Gourd Farm Chapter 80
Translated by Etherna
Chapter 80: Outbreak
Yang Feng thought for a moment, "That's strange. I just saw Hua Wuque happily working on the field, didn't seem like anything was wrong."
"The tomatoes in the greenhouse these days are managed by Grandpa and Grandma Hua. Hua Wuque has no idea about it."
Just as Hua Wuque noticed the problem, Liu Wan’er happened to be in the greenhouse, and now he sat there in frustration, contemplating.
As a childhood friend, Yang Feng had a good relationship with Hua Wuque. Besides, Hua Grandma had always treated him well. Hearing this news made him feel uneasy.
As if recalling something, Li Wan’er said, "Yang Feng, you should also be cautious recently. This may be a temporary issue, but you must take preventive measures."
Hearing Li Wanjie's words, Yang Feng became somewhat uneasy, "Can this spread?"
While it might not be infectious, once it occurred in one household, it could gradually spread since they shared the same environment.
Yang Feng thought for a moment. Since he started cultivating the greenhouse, he hadn't encountered any significant issues. Not even pests, just a bit more weeds.
Frowning, Xia Ying asked, "How can we protect against this, Sister Wan’er?"
Turning around, Li Wan’er explained, "Mainly, you need to establish proper drainage channels. The surroundings of the greenhouse should be concave, preventing stagnant water."
Xia Ying took out her pocket-sized notebook and diligently recorded the advice.
"You guys continue, I need to go back and see if there's any good solution to control the condition and minimize the losses," Li Wan’er said, swiftly riding her electric bike towards the village office.
Looking at Yang Feng, Xia Ying earnestly suggested, "Yang Feng, should we go and dig a drainage ditch now? After what Sister Wan’er said, I feel a bit uneasy."
Yang Feng waved his hand, "No need. Our place is fine; let's not scare ourselves."
"Brother Feng, come take a look at this tractor. It was working fine just now, but suddenly it won't start."
Xia Tian pointed at the tractor in front of them, baffled as he tried to start it several times without success.
Yang Feng walked over and turned the key.
"Vroom, vroom..."
Judging from the sound, it seemed like it was out of fuel. It's possible that the fuel wasn't sufficient from the beginning, considering they had been working since early morning.
Xia Tian approached cautiously and asked, "Brother Feng, this shouldn't be my fault, right?"
Yang Feng looked at Xia Tian’s expression and decided not to scare him. If he panics and runs away, it would be a loss of a valuable helper.
"Don't worry, it's just out of fuel."
Xia Tian, relieved that it wasn't his fault, immediately regained confidence. "See, I told you my skills are not bad."
Yang Feng, watching the lively scene in front of him, thought that with Xia Tian around, there was never a dull moment.
Glancing at the time, realizing it was already eleven, he said, " Xia Tian, let's call your sister and go home for lunch. We can figure out the rest later."
Yang Meng squatted in the greenhouse, puzzled by the tomatoes scattered on the ground. He couldn't understand what was happening.
"Dad, why are our tomatoes falling off before ripening these days?"
Old Yang wore a troubled expression. "In all my years of farming, I've never encountered this situation before."
Yang Meng had a bad premonition. "Dad, should we go and find Manager Li to have a look?"
Old Yang is now helpless. Seeing such good tomatoes fall and rot before ripening, he is anxious. "Why aren't you going? And don't make a fuss. We don't want the whole village to know."
Yang Meng hurriedly ran out. "This old man is still so concerned about face, enduring suffering!"
"Bang, bang, bang."
Yang Meng arrived at the village office and found where Ms. Li lived. He knocked on the door impatiently. "Is Manager Li in?"
Inside the room, Li Wan’er furrowed her brows, wondering who could be so brash.
"Who is it?"
She was currently researching information for the tomatoes at Aunt Hua's place, trying to find any good solutions to salvage the losses.
Upon hearing someone outside, Yang Meng identified himself, "It's Yang Meng. Manager Li, there's an urgent matter for you."
Li Wan’er opened the door and looked at the panting Yang Meng, "Yang Meng, what's so urgent that got you in such a hurry?"
Yang Meng took a moment to catch his breath, "Our tomatoes at home, I don't know what's going on. There has been a phenomenon of fruit drop these days. At first, it wasn't too bad, but today it increased a lot. I wanted to ask you to take a look."
He said it all at once, and Yang Meng's face turned red, whether from urgency or anxiety.
Upon hearing about fruit drop, Li Wan’er’s heart skipped a beat. The thing she was most worried about had happened.
"Dada."
Upon hearing the sound of a motorcycle, old Yang raised his old legs and went outside, smiling and saying hello, "Ms. Li is here. Hurry and go inside; it's too windy outside."
Li Wan’er ignored the old man in front of her and went straight into the greenhouse. Normally, she acted indifferent when she came alone. Now that there's an issue, she transformed, appearing more assertive.
Li Wan’er pulled out a tomato and examined it. The root diameter showed signs of rot, similar to the cause at Aunt Hua's place.
"Yang Meng, this is root rot. There is currently no quick way to control this disease. You can only pay attention to water control, maintaining even soil moisture."
On the side, Old Yang’s face turned red and then pale upon hearing that there was no cure. Looking at the tomatoes on the ground, the money that was almost in his hands had turned into this in just a few days. With a troubled expression, Old Yang appeared much older.
Old Yang blinked a couple of times, staring at Li Wan’er, and said in a deep voice, "Ms. Li, perhaps our attitude towards you might not have been good usually, but as someone guiding our technical matters in the village, you can't just leave it alone."
Li Wan’er, seeing the old man's appearance, found it amusing. It seemed like he was as petty as she was, making her burst out laughing.
"I understand your feelings, but this is not something I can control. This disease can only progress gradually, and there is no effective method. Besides, it's not just your family; there are other families in the village facing the same issue."
Upon hearing this, Yang Meng put down the tomatoes in his hands. "Ms. Li, you mean there are other families in the village with this disease?"
"Yes, this morning, your neighbor Aunt Hua's situation is even more severe than yours."
Suddenly, Yang Meng remembered seeing Li Wan’er in the house with a pile of tomatoes in front of her – red and green. It all made sense now.
Uncle looked at Li Wan’er with a mix of belief and doubt, "Is what you're saying true?"
"Dad, I did see Ms. Li studying tomatoes in the house. It seemed like she was researching something."
Hearing his son's explanation, Uncle didn't say much more.
Li Wan’er was truly speechless about this father and son. They always seemed eager to cast people in a negative light. In the past, she might not have bothered, but now it was irritating.
Li Wan’er took a bag and filled it with tomatoes of various sizes, preparing to take them back for comparison.
Before leaving, she turned and instructed Yang Meng and his father who were crouching on the ground, "I just checked; your drainage ditch is too shallow. Hurry up and redo it; otherwise, your situation might worsen."
