Chapter 5: Tremendous Strength

The next morning, Amy not only didn’t stay in bed as usual, but actually got up early without even a trace of grogginess.

When she lifted her head to look at the clock, it was only six-thirty.

She could hardly believe it—she had actually managed to wake up before seven without an alarm clock.

This must be the power of farming.

She folded the quilt, brushed her teeth, washed her face, tied up her hair, and after finishing all these tasks, began her breakfast: the two croissants left over from yesterday.

Even though she had tied the bag tightly, the bread had already gone a little hard. It wasn’t as soft and fluffy as when she first ate it. She sipped water while forcing herself to chew through the two croissants.

Barely full, she began her farm work for the day.

Today’s main task: sell the red cedar wood she had chopped to Eric the carpenter.

Eric’s workshop was located on the western side of Hot Spring Town in the forested area. The journey was a bit far, and since Amy had no other means of transport, she had to rely on her legs. Speaking of which, she really should save up to buy a bicycle. Walking everywhere was no long-term solution.

The list of things she needed to buy was growing longer and longer.

“You must be the new farm girl who moved here?”

As Amy walked along, lost in thoughts of her savings plan, she suddenly heard someone speak to her. She turned her head and saw an elderly woman with silvery-white hair.

The old lady wore leopard-print glasses and a white tracksuit, clearly up early for exercise. At her side was a brown Pomeranian, its round eyes staring at Amy.

“Yes, I’m the new girl who just moved here,” Amy said kindly. “Hello, ma’am, my name is Amy.”

“Hello, hello, Amy.” The old lady’s eyes crinkled with her smile. “No need to be so polite, just call me Linda. I didn’t expect to meet you at this hour—there aren’t many young people willing to get up early nowadays. Where are you headed?”

Amy told her about her plan.

“You’re going to see Eric? But I remember he’s not home today… Yesterday he said he was going out to purchase some supplies.”

“Eric’s not home?” Amy felt like thunder had struck.

She was counting on the money from selling wood to buy today’s meals!

In her mind she could already see herself collapsing from exhaustion on the farm with no strength left.

Seeing Amy’s troubled expression, Linda quickly reassured her: “Don’t worry, child. Eric has a little apprentice named Ryan. Whenever he’s not around, Ryan takes his place. He’ll definitely be minding the shop today, you won’t be wasting your trip.”

Amy let out a breath of relief. A wasted trip was nothing—it was running out of food that terrified her.

“Thank you for telling me.”

“No need to thank me.” Linda smiled warmly. “Good child, go on and take care of your work. I won’t keep you. Oh, by the way, I live at number 47. Come visit me for a chat if you ever feel bored.”

“All right, Mrs. Linda.”

At Linda’s feet, the Pomeranian suddenly barked twice.

Amy lowered her head to look, and the little dog met her gaze with big, grape-like eyes, its fluffy tail wagging furiously.

“You see, Morgan likes you just as much as I do.” Linda looked down at her beloved dog with eyes full of affection.

“He’s adorable,” Amy said after a moment’s thought. “Like a toasted marshmallow.”

“That’s a wonderful description. I’ll write it in my diary.”

“…”

On the way to the carpenter’s shop, Amy thought of the friendly Mrs. Linda and the little marshmallow-like Pomeranian.

She also wanted a cute dog like that.

But right now she was struggling even to feed herself. She couldn’t bring harm to an animal. She would have to wait until she had the chance someday.

The further she went toward the forest, the more unfamiliar plants she saw. Dark green, light green—the endless variety dazzled her.

She was staring at them in a daze when a modest little green plant suddenly caught her eye.

A wild mint plant.

Compared with the towering trees around it, it was practically insignificant.

It couldn’t fill her stomach, but it could be used to make tea, refreshing and invigorating.

Amy crouched down, gently pinched the mint with her fingers, and tucked it into her bag.

The moment she inhaled the faint cool fragrance of the plant, the game system chimed in:

[You have unlocked Gathering Codex: “Mint”]

Immediately, a tiny mint leaf icon appeared on her panel.

This was a delightful surprise—she had almost forgotten about the codex unlocks.

