Cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle-doo—
Hearing the rooster crow, Li Ran quickly opened his eyes and got up.
It was just past five in the morning, and on the roof's tiles, faint streaks of dawn were already visible.
Li Ran hadn't taken more than a few steps when he nearly tripped over a black-and-white furry creature.
Luckily, he reacted quickly and jumped aside just in time.
"Hanhan, how did you roll into the middle again?"
Li Ran had originally set up a small bed for Hanhan by the foot of his own bedroom bed, but the creature had rolled right off it.
Now, it was sound asleep on its back, right in the middle of the room.
Li Ran shook his head helplessly and struggled to lift it back onto its small bed.
"So heavy… looks like you need to lose some weight!"
Opening the door and unlatching it, several sparrows foraging in the yard immediately took flight in alarm.
The air was fresh, the sky still dim but lightening, and the distant mountains shrouded in a hazy mist, creating a refreshing and uplifting atmosphere.
Li Ran took a few deep breaths and did some stretches in the yard, instantly feeling revitalized, as if completely recharged.
"Why does today feel different from usual?"
When he was studying, he had the habit of waking early, but for the first half hour after getting up, his mind was always foggy and sluggish.
Today, however, he felt noticeably more energetic and clear-headed, as if he had returned to his youthful vigor.
"It's probably because I ate that new potato last night. I didn't expect the growth liquid to have such an effect!"
If ordinary growth liquid could cause such an impact, Li Ran began to feel curious about the advanced growth liquid.
"I wonder how the vegetable garden looks now."
Opening the yard gate and stepping outside, Li Ran was stunned.
After one night, the vegetable garden had clearly become more lush and thriving. Various vines and stems were flourishing.
The tomato and green pepper plants had all grown over a meter tall—twice the height of ordinary saplings—laden with green and red fruits, each the size of a fist, looking very promising.
On the trellis, the loofahs that were only a few centimeters long yesterday had now doubled in length. They looked fresh and tender without any signs of aging, and from several meters away, a faint fragrance drifted in the air.
"Growth liquid really is amazing, so terrifying!" Li Ran clicked his tongue in admiration.
It was still early, and Li Ran was in no rush. He opened the system to the daily check-in interface.
[Daily Question: Which of the following woods is ideal for construction?]
[1. Rotten wood, 2. Cedar wood, 3. Rosewood]
"Rotten wood is out. Rosewood is for fine furniture and expensive, so that's out too… Cedar wood it is!"
[Congratulations, host, correct answer!]
[200 check-in points have been credited. Please claim them yourself.]
[You can exchange check-in points for items in the rewards section.]
"Check-in points? Another new thing."
Li Ran noticed that the rewards section now had an item exchange box.
There were only three items inside—the rotten wood, cedar wood, and rosewood mentioned earlier.
Rotten wood was the cheapest, requiring only 1 check-in point for a large log.
Cedar wood cost 10 points for a 4–5 meter log.
Rosewood was the most expensive, needing 100 points for a small piece less than half a meter long.
A six-hour countdown timer was shown at the top right of the exchange box, probably indicating items refresh every six hours.
Li Ran's interest was piqued.
"Just what I need for building materials, the system is really thoughtful."
Following his blueprint, he exchanged 100 check-in points for 10 cedar logs and stacked them under the eaves beside the vegetable garden, planning to process them after returning from the market.
Checking the time, it was nearly six o'clock. Li Ran went back to the kitchen, shouldered a basket, grabbed a water bucket, and stepped outside.
"System, deploy the drones."
In the next second, three drones rose smoothly into the air—one stationed on the roof as surveillance, the other two following Li Ran down the mountain.
Opening the Sunflower livestream platform, Li Ran saw private messages in the backend.
Two were contract invitations from the platform, several from different guilds inviting him to join, and a few were fan messages from his streaming room.
22:55:43
Mid Lane King: "Brother, are you asleep? That stone hasn't sold yet?"
"I talked with my dad again, and we can raise the price to 8 million!!"
"8 million! Brother, that's enough to buy several apartments in the provincial city!"
23:18:07
"Think it over again, let me know tomorrow."
23:46:18
Smoker Uncle: "Li, I showed the stone's photos to a friend who wants to see the original piece. Can you find time for a visit?"
"My friend said if it's natural, it's worth at least over 10 million!"
Li Ran chuckled. The two bidders had continued their late-night price war.
But since he already knew the true value of the cobblestone from the system, he wasn't tempted by these petty sums.
The cobblestone was safely stored in the system's inventory, so Li Ran was not worried.
He simply replied with "Not for sale."
The last private message was about a photo, not the stone.
23:55:03
Photographing While Walking: "Streamer, will you sell that panda sunset photo? I want to buy full rights for 8,000 yuan. What do you think?"
Li Ran quickly recalled this was the fan who had explained why the photo looked good yesterday—almost getting into a quarrel with a female fan.
It seemed this "Photographing While Walking" was a professional photographer.
Selling a photo for 8,000 yuan so casually surprised Li Ran.
But he wasn't short on money, so he also refused politely.
Approaching his destination, Li Ran opened the "Shiyu Mountain Old Li" streaming room.
The viewers instantly surged from a few dozen to over 4,000!
"Good morning, everyone!"
"Morning, streamer!"
"Good morning, fellow cultivators!"
"What? Is it already morning? Why don't I feel sleepy at all?"
"Finally found you, glad I didn't give up…"
"Wow, my hubby is even more handsome now!"
While the chat exchanged greetings, gifts of flowers, cucumbers, and toys streamed in nonstop, along with occasional car emojis, creating a lively atmosphere far from typical early-morning streams.
"Streamer, are you going to the rice fields to collect the lines?"
Li Ran nodded.
"Yeah, almost there."
"Wow, looking forward to it!"
"Hope you have a good start today."
"Getting a harvest first thing in the morning feels great!"
"Me too, looking forward to it…"
As Li Ran spoke, he reached the rice field's edge.
Just as he picked up the first baited fishing rod, he felt a slight weight.
Li Ran smiled.
"Everyone, it looks like today's early harvest will far exceed yesterday's expectations!"
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。