[Mature Siler Grass (Common Quality)]
[Stamina +15]
[HP +15]
[Note: Trust me, it tastes great!]
Han Qiwu looked at the siler grass in his hand and curled his lips. He had eaten it before; the taste was unremarkable, and the texture just average.
Looking at his stamina at 87 points, Han Qiwu decided to give the system a chance.
The siler grass provided by the system was spotless, free of dirt or water, and it even had a thin layer of glimmer on its surface.
Han Qiwu took a bite, and instantly, the sweet juice flooded his tongue like a dam bursting open.
So sweet.
The texture of the bitten piece had the fragrant stickiness unique to starchy crops, enveloping every inch of his mouth. If he had to give this feeling a name, he'd call it a "mouth massage delight"!
Delicious.
A siler grass about the size of his palm was finished in just two bites.
So fragrant.
Stamina maxed out.
What are you waiting for? Time to get to work!
Siler grass that matures in just one week is pure gold!
And this is just common-quality siler grass. If the quality improves, wouldn't the flavor be heavenly?
In front of the small cabin, Han Qiwu selected nine clean plots of land that didn't need to be cleared and planted the siler grass.
Watering them cost a total of 27 stamina points.
Including the previous plot, Han Qiwu calculated that he'd need to spend 30 stamina points every day for watering in the upcoming week.
Fortunately, he earned an achievement through careful observation.
Given that he hadn't found a way to replenish resources yet, Han Qiwu could gain an extra dozen or so precious stamina points each day thanks to the achievement "Careful Farmer."
As expected, side quests are the true essence of the game!
After finishing all this, the time in his view was already 11 a.m., and Han Qiwu started to feel a little hungry.
He headed inside, grabbed his phone, and slung his bag over his shoulder.
[Why not watch some TV? Wasn't that your favorite thing as a kid?]
Seeing the pop-up prompt in his field of vision, Han Qiwu was a bit baffled.
I'm not even into dramas. Who even watches TV these days?
Of course, despite his words, he still went to turn on the TV.
As he approached the old silver boxy TV with its clunky design, Han Qiwu hadn't even plugged it in when the screen lit up by itself.
Han Qiwu: "?? Zhenzi?"
[Weather Forecast]
"Splash splash, splash splash."
It'll rain all day tomorrow.
[Life Hacks]
Grab a fishing rod and catch some fish! The fish you catch can even be sold! The distance between your bobber and the shore determines what kind of fish you'll catch… as well as the location, season, time, and weather!
[Almanac]
Favorable for travel, unfavorable for relocation.
[Shennong Cookbook]
Sorry, due to Shennong's bad mood, there won't be any recipes shared today.
In five minutes, four completely different "programs" played one after another, and the TV screen went black immediately after.
Han Qiwu pressed the stop recording button on his phone and started replaying the video while taking notes.
"Looks like I won't need to water tomorrow... Now that's some good news. Saves me 30 stamina points, perfect for fishing or exploring the system. Rainy days are perfect for fishing."
"The almanac might represent today's luck. I'll need to test its accuracy."
"Shennong's in a bad mood? Well, now I'm in a bad mood too! Judging by how the system works, it seems only system-provided food can replenish stamina and health. Whatever, I'll grab a bite outside first."
After organizing his notes, Han Qiwu tried turning on the TV again.
Unfortunately, regardless of whether it was plugged in or not, the TV wouldn't turn on anymore.
Stupid TV!
Putting his notes away, Han Qiwu stepped out of the cabin.
As he walked through the opening of the picket fence, the system notification sounded.
[The host may use the camouflage function to adjust how the farm appears to others. Unless the host invites someone, no one will be able to enter the farm.]
Such a thoughtful feature. No need to worry about thieves.
Han Qiwu camouflaged the farm to look like it did when he first saw it—barren land with a small ring of picket fencing around it. He decided to change it to fully surrounded fencing after tonight.
Once outside, Han Qiwu noticed the grid patterns on the ground had disappeared.
"Looks like only my own field can be cultivated." Han Qiwu summarized in his mind.
In Water Buffalo Town, a subsidiary town under Rong City, it neither ranked as the best nor the worst. It had everything he needed. When he arrived yesterday, Niu Gang had taken him on a tour around town, giving him a rough idea of its layout.
After grabbing a bowl of beef noodles on Snack Street, Han Qiwu confirmed his suspicion.
Non-system food wouldn't increase system stats; it could only fill his stomach.
And to make matters worse, even though he ate from this same noodle shop yesterday, it didn't taste as good today.
"It's easy to go from frugal to extravagant but hard to go back. If I get accustomed to eating the food I grow myself in the future, I won't be able to enjoy outside meals anymore!" Han Qiwu sighed faintly. The sorrow of being a landowner came so suddenly.
Shaking off his thoughts, Han Qiwu prepared to go fishing. Who knows, maybe he could eat the fish he caught.
He glanced at the time: 12:40.
Han Qiwu found an old shop and spent 3,000 yuan to buy the electric scooter he had planned for.
Riding my beloved little scooter~ It'll never get stuck in traffic~
[Detected that the host has acquired a means of transportation. Map functionality is now unlocked.]
As soon as he got on the electric scooter, the system notification chimed.
"Open map."
