Back on Market Street, Qin Lin opened the roller shutter. The black dog came running over, barking as it welcomed him.
"Come on, let's take you home." Carrying two bags of dog food, Qin Lin took the leash and headed outside.
"Woof, woof!" The black dog seemed to understand him and looked excited.
At the electric scooter, Qin Lin was fretting over how to get the dog to ride along. Then he saw it deftly step onto the footrest, standing on its hind legs with its front paws on the handlebars. It even whined at him, as if urging him to hurry up.
Qin Lin had seen short videos on Mouyin of dogs that seemed almost human. He'd thought they were staged, but now he believed some dogs really were that clever.
He climbed onto the scooter and rode home with the newest member of the family.
"Woof, woof!"
When Qin Lin reached the front door and took out his keys, the black dog barked even more excitedly.
"Xiao Lin, why did you bring a dog home?" Lin Fen asked in confusion as she watched the black dog come inside.
"Mom, it's a long story..." Qin Lin explained everything that had happened with the dog. "So now I've adopted him."
After hearing Qin Lin out, Lin Fen crouched and patted the black dog's head. The dog obediently lowered its head and even licked her palm.
"What a clever dog!" Lin Fen praised it, then said to Qin Lin, "Xiao Lin, then let's take good care of him. As the saying goes, a pig brings poverty, but a dog brings wealth. Maybe this dog will bring our family good fortune. By the way, what's his name?"
"His name? I haven't decided yet." Qin Lin realized that since he'd adopted the dog, he ought to give him a name. "Since he's here to bring me good fortune, let's call him Wangcai!"
"Then Wangcai it is!" Lin Fen smiled and called to the black dog. "Wangcai!"
The black dog looked a little stunned when Lin Fen called him, but he was clever enough to realize she meant him. He immediately answered her with a series of excited whines.
After dinner, Qin Lin poured some dog food into a basin for Wangcai. Lin Fen found a cardboard box and flattened it out for him to sleep on. Their home was small, so they would have to make do for now.
Back in his room, Qin Lin saw that weeds had grown in the game again, so he cleared them. Then he chatted with Zhao Moqing on WeChat and told her about Wangcai.
The next morning, as soon as Qin Lin got up, he checked the game screen in his mind. He harvested the ripe strawberries and okra, then planted new seeds.
After that, he opened the door and saw Wangcai sitting outside it. The moment he spotted Qin Lin, he let out a couple of whines and ran over to rub against his leg.
"He got up early and sat outside your door, but he's been very well-behaved. He hasn't made a sound," Lin Fen said, bringing out a bowl of congee as she praised Wangcai.
Qin Lin smiled and patted Wangcai's head.
This dog really knew how to ingratiate himself.
After eating two bowls of congee, Qin Lin said goodbye to his mother and prepared to head to the warehouse to enter the game and collect the goods.
"Woof, woof!"
Wangcai whined and followed him outside. He even took the leash in his mouth and held it out to Qin Lin, as if to say, Don't leave me behind.
Qin Lin had meant to leave the dog at home, but after seeing that, he could only take the leash and bring him along.
He rode his electric scooter to Market Street, switched to the three-wheeled cargo bike, put Wangcai in the back, and headed to the warehouse.
As soon as he reached the warehouse, he locked the door and focused his thoughts. His figure vanished as he entered the game.
"Woof, woof!" Wangcai stared at the spot where Qin Lin had disappeared, his ears pricked straight up. He darted over in a panic and ran in circles, scratching at the patch of ground where Qin Lin had vanished.
When Qin Lin came out carrying a basket of strawberries, the dog jumped back in alarm. Just as Wangcai was excitedly about to rush over, Qin Lin set down the basket and disappeared again.
After two or three rounds of this, the dog seemed completely baffled.
Only after taking all the strawberries and okra out of the game and loading them onto the vehicle did Qin Lin take Wangcai to RT-Mart to make a delivery.
By the time he'd finished the busy work, two hours had passed.
After lunch, Zhao Moqing came over. Qin Lin had told her about the dog on WeChat the previous night, and she'd come especially to see Wangcai.
Qin Lin went to greet her right away and gave her a kiss.
Watching them, Wangcai seemed to understand what was going on. He figured he should do something too, and promptly ran over to rub against Zhao Moqing's leg.
"Qin Lin, is this Wangcai?" Zhao Moqing crouched down in delight and wrapped her arms around the dog's neck.
