Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 12 Buying Seeds

Han Qiwu savored the taste lingering in his mouth as he rode his bike down the small road leading to the livestock farm.

He was planning to pick some wild chives and wild scallions again—who knows, he might stumble upon something good!

Besides, Han Qiwu was pretty curious about the livestock farm.

What's a farming game without raising chickens?

No chickens, no eggs.

No eggs, no baby chicks.

No baby chicks, no chickens.

This is the eternal mystery!

As his mind wandered in all sorts of odd directions, Han Qiwu pedaled his way to the Water Buffalo Town Livestock Farm. He remembered Niu Gang mentioning it before—while the farm wasn't particularly large, it had chickens, ducks, cows, sheep, and pigs, enough to supply the town with meat products.

"I'm already here, so why isn't the location showing up on the map?" Han Qiwu was puzzled. He tried walking to the gate of the livestock farm, but there was no system notification. Instead, he was greeted by the farm's gatekeeper.

"Hey there, young man. What brings you here?"

"Nothing much, just taking a look. The air here is great."

The gatekeeper sniffed the chicken manure-laden air, cast a dubious glance at Han Qiwu, then slowly sauntered back to his security booth.

"This guy doesn't seem right in the head."

Still nursing a slight cold, Han Qiwu started analyzing why the livestock farm wasn't showing up on the map:

First, his current level might be too low.

Second, maybe he hadn't triggered the right opportunity yet.

Third, it's possible that livestock wasn't even bought directly from the farm.

No eggs for now.

No roast chicken either.

Guess he'd have to wait. What a bummer.

Fortunately, just a few minutes later, Han Qiwu was no longer feeling bummed out.

Perhaps thanks to the plentiful fertilizer, the vegetation along the small paths near the livestock farm was unusually lush. Soon, Han Qiwu spotted faint shimmering lights here and there.

As he got closer, he saw three to five stalks of vibrant green wild chives and wild scallions swaying gently in the breeze. A few of the wild scallions even had white flowers blooming on their heads.

[Wild Chives (Normal Quality)]

[Stamina +21]

[Health +13]

[Price: 9 Gold]

[Note: A spicy seasoning ingredient]

[Wild Scallions (Normal Quality)]

[Stamina +15]

[Health +10]

[Price: 7 Gold]

[Note: You know the taste of wild scallions!]

In less than eight minutes, Han Qiwu had gathered three stalks of wild chives and seven stalks of wild scallions. The scallions grew in clusters, but they were a bit hard on the eyes.

In addition to what the system recognized, he also picked a few extra fresh-looking wild chives and scallions to bring as a gift for the Red cotton-padded jacket lady.

Han Qiwu examined the attributes carefully. Yep, similar to raspberries—low price, high recovery. Perfect for replenishing stamina.

For now, Han Qiwu decided against eating them raw.

He didn't think his stomach could take it.

His mouth wouldn't enjoy it either.

Better go back and figure out a way to process them.

Unfortunately, his inventory slots were already full. Han Qiwu had no choice but to store the wild chives and scallions in bags hanging on either side of his handlebars.

Ten inventory slots were just too small!

Previously, Han Qiwu thought 3000 Gold was a fortune. But after last night's large earnings, he suddenly felt like fishing for another two days might actually be enough to solve his problems.

He glanced at the time: 7:12.

Still early! Time for breakfast.

Twenty minutes later—

This morning, Han Qiwu had some 'authentic' Hong Kong-style soup dumplings in town.

They were tasty, but not exactly authentic.

That said, Han Qiwu already braced himself mentally when he heard the boss ask, "Kid, what kind of filling do you want in your buns?"

When he sat down and saw the gigantic jar of chili oil on the table, Han Qiwu understood.

When in Rome.

After filling up, Han Qiwu felt much better. His head was clearer, and his nasal congestion had eased up.

Following the map, he located the [Hundred Herbs Seeds Store].

Strangely, the door was closed.

[Hundred Herbs Seeds Store is open Monday to Friday, 8:30–16:00]

Figures, he came too early.

With nothing better to do, Han Qiwu poked around in the nearby bushes, hoping to stumble upon some hidden treasures.

As it turned out, the guidance he got from the Red cotton-padded jacket lady was indeed invaluable.

By the time the shop opened, Han Qiwu still hadn't found anything of note.

Upon entering the store, he was greeted by rows of exceptionally clean shelves.

Well, obviously empty shelves are clean.

Next to the empty shelves were four large vending machines labeled Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Walking up to the spring vending machine, Han Qiwu hadn't even pressed anything yet when a shopping menu popped up in his vision.

[Here are some words of wisdom for newcomers to the seed store]

[Crops from one season will wither when the next season arrives!]

[Treasure those rare plant seeds!]

[Spring is the best season for growing—Strawberries!]

[Remember to stock up on seeds when the store is open!]

After the four tips flashed by, a dropdown sales menu appeared.

[Angelica Seedlings: Plant in spring, mature in seven days.]

Price: 25 Gold

[Green Bean Seeds: Plant in spring, mature in 25 days. Afterward, will keep producing green beans weekly. Grows on trellises.]

Price: 70 Gold

[Potato Seeds: Plant in spring, mature in 10 days. Has a chance for multiple potatoes at harvest.]

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Price: 55 Gold

[Peanut Seeds: Plant in spring, mature in 10 days. Has a chance for multiple peanuts at harvest.]

Price: 60 Gold

"Only four types of seeds, huh." Han Qiwu reluctantly tried the other vending machines.

[Out of season, unavailable]

Thwarted, Han Qiwu stood in front of the spring vending machine, mulling over which seeds to buy.

"The Angelica seedlings gifted by the system are indeed the cheapest and fastest to grow, so the experience points must be the least as well. I already have plenty of Angelica seeds, so I'll skip them this round."

"Green bean seeds seem pretty cost-effective. One seed can produce crops for three months, but every green bean seed requires over two months of watering. It takes a long time to mature, and there are too many variables. I can't afford to invest heavily in them blindly."

"Potato and peanut seeds are interesting. Ten days to mature is neither too long nor too short. I can buy more to try them out."

After weighing the options, Han Qiwu opted for three green bean seeds, five potato seeds, and five peanut seeds.

Anyway, he could always return to buy more if needed. Start small for now.

Thirteen seeds combined with the eight existing Angelica plants would consume 63 stamina points per day. In system terms, that's two or three fish, or three or four raspberries.

Han Qiwu planned to maintain this scale until his first harvest. Based on the earlier hints, he also wanted to figure out how to get his hands on strawberry seeds.

Moreover, the first harvest would complete a quest: [The Chosen One], unlocking the giant plant cultivation method!

Han Qiwu couldn't wait to see how the system would handle growing giant plants. Polyploidy? Colchicine? Or some other method?

This could make for a lot of progress on his research project—writing the paper, on the other hand...

With all the materials gathered now, how hard could writing a paper be?

After paying a hefty 785 Gold, Han Qiwu received thirteen hefty seed packs. The packaging was a dirt-brown plastic bag, each labeled with small text.

[Green beans need wooden trellises to grow]

[Potatoes are prone to bacterial infections]

[It's said that lucky people can harvest five peanuts from a single seed]

"Wooden trellises? Bacterial infections?" Han Qiwu suddenly felt like he'd been scammed.

Why would they deliberately leave out such crucial product information?

Unfortunately, the system offered neither a refund option nor a seven-day no-questions-asked return policy.

Anyway, having already spent over 700 Gold—

Better plant them!

Adapt and overcome!