Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 172 - 165: Rice is Ready!

[Dragon Lantern Adventure is about to begin]

Seeing the system notification, Han Qiwu’s heart lit up with excitement.

Just as he’d expected.

Having mentally prepared himself, he quickly started reading the game rules.

A few seconds later.

Han Qiwu smiled slightly, quickly said a few words to Mr. Tang, then sat down where he was.

"3"

"2"

"1"

"Beep beep!"

As soon as the whistle sounded, white light flashed before Han Qiwu’s eyes. His vision shifted to the perspective of [Potato], his dragon lantern boat.

The view resembled a first-person boat-driving perspective from a battle royale game, while the distant paths looked like racing tracks from Kart Racer.

With the perspective change, what previously seemed like a mild little stream now appeared as a turbulent, rocking ocean trench.

The game rules were simple. All Han Qiwu had to do was pilot [Potato] and secure a spot in the top ten.

But controlling a "dragon lantern" wasn’t easy. With no rudder, navigation relied entirely on tilting, and the delay in directional adjustment demanded advanced prediction.

Luckily, thanks to his painstaking craftsmanship, Potato now came equipped with two skills.

Active skill [Raise the Sails]: Increases the boat’s speed by 30% upon activation, can only be used once.

Passive skill [Wave Rider]: Grants a temporary speed boost whenever encountering a wave splash.

The former was due to the sail Han Qiwu had intricately carved; the latter emerged from his painstakingly crafted drainage line.

"If I had known it would have such an effect, I should’ve added two small slingshots."

In his view, the river now resembled a battlefield reminiscent of Chibi.

Hundreds of various boats, each glowing with fiery light, surged forward. In near proximity to Han Qiwu, a paper boat and a radish-shaped boat were heading straight toward him.

"I’m dodging!"

Han Qiwu struggled to turn his boat to the right, inching away from the collision point of the two approaching vessels.

Looking ahead at the seemingly endless river of dragon lanterns, Han Qiwu remained unfazed, calmly steering Potato toward the areas with wave splashes.

With the passive skill [Wave Rider] activated, every time Han Qiwu grazed a wave splash, he propelled forward substantially.

"Wow! Your Potato is amazing!"

Just as Han Qiwu expected, Mr. Tang’s voice came through.

"Go, little Potato! Dash to the right! Fewer lanterns over there."

Hearing Tang Qingying’s urging, Han Qiwu maneuvered Potato toward the right.

Once past the chaotic "duck-driving phase," the river of dragon lanterns began to disperse, and controlling left and right movements allowed him to dodge most lanterns.

"This is practically a full-map cheat mode."

Mr. Tang’s constant commentary became Han Qiwu’s secret weapon!

I dash!

I dodge!

I surf!

Ten minutes later, Han Qiwu could already see the enormous dragonhead marking the finish line.

In front of him, a candle-shaped boat was racing at full speed toward the finish.

Or rather, you couldn’t even call that a boat.

Who on earth considers a spindle-shaped candle a boat? freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Earlier in the race, Han Qiwu had clearly witnessed this candleboat being flipped over by a wave. Yet, as soon as its flame extinguished, it rolled over and resumed charging forward.

Isn’t this cheating?

Cheating? Everyone can do that!

[Raise the Sails]!

A transparent film suddenly formed on Potato’s sails, catching the wind and allowing it to zoom forward, swiftly overtaking the cheating candle-submarine and crossing the finish line.

As he passed the finish line, Han Qiwu faintly heard the sound of a dragon’s roar echoing in his ears.

[Congratulations! You’ve won first place in the Dragon Lantern Adventure event]

[Rewards have been issued]

[Dragon Rice] ×20

[Permanent Dragon Gravity +5]

[You’ve learned techniques for exploring dragon lanterns]

After receiving his rewards, Han Qiwu’s vision reverted back to normal.

"Wow! First place! You’re amazing!" Tang Qingying exclaimed, grabbing Han Qiwu’s arm in excitement. As a child, she had participated in this game countless times, always aiming for a spot in the top ten but never succeeding.

"Han Qiwu! Han Qiwu, who’s that?" A staff member carefully held up Potato, shining a flashlight on the boat while reciting the name engraved on it. He couldn’t help but feel amazed—traditionally, participants only carved simple marks on their dragon lanterns, such as "JQK," "Xiao Wang," "airplane," etc.—this was the first time someone had gone as far as inscribing their full name.

"It’s Xiao Han again! He’s incredible!"

"I’m telling you, he’s bound to have dragon luck this year. He’s going to strike it rich!"

"He’s a student! What kind of riches? Clearly, he’s destined for academic success!"

"Forget academics and wealth. Building a family is the most important thing!"

Upon hearing Han Qiwu’s name, nearby aunties grew animated once more.

Han Qiwu shielded Tang Qingying as they pushed into the crowd, eventually spotting Mayor Niu.

"Did you all see that? Education makes a difference—even dragon lanterns run farther and stronger! Go home and make sure your kids study hard!" Mayor Niu shouted, pointing at Han Qiwu.

Han Qiwu flushed with embarrassment.

After his speech, Mayor Niu grinned and lifted the red cloth covering the table, revealing fifty kilograms of rice and a five-liter barrel of peanut oil.

Han Qiwu went over, shook hands, and then started packing his prizes.

Big win!

Thankfully, the awards ceremony wasn’t overly extravagant—no speech required or thank-yous to random TV outlets.

"Xiao Han, you can leave your prizes here for now. It’ll be too tiring to carry them around," Niu Gang said as he pressed Han Qiwu’s hand down, smiling warmly. "Qingying, show Xiao Han around. We’ve got plenty of delicious food here—you can’t find it in the city."

"Already toured! Already toured!" Han Qiwu nodded cautiously, worried Niu Gang might pocket his prizes.

Better to keep his rewards in his own hands.

Evidently, Mr. Tang shared his concerns. As Niu Gang spoke, she cheerfully agreed while surreptitiously grabbed the barrel of peanut oil and bolted.

"Hey!"

Niu Gang instinctively turned toward Tang Qingying, easing his grip on Han Qiwu’s hand.

Seizing the moment, Han Qiwu hefted the fifty kilograms of rice over his shoulder and dashed outside.

"Hahaha!"

"Good job!!!"

"Mayor Niu, looks like you won’t be able to use his rice to host dinner now."

"Exactly! Last year, you used someone else’s oil for skewering, and it still wasn’t enough!"

Hearing the banter among the crowd, Han Qiwu and Tang Qingying exchanged a glance and burst into hearty laughter.

After storing their prizes in the car, Han Qiwu looked up and noticed an old friend at the grain depot.

Or rather, an old friend and his pig.

Today’s pig had dragon horns on its head and a dragon-scale outfit, thoroughly transformed into a dragon pig.

After exchanging a quick goodbye with Mr. Tang, Han Qiwu rushed over, grinning as he greeted, "Show me what goodies you have today!"

"You’re spot on. We’ve got plenty of great stuff today." Little Merchant chuckled, handing Han Qiwu a shopping list.

After handing over the list, Little Merchant added, "Oh, and since it’s the festival, the sale prices match the listed prices—no discounts allowed."