When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 4



Only Krnovel

4. Potatoes of a different dimension

“crazy.”

Oh Hyun-seong’s eyes widened.

There is no meat, no rice, no other ingredients.

I just stuffed lettuce into my mouth.

But the taste of that one lettuce leaf was truly shocking.

“What is this?”

No bitterness and a crunchy texture.

Above all, this lettuce was filled with vibrant vitality, as if adding color to the dull black and white world.

‘I ate lettuce just last week, but it doesn’t compare to that.’

Factory-made lettuce has a notorious reputation for being mushy and papery.

It was obvious that it was too bitter, but it was fortunate that it didn’t have a musty smell because I chose the cheap one.

Even if it’s wild, it’s not much different.

As the Earth’s environment became affected by turbidity, natural crops had to give up many things in order to grow while resisting erosion.

But this lettuce from the garden seemed to have the word fresh in my mouth even before I considered its texture or smell.

A refreshing vitality burst into my mouth.

Just like the vegetables before the Gate incident.

‘This is not the time.’

Boom!

Oh Hyeon-seong hurriedly ran outside and picked lettuces from the garden.

I came back, clutching a handful of lettuce in both hands, without even having the presence of mind to grab something like a basket.

After shaking off the dirt and washing it once with water, I returned to the dining table.

Turup!

‘oh my god…’

it’s good.

What was this piece of grass, it was so delicious.

I would gladly accept being told to live my whole life as a herbivore, as long as I am fed only lettuce until I die.

‘Even when others complained… I used to eat whatever was given to me without much interest… but I never thought I’d be this shocked by something I ate.’

I munched on the lettuces.

Then I took a spoonful of rice.

“Keuhp…”

Oh Hyun-seong quietly put down his spoon.

The rice is not that good.

Even the lettuce from the garden couldn’t save this rice.

“Did you make it taste good on purpose?”

He asked the life spirit who was staring at him, but the guy shook his head.

That was not intentional.

They were made to grow healthy and fast, but they became delicious after being touched by the spirits.

‘What on earth did these guys do…’

What happened last night?

Oh Hyeon-seong decided to observe the behavior of the spirits in the garden.

But by the time he had finished cutting the lettuce he had brought.

Ding dong!

“hmm?”

The doorbell rang outside.

Kwon Kyung-min, who had been working hard together, had time to spend with his family and did not order anything like delivery.

Since no one was there to come, I opened the door with some doubts.

Then, beyond that, a young woman and a man were standing.

“Oh, it’s open.”

“Wow, you’re really young. Hello!”

Oh Hyeon-seong asked nervously at their cheerful greeting.

“Who are you?”

“He’s our next door neighbor.”

“If it’s next door… Ah!”

He nodded belatedly.

The house that appears a little way across the west road came to mind.

Although we were physically far enough apart that we couldn’t be considered next door in the city, we were still the closest neighbors.

It’s also similar in that it’s quite far south from the town center.

The only house that can be considered next door to Oh Hyeon-seong’s house, which is somewhat remote, is that place.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Oh Hyeon-seong. I moved in yesterday.”

“I’m Eunha Yoo. Hehe, I heard the story roughly from Uncle Kyungmin.”

“This is Seungsu Yoo. We came from the other side. Have you seen the wooden house?”

“Of course I saw it. I tried to come see you this afternoon, but you weren’t there.”

“I had some business going into the city, so I was on my way back at the time. When I got back, I heard something from the old man, so I quickly came to say hello. Haha.”

I shook hands with Seungsoo Yoo energetically.

By the way, it seems like Kwon Kyung-min is now being called “uncle” by these people.

I’m only in my early thirties, and you call me an old man.

Is it because I have a family, or is it because I am a bit old-fashioned?

It felt strange to be tied up with someone and have them call me an old man from an adult group.

I was still in my 20s before I was hospitalized for five years.

“Are you two siblings?”

“As expected, you recognized it right away!”

Eunha Yoo nodded, raising her index finger.

Even though there were only two people, the quiet house suddenly felt lively.

It’s different from an unpleasant noise.

“Instead of just standing here like this, come in.”

“Excuse me~”

Once inside, they sat on a bench in the middle of the yard.

The spirits quickly hid at the appearance of an unknown person.

Once they hide, they are truly amazing.

Perhaps because of the close bond between the siblings, the conversation continued without any awkwardness.

“So, did you say hello to everyone today?”

“Yes. Everyone was so friendly.”

“We came here two years ago and settled down. Since it was our first time farming, we were worried about the tax burden, but that wasn’t the case. It’s a nice village.”

“Let’s get along well with fellow farmers from the same city!”

At Eun-ha Yoo’s words, Hyun-seong Oh smiled and nodded.

I felt fortunate that these were my closest neighbors.

Unlike in the city where you can just build a wall and live there, living in the countryside with neighbors with harsh personalities would have been tiring in one way or another.

Since we are from the same city, we will probably clash less over values.

Now, there is someone who can give advice from the perspective of a fellow farmer.

“But you’re really handsome. You’re also really tall. Are you a hunter?”

“Ah… Not at all. I did some work there, but it was just an office job. I was just a civil servant.”

