Fruit Farmer In A Cultivation World

In the entire Red Rock village, Gao Xuan had three people he looked up to – the always helpful aunt Tong, hunter Wei Mao who had been taken away by immortals, and Sen Lin who was already making a name for himself as a sure-to-be rich man because of his plum trees.

Of the three, Gao Xuan had grown especially fond of Sen Lin in the past few months because of the latter's generous remuneration for running errands. The work was easy and the pay was good.

He could even pick up some mushrooms on the way and make more money on the side. If things went the way they were going, his family will have saved up enough money to get a bride for his oldest brother soon.

Because of this, Gao Xuan was very thankful to Sen Lin. In his eyes, the young farmer was a very good man. If there was one flaw that Sen Lin had, it would be his eccentricity.

Sen Lin had a habit of talking to his donkey. He wasn't sure of the reason but if aunt Tong's words were to be believed, it was a result of loneliness. This was also the reason why aunt Tong kept on trying to set him up with girls.

Unfortunately, Sen Lin seemed averse to the idea of marriage, running away from aunt Tong every time the topic was brought up.

Gao Xuan initially thought it wasn't a serious issue. After all, wasn't it natural to try and find company, especially when you live alone. Unlike his family consisting of his mother and two brothers, Sen Lin lived all alone, and that too on a hill where there weren't other villagers.

However, things had changed a while back. An old man and his granddaughter had moved in to the nearby house according to the city lord's arrangement. Blacky, who always kept Sen Lin company had also made friends with the little girl.

This had resulted in some interesting development – Sen Lin, who used to talk with his donkey, was now talking with himself. Furthermore, the content of the monologue was strange and Gao Xuan didn't dare disturb. He just hid behind the barn's wall and waited for the former to finish.

Still, the more he listened, the more worried he grew. In his heart, he couldn't help but think aunt Tong was right.

Sen Lin, unaware of his new helper's wandering mind, continued pacing back and forth while talking to himself.

"Let's plan things out smoothly. First things first, why do the bushes only grow on stones?"

"Is it a type of plant that only takes root on stones? Or could it be because of the habits of the pollinator?"

Sen Lin looked at the tiny berry seed in his hand.

"Hmmm… it doesn't look like such a seed can find its way inside a rock without external help. It's safer to assume that its because of the habits of the pollinator. If I think about it that way, the most likely candidate responsible for the continuation of these awful berry bushes is the Stonepecker bird."

Having reached this point, Sen Lin couldn't help but nod. Though they were purely assumptions, there was no big leap in his logic. The Stonepecker bird was also one that was commonly found in the forest nearby, notorious for the sound they make when drilling holes into stones.

Though some villagers had previously told him these birds pecked at stones relentlessly to make nests, he didn't buy that explanation. He had never once seen a nest like structure on any stone even after frequenting the forest hundreds of times to gather mulching materials.

"So, the first thing I need to do is get some rocks. Ideally, I should transport the rocks that already have the bushes growing on them. But they're really heavy. At least several hundred kilograms even for the smallest pieces. Should I split them into manageable pieces? No… that wouldn't work. All the berry bushes are only growing on big stone pieces. It's safer to assume that smaller stones do not have the capability to support the growth of these bushes."

As he reached this point, he spotted a youth hiding behind the barn. Noticing the worry-filled gaze of Gao Xuan, Sen Lin coughed to dispel the awkwardness.

"You're here. You should have let me know instead of waiting."

Gao Xuan walked out while scratching the back of his head, "You looked deep in thought and I didn't want to disturb you."

"It's ok. I was just thinking out loud. Follow me, we have much to do today."

Sen Lin led Gao Xuan to the giant rocks. Explaining his intention to move some of the rocks back to his farm, he asked for the young man's opinion.

"So, any bright ideas?"

Gao Xuan circled around one of the smaller stones that was the size of a coffin and tried lifting it. Even after trying his best, the stone didn't budge even an inch.

"You can stop trying to brute force it. The stone weighs at least a ton and a half."

"I can call my brothers and maybe we can try lifting it with four of us?"

"Even with four people, we wouldn't be able to budge it, let alone carry it down the hill until we reach my farm."

"Maybe we can get some ropes and drag it with the help of Blacky. If that's not enough, we could borrow an ox or two." Gao Xuan suggested once more but was immediately shot down.

"It would have worked if the path to my farm wasn't downhill. If this stone starts rolling or sliding down the hill, it will flatten any beast of burden we bring along."

"Then… I really have no idea."

Sen Lin let out a sigh after hearing Gao Xuan's words. He had considered these options as well. Unfortunately, none of them were viable.

The only option now seemed to be to commute up here and try to understand the berry bushes better. But if he did that, there were many things he wouldn't be able to ascertain and the difficulty of his selective breeding plan would be much higher.

Thinking of moving heavy stones, Sen Lin was suddenly reminded of the great pyramids.

"If only aliens came to help us move these stones."

"Aliens?" Gao Xuan asked with curiosity. "What are those?"

"They are beings that come from far away and possess technology and capabilities that are far beyond us."

"Oh, you mean immortal cultivators? I didn't know they were also called aliens."

A bolt of lightning flashed in Sen Lin's mind.

"Gao Xuan, you're a genius." Leaving those words, he hurriedly made his way back to his farm.

Gao Xuan, who had just been complimented, was dumbstruck. He couldn't tell if Sen Lin was being sarcastic or was genuinely praising him.

He pushed his confusion to the back of his head and followed behind Sen Lin.

Sen Lin, who had found the problem to his solution quickly made his way back to his hut. He retrieved some coins from under his bed and walked back out to meet his helper.

"Here, little Gao, take this. I want you to go to the East Ridge Teahouse and ask around about Golden Goose Escort Group."

Gao Xuan looked at the money in his hands and felt lost. East Ridge Teahouse was a name everyone in the Red Rock Village knew.

When visiting the East Ridge city, he had peeked inside the establishment a few times and even loitered outside to listen to the storytellers. He wanted to go in as a customer but was always short on money. Now looking at the six ricetalons in his hand, he didn't know what to do.

Understanding the young man's hesitation, Sen Lin continued. "I recommend talking with the storytellers. They should know more than customers."

"Brother Sen, this… it's too expensive. I don't feel confident about being able to complete this task. Why don't you go there yourself?"

"I can't."

Sen Lin didn't explain further. After all, he himself didn't understand why the winter sunflowers would show signs of deterioration if he didn't tend to them every few hours.

The tending referred to just standing near them and taking in the energy emitted by the sunflowers. He still didn't understand it completely but he assumed it had something to do with "spiritual nurturing" that the booklet given to him by the goose talked about.

The winter sunflowers were at a critical stage of growth and he didn't want to risk affecting them by being away for too long.

Sen Lin pat Gao Xuan on his shoulder and put on his most serious expression, "Gao Xuan, only you can do this. I believe in you."