Looks like I need to put the plan to fool Red Hair and Huang Mao on the agenda.
You eat my fruit! And I'll eat your eggs!
But seriously, how am I supposed to make this scarecrow?
Do I have to ask Zack???
Han Qiwu decided to set this matter aside for now. According to the hint in the almanac, he quickly needed to start harvesting!
I've been waiting for a week! Do you know how hard that was?
Walking into the yard, eight stalks of windgrass had fully matured, their yellowish, plump, fleshy roots poking out of the soil, chubby and stout.
Han Qiwu took a deep breath and carefully placed the hoe from his storage into the farthest corner.
The harvest was about to begin—no way he could afford a misstep now and accidentally dig them up!
"Tweet."
"Tweet."
Han Qiwu walked up to the largest windgrass, grabbed it firmly with both hands, and yanked it out.
[Mature Windgrass (Gold-Star Quality ⭐)]
[Stamina +45]
[HP +25]
[Sale price: 50]
[Note: Unlike the Wind Stabilizing Pearl, it doesn't actually stabilize wind.]
Hahaha! The almanac did not lie to me!
I grew gold-star quality!
A potent 45 stamina recovery!
See? Farming truly is the righteous path!
Han Qiwu cradled the windgrass in both hands, chuckling foolishly for quite a while before finally storing it in his inventory.
[Congratulations on completing the mission: Chosen One]
[Mission reward: Method for planting giant crops]
[Gold-star crop bonus reward: +100 planting experience]
[Note: To the lucky mission completer, may you successfully grow a giant crop]
[Non-main quest unlocked]
[Non-main quest: Animal Husbandry]
[Mission objective: Do you—someone bursting with affection—wish to have small animals at every meal? If yes, head to the livestock farm! Once you've spent enough money and raw materials, you'll gain the corresponding animal structures and can revel in raising adorable creatures!]
[Mission reward: Trigger one special event; the event's quality depends on task completion.]
[Note: Rookie, hurry up and find some eggs!]
A flood of screen-filling system prompts crazily scrolled across Han Qiwu's field of vision.
The first thing Han Qiwu checked was the method for planting giant crops.
Planting Giant Crops: Grow specific crops within a 3x3 area, and you'll have a chance to harvest "giant crops." Giant crops must be harvested using an axe. The location of giant crops is not fixed. If planted in a 3x4 grid, they could appear in one of two possible spots.
[Certain items can increase the probability of giant crops appearing]
[Special crop seeds are now available in the seed shop]
Han Qiwu: "??? That simple?"
So I just plant them and wait?
How am I supposed to write my thesis now?
Thesis content: Just grow crops together and, as long as enough time passes, you'll reap giant crops.
If Mr. Tang saw this, would he pick me up like one of those big bags of rabbit heads?
Still, having the method is better than nothing, since it concerns Han Qiwu's graduation... and the advisor for his thesis happens to be Tang Qingying.
"Let's try and grow a giant crop first!" Han Qiwu made up his mind, glanced at the money he had—over 2,500 gold. If I plant a 3×4 grid, I'll need 12 seeds.
"This much money is definitely enough!" Han Qiwu chugged a glass of pure milk early in the morning to energize himself.
Back to looking at the log.
Ah, the joys of a casual game.
No main quests, just non-main quests.
It's starting to feel like being a hipster.
Glancing at the mission, Han Qiwu opened the map, and sure enough, the livestock farm he previously couldn't access was now visible on the map.
"Since it's not a system-generated building, it might be like the [Village Clinic], requiring both real-world money and in-game currency, along with materials." Han Qiwu stepped into the warehouse to check on his recent material stash.
[Wood]×49
[Fiber]×60
[Stone]×55
A week of buzzing around had left the material count far from impressive.
Han Qiwu remained optimistic, "With all these materials, building a chicken coop should be a cinch—and I'll buy a few chicks. One rooster paired with three hens; when they grow up, roosters for meat, hens for eggs."
Dreams are always beautiful.
Organizing his thoughts, Han Qiwu continued harvesting windgrass.
In total, there were two gold-star quality stalks, two silver-star quality, and four ordinary quality.
Han Qiwu's first harvest seemed decent. By converting everything to gold, it tallied to 270 gold—proving once again that fishing in the early game was ridiculously lucrative!
"I wonder how much planting experience got added; is it enough for a level-up?"
Han Qiwu pondered his next planting plans while watering crops. He still had 20 windgrass seeds, and since it would rain tomorrow, there wouldn't be a need to water them. If there were no distractions like giant crops, he'd likely continue planting windgrass.
In truth, growing windgrass offers fairly average profits. Each one requires 7 watering sessions, costing 21 stamina in total, while ordinary windgrass only restores 15 stamina—making it a net loss. Only silver-star and gold-star grades provide a stamina gain.
"But you can't just calculate it this way; planting experience from harvesting matters too, plus the seeds were free." Han Qiwu had already finished watering the green beans and peanut potatoes.
"I can't wait to harvest those green beans and peanut potatoes!" Han Qiwu cheerfully planted new seeds while daydreaming—what if they all turned out to be gold-star and silver-star crops? Hahaha!
"Knock, knock, knock."
"???" Who's here so early in the morning? Han Qiwu was puzzled. Could it be Zack?
No way Zack's that petty—chasing me all the way home?
It was the first time Han Qiwu saw an NPC with negative affection points.
Made me feel like some kind of heartless jerk.
At least you're an NPC who can fly!
Han Qiwu grumbled internally as he walked over to open the door.
Oh, it's Mayor Niu. Never mind—I wrongly accused Zack.
Slumbering Zack: "Fu**."
"Xiao Han, up so early? You look full of energy. Are you getting used to life here?" Niu Gang smiled warmly, holding a bag of sweet potato noodles in one hand and dried yams in the other. "I just happened to pass by here, so I brought you some homemade specialties from your auntie."
"Thank you, Uncle Niu. The living situation's alright—it's just a bit taxing on the liver. Come in for a drink of water." Han Qiwu thanked him while mentally activating the disguise system.
"Taxing on the liver?" Niu Gang didn't quite understand, but he was used to it—new slang popped up everywhere these days; no way he could keep up.
"No need to come in. You've been working hard these days. If you face any difficulties, let me know—don't be shy about asking." Niu Gang handed the items to Han Qiwu. "By the way, the town's bringing in people to blast that rock blocking the road in the next couple of days. If you hear anything, don't worry."
"Huh? What kind of rock requires blasting?"
"It's from a landslide, but don't worry; this sort of thing rarely happens."
After saying that, Niu Gang quickly drove off. Watching his departing figure, Han Qiwu thought it looked surprisingly dashing.
Han Qiwu deactivated the disguise system in his yard and carried the goods back inside.