Chapter 7

The next day dawned bright and clear. The moment Cen An opened his eyes, he didn't concern himself with anything else and immediately went to check on his bok choy.

[Maturation time: 3 hours and 12 minutes]

A smile touched Cen An’s face; they were finally about to mature.

After a simple breakfast, his plan for the day was to head to the mountains in the morning, return at noon to harvest the bok choy, and then take a trip to the small local market.

He intended to gather more timber today. The items in his home were piling up, and he couldn't just keep them all on the floor; he needed some wooden shelves. He also needed a table and chairs—he was still eating while sitting on the ground, after all. As for a bed, that required "hardwood," not just ordinary timber, so he would have to look for that slowly.

Gathering timber didn't require traveling far. Cen An scouted the nearest hill, kept track of time, and stopped once he had chopped 60 units of wood.

The nearby mountain wasn't rich in resources, but ground fruit and soy-fruit were common. He gathered 10 ground fruits and 8 soy-fruits before heading home.

With half an hour left until the bok choy reached maturity, the timing was perfect.

Once inside his dilapidated shack, he took the timber from his backpack and began working deftly.

10 units of wood and 6 iron nails could make a square table;
6 units of wood and 4 iron nails could make a stool;
20 units of wood and 10 iron nails could make a wooden shelf...

The sound of hammering and sawing echoed through the shack. Fortunately, he lived on the edge of Yongning Village, where no one passed by for days or weeks at a time, so it didn't stir any curiosity.

Half an hour later, the noise gradually subsided, and the interior of the shack had been transformed.

In the inner room, the small, rickety bamboo bed was pushed into a corner. Opposite it, against the wall, stood a wooden shelf about half a meter high. It had three tiers: the top tier held recovery potions and the prepared rejuvenation ointment; the second tier housed the hundred processed spring-glory herbs and the remaining valuable materials like golden and silver ear mushrooms; the third tier held the rat pelts Cen An had accumulated, neatly rolled and tucked away. As for the rat meat, to prevent spoilage, Cen An always kept it in his backpack, where he had already gathered over twenty pieces.

The outer room had even more changes.

In the center was a charred patch of ground where he always built his fire to cook, and his large iron pot was suspended there. Beside it was another half-meter-high wooden shelf. The top tier held salt, soy-fruit, and a new wooden oil canister. Once Cen An built a trap and caught some live prey, he could render oil to store in it. As for vegetable oil, that would have to wait until he built an oil press and planted rapeseed.

The second tier held dried wood mushrooms, savory mushrooms, mint leaves, and ground fruits. The bottom tier contained the steamer he had made earlier, a new set of cutting boards and knives, and wooden bowls and chopsticks.

In front of the bonfire sat a brand-new square table with two equally new wooden chairs on either side. In the corner, the remaining timber was neatly stacked. He had originally wanted to make some wooden buckets and basins, but those recipes required tree resin, so he had to give up on that for now.

No matter how dilapidated a house, once it was furnished, it felt like a home. A strong sense of belonging suddenly washed over Cen An.

He was an orphan; the orphanage had never felt like home, and the apartments he rented after he started working certainly didn't either. But now, this shack, though old and cramped, truly belonged entirely to him. He could slowly, with his own two hands, shape it into the comfortable space he desired.

A genuine smile appeared on his usually calm face. "Still a bit sparse, but I'll keep working at it."

[Congratulations, your bok choy has matured!]

The system prompt popped up right on cue. Cen An snapped out of his thoughts and rushed outside.

Sure enough, the countdown had reached zero. The bok choy stood tall in the field, looking crisp, tender, and vibrant—full of life.

Cen An pulled one up. The roots were still coated in moist black soil, but the leaves were pristine, emitting a fresh, vegetable fragrance. He couldn't resist; he tore off a leaf and popped it into his mouth. It was crisp, cool, and sweet—far better than any bok choy he had eaten in his previous life!

He immediately began the harvest.

[Congratulations, you have gained 5 EXP]
[Congratulations, you have gained 5 EXP]
...

Right, planting, harvesting, and caring for crops in the farm would grant experience. He had been gathering for so long these past few days that he had almost forgotten he was bound to a farm game.

After harvesting all 150 bok choy, they were neatly stacked in his backpack in bundles of 30. The fertile black soil suddenly looked empty.

A qualified farming player would never leave the land fallow; once one batch of crops was harvested, another had to be planted.

But...

Cen An opened the system interface.

Farm Name: Harvest Farm
Level: 1
EXP: 1500/5000
Wealth: 35 Crystal Cores
Land Owned: 1
Fish Pond: Unlocks for 1000 Crystal Cores
Livestock Shed: Unlocks for 3000 Crystal Cores
Backpack: Axe x1, Hoe x1, Pickaxe x1, Iron Sword x1, Bok Choy x150, Rat Meat x22

Yes, he only had 35 Crystal Cores, and the cheapest bok choy seeds cost 50 cores per pack, while white radish seeds cost 100.

What a poor farming player.

He had to sell the bok choy first. In the game, you didn't have to worry about this; you just put the produce in a shipping box, and the currency appeared. But now...

Cen An took out his battered bamboo basket, placed twenty bok choy inside, covered them with ten rat pelts, and headed toward the small market.

There seemed to be some sort of event at the market today, as it was more crowded than his last visit. Cen An followed the crowd to the entrance, only to find that the once-open gate was now guarded.

