
An old man leaning on a cane nearby muttered quietly and then walked away.
"I've understood the situation. Please don't cause any more trouble. Just settle things properly. Otherwise, we'll have to let the police handle it. Do you agree?"
"Yes."
The shrewish woman had lost her earlier confidence and now nodded along like a beckoning cat, following the village head's lead.
She had finally found a way out of the situation, and it would be unwise for her to hold onto it now.
"Yang Feng, do you think this resolution is acceptable?"
"Well, I have no objections."
He had wanted to stand his ground and show them that not everyone could be bullied.
"Since both sides have no objections, Yang Feng, please calculate the amount of your watermelon losses."
"Village head, there's no need to calculate the losses. They are just children who didn't know any better. These damaged melons, anyone who looks at them wouldn't want them, so I'll just take them back home to eat."
Upon hearing Yang Feng's words, the village head, who had already held a favorable opinion of him, nodded approvingly. The villagers around them also gave their thumbs up, praising the young man for his wisdom.
The shrewish woman and the stout guy had reddened faces by now. They had caused a scene because they didn't want to pay, but now that they were prepared to compensate, it turned out that nobody was interested in what they offered. This situation was a slap in the face.
Seeing that the matter had been mostly resolved, the village head was ready to leave.
"Let's all disperse. There's nothing left to do at home."
"Village head, look over there, Old Zhang seems a bit off."
While they had been busy dealing with the situation, they had not noticed Old Zhang, whose dentures had fallen out. Now that his dentures had been retrieved, they could see they had been stepped on by someone and were covered in mud.
"Well, Old Zhang, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" the village head asked with concern, seeing the pale-faced Old Zhang.
"Old Zhang has had a weak heart for a long time. Could it be that being bumped like that by him just now caused a problem?" Yang Feng recalled that Old Zhang had been bumped by the stout guy and then pressed heavily.
"What are you waiting for? Call 911 and take Old Zhang to the hospital for a check-up," the village head reprimanded the stout guy.
"Sigh, alright," the stout guy replied, now looking worried. If something happened to Old Zhang, it would cost a lot of money. While he agreed to call for help, he also glanced at the shrewish woman standing nearby.
The shrewish woman had just managed to extricate herself from the situation and wasn't about to get involved again. She turned her head away, pretending not to see what was happening.
Meanwhile, the stout guy's dentures made a grinding sound, and if looks could kill, the shrewish woman would have died a thousand deaths by now.
Later, it was heard that Old Zhang had spent quite a bit of money on hospital bills. Due to the argument over the medical expenses, the two families had big fights. Eventually, they argued over minor issues every few days and major issues every few weeks, and as long as no one lost their life, the village head stayed out of it.
...
"Smack."
Yang Feng slapped his thigh, realizing that he had completely forgotten about Xia Ying while dealing with the argument. It was already past 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and she probably hadn't had lunch yet.
He revved up the engine of his tricycle, wondering why it felt slower today. Perhaps it was due to his anxiety.
After half an hour, with his hair tousled by the wind, Yang Feng finally arrived at Xia Ying's stall.
He saw Xia Ying squatting alone in front of the watermelons. Although she had sold quite a few, her face looked a bit tired, possibly from being exposed to the sun and wind for a long time.
"Xia Ying, I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for?"
"I got caught up with those troublemakers when dealing with the watermelon field issue. I might have delayed you a bit. You haven't had lunch, have you?"
"Oh, it's fine. I used to stand here for a whole day regularly. I'm used to it," Xia Ying replied.
"You wait here. I'll go get some food for you."
It had been almost a whole day without food, and being upset had made her forget about hunger. Now that she was relaxing, her stomach was growling loudly.
Yang Feng looked around and found a fast-food restaurant. It was getting late, and the door was already closed.
"Excuse me, are you still open?"
He waited for a couple of minutes, but there was no response.
"Is anyone here?"
He walked down a long corridor and called out again.
"Coming!"
It turned out the owner was in the back kitchen, working on something. The stoves were making a loud rumbling noise.
"Hello, what would you like to eat?"
The owner handed him a paper menu from above the cash register.
"Oh, I'll have sweet and sour pork, shredded pork stir-fry, and three servings of rice, please."
"Alright."
In no time, two fragrant dishes were packed and ready.
"Xia Ying, come over and have lunch."
The two of them happily enjoyed their meal. Perhaps due to being hungry for a long time, Xia Ying surprisingly finished an entire box of rice today, which was a rare occurrence.
"Burp."
Eating too quickly had filled her empty stomach uncomfortably, so she stood up and jumped a couple of times to help with digestion.
"Xia Ying, it seems like business is doing well after I left."
He looked at the watermelons in front of him, noticing that about one-third of them had been sold since he left.
"Yeah, there was a sudden influx of customers a while ago, and one kid bought three watermelons, saying they were gifts."
