Even though there’s no need to water the plants today, he still has to go out.

Nan Liujing dug out the all-weather umbrella he’d previously obtained from a treasure chest from a pile of odds and ends, slipped on his rain boots, and stepped outside.

Nian Gao was sprawled out on the cotton cushion. After eating and drinking his fill, he yawned widely, showing no sign of moving. On any other day, he would have rushed over to circle around Nan Liujing’s feet the moment Nan Liujing reached the door.

As soon as he opened the door, the wind and rain outside hit him all at once. Nan Liujing hurriedly opened his umbrella; the pattering drizzle struck the umbrella, producing a muffled crackling sound, but the wind, unimpeded, swept around the umbrella and slapped against his face. 

The chill in the air, slightly cooler than the day before, sent a slight shiver down his spine.

“It’s a bit chilly.” He had lit the fireplace before going to bed last night, and when he woke up this morning, it was still warm. The temperature inside the farmhouse was pleasant, making him momentarily forget that it was supposed to get colder today.

Thinking of the serious consequences of falling ill here, Nan Liujing retreated back inside, found some clothes to put on, and then headed out again. 

His first stop was, of course, the mailbox outside the door. Tucking his umbrella under his arm, Nan Liujing pulled a stack of papers from the mailbox and stood there flipping through them. 

The sea bream he’d left on the mailbox the night before had been eaten by the newspaper-delivering bird. Two coupons had appeared in the mailbox: one was a free sample coupon for butter cookies, and the other was a 90% off coupon for stamina potions, limited to 10 bottles per purchase.

The two coupons came in handy. The free butter cookies not only boosted Nan Liujing’s food supplies, but eating them also gave him a chance to unlock a recipe. The 10% off coupon for stamina potions was a godsend—Nan Liujing remembered that a Small Stamina Potion normally cost 100 Sol, so at 10% off, it came down to just 10 Sol—a true fire sale.

He happened to have exactly 470 Sol on hand, so he could easily spend 100 Sol to buy 10 Stamina Potions. This would give him much more confidence on his next voyage of exploration.

Putting the coupon away, Nan Liujing continued to examine the other items he’d received.

Two single-use space cards—one of which contained a low-quality farm plot—so Nan Liujing took a couple of extra steps to place it next to his first farm plot.

The crops on the first plot were growing quite well, especially the lettuce, which matured the fastest; it had already grown green leaves the size of a palm. Judging by the countdown, it would be ready for harvest the morning after tomorrow.

Nan Liujing retrieved some finished fertilizer from the compost bin nearby—a single portion of salmon innards yields only one unit of fertilizer—and casually scattered it next to one of the lettuce plants.

The second plot was empty. Fortunately, Nan Liujing didn’t have to spend any resources buying seeds from the trading area this time. He took out his second disposable space card—it contained a participation prize from the postcard raffle: a seed pack.

He’d dropped the coupon and postcard into the mailbox yesterday morning, and today he’d already received the prize—that seemed a bit too fast. But this was actually how the process was supposed to work.

In fact, the mailbird visits Nan Liujing’s island twice a day—once in the morning and once at night, while Nan Liujing is asleep. It delivers letters in the morning and collects items from the mailbox at night; whether they’re prizes or promotional items, they’re delivered the very next day. This is the true power of the mailbird, the pride of Morning Sun Publishing. 

The first time it took three days to receive the prize, and it was entirely because Nan Liujing had forgotten to put the postcard in the mailbox. Fortunately, he woke up early the next day and ran into the mailbird, who urged him to do so before Nan Liujing handed the postcard to him in person.

After that, Nan Liujing never forgot to put the postcard and discount coupons in the mailbox on the same day, so he was able to keep receiving his prizes the very next day. He took out a seed pack from the one-time-use spatial card—this was produced by the Harvest Association.

Nan Liujing had high expectations and was filled with curiosity about this association, which had been researching and selling seeds all along.

Is there any difference between the seeds produced by the association and those obtained from treasure chests?

【“Harvest No.2” Wheat Seeds☆】

【Category: Seeds】

【Seeds that grow golden wheat ears; thanks to the Harvest Association’s efforts, they yield a higher harvest. Can be harvested 9 days after planting. Can only be planted in farmland.】

【Suggested Retail Price: 230 Sol】

“Sure enough, the Harvest Association’s sponsorship of the postcard raffle was just a way to promote their new seeds and, incidentally, find more test growers.” Nan Liujing was quite receptive to this commercial move—after all, he stood to benefit from it as well.

The Harvest Association got what they wanted, and Nan Liujing got the seeds for free. A win-win!

No newspaper arrived today, so Nan Liujing dug out a magazine called *Chamber of Commerce Alliance Weekly* along with a letter.

“Is this from the committee again?” Nan Liujing examined the front and back of the envelope but didn’t see the committee’s logo. The sender wasn’t Milei either, but a stranger whose name he’d never seen before. 

“Now that’s interesting.” Putting the magazine and envelope aside for now to read at home later, Nan Liujing took a hoe out of his toolbox, ready to plant the seeds.

It’s risky, but if he plants the seeds today, he’ll be able to water them once!

