Chapter 37: The System Was Like a Stubborn Donkey

These past few days, the Magical Ranch was very lively. The water tanker trucks kept rumbling back and forth every day. Luckily, Liu Heming did not have any cattle or sheep herds here, otherwise they would have been frightened for sure.

Liu Heming was not idle either. The construction team for his irrigation system had arrived. They worked for a full five days before everything was finally completed. The only thing that annoyed him a bit was the work efficiency of the local people.

Even though it was just a small construction team, they strictly adhered to working hours—not a single extra minute would they work.

He thought to himself, if this were back in China, the job would have taken three days at most. Since there was no rating system here, he could only grumble inwardly; otherwise, he would definitely give them a bad review.

He had mentioned this to George before, but George believed this was exactly how work should be. Otherwise, it would violate the workers’ rights, and they could be sued.

The only thing that made him feel quite satisfied was planting corn and soybeans. That was truly enjoyable. In just half a day, all seven acres of land were sown. Seven whole acres! And they used a small Seeder. If it weren’t for the fact that a large one would be wasteful, it probably wouldn’t have taken even two hours.

For the first few days, Liu Heming occasionally went to check on the Small Lake, but now he couldn’t be bothered anymore. The townspeople were quite considerate and disciplined; once one household had pumped enough water, they would move on to the next.

Now, he found himself with some free time, and he felt it was a bit unusual. How could a Farmer have free time? Normally, there was work to do all year round. Had he forgotten something?

After thinking about it for two days, he finally remembered. He had indeed forgotten something important. The Chili Peppers and eggplants could be left alone for now; he just needed to “pinch the tips” when they grew bigger, which would help them bear more fruit. But for Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Green Beans, these three needed to be tied to supports and have stakes inserted.

Tomatoes were easier to handle; small tree branches would work. But Green Beans and Cucumbers were crops that liked to climb upward, so the supports needed to be higher.

When he went to check the field, he felt a bit frustrated. He had remembered a bit too late. The vines of the Green Beans and Cucumbers were already over a foot long and were now sprawling all over the ground.

“System, come out here,” Liu Heming called out grumpily after watching for a while.

“What do you want?” the System asked.

“Don’t you think you’re being too lazy? You finished upgrading, and it’s been three days now. Why haven’t you given me any tasks? And as a System, shouldn’t there be related tasks for field care? Why are you ignoring this mess?” Liu Heming asked.

“The tasks I issue come in two types,” the System said calmly. “One type must be completed, like sowing seeds and soil improvement. The other type needs to be triggered, like the cooking subsystem.”

“As a Farmer yourself, shouldn’t you have thought of this? Are you even doing your job? And now you come asking me? You’re something else. I’m embarrassed for you. By the way, is Alex coming soon?”

“Hmph, you think I’ll believe you just because you say so? And don’t change the subject—she’s my daughter. You said you’d be fair and just. You missed this task; what compensation are you giving me?” Liu Heming wasn’t about to trust the System’s words.

This was something he had figured out through indirect questioning over the past couple of days. The System was indeed amazing, but it seemed like its brain had been damaged when it landed, making it not very sharp.

The tasks the System gave him now were almost like improvised assignments. The System claimed it couldn’t pick tasks, but that was just what it thought. In reality, it also discovered situations and then issued tasks to him.

He didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. Having a System was supposed to be very Lucky, but this System was just too unreliable.

“Alright, alright, here’s a supplementary task for you. I was upgrading at the time, so I couldn’t detect what was happening outside,” the System said, very reluctantly.

Task Name: If You Plant It, Take Care of It

Task Deadline: Three days

Task Content: Perform field care for the vegetables.

Task Reward: Strength Points +1, Spirit Points +1

Task Failure Penalty: Vegetable yield reduced by 30%.

“That’s more like it. By the way, tell me, what are my current Strength Points and Spirit Points? Why do you rate me so poorly?” Liu Heming was quite satisfied with the task displayed before his eyes and decided to try to get more information out of it.

“You disagree that you’re poor? Right now, your Strength Points are 54, and your Spirit Points are 43. The normal person’s value is 60. Don’t you think you’re poor?” the System asked, sounding exasperated.

The System was also quite frustrated. After this upgrade, it realized it had made a big mistake. It shouldn’t have given Liu Heming the Lucky Grand Draw in advance, so it wanted to make up for it.

The Lucky Grand Draw was not an ordinary reward; it was a super reward. Because no matter what you drew from those options, they were all super items.

It had originally planned to let this task be forgotten in confusion and then give Liu Heming a corresponding penalty. That would have made up for the previous mistake. Who knew this guy would actually remember and even manage to corner it?

Moreover, the System was now a bit distracted, still thinking about Liu Heming’s daughter and wanting to change owners. Now it resigned itself to the fact that switching probably wasn’t possible; it was stuck with Liu Heming for life.

Liu Heming had no idea what the System was thinking, nor did he know that the System was scheming against him. Right now, his mood was soaring.

If he hadn’t insisted on this task, he would have missed it. It seemed that from now on, he needed to be skeptical of the System and squeeze out whatever he could.

“By the way, since we’re so familiar now, could you tell me if the groundwater level here will rise again?” Liu Heming asked again.

“Not within management authority.”

A line of cold green words once again rejected his inquiry.

This was another insight Liu Heming had gained from dealing with the System. When there was room for discussion, the System would usually talk to him directly. When there was no room for discussion, it would just show him green words. It was like a verdict had been issued, and whether he liked it or not, he had to accept it.

“Fine, I won’t trouble you anymore. Actually, I’m really grateful to you. Without you, I probably wouldn’t have lasted long here,” Liu Heming said sincerely.

Task Name: A Chef’s Basic Skill—Knife Work

Task Deadline: Thirty days

Task Content: Attempt to master six knife techniques—slicing, cutting, chopping, splitting, smashing, and carving—to a beginner’s standard.

Task Reward: Strength Points +5, Spirit Points +5, Agility +5, Stamina +5

Task Failure Penalty: None

Looking at this newly appeared task, Liu Heming’s jaw dropped. It seemed the System was like a stubborn donkey.