C4 Building Fences

As Liu Feng extended the fishing rod towards Uncle Hai Wei, he suddenly realized something wasn't right. The task was still incomplete, and here he was, handing back the rod. How could he continue the game?

Fortunately, Hai Wei declined the offer: "Keep it, the rod is yours now! Besides, I haven't gone fishing in years!"

"How could I possibly accept this, Uncle Hai Wei?" Liu Feng protested, though he was secretly delighted.

"What's with the shyness, man? Come back tomorrow and fish some more. Maybe I'll get to taste something different."

After parting ways with Hai Wei, Liu Feng hopped on his scooter and returned to his modest bungalow.

With the system's gold coins running low, Liu Feng couldn't afford to entrust the land to the system during daylight hours.

Strapping on the sprayer, he diligently watered the roses with a hissing sound.

"It's amazing how quickly roses grow on system land—in less than a day, look at them!"

He watered the roses with a contented smile, noting there was still plenty of time left in the day.

"Now, what to do?" he pondered.

"I've got plenty of energy left. I'll develop three more plots and plant the lavender seeds!"

Grabbing his sickle, Liu Feng set out to clear the grass.

"Can't cut through?" he gasped in astonishment. The weeds on the system land were tougher than steel wire.

Unable to cut or pull them out, he was puzzled until the system suddenly blinked.

[Prompt: Open the System Map]

Following the prompt, Liu Feng accessed the map, which zoomed in and focused on the System Land.

The entire area blinked red with a message:

[The System Land Fence is not yet constructed. High risk of leakage. Host, please build the System Land Fence first.]

"No development without a fence?" Liu Feng sighed in frustration.

"Fine, I'll plan out the System Fence."

He clicked on the fence planning option, and the required materials popped up:

102 small logs, each 10cm in diameter and 150cm in length; 2mm diameter iron wire, 310m in length.

"I'll need to head to the lumberyard for the logs, but I can pick up the iron wire at the store. I'll buy the wire first!"

Liu Feng was feeling pretty hopeless. Securing over a hundred logs was no easy task!

"Hey, System, do I have to chop the logs myself at the system logging field, or can I just buy them?"

"No! The System Land Barrier can only be constructed with materials designated by the System. You must obtain logs from the logging field, and iron wire must be purchased from the System Shop or refined at the System Mine."

Liu Feng muttered to himself, "Buy, buy, buy."

He rode his small motorcycle to the System Shop, where the same beautiful NPC lady greeted him.

"Hello, do you need to purchase something or sell System Crops?"

[Sell] [Buy]

Liu Feng tapped on 'Buy,' and a search bar popped up.

Using his thoughts, he entered: 2mm iron wire, 310 meters.

The system pinged—a successful search.

2mm iron wire: 1 gold coin per meter.

310 gold coins vanished in a flash, and Liu Feng felt the sting of loss.

After transporting the iron wire back home on his motorcycle, it was time to head to the logging field.

The logging field was a good five kilometers away.

Liu Feng raced along, enjoying the rush of wind despite not being in a hurry.

In under ten minutes, he reached his destination.

"This is definitely a logging field," Liu Feng remarked upon seeing an elderly man at the entrance of a small cabin.

Approaching, he greeted, "Excuse me, sir. Does this logging field have small logs available?"

The old man gave Liu Feng a once-over and asked, "Yes, how many do you need, and what specifications? Do you have a timber transport permit?"

A transport permit?

Liu Feng was taken aback. Was it really that complicated?

"Sir, I need logs 10cm in diameter and 150cm long, 102 of them."

Liu Feng figured he'd sort out the timber first and worry about transport later.

"What? You call those logs? That's kindling!" the old man scoffed.

Liu Feng realized he was right; these were meant for making fences, or rather, pickets!

"Uh, sir, I'm actually looking to build a fence for my vegetable garden," Liu Feng clarified.

"Oh, is that so? Well, check out the scrap pile over there! There's plenty for your needs. Help yourself to as much as you want," the old man said before heading back inside.

Liu Feng, "???"

Staring at the scattered scraps of wood, Liu Feng's head throbbed with the onset of a headache. But there was no other option; he had to get on with the task.

He retrieved an axe from his system backpack and set out to find a suitable piece of wood. It didn't take long before he had felled the first log. Holding it in his hands, Liu Feng took a moment to appreciate his handiwork.

"Kind of resembles Sun Wukong's magical staff!" he mused.

In just ten minutes, he had chopped down three logs.

Liu Feng was working at a good pace, and what mattered most was his discovery that this activity didn't deplete his system's energy. This thoughtful feature of the system gave him a sense of relief.

