Chapter 34 Resigning to Go Home and Farm (11)
Today was the first time I picked cucumbers. Because they tasted so much like fruit, Baiye raised the price per unit when she delivered them to the supermarket.
The supermarket initially didn't take it seriously, but after tasting it, they were amazed and not only increased the price Bai Ye requested by 20%, but also demanded exclusive sales rights.
It looks like they're planning to sell it as a premium fruit cucumber.
No, it could also be presented as an imported new product cucumber, accompanied by exaggerated sales tactics.
But none of these are things that Bai Ye needs to care about.
He sells the vegetables and fruits he grows, directing them to appropriate channels so that every customer can enjoy the sweetest and crispest fruits from his heart—that's enough.
However, "Why does this cucumber look so strange?"
The vegetables grown in the greenhouses are all under unified management, and the last emergency response did not discriminate between them.
Bai Ye couldn't figure it out, so she picked a cucumber and ate it while chatting with the other person.
"Why are you two so sweet?"
"We are the sweetest cucumbers in the world."
"Is it a genetic mutation? But I'm pretty sure I'm just growing regular cucumbers. Could it be that you went to the neighbor's pear orchard for pollination?"
"Nonsense, it's all thanks to you, Xiao Fan."
"?"
"Because you're happiest when you water and fertilize us, and you even play us really nice music, so of course we taste the best."
At this point, the little green balls started dancing together, and I don't know where they learned it from, but they did the movements quite well.
Thank you, because of you, my life is warmed through all four seasons.
"I'm sending you a little heart, a flower; you are the most beautiful emotion in my heart~"
"A collective salute to express our gratitude for Xiao Fan's selfless dedication."
Rows of small green spheres, each holding its own little figurine, stand on the shelf with serious expressions and raised hands.
Some little ones don't know how to salute yet, their chubby little hands spread wide open. Others haven't even grown all their hands yet, only having three fingers. After finally managing to salute, the little figurines they're holding fall out of their arms.
The solemn scene instantly descended into chaos, accompanied by gasps and cries of surprise as the little ball rolled around.
Bai Ye felt uneasy and waved his hands repeatedly at the vegetable ghosts before quickly slipping away.
What I put my heart into most, and what makes me happiest.
It's clearly because this greenhouse is at the very end of the line that I feel excited every time I think about being able to rest after watering the plants. The joy of being able to rest is so strong that it's almost indescribable.
Therefore, I always play some songs to please myself.
Unexpectedly, this accidental success led to the cucumbers growing so well.
The other vegetables, unaware of the reason behind it all, were incredibly envious and jealous when they learned that the cucumbers had grown to taste like sweet pears thanks to the grower's enthusiasm and dedication.
In the middle of the night, they all went to climb into each other's beds.
Because there were too many, the Vegetable Ghosts and Fruit Ghosts could only send one representative for each type.
Even so, Bai Ye was terrified.
These were all nearly ripe vegetables and fruits, and their bizarre shapes grew larger and larger. One of them, a bamboo viper, was almost as thick as a cauliflower snake.
At this moment, she is wrapped around his neck, whimpering sweetly.
The scene of Bai Ye shedding tears is quite terrifying, revealing a complex mix of emotions within her.
"Don't cry."
Bai Ye suppressed the goosebumps all over his body and stroked him as gently as possible, "Let's go down first and have another representative speak."
The second tomato that jumped up—no, it should be called a cherry tomato.
It's unclear whether it's due to some strange mutation, but these vegetable monsters can undergo mitosis. One second they're an infant shaped like a whole watermelon, and the next they can split into five, six, seven, or eight miniature infants the size of apples.
One mouth started chattering, and soon it became seven or eight mouths chattering at the same time, creating an extremely lively scene.
Bai Ye was embraced by eight apple-sized baby tomatoes, which swung around like jacks and complained, "If other melons have them, we have to have them too. What's so special about pear-flavored cucumbers? Xiao Fan, if you love us more, we'll grow strawberry-flavored baby tomatoes for you."
Upon hearing this, the other representatives immediately had a breakthrough and began to chime in with their own opinions:
"I can grow loofahs that taste like watermelons."
"You don't taste good, but I'm different. I can grow indefinitely, a five-meter-long cowpea, the king of beans!"
"Don't be silly, growing that long would be like a monster. If I grew that long, I could grow a hundred okra a day, and I wouldn't be able to pick them all."
"Me too, me too..."
The customer is king.
What's more, they were a group of strange customers.
Bai Ye tried her best to keep smiling and agreed to everything. Every day thereafter, she took care of him with boundless enthusiasm and joy.
Sometimes, he even felt that he wasn't a vegetable grower at all, but a clown performing in a circus.
All the vegetables and fruits in the greenhouse are just spectators. Only when his performance wins people's hearts will they cheer and pay for the performance.
But the performance has no end; it must be repeated every day.
After watering the plants for the second time in the afternoon, Bai Ye squatted at the entrance of the greenhouse, silently looking up at the sky.
The summer sky is always exceptionally blue. On windless and cloudless days, the blue is a deep blue that can make you dizzy if you look at it for too long.
But occasionally a mountain breeze blows by, and if you blink and look up again, it seems that the blue has slowly turned into a light blue, so it is not so captivating and can make you feel much more awake.
"It's been so long since I've seen the sky like this, it's so beautiful," Bai Ye exclaimed.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a voice came from the side, "It's been a long time since I've seen such a hardworking fool, that's great."
Bai Ye turned his head and saw the fruit ghost that had just grown small watermelons in the greenhouse.
Around 5 p.m. today, he witnessed for the first time the bizarre shape of this watermelon variety, which was truly peculiar.
