Mountain Looting: Targeted by a Leopard at the Start
Chapter 183 - 182: Treasure Compass Upgrade,

Chapter 183: Chapter 182: Treasure Compass Upgrade,

After returning to the farm from Heavenly Lake, Xu Yang took out the rewards from the Treasure Hunting Task.

Diao Brand Laundry Detergent.

This reward had him feeling a bit clueless.

Items like down jackets couldn’t be washed in the washing machine.

But the system said this detergent was much stronger than regular ones, so he might as well use it for now.

Anyway, he always had a lot of clothes to wash from his trips into the mountains.

There wasn’t much else to do on the farm.

Recently, Xu Yang had bought some cherry seeds and was planning to plant them in the greenhouse once the weather warmed up.

Lately, the greenhouse where he previously planted corn was half-empty and he hadn’t planted anything else there, mainly because the weather was too cold and the cost of electricity for temperature control was substantial.

So he decided not to plant anything for the time being.

The next day, Xu Yang sat in his study, tallying up a stack of bills.

It was the end of November and for the last two days of each month, Xu Yang always audited the farm’s accounts.

Typically, large farms and companies have dedicated financial staff to handle the accounts and the boss just needs to review the final report.

Most of these accounts are already approved by the boss, including basic expenses like electricity, water, food, and others.

But Xu Yang’s small farm wasn’t that big, and hiring an accountant would be an extra expense.

The accounts weren’t numerous, so it was clear enough for him to manage on his own.

"Wow, the electricity bill is quite something this month."

"Adjusting the fixed temperature, the electricity expense at night is significantly higher."

Xu Yang mused as he looked over the bills.

You never really understand how expensive daily necessities are until you manage your own household.

Only when you run your own farm do you realize expenses are everywhere.

Electricity, water, food, salaries, and wear and tear on basic infrastructure.

Xu Yang would press some numbers on the calculator, then jot down a few digits on paper, clearly busy.

The two dogs and the Sika Deer were all waiting for him outside the yard.

The Leopard was resting in its own den.

"Overall, it’s still profitable. The corn brought in quite a bit of money, and the strawberries and dragon fruit have broken even."

Xu Yang calculated the profit situation.

One greenhouse’s yield had earned roughly a hundred thousand, with corn being the main contributor.

"Earning a profit of 100,000 in a greenhouse per year is my ideal situation."

"Now this greenhouse is making more than 100,000, all thanks to good luck with harvesting two corn stalks. Otherwise, it would’ve been just 50 or 60 thousand."

"But this is only half a year, and there’s more to earn with another round of strawberries and dragon fruit."

"Not bad, the farm’s operation is quite normal."

Xu Yang thought to himself as he looked at the numbers he had calculated.

He was a smart man, always thorough in his considerations.

Running a farm isn’t that simple.

"Next up are the blueberries and Annona. Blueberries are fairly straightforward, but Annona is a bit tricky."

"It’s also my fault for being too impulsive and planting too many at once."

Xu Yang tapped his notebook with the end of his pen, looking rather serious.

In this period, Xu Yang had also been researching the market.

There were many buyers for blueberries.

Even if Xu Yang couldn’t find a direct channel, he could still make money by selling to buyers.

But Annona was a different story; buyers were afraid they wouldn’t be able to sell it.

Being niche has its disadvantages.

The best approach was to sell to supermarkets, but they couldn’t handle such large quantities.

The Annona harvest from two greenhouses was substantial, it would take several trips with a big truck to transport it all.

Annona is a tropical fruit, so greenhouse cultivation cost some money, meaning he definitely had to find a way to sell it.

"Back then, I saw Annona sold at high prices in the supermarket and thought I could plant more to make more money."

"That was a lesson learned."

"Luckily, there is still a month or two to go."

"I can look for channels."

"There will be someone to buy it, even further south if necessary."

"Even if I have to deliver to Kyoto City, it’s more diverse there and should sell better."

Xu Yang closed the book.

The farm had seen overall good development this month.

Next, the focus would be on one greenhouse of blueberries and two greenhouses of Annona.

For him, this was a crucial step.

This step would determine how much he invested in the farm after spring.

Xu Yang planned to proceed steadily, taking big strides forward only when stable enough.

If not stable, he would take small steps.

He came out of the room and the dogs and the Sika Deer were all waiting for him in the yard.

The Leopard also emerged from the house.

It was time to take them for a walk, something Xu Yang had forgotten.

"Let’s go, let’s go for a walk."

"I went to Heavenly Lake yesterday and didn’t accompany you all."

"Today we’ll get more exercise."

"Let me also let Jingzhe out."

Xu Yang called the little ones to head out.

His routines included walking the dogs, the Sika Deer, and the Leopard.

Xu Yang went to the stables and let the horses out as well.

He didn’t need a horse saddle, so he just rode directly on Jingzhe’s back.

Since there was no need for vigorous running, bareback riding was no problem. If the horse needed to run vigorously, then a saddle would be necessary, otherwise his butt would definitely not be able to handle it.

