Chapter 42 The Duck Special Forces Expand Their Animal Population
On Saturday morning, as dawn broke, the farm was still shrouded in a thin layer of mist.
While Wang Zhizhi was still fast asleep in the guest room, Shi Wan had already quietly gotten up.
As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw Huanhuan sitting gracefully at the entrance, its tail tip curled elegantly, as if it had been waiting for a long time.
"Good morning, Huanhuan." Shi Wan squatted down and rubbed her chin.
Huanhuan made a satisfied gurgling sound, immediately stood up, and followed closely behind her, beginning their daily morning patrol.
They first went to the cat grass field.
Before the morning dew had dried, glistening water droplets clung to the tips of the emerald green catnip leaves, and the air was filled with the crisp scent of herbs and plants.
Huanhuan, like a little quality inspector, strolled slowly along the ridge of the field, occasionally lowering her head to sniff the air.
Shi Wan carefully examined the color and growth of the leaves, calculating the harvest time for the cat grass.
"Wow! It's so nice here in the morning!" Wang Zhizhi's voice, still languid from just waking up, came from behind.
She peered around curiously, wearing her coat draped over her shoulders. "Is this catnip? It smells so refreshing."
“Yes, it’s one of the main ingredients in many of my products,” Shi Wan said with a smile. “Huanhuan is doing her daily check-up right now.”
"She's so dedicated!" Wang Zhizhi couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Huanhuan's serious face.
After inspecting the cat grass field, Shi Wan went to check the chicken coop.
The chickens have woken up and are pacing around for food in a small section of the fence outside the coop.
It also attracted the attention of several cats, led by Bingbing.
Bingbing squatted outside, watching the little hens moving around inside, her round eyes sparkling with longing. She only walked away reluctantly after Shi Wan gently patted her head.
"Won't they really catch chickens?" Wang Zhizhi was a little worried.
“No,” Shi Wan said confidently. “They’ve always lived here and know the rules. At most, they’ll just look around. Besides, our chickens aren’t easy to mess with.”
When she returned to the main house, Wan began preparing breakfast.
Simple oatmeal porridge and farm-grown fried eggs.
The scent quickly attracted the other cats as well.
Mianmian jumped onto the chair next to the dining table and looked on longingly with her beautiful eyes.
Tangyuan strolled out from somewhere and sat down on the cat tree high up, quietly looking down.
"Come on, it's time to eat!" After finishing her meal, Shi Wan went to the cat villa next door and filled all the cats' food bowls, distributing different cat foods and treats according to their age and physical condition.
Seeing the adorable way the cats were diligently working, Wang Zhizhi couldn't resist taking out her phone and snapping away.
"Is this the joy of being the king of cats? I thought my three cats were happy enough, but I didn't expect you to be even happier than me," she exclaimed.
After breakfast, the formal work began.
The packing was still done in a streamlined manner. Wang Zhizhi sat with her in the warehouse, trying to imitate her, and although she was a little clumsy, she helped pack the packages very actively.
She wasn't as fast as Shi Wan; usually, Shi Wan would wrap three while she was only wrapping one.
Wang Zhizhi sincerely admired her, "Shi Xiaowan, you're really amazing now!"
"Practice makes perfect," Shi Wan said modestly, her hands still moving.
The two had a simple lunch and enjoyed a short afternoon rest.
The sun was shining brightly, and the cats each found a comfortable spot to take a nap.
Unsurprisingly, Bingbing lay sprawled by the sunniest window, belly up.
Mianmian lay on the sofa armrest, her head nodding off.
Tangyuan was nowhere to be seen; she had probably gone to some high place to perform the farm manager's inspection duties again.
In the afternoon, Shi Wan took Wang Zhizhi for a stroll around the farm, telling her her ideas about the location of the free-range chicken and duck area and the pond.
"This spot has a good view. Once the pond is dug, we can sit here and watch the ducks swimming," Shi Wan said, pointing to a spot.
