Raising a Bun with a Daily Life System

Chapter 14: Albite

The fields could grow various crops such as wheat, rice, and even medicinal flowers and cotton by-products.However, stones could also be planted in the fields. This… This country bumpkin Yuan Xi never seen anything like this before. 

At first glance, this planting area was not really eye-catching. 

This plant was about the height of people’s calves, with golden leaves as bright as gold. It looked especially glorious in the bright, hot sun. 

Looking at the shape of the plant, Yuan Xi thought it looked a little like corn, though it was much shorter. A stem stretches out, layered with golden leaves, and there were crystal-clear pure white stones hanging at the junction of the leaf and the stem. The stones were as big as a man’s palms and oval in shape. 

Yuan Xi was amazed, but did not dare to show it on his face. Wouldn’t he arouse suspicion if he made a fuss at this moment and this futuristic crop turned out to be as common as planting corn in the field?

He did not speak out, but Zhào Zhāo exclaimed: “Uncle Wang, you took such great care of the albite, they’re so tall and beautiful. It’s a good harvest.”

When Zhào Zhāo said that, Wang Qingnian was somewhat proud and his mouth turned upward in a small smile. Although he modestly protested that it was normal, his heart would definitely take up and hold on to that sentence to the third world. 

*但那心里绝对会跟着句世界第三也就是了 Tried my best to interpret this with baidu (which I triple checked with yandex and google translate, just to get something similar)

Zhào Zhāo was also an interesting person. He didn’t look at people’s faces and was straight-forward, but sometimes praise from such a person was more pleasant and meaningful. Because such people are not fake, they say what they see and don’t come up with false flattery*. 

*因为他们不做假，看到什么说什么，来不了那套虚伪造作的。I couldn’t figure out the last part, so I just wrote what I thought made sense to finish that sentence. If anyone has an accurate translation, I’d be much obliged. 

Yuan Xi also heard his way out from Zhào Zhāo’s big mouth. 

It was a really popular crop, and universally grown throughout the Federation. It was originally a product of a G-grade crystalline geological planet, which was later discovered by the Federal Exploration Team of Exoplanets. After a long and convoluted study, it was discovered that this kind of crystal contained a large amount of thermal energy, which could be directly converted into usable energy after extraction. It was very convenient and practical. 

In this era of energy supremacy, the discovery of this crystal was a huge breakthrough, leading to the smooth and complete resolution of the ever-worsening energy crisis. It had great historical significance. 

For this reason, the research on albite became increasingly detailed and more in-depth. Later, with the efforts of many scientists, it was found that this could be categorized as a plant. While albite is a fruit, this plant was very special. It absorbed a lot of solar energy, and then went through a complex transformation of roots, stems, and leaves. Finally, all the compression and aggregation culminated in the albite, resulting in this magic product rich in thermal energy.*

Once humans had a thorough understanding of the plant, the Federation ordered a large-scale promotion and subsidization of the crop. Such a renewable, pollution-free and high purity source of energy was precious. After popularization, it will become a great breakthrough for the rapid development of human beings in the future. 

After so many years of development and evolution, the technology involved in planting albite has become very advanced. Of course, the relative profits were not as high as in the beginning, but it was still a favorite crop of every farmer as the white stone was easy to handle, did not attract any insects, and did not require weeding. As long as there was sufficient sunlight, it could essentially grow well. 

However, the albite also had a fatal defect. The processes involved from planting to germination and growth to final maturity were very carefree. Only, the last hurdle, harvesting, was very troublesome. 

Albite was so hard that ordinary instruments were unable to remove the roots at all. It was a bit troublesome, but if one spent some money on a sickle made of special materials, it was possible to harvest. 

The most painful thing was that after removing the dolomite, it will instantaneously change its shape. If it is not put into a specific container within 10 seconds, it will melt into the air and completely turn into a ray of sunlight…

This was a very troublesome process to not only determine the shape it becomes but to also quickly put it into the corresponding container. If the reaction is just a little slow, the albite will disappear, and these months of painstaking efforts will be wasted. 

