Wheat Harvest

It took Li Wei the entire morning to chop down six trees. He returned home for lunch, and in the afternoon, he trimmed the branches and dragged them back. In between, he even had time to hunt two pheasants or rabbits.

That's right, as his archery skills continued to improve, his hunting list had expanded once again.

With a bit of luck, he could even shoot a running wild rabbit.

Of course, that was a one-off. The rabbit ran too fast, and the tall, dense grass really got in the way.

Wild pheasants were still plenty foolish and slow.

Several days passed like this. Mixi's woven Straw Shoes arrived, and Li Wei successfully gathered the lumber needed to expand his house. He also collected two units of game. Now, his monthly Main Quest only required harvesting the Wheat Field and reinforcing the camp walls.

The former would require another ten days or so, as the wheat was still a bit green and not yet ripe.

For the latter, he needed to chop down at least fifty saplings. Fortunately, some of the thicker, straighter branches could also be used to reinforce the walls, as there were no strict standards for this.

In any case, he should be able to complete the monthly Main Quest within a month.

The only uncontrollable risk was strong winds and heavy rain causing devastating damage to the nearly ripe Wheat Field. However, that was unlikely this season. Moreover, looking at the past three months, while the region had ample rainfall, it definitely didn't have a coastal climate.

A more troublesome, but currently manageable, risk was the encroachment of birds and beasts on the Wheat Field.

Currently, Li Wei had made twenty-four variously colored Scarecrows in the Wheat Field to frighten away birds looking for a meal. Occasionally, he would lie in wait around the Wheat Field. When birds, undeterred, tried to fly down, he would shoot an arrow, scattering them. However, hitting them was another matter.

Then there were the various small beasts. As the wheat ripened, they seemed to instinctively know the grain here was delicious. There were flocks of wild pheasants, wild rabbits, and all sorts of strange little creatures.

Most of them were blocked by the stone walls and fences, and with Li Wei occasionally playing the role of a sneaky ambusher, he could mostly keep them under control.

Most of the time, he chopped trees during the day and lit Bonfires around the Wheat Field at night, patrolling until deep into the night before finally falling asleep.

It was fine for short periods, but doing this for extended periods severely drained his Stamina.

Fortunately, this month Phila had promised Mushroom Meat Soup once a day. This seemingly ordinary One-star Dish was actually quite good, capable of quickly dispelling fatigue and restoring Stamina, preventing Li Wei's physical condition from dropping to the critical point.

Yes, there was indeed a critical point.

It was the bottom line that his Level One Awakening could maintain for his Health Points.

The most immediate example was Penny. She traveled back and forth between the camp and the Iron Ore mine every day, carrying back one hundred pounds of Iron Ore. That was one unit, pure heavy labor. In just half a month, she had carried back fifteen units of Iron Ore and was already exhausted, looking like an old woman.

If she didn't have a bowl of Mushroom Meat Soup every day, she feared she wouldn't be able to get up.

"The fences around the farmland aren't high enough yet. If only there was a sturdier stone wall."

Sometimes, looking at the heavy wheat ears in the farmland, Li Wei felt joy mixed with worry. The fences could block small beasts, but what if a pack of Wild Boars appeared? That would be a devastating disaster.

"So, this current wall is actually substandard. It can't accommodate the family's future development."

"We must find a way to upgrade it to a stone wall. But that would require finding a suitable quarry. I'm afraid this task will have to be explored by Penny, the artisan, because it's profession-related. However, according to the rules, the farmland I planted also has a chance to yield higher quality grain."

"So, cooperation is still necessary. Even with two professions, one person can't cover everything."

"But, given the current situation, true cooperation might be difficult. Without being the Head of the Family, talking about cooperation is meaningless. You have to be the Head of the Family, but that involves interests and compromises, and it all depends on the Head of the Family's ability."

"So, this is a Head of the Family simulator?"

Li Wei grumbled.

In the blink of an eye, another ten days passed. Fortunately, it didn't rain. The sky was clear, with high clouds, and the autumn air was crisp. The wheat in the two fields was basically ripe and had suffered minimal damage from birds and beasts.

Li Wei sharpened his Sickle in advance and woke up at dawn to start harvesting. He first selected the ripest, plumpest ears of wheat to be used as seeds for next year, filling two sacks, about sixty pounds in total, enough to plant three mu of land.

The moment he brought these two sacks of wheat ears back to the camp, everyone, including the newcomer Lyon, received a message.

[Professional Farmer** has harvested six units of One-star quality wheat seeds from the planted Wheat Field. He has additionally gained 6 Family Contribution Points. Friendly Reminder: These seeds, when sown, will result in stronger seedlings and higher yields per mu. If used to make food, there is a high chance of creating One-star quality food.]

[Friendly Reminder: Although the Wheat Field is donated to the family, the Farmer profession cultivates it. Only the basic harvest belongs to the family. Additional harvests are like overtime, earning extra Family Contribution Points. Similarly, the Chef profession is responsible for the family's daily meals. Being full is the basic requirement, but creating One-star dishes earns extra Family Contribution Points. The Artisan and Tailor professions are the same; even if using all family resources, creating One-star quality equipment will earn extra rewards.]

Huh, this was truly good news. Li Wei's Farmer profession was finally starting to show a bright future.

However, now was not the time to delay. After putting down the wheat ears, he practically sprinted out of the camp and began the formal harvest. He only stopped to eat a meal and then immediately continued harvesting, not daring to rest. This was a major event; the sooner it was harvested, the sooner it would be safe.

However, with less than one and a half mu of Wheat Field, Li Wei finished harvesting it all around 4 PM, bundling it into sheaves for easy transport and drying.

If it continued to not rain, ten days would be enough to dry it, and then he could thresh it to get the wheat grains.

Afterward, he made a rough calculation. Although there was no fertilizer and the seeds weren't exceptional, with the boost from the Two-star Farmer Card, coupled with the extremely fertile black soil here, the harvest was surprisingly good. The yield was about four hundred jin per mu. After deducting the seeds, the two fields could still yield at least six hundred jin of wheat.

This was the hope for surviving the winter.

In the evening, even Phila, Mixi, Penny, and Lyon couldn't help but come to check. Food was a crucial strategic resource at all times.

"With grain in hand, there's no panic in the heart. George, this is your achievement."

Phila praised him with a smile. This was also a significant benefit for her. With a more abundant and diverse food supply, she, as a chef, would have more room to maneuver and create better food. This would not only earn her more experience points but also more Family Contribution Points.

Especially those six units of One-star wheat, she looked at them with longing. As long as they were in her hands, creating new One-star quality food would be incredibly easy.

Even Two-star!

This was much better than the One-star mushrooms, which were difficult to gather and had unstable yields.

It was a pity that this couldn't be moved!

These were seeds!

At this moment, the others also wore smiles. While they wanted to develop their professions, the prerequisite was not to starve.

It's worth mentioning that over the past twenty days, Lyon had been fishing and gathering with Phila. He had clearly obtained the One-star Fisherman Card, but his primary profession had never been revealed.

These days, everyone had basically remained silent, and Lyon had been like an invisible person.

However, as time passed, once Lyon leveled up to a Two-star Fisherman, he would be able to catch one-star quality fish and shrimp, which would also benefit the chef Phila.

In fact, it was only today that Li Wei understood Phila's original intention; she was truly cunning and calculating.

But it was likely that once Lyon figured out the rules and logic, he would break free from her control.