Gourd Farm Chapter 89
Translated by Etherna
Chapter 89: Unexpected Discovery While Climbing
Early in the morning, Boss Qi and Manager Liu's cars were already waiting. They were so busy that they barely had time for breakfast before heading straight to the greenhouse.
Seeing Yang Feng approaching, Boss Qi joked, "Mr. Yang, you don't want to do business with us anymore?"
Manager Liu, on the other hand, was more reserved, smiling and nodding in greeting.
"How could that be? I'm a bit tired from hauling manure yesterday. My back and waist are still sore," Yang Feng replied.
He hadn't felt it while working yesterday, but this morning, his whole body felt as if it had been beaten, and his arms were so sore that he couldn't lift them.
Boss Qi grinned, "You're still young, don't push yourself too hard. Your health is the most important capital!"
Yang Feng smiled and remained silent. "By the way, how much produce are you two planning to take today? I went to bed early last night and didn't check my phone."
Manager Liu spoke up, "I don't need much tomatoes today. I'm here to see your vegetables. If the price is right, I'll take a truckload."
Boss Qi, with a sly merchant's face, chuckled, "Yes, I'm also planning to take some of your vegetables today. Your produce looks great, but since we're old acquaintances, you can handle the pricing."
Yang Feng had asked Xia Ying to inquire at the market yesterday. Ordinary vegetables were selling for three to four yuan per kilogram. After considering, he planned to set the price at six yuan.
Having made up his mind, Yang Feng said seriously, "Rest assured, the quality of the vegetables speaks for itself. For old customers like you, the price is fixed at six yuan per kilogram."
Boss Qi and Manager Liu exchanged a glance, fell silent for a moment, and then looked at the vegetables in the field. The price was indeed a bit high, but the uniform size and vibrant color of the vegetables made it hard to resist.
As a supermarket Manager, Manager Liu found it relatively easy to adjust prices. "Mr. Yang, we'll take 300 kilograms back to a few stores for a trial."
Seeing Manager Liu placing an order, Boss Qi couldn't fall behind. He had originally planned to negotiate the price, but now it seemed unlikely.
"Then pack 700 kilograms for me. It's a nice round number for accounting," Boss Qi said.
Seeing that Xia Ying and the others hadn't arrived yet, Yang Feng took out his phone to call them, but before he could dial, he saw them riding over on a bike.
It's clear that the current manpower is not enough. Unlike tomatoes, dealing with vegetables is more complicated. I'll need to find a few women from the village to help.
Seeing Xia Ying and the others arrive, Yang Feng turned around. "Boss Qi, please wait a moment. I'll go find a few more people to speed things up."
Changing the subject, he said, "Xia Ying, please gather the shovels and other tools. I'll go to the village to find a few people."
Xia Ying had just arrived and, although she didn't know the situation, she could tell from the two cars that they were there to make a bulk purchase. "Sure, go ahead."
"Knock, knock, knock."
Yang Feng rode his bike to Aunt Hua's house. He wasn't familiar with the others, but once he found Aunt Hua, he had essentially found everyone.
After a few minutes, Aunt Hua's voice came from the yard.
"Who's there?"
"Aunt Hua, it's me, Yang Feng."
Aunt Hua opened the door with a smile. "Little Feng, come in quickly. Have you eaten yet?"
With time being tight, he waved his hand hastily. "I've already eaten. The thing is, I have two trucks coming to load goods, and we're short on manpower. I'd like you to find some temporary workers from the village. I'll pay them for their work."
Aunt Hua smiled calmly. "Oh, that's all? Leave it to me. How many people do you need?"
Yang Feng hadn't expected it to be this simple. After a moment's thought, he said, "Well, find three or four more, and look for those who work efficiently."
"Don't worry, they're all regular workers. Normally, they earn fifty yuan for half a day's work."
With the hiring settled, Yang Feng quickly returned. They were eager to finish up, and as soon as he arrived, Aunt Hua and the workers also arrived.
Yang Feng used to think that these women would just idle around every day, but he was surprised to see how quickly and efficiently they worked. He was sweating profusely from his own hard work, and he couldn't keep up with them.
After two hours, the two trucks were fully loaded. He wiped the dirt off his hands, took out some money from the boss's payment, and handed it to Aunt Hua. "Aunt Hua, here's 200 yuan. Please distribute it to the workers."
Aunt Hua wiped the sweat from her forehead. "You, child, why the rush?"
"Well, it's hard-earned money."
Aunt Hua didn't insist further and kept her share, distributing the rest to the workers. Before leaving, she made it clear that they could call on them anytime if they had similar work in the future.
Looking at the vegetables in the field, Yang Feng realized that although the quantity wasn't large, they were quite popular. Loading the two trucks only took a short while.
After lunch, there wasn't much to do in the afternoon. Xia Tian put down his chopsticks. "Brother Feng, can you take us to explore the mountains behind your place this afternoon? I've been here for a long time and have never been there."
Yang Feng thought it was a good idea. He hadn't been there since he returned. He remembered that when he was a child, he used to run up the mountain whenever he had free time. Sometimes, he would find a lot of wild fruits like plums and wild Chinese wolfberries.
Hearing about the mountain climb, Xia Ying also perked up and seemed quite interested.
"Alright, let's take a half-day break this afternoon."
The group set off along the path towards the mountain. The mountaintop looked bare, covered with twigs and fallen leaves, giving it a desolate appearance.
Throughout the journey, Xia Ying kept taking photos with her phone, while Xia Tian was jumping and hopping around.
As Yang Feng walked along the path and looked at the mountain, he couldn't help but think of his childhood, when he used to gather pigweed. Back then, he didn't have the leisure and ease he had now. After school, he would rush over with a bamboo basket, afraid that his peers would pick all the pigweed before he got there.
I remember that back then, there were many medicinal herbs on the mountain. The village kids would often get minor injuries, and they didn't need to go to the pharmacy because they could find common herbs like astragalus and stinging nettle...
Now, perhaps due to the increased number of people, these herbs are not as common as they used to be, and many people don't even recognize them anymore.
At some point, Xia Tian ran into the nearby woods. "Brother Feng, come and see what's over here!"
Yang Feng followed Xia Tian's voice and walked over. "What's the big deal?"
" Brother Feng, I often play in the mountains near our place, but I've never seen anything like this before."
Yang Feng took a closer look. "This looks like dendrobium. I've seen it before when I was a kid, but there are many types of dendrobium, and I'm not sure about the specifics."
"Can we eat this, Brother Feng?"
Yang Feng looked at Xia Tian, who always had food on his mind.
"This is a type of medicinal herb, but wild ones are not commonly seen now. I've heard that many are now cultivated in greenhouses."
Xia Tian rolled his eyes. "I thought it was something good."
"What do you know?"
Dendrobium is also known as "thousand gold herb" and "immortal herb." It is believed to have various health benefits, such as dispelling internal heat and nourishing the body. Wild dendrobium is highly valued and not easily available.
"Can this thing enhance male potency, Brother Feng?"
Before Yang Feng could respond, Xia Ying, who had just arrived, blushed and said in a serious tone, "Xia Tian, if you keep talking nonsense, I'll make you roll down the mountain."