This kind of pithole harvesting process once led to loss of blood for farmers trying to plant albite on a large-scale for the first time. Even now, when everyone had experience and were familiar with the process, a single distraction will inevitably lead to mistakes, causing some loss. 

Although the Federation developed intelligent harvesting robots for some time now, they were extremely expensive and almost unaffordable to remote asteroids, such as Blue Star. Thus, the crops were all hand-picked. 

100 mu of dry land was planted with the white stone. Although Wang Qingnian was a cheerful and informal man on the surface, farm care has always been the center of his attention. Thus, his crops grew well with a high yield and high profits. He couldn’t have gotten rich without his hands. 

Though Yuan Xi did not know much about the market, this large area of growing albite was really pleasant. The fruits were plump and full, the color of the purest milky white. When such fruits are picked, the recipient will pay a much higher price. 

Wang Qingnian took Yuan Xi to walk around the grounds, and talked about his experiences in planting albite: 

“Xiao Xi, this albite has a short growth cycle, fast shipments, and a much higher total profit than other crops, especially with good luck. In order to catch up with the Federal Start Ships for large-scale bulk purchases, not only can the Federal currency be paid directly but the price will also be much higher. The only drawback is that the requirements for the planting land of the albite are more elaborate. It must be land exposed to the rising sun, and the soil must be dry and free of impurities so that it can grow better.” 

Wang Qingnian paused and said: “Like the 300 mu of our farm, this 100 mu is very suitable for planting. However, for the other 200 mu, if you try to plant albite for profit, you’ll lose a lot. When planted in paddy fields, albite can grow but it won’t bear fruit. It can only produce some golden leaves. You should pay close attention to these.” 

Wang Qingnian told Yuan Xi exactly what he had learned from his years of experience. Yuan Xi listened closely. His head was easy to use; he could remember it bit by bit with his brain, especially if he concentrated on listening at this time. 

In contrast,  Zhào Zhāo did the same thing, but he didn’t want to be there. If it hadn’t been for Yuan Xi, he would have gone out to play. 

Finally, Wang Qingnian said: “The land will be harvested in another three days. Then, I’ll take you with me and teach you how to harvest the albite with your hands.” 

Because harvesting this white stone was the most troublesome, Yuan Xi was at ease having Wang Qingnian personally teach him. 

Although Wang Qingnian didn’t mention it, Yuan Xi had a plan he kept in mind for a long time. This large piece of white stone will be harvested together with Wang Qingnian and subsequently shipped off together. He won’t take one cent of money of this last transaction; let Wang Qingnian take it away. 

This is Wang Qingnian’s achievement after months of hard work. How could he be greedy?

Now, the harvest from the wheat, rice, and other crops in the farming areas will be fairly divided with Wang Qingnian. Parents and sons still settle their accounts; they and Wang Qingnian’s family have friendly relationships, but they should act conveniently and appropriately without crossing the line*. 

*亲父子还明算账呢，他们和王庆年家里再投缘，但这样的便宜却也是沾不得的. Just guessed based on different MTL sites and dictionaries. 

Zhào Zhāo was thinking of currying favor with Yuan Xi, thinking of Yuan Xi’s one-handed flip over his heel and magical swing kick…he just wanted to follow him all the time, so he could learn a trick and a half and also become powerful. 

In such a mood, he heard that Yuan Xi would return to harvest albite three days later, and naturally he was the first to rush to help. 

In order to prepare for the harvest, Wang Qingnian was busy for the past three days, followed everywhere by Yuan Xi. First of all, he learned where to buy harvesting tools, how many to buy, and where to hire temporary workers. Then, he learned the routine standard of wages, and the preparation of the special instruments for harvesting the albite…

This, and so on, and other such matters, Wang Qingnian tirelessly lead Yuan Xi around to learn it all. Yuan Xi also studied earnestly. He only had this opportunity as he’ll be alone next time. 

