Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 164 - 157: 5-Star Treasure

Han Qiwu jogged all the way to the crab cage’s location and quickly hauled it up with force.

[Mantis Shrimp]×2

[Prawn]×1

[Small Rocks]×4

[Kelp]×1

The haul was mediocre, with garbage taking up half the catch.

How can I reduce the amount of trash?

As Han Qiwu pondered, he replaced the bait and moved the crab cage to a new location farther from the rocks near the shore before dropping it back in.

For now, I’ll just have to test it in another spot. If it doesn’t work, I’ll think of other solutions.

He glanced at the time in the top-right corner—only a few minutes were left.

Han Qiwu quickly ran out of the secret realm before the timer hit zero, not even having time to catch a swordfish.

"I’ll only be able to fish outside for a while. Speaking of which, it’s been ages since I’ve gone night fishing." Han Qiwu took out the fire bucket, secured it to a rock, and began fishing with his Red Sun rod.

After catching a few miscellaneous fish, Han Qiwu finally spotted an eel he hadn’t seen in ages.

Moreover, there was a treasure chest icon beneath the eel symbol.

"Why be so polite? Just coming is already nice, and now you’re bringing gifts too?" Han Qiwu decided he owed it to the eel to accept its generosity.

"Half grilled, half eel rice, maybe?"

Two dishes from one fish—that should be honoring it enough.

Three minutes later

Han Qiwu easily lifted the long eel.

After storing the eel, he excitedly opened the treasure chest.

As the lid lifted, the chest emitted a strong green glow.

It nearly made Han Qiwu go cross-eyed from the green light.

[Odd Creature Bone (Silver Star Quality☆☆☆☆☆)]

[Usage: Special Material]

[Special Effect - Acceleration: It can speed up the growth process of nearby creatures]

[Remark: It only appears around specific festivals]

"Five-star treasure?"

Han Qiwu took it out of the storage compartment and examined it closely.

The odd creature bone seemed to be a small segment of a long bone, with broken edges on both sides. Its entire body glowed green, was neither hot nor cold to the touch, and truly looked unusual. He couldn’t determine what creature it came from.

Given its special effect, Han Qiwu decided to place it next to the [Odd Egg] back home to help accelerate its hatching process.

It’s been so many days. Could it be a claw machine inside?

Does it insist on sitting there for three years before coming out?

Two hours later.

Han Qiwu was completely spent.

Even the Lao Gan Ma sauce and wild greens on him were all gone.

Out of ammunition and supplies.

It was time to head home for a break.

The results of these two hours of fishing weren’t bad—over ten eels, four or five other fish, and four crystal spheres.

Aside from keeping one eel for himself, the other fish earned him a total of 1,320 gold.

Preparing everything properly, he could now sit back and wait for tomorrow’s festival.

As for the crystal spheres, Han Qiwu decided to save them for an auspicious time to open them.

Previously, due to the high demand for ores, he’d opened each catch immediately to meet his needs.

Now that Han Qiwu could mine common iron and copper ores directly from the layers, his demand for crystal spheres had dropped considerably.

In the past, I had no choice.

Now, I want to be the kind of person who saves up crystal spheres.

Time to bike home!

Back home, Han Qiwu immediately stuck the five-star treasure, [Odd Creature Bone], next to the [Odd Egg]. Then, he headed to the kitchen to cook dinner.

Half an hour later.

Han Qiwu took a happy bite of his eel rice.

Hmm, rich flavor and tender texture.

Delicious.

After eating a few bites of eel rice to fill his stomach, Han Qiwu picked up the remaining half-grilled eel and tasted it.

Since the eel rice was already heavily seasoned, Han Qiwu didn’t add too much seasoning when preparing the grilled eel. This was all about enjoying the fresh flavor of the eel itself.

Sure enough, he succeeded.

After satisfying his hunger, Han Qiwu sat in a chair, intending to appreciate the moonlight, only to realize it was the first day of the lunar month. The moon was a new moon, rising and setting with the sun—he couldn’t see it.

Guess I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the waxing crescent moon.

Just as he pulled his gaze back, Han Qiwu heard his phone ringing.

It was Grandpa Chen.

Upon answering, Grandpa Chen chuckled and said, "Xiao Han, tomorrow is February 2nd. Do you want to get a haircut?"

"I’d like one, but the barbershops in town are limited. There’ll probably be lots of people tomorrow, right?" Han Qiwu replied honestly, still a bit puzzled.

Could it be that the old man’s itching to work himself?

Does he want to give me a buzz cut for fun?

Touching his thick, black hair, Han Qiwu decided that if that were the case, he was willing to sacrifice for it.

After all, when someone is handsome, even a shaved head looks good on them.

"If you want one, that’s enough. Come to me after guiding the Field Dragon tomorrow morning. I’ll take you to Aunt Guo’s house for a cut. She used to be a city hairdresser when she was young—her skills are top-notch," Grandpa Chen said with a cheerful laugh.

"Alright, thank you, Grandpa Chen." Han Qiwu agreed, then curiously asked, "Grandpa Chen, what’s ’guiding the Field Dragon’?"

"Ah, that’s my fault—I almost forgot." Grandpa Chen slapped his forehead and hurriedly explained, "Guiding the Field Dragon means tomorrow morning, you’ll sprinkle plant ash all the way from the field ridges to the stove. The idea is to lead the dragon into the home, ensuring a bountiful harvest for the year."

