A huge shoutout to GreenKiTea for the Kofi. Enjoy the bonus chapter, and thank you for the support! Sorry for the very late upload; there were issues with the site, and the scheduled chapters weren’t being uploaded. It’s fixed, though, so be assured that our weekly updates have resumed. Belated Happy Holidays to everyone.

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The next day dawned bright and clear. The first thing Cen An did upon waking was check on his baby bok choy.

【Time to Maturity: 3 hours 12 minutes】

It was finally ready to harvest! A smile touched Cen An’s lips.

He returned home to prepare a simple breakfast. Today’s plan was to head up the mountain in the morning, return at noon to harvest the bok choy, and then make a trip to the small market.

Today, he planned to gather extra wood. With more and more items piling up at home, he couldn’t keep stacking everything on the floor. He needed to build some wooden shelves. Tables and stools were also on his list—after all, he was still eating meals sitting directly on the ground.

As for a bed… that required “hardwood,” not ordinary timber. He’d have to search for it gradually.

He didn’t have to travel far for wood. Cen An chose the nearest mountain, timed his work, and stopped after cutting sixty pieces.

The nearby hills weren’t rich in resources, but wild fruits and soy sauce fruit were plentiful. He gathered ten ground fruits and eight soy sauce fruits before heading home.

Half an hour remained before the baby bok choy matured—perfect timing.

Entering the shack, Cen An unloaded the wood from his backpack and got to work with practiced efficiency.

Ten pieces of wood plus six iron nails could make a square table.

Six pieces of wood plus four iron nails could make a stool.

20 wood and 10 nails could make a wooden shelf…

The clanging and banging echoed through the shack. Fortunately, he lived on the outskirts of Yongning Village. No one passed by for weeks on end, so it didn’t arouse anyone’s curiosity.

Half an hour later, the sounds gradually ceased. The shack had undergone a significant transformation.

In the inner room, a small bamboo bed sat tucked into the corner. Opposite it, leaning against the wall, stood a wooden shelf about half a meter tall.

The shelf had only three tiers. The top tier held recovery potions and prepared rejuvenation paste. The second tier held over a hundred processed spring glory herbs, along with the remaining precious materials like golden and silver mushrooms.

The third shelf held rolls of rat pelts that Cen An had meticulously stored, neatly stacked and tucked away.

As for the rat meat, to prevent spoilage, Cen An always kept it in his backpack. He had already accumulated over twenty pieces.

The outer room held even more items.

In the center lay a charred patch of earth—his designated cooking spot—where the large iron pot hung suspended.

Beside it stood another half-meter-tall wooden rack. Its top shelf held salt, soy sauce, fruit, and a new wooden oil jar. Once Cen An set his traps and caught live game, he could render the oil to fill it.

As for vegetable oil, that would have to wait until he built an oil mill and planted rapeseed.

The second shelf held dried wood mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, mint leaves, ground fruit, and other ingredients. The bottom shelf stored the steamer Cen An had made earlier, along with a newly crafted set of cutting boards and kitchen knives, plus wooden bowls and chopsticks.

Before the campfire stood a brand-new square table flanked by two equally pristine wooden chairs.

In the corner, the remaining lumber was stacked. He had considered making a few wooden barrels and basins, but both recipes required tree sap, so he had to abandon the idea.

Even the most dilapidated hut, furnished with furniture, began to feel like a home. Cen An suddenly felt a powerful sense of belonging.

An orphan, the orphanage hadn’t felt like home, nor had the rented rooms after starting work.

But now, this small, dilapidated hut—though shabby and cramped—was truly his alone. He could slowly, with his own hands, shape it into a comfortable space he loved.

A genuine smile touched his usually impassive face. “Still a bit sparse. Gotta keep working at it.”

【Congratulations! Your baby bok choy has matured!】

The system prompt snapped Cen An back to reality. He hurried outside.

