Gourd Farm Chapter 66
Translated by Etherna (ko-fi)
Chapter 66: The Shop Owner's Wife's Request
Underneath the old locust tree in Huangshi Village, a red high-sided truck had been parked since morning, and it was now approaching noon.
"Are you sure this is the right village?" A woman inside the vehicle asked.
Mr. Qi, the shop owner, was smoking a cigarette with one hand and using his phone to repeatedly dial a number, looking a bit impatient.
"Of course! After hauling goods here several times, do you think I'd get lost?"
His wife got up from the back lounge and said, "Well, then, why don't you give them a call? We've been waiting for over three hours."
Early in the morning, shortly after Yang Feng and his group had left, Mr. Qi had arrived at this location. After inquiring with the villagers, he learned that Mr. Yang had gone to set up a stall.
Mr. Qi took a drag of his cigarette. "You talk too much. It was already awkward yesterday, so I don't have the heart to rush them to load the goods. Plus, there's no guarantee we'll get the goods today."
"Vroom, vroom, vroom."
As he was speaking, the sound of a tractor could be heard not far away. According to the villagers, Yang Feng had left in the morning and was now about to return.
Mr. Qi flicked his cigarette butt. "Looks like he's back."
His wife quickly got up from the back lounge, opened the door just as Yang Feng had descended from the tractor.
Mr. Qi took a closer look and realized it wasn't Yang Feng but the father-and-son duo who had conned him.
The elderly man noticed Mr. Qi and, with a smile on his face, pulled the clutch and put the tractor in neutral. "Hey, Mr. Qi, are you here to load goods again today? My truck still has more than half its capacity."
Mr. Qi shrugged. "Sorry, we're not here to load your goods today."
The smile on the elderly man's face disappeared instantly. "What's the matter? Is there something wrong with my goods?"
His wife walked over to inspect the tractor's cargo, which appeared to be from the growers who loaded it yesterday. Even though the quality wasn't great, it wouldn't be polite to say that directly. Business people had to be good at networking.
"Your goods are fine, but we don't need them today."
Yang Meng, who was on the tractor, hopped down. "Alright, if you decide to load again today, we'll give you a discount of twenty cents per kilogram."
Mr. Qi shrugged. "Twenty cents won't cut it. If you want to sell today, it's 4.5 yuan per kilogram, but we'll only load a thousand kilograms."
Yang Meng wasn't pleased with Mr. Qi's response. "You're really joking, aren't you? Why not just give it to you for free?"
Mr. Qi remained nonchalant. "I advise you to sell while the price is still decent. Once the tomatoes from Hebei arrive, you won't even have time to cry."
Mr. Qi wasn't lying; Hebei was a major tomato-producing region in China, and when their tomatoes arrived, it would undoubtedly impact the market, leading to price reductions.
Upon hearing Mr. Qi's remarks, Yang Meng glanced at the elderly man on the tractor and noticed his worried expression.
"By the way, have you seen Mr. Yang?" Mr. Qi suddenly inquired. He was only interested in Yang Feng now and needed to complete the transaction with him tonight.
Yang Meng responded to Mr. Qi's question, "You mean Yang Feng, right?"
"Yes, I heard he set up a stall too."
"We were together in the morning, but his vehicle left later."
Yang Feng, seeing the number of customers dwindling around mid-morning, decided to drive the tractor to the school's entrance. After a while of selling in the morning, he looked at the remaining tomatoes in the vehicle and realized they were running low.
Xia Ying was in the process of tidying up the scattered bags and items, preparing to leave.
"Yang Feng, are you coming back tomorrow?"
"It depends, if the weather is good."
She pulled out the key to the tractor, gave it a gentle turn, and the tractor's electric hum filled the air.
"Vroom, vroom, vroom."
This one-key start was quite convenient, especially in the winter. It was too cold to take your hands out, let alone hold the icy levers.
It didn't take them long to reach the village.
"Mr. Yang, you've finally returned."
As soon as the tractor came to a stop, someone started calling Yang Feng. He turned around and saw that it was Mr. Qi.
Mr. Qi walked up and took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, offering one to Yang Feng. "Here, have a smoke."
Yang Feng politely declined. "I'm sorry, but I don't smoke."
Mr. Qi's wife also joined them with a cheerful smile. "You must be Mr. Yang. I didn't expect you to be so young. You're quite successful."
Glancing at the enthusiastic couple, Yang Feng raised an eyebrow. "What's the purpose of your visit today?"
Mr. Qi slapped his thigh. "Look at me, I got so carried away with talking that I forgot the main reason for coming. We left in such a hurry yesterday, so I came to see if you still have any goods left. Don't worry, the price is the same as usual."
Yang Feng called out to Xia Ying from where he stood, "Xia Ying, do we still have goods in the greenhouse?"
Xia Ying was inside preparing lunch, and she could tell from Yang Feng's tone that he was doing it on purpose. She smiled and replied, "It seems like there isn't much left."
"Mr. Qi, what do you think?"
Mr. Qi and his wife exchanged glances. Mr. Qi then asked, "The price be adjusted again, could you consider providing us with the remaining goods?"
Yang Feng was aiming for this effect, especially when dealing with individuals lacking integrity. He wanted to leave them with a lasting lesson.
"The goods can be provided, but the price today will be a minimum of nine yuan."
Mr. Qi felt relieved that there were goods available, but as soon as he heard the price, he began to look worried again.
His wife's face turned sour, and she took over the conversation. "Mr. Yang, this is a bit much, isn't it? Are you planning to raise the price by one yuan per kilogram every day?"
Yang Feng's response implied a deeper message, and it was clear that he had his reasons for this approach. The situation called for a different perspective.
Yang Feng was willing to negotiate but still wanted to maintain a reasonable price. He said, "Today, I'll give Mrs. Qi some face and let you have it for .2 yuan less per kilogram."
Mr. Qi was pleased with this compromise. He knew that even if they got a slightly lower price, it was better than getting nothing at all.
Mrs. Qi smiled, "Thank you so much, Mr. Yang. When can we get the goods?"
Yang Feng replied, "There's no rush. At the very least, you'll have to wait until after lunch."
"Sounds good."
Yang Feng glanced at Mr. Qi and his wife and realized they were unfamiliar with the area and probably didn't have a place to have lunch.
"You can have a simple meal here for lunch; it'll be convenient, and we can go load the goods together afterward."
Mr. Qi politely refused, "It's alright, we don't want to trouble you."
Yang Feng insisted, "No worries, we have food at home, and it's not a problem to share a meal."
After a quick lunch, they headed to the greenhouse. Mrs. Qi was impressed with the tomato yield; she had been in the vegetable business for years and had never seen such high yields, especially without any pests.
"Mr. Yang, what's the tomato yield per acre here?"
"I haven't calculated the exact figure, but it should be quite high."
Mrs. Qi couldn't help but chuckle. Yang Feng's response was almost like not saying anything; with each plant bearing fifty to sixty tomatoes, a high yield was an understatement.