A 2D projected map appeared in Han Qiwu's field of view. By focusing his thoughts on specific areas, he could zoom in.
Of course, the map wasn't a live feed. Don't get your hopes up about that!
The map covered both the town's central areas and a large portion of the land near Han Qiwu's farm. Additionally, a few red markers were visible on the map.
[Hundred Herbs Seeds Store]
[Blacksmith's Shop]
[Town Clinic]
[Pawn Shop]
On top of that, a road leading directly to the beach also appeared on the map.
"These should be system-assigned interactive buildings. The seed store and blacksmith's shop are intuitive—one related to seeds and the other to tools. I'll check out the clinic and pawn shop after fishing." Han Qiwu marked the beach on the map.
Once the map was retracted, a large floating red navigation arrow appeared in his vision.
"Destination: Near the beach. Estimated travel time: 15 minutes."
"Looks like there are plenty of hidden features in this game," Han Qiwu thought with satisfaction as he hopped on his scooter, heading in the direction of the arrow.
Spring carried a shifting scent, mixing a hint of salty sea breeze into the countryside aroma. The warm sunlight bathed his face, and unfamiliar birds occasionally flew overhead.
So beautiful.
Once at the beach, Han Qiwu heard the system notification again.
[The map has updated with a new scene.]
When he opened it, a small hut named [Fisherman's Drink] appeared on the beach.
Han Qiwu leaned down to open the scooter's storage compartment. Using it as cover, he retrieved the fishing rod gifted by the system from his toolbar.
Better safe than sorry.
The system-gifted fishing rod was incredibly small, only 1.3 meters long, resembling more of a toy.
[Training Rod]: Trust it, lad. With it, you're the King of the Sea!
Holding the fishing rod, Han Qiwu walked toward the hut.
The hut was a rare, traditional thatched-roof house by the beach. Judging by the color of the thatch and its repair marks, it was at least 20 years old.
Outside, two neat rows of dried fish hung in the sunlight, two fishing nets dangled over a small boat, and a bearded man in a rain cape sat on the boat's edge, repairing a net.
Hearing footsteps, the bearded man lifted his head to glance briefly at Han Qiwu before lowering it again. His raspy voice emerged from beneath his beard, "You're the new college student, right? Niu Gang mentioned you."
"Ah, yes, that's me, sir. May I ask your name?" Han Qiwu nodded quickly and spoke. Inside, he was puzzled. There's no way Niu Gang had been showing his photo around town. The young folks in the village were plenty. How did this man guess?
"Name's hardly important. This life of mine belongs to the sea anyway. Call me Brother Jing—Jing as in whale." The bearded man let out a hearty laugh, set down the net, and added, "Lemme guess, you're wondering how I pinched your identity."
"I am, indeed." Han Qiwu nodded affirmatively.
"Because, apart from you, the naive college lad, who else in this bunch of young loafers would dare come near here? Those brainless brats spend their time blasting fish, electrofishing, or using indiscriminate nets. If I catch them, I'll break their legs!" Brother Jing smiled wistfully.
That smile gave Han Qiwu the impression Brother Jing was formidable.
"I'm just here to fish," Han Qiwu clarified defensively, brandishing the tiny fishing rod from his bag.
"Hahaha!"
Brother Jing froze momentarily before bursting into laughter.
"Did Niu Gang send you here to amuse me? You think you can fish with that toy? Did you buy it off some knockoff app?" Brother Jing laughed while heading inside. After some rummaging sounds, he emerged with a bronze-colored bamboo rod.
"Bronze Blade, shore-casting rod, 2.1 meters long. Enough for someone like you. Take it." Brother Jing handed the bamboo rod, known as Bronze Blade, to Han Qiwu.
Han Qiwu hurriedly waved his hands. "Brother Jing, that's too kind. How much for it? Let me buy it."
"What am I, running a racket? Just take it, no need to be so polite." Brother Jing's beard twitched as he forced the rod into Han Qiwu's hands.
"I can't accept this without earning it." Han Qiwu shook his head firmly; he had principles to uphold.
"Why don't you say something like 'A gift from an elder is not to be declined' instead?" Brother Jing took Han Qiwu's hand and shoved the Bronze Blade into it. "Let's do it this way. I'll rent you this rod. If you catch me ten fish with it in a week, it's yours."
"Brother Jing has issued you a task: Gift of an Elder."
[Task Name: Gift of an Elder]
[Task Objective: Use the 'Bronze Blade' to catch ten fish within a week]
[Task Rewards: Fishing Rod 'Bronze Blade,' 100 fishing experience, Fisherman's Drink trading rights]
Accept task? Yes/No.
"Thank you, Brother Jing!" Han Qiwu mentally confirmed the task.
"Fishermen are indeed a straightforward bunch. First thing's a gift of great value," Han Qiwu thought joyfully.
"No need to thank me. Though, judging by your look, maybe Bronze Blade isn't your match after all. Come back next week, and I'll give you something simpler to mess around with. Go have fun." Brother Jing waved him off, sitting back on the boat's edge to continue mending his net, all while smiling at Han Qiwu.
Han Qiwu: "???"
Bewildered, Han Qiwu thanked Brother Jing again and walked off with one large and one small fishing rod toward the adjacent wooden pier.
"What's the deal here?"