Gourd Farm Chapter 79
Translated by Etherna
Chapter 79: Tractor Master
Xia Tian took a puff of his cigarette, exhaling small smoke rings that made Xia Ying step back, choking.
"It's not that complicated; even if you've never eaten pork, you've seen pigs run, right? I've watched enough to know."
Xia Ying rolled her eyes. "I'm not buying it."
Standing up, Xia Tian tossed the cigarette butt to the ground. "Sis, from what you're saying, you still don't believe me?"
"...”
By now, Yang Feng had plowed about three or four acres of land. When he worked, he didn't feel the cold at all; he almost wished he could wear short sleeves right now.
"Xia Tian, pass me a bottle of water from over there." After an hour of work, sweat was pouring down, and his clothes were steaming.
Xia Tian ran over, shouting, "Brother Feng, take a break. I'll take over."
Now that the engine was hot, he could just use the key to start it later, so he decided to turn off the tractor and take a break.
"What did you just say? You're taking over?" It seemed like Yang Feng heard Xia Tian say he would take over plowing.
Xia Tian grinned, "Yeah, I'll help you plow for a while."
"Do you know how to drive this thing? It has quite a kick." Yang Feng, seeing Xia Tian's appearance, still felt a bit uneasy. Getting hit by a tractor was no light matter.
In the village a few years back, there was a young man in his twenties. While steering a tractor, he didn't release the handle in time. As a result, he lost three teeth in a row, and after a year of farming, he still hadn't grown them back.
Xia Tian patted his chest, "Brother Feng, you underestimate me too much. Just trust me with it."
Xia Ying, who had run over, was panting, "Xia Tian, can you not cause trouble? I've never seen you drive before."
Originally thinking that Xia Tian was joking, Yang Feng didn't expect him to actually come over.
"What's wrong with all of you? Treating me like a three-year-old?"
After saying that, Xia Tian walked straight to the tractor, "Brother Feng, how do you operate this high-tech one-key start?"
Yang Feng thought about it. Since the area around was open and there were no obstacles, he let Xia Tian give it a try.
"Just turn the key and start as usual."
Yang Feng found a relatively flat spot and sat down; the half-day of work had left him quite tired.
"Vroom, vroom, vroom..."
Just as he sat down, Xia Tian started the tractor. Xia Ying watched nervously, biting her lip, and clenching her hands.
After fumbling for a while, the tractor remained in place.
"Brother Feng, what's wrong with your tractor? It won't go into gear. Is it broken?"
Yang Feng sat on the ground, looking at Xia Tian. "Haha, I've only used this new tractor a few times; it can't be broken."
"No, seriously, I can't get it into gear. It's not at all like the one I saw others drive."
Yang Feng finally realized that Xia Tian was clueless, probably didn't even know how to engage the clutch, and was attempting to forcefully shift gears.
After resting for a while, Yang Feng stood up and dusted off his pants. "Bro, your skills are too advanced; my low-spec tractor isn't suitable for you."
"Pfft."
Xia Ying couldn't help but laugh on the side, and Xia Tian's face turned red. He knew this attempt at showing off had failed a bit, but he still tried to save face.
"Come over here and see. I think the gear lever is broken."
Yang Feng stepped forward, pulled the clutch, shifted gears, and the tractor, like an old ox, began to plow the land again.
Xia Ying came over and patted Xia Tian. "Is it the gear lever that's broken?"
Xia Tian, with a thick-skinned face, slapped his thigh. "I remembered. It's probably different from the models I saw before."
After flattering Yang Feng for a while, Xia Tian insisted on having him teach how to drive the tractor. Unable to resist the persistent requests, Yang Feng agreed, thinking it would make things easier for himself in the future.
After an hour of learning, Xia Tian could now cultivate the land on his own, though driving on the road might still be a challenge, as his steering was a bit erratic.
After plowing the land once, Xia Tian and Xia Ying scattered the vegetable seeds. Later, they would harrow the field once more to cover the seeds.
After Xia Ying finished scattering the seeds from her bag, she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Yang Feng, can you really skip using urea? It's the first time I've seen this."
Yang Feng smiled casually, "Don't worry, I have my own methods."
Today, they should be able to finish planting, and tomorrow, early in the morning while there's dew on the ground, with the soil surface moist, they would mix water with the gourd concoction and spray it with a sprayer from start to finish.
They could only use the gourd concoction once a day, so they had to be frugal with it. Since the crops were planted outside and visible to passersby, they couldn't go too extreme with the treatment like they could in the greenhouse.
It wasn't about being afraid of thieves stealing but more about thieves getting interested. They needed to be cautious, especially given their limited resources.
Liu Wan'er rode on an electric bike, coming from somewhere unknown, with a bag of tomatoes in her hand.
"Xia Ying, what are you planting here?"
Xia Ying walked over, holding some seeds left in her hand, and presented them to Liu Wan'er.
Liu Wan'er looked at them; the vegetable seeds all looked the same, making it impossible for her to distinguish them.
"What kind of vegetable is this?"
Seeing Liu Wan'er looking anxious, Xia Ying intentionally teased her. They had been getting along like sisters during this period, so she playfully responded, "Guess."
Liu Wan'er, being an impatient person, couldn't tolerate such suspense. Immediately, her eyes widened like copper bells.
"Ying, if you don't tell me, then about the strawberry data you asked me, I might..."
Once Liu Wan'er mentioned strawberries, Xia Ying obediently responded, "Chrysanthemum Heart."
In this aspect, Xia Ying was quite similar to Liu Wan'er. When it came to fruits and vegetables, both of their eyes lit up.
Upon hearing the answer she wanted, Liu Wan'er revealed a triumphant smile, "Humph, that's close enough."
As things were almost done on Yang Feng's side, Xia Tian occupied the tractor, which saved him a lot of trouble.
When he circled back, he saw Liu Wan'er and Xia Ying chatting and laughing in the field.
"Miss Liu, where are you supervising work today?"
Liu Wan'er lifted the tomatoes in her hand, "There's an issue with Aunt Hua's tomatoes; some unripe ones show signs of rotting at the roots. I brought them back to take a look."
Yang Feng had heard about this issue on the online forum before. Initially, it might lead to fruit drop, and if not addressed, it could cause serious problems later.
"Sister Liu, is this root rot serious?"
Liu Wan'er spoke solemnly, "The severity of this depends on the ripening period of the fruit and whether the root rot is isolated or contagious."
Listening to Liu Wan'er's detailed explanation, Xia Ying seemed quite earnest. However, when they glanced at Yang Feng, both of them exchanged a smile, indicating they were both puzzled.
Seemingly aware of their confusion, Liu Wan'er simplified it, "It's about whether it's an individual case of disease or an infectious outbreak."
"Miss Liu, next time, just use plain language. It's a bit taxing on the brain otherwise."
No wonder she seemed a bit out of spirits since seeing Aunt Hua yesterday, not as lively as before.
"Is Aunt Hua's situation serious?" They were all from the same village, and everyone had invested in greenhouses. No one wanted any issues.
Liu Wan'er frowned, "It's quite serious. It's been going on for a few days. I only found out today when I went to check the greenhouse. Uncle Hua has been hiding it, feeling reluctant to speak up."