Chapter 9 Shall we plant potatoes, my friend? The future menu will all depend on them! ...
The joy of completing the main structure of "Lin's Restaurant" was like a bottle of ice-cold cola on a summer day—refreshing, but fleeting.
Lin Yue was keenly aware that the house only solved the problem of housing; the more pressing issue of food still weighed heavily on them, especially on his worried mother.
Hunting and gathering? That's too unreliable. You can't encounter the Rainbow-winged Silly Bird every day, and their meat... to be honest, apart from the initial freshness, the taste is really just so-so. There are plenty of wild vegetables, but if you only eat grass, you'll become like a sheep, with dull eyes and only wanting to ruminate.
Agriculture must be developed, and a stable source of carbohydrates must be available.
Fortunately, the bag of potatoes that the system rewarded him with was the beacon of hope that lit up his agricultural technology tree.
Holding the simple cloth bag, Lin Yue felt as if he were holding not seeds, but French fries, potato chips, mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, croquettes, stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, braised potato chunks... His mouth watered uncontrollably.
"Grey, Xiaofen, come here! I have a big surprise for you!" Lin Yue excitedly called to his two employees.
Upon hearing this, Gray put down the stone knife he was trying to make according to the new blueprints and walked over, his face showing an expression that said, "What's wrong now?"
Xiao Fen wagged her little tail and limped over to Lin Yue's feet, rubbing her wet nose against his trouser leg, thinking there was more good food coming.
Lin Yue carefully opened the cloth bag, revealing round potato seed tubers with sprouts inside.
"Ta-da! See this? This thing is called a 'potato'!" Lin Yue picked one up, showing it off like a rare treasure. "Don't let its unassuming appearance fool you, it's a real gem! Bury it in the ground and it will grow into many, many more. One can become ten, and ten can become a hundred!" Although he wasn't sure if the potato yield in the other world was as impressive.
Gray curiously picked up a potato, looked at it, smelled it, and then... tried to put it in his mouth.
"Hey, hey, stop! This isn't for eating now, and it can't be eaten raw!" Lin Yue quickly stopped him. "These are seeds, seeds, for planting. Plant them in the ground, and wait for them to grow and bear fruit before you can eat them."
Gray nodded, seemingly understanding, and put the potatoes back. Little Fen stretched out her little paws, curiously rummaging through the potatoes in the bag, but Lin Yue gently patted them away.
"Alright, our next major project—land reclamation and planting—is officially underway!" Lin Yue announced, then began studying the [Basic Guide to Potato Planting] provided by the system.
The guide is very detailed, covering everything from site selection, land preparation, sowing to post-planting management.
Site selection: The site needs to be sunny, with loose soil and good drainage.
Lin Yue and Gray wandered around the small restaurant for a while, and finally chose a relatively flat open space not far from the water source, where the weeds were not too lush.
Land preparation: Deep tilling of the soil is required, weeds and stones should be removed, and it is recommended to apply base fertilizer.
“Base fertilizer…” Lin Yue stroked his chin, “We don’t seem to have any fertilizer sources right now… How about we collect Xiao Fen’s poop and ferment it?”
Xiao Fen seemed to sense some kind of malice, and took two steps back warily, letting out a sob.
Gray gave him a look that said, "Are you serious?"
"Just kidding, just kidding." Lin Yue quickly waved his hand. "Let's just plant it like this for now, and we'll figure out how to improve the soil later."
Next came the physical work—plowing the soil.
Although they now have the [Improved Stone Tool Blueprints], and although they haven't fully built them yet, Gray has improved the existing stone hoes and shovels according to the blueprints, making them a little more efficient than before. However, turning over this wasteland is still a huge project.
Lin Yue was responsible for using a stone shovel to loosen the topsoil and remove small stones and grass roots. Gray, being stronger, used a stone hoe to do the deep tilling.
Xiao Fen... Xiao Fen was in charge of causing trouble on the side. Sometimes she would chase after the insects that had been dug out, and sometimes she would use her little paws to dig at the soil that had just been loosened. She was having a great time. Occasionally, she would pick up a blade of grass and run up to Lin Yue to ask for credit.
