Farming Games are All About Grinding

"It's actually for cows? Perfect timing." Han Qiwu happily placed it next to the Fu Xi Statue No. 5 that could enhance livestock—chickens.

The first few attributes of this Fu Xi Statue No. 2 were typical, but it had a final attribute that even Fu Xi Statue No. 5 did not possess.

Increases the nutritional value of products.

That means the milk will be more nutritious.

Or perhaps... the effects of cow kidneys and bull penises will be enhanced?

Thinking back to the people he'd encountered in town, Han Qiwu figured the one who might need this the most was Zhuanzhu.

A true henpecked husband.

He made a mental note to keep an eye out to see if there were any tasks related to this and prepare in advance.

While pondering, Han Qiwu watered his crops with a watering can in hand.

The vegetable patch and grove in the yard were full of life, with vibrant green leaves and colorful little flowers thriving in the morning light.

Both the dragon whisker grass and purple alfalfa were growing aggressively lately, looking great.

After finishing these tasks, Han Qiwu felt a bit hungry. He walked into the kitchen and was about to whip up something to eat when he suddenly remembered—today was the day the strawberry jam would mature.

Kangkang, go check it out!

Walking over to the strawberry jam jars, Han Qiwu noticed a faint projection of strawberry jam already appearing on them.

Opening the lid, Han Qiwu reached in and scooped out the strawberry jam.

[Strawberry Jam]

[Stamina +300]

[Health +180]

[Price: 880 Gold]

[Note: Fresh strawberry jam with a sweet and fragrant flavor!]

"It's worth 880 gold?" Han Qiwu chuckled.

The strawberries were priced at 260 gold; turning them into jam was like multiplying the value over threefold, similar to raspberries.

That's simply too satisfying!

Heavy investment in jam jars is the way to go!

Han Qiwu stepped out to check his wood stock—335 pieces.

Thankfully, yesterday's haul from the Mist Forest had been decent, or he'd be fretting right now.

Each jam jar required the following materials: [Wood] ×50, [Stone] ×40, [Charcoal] ×8.

There were plenty of stones at home, enough to craft six jars easily, and he had 48 pieces of charcoal ready too.

Let's do this!

"There are currently six jam jars at home. Adding six more makes twelve. If they're all used for strawberry jam, that's equivalent to generating 10,560 gold per batch." After crunching the numbers, even Han Qiwu was astonished.

Getting rich by growing strawberries, huh?

Might as well go taste the strawberry jam, fill up the stomach, and then get back to making the jars.

That's some labor-intensive work.

Back in the kitchen, Han Qiwu mixed three eggs with some flour to make a batter, adding a pinch of salt before using a flat pan to prepare a few thin pancakes. On the adjacent stove, he pan-fried a few slices of lean meat.

Once everything was ready, he wrapped the lean meat and fresh lettuce in the pancakes, brushed on a thin layer of strawberry jam, pressed it down, and took a big bite.

The eggy fragrance of the chewy pancake paired wonderfully with the aroma of the pan-fried lean meat, complemented by the freshness of the lettuce and the strawberry jam.

After chewing a few times, the slightly grainy texture of the strawberry jam mingled with its sweet flavor.

Absolutely divine.

Just like the raspberry jam, Han Qiwu also mixed some strawberry jam into milk to try strawberry-flavored milk.

One sip, and the strawberry fragrance exploded in his mouth, the flavor beyond delicious.

So tasty!

The quality of the strawberry jam far exceeded Han Qiwu's expectations, both in texture and flavor, completely outshining the raspberry jam by several levels.

But of course, it should. One was found outside, the other grown on his own farm.

How could they compare!

After eating and drinking to his heart's content, Han Qiwu turned on the TV to browse through the channels.

[Weather Forecast]

Tomorrow will be sunny.

[Helpful Tips]

Gifts are more likely to move people on their birthdays!

[Daily Almanac]

Good for crafting, bad for staying indoors.

[Shennong's Recipe]

Heard you've made strawberry jam? You should try making this next.

[You've learned how to make Strawberry Cake]

[Strawberry Cake]

[Ingredients: [Strawberries] ×5, [Strawberry Jam] ×1, [Flour] ×1, [Sugar] ×1, [Eggs] ×3 [Optional Fruits] ×N]

[Effect - Memory: Eating strawberry cake evokes beautiful memories.]

[Note: Eating too much might make you gain weight.]

After watching TV, Han Qiwu tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling for a moment before it finally occurred to him.

March 19th—today was Grandpa Chen's birthday!

How thoughtful of Shennong.

This strawberry cake is just perfect!

Once he finished making the jam jars, he'd get started on the cake right away.

With that in mind, Han Qiwu decided to call Grandpa Chen directly.

When Grandpa Chen picked up the phone, he chuckled and said, "Xiao Han, what made you think of calling me so early? Have you eaten? I just made some egg noodles."

"I've eaten, I've eaten. Are you home today? I wanted to drop by to ask you something," Han Qiwu replied.

Grandpa Chen found it odd, thinking the young man might be a bit silly.

He's already calling—why not just ask directly?

"I'm headed to have lunch at Aunt Guo's place around noon. Otherwise, I'll be in town. What's up?" Grandpa Chen replied.

"Nothing, nothing, I'll talk to you when I see you. Bye, Grandpa Chen," Han Qiwu said, quickly hanging up before Grandpa Chen could ask further.

Grandpa Chen lowered the phone, glanced at the screen, and shook his head helplessly, wondering whether he should get some brain-boosting medicine for Xiao Han at the clinic.

Walking over to the storage box, Han Qiwu pulled out the materials and began crafting the jam jars one by one.

Forty minutes later, twelve jam jars were neatly lined up in the side room.

"Time to rope the Little Prince into digging a cellar," Han Qiwu muttered while filling the jars with strawberries and deliberating.

There was just one small problem with digging a cellar.

Making sure not to accidentally breach the Hospital River.

After filling the jars, Han Qiwu looked up and saw the Little Prince gleefully heading out with Little Shui on his back, holding a freshly repaired seaweed net in hand.

"Finish chopping the trees before you play! Be careful!"

"Roar!"

Little Shui perched on the Little Prince's back obediently waved its large clawed paw, lined with golden bone, at Han Qiwu—a rather intimidating sight.

Standing by the Hospital River, the Little Prince expertly took a few running steps and leapt across the river with Little Shui on his back.

As they jumped across, all the fish around scattered in fear, terrified of attracting Little Shui's attention.

Among them, the Golden Shark swam the fastest.

Having experience sure makes a difference, huh.

Glancing at the width of the Hospital River, Han Qiwu realized he really needed to build a small bridge.

Can't have them hopping back and forth all the time.

If they slipped one day, that'd be a disaster.

Sure, the water at home was clean, and swimming wouldn't be an issue, but swallowing a mouthful would be unnecessary.

Heading to the riverbank near the yard's gate, Han Qiwu fiddled with his tools for a while but still couldn't figure out how to construct a wooden bridge.

"Might as well go learn from Master Shuzi," Han Qiwu said, pulling a few crystal balls from the storage box and preparing to bike to the blacksmith's shop.

Different trades have their experts—best to learn from a professional.