"Sweet potato noodles and dried sweet potatoes—I figured these two are basically the same thing, right?" Han Qiwu started rambling again. "Why not just call them sweet potato noodles?"
All joking aside, Han Qiwu could tell the sweet potato noodles were of high quality. The color alone screamed pure sweet potato starch, completely different from those fake ones out there loaded with cassava starch. These were sure to taste amazing.
"When the peanuts are ripe, I'll send some peanut snacks to Mayor Niu too," Han Qiwu thought to himself. "As for the boulder blocking the road—the heck, where's the boulder? And what road is it blocking?"
Han Qiwu sniffed out the scent of a new map about to unlock.
Pulling out his notebook, Han Qiwu started jotting down today's game plan.
"Gather wild fruits and green onions, swing by the breeding farm, grab breakfast in town, then hit up the seed shop to buy seeds. After that, head to the blacksmith to try completing quests. Use any leftover time for fishing to save money."
Honestly, Han Qiwu doubted there'd be any time left for fishing.
Isn't this supposed to be a game? Why am I busier than when I was in school?
This game is way too grindy!!!!
Before heading out, Han Qiwu took out the golden star herring he saved earlier, sliced it open, then hung it under the eaves.
Forget herring cans—what if every dog in town came rushing over? That'd be chaos. Better to stick to dried fish.
If it rains tomorrow, don't forget to bring the dried fruits and fish inside tonight.
Packed two wind-proof herbs, gave the wild gathering map a quick glance.
New day, let's go!
Following the gathering map, Han Qiwu picked raspberries, wild chives, and green onions, one by one.
With his foraging done, he hopped on his bike and pedaled toward the breeding farm.
Turns out the farm gatekeeper today was the same one from last time, and he remembered Han Qiwu well.
"Hey, young man, back to sniff around again? We just got a fresh batch of piglets yesterday—top-notch aroma!"
Han Qiwu: "....."
Good lord, the stench was overwhelming!
Last time, Han Qiwu was here while fighting a cold, so he hadn't noticed much. But today, that smell was burrowing straight into his nostrils.
Here's hoping system-built structures won't have this issue.
"Sir, I'd like to buy some chicks or something. Who do I talk to about that?" Han Qiwu asked loudly.
"Looking to buy chicks? Follow me, I'll take you to the transaction department." The gatekeeper was helpful enough, leading Han Qiwu inside the farm.
"Transaction department, huh? This breeding farm sure has neatly divided departments, and the gatekeeper's super friendly too," Han Qiwu thought while glancing around. Chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cows, sheep—they had everything. Future livestock purchases would be a breeze here.
Hopefully, they're affordable.
The gatekeeper brought Han Qiwu to an office door. "The guy inside is my nephew. No worries—he'll hook you up with the best chicks!"
Han Qiwu thanked him profusely. No wonder the guy was so helpful—it all made sense now.
Scanning the setup inside, Han Qiwu saw only a wooden desk and two stools. The transaction department couldn't be *this* broke, could it?
He looked at the doorplate again: "Transaction?!"
Han Qiwu chuckled. Okay, that's gotta be intentional. Artistic flair, maybe?
"Hello, you must be the new university student in town. My uncle mentioned you. I'm Yang Yangyang." The young man behind the desk walked over briskly to shake Han Qiwu's hand. Around thirty years old, already balding—it weirdly gave off an impression of strength.
"Hi, I'm Han Qiwu. I'm here to buy some chicks." Han Qiwu smiled and shook his hand. Yang Yangyang? Well, the name's certainly amusing.
Hengyuanxiang, time to pay up! Advertising fee incoming!
"No problem! Are you planning to eat them or admire them?" Yang Yangyang asked enthusiastically. "If it's for looking, we've got Yuanbao chickens. For eating, we've got Luhua chickens, free-range chickens, green-egged chickens, and more."
As Yang Yangyang rambled on, the breeding farm's system interface popped up before Han Qiwu for the first time.
[Construct farm facilities]
[Purchase young animals]
Han Qiwu selected the first option: Build farm facilities.
[Basic Chicken Coop]
[Capacity: 6 chicks]
[Materials required: Wood (49/100), Stone (55/100), Money (3521/4000)]
[Note: Poor folks don't get to eat eggs.]
Han Qiwu: "??????"
Is there a system administrator? My system is roasting me!
So what if I'm broke and low on materials!
No matter how much he searched, Han Qiwu couldn't find a loan button in the system.
Screw it—guess I'll save up money and materials.
Who'd have thought a basic chicken coop would cost this much? Then wouldn't a pigpen be astronomical?
Rest in peace, my braised pork!
Farewell, Dongpo pork shoulder!
Goodbye, pork belly!
Guess I'll hold out for now.
"For eating—both egg-laying and meat breeds," Han Qiwu replied.
"Makes sense, right? We're raising them for the food, after all. Here, take a look at this," Yang Yangyang said, handing over a booklet.
A system notification appeared in Han Qiwu's field of view: [Purchase young animals].
[No chicken coop available; unable to purchase young animals!]
Rip-tide-bore-mouth.
Can't I just free-range them?
Why can't I raise free-roaming chickens!
If there were a system complaint button, Han Qiwu would smash it into oblivion!
Unable to make a purchase now, Han Qiwu lost interest in further discussions. He skimmed over the prices—the young animals were mostly one-month-old, costing between 5 to 10 yuan each.
"Hmm, decent variety here. I'll head home first to figure out how to build a chicken coop. Once it's ready, I'll come back for the chicks," Han Qiwu said with a smile.
"Sounds good! If you've got any questions, feel free to call me. Here's my card—we're neighbors, so don't hesitate," Yang Yangyang said warmly, handing over a name card with both hands.
Han Qiwu smiled gently, thanked him, pocketed the card, and left the breeding farm.
"Looks like I'll need to carve out more time for chopping wood these next few days—and earn some money too, which means fishing again. Fishing XP is already over two thousand; wonder when I'll hit level three," Han Qiwu mused absentmindedly while lazily pedaling his electric bike.
As he rode along, his field of vision suddenly showed a patch of QQ Farm red soil!
No wait—it's ancient land.
Whatever it is, if I can dig here, it's good land!
[You've discovered an ancient plot of land]
Han Qiwu stopped his bike, glanced around to confirm no one was watching, then pulled out his hoe and started digging.
[Congratulations! You've obtained a damaged treasure chest]
Frowning at the beat-up chest, Han Qiwu reached out and pried it open.
[Congratulations! You've obtained a damaged package]
Grabbing a stick nearby, Han Qiwu poked open the package.
[Congratulations!....
"No more nesting dolls!" Han Qiwu shouted, wishing he could manually input a cheat code.
[Congratulations! You've obtained a damaged copper wine pot]
[Damaged Copper Wine Pot]
[Unusable; can be recycled]
[Note: If reincarnation exists, this copper wishes to be part of a wine pot again.]
Staring at the broken copper wine pot in his inventory, Han Qiwu pondered for a while. Nope—no NPC seems to be into wine-drinking. Plus, this pot isn't marked "ancient," so Zack probably wouldn't take it either.
Wait, there might be one—Brother Jing likes wine.
But for the sake of my education, let's skip gifting booze. Maybe I'll give him some veggies instead.
After a week of gameplay, Han Qiwu had already realized that item notes could be super helpful.
"Recyclable, with reincarnation—does this mean I should go to the blacksmith to forge it back into a wine pot?" Han Qiwu thought he was onto something.
Guess I'll check it out after buying seeds.
Finding random stuff is always a win!