Behind the door was…

Another door?

I poked it with my finger. Like the original, this one looked like a crayon drawing on paper but felt like plastic. However, it was not identical to the first one because it had a cartoon drawing of a bear on it.

“Shuye, I think maybe you opened it wrong. Do you wanna try again?” I asked.

“Why not? It doesn’t seem dangerous, and I still don’t feel any qi from it.”

He pushed the door open again.

“A duck?” I said.

This time the door had a drawing of a yellow duck on it.

Shuye smiled. “One more time?”

I nodded, and he tried it several more times, revealing doors with drawings of a pig, horse, chicken, sheep, goat, and rabbit.

Shuye scratched his chin and smiled. “This looks like it was drawn by a child. Is your bloodline inheritance playing with me?”

“This is all rather whimsical, isn’t it?” I said, grinning.

“It obviously doesn’t want to open for me,” he said.

“My turn then!” The door easily swung open when I touched it, revealing the pocket dimension.

“It’s huge!” Shuye bent down and peered inside it, looking left, right, up, and down to try to take everything in. “This looks bigger than Emberstone Farm. The qi is…”

“What?” The way his voice trailed off was alarming.

“It’s very strange because I can’t feel anything.”

I folded my arms together on my chest and mock-glared at him. “You scared me! Maybe you can’t feel it because all the qi is kept inside.”

“Maybe.”

He circled the tree and inspected it from all sides until he was satisfied there was nothing more he could learn from it. Then I closed the door and walked him to the edge of the farm where we bid each other farewell.

“Do you remember this spot?” I asked him. “This is where we first met.”

We looked around. Two years ago, this was all virgin forest. Now I had fields of crops, gardens, farm animals, orchards, and two houses, but on the other side of the farm where the forest was, the scene was unchanged. The branches of the trees surrounding the farm were blanketed in moss and new spring growth, their delicate green leaves creating a verdant canopy. Sunlight filtered through in gentle, golden patches, warming secluded areas of the forest floor where tiny wildflowers and mushrooms nestled between ferns and lichen-encrusted rocks. The air felt damp and rich with the earthy, sweet scent of decomposing leaves and new growth.

“I remember I showed you a cave where you could live temporarily.” Shuye’s expression softened. “I was very worried about you living alone in the forest.”

“You didn’t know how strong my bloodline inheritance is!”

Shuye shook his head in wonder. “I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw you build a house in such a short period of time.”

“Those were the days! Everything was simple and new. It was very peaceful.” I turned back to look at the main house. “Now the farm is so large and there are many people I have to take care of.”

“You miss the solitary lifestyle?”

I turned back to face him. “Only a little bit. You know, I'm really grateful that you were there for me in those first days when I knew nothing about this land.”

I handed him a [Crocus] flower, the traditional gift for a Farm Guide.

He twirled it around his fingers. “The same flower you gave me back then.”

“So… I just want to say, please take care of yourself. You know I would be devastated if anything happened to you.” I meant every word of it.

Shuye tucked the flower into his belt. “Don’t worry, I won’t take any unnecessary risks. After all, I have a newborn. My wife would never forgive me if I didn’t do my share of taking care of the baby.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Then it’s a promise! You have to return safely and without a scratch!” Impulsively, I hugged him.

He hugged me back and patted my head. “I promise everything will be fine.”

In the game, the demon extermination was a World Event that was so easy, even newbies could participate. Shuye should be fine as long as he didn’t do anything reckless.

“See you when it’s over,” he said.

“I’ll prepare a banquet and give you a hero’s welcome!”

The thought cheered me up and we both smiled as we waved goodbye to each other.

***

The next day, I got up at dawn and did a few stretches in my bedroom before showering and dressing in my usual sturdy farm clothes. I took a deep breath of the fresh, cool air as I stepped out of my [Ranch House].

Since it was still a little dark, I made Mr. Bear grow to human size and attached a miner’s helmet to his head which illuminated the path to the main house. The sun was peeking over the horizon, spilling rays of orange, pink, and golden light across the sky. The ground beneath my boots squelched wetly with every step when I got to the fields where we had planted the [Potatoes] and assorted root vegetables. Most of the seeds had already sprouted and all I had to do was to pluck a few stray weeds since it had rained last night.