Oh Hyun-seong shook his head and answered.

As his long-time friend Kwon Kyung-min also knows, he only introduced himself as a civil servant and hid his real identity.

There was no need to keep the oath of secrecy until the unit was disbanded, but it wouldn’t do any good if it was known that I was a Hunter while I was just looking for a quiet rural life.

Even though he was active on the front lines, his name was not known to the general public.

At that time, the activities of hunters were not as open as they are now, and among them, they were part of a unit that was a national secret.

Because of this, not many of the current hunters know much about him, other than those who worked with him at the time.

“You’re not a true Awakener?”

“Hey, how could a hunter be in a remote place like this, let alone a provincial city? How much do hunters make these days?”

Yoo Seung-soo scolding his younger brother.

Still, she tilted her head and muttered.

“No… No matter how I look at it, it’s a hunter’s statue…”

In the past, when people thought of standards of beauty, they would think of celebrities.

It was a typical job where people made a living off their faces.

But now it was different.

Basically, high-level Awakeners are born with excellent physical abilities from the beginning.

Straight arms and legs, superior body proportions.

Her skin was always so clear and clean that it was hard to imagine her having any facial troubles.

It’s not like that for everyone, but the ratio of handsome men and beautiful women among the Awakened was much higher than that of the general public.

This tendency was especially prominent among higher-level awakeners.

The more talented a hunter is, the more likely he or she is to have an innately outstanding appearance.

Most hunters who are not that different in appearance are not worth seeing, but there are only a handful of skilled hunters who are worthy of being exposed to the media.

Thanks to this, people began to recognize the profession of hunter, and now they have become more than just celebrities of the past.

Save people and defeat monsters on the battlefield.

As they are essential to the maintenance of society, they also receive a lot of attention from the media.

On top of that, he has the looks and star quality that everyone envies. There’s no way he wouldn’t be popular.

Unlike the past when it was active in the shadows, the hunter industry has rapidly expanded into the light in just a few years and has become a huge business.

This is why hunter management companies specializing in this area have emerged.

“Still, you must have seen a lot of famous hunters. I’m jealous. If you worked for the government, have you seen Han Su-yeon by any chance? I wish I could see Han Su-yeon just once.”

“Ask something reasonable. Can a regular employee see Han Soo-yeon?”

“You can just pass by and see it, idiot! Do you keep tackling me?”

The sight of siblings starting to bicker among themselves.

Oh Hyun-seong quickly changed the subject.

“How did you two end up here?”

“That’s… I was so stressed out at work… haha.”

Yoo Seung-soo said with an awkward laugh.

“Of course, I didn’t run away to escape. I came with ambition.”

“Ambition?”

There was a moment when I wondered if there was any ambition in the village I had moved to.

Yoo Seung-soo suddenly held out the box he had been carrying.

I opened it to see what it was, and inside the large box was a pile of potatoes.

“These are hot new potatoes. We prepared them for our new neighbors.”

“Oh, thank you. But isn’t it a little early to harvest potatoes?”

“That would be the case. However, it is not only synthetic crops that have benefited from technological advancements. Although the cost of resistance to turbidity is clearly limited, various natural varieties have also been developed.”

“Elders use the same varieties they always used, but we are different. And if we have the right equipment, we can overcome many of the limitations.”

The siblings began to pour out their words in a stream of water.

What they invested in was a new generation of advanced smart farms that could grow new varieties of crops that could not be grown in ordinary fields.

The goal is to grow high-quality crops that can be sown regardless of the season, have stable yields by reducing damage from drought, and, above all, have greatly improved taste.

“All the crops we grow are delivered to Hankyung Department Store. Thanks to that, we are able to get a much higher unit price.”

“Hmm? Don’t department stores only carry high-end synthetic crops?”

“It used to be like that. But in the past two or three years, thanks to a lot of change in perception, there has been a significant increase in customers from the upper class who seek out wild products. Up until now, the taste difference was too great compared to high-quality synthetic crops, but thanks to constant improvement, the taste has been raised to almost the same level.”

“Besides, we have invested heavily in our facilities, so the quality is even better. That’s why we even started supplying to the food section of Hankyung Department Store, which is famous for being picky.”

“Hoo…”

Indeed, it wasn’t for nothing that he came in with such ambition.

At this level, he is not just a simple senior farmer, but a first-class farmer.

“Then this potato too…”

“Yes, it will taste amazing. It will make your eyes sparkle.”

Eunha Yoo said with confidence.

The siblings, who had added a few more explanations about their advanced facilities and the latest agricultural trends, left later telling us to definitely try it.

Oh Hyun-seong also exchanged contact information and sent a gift that he almost forgot to send.

“That’s interesting.”

Oh Hyun-seong looked down at the box full of potatoes.

If it is supplied to the food section of Hankyung Department Store, which is considered the best in the country, then it must be considered the most delicious of all wild potatoes.

As the siblings disappear, the spirits that had been hiding start to appear around them.

“Then… should we try a test?”

Indeed, which one tastes better?

Oh Hyun-seong picked up his cell phone and started searching for tips on growing potatoes.

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