Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 54: Delicious Glutinous Rice Balls

Since this area doesn’t seem to have much to explore, Han Qiwu could only try his luck at the food section to see if he could find anything worthwhile.

When he arrived at the food section, aside from the common "Tornado Potatoes" and "Jet Ice Cream," there were also many handmade delicacies by the town’s residents. Just the number of vendors selling "Spicy Potato Twists" alone was about three or four.

After walking another five or six minutes, just as he was about to reach the last stall, Han Qiwu finally spotted one radiating the familiar system glow.

The stall’s owner was an elderly woman. The setup was simple: a clean little cart, a steaming pot of soup, and a pile of glutinous rice balls dusted with sticky rice flour. The rice balls came in various sizes, each round and plump, looking incredibly adorable.

There was no fancy shop sign, just a piece of white cloth draped over the cart with the words: "Specialty Yuanzi (Glutinous Rice Balls)."

Behind the stall, quite a few townsfolk were already eating. The basic setup meant everyone was standing at the roadside, huffing and puffing as they enjoyed their food.

"Auntie, how much is a serving?" Han Qiwu walked up and asked.

"Cooked ones are six yuan for eight pieces, raw ones are six yuan for ten pieces. We’ve got black sesame, rose, peanut, and brown sugar flavors," the elderly woman selling the yuanzi replied with a big smile.

At the same time, the system interface popped up in front of Han Qiwu.

[Delicious Yuanzi]

[Stamina +75]

[HP +40]

[Price: 50 Gold]

[Note: Lantern Festival special, available raw or cooked.]

So it’s this!

Han Qiwu finally understood. No wonder he had been advised to bring enough money—encountering such a treasure, of course, he’d need to stock up!

A fully grown Windproof Grass restores 45 stamina points, also sells for 50 gold, and requires seven days to mature before harvest.

By comparison, buying yuanzi for 50 gold restores 50% more stamina, requires no time investment, and—most importantly—it can be stocked up.

Thinking about irrigation systems and the magical wooden bird, Han Qiwu felt reinvigorated with purpose.

"I currently have 2,541 gold. I can buy 50 servings, but if I buy the cooked ones, Auntie probably won’t be able to keep up with the demand. I might as well get the raw ones and cook them at home myself."

Perhaps noticing that Han Qiwu hadn’t ordered any yuanzi after a long time, the elderly woman smiled and said, "Haven’t tried these yuanzi before, have you? Don’t worry, Auntie will give you a set to taste. If you like it, you can buy more."

After saying that, she handed over a bowl with eight round yuanzi to Han Qiwu.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Han Qiwu hastily took the bowl with both hands, looking a bit embarrassed. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

With one hand holding the small bowl, he pulled out 300 yuan with the other and handed it over, saying, "Thank you, Auntie. I was just lost in thought earlier. Could I trouble you to pack me 49 servings of raw yuanzi, with a little of each flavor?"

"Hehe, no need for that, young man. Auntie doesn’t force anyone to buy. Just try them out first," the elderly woman waved her hand, refusing to take the money.

Helplessly, Han Qiwu smiled, then lowered his head to scoop up a yuanzi with his spoon. Gently biting into it, a thick stream of black sesame paste flowed out from the opening, releasing its rich aroma.

One bite, and the soft, sticky glutinous rice blended perfectly with the velvety black sesame.

The flavor was smooth and creamy, with just the right amount of stickiness and sweetness.

It was no wonder the system approved—this taste was out of this world!

"Delicious, Auntie. Really delicious. I do want to buy some!" Han Qiwu placed his money directly into the cash box.

Seeing Han Qiwu eating with such gusto, Auntie finally broke into a big smile. As she packed the yuanzi, she remarked, "Glad you like it. But don’t eat too many in a day, young man. Glutinous rice is heavy on the stomach and not easy to digest."

While waiting, Han Qiwu continued to enthusiastically eat up the yuanzi. His stomach felt warm, and his stamina gauge had risen substantially.

This was the most stamina-replenishing food he’d encountered so far.

Before long, Auntie had packed fifty small bags of raw yuanzi into a large sack and handed it to Han Qiwu.

As he took the sack, the system notification appeared:

[You spent 2,500 Gold to purchase Delicious Yuanzi ×50]

Upon receiving the notification, Han Qiwu felt a little embarrassed. Auntie had packed fifty bags exactly, but what about the bowl he’d just eaten?

"Auntie, you gave me an extra serving," Han Qiwu said, taking out six yuan and placing it into the cash box.

The elderly woman was certainly not wealthy—running a small food stall at her age to make ends meet. The yuanzi were already inexpensive; he couldn’t just take advantage of her goodwill.

After leaving the money, Han Qiwu turned and was about to walk away when Auntie’s voice, raised to an unexpectedly loud volume, stopped him in his tracks.

"Take your money back!" Auntie called after Han Qiwu, "I told you, that bowl was on the house! How could I take your money? Young man, I own two buildings in downtown!"

Han Qiwu: "...Two what? Buildings?"

He turned back, his face a kaleidoscope of emotions.

Seeing him turn, Auntie picked up another bowl of freshly cooked yuanzi and handed it to him, saying, "I don’t usually make these; I only make them when I come back to the countryside for the festivals. The ones you had earlier were black sesame—why not try the rose flavor next?"

Han Qiwu accepted the bowl with an awkward smile. "Alright, I’ll give it a try."

"That’s better," Auntie replied, a smile spreading across her face. "Back in the day, I earned enough to put my kids through university with these yuanzi. They moved to the city, always going on about how great city living is, but I’ve never understood it. Every time I come back here, I feel so much more at ease. The scenery, the mountains, the fields—it’s just so peaceful."

As Han Qiwu continued eating the yuanzi, he decided the best option at this moment was simply listening.

"Now that I’m old, I’m not even sure if my yuanzi still taste as good. And who knows how many more years I’ll be able to make them," Auntie said with a chuckle. "It’ll be up to you young folks after this."

"They’re absolutely delicious," Han Qiwu responded, showing his appreciation by finishing his bowl.

Even the soup was gone.

"Alright, off you go then. Remember to grab a few more bunches of green onions later—they might make you smarter!" Auntie cheerfully turned her attention to the next group of villagers.

With his stomach full, Han Qiwu felt particularly sharp. Now, how could he make more money to buy even more yuanzi?

It’s not like this opportunity would come around again anytime soon!

"The event starts in about ten minutes—fishing and selling stuff definitely wouldn’t work... Wait, the quest rewards!" Han Qiwu glanced at his task list and immediately entered "find someone" mode.

With such a lively crowd, surely Old Huang would be here too, right?

The reward was 700 gold—that’s 14 servings of yuanzi! 980 stamina points!

Go, go, go!

Old Huang, show yourself!

"Hey, you’re here too! Don’t even think about stealing the vegetables from my garden later. I’ll be standing guard anyway, so it’d just be a waste of your time!" Huang Mao suddenly appeared from who knows where and started shouting.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Han Qiwu reached out to ruffle Huang Mao’s hair, half to calm himself down.

"Relax, I won’t steal from your garden. It’s been a while—what’s your score now?" Han Qiwu waved his hand dismissively, realizing that apparently, everyone knew about the vegetable-stealing game—likely a communal pastime.

"King tier, 200 points," Huang Mao declared smugly.