He couldn’t pass up this opportunity!

Fortunately, he’d put on a hoodie when he woke up this morning. Nan Liujing tossed his umbrella aside, pulled the hood over his head, and set to work.

The damp soil was turned over, and after repeating the process a few times, it became loose and crumbly. Nan Liujing wiped the rain from his face, squatted down to crush a small bug, and then began sowing the seeds. 

A seed pack contained exactly 25 seeds—just enough to plant an entire plot of poor-quality farmland.

Unlike the first time, when he spent ages crouching to dig holes, this time Nan Liujing came up with a more convenient method.

To prevent the crops from growing crooked, Nan Liujing used a hoe to draw five evenly spaced shallow furrows across the field, then evenly placed the seeds in the furrows. 

He gently covered them with soil, pressed it down a bit, and the countdown began. 

Perfect!

With the field prepared, Nan Liujing didn’t linger outside but ran back to the farmhouse. By then, his clothes had become damp, but luckily, his hood kept his hair dry.

Nan Liujing took off his coat and sweatshirt, changed into a long-sleeved undershirt, walked over to the fireplace, tossed a few logs on the fire to stoke it, and then held his cold hands close to the flames to warm them up and get his body back to normal. 

After filling up today’s supply of fresh water from the makeshift water collector, Nan Liujing picked up a glass bottle about the size of a beer bottle from the ledge above the fireplace. It turned out to be a message in a bottle she’d fished out of the ocean—a real find even among trash, with not only thick glass but also an oak cork.

After losing his small stainless steel basin, Nan Liujing dug the message in a bottle out of the storage room, poured out the water along with the note that had been soaked to a pulp, rinsed it twice with fresh water, sterilized it with hot water, and began using it as both a kettle and a drinking cup.

Glass has a high melting point and isn’t particularly vulnerable to fire; what it fears is thermal stress imbalance caused by sudden temperature increases, which can cause it to explode.

Nan Liujing’s solution was to place the water-filled glass bottle a short distance away from the campfire. After a few minutes, he gradually moved it closer, allowing the bottle to slowly acclimate and heat up gradually. This way, he was able to obtain a bottle of boiling water.

While the water simmered slowly, Nan Liujing put his jacket back on, grabbed his umbrella, and ran out the door. 

He found some bread in the storage room—he had just half a grape toast left, which he’d eaten with conch sashimi that morning. 

He then ran to the smokehouse, where the salmon fillets he’d placed in the cold smoker yesterday were now fully smoked. 

【Smoked Salmon Fillets★】 1

【Category: Processed Foods】 1

【Smoked salmon fillets made using the cold-smoking method. The flesh is tender yet firm, rich in fat, and the distinctive smoky aroma is irresistible! Eating this restores 25 Stamina.】

【Suggested Price: 600 Sol.】

【Condition: Fresh】

Nan Liujing took a deep breath: “…That smells amazing.” For a split second, he hesitated about putting the sashimi back and switching to the smoked salmon fillet for breakfast today. But when he considered the Strength attribute points that the conch sashimi would provide, he wisely abandoned that tempting idea.

He transferred the prepared smoked salmon fillets to the storage cabinet in the smokehouse; the fish he’d caught last night had already been grilled and was stored in the warehouse.

At that moment, Nan Liujing suddenly found himself really wanting a storage cabinet he could use right inside the farmhouse. Although the storage shed was right next to the farmhouse, there was no way to access it directly from inside the house; even though it was only two steps away, he still had to go out the door once.

He ran back to the farmhouse with his umbrella, and as soon as he returned, Nan Liujing heard the sound of water gently boiling. 

Using two pieces of firewood, he carefully pulled the glass bottle out and set it above the fireplace to cool.

Nan Liujing moved a plastic stool over to use as a table, sat on the floor himself, and began flipping through the magazine and letters while eating breakfast.

The *Chamber of Commerce Alliance Weekly* was somewhat like a deluxe version of a classified ad paper, featuring products recommended by various organizations and associations affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce Alliance, including written descriptions, product photos, and even a “Customer Reviews” section. Nan Liujing flipped through it casually; there wasn’t a single item he could afford, and he didn’t even understand what some of them were.

However, the magazine wasn’t entirely useless. Nan Liujing noticed that the Harvest Association had also joined the Chamber of Commerce Alliance, and the magazine featured a dedicated column listing the products currently for sale by the Harvest Association—primarily various seeds and fertilizers, as well as mature agricultural products. Anyone interested in these products could call the number listed in the magazine or write to the Harvest Association’s address provided there.

“I guess this counts as another way to buy seeds,” Nan Liujing said as he put the magazine away, planning to look into it further once he had the money.

Next came a mysterious letter. Nan Liujing tore open the envelope, picked up a piece of conch meat, frowned, popped it into his mouth, and unfolded the letter while chewing.

【Are you struggling with the inconveniences of living alone? Are you worried about having money but nowhere to spend it? 

I will be visiting your island soon. Please have your sol, a smile, and the goods you’re proud of ready. 

Yours, the Great Adventurer and Wandering Merchant】