She went to the spirit spring first, scooped up a cup of its water, and drank it. A gentle warmth slid down her throat into her stomach, then gradually spread through her limbs and bones, washing away all the soreness and fatigue she had accumulated after playing all day. Her entire body felt wonderfully relaxed.
Early the next morning, Zhang Yanyan opened her eyes right on schedule.
A few rays of morning sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains. The moment she fully woke up, the familiar system prompt sounded in her mind:
[Host, today’s daily check-in is available. Would you like to check in now?]
“Check in,” Zhang Yanyan silently replied.
[Check-in successful! Today’s rewards have been delivered to the storage area. Congratulations, Host! You have received:
Blue-quality reward—Space Mountain Reinforcement and Soil-and-Water Conservation Optimization Package ×1
Green-quality reward—Fully Automatic Seedling Pruning and Maintenance Unit ×1
White-quality reward—High-Nutrition Slow-Release Fertilizer for Seedlings ×10 bags
White-quality reward—General Livestock and Poultry Disease Prevention and Health-Care Pack ×1
White-quality reward—Food-Grade Vacuum-Sealed Bag Set ×100 sets]
Zhang Yanyan glanced over the list of rewards. Every item was exactly what she needed at the moment.
With a thought, she activated the blue-quality Mountain Reinforcement and Soil-and-Water Conservation Optimization Package first. A notification immediately sounded in her mind:
[Optimization activated. The mountain structure behind the residence has been reinforced, and its soil-and-water conservation capacity has been comprehensively improved. It is now better suited for the planting and growth of seedlings.]
After that, she got up, changed into loose house clothes, slipped on a pair of soft-soled slippers, and went downstairs.
The aroma of breakfast already filled the dining room. Auntie Chen was carrying out a steamer basket of freshly steamed shrimp dumplings from the kitchen. When she saw Zhang Yanyan coming downstairs, she smiled and placed the basket on the dining table.
“You’re awake? I made the preserved-egg-and-pork congee you like this morning. The shrimp dumplings just came out, so come sit down.”
Zhang Yanyan pulled out a chair and sat. The table was laden with all her favorite foods: crystal shrimp dumplings, molten custard buns, and a small dish of crisp pickled radish.
She picked up a shrimp dumpling with her chopsticks and took a bite. Its fresh, savory juices burst across her tongue. Only then did she look up at Auntie Chen.
“Auntie Chen, I’ll be staying upstairs all day today. There’s nothing important I need to do, so you don’t have to come up and disturb me.”
Auntie Chen ladled a bowl of warm congee and set it in front of her, nodding in understanding. “All right, I know. Should I bring lunch to your door, or would you rather call me when you’re hungry? I can make something anytime.”
Zhang Yanyan waved her off and took a sip of congee. “No need. Just eat yourselves and don’t worry about me.”
“All right, then I won’t go upstairs and bother you.” Auntie Chen smiled and added another helping of vegetables to her plate. “If you want anything to eat or drink later, just give me a call. I’ll be downstairs.”
Zhang Yanyan nodded, finished her breakfast at a leisurely pace, and said goodbye to Auntie Chen before returning to the bedroom on the second floor. She locked the door behind her and went back into the space.
The fields she had expanded earlier were now completely planted with vegetables and grain. There were not many seeds left, and along with the seeds she had bought a few days ago, she sorted them roughly by type and placed them directly into the space’s stasis storage area.
Time was completely frozen in that area. No matter how long they remained there, the seeds would never absorb moisture, sprout prematurely, or lose their vitality. It was even more reliable than any form of artificial packaging.
This time, she had entered the space mainly to deal with the fruit saplings and rare tree seedlings left over from before.
She took a hoe and shovel from the storage area, slung them over her shoulder, and headed toward the back mountain.
Large stretches of land on the back mountain were still empty. There were quite a few mango, durian, lychee, cherry, blueberry, and pomegranate saplings left from the batch she had stocked up on earlier. She also had seedlings of red sandalwood, Hainan huanghuali, and golden silk nanmu. Since she had the time today, she decided to plant everything.
