Chapter 28 Planting wheat! Drinking beer! The ultimate dream of the dwarf tycoon! ^^……
With the population growing, food has become a top priority. Although potatoes are plentiful and filling, eating them every day, at every meal, would make anyone tired of them! Lin Yue now has a psychological aversion to potatoes, always feeling like they're about to grow eyes and stare at him.
Besides, potatoes alone can't provide enough energy! We need something else! Like... pasta!
Steamed buns, noodles, dumplings, pancakes... Just thinking about them makes Lin Yue's mouth water uncontrollably!
If you want to eat noodles, you need flour. If you want flour, you need to... grow wheat!
Speaking of wheat, Lin Yue thought of the bag of wheat seeds that the system had rewarded him with, which he had always treasured and kept hidden in his backpack!
Previously, we hesitated to plant crops because we lacked manpower, advanced tools, and sufficient land. But now, the situation is different!
With shovels and pickaxes, their efficiency in clearing wasteland greatly improved! With the addition of Old Bud, an experienced farmer, their planting techniques were also guaranteed! Most importantly, with more people, there were more people to do the work!
With the right timing, location, and people, if not now, when?!
"Comrades! Let's cultivate new land! Let's sow new hope!" Lin Yue brandished his new shovel with an iron shovel head and announced with great enthusiasm, "Today, we will add new color to the dining table of our 'Lin's Restaurant'!"
Target: That larger wasteland next to the restaurant, which we haven't dared to touch before!
With the addition of new tools and new members, the speed of this exploration can only be described as leapfrog!
Gray, wielding his new iron hoe, moved like a tiger descending a mountain! The hard, weed-covered wasteland was easily turned over by him, like a block of tofu! His efficiency was many times greater than when he used the stone hoe! Lin Yue watched with envy, wishing he could immediately ask Uncle Stone Fist to make one for him too!
Although Amu was not as strong as Gray, he worked diligently, clearing away stones and grass roots with a shovel, and made rapid progress.
Old Bader, leveraging his experience as a veteran farmer, guided everyone on how to select land, assess soil moisture, and plan furrows, acting like a chief agricultural technology consultant.
Lin Yue himself wasn't idle either; while working alongside the others, he was also responsible for "painting a picture of the future" for everyone, depicting the idyllic life that would come after the wheat ripened:
"Old Badr, Amu, just think about it! Once this wheat grows and is ground into flour, we can eat fluffy white steamed buns! Soft and sweet! Dipped in meat broth...tsk tsk!"
"And noodles! Long and smooth! Braised noodles! Noodles with soybean paste! Noodles with oil-splashed sauce! Just thinking about them makes my mouth water!"
"If we want to be even more extravagant, we can make dumplings! Meat dumplings! Vegetable dumplings! One bite at a time, and they'll be so juicy!"
He spoke with great enthusiasm, spitting as he spoke, successfully making the stomachs of the few people who were working hard begin to rumble.
Even Uncle Shi Quan, who was supervising the work, couldn't help but prick up his ears. Although he had no idea about these unfamiliar "noodles," Lin Yue's description of the "mouthwatering" atmosphere successfully piqued his curiosity.
After several days of hard work, a newly reclaimed plot of land, several times larger than the previous potato experimental field, appeared on the map of Lin's Restaurant!
Next, it's time to sow the wheat!
Lin Yue carefully took out the bag of precious wheat seeds and, following Old Bard's instructions, sowed the seeds evenly in the shallow trenches he had dug, then covered them with a thin layer of fine soil.
Looking at the land that had just been sown and carried the hope of future "noodle freedom," Lin Yue was incredibly excited.
"Grow well, my wheat!" he shouted in his heart. "For steamed buns! For noodles! For dumplings! Charge!"
[System Notification: Successfully cultivated and sown the [Wheat Experimental Field]. Estimated growing period: Approximately 4-5 months (subject to climate and management level). Agricultural skill proficiency increased. Unlocked achievement [Abundant Harvest (Starting)].]
After planting the wheat, Lin Yue finally felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. But he didn't rest on his laurels, because he had a secret weapon he planned to use to... oh no, to further deepen his revolutionary friendship with Uncle Stone Fist!
The secret weapon is—beer!
Dwarves' fondness for alcohol is almost a standard trope in various fantasy works. Although Uncle Stonefist didn't say it explicitly, Lin Yue had seen him smacking his lips and looking dazed, as if he were reminiscing about some fine wine, while eating or resting, more than once.
In Lin Yue's system inventory, there was a copy of [Basic Brewing Technique (Concept)], which was a reward for completing a cultural integration mission, apparently when he taught Gray how to polish stone tools!
Although it's just a concept without specific recipes or processes, the key point is that it unlocks the "brewing" branch of the technology tree! Moreover, it mentions the main ingredients for brewing beer—barley or wheat, and hops!
Hops? Lin Yue didn't have any yet. But they had just planted the wheat!
Once the wheat matures and they find hops or a similar substitute, theoretically... they could brew the first barrel of beer in this other world!
Lin Yue felt that the temptation of this beer was absolutely nuclear-level for Uncle Stone Fist!
So, on a sunny afternoon, Lin Yue brought a bowl of warm water with salt to Shi Quan, who was dozing in the sun.
