Farming Games are All About Grinding

Tang Qingying sighed helplessly, "I don't know either. I'm just so, so tired but can't fall asleep, and now I have a headache. Oh right, I just sent you some Pumpkin King seeds. This is a newly cultivated giant pumpkin variety. I only managed to get a few seeds, so give it a try. If it works, your thesis will be much easier to handle."

Warmth flooded Han Qiwu's heart.

Mr. Tang is just too thoughtful.

Even with her own headache, she's still thinking about my thesis situation.

"Thank you, Mr. Tang. Did you have anything to eat this morning? If not, I could arrange for a local courier to send some food over to you?"

"I did. I had a fried dough stick and some porridge at the cafeteria. Staying up all night makes me feel a bit nauseous," Tang Qingying replied. "By the way, you should also speed up your experiment progress. Things are looking a bit serious lately. A lot of my senior classmates have come back to focus on crop yield improvements. I'm not sure of the specific reasons yet, but I just feel something isn't right."

"Got it. I'll pick up the pace. You go get some rest first. I'll prepare something delicious for you and bring it over by noon," Han Qiwu reminded himself silently and nodded as he spoke.

Tang Qingying smiled softly and curiously asked, "What delicious food are you going to make? Let me say this upfront, I'm feeling a bit nauseous, so I definitely can't eat meat. But if it's layered strawberry cake, that should be fine."

"You'll find out when it arrives. But this time, what I'm bringing is just for you—you can't share it with anyone, okay?" Han Qiwu specifically reminded her.

"Don't worry! I didn't share the previous ones either; they were so tasty I barely had enough for myself. I weighed myself yesterday—lost over three pounds!" Tang Qingying chuckled. Though she was exhausted, the thought of Han Qiwu's delicious cooking lifted her spirits.

What kind of yummy treat could it be!

"Over three pounds? That won't do! You're already slim; lose any more weight and you'll disappear. Go get some rest. I'll fatten you back up," Han Qiwu teased, chuckling. With Tang's petite frame, losing any more weight would make her look like a skeleton spirit.

She needs to be fed.

After hanging up, Han Qiwu walked into the kitchen, pulled out a leg of Ancient Dwarf Deer, and began chopping it up. The piece wasn't huge but still weighed around twelve pounds. Stored well, it'd last Tang a whole week.

Taking her mouth size into consideration, he chopped it into small, bite-sized pieces.

Even though Tang Qingying explicitly said she couldn't eat meat, Han Qiwu knew one thing for sure:

Women are liars.

With the irresistible fragrance of Ancient Dwarf Deer meat...

She won't eat it?

Impossible!

Before long, the entire leg of Ancient Dwarf Deer, diced into tiny pieces, was simmering in the pot.

As the meat stewed, he wondered if what Tang had mentioned earlier might be connected to what Ding Yanfang had talked about before.

Why were all those experienced seniors suddenly returning to study crop yield improvement?

After thinking for a while, Han Qiwu shook his head. There wasn't enough information. It was better to wait and observe. Strengthening himself remained the key priority.

Once the meat was simmering, Han Qiwu grabbed a bottle of milk, hopped on his bike, and set off. First, he planned to visit Grandma Zuo Yu for some answers, then head to Sister Zhou's place to exchange for gardenias.

Arriving at Grandma Zuo Yu's door, Han Qiwu knocked gently and called out, "Grandma, it's me, Xiao Han."

"Coming, coming," Grandma Zuo responded cheerfully, hurrying over to open the door with a warm smile.

"Grandma, how are you feeling? Feeling a bit better these days?" Han Qiwu asked with a grin, holding up the bottle of milk to hand over.

To his surprise, as soon as Grandma Zuo saw him, she clasped his hand excitedly, completely ignoring the milk. "Xiao Han! After all these years, I finally had a proper night's sleep! That bed of yours works wonders—thank you so much!"

Hearing this, Han Qiwu felt comforted, guiding Grandma Zuo into the house with a smile. "I'm glad it's helping. But you can't solely rely on it. Pay attention to your diet and exercise regularly to live a long, youthful life. I'll leave the milk on the table—don't save it for too long. It'll spoil, so drink it within the next two days."

