Gourd Farm Chapter 88
Translated by Etherna
Chapter 88: Rumors Abound
"It's impossible."
"It's not impossible. Look, Liu is working on it. I'm not just talking, I'm going to grab a knife and cut some in the field."
These rumors spread like wildfire, becoming more and more exaggerated, almost mythical.
"Have you heard? The Yang family's success in farming is all thanks to the ash from the willow tree."
"That's nothing. I heard this willow ash can cure all kinds of diseases."
"That's old news. I heard someone say that using this can double the yield."
"You don't know, but people are now paying to buy willow ash."
After this, the willow trees, once abundant, almost became extinct. The effect was naturally non-existent, and everyone realized they had been fooled. Those who had bought it were especially regretful.
Uncle didn't come to see me in the end for the sake of his reputation. Wan'er found an expert from somewhere, used a week's worth of medicine, and now she's slowly recovering, but I heard the yield will decrease significantly.
Aunt's tomatoes only used three days of gourd water, and now the tomatoes are growing very well. The first batch was also packed by Boss Qi, and he paid eight yuan per catties. Aunt was all smiles.
The strawberries in Yang Feng's No. 3 greenhouse have already borne fruit. There are more fruits every day, with each plant having twenty to thirty fruits.
The vegetables in the field are now the size of fists and can be picked and sold in a couple of days.
But the chrysanthemum hearts are quite interesting. Normally, they are yellow from the inside out, but mine are all the same color from the first to the last circle, with a light yellow hue and a hint of green. In short, they look very appetizing at first glance.
Xia Tian came with a plastic bag, "Brother Feng, these vegetables are almost ready. Can we taste some today?"
Yang Feng rolled his eyes, "I've noticed that you're quite enthusiastic about eating."
Xia Tian scratched his head, "Well, these are meant for eating, and besides, this isn't my first time growing vegetables. It feels different this time."
Since Xia Tian started tilling the land, he has been watching the changes day by day. Looking at this expanse of vegetables now, he feels a sense of accomplishment, much more interesting than playing games.
"Okay, be gentle when picking. We'll buy some beef today."
Xia Ying walked over and grabbed the bag, saying in a serious tone, "Xia Tian, are you planning to harm the vegetables again?"
Xia Tian shrunk his neck, "Hey,Brother Feng asked me to pick some, to taste the flavor. Right, Brother Feng?"
Seeing Xia Tian's pleading eyes, Yang Feng turned around, "Xia Ying, these vegetables are ready to eat. Let's pick some today and have a taste, only then we can have confidence when selling them."
Xia Ying glared at Xia Tian, "Then I'll go pick. I don't trust his clumsy hands."
"Brother Feng, you're quite versatile, both in the hall and the kitchen!" Xia Tian watched Yang Feng slicing the beef, the thickness rivaling that of Lanzhou pulled noodles.
Yang Feng didn't dare to boast about anything else, but his knife skills were definitely top-notch. In the three years in the city, apart from delivering takeout and washing dishes, he spent the rest of his time with a knife.
"Xia Tian, go get some firewood," Xia Ying shouted from the stove.
Before long, a large bowl of steaming beef and vermicelli was placed on the table.
Xia Tian’s eyes were shining, and you could hear him swallowing saliva.
Yang Feng and the others chatted as they ate and drank, and after a satisfying meal, they had to go to the neighboring chicken farm in the afternoon. They had rented more land and were planning to use the manure to fertilize it.
"Vroom, vroom, vroom."
Yang Feng started the tractor to warm it up. The weather was quite cold now, and not preheating the machine would be bad for it.
Yang Feng put on his boots and shouted, "Xia Tian, bring all the shovels from home. Make sure we have enough when we get there."
"Xia Ying, when you're ready, come to the shed and bring out the goods we need for tomorrow morning. Xia Tian and I will go to spread the manure."
Xia Ying washed the dishes, and due to the loud noise, she nodded, which was her way of answering.
The journey was smooth, and when they arrived at the entrance of the chicken farm, they saw the old man who had been absent for a long time. Apart from his beard being a bit longer, nothing else had changed.
After greeting the old man, Yang Feng took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to him. The old man was delighted by Yang Feng's politeness, revealing a rare toothy smile.
Inside the chicken farm, they found their classmate's father and handed over the two boxes of milk they had brought in advance. After some back and forth, he reluctantly accepted them.
As soon as they entered the chicken farm, Xia Tian frowned, "Brother Feng, it stinks in here. How come it smell like fertilizer, it's making my eyes water."
"That's because it is fertilizer."
This was Xia Tian's first reaction when he came here, and now, apart from the eye-watering smell, everything else seemed fine.
The two of them worked quickly, and after an hour, the trailer of the tractor was almost full.
Just as Yang Feng was about to ask Xia Tian if he wanted some water, he threw the shovel on the ground and ran outside in three quick steps.
"Wow!"
Before he could react, the show had already begun outside.
Several minutes passed, and as they finished up, Xia Tian came out with a flushed face, leaning against the nearby wall looking dejected.
Seeing Yang Feng come out, Xia Tian forced himself to speak, "Brother Feng, the meal you made is really wasted. Just when I finally had a good meal, I had to give it all up."
Yang Feng remained nonchalant, "Just work a little harder, you see, I'm fine."
They spent the whole afternoon hauling two loads. It was Xia Tian's first time doing this, and it was natural for him to need to take a breather frequently, so he was a bit slower.
As the trailer unloaded, Xia Tian sat on the ground, relieved, and said, "I didn't expect this kind of work to be so troublesome."
"Brother Feng, with such a large piece of land, why don't you dig a pond to raise fish?" Xia Tian's eyes wandered, thinking about something.
Yang Feng had already planned how to develop this land, but he didn't have enough funds at the moment. Otherwise, he would have dug the pond long ago.
"You have a lively mind, but without money, how can we dig? We'd end up getting slapped in the face." Seeing Xia Tian's expression, he probably didn't want to spread the manure anymore.
Once this batch of strawberries starts selling, Yang Feng plans to try growing some medicinal herbs. Many greenhouses have been converted to grow medicinal herbs, and some have shown quite promising results.
For example, some small dark grass, Tianma, and dendrobium, and in recent years, Lingzhi has been quite popular. However, due to their high temperature and climate requirements, the risk is also quite high.
There was a neighboring village where someone grew Chinese medicinal herbs, and they grew well, but they ended up unsold because they didn't find a good market, resulting in a wasted effort.
With the strawberries and vegetables from three greenhouses combined, there should be no problem. When the time comes, he will go to the market to see what kind of medicinal herbs are profitable. They can make money faster than vegetables.