Farming Games are All About Grinding

The cinema today wasn't very crowded, the seats scattered here and there, a rather peaceful atmosphere.

Tang Qingying glanced around and cheerfully remarked, "Good thing there's no one sitting near us, we can munch on popcorn freely later." Back when she went to watch movies, she preferred to book the 7 or 8 AM shows—fewer people, quieter, and no worries about bothering others while snacking.

Han Qiwu chuckled as he stared at a scene on-screen, curiously asking, "Mr. Tang, isn't this supposed to be an animated movie? Why am I seeing so many fight scenes?"

"This is a wildly popular nostalgic action-packed animated movie that gets both your brain and hands going. Watch closely, and you'll understand soon enough!" Tang Qingying replied with a grin, casually grabbing a handful of popcorn and stuffing it towards Han Qiwu's mouth. "Don't let it fall! If it drops, you don't get to eat any!"

Han Qiwu couldn't help but laugh. Relaxedly, he caught Tang Qingying's wrist and slowly devoured the popcorn piece by piece.

Once finished, he didn't let go of her wrist. Instead, he took the popcorn tub, picked up a few kernels, and held them near Tang Qingying's mouth. "Ah, open up!"

"No way! I'm determined to be self-reliant! I'll eat popcorn that I grab myself!" Tang Qingying turned her head with mock defiance.

"Hmph!" Han Qiwu intentionally let out a growl.

"Ha!" Tang Qingying mimicked his growl but hadn't even finished before Han Qiwu seized the opportunity to sneak several popcorn kernels into her mouth.

Victorious, he smugly continued, singing, "Who brought you to my side?"

"It was my uncle!" Tang Qingying replied indistinctly, her mouth full of popcorn.

Han Qiwu: "...Fine, that's technically right, but why does that sound so weird coming from you?"

Forget it, let's watch the movie.

As he continued watching, Han Qiwu felt something was off.

What the heck is going on?

Jumping Frog grew up as an orphan frog in the moat, honing extraordinary martial arts skills. Upon discovering his mother's existence somewhere in the world, he resolutely embarked on a quest to find her. Along the way, he encountered assassin Leaping Frog, fire mage Noisy Frog, and wind mage Chattering Frog—becoming sworn brothers despite their differences. After defeating mini, medium, and large-scale bosses, he finally reunited with his mother.

Turns out, the four frogs were actually born of the same mother, but their differing hatching environments resulted in varied abilities.

As the movie wrapped up with its ending theme, Han Qiwu felt oddly betrayed by the screenplay.

Just this? Seriously, just this?

Yet Tang Qingying was thoroughly delighted, stepping out as she excitedly mused, "Being able to use superpowers to fight monsters is so fun… If only I could wield fire magic too!"

"Miss Stunning, have you ever used a lighter?" Han Qiwu teased with a laugh.

Tang Qingying shot him a disdainful look and pouted. "Not the same thing at all! If everyone could do it, it wouldn't be a superpower. Let's go check out some jewelry stores instead."

Han Qiwu smiled without saying a word.

Oh, so you're into superpowers, huh?

After leaving the cinema, Han Qiwu spotted a stage nearby where butterflies were still circling. Quickly, he tugged Tang Qingying in the opposite direction, jogging away.

Don't accidentally pull someone's butterflies over here again.

Once they arrived at the jewelry district, Tang Qingying picked a large store. She removed her sunglasses and led Han Qiwu inside, inspecting rings, necklaces, earrings—leaving no item missed.

Strangely enough, Tang Qingying couldn't help recalling how she'd visited similar stores with her mom before. Back then, these accessories didn't stir any feelings in her; she even thought they seemed distant from her life.

But now, being here with Han Qiwu was entirely different—her gaze instinctively shifted toward matching rings more than anything else.

Han Qiwu noticed her gaze and couldn't resist the smile tugging at his lips. He tilted his head down to browse alongside her.

He, too, wanted to wear matching rings with Tang Qingying.

After circling through various gold and silver pieces, Han Qiwu turned to Tang Qingying, asking, "How's it going? Spot anything suitable?"

Tang Qingying shook her head. "These gold earrings aren't quite my mom's style. Let's head over to the jade section instead." She rarely visited jewelry stores herself, so she didn't expect the more attractive gold earrings to be this pricey. Considering Han Qiwu was still a student, she quickly decided to skip over them.

Deep down, Tang Qingying understood—to support her man, it's important to give him face.

Han Qiwu didn't think much of it, simply nodded and followed her over.

At the jade counters, the two began browsing selections. Shortly after, a cheerful voice called out from behind the counter, "Qingying? I thought your back looked familiar—it really is you! Since graduation, your figure has only gotten better."

The speaker stepped out while talking. She was dressed in a sharp, tailored blazer, her short hair neatly groomed, with an air of a successful businesswoman.

Zhuo Yu?" Tang Qingying exclaimed in surprise, happily walking over to hug her. "Is this your store? I thought the name seemed familiar—Jade Carving Jewelry—it's a great name." She added with a laugh, "What good figure? Work's been so tiring I'm practically turning into a stick."

"No stick could look as elegant as you do. Is this your fiancé? What are you looking for?" Zhuo Yu quipped, grinning as she greeted them.

At her words, Tang Qingying's cheeks instantly flushed pink.

Han Qiwu stepped in, saying, "Hi, I'm Han Qiwu—working my way toward that fiancé status. This time, we're looking for something nice to gift her future mother-in-law."

"Oh, for the mother-in-law? Take a look at these designs—we launched them this year tailored specifically for older women." Zhuo Yu brought out several pieces with a smile. "For old classmates like you, I'll give you 20% off—not on the tag price, but on the final sale price."

The jewelry business is notoriously murky, with a ten-thousand tag easily selling for just one-thousand in practice.

"Well, I won't hold back then!" Tang Qingying grinned as she leaned in to start browsing. After a while, she settled on a pair of jade earrings styled as whimsical little fish.

"My mom's a Pisces; she should like this. What do you think?" Tang Qingying held them up to show Han Qiwu. The price tag was only 4,999 yuan—a relatively affordable choice.

Han Qiwu took them, inspected them briefly, and, although he didn't know much about jade grading, he'd seen high-quality jade before. That vivid translucence was absent here—these earrings were clearly the standard lower-tier "mutton fat" jade variety with lackluster color. Still, the craftsmanship on the design indicated the artisan's skill wasn't shabby—a commendable technique.

"These earrings are nice. If you want them, they're 3,600 yuan," Zhuo Yu said warmly.

Han Qiwu glanced over at Tang Qingying, then gently ruffled her hair.

My silly girl, still trying to save money for me, huh?

Just looking at Tang Qingying's lifestyle, it's obvious what kind of jewelry standard her mom typically prefers.

These earrings? They wouldn't cut it.