Who would have thought that a perfectly good melon would turn out to be a hedgehog in such a bizarre form?
That's right, it's the famous badger mentioned in Lu Xun's writings!
Bai Ye specifically looked up the animal called "cha" online. It's a badger, also known as the dog badger, and it loves to eat melons.
As a rare small animal, the badger has become very popular due to its association with internet celebrities.
Watermelon, a sweet and juicy fruit that can be eaten in summer, is also very popular.
How could these two completely unrelated creatures be combined together?
Bai Ye found it hard to accept, "Does your bizarre form have to be like this?"
A miniature badger perched on its little watermelon and couldn't resist touching it. "There's no way around it, the one who loves watermelons the most must be a badger. Born a badger, I'm determined to protect every single watermelon."
Bai Ye didn't understand, but expressed his respect.
The two, a man and a badger, met for the first time and the atmosphere was quite pleasant. They talked about everything from summer to winter.
Bai Ye suddenly said with emotion: "I dislike winter the most. Winter is too cold. You know, winters in the South are damp and cold, the kind that chills you to the bone."
“Then you should go north,” Xiao Cha said matter-of-factly.
Bai Ye shook his head. "No, the North is really cold, the kind that can freeze you to death outdoors. I just have one wish: to divert some of the moisture from the South to the North. It's said that the North is particularly dry, so it's about diverting moisture from the South to the North."
"Human, which season do you like?" The badger rolled over and continued holding its melon.
Bai Ye thought for a long time, but couldn't think of a season she liked.
Springtime is a time of experiencing all four seasons, with sudden shifts in temperature and no discernible pattern.
During the humid spring and summer seasons, plus the plum rain season, I worry about the musty smell of my clothes and socks every day.
It gets even worse in summer. There are thunderstorms in the morning and evening on the way to work. After a heavy rain soaks the workers, they leave with a smug look on their faces, as if they can accurately predict the commuting times of cattle and horses.
Autumn? It's too short; winter arrives in the blink of an eye.
Winter, cold, cold, cold.
Bai Ye concludes: "No season is comfortable."
The chacha scoffed, "Human, you've been pickled to perfection. The four seasons are so wonderful; only cattle and horses don't like them."
"No, working people don't have any days they like. Sunny days are too hot, rainy days are troublesome, and cloudy days are windy. You are locked in a square box, and you hate everything because the wind and rain don't belong to you."
“We plants are different. We sow in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, and look forward to the next spring in winter. We are warm on sunny days, nourished on rainy days, and we sway in the wind on cloudy days. Every season and every day is a joy.”
Bai Ye was instantly pierced by a thousand arrows.
He opened his mouth, but was unable to refute it.
He hasn't really paid attention to the changing seasons for many years, nor has he ever particularly enjoyed any particular day.
"Don't say that, it's very discouraging."
Feeling utterly ashamed by the strange words, Bai Ye lowered his head deeply.
The badger laughed and called to the other badgers in the greenhouse to stroll outside together. "Today is a good day, let's go outside and have some fun."
A large group of badgers scattered in a flash. Bai Ye couldn't help but look up and saw them darting around in the fields, touching this and looking there, even sneaking into other people's cornfields and looking up at them.
"No, you can't steal the corn!"
Startled, Bai Ye jumped up and quickly gave chase.
The hundred or so badgers exchanged glances and, with perfect understanding, scattered in all directions, each disappearing into a patch of cornfield to hide.
Bai Ye was dumbfounded. All traces of sadness from reminiscing about the past had vanished. He wished he could stretch out seventy or eighty hands to "arrest" these badgers and bring them back to their shed.
"I knew it, these melons were taking so long to grow, they were definitely brewing something big."
"What a weird melon! What kind of bizarre variety is this? You're so inhuman!"
"Stop right there! Don't run around in the fields! Come back here right now!"
...
Bai Ye planted nearly a whole greenhouse of watermelons. The watermelon vines blossomed and bore fruit, and the small watermelons grew bigger and bigger, soon to be ripe.
Villagers passing by the greenhouse couldn't help but peek inside to see how the young man was growing watermelons.
Upon closer inspection, the watermelon was enormous and round. Judging by its texture and the sound it made when slapped, it must taste delicious.
So, some people took other fruits they had grown themselves to Ge Guifen and Li Dashi, hoping to barter with them.
"Xiao Fan's watermelons are growing really well. We want to pick one to try. Just a few, to taste the flavor."
Ge Guifen came to us with the villagers' thoughts, and after talking to her grandson, she added, "If you're planning to sell, I'll give it back to them."
While Bai Ye was still pondering, the badger in the greenhouse was already excited, "Agree, agree quickly!"
Bai Ye turned his head, a look of confusion in his eyes.
These badgers are being far too happy.
A group of badgers pushed and shoved each other, then sent out a representative: "Humans, you may not know, but badgers are born with a love for food. For melons to grow bigger and sweeter, they need a lot of food. Let them trade us food, fruits or grains are fine, and we guarantee to give them the sweetest and biggest watermelons."
The lead badger stood on two legs, its forelimbs outstretched, drawing a large circle.
After thinking about it, he realized something was wrong, so he called over a few more badgers, and they held hands and formed a circle.
"So big, it can be this big, the world's largest watermelon, and it's sure to be delicious."
Bai Ye stared in astonishment at the circle, which was the size of a basket.
Is this still a watermelon?
If this watermelon grows to maturity, won't it break a world record?
Several badgers nodded and said that as long as you eat a lot, you can grow a size that's not just the size of a basket, but even the size of a house.
"Our melons are so big that they can't fit in one room. Our goal is to make the biggest and sweetest watermelons!"
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