As Lin Wanqiu closed the courtyard gate, the rough texture of the wood grain still lingered on her fingertips. The old elm tree in the corner of the courtyard cast dappled shadows in the afternoon sun. The wind rustled through the branches, carrying the aroma of soybeans wafting from the tofu shop into the air. It was a familiar, warm scent, yet her heart was beating faster than usual because of the unusual movement of the jade pendant earlier.
She hurried back to the main room, where Shen Nian'an was sitting on a small stool, cutting freshly picked cucumbers into small pieces and placing them in a clean, coarse porcelain bowl. Upon seeing her come in, he immediately ran over with the bowl in hand: "Mother, try it! This cucumber is even sweeter than the last one!" The child's fingertips were glistening with the emerald green cucumber juice, and his eyes shone like stars dipped in morning dew. Lin Wanqiu took the bowl, took a bite, and the sweet juice spread across her tongue, instantly suppressing the slight fatigue from dealing with Zhang Lan earlier.
"Delicious, Nian'an picked the sweetest melon." Lin Wanqiu smiled and ruffled her son's hair, but her gaze involuntarily fell on her collar—where, close to her skin, lay the ancestral jade pendant. Just now, when Zhang Lan turned to leave, she clearly felt a subtle warmth emanating from the jade pendant, unlike its usual coolness. It was as if a warm current flowed along the edge of the pendant, quietly seeping into her bloodstream. Immediately afterward, that mechanical yet clear voice echoed in her mind.
"Nian'an, play by yourself for a while. I'm going to tidy up some things in the room." Lin Wanqiu handed the bowl to her son, walked briskly into the inner room, and closed the door behind her. The room was slightly dark, and she immediately took out the jade pendant from her collar—the warm white jade shone with a faint glow in the dim light, and the originally blurry patterns on its surface were now clearer, as if fine light was flowing within the patterns.
She focused her mind, and with a thought, a familiar dizziness washed over her. The next second, she found herself in the space.
Unlike usual, this time, besides the mountains of supplies piled up in the warehouse and the thriving crops in the fields, a small wooden shed had appeared on the far east side of the space. The shed, about waist-high, was built from smooth, polished logs, with a thick layer of thatch on the roof and several strings of dried mugwort hanging along the edges, emitting a faint herbal fragrance. In the open space in front of the shed, several glossy-feathered free-range chickens were pecking at the ground, their orange claws leaving shallow marks on the soft soil. Three pale yellow ducklings waddled behind their mother hen, chirping softly, their appearance utterly endearing.
Lin Wanqiu walked quickly over and gently stroked the feathers of a free-range chicken. The soft touch made the chicken obediently tilt its head, offering no resistance. Her gaze was drawn to a wooden sign standing beside the shed, on which were clearly written "Basic Animal Husbandry Skill Panel," with a few lines of smaller text below:
Unlock condition: Successfully resolve the man-made crisis (Zhang Lan poisoning incident) and obtain 100 Space Points.
Skills required: Master the breeding techniques for common poultry such as chickens, ducks, and geese, including feed formulation, disease prevention and control, and growth cycle management.
Supporting materials: initial poultry (5 free-range chickens and 3 free-range ducks), basic feed formula, and simple breeding tools (feeding troughs, waterers, and thermometers).
Upgrade Requirements: Raise a total of 50 poultry with a survival rate of no less than 90% to unlock intermediate-level breeding skills (raising livestock such as pigs and sheep).
Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat. In her previous life, as a food blogger, she was skilled in cooking but knew nothing about animal husbandry. Now, with this basic animal husbandry technique, it was like adding wings to a tiger! In this era of scarcity, meat and eggs were rare commodities. If she could develop animal husbandry, not only could Nian'an eat nutritious eggs every day, but she could also sell surplus poultry and eggs at the market in the future. Combined with their existing tofu business, the family's income would rise even higher, and they could even encourage other villagers to engage in animal husbandry, allowing everyone to live a better life.
She bent down and picked up the "Basic Poultry Farming Manual" placed next to the shed. The yellowed pages were filled with neat handwriting detailing the key points of poultry farming. For example, the feed for free-range chickens required mixing corn, soybean meal, and wheat bran in a 3:2:1 ratio, with the addition of a small amount of chopped green vegetable leaves and bone meal to ensure a balanced diet. Ducks, on the other hand, needed more dried small fish and shell powder added to their feed to promote bone growth. Regarding disease prevention, the manual also recorded the symptoms and treatments for several common poultry diseases. For instance, the early symptoms of fowl plague were lethargy and ruffled feathers, which could be treated by boiling mugwort and honeysuckle in water and feeding the chickens for three consecutive days until they recovered.
Lin Wanqiu was so engrossed in reading that half an hour passed without her noticing. She closed the manual, already having a preliminary plan in mind: First, she would find a suitable place in her backyard or the hill behind her house to build a breeding shed. Considering the villagers' opinions, the initial scale of breeding should not be too large; she would start with a few chickens and ducks, and gradually expand the scale after mastering the breeding techniques. Second, regarding feed, there was an ample supply of corn, soybean meal, and other resources in her space. She could take some out as initial feed and also cultivate a small plot of land in her yard to grow vegetables specifically for feeding poultry. This would save space and resources and keep the poultry feed fresher. Finally, she would strictly follow the methods in the manual for management, regularly check the poultry's health, and do a good job in disease prevention to ensure the poultry's healthy growth.
"Mother, what are you doing in the room? I've been waiting for you for ages!" Shen Nian'an's voice came from outside, interrupting Lin Wanqiu's thoughts. She quickly put away the handbook, and with a thought, exited the spatial dimension, hiding the jade pendant back in her collar.
As soon as the door opened, Chen Nian'an stood there, holding a freshly broken willow branch in her hand, her face showing a hint of grievance: "Mother, why have you been here for so long? I thought you were ignoring me."
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