A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

"Huh?!" Motoori Kosuzu looked at Natsumi in surprise, then at Hieda Akyuu. "Why do you say that?!"

"Could it be that, without my knowledge, you have already betrothed me to my brother as his bride?"

Chapter Sixty-Seven: A Day in the Life of Oxen and Horses

"Goodbye, brother!"

Goodbye, Xiaoling.

In front of Suzuna-an, Motoori Kosuki stood on tiptoe, waving vigorously at Natsumi, her face beaming with a bright smile.

Xia Xun smiled and waved goodbye to her, only turning around after that orange figure disappeared behind the door.

With the yokai incident at the temple school successfully resolved, the temporary yokai-catching team was disbanded.

"Here, this is Reimu's, and this is yours, Marisa."

Xia Xun held a stack of brand-new books in her arms, took out two from them, and handed them to Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame, who were standing next to her.

"What is this?" Marisa Kirisame asked curiously, taking the book and flipping through a few pages.

I discovered it was a detective novel titled "Was It All the Work of a Monster?", which was quite interesting.

"Xia Xun, so you like detective novels." She picked up the book and weighed it in her hand, then looked at the large pile of similar books in Xia Xun's arms and asked in confusion, "But why did you buy so many?"

"I'm giving them to friends as gifts," Xia Xun replied casually, putting the remaining books from her arms into her backpack one by one. "Besides, these were written by A-Qiu, aren't you curious?"

"Huh?! It was actually written by Akyuu!" Marisa Kirisame exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening before a smile spread across her face. "Then I'll have to take a good look at it!"

She carefully put the book away, then hopped on the broom and waved to Natsumi and Reimu Hakurei: "I'm off now! I played all morning, and this afternoon I have to investigate the recent monster sightings."

"Anomaly, anomaly, here I come~!"

Before she finished speaking, the broom sprayed out dazzling stardust from its tail, carrying her into the sky with a "whoosh".

Watching Marisa Kirisame's figure disappear into the horizon, Natsumi thought for a moment and looked at Reimu Hakurei, saying, "Reimu, Marisa said there was a mutation, is that okay?"

"It's alright, Marisa always talks about 'incidents' no matter what." With a casual wave of her hand, Reimu Hakurei flipped through the novel in her hand: "Just leave it alone, she'll be back in a couple of days."

"Recently, it's just hibernating little monsters coming out; there's nothing to worry about."

Upon hearing this, Xia Xun, confirming that she still trusted the shrine maiden's professional judgment, nodded: "Alright, let's go to work then."

He strode off toward his Stardew Valley farm, and Reimu Hakurei hummed in agreement, continuing to peruse the novel in her hands as she followed slowly behind him.

The thought of starting large-scale sowing tomorrow and having to clear all the farmland today filled Xia Xun with a sense of urgency, and he quickened his pace involuntarily.

Fifteen acres of land! If it's all planted, the future harvest is simply exciting to think about!

"Reimu, hurry up!" Xia Xun turned around and urged, seeing that Reimu was still engrossed in her book, he simply reached out and grabbed her wrist, "Time waits for no one, we have to hurry!"

"Huh? Wait, wait!" Reimu Hakurei stumbled from the sudden pull. She was about to look up and glare at him when Xia Xun dragged her several meters away.

A gust of wind ruffled the hair on her forehead. She looked at the energetic figure ahead, full of hope for the future, and swallowed back the complaint that was on the tip of her tongue.

Forget it.

She sighed softly, but a slight smile curved her lips as she let Xia Xun pull her along, running in the warm spring afternoon breeze.

就這樣吧。

The two quickly returned to the farm.

Looking around, apart from the first plot of land that was cleared, the remaining fourteen plots are still covered by waist-high weeds that sway gently in the wind.

"Great, let's get started!" Xia Xun stretched her body, which had been enhanced by both blessing and magic, and felt full of energy.

Drawing his sharp sickle, he pointed it at the wasteland with a childish air and declared with boundless pride, "Watch me conquer you all this afternoon! Hahaha~!"

Reimu Hakurei, who was sitting on the edge of the field preparing to continue reading, turned her face away silently upon hearing this sudden declaration, pretending not to recognize this suddenly crazy person.

Xia Xun didn't care about any of that. He gripped the sickle tightly and charged into the thicket of weeds like a human lawnmower.

Where the sickle swung, the dense weeds were cut off at the roots, then turned into specks of light and disappeared, leaving only neatly piled grass, fibers and some scattered mixed seeds.

