Fruit Farmer In A Cultivation World

Sen Lin stood outside his tiny hut, taking in the sight of the beautiful sky. The temperature had taken a sudden dip and the sun couldn't be seen through the cloudy firmament.

In the past years, such a weather would fill him with worry about the winter. Life was tough as he'd have to consider many things such as running out of food, freezing to death, or getting sick.

Things were very different this year. Not only was his pocket full of ricetalons, but he was also wearing a fur jacket he had bought from the market in East Ridge city.

Made from sheepskin, the jacket had cost him 30 whole ricetalons. Though costly, it was the first non-hand-me-down winter jacket of this life. After much consideration, he had gritted his teeth and splurged on it.

Feeling the warmth from the jacket that was retaining his body heat, he now felt like he made a good investment. As long as he wore this jacket, he wouldn't have to worry about freezing in the winter unless his hut broke down.

There was also plenty of food he had stockpiled for the winter. Salted and smoked pork, pickled radishes, fermented vegetables, and an earthen silo full of rice. There was nothing he was lacking and for the first time, he could see a bright future waiting for him.

'Not bad. I can finally work towards achieving my goal of growing the best tasting fruits. Once I'm through this winter, I'll go around and collect as much fruits as I can. Cultivating a small orchard should be the first step.'

Sen Lin was brought out of his thoughts by a chilling sensation on his cheek. Rubbing it with the back of his palm, he realized that it was snow.

It was the first snowfall of the year.

Sen Lin's mind quickly got to work. He brought out the winter sunflower seedlings he had been acclimating for the past week and planted them on the mounds he had prepared.

According to the booklet left by the goose, these seedlings should be planted on the day of first snowfall. There was also some explanation for it, stating something along the lines of winter sunflower taking in the spiritual energy abundant during snowfall but he didn't understand it.

Soon, he was done with the planting. Looking at the small saplings, he was suddenly filled with worry.

Though the snowfall was light, he couldn't help but imagine the young plants being buried in the white powder.

'Well, not like I have anything else to do. I'll just sit here and watch over them for a while.'

Sen Lin ignored the cold and placed his shoddy chair in front of the mound. Taking his seat, he observed the freshly planted winter sunflowers.

Every now and then, he'd get up and remove the snow on top of the mounds, worried they'd pile up and suffocate the young leaves.

Thankfully, after more than an hour of observation, he realized he was thinking too much. The mounds were doing their job well. Furthermore, the spirit plants themselves seemed extraordinary, as they'd shake off the snow that was piling up on them every now and then.

When he first saw the plants vibrating by themselves, he was scared, thinking some sort of rodent was chewing on them from underground. It was only after checking the soil that he breathed a sigh of relief.

'Those people from the Green Wind Spirit Farmer Association are really unreliable. They write all sorts of stuff like "use snow dispersing spell" but don't mention the plant's ability to shake off the snow. How do they expect to grow their business if they can't even prepare an easy-to-follow guide for their new members?'

Sen Lin complained in his heart and walked into his hut. Dusting off all the snow that had accumulated on his hair and shoulders, he quickly lit a fire.

He rubbed his hands together to warm them up and cozied up to the fire. The cold from having stayed outside was gradually chased away by the flames.

Having warmed himself enough, he walked to the barn to check up on Blacky and the chickens. This was the first time he was taking care of chickens and didn't know if he had prepared everything well.

Though he had asked the elders from the village for advice, just following instructions was never enough. Who knew what problems might pop up somewhere along the way.

He checked the coop and nodded to himself after seeing that the layer of insulation he had created using mud and hay was holding up well. The vents he had made on the coop's roof were also working fine and he didn't have to worry about moisture building up inside the coop, which could result in frostbite.

The bedding he had created with dry hay seemed sufficient. He'd just have to replace the hay every few days to keep the coop clean and hygienic.

Satisfied with the coop's condition, he moved to Blacky who was sleeping between a mountain of hay. With the arrival of winter, the usually energetic Blacky had been afflicted by lethargy.

This happened every year and Sen Lin was used to it. Much like humans, animals also tended to reduce their activities as much as possible during winter to preserve energy.

He sat by the donkey and recounted the process of planting the winter sunflowers. It was his habit to keep the loneliness at bay by talking to Blacky.

Listening to the periodic braying whenever he paused, Sen Lin couldn't help but smile as it made him feel understood. He pat the donkey lovingly before going back to his hut.

The fire had already died down but he didn't add more fuel to it. It had done its job and he didn't have enough firewood to keep the fire going 24/7. Besides, now armed with a brand-new sheepskin jacket, he didn't feel that cold.

Sen Lin carried a few stones that had been heated by the hearth and placed them beside the earthen plates that served as water source for the chickens. The hot stones would ensure the water wouldn't freeze.

It was a tedious work but he had to do it throughout the day to make sure his expensive chickens wouldn't die. Making another trip, he did the same for Blacky's water pot.

Done with all the chore, he walked out and stood in front of the winter sunflowers once more. He breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that the snow wasn't piling up on the mound.

Even though he knew that the plants would shake off the snow by themselves, he couldn't help but worry. Plants usually didn't have the ability to move by themselves, and who knew how long these little saplings would be able to keep it up. Especially when there was no sun for photosynthesis.

Just to be sure, he cleared the snow by the mound.

It was bound to be a restless day for him.