The black horse Jingzhe was exceptionally obedient.

It saw the other little fellows and greeted them.

Afterward, Xu Yang rode out from the living area and circled around the outside of the farm.

The little fellows all followed him.

Xu Yang’s speed wasn’t fast; it was just a daily airing out.

He strolled in front, while the animals followed around him.

Being the number one stroller on Changbai Mountain was not a joke.

Most people didn’t have the leisure and grace that he did.

Xu Yang rode the horse, inspecting the land outside the farm.

This area was specifically for renting out fields, just a short distance away a large expanse of land and farms had been rented by the Agricultural University, and not far ahead there was another vacant farm.

Since there were fewer people around now, there were more and more vacant lands.

The people in Xu Yang’s village mainly grew mushrooms, which were cultivated in the woods, so they didn’t need to rent extra land.

Therefore, this zone had always been deserted.

"It’s a bit of a waste to leave it deserted; we could plant more things."

"Next year, I’ll rent it over."

"Rent another hundred acres, and incorporate this piece as well."

Xu Yang began to plan his land.

In their area, people cared about land ownership; even in matchmaking, one would ask how many acres of land the other party had, since land represented money.

Of course, the land in question here referred to ancestral fields, with rented land not included.

But renting land was cheap, and it wouldn’t cost Xu Yang much to rent two hundred acres.

"In the future, I’ll rent a bigger place for you, raise more animals."

"Right now, there are only a few of you, which is too few."

"A typical farm should have at least four or five dogs."

Xu Yang looked at Little Black and Yuanbao, as well as Meihua Deer Bambi and Leopard Xiao Hua, and said something to them.

The larger the place felt, the emptier it seemed.

"Next year it should be possible to expand."

"By then, relying on the produce from the land, I’ll be able to support everyone and all the animals on the farm, and I’ll be able to earn a bit more money, too."

"It really is comfortable to have your own land!"

Xu Yang wandered around the area.

This was a large piece of wasteland that had not yet been developed, which seemed a pity to look at.

But it couldn’t be helped, earning money from farming is not easy.

In Beidahuang the production of grain is too abundant, enough to feed a whole country.

Moreover, from another perspective, affordable agricultural product prices are a good thing for the common people.

You’ve got to make money from agriculture based on this premise.

While Xu Yang strolled outside, the workers, having finished their tasks, gathered together, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting leisurely.

"Our farmer is really at ease, among so many people who open farms in the city, he seems the most relaxed."

"It’s really true, a classmate of mine runs a farm, and after a few years he looks a decade older. Our farmer, every day he’s cheerful, and does a good job too."

"That’s because our farmer is capable, and smart, some people just have the knack for doing everything well."

The three of them felt quite comfortable working on the farm.

With low local prices and wages, having such a job was quite good.

Aunt Zhang came almost every day to cook for the farm, arriving on a bicycle.

Her cooking was very good, and everyone loved it.

Aunt Zhang was also happy to come over. On the one hand, she could solve her own meal issues here, on the other hand, Xu Yang would give a bit extra money to Li Shan.

Since there wasn’t much to do in the village anyway, she came to help out on the farm.

Xu Yang’s farm had more of a feel of a cooperative from the 90s, with a bit more human touch than a corporation.

Xu Yang had always paid close attention to the atmosphere of the farm.

His idea was to strictly screen the employees who entered the farm; if the person had no issues, everything else was negotiable.

A day went by in such a leisurely and carefree manner.

In the evening, Xu Yang checked his popularity value.

Unconsciously, his popularity value had broken one million.

Whether to go for a special-level lottery or to upgrade the Treasure Compass, Xu Yang still chose the latter.

The lottery was just a one-time opportunity, but the Treasure Compass was useful every day.

"[Host chooses to upgrade the Treasure Compass, upgrading in progress...]"

"[Unlock new function: Treasure Hunting Task search radius expanded, Treasure Hunting attempts maximum storage limit increased to 8, Treasure Hunting function depth under the surface upgraded to 5 meters.]"

"[Using 4 Treasure Hunting attempts can be exchanged for one Treasure Hunting Task.]"

"[Next upgrade requires popularity value: 2 million]"

A series of prompt sounds arose in Xu Yang’s mind.

Hearing the prompt, Xu Yang smiled.

That was great, not only did the maximum storage increase, but the number of Treasure Hunting attempts needed to exchange for a task had decreased as well.

If he rested for eight days and then went into the mountains, he could trigger two Treasure Hunting Tasks.

What’s more, the timing was more flexible. He could go into the mountains whenever he wanted, and if not, just wait a few days.

"Sure enough, the Treasure Compass is the biggest treasure."

"The upgraded functions became much stronger."

"It’s perfect for winter when I can’t go into the mountains so frequently."

"Having more chances saved up is just right."

Xu Yang thought to himself.

The days ahead could be a bit more relaxed.