The night was long, filled with the discordant symphony of a starving family. Lin Yan lay on the hard wooden k'ang bed, his ears tuning into the different sounds: the heavy, rhythmic snoring of his brothers, the soft, worried whispers of his parents in the next room, and the occasional sharp cough from his youngest brother, Lin Xiao.
In the darkness, the blue interface of the Ranch Development System was his only light.
> [Inventory]
> * 10x 'Vitality' Chicken Seeds: Genetically optimized for the Great Yan Dynasty's climate. 100% hatch rate.
> * 1x Pouch of Soil Revitalizer: Treats 10 square meters. Neutralizes salt-alkali levels and boosts nitrogen.
>
Lin Yan's mind raced. In this era, a single chicken was a treasure. It was a source of eggs, which were as good as currency, and eventually, meat. But his family's land was "cursed." It was a patch of salt-alkali earth that had been over-farmed for generations. Nothing grew there but bitter weeds.
I need to move fast, Lin Yan thought. If I don't show results, the family will sell the last of our tools just to buy another bag of moldy grain.
The Morning of Change
As the first sliver of grey light pierced the thatch, Lin Yan forced himself up. His body was still frail, his joints protestingly stiff, but the "Vitality" from the system-provided porridge had given him a base level of energy he hadn't possessed for days.
He slipped out of the hut. The morning air was crisp, smelling of frost and woodsmoke from the neighboring houses. The Lin family lived on the edge of Stone Creek Village, separated from the more prosperous farmers by a narrow, muddy path and a history of bad luck.
Behind the house was a small, fenced-in area—the "backyard." It was currently a wasteland of grey dirt and jagged stones.
"Yan'er? Why are you out of bed?"
It was Lin Da, his eldest brother. He was already dressed in a tunic so worn the weave was translucent. He carried the rusted hoe, his face a mask of grim determination.
"I told you, Brother Da. We're clearing this patch today," Lin Yan said, pointing to a ten-square-meter section near the well.
Lin Da looked at the ground and sighed. "Yan'er, the village elder says this dirt is dead. Even the weeds struggle here. Why waste the strength we don't have?"
"Because I've seen a way," Lin Yan replied, his voice steady. He couldn't explain the system, so he leaned on the "fever dream" excuse. "While I was sick, I saw a vision. An old man with a long white beard showed me how to treat the earth. He gave me... something."
In this superstitious era, "divine guidance" was a powerful currency. Lin Da's eyes widened. He looked at his younger brother—the one who was supposed to be the "scholar" before they ran out of money—and saw a spark he had never seen before.
"Fine," Lin Da grunted, spitting on his hands and gripping the hoe. "If the ancestors want us to dig, we dig."
The Miracle of the Soil
For three hours, the two brothers worked. Lin Yan, despite his frailty, focused on removing the larger stones. His hands soon bled, the raw skin stinging in the cold, but he didn't stop. Every stone removed felt like shedding a piece of his old, overworked life.
When the patch was cleared and the soil turned, Lin Yan waited for Lin Da to go inside to sharpen the hoe.
System, use Soil Revitalizer.
A small, humble-looking cloth pouch appeared in his hand. He tore it open. Inside wasn't a chemical fertilizer, but a fine, golden-brown dust that smelled of rain and ancient forests. He scattered it evenly across the ten square meters.
As the dust touched the grey, cracked earth, a faint, almost invisible shimmer passed over the ground. The sharp, bitter scent of the salt-alkali soil vanished, replaced by a deep, rich loamy aroma.
> [System Notification]
> Soil Grade Improved: Grade F → Grade D-
> Current Properties: High drainage, rich microbial activity.
> Note: Optimal for 'Vitality' Chicken forage.
>
When Lin Da returned, he stopped dead in his tracks. He rubbed his eyes, then knelt and grabbed a handful of dirt.
"This... this isn't our dirt," he whispered, his voice trembling. "It's dark. It's moist! Yan'er, how?"
"The old man's gift," Lin Yan said simply. "Now, help me build the coop. It doesn't need to be big, just warm."
The "Seeds" Hatch
By midday, the rest of the family had joined. Seeing the "miracle dirt," their despair began to crack, replaced by a frantic, desperate hope. Lin Er and Lin San (the third brother) brought back scrap timber and sturdy branches from the nearby woods. Zhao Mei and the sisters wove thick straw mats to insulate the walls.
Even Lin Shun, the father, found a hidden reserve of energy, using his old carpentry skills to fashion a small, secure door for the coop.
"But Yan'er," his mother, Zhao Mei, said softly, wiping her sweat-streaked face. "We have the house, but we have no birds. The market in the county is three days away, and we have no copper coins."
"I have them," Lin Yan said. He reached into the small straw nest he had prepared inside the coop. With a flick of his mind, he "withdrew" the 10 Vitality Chicken Seeds.
To the family, it looked like he was pulling them from his sleeve. They weren't eggs—they were tiny, fluffy golden balls of life.
"They've already hatched!" Lin Hua, the youngest sister, gasped, her eyes dancing with joy.
These weren't ordinary chicks. Their eyes were bright, their legs sturdy, and even though they were only "newborns," they immediately began scratching at the revitalized soil, finding invisible nutrients.
"Ten of them," Lin Shun counted, his voice thick with emotion. "If they survive... if just half survive..."
"They will all survive," Lin Yan promised. "These are the foundation of our ranch."
A Taste of Future Wealth
As evening fell, the family sat around the small fire. For the first time in months, the "thin porridge" didn't feel like a death sentence. The sight of the ten chicks huddled together in the new coop gave them a reason to breathe.
Lin Yan watched them. He knew this was just the beginning. The system required more than just "gifts"—it required a cycle of growth.
> [New Quest Unlocked: The First Harvest]
> Objective: Raise the 10 chicks to "Laying Stage" (Accelerated growth: 14 days).
> Bonus Objective: Build a relationship with a local merchant.
> Reward: Unlocks 'Draft Horse' bloodline & 1x Modern Scythe Blueprint.
>
The 3000-word daily life of a farmer was grueling, but as Lin Yan looked at his brothers—men who were once ready to give up, now discussing how to expand the fence—he knew the "Ranch" was more than just animals. It was the rebirth of a family.
He stood up, his gaze turning toward the dark, looming mountains in the distance. Up there, the grass was wild and the land was vast. One day, he wouldn't just be raising ten chickens in a backyard. He would be leading a thousand head of cattle across those ridges, his voice ringing out in a cowboy's song.
"Tomorrow," Lin Yan whispered to himself, "we start on the irrigation."