Chapter 12: Longing for Strawberries
After waiting for over ten minutes, the customers finished weighing their groceries and left. The chubby boss looked at the customers, each carrying a big bag, and his mouth twisted in frustration.
He blamed his big mouth for talking too much, causing him to lose several pounds. He could have made a lot of dumplings with that weight!
Seeing the customers leave, the chubby boss didn't need Yang Feng's help and quickly grabbed a snake-skin bag to pack the vegetables into it. He was afraid that someone else would come to buy them if he took too long.
Now he realized that despite being chubby, the boss was quite efficient in his work. In no time, all the vegetables were packed into the bag, even the leaves.
"Brother, could you weigh this bag for me?"
Yang Feng took the bag, which was completely full and difficult to place on the electronic scale. After struggling for a while, he finally managed to put it on the scale.
"Brother, be careful, these vegetables are delicate, don't bruise them."
It seemed that the vegetables were as important to the chubby boss as they were to himself.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"Ah, I haven't slept well for several nights because of these vegetables. Finally, I can have a good night's sleep tonight."
"Is my vegetables so popular among customers? If I have time someday, I'll come and taste your cooking."
"Of course, with this vegetables and my cooking skills, we're the only one in this town."
Listening to the chubby boss boasting to himself, Yang Feng didn't argue with him. Maybe he was exaggerating a bit, but it was also true.
"That's a total of thirty-two catties, exactly one hundred and sixty yuan."
"Here are two hundred yuan, you don't have to give me any change. Consider it as a deposit for tomorrow.”
"Aren't you afraid that I'll run away?"
"Forget about it, with your great planting skills, why would I be afraid of you?"
After giving the payment, the chubby boss wasn't afraid of Yang Feng running away. What he feared most was Yang Feng not accepting the deposit, as that would mean there might not be any more supply. The chubby boss bid farewell to Yang Feng and placed the bag in the compartment of his tricycle before taking off.
Yang Feng glanced at his once-full stall, which now only had chili peppers and strawberries left.
The time was only nine o'clock. He estimated that his goods would be sold by ten o'clock. Yang Feng picked up his water bottle and gulped down half of it.
A familiar figure on an electric bike stopped in front of the stall.
Yang Feng looked up and saw that it was the elderly woman who had been buying strawberries here with her granddaughter.
"Grandma, this is the uncle again, the one who sells the strawberries."
“Are you satisfied now? Just by looking at one strawberry, you have already been captivated, you little glutton. Make sure to eat a proper meal when you bring the strawberries back home, do you hear me?” The elderly woman said as she affectionately touched the little girl's braid.
“Mm, I promise to listen to you and eat more food and less strawberries.”
“Good girl. Wait, say it again.”
“I promise to listen to you, grandma, and eat less strawberries and more food.”
"That's about right. I almost got tricked by this little glutton." The old lady affectionately touched the little girl's head and said to Yang Feng, "Young man, why haven't you come to set up your stall these days?"
"It's been raining. And my family's strawberries are almost sold out. So, as soon as they were ripe, I picked them to sell."
"You haven't been here for a few days, and you've worn me out. The little glutton here keeps dragging me to find you to buy strawberries."
The little girl was a bit embarrassed by being talked about like that. She stood on the bike and lowered her head shyly.
"Here, let the little girl have one first."
Yang Feng picked a big one, washed it, and handed it over.
"Mmm, thank you, uncle."
The little girl was no longer shy, maybe because she really wanted to eat strawberries. This time, she didn't look at the old lady and just took it.
She took a bite, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Sometimes, I really envy these children who haven't grown up yet. They don't have too many worries or complicated thoughts, just like the little girl in front of me, who can be happy all day just because of a strawberry.
"Auntie, how much is it today?"
"I see you have packed them in boxes. Give me three boxes, and I'll put them in the fridge for her to eat slowly."
"Okay."
"The strawberries have gone up a few Yuan per catty today. It's a total of one hundred and forty-four Yuan. Just give me one hundred and forty Yuan."
The old lady took out a handkerchief, opened it, and took out one hundred and forty Yuan, looking a little distressed.
"As long as she likes to eat, I'll buy them no matter how expensive they are. Otherwise, she won't be able to sleep peacefully," the old lady said.
"That's right. Whenever it comes to loving our children, there is no pretending or being miserable," Yang Feng agreed.
"Grandma, when I grow up and earn money, I will buy you strawberries even if they are expensive," the little girl said.
The little girl had strawberry juice all over her mouth as she looked up and spoke earnestly.
Both Yang Feng and the old woman couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight of this cute and naive little girl. They also quite liked this sunny and innocent little girl in their hearts.
As the old woman walked away, he begun preparing to pack up and go check out the greenhouse. He didn't want to sell any of the strawberries anymore.
"Excuse me, do you still have strawberries?"
The watermelon girl walked slowly to the front of the stall, gently brushed her hair which was blown by the breeze, and asked in a soft voice.
"Sure, I still have some," Yang Feng replied, as he I took out a box from the basket in his cart.
"It's still the same price as before, ten yuan."
The watermelon girl handed over a neatly folded ten-yuan bill to Yang Feng.
As Yang Feng took the money, he happened to notice that the watermelon girl's tender white hands had quite a few calluses.
At an age where she should have been relying on her parents at home, she was out in the sun and wind selling fruits. Looking at her fragile figure, he couldn't help but feel that he was much more privileged than her. At least he had strength and a magical gourd to help him.
….
Yang Feng pedaled his bicycle and swayed his way to the place where they sold steel frames.
Looking at the jumble of steel pipes, he circled around and couldn't find any clues.
"Hey, young man over there, do you need any help?"
Just as Yang Feng was about to ask someone for help, a voice came from behind him.
Yang Feng turned around and saw an old man in a security uniform.
"Young man, are you looking to buy some steel pipes?"
"Yes, I am."
"Oh, then you have to go to the house over there. The boss isn't here."
The old man pointed to a mobile house not far away.
"Okay, thank you."
Yang Feng walked towards the direction pointed by the old man and pushed open the door.
A strong smell of smoke hit him, choking him and almost making him vomit. He paused for a moment and when he went in, he found the air was still filled with smoke. He took a deep breath and felt a bit better.
"Hey young man, what kind of pipes are you looking to buy? I have both galvanized and non-galvanized, and a complete range of sizes. I guarantee they will meet your needs."
The owner smoked a cigarette and skillfully introduced the products.
Before coming, Yang Feng had asked the villagers about the pipes and knew he needed to buy galvanized ones. Although they were a bit more expensive, they were durable and had better resistance to wind.
"I want to build a vegetable greenhouse and need to buy some galvanized pipes."
"Okay, for a vegetable greenhouse, you can use 7-inch galvanized pipes. How big do you plan to build it?"
"About 7 meters wide and 30 meters long."
"Alright, follow me and let's see which specific size you need."
