In his previous life, Guohua had read many web novels in his leisure time, but he never imagined that such a supernatural setting would actually happen to him.
"What's wrong?" Third Uncle Wenwu patted his back with concern, his palm as rough as sandpaper.
"N-nothing, just a bit dizzy." Guohua forced a smile, but a storm raged in his heart.
Farming Talent! Wasn't this the key to changing the Family's fate?
He secretly pinched his thigh, and the pain confirmed that this was not an illusion. The words flickered before his eyes, like fireflies in the dark, bringing unprecedented hope.
He lowered his head, looking at the blisters and dirt on his palms, and suddenly felt that the pain was no longer unbearable. Perhaps, this was the beginning of a turning point.
When Guohua looked up again, he found that Grandfather, his father, and his two uncles had already resumed their labor. Their backs in the scorching sun appeared so resilient, like three old trees deeply rooted in this barren land.
And he, perhaps, could become the timely rain that would change the fate of this land.
As the sun set, the sky was tinged with an orange glow, illuminating the Wu Family's dilapidated thatched house as if it were plated with a thin layer of gold.
Guohua stood in the yard, his gaze quietly sweeping over his busy Family members—Grandfather was squatting in the corner repairing farm tools, while his father and two uncles had just returned from the fields, scooping water with wooden ladles to wash the mud from their feet.
His mother and Third Aunt were busy in front of the stove, smoke curling upwards, mixed with the bitter smell of wild vegetable soup. No one noticed him.
"I'm going to collect some firewood," he whispered to his mother, and without waiting for a reply, he picked up a worn-out bamboo basket and quickly walked towards the back of the house.
The barren slope behind the house was ownerless and covered with dense undergrowth. The soil here was loose and mostly sandy, with even weeds growing sparsely.
Villagers often said that this kind of land couldn't even sustain weeds, let alone crops. But Guohua knew that sandy soil was precisely what potatoes liked most.
He squeezed into a patch of undergrowth on the barren slope, squatted down, and gently pushed aside the dry leaves and weeds covering the surface, revealing the dry, loose sand underneath.
His heart involuntarily quickened, and a thin layer of sweat beaded on his palms. If his experiment succeeded, perhaps it could feed his Family a full meal.
But potato seeds were too precious. This year, the entire Family had harvested less than fifty catties of potatoes. Besides those eaten, about five catties were carefully stored in the cellar to be used as seeds for the coming year.
If he directly asked for them, his father would surely refuse—"Nothing grows in sandy soil, don't waste food!" He had to act secretly.
In the evening, as the entire Family gathered around the stove to drink wild vegetable soup, Guohua excused himself, claiming an upset stomach, and quietly slipped into the cellar.
The cellar was damp and cold, and the air was filled with the smell of earth and mildew.
In the dim light, dozens of potatoes, smaller than a fist, were piled in the corner. Their skins were slightly wrinkled, but tiny sprouts had emerged from the eyes—signs of life.
This was the hope of the entire Family. Guohua swallowed, his fingers trembling slightly.
He carefully sifted through the pile of potatoes, finally picking out the three smallest ones—even without them, his Family wouldn't immediately notice their absence.
"I'm sorry..." he murmured softly, as if apologizing to the potatoes, "but if this succeeds, you can save a Family."
As night deepened, moonlight, like water, spilled onto the barren slope, illuminating the sandy ground in a silvery white.
Guohua knelt on the ground, using a sharp kindling knife to cut the potatoes into small pieces, each with one or two plump eyes.
Memories from his previous life clearly surfaced in his mind—potatoes prefer loose, well-aerated soil; sandy soil allows the tubers to expand faster, while sticky black soil can restrict growth.
He dug shallow pits, buried the potato pieces, and then gently covered them with a layer of sand. Finally, he took out a ladle of water he had secretly hidden and carefully poured it over them.
"Splash—" The sound of water seeping into the sand was exceptionally clear in the silent night.
【Planting Potatoes, Experience +10】
【Watering, Experience +1】
The mechanical prompt sounded in his mind, and Guohua's lips involuntarily curved upwards. This was the first time he had truly smiled since his Transmigration.
Over the next few days, Guohua would find opportunities to sneak to the undergrowth on the barren slope every day, secretly tending to his experimental plot.
【Watering, Experience +1】
【Weeding, Experience +1】
Guohua discovered that each time he watered and removed weeds, he gained 1 point of experience. However, it was limited to only 1 point; no matter how many times he watered or how many weeds he removed, he only gained 1 point of experience.
On the morning of the sixth day, just as dawn was breaking, he eagerly pushed aside the bushes. A touch of tender green entered his vision.
On the sandy ground, several delicate sprouts had broken through the soil, trembling slightly in the morning light, like newborn infants, fragile yet full of vitality.
"Two days faster than in black soil..." he murmured to himself, his fingertips gently touching the sprouts, afraid of harming them. The Farming Talent's 100% survival rate had already begun to take effect!
A few days later, all the potatoes were planted, and the Family began sowing winter wheat. The Zhao Family's winter wheat had already sprouted, but the Wu Family hadn't planted winter wheat before due to a lack of seeds.
Two days ago, Grandfather Wu Jiulong took his father and two uncles hunting in the back mountains, obtained a good fox fur, and exchanged it for money in town to buy a catty of winter wheat seeds.
"Even if it's a bit late to plant winter wheat now, there's hope if we plant it. We can harvest some wheat next May, which will prevent the Family from going through a lean period," Grandfather Wu Jiulong said.
Guohua followed behind his father, helping to scatter the seeds. The wheat seeds were precious, each grain carefully sown, but a few would always fall onto the field ridges.
While no one was paying attention, he squatted down, quickly picked up a dozen or so fallen wheat seeds, and hid them in his sleeve.
These days, Guohua had already discovered that helping his Family farm did not earn him Farming experience. He only gained experience when he completely autonomously planted crops.
In the evening, he again slipped to the barren slope and scattered the wheat seeds on the sandy ground next to the potatoes.
【Planting Winter Wheat, Experience +10】
【Watering, Experience +1】
The System prompt sounded again, and Guohua's heart quickened. Perhaps, he really could change the fate of this Family.
Guohua looked at his Talent panel again, and sure enough, the information on it had changed; he had gained 35 experience points these past few days.
Name: Guohua
Talent: Farming
Level One Talent (35/100): Crop survival rate increased by 100%
Guohua thought that if he gained 1 experience point each day for watering the potatoes and watering the winter wheat, plus the weeding experience, his Farming Talent could be upgraded in at most a month.
