Farming Games are All About Grinding
Chapter 56: Magical Holiday Food

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Magical Holiday Food

Fortunately, Han Qiwu’s eyesight was much better than theirs—and precise too—allowing him to snatch back the game items from the hands of the uncles and aunties with ease.

The current quest progress was: [Cabbage (6/5), Green Onion (4/5), Celery (4/5)]

With just over three minutes left, all he needed was one more green onion and one more celery.

The problem now was that the light beams of these vegetables didn’t look all that different. If he kept finding cabbages, it’d be impossible to complete the objective.

During his break, Han Qiwu spotted that kid again.

"I was just worried about not finding a green onion. You really showed up at the perfect time," Han Qiwu muttered while picking up a handful of dirt and rubbing it between his fingers. After thinking about it, he decided against smearing it on his face.

A face this handsome—what if it got dirty?

The kid clearly had a target in mind, dashing ahead at full speed. In no time, he led Han Qiwu straight to a green onion.

"Yay! Now I’m gonna get smarter!" The kid cheered to himself, reaching out excitedly to grab the green onion.

A familiar large, dusty black hand swept over the kid’s head at lightning speed.

"You’re celebrating way too early!"

Han Qiwu stretched out his hand above the kid’s head and yanked the green onion away.

The kid could only watch his dream of becoming smarter be extinguished by Han Qiwu. He was so stunned he didn’t even cry at first.

It wasn’t until much later that tears welled up, and he opened his mouth to wail.

"Mom! He’s snatching my onions again!"

By the time the kid’s mom rushed over, the culprit, Han Qiwu, was already nowhere to be seen.

How could something a player does be called stealing?

Having gained some experience, Han Qiwu specifically followed younger people to search for celery. It didn’t even take a minute before he found one. Just as he pulled it out, the system notification appeared.

[Cabbage (6/5), Green Onion (5/5), Celery (5/5) successfully collected]

[Cabbage: Pure and sincere. Green Onion: Intelligent and wise. Celery: Diligent and hardworking. After being imbued with beautiful blessings, these vegetables now possess special powers.]

[Please prepare the vegetables into a late-night snack and consume them.]

"So it’s not over yet," Han Qiwu sighed. He began heading back, planning to ride his bike to Grandpa Chen’s place to eat the veggies. Along the way, many others were walking back with their spoils, chatting and laughing as they went.

Of course, the fields were still filled with shouts and curses. Cries of "You little brat!" "What the hell!" "Damn it!" and "Bloody swine fever!" echoed across the farmland.

To Han Qiwu, it was almost like listening to a comedy show. As he strolled back, he seized the chance to snatch another green onion and tossed it hard at the kid when he found him.

The onion arced through the air as he turned and walked away—a good deed done anonymously.

"Mom! Someone hit me with an onion!"

...

"Wow, you really swiped a lot!" Grandpa Chen chuckled as he surveyed the haul Han Qiwu brought into the courtyard. "You’ve got a sharp eye, kid—all premium stuff you took."

"Hehe, well, Grandpa Chen, how do you want it? Boiled or stir-fried?" Han Qiwu scratched his head, finding the compliment a bit odd.

"No need for you to worry about that. Go take a shower; the hot water’s ready." Grandpa Chen took the vegetables, shoved Han Qiwu towards the bathroom, then headed into the kitchen to start cooking.

By the time Han Qiwu finished showering, the table was already set with three dishes.

Stir-fried Cabbage Hearts, Braised Pork with Green Onions, and Spicy Stir-Fried Celery.

"Care for a drink?" Grandpa Chen motioned with the little jug in his hand.

"Nah, better not. Gotta get up early tomorrow," Han Qiwu waved it off.

"Next time then. Dig in." Grandpa Chen didn’t insist, taking a sip of his liquor, a bite of his food—completely at ease.

Perhaps stolen food really did taste better. Every dish seemed even more delicious than the last.

"Delicious!"

After all the trouble he’d been through, Han Qiwu was starving. Before long, he’d polished off two full bowls of rice.

Once full and satisfied, Han Qiwu cleaned up, thanked Grandpa Chen, and left his house.

As soon as he stepped outside, a system notification popped up.

[You consumed festive food (Lantern Festival Stolen Vegetables).]

[Next day’s Luck +3]

"Luck +3?" Han Qiwu opened up his character stats page. While the Buff was clearly listed, the attribute itself wasn’t visible.

Maybe it was a hidden stat.

On the way home, Han Qiwu pondered how to maximize the benefits of the Buff.

"Mining, fishing, cracking crystal balls—they all rely on luck. But overall, mining’s the most important. I should take the chance to unlock the cable cars on the lower levels; it’ll make future trips much easier."

For mining, his supplies were fully stocked, weapons upgraded, and he even had his trusty homemade piece of gear—the [Leg Hair Protector].

It was time to conquer the mines!

If luck was on his side, maybe he’d uncover a staircase with one lucky swing!

Daydreaming all the way, Han Qiwu leisurely pedaled his bike home.

He arrived at 9:13 PM.

Thanks to eating two servings of rice balls, his stamina was still over 100 points.

Not chopping trees now would be a waste.

By 10:30 PM, Han Qiwu had gone through "Rising Sun" again, advancing his mastery progress to (4/10).

Before bed, he grabbed the copper ingots from his furnace and set it to forge another one. Thinking ahead, he realized that once his mining haul increased, a single furnace wouldn’t cut it anymore. He’d have to invest time at the blacksmith shop to craft more.

He tallied his remaining materials: [Wood]×67, [Stone]×52, [Coal]×2, and a few other miscellaneous resources.

He was utterly exhausted but couldn’t deny the satisfaction of taking stock of his gains.

A couple more days of chopping trees, and he’d gather enough to build a feed box. Then, he could buy two chickens and fill the coop!

After washing up, Han Qiwu lay down in bed, unwilling to move a muscle. He calculated the days—it had only been ten-odd days since he’d arrived. Why did every day feel so packed?

As he reflected on his emotions from when he first arrived versus now, Han Qiwu lay on the bed, lost in thought for a long, long time.

Wait a minute.

Where’s Zhou Gong?

Why haven’t I fallen asleep yet?

Am I... experiencing insomnia?

Han Qiwu couldn’t believe it.

Usually, I’d fall asleep in a second without breaking a sweat.

And now that I’m this tired, you’re making me stay awake?

How am I supposed to mine tomorrow?

As he grumbled, a loud crash echoed from the courtyard.

Han Qiwu: "????"

He attempted to get up to check, but his eyelids grew heavier and heavier until he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Grind!

February 11, Diary

Farming XP +0

Foraging XP +168

Fishing XP +426

Combat XP +0

Mining XP +0

Relationship Changes:

Old Huang: ?

Current Money: 41 Gold

Total Earnings: 15,911 Gold

[Congratulations! Your Foraging Skill has leveled up to Level 2.]

[Your movement speed has improved.]

[You obtained a (Fragmented) Mining Collection Map.]

"Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!"

A new day had begun.

The first thing Han Qiwu did after waking up was run to the courtyard to investigate. He had to know what happened!

Could last night’s loud crash have been some kind of special event?

Don’t tell me it was a meteor strike destroying my vegetable patch!

Han Qiwu arrived at the courtyard and scanned his surroundings.

The peanuts, potatoes, and cauliflower were all accounted for—nothing seemed amiss.

The scarecrow was dutifully standing guard. Everything appeared normal.

Weird.

Did I imagine it?