Things had to be taken one step at a time.
The ground outside had already been turned, so naturally, the earlier the seeds were sown, the better.
Furthermore, there were still several gift packs sitting in the warehouse. Ye Mian needed to open them first to see what was inside before she could have Xue Kai draw up a list of the remaining items they needed. If the village didn’t have them, they might need to make a trip into the city.
Xue Kai vaguely guessed that she might be busy with “system” business. He immediately wore an “I understand” expression, quickly washed the pots and bowls, and then headed out with the bag of vegetable seeds.
The tilled land was not far from the door. After watching his standard sowing technique for a while, Ye Mian turned back and opened the system warehouse with peace of mind.
Even though the icon displayed in the slot suggested the “Super Gift Pack” was extraordinary, Ye Mian decided to save the surprise for last and opened the two Beginner Gift Packs first.
【Congratulations! You have obtained “Little Raccoon Universal Pot” x1!】
【Congratulations! You have obtained “Mysterious Recipe” x1!】
【Congratulations! You have obtained “Decorative Picture Frame” x1!】
【Congratulations! You have obtained “Pastoral Style Bedroom Blueprint” x1!】
“Hmm?” Ye Mian waited a moment longer. After confirming there was nothing else, she couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled. “Didn’t Beginner Gift Pack 1 give three items?”
They were both beginner packs, so why were they different?
Thinking about it, Ye Mian couldn’t help but look at the potted plant sitting quietly on the corner shelf. Could it be that she had been lucky earlier and triggered an extra special item drop?
Moreover, it was a “potted plant mystery box”; she had no idea what would grow out of it.
Ye Mian shook her head, turned back, and tapped on the new items in the warehouse to view them.
[Little Raccoon Universal Pot: Searing, frying, simmering, or boiling—Little Raccoon can do it all.]
[Mysterious Recipe: Randomly generates a special recipe.]
[Decorative Picture Frame: Enhances the aesthetic of the house. Permanent Spiritual Essence +1.]
[Pastoral Style Bedroom Blueprint: Can create a pastoral-themed bedroom for you for free.]
As expected, they were all practical items.
Ye Mian first glanced at the colorful, round pot shaped like a raccoon. Thinking that cooking would be Xue Kai’s job from now on anyway, she figured she could just give it to him later. She then moved to the next item and selected “Use.”
【Obtained “Fruit Sandwich” Recipe!】
After the text box disappeared, a yellowed piece of old parchment slowly unfurled, recording the required ingredients and the preparation method.
Ye Mian only glanced at it twice before silently clicking to put it away, intending to hand it over to Xue Kai along with the pot.
The third item, the picture frame, held an oil painting. It depicted a rural scene consisting of simple houses, cooking smoke, and a setting sun—perfect for the setting.
Ye Mian originally intended to eye a good spot on the wall first and then find a way to hang it up. Unexpectedly, as soon as she selected it, the frame stuck firmly to the wall. She couldn’t even budge it.
“Alright then.” It certainly saved a lot of effort.
Ye Mian looked at the painting, then opened the basic information of the farm.
[Dream Farm]
Level: 1 (15/100)
Area: 1000㎡
Defense: Low
Employees: 0
Points: 25
Spiritual Essence: 7+1 (Refreshes daily)
So that was how the “permanent” part worked. No matter what the daily Spiritual Essence was, there would be a +1 at the end. If the minimum was 1 point, then she was guaranteed at least 2 points.
Ye Mian nodded with satisfaction. “Very good. Next… it’s your turn.”
Looking at the Pastoral Style Bedroom Blueprint in the warehouse, Ye Mian headed to the second floor with a hint of anticipation and entered the largest room—the master bedroom.
Although the master bedroom had become cleaner and newer after the previous repairs, nothing extra had been added. It still only contained a wooden bed without a mattress. Whether she could get a good night’s sleep tonight depended entirely on this blueprint.
Taking a deep breath, Ye Mian clicked the blueprint and selected “Use.”
【Bedroom renovation in progress…】
A moment later, a breeze suddenly blew past. Ye Mian felt a flash before her eyes. The originally greyish-white walls were now covered in pale yellow wallpaper, and orange solid-colored curtains hung by the window, with red tassels dangling at the bottom.
The grey floor beneath her feet had turned into warm yellow wooden planks, smooth and bright.
Ye Mian looked toward the bed. Not only did the wooden bed now have a soft mattress, but it was also covered with a thin quilt and several pillows. The quilt was white with a sunflower pattern, and the edges of the bedsheets were sewn with orange ruffles, which both hid the extra space under the bed and exuded a faint sense of warmth.
Beside the bed stood a red-brown cabinet with multiple drawers, looking like it could hold quite a few things. On top of the cabinet sat a pure white desk lamp, which served as a decorative touch in its simplicity.
Looking at the lamp, Ye Mian thought of something. She walked over and switched it on; a warm white light instantly illuminated the room.
It seemed the farm not only came with its own purification function but also had a functional electricity supply.
Ye Mian then turned around and walked to the red-brown wardrobe against the wall to the left of the door. One of the wardrobe doors was embedded with a full-length mirror. Beside the wardrobe was a red wooden chair with a built-in cushion, and on a nearby circular glass table, a few very realistic-looking sunflowers were tucked into a vase.
Sitting in the chair, she could see the scenery outside the window just by turning her head.
Ye Mian glanced at the blue sky and white clouds outside, which were unaffected by radiation or mutation, before walking to the full-length mirror to look at herself.