Wangcai whined at Zhao Moqing, acting cute and trying to win her over.
Looking at the dog, Zhao Moqing couldn't resist taking out her phone to snap a selfie with him.
Wangcai actually grinned and leaned toward her, as if posing for the photo.
What surprised Zhao Moqing even more was that the dog cooperated with every pose she tried. She broke into a radiant smile. "Qin Lin, Wangcai is so clever. I like him so much."
Qin Lin watched in amazement.
Dogs couldn't possibly understand things like that—unless someone had often made him pose for photos before.
This dog really did seem unusually perceptive. He knew how to win over the people around Qin Lin, from his mother to Zhao Moqing.
After playing with Wangcai for a while, Zhao Moqing told Qin Lin to keep an eye on him, then left for work.
Clearly, she'd grown fond of the dog in that short time.
Qin Lin stretched out on the recliner and controlled the Game Character to wander around the map, checking to see if any game quests would trigger.
No quest appeared, but when the Game Character returned to the ranch, someone suddenly appeared in front of him, along with a dialogue box.
Was this a story event?
Qin Lin immediately used his thoughts to control the Game Character and talk to the newcomer. That was when he learned the man's name was Zack, the game's produce buyer.
Zack: The fruits and vegetables sold by the Game Character have boosted Mineral Town's economy. Keep up the good work.
Zack also gave him a fishing rod and a bag of bait, telling him he could fish by the river. There were plenty of wild fish there, and they were very popular at the market.
After Zack left the game, Qin Lin noticed that the Game Character's toolbox now contained a fishing rod and a bag of bait.
The game had a new feature!
Qin Lin knew where the river was, so he immediately guided the Game Character to the river that ran through the ranch.
He baited the hook, cast the line, and waited.
It wasn't long before a notification appeared: a fish had taken the bait. Qin Lin immediately had the Game Character reel it in, and soon a fish came out of the water.
He had the Game Character remove the fish from the hook and take it to the storage room. A notification appeared:
[You caught a Wild Crucian Carp (Quality 2)!]
Qin Lin knew about wild crucian carp. It was well-known as a nourishing food. His mother, for instance, was often weak, and crucian carp was very nutritious. It not only supplied protein, but also helped strengthen the spleen, dispel dampness, improve blood circulation, and clear the meridians.
He often bought crucian carp for his mother, and ordinary wild crucian carp could sell for 30 yuan per jin.
But what shocked Qin Lin was that this random wild crucian carp was Quality 2?
Over the past few days, he'd figured out that ordinary things had no quality rating. Quality 1 was already a level above normal, while Quality 2 meant two levels higher, with +2 attributes.
Everything produced by the game was at least Quality 1.
He immediately went into the small restroom in the shop and focused his thoughts to enter the game.
Besides the facilities for storing fruit and vegetables, the game's storage room had several pools, apparently for aquatic products. One of them was now full of water, and a fish swam inside.
Qin Lin picked up the net beside it and scooped out the fish. Its information appeared:
[Wild Crucian Carp: Quality 2 (10 jin)] [Note: This is a pure wild crucian carp, a real big one. Game-produced and completely free of pollution. Rich in protein +2, easy to digest and absorb +2, strengthens the spleen and dispels dampness +2, improves blood circulation and clears the meridians +2, stimulates the appetite +2, delicious +2, tender and flavorful flesh +2, texture +2.]
The whole string of +2s filled Qin Lin with delight. This would be great for helping his mother regain her strength.
And this fish had grown to an astonishing 10 jin.
Farmed crucian carp took at least three years to grow past 5 jin, and wild ones took even longer. Wild crucian carp weighing more than 10 jin were almost unheard of. Between pollution and excessive fishing, even 2 or 3 jin was considered large on the market, and the ones people usually found weighed less than 1 jin.
He'd once read a news story about a wild-fishing competition where someone caught an 11.5-jin wild crucian carp king. It sold for more than 200 yuan per jin.
The fish he'd caught was a pure wild crucian carp weighing 10 jin, and it was Quality 2—a real monster. It was the kind of fish money couldn't buy.
All he could say was, the game was incredible!
Catching a monster like this on his very first try got Qin Lin excited.
He exited the game, guided the Game Character back to the river, and tried fishing again. It wasn't long before another fish took the bait.
[You caught a Wild Crucian Carp (Quality 1)!]
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