“Then I’ll take over this spot from now on!” Wang Zhizhi immediately declared her ownership.
With the plans mostly finalized, Shi Wan began preparing dinner for the cats.
Wang Zhizhi also helped add water and tidy up the toys.
Watching Shi Wan skillfully and attentively care for each cat, Wang Zhizhi couldn't help but say, "Shi Xiaowan, the way you take care of them is so heartwarming. This feeling is completely different from working on a computer at the company."
Shi Wan raised her head and wiped the sweat from her forehead, her smile warm and genuine. "Yes, although I'm physically tired, I feel incredibly at ease. Seeing them healthy and happy makes it all worthwhile."
In the evening, they herded the chickens from the free-range area back into the chicken coop.
The chickens flapped their wings and clucked, causing a minor commotion. Fortunately, the cat supervisors were there to keep things in order, and everything turned out alright.
Night fell after dinner.
The two of them snuggled up on the sofa, surrounded by several cats lying or sprawling around them.
Tangyuan curled up beside Shi Wan's legs, Mianmian occupied Wang Zhizhi's knees, and Bingbing spread out on the carpet a little further away, forming a huge cat pancake.
Insects chirped outside the window, while the light inside the room was warm.
"What a fulfilling day!" Wang Zhizhi sighed, stroking the soft, long fur. "It felt like time slowed down. Feeding the cats, collecting eggs, packing, planning the land... everything was so concrete and full of life."
“Yes, this is my daily life.” Shi Wan leaned back on the sofa, her tone filled with contentment. “Ordinary but very happy.”
"I almost don't want to go back," Wang Zhizhi said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.
“You are welcome to come anytime,” Shi Wan said with a smile. “I will always reserve a room for you.”
Sunday morning activities are relatively relaxed.
Shi Wan mainly harvested a batch of mature catnip.
Wang Zhizhi followed Shi Wan with great enthusiasm, taking close-up photos of each cat, vowing to turn them into memes when she got back.
After lunch, Shi Wan drove Wang Zhizhi back to the city and took the three kittens she had rescued to get them checked.
Before leaving, Wang Zhizhi hugged each of the cats she could catch, although she had to let go of Bingbing after only three seconds because it was too heavy.
"Will I be able to see the pond next time I come?" Wang Zhizhi asked expectantly after fastening her seatbelt.
"I'll try my best to let you see the pond," Shi Wan said with a smile as she started the car.
As the car drove away from the farm, Huanhuan and Tangyuan were still standing at the gate in the rearview mirror, as if seeing them off.
Looking at the pastoral scenery rushing past the window, Wang Zhizhi suddenly said, "Xiao Wan, I think I understand why you chose this kind of life."
Shi Wan smiled slightly, not answering, but feeling warm inside.
After Wang Zhizhi left, the farm returned to its usual tranquility.
With the continued popularity of the mini cakes, coupled with the points redeemed from Meow Coins, a considerable sum has quietly accumulated in Shi Wan's farm system's points account.
Looking at that exciting number, an expansion plan quickly took shape in her mind.
She opened the system store and her eyes fell on the two options: "Duck House for Call Ducks" and "Land Expansion".
"It's time to add some animals to our farm, and also make more room for the chickens and future new members to move around," Shi Wan muttered to herself as she deftly worked.
She first paid most of the points needed to unlock the duck house, and then used the remaining points to redeem a piece of wasteland adjacent to the boundary of the existing farm.
"Points deducted successfully. The Kor duck house (standard type) is under construction, and the land expansion area has been unlocked."
The system notification appeared promptly.
When Shi Wan arrived at the livestock area, a brand-new wooden duck house had already quietly stood there.
The duck house is decorated in a warm, natural wood color, with even some artificial thatch carefully added to the sloping roof, making it look rustic and cute.
The duck house is dry and well-ventilated, with a rest area and a nesting area lined with soft hay.
