Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 157 - 150: Purchasing a Calf

"Well, at least it left me with 10 HP." Han Qiwu pulled out some raspberries from his storage compartment, munching on them while examining the small osmanthus sapling before him.

Compared to a minute ago, it had gone through a dramatic transformation.

Hundreds of green leaves now adorned its well-ordered branches, exuding vitality.

The tree trunk, wrapped in rough bark, had grown noticeably thicker.

Overall, it now looked like those small trees outside that had been growing for a year or two.

"This is next-level Druid action—way too effective," Han Qiwu nodded in satisfaction. At least it was worth losing so much blood.

Others spend mana to use skills; I pay with my lifeblood.

Although this osmanthus tree was already in a harvestable state, Han Qiwu planned to nurture it further.

First, he would chop down the big trees and clear out the old ones in the yard before returning to harvest the trees he had planted.

Ever since acquiring the saplings, Han Qiwu had planted them meticulously, spacing each one the same distance apart. They looked perfectly aligned and pleasing to the eye.

His plan after clearing the big trees was to tidy up the shrubs in the yard as well. Sooner or later, these plots would be turned into farmland.

As Han Qiwu wandered around with an ax, looking for trees to cut, he checked the cooldown on his [Sapling Catalysis] skill.

The [Sapling Catalysis] skill button was dimmed, with a charging bar displayed beside it.

[Sapling Catalysis Skill Charging: Biomass energy from successfully felled trees fuels the charge. Maximum one charge per Catalysis skill usage.]

Like the other skills, [Sapling Catalysis] required recharging before reuse. Based on the tooltip, chopping trees would do the trick.

Fallen leaves aren’t discarded; they return to nourish the soil.

Stick to the sustainable path of green development!

As for the skill’s recharge requirements, Han Qiwu could accept the limitation.

Even if it could store two charges, he’d be doomed before using the second one anyway.

After wrapping up his analysis of the profession, Han Qiwu cheerfully swung his ax and got to work chopping down trees.

With a specialization boost, his stamina consumption for logging had significantly decreased.

Grind mode, on!

Three hours later.

[The effects of Noodle Weed Scallop Egg Custard’s Foraging Level +3 have expired.]

Hearing the system notification, Han Qiwu, utterly exhausted, plopped down heavily on the nearest tree root.

Too tiring.

To maximize the buff’s effects, Han Qiwu hadn’t taken a single break in those three hours.

If he wasn’t chopping trees, he was catalyzing saplings.

His hands were trembling.

If only I had a chainsaw.

Of course, the hard work bore satisfying fruits.

[Lumber] ×365

The amount of wood he gathered in these three hours exceeded what he would normally collect in several days.

Rangers really are amazing.

Of course, he had also used [Sapling Catalysis] a whopping twenty-three times.

In the osmanthus grove in his yard, twenty-three catalyzed osmanthus seedlings luxuriantly absorbed the sunlight beaming through the gaps in the clouds!

Grow, just grow big enough to chop down!

Go, team!

From his vantage point on the ground, Han Qiwu could clearly see the part of the yard he had already worked on.

Past the osmanthus grove, his gaze landed on the vibrant vegetable patches nestled between the Phoenix tree and Jilei Mountain. Nearby, Little Shui frolicked in the fish pond.

Everything was in perfect harmony.

Moments like these made Han Qiwu feel a little less weary.

Seeing the once-chaotic yard gradually turn tidy and organized, a natural sense of accomplishment welled up in Han Qiwu’s heart.

"The feeling of working hard is really something else."

After resting for a while, Han Qiwu stashed the ax, planning to check the TV briefly before heading out to buy a calf.

Jilei Mountain doesn’t feel right without cows.

When will I get to raise horses?

Might as well call the stable "Gold Medal Classroom" when that time comes.

Back inside, Han Qiwu changed his clothes as he turned on the TV.

[Weather Forecast]

Tomorrow will be lovely weather—enjoy the holiday!

[Life Hacks]

A friendly tip: there are lots of good things available during the festival. Prepare enough money!

[Almanac]

Good for learning; bad for marriage.

The Nth day without Shennong Recipes.

Miss him.

"Tomorrow’s the Dragon Head Raising Festival, huh? Time for a haircut," Han Qiwu muttered, glancing quickly at the TV screen before stopping on the final three words.

"Bad for marriage?"

What’s that got to do with me?

After changing clothes, he left the house and headed toward the yard gate.

Just then, Little Shui, from the fish pond, dashed toward him, whining incessantly and circling around his pant leg.

"Hungry?" Han Qiwu asked in confusion, opening Little Shui’s status interface. Its satiety was over sixty—clearly not starving.