Unfortunately, this wild mint was barely half the size of her palm. At best, it would make two cups of tea.

Amy’s gathering skill was only level 1, so the mint she collected was small. When her skill leveled up, the quality of her harvests would surely improve.

Following the path, she gathered another seven or eight mint plants before finally reaching Eric’s carpenter shop.

She knocked gently on the door, repeating the self-introduction she had already said countless times without the slightest irritation: “Hello, I’m the new farmer Amy. I’d like to sell some red cedar wood. Is anyone home?”

No response.

She knocked a few more times. Still no answer.

Her heart sank halfway: could it be no one was there? Was she really going to have to go hungry today?

Unwilling to give up, Amy raised her hand again, this time with more strength, ready to knock—

“Hello—ow!” A boy half a head taller than Amy suddenly rushed out, clutching his nose and accusing, “Why did you hit me?!”

Amy quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you, I just wanted to knock. I’ve been knocking for a long time but no one answered, so I used a little more force. I really didn’t mean it… Are you all right?”

Seeing her genuinely worried expression, Ryan’s anger subsided. He muttered under his breath, “A little more force… That was giant’s strength if you ask me. What the heck, you’re a girl, but you’re stronger than us carpenters.”

Amy smiled awkwardly. “Maybe it’s because I’m a farmer.”

There was no blood, so it wasn’t serious. Ryan decided not to hold it against her. After all, it was his fault for oversleeping and missing the knocks. Besides, getting his nose knocked red by a young girl wasn’t exactly something to brag about. If word got out, people would laugh at him—especially Eric.

He could already imagine Eric standing with hands on his hips, laughing uproariously: “What? You let a girl knock your nose red? Hahaha!”

Amy was still full of guilt. “How do you feel now? How about this—I’ll buy you some ointment as an apology. You’ll just have to wait until I earn some money first.”

Hearing this, Ryan felt embarrassed instead.

Had he made too much of a fuss?

This stranger he’d never seen before must be the new neighbor Eric mentioned last night. Ryan always liked making friends, and this wasn’t exactly the best way to start things with a new neighbor.

“Forget it, it’s fine. You didn’t mean it. Besides, I’m a carpenter. I bump into things all the time. Hitting my nose is nothing. Let’s both not dwell on it.”

Since he truly seemed fine and wasn’t holding it against her, Amy finally breathed out. “Thank you so much. To make up for it, I’ll give you a few extra pieces of cedar wood later.”

Ryan remembered hearing something about “selling cedar wood” in his half-sleep. He scratched his head shyly. “You’re here to sell cedar, right?”

“Yes. I’ve already split it, it’s back at my farm. Could I trouble you to come with me? I was going to bring it here myself, but as you can see, I don’t even have a bicycle.”

She spread her hands helplessly.

Ryan had heard her earlier saying she had to “wait until I earn some money,” and now he saw she didn’t even have a decent mode of transport. Clearly, her living conditions were tough.

It reminded him of his own childhood—hungry, poorly clothed, wondering when life would finally get better. Fortunately, he’d met Eric.

“What’s your name?”

“Amy.”

“Got it. Amy, let’s go to your farm and take a look at the cedar.”

“No need to go to the trouble—you can see it right now.” Amy pulled two reddish logs from her bag. “I was afraid of wasting time, so I brought two samples. This way it’s more convenient for both of us.”

Ryan grinned. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”

He examined the wood carefully. It was indeed fine red cedar—Eric would definitely like it too. Turned into furniture and sold to the wealthy in the city, it would fetch a good price.

Cedar was hard and difficult to split. Judging from her situation, she probably hadn’t used a good axe either. Swinging away with a dull one, chop after chop… no wonder her strength was so great.

Ryan touched his nose again, still a little shaken.

“Wait here a bit, Amy. I’ll go get the vehicle. Let’s head to your farm together.”

Amy nodded. “All right.”

Ryan could drive? That was wonderful.

Since entering this game world, she hadn’t ridden in any vehicle yet.

After a short wait, she heard Ryan calling from not far away. She turned her head—only to see a tractor roaring proudly in front of her.

“Amy, hop on!”