novelraw Chapter 14: Difficult Farming
Chapter 14: Difficult Farming
Wow, Fila actually became the Family Head.
And she even exercised this authority.
Li Wei was utterly shocked. So this is what a veteran player is really like.
As for Penny, she stared at Fila for a good two or three seconds before finally calming her emotions. "Fine, I'll take charge of building the fence, ox shed, and warehouse. George, you go farm."
Li Wei didn't want to speak, but in this situation, he could only nod in agreement. He didn't have any craftsman profession bonuses, so he could only reclaim farmland.
It was the only choice.
"Come, my children, I've cooked wheat and meat porridge. It's very fragrant." Fila warmly and affectionately called out to them, her face covered in smiles. Ah, they were truly one big happy, loving family.
But this time, both Penny and Li Wei couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts. This was a veteran player, a super Sneaky Player!
After breakfast, Penny took out that wobbly-headed axe and fixed it in a few quick moves. Building the fence, ox shed, and warehouse all required large amounts of lumber, so not having an axe simply wouldn't do.
Then, she cast a friendly glance at Li Wei, took the axe, and headed into the forest. Chopping trees also provided substantial Logging Experience, so of course she wouldn't give up such a lucrative task.As for helping Li Wei repair that shovel? Dream on! Originally, if she could build a brick kiln, produce charcoal, upgrade to a professional craftsman, and construct a blacksmith shop, it wouldn't be impossible to repair it. But now? Hmph!
No shovel? Let's see how you reclaim farmland!
Actually, Li Wei was also feeling quite troubled. He turned to look at Fila. I saved you yesterday. As a veteran player, surely you can give me some guidance?
But Fila seemed to have turned back into an NPC again, leading the ox out to pasture.
With no other options, Li Wei returned to the ox cart, carefully lifted the rain-protecting tarpaulin. The tools were still the same few items: one sickle for cutting wheat, and two hoes.
Right now, their family's shared tools totaled only six items. Penny had monopolized that axe, keeping it by her side even while sleeping, hugging it like a beloved little toy.
The notched Short Knife was sometimes used by Li Wei for hunting, but this morning when processing that wolf, Fila took it. Perhaps due to yesterday's lone wolf attack incident, her sense of security had plummeted, so now she also wore that short knife at her waist.
Then there was that shovel, but it had already split down the middle, making it nearly impossible to use.
The only tools now suitable for reclaiming farmland were these two hoes, but they weren't really appropriate either, because they were both weeding hoes with flat blades, not digging hoes for breaking ground.
The difference between the two was huge. Weeding on soft soil was one thing, but using them for land reclamation would likely break them in minutes.
Weeding the wheat field would also be very important in the future, and Li Wei didn't want to sabotage his own prospects.
"Dammit, the old lady is still restricting and weakening me here!"
Li Wei cursed inwardly. If the shovel wasn't broken, reclaiming farmland would be a great assignment for him. But now?
For a moment, he even considered continuing to hunt at the forest edge or go fishing instead.
But the problem was that reclaiming farmland was a task assigned by Fila in her capacity as Family Head. He couldn't disobey, or he'd face the consequences.
Left with no choice, Li Wei could only pick up the shovel that had split into metal fragments. He had no alternatives.
Arriving at his wheat field plot, he surveyed the surrounding terrain. Considering factors like potential flash flood damage and future irrigation convenience, he decided to reclaim land east of the wheat field. As for tools? Those two metal fragments it was, digging directly into the ground with his bare hands gripping them.
This method was undoubtedly inefficient and also prone to injuring his palms.
After trying for a while, Li Wei decided it wouldn't work. After some thought, he fetched the wolf hide, found a stone with a sharp edge, broke off a piece, and used it to wrap around the shovel fragments.
Then he knelt on the grass and began the frantic, almost self-abusive process of reclaiming and turning the soil.
Actually, there wasn't much to complain about—it was still his own lack of experience.
The entire family only had one worn-out shovel. A few days ago when he used it for reclamation and soil turning, he applied too much force, didn't know how to protect it, which caused the shovel to split.
Whether Fila and Penny were targeting him or supporting him, they truly couldn't produce a sharp shovel for him. The conditions were simply like this, unless he didn't want to upgrade his Farmer Card anymore.
But this method of reclaiming and turning soil was truly torturous. Although Li Wei's hands were already covered in calluses and he didn't worry about blisters or injuries, his arms and waist quickly became unbearably sore.
He had to rest briefly after every square meter of soil turned, while simultaneously trying to find and explore more labor-saving and efficient methods.
In the end, he actually found one: imitate the groundhog.
Instead of trying to cut into the soil from above—which meant directly confronting the massive root systems of the wild grass, extremely difficult, like chiseling through a city wall—he now broke open a section first, then worked from underneath. He didn't get greedy with each scoop, only cutting small amounts of soil each time and removing portions of the grass roots.
This way, after hollowing out the bottom section, he could stand up and deliver a heavy kick, knocking the surface layer of turf loose.
These turf pieces, often half a square meter in size, were also moved by him to the edges and stacked up like earthen walls, because in the future this wheat field would also need fencing to protect against small animals.
He couldn't say that just because the wheat field became communal property, it should be treated differently—after all, his own interests were also tied up in it.
Furthermore, his main profession was, after all, Farmer. Doing a good job with the farmland would bring him immense benefits.
And so, by the end of the day, even though Li Wei was utterly exhausted, his whole body aching, feeling like he'd rather die, he had actually managed to reclaim about twenty square meters. Calculating at one Farming Experience per five square meters, he had at least earned his keep in food expenses.
However, he wouldn't use Farming Experience to pay for food expenses; he always prioritized using other types of experience first.
Another noteworthy point: although they had some wolf meat now, the daily wheat porridge and wild vegetable porridge were still essential. The only difference was that the porridge now contained a bit more minced meat, which slightly increased satiety and allowed for slightly more stamina recovery.
At night, as Li Wei lay in a corner of the house, just about to drift into dreams, suddenly several lines of information silently appeared.
[Your uniquely owned wheat field has entered the second stage - Sprouting]
[Sprouting rate: 97%]
[Calculating rewards for the current stage...]
[You obtained 15 Farming Experience]
[You currently possess 64 Farming Experience...]
——
Truly good news!
Li Wei smiled slightly. All the hardship he had endured before was now worth it. But, should he go out for night watch?
After wrestling with the decision for a few seconds, he quickly fell into dreamland. He was simply too exhausted.
When he woke up, it was already early morning of the next day. Both Fila and Penny were gone.
Fila was naturally preparing breakfast, while Penny, that crazy woman, had gone to chop trees. Her personal attributes were undoubtedly much better than Li Wei's.
Li Wei's best tree-chopping record was six trees in one day, but Penny could actually manage ten trees in a single day.
A real tough woman.
And she was equivalent to earning 10 Logging Experience per day, completely crushing Li Wei's 4 Farming Experience points in comparison.