First, she divided the land according to the amount of sunlight each area received. The sunny, gently sloping ground had plenty of light and good drainage, making it suitable for fruit trees.
She swung her hoe and dug tree pits one by one, spacing them according to the growth requirements of each variety. She adjusted the depth and width of every pit to match the size of the sapling’s root system, preventing the roots from becoming cramped and reducing the chances of the tree taking root successfully.
After digging a row of pits, she placed the corresponding saplings inside, filled the holes with loose soil, and tamped down the soil around the roots. She then formed a small basin around each sapling to hold water and keep it from running off during watering.
She also opened the slow-release fertilizer for seedlings that she had received from the check-in and buried a small handful near the roots of every fruit tree, ensuring a steady supply of nutrients for their future growth.
By the end of the morning, she had filled the entire sunny slope with fruit trees. They stood in neat rows, every sapling planted firmly in the earth.
After planting the final tree, she went to the spirit spring to draw water. She diluted the spring water according to the proper ratio, carried the bucket from tree to tree, and watered each sapling thoroughly. Once she was certain every root had received enough water to establish itself, she finally stopped.
After resting for only a short while, she went to the shaded plots. These areas received little sunlight and had higher humidity, making them suitable for valuable shade-tolerant timber trees.
She followed the same process as before, digging tree pits one by one, planting the red sandalwood, Hainan huanghuali, and golden silk nanmu seedlings, then filling and compacting the soil around them. She buried slow-release fertilizer at their roots as well.
In the outside world, these varieties took decades or even centuries to mature into usable timber. But with the space’s tenfold time flow, they would reach maturity before long.
By the time she finished planting all the seedlings, it was already afternoon. She carried the bucket over once more and watered all the newly planted timber seedlings with diluted spirit-spring water. Only after watching the water slowly seep into the soil did she set down the bucket and shake her sore arms.
With a thought, she placed the fully automatic seedling pruning and maintenance unit she had received from the check-in inside the tool shed on the back mountain. Once the seedlings began sprouting branches and leaves, the machine would be able to prune and care for them automatically, saving her a great deal of effort.
She followed the mountain path downhill until she reached the livestock area at the foot of the mountain. The chickens, ducks, geese, cattle, sheep, pigs, rabbits, and pigeons had already been separated into different enclosures according to species, so they would not interfere with one another.
She inspected each pen in turn. All the livestock and poultry looked energetic, and the feed troughs had been cleaned out completely.
She took out the fully automatic feeders she had received from the check-in. After setting the feeding times and the amount of feed dispensed each time according to the dietary needs and eating habits of the different animals, she installed one in each enclosure. Once adjusted, the machines would dispense feed on schedule automatically, saving her from having to do it by hand every day.
She also mixed the livestock and poultry disease-prevention and health-care pack she had received from the check-in into the water troughs of the various enclosures according to the recommended ratio. It would strengthen the animals’ resistance and reduce the likelihood of illness.
After inspecting the livestock area, she went to the fishpond beside it. The fish fry she had released earlier had already grown to the size of a palm and were full of energy. However, the new batch of small fry was still in transport tanks. If she poured them directly into the pond, the larger fish would surely eat them as feed.
With a thought, a fine water barrier instantly rose through the center of the pond, dividing it evenly into two sections. The gaps in the barrier were large enough for water to flow through but too narrow for the larger fish to pass, so the water quality on either side would not be affected.
She first herded all the larger fish into one section, then poured the small fry from the transport tanks into the other. Watching the little fish scatter and swim away through the water, she finally put her mind at ease.
Once that was done, she installed an automatic water-changing and aeration system in the fishpond. After adjusting the settings and switching it on, a fine layer of bubbles immediately spread across the surface, and the dissolved oxygen in the water gradually rose. The fish on both sides began swimming more energetically.
With all the work finished, Zhang Yanyan simply sat down on the field ridge to rest.
