novelraw Chapter 178: Pumpkin
Chapter 178: Pumpkin
Evelyn Ford’s pumpkins were growing very well. Those who hadn’t come to trade for seedlings earlier now regretted it.
That evening, Evelyn Ford went to the outer perimeter to dig for mushrooms. A few women gathered around her and started asking if she had any more pumpkin seedlings.
"Pumpkin seedlings? There are none left. We don’t have any water now, so after this crop, I probably won’t plant again."
"Evelyn, when your pumpkins are ripe, can we trade supplies for some?"
Evelyn Ford looked at the woman who had spoken. "I don’t know what the yield will be like yet. If it’s poor, I’m afraid I won’t be able to trade any."
"Of course the yield will be good. You’re an expert planter! Is there anything you grow that doesn’t have a good yield?"
Evelyn Ford smiled. "You can never be sure. After all, water is scarce and the temperature is so high. But rest assured, if I have any to spare, I’ll definitely trade with everyone."
Seeing that Evelyn Ford couldn’t be swayed by either pleading or pressure, the women were unhappy but didn’t dare to offend her.
Evelyn Ford moved to a nearby sandy patch to dig for mushrooms. A few people muttered behind her, but she paid them no mind.
"Evelyn, there’s one woman you shouldn’t get on the wrong side of," Serena Lynch whispered, leaning close to Evelyn.
"Who? Why?"
"The woman with the tan cotton cloth wrapped around her head. Do you remember that time everyone found out Quincy was growing sweet potatoes? Her son was the one who discovered them when he went to steal Quincy’s watermelons. That whole family is known for petty theft. Lots of people have caught them, but since they never take much, everyone just turns a blind eye. But they hold grudges, so you need to be careful with your pumpkin patch. Don’t let them sabotage it."
"I understand. Don’t worry, I won’t give them the chance to cause any trouble."
Evelyn Ford’s eyes narrowed. ’Looks like I’ll have to put something on the fence when I get back.’
After filling a bamboo basket, Evelyn Ford headed back. These days, finding mushrooms meant going two or three kilometers outside the safe zone, a trip that took a fair amount of time. But she wasn’t the type to stay idle. Even with plenty of food in her storage space, she was still in the habit of constantly stockpiling more.
She took a look in the backyard and saw Ronan Kendrick busy in the garden. Evelyn walked over and told him what Serena Lynch had said.
"We planted a third of an acre. Regardless of the harvest, some people are bound to get jealous. Everyone else’s crops have failed, and with so many people in the safe zone, a lot of them are eyeing this pumpkin patch. I’m planning to mix up a powder and sprinkle it on the fence. Anyone who tries to climb in will get a nasty surprise."
If anyone really tried to steal from her, Evelyn Ford wouldn’t hold back.
"Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out. If anyone dares to climb in, I’ll take care of them."
Ronan Kendrick’s expression was indifferent, but the killing intent in his eyes was so intense that one wouldn’t dare to meet his gaze.
"Alright. But we need to make sure the patrol team and Taylor Vance’s group are the ones to find them. It’s best if they’re caught red-handed."
Evelyn Ford didn’t try to stop him. After their talk, she went back to the cabin to prepare the powder. She concocted the most potent itching powder she could. It wasn’t lethal, but it took effect almost instantly. Just a tiny bit was enough to make someone completely give up.
Once it was ready, Evelyn put on a pair of gloves, took the powder to the backyard, and smeared it along the inner side of the fence.
In the days that followed, Evelyn Ford continued her routine of going out to dig for mushrooms and returning to care for her two goats and the chayote plants.
Once the chayote began to send out vines, Evelyn set up a trellis, and now small fruits were already beginning to form.
Evelyn counted them and found that the first batch already numbered over five hundred.
The pumpkins had also started to bear fruit with a very high yield. Judging by the variety, a single pumpkin could grow to weigh fifty or sixty pounds, maybe even over a hundred. The smallest ones would still reach over ten pounds.
The pumpkins went from fruiting to ripening very quickly. In about a month, the enormous gourds began to mature.
Once the pumpkins ripened, even more people started loitering nearby. Even Taylor Vance came to reserve three from Evelyn. Others were getting restless too, but Evelyn’s answer remained the same: the pumpkins weren’t for trade, but the seeds were.
A withered stem meant a pumpkin was fully ripe. Evelyn brought out a scale to weigh them. The largest one was over two hundred pounds, nearly breaking the scale, while the smallest was still eleven pounds.
That night, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick began harvesting the pumpkins. One large gourd after another was stored away in her space. Evelyn was in a great mood, humming to herself the entire time.
"The rest will need another four or five days to ripen. There are still plenty more growing that aren’t mature yet. Let’s just get these for tonight. Ronan, you’ve worked hard. This harvest is all thanks to you."
Seeing how easily pleased she was, Ronan reached out and gave her a light flick on the forehead.
"So what’s my reward?"
"I’ll reward you with a durian."
Ronan...
"Haha, just kidding! I’ll make you pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin porridge, and sweet pumpkin soup."
They had harvested several thousand large pumpkins into the space that night. The yield was higher than Evelyn had ever expected.
The following night, a few furtive figures crept up to the fence around the pumpkin patch. Staring at the enormous pumpkins inside, they couldn’t hide the greedy delight in their eyes.
"That Evelyn Ford... claims the yield is low and won’t even trade ten of them. Tonight, I’ll show her what happens when you cross me."
They were all carrying machetes and sickles. After sneaking through the fence, they picked out a dozen or so medium-sized pumpkins they could carry off. As for the rest, they planned to destroy every last one.
"Stop."
The men jumped in fright. They were about to run when they were seized by people waiting outside. Wooden clubs rained down on them mercilessly, and they cried out in pain, begging for mercy.
"I was wrong! I’ll never steal again! Stop hitting me!"
"Jack Shaw, Steve Sullivan... so it really was you lot."
Taylor Vance emerged from the crowd. The thieves looked up and saw that their attackers were the young men from the patrol. Standing beyond them were not only Taylor Vance and his people but also many other residents from the safe zone.
"Tie them up. Go get Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick. It’s up to them to decide what to do with these people."
There were six thieves in total: Jack Shaw and his family, along with Steve Sullivan and his wife.
The six of them were bound tightly with hemp rope and dragged right in front of the cabin.
By the time Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick came out, the thieves had already been beaten black and blue.
"Dr. Ford, Ronan, we were wrong! We’ll never do it again! Please, this was our first offense, and we didn’t cause any real damage. Spare us this once!"
"I had already promised to trade seeds with you all, yet I never expected you to come and destroy my crops. Everyone, when I have seeds, I always plan to share them after planting so that everyone has food to grow. When has anyone come to me with a headache or a fever and I’ve turned them away? I always do my best to help. But I never imagined that someone would actually come to my garden to cause such destruction, intending to ruin all of my pumpkins."
The other residents were furious as well. No one could believe these people would dare do such a thing. They were in the middle of a catastrophe, and yet these people dared to destroy food. ’People like that should be struck by lightning and die a miserable death.’