The girl in the mirror had fair, delicate skin, though she lacked a bit of color, giving her a slightly malnourished look. She was about 1.65 meters tall, on the thin side, weighing probably no more than 45kg. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail. With delicate features and clear eyes, she was a beauty who hadn’t fully “bloomed” yet.
After admiring her face, Ye Mian pulled open several wardrobe doors. Confirming they were empty and didn’t come with any freebies, she headed downstairs.
Halfway down the stairs, she remembered to open the Super Gift Pack in the warehouse.
Accompanied by a brilliant golden light, a string of text boxes appeared before Ye Mian’s eyes.
【Congratulations! You have obtained “Wheat Seeds” x100!】
【Congratulations! You have obtained “Rice Seeds” x100!】
【Congratulations! You have obtained “Corn Seeds” x100!】
【Congratulations! You have obtained “Potato Seeds” x100!】
【Congratulations! You have obtained “Premium Fertilizer” x100!】
【Congratulations! You have obtained 100 Points!】
???
Huh?
Ye Mian was dazed by this succession of “100s,” and her footsteps involuntarily halted.
Is this the Super Gift Pack?
Although there were no “special items” at first glance, if these four hundred seeds were all planted and harvested, they could probably accumulate a significant amount of food.
The only trouble was—even if they were sown bit by bit, it was still a considerable amount of work. Not to mention that before that, the entire farm’s cleanup had to be finished, and future farm upgrades had to be considered.
Moreover, all of this work had to be done manually; there were no machines available.
Ye Mian leaned against the wall, finally truly understanding the old poem: “Every grain is the result of hard work.”
Xue Kai, who had finished his work and come in carrying a hoe, happened to see this scene. He froze for a moment before asking, “What’s wrong?”
“Hmm?” Ye Mian snapped out of it and walked down the stairs into the living room. “Nothing. Let me show you something.”
Going to the dining table, Ye Mian took out the Little Raccoon Universal Pot and the Fruit Sandwich recipe from the warehouse. “These are the mission rewards I just got. They are both related to cooking, so I’ll leave them in your care.”
She was giving him the rewards she had just received?
Xue Kai couldn’t help but ask, “You trust me that much?”
“Otherwise, can you run away with these things?” Ye Mian raised an eyebrow and countered.
“…No.” His “Fortress” skill had one drawback: once deployed, he couldn’t move. He had to stay in place. It was a skill that was extremely dependent on companions.
Ye Mian pulled out a chair and sat down. “Then that’s that. Instead of overthinking, why don’t you see how ‘universal’ this pot is, and check this recipe.”
As she spoke, she reached out to touch the outer layer of the pot.
Because of her profession, Ye Mian was very sensitive to various metals. Whether it was the feel or the extremely subtle scent, this pot gave her a strangely familiar yet unfamiliar feeling the moment it was taken out. It felt as if she had seen items made of the same material somewhere before.
But she couldn’t recall it for the time being.
“This recipe…” Xue Kai opened the old parchment. After looking at it for a few moments, he was completely stunned. “This is a bit strange.”
“Things like Cherry Fruit, Three-Flavor Peach, Dark Snow Juice… I’ve never even heard of them. Have you?”
Seeing him look over, Ye Mian shook her head without changing her expression. “No.”
She had noticed they were unfamiliar ingredients earlier and thought her own memory was fragmented. Now it seemed this recipe was simply too unique.
“Since we can’t make it for now, I’ll put it away.”
“Okay.” Xue Kai handed the recipe back to her and turned his attention to the universal pot.
After closing the system interface, Ye Mian gave up on searching her own memories. Instead, she utilized her expertise as a robot repairer to find several mechanisms on the universal pot.
Watching the pot change into several shapes under her manipulation, Xue Kai’s eyes instantly lit up. “Oh oh oh! The initial shape is a pressure cooker, then it can switch to a steamer, a fryer, a frying pan, and an oven. With this, the variety of dishes will increase in the future.”
The prerequisite was that the ingredients had to be rich enough; otherwise, it would be a case of the “cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice.”
Just as he thought this, he saw Ye Mian pull several more items out of thin air.
“This is all we have for now. See what else you need and make a list, marking what’s essential and what isn’t urgent.”
Looking at the large bags of seeds on the table, Xue Kai’s mouth hung open for several seconds before he finally became convinced—this truly was a farm. The vegetable seeds from earlier were just an appetizer; there was a massive amount of land waiting for him to plant.
After a long while, he snapped out of it and nodded to show he understood. Then, he couldn’t help but ask, “How should I address you from now on? Boss or Farm Owner?”
Ye Mian had only taken the seeds out for him to see and was now putting them back into the warehouse. Upon hearing this, her eyelashes flickered slightly, and she replied, “Just call me by my name. We’ll be colleagues from now on, with no distinction between superior and subordinate.”
If he called her “Boss” or “Farm Owner,” she’d have to pay wages. What would she even pay him with!
Xue Kai didn’t think that far ahead. He gave an “oh,” took the pot to the kitchen area, and then opened the black bag he had brought, taking out a pen and paper to start the list.
Ye Mian went to the utility room and picked out a straight, sharp machete as her new weapon. She walked outside to inspect the planted vegetable plot and then called over “Da Hei,” who was still working hard at cutting weeds.
Although she intended for Da Hei to guard the house, the farm had remained perfectly peaceful from the time she left until she finished her meal. She hadn’t even seen a passing mutated beast. She guessed that even if the defense level in the farm’s basic info was “Low,” it could still ward off many things.
Therefore, it was better to bring her only combat power, Da Hei, along with her. He could help in a fight and ram through doors or walls—he was simply too useful.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Seeing Xue Kai come out as well, Ye Mian patted Da Hei’s head. “Set off!”