Chapter 83
: The First Great Harvest!
"Hmph↓Hmph↑Hmph↓Hmph↑Hmph hmph——Hmph hmph hmph~"
In July, the autumn sky was high and the air was crisp; the weather was sunny.
Today is cranberry harvest season, and Xia Ming, dressed in farmer's clothes, is busy in the field with picking tools.
The fully ripe cranberries are extremely large, with dozens of plump berries squeezed together in one piece. Their bright red skin is shiny and looks delicious!
They hang high on the low-lying plants, each cranberry branch laden with several cranberries, swaying gently in the wind as if they could be picked with a single touch.
Although both Miss Skirt and Lilyroot could easily harvest the fruit from these ten acres, Xia Ming, as a qualified farmer, couldn't rely on the Pokémon for everything.
So, under the guidance of Miss Skirt and the Lily Root Dolls, he personally went down to the ground and began the harvest.
"Look everyone, isn't this cranberry incredibly juicy? Hmm~ It tastes alright. It's sweet at first, then turns sour. The sweet and sour flavor is perfect for whetting your appetite. Come to Ralts, you should try it too."
Facing the live-streaming camera held by Miss Skirt, Xia Ming picked a cranberry and cut it open with a knife to taste it on the spot.
Each plump piece of fruit is cut off and put into your mouth. When you bite into it, the juice bursts out, first sweet and then sour. The two flavors combine, making it a bit like eating a half-ripe strawberry.
A sweet and sour taste can never be bad.
"Nalu~"
Xia Qing, who was standing next to Xia Ming, reached out and took the large tree fruit handed to her by her brother, and very unladylike opened her mouth and took a bite.
puff~
The bursting juice splattered all over her mouth, but it didn't diminish her enjoyment at all.
"Nalu~"
It's delicious, I love it, brother, I want to eat more.
A single cranberry was the size of a palm, almost as big as Ralts's head, but the little guy devoured the whole cranberry in just a few bites, patting his tummy with his juice-covered hand and asking for another one.
This scene melted the hearts of the viewers who came to watch the live broadcast of the harvest:
[Ahhh! This shiny Ralts is so cute! Little farmer, could you send me her so I can pet her for a couple of days?!]
[I won't die until I raise an adorable Ralts like this in my lifetime!]
[Does the little farmer still have any tree berries left? Hurry up and put them on the shelves so I can order the same ones as Ralts!]
[Yeah, yeah, why haven't I seen any Psyduck items on the shelves today? Hurry up, little farmer! Don't keep me from swiping my card.]
Because of the previous groundwork laid, this live stream attracted an exceptionally large number of viewers, roughly two-thirds the number of viewers who watched previous match streams.
This is already quite a lot in today's live streaming landscape where the majority of content is focused on battles, training, and exploration!
Xia Ming's live stream room has now firmly entered the top five in the Pikachu Live Stream Life category.
Meanwhile, the Shiny Ralts also brought him a lot of organic viewers, after all, no one can resist an adorable Shiny Ralts, right? What's more, Xia Ming even put her on the cover of his live stream.
"Sorry, brothers, I didn't expect so many enthusiastic brothers to want to try the fruits grown by the streamer himself, but this time there's really no way!"
The 1,500 orders placed during the last live stream already represented most of the yield from these ten acres of land. The streamer can only squeeze out a little extra to sell to everyone after the entire harvest is complete.
Having already done a live stream once, Xia Ming became bolder, addressing viewers as "brothers" and "buddies" while enthusiastically interacting with them as he continued harvesting cranberries from his plot.
"Of course, viewers who want to try the same thing don't need to worry. I'm already cultivating more farmland, and I can plant another round before winter. I'll hold another small competition then as a pre-order warm-up, still 20% off, still a big clearance sale, okay!"
[Can we plant another round? Where are you farming, streamer? I'm a fruit tree grower, aren't cranberries usually planted once or twice a year? It's almost August, why are you planting another round?]
[Didn't you read the farmer's profile above? His land is located in Stardew Valley.]
[Stardew Valley? I've heard it's incredibly xenophobic!]
"That brother is wrong. In Stardew Valley, no one wants to sell their land, but we still welcome tourists to visit."
As a native of Stardew Valley, Xia Ming couldn't let anyone ruin the place's reputation, so he quickly explained to the uninformed audience:
"I won't go into the specific reasons, but in short, if you want to travel to Stardew Valley, the host would be very happy to welcome you, especially since every summer on May 1st, our town holds a grand bounty festival in the mountains."
However, we don't have any big hotels here, so guys who want to come and visit should be prepared.
[Stardew Valley, huh? That's not surprising. My mentor told me it's one of the few places in the world where tree fruits can ripen two or even three times a season.]
[Wow, this is amazing! I've decided, my next stop is the Fukiyo region!]
[Hurry up and feed Ralts, she's so cute!]
[Prominent comment: Mr. Xia Ming, do you only sell the fruit you grow yourself?]
A prominent comment worth 100 Alliance Coins caught Xia Ming's attention. Still busy, he didn't think much of it and, while handing a cranberry to Ralts at his feet, gave an affirmative reply:
"Of course, we only sell what we grow ourselves, so brothers can buy with peace of mind and eat with peace of mind... Oh wait, if it's not agricultural products, you can message me privately and we can discuss it in detail then."
Halfway through his answer, Xia Ming suddenly realized that this must be a business order that had come knocking on his door!
I'll agree first, and we'll see whether I accept the offer later.
[Prominent comment: Okay, Mr. Xia Ming.]
[Is it on the commercial invoice?]
[It's obviously genuine, but the farmer is quite particular. If he thinks it's okay, I might buy it.]
[Indeed, the farmer's character is recognized by Pokémon and he is trustworthy.]
Discussions about the business deal came and went quickly, and many viewers did not object to it and even had expectations due to Xia Ming's carefully crafted persona.
The harvest continues.
To avoid wasting time, Xia Ming manually harvested only one acre of cranberries, basically chatting with the audience while harvesting.
The remaining nine acres were being harvested by Miss Skirt and Lily Root Doll. They worked with practiced ease and skill, and had already harvested and stored the entire crop before Xia Ming had even finished harvesting a tenth of it.
At this moment, most of them were at the edge of the field, watching Xia Ming working busily and discussing among themselves:
"Doli~"
It's wonderful that the farm is coming back to life.
"Wah wah~ Wah wah wah wah."
The land is rejoicing; perhaps next year will bring a completely different scene.
"Doli~"
I wonder when we can all get together again. I really miss my old friends.
"Wow~"
Soon, believe in Xia Ming, he's working hard.