"Alright, and this milk smells lovely," Grandma Zuo said, taking a sip. "Living to a hundred isn't something everyone can do. As long as I can still see the town getting better, I'm content."

After chatting a bit more, Han Qiwu bid farewell, mounted his bike, and headed to Sister Zhou's to trade for gardenias.

When he arrived at her house, the door was ajar. After parking his bike and grabbing a glass jar of frozen tree sap, he approached and knocked lightly.

"Xiao Han? What do you have there?" Sister Zhou asked bluntly upon seeing him. "I've never seen anything with that color before. Bamboo juice?"

Han Qiwu grinned, "It's tree sap, but not bamboo. It's from sweet osmanthus trees. I brought it to trade for some gardenia petals to make desserts."

"Sweet osmanthus sap? Is it drinkable?" she asked curiously, setting down her work and walking over.

"Of course! Grab two cups, and you'll see," Han Qiwu replied with a laugh.

"Alright, sit tight." Sister Zhou turned to fetch the cups. Seated on a stone stool, Han Qiwu observed her cozy yard, contemplating how convenient it'd be if he could trade for an entire gardenia sapling to grow at home.

A short while later, Sister Zhou returned with two cups.

Han Qiwu carefully poured two servings, downing his in one gulp. "This sweet osmanthus sap carries a subtle floral fragrance. Though not alcoholic, it'd make a fantastic base for brewing wine."

"Let me try," Sister Zhou said, curious. After taking a sip, her eyes lit up. She clapped him on the shoulder and laughed, "Not bad, Xiao Han. The flavor is mild but wonderfully pure. This couldn't have been easy to collect."

"Indeed, it wasn't," Han Qiwu nodded in agreement.

Sister Zhou happily accepted the sap, chuckling, "Alright then. There's a ladder over there. Pick whatever blooms you want. They're great stir-fried too."

"Thank you, Sister Zhou." Sensing she wasn't willing to trade for a sapling, Han Qiwu tactfully left it at that, crouching a bit before leaping up into the gardenia tree.

"Whoa! You've got some serious hops, kid," Sister Zhou exclaimed with surprise. "Be careful, now—don't fall."

"Got it," Han Qiwu called back. His hands moved like the wind, swiftly plucking a dozen glowing gardenias.

[Gardenias]

[Stamina +10]

[HP +15]

[Note: Exudes a rich fragrance]

True to the note, the gardenias' aroma was exceptionally strong—no wonder they were perfect for dessert fillings.

Once he had enough, Han Qiwu gracefully landed, thanked Sister Zhou, and left.

Before he departed, Sister Zhou reminded him to bring more goodies next time in exchange for other items.

It's time to head home and make desserts!

As he entered, Han Qiwu spotted the Little Prince carrying Little Shui on his back with a chicken in hand, heading toward Wetland Garden.

From the back, it really looked like "a chicken in one hand, a kid strapped on."

"Eee-eee-eee!"

Little Shui waved at Han Qiwu, happily following the Little Prince on their adventure.

Han Qiwu waved back, noting a faint glow at the tips of Little Shui's claws. It seemed Little Shui might already be starting to grow.

But there was no rush. A bigger appetite wasn't an issue—there were plenty of fish to go around in the family's Hospital River!

Heading into the kitchen, Master Han, who had been busy all morning, began crafting floral caramel and nut pies.

He first took out the gardenias, glanced at the recipe, and realized:

The recipe specifically called for 10 gardenia petals.

Since he'd plucked just over ten blooms, it was more than enough to make two pies.

"Perfect, I won't need to trade again next time."

Master Han carefully separated the petals, washed them thoroughly, and divided them into two portions. One was mixed with flour, eggs, and milk to form the pie crust, while the other was crushed and stir-fried with pine nuts, honey, and sugar for the filling.

Finally, he wrapped the filling in the crust and popped it into the oven.

Perfection!