"Red beans grow in the south, blooming a few branches with the arrival of spring. Gather them, my dear, as they symbolize longing the most.”
In the bustling metropolis of Yancheng located in the south, a young man sighs despondently in a thatched cottage on the outskirts.
"How much income can your family earn farming in a year? There's no hope in staying with you.”
The young man sits on a small wooden stool, one arm and a leg missing, holding a single red bean, staring blankly, his mind trickling back to two days ago.
"Little Snow~ we've been dating for three years now, you should know how I feel. I love you. Marry me, boys my age in our village can even handle cooking chores.”
The young man is pulling on a girl, who with a plain face, dresses with great flair. She wears black leather pants, carries an ap7 phone, clearly indicating her family has some wealth.
"Ye Chen, stop joking. What gifts have you given me these three years? Apart from the potatoes from your farm and a basket of eggs, you know how much this ap phone costs? How many potatoes and eggs would you have to sell for just this phone? If it weren't for you being a bit handsome, would I be dating you? Your household relies on farming. How much income can you possibly make in a year? There's no hope in staying with you.”
The girl slings off the young man's hand, leaving him only with a heartless silhouette.
"Sigh."
Ye Chen, recovering from his nostalgia, glances at the counterfeit phone in his hand, scans the bare thatched house, knowing even a thief would leave 200 yuan out of pity before slipping away.
The young man named Ye Chen is a graduate of Yancheng University who has been unemployed since graduation. He's somewhat handsome, standing 1.82 meters, and was raised single-handedly by his mother in a single-parent family. After his mother passed away from a serious illness a year ago, only a watchful big yellow dog remains by his side.
Whenever he asked about his father, his mother never answered directly. He once pressed her for answers until she harshly punished him. Later, when he saw her crying in the next room, he never asked about his father again.
After his mother passed, all that was left for Ye Chen was a thatched cottage and ten acres of farmland. The land, having been neglected for a year, had become wasteland. Relying on this, he can barely even afford a meal in the bustling city of Yancheng.
Job hunting in a society that depends on connections and money, Ye Chen has been unemployed for over two months. Additionally, he was recently dumped by his girlfriend of three years, and all these setbacks have left Ye Chen with suicidal thoughts.
"Sigh, let’s just do this. The ten acres of farmland should at least fetch me 20,000 yuan. I’ll go to the city and start over. Little Snow is right. There’s no prospect in farming for a lifetime."
Ye Chen had already negotiated with the village secretary to sell his place at a low price, and the contract was to be signed tomorrow.
This 20,000 yen was the result of half a day of bargaining between Ye Chen and the village secretary. The latter finally agreed out of sympathy for Ye Chen's plight.
"I'm leaving this sorrowful place tomorrow. The only thing I can't let go of are my memories with my mother, sigh."
Ye Chen sighed and climbed onto the kang bed. The kang, a type of traditional Chinese bed made of dry earth and mud, didn't even have a cushion. It was on this same kang that Ye Chen grew up.
Bump~
"Ouch, damn it, I'm about to leave this place and yet I made a fool of myself by falling. I'm even bruising now."
Ye Chen originally planned to rest on the kang but got so lost in his memories with his mother that he forgot about the wooden stool under his feet, accidentally falling onto the earthy kang bed.
"Oh, when it rains it pours. My luck is terrible enough as it is. Now, even my forehead is bleeding. God, can't you see how pitiful I am?"
Ye Chen got up and went to a wooden rack, its red paint nearly peeled off. It held an old rusting washbasin with a red-bordered white background, and the Chinese character for happiness inscribed on it.
This was where Ye Chen would wash up. He brought a scoop of water from the side, washed his face, and looked up into the mirror.
Reflected in the mirror, Ye Chen appeared haggard, his skin was tanned from constantly working in the fields, presenting a healthy wheat color. His facial stubbles grew wild like weed; his eyes were bloodshot and faintly inflamed. His gaze held a profound sense of world-weariness and the place on his forehead where he scraped himself was slowly seeping with blood. If you shave off those rugged stubbles, Ye Chen was quite an attractive man; it's no wonder Xiao Xue fell for him and engaged in a romantic relationship with him.
Casually washing his wound, Ye Chen climbed back on the kang, glanced at the black and white photograph by his bed. The photograph was half torn; in it, a beautiful woman from years ago was holding a two-year-old boy. This was Ye Chen's mother, Liu Shufen. Now, only a photograph remained to evoke memories of his mother.
According to Ye Chen's conjecture, the other half of the photo should be his father. But with his mother's departure, he would never be able to find his own father again.
With a sigh, he carefully placed the photograph into a small pocket inside his clothes, then buttoned it up. He intended to bring this photograph along when he leaves tomorrow.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, Ye Chen suddenly heard a series of synthesized electronic sounds.
"Ding~ Host's physical indicators are healthy, mental stability is normal, conditions for binding are met, binding begins, beep beep beep beep beep beep"
The sudden appearance of artificial electronic sound startled Ye Chen, and he sat up suddenly from the kang, looking around in confusion.
"Ding~ System bonding successful."
Another electronic sound rang in Ye Chen's ears.
"Who?"
Ye Chen shouted in an attempt to reveal whatever was behind this strange occurrence.
"In answer to the host, I am the Agritainment System. Please proceed to react as per your instructions."
A somewhat piercing, emotionless voice echoed out again.
"Who's there playing tricks? Show yourself!"
Ye Chen glanced around, trying to locate the source of the voice.
"The host need not search, the system is integrated into the cerebral cortex of the host's brain. Unless the host opens up his skull, he will not be able to detect this system."
Ye Chen immediately stood up and moved towards the mirror, opening his hair and opening his eyes wide to scrutinize his reflection.
"As I've mentioned, even with a microscope, you won't be able to see this system. This system is divided into two subsystems, the Agritainment subsystem and the God of Kitchen subsystem. The host fulfills the first condition thus unlocking the Agritainment subsystem first. Please accept the first task."
"What kind of nonsense is this? Get out of my head immediately."
Unable to locate the source of the sound, Ye Chen returned to the kang with a gloomy face.
"The host's request cannot be fulfilled; the system is bound for life once bound. In order not to disturb the normal life of the host, system prompts will be presented in text form in the future. Please accept your first task, dear host!"
With these words from the electronic synthesized voice, the voice in Ye Chen's mind completely disappeared.
However, Ye Chen had scarcely found time to cheer up before a block of text floated in front of his eyes.
System message: This system is a brand new intelligent system developed by the people of Alculea. The purpose of the research is to better serve humanity, thereby enabling humans to consume healthier food and enjoy more delicious cuisine. The Alculeans randomly transmitted 100 such systems into the universe. As of now, I am the only system that has reached the Milky Way.
Host information:
Ye Chen: member of China's Huaxia
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Strength: 12
10
Physique: 11
10
Agility: 10
10
Intelligence: 10
10
Farming Talent: None
Unactivated
Culinary Talent: None
Unactivated
Tool: Mini Farm
Skill: None
Overall Rating: Half a Star
Half Star: The host's physical fitness is rated half a star, reaching the standard level of an ordinary person at 10. You will need to work hard to maintain a healthy body. Over the years, have you really been farming?
