Gourd Farm

Chapter 16:  Explosive Increase in Income

"Be careful with that, we need to keep it in good condition."

A few elderly men and women had gathered around at this point, and it looked like their party had just ended. Their makeup was still on, and they hadn't washed it off yet.

"Here, this is half of yours. Altogether, it's ten and a half catties. I'll give you 80 yuan for it."

"Yours is 21 catties. Let's make sure the scale is correct."

….

Along the way, there were three watermelon vendors, but now there were crowds of people in front of Yang Feng's stall. Even the watermelon girl, who usually had decent business, had no customers in front of her stall.

This surprised Yang Feng a little. His watermelons were selling at such a high price, yet so many people were still clamoring to buy them.

After summarizing his experience of setting up stalls for so long, he found that the more people there were, the more they tended to gather around. It's human nature to like to join in on the fun.

It took him an hour and a half to serve all the watermelon buyers.

"I'm so tired. It's really not good without someone to help me out," Yang Feng sat on the tricycle’s cushioned seat, drenched in sweat. It was already a hot day, and being in a rush among the crowds made him almost heat-stroked.

Now there were still two and a half watermelons in the car. He thought about selling one more and then going back, leaving one for the young man who lent him the car. After all, it wouldn't be right to return it empty-handed.

"Hey young man, how much are you selling this watermelon for?" A grandpa with a torn bag and a little dog beside him asked.

Looking at the grandpa's appearance, he seemed to be in his eighties and was probably a scavenger.

As he spoke, his shaky hands took out a dirty five yuan bill.

Looking into the worn-out plastic bag, the biggest thing in there seemed to be just a five yuan bill, and the rest were some coins worth a few cents.

"Half a yuan per catty, Grandpa."

...

"What did you say? Speak louder, my ears are a bit deaf."

Originally, Yang Feng was planning to give it away for free, but he thought that giving charity might be insulting. After all, the man was a scavenger, not a beggar.

"Five cents per catty."

As he spoke, he raised one palm.

"Oh, young man, weigh a quarter of that for me."

"Sure, just wait a moment."

Quickly picking up a sharp knife, he cut one of the halves of the watermelon in half. Even that weighed more than five pounds.

"Two yuan, please."

He shouted loudly, then held up two fingers, in case the old man couldn't hear him.

After taking the money, he sliced the watermelon into pieces, making it easier for the old man to eat.

The old man took the watermelon and tossed a small piece to his little dog, treating it like his own child. Then he found a shady spot on the roadside and sat down.

The little stray dog happily gobbled up the piece of watermelon given to him and barked a couple of times, as if thanking the old man for the treat. The old man smiled kindly in response to the dog's barks.

Seeing this interaction between the old man and his furry companion, Yang Feng was reminded of his own pet, a black dog that was also well-behaved. However, one day the dog was stolen by some thief, and Yang Feng never saw him again.

To us, the little stray dog in front of us may seem like just a stray dog, but to the old man, it's a companion in his old age.

Now there is only one watermelon left in the tricycle. It's already past ten o'clock, and there are noticeably fewer people on the road. Only the passing cars create a gust of dust.

"Do you still have strawberries?"

"Yes, I saved some for you."

The watermelon girl always shows up at this time to buy strawberries for ten yuan, but today she seems a little down, as if she has something on her mind.

"Young man, do you still have watermelons?"

A grey Volkswagen stopped in front of the stall, and a middle-aged man wearing glasses asked from inside the car.

"There's only one left, boss," I replied, pointing to the watermelon.

"Okay, I'll take it.”

“It's 22 catties, so 176 yuan in total."

"Young man, would you take 170?"

"Come on, these are all grown by myself. If you like the taste, remember to come back and buy some more."

Looking at the bags of red and green, Yang Feng sat in the tricycle and counted the money. Surprisingly, the carload of watermelons sold for three thousand yuan.

Yang Feng could hardly believe it. He used to think that strawberries were profitable enough, but watermelons were a goldmine. Although the growing cycle was longer, the profits were considerable.

It seemed that the decision to plant watermelons in the first greenhouse was a correct one.

He could still sell more watermelons from the garden, but he probably could only sell the strawberries once. Each crop of strawberries yielded less than the previous one, even with irrigation from the gourd water. They had probably reached the maximum utilization rate.

Yang Feng pocketed the three thousand yuan and thought along the way. The first greenhouse was already planted, and if they used all the money to buy another greenhouse structure, he could build one more. However, relying on his bicycle alone was no longer enough for transportation.

If he were to sell watermelons on the streets, he couldn't always borrow a vehicle. After much consideration, he decided to buy an electric tricycle with the money they made.

It was a pressing need as having a vehicle could save a lot of time on the road. Lost in thought, Yang Feng arrived at the village and saw my friend chatting with someone under an old locust tree.

This also saved him a trip, so he returned the electric tricycle while he was at it.

"Hey, Xiaofeng, you're about to get rich! You loaded up the car in the morning, and it's already sold out in just a few hours?"

Turning around, it turned out to be his cousin, Yang Facai, who had always had a good relationship with his uncle.

This person was a flatterer and loved to spread rumors whenever he heard someone in the village making money.

"Well, watermelons are in short supply, so they sell for a good price."

Although he was his cousin, Yang Feng didn't have much conflict with him, so he still had to exchange pleasantries.

"I heard you've made a lot of money recently selling watermelons and strawberries."

"You've set up stalls before. You know how much money you can make, right?"

Yang Feng didn't want to argue with this person, so he threw the question back at him.

"Well, that's true. Compared to me, you're really far behind in setting up stalls. When I was setting up stalls, you weren't even born yet."

As he listened to his cheap uncle boasting about himself, Yang Feng really didn't want to stay any longer. He grabbed half a watermelon and headed home.

After taking a few steps, he remembered there was a watermelon left in the train compartment for his friend. He hadn't told him yet, and he was worried someone might take it if he left it on the tricycle.

"Brother, don't forget to take the watermelon in the tricycle," he shouted loudly. The young man nodded in acknowledgment.

"You see this kid; he doesn't even care about us old folks. He didn't even want to leave half a watermelon behind, and he's taking it all the way home," someone remarked.

….

Yang Feng was actually quite embarrassed. Under the tree were all the elderly people from his village, and although not many of them were actually related to him, it was still difficult to choose who to give the watermelon to. He didn't want to offend anyone by giving it to one person and not the others, so he decided to just act like he didn't know what to do.

When he got home and checked his greenhouse, he saw that the watermelons he had planted a few days ago had already started to sprout. The whole greenhouse was covered in lush green, and it seemed like his efforts were paying off.

 …

The small car was immediately surrounded, but the Watermelon Girl hadn't reacted yet.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and get a bag for the customer," someone said.

At that moment, Yang Feng was too busy to handle everything alone, from choosing the watermelons to weighing them.

"Okay, got it," the Watermelon Girl replied.

With Yang Feng's instructions, the Watermelon Girl quickly grabbed a bag, collected the money, and they worked together so seamlessly.

After about half an hour, they had sold almost all the watermelons. The Watermelon Girl had bought two popsicles and handed one to Yang Feng, who was sweating profusely.

Seeing this, the Watermelon Girl wasn't shy anymore and looked up at Yang Feng, saying sincerely, "Thank you!"

However, this made Yang Feng feel a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and said, "It's nothing, just a small gesture."