Pfft! Xia Shixuan burst out laughing when she saw the sign. "Everyone else was growing vegetables on websites and social media, but you went and cleared out a patch of land in your own shop to do it for real. Did you get your crops stolen too many times playing Happy Farm back in the day? Is this your way of making up for it?"
Shen Yibin ignored her. He walked over to the edge of the cleared plot and settled into the swing, leisurely beginning to observe just how Maphario planned to plant everything. He watched as it first dug several rows of small holes, all neatly arranged, evenly spaced, and of uniform depth. Then, it took a few seeds from the seedbox and dropped them in. Judging by their shape, they seemed to be cineraria seeds.
Then, it carefully covered the seeds with a thin layer of soil. It scooped a small cup of water from the mug Hah’Er had brought over, poured it into the mini watering can, and used it to lightly dampen the soil. After that, Maphario started digging more holes nearby. This time, however, the spacing and depth of the holes were slightly different. Perhaps it was determining the size and specifications of the holes based on the characteristics of different seeds. It looked incredibly professional.
Not only that, but this time, after digging the holes, Maphario didn’t rush to bury the seeds. Instead, it ran to the bamboo grove and came back with an armful of dead branches and rotten leaves. It crushed them up and mixed them with the soil it had just dug out. Then, it spread a thin layer of this mixture at the bottom of the holes before gently placing the seeds inside and covering them with another layer of the mixed soil.
’It even knows how to add nutrients? I should just take you to the hybrid rice research institute and sell you to Great Druid Yuan. That’s the real stage for you!’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but marvel. But it was just a fleeting thought. Never mind whether the research institute would even have a use for it; Great Druid Yuan’s affinity score probably wouldn’t be high enough anyway.
The second type of seed was probably morning glory. Shen Yibin saw Maphario constantly glancing at the bamboo stalks in the grove, seemingly contemplating which ones to use for a trellis once the morning glories grew, allowing their vines to climb. He wondered if Hah’Er would be heartbroken when the time came.
Next, Maphario planted butterfly flower and sunflower seeds. It was clear that Maphario had also given careful consideration to the planting locations. The sunflower seeds were all placed in the sunniest part of the cleared plot, perfectly meeting their needs. The shade-loving flowers were planted behind the large tree, where the trunk would completely block the direct sunlight and prevent them from getting scorched.
After planting the flowers, it was time for grains and vegetables. Corn grew to about the same height as sunflowers, so they were placed together. Cucumbers and morning glories both needed a trellis, so they could be grouped together. Tomatoes and eggplants had a similar shape, so they might as well be neighbors. Maphario bustled about the clearing, and in no time, a small-scale flower and vegetable garden was skillfully cultivated and filled with all sorts of flowers and produce.
After planting so many things, the cleared plot was full. But there were still peanut and watermelon seeds left. No matter, peanuts and watermelons could both be grown in sandy soil, and the sandpit next to them happened to be empty. However, the sandpit was currently filled with nothing but sand; it lacked soil and nutrients. Even if the seeds were planted there, they probably wouldn’t grow well.
Of course, Maphario knew this better than Shen Yibin. It began to bring handful after handful of dead branches and rotten leaves from the bamboo grove and bushes, crushing them all and tossing them into the sandpit. Hah’Er watched for a while, figured out what was going on, and started bustling about with Maphario. Even Shen Yibin and Xia Shixuan joined in. Before long, all the dead branches and rotten leaves from the grove and bushes had been thrown into the sandpit.
But just that wasn’t enough. Maphario also tossed the excess soil from earlier digging into the sandpit. After that, it went back to the bamboo grove and bushes and started digging everywhere. That little bit of soil was far from enough to mix with all that sand, so Shen Yibin, Hah’Er, and Xia Shixuan got busy helping. Shen Yibin fetched shovels from the storage room and, taking care not to damage the bamboo or the large tree, dug up as much soil as he could to throw into the sandpit.
Li Zhen and his team had done a solid job during the renovation, laying down several thick layers of soil. Skimming off this thin top layer wouldn’t affect the growth of the bamboo and the large tree at all. Besides, with Maphario around, if there were any problems, it probably would have squeaked up and warned them long ago.
When it felt the ratio of soil, dead branches and leaves, and sand was about right, Maphario stopped them. It then climbed onto Hah’Er’s shoulder, pointed at the excavator, and chittered for a moment. Hah’Er understood immediately. He placed Maphario on the front of the excavator, sat down in the driver’s seat himself, and began operating the bucket to evenly mix the soil, sand, and dead branches and leaves together.
’Heh, who knew this newly learned skill would come in handy so soon? When the peanuts and watermelons are harvested, I’ll have to send some to Longtao to thank him for teaching Hah’Er!’
Under Hah’Er’s increasingly skilled control of the excavator, the entire sandpit’s soil was quickly mixed into the state Maphario required. Then, Hah’Er used the bucket to level the surface. Now, Maphario could continue its farming.
Maphario drew a line down the middle of the sandpit. It began digging holes on the left side and planted the peanuts. The right side, however, it left empty for now, in no hurry to plant the watermelon seeds.
Before Shen Yibin could ask, Maphario answered his unspoken question with its actions. It took out a small cup, poured in some mineral water, and dug up some miscellaneous things from the bamboo grove to toss in. Only then did it soak the watermelon seeds in the cup. After carefully setting the cup aside, it lay on its back on the ground and began to rest.
Watermelon seeds have a hard shell and absorb water relatively slowly. To speed up water absorption and shorten the germination and sprouting time, the seeds should generally be soaked before planting. Shen Yibin was astonished that Maphario even knew this. It took him a good while of searching on his phone to figure out the reason for Maphario’s actions.
The soaking time for the seeds was generally four to ten hours, so it looked like they were done for the evening. Shen Yibin had Hah’Er take Maphario to go wash up. He himself sat on the terrace, took out his phone, and found the Future Pet Shop’s contact. He was getting ready to ask a few things, such as how long Maphario’s lifespan was, whether there was a way to extend it, and if there was any way for him to buy Maphario and keep it at the shop.
"You there?" Shen Yibin was a little nervous. It took him a long while to type out the message and send it.
"Here. Spit it out!"