"Got it." Han Qiwu noted it mentally, feeling quite pleased.

Another trick learned!

After explaining some details, Grandpa Chen finally hung up the phone.

With some time to spare, Han Qiwu went into the woods and collected some fallen tree bark and broken branches. The bark was for burning into plant ash, and the branches were to make a coiled dragon stick for the outer warehouse.

Once he’d gathered enough materials, Han Qiwu carefully lit the bark in a fire basin and let it burn on its own.

While the bark turned into ash, Han Qiwu moved to the side and started practicing "Seven-Colored Sunshine".

Physical training is fundamental—you must study and hone it diligently.

Half an hour later, Han Qiwu was worn out and glanced at the fire basin.

The contents had reduced to mere embers.

The plant ash was ready.

Since it was still hot, Han Qiwu carefully placed it on the ground and covered it with a stone slab to shield it from the morning mist.

After tidying up, Han Qiwu checked on the meat chicken.

Just looking at it ticked him off.

Same as always.

"Once I have some free time in a few days, I’ll go ask Liu Lang how to make Beggar’s Chicken." Han Qiwu muttered to himself as he walked out of the phoenix tree.

The courtyard tasks were mostly done—it was time to head inside and rest.

After taking a shower, Han Qiwu hadn’t even reached the bed when his phone rang again.

It was Mr. Tang.

"Mr. Tang? What’s up?" Han Qiwu asked, puzzled.

On the other end of the call, Tang Qingying glanced at the script on her notebook and replied slowly, "Nothing special. Tomorrow’s February 2nd, and I’m planning to head back to my village to have some fun and run some errands. Want to come along?"

"I’m only free in the afternoon—I’m pretty busy in the morning," Han Qiwu said honestly.

Tang Qingying let out a breath of relief and chuckled, replying, "Perfect. I won’t be able to arrive until after noon anyway. So, it’s settled. See you tomorrow."

"Alright." Han Qiwu smiled and hung up.

"Phew~"

After hanging up, both made the same move.

Honestly, neither he nor she could pinpoint why they felt nervous, but they did.

By coincidence, both decided to sleep it off and deal with it later.

Perhaps Zhou Gong could unravel this mystery.

February 27th Log

Planting Experience +124

Foraging Experience +42

Fishing Experience +439

Combat Experience +954

Mining Experience +842

Relationship Progress:

None

Current Funds: 37,306 gold

Historical Income: 110,911 gold

[Your historical income has exceeded 100,000 gold. Reputation +1]

[In three days, two cultivation caves will appear in your courtyard]

"Cluck-cluck!"

"Cluck-cluck!"

Accompanied by the hen’s clucking, Han Qiwu slowly opened his eyes.

Who would’ve thought I’d be woken up by a chicken’s clucks?

Revisiting the log.

Money in the pocket, no worries in the heart.

Thirty-seven thousand plus gold—should be enough to buy something nice.

Finally, my historical income has surpassed 100,000 gold.

What a joyous occasion!

The milestone rewards are quite interesting too.

Cultivation caves? For cultivating what?

Caves? My courtyard is surrounded by plains. Where would caves come from?

More like pits in the ground.

Oh well, whatever kind of pit or cave it is, I’ll find out in three days.

After checking the log, Han Qiwu quickly got out of bed to freshen up.

There’s still a ton of stuff to do this morning.

While washing up, he casually tapped the TV.

[Weather Forecast]

Tomorrow will be a sunny day.

[Life Tips]

The February 2nd celebration party will begin at 5 PM. Please attend on time.

Tip: Wind blows ash shell, money leaves, peace settles.

[Almanac]

Favor: Social gatherings. Avoid: Needlework.

"Five in the afternoon—that gives me plenty of time." Han Qiwu kept watching and frowned slightly.

He recognized the ten-character proverb, quoted from *Expanded Proverbs*, meaning wealth is fragile like an eggshell. Only by not prioritizing money can one find peace and happiness.

"Interesting." Han Qiwu noted it mentally and continued reading the almanac.

Today’s entry was straightforward: Favor social gatherings implied attending activities, while avoiding needlework was simply a February 2nd tradition—it’s believed doing so might poke the dragon’s eye.

Though Han Qiwu wasn’t sure what kind of needle could reach a dragon’s eye, he chose not to touch needlework today.

Whether or not he could truly poke a dragon’s eye was unknown, but he’d certainly poked his fingers before.

Back when Mrs. Han had him sew his own socks as a kid, he learned how painful it was.

Ten fingers are linked to the heart—it hurt badly.

After watching TV, Han Qiwu walked outside and started setting up for the warehouse using the coiled dragon stick he’d made last night.

Finding a good spot, Han Qiwu painstakingly drew seven concentric circles.

While they were a bit ugly, the thought mattered.

With the warehouse arranged, Han Qiwu placed potatoes, peanuts, and other crops in the center.

[Congratulations on completing the festival activity: Setting up the warehouse. You have gained the Warehouse Boost special effect.]

[Warehouse Boost Effect: Yield increases by 10% during harvest for one month, with a 20% higher chance of Gold Star crops.]

"This awesome???"

Han Qiwu skeptically re-read the system prompt.

Higher yield and better quality produce.

The effect was almost too good to be true.

Sadly, it’s only a once-a-year activity.

Let’s test out guiding the Field Dragon next.