Farming Games are All About Grinding

"Sure, no problem. My guys have things to do later. It'll just be the three of us eating," Guo Fugui said with a smile.

Standing nearby, Ding joked on purpose, "Oh ho ho, who's the beauty, Old Han? Spill it, when did you two get together? Met the parents yet?"

"Cut it out, cut it out. How do you even know it's a girl?" Han Qiwu replied with a stiff smile.

Ding hit the nail on the head.

It was true.

Han Qiwu had been thinking—since it was rare to have a trip back to the city and they were planning to eat something this unique—why not surprise Mr. Tang and invite her to join them for a taste? It would be a good excuse to give her the peaches as well.

Ding's expression instantly became exaggerated. "No way, I was just guessing casually. It's actually something? Spill it. How did you meet? Someone from the village?"

Han Qiwu: "...."

Anyway, they'll meet later, so it's not really spilling the beans.

"No, she's in the city too. Alright, alright, she might not even agree. I'll call her and ask later," Han Qiwu hurriedly brushed Ding aside, his face already red.

Guo Fugui laughed to help defuse the situation, "Ding, do you have any friends you'd like to invite? It's getting late. Why don't we head out first? We might even catch the morning tea session."

Hearing this, Ding immediately calmed down, grinning sheepishly, "Friends? Me? I'm a loner! How could I compete with Old Han's charm?"

"Cut it out. I'll make a phone call real quick, then we'll head out." Han Qiwu handed his fishing rod, the Jinyang, to Ding and said, "Help me pack this up."

"What! You only care about your 'flame' and forget your bros? You don't even have time to pack your rod? Leaving it all to me, huh?" Ding grumbled grudgingly as he put away the Jinyang rod, muttering under his breath the whole time.

Walking a few steps away, Han Qiwu took out his phone and dialed Mr. Tang's number.

"Beep... beep... beep..."

Listening to the dial tone, Han Qiwu inexplicably felt a little nervous. "Could she be in the lab?" he wondered.

Thankfully, the call connected after seven or eight seconds.

"Han Qiwu, what's got you calling me so early today?" On the other end of the line, Tang Qingying was putting on her white lab coat and chuckling. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but even though she had been in a bad mood earlier that morning, the moment she heard Han Qiwu's voice, she found herself smiling.

"It's like this. Today I helped Ding catch an alligator gar, and now we're going to Zuixiang Pavilion to try it. Do you want to come along? It's just us three—Ding, his senior, and me," Han Qiwu said, feeling like his explanation was a bit messy, though he managed to get the key points across.

"Zuixiang Pavilion? Count me in, count me in! But, have you told Ding and the others?" Tang Qingying's eyes lit up. She hadn't eaten much that morning and was definitely craving something delicious. Besides, she'd been to Zuixiang Pavilion before—the food there was incredibly expensive but absolutely delightful.

Han Qiwu exhaled in relief and replied with a laugh, "I told them already. We'll drive over from Water Buffalo Town and pick you up at the research institute soon, alright?"

"Alright, alright!" Tang Qingying ended the call, then whipped off her lab coat and dashed into her grandpa's room, calling out, "Grandpa, my stomach's upset today. I'm taking a sick day!"

"Upset stomach? More like you're just hungry, eh? When you're out, don't eat anything messy," her grandpa quipped, laughing as he immediately saw through her excuse.

"Relax! I only eat what I can stomach." Tang Qingying spoke with confidence. Returning to her room, she opened her wardrobe, picked out a pretty little dress, and applied a touch of makeup. Feeling content and a bit giddy, she sat quietly, waiting for Han Qiwu to arrive.

She couldn't explain why, but just the thought of Han Qiwu made her happy.

At the riverbank, the three guys got in the car. Han Qiwu gave directions to Ding, who was driving, and told him they needed to make a stop to pick someone up first.

"A research institute? Is it a grad school friend? Oh wait, could it be a long-distance relationship?" Ding turned around to tease.

Han Qiwu reached over to straighten Ding's head. "Keep your eyes on the road. You'll find out when we get there."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Guo Fugui laughed, "Qiwu's right. Ding, if you don't focus, I won't vouch for you borrowing the car from the boss next time."

"Alright, alright, I'll drive properly," Ding quickly quieted down, concentrating on driving.

Near the research institute, as the car came to a stop, Han Qiwu couldn't wait to jump out. He walked over to the gate, opened a parasol, and held a bag in his hand.

A few moments later, the graceful and elegant Tang Qingying walked out. As she passed by, some colleagues couldn't help but glance at her outfit, then at Han Qiwu waiting by the gate with the parasol. They immediately started teasing, "Tang Qingying, who's this handsome guy? And he's even holding an umbrella, waiting for you."

"Stole him, obviously. Now get back to work! I'll bring you small cakes later as hush money," Tang Qingying said, her face flushing. Shooing them off, she walked over to Han Qiwu with a smile. "Feeding me again? What goodies did you bring this time?"

"Just some fruits—mostly strawberries, but also a few flat peaches, crystal apricots, and large scented apricots," Han Qiwu said, handing her the bag. "Why don't you put it upstairs first so you won't have to carry it around later?"

Glancing inside, Tang Qingying was pleasantly surprised. "Wow, these apricots smell amazing! And they're huge! Where did you find them?"

"Picked them on the mountain," Han Qiwu replied.

"Impressive! I'll put them upstairs first."

Carrying the bag, Tang Qingying walked up with a fragrant trail following her. Along the way, her colleagues crowded around, asking where she'd bought such wonderfully aromatic fruits.

With a smug smile, Tang Qingying said, "You can't buy this even if you've got money. My student picked them from the mountain—completely natural."

"Ugh, I want a student like that too!"

"Why do my students only ever ask me questions all the time?"

"Mine are even worse—they just send me New Year's texts."

Under the envious stares of her "lemon" colleagues, Tang Qingying leisurely returned to the first-floor lobby, walking out side by side with Han Qiwu.

In the car, Ding had been scrolling on his phone. When he looked up and caught sight of Tang Qingying and Han Qiwu, he froze.

"Damn! He really managed to get Ms. Tang to come eat with us? This guy's the reincarnation of Zhu Rong!"

Ding's jaw practically hit the floor.

Back in their undergrad days, the group had a running joke: any man who could melt the "iceberg" that was Ms. Tang must be the reincarnation of Zhu Rong, the god of fire.

Turns out, Han Qiwu had secretly become Zhu Rong all along!

Once in the car, Han Qiwu introduced everyone. "Mr. Tang, this is Ding, from my undergrad class—you're probably familiar with him. And this is his senior, Brother Guo, Guo Fugui."

"Hello, Mr. Tang," Ding greeted sheepishly, turning briefly to look at her. He had nearly failed Tang Qingying's class back in college, and even now, seeing her still made him feel slightly uneasy.

After the introductions, he glared at Han Qiwu.

"You're unbelievable, dude! It's just a meal, and you secretly invited our teacher?"