Outside, a low white fence encloses a waterfront activity area, with a small wooden sign hanging on the fence gate bearing a duck's claw print and the words "Call Duck Villa" written in cute lettering.
Shi Wan happily entered the duck house for inspection and found that the interior design was very reasonable, making it easy to clean and collect duck eggs.
The system's products are indeed of high quality.
She then opened the map to see the newly expanded land.
The wasteland that was once overgrown with weeds has been leveled, and the soil looks loose and fertile.
Shi Wan gestured on the ground with a tree branch.
This area is close to the existing chicken coop and can be planned as a free-range area for chickens and ducks. Using low netting to separate them will allow them to move freely without fighting.
Leave a spot there, and once you've accumulated enough points, you can unlock a small pond.
Then the ducks will be able to swim freely.
The completion of the duck house and the expansion of the land brought immediate and significant results.
Shi Wan purchased a batch of high-quality Call ducks from the system. Their egg production remained stable and generous, and the eggs had smooth shells and were of uniform size, providing better raw materials for the small cakes.
Shi Wan even started experimenting with making small quantities of freeze-dried pet egg yolks from duck eggs, which were also very popular.
Looking at these plump, healthy, and lively Call ducks, Shi Wan's idea about dried duck meat resurfaced.
With a stable source of her own ducks, she can now develop new products with greater confidence.
For this recipe, she chose duck breast with less fat and firmer meat, added a small amount of farm-grown rosemary and thyme to remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma, marinated it with a little honey, and finally used a low-temperature slow-drying technique with precise temperature control.
When the first batch of the new recipe's crispy duck jerky came out of the oven, the unique aroma, a blend of meaty and herbal fragrance, immediately put all the cat staff on high alert, and even the Call ducks in the duck house stretched their necks in curiosity.
The tasting session was a success, as always.
The cats were so engrossed in gnawing on the chewy, firm duck jerky that they completely forgot about it.
Shi Wan paid special attention to the glutinous rice balls.
Hmm, even the picky eater ate extra diligently this time, its tail tip swaying gently with satisfaction.
The new product is a huge success!
As the duck flock stabilized and the chicken flock expanded on the farm, occasional frictions arose between the cat and these flat-beaked companions.
After watching the first batch of quail die, Tangyuan, still unrepentant, showed a strong interest in the duck house.
He not only squatted on the rocks of the prepared pond, but sometimes he would also jump onto the low fence of the duck house, looking down at the ducks feeding with a serious expression, as if he were reviewing the daily behavior of the villa residents.
Occasionally, a bold call duck will gently touch the tip of his drooping tail with its beak, and the alert feline will immediately jump away, leaving a flock of ducks quacking triumphantly.
The scene of sharing the afternoon sun was still heartwarming, but Shi Wan noticed that there seemed to be a more wonderful communication between the cat and the duck.
Sometimes Huanhuan would slowly walk to the vicinity of the ducks and find a place to lie down, and several Call ducks would naturally approach it, and the two sides would live in peace, as if sharing a tranquility.
Shi Wan guessed that perhaps it was the harmonious atmosphere on her farm that made these little creatures of different species let down their natural guard.
That evening, Shi Wan sat on the open space in the extension area in front of the villa, watching the cats chasing butterflies in the grass under the setting sun, and the ducks playing in the temporary water basin, planning the location of the future pond.
Once the pond is dug, this place will definitely be even more beautiful.
Shi Wanqing couldn't help but think.
The ducks will be even happier then, and it might even attract some birds.
She looked around at the increasingly well-organized farm and felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Shi Wan's phone rang in her pocket. She thought it was a message from Wang Zhizhi, but when she took it out, she found that her account had received a private message.
Is the sender Senhuxi Creative Lifestyle Market?
-----------------------
Author's Note: Tangyuan: Oh my god, there are more and more beasts under my claws! I'm under so much work pressure...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com