"Uncle Stone Fist, taking a break?" Lin Yue greeted him with a smile.
Stone Fist opened one eye, glanced at him, and snorted in response.
"Uncle, can I ask you something?" Lin Yue leaned closer mysteriously. "When you were at home before, did you often drink a kind of... um... golden, bubbly, refreshing, and slightly dizzy liquid?" He tried his best to describe the appearance and feeling of beer using the vocabulary and gestures he knew.
Shi Quan's half-closed eyes widened instantly! He sat up abruptly, grabbed Lin Yue's arm, and his breathing became rapid!
“…Ale?! You mean ale?!” he asked hoarsely, his voice filled with incredulous excitement!
[System Translation: The other party has identified that you described 'Beer', and their emotions are fluctuating wildly: Excitement +80%, Craving +90%, Suspicion +30%.]
"Yes, yes, yes! It's ale!" Lin Yue nodded quickly. "You've had it before?"
“Nonsense!” Stonefist’s beard trembled with excitement. “That’s our dwarves’ favorite drink! Rich and refreshing! One big gulp and all your troubles disappear! It’s a pity… it’s a pity that I haven’t tasted that flavor for so many years since I left my hometown…” As he spoke, his eyes dimmed, filled with loss and longing.
Seeing Shi Quan's expression, Lin Yue knew that the fish had taken the bait!
He cleared his throat and said mysteriously, "Uncle, if... I mean, if we could brew our own ale, what do you think?"
Shi Quan suddenly raised his head, staring intently at Lin Yue, his eyes filled with suspicion: "...Brewing it yourself? With just you? You don't even have decent grain! Let alone 'hops'! That's the key to brewing good beer!"
"Food... didn't we just plant wheat?" Lin Yue pointed to the wheat field in the distance. "Once it grows, we'll have raw materials, right?"
"As for 'hops'..." Lin Yue opened the system interface and brought up the [Basic Brewing Process (Concept)]. Although Shi Quan couldn't see the system interface, Lin Yue could read it aloud.
“I happen to have an ancient record here about brewing… um… It mentions that besides 'hops,' there seem to be some other plants that can play a similar role, such as a vine called 'hops' that grows in shady places? Or some kind of bitter herb?”
As he spoke, he observed Shi Quan's reaction.
Shi Quan listened intently, his brow furrowed, as if trying to recall something. "...Hops? I think...I vaguely remember...the clan's brewing master mentioned them...saying that when hops are unavailable, they can be used as a substitute, but the taste will be...a little different..."
"It doesn't matter if it's different! Something is better than nothing, right?" Lin Yue coaxed patiently. "Uncle, think about it! Once our wheat is ripe, and we find that 'hops' or some other substitute, we'll brew our first barrel of our own... Lin's Special Dwarf-Style Beer at Lin's Restaurant, using our own homemade stove and barrels! Then, you can drink as much as you want! It'll be plenty!"
Lin Yue's words were like a raging fire igniting in Shi Quan's heart!
Brew your own beer? Enjoy a long-awaited ale? And there's plenty to go around!
This was an irresistible temptation for a dwarf who was addicted to alcohol!
Shi Quan's breathing grew heavier and heavier, and the muscles in his face trembled slightly with excitement. He looked at Lin Yue, his eyes filled with longing, anticipation, and a hint of... disbelief.
"...You...you're telling the truth?...It really can...be brewed?"
"Of course it's true!" Lin Yue patted his chest and guaranteed, "As long as we have the raw materials and the technology, and mainly rely on your guidance, we can definitely do it! When the time comes, we can drink ice-cold beer and eat barbecue, the life will be... tsk tsk!"
Shi Quan was completely captivated by the beautiful vision Lin Yue had painted! He could almost see the golden liquor bubbling in the wooden barrel, hear the bubbling sounds of the bubbles, and smell the rich aroma of malt!
"Good! Good! Good!" Shi Quan excitedly said "good" three times, slapping his thigh hard. "Lin Yue, kid! As long as you can get the raw materials! Leave the brewing to me! Back in the day... I learned a few tricks from the best brewing master in the clan!" He finally began to reveal his hidden skills!
[System Notification: Successfully aroused 'Stonefist's' strong interest and willingness to participate in [Brewing]! Its trust in the host has greatly increased! Its approval rating has increased! The cultural exchange quest [Dwarven Brew] (hidden) has been activated!]
[Mission Objective: Successfully brew the first batch of qualified ale.]
[Task Rewards: 300 System Points, 1 Intermediate Brewing Technique blueprint, Stonefist Loyalty +20, and a slight increase in Dwarven Reputation (if you encounter them again in the future).]
Seeing the system notification and Shi Quan's excited expression, as if he couldn't wait to start brewing beer, Lin Yue knew that his "beer temptation" plan had been a great success!
Not only did it successfully strengthen the relationship with Stone Fist and motivate him, it also unexpectedly activated a hidden quest! It was a triple win!
Of course, he also knew that there was still a long way to go from planting wheat to drinking beer. Finding hops, building brewing equipment, mastering brewing techniques... every step was full of challenges.
But that's okay! Having a goal gives you motivation!
For that legendary dwarf's finest brew! For the chance to raise a glass and drink freely at Lin's Bistro in the future!
Go for it!
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