Farming Games are All About Grinding
Chapter 325 - 316: Competitive Spirit

Chapter 325: Chapter 316: Competitive Spirit

After walking for about half an hour, the two arrived at the seaside.

The cloudy weather made the seaside especially cool, with the small sea breeze whooshing past.

The deep blue ocean was incredibly calm, occasionally flashing with streaks of shimmering light.

Gazing at the sea, Tang Qingying suddenly recalled the Fishing King competition and turned to Han Qiwu to explain: "Oh, right, when I returned to the town three years ago, I saw a Fishing King competition. Mr. Huang had made the rules quite intricate; there are three categories: speed fishing, weight fishing, and variety fishing. They compete on hook speed, fish weight, and the number of different fish species caught. All competitions use hand rods, and the choice of fishing hooks is unrestricted. You can use things like cluster explosion hooks or centipede hooks, as long as the total number doesn’t exceed eight."

"Sounds pretty interesting, huh?" Han Qiwu chuckled.

No matter what the rules are, I’ll stick to one rod and one hook.

Not because I’m young and reckless.

I just don’t have much gear, you know.

"Yeah, the prizes are quite decent. When the time comes, just let me know the exact timing, and I’ll come back to cheer for you," Tang Qingying said with a smile. "With me around, I guarantee your win!"

"Impressive." Han Qiwu clapped his hands and asked, "So, what do we plan to fish for today?"

"Anything’s fine. I’ll leave it up to you. Honestly, half a Ling cod would be more than enough for me," Tang Qingying said while shaking the large bag in her hand.

"Then let’s just fish at Brother Jing’s dock. Anything we catch there works," Han Qiwu suggested. Although the harvest from that stretch of sea had been somewhat slim lately, it was nearby, safe, and Brother Jing had kitchen supplies there that could be used.

Convenient.

"Alright, sounds good. I wonder if my uncle’s back though," Tang Qingying nodded. "Today, I’m going to show you my fishing skills!"

"Whoa, that fierce? Now I really have to see this," Han Qiwu exaggerated playfully.

The two continued to chat and laugh. After arriving at the fishing inn, they dropped off their things, grabbed their rods, and sat by the seaside to begin their fishing.

Before they started, Han Qiwu purposely found a spot with plenty of bubbles and sneakily threw in ten portions of bait. After prepping the area, he called Tang Qingying over to fish there.

It wasn’t every day Mr. Tang came by, so he had to make sure her fishing experience was top-notch.

The bait’s effectiveness didn’t disappoint. Within just three minutes, Mr. Tang stood up in excitement, pulling up a breeze and exclaiming gleefully, "I caught one!"

"What kind of fish is it?" Han Qiwu turned his head with a smile and asked.

"A soldier fish! Just right, we can roast this one later," Tang Qingying said with a hint of pride, "Watch this, your big sister is going to catch a few more and make sure you’re stuffed!"

Han Qiwu couldn’t help but chuckle at Tang Qingying’s tone, which sounded like she was coaxing a child.

"You?"

"Watch me instead!"

Han Qiwu discreetly threw ten more portions of bait into Tang Qingying’s area before turning back to pick up "Red Sun" and started fishing with maximum effort.

"Swish swish swish swish swish!"

In just ten minutes, Han Qiwu had reeled in thirteen fish.

"How are you so fast?" Tang Qingying became a bit flustered and began imitating Han Qiwu, quickly reeling in and replacing bait, relying entirely on luck.

"That’s skill." Han Qiwu chuckled and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re full. The extra fish, I’ll dry them into fish jerky for you to take next time."

"Hmph! Who wants to eat fish jerky!" Tang Qingying pouted, turning away to focus on quickly reeling in and replacing bait.

I’ve got skills too!

It’s just that, after secretly learning Han Qiwu’s technique, Tang Qingying’s fish haul started piling up as well.

Though, this wasn’t really because the rapid reeling and baiting technique was particularly effective.

It was purely the result of the bait luring more fish to the area.

A blind cat can catch a dead mouse.

Two hours later.

The big fish barrel Han Qiwu had brought was already brimming with sea fish, packed densely inside.

This was even after Han Qiwu deliberately eased up in the latter half.

With his fishing level so high, such ordinary waters could no longer satisfy Han Qiwu’s fishing ambitions.

Not much of a challenge here.

Feeling content, Han Qiwu stole a glance at Tang Qingying.

The sea breeze ruffled her blouse, lifted the ends of her hair, and stirred Han Qiwu’s heart.

Hold on a second.

Han Qiwu suddenly felt like something was off.

Why was he competing with Tang Qingying to catch more fish?

Wouldn’t it be nicer to just savor the scenery?

The "scenery"—Tang Qingying—was unaware of Han Qiwu’s realization. She had long given up trying to fish quickly, instead leisurely enjoying the fun of fishing.

She had made peace with it.

She simply couldn’t out-fish Han Qiwu.

But that was okay.

When it came to research papers, she still had authority.

"Han Qiwu, how’s the project going? How are the cauliflower crops growing?" Tang Qingying turned, smiling, just in time to catch Han Qiwu gazing fixedly at her.

Her face flushed again.

This time, his face didn’t.

People, after all, tend to develop thick skin over time.

"Not bad. We’ve successfully induced the first generation already. In a few months, we should have results," Han Qiwu replied confidently.

"That fast? You’re making great progress," Tang Qingying quickly followed his lead, eager to avoid the sound of her own heartbeat.

After speaking, she turned her head thoughtfully and said, "Our research hasn’t made much progress yet. I don’t really know why my grandpa’s elder brother is in such a rush, suddenly grouping us together to study ways to increase rice yield when we haven’t done much preparatory work."

"Maybe there’s some other plan in place afterward," Han Qiwu casually reassured her. "Don’t stress too much. Rice research isn’t something that can be done in a day or two. By the way, which strain of male parent are you using this time?"

The two followed this topic and chatted for over an hour.

The noon sunlight poured through the gaps in the clouds, falling onto the ocean in streaks of gold, and draped over the beauty’s figure like a luminous veil.

"Are you hungry? How about we grill and eat while we’re at it?" Seeing Tang Qingying looking somewhat tired, Han Qiwu proactively suggested.

"Sure!" Tang Qingying perked up at the mention of food, carrying the fishing rods as they returned to the fishing inn.

Han Qiwu found a few bricks nearby and skillfully built a small makeshift barbecue pit. When Tang Qingying wasn’t looking, he slipped two pieces of secret Lightning Realm charcoal into the pit.

This stuff was far superior to regular charcoal—consistent temperature and long-lasting.

After lighting it, Han Qiwu placed a layer of grill mesh on top and pulled out a bag of salt, sprinkling it generously over the charcoal and mesh.

"Never thought you’d be someone who grills salt," Tang Qingying teased with a laugh.

Han Qiwu played along: "That’s right! The salt grilled like this turns into scorched salt—fragrant and spicy."

"Huh? This is how pepper salt is made?" Tang Qingying asked, half-believing. "But where’s your chili?"

"It’s on the charcoal! It’s already roasted into ash and fused with the salt," Han Qiwu replied, deadpan nonsense.

"You little rascal, quit fooling my niece!"

At that moment, a gruff voice boomed from behind the house.

Tang Jing had returned.