His enhanced physique was indeed impressive, and combined with the amazing effects of the Stardew Valley sickle, his efficiency was astonishing.

In just two and a half hours, the weeds on the fourteen acres of land were cleared away completely, with an efficiency comparable to small machinery, and the effect was even more thorough.

"Huff~ Huff~" Standing by the field, Xia Xun wiped the sweat rolling down her forehead. Her coarse cloth clothes were already soaked with sweat and clung tightly to her skin.

Although his physique is not what it used to be, he is not a superhuman who is immune to heat and cold. The continuous high-intensity work still made him feel tired and hot.

However, it's okay.

Xia Xun smirked, raised her right hand, palm up.

A pale blue magical light shone, and the moisture in the air quickly gathered, forming a clear water sphere above his palm. The water sphere rose and expanded, transforming into a small rain cloud, from which a gentle, cool raindrop began to fall.

The sweltering heat was instantly swept away, and Xia Xun stretched out her arms with delight, letting the self-created rain wash over her body, taking away her fatigue and stickiness.

Modern health knowledge tells him that sudden changes in temperature are bad for his health, but the feeling of comfort at this moment says that this is really great.

Moreover, his physique is already far beyond that of ordinary people, and he also has magic at his side. If he feels unwell, he can talk to my Stardew Valley upgrade and full recovery mechanism.

Under the shade of a tree in the distance, Reimu Hakurei had already put down her book.

She was initially drawn to the commotion Xia Xun was making, but when she looked up, she saw him stretching out his body in the rain.

The soaked clothes outlined the boy's strong and smooth muscle lines, which were faintly visible in the fine rain.

Reimu Hakurei looked away quickly, as if she had been burned, her face inexplicably hot.

She subconsciously raised the book higher, trying to cover her face, and inwardly spat, "Pah! This shameless guy, actually taking a shower in broad daylight in the wild!"

But after a while, her gaze couldn't help but sneak away from the edge of the book.

Hmm... I'll just take one more look. Anyway, it's his shamelessness, not my problem.

Thinking this way, Reimu Hakurei satisfied her curiosity without any qualms.

So this is what a boy's body looks like... Hey~, he looks pretty sturdy.

After the temperature dropped, Xia Xun waved to disperse the rain clouds, while simultaneously manipulating the water flow to remove all the moisture from her body and clothes.

The clothes dried instantly, but inevitably left many wrinkles, clinging tightly to the body, making the wearer look quite disheveled.

"Ah..." Xia Xun looked down at her clothes, which were all wrinkled up. Helplessly, she tried to smooth out the stubborn wrinkles with her hands, but to little avail.

"Hmph, I'll go back tonight and study basic fire magic, and then I'll see if I can come up with an ironing technique." He said helplessly, giving up on his futile efforts.

Then, turning to look at Reimu Hakurei under the shade of a tree, Xia Xun realized that she seemed to be engrossed in reading and had not noticed her awkward situation. Only then did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

In reality, the moment Natsumi's gaze swept over her, Reimu Hakurei quickly covered her face with the book and turned her head away, pretending to look at the scenery.

Only when she felt the gaze move away did she quietly lift her book to confirm that Xia Xun had picked up the hoe again and started turning the soil, and had not noticed her spying. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Phew~, thankfully we weren't discovered.

Her gaze returned to the novel in her hands. This detective story written by Hieda Akyuu had a tightly woven plot and was indeed very interesting.

Next time I see her, I'll ask her when the next volume will be published.

As the sun sets, it paints the clouds on the horizon with a dazzling golden-red hue.

As the last rays of sunlight were about to disappear below the horizon, Xia Xun finally straightened her aching back.

"Plop!" The last hoe fell, and the freshly turned soil released its unique fragrance.

"It's done! It's finally all done—!"

Looking at the neat and orderly 14 mu of farmland waiting to be sown, he felt a strong sense of accomplishment and couldn't help but shout out in joy.

After the excitement subsided, fatigue followed. He looked around for Reimu Hakurei and found her still leaning against the same big tree.

Xia Xun put away the hoe and walked over quietly.

As he got closer, he realized that the book was covering most of her face. He bent down and gently removed the book.

A peaceful sleeping face came into view.

A gentle evening breeze stirred, causing a few strands of her black hair to flutter lightly, and the red ribbon tied in her hair to sway gently with them. She leaned against a thick tree trunk, her breathing even and long, her small nostrils flaring slightly with each breath, and her lips parted slightly as she exhaled soft breaths.