"I'm a lumberjack, I'm the mighty Bald Strong!" he chanted to himself.

But after an hour, with only fifteen logs to show for his efforts, Liu Feng felt a sense of despair creeping in. How long would it take to gather a hundred logs?

[Ding!] The system notification chimed.

[Congratulations to the host for achieving the milestone: Junior Lumberjack]

[Achievement Reward: Logs with a diameter of 15cm and a length of 3m x 40 have been added to your system backpack.]

Liu Feng's face lit up with a grin; the system was like a real dad to him—fantastic!

But after the rush of excitement, Liu Feng wanted to double-check: "A log with a 15cm diameter can be used for a fence, right?"

"Why not?" came the reply.

"Oh yeah!" Liu Feng cheered, practically dancing with joy.

Just then, an elderly man stepped outside and caught sight of the scene.

"What are you up to, young man?"

"Nothing much, sir, thanks! I'll be taking these fence posts now."

Liu Feng secured fifteen small logs onto his little motorbike and transported them home in one trip. That little bike was surprisingly robust.

With materials ready, Liu Feng set to work on the fence. He sharpened one end of each log, positioned it at the edge of the square plot of land, and stood it upright. Then, with the blunt side of his axe, he hammered it into the ground. A 150cm log would stick out about 120cm once secured.

He repeated the process, driving the second log into the ground a meter away, then the third, and the fourth...

By the tenth stake, the system alerted him: Stamina -10.

"What the heck? Does this use up Stamina? I'll need 100 points of Stamina to hammer in all these stakes!"

Liu Feng was dismayed by the physical toll—it was more than he could bear!

After a morning's labor, his Stamina was depleted. Thirty-five stakes were in place, and he'd watered them twice.

"I'm starving. Time to eat."

Setting aside his axe, Liu Feng headed home to cook. Ten small yellowfish should be enough to fully replenish his Stamina.

But Liu Feng didn't want to go through his stock of fish all at once. Yet, some things had to be done, like it or not. Without a fridge, the fish would spoil if not eaten.

So, Liu Feng decided to eat them all. Time to start a fire!

The stove roared to life.

"What to do? I'll make a bowl of fish soup! Add water, drop in the fish, and light it up!"

In truth, Liu Feng couldn't cook, so soup was his only option.

[Why not learn to cook from 庖丁?]

The system interface popped up.

"庖丁? Isn't he just skilled at butchering cows?" Liu Feng questioned.

"庖丁, a renowned chef, the God of Food!" the system replied.

"Then let's give it a shot!"

A recipe materialized on the system interface.

庖丁's Secret Small Yellow Fish:

Ten small yellow fish, a suitable amount of green onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and cooking wine, marinated for half an hour.

Pour 500ml of sesame oil into a large pot and heat it to 200 degrees Celsius. Add the small yellow fish and fry until golden brown, then remove.

The kid next door was drooling with envy.

Friendly reminder: Don't eat it right after removing it from the pot. It's too hot, and besides, there's another step.

Next step:

Dice a suitable amount of green peppers and tomatoes. Stir-fry in sesame oil until 90% cooked, then add some water and bring to a simmer. Add the fried small yellow fish!

Wait five minutes, and then you can savor the delicious, spicy small yellow fish.

"It's no big deal!" Liu Feng scoffed.

"This is the culinary skill of the God of Food? That's it?"

Despite his disdain, Liu Feng's hands were quite honest. Following the recipe's prompts, he began cooking step by step.

An hour later, a full basin of small yellow fish was ready, and Liu Feng was salivating.

"Wow, that's delicious!"

He first savored a spoonful of the rich, tangy fish soup, followed by a taste of the tender, sweet small yellow fish that melted in his mouth!

"庖丁牛! If I have the time, I'll learn a hundred or so recipes from it. I could even open a restaurant!"

The system interjected: "庖丁's recipes, 500 yuan for a single lesson. Please make the payment immediately, Host!"

"What?" Liu Feng was so startled he nearly spit out the fish soup.

Setting down the pot, he grabbed a large kitchen knife and exclaimed, "What did you say? You want money for this?"

But whom could he chop? The system was integrated into his body, so he couldn't very well chop himself!

"Please pay!"

But the system was relentless, showing no consideration for Liu Feng.

"What a rip-off! This is coercion! It's downright extortion! I should take you to court!" Liu Feng ranted while begrudgingly handing over 500 yuan.

Then, with a sly grin, he taunted, "Now, let's see how you're going to snatch my 500 yuan from me, huh?"