Sure enough, the growth timer for the bok choy had hit zero. Each plant stood tall and straight in the soil, fresh and vibrant, looking incredibly proud.

Cen An pulled one up. Its roots were still coated in moist black soil, yet the leaves looked spotless, emitting a fresh, vegetable fragrance.

He couldn’t resist tearing off a leaf and popping it into his mouth. Crisp, cool, and sweet… far tastier than any bok choy he’d ever eaten in his previous life!

He immediately began harvesting.

【Congratulations! You have gained x5 EXP】

【Congratulations! You have gained x5 EXP】

Right—planting, harvesting, and tending crops on the farm all granted experience points. After days of gathering resources, Cen An had almost forgotten he was bound to a farming game.

After harvesting all 150 bok choy plants, he neatly stacked them in groups of 30 inside his backpack.

The fertile black soil suddenly felt empty.

A competent farming player never leaves land fallow. Once one crop is harvested, another must be planted immediately.

But…

Cen An opened the system interface.

Farm Name: Harvest Farm

Level: 1

Experience: 1500/5000

Wealth: 35 Crystal Cores

Land Owned: 1

Fish Pond: Unlockable for 1000 Crystal Cores

Livestock Shed: Unlockable for 3000 Crystal Cores

Inventory: Axe x1, Hoe x1, Pickaxe x1, Iron Sword x1, Baby Bok Choy x150, Rat Meat x22】

Yes, he only had 35 Crystal Cores right now. The cheapest Baby Bok Choy seeds cost 50 Crystal Cores per pack, while Radish seeds were a whopping 100 Crystal Cores per pack.

What a broke farming player.

He’d have to sell the bok choy first. In the game, he wouldn’t have to think about this—just toss the harvest into the collection box, and the crystal core would appear.

But now…

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

Today’s small market seemed to have some kind of event going on. There were more people than when he’d last visited.

Cen An followed the crowd to the market entrance, only to find that the entrance, which had been freely accessible before, was now guarded.

Ever cautious, he didn’t venture forward, instead observing from behind. Before he could make sense of it, a hand tapped his shoulder. “Hey, buddy. I see you with that basket? You here to set up a stall too?”

Cen An turned to find a dark-skinned young man standing behind him, a burlap sack slung over his shoulder. “Yep. You too?”

“You bet,” the other man grinned. “Looks like you don’t have much stock. How about we share a stall? Split the stall fee fifty-fifty. What do you say?”

Did this little market actually charge stall fees? Cen An thought this and asked aloud.

The other man didn’t seem suspicious. “You’re new here, right? This little market is organized by the Yongning Ability Squad. They handle the order, and the stall fee isn’t expensive. If you come occasionally, it’s 2 crystal cores per stall. If you pay monthly, it’s 10 crystal cores. Today is the first day of the month, so a lot of people are rushing to pay their stall fees. That’s why it’s a bit crowded.”

Cen An listened silently before asking, “But last time I came, no one collected fees?”

“You probably didn’t notice,” Tian Yuan chuckled. “The team members sell their own goods too. They usually set up stalls near the entrance, collecting fees while selling—killing two birds with one stone.”

Cen An nodded and inquired, ” Are you looking to rent monthly or just come occasionally?“

This meant he wanted to share a stall, and Tian Yuan perked up. ”I’m looking to rent monthly. I might not come every day, but if I come five times a month, it’ll pay for itself. What about you?“

Cen An did some quick math. ”Then I’ll rent monthly too.” Baby bok choy had a very short shelf life and had to be sold before it rotted; otherwise, it would just take up space in his backpack. In any case, he’d definitely be coming daily for the foreseeable future.

While pickling them for preservation was an option, the oak barrels needed for pickling were hard to come by…

Tian Yuan beamed. “Deal! I’ll get in line and call you when it’s time to pay!”

They exchanged names again, and he turned and left immediately.

Cen An watched him rush into the crowd, his back pocket shifting slightly—probably some live creature?