"Whine!" Little Shui shook its head, flopped onto the nearby grass, and dramatically played dead, flopping to one side like a dried-up fish.

After a few seconds, it sprang up and pounced on the spot it had just been lying on, mimicking eating motions.

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Oscar-worthy performance!

Han Qiwu immediately understood—Little Shui wanted to go out and forage!

To be honest, Han Qiwu hesitated.

This little fish princess was practically raised by hand.

What if it got bullied by other fish? Or scratched by a tree branch? Or caught a chill?

Nearby, the Little Prince watched curiously, wondering why his master hadn’t let his little sister venture outside yet. Back when I first went out, he didn’t hesitate!

Glancing at the Little Prince, Han Qiwu mercilessly assigned him a foraging route, sending him off to avoid running interference.

As for Little Shui’s first outing, Han Qiwu still felt uneasy, even if he left her in her brother’s care.

What if that guy took Little Shui up a mountain?

What if he tried to teach her how to climb trees?

After some deliberation, Han Qiwu squatted down and patted Little Shui’s head, negotiating, "Little Shui, how about you wait at home for a bit? I’ll take you out to forage when I get back, okay?"

Little Shui tilted her head, thought about it, and agreed with a nod. She then pointed toward the sun, tracing its path from east to high noon, finishing off with an exaggerated wave.

Han Qiwu: "???"

Is she enlightened now?

She even knows how to use the sun’s movement to tell me to be back by noon?

Unbelievable.

I guess eating fish really does make you smarter.

After calming Little Shui, Han Qiwu hurried to hop on his bike and ride to the livestock farm. There was still much to do today.

Upon arriving, he saw Yang Yangyang feeding the chickens, feed scoop firmly in hand.

"You’re here! Come on, let’s chat inside," Yang Yangyang said, washing his hands and pulling a catalog from his coat pocket before handing it to Han Qiwu.

Han Qiwu took the catalog, admiration shining in his eyes as he looked at Yang Yangyang.

What dedication—carrying product brochures even while feeding chickens.

[Build Farm Facilities]

[Buy Young Animals]

[Buy Feed]

Triggering a system menu, Han Qiwu instinctively selected the option to buy young animals.

He glanced back at the price of cow feed. Since his alfalfa crops weren’t ready yet, he’d probably have to buy cattle feed at first, just like with the chickens.

[Current Animal Structures Owned: Chicken Coop, Cow Barn]

[Animals Available for Purchase: Chicken, Cow]

[Chickens: Omitted]

[Angus Cattle]

[Price: 4000 Gold]

[Space Required: 1]

[Daily Feed Consumption: 1 portion of cattle feed]

[Animal Products: Beef, Leather, Stomach, etc.]

[Yellow Cattle]

[Price: 5000 Gold]

[Space Required: 1]

[Daily Feed Consumption: 1 portion of cattle feed]

[Animal Uses: Plowing, Harvesting, etc.]

[Holstein Dairy Cow]

[Price: 6000 Gold]

[Space Required: 1]

[Daily Feed Consumption: 2 portions of cattle feed]

[Animal Products: Milk]

Truthfully, they were expensive.

But it was understandable—cattle had always been pricey.

Han Qiwu suddenly remembered the story of that poor kid who had to sell a cow to afford school.

Hope his teacher explained to him that someone with hundreds of cattle isn’t exactly poor.

Inside the house, Han Qiwu sat down, sipping tea and analyzing his next steps.

There were three types of cattle available.

The first, Angus Cattle, was clearly bred for meat. Although expensive, the sheer quantity of beef it would produce would definitely be worth it. If conditions allowed, he definitely wanted to buy one to try it out.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t follow in the footsteps of the broiler chickens.

Why not just be a nice, edible cow?

The second type intrigued him.

The Yellow Cattle could be used for plowing fields?

If he raised a hardworking Yellow Cow himself, wouldn’t that save on his own stamina?

Very tempting.

But Han Qiwu instinctively felt it wouldn’t be that simple. Even if he bought and raised one, it would most likely require specialized farming tools to make use of its plowing capability.

There was probably a hidden catch.

Better to put this one on hold for now.

The third type was precisely the reason Han Qiwu was here.

Holstein Dairy Cows—one of the best breeds for milk.

Of course, the price tag reflected their worth.

Not only were they a whopping 6000 gold each, but they also consumed two portions of cattle feed daily.

Having milk sure makes a difference.

After some thought, Han Qiwu decided to buy two Holstein Dairy Cows and one Angus Cow to start with.

As for the remaining slot, he figured he could wait a bit before deciding what type of cow to add.

Just as Han Qiwu straightened up, ready to confirm his purchase, he suddenly recalled the life hack mentioned on the morning news.