My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 183 Difficulties
Plant one tree every two steps.

"Watering must be done one by one with a wooden spoon, not too much and not too little, just a level spoonful."

"Pay attention to weeding. Even small weeds should be pulled out as soon as you see them."

"The most important thing is to defend against the alien beasts," Old Hao solemnly instructed.

"You need to come and patrol regularly at night. It would be troublesome if some strange beasts from the mountains came and caused damage."

Chen Mu asked in surprise, "A strange beast? The strange beast from the strange beast bone powder?"

“That’s right, the strange beasts are not the wild animals you imagine.” Old Hao carefully instructed: “The strange beasts that can live near the earth’s spiritual energy are mostly thick-skinned and tough.”

"Ordinary swords and blades cannot penetrate the defense at all."

Chen Mu's heart skipped a beat.

"Invulnerable to swords and spears? That's almost on par with a Body Armor Warrior!"

Old Hao looked at Chen Mu meaningfully: "The requirement for disciples of the lower academy to possess the highest level of martial arts is no joke."

"The earth's spiritual energy can drown a person."

"Even strange beasts can kill people."

"Without armor to protect me, I can't stay in the lower courtyard for long."

Chen Mu felt a chill run down his spine.

"This seemingly peaceful courtyard on Chicken Cage Mountain doesn't seem to be very safe."

……

“Yellow sprout rice has harsh growing conditions and is complicated and difficult to grow.”

"There are also strange beasts that steal food from us on ordinary days, so protecting us is not easy."

"When it ripens, its fragrance can be smelled for dozens of miles, attracting herbivorous birds and exotic animals to steal the rice, making the harvest even more troublesome."

"You need to be prepared that you'll definitely be in debt for the first two years," Old Hao said sympathetically to Chen Mu.

"Forget about all those things that Fatty Ge said to fool you."

"Buying the Unity Secret Technique costs money, and practicing the Unity Secret Technique costs even more money."

"You have to face reality and not be overly ambitious!"

"Settle down and focus on farming, and figure out how to properly manage the yellow sprout rice," Old Hao earnestly advised.

"Once the grain delivery target is met, the excess yellow rice can be slowly accumulated."

"By then, with money in hand and no worries in mind, practicing the Unity Secret Technique will be a natural progression."

Chen Mu nodded in agreement: "Old Hao is right!"

"Without money in hand, you lack confidence in everything you do." Old Hao sighed, "Saving up a reserve fund is very important; it gives you more opportunities to try and fail."

"Look at your own pockets, and think about the difficulties you're about to face. I'm asking you, aren't you panicking?"

Chen Mu glanced at the nearly one thousand calming pills in the Five Ghosts Bag and nodded solemnly: "I panicked too much!"

……

For seven consecutive days, Old Hao personally taught Chen Mu how to breed, plant, fertilize, and care for the plants.

He also helped Chen Mu retrieve yellow sprout rice seeds from the lower courtyard warehouse.

He also acted as guarantor for Chen Mu, and went to the Baicao Pavilion in Tongtianfang to get a year's supply of exotic beast bone powder fertilizer on credit.

The two taught and worked simultaneously, and after seven days of continuous work, they had only managed to plant one acre of yellow sprout rice.

Inside the courtyard of the low hill.

Chen Mu and Hao Lao sat at the square table, enjoying a hearty meal of meat and vegetables.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Hao," Chen Mu said sincerely.

These past few days, the other party has been completely open and honest with him, which has truly moved Chen Mu.

"The sooner you finish planting the millet, the greater your gratitude will be to me." Old Hao let out a burp, took out his pipe, and started smoking.

"If you can complete the grain delivery target within two years, I will receive a reward of twelve white jade coins from the Lower House."

"If you can complete it within a year, I can even take twenty-four!"

"Now you know why I cared so much, right?" Old Hao exhaled a puff of smoke, raised an eyebrow, and said with a smile.