I rinsed the mud off my hands in a water bucket, and I made a mental note to heat water beforehand. Then I walked to the field we were working on today. My apprentices were already there waiting for me, along with Yinuo and two other maids who handed me my breakfast - freshly steamed buns filled with sweet and smokey slow-roasted pork. I washed it down with hot tea.

“Ready?” I asked my apprentices when I finished eating.

“The [Three Sisters] for me, please,” said Kharli.

[Companion Planting: The Three Sisters

The Three Sisters is a Native American method of planting corn, beans, and squash together in the same mound. The corn grows tall and provides support for the beans to climb. The squash spreads along the ground, providing ground cover and preventing weeds from growing. This method of planting results in a bountiful harvest of all three crops.]

I gave her the seeds she needed and the rest of us divided the other vegetable seeds. These were the plants that were for the household’s consumption. Therefore, there was a good variety of different kinds of leafy vegetables, tubers, cruciferous vegetables, beans, legumes, berries, and so forth.

Lari made a sound of disgust as mud flew up and splattered his face when he swung his hoe down into the soil. Yinuo held up a towel for him to use, but he waved it away.

This was the unglamorous part of farming.

It was the System that did the actual work of turning the soil when we swung our hoes, but that didn’t mean we could just tap the ground with our tools. We still had to put a bit of force on it, enough to bury the hoe at least an inch or two into the ground. Otherwise, the System ignored it.

Farmers wouldn’t normally be working in these conditions since working in the mud was likely to cause the soil to be compacted. However, luckily for us, the System partially dried out and loosened it for us automatically.

“Think positive,” I said to the kids. “We can plant more since we don’t need to water the plants today.”

Mo nodded. “More exp is always good.”

In silent unison, we worked as swiftly and efficiently as we could. None of us wanted to work in the muddy field longer than was necessary. I tilled my part of the area, swinging my hoe as delicately as I could to avoid getting too much mud on my face, and then fertilized the tilled soil with [Mysterious Goo]. Sowing the seeds was the easiest part of today’s work since the seeds simply flew out of the seeder and embedded themselves in the soil.

“I knew it, good exp today!” I said to the others when we all finished. “Let’s wash up a little here before we go to the house.”

I took out buckets of water and we cleaned our hands and faces.

“My lady, a hot breakfast is waiting for you at the house. The chef made that fried bread that you like.” Yinuo handed me a towel.

“I love that!” Yu char kway was one of my favorite unhealthy breakfast treats when I lived in Singapore, and I couldn’t wait to dust it with sugar and eat it with a nice, hot cup of coffee. There was a spring in my step as I walked to the main house, dreaming of all the airy, donut-like yu char kway I was going to enjoy. “Guys, let’s shower quickly! I’ll meet you in the outer courtyard.”

Fifteen minutes later, I was seated at a table with a lovely set of dishes in front of me. In addition to the plain yu char kway I had requested, the kitchen staff also prepared congee, sliced ham, and vegetable wontons. Mo and I had coffee while Lari and Kharli had soy milk sweetened with honey.

I leaned back on my chair and stretched my arms above my head, yawning inelegantly. “I don’t mind working in the cold mud if there’s great food waiting for me when I finish.”

“Cold and wet is better than scorching hot, like last summer,” said Kharli. “Our plants wilted, and I think we got less exp during the harvest.”

“Does this mean you don’t want to go to the desert farm?” I said teasingly.

Kharli smiled and shook her head. “I want to go!”

“I like the desert farm,” said Mo. “Teacher, we added water and feed for the animals earlier.”

“Good,” I said.

We discussed the rest of the farm’s every day business before going back into the pocket dimension to explore and plan what we wanted to do next.

“Help me prepare the stuff for the [The Dragon's Den Doorway],” I said.

[The Dragon's Den Doorway:

A mysterious doorway has appeared within your farm that leads to a pocket dimension that’s perfect for farming. However, the doorway is currently sealed and guarded by powerful enchantments. To open it, you must perform a ritual.

Place a mirror and diamond in front of the door and recite this incantation:

A verdant path, a mystic way,

Unlocks its secrets, come what may

With every leaf, a hope I see

To journey forth, wild and free.

Then bow three times in the four directions.

Close the door and open it again. It will then be open for visitors.

Reward: Visitors will be allowed inside the Mustard Seed Pocket Dimension]