"Little ancestor, you're making things worse!" Lin Yue said, laughing and crying at the same time, as he threw the grass root that the dog had brought back away. "Go away, go play somewhere else, don't delay your dad... no, don't delay us from doing our business."
Under the sunlight, a man, a primitive man, and a cub toiled away, cultivating this alien land. Sweat soaked Gray's animal skin coat and Lin Yue's T-shirt, which was almost turning into a fishing net, and mud covered their hands and feet.
Although it was hard work, seeing the once barren land beneath his feet gradually become flat and soft, full of hope for life, an indescribable sense of satisfaction rose in Lin Yue's heart.
[System Notification: Wasteland reclamation progress +10%. Your hard work is changing this land. Gain a small amount of experience points.]
"Gray, give it your all! Let's finish turning this land today!" Lin Yue encouraged himself and his partner.
Gray responded with action—he swung his stone pickaxe even faster.
Finally, as the sun was about to set, a test plot of about 20 square meters was successfully cultivated! Although it was pitifully small compared to a modern farm, this marked the beginning of their small-scale agricultural development.
Lin Yue collapsed onto the edge of the field, completely exhausted. Gray, leaning on his stone hoe, was also panting heavily. Only Xiao Fen, full of energy, was still running and rolling around in the field.
After a short rest, we began the final step – sowing.
Following the instructions, Lin Yue cut the seed potatoes into pieces, ensuring that each piece had at least one eye, and then mixed them with wood ash, which is said to disinfect and prevent decay.
He dug small holes in the leveled ground, carefully placed the prepared potato pieces in them with the sprouts facing upwards, and then covered them with a thin layer of fine soil.
Gray followed his example, his movements a little clumsy but earnest.
Soon, the entire bag of potato seeds was planted.
Lin Yue stood by the field, looking at this land that carried hope, his heart filled with longing.
"Gray, do you know what?" Lin Yue wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Gray beside him, "Once these potatoes grow, we'll be able to eat our fill every day."
He began to unleash his potential as a master of empty promises, using his otherworldly language and exaggerated body language to paint a rosy picture of the potato's future for Gray:
"This thing is very productive! One plant can produce a whole bunch of fruit! When the time comes, we'll dig them up, wash them, and roast them! They'll be crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, and they'll smell delicious!"
"We can also cook it, mash it into a puree, add the salt and spices we found, and make mashed potatoes! It'll be soft and fragrant, and Xiaofen will definitely love it."
"When we have an iron pot in the future, we can cut it into slices and strips and fry it in oil! We can make... um... 'golden crisps' and 'golden strips', which are fragrant, crispy, and so delicious that you can't stop eating them."
Gray listened in a daze. Although he didn't understand many of the words, such as "iron pot" and "deep-fried," Lin Yue's animated gestures, spittle flying everywhere, and the way he seemed to want to conjure up a potato feast on the spot still gave him a strong sense of what delicious food was all about.
He involuntarily swallowed, looking at the field where potatoes had just been planted, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Xiao Fen seemed to sense a bright future as well, wagging her tail and letting out a cheerful "woof".
[System Notification: Successfully conveyed the message "The potatoes are delicious" to your partner 'Grey'. Grey's attention to the experimental field +20%. Expectation +15%. Note: Promises are the primary source of motivation; please keep up the good work, host.]
Lin Yue nodded in satisfaction. It seemed his ability to make empty promises was actually quite good.
Under the setting sun, the newly reclaimed experimental field gleamed with a moist sheen. Although it was still just a barren piece of land, in Lin Yue's eyes, it was already brimming with heavy hope.
This marks the beginning of agricultural development for Lin's Restaurant, the first step in escaping hunger and achieving basic sustenance, and the starting point for countless delicious dishes on the menu in the future!
"Grow well, my precious potatoes," Lin Yue prayed silently in his heart. "The hopes of the whole village... no, the whole restaurant are all pinned on you."
A note from the author:
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