He was naturally cautious and didn't push forward, choosing to observe from the back. Before he could figure out what was happening, someone tapped his shoulder. "Hey friend, I see you've got a basket—are you here to set up a stall too?"

Cen An turned to see a young man with dark, tanned skin carrying a snakeskin bag. "Yes, are you as well?"

"You bet," the man laughed. "I see you don't have much stuff. Why don't we share a stall? We can split the fee. What do you say?"

This small market actually charged a stall fee? Cen An asked exactly that.

The other man didn't suspect anything. "You must be new here, right? This market is organized by the Yongning Ability Squad, and they handle the order, so the stall fee isn't expensive. If you come occasionally, it's 2 crystals per stall. If you pay for a monthly pass, it's 10 crystals. Today is the first of the month, so a lot of people are rushing to pay their fees, which is why it's so crowded."

Cen An listened silently and asked, "But when I came last time, I don't recall anyone collecting fees?"

"You probably didn't notice," Tian Yuan laughed. "The Ability Squad has their own goods to sell, so they usually set up their stall at the entrance. They collect fees while selling their own items; it kills two birds with one stone."

Cen An nodded. "Are you planning to get the monthly pass or pay as you go?"

Tian Yuan got excited. "I want the monthly pass. Even if I don't come every day, it pays for itself in five trips. What about you?"

Cen An did the math. "I'll get the monthly pass, too." Bok choy had a short shelf life and had to be sold before it rotted, otherwise, it would clog his inventory. In any case, he would definitely be coming every day for a while. Though he could turn them into pickles for storage, the pickling barrels required oak, and he didn't know where to find that yet.

Tian Yuan was delighted. "It's a deal! I'll go wait in line, and I'll call you when it's time to pay!"

The two exchanged names, and Tian Yuan turned and dove into the crowd. Cen An watched as he hurried off, the bag on his back shifting—perhaps there was something alive in there?

The line was long, so Cen An found a place to rest. Beside him sat an elderly couple, clutching a bundle of some unknown wild greens wrapped in bark, both looking worried.

He heard the old man sigh. "Sigh, how did it come to this? They won't even let us set up and pay later anymore. If we’d known, we would have brought a couple more crystals from home..."

The old woman sighed as well. "Didn't you hear? Captain Liao of the Ability Squad has had his abilities go out of control and hasn't been seen for a long time. The person in charge now is the Vice-Captain, and he is a..." The old woman didn't finish her assessment. "Who knows what will happen to this market in the future."

The old man clearly understood, the lines on his face deepening. "Captain Liao is a good man. I remember he’s only forty; how could his abilities go out of control? The last one who lost control of their abilities was surnamed Tian, right? He was over sixty!"

The old woman poked at the greens, trying to make them look more appealing. "What do we know about the affairs of ability users? We can only hope the stall fees don't go up anymore..."

Cen An listened to the whole thing. Yongning Village was not as peaceful as it seemed. Or rather, that peace was inseparable from Captain Liao, but the current Vice-Captain was clearly unpopular.

Then again, how many ability users were there in Yongning Village, and were they all in the Ability Squad? Cen An counted the few ability users he knew: Yu Fei, Zhao Wu, Qu Yue... Oh, right, and the dog owner and his white-haired friend. Though he had asked before, the dog owner had explicitly stated he wasn't from Yongning Village.

"Cen An, come on!" Tian Yuan waved from the front. "It's our turn!"

Cen An acknowledged him and walked over with his basket. They each paid five crystals, and the person at the counter registered them and handed each a wooden token. With this, they were free to set up their stall for the month.

Inside the market, more than half the stalls were taken. Tian Yuan led him to a spot in the middle with the familiarity of a regular. It wasn't really a stall, just a grid drawn on the ground—not even a rack.

Tian Yuan was prepared; he pulled out a tarp, spread it out, and emptied his snakeskin bag. Cen An saw wild pheasant, rabbit, a few bird eggs, some bamboo shoots, and some unrecognizable plant roots.

He didn't linger on them but took out his rat pelts and spread them on the ground, then carefully arranged the vibrant bok choy one by one.

"Your greens look good. Did you find them in the mountains?" Tian Yuan asked enthusiastically. "But these rat pelts aren't processed well. Why didn't you tan them?"

"I don't know how," Cen An said, smiling and skipping over the previous question. "I was just looking for someone to ask about that."

"That's easy." Tian Yuan, clearly a seasoned hunter for whom tanning was second nature, explained the process to Cen An in detail.

Cen An listened carefully. It wasn't as difficult as he had imagined; it just required wood ash and some common medicinal herbs.

As one taught and the other learned, a haughty voice cut in: "How much for these greens?"

Cen An turned around. A few people were standing at his stall. The young man in front, with a slick, powdered face, picked up a bok choy. "One crystal for two."

The man tossed the vegetable back. "Fine, they're fresh. I'll take them all. Pack them up."

His lackeys moved to grab them, but Cen An blocked them and held out his hand. "Much obliged, that will be 10 crystals."

The man said impatiently, "I know, you think I, this young master, can't afford ten measly crystals?"

He casually pulled a handful of crystals from his pocket and threw them onto the muddy ground without counting. "There, go pick them up."

Cen An looked down. It had rained yesterday, and the ground was a muddy mess. The shiny crystals rolled into the puddles and sank to the bottom. Calling it "picking them up" was an understatement; "dredging them" would be more accurate.

Cen An smiled and held out his hand again. "My apologies, but that will be 10 crystals."