Chen Mu suddenly realized what was happening, but he was still grateful.

Even with rewards, it's rare to see someone teach with such dedication. Human nature is treacherous; it's not uncommon for someone to receive rewards from the lower academy while simultaneously collecting tuition fees from apprentices—a double-dealing situation.

Old Hao didn't do that, which made Chen Mu admire him.

Mr. Hao is a very honest person!

……

In the evening, on the other side of the low hill, five miles away from Chen Mu's stone courtyard.

Inside a stone courtyard similar to Chen Mu's residence.

Old Hao sat in front of the bright oil lamp, puffing away on his cigarette.

Across from him sat a chubby man with small eyes, who looked at Old Hao with a smile and said, "So, new guy, are you interested in selling your personal treasures?"

Honest old Hao leisurely smoked his cigarette: "Although he didn't say anything, I could tell from his expression that it was pretty much him."

“I explained to him the difficulties of growing yellow sprout rice.”

"The possible consequences of being in debt have been clearly explained."

"Let him calculate the cost and time required to cultivate the Unity Secret Technique."

"What do you think he's thinking?" Old Hao asked calmly.

The chubby man with small eyes immediately beamed with joy: "He'll be resentful, he'll be anxious, he'll be thinking about making a fortune so he can start cultivating right away!"

"Old Hao is brilliant!"

Old Hao smiled as he smoked: "After a while, I'll casually mention that some of his companions have already obtained the Unity Secret Technique and started cultivating it."

"you say……"

"He'll definitely sell his personal treasures to get the white jade spirit coins!" the chubby man with small eyes exclaimed excitedly.

"That's right!" Old Hao laughed as he exhaled a puff of smoke.

“I’ll go and find out some information about those outsiders tomorrow. If we’re going to provoke him, we have to do it for real.” The chubby man with small eyes looked shrewd. “Don’t worry, Mr. Hao, I’ll definitely get the information to you by tomorrow afternoon.”

"No rush," Old Hao said slowly. "I'll wait ten days or half a month before I go over."

The chubby man with small eyes looked at Old Hao with a puzzled expression.

"Don't you know how difficult it is to grow yellow sprout rice?" Old Hao glanced at the fat man.

"Of course I know." The chubby man with small eyes gave a wry smile. "If it weren't difficult, I wouldn't be secretly making money by buying and selling these small items."

"So we'll have to wait a few days. Let him plant one himself and experience firsthand the trouble involved."

“If he works hard for half a month and still can’t cultivate three acres of land well…” Old Hao raised an eyebrow and said, “Then I will talk to him with the information you have.”

"He'll definitely have to sell his treasures to get money!"

The chubby man with small eyes suddenly realized: "Old Hao is really thoughtful!"

He immediately worried, "What if he learns it?"

Old Hao rolled his eyes: "I did not hold anything back in these seven days, and I explained the tricks clearly, but most of the time, I was the one doing the work."

"I talk a lot, and I do a lot."

"He listens a lot, but practices very little."

"I thought I knew it, but when I actually tried it, haha..." Old Hao's smile was meaningful.

The chubby guy with small eyes immediately gave a thumbs up: "Awesome!"

Old Hao looked smug. "Do you think I've lived this long for nothing?"

The chubby man with small eyes grinned broadly: "Don't worry, Mr. Hao, I'll definitely give you my 10% cut after it's done."

Old Hao nodded in satisfaction.

After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but add, "The price you offer can't be too outrageous. There's a long road ahead, so we need to consider the long-term implications of our business."

"We might be able to make a few more money from the subsequent purchases of various pills and magical artifacts."

The fat man smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, Mr. Hao, I'll remember."

"You can't completely eradicate the chives from their roots."

"Besides, we're not planning to rip him off. At most, we'll try to lower the price a bit."

"Compared to us, what Dong Cheng and his gang did wasn't just price-cutting, it was outright robbery!"

(End of this chapter)