The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light on Reimu Hakurei, creating a serene and beautiful scene.

At this moment, the girl shed her usual laziness and money-grubbing nature, appearing exceptionally peaceful, even making Xia Xun feel somewhat distant and reluctant to disturb her.

"Gulp—"

Just then, a clear rumbling sound broke the silence.

Reimu Hakurei's eyelashes trembled a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes, just in time to meet Xia Xun's face, which was inches away from hers.

"Xia Xun?" She blinked groggily, then snapped back to reality, a hopeful smile immediately spreading across her face. "Did he come to call me for dinner?!"

Xia Xun looked at the suddenly incredibly realistic Reimu Hakurei and couldn't help but chuckle, the sense of distance in her heart vanishing completely.

“Yes, it’s time to go back for dinner.” He reached out and pulled Reimu Hakurei up from the ground.

"Yay—!" Reimu Hakurei cheered happily, but then remembered something and asked, "Eh? Weren't we supposed to go night fishing tonight?"

"I'm not fishing anymore," Xia Xun replied matter-of-factly, rubbing his still aching back. "Even oxen and horses need rest."

"I'm exhausted today. I'm going to have a good meal when I get home, and then go to sleep!"

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Preparations for the Festival

The moon rises, casting a gentle silver glow.

squeak-

Xia Xun pushed open her wooden door, carrying a wooden box and leading Hakurei Reimu into the house.

"Lingmeng, sit for a while. I'll go change my clothes, and then we'll go eat." He casually said this, then turned and went into the room with the wooden box in his arms.

Back in her room, Xia Xun put down the wooden box and casually opened the lid to take stock of the day's weeding harvest.

246 parts fiber, 112 bundles of grass, and 49 mixed seeds.

"Hmm, we have enough fiber to make the scarecrow tomorrow." He muttered to himself, "I also need to go to the blacksmith's to buy a batch of coal, copper ingots, and iron ingots."

As for going into the mine, Xia Xun doesn't even know where the mine is. Besides, there are definitely monsters in the mine. He'd better wait until he's stronger before considering it.

Turning my gaze to the money column, the current balance is 23131 coins.

He did a quick mental calculation: one mu (a Chinese unit of area) is about 666 square meters, and fourteen and a half mu of land would require a total of about 9657 seeds.

Xia Xun thought to herself that if she sold the catch tomorrow morning, she should have enough money to buy seeds, but she would have to choose some cheap ones, like potatoes.

This planting is crucial to the future of Stardew Valley Farm. Once these crops mature and are harvested, the farm's start-up capital will be secured.

I'll have to carefully select the seeds tomorrow.

With that thought in mind, Xia Xun casually gathered water, quickly washed up, changed into clean clothes, and left the room.

"Let's go, Reimu, let's go to Nitun-tei for dinner," Xia Xun called out.

"Nani-tun-tei? Really!" Upon hearing this, Reimu Hakurei's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly.

Today, the Nitun Pavilion is still bustling with activity and lively crowds.

Ding-a-ling—

The door was pushed open, and the wind chimes tinkled softly.

"Welcome!"

A lively welcoming voice immediately rang out, and when Okunoda Miyo looked up and saw Natsumi and Hakurei Reimu, her smile became even brighter.

"Xia Xun, Ling Meng, good evening! What would you like to eat tonight?" She greeted them warmly and led them to a relatively quiet corner to sit down.

"Well, as for me, you can just recommend whatever you like, Miyo." Xia Xun thought for a moment and realized that she wasn't very familiar with the recipes for the Minamoto-tei restaurant, so she decided to leave it to the expert.

“Me too, another shot of sake.” Reimu Hakurei made the same choice, but ordered drinks on the side.

"Then leave it to me~!" Upon hearing this, Okunoda Miyo raised her slender arm and made a cute cheering gesture to the two of them, then turned briskly towards the kitchen.

Xia Xun smiled as he watched her energetic figure disappear into the distance. When he looked away, he noticed that Reimu Hakurei was looking at him with disdain.

"W-what are you doing?" Xia Xun felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and asked back with a hint of embarrassment.

"Hmph, nothing." Reimu Hakurei snorted and pouted. "I was just looking at some pervert."

"That's slander! I was appreciating beauty!" Xia Xun immediately retorted loudly, resolutely refusing to accept the accusation.