This Game Is the Key to Getting Rich!

After clearing the pests from the watermelon vines, Qin Lin looked over the rest of the ranch.

The six plots he'd unlocked could grow 105 watermelons, but the ranch had more land than that. If he developed new plots, he could grow even more.

In the Story of Seasons game, the ranch had a total of 100 plots. But weeds, rocks, logs, stumps, and other debris covered them, making it impossible to plant crops.

Some plots were also still locked because of the Game Character's level and appeared gray.

The game's rules were simple: the Game Character could level up by planting crops, unlocking new plots. Players could clear away weeds, rocks, and other debris, then till the soil with a hoe to develop the land.

Most importantly, as the character leveled up, the player could upgrade the soil, grow higher-quality crops, and even unlock new features.

Seeing more land he could develop, Qin Lin directed the Game Character to fetch tools from the tool shed. He cleared the weeds, logs, and stones from the available plots, then opened up six more plots and planted watermelon seeds.

The watermelons in these six new plots should ripen by noon tomorrow, too. That would mean another hundred or so melons.

Still, Qin Lin didn't continue developing the land. Instead, he picked up his phone and searched a real estate website for warehouse listings.

He was a cautious man. Wherever he took watermelons out of the game in town, someone might notice if there were too many. Even if he found a secluded spot outdoors, he worried someone might see him going in and out of the game. That would be a real headache.

So he needed a warehouse somewhere remote, with no one around.

Then he could lock the warehouse and take the watermelons out inside, without anyone being the wiser.

There were plenty of listings on the real estate site. After searching for a while, he found one that seemed just right.

It was outside Youcheng County. A pig farm had once built a warehouse there to store pig feed, along with a private road leading up to it. No one ever went there.

But pig farming came with risks. The farm had gone out of business after an outbreak of swine fever, and now the warehouse was up for rent. The rent was cheap—2,000 yuan a month—and the place was spacious. The owner didn't even ask for a deposit. Unfortunately, it was in such a remote location that it had sat vacant for a long time.

Qin Lin thought the place would suit him perfectly.

The next day.

Qin Lin got up early and looked at the game on the light screen in his mind.

The watermelons in the original six plots were ripe and ready to harvest. He directed the Game Character to pick them and put them in the storage room, then cleared away the dead vines and planted watermelon seeds again.

The vines in the six new plots had grown, and small watermelons had appeared. But weeds and pests had also sprung up in the plots.

He quickly had the Game Character clear them away. Then, after a small breakfast, he headed out to contact the warehouse owner and arrange to meet him there.

The warehouse was a ten-minute drive from the county town. It was in a remote area where people rarely went.

The warehouse was in good condition, and the yard was spacious enough to park a vehicle. Even a large truck could turn around there.

The pig farm had used it as a parking area for trucks hauling pig feed.

The owner was a middle-aged man with a large belly. After confirming the details, Qin Lin rented the place from him for three months.

The 6,000-yuan rent nearly wiped out the balance in his bank account, but he'd earn it back in no time.

After signing the contract, Qin Lin added the owner on WeChat. If he wanted to extend the lease, he could just transfer the money through the app.

The owner didn't linger. He seemed to get a call about a card game, so he took his copy of the contract and left.

Qin Lin opened the warehouse and went inside. It was completely empty, covered in cobwebs and dust.

He wasn't too fussy about the conditions. After giving it a quick clean, he took a few crates off his three-wheeled cargo vehicle and carried them inside. Then he locked the warehouse door from the inside.

Once that was done, he focused his thoughts and entered the game with the crates. He filled them with watermelons from the game's storage room.

With another thought, he appeared back in the warehouse with a crate of watermelons.

He brought all the watermelons out in several trips. There were 106 in total, each weighing over ten pounds. They were all Quality 1, though.

He loaded the watermelons onto his vehicle, took a video of the load, and posted it in the group chat for fruit and vegetable shop owners. Then he sent a message:

"Seedless watermelons: high sugar content, juicy and delicious! Wholesale price: 1.5 yuan per pound, delivery included!"

As soon as he sent the message, Liu Dasheng chimed in: "Xiao Qin, you're out restocking this early? Your watermelons are so easy to sell. Everyone who's tried one buys more. I sold another ten or so last night. Bring me 20 more."

"Xiao Qin, bring me 10 more, too," Chen Dahe chimed in.

"Bring me 20 more as well," Ai Quni added.

"Sure. I'll deliver to all three of you soon," Qin Lin replied right away.

It made sense that the melons from the game sold so well. Each one tasted better than ordinary watermelons.

A few more fruit shop owners chimed in on the group chat.

"Boss Qin, do you deliver these watermelons wholesale?"

"Boss Qin, these look good. Bring a batch to my shop, too."

"I'll take 30 to try them out."

"..."

With Liu Dasheng and the other two vouching for him, and all three ordering from him repeatedly, the other shop owners didn't ask to inspect the melons. They just told him to deliver them.

They weren't ordering many, so even if something was off, they wouldn't lose much. And if the melons were fine, they'd save themselves the trouble.

Qin Lin saw the messages and replied: "I'm delivering to Brother Liu and the others first. If you want some, send me your address privately, and I'll bring them by afterward."

Then he put down his phone and drove the watermelons back to the county town.

Back on Market Street, he delivered the melons to Liu Dasheng, Chen Dahe, and Ai Quni.

