Farming Games are All About Grinding

Tang Jing came over, pretending to squeeze Han Qiwu's biceps, but his hand suddenly shifted and darted toward his abs with remarkable speed.

But Han Qiwu was even faster to react. Before Tang Jing could land his 'attack,' he raised both hands to block Tang Jing's move and grinned, "Brother Jing, if you want to see my abs, just say so. Eight-pack, no problem."

Tang Jing raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Xiao Han, your reflexes are impressive. Can farming train you for this sort of thing?"

"Maybe I'm just naturally gifted." Han Qiwu chuckled and walked outside to start grilling fish.

Behind him, Tang Jing nodded quietly to himself.

Tang Jing wasn't a fool. After these few encounters, he'd more or less picked up on Han Qiwu's feelings for his niece.

His brother, Tang Qingying's father, didn't interact much with his daughter, always entrusting Tang Jing to look after her.

From Tang Jing's perspective, he had no objections whatsoever.

What's wrong with relationships like an age-gap romance? Or a mentor-student romance?

Love is freedom—is that so hard to understand?

Xiao Han is an excellent kid. He's got a solid education, a strong physique, and no issues with earning a living.

Although he doesn't have a job right now, with his fishing skills alone, he could easily build a prosperous career specializing in fishing.

I, Tang Jing, approve of this match.

Of course, he hadn't said these thoughts aloud yet—he needed to observe the situation a little more.

Speaking of which, what kind of name would suit their future child?

Han Tang?

Sounds pretty good.

Focused on grilling, Han Qiwu remained oblivious to the intricate web of thoughts tangled up in Tang Jing's mind. At the moment, Han Qiwu was fully immersed in controlling the heat, ensuring that every squid tentacle was grilled to perfection.

To be honest, his boosted fire resistance was surprisingly handy in daily life.

At least barbecue sessions didn't feel overwhelmingly hot.

By this logic, summer wouldn't be unbearable either.

After all, sunlight is essentially fire emitted by our sun—right?

What a pleasant thought.

Twenty minutes later, Han Qiwu sprinkled the finishing touch of seasoning, picked up grilled squid in one hand and grilled black fish in the other, and brought them to the table.

On the table was also a plate of tangy smoked mackerel prepared by Brother Jing to accompany drinks.

"Thanks for the hard work. Care for a drink? I've got some premium liquor here." Tang Jing smiled.

Han Qiwu gestured no with his hand, "I've got errands in the afternoon. No alcohol for me; I'll stick with soft drinks. Go ahead and try the squid—it's good."

Tang Jing nodded, poured himself a glass, picked up a skewer of grilled squid, and started eating.

Seeing him dig in, Han Qiwu took a tentacle himself for a taste test. The surface of the grilled tentacle was slightly charred, giving it a crispy texture, while the meat was elastic and springy. Chewing it mixed the tangy charcoal aroma with the sweet and spicy seasoning, an addictive combination that had him polishing off the tentacle within seconds.

It was divine!

"Xiao Han, I'm not exaggerating—if you opened a barbecue stall near your school, you'd be easily making this much!" Tang Jing said with excitement, raising his palm upright to signify a hefty profit.

"Smack!"

Han Qiwu high-fived him without missing a beat.

Tang Jing: "...."

Han Qiwu burst into hearty laughter, raising his soft drink for a toast, "Brother Jing, I don't want to open a barbecue stall. Good food like this is best kept within family circles."

"Well said." Tang Jing downed his shot of liquor cleanly.

"Try the black fish next." Han Qiwu pulled over the grill tray and grabbed a piece of fish belly to sample.

Grilling fish demands even more finesse than grilling squid. A perfect grilled fish achieves a crisp, golden-brown skin encasing tender, springy white meat.

From the first bite, the unique aroma of black fish burst in his mouth, tempting him to take bite after bite, satisfying an insatiable craving.

Truly delicious.

As he ate, a cascade of notifications appeared before Han Qiwu's eyes.

[You consumed Volcano Squid. Fire resistance increased by 5 points. Maximum fire resistance boost from Volcano Squid reached.]

[You consumed Volcano Black Fish. Maximum fire resistance boost from Volcano Squid increased to 15 points.]

"No wonder people always say your diet needs to be properly balanced—pairing foods really enhances the effects." Han Qiwu nodded contentedly and continued devouring his meal.

Half an hour later, Han Qiwu's fire resistance had increased by a full 15 points.

What a treat!

The grilled squid and fish on the table had been cleaned to the very last bite, down to the roasted onions used for seasoning.

After satisfying their appetites, the rain gradually cleared, the skies brightened, and the temperature started to rise.

Taking his leave from Tang Jing, Han Qiwu pedaled leisurely back home for an afternoon nap.

An afternoon nap!

How unfamiliar the concept sounded!

Ever since he started playing this game, Han Qiwu felt like naps had become a relic of his past.

This couldn't go on—today he'd rekindle the joy of a proper nap.

After returning home, Han Qiwu first stored the Volcano items and Heat-resistant Shrimp he had collected, then took out the [Metal Roller Mill] he had obtained yesterday and headed for the milling room.

Production in the milling room had slowed significantly recently, primarily because the sugarcane supply had been exhausted, leaving only polished rice to process.

"Let's test whether this thing can actually boost efficiency." Han Qiwu took out the Metal Roller Mill and installed it onto the rice-polishing machine.

As soon as he placed it, the mill began emitting layer upon layer of radiant light, slowly integrating with the machine.

A few minutes later, after absorbing the roller mill, the rice machine didn't look drastically different except for a slightly deeper color.

"Perfect timing—since we harvested so much rice today, let's see if it can process raw rice into polished rice." Han Qiwu experimentally fed a batch of raw rice into the machine.

Previously, the mill could only turn brown rice into polished rice but had no solution for unhulled raw rice. This left an abundance of raw rice from the previous harvest waiting to be processed, not to mention the newly gathered batch.

[Processing raw rice into polished rice: Requirement (1/2)]

Upon input, the machine displayed a new prompt, making Han Qiwu's heart leap with joy.

Sure enough, it made a difference.

Adding another batch of raw rice, the machine whirred into motion.

[Polished rice production underway. Estimated time: 4 hours]

"Four hours? That fast?" Han Qiwu exclaimed in surprise. He remembered that polishing brown rice alone used to take five hours, yet now upgrading the machine allowed processed raw rice to complete in four hours.

Wouldn't polishing brown rice be even faster?

How convenient!

Leaving the mill, Han Qiwu fetched the day's share of spring water and strolled into the small grove to check on the condition of the mulberry saplings.

After a night's adaptation, the saplings were flourishing, especially those nourished with spring water and mulberry tree freezing solution last night. Not only had their drooping old leaves unfurled, but new ones had begun sprouting as well.

Checking the time, he noticed there were only a few minutes left until the full 24-hour mark, just enough to water the thriving saplings with the spring water he had collected earlier.

He had to water them—today's silkworm ants hadn't had their meal yet. Soon, he'd need to pluck leaves for them.

At the 24-hour mark, a prompt appeared above the mulberry saplings.

[Under your attentive care, mulberry sapling survival rate has reached 100%. Reward: Increased sapling growth speed by 500% for five days]