Gourd Farm Chapter 48
Translated by Etherna (ko-fi)
Chapter 48: Unexpected Gains
Yang Feng hadn't expected that Xia Ying would be so dedicated to the greenhouse. He had been planning to create a growth cycle record sheet for his greenhouse before, but he kept postponing it until it was forgotten.
"I've been reading on an online forum recently, and people say that for a large-scale greenhouse, you must have this record sheet, or else problems will arise sooner or later."
"Yes."
In the same forum he frequented, people often emphasized the importance of temperature records, as it directly affected the success of a greenhouse.
"Yang Feng, I've already prepared the growth cycle for the tomatoes we're planting. Take a look."
After saying this, Xia Ying handed over another record sheet for the second greenhouse.
Glancing at it, he noticed that the entire growth cycle for tomatoes was two months long. His own had been planted for twenty days, and there were detailed records on the sheet.
Typically, it took ten days to cultivate seedlings, another ten days to transplant them and initiate flowering. From flowering to fruiting, it would take around ten more days. After that, it would take roughly forty days for the fruits to mature.
Since Yang Feng had been using gourd water for irrigation, his tomatoes had already started to bear fruit after just twenty days, and they were only about two weeks away from reaching maturity.
The growth cycle for the tomatoes in the second greenhouse had been reduced by half compared to normal cultivation.
Looking at the tomatoes laden with fruit, Yang Feng couldn't contain his excitement. Each one represented potential earnings.
"Yang Feng, do you think you might have added too much nutrient solution every day?" Xia Ying asked, furrowing her brow as she held the growth cycle record sheet.
"What's wrong?"
"If this tomato cycle continues like this, it will only be a month at most. Did you use some ripening agent?"
Yang Feng had been worried that Xia Ying might have doubts, so he had already diluted the proportion when mixing the gourd water every day, yet it was still progressing so abnormally.
"No, don't worry, we'll have it tested when the time comes."
"Okay."
Although Xia Ying found it strange, she was just a worker and couldn't question it too much.
…..
"Hey, do you think we can make money with this?"
Aunt Hua's family was busy preparing the soil in the greenhouse, and Uncle Hua, while using a shovel to turn the soil, couldn't help but ask anxiously.
"I'm telling you, old man, you're the one who wanted to do this. Now that you're having doubts, it's still you."
Aunt Hua might have been a bit tired as she took a clean spot and sat down.
"Dad, not to criticize you, but with your indecisive personality, you probably wouldn't do this well."
Seeing everyone criticizing him, Uncle Hua's face couldn't hold back his embarrassment.
"You little brat, just because your mom can say it doesn’t mean you say it… You're so disrespectful."
"Hmph, I was always like this."
Seeing the old man getting angry, Hua Wuque didn't dare to say much, but he still felt a bit resentful inside.
"You only have this much ability. What's wrong with what your son said? Always being afraid of wolves before and tigers behind when doing things."
Aunt Hua, seeing Uncle Hua acting like a soft noodle, couldn't help but give him a fierce glare.
"Mom, now that we've built this greenhouse, are we sure we want to plant tomatoes?"
Hua Wuque had been working at a factory outside the village for many years, and when he heard that the family was going to set up a greenhouse, he voluntarily quit his job and came back.
Working two shifts at that electronics factory didn't earn him much, so he decided to take a chance back home.
"Well, haven't you seen that the other greenhouses in the village are all growing tomatoes? Besides, if we don't understand anything later on, we can always ask Xiaofeng for help."
Aunt Hua had already made plans in her mind. Now that there were some experienced greenhouse growers in the village, Yang Feng being one of them, she didn't believe they couldn't handle this.
"Hey, I'm telling you, what are you thinking with that brain of yours? Now that you and Xiaofeng are in the same business, haven't you heard that people in the same profession can be rivals?"
Uncle Hua took out a Dama cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
"Well, on this, I actually agree with what my dad said."
Hua Wuque was different from Yang Meng. While Aunt Hua's family had better living conditions than Yang Feng's, they were still rural children who had been accustomed to hard work from a young age. Otherwise, Hua Wuque wouldn't have left his hometown to work in an electronics factory on his own for so many years.
To prepare for their greenhouse venture, he had spent a lot of time and money purchasing materials and studying.
"You two are father and son indeed. Why do you always have to think of the worst-case scenario? Even if Xiaofeng doesn't help, didn't the village head say that a university graduate will come to teach us farming techniques soon?"
"You can forget about it. By the time the university graduate arrives, it'll be too late."
Uncle Hua forcefully plunged his shovel into the soil, the sharp blade immediately sinking three inches deep.
"Wuque, your relationship with Xiaofeng is still alright, isn't it? When you go over there, ask him where he bought the seeds."
Aunt Hua still didn't believe Uncle Hua's words. In her impression, Yang Feng was not that kind of person.
"Yeah, I'll go over now. I think I saw Yang Feng heading to the greenhouse just now."
"Alright, go ahead, and when you get there, take a good look at how he's doing things."
Watching Hua Wuque walk outside, Aunt Hua couldn't help but worry.
"Dadadada."
Uncle Hua was driving a tractor, towing a trailer filled with brand new wire mesh. Everything inside the greenhouse had been planted, and now, to prevent a repeat of what happened to Yang Feng last time, it was necessary to enclose the area with wire mesh.
"Yang Feng, are you here?"
"Yang Feng, someone's calling for you outside."
At this moment, Xia Ying was near the edge of the greenhouse, while Yang Feng was busy weeding on the other side.
The strawberry plants in the third greenhouse had developed embryos and were ready for transplanting. Tomorrow, Yang Feng planned to prepare the gourd water and irrigate the surrounding area before transplanting them.
"All right, who could be looking for me at this hour?"
Yang Feng stuck the small shovel into the ground, brushed the soil off his hands, and headed outside.
"Yang Feng, do you still recognize me?"
As he stepped out of the greenhouse, the sudden brightness of the outdoors made his eyes squint a bit. It was dimmer inside, so he rubbed his eyes with his hand.
"Oh, you're back."
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was his childhood friend Hua Wuque, whom he used to play with.
"I saw you making money in the greenhouse, so I thought I'd give it a try too."
"That's great."
In Yang Feng's memory, Hua Wuque was someone who could endure hardship. However, they hadn't been in contact for many years, so their relationship had naturally faded quite a bit.
"So, are you not going to invite me inside for a tour?"
Hua Wuque was still standing outside the door, lost in his thoughts about the past. Yang Feng realized his friend's hesitation and opened the door himself.
"Come in and have a look at what I've been doing."
"Yeah, I thought I'd learn from your experience in planting here. I hope you don't mind."
"Heh, not at all. Feel free to take a look."
Yang Feng led Hua Wuque into the greenhouse and continued his work. He didn't pay much attention to Hua Wuque, as he felt it might be awkward to hover around him. Instead, he let his friend explore on his own.
Seeing another person enter, Xia Ying glanced up briefly, then continued with her tasks. She wasn't interested in these trivial matters.
"Hua Wuque, there's bottled water over there if you want some."
"Yeah, go ahead and do your work."
As soon as Hua Wuque entered the greenhouse, he was captivated by the tomatoes. He didn't even think about getting water.
"Can a single tomato bear so many? How many are there in total, and it looks like there are more blossoms."
"1, 2, 3... 39."
Hua Wuque began to doubt his eyesight. He counted three times, and on this one tomato plant, there were a staggering forty tomatoes, not including the unripened ones.