Liu Dasheng ordered 20 melons, weighing 230 pounds in total. That came to 345 yuan.

Chen Dahe ordered 10 melons, weighing 115 pounds. That came to 172.5 yuan.

Ai Quni ordered 20 melons, weighing 245 pounds. That came to 367.5 yuan.

That came to 885 yuan in total.

After delivering the melons to the three of them, Qin Lin checked his WeChat. He'd received six private messages from people interested in placing orders. None of them wanted many; they were all small businesses.

He tallied them up: four shops wanted 10 each, and two wanted 20 each.

There were still 55 melons on his vehicle. He planned to deliver to the two shops that wanted 20 each and one that wanted 10, then told the other three to wait until noon.

The three fruit shops were some distance from Market Street. One was beside a school, and the other two were on South Street. The 55 watermelons weighed 632 pounds in total, earning him another 948 yuan.

The morning's ripe watermelons had brought in 1,833 yuan altogether.

And another batch would ripen at noon.

Just thinking about it put Qin Lin in a great mood. He drove back to his fruit and vegetable shop with an empty vehicle. As he rolled up the shutter, he heard a dog whining.

The black dog from the day before came running out of a small alley across the street. It seemed to be heading for his shop.

Qin Lin immediately glared at the dog and shouted at it.

Was it really trying to latch onto him?

The black dog didn't run when he scolded it. It actually bared its teeth, stuck out its tongue, and ran even faster. In a flash, it reached the shop entrance, ignored him, and lay down to lick its paws.

What the hell...

Qin Lin simply ignored the black dog, sat down behind the register, and looked at the game on the light screen in his mind. He watered the watermelon seeds he'd planted earlier.

At noon, Qin Lin received a notification that the watermelons in the six newly opened plots had ripened, too. He immediately directed the Game Character to pick them, cleared away the vines, and planted new seeds.

Then he checked the time. He didn't feel like going home for lunch, so he called his mother and headed out of town on his three-wheeled farm vehicle.

At the warehouse, he locked the door from the inside again, entered the game, and took out all the newly ripened watermelons.

There were 110 watermelons in this batch, all Quality 1 as well.

He hauled them back to the county town and delivered the other three shops' orders from that morning. Each shop had ordered only 10, but that still came to 30 melons in total, weighing 321 pounds. He made another 481.5 yuan.

From the time he'd first been able to enter the game yesterday until now, he'd made 4,017.5 yuan altogether.

Making money felt as easy as picking it up off the ground.

Back at his fruit and vegetable shop, Qin Lin's stomach was growling. In a great mood, he ordered himself a delivery meal with two extra eggs and two chicken legs. He decided to splurge a little.

Before long, the delivery arrived, and he dug in.

Eggs were delicious. Chicken legs were delicious.

"Whine, whine!"

As he ate, he heard a dog bark.

The black dog was sitting at the shop entrance, staring straight at his food. When it saw him looking, it bared its teeth and stuck out its tongue, looking hopeful.

It was practically begging for attention.

Qin Lin scowled. Was this dog really trying to latch onto him? Now it was begging for food, too?

He refused to pay it any mind and kept eating.

"Whine, whine!" The black dog's whining grew softer, sounding almost dejected. Its head drooped, and its eyes made it look like a child who hadn't gotten the candy it wanted.

"..." Qin Lin looked at the chicken leg in his hand, with a little meat still on it. He just couldn't bring himself to eat it. Gritting his teeth, he tossed it to the black dog.

A man's greatest weakness was his soft heart.

As if it had been ready for this, the black dog immediately lifted its drooping head, bared its teeth, and caught the chicken leg. Then it happily started gnawing on it.

"Damn, it really knows how to change its tune!" Qin Lin wondered if he'd just been played by a dog. Then he hurriedly got back to eating.

After his meal, he took a video of the 80 watermelons he had left and posted it in the fruit shop owners' group to advertise them again.

After that, he looked at the light screen in his mind and started directing the Game Character to pick up tools and clear more land. The more watermelons he could grow, the more money he could make.

There were 12 more plots he could develop now.

First, he cleared the weeds with a sickle, then chopped up the logs with an axe, and finally broke the stones with a hammer. After that, he could till the 12 plots with a hoe.

Just then, he received a WeChat message: "Boss Qin, my name's Liu Ersheng. My brother is Liu Dasheng. He said your melons are good. Could you bring me 50?"

Qin Lin's eyes lit up.

A big customer!

Seeing that the customer's profile said he was near Youcheng County No. 1 High School, Qin Lin understood. Everyone knew where the best place to open a small shop in Youcheng County was: beside a school, especially beside No. 1 High School, which had an elementary school, middle school, and high school all on one campus.

At this time of year, iced watermelon served in clear plastic cups with a few toothpicks was one of the students' favorite treats. Some even bought a serving to eat and another to take to school.

And selling them that way brought in a much bigger profit than selling them whole.

Qin Lin replied to the message, unloaded 30 melons from his vehicle and took them into his shop, then delivered the remaining 50 to Liu Ersheng.

The 50 watermelons weighed 575 pounds, bringing in 862 yuan.

Once back at his fruit and vegetable shop, Qin Lin immediately looked at the game on the light screen in his mind and used a hoe to develop all 12 plots he'd just cleared.

In just one day, he'd already made nearly 5,000 yuan. This game was the key to getting rich.