Gourd Farm Chapter 91
Translated by Etherna
Chapter 91: Planting Troubles
The vegetables in the field had sold well in the past few days, and Yang Feng had earned thirty thousand yuan. He had also ordered three large greenhouses from a steel structure factory, planning to use one of them to cultivate mushrooms.
After returning from the mountain, he had done some research and realized that his initial idea was a bit naive. Matsutake, also known as pine mushroom, was hailed as the "king of mushrooms" and was a rare and valuable edible fungus.
Originally, he had planned to cultivate the mushrooms himself, but he was now at a loss just with the spore cultivation. After spending a long time searching, he still had no clue.
It seemed that he would have to find Liu Wan'er when he had the time. She was more knowledgeable in this area. After the greenhouses were set up, he decided to start by cultivating some shiitake mushrooms.
"Brother Feng, the delivery truck is here. Come out so they can unload the goods."
Setting down the half-dead matsutake mushrooms in his hand, Yang Feng stepped out of the greenhouse and saw Xia Tian standing at the door, with a truck full of steel frames parked nearby.
"Xia Tian, have them unload the steel frames directly to the designated location."
There were many people coming and going on the road, and they were all discussing how Yang Feng was making a fortune.
Meanwhile, in Aunt Hua's greenhouse, Hua Wuque was arguing with Grandpa Hua, his face red and his neck thick.
"Old man, you should listen to me and grow cauliflower. I've inquired about it in the neighboring village. Not only is the yield high, but the prices are also promising."
The old man took a puff of his cigarette. "No, you don't understand. Old Li from the neighboring village suffered a huge loss growing cauliflower last year. He almost lost everything, and his wife almost ran away with someone else."
Aunt Hua watched the two of them and didn't know what to do. Both of them had valid points.
Hua Wuque was so angry that he was trembling all over. "I don't care. I've decided to grow these cauliflower."
Grandpa Hua glared at him. "I think you're trying to rebel. Show me that you can grow just one."
"Alright, are you two done yet?"
Aunt Hua was sweating with anxiety. While others were thinking about the same thing, her two family members seemed eager to start a fight.
Seeing Aunt Hua getting angry, Grandpa Hua turned away and fell silent.
"Mom, what do you think we should grow? Look, Yang Feng has started building greenhouses again."
Aunt Hua was also undecided. One wanted to continue growing tomatoes, citing experience and stability, while the other wanted to try new varieties.
"Why don't you stop arguing? We have so much land, why don't we each grow half of what we want? How does that sound?"
The father and son looked at each other and then lowered their heads without saying a word.
Seeing this, Aunt Hua felt relieved that they had silently agreed.
A similar situation was unfolding on the other side. Yang Meng sat on a chair, silent and dejected, while his uncle paced back and forth with a stern expression.
"Say something. Weren't you quite talkative just now?"
Yang Meng's throat was hoarse. He had argued with his father all morning and was so upset that he hadn't even eaten. He couldn't understand why his father was fixated on growing tomatoes and insisted on planting them on all thirty acres of land.
"Father, I don't oppose you growing tomatoes, but I also want to grow something else. You can't interfere with my freedom."
"You little rascal, what freedom are you talking about? That thing you mentioned, those mushrooms, sounds unreliable. Are you trying to squander the family's money again?"
"That's called shiitake mushrooms. They're more valuable than tomatoes and are easier and less troublesome to grow. When they're ripe, you just need to cut them with a knife."
His father waved his hand dismissively. "Don't talk to me about those useless things. You haven't even cultivated the land, and you want to try something new with me?"
Yang Meng muttered under his breath, "Hmph, you've grown them before. Last time, the tomatoes almost died. I see you're still in a hurry."
Yang Meng was still a bit scared from the last incident. Whenever he saw tomatoes, he felt nervous. Now, his father wanted to plant tomatoes on thirty acres, and he couldn't agree to it under any circumstances.
"What did you say? Say it again if you dare."
"Fine, you've earned the money, so you can do whatever you want. I'm going to work now." After saying this, Yang Meng slammed the door and left.
"Get lost, don't bother coming back!" His father was left alone in the greenhouse, hands on his hips, panting and cursing in anger.
The entire village, including other villages, was in the same situation. Since it was their first time setting up greenhouses and they had leased so much land at once, everyone was worried about what to plant.
Groups of people could be seen everywhere, discussing and deliberating.
After unloading the steel frames, Yang Feng was preparing to go back to get the tools to start setting up the first greenhouse. The weather forecast predicted rain next week, so he needed to take advantage of the good weather in the coming days to finish the construction. Otherwise, he would have to wait for another ten days or half a month.
As he rode his bike to the small shop, a few men from the village greeted him. "Yang Feng, come and sit for a while."
Yang Feng waved his hand. "I have things to do. You guys go ahead and chat."
Beside him, Zhang Fei chimed in, "Yang Feng, setting up the greenhouse won't take much of your time. Come and join us for a while."
Seeing that these people were all neighbors, Yang Feng didn't want to appear unsociable. If he didn't stop, rumors would start spreading by tomorrow. Reluctantly, he parked his bike.
Lao Wang, who lived nearby, had recently leased twenty acres of land. He had been working outside the village and was now back to try his luck. When he saw Yang Feng approaching, he immediately put out his cigarette.
"You're quite famous around here, Little Feng."
Yang Feng took the cigarette, not knowing what to say, and could only smile awkwardly.
"Little Feng, can you share some tips on greenhouse technology with us? We're all neighbors."
"Yeah, this is our first time, and we don't have any experience."
"What do you think would be suitable for me to grow? I argue with my wife every day at home."
The group bombarded him with questions and chatter, making his head buzz. Yang Feng didn't know who to respond to.
Finally, when the group quieted down, Yang Feng looked at them. He vaguely remembered that when he first returned, some of them had gossiped behind his back, saying that he was not focused on his work and was idling around. Now that he was making money, they were trying to flatter him. He felt a bit embarrassed.
"What secrets could I have? It's just about being attentive and dedicated. The rest, you'll have to figure out on your own."
After speaking, Yang Feng didn't wait for the others to react. He rode his electric bike straight home, leaving the group of people staring at each other.
It's not that Yang Feng didn't want to teach them, but the key issue was that he didn't have much technical knowledge. He had relied on his own trial and error for a long time, along with the help of the gourd.
Now, his reputation outside had been exaggerated to godlike proportions. He had heard that he could sell a watermelon for five hundred yuan, and there were even rumors that he owned several houses in the city.
In the past, when he greeted people on the street, they would often ignore him. Now, no matter where he went, he couldn't escape the attention.
Reflecting on it, an old saying rang true: "When you're rich, you have distant relatives in the mountains; when you're poor, you have no one in the bustling market."
Back home, he packed the boards, screwdrivers, and hammers into a bag. Everything was ready, and once the greenhouse was built, the money would be just a matter of time.
