Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 171 - 164: Releasing the Dragon Lantern

When the two of them arrived at the wheat field, it was exactly five in the afternoon. The wheat field was very different from yesterday, with rows of small stalls selling all kinds of delicious foods.

Many small cars were parked next to the wheat field, indicating that even people from the neighboring towns had come to join in on the fun.

In the loudspeaker, Niu Gang was delivering his speech for this year’s February 2nd event. He was wrapping up by saying: "So, everyone selling snacks must charge money, okay? It’s not good to think that because we’re neighbors, you don’t need to charge. And the charges should be reasonable; you can’t give it away for free, nor can you overcharge. Only in this way can our event continue year after year. Alright, I declare the Water Buffalo Town’s February 2nd Dragon Head Raising Celebration officially started."

As soon as he finished speaking, two thousand firecrackers started crackling and popping.

The sound of drums and firecrackers filled the air, and the place was thronged with people.

Han Qiwu and Tang Qingying exchanged a glance, covered their ears, and ran towards the food area in the wheat field.

Because Water Buffalo Town has a large and diverse population, there were foods from all over.

Once the noise from the firecrackers died down, everyone started shouting to promote their goods:

"Dragon Scale Cake! Dragon Scale Cake!"

"Eat Dragon’s Ear! Eat it to keep your ears warm in the cold!"

"Crunchy Dragon Bone to chew!"

"Wealth Rolling, get your Rolling Donkey here!"

"No sore back or legs, eat it and jump over the wall in one go!"

"Smooth and easy, everything goes your way!"

If you weren’t paying attention, just from the shouting, Han Qiwu could have thought they had slaughtered a dragon here.

Dragon’s Ear, Dragon Scale, and Dragon Bone everywhere.

Tang Qingying was obviously familiar with these foods, leading Han Qiwu and ordering efficiently.

Only by getting closer did they understand that the Dragon Scale Cake was actually a scallion pancake, Dragon’s Ear was a dumpling, Dragon Bone was a twisty fried dough, the one to jump over the wall was Steamed Sticky Rice Cake, and the smooth and easy one was Dragon Beard Noodles.

Huaxia culture is indeed broad and profound.

They could really associate anything with dragons.

"This place’s Dragon Scale Cake is really tasty, aromatic with a crispy crust," Tang Qingying said as she handed one to Han Qiwu after paying.

With one bite, his mouth was filled with the savory taste of scallion oil, and the pastry was crispy outside and tender inside with a great texture.

Under Tang Qingying’s guidance, the two of them continued down the food street, sampling along the way until Han Qiwu was completely stuffed after finishing the Dragon Beard Noodles.

"I didn’t expect you could actually finish it all," Tang Qingying said with a grin, carrying her own leftovers to heat up and eat later.

Han Qiwu replied, "...You didn’t tell me I could leave some."

Strangely, although there were many food vendors, Han Qiwu hadn’t noticed anyone selling special items.

The things he had just eaten didn’t have any special properties either.

It was a bit challenging – without sellers, where would he buy them?

After eating, night had fallen. Several large lamps were set up in the wheat field, with one even lighting up the nearby river.

"Ah, the dragon lanterns are about to be released; come with me," Tang Qingying exclaimed, pulling Han Qiwu’s wrist and rushing into the crowd at the riverside.

Han Qiwu felt a stir within but didn’t say much, obediently following behind Tang Qingying.

By the river, many townsfolk had already gathered, most of them holding knives, engrossed in carving something.

Tang Qingying explained without waiting for Han Qiwu’s question, "This activity is called releasing dragon lanterns; it’s simple, just little boats with candles."

"Some of these little boats are made from radishes, some directly from candles, others use apples, pears, all kinds of materials. Last year, I even saw one made from a durian shell."

Hearing this, Han Qiwu nodded; it sounded interesting.

"The rules are the same as last year, okay? The top ten to reach the finish line get a reward of 20 kilograms of rice! The first one gets 50 kilograms of rice and a barrel of oil, okay! Remember to put your mark on the dragon lantern; otherwise, you won’t recognize them. The race starts in half an hour, those who haven’t carved their dragon lanterns yet can come here to get a small knife and radish," a staff member shouted through a megaphone.

Tang Qingying pulled Han Qiwu over and said, "Uncle, could you give us two radishes, two candle stubs, and two carving knives, please?"

"Sure, do your best," he encouraged them.

After collecting their items, Tang Qingying took Han Qiwu to a spot to start carving their dragon lanterns.

Han Qiwu considered how to carve the white radish in his hand.

Getting into the top ten would earn them 20 kilograms of rice!

He had to give it his best shot!

What if the rewarded rice was a system item?

When he collected the radish earlier, he specifically observed the dragon lanterns in other people’s hands; most were round, small, and thick.

To make the dragon lantern float far and brightly, he had to ensure good protection. freewёbnoνel.com

Maybe not perfect, but it should at least be spindle-shaped.

It would be best to add a lampshade to make the dragon lantern look pretty.

To meet these requirements, the radish Han Qiwu had wouldn’t work.

Too much moisture in the radish made it float well but lacked stability, shifting around easily.

He needed something else to create it.

While Han Qiwu was contemplating, Tang Qingying had already skillfully hollowed out a spot for the candle.

"Just cut it in half and carve it out; as long as it doesn’t sink in the water, it’ll be fine," Tang Qingying advised, seeing Han Qiwu in a daze, assuming he didn’t know where to start.

"Wouldn’t a potato also work?" Han Qiwu glanced at the supplies in his inventory and asked.

Tang Qingying nodded, "Of course, it can. As long as it’s not metal, this game is all about luck. Last year was interesting; the original top ten were all eaten by fish, leaving them to be picked up by those behind."

Han Qiwu couldn’t help but laugh.

Getting eaten by fish, huh.

"Alright, I’ll carve with a potato then. Just wait a moment; I’ll grab a potato from the car," Han Qiwu said before heading to the electric scooter, lowering his head to start carving.

Although a potato isn’t a fish, the proficiency from [Fish Filleting Technique] still made Han Qiwu’s knife skills exceptional.

All thanks to muscle memory!

To win the rice, Han Qiwu went all out and used a high-quality, premium-grade large potato.

After carving it into a streamlined shape, he even extravagantly carved out drainage lines and small sails, embedding a small candle slyly beneath a thin potato lampshade.

Working made time fly, and as soon as Han Qiwu finished carving, he heard the staff urging them.

Going over to Tang Qingying proudly showed Han Qiwu the radish lamp she had carved, "How about it? Looks good, right?"

The round radish lamp looked like a bathtub, with the candle in the middle being thick, seeming like it could burn for a whole night.

"Nice, nice, it’s quite retro in style," Han Qiwu said, carefully choosing his words.

"What about yours?" Tang Qingying asked curiously, "What did you manage to make after so long?"

Han Qiwu smiled and flipped his hand to reveal his [Potato-001].

"Wow!!! It’s so beautiful, your knife skills are amazing!" Tang Qingying exclaimed, taking out her phone to take a picture.

Once the flash went off, the people around noticed the dragon lantern in Han Qiwu’s hand, which was obviously more stylish, and started taking photos as well.

Fortunately, the staff announced that the dragon lantern race was about to begin, so the crowd dispersed, gathering on both sides of the river to prepare for the launch.