During these three days of free time, Yuan Xi was not idle. Now, society was a bit better with a super-developed information network, so he spent several Federal credit points on the Internet learning how to correctly harvest the albite. 

On a virtual online farm, he kept practicing for a long time and gained some experience. Although the albite changes its shape after being removed, it wasn’t without any regularity. There were seven most common forms, so most of the carrying equipment was prepared according to these seven forms. 

When the albite was picked off with a sickle, it will begin to rapidly deform. At that time, it was necessary to accurately predict the final shape according to its deforming process. In this way, the matching can be completed in 10 seconds without wasting time. 

Yuan Xi told Wang Qingnian these realizations. Wang Qingnian was stunned for a moment, then patted him on the shoulder and laughed: “You young man, it’s wasn’t easy!”*

*I believe he’s saying this in an impressed and supportive manner, like saying 고생했어 in Korean, which literally translates into, “You suffered”, but is also kinda like saying, “You worked hard, good job” or something. But, I could be wrong…

Yuan Xi was a little embarrassed. He felt it wasn’t much. Who couldn’t sum up what has been done so many times? 

Wang Qingnian did not say much, but he was very reassured. Though there were slight differences between the virtual network and reality, it wasn’t that much different. After all, he naturally knows how high-end virtual technology is now. 

But these were all secondary, he was just happy with Yuan Xi’s willingness to earnestly learn, conscientiously following him around all day in the daytime and going online to practice at night, in addition to carefully integrating the experience in such a short time. He valued his diligent mind the most. 

Everything was ready for harvest. Yuan Yucheng also rushed to help. He had never done anything like this before, but he had a good mentality and was quick to learn. Because of the carefulness and ingenuity required from his previous work, there was no need to worry. 

On that day, Wang Qingnian, Yuan Xi, Yuan Yucheng, and Zhào Zhāo, as well as three long-term farm workers and ten temporary employees, began harvesting the albite. 

Wang Qingnian first demonstrated that, although he was somewhat fat, he had the most experience. He acted quickly and correctly. In 10 seconds, he harvested a piece of albite accurately, freely, and quickly. 

As he explained and demonstrated the procedure, he harvested five pieces and watched Yuan Xi’s work. 

It was Yuan Xi’s first actual attempt at harvesting. Even if he practiced on the Internet many times, he still felt a little nervous at that moment. He could lose money with one mistake, so any carelessness couldn’t be tolerated.

Fortunately, he was physically fit and had a fast reaction time. Additionally, his eyes were very sharp, especially after practicing so many times. After cutting off the dolomite, he immediately predicted its possible shape and put it in the corresponding container. 

After 10 seconds, he heard a notification in his head, “Congratulations, implantation has been activated. Congratulations, sorting skills improved by 10 points.” 

Yuan Xi was stunned, this had something to do with sorting? But then there was another notification, different from the previous ding sound, a loud “Congratulations, sorting skills accumulated 100 points, reached conditions to upgrade. Do you wish to immediately activate the upgrade reward?”

.

.

.

The author has something to say: 
Supreme Ruler System: You neglected me for too long!

.

.

Sorry for taking so long to update. I am officially in my 3rdd week as a 1st year PhD student. Whoo!!! I can’t guarantee regular updates, but I will do my best! Hwaiting

From Wikipedia:

“Albite is a plagioclase feldspar mineral. It is the sodium endmember of the plagioclase solid solution series. It represents a plagioclase with less than 10% anorthite content. The pure albite endmember has the formula NaAlSi3O8. It is a tectosilicate. Its color is usually pure white, hence its name from Latin albus.”

“Dolomite is an anhydrous carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate, ideally CaMg(CO3)2. The term is also used for a sedimentary carbonate rock composed mostly of the mineral dolomite. An alternative name sometimes used for the dolomitic rock type is dolostone.”