Gourd Farm Chapter 55
Translated by Etherna (ko-fi)
Chapter 55: A Prosperous Start
Aunt Yang, at this moment, didn't know what delightful news had come to her mind. She threw away the remaining bit of radish in her hand and dragged Uncle Yang, who had a body shaped like a water bucket, over.
"Old Yang, let me tell you, this time Little Feng hit the jackpot. Didn't you see the huge load of tomatoes he just sold? Those newly printed, thick, red banknotes were at least two bricks thick."
"That's right, this young lad from the Yang family is usually so quiet. In such a short time, he's made so much money."
"Ah, our own little rascal at home only knows how to play games online all day. I'll make sure to have the old man keep an eye on him when we get back."
...
Uncle Yang listened to the chattering of these old women, and if you looked closely, you could see that Uncle Yang's face turned red and purple in turns.
When he had just returned home and saw a full carload of goods, he had already felt uneasy. Now, hearing that someone had made so much money, he couldn't hide the discomfort on his face.
Turning his head, he glanced at Yang Feng, who was stuffing banknotes into his pocket.
Perhaps because there were so many banknotes, it took several attempts to get them in, and even after that, Yang Feng patted the pocket and seemed unsatisfied. Seeing this, the corner of Uncle Yang's eye couldn't help but twitch.
"Hey, Old Yang, what's wrong with your eyes? They were fine just a moment ago, and now they're twitching."
Following Auntie Biao's words, several other old women also looked over.
Uncle Yang didn't pay attention to the old women and, carrying his hoe, went straight back home.
If he continued to watch this, he might end up with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar all at once.
"Why is Old Yang acting so strangely today? He's not usually like this."
Several old women chatted and discussed Big Uncle's unusual behavior today.
...
Meanwhile, Yang Feng and Xia Ying were busy tidying up the greenhouse. After harvesting, the greenhouse looked like a battlefield and needed to be organized. They had to adjust the temperature, gather data, and perform various tasks.
"Do you know how to get to the village office?"
The young woman had been in the greenhouse for half an hour, and Yang Feng and Xia Ying had been too busy to pay attention to her. Maybe she had seen enough and now came over to ask.
"Oh, you can follow the main road outside and turn right not far from the end. You'll see a sign for the village office."
Yang Feng looked up, put down his work, and pointed out the direction to the young woman.
"Great, thank you. Your greenhouse is doing well, but there are still many management issues."
The young woman somehow had a small notebook in her hand, on which she had scribbled many words.
"Oh? What issues are you referring to?"
"I'll tell you in a few days."
…
"Yang Feng, I heard you had a big harvest today," a voice came.
Several people turned around to look, but there was no one there. They wondered where the voice had come from, and it sounded a bit like the village chief.
"Step, step, step."
Before anyone could react, the curtain at the entrance of the greenhouse was lifted, and the old village chief hurriedly walked in.
"Little Feng, you've set a great example for our village."
The village chief entered the greenhouse and couldn't help but praise Yang Feng.
"We've been waiting for this day for so long," the saying seemed to be tailor-made for the village chief at this moment.
"Oh, isn't this Deputy Director Liu? What brings you here?"
The village chief hadn't noticed the person standing nearby when he entered the greenhouse. Now, he took a closer look after adjusting his reading glasses and realized it was Liu Wan'er, the village official sent to their village a few days ago after attending a county meeting.
"Yes, hello, Village Chief. I came a couple of days early to get a better understanding of the local customs and culture of Huangshi Village," Liu Wan'er explained.
"You see, I've already arranged a welcoming banquet. It may not be extravagant, but everything is handmade by your aunt."
The village chief had prepared for Liu Wan'er's arrival, and he had even sacrificed two-year-old roosters for the occasion, not expecting her to come early.
"It's alright, we have plenty of time ahead."
Seeing the village chief's enthusiasm, Liu Wan'er felt a bit embarrassed. She involuntarily clasped her hands together nervously.
"Then let's have it tonight. I'll ask your aunt to stew one of those roosters."
"Village Chief, there's really no need to be so formal."
...
Yang Feng finally understood what was happening. The energetic and slightly determined young woman was none other than the university graduate village official mentioned on the radio a few days ago.
"Hello, everyone. Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Liu Wan'er, and I graduated from an agricultural university. I'm also the university graduate village official assigned to this village."
Seeing the curiosity in the eyes of Yang Feng and the others, she decided to introduce herself directly.
"That's right, this is our village's university graduate village official, Liu Wan'er. If you have any questions or difficulties related to agriculture in the future, you can ask her. She's a professional."
The village chief took over and mentioned that it took a year of application and effort to get a university graduate like Liu Wan'er assigned to their village.
"Well, that explains why you were so interested in greenhouse cultivation."
Yang Feng had initially thought she might be a relative helping out, but with this introduction, his earlier confusion was resolved.
"Yang Feng, come over in the evening, and we'll celebrate your successful start together."
The village chief was particularly happy today, as it was a double celebration. The village had its first income from greenhouse cultivation, and they now had a village official in place.
"Miss Liu, would you like me to show you around the village office?"
The village chief was ready to head back to the village office, where he had a lot of work to catch up on.
"Yes, I was planning to visit the village office."
...
"Xia Ying, take a break and continue later."
Xia Ying had only stood here briefly before getting back to work. It seemed like she had no interest in these matters.
"Okay."
After handling the goods since the morning, Xia Ying was starting to feel tired. She came over and grabbed a chair to sit down.
"Whew~"
As soon as she sat down, Xia Ying pounded her lower back with her small fist. It was fine when she was moving around, but once she stopped, her lower back started to ache.
"Bending over to weed and picking tomatoes for an extended period does take a toll on your back. Sometimes it gets so sore, but I have to tough it out."
"Here, have some water."
Seeing Xia Ying in this state, Yang Feng grabbed a bottle of mineral water and handed it to her, opening one for himself as well.
*Gulp, gulp*
He downed the whole bottle in one go, feeling a bit better afterward.
*Burp~*
"Xia Ying, this is your salary. Please count it to make sure it's correct."
Yang Feng handed Xia Ying her prepared salary.
"Don't worry about it. If you need the money, go ahead and use it," Xia Ying said, feeling a bit embarrassed but recognizing her financial needs.
"Well, I do have some extra money now, and besides, you might be facing some financial difficulties too."
Xia Ying accepted the money without further hesitation and counted it.
"Hmm, why is there an extra five hundred yuan?"
She counted it again, and it still amounted to six thousand five hundred yuan, which was five hundred more than the agreed-upon salary.
"Oh, didn't we say that if the performance was good, you'd receive a bonus?"
Yang Feng explained that it wasn't about showing off his wealth but recognizing that without Xia Ying's help, he wouldn't have been able to manage the greenhouse so effectively. They had exceeded the agreed-upon eight hours by nearly half, and the bonus of two hundred yuan per month was well-deserved for the time they had put in.
