Gourd Farm Chapter 49
Translated by Etherna (ko-fi)
Chapter 49: Gone Fishing
Looking at the greenhouse filled with tomatoes, Hua Wuque's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"It seems like my decision to come back this time was right. Even if this greenhouse doesn't have too many tomatoes, I can still make at least ten to twenty thousand. If I set up a few more, I could easily make a hundred thousand in two months."
Yang Feng had just seen Hua Wuque talking to himself earlier, and he couldn't understand why he suddenly fell silent. When he turned around to check, he found Hua Wuque sitting there with a silly grin, fondling a tomato in his hand.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Yang Feng couldn't bear to watch any longer. Hua Wuque was smiling away, and he was about to squish an unripe tomato.
"Huh? Oh, nothing."
Hearing Yang Feng's voice, Hua Wuque finally snapped out of his daydream.
"Yang Feng, what variety are you growing here?"
Hua Wuque had made up his mind. He wanted to grow the same variety because it not only had a high yield but also produced uniformly sized tomatoes.
"It's just the regular Golden Phoenix M6 variety. It's the most suitable one for cold tolerance in winter."
"Alright, I'll buy the same variety this afternoon."
Hua Wuque had become infatuated with these tomatoes and couldn't resist the burning desire in his heart. He wanted to go back and start planting them immediately.
"I got this recommendation from my boss. When choosing a variety, you should consider it carefully."
Yang Feng didn't know the yield or taste of this variety yet, and if he didn't clarify things now, he might have trouble explaining if problems arose later on. He knew what kind of person Aunt Hua was.
"Don't worry, I'm set on this one."
"Hmm, when did Yang Feng get a girlfriend?"
"What? No!"
Hua Wuque playfully responded, nodding towards Xia Ying.
"Don't make things up. She's just a friend helping out."
"Alright, I was just teasing you."
Seeing Yang Feng's serious expression, Hua Wuque chuckled.
"You two carry on, I need to check on the greenhouse. The old couple is still waiting for me."
"Sure."
"Xia Ying, let's tidy up the nursery on this side and then go eat. We can finish the rest in the afternoon."
"Let's wait a bit longer. It's only ten o'clock now, and I just have a bit of work left on this side."
Xia Ying was holding a shovel, breaking up some larger clumps of soil, making it easier for planting strawberries later.
"Alright, I'll see if we can order some food for today."
Hua Wuque headed off towards the greenhouse, leaving Yang Feng and Xia Ying to continue their work.
Since returning, it had been either running a stall or tending to the greenhouse. Yang Feng remembered there used to be a fishing rod at home, and he wondered if it was still usable.
After rummaging through various boxes and containers, he finally found his five-year-old fishing rod.
"Pfft!"
He picked up the plastic bag, covered in dust, and blew air into it, almost choking himself. He had put the fishing rod in the bag before going to the city, and he noticed that a corner of the plastic bag had been chewed by mice.
Examining the fishing rod, he found that it was still in working condition. Luckily, the mice hadn't chewed through the fishing line.
He used another bag to carry some flour, as there was no time to dig for earthworms.
He rode his bike to a pond behind his house. This spot was usually used by village women for washing clothes or for setting eel traps in the summer, but it was generally quiet. He remembered that there used to be a lot of eels here, although the recent catches had significantly reduced their numbers. However, there should still be plenty of crucian carp.
He found a rock to sit on and used the flour he brought to make a dough by mixing it with water. He pinched a small piece and rolled it into a ball, attaching it to the fishing hook before tossing it into the water.
The float moved, and Yang Feng quickly lifted the fishing rod. A small miscellaneous fish was brought up.
He sighed with a little disappointment, thinking he might have a great start. Every time he went fishing, he hated dealing with these small miscellaneous fish, as they were a hassle.
He re-baited the hook, adjusted the float this time, suspecting that he had placed it too shallow earlier. The big fish were usually found at the bottom, while the smaller miscellaneous fish stayed near the surface.
After waiting for a few minutes, the float seemed to move slightly. This was the moment when patience was most crucial; it could be the fish nibbling at the bait.
"Swoosh."
The float was pulled down, and without hesitation, Yang Feng lifted the fishing rod. A lively little crucian carp was hooked.
Looking at the yellowish color and plumpness of the crucian carp, they were authentic wild fish.
He continued fishing for another half an hour, and there were now five or six fish in the small container.
"Not bad, let's wrap it up and head home!"
Seeing the container full of lively fish, he felt a sense of accomplishment. Fishing was more about enjoying the process than eating the fish.
Back home, he quickly prepared the fish, killing a few of the smaller crucian carp. He didn't have an oxygen machine, and without it, the fish would die naturally in a short time.
Checking the time, he realized it wasn't too early, so he rode his bike to pick up Xia Ying.
"Yang Feng, where did you go?"
"I just went to the pond behind to catch some small crucian carp. We'll have fish soup for lunch."
Yang Feng was now standing at the stove, coating the prepared crucian carp with flour. He poured oil into the pan and sprinkled some salt to prevent sticking when frying.
"Xia Ying, lower the heat under the pan."
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle."
As soon as the small crucian carp were placed in the hot pan, the sizzling sound of evaporating water vapor filled the air. Yang Feng quickly stepped back to avoid any oil splatters that could cause painful burns.
He fried the fish until both sides turned golden brown, then added some fresh ginger and poured a ladle of water directly into the pan.
"It's scalding hot!"
He brought the thick and creamy crucian carp soup to the table. The small iron pot was so hot that he couldn't resist pinching his earlobe.
"Yang Feng, what are you cooking? It smells so good!"
Aunt Hua had just returned from the field and, passing by, caught whiffs of the delicious aroma.
At the moment, the scent was enveloped by the steam rising when he lifted the lid, making it impossible to see the food clearly.
Upon hearing the voice, Yang Feng suspected it was Aunt Hua. Before he could react, she had already entered the room in her boots.
"Aunt Hua, we're having lunch here."
Seeing Aunt Hua's brisk arrival, he thought it best to be polite.
Beside him, Xia Ying saw Aunt Hua coming in, and she gave a slight smile as a greeting.
"You go ahead and eat. I just wanted to ask where you bought that variety of tomatoes."
"It's from the shop near the entrance to the town's vegetable market."
"Alright, I'll have Hua Wuque go and buy it this afternoon."
Since Hua Wuque returned from Yang Feng's place, Aunt Hua had been hearing her son praise the tomatoes all morning. She was becoming a bit nervous. When she went back, she couldn't shake off the worry that if she bought the wrong variety, it would be a waste of several months' hard work, and they might end up losing money.
"Well, you go ahead and eat. If there's anything I don't understand later, I'll come over and bother you again."
Aunt Hua joked cheerfully, but it was also what she truly meant.
"Aunt Hua, I have to make it clear from the start, I didn't ask you to grow this. Whether you make money or not, it has nothing to do with me."
Yang Feng couldn't help but remind them. His tomatoes grew well mainly due to the effect of gourd water. If Aunt Hua and her family didn't make a profit, he didn't want them coming to him for help later.