The queue was long, so there would be a wait. Cen An wasn’t in a hurry and found a spot to sit and rest.

Seated beside him was an elderly couple. They had wrapped some unknown wild greens in bark, both looking deeply troubled.

The old man sighed, “Ugh, what’s going on? Why aren’t they letting us set up stalls first and pay later this time? If I’d known, I would’ve brought a couple of crystal cores from home…”

The old woman sighed in agreement. “Haven’t you heard? Captain Liao of the Ability Squad’s powers started going haywire. He hasn’t been seen in ages. Now the deputy captain is in charge—they say he’s…” She trailed off, leaving the judgment unsaid. “Who knows what’ll happen to this little market from now on?”

The old man clearly knew too, his face creasing deeper. “Captain Liao was such a good man. I remember he was only forty. How could his abilities go haywire? The last one to lose control was that Tian fellow, right? He was over sixty!”

The old woman fiddled with the wild greens on the ground, trying to make them look more appealing. “We don’t know anything about these ability users. We just hope the stall fees don’t go up…”

Cen An listened silently throughout. Yongning Village wasn’t as peaceful as it appeared.

Or rather, that peace was inextricably linked to Captain Liao. But the deputy captain in charge lately clearly wasn’t popular.

Then again, how many ability users were actually in Yongning Village? Were all of them part of the Ability Squad?

Cen An counted the few ability users he knew: Yu Fei, Zhao Wu, Qu Yue… Oh, right, there was also the dog owner and his white-haired friend. But he’d asked before—the dog owner had explicitly said he wasn’t from Yongning Village.

“Cen An, hurry up!” Tian Yuan waved over. “It’s our turn!”

Cen An responded with a nod, carrying his basket over.

After handing over five crystal cores each, the person on the other side registered them and gave each of them a wooden token.

With this, they could freely set up their stalls this month.

Entering the small market, most stalls were already occupied. Tian Yuan, familiar with the layout, led him to a spot in the center.

Though called stalls, they were merely squares marked on the ground—no stands or shelves at all.

Tian Yuan was prepared. He pulled out a rain tarp and spread it. Turning the burlap sack upside down, he dumped its contents onto the ground.

Cen An observed the contents: wild pheasants, rabbits, several bird eggs, a few bamboo shoots, and some unrecognizable plant roots.

He stopped scanning and instead laid out the rat pelts on the ground, then arranged the plump, fresh Chinese bok choys one by one.

“Nice greens you’ve got there—found them in the mountains?” Tian Yuan asked with interest. “But the rat skin isn’t treated. Why not tan it?”

“I don’t know how,” Cen An replied with a smile, sidestepping the first question. “I was just thinking of asking someone how it’s done.”

“That’s simple enough.” Tian Yuan, clearly an experienced hunter, knew tanning hides well and carefully explained the process to Cen An.

Cen An listened attentively. It wasn’t as difficult as he’d imagined—it required wood ash and some common herbs.

As they taught and learned, a haughty voice suddenly asked, “How much for these greens?”

Cen An turned to see several people standing before his stall. The smooth-faced youth at the front picked up a small head of Chinese bok choy. “One crystal core for two heads.”

The man tossed the vegetable aside. “Fine, they look fresh. I’ll take them all. Wrap them up.”

His entourage moved forward to grab the vegetables, but Cen An stopped them with a raised hand. “Honest price: 10 crystal cores.”

The man grew impatient. “I know! Do you really think I’m short ten crystal cores?”

He casually pulled a handful from his pocket, not bothering to count them. They clattered to the ground. “There. Pick them up.”

Cen An looked down. Fresh rain had fallen yesterday, leaving the ground muddy. The sparkling crystal cores rolled into the muddy puddles and sank to the bottom. Calling it picking them up was a stretch—scraping them out was more accurate.

He smiled and held out his hand again. “Hello, the fair price is 10 crystal cores.”