Gourd Farm

Chapter 9: Is it Wrong to Enjoy Good Food?

After finishing his tasks, Yang Feng went to a small store to buy a bottle of ice-cold beer, had a bowl of noodles, crushed two garlic heads, and then rested contentedly.

When he woke up, it was already five o'clock. Normally, the sky would have been bright by now, but it was unusually overcast today.

He stepped out in his slippers and realized that it wasn't just an overcast sky - it was going to rain hard.

"In this season, it rains for two or three days like an everyday occurrence. The rain comes quickly and stops quickly."

He had planned to sell more things today, but it seemed impossible to set up shop in the morning.

He quickly covered the strawberries with a plastic sheet as the rain began to pour down heavily.

After about two hours of rain, the sky became unusually bright, and the air was no longer as hot and stuffy as before.

Yang Feng picked a basket of strawberries and brought along some vegetables and peppers to sell at his stall.

Even though it had just rained, there were still many people out and about on this weekend day.

He found a relatively flat area without any standing water and began unloading his goods onto the ground.

As he was about to set everything up, a passing car splashed water all over him, drenching him from head to toe.

"Goodness gracious, can't you see where you're going?!" he exclaimed in frustration.

Luckily, he hadn't put out the strawberries yet, or they would have been ruined. Yang Feng watched the car drive away, wishing he could kick it.

Looking down at his stained clothes, he decided to take them off.

He dragged his things further back and noticed that the girl selling watermelons nearby had already opened her stall.

Since it was just the beginning of the day, he didn't need to rush. He could wait until he sold most of his goods and then deliver the vegetables the bun shop requested.

"Grandma, I want to eat strawberries," a middle-aged woman with a child on an electric bike passed by the stall.

"What do you mean? You threw away the ones I bought for you yesterday."

"That's because the ones you bought weren't as delicious as the last time. They weren't sweet at all."

The middle-aged woman had no choice but to stop.

"Young man, how much are your strawberries? They don't look very good."

"45 yuan per catty. No picking or choosing."

Yang Feng had learned his lesson from his previous experience of selling strawberries. He knew that you had to handle them delicately, or they would bruise easily and become rotten.

"Oh, you're the young man who sold strawberries last time, aren't you?"

"Do you know me?"

"Don’t you remember, You sold strawberries in that spot before, and I bought a catty too."

The middle-aged woman was excited and pointed to the roadside not far away.

Yang Feng remembered that the middle-aged woman did buy strawberries from him the first time he sold them. At that time, she even complained that they were too expensive.

"Oh, it's you. Did you enjoy the strawberries last time?"

"Don't even mention it. Last time I bought a catty of strawberries, but my grandson ate them all without leaving any for me. Since then, I bought some from the supermarket a few times, but they either ended up in the trash or he refused to eat them."

It was normal for children to be picky about food, but since Yang Feng started eating his own strawberries, he couldn't enjoy other strawberries as much. They were either too sour or tasteless, unlike his strawberries that had a unique milky flavor.

"So, how much are you planning to sell them for today?"

Saying that, Yang Feng took a strawberry, washed it with the clean water he brought, and handed it to the child.

"Here, try this one. Is this what you want?"

The child looked at the middle-aged woman and took the strawberry, taking a bite, then stuffing the whole thing in his mouth.

"I told you, unlucky boy, no one is taking it from you. Eat it slowly."

"Boss, weigh me strawberries worth a hundred yuan"

"Okay."

Yang Feng put the brand new hundred yuan bill into his pocket, not expecting to have such a good start.

After rearranging the strawberries, a black Volkswagen stopped in front of the stall and rolled down its window.

"Boss, how much are your strawberries?"

"45 yuan per catty, if it's not sweet, you don't have to pay."

"Give me one catty, I'm telling you if it's not sweet, I'll bring it back to you later. I live around here."

After selling for about two hours, he had already made over 300 yuan. His legs were numb from squatting for a while, so he went to a public toilet and when he came back, he saw five or six people heading towards his stall.

"Come over here, it's this way."

He looked at the group of people with a puzzled expression, but they didn't look like city inspectors or anything.

In no time, they arrived at Yang Feng's stall and surrounded him without moving.

Seeing so many people coming over, Yang Feng quickly ran over, thinking that there was something wrong.

"What's going on, do you need something?"

This didn't look like they were there to buy something.

"Young man, we're from the nearby community. Did a driver just buy a catty of strawberries from you?"

"Yes, what's wrong with the strawberries?"

"We are high school teachers. We brought our children here for a gathering on the weekend. The strawberries that the teacher just bought weren't enough for the kids, and the taste was so good that we decided to buy more."

Upon hearing this, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, how much do you want?"

Yang Feng picked up a bag and started picking the strawberries.

"Young man, you only have about ten catties. You don't have to bother picking the small fruits. Just weigh the rest for me."

"Sure."

I didn't expect these people to be so easy-going. They quickly packed everything up, and it came to fourteen and a half catties, so I charged them 650 yuan.

After paying, the group of people chatted and left.

Yang Feng didn't expect strawberries to be so popular. Once people try them, they become regular customers, especially children.

Now there were only some peppers left, and a little over a kilogram of strawberries.

He decided not to sell the strawberries and keep them for himself to eat, so he wouldn't have to buy watermelon.

"Are you still selling those strawberries of yours?"

A very delicate voice asked quietly, "Are you still selling those strawberries?"

Yang Feng didn't need to look up to know it must be the girl selling watermelons next to him.

For some reason, this girl's voice was always so special. It could be remembered firmly after just one listen.

"Let's stick to the old rules, ten yuan."

"Okay."

After paying the money and taking the strawberries, she went back to the watermelon stall.

There were only two people selling on this road, and the selling/buying of the  strawberries seemed to have become their only chance to communicate.

Seeing that it was getting late, he put the vegetables on his bike and went to the steamed bun shop.

"Boss, is anyone there?"

The steamed bun shop was dark at this time, maybe because they only made breakfast.

"Who is it?"

The fat boss came out, wearing a apron covered in flour.

"Oh, little brother, you finally came."

Let me tell you, if you don't come again, all the regulars in my shop will be gone.

"Is it that exaggerated? It's just a vegetable."

Listening to the fat boss's words, he obviously felt that he was exaggerating.

"Little brother, you may not believe it, but most people now prefer vegetarian buns. Moreover, meat is too expensive now, so